tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57956852139077247992024-03-05T00:02:00.526-08:00NCAEE - It's Elementary!Connecting North Carolina Elementary EducatorsFancy Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09407007637041306694noreply@blogger.comBlogger88125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795685213907724799.post-26727612536395393992018-11-04T09:00:00.000-08:002018-11-04T09:00:00.615-08:00The Importance of QuestioningAlbert Einstein once said, “The important thing is to never stop questioning.” Einstein is also noted for saying, “If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on the solution, I would spend the first 55 minutes determining the proper question to ask… for once I know the proper question, I could solve the problem in less than five minutes.” Einstein believed that questioning and curiosity were the catalyst to learning. Trying to find answers requires a person to think. The more questions that are asked, the more thinking occurs.<br />
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The key to questioning is asking the proper questions. Questions should spark curiosity. Curiosity will ignite a fire to learn more. It is so easy for a teacher to ask the basic, lower level “right there” questions. These questions simply require students to regurgitate information they have been given. These questions may be “In which year was President Obama elected President?” “Who was President Obama’s Vice President?” “What color was Goldilocks’ hair?” “How many bears were in the house?” These questions simply require a student to look at text and pick out the answer. There is not a lot of thought put into providing the answers. Are these questions necessary? Yes they are! They are initiate recall, the first step to higher order thinking.<br />
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Higher order thinking questions are questions that require students to put together information that they have to formulate an answer. “How did his reaction to the crying child cause the child to stop crying?” requires a level of thinking beyond asking, “What did he do to get the child to stop crying?” Both questions will provide the same basic information, but the former requires a student to analyze the information provided rather than simply recall it as with the latter question.<br />
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To assist students with their thinking, ask why questions: “Why did you think that was correct?” “Why do you believe that was the incorrect choice?” “Why did you put those pieces together instead of using the other pieces?” Asking why questions will encourage students to show understanding of what they know, apply the knowledge, and then evaluate its accuracy in relation to what they know and what they understand the question to be asking.<br />
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The highest level of questioning requires students to sort through information/knowledge they have, determine how it can best be organized and utilized, and then produce an answer based on evidence they have gleaned from their answers. These questions will be in the order of “What was the most exciting part in the story and why?” “What do you think would happen if children could make all the decisions about school?” “How could you determine which method is the best for building permanent friendships?” “What information is needed to decide the best route to school?”<br />
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Many reading this bog are thinking “That’s good for older students, but what about the lower grades, like Pre-K through second grade?” Proper questioning works for those students as well. The vocabulary will naturally change, but the type of thinking will be the same. Ask “What if…” or “How would…” or “Why is…” or “What would you do if…” These questions will generate all sorts of possibilities, but most of all these questions will generate thinking.<br />
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Never be so quick to answer the question yourself. Some students need think time. Others will realize if they are quiet for more than a second, they will not need to provide an answer. Should you inadvertently answer the question, then ask the student why that answer was the correct response. This type of questioning may cause you and your students to feel uncomfortable at first. However, if you practice enough this becomes the norm for your teaching, then students will learn to anticipate this type of questioning and start thinking outside of the traditional box.<br />
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Engage your students by questioning. Ask open-ended questions rather than the recall and remember ones. Challenge your students to think, but be prepared for them to challenge your thinking as well.<br />
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Kathy Drew is a fourth grade teacher in Wayne County Public Schools. She received her Bachelors in Elementary Education from the University of West Florida, in Pensacola, Florida and her Masters in Elementary Education from Fayetteville State University in Fayetteville, North Carolina. She is a National Board Certified Teacher. She was selected as a 2016 Wayne County MODEL Educator (Master Educator, Obligation to a Respectful Learning Environment, Demonstrates Leadership, Effective Instructor, and Lifelong Learner). She serves as the Region 2 Director of NCAEE and is one of the original founders of the organization,<br />
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Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16092001478395527812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795685213907724799.post-82720736587735090492018-10-07T10:00:00.000-07:002018-10-07T10:00:09.542-07:00Make Learning MemorableIt has been a long time since I have blogged, but my to-do list has been so long! No more excuses! It is the beginning of the school year and time for some inspiration!<br />
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In this time of instant gratification, online gaming, less family face-time, and less communication, we need to inspire our students by giving them something to go home and talk to their families about. It is time to make learning memorable! You can't be "Super Teacher" every day of your career, but if you aren't causing students to go home thinking their day was amazing, we aren't inspiring their creativity.<br />
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Last school year I wanted to make our Space unit more memorable and make a real difference in our school. I really wanted to take my students to a Planetarium for a field trip, but we were maxed out on the number of trips we could take. I ran across an idea on Pinterest for a cardboard planetarium from <a href="https://www.bealsscience.com/single-post/2016/04/04/Make-your-own-Cardboard-Geodesic-Dome-Planetarium-and-Projector" target="_blank">Beals Science</a>.<br />
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Using their amazing plans, I wrote a Donors Choose for some of the supplies, which was funded pretty quickly. I contacted a cardboard company that is right around the corner from our school. They were the nicest people and they donated all of the cardboard (plus lots of extra)! I made templates with my kids, then let them measure and trace the templates on the huge cardboard. For safety reasons I cut the cardboard all by myself and scored the flaps. I drilled holes where the rivets were supposed to go.<br />
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We started attaching the panels together in the classroom, but quickly had to move to the media center to complete the hexagons and pentagons. On day 1 of building, I quickly realized that the rivets were not going to hold the very thick cardboard. I had to run to the hardware store after school and get zip ties to try on day 2. Zip ties worked and with a lot of effort from the kids and multiple staff members (thanks to everyone at my school that helped!) we were able to put it all together!<br />
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The cardboard was the extremely thick and durable kind, so it was very heavy. Also, third graders are not perfect when it comes to tracing and I was not perfect when it came to cutting, so I needed to do some reinforcing inside. I went back to the hardware store and bought PVC pipe and 3 way connectors to make a cube inside the dome before I allowed students inside.<br />
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Once it was built, we viewed some planet videos inside so we could see the dome in action! It was amazing! We also shared it with the other grade levels in our building as space is covered in First grade, Third Grade, and Fourth Grade. A few other grade levels visited too!<br />
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My students remember this activity fondly because they learned about geometry and the importance of precision in measuring, tracing, and cutting. They also learned about perseverance when it came to building this huge dome and how even the best laid plans have to be revised to complete a project. They also successfully learned about space and the planets in an innovative way.<br />
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As kids walked into my classroom on the first day of school this year, I overheard several of them mentioning that I was the teacher that built the planetarium and completed some other cool school-wide projects last year. This school year I am already making plans to build a reusable dome out of PVC pipes and connectors! I already have the connectors funded through a Donors Choose and I am asking local pipe manufacturers to donate the pipes for us.<br />
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Megan Charlton is a third grade teacher at Patriots STEM Elementary School in Concord, NC. She also serves on the NCAEE Board. Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16092001478395527812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795685213907724799.post-28874450602124480142018-09-09T10:00:00.000-07:002018-09-09T10:00:10.814-07:00Principal’s Picks Section in the Media Center<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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“I want a Principal’s Picks section In the Media Center.” This request was made by my principal in March. This was my first year working as the Media Coordinator at my school even though I have worked in education for over 40 years. I pictured a few books placed on a table with a sign reading, “Principal’s Picks.” Didn’t sound difficult. I figured a few minutes work, and the request would be fulfilled.</div>
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I started by choosing some books that would appeal to a wide range of readers. I love books so narrowing the choices to just a few was a challenge. I figured I would need fiction and nonfiction, books that would appeal to both boys and girls, various reading levels, and more. The pile grew as I pulled books off the shelves.</div>
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After much thought I had the pile of books down to eight. Great! Now I would display the books, add a sign, and students would be checking out the Principal’s Picks. Then it occurred to me: as soon as a student picked a book off the shelf to check out, I would be searching for another book to replace it. I pictured choosing books daily to replenish the display. Not going to happen!</div>
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I decided that I would feature the books for a round of media classes with no checkout allowed for these books. However, the only thing that would accomplish was prolonging the inevitable. I would still be choosing new books to feature for Principal’s Picks more often than was reasonable in my mind. </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">That is when I came up with the solution that lasted for the rest of the school year. I took individual pictures of all the book covers. Then I sent the pictures to my school email account. I printed them and made copies. I made copies because in most cases I did not get the sizing correct before printing. It was easier for me to do this on the copy machine. I used eight page protectors and slipped the pictures inside. I taped the filled page protectors to the display table and stood the books on top of the pictures.
Now when books from the Principal’s Pick section are checked out, students are still able to see the books that were recommended by the principal. One change I plan to make for next year is printing the pictures in color. I also plan to feature twelve books and move the display table to a more central location.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Peggy Sherman is the Media Coordinator and MTSS Coordinator of her school. She has also served on the NCAEE Board for several years.</span></div>
Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16092001478395527812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795685213907724799.post-46360444683094108362018-08-12T09:00:00.000-07:002018-08-12T09:00:10.309-07:00My Wonder Project<span id="goog_798978258"></span><span id="goog_798978259"></span>Inquiry opportunities provide students with opportunities to do research, collaborate, build interest and connect to real world issues. In Elementary School settings, K- 2 teachers can set up inquiry stations so that children can enter in the mornings and choose to be curious from the start like the amazing <a href="https://twitter.com/AubreyDiOrio" target="_blank">Aubrey DiOrio</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/Caitlin1339" target="_blank">Caitlin McCommons</a> in Wake County! I learn so much from their leadership in Wake County, NC at <a href="https://twitter.com/BrierCreekES" target="_blank">Brier Creek Elementary School</a>! They piqued my interest on “Inquiry for Littles” at the 2018 NCTIES Conference which <a href="https://techencounter.wordpress.com/2018/03/05/top-10-of-ncties-2018/" target="_blank">I blogged about</a> and shared with my K-2 teachers.<br />
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Teachers can set up a more formal opportunity to explore topics that students generate based on their interests. One way that I set this up is to have my Grades 3 - 5 students explore <a href="http://www.wonderopolis.org/">www.wonderopolis.org</a>, choose a topic that they want to know more about and take notes on the topic in a Google Sheet. I show them how to copy and paste the web address in the address bar into their Google Sheet along with their Question from Wonderopolis and a Summary of their reading. I love Wonderopolis because it has topics organized by categories like Science, Technology, Social Studies and ELA. Plus, a new article is written every day, Monday - Friday, and posted to Wonderopolis’ website! Children can even listen to the article as a voice reads it aloud to support comprehension.<br />
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I model this process for my students by first sharing a topic about which I am interested that I found at <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-is-world-hunger-still-a-problem">https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-is-world-hunger-still-a-problem</a>.<br />
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I place my Question in my Google Sheet of “Why is world hunger still a problem?” and summarize the Wonderopolis text in my Summary column of my Google Sheet. Next, I show students a print resource called <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Beatrices-Goat-Page-McBrier/dp/0689869908" target="_blank">Beatrice’s Goat</a> by Page McBrier. After reading it aloud, I type a summary in my Summary section of my Google Sheet and include the name of the book. In this book, a charity organization named Heifer International, provides a goat to a family in Uganda, Africa. This goat provides milk and allows the family to sell the goat’s milk and milk products from the goat to members of their rural community. The money that they make allows the family to send the daughter, Beatrice, to the community school and provides materials to build a sturdy house for Beatrice’s family.<br />
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Next, I go to <a href="https://www.sweetsearch.com/" target="_blank">https://www.sweetsearch.com/ </a>and typed in Heifer International to learn more about this organization helps people around the world. I love to also share a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=3y-1cpnIZxs" target="_blank">video</a> about how to analyze a website using the acronym TRAAP which means:<br />
T - Timeliness<br />
R - Relevance<br />
A - Accuracy<br />
A - Author<br />
P - Purpose<br />
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We analyze<a href="https://www.heifer.org/" target="_blank"> https://www.heifer.org/</a> which we found at the Sweet Search website and determine that it passes the TRAAP test. I add this website as a resource to my Google Sheet and then summarize information that I learn about this organization in my Google Sheet. I am now ready to copy and paste my summaries into digital projects or record myself on <a href="https://flipgrid.com/" target="_blank">Flipgrid</a> to explain what I learned.<br />
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Once students had researched at least three topics at <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/" target="_blank">Wonderopolis</a>, I had them choose their favorite topic to show what they had learned. I have bookmarked at my website and placed in their Google Classroom a list of kid friendly search engines so that student could search for additional information on their topic found here:<br />
-<a href="https://www.sweetsearch.com/" target="_blank">Sweet Search</a><br />
-<a href="https://www.safesearchkids.com/" target="_blank">Safe Search Kids</a><br />
-<a href="http://www.kidrex.org/" target="_blank">KidRex</a><br />
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As a way to have students share what they learned, I have students go to <a href="http://www.bighugelabs.com/">www.bighugelabs.com</a> to create a digital project to showcase information learned. I would show an example of a Trading Card and a Movie Poster that I would create using Big Huge Labs' website. We pretend that a movie has been made about how to end world hunger and use my summary in the Big Huge Labs Movie Poster.<br />
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I also have children search for images for their Trading Card or Movie Poster at <a href="http://images.google.com/">images.google.com</a> and go to Advanced Search to filter for free images to copy and share. Once I place the images in the Trading Card and Movie Poster, I copy and paste the poster into a Google Slide or Google Doc. Kids could also do a shared Google Slide presentation and be assigned a slide where they would paste their Trading Card or Movie Poster about their Wonder Topic. I love the versatility of the tools in Big Huge Labs because they allow children to create a quick project after reading about any topic, but in this case, they would have chosen a Wonder Topic at Wonderopolis.<br />
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I also give them choices to create Word Clouds using their Summaries. Here is my Word Cloud Summary from “Beatrice’s Goat”:<br />
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Children are naturally inquisitive and want to know more about the world. Giving them safe search sites and a note taking scaffold will help them as they continue to read for information and dive deep into inquiry. They love to share what they have learned with others in Flipgrid and in shared Google Slides along with other tools like <a href="https://web.seesaw.me/" target="_blank">SeeSaw</a>. How do you provide opportunities for Inquiry and Wonder Projects with your students?<br />
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Bio of Lisa Maples:</div>
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Lisa Maples is the K-5 Technology Teacher at Elon Park Elementary in the Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools and a former 3rd and 4th Grade Teacher in Greensboro, Raleigh and Charlotte. She is a National Board Certified Teacher and holds a Master's Degree in Reading from UNC-Greensboro. As an NCTIES 2016 Outstanding Teacher Award recipient, a 2014 PBS Learning Media Digital Innovator and a Google Certified Educator, she provides multiple creation opportunities for students to create and make with Cubetto Robots, Sphero Robots, Code and Go Robots, Lego WeDo 2.0 kits, Keva blocks, iPads, Chromebooks and Desktop computers. Visit her blog to see reflections on her lessons at <a href="https://techencounter.wordpress.com/">https://techencounter.wordpress.com/</a> and follow her on Twitter at @edu_maples.</div>
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Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16092001478395527812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795685213907724799.post-91512212167662977952018-07-15T09:00:00.000-07:002018-07-15T09:00:03.791-07:00How should teachers use technology? Three ways to Strain out Unfocused Digital Learning Experiences I am an awful chef. One time, I was particularly excited about cooking a delicious pasta and vegetable recipe. However, when my taste-tester took his first bite, it was watery and the tastes were murky. Apparently, when you use canned peas, you are supposed to drain the pea water. Who knew? Well, when utilizing technology in the classroom, teachers sometimes use the latest digital tools without straining to determine the purpose of integrating the tool.<br />
Why does integrating technology bring upon sweaty palms even for the most competent chefs of educational pedagogy? Without setting an intention for the use of a specific digital tool, your lesson will water down the ultimate learning goal. According to ISTE standards for Students, students are labeled as “global collaborators” who “use technology seek feedback” with the goal of becoming “empowered learners.”<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA7XF1dXZ_f_FzOULgXmngJWLrEVfrFzLkbhxwireldPNA6Yq6IkJQnGVIk6YQUVCur5TLGKsBW7Ahy1prEh8iSmOCfo_Dr6SlWgMOo-eDdOQ_1dYcvHxUaYH9I9ozsdd5cQAiXOt9bak/s1600/Gaming+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="508" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA7XF1dXZ_f_FzOULgXmngJWLrEVfrFzLkbhxwireldPNA6Yq6IkJQnGVIk6YQUVCur5TLGKsBW7Ahy1prEh8iSmOCfo_Dr6SlWgMOo-eDdOQ_1dYcvHxUaYH9I9ozsdd5cQAiXOt9bak/s320/Gaming+2.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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I am sharing three ways to streamline the goal of utilizing digital goals to create a recipe of technology-integration success.<br />
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1. <b>To Show Understanding: EdPuzzle (my favorite)</b><br />
<a href="https://edpuzzle.com/" target="_blank">EDPuzzle</a> allows students to view digital media with specific learning goals. Teachers can cut the video, add multiple choice/ short answer questions, and add voice overs/ comments. Teachers are able to either search from curated videos or develop their own by uploading videos and then provide digital feedback on student responses.<br />
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2. <b>To Demonstrate Understanding: Mindmeister (digital organizers)</b><br />
<a href="https://www.mindmeister.com/#all" target="_blank">MindMeister</a> has unlimited uses. Overall, it allows students to collaborate on a digital web that organizes information much like the synapses of the brain. Students can add questions and information, answer other students, or organize learning collaboratively.<br />
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3. <b>To Experience Learning at a High Level: Weebly (online website builder)</b><br />
<a href="https://www.weebly.com/" target="_blank">Weebly’s</a> simple interface and organized tool bar allows for quick website construction. Weebly allows you to drag and drop website elements onto the page almost like Lego construction.<br />
<a href="http://gamingthroughgovernment.weebly.com/" target="_blank">Gaming through Government</a>, a Weebly learning experience that I designed, utilizes digital gaming, digital media on Edpuzzle, fast-paced quizzes on <a href="https://quizizz.com/" target="_blank">Quizizz</a>, and a paper and pencil learning guide for students to document learning. The storyline of Gaming through Government is presented to students as an authentic context for playing the games, learning the content, and ultimately passing the five levels. Throughout the unit, students earn points to increase their rank from an intern to eventually the president. At the end of each level, students complete a Quizizz to demonstrate understanding of the learning goals.<br />
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My Findings<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Students’ assessment scores increased by over 400%<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>91 % of students thought Gaming through Government was an effective educational experience<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>94% of students determined that learning experiences like Gaming through Government should be used in the classroom<br />
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Even though I utilized several pedagogical strategies including game-based learning, gamified learning, and multiple digital tools, I strained out the extraneous elements that could have muddied the learning goals. Just as you would add peas to a recipe, but do not want the whole dish taste like pea water, you want to add digital tools to a lesson, but with a clear goal in implementing the digital tool.<br />
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About the Author:</div>
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Rebecca Koza is in her 6th year teaching. She is currently a 5th grade teacher at The Arts Based School in Winston-Salem. She attended Wake Forest University where she earned a Bachelor Degree in Elementary Education with minors in dance and communication. Rebecca also has her Master of Science in Education focused in Technology for Educators from Johns Hopkins University and her AIG certification from Wingate University. Rebecca enjoys using the arts and technology to develop high-level learning experiences for students.</div>
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Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16092001478395527812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795685213907724799.post-67514996879204369822018-06-10T17:57:00.000-07:002018-06-10T17:57:24.480-07:00MTSS: It’s School Improvement!The newest “buzz word” lingering in the halls of schools these days seems to be “MTSS.” While we have a generalized perception of what is meant by the greater realm of Multi-Tiered System of Support, do we really understand all that it entails? Is it as complicated as it seem, and does it truly hold the magical answers we are looking for?<br />
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Because MTSS takes shape in a school as a framework of understanding and conceptualization rather than a process, individual schools have many ways to develop and design their structures with an overall goal of total school improvement. In many instances, MTSS has been given an improper descriptor as “the road to EC.” While much of it may focus on early intervention for both academic and behavioral needs, MTSS runs much deeper in schools. MTSS is truly comprised of anything within the school that plays a part in school improvement.<br />
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So, how does MTSS affect school improvement anyway?<br />
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●<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>School Culture: Morale and sense of belonging play an important role in school improvement for all stakeholders. Teacher appreciation recognitions, school clubs and dances, and annual community events create safe environments for school families and allow for everyone to be positively engaged. Creating such environments only enhances the culture of a school and, ultimately, works toward school improvement. School culture, in this respect, is a key factor of effective MTSS structures.<br />
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●<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Teaming Structures: MTSS relies heavily on a problem-solving model. The use of teaming structures within a school justifies that school concerns have been thoughtfully considered and dealt with accordingly. School improvement teams, climate committees, professional learning communities, and grade level or departmental committees are just a few examples of how everyone having a voice to arrive at a decision outweighs a “one and done” leadership initiative. Teaming structures are vital for problem-solving and promoting school improvement initiatives.<br />
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●<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Data-Informed Decision-Making: These days, it seems almost impossible to make any decision without reason to do so. Data is essential in all aspects of teaching, and the appropriate use of data spotlights effective MTSS structures throughout a school. Turning to both student outcome data (class assignments, grades, assessment scores) and implementation data (fidelity checks, walkthrough information) when making decisions only clarifies the purpose and need for making the chosen “next steps.” The use of data directly correlates with school improvement.<br />
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●<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Community Involvement: With the rising financial demands of schools, it is nearly impossible to thrive without the support of the community. Reaching out to community members and businesses to support school functions, staff and student recognitions, or to serve on the School Improvement Team are simple ways to involve the community and develop mutually beneficial relationships. Involvement of the community has great impact on school improvement.<br />
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Yes, intervention has an important role on MTSS, but the framework has the ability to be much broader than that. Because it is synonymous with school improvement, anything that improves the overall function of the school is ultimately deemed MTSS. There are so many ways our daily routines and actions create an MTSS framework.<br />
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About the Author:<br />
Lynn Plummer serves as the MTSS Coordinator for Stanly County Schools and is the secretary of North Carolina Association of Elementary Educators. A North Carolina Teaching Fellow, Plummer taught kindergarten and third grade before serving as an elementary curriculum coach. Upon earning his Master of School Administration from UNC Charlotte in 2015, Plummer began working district-wide with schools, supporting MTSS initiatives and efforts. Join in all things education by following him @lwplummer and learn more about NC MTSS in the Livebinder.<br />
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Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16092001478395527812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795685213907724799.post-71812259076268962382018-05-20T09:00:00.000-07:002018-05-20T09:00:14.787-07:00Region 5 ConferencePlant it! On April 19th, NCAEE Region 5 educators came together for fun, food, and fellowship all centered around planting a growth mindset in our classrooms. Breakout sessions included topics such as establishing a growth mindset in the content area classroom and growing teacher leaders. Bruce Carroll and Aaron Burr, Davidson County administrators, presented on teacher leadership and said the conference had “energetic participants that clearly cared about self growth and building their capacity to affect the students in their care.” Going along with the growth mindset theme, attendee Janell Willard said the workshop she joined “emphasized the ‘power of yet,’ the key to our students' success in everyday problem solving and STEM activities.”<br />
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Keynote Michael Beadle wowed the crowd with an interactive poetic presentation. In celebration of April being National Poetry Month, Michael performed the poem, “Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carroll with the assistance of audience members. The audience volunteers hilariously put their spin on Michael’s recommended character movements, which reinforced how interactive poetry is engaging for children and adults. As one attendee said, “something simple like a poem… can turn into a dynamic experience for your students.” Michael’s enthusiasm for poetry was a refreshing reminder of the power of poetry for many struggling students.<br />
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Another takeaway was Michael’s explanation of “amateur.” The root word for “amateur” is “amor” which means love. As a teacher, it is an important reminder that we must work within our passion to educate students. Having a growth mindset is not only significant in the classroom, but also across our careers.<br />
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5 Fantastic Facts about Michael:<br />
- A+ Schools Fellow<br />
- Author of 5 poetry books, a poetry CD, and 3 historic photograph books<br />
- Former journalist<br />
- Touring writer-in-residence<br />
- Emcee for the N.C. Poetry Out Loud state finals<br />
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Michael personally inspired me with his “vowels” for the classroom.<br />
Adapt<br />
Engage<br />
Invent<br />
Observe<br />
Understand<br />
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Our diverse population of attendees provided a glimpse into what our conference was like.<br />
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Parent/ Classroom Paraprofessional<br />
“I was curious to learn all about the power of YET! I learned some techniques that would help foster a growth mindset to use in all aspects of life.” – Carolyn Pack<br />
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Salem College Professor<br />
“From engaging and informative presentations, a delicious dinner, time of networking, and door prize drawings, to the closing keynote by award-winning performing poet, participants were motivated and inspired to return to their classrooms and sow the seeds of a growth mindset!” – Debbie Linville<br />
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Principal Intern<br />
“The conference definitely provided a space for us to explore the true meaning behind ‘growth mindset’ and made me think about how I can better convey this message to my teachers.” – Chris Terzigni<br />
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5th Grade Teacher<br />
“The sessions led conversations on how to best reinforce growth mindset in the classroom in order to ensure that students recognize the impacts of hard work and effort.” - Becky Koza<br />
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Regional Advisory Council Member<br />
"Our conference has always been a great way to network with other teachers and administrators in the area.” – Alysha Christian<br />
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High Point University Student Teacher<br />
"As a new teacher, I especially appreciate any chance to hear from others, so I can evaluate my practices and hone them for my own classroom." – Courtney Hedgecock<br />
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About the Author<br />
Leni Fragakis is the Region 5 Director of NCAEE. She currently teaches 5th grade at The Arts Based School. Leni has her BA (Elementary Education, minor Special Education), MEd (Literacy), and administration add-on from High Point University. She is working toward her EdD in cultural foundations and leadership from UNCG.<br />
<br />Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16092001478395527812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795685213907724799.post-67293410047866855402018-04-01T14:45:00.000-07:002018-04-01T14:45:10.532-07:00Mindfulness Matters<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Century Gothic;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I was first introduced to the concept of mindfulness in 2014 as a Teaching Fellow. I was part of the Charlotte Teaching Fellows Institute and they brought an expert speaker to share these strategies and ideas. <a href="http://www.stillquietplace.com/" target="_blank">Dr. Amy Saltzman</a> shared her expertise with our group. Mindfulness was something that was new and interesting and I loved the idea of using it with students. I was excited to begin using it.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Century Gothic;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The idea of using mindfulness began to catch on and I felt knowledgeable because of my Teaching Fellows Institute experience but I still wasn’t really implementing it with my students. I felt like it was something that was to be added. It wasn’t until I changed my perspective to look at it as part of our everyday learning that I began to use it with my students and to truly see the benefits.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Century Gothic;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mindfulness can be practiced as little as five to ten minutes a day with your students. On a daily basis I have my students stop and reflect on their day and their goals. They take five minutes to focus on themselves. They are then able to work better on the projects at hand. It is a chance for them to reflect. As Mindful Schools co-founder Laurie Grossman says, mindfulness is “to pay attention, on purpose, to the present moment.” It is not letting the little moments go by unnoticed. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Century Gothic;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">This year I also had my 4th and 5th grade students chose one word to guide them. Some of the words they chose were peace, determination and challenge. Each student has a copy of their word in their notebook. I also hung them in the hall to inspire other students. They use their word to help them when they are feeling unfocused. It helps them be mindful of their goals and of how they want to live their lives. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Century Gothic;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our speaker as well as the other materials that I have read on mindfulness shows that there are many positive benefits of teaching mindfulness. As teachers use the strategies and incorporate them into the daily activity students are having reduced stress and anxiety, increased concentration and engagement, improved social skills and better problem solving and decision making skills. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Century Gothic;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">A resource that I have used is Mindfulness for Teachers by Patricia Jennings. In her book she states that mindfulness can help us to be more effective at reducing conflict and developing more positive way of relating in the classroom. This in turn helps us as teachers feel more job satisfaction. I have used her book so much that another NCAEE Board member, Megan Charlton, and I used it as a resource for our recent #NCAEEChat on Twitter. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Century Gothic;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Another resource that I like is the <a href="https://www.teachstarter.com/blog/classroom-mindfulness-activities-for-children/" target="_blank">Teach Starter</a> website. They have many ideas and strategies on their site. (The items that I have used have been free but they do have a paid portion to their site.) It is a great tool that is easy to use. They also have their materials set up in such a way that it is user friendly and something that every teacher can do with their students.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Century Gothic;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The experience that I had as a Charlotte Teaching Fellow set me up for my journey to using mindfulness as it allowed me the chance to be exposed and learn more. I feel that mindfulness makes all the difference in my day. It is something that teachers can use and definitely see the benefit of with their students. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Century Gothic;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://quotesgram.com/daily-mindfulness-quotes/?vm=r">https://quotesgram.com/daily-mindfulness-quotes/?vm=r</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Century Gothic;">Dr. Nancy Betler is a Talent Development Teacher at Eastover Elementary and primarily works with gifted and high-ability students in grades K-5. As a National Board Certified Teacher, she fully embraces life-long learning and has recently earned her doctorate degree. Nancy is also heavily involved with the North Carolina Association of Elementary Educators (NCAEE) and serves as a Board Member. She looks forward to connecting with you on Twitter @nbetler and being a part of your PLN!</span></div>
Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16092001478395527812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795685213907724799.post-44080905624267300392018-01-07T08:00:00.000-08:002018-01-07T08:00:21.529-08:00HOT TOPIC: Emotional and Social Development<b>My kids recently taught me how to download and use Bitmoji. </b><br />
Bitmoji is designed for you to create a virtual version of yourself that you can use to share a reaction (emotion) and to empathize with others during virtual communications, like text messages or email. I’ve been experimenting with it and like that it bridges the use of text (word only) formats and enhances communication. For example, in situations where I would usually add a smiley or sad face emoji, there is now an opportunity for more sophisticated interaction using words, facial expression, and body language together. This allows for a higher-order level of emotional literacy and a novel pathway to grow in and express our social competence. <b>Emotional and social development matters, according to researchers (Jones, Greenberg, & Crowley, 2015), beginning as early as kindergarten! </b>It’s also quite a bit of fun!<br />
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Why focus on Emotional and Social Development?<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Emotional
Literacy Impact<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Children
who can identify and express their emotions are better able to manage strong
emotions. Therefore, they often have better relationships with children in
their classroom and have better social skills. These are important
competencies in school.</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Emotion
Regulation Impact<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">When
children regulate emotions, they can work in collaborative groups, play with
other students, and engage in behaviors such as asking questions, offering
ideas to a group, and investigating an idea that supports academic success
and positive relationships. Learning to regulate one’s emotions involves
learning skills over time that are essential for doing well in school and in
relationships. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<b>Did you know? </b><br />
<b>Emotional and social development in kindergarten has a lasting impact for our students.</b> According to a 20-year study (Jones, Greenberg, & Crowley, 2015) conducted in Durham, Nashville, Seattle and central Pennsylvania, teacher-rated social competence was a significant indicator of both positive and negative future outcomes for children.<br />
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<br />
<b>A few highlights from the study by Jones and colleagues, 2015:</b><br />
For every one-point increase on the 5-point scale in a child’s social competence score in kindergarten, he/she was:<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Twice as likely to attain a college degree in early adulthood;<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>54% more likely to earn a high school diploma; and<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>46% more likely to have a full-time job at the age of 25.<br />
<br />
For every one-point decrease in a child’s social competence score in kindergarten, he/she had:<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>67% higher chance of having been arrested by early adulthood;<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>82% higher rate of recent marijuana usage; and<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>82% higher chance of being in or on a waiting list for public housing.<br />
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<b><br /></b>
<b>Three things to try in your classroom now!</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKFxrzEJlcAtlwMCzAVMD9pW_eclvEYCDu5USPT0Ctzygil5qQtI7dCN7cdoN3-fsRn7ACeypjuGVGC6dK2YSGN3fF9W3DEdsseoPCmMd-ebHhq1UDlKJzb-Pff7yjuGDchzBBqIyLS28/s1600/dewey+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="305" data-original-width="406" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKFxrzEJlcAtlwMCzAVMD9pW_eclvEYCDu5USPT0Ctzygil5qQtI7dCN7cdoN3-fsRn7ACeypjuGVGC6dK2YSGN3fF9W3DEdsseoPCmMd-ebHhq1UDlKJzb-Pff7yjuGDchzBBqIyLS28/s320/dewey+2.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b> A Safe Place</b><br />
Create a safe place in your classroom.<br />
Notice that the teacher has activities and rules posted in this safe place.<br />
Children will need opportunities to practice learning how to use a safe place. Teachers model and demonstrate how to use a safe place as an effective strategy for regulating emotions and supporting the development of social competence.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDR99WPhCWh1h2QBL9SMxjdE8GYXhtlT6L7yimztFDKFjbbfjbq15zAyH4-tRhz1_S1rIH19wT-ne7qadEARWo2VXnEhrdBnl4kUGIbrPEo0QjXEe9crbJqnq86bnuB4S_-oLtNKDbrM/s1600/Dewey+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="393" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDR99WPhCWh1h2QBL9SMxjdE8GYXhtlT6L7yimztFDKFjbbfjbq15zAyH4-tRhz1_S1rIH19wT-ne7qadEARWo2VXnEhrdBnl4kUGIbrPEo0QjXEe9crbJqnq86bnuB4S_-oLtNKDbrM/s200/Dewey+3.png" width="192" /></a></div>
<b>Calm Down Tools</b><br />
A great example of a calm down tool is a calm down bottle. It can be homemade by adding glitter glue, warm water, and regular glitter to a bottle with a leak-proof lid. Then, students can use the calm down bottle as a hands-on strategy for regulating emotions by shaking up the bottle and watching the glitter settle to the bottom.<br />
Children will require practice to learn to use a tool like this, and teachers can model and demonstrate in-the-moment and over time to promote successful use. To see a YouTube demonstration about how to make a calm down bottle, see the YouTube link provided. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7617mlDKqfo">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7617mlDKqfo</a><br />
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<b>Breathing or Counting Strategies</b><br />
A simple way to help students regulate emotions is to teach them to count slowly to five and/or<br />
take deep breaths. They will need practice to use this strategy when they are faced with a need to regulate their emotions. Teachers can model in-the-moment and scaffold the use of these strategies in an ongoing way. It is helpful to provide prompts as you demonstrate, “Let’s count like we’re in slow motion together” or “Let’s take a big breath together.”<br />
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Additional resources from the NCDPI Office of Early Learning:<br />
<a href="http://r5k3formativeassessmentsupport.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/file/view/6.16.17EmotionalLiteracy%20Quick%20Guide.pdf/614782265/6.16.17EmotionalLiteracy%20Quick%20Guide.pdf" target="_blank">Emotional Literacy Quick Guide</a><br />
<a href="http://r5k3formativeassessmentsupport.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/file/view/7.27.17EmotionRegulation.pdf/615974607/7.27.17EmotionRegulation.pdf" target="_blank">Emotion Regulation Quick Guide</a><br />
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<b>Reference</b><br />
Jones, D. E., Greenberg, M., & Crowley, M. (2015). Early social-emotional functioning and public health: The relationship between kindergarten social competence and future wellness. American Journal of Public Health, 105(11), p 283-290. Retrieved November 17, 2017: <a href="https://www.rwjf.org/content/dam/farm/reports/issue_briefs/2015/rwjf421663">https://www.rwjf.org/content/dam/farm/reports/issue_briefs/2015/rwjf421663</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi23ljfqW1Fvz-r-FvJ4Ye7OpOwYp3ycuExKemFydL2OEQQm-D07fOK6FdSkF74KqR2vWMEonDL6OOMZu7E2Byxg4MC6gAIKx4rsexzGHPgq5whgboLBUE1mAeSTfoGMHt0cCy4I6-Iu6U/s1600/Dewey+4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="290" data-original-width="290" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi23ljfqW1Fvz-r-FvJ4Ye7OpOwYp3ycuExKemFydL2OEQQm-D07fOK6FdSkF74KqR2vWMEonDL6OOMZu7E2Byxg4MC6gAIKx4rsexzGHPgq5whgboLBUE1mAeSTfoGMHt0cCy4I6-Iu6U/s200/Dewey+4.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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<b>Join the </b><b>#NCAEEchat</b><b> on Thursday, January 11th from 8:00-9:00 on Twitter as we discuss Emotional and Social Development. </b><br />
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<br />
<b>About the Author:</b><br />
Dr. Cindy Dewey serves on the Board of Directors for <a href="https://www.ncelementary.com/" target="_blank">NCAEE</a> as the NCDPI At-Large Director. At NCDPI, Cindy serves as an education consultant in the Office of Early Learning on the K-3 Formative Assessment Team. Cindy’s teaching experiences span several states and include elementary, middle, high school, and university levels. This is Cindy’s fifth year serving NCAEE.<br />
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This is the second blog post on this topic by Dr. Dewey, click here for the first blog: <a href="http://ncaee.blogspot.com/2016/08/the-impact-of-social-and-emotional.html">http://ncaee.blogspot.com/2016/08/the-impact-of-social-and-emotional.html</a><br />
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Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16092001478395527812noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795685213907724799.post-87819722881713047132017-12-17T08:00:00.000-08:002017-12-20T11:27:17.419-08:00Anchors Away…Anchor Charts 101You’ve seen them on Pinterest, on teacher blogs, hanging in classrooms, but how do you create the most effective ones? Anchor Charts are one of the hottest teacher topics today. However, the what, why, when, where, and how of creating and using anchor charts in your classroom to enhance your instruction and student learning experiences is sometimes elusive.<br />
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I have always been a visual learner and so the idea of creating and displaying posters/anchor charts to reflect student learning has always appealed to me. Thus, I spent many hours outside the classroom creating these anchor charts to help my student learn and retain information. After many hours laboring on just the right wording and colors, I would take my charts in and post them in my classroom. Certainly, my students would recognize and appreciate my hard work. I would proudly display them prominently in the front of the room and periodically made reference to them during my instruction. I thought my students would be just as excited about them as I was- boy, was I wrong… So where did I go wrong?<br />
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Through professional reading about anchor charts (not to mention years of experience), I finally learned what I was doing wrong: I was essentially replacing purchased posters with handmade ones and there was no difference in their effect- why? It hit me like a ton of bricks- they were just serving as classroom wallpaper. The students looked at them, once, maybe twice (if I was lucky) and that was basically it. There was no reason for them to want to reference these masterpieces/ anchor charts, there was no ownership or engagement on behalf of my students. Once the proverbial lightbulb went off in my head, did I realize that I had to find a way to change my thinking about the what, why, when, where, and how of creating and using anchor charts in my classroom.<br />
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Once I changed my own mindset and took a different approach, I soon discovered what I was searching for all along- tools that would engage my students in the learning process along with documenting their thinking and learning in a visual format. I now spend my passion for anchor charts by conducting professional development workshops with teachers on some of the lessons I have learned.<br />
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Some teachers in McDowell County Schools have begun creating and using these anchor charts with their students in their classrooms. Let’s take a peek at a few of the many anchor charts that have been created by teachers at Eastfield Global Magnet School:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV02HRdw2s1EoI1vhNlh6XD4BhAwlQf82s9W_joIb20UZhRC5-RKFHdYHVBLGFQsNCeVE3TwduZktOdFcQhBwNBzMTD2eHd-Vus3f8YyjHcC1wtEVzuwoU3TRLonYh_BE3Qa1o93CdnM8/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-12-16+at+8.18.55+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="579" data-original-width="755" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV02HRdw2s1EoI1vhNlh6XD4BhAwlQf82s9W_joIb20UZhRC5-RKFHdYHVBLGFQsNCeVE3TwduZktOdFcQhBwNBzMTD2eHd-Vus3f8YyjHcC1wtEVzuwoU3TRLonYh_BE3Qa1o93CdnM8/s400/Screen+Shot+2017-12-16+at+8.18.55+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Many thanks to Stella Brewer, Academic Facilitator- Eastfield Global Magnet School, Marion, NC for the photos.</div>
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Can you see differences in these anchor charts than more traditional anchor charts that you may have created and/or seen? In the professional development workshops I conduct, I teach and encourage teachers to consider including the following components on anchor charts:<br />
1. Standard/Objective<br />
2. Teaching Section- where teacher provides skill/content instruction to students (from standard)<br />
3. Student Section- students contribute ideas/learning to the anchor chart either through the use of sticky notes, writing on the poster, etc. Students also keep notes in a learning journal/notebook.<br />
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Anchor charts in the twenty-first century classroom should serve as concrete representations of what has been taught, evidence of student learning and serve as visual reminders of what has taught over the course of time. Anchor charts can be considered the artifacts of collective learning within a classroom and just as an anchor stabilizes and secures something such as a boat in place, these classroom tools provide secure and stabile student learning environments.<br />
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If you are interested in learning more about the research behind these types of anchor charts, I encourage you to pick up the following professional books or contact me for additional information.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJyCufcrI6r1Qi8Sn1SES7cNkFRFWkSySoVhNYahOjza1NcNgR6c4DgbubfSUleNmUIl0VbA7Vuo0itKeX4DVDgdpe70RHgW4nEN_4YFDqobc9qdZcnYN0_eh-NjvsmULJQMrTNQjJDKc/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-12-16+at+8.19.03+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="190" data-original-width="696" height="108" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJyCufcrI6r1Qi8Sn1SES7cNkFRFWkSySoVhNYahOjza1NcNgR6c4DgbubfSUleNmUIl0VbA7Vuo0itKeX4DVDgdpe70RHgW4nEN_4YFDqobc9qdZcnYN0_eh-NjvsmULJQMrTNQjJDKc/s400/Screen+Shot+2017-12-16+at+8.19.03+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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About the Author</div>
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Dr. Lora Drum, currently serves as the Region 7 Director for the North Carolina Association of Elementary Educators. She retired from North Carolina Public Schools in June of this year. Her educational career included teaching middle school, ESL in elementary, middle, and high school, and serving as a district level curriculum specialist. Dr. Drum conducts professional development workshops for teachers in school districts, local community colleges, and at regional educational alliances. She is fulfilling her dream of beginning her second career as the assistant director of the Lenoir-Rhyne Teaching Scholars Program and an adjunct instructor. If you have questions about this article or would like additional information, please contact her at loradrum@gmail.com.</div>
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</style>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16092001478395527812noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795685213907724799.post-48477985360101100242017-10-29T14:49:00.002-07:002017-10-29T16:11:08.129-07:00Empowering & Engaging Educators: Our 14th Elementary Conference in Review <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixNpJI4ydycuX2BBZ7LQ4jYpl3uaYzlNZeTwl1eXf0dS8mE35yg6XS2DMUIVPFWk1Xh3jCuD-HlEg2sTc5mX0njJq0wK4P6AFZDZ1c8Cl_xFjMnZcVZZR97-tnx70L_OobWxHXlMR3ctc/s1600/2017+Conference+.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="352" data-original-width="595" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixNpJI4ydycuX2BBZ7LQ4jYpl3uaYzlNZeTwl1eXf0dS8mE35yg6XS2DMUIVPFWk1Xh3jCuD-HlEg2sTc5mX0njJq0wK4P6AFZDZ1c8Cl_xFjMnZcVZZR97-tnx70L_OobWxHXlMR3ctc/s320/2017+Conference+.png" width="320" /></a></div>
Our 14th Elementary Conference theme was <i><b>Engaging & Empowering Educators</b></i> and we believe we did just that! Hundreds of elementary educators traveled to Concord, North Carolina to participate in three days of high quality professional development and collaboration.<br />
This was one of our best conferences yet!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglvLlFUqJQ4DhwslmUvKCaALbNzfXb9314PTB8knbN8NvdtYPyv_VUCtUcqbhsZFE4Ol8yuz_0_Jt04QwhfhfItQOA2x_Y6obT_A-bmzX2eFc2iDa8mzhdAYMy2CjqeneKsLB54u-U_vg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-10-29+at+5.38.33+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="510" data-original-width="337" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglvLlFUqJQ4DhwslmUvKCaALbNzfXb9314PTB8knbN8NvdtYPyv_VUCtUcqbhsZFE4Ol8yuz_0_Jt04QwhfhfItQOA2x_Y6obT_A-bmzX2eFc2iDa8mzhdAYMy2CjqeneKsLB54u-U_vg/s200/Screen+Shot+2017-10-29+at+5.38.33+PM.png" width="131" /></a>We were thrilled to have Dr. Maria Pitre-Martin, Chief Academic and Digital Learning Officer for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction join us! Dr. Pitre-Martin kicked off a full day of learning on Monday morning with educational updates from our state, and words of gratitude for our educators that motivated everyone to continue working hard to do what is best for our students!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj806hmuwutEWIIu_vXBUOk18E6HRcY8kkRyhEz8-uziQecMqiIutVQe1avnBH6u9pdql07TuZlyXdL2uzrgCg4xkAIRWFpMuDgpqMdiLhkkX1Q29Amb51UEXDowQryzGlHXAMlClk2QzE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-10-29+at+5.30.07+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="611" data-original-width="777" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj806hmuwutEWIIu_vXBUOk18E6HRcY8kkRyhEz8-uziQecMqiIutVQe1avnBH6u9pdql07TuZlyXdL2uzrgCg4xkAIRWFpMuDgpqMdiLhkkX1Q29Amb51UEXDowQryzGlHXAMlClk2QzE/s200/Screen+Shot+2017-10-29+at+5.30.07+PM.png" width="200" /></a>Our luncheon featured Dr. John Hodge as our keynote speaker. He challenged everyone to “Be the One” who makes the difference in the life of a child and use the S.A.M.E. Pathway to override the effects of poverty in that child’s life. The Social, Academic,and Moral Environment of a child impacts a child’s behavior, learning, and beliefs. He further suggested that we as teachers must be what we want our students to become. We should teach our students that they need to SLANT (Sit up front, Lean forward, Ask questions, Nod their heads, and Talk to the teacher) to be successful in school and life. Distributive Leadership states that <i>all </i>of the kids belong to <i>all </i>of us and we should respond to all students, not just the ones in our class, with this thought in mind.<br />
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Breakout sessions were facilitated by educational leaders from our state and beyond. It was exciting to hear participants share their takeaways with one another in between sessions and swap ideas. There was great energy throughout the conference; it is always powerful when you are able to bring passionate, enthusiastic educators together in the same place!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii3nxJdkd6wIdFyqDl2uQCry-ZODmdmb5jQsO55q0ngGM5cJzV2ap5OSj5wPuSQrFU1ZhtVkdd0_VdRDRrDjNUxGnbf-P8d5t868AzoLyBTfsgB88sUF_O7TyahtGckuAhwhtEuXzwzQ0/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-10-29+at+5.38.19+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="269" data-original-width="496" height="108" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii3nxJdkd6wIdFyqDl2uQCry-ZODmdmb5jQsO55q0ngGM5cJzV2ap5OSj5wPuSQrFU1ZhtVkdd0_VdRDRrDjNUxGnbf-P8d5t868AzoLyBTfsgB88sUF_O7TyahtGckuAhwhtEuXzwzQ0/s200/Screen+Shot+2017-10-29+at+5.38.19+PM.png" width="200" /></a>Our featured speakers were a mix of NCAEE returning favorites, such as Kathy Bumgardner, The Bag Ladies, and Justin Ashley, and NCAEE newcomers, Rick Jetter, North Carolina Teacher of the Year Lisa Godwin, and Kyle Greene. Each of these speakers brought great energy, passion, and delivered powerful sessions that left our participants begging for more!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOZReGGhdmovpI9KgStxy_629RDHCtuEuDtEtPNTc55YRCHamochzPWoQJQlxfkXRt-hpujAsEqhhs7V3yKToNFiG9Edm_MsISyDGVz6L7aYUfoWjEh9V_UfEoJZOkxW-7fo00DYGPJ5M/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-10-29+at+5.47.54+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="292" data-original-width="395" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOZReGGhdmovpI9KgStxy_629RDHCtuEuDtEtPNTc55YRCHamochzPWoQJQlxfkXRt-hpujAsEqhhs7V3yKToNFiG9Edm_MsISyDGVz6L7aYUfoWjEh9V_UfEoJZOkxW-7fo00DYGPJ5M/s200/Screen+Shot+2017-10-29+at+5.47.54+PM.png" width="200" /></a>Justin Ashley closed out our conference by sharing his personal story through <i>The Balanced Teacher Path: How to Teach, Live, and Be Happy.</i> With equal parts humor and wisdom, Justin analyzed four key aspects of every teacher's life—career, social, physical/emotional, and financial—and offered practical advice to bring these areas into sync, reigniting a passion for teaching in the process! It was the perfect way to end an amazing three days of learning, connecting, and fun.<br />
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Thank you to all of our attendees, exhibitors, sponsors, and featured speakers who made this conference so wonderful! Our Board is still going through the feedback forms and reflecting on the overall conference experience. Though this year's conference was excellent, we will strive to make our 15th Elementary Conference even better! Planning will begin soon. In the meantime, please save the dates of October 28th-30th, 2018 and stay tuned for more information!<br />
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Experience Our Conference Through Tweets!</h3>
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Couldn't make it to our conference OR just want to relive all of the conference goodness?! Check out the Storify below to experience it through tweets!</div>
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<div class="storify">
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="no" height="750" src="//storify.com/lpagano321/ncaee2017-14th-elementary-school-conference/embed?header=false&border=false" width="100%"></iframe><script src="//storify.com/lpagano321/ncaee2017-14th-elementary-school-conference.js?header=false&border=false"></script><noscript>[<a href="//storify.com/lpagano321/ncaee2017-14th-elementary-school-conference" target="_blank">View the story "#NCAEE2017: 14th Elementary School Conference " on Storify</a>]</noscript></div>
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What Are Your Thoughts?</h3>
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What were your favorite sessions? What were the best parts of the 14th Elementary Conference for you? How will you engage and empower your students as a result of participating in this unique professional development opportunity? Share your thoughts below and let the learning and collaboration continue! Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15981547705612829314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795685213907724799.post-70547841671597170792017-10-08T17:27:00.000-07:002017-10-08T17:27:16.774-07:00How to Be a Happier Teacher This School YearBy Justin Ashley<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ5qaN5Kb6SAq95O5VbbOE2H0fwIRWhMzOWslgFImR9EBjh7StK5_yJGxVURI-miBZnxLIASkgMu-gOUt5LUVqrbozs4ZEC4AqNxOgDKKaYSQ-B-gewFA7NrS78pn6pHBjQGyNXcCKPNM/s1600/Picture1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="353" data-original-width="629" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ5qaN5Kb6SAq95O5VbbOE2H0fwIRWhMzOWslgFImR9EBjh7StK5_yJGxVURI-miBZnxLIASkgMu-gOUt5LUVqrbozs4ZEC4AqNxOgDKKaYSQ-B-gewFA7NrS78pn6pHBjQGyNXcCKPNM/s320/Picture1.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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We are now a few weeks into the school year.<br />
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The back to school excitement has fizzled out and the realization of high expectations has kicked in, once again-the meetings, the lessons, the grading. As the paperwork piles up, here’s 17 little things you can do this week to fight against depression, anxiety, and burnout this school year.<br />
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1.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><b>Plan a <a href="https://justinfashley.com/2017/01/26/the-1-decision-that-transformed-my-family/" target="_blank">family field trip</a> for the fall.</b><br />
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During a quick break or while eating lunch, plan out an out-of-town adventure for an upcoming weekend this fall, maybe you could go pumpkin picking, to Tweetsie Railroad, Scarowinds, or visit a family farm. Once you pick one out, immediately put it on your calendar.<br />
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A research study showed that just planning and thinking about your next family vacay can raise your endorphin levels by 27 percent.<br />
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2. <b>Buy your custodian or cafeteria lady a soda from the teacher’s lounge.</b><br />
Research has proven that buying stuff doesn't make a lasting difference on our mood, with one exception-buying stuff for other people. This makes us happier than buying stuff for ourselves. Tis’ better to give than to receive.<br />
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3. <b>Tell your class a funny story.</b><br />
Your kids don’t want to just hear about the curriculum. They want to learn about you! Think of a story from your past that’s gotten laughs before. Tell them a silly story about yourself to get them giggling and lighten the mood in the room.<br />
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My middle schoolers like hearing about the day I proposed to my wife. We both threw a penny in a fountain and made a wish. My wish-her hand in marriage. Her wish-A raise at work.<br />
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When I taught elementary school, my kids loved to hear about my 1st visit to the zoo as a 5 year old boy, where I got too close to a fence and was attacked by a monkey, after I smiled at him. Never smile at monkeys. Never.<br />
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4. S<b>tart your lesson off with an inspirational video.</b><br />
Find a Youtube video that’s motivating. Something that lights your fire and gives you chill bumps. Here’s one of my favorites…<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6wRkzCW5qI" target="_blank">40 speeches in 2 minutes</a><br />
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5. <b>Leave your phone in your purse or workbag. </b><br />
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It’s no secret that <a href="https://justinfashley.com/2017/02/09/how-electronic-devices-mess/" target="_blank">compulsive phone checking is damaging</a>. It moves you away from your present environment and even further from each present moment. Check your phone between blocks, on breaks, or at lunch.<br />
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6. <b>Meditate with <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/headspace-guided-meditation-and-mindfulness/id493145008?mt=8" target="_blank">Headspace</a>.</b><br />
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Before the morning bell rings or during your planning, set aside a few minutes to get your mind right and meditate.<br />
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Don’t know where or how to start? Try downloading this free app, <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/headspace-guided-meditation-and-mindfulness/id493145008?mt=8" target="_blank">Headspace</a>. This chill dude with a British accent will walk you through it. All you have to do is put your headphones in, turn off the lights, and find a chair. It’s that easy.<br />
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7. <b>Make a list of 10 things you’re grateful for. </b><br />
Write them down and read them aloud. Here’s 3 of mine:<br />
●<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I’m grateful to have a job that’s also a calling, where I get paid to do something I enjoy doing.<br />
●<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I’m grateful to live in a democratic country, where I have guaranteed rights listed in my country’s constitution.<br />
●<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I’m grateful to pay my taxes, because this money makes better roads, better emergency services, better schools, and a better community. (*This last one’s a stretch. I know.)<br />
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8. <b>Try a simple breathing technique periodically throughout the day.</b><br />
A recent study showed that war veterans who suffer from PTSD could significantly reduce their cortisol levels (stress hormones) simply by using deep, slow breathing techniques. The <a href="https://www.drweil.com/videos-features/videos/breathing-exercises-4-7-8-breath/" target="_blank">4-7-8 breathing technique</a> is the easiest, most effective one I’ve found:<br />
●<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Inhale for 4 seconds<br />
●<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Hold your breath for 7 seconds<br />
●<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Exhale for 8 seconds<br />
Try this a few times when you feel stressed and see if it helps.<br />
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9. <b>Put motivational quotes cards on your desk. </b><br />
Use some index cards and google inspirational quotes or <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Inspirational-Quote-Cards-Inspiring-Motivational/dp/B01MTVW6GM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1492030476&sr=8-1&keywords=motivational+cards" target="_blank">order some off Amazon</a> and put them on your desk. Verses of scripture could also work. Read a few at a time for encouragement.<br />
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10. <b>Write thank you cards to students or compliment them with a sticky note.</b><br />
Pick out a kid or two in class, students who are working really hard, and write them a little note of recognition. We have a tendency to instinctively spot the negative, but make it a point to point out the positives, too.<br />
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11. <b>Smile when you greet and talk with students. </b><br />
Smiles are infectious (mirror neurons), so smile when you they come into your room. Positive classroom culture starts and ends with you.<br />
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12. <b>Set a fun short-term goal. </b><br />
Come up with a small goal. Not a SMART goal or some big resolution, just something simple, but exciting. It should take 13 weeks or less, so you can finish it around the New Year. After tomorrow, continue doing one thing each day to reach it. That’s what I did with my kids to make <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h29C26PeTVg" target="_blank">STRAIGHT INTTA OREGON</a>, a music video about Westward Expansion that <a href="http://www.oregonlive.com/trending/2016/12/middle_school_teacher_makes_or.html" target="_blank">went viral</a>. Check it out!<br />
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13. <b>Thank your principal.</b><br />
Drop in their office or stop them in the hallway and tell them thank you for something they did recently. Maybe they helped you out with a resource, or stuck up for you when a parent complained. You might be a little down that summer is over and school is back in session, but they were probably working through the whole summer. Thank them for what they do behind the scenes on the daily.<br />
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14. <b>Exercise with kids at recess.</b><br />
Join in on in the fun outside. You deserve a break, too. Walk the track with your students. Kick or throw a ball with them. Jump rope with them. Connect with kids while you are working out on the playground.<br />
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15. <b>Do some fall cleaning. </b><br />
Purge some of your school files. Get rid of old resources. Set up a new filing system. <a href="https://minimalismfilm.com/" target="_blank">Minimalism</a> is a really neat documentary on Netflix that shows how liberating it can be to simplify your environment.<br />
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16. <b>Dress super nice. </b><br />
Professional attire means more respect. Kids notice that you take the job seriously. It also feels good to get hat-tips from teachers and administrators.<br />
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17. <b>Find your 30 minute thing.</b><br />
You work ridiculously hard serving others each week, so you need to carve out 30 minutes each day to serve yourself.<br />
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Take this time to move. It could be jogging around your neighborhood, doing yoga, or playing soccer with your kid. For me, it’s boxing. Every day after school, I box for 30 minutes before I pick up my kids. That’s my ‘me’ time. It’s something I look forward to each day.<br />
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And research shows that just 30 minutes of exercise uplifts your mood for the next 3-4 hours, improves your quality of sleep, and has a similar impact on your brain as the strongest anti-depressants on the market, without the negative side effects.<br />
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<b>***Bottom Line</b>-There are small things we can do to live healthier, happier lives today and tomorrow. Some are about the external (changing our actions and environment), others internal (changing our thought patterns). We don’t have to wait until the summertime to be happy. We don’t have to count down the school days to each Friday.<br />
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We can be happier now.<br />
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<b>References</b><br />
Happiness Advantage<br />
The Happiness Track<br />
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Justin Ashley is a teacher, author, and motivational speaker. He will be facilitating a breakout session and will lead us in a closing celebration at this year's Elementary Conference! You won't want to miss him or his purple cows!Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16092001478395527812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795685213907724799.post-76255192540853896272017-09-10T07:00:00.000-07:002017-09-10T07:00:44.998-07:00Can Elementary Teachers Explicitly Teach the Concept of “Adversity” to their Students?By Rick Jetter, Ph.D.<br />
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What if I told you that there is a gap in Character Education programs that have historically been administered to students in schools across the nation? What if I told you that there is also a gap in the Emotional Intelligence (EI/EQ) research that is currently in the field of psychology and education and how we apply adversity training to student learning today?<br />
So, why is adversity important and what types of adversity exist in our students’ lives that you can help them tackle or cope with while also preparing them to proactively deal with any adverse situation no matter what age they are? Think about your own life right now. What adversities existed in your life since you were 5 years old? 10 years old? 16 years old? 21 years old? And NOW?<br />
Take a look at this video and can you honestly say that YOUR students would know how to handle this kind of adversity without FREAKING out like the woman whose car was vandalized did?<br />
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Maybe this will help even more:</div>
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Adversity training is needed for students to learn how to deal with the following 6 kinds of adversity, including (but not limited to):</div>
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<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1. Physical Adversity</div>
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<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>2. Mental Adversity</div>
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<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>3. Emotional Adversity</div>
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<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>4. Social Adversity</div>
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<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>5. Spiritual Adversity</div>
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<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>6. Financial Adversity</div>
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From those types of adversities, there are event subgroupings that are often neglected and are often experienced by not only our youth, but by adults no matter their age:</div>
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<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1. Loss of a pet or loved one.</div>
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<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>2. Not achieving what they thought they would.</div>
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<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>3. Financial loss.</div>
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<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>4. Job loss.</div>
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<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>5. Illness/disease.</div>
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<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>6. Dealing with others when they suffer adversity (many do not know how to continue being friends or supportive of others during their time of adversity).</div>
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<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>7. Stress as a result of opposition or conflict.</div>
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<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>8. Addiction.</div>
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<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>9. Dealing with geographical disasters.</div>
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<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>10. Dealing with accidents.</div>
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From there, we can certainly “prevail” as human beings under pressure by living gracefully, living with gratitudes, living mindfully, and living with skills that emotionally healthy human beings possess--especially when we see how this weather man deals with adversity due to technical malfunctions within his meteorological newscast in Arizona:</div>
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Adversity training = grace under pressure for your students for the rest of their lives.</div>
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See you at NCAEE 2017 for Dr. Rick Jetter’s presentation: Teaching Adversity in Our Schools where you can learn more about how to not only prepare students for the next grade level, but how you can prepare students for life!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEPkROCu1zUTkJkrrbC3OOM1kBPznLnv-UpG8-NMU_bQsdp6r8cNhFpx_VbEhQrqQnCRZVguxNWJf4IgOsb0CKY8kTdicHy0ruCzmbE2cv4Hu4gkiej2IAMB8DKB2RM5Zyp6mEJJnELew/s1600/Rick.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="179" data-original-width="134" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEPkROCu1zUTkJkrrbC3OOM1kBPznLnv-UpG8-NMU_bQsdp6r8cNhFpx_VbEhQrqQnCRZVguxNWJf4IgOsb0CKY8kTdicHy0ruCzmbE2cv4Hu4gkiej2IAMB8DKB2RM5Zyp6mEJJnELew/s200/Rick.png" width="149" /></a></div>
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Rick Jetter, Ph.D., is currently a national educational consultant, author, speaker, trainer, and partner at Pushing Boundaries Consulting: <a href="https://www.pushboundconsulting.com/" target="_blank">http://www.pushboundconsulting.com </a></div>
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Rick previously worked as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, assistant superintendent, and superintendent of schools prior to becoming the Director of K-12 Education for the AEP Group which can be found at <a href="http://www.aepk12.com/">www.aepk12.com</a>. You can also find out more information about Rick by visiting <a href="http://www.rickjetter.com/">www.rickjetter.com</a>. On Twitter, you will find him at @RickJetter. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRJrC8qzLSobfP73U8T5gI_RrHp0wxkqpvNqhP04vhfeQ4YSltTTizFj_jgNe3H7HzZMF7Q2mCbxYDvSL0Gcv0tH4PR9wRJ5RP2nZ__nE5_jWFcC60gs_AqA7x7AIM1_iTnBwMXR_-hzc/s1600/Picture1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="162" data-original-width="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRJrC8qzLSobfP73U8T5gI_RrHp0wxkqpvNqhP04vhfeQ4YSltTTizFj_jgNe3H7HzZMF7Q2mCbxYDvSL0Gcv0tH4PR9wRJ5RP2nZ__nE5_jWFcC60gs_AqA7x7AIM1_iTnBwMXR_-hzc/s1600/Picture1.png" /></a></div>
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Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16092001478395527812noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795685213907724799.post-27263602064911143642017-08-06T09:00:00.000-07:002017-08-06T09:00:03.207-07:00Diagrams: Bringing Visual Learning to a Classroom Near YouBy Amanda Kaestner<br />
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Your classroom is a melting pot of learning styles—and you might feel overwhelmed trying to meet so many different needs. <a href="http://www.uab.edu/uasomume/fd2/visuals/page1.htm" target="_blank">65% of people are categorized as visual learners</a>, yet so much of what goes on in the classroom revolves around written and spoken instruction.<br />
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Incorporating visuals into your lesson plans might seem like a lot of effort just to cater to one learning style. But it’s not just your visual learners who benefit. We are all visually wired—we actually retain a whopping <a href="https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/power-of-visual-communication-infographic" target="_blank">80% of what we see and do</a>, and our brains process visuals 60,000 times faster than text. Visuals help all students better understand and retain information—in fact, visual aids in the classroom can <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/matthew-lynch-edd/technology-and-multisenso_b_5397352.html" target="_blank">improve learning up to 400%</a>.<br />
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But “visuals” is a vague term, and it’s hard to know how to add this new element to your lesson plans and classroom setup (especially when time is always scarce). As you’re looking to plunge into the world of visuals, diagramming can be the perfect way to get your feet wet. Diagrams offer many different formats for visually representing any type of information in a way that clarifies concepts and engages students.<br />
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<li>Use a Venn diagram as a new spin when explaining the greatest common factor. </li>
<li>Have students recreate a famous work of art from the time period you’re studying. </li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyb02ru71BYQVj0o3lWHcjfllx8KpKL_bby17ZiviNBOgTgdmdCOm-QcPynbg_8QpCCRVU4nwyT1CTRs9SlwJH1Iqush1FeGuKU40nI-XCIlBousOjZda2fMkM9clcrWdxmhZRVMHi2WY/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-08-04+at+5.13.34+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="446" data-original-width="638" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyb02ru71BYQVj0o3lWHcjfllx8KpKL_bby17ZiviNBOgTgdmdCOm-QcPynbg_8QpCCRVU4nwyT1CTRs9SlwJH1Iqush1FeGuKU40nI-XCIlBousOjZda2fMkM9clcrWdxmhZRVMHi2WY/s400/Screen+Shot+2017-08-04+at+5.13.34+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<li>Instead of assigning ten pages of reading on the food chain, have students map the flow of energy in a flowchart. </li>
<li>After finishing your class book, check reading comprehension by asking students to build a timeline of the story rather than just asking verbal questions.</li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNO3KLMnCOGG_Meq_6J8LNY7HdTSZaxqi_lUiuHfe7cJ9quBy1JP6peNLpPgr4UjohrsDAIU_3DO30M_Lh7X3w73jMhSmicW82ghG-sKKLtZjmUL_yiVUiDyo3v2YWD8iUNLkJcRvbsnY/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-08-04+at+5.14.37+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="339" data-original-width="660" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNO3KLMnCOGG_Meq_6J8LNY7HdTSZaxqi_lUiuHfe7cJ9quBy1JP6peNLpPgr4UjohrsDAIU_3DO30M_Lh7X3w73jMhSmicW82ghG-sKKLtZjmUL_yiVUiDyo3v2YWD8iUNLkJcRvbsnY/s400/Screen+Shot+2017-08-04+at+5.14.37+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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With the right tool, these diagrams can be simple for students to make. Lucidchart is a collaborative diagram software that helps anyone clearly understand and share ideas and information, and its product features make it particularly powerful for classroom use.<br />
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<b>Ease of use</b><br />
With an intuitive interface, getting started in Lucidchart is as simple as dragging and dropping shapes onto the canvas or customizing one of the many available templates.<br />
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<b>Cloud-based</b><br />
Lucidchart is accessible from any computer or device, regardless of operating system.<br />
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<b>Real-time collaboration</b><br />
You and your students can share documents with each other and edit them simultaneously. Commenting and chat features make collaboration seamless.<br />
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<b>G Suite integration</b><br />
Lucidchart integrates with Google Drive, Google Docs, and other G Suite programs. Students can insert diagrams into their assignments or submit a link to Google Classroom for you to grade.<br />
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Most importantly, Lucidchart is free to educators and students! Here’s how to get started:<br />
1. <a href="https://www.lucidchart.com/users/registerLevel?tP=1&t4=A&t10=A" target="_blank">Sign up for a free account</a> with your educational email address.<br />
2. Log in, click on your username located in the upper right-hand corner, and select “Account Settings” from the dropdown menu.<br />
3. Select “Get a Free Educational Upgrade” in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen.<br />
4. Click the link in the confirmation email you receive, and you’re ready to diagram!<br />
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For inspiration in getting started, <a href="https://www.lucidchart.com/blog/5-Lessons-for-Lucidchart-Education-Users" target="_blank">check out these lesson plans</a> and see <a href="https://www.lucidchart.com/blog/teachers-using-lucidchart-in-the-classroom" target="_blank">how other educators have used Lucidchart</a> to bring visual learning to their classrooms.<br />
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Amanda Kaestner works with Lucidchart.<br />
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Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16092001478395527812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795685213907724799.post-12518828691856639962017-07-23T08:00:00.000-07:002017-07-23T08:00:19.466-07:00Flexible Seating in K-2At this point everyone has probably heard of flexible seating, am I right? There are still some who say “no way that is not for my classroom”, but many others who have bought in 100%. I saw all the social media posts about flexible seating and loved all the changes teachers were making in their classrooms, but was not ready to jump in yet. In these classrooms you could see how excited, yet engaged their students were with the new seating available to them. <br />
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Fast forward to this spring sitting in a professional development session and I was finally sold on flexible seating! The presenter was positive (and realistic) as she discussed how she used it in her classroom, showed pictures, and even brought examples of seating with her. The what-if’s and fears were calmed as we learned from the presenter. Teachers could see a classroom very similar to what they taught in and saw it was working really well. I was at Walmart, Five Below, and Goodwill that afternoon! The types of flexible seating in my classroom are yoga balls, sensory cushions, small metal stools, 30” barstools, yoga mats, raised table, desks, traditional desk chairs, folding chairs, and carpet areas. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1e3vOQiE5aLNcxhE4RlkGznJ4th1DzN0KylChKS4JZu-5Dlmmi1s5JD-WTLHzWqlosuzupSWuU7zHln2qoSeA3mI0QtwTACW6H03acdho21tT6oSDvEL-kIkb8PsZXqJyj2aHTIiRWFo/s1600/Flex+Seating+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="471" data-original-width="353" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1e3vOQiE5aLNcxhE4RlkGznJ4th1DzN0KylChKS4JZu-5Dlmmi1s5JD-WTLHzWqlosuzupSWuU7zHln2qoSeA3mI0QtwTACW6H03acdho21tT6oSDvEL-kIkb8PsZXqJyj2aHTIiRWFo/s200/Flex+Seating+1.png" width="149" /></a>The first day of flexible seating all of the new seating was set up as students came in to the room. Their faces were priceless as they looked around the room. For the first week of flexible seating students had to pick a different type of seat each day and just try it out to learn what worked for them. Students were in charge of their new seating and were driven to prove they could handle this new privilege. From the teacher side of things I really had to sit back and watch them explore this new responsibility of not only picking the type of seat that worked for them, but taking care of these items.<br />
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Flexible seating did amazing things for the behavior management of my class. You could hear and see the changes immediately. There were some students who picked the same type of seat almost every day and others who would rotate different types of seating available. The biggest fear I had with the younger students and flexible seating was that they would fight over whom sat where. I never once had this problem! One student who thought it was a big hit said “plain old chairs aren’t squishy like yoga balls; you can lie on a yoga mat, or stand if you like to stand up”. If behavior would have been an issue I could have used a sign-up sheet for the seat options. I will definitely be using flexible seating again and again. It looks messy and a little chaotic, but the learning that takes place is magical. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhZOPtBusX2N8NZfwZRzwBTMT79a1CtxiXZ_AZA-_Giav2xdXoObUcBtAKPb0FnCslNOHth4bWs5XtfdRsI3tr6d9H5IlIuMD9HmFFL-FP9ORii6E9FDOyzeAnCj6tY4_kQcAIQb-Gbro/s1600/Flex+Seating+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="325" data-original-width="433" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhZOPtBusX2N8NZfwZRzwBTMT79a1CtxiXZ_AZA-_Giav2xdXoObUcBtAKPb0FnCslNOHth4bWs5XtfdRsI3tr6d9H5IlIuMD9HmFFL-FP9ORii6E9FDOyzeAnCj6tY4_kQcAIQb-Gbro/s200/Flex+Seating+2.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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About Melissa Mooney –<br />
Melissa is a classroom teacher and has taught grades 2-5 (in a classroom and a trailer) for the past ten years. Her two big focuses at the moment are flexible seating and personalized learning. <br />
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Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16092001478395527812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795685213907724799.post-42632476687299856682017-07-09T06:00:00.000-07:002017-07-09T07:12:18.878-07:00Engaging & Empowering Educators- Join Us! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0FdbzS-GN0Bq9k47ulhUPrPiR209wWSVuc-kBT1kH7fkhtevkXQwtwEnj3HJzFrlENY341O_Hs9q_5k6zQjmgFzHw7c8Cq7XlvLDKOFO3HI-xSDWCfNl16NMe2gxIcvGmK5Qw6rAhyphenhyphenWA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-07-08+at+2.09.17+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="562" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0FdbzS-GN0Bq9k47ulhUPrPiR209wWSVuc-kBT1kH7fkhtevkXQwtwEnj3HJzFrlENY341O_Hs9q_5k6zQjmgFzHw7c8Cq7XlvLDKOFO3HI-xSDWCfNl16NMe2gxIcvGmK5Qw6rAhyphenhyphenWA/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-07-08+at+2.09.17+PM.png" width="320" /></a></h3>
NCAEE is proud to host the 14th Elementary School Conference this fall. This year's theme is <b>Engaging and Empowering Educators</b> and our goal is to do just that-- make sure our attendees are highly engaged throughout the conference and leave feeling empowered to do whatever it takes to meet the needs of our students. This, in turn, will lead you to engage and empower <i>your </i>elementary students! Save the dates for <b>October 22nd-24th </b>and plan to attend the a<i> </i>conference specifically focused on elementary school teachers.<br />
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Once again, our conference will take place at the beautiful <a href="http://embassysuites.hilton.com/en/es/groups/personalized/C/CLTCCES-AEE-20171021/index.jhtml" target="_blank">Charlotte-Concord Embassy Suites and Convention Center </a>in Concord, NC. The Embassy Suites features spacious suites with separate living rooms, refrigerators and The Embassy Suites also offers a free, made-to-order, hot breakfast each morning and a nightly Manager's Reception. Staying at the Embassy Suites means you will have a great time, even when the sessions are over. The hotel is offering a reduced rate for our conference attendees so be sure to reserve a room early by clicking <a href="http://embassysuites.hilton.com/en/es/groups/personalized/C/CLTCCES-AEE-20171021/index.jhtml" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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Concord, NC is just minutes away from Charlotte and there are many things to do, including Lowe's Motor Speedway, Concord Mills, and a variety of different restaurants.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVdkJL_Rsrr2WDyrhC5CAl7No2JPAGokCGRrgpLhHwSS9hZ0jNWZILdw02E5wRDCi7dA-Y-GgVPR3lqeuUsl1EbViyuoqLyDxWNfq7_HqDd0sQjOUAVRDYI2sWKAmmH1pLV4HaZIIStOY/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-07-08+at+3.02.31+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="222" data-original-width="174" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVdkJL_Rsrr2WDyrhC5CAl7No2JPAGokCGRrgpLhHwSS9hZ0jNWZILdw02E5wRDCi7dA-Y-GgVPR3lqeuUsl1EbViyuoqLyDxWNfq7_HqDd0sQjOUAVRDYI2sWKAmmH1pLV4HaZIIStOY/s200/Screen+Shot+2017-07-08+at+3.02.31+PM.png" width="156" /></a>Opening Kick-Off & Closing Celebration</h3>
We are mixing things up just a bit! Our conference begins on a Sunday afternoon and ends on a Tuesday afternoon. We will have an opening kick-off session on Monday morning and Dr. Pitre-Martin will bring greetings and an update from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. We are so excited to have her at our event!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNFYzvJr9Bt1BWxMBIyjeSOOmvtS1oPU-GyUdwlWdSQjFKB1xkjc8H-sR5YZ9pPp5OzCnvjRUpQ3Wg9IzJRdG_Vausa9juAoH4NuiEq6pVDZXXHshe9Izdf2iBGwB8vZ7w4KKHUH_3iH8/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-07-08+at+3.02.39+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="222" data-original-width="171" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNFYzvJr9Bt1BWxMBIyjeSOOmvtS1oPU-GyUdwlWdSQjFKB1xkjc8H-sR5YZ9pPp5OzCnvjRUpQ3Wg9IzJRdG_Vausa9juAoH4NuiEq6pVDZXXHshe9Izdf2iBGwB8vZ7w4KKHUH_3iH8/s200/Screen+Shot+2017-07-08+at+3.02.39+PM.png" width="154" /></a>For the first time ever, we will have a Closing Celebration on Tuesday afternoon and NCAEE fan favorite, Justin Ashley, will speak. You won't want to leave early and miss this!<br />
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It wasn't long after being named North Carolina History Teacher of the Year that Justin Ashley started noticing signs of burnout. He knew he needed to make some radical changes in how he handled his work and personal life. In his session <i>The Balanced Teacher Path</i>, Justin will share his personal story—illuminating how easy it is to give your job everything you've got and leave yourself with nothing outside of school—and will show new teachers and veterans alike the self-care techniques they can employ to create work-life balance and prevent burnout. With equal parts humor and wisdom, Justin will analyze four key aspects of every teacher's life—career, social, physical/emotional, and financial—and offer practical advice to bring these areas into sync, reigniting a passion for teaching in the process!<br />
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Luncheon Keynote Speaker</h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbVJNQY0dpiLsImacg5IOD14X8WzdXGdPNL17ehh0EZdp86VmJP_LDYddtpYJmKwWu7ypfL3YqB9sg7tQAZsS67WcEcm7ZL6QYgtUTJ1TE2gTnuiI1u1md7vyAxtD044ObPrdxNHnOYNk/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-07-08+at+2.32.59+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="221" data-original-width="171" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbVJNQY0dpiLsImacg5IOD14X8WzdXGdPNL17ehh0EZdp86VmJP_LDYddtpYJmKwWu7ypfL3YqB9sg7tQAZsS67WcEcm7ZL6QYgtUTJ1TE2gTnuiI1u1md7vyAxtD044ObPrdxNHnOYNk/s200/Screen+Shot+2017-07-08+at+2.32.59+PM.png" width="154" /></a>This year's luncheon keynote speaker is highly acclaimed educator- Dr. John Hodge. He will present <i>BE THE ONE</i>! He will discuss how the education of America's youth is a challenging prospect when one considers the many burdens faced by impoverished children and their families. Research indicates that poverty need not be a barrier to academic excellence. As co-author of the book <i>Standing in the Gap</i>, Dr. Hodge states, "Across the nation, schools are demonstrating that it can be done: That students can reach high standards, that all children can succeed, that the gap between white and minority students, poor and affluent, can be closed." More often than not, one caring adult can make all the difference in the world. Dr. Hodge's presentation will encourage all of us to BE THE ONE!<br />
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Featured Speakers & Breakout Sessions</h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPgpJ8SjiQ0ufocXRHUE1zP0j1m9UvUXccdx8oyJqum18lBN4LCJigPY3yq5rrQBa0LaSq2JoIQaLTYlysvjmWmpI0HPGUTerzDhPypoQQohhmhyyXszf1A5rHvvMvtgAge2dhVx2bI9w/s1600/IMG_3872.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPgpJ8SjiQ0ufocXRHUE1zP0j1m9UvUXccdx8oyJqum18lBN4LCJigPY3yq5rrQBa0LaSq2JoIQaLTYlysvjmWmpI0HPGUTerzDhPypoQQohhmhyyXszf1A5rHvvMvtgAge2dhVx2bI9w/s320/IMG_3872.JPG" width="320" /></a>We have secured a fantastic lineup of featured speakers--<a href="http://www.kyleagreene.com/" target="_blank">Kyle Greene</a>, <a href="https://www.rickjetter.com/" target="_blank">Rick Jetter,</a> <a href="https://justinfashley.com/" target="_blank">Justin Ashley,</a> North Carolina's Teacher of the Year- <a href="https://www.facebook.com/lisa.godwinNCTOY/" target="_blank">Lisa Godwin</a>, <a href="http://bagladiesonline.com/" target="_blank">The Bag Ladies</a>, and <a href="http://www.kbumreading.com/" target="_blank">Kathy Bumgardner</a>. Their session titles and descriptions can be accessed <a href="https://ncyi.org/199.500" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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In addition to our featured speakers, our conference boasts over 60 breakout sessions. Our Board of Directors has selected a wide range of high-quality sessions with engaging content in the strands of Educator Effectiveness, 21st Century Learning Approaches, Active Learning, and Social Emotional Learning. We are confident our participants will find sessions relevant and will be able to apply what they learn immediately in their classrooms.<br />
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On behalf of NCAEE, we wish you a wonderful summer and hope to see you in October!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15981547705612829314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795685213907724799.post-85613676800654978302017-06-18T08:00:00.000-07:002017-06-18T08:00:00.905-07:00Engaging with the ArtsBy: Leni Fragakis<br />
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As elementary educators, we all know the feeling of impending doom as we become frustrated with the number of standards to teach and the time allotted for instruction. I have found that the only method to this superfluous standard madness is to integrate the content areas. Here are some third grade ways to easily integrate science, social studies, and literacy standards by effectively using the arts as a means to weave together learning goals.<br />
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I use the <a href="https://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/educators/how-to/arts-integration/what-is-arts-integration#explore-the-definition" target="_blank">Kennedy Center’s definition</a> for Arts Integration as a guideline to creating deeper understanding for my students. The Kennedy Center’s ARTSEDGE program even has <a href="https://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/educators/lessons" target="_blank">lessons</a> at your disposal! My goal is to connect inquiry-based learning with arts integration to provide engaging learning opportunities. <br />
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In the science standards for third grade, the reoccurring theme is the Renaissance Man who excels at many things. An individual who influenced history with his careful examination of his surroundings was Leonardo da Vinci. Teaching third graders about the Renaissance time period may seem unnecessary, but I have seen the connections generated and the creative understanding promoted. <br />
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The theme of innovation and careful, detailed observation constructed an alternate universe for my students because they too wanted to become like da Vinci. The classroom culture was transformed as the students learned that da Vinci would not have formulated his ideas about the universe without being reflective, dedicated, and meticulous. If you have not already, you should view some of da Vinci sketches <a href="http://www.drawingsofleonardo.org/" target="_blank">online</a> or in person at an <a href="http://ncartmuseum.org/exhibitions/view/11361" target="_blank">exhibit</a>. <br />
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In this unit of study, these were the main science objectives, but I do not feel that it is limited to these:<br />
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3.P.1 Understand motion and factors that affect motion<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Students examined da Vinci’s sketches of catapults, military machines, crossbow, and hydraulics. <br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Students were provided minimal supplies such as a wooden dowel, paperclips, rubber bands, and a tongue depressor in order to create a marshmallow catapult that would launch the farthest.<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>After numerous trials, students would sketch (in da Vinci fashion) their catapult for the students in years to come. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW3qGCYpUbZxckbRj405hG4I8SkP5Ct-z3U2IJ5Y2wKXU-pMDDnCL6fSbkUls5KjCQNimvfu8LsLvvNr9_UJ-MCIpcWuzFDJi71gEDjXVEOxcLeS4gPzHsFqr_IMCeSgplqgs8G9t8fD4/s1600/Picture2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="958" data-original-width="502" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW3qGCYpUbZxckbRj405hG4I8SkP5Ct-z3U2IJ5Y2wKXU-pMDDnCL6fSbkUls5KjCQNimvfu8LsLvvNr9_UJ-MCIpcWuzFDJi71gEDjXVEOxcLeS4gPzHsFqr_IMCeSgplqgs8G9t8fD4/s200/Picture2.png" width="104" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih9ggWNoOla4AlCJonCbq0IEJq6TMxo7LxVTbGM5NDFfqSamp4wCtl6tUKEc2jJs8xPX6WNAFdtUev5Rz83wqmNcPSw58hsJIhcQvNJZiwmGOAkzkAnmI7084YNpU4fiqqZ5pYlICxRes/s1600/Picture3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="419" data-original-width="546" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih9ggWNoOla4AlCJonCbq0IEJq6TMxo7LxVTbGM5NDFfqSamp4wCtl6tUKEc2jJs8xPX6WNAFdtUev5Rz83wqmNcPSw58hsJIhcQvNJZiwmGOAkzkAnmI7084YNpU4fiqqZ5pYlICxRes/s200/Picture3.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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3.L.1 Understand human body systems and how they are essential for life<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Student will examine da Vinci’s bones and muscle sketches in true Renaissance fashion with dimmed lighting.<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Students will use tracing paper to challenge themselves to use as much detail as da Vinci did in tracing his sketches.<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Students will make observations about the interactions between bones and muscles.<br />
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Possible Literacy Connections<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Compare and contrast in a Venn diagram the Mona Lisa and the Head of a Woman<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Predict the story behind Mona Lisa’s smile<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8XqRTa8JuKUvniEsbXDII0LXDYM9CRH5ZzqWOs0Ajyl4GLGaNyxXmoqxCJnQs2EbyqKsX_sbLMsOKN3yuD7QA72rezV41QzVcJw5Q_6T3oqIHaG4e_bwmvygmb1L5rpZjSVXJIou6EOE/s1600/Picture5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="436" data-original-width="581" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8XqRTa8JuKUvniEsbXDII0LXDYM9CRH5ZzqWOs0Ajyl4GLGaNyxXmoqxCJnQs2EbyqKsX_sbLMsOKN3yuD7QA72rezV41QzVcJw5Q_6T3oqIHaG4e_bwmvygmb1L5rpZjSVXJIou6EOE/s200/Picture5.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Study which facts from Magic Tree House <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/monday-with-a-mad-genius-mary-pope-osborne/1100292177" target="_blank">Monday with a Mad Genius</a> are true compared to the nonfiction text, <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/who-was-leonardo-da-vinci-roberta-edwards/1101702845" target="_blank">Who Was Leonardo da Vinci</a>?<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Create, sketch, and write about your own invention and your inspiration to one of da Vinci’s sketches<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>After reading Magic Tree House, write on the prompt “If I had wings…” Students wrote their stories on feathers to create class “wings.”<br />
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Knowing da Vinci’s ideas were progressive for the times, students will begin to make connections to today’s technological advances and be inspired to create their own inventions.<br />
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About the Author<br />
Leni Fragakis has worked at The Arts Based School in Winston-Salem, NC, for five years, teaching 1st, 3rd, and 5th grades. She has her BA (Elementary Education, minor Special Education), MEd (Literacy), and administration add-on from High Point University. She is working toward her EdD in cultural foundations and leadership from UNCG. Published by the International Literacy Association, Leni also presents on her passions of literacy and arts integration at workshops in and out of NC. <br />
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<br />Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16092001478395527812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795685213907724799.post-70084961071672076902017-06-04T16:48:00.000-07:002017-06-04T16:48:06.384-07:00From Blank Stares to Understanding Main Ideaby: Denise Jones<br />
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Have you ever witnessed the blank stare of a student when asked to locate the main idea of a passage or paragraph? It’s all too common, but there could be a simple place where you can backtrack to. It’s a step that students may have missed along the way.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPk_xQL6RGfeuL3kkKudOW0BHVGGj0Wus4-cjlyzF5iWcwCzXJvNwtMqALX8ODKZlHjKOwD9pg2gOrV5DycY-vARNW7LPE_SM33HuBOnQAdGmHv5n5zPinyvPhYVSJwp8ps76t4H0U2Nw/s1600/20170508_145603_1494291027515.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPk_xQL6RGfeuL3kkKudOW0BHVGGj0Wus4-cjlyzF5iWcwCzXJvNwtMqALX8ODKZlHjKOwD9pg2gOrV5DycY-vARNW7LPE_SM33HuBOnQAdGmHv5n5zPinyvPhYVSJwp8ps76t4H0U2Nw/s320/20170508_145603_1494291027515.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The missing link can be as simple as understanding categories and category titles. It can be the beginning of making connections to finding the main idea. The following lesson may seem simplistic, but can be THE THING that brings students to a point of understanding.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJlz-yF1Ru6EQOxv24K1FKJ9-dhAatfKyfGfD66Z1qwV6XcwC-ZeNXzY5BsF5LrZmStK7VpYN_1oNUBftOlg5F9gdLmtboIWDDG2oGVd4BgNGaHRtY96DI-9nc6WZDomW94YueX52XtGY/s1600/20170508_145337+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJlz-yF1Ru6EQOxv24K1FKJ9-dhAatfKyfGfD66Z1qwV6XcwC-ZeNXzY5BsF5LrZmStK7VpYN_1oNUBftOlg5F9gdLmtboIWDDG2oGVd4BgNGaHRtY96DI-9nc6WZDomW94YueX52XtGY/s320/20170508_145337+%25281%2529.jpg" width="179" /></a>First, create an anchor chart with a list of categories but no title. Students will analyze the list to establish a title. Then, hand out index cards (which you have created) that contain category titles. Some examples are: transportation, seasons, sports, things you shine, types of money, presidents, etc. The students will receive this card with a partner, fold a piece of paper into four squares, and illustrate four pictures that represent this category. At this point, teachers need to emphasize the importance of utilizing details in the pictures. Each team places their illustrations under an Elmo. The class determines the category title (main idea) from the illustrations drawn (supporting details). Students begin to make the connections, providing a basis for these larger concepts.<br />
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At a school in which I coach, third through fifth graders have completed these tasks. I have seen light bulbs go off, and have noted significant improvement with continued practice. Our fifth grade scores jumped from a 38% to a 79% on our formative assessments in just three weeks. No more do blank stares greet me as I discuss main idea and supporting details with these students.<br />
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Denise Jones is an award winning educator. She has twenty-three years of experience in this field, including eighteen years as an Elementary Education teacher and five years as an Instructional Coach. Denise has experience in grading educational portfolios for East Carolina University. A graduate of William Paterson University, Mrs. Jones has a Bachelor of Arts in both Elementary Education and Sociology and has been a member of the NCAE organization for more than twenty years. Professional highlights include presenting at the NC Teachers of English Association in Asheboro NC, writing a published vignette, and aiding a school with the Leader in Me process to attain Lighthouse Status through Steven Covey.</div>
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Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16092001478395527812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795685213907724799.post-717618332325608432017-05-28T13:06:00.000-07:002017-05-28T13:06:08.520-07:00What is the Definition of Common Assessment?By Jennifer Hardy<br />
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Too often educators use the term "common assessment" "CFA" interchangeably with district assessments and benchmarks. This communicates a false identity to the purpose, design and research behind common formative assessments. “[Common assessments are] not standardized tests, but teacher-created, teacher-owned assessments that are collaboratively scored and that provide immediate feedback to students and teachers.” —Douglas Reeves, CEO and founder, The Leadership and Learning Center. Common formative assessments or CFA's are focused intentional check-ins developed by teachers who are giving the assessment. CFA's help teachers determine if core instruction was effective based on the the level of rigor and learning criteria the teachers are delivering and assessing. These assessments are designed through the collaborative efforts during a content grade level professional learning community for the purpose of driving instruction. CFA's should focus on a few learning targets, aligned to the standards, 5-10 questions per target, with the same criteria for delivery and grading. Rubrics for learning criteria should be established during CFA development.<br />
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Benchmark assessments are helpful for informing instruction and to look for gaps in the instruction, however too much time between instruction has lapsed for immediate formative data. Nor, are benchmarks typically designed by the teachers giving them to students. Benchmark data is wonderful for progress monitoring students and establishing the level of questions and rigor that are aligned with curriculum standards.<br />
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Students do not have to know it is an assessment!</div>
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What can a common assessment look like?</div>
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<li>Game</li>
<li>Exit Ticket</li>
<li>Poll</li>
<li>Survey</li>
<li>Anticipation guide</li>
<li>Short Answer</li>
<li>Writing Sample</li>
<li>Daily Essential Question</li>
<li>Group Activity</li>
<li>Learning logs</li>
<li>Summaries</li>
<li>Thinking Maps</li>
<li>Quiz</li>
<li>Various Checkpoints During A Project</li>
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Serving Onslow County Schools since 2002, Jennifer Hardy has taught third through sixth grade students. In her current role as an Instructional Coach, it has truly been an honor to support students and staff across the district. She has a passion for teaching that is fueled through her zany little girl, Ava. She is a third-grade product of Onslow County Schools and every decision Mrs. Hardy makes, every battle she chooses to fight, is never initiated without trying to view the outcome through her daughter's big blue beautiful eyes!<br />
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Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16092001478395527812noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795685213907724799.post-61263790516469429482017-05-14T10:11:00.000-07:002017-05-14T10:11:13.434-07:00Reader Response NotebooksBy Katie Head<br />
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If you are anything like me, organization, fonts, and neon paper make your teacher world go round! I love my Reader Response Notebooks and hope you do too! See the Freebie below to print out your own tabs.<br />
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First, I organize my notebooks into four categories: Reading Log, Reader Response, Anchor Charts, and Shopping List. *For the K-2 teacher, I modified the Shopping List section to a Word Wall.<br />
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Set up: When I introduce my journals, I precut my tabs (on neon paper, of course!). I use clear tape to reinforce the tabs after they are glued down. My co-worker laminated them first and it worked just as well. I have students (roughly) count out a different number of pages for each tab; this is based<br />
on a 100-page notebook.<br />
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Reading Log: about 15 pages<br />
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I teach them how to highlight lines and use quotation marks for repeated titles.<br />
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Reader Response: about 40 pages<br />
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This is where we do most of our responses and activities after our minilessons. This might include a post-it progression, context clues vocabulary chart, or written responses.<br />
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Anchor Chart: about 35 pages<br />
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This is pretty self-explanatory… students create their own anchor charts as we review the charts that are up in our classroom. I always let them use colored pencils, markers, etc. and they LOVE it! It is great to encourage these as a reference throughout the year.<br />
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Shopping List (and Book Shopping!): about 10 pages<br />
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The Shopping List is a place for students to write their “shopping” list for books they would like to read. They make a chart for book titles and author names. My wonderful coworker and I introduce new titles during our Book Shopping Day. (This of course includes shopping bags, sunglasses, and<br />
Madonna’s Material Girl playing in the background. ;) We preview a few texts and the students write the titles down in their Shopping List. Here’s a look at the <a href="http://bit.ly/shoppingdayslides">Google Slides presentation</a> we have up in the background.<br />
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Thanks for spending some time learning about my Reader Response Journals. Happy teaching!<br />
<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0140ONitwFkTGFRdm9CelVqalE/view?usp=sharing">Reading Journal Tabs</a><br />
<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0140ONitwFkVEhGbVp1YmtYWHc/view?usp=sharing">Reading Journal Tabs 1</a><br />
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Katie Head is a 3rd grade teacher at Barringer Academic Center in Charlotte, NC. Katie has been teaching at 3rd grade at BAC for 3 years. Prior to that, Katie lived in Chicago. There she taught 1st and 4th grades at Marion Jordan Elementary in Palatine, IL for 8 years. She received her Master’s in Reading through Concordia University in Chicago. Katie iscurrently working on her AIG certification through Queens UniversityMeganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16092001478395527812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795685213907724799.post-1611636544677523142017-04-30T09:39:00.000-07:002017-04-30T09:39:30.935-07:00#30secondbooktalkBy Katie Pasvankas<br />
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As a 4th grade ELA & Social Studies teacher, teaching these subjects at a STEM school was a at first a daunting task. Incorporating technology and PBL in a meaningful way is not always as easy as incorporating through the disciplines of math and science. Our ELA team has been able to refocus lessons, using many of the ideas and activities we were currently implementing in order to align with STEM. I’d love to share our latest one with you: #30secondbooktalk.<br />
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/548rohZY0oU/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/548rohZY0oU?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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The idea actually came from our awesome county STEM Coach, Brenda Eason. Brenda shared it with the teachers in our school and the idea took off! First, teachers were divided into brackets: 4-5 Fiction Fanatics, 2-3 Thrillers, K-1 Wonders, Special Edition, Team Book-Heart (after our principal) and The Mystery Team. Each teacher (4 in each bracket) created a 30 second book talk video. We used Photo Booth and even our phones to record the videos. The final product was made with iMovie. It was simple to do, fun and the kids LOVED it!<br />
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Teachers chose a book they felt would get kids fired up about reading. Everyone had a different style which made the videos so cool to watch. Some teachers chose to dress up as a character in their book or add music while others videos featured students. I channeled my inner Grand High Witch into my first video for The Witches by Roald Dahl and several characters, Kissin Kate, Stanley and Madame Zeroni from HOLES by Louis Sachar. These choices were easy for me as I’ve enjoyed reading these books for years and have had plenty of practice emulating voices of the characters!<br />
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After the videos were released, a voting frenzy began. Mrs. Eason posted the videos on her YouTube channel and created a Google form to make voting simple and easy to tally. We had thousands of votes and suggestions for future book talks! We posted the links for videos and voting on social media so parents, students, and the public could vote.<br />
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Then, the winners of each bracket went on to create another #30secondbooktalk and the new videos were shared with the students. We had some 4th and 5th grade students introduce the first round of book talks. Our SciGirls, a club at our school, introduced the second round of books and announced the winner of the final round. <br />
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In the end, Mrs. Spencer, our AIG teacher, pulled out the win! Of course, the other victory was that the students were super excited about the books featured on our #30secondbooktalk videos! Soon after my second video, I started reading HOLES to my classes and they have been hanging on my every word, and that’s a huge win in my book!<br />
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Check out all of our #30secondbooktalk videos at <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAuam0BRQAR6QEi25L5eVA7Y4b_K8BTNB">this link</a>.<br />
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Katie Pasvankas has been a 4th grade teacher at Patriots since it opened in 2010. Prior to that, she taught at R. Brown McAllister, also in Cabarrus County, and in New York. For the last few years, she has been happily teaching ELA and Social Studies so she’s able to focus on bringing her two favorite subjects together and bringing history and characters to life with her animated teaching style. You can follow her lifestyle blog at colorfullykatie.com.<br />
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Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16092001478395527812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795685213907724799.post-59244028118990086942017-04-23T09:30:00.000-07:002017-04-23T09:30:05.829-07:00Working With ELLs - Part 2By Rosalie Pereda<br />
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This is the conclusion of last week’s blog post “Working with ELLs” where we will continue the discussion on how to best help our English Language Learner students to learn and meet with success.</div>
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Now, armed with all of this information and data on your ELLs language proficiency levels, how do you make it work? Well, their scores on the WIDA assessments let you know what your ELLs are capable of doing in each language domain, so I would use that information to group my students either homogeneously based on their needs or heterogeneously to allow my ELLs to interact with and learn from their peers. Also, I would adjust my questioning to challenge my students accordingly based on their language levels and how they are able to answer my questions. For example, if I have an English Language Learner who can understand my math lesson and get the right answer but does not have enough English language vocabulary to explain how he got his answer, then I would not require that student to explain his answer to me as he would be incapable of doing so at this time based on his language level. I would however, work with him to develop the necessary language skills to be able to do so at a later time. I would also use the multiple intelligences and various other differentiated instruction techniques to allow my English Language Learners to answer questions, provide feedback, and demonstrate understanding using a variety of activities so that they will feel comfortable and meet with success. </div>
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“If a child can't learn the way we teach,</div>
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maybe we should teach the way they learn.” </div>
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― Ignacio Estrada</div>
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ELLs do best when you use these particular techniques:</div>
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<li><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Build Background Knowledge</li>
<li><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Modeling (Writing, Think Alouds, Reading, Group Work, etc.)</li>
<li><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Increase Wait Time</li>
<li><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Verbal and Written Directions</li>
<li><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Checking for Understanding</li>
<li><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Graphic Organizers</li>
<li><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>TPR (Total Physical Response) to interact with vocabulary</li>
<li><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Read Alouds</li>
<li><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Sentence Frames</li>
<li><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Visual Cues/Visual Support (Pictures with Vocabulary Words, Word Walls, etc.)</li>
<li><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Anchor Charts</li>
<li><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Use of technology and hands on centers</li>
<li><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Encourage use of native language at home (Ex. Reading in L1 at home to transfer skills to L2)</li>
<li><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Do not forbid use of L1 at school but do encourage use of English</li>
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Also, don’t forget to differentiate instruction by:</div>
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<li>Incorporating the four language domains (Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing) in your lessons</li>
<li>Using the Can Do Descriptors to modify the lessons and expectations based on the student’s English language proficiency level</li>
<li>Offering activities such as Cooperative Learning Activities; Think, Pair, Share; and Reading Pairs (Pair up with a fluent reader)</li>
<li>Offering appropriate assessments and/or modifications to assessments for ELLs based on their language proficiency levels</li>
<li>Visual Thinking Strategies</li>
<li>Incorporating Music (Songs/Chants for specific skills, techniques, etc.)</li>
<li>Establishing purpose for reading</li>
<li>Pre-reading the text</li>
<li>Taking a picture walk</li>
<li>Choosing one specific comprehension strategy for students to learn and use at a time</li>
<li>Pre-teaching vocabulary; select tier 1, tier 2, and tier 3 words from target content; use different strategies to teach them</li>
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Please keep in mind that there are many differentiated instruction techniques that one could use. Not all of them could be listed in this blog post. These differentiated instruction techniques and strategies are best practices for all of our students, not just for our English Language Learners. As we differentiate instruction, our students are better prepared to access the information and ascertain knowledge. Our students' self-esteem and confidence will build as they feel more comfortable taking risks and ownership of their own learning. Motivation for learning will increase, which in turn will give our students the enthusiasm and excitement needed to become lifelong learners. </div>
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I leave you with this very powerful and moving video that has been shared many times in the ELL circuit. Please watch it in its entirety and think about how you would help the student in the video and what were his difficulties in meeting with success in his class. </div>
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With the help of all of the stakeholders in our ELLs education, they will persevere and learn the language. They will meet with success as long as they are given the proper tools and time to do so. We can still set high expectations for our English Language Learners as long as they are pedagogically sound and appropriate. Together we should be advocates and the voice of our students to give them the best education possible.</div>
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I hope that this blog post helps you to have much needed discussions in your schools about how to best meet the needs of our English Language Learners.</div>
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Mrs. Rosalie Pereda is currently a First Grade Bilingual and ESL Teacher. She has taught grades K-8 in various capacities over the years in both urban and suburban districts. She received her B.A. in Elementary Education and Spanish from Rider University. She holds certifications in Elementary Education, Spanish, Bilingual Education, and ESL. She is in her 18th year of teaching, all of which have been in New Jersey. Rosalie believes in being an advocate for her students and in doing so, helps to prepare teachers to meet the needs of English Language Learners through professional development opportunities. As a professional development presenter, she has presented several workshops on English Language Learners and differentiated instruction at conferences, including the NCAEE Conference and district in-service trainings. </div>
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Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16092001478395527812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795685213907724799.post-80530972576493952012017-04-16T09:00:00.000-07:002017-04-16T09:00:05.433-07:00Working with ELLs - Part 1By Rosalie Pereda<br />
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This is a two-part blog post appearing April 16th and April 23rd. <br />
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“Learning another language is not only learning different words for the same things, </div>
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but learning another way to think about things.”</div>
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-Flora Lewis</div>
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Imagine walking into a classroom and not understanding what is being said. What feels like a million eyes are on you, watching your every move. You may hear some sneers or giggles as you struggle to figure out what to do and where to sit. You have no idea how to ask for help, let alone understand what instruction is taking place. You feel lost, hopeless, and alone. You just want to go home.<br />
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Every day, thousands of students feel this way across the country. Even though each English Language Learners experiences may be different, many feel the way I’ve described above. Many have just arrived and often feel as lost in our classrooms and schools, as we do in how to help them. The numbers of English Language Learners in our country are growing rapidly with no sign of slowing down. Now more than ever, classroom teachers need to be well versed in their teacher preparation programs on how to teach and differentiate instruction for ELLs (English Language Learners). Teachers in the classroom need to keep abreast of ever changing laws, best practices, and the needs of their students.<br />
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Although many teachers have been trained in SIOP (Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol), many teachers I’ve found lack the basic knowledge about second language acquisition to truly understand what ELLs go through. Also, many teachers struggle with how to help the ELL students in their classroom to meet with success. It can seem like a very daunting task that I hope to shed some light on in this blog post. My objectives in this two-part blog post, will be to discuss some main points to provide some background knowledge about English as a Second Language and ELLs, as well as to provide some helpful hints and tools to assist teachers in differentiating instruction for ELLs in their classroom. <br />
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First, it is important to remember that we are all vital to the process of English language learning. The Classroom Teacher, Special Area Teachers, classmates, etc. are just as important as the ESL Teachers in the language process. From the cafeteria workers, bus drivers, classmates, and Special Area Teachers, the ELLs will develop their BICS (Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills). BICS is basically our social language that we use in conversations to communicate with others. When one is learning a language, this is the type of vocabulary that develops first. Many people are fooled into thinking that a student is proficient in English based on their BICS. This is a common misconception. From their Classroom Teachers and ESL Teachers, ELLs develop their CALPS (Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency Skills), which is essentially their academic language. Subject matter vocabulary comes into play with CALPS. For example, one doesn’t usually use words such as metamorphosis at home in conversation. That would be an example of CALPS or academic language.<br />
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It takes students 4-10 years to achieve cognitive academic language proficiency in a second language. However, if a child has had no prior schooling or has no support in native language development, it may take seven to ten years for ELLs to catch up to their peers. (Thomas & Collier, 1995) We must remember that each English Language Learner is different. Some students may not have been able to attend school at all or may have had interrupted schooling, while other students will come to school well prepared with foundational skills firmly developed in their first language. The varying degrees of English language proficiency makes it imperative to know the language levels of your students and their needs.<br />
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In that respect, it is important to know how one learns a language. There are four language domains which will be listed in the order that they develop; listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Writing is the last domain and it is the most difficult as it is not easy for one to express him/herself in writing. Each year, students are assessed using assessments from WIDA (ACCESS and W-APT) which determine a child’s eligibility for English language services and gauges their English language proficiency levels and growth in English language development. WIDA is a consortium made up of 36 states with standards for English language development and English language assessments. North Carolina is a member of WIDA. Teachers in North Carolina with ELLs will receive a report listing the scores of their students in each of the four language domains from their assessment. This information is crucial in planning and differentiating instruction for optimal success. <br />
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WIDA has what are called Can Do Descriptors which will detail what a student can accomplish at each proficiency level and for each language domain. You can download or order these Can Do Descriptors which are available by grade cluster. Once you have your students’ scores, you can easily look up what they can do at that level and for that particular language domain. Don’t be surprised when you see relatively higher scores for the listening and speaking domains compared to the reading and writing domains. Remember, listening and speaking are the first language domains that are developed when learning a language; they are our BICS (Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills).<br />
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Click here for more information about the <a href="https://www.wida.us/standards/CAN_DOs/">WIDA Can Do Descriptors</a>.<br />
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Click here for more information about <a href="http://www.wida.us/">WIDA</a>, including professional development opportunities can be found here<br />
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Laura Castro from http://mrscastrospanglishstyle.blogspot.com/ has created a wonderful form that can be edited in Word to fit all of your students’ English language proficiency levels on one page to simplify it for you. Her form can be a quick and easy reference guide when lesson planning and to serve as documentation when being observed to demonstrate knowledge of students in your class. I like to put the student’s scores next to their name under each language level and domain so I know exactly how my students scored. <br />
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Laura’s Classroom Can-Do Template is great for grouping students and for differentiated instruction based on the needs of the ELLs in your class. Once you have your students’ scores from the WIDA assessment (ACCESS), simply plug them into this form. You’ll easily be able to tell what types of centers and activities you’ll need to develop or implement to gain understanding of the subject matter. Please don’t forget that it is also important to take note of what your students will be able to accomplish at the next proficiency level as it should always be our goal and mission to help our students progress and move on to the next level. Here is a sample of Laura’s Classroom Can-Do Template:<br />
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Please click here for a copy of <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/WIDA-Classroom-Can-Do-Template-236855">Laura’s free Classroom Can-Do Template </a>on Teachers Pay Teachers. <br />
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In next week’s conclusion of the blog post “Working with ELLs” we will continue the discussion on how to best help our English Language Learner students to learn and meet with success.<br />
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Mrs. Rosalie Pereda is currently a First Grade Bilingual and ESL Teacher. She has taught grades K-8 in various capacities over the years in both urban and suburban districts. She received her B.A. in Elementary Education and Spanish from Rider University. She holds certifications in Elementary Education, Spanish, Bilingual Education, and ESL. She is in her 18th year of teaching, all of which have been in New Jersey. Rosalie believes in being an advocate for her students and in doing so, helps to prepare teachers to meet the needs of English Language Learners through professional development opportunities. As a professional development presenter, she has presented several workshops on English Language Learners and differentiated instruction at conferences, including the NCAEE Conference and district in-service trainings. Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16092001478395527812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795685213907724799.post-53420486673058402562017-04-02T11:50:00.000-07:002017-04-03T16:41:33.177-07:00If I Knew Then...By Megan Mehta<br />
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I have shared the story of the journey my 4th grade daughter on my blog and I have been on since she began elementary school and how it has led me to advocating not only for her, but for all the kids in North Carolina. She was identified as dyslexic and ADD at the beginning of second grade, and I was suddenly dealing with a very real, very common learning disability that I knew little about. As a parent, it was upsetting because I was suddenly in a situation where I didn’t know how to help my child. As a veteran teacher, this was disconcerting to say the least because how many students had I taught that were struggling with the same or similar issues? It was an awful feeling as an educator, so this post will be what I needed over two years ago in the hopes that others will find it helpful.<br />
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First some statistics:</div>
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(these were compiled by Susan C. Lowell and Dr. Rebecca Felton, coauthors of Basic Facts About Assessment of Dyslexia. I had the privilege of working with Susan in Raleigh recently and she is nothing short of amazing.)<br />
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About 37% of 4th graders are considered below basic level in reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress.<br />
This same test finds reading failure in about 67% of minority populations such as African-Americans, Hispanic Americans, Limited English Proficient Americans, and impoverished Americans.<br />
Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) make up roughly half of all special education students. Of this group, 80% experience reading difficulties.<br />
Reading research scientists find reading failure in about 20% of the general school-age population. These same scientists predict that all but 2-5% of these students can be taught to read accurately and fluently with appropriate instruction.<br />
I don’t know about you but to me these are sobering figures– especially the last one. All but 2-5% can be taught to read accurately and fluently with appropriate instruction. This shouldn’t all be falling on the shoulders of the teachers of Exceptional Children, and our kids shouldn’t need an IEP to rival a Tolstoy novel in order to access appropriate instruction.<br />
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Signs of Dyslexia:<br />
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I want to include the typical signs to watch out for, but I also want to point out there are characteristics that should have been giant, flaming red flags to me in hindsight had I known to pay attention to them. Generally, a child with dyslexia will have difficulty with the following (from the International Dyslexia Association Website– link below):<br />
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Writing letters and numbers backwards and reading backwards. No! All kids do this at some point– it is not something only people in Club Dyslexia do.<br />
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Learning to speak<br />
Learning letters and their sounds<br />
Organizing written and spoken language<br />
Memorizing number facts<br />
Reading quickly enough to comprehend<br />
Persisting with and comprehending longer reading assignments<br />
Spelling<br />
Learning a foreign language<br />
Correctly doing math operations<br />
There are subtleties, too. People with dyslexia often have difficulty rhyming words or pronouncing multi-syllable words. L still calls ambulances “amalances” and though her rhyming skills have improved, she will still occasionally ask if words like “dog” and “done” rhyme. Another thing to look out for is substitution of words that may be in the same category or may have the same beginning or ending sound– this can happen in speaking or reading. An example given from the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity cites using “volcano” instead of “tornado”. When this happens with L, she can verbalize that she knows it’s the wrong word and that the correct one is stashed in her head somewhere, but out it comes anyway.<br />
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So this is a VERY brief overview– there are organizations that have more exhaustive and detailed lists and I have noted them below. I cannot stress enough how important it is that if teachers are seeing these behaviors, it’s not because the child is lazy or defiant or immature or whatever. It’s also not personal. They. Cannot. Help. It. The more we educate ourselves about this, the better we can meet the needs of our kids and hopefully mitigate any more self-esteem nosedives.<br />
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Resources:<br />
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These are just to get you started and the tip of the iceberg. In other words, my thoughts on what I recommend you click on if you find yourself googling “dyslexia resources” (which now you don’t have to do because I just did it for you!).<br />
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Decoding Dyslexia NC: great place to find North Carolina-specific info, as well as advocates to accompany you to IEP meetings at your child’s school, tutors, etc. I met one of the advocates, Jeanette Meachem, this week when we went to Raleigh and I wish I had known her two years ago. She is fabulous.<br />
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Understood.org: This link is to their page on characteristics of dyslexia, but this amazing site has info on the whole dys- family and their cousins: dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, sensory processing disorder, ADD, ADHD and more. I print their math graphic organizers weekly to help L with her homework and they have worked wonders.<br />
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International Dyslexia Association: Lots of great info, as well as a self-assessment for adults. I highly recommend checking it out if you had difficulty reading as a child or had troubles with foreign languages.<br />
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Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity: I love that they have resources that speak directly to kids here. One thing L says to me frequently is “Dyslexia is my deepest, darkest secret” and it breaks my heart into a million tiny pieces every time I hear it. I am trying hard to chip away at this and some of the things on this site are helping. I’m hoping that the more I show her that there are so many others who face the same challenges and have the same type of incredible brain that she has, the more comfortable she will feel about it. Of course, as her mom I know exactly nothing about anything, so I’m relying on the hope that at least some of it is registering subconsciously…<br />
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I find myself thinking of more and more resources as I type this, but I’m going to stop here. This is a beginning– whether you suspect dyslexia in you or your child or student, know someone newly diagnosed, or have been at this a while and are looking for something else that might help, I hope I am able to point you down a path that has some answers. If you have other resources to help families, please share in the comments. I will address places to find things to help in the classroom in a later post– there are a lot of great things out there, but really no website or app will replace a good teacher.<br />
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Megan Mehta is the STEM Coordinator at Ballantyne Elementary in Charlotte, NC. She began her career as an educator in December of 2000 and spent most of those years as a 3rd grade teacher. For the 2016-2017 school year, with her principal’s support, she created her current position of STEM Coordinator at her school and has been working hard to define her role ever since. She blogs at AdventuresinNCEducation.wordpress.com.<br />
<br />Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16092001478395527812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795685213907724799.post-41387293276855964112017-03-19T08:00:00.000-07:002017-03-19T08:00:05.863-07:00Using Jacob's Ladder with Song Lyrics<div style="text-align: center;">
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By Todd Nasife</div>
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As a music major, I try to incorporate various aspects of music into the class. One idea I had from a PD session at school was creating our own Jacob’s Ladder to song lyrics.<br />
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I started using the ladders this year with song lyrics as a way to help students with theme. Determining the theme of a story, poem, song, etc. is a concept that students struggle with when studying larger novels, short stories, and especially poetry. I thought with a shorter 3 or 4 minute song it might make it easier before moving on to harder text.<br />
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The biggest problem I had with this was that my taste in music is usually different than my 10 year old students. So far this year, I have only used songs that I selected, but I might open this up next year to having students choose some songs and develop ladders around them.<br />
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This idea first came to me last year when we did The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt. The story is set in a middle school in Long Island during the 1967-68 school year. Topics such as the Cold War and the Vietnam War come up throughout the story and I was looking for ways to teach about these topics and show the emotional impact they had then and now. I was a big Billy Joel fan growing up (still am) and was in high school when his Storm Front album was released. The song Leningrad immediately came to mind and I played it for the class and we discussed the lyrics. This year I decided to create a ladder based on the lyrics. The other song I played at the end of the novel was Goodnight, Saigon. I was a little hesitant about this because of some of the lyrics (Playboy and hash pipe), but this really did not come up at all in our discussion. I made a ladder for this to go along with the novel and give us more focus in our discussion.<br />
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The Storm Front ladder is something I use as a way to introduce the music and lyrics of Billy Joel to the class. I also use it as a way to discuss theme. I remember when I first heard this song I took it in the literal sense and thought it was strange that he would be writing about going out fishing. It wasn’t until I heard an interview when he explained the metaphor behind it. The urge to shrug off stability and ride off into a storm despite the dangers. I realize my students might not get this concept, but at least it gets them thinking on a higher level.<br />
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Todd Nasife is a 5th grade teacher at Barringer Academic Center in Charlotte, NC. This is his second year at this school and his eighth in the Charlotte Mecklenburg School District. Along with his work in Charlotte, he also has international experience working as a 6th grade teacher in Astana, Kazakhstan and an English teacher in Taiwan. He loves the elementary classroom and the variety of subjects. Along with the standard curriculum, he enjoys working with all things technology and integrating it in the classroom. @MrNasifeMeganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16092001478395527812noreply@blogger.com0