Dr. Seuss Day 2021 is also known as Read Across America Day. It is a yearly observance in the USA inaugurated by the NEA (National Education Association) that is held on the school day that is nearest to 2 March, Dr Seuss birthday. Theodor Seuss Geisel was an American artist, book publisher, animator, poet, a political cartoonist as well as an author. He is best known for authoring over 60 children’s books.
The Read Across America initiative began in 1997 to encourage children to read more and get excited about reading. The holiday mainly focuses on motivating children to read as it improves their performance in school. On this day, hospitals, bookstores, community centers, churches, libraries as well as schools host many events. So, it’s time to grab your Dr. Seuss hat get reading!
Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!
Learning occurs in day to day activities. So, look for and create learning opportunities throughout your day. Stay safe and be well.
Isn’t education All about reaching the kids in the classroom and at home?
Knowing key words in problem solving is critical for all students. Word problems require students to read and comprehend the question, identify what is being asked and then solve an equation. Making it more difficult for students is that there are multiple terms that mean the same things when solving math word problems.
For early readers, ENL students or struggling readers the task can be daunting. For those kids their inability to comprehend the question may make them unable to solve the problem. They may have math understanding but they are not able to decipher what they are being asked. Teaching them key math terminology will help them tackle math problems.
Addition
add
added to
all together
and
combined
both
how many
in all
increase
increased
increased by
more than
join
perimeter
plus
sum
together
total
total of
addition
Subtraction
are not
deduct
detract
subtact
remove
decreased (by)
difference
exceed
fewer
fewer than
how many more
how many left
left
left over
less
minus
more than
reduce
remaining or remains
take away
Multiplication
area
as much
by
each
factor
equal groups
groups of
in all
lots of
multiple
multiply
multiplied by
per
product
product of
rate
times
triple
twice
multiplied
Division
average
cut up
distribute
divide, divided, divided by, divident
split
divisor
each
equal parts equal group evenly
separate
shared equally
every
half
how many each
into
out of
per, percent, percent (divided by 100)
quotient, quotient of
quarter
ratio, ratio of
same
Equal
balanced
equal
equivalent
even
gives
identical
is
matches
same
yields
Word problems can be tricky. Remember to look for the key words that tell you it’s the same operation.
Learning occurs in day to day activities. So, look for and create learning opportunities throughout your day. Stay safe and be well.
Isn’t education All about reaching the kids in the classroom and at home?
Vocabulary is one of five core components of reading instruction that are essential to successfully teach children how to read. Vocabulary knowledge is important because it encompasses all the words, we must know to access our background knowledge, express our ideas, and communicate effectively, and learn about new concepts. Since students’ word knowledge is linked strongly to academic success it makes sense for teachers to implement effective strategies to strengthen student vocabulary.
6 Easy Vocabulary Strategies
Vocabulary Drawings -Vocabulary drawings link a rhyming word with a visual in the form of a student drawing. Ex. house/mouse. A student can draw a picture of a house with a mouse on it.
Pre and Post Concept Checks – If your lesson is heavy on vocabulary, this strategy is easy to prepare and works great.
Ahead of time, pull out the terms that are most important.
Have students rate their understanding of the terms using a rating scale. (know it well, not sure, no idea)
By checking the answers by collecting the assignment or circulating through the room, you can adapt lesson accordingly.
After the lesson, have students re-rate their understanding by writing an explanation or drawing a picture.
Frontload Difficult Vocabulary -Present the words prior to the lesson and ask students to brainstorm various meanings. If need be, simply give them the meaning. This is especially successful for students with limited background knowledge and/or ENL students.
Classifying and Categorizing -Classifying and categorizing vocabulary words are important skills for comprehension and application. One variation is to sort terms with meanings. Another is to give students all the terms and ask them to create categories for groups they created.
Interactive Word Wall -As students learn new vocabulary words, add them to a Word Wall. The Word Wall can then be used to connect learning, using a magnetized board with magnets on the back of the vocabulary words allows for easy movement. See some of the examples below:
Choose a word and ask students to use it in a sentence.
Choose a word and ask student to name a rhyming word.
Find the word that begins with the letter D.
Give a definition and have students choose which word you describe.
Find all the words that begin with a letter.
Find all the words with 3 letters.
Ask them to alphabetize a small group of words.
Word Hunt -Prior to reading a passage, ask partnered students to preview the pages and identify any vocabulary words that may be confusing. This engages them in discussion and teams them to find out the new meanings.
Expanding a child’s vocabulary helps increase their background knowledge and helps them express their ideas more effectively.
Learning occurs in day to day activities. So, look for and create learning opportunities throughout your day. Stay safe and be well.
Isn’t education All about reaching the kids in the classroom and at home?
Valentine’s Day is always in the middle of winter but this year, it is in the middle of a pandemic too! Many kids across America will miss their classroom Valentine’s Day parties. For some, they have not even seen many of their family and friends in the last year. IF there was ever a year to send some love and make someone smile; it is this year! Check out the Valentine’s Day jokes!
Valentine’s Day Jokes 2021
What did one whale say to the other on Valentine’s Day?
“Whale” you be mine?
What did one squirrel say to the other on Valentine’s Day?
I am “nuts” about you.
What did the ghost say to his girlfriend?
You look “boo”-tiful!
Why did the girl put candy under her pillow?
Because she wanted “sweet” dreams
What did the rabbit say to his girlfriend?
Some “bunny” loves you.
Do you have a date for Valentine’s day?
Yes, February 14th
What did the stamp say to the envelope on Valentine’s Day?
I am “stuck” on you.
What did one sheep say to the other on Valentine’s Day?
I love “ewe!”
Why did the Valentine get arrested?
For “stealing” someone’s heart.
What did the blueberry say to his Valentine?
I love you “berry” much.
What did one volcano say to the other on Valentine’s Day?
I “lava” you a lot!”
What did one cat say to the other on Valentine’s Day?
I think you are “puurrr-fect”.
Come on…. you had to at least smile with some of those jokes?
Happy Valentine’s Day Friends!
Learning occurs in day to day activities. So, look for and create learning opportunities throughout your day. Stay safe and be well.
Isn’t education All about reaching the kids in the classroom and at home?
March dates are sure to bring lots of fun to classrooms.
March dates are sure to bring lots of fun to classrooms. Calendar dates can help to make days special and opportunities to learn. Special days and observances can be everything from silly to serious and everything in between.
These special days don’t have to be only celebrated at home. Knowing the days can extend to homes and family activities too. Aren’t we all looking for ways to make learning at fun everywhere? After a year of being in the midst of a pandemic aren’t we all ready for some FUN?
I know I have NOT included every celebration in the list below. But the list below should get you started with some “hours of fun!” ENJOY! If you are ready for even more fun, check out the websites below that list additional holidays and celebrations. Along with basic information you will find classroom resources and lesson ideas. ALL FREE!
March Dates: Daily Celebrations
March 2: Dr. Seuss’s Birthday, National Read Across America Day
March 4: World Book Day
March 8: International Women’s Day
March 11: Johnny Appleseed Day
March 12: Plant a Flower Day
March 14: National Pi Day, Learn About Butterflies Day
March 17: St. Patrick’s Day
March 20: First Day of Spring, International Day of Happiness
New York State Education Department has many resources for support remote teaching
New York State Education Department has many resources to support teachers in the classroom. The problem that I have always had was trying to find them on the site. Although it is a New York site the following links can be used for Remote Teaching in all schools. These resources are also helpful for student teachers who are tackling the world of student teaching that may include a variation of remote teaching. Check out the sites below.
Tips for Distance Learning with LearningMedia – In this one-hour virtual learning seminar, PBS master trainers and educators share tips and techniques to support engaging, effective distance learning. Educators of children of all ages are introduced to virtual learning technologies, tools, and hacks to set up a digital classroom with confidence.
Learning Keeps Going- Resources for Teachers and Leaders– Resources for, the COVID-19 Education Coalition, a diverse group of education organizations brought together by the ISTE/EdSurge team to curate, create and deliver high-quality tools, resources and support for educators and parents as they keep the learning going during extended school closures.
Science materials are open educational resources (OER) and are free for anyone to use, share, redistribute, adapt, transform, and build upon for any purpose.
A scope and sequence is also available aligned to science standards, as well as other resources.
Note: Users register and agree to terms of use science units and unit maps
These free resources provide a wide variety of ready-to-use lessons that have been field tested with teachers and students from throughout the US with funding from the National Institutes of Health. The lesson collections include topics in Neuroscience, Cancer Biology, Environmental Health, Kidney Crisis, Stem Cells and many more. Animations are also available.
Coming Soon: More Remote Resources
Professional Learning and Support Resources
Instructional Planning Resources Resources
Supporting ELLS with Remote Teaching Resources
Social Emotional Learning Resources
Learning occurs in day to day activities. So, look for and create learning opportunities throughout your day. Stay safe and be well.
Isn’t education All about reaching the kids in the classroom and at home?
Using a Think Aloud Checklist will help you focus your instruction
Think alouds are one of the best instructional practices to improve student comprehension. By allowing students to listen to YOU think, they will be able to understand their own thinking. But, sometimes, you lose track of the number of times you use, or don’t use each strategy. The Think Aloud Checklist below will help you track and target each strategy.
Think Aloud Checklist
Strategy Think Aloud
Tally Mark for Each Time Strategy Used
Cue Words
Predicting
I predict…
In the next part I think… I think this is…
Questioning
Why did… What did…
How did…
Where was…
Should there…
Visualizing
I see…
I picture…
Personal Response
I feel…
My favorite part…
I liked/disliked…
Clarifying
I got confused when…
I’m not sure of…
I didn’t expect…
Summarizing
I think this is mainly about…
The most important idea is…
Reflecting
I think I’ll… next time. Maybe I’ll need to… next time.
I realized that…
I wonder if…
Making Connections
Text-to-Self
Text-to-Text
Text-to-World
This is like…
This reminds me of…
This is similar to…
If it were me…
Print out the chart above and put in your plan book to track your Think aloud usage. You will be surprised how many times throughout the day you model for you students good thinking.
Learning occurs in day to day activities. So, look for and create learning opportunities throughout your day. Stay safe and be well.
Isn’t education All about reaching the kids in the classroom and at home?
Encouraging math learning builds a child’s confidence.
It has always bothered me to encounter people that avoid math because “math learning” was not their thing in school. However, math in the 60’s and 70’s very often the answer was either right or wrong. Very often it was thought you either got it or you did not. So, how could you NOT have bad feelings about math?
Today’s math teaching encourages trial and error, math explanations and problem solving. It encourages kids to give math a try and a good math teacher has high expectations for math learning. Parents can encourage their child’s interest in math. Check out the ideas below and watch your child’s interest and confidence grow.
9 Ways to Make Math Learning Easier
Expect some confusion to be part of the learning process but emphasize that effort, not ability, is what counts. Math is understandable and can be figured out.
Ask your child what he or she did in math class today. Ask him or her to give details and to explain.
Avoid conveying negative attitudes towards math. Never tell children not to worry about certain kinds of math because it will never be used.
Let kids know that occupations require a sound based in mathematics. Careers in carpentry, landscaping, medicine, pharmacy, aeronautics, and meteorology all require strong math skills.
Give your child meaningful problems that use numbers or shapes while you are going about everyday life. Ask the child to explain what he or she did.
Spend time with kids on simple board games, puzzles, and activities that encourage better attitudes and stronger math skills.
Point out ways that people use math every day to pay bills, balance their checkbooks, figure out their net earnings, making change and tips at restaurants.
Involve older children in projects that incorporate geometric and algebraic concepts like planting a garden, building a bookshelf, or figuring our how long it will take to drive to your family destination.
Encourage children to solve problems by helping them but allow them to try to figure it out themselves.
Children’s math achievement is shaped- and- limited by what is expected of them. It is up to us to help them be successful.
Learning occurs in day to day activities. So, look for and create learning opportunities throughout your day. Stay safe and be well.
Isn’t education All about reaching the kids in the classroom and at home?
This year’s inauguration coverage will surely bring up presidential and inaugural trivia. Try out the trivia below and see how many you can answer. Then be ready for the commentators, who always seem to know all the answers! Have fun!
Questions
What President is associated with creating the US Forest Service?
Who was the youngest elected President of the United States?
As of Wednesday, January 20th, who will be the oldest president to be inaugurated? (HINT: future tense)
Which president had a dog named King Tut?
Whose inauguration was the first to be televised?
Who was the youngest President of the United States?
Which President never got married?
Who was the first left-handed President?
Which President holds the record for the shortest time served?
Whose inauguration was attended by the largest amount of people?
What has been the most common first name of an American First Lady?
How many US Presidents have been assassinated?
Who was the tallest president?
Answers
Theodore Roosevelt
John F. Kennedy
Joseph Biden
Herbert Hoover -31st President
Harry S. Truman
Theodore Roosevelt
James Buchanan – 15th President
James Garfield the 20th President
William Henry Harrison – 9th president was less than 1 month
Barack Obama – 44th President
Elizabeth (although some used nicknames like Betty or Bess)
4: Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley, and Kennedy Lincoln at 6ft. 4in.
Learning occurs in day to day activities. So, look for and create learning opportunities throughout your day. Stay safe and be well.
Isn’t education All about reaching the kids in the classroom and at home?
Inauguration Day is an important historical moment.
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ inauguration on Wednesday is an historic moment. However, the recent political unrest has made some parents questioning how to share this moment with their children. I recently learned that the Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC) announced a lineup of television programming specifically aimed at getting kids and families involved in the inauguration and the process of it all. Since most of the events surrounding the swearing-in will be virtually focused due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, this may be the answer for parents.
On Tuesday’s Discovery Education program “I Do Solemnly Swear: The U.S. Presidential Inauguration” at 12 p.m. EST will aim to teach students about the history of the inauguration. The first lady elect, Jill Biden will also appear in the program.
On Wednesday, actress Keke Palmer is set to host an inaugural first: a curated livestream for youth titled “Our White House: An Inaugural Celebration for Young Americans” which will take place before and during the inauguration ceremony starting at 10 a.m. EST. Along with the livestream there will be a message from First Lady, Jill Biden, and a segment on presidential pets.
Regardless of our political affiliation, our kids will one day ask where they were when the 46th president of the United States took the oath of office. This is an opportunity to teach our kids about the United States of America.
Learning occurs in day to day activities. So, look for and create learning opportunities throughout your day. Stay safe and be well.
Isn’t education All about reaching the kids in the classroom and at home?
Using leveled texts are important to student success.
Reading levels in classrooms can vary which makes it difficult for teachers to find resources to meet the needs of all their students. It is important to give students information at reading levels that they can understand and build confidence. Using leveled texts are important to student success.
Finding materials at a student’s “just right” level is beneficial for struggling readers, English Language Learners (ELLS) and students with high abilities. The Good News is you do not have to create your own different versions. Check out the resources below for assistance.
6 FREE Leveled Texts Resources
Newsela – I have shared this resource before and I think it still is one of the best sites. The free site provides several “levels” of the same newspaper article, along with online quizzes. Spanish translations are also available for some of the articles. Additionally, for a small fee, teachers can also create a virtual classroom, assign articles, and monitor student progress. Spanish translations are also available for some of the articles.
Tweentribune- Classroom teachers can register for a FREE membership. Each weekday, the site posts age-appropriate news stories to interest students in Grades 1-12. Each story is edited multiple times for different reading levels. The stories also have self-scoring quizzes and students can post comments. Quiz scores are delivered automatically to teachers and all comments are approved by their teachers before they are published.
For the Teachers – FREE teacher resources for effective instruction. Leveled articles are available for download.
CommonLit is a FREE online reading program in English and Spanish that helps students develop comprehension and writing skills. Teachers can access a collection of over 2,0000 high-quality, high-interest reading passages that are created for different reading levels. Articles cover a range of subject matter and include assessment questions to evaluate comprehension. 100% FREE for teachers, students, and parents.
ReadWorks– Offers FREE content, curriculum, and tools to power teaching and learning from Kindergarten to 12th grade. ReadWorks is continuing to offer expanded support for educators and familiesfacing interrupted learning during the 2020-2021 school year. Check out the educator and family resources.
Learn with Newsprovides FREE English learning material on news stories. Stories are written in 3 versions at different Lexile levels. (Levels 1,2,3)
Isn’t education All about reaching the kids in the classroom and at home?
Trivia is a great way to exercise your brain, keep your mind sharp and learn a few things about a topic. This month it is time to test your Sports knowledge. sports trivia. Truth be told…. Sports trivia is one of my weakest categories in our weekly trivia games. So… it is time for SPORTS TRIVIA!
Sports Trivia Questions
Which sport did George Washington play with his troops?
In inches, how big is the diameter of a basketball hoop?
Which team is as well-known for their comic antics as for their on-court skills?
Which type of ball was basketball played with until 1929?
Who is the only tennis player to have won each of the four grand slam events at least four times?
What was the first sport in which women were invited to compete at the Olympics?
Why did the year 1994 see no baseball World Series?
In which sport are the terms ‘stale fish’ and ‘mulekick’ used?
Which is the only country to have played in every World Cup?
What city of Asia hosted the Summer Olympics in 2008?
Which NFL team is the first to win 3 Super Bowls?
In which athletic event did Bruce Jenner win the gold medal in the 1976 Summer Olympics?
In American Football which famous Miami Dolphins quarterback retired in 2000?
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played 20 seasons in which sport?
How many players, including the goaltender, make up an ice hockey team?
What was banned from 1967 to 1976?
In feet, how high is a basketball hoop?
What three movements are required for an athlete to successfully complete a triple jump?
Name the only major team sport in the USA with no game clock?
What is the maximum time limit allowed to look for a lost ball in golf?
Sports Trivia Answers
Cricket
18 inches
Harlem Globetrotters
Soccer ball
Steffi Graf
Tennis, in 1900
Player’s strike
Snowboarding
Brazil
Beijing
The Pittsburgh Steelers
The Decathlon
Dan Marino
Basketball
Six
Slam dunk
10 feet
Hop, step, and jump
Baseball
5 minutes
Learning occurs in day to day activities. So, look for and create learning opportunities throughout your day. Stay safe and be well.
Isn’t education All about reaching the kids in the classroom and at home?
All kids can benefit from multisensory instruction.
Multisensory instruction can help kids learn information more effectively because kids learn in many ways. Some learn best with information they hear; and some when they see it. Others when they are learning and moving; and others when they touch something. A multisensory approach means learning through more than one sensory system at the same time. Therefore, when designing instruction, it is important to include different senses to give kids more than one way to make connections and learn concepts.
Multisensory lessons engage students on all senses at one time. They are impactful because no matter the learning strength of each child (be it auditory, visual, tactile, or kinesthetic) it targets the learning strengths of all students at one time. It allows us to teach once and reach all our students. Therefore, all kids can benefit from multisensory instruction.
Multisensory Pathways
All learning happens through the following senses which act as pathways to the brain. These are the primary pathways to a child’s brain:
Auditory – Children who are strongly auditory learn best through the sense of hearing. These students need to hear themselves speak what they are learning.
Visual – Children who are strongly visual learn best through the sense of sight. These students need visuals that show the meaning of what they are learning.
Tactile – Students who are strongly visual learn best through the sense of touch. These students must have the opportunity to use their hands to learn.
Kinesthetic – Students who are strongly kinesthetic learn best through body movement. These students must move to focus and learn.
Are you wondering if this works? The best answer to that question is asking “do you learn better by one of the 4 modalities”? Most people will have at least one preference and most always can name one modality that is not their strength. What is yours?
Learning occurs in day to day activities. So, look for and create learning opportunities throughout your day. Stay safe and be well.
Isn’t education All about reaching the kids in the classroom and at home?
Lesson adjustments can help students be successful
Learning to modify lessons is hard work at first. For novice or student teachers it is one of the most difficult concepts to master. It is best to try lesson adjustments even if you are not entirely sure it is the right modification.
As a special educator, begin designing your lesson with the General Education student in mind. Then, reflect on the things that your Special Education student would have difficulty doing in that lesson. Once you identify those areas, then adjust your teaching to meet those needs either by modifying the work, reducing the workload, or providing supports. This design strategy can be used to modify a student’s assessment, homework, or classroom assignment. Lesson adjustment ideas include but are not limited to:
Lesson Adjustment #1: Modify the Content
Provide an alternate assignment that allows a student to display their talents along with the information.
Give a similar but different assignment at a student’s reading or math level.
Align student interest to the content.
Lesson Adjustment #2: Reduce the Workload
Put fewer problems on each page to lesson visual distraction
Reduce the number of multiple choices
Eliminate True or False questions – These questions can be extremely tricky because there is ALWAYS a language connection which makes it especially difficult for students with language-based disorders.
Give choice – Give the student ownership and motivation to choose which problems they will answer. You give them all the questions and the number they must answer, and they choose the questions. This helps motivate them to complete the assignment because they have ownership of their learning. their own assessment.
Decrease the required essays.
Select specific problems for them to answer and omit the extra problems put in as review problems.
Assign even or odd problems only.
Lesson Adjustment #3: Provide Supports
Allow extra time
Permit calculators
Brainstorm prior to the assignment
Provide a quieter setting for students to work
Give a word bank to fill in the bank or to write an essay
Provide Guided Notes to help focus content into a document
Allow students to type or orally report their responses.
List steps to complete a task
Give specific examples
Highlight tricky or key words in questions
Have adult read assignment to student.
Remember that you will be tweaking your modifications throughout the year as your students make progress.
Learning occurs in day to day activities. So, look for and create learning opportunities throughout your day. Stay safe and be well.
Isn’t education All about reaching the kids in the classroom and at home?
Finding effective strategies and resources is an ongoing process for special education teachers. The continuous changes in the field, before and during COVID has made it harder to keep up on new studies, research, and new technologies. For student teachers the learning curve is bigger than ever before. Check out some of the new resources that I have reviewed that you might find helpful.
Resources for Special Education Teachers
Great Resources for Special Education
I have recommendedTeacher Vision before but not with a focus on special education needs. This site is divided into easy to read/use sections with links for classroom management, educational technology, assessment accommodations, and instructional strategies. Printed materials, activities, books, and charts are available to adapt and supplement your classroom materials. If I had 1 site to choose to find ways to support my students, this would be it.
Do2Learn provides thousands of free pages that will help students improve on social skills, behavior, and academics. Resources include many activities to support social, emotional, and academic needs of students. Be sure to check out the extensive resources for preschool students.
The National Center for Learning Disabilitiescan help further your knowledge on many types of learning disabilities Do not be scared off by the front-page focus on legislation issues. There are many videos and articles to improve parent-teacher relationships, assistive technology and Individualized Education Programs (IEP) and 504 Plans.
Learning Disabilities Online provides information to help children with learning abilities achieve their full potential. There are many links to instructional strategies, information, and solutions for teaching issues.
Learning occurs in day to day activities. So, look for and create learning opportunities throughout your day. Stay safe and be well.
Isn’t education All about reaching the kids in the classroom and at home?
Test your memory with some Christmas Trivia this holiday season!
One of my favorite games to play at Christmas parties is Christmas Trivia. These questions can bring more fun to a crowd of any size or any age. Check out your Christmas knowledge while having dinner, exchanging gifts or challenging some family members. Ho! Ho! Ho!
Merry Christmas!
Christmas Trivia Questions
Who does the voice of The Grinch and the story narration in the 1966 cartoon?
What department store created Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer?
What is the best selling Christmas song ever?
What Christmas special was based on a New York Sun editorial?
Which company was the first to use Santa Claus in an ad?
How many ghosts show up in A Christmas Carol?
What do people traditionally put on top of a Christmas tree?
What was the highest grossing Christmas movie of all time?
Three of Santa’s reindeer’s names begin with the letter “D.” What are those names?
In the movie Elf, how does Buddy get to the North Pole?
How do you say “Merry Christmas” in Spanish?
What where the first artificial Christmas trees made of?
What does it mean when a bell rings?
How many total items would you receive if you received all of the gifts in “The Twelve Days of Christmas”?
On what street did a Santa Claus miracle occur?
In what year did Hallmark introduce its first Christmas cards?
Christmas Trivia Answers
Boris Karloff
Montgomery-Ward
White Christmas
Yes, Virginia There is a Santa Claus
Coca-Cola
Four
An angel
Home Alone
Dancer, Dasher, and Donner
He hides in Santa’s sack
Feliz Navidad
Goose Feathers
An angel gets his wings
364
34th Street
1915
Learning occurs in day to day activities. So, look for and create learning opportunities throughout your day. Stay safe and be well.
Isn’t education All about reaching the kids in the classroom and at home?
November posts can help kids learn at school & home
Each day we spend with kids is an opportunity to teach a piece of ourselves.
Happy November! Today’s health crisis has certainly put so many things in perspective! Family, health, and friends have become our priorities with deadlines existing but flexible. Over the past few months, I have seen my own grandchildren go from kids that go to school every day to kids that are either being homeschooled or learning virtually. The student teachers that I work with are not only learning how to be effective teachers in the classroom, but they are also learning how to teach remotely. They are learning the importance of their chosen career, ongoing learning, and adaptability. However, I wish they did not have to learn all those objectives in a single semester.
In many areas, my home state of New York included, parents continue to take the helm to be their child’s teachers and keep kids learning. Learning is happening but in a way that we never thought would be happening and in March we thought it would be temporary. Yes, it may not be the same as in school, but learning is happening. As parents continue their teaching challenge, I am hoping that my posts can be helpful.
So, as we move into the month of December, I hope our day-to-day teaching becomes more manageable and we continue to find learning opportunities all around us.
Learning occurs in day to day activities. So, look for and create learning opportunities throughout your day. Stay safe and be well.
Isn’t education All about reaching the kids in the classroom and at home?
I choose my favorites each month for different reasons. Sometimes it’s timeliness, a hot education topic, student teacher needs or as a family and friends resource. Sometimes, it’s just, BECAUSE. Enjoy!
Use the 5 Finger Retell Rule by assigning story components to fingers.
Recently, while working with one of my grandkids, I learned about 5 Finger Retell as a way to retell a story. The Five Finger Retell Rule for reading is designed to help kids recall the five key elements of the story. Although I had summarized many a story with either my own children or primary students, I never used this simple strategy.
The 5-Finger Retell Rule engages kids to repeat a story in their own words, immediately after reading or hearing it. The trick here is that they use their own hand to organize their thoughts by assigning story components to a finger and their palm. The 5 Finger Retell helps students to analyze the story by setting, character, problem events, and solution or ending. It can be used to summarize the content orally or complete a written summary.
Since many kids have a hard time retelling/summarizing a passage or story this helps kids focus on the most important parts of the story. In addition to summarizing they acquire listening and forecasting skills by asking the BASIC 5W’s: Who, What, When, Where, and Why. This helps them make connections to things they know and understand which is critical for comprehension.
Five Finger Retell Rule
Thumb – Setting
Pointer – Characters
Tall Finger – Problem
Ring Finger – Events/Episodes
Little Finger – Ending/Solution
Palm – Add your palm for the book title and you have an entire story right in your hand.
The best part of the Five Finger Strategy is that kids can do it anywhere anytime. No lesson prep, manipulatives or long discussions. Once you teach, model, and review the finger assignments, the kids are ready to go.
Learning occurs in day to day activities. So, look for and create learning opportunities throughout your day. Stay safe and be well.
Isn’t education All about reaching the kids in the classroom and at home?
Thanksgiving jokes can add some fun to your celebration.
Why not add some Thanksgiving jokes to your Thanksgiving celebration this year?
Teaching kids to appreciate jokes is a great opportunity to laugh together as a family. Why not take some time to be silly this Thanksgiving and enjoy a laugh (or eye roll). Happy Thanksgiving!
