Posted by Barb on February 2, 2012
We are a verbal society; so much so that we tend to take the development of oral language for granted. In fact, it is not surprising to observe that the emphasis on developing oral language has been taken a back seat by teachers and parents over the last several years. Think about it…today’s children are “talked to” all the time and they receive a good portion of information through media which includes sound and images. While they are bombarded with information, they tend to be on the receiving end and, consequently, are not provided with enough opportunities that allow them to create and convey their own thoughts. (more…)
Posted by Marsha on January 25, 2012
I am so on to my kids. I realize that simply asking if they have any homework is like asking how was school today. I’m setting myself up to receive a vague, one syllable response or grunt. It is not their fault. The problem is we have different ideas about what constitutes homework. My idea of homework includes the literal homework assignment of the day (the one that is due tomorrow) as well as reviewing notes from the day’s lessons, studying for up coming quizzes and tests, and working on projects whose due dates are in the near future. My intelligent sons, however, cleverly use this misunderstanding to avoid doing any more than the homework that is due tomorrow- bless their manipulative little hearts. So, rather than engage in a battle over definitions, I started asking homework questions in levels. NOT to my surprise, homework started taking on a new look in my house. Here are my levels of homework questions. (more…)
Posted by Kira on January 18, 2012
I recently did a training for the teachers at my school and taught them how to use GoogleDocs, which I am VERY fond of. In this training, I had them all sign up for a google account, which is free and easy. Then I had them get into groups and prepare a collaborative document. This is called “sharing” by google, and you can share any type of document. A “Document” is word processing, a “Spreadsheet” is Excel, and a “Presentation” is Powerpoint or Keynote. You can download these from google when you are done with them, and the presentation will even download as an actual powerpoint!
What a great way to get your students to (more…)
Posted by Barb on January 12, 2012
The next time you head off to a sporting event or friend’s house to watch the big game, be sure to mention how the NCAA has teamed up with DonorsChoose.orgin a campaign called “Fund the Future”. This partnership allows educators during a commercial (of course) to start the conversation about ways their friends, family, and even strangers can help teachers throughout the United States by funding (or practically funding) classroom projects.
If you are not familiar with DonorsChoose.org you should be. It is a unique site that allows classroom teachers to present ideas for projects, materials, or equipment to use with their students. (more…)
Posted by Marsha on January 4, 2012
Read alouds are not just beneficial for teaching reading; they are perfect for teaching writing, too. Quality literature, be it picture books or novels, are perfect for modeling craft and target skills we want our students to include in their writing. For example, with similes and metaphors like- “The trees stood still as giant statues. Somewhere behind us a train whistle blew, long and low, like a sad, sad song. And when their voices faded away it was as quiet as a dream.” and “…the snow below it was whiter than the milk in a cereal bowl.”- Owl Moon, by Jane Yolen, is a wonderful mentor text for teaching figurative language.
It is also perfect for showing the richness sensory details add to a piece of writing. For example- “Our feet crunched over the crisp snow and little gray footprints followed us. I had to run after him every now and then to keep up, and my short, round shadow bumped after me. We reached the line of pine trees, black and pointy against the sky…. The moon made his face into a silver mask. I could feel the cold, as if someone’s icy hand was palm-down on my back. My mouth felt furry, for the scarf over it was wet and warm.”
Tips for using mentor text when for teaching writing skills: (more…)
Posted by Kira on January 2, 2012
This weekend you can get our apps for a cool 20% off. Discount is automatic upon checkout at the shop! We hope you had a wonderful new year, now go make your Lesson Pop!
Increase Oral Language By Using Wordless Picture Books
