tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36436520929525193072024-03-12T17:06:51.995-07:00A Day in the LifeRhondahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14846911593400599695noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643652092952519307.post-48485090357367044852016-06-13T05:54:00.001-07:002016-06-13T05:54:10.517-07:00Lexiles? Guided Reading Levels? What's the most important?<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">According to The
Lexile® Framework for Reading, the Lexile scale is like a thermometer; rather
than measuring a temperature, they measure text complexity. Lexiles are
calculated based on the length of the sentence and the word frequency. The
longer the sentences are and the less frequently the words are used, the higher
the Lexile measure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sentences that are
shorter and words that are repeated more frequently generate lower Lexiles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Thermometers
measure temperature, whether it is that of a person, the weather, or any other
state of matter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are several scales
for measuring temperature one being Celsius and another being Fahrenheit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Temperature is important in all fields of science
from biology to physics as well as most aspects of daily life. Although knowing
a temperature on a thermometer helps a person know whether to wear a coat or
dress in shorts, or whether a person has a fever and may need to seek medical
attention, a general understanding of temperature on a thermometer is all that
most people possess. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Similarly, Lexiles
and the “number” that is given to determine a text’s complexity is a basic
reference and most people do not understand the many intricacies of text complexity,
nor do Lexiles have the capability to measure them. Irene Fountas and Gay Su
Pinnell cast the longest shadow in understanding and leveling text. According
to Fountas and Pinnell, there are ten major factors that create the complexity
of a text: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Genre<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Text
Structure<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Content<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Themes
and Ideas<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Language
and Literary Features<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sentence
Complexity<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Vocabulary<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Words<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Illustrations<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Book and Print Features<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Teaching reading
is much more complicated than inserting a thermometer and getting a
temperature. When a person has a temperature that spans multiple days, seeking
a doctor to determine the cause is important. A doctor is trained to determine
the underlying cause in order to provide the most effective treatment. Likewise,
a teacher must be trained to understand the ten components of a text’s
complexity in order to select the most appropriate text for teaching reading
processes to children. Simply knowing a Lexile range is not sufficient, just as
simply knowing that if a person’s temperature is 104, the person has a fever. A
teacher needs to understand the complexity a text offers along with the reading
behaviors a child exhibits and know how to support the behaviors in ways that
propel the child forward as a reader not only in one particular book but every
book.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Why do some
states use Lexile levels? Lexiles provide a map that parents and teachers can
use to have a general sense of a child’s reading level. It is a tool that
points people in the right direction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The state needs a tool that is “quick” and relatively “easy” to use. As
long as one remembers that a Lexile measures two things---word frequency and
sentence length, then it should be pretty clear that in order to read and
comprehend texts, a lot more than those two things are involved. A child
deserves to be taught how to think about what the characters are thinking and
feeling, and how the setting or time period is impacting the story. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">We need Lexiles.
Lexiles are helpful as a fast way to point parents (and even teachers) towards
the right reading level. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More
importantly, teachers need guided reading levels and a lot more knowledge than
that of Lexiles to teach reading. Schools and districts need to make sure that
the teachers have a deep understanding of the teaching of reading. Both Lexiles
and guided reading levels are important. But <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">most important of all,</i></b> we
need schools full of teachers who encourage children to read, to read widely,
from fiction to non-fiction. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">We need teachers
who are more focused on developing a love of reading by introducing children to
their favorite characters, authors, and genres than they are to levels. Who
introduce children to series of books that make them want to read every single
book in the collection. Who take the time to read aloud and talk about books
with children every single day, from large group lessons, to small groups, to
special one on one time with each child. Teachers who instill a love for
reading that spans a lifetime is the greatest, most important gift of all. Without
teachers who know that teaching reading is the true heartbeat of our
educational system, our schools will be full of children with minimal levels of
competence. Full of children who can’t think, remember, understand, apply,
analyze, evaluate, or create. I know that I want my grandchildren taught by
teachers who are highly skilled in the teaching of reading and who realize that
there is so much more than levels involved. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">References<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Fountas and
Pinnell, The Critical Role of Text Complexity in Teaching Children to Read.
Retrieved from </span><a href="http://www.heinemann.com/fountasandpinnell/supportingMaterials.aspx"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">http://www.heinemann.com/fountasandpinnell/supportingMaterials.aspx</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">June 9, 2012<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">Fountas
and Pinnell<i>, </i></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Guided
Reading: The Romance and Reality, The Reading Teacher, Vol. 66, Issue 4, December
2012/January 2013. Retrieved from </span><a href="http://www.heinemann.com/fountasandpinnell/supportingMaterials.aspx"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">http://www.heinemann.com/fountasandpinnell/supportingMaterials.aspx</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">June 9. 2012. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Lexile Framework
for Reading, GaDOE. Retrieved from </span><a href="https://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/Assessment/Pages/Lexile-Framework.aspx"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">https://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/Assessment/Pages/Lexile-Framework.aspx</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">June 9, 2016<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Lexile Framework
for Reading. Retrieved from </span><a href="https://lexile.com/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">https://Lexile.com/</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">June 9, 2016<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Rhondahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14846911593400599695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643652092952519307.post-79174548378074431942015-05-26T14:07:00.002-07:002015-05-26T14:07:37.287-07:00<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">What do I do when my reading group gets “stuck” on a level? <o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sometimes, you just
can’t avoid getting stuck. Teach enough children and odds are you are probably
going to teach a group of children who get stuck. What’s a teacher to do? Just
as one could get a truck or car out of the mud, reading groups can get unstuck
too. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When a group bogs down to a complete stop, when they are no
longer successful reading more difficult texts, the first thing the teacher
should do is to determine the point of difficulty. Asking questions such as the
following will help offer some insight into the issue. Consider things such as:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->What’s holding the children back? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Where do they lose the meaning? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Is it because they have to pause for unknown
words? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Are they confident in sight word knowledge? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Are they confident in word work? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Can they make generalizations from one word to
another? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Are they fast and fluent in sounds of letters? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Are they able to follow the story line…What the
characters are saying and doing? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Are they confident in their understanding and
reading of the structure of the words, phrases, and sentences? (Are they confident
in the structure of how the English language flows in the sentences and fluent
in their reading of it?)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Steps to Take: <o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After carefully considering the answers to the above
questions. Begin to “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rock it out”</i>. Here
are some suggestions:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Rock it
Out. </b>Put the group in reverse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Try
to get back to the level where the group is confident, where they are on solid
ground.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto;">
For example, if the group “bogged down” at a text level “I” and struggled
to move forward because of their knowledge of words and how they worked,
perhaps the group needs to move down to a text level D or G. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto;">
Remember that it’s not just about the level of the “book”. It’s about the
behaviors the child needs to have under control in order to be successful
reading the book and processing the text.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Add
Traction</b>. Put some things in the child’s repertoire that will build solid
traction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto;">
Select a few books at a lower level, making certain to incorporate the
specific knowledge (word work, sight word, comprehension strategies, structure,
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>fluency, etc.) appropriate for that
level. Repeat the back- forward-process as long as the group is making
progress. Try a few books at a D or G, then try another book at an I. Try a few
books at a G/H and then try another book at an I. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Accelerate
Gradually. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b>The reading group should
accelerate gradually while the teacher continues to pay special attention to
the area of concern. It’s very important to accelerate. Be careful not to
instruct the children at the lower levels indefinitely or they will remain
stuck.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Pull it
Out. </b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the teacher intentionally
teaches <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">for </i>the area of concern and
provides instruction on that area <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">before</i>
the guided reading lesson, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">during</i> the
guided reading lesson, and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">after</i> the
guided reading lesson, it’s like the group has a recovery strap attached to
them. The instructional level is low enough that the work is “easy” allowing
the teacher the opportunity to instruct the children in the group without
putting too much tension on any one component. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Rhondahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14846911593400599695noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643652092952519307.post-30438899216661388312015-04-30T06:25:00.001-07:002015-04-30T06:25:45.536-07:00Granny<div class="MsoNormal">
Good afternoon. I’m Rhonda Hayes, granny’s oldest
grandchild. My life has been richly blessed with grandparents. When I was born
I had both maternal and paternal grandparents and great grandparents, and even
one great-great grandparent---12 in all. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of whom were very special to me. The bond
between Granny and me was extra special. Now that I too am a grandparent, I can
understand how much Granny loved all of her grandchildren. She kept me when I
was a baby while my mom worked. And for most of my whole childhood, they lived
very near to us. We went to church together, ate lots of meals together, went
on trips together, and spent lots of time at each other’s houses. I’d like for
us to take some time today to remember the things that made her special and
celebrate the joy she brought into our lives. They say that life is not about
the number of breaths you take, but of the moments that take your breath away.
I’m proud to say that my granny had both of that during her 96 years of life.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It amazes me when I think about how she lived almost a
century and the events that shaped her life and ours. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Granny was born in 1918. That year is a date etched in the
hearts of many people because it’s the year WWI ended. ….She was born in Sept
and the war ended in Nov. Germany collapsed and Peace was declared; nine
million people had died; as horrific as this number was, it would be dwarfed by
the 50 million people who died in the flu pandemic that year.. I’m pretty sure
that’s why every year my dad asks me ---did you get your flu shot?...and I
think it’s where Granny got her obsession with Vick’s salve. She would smear it
on her chest and tie a handkerchief around it….and if you stayed with her, you
can bet you were going to have one too. She did all kinds of things with Vick’s
salve….she even ate it. Maybe that’s one of the secrets to a long life! <o:p></o:p></div>
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Women’s rights were just beginning to emerge. Before 1918, women
couldn’t vote. Their role was that of a wife and a mother. Which is exactly the
life Granny lived. The Great Depression span the course of her childhood and
early adult years…. she was 11 years old when it began and the economy didn’t
turn around until she was 21 years old. She grew up during times of extreme
poverty and hardship. These poor economic times taught Granny to be very
frugal. She didn’t waste anything. She <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>re-used fabric from one thing to another and
never chewed a whole piece of chewing gum….she’d break off the tinyest piece I
don’t know how it didn’t get lost in her mouth.<o:p></o:p></div>
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When Le, Kathy, and Greg were little, they spent time with Granny
and Grandaddy too…especially in the summers, they would come and stay for weeks
at the time…..Granny would give them a spoon and tell them to go outside and
play. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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She loved to sew and I remember her letting me sit on her
back like a piggy back ride, while she sewed. <o:p></o:p></div>
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It’s hard to imagine that Granny grew up before cars were in
much existence. Trains were the primary form of transportation. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think this is why Granny was a home-body.
She didn’t love to travel much because she didn’t grow up during a time when
people could travel easily. When granddaddy bought a Winnebago for them to
travel around the United States she was scared to death……one long trip around
some tall mountains and winding roads out west was really all that Granny
wanted any part of....so they settled on camping and boating at nearby lakes
and eventually bought a house on Lake Eufaula.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We all have fond memories of going camping with Granny and Grandaddy. <o:p></o:p></div>
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They taught many of us how to fish and how to ski. Grandaddy
drove the boat and Granny was the look out. I loved to go camping with them
because I knew that we’d have great food to eat. Still today when I smell
hashbrowns, I think of the ones she cooked while we were camping. When we
camped, Granny made toast in the skillet, scrambled eggs, hashbrowns and bacon.
But if we were at her house, she was most famous for her breakfasts…..my
personal<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>favorite was her sugar syrup
and biscuits. She also loved to make red-eyed gravy and grits. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She always remembered to make things
especially for the children, rolling out tiny biscuits just for the
grandchildren. <o:p></o:p></div>
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During granny’s childhood, the telephone was a novelty;
television was a glimmer in someone’s eye; there were no heavier-than-air
aircraft; electricity was only beginning to be worked with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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During her lifetime penicillin, rocketry, pop up toasters,
hairdryers, jet engines, ball point pens, disposable diapers, the internet, and
all the digital gadgets we have in our pockets today were invented. In spite of
all of this, Granny and Grandaddy were pretty good with new inventions. They
are the only people I know that could actually program the first VCR’s but both
granny and granddaddy learned how to do it. Mine always flashed the time…it
would blink blink blink….but there’s never did. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Someone might say that the telephone is the world’s greatest
invention because it drastically reduced the amount of time it took to
communicate with each other. And the telephone is how Granny stayed connected
to friends in family in the last years of her life. I know that my Aunt Jean
called her multiple times a day and talked with her to keep her company. Even
though Jean lives in Birmingham, the telephone kept them closely connected. Whenever
I was traveling and on the roads she kept me awake while I drove by talking to
me for hours on the phone; she’d know about how long we’d talk based on what
city I was in and where I was headed. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
talked about recipes and cooking, she updated me on the latest news, she helped
me stay connected to the family….she called herself my newswoman….she did this
……. until she could no longer hear the words on the news clearly enough to know
exactly what they were saying. I remember one time they were talking about
freezing some embryo’s for a couple ….and granny couldn’t hear good enough to
really know what they were talking about….she thought it was a story about
freezing weather…..later in the day I heard the story and had a big laugh when
I realized what was really freezing. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Granny was known as a great cook. She let me sit on the
counter and watch her from the time I was a very little girl. I wish that I
could say that I learned how to cook as good as her, but I haven’t. Some of our
family’s favorite things she cooked were butter rolls and banana puddings. We
all have fond memories of their Fish fries and barbeques. Granny made the best
hush puppies I’ve ever eaten. No matter how carefully I follow her recipe, they
never turn out as good as granny’s. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Granny and granddaddy loved drinking coffee. Even at the
nursing home she drank coffee. This is another one of her secrets to living a
long life. She loved white donuts with her coffee too….everyday.<o:p></o:p></div>
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One of my favorite memories with Granny is from when I was
very little. She’d hold me in her lap in a rocking chair and sing. Granny loved
to sing….she had a high pitched ole’ timey way sound to her voice. One of her favorite
songs was rock of ages. Another favorite was swing low, sweet chariot….except
instead of saying chariot she would sing swing low, sweet cheerios…..<o:p></o:p></div>
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This reminds me of another fun memory of Granny. She had the
most interesting way of pronouncing words. She called Tylenol, Tylenods….and
instead of saying rinse the rag out in the sink, she would say wrench it….and
if you want to take a picture grab your camry! And she’d ask you do you want a
“slosh” of cake? ….and I’ll see you ter-rectly. I recently read an article that
described this way of talking as a distinct dialect from South Alabama that
some believe came from Old Shakespearean language that was influenced by a
variety of factors. <o:p></o:p></div>
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When I think about Granny’s virtues---her habits of mind,
heart, and behavior…..Granny certainly possessed the master virtue wisdom. She
was able to see what was truly important in life and set priorities. She was also
a very smart person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although she only
had a third grade education, she could read and write and understand most anything.
She had great common sense. When I would tell her things going on with me and
in the schools she always knew what I should do and what was right and wrong. When
I was a very little girl Granny taught little children in Sunday School. I
sometimes went to class with her. My mom and dad worked with the youth and my
mom taught a GA class. I’m pretty sure that’s where the seed was planted for my
future years as a teacher. <o:p></o:p></div>
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A second virtue Granny possessed was fortitude. Fortitude is
the inner toughness that enables us to overcome or withstand hardship, defeats,
inconvenience, and pain. Her courage, resilience, patience, perseverance,
endurance, and self-confidence helped her live alone and unassisted for 96
years. Granny had the greatest will to live of anyone I’ve ever known; Even
when she couldn’t move without a walker she would hold the rake in one had and
her walker or a cane in the other….she’d rake the yard and sweep her own
driveway this way.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Another virtue she possessed was self-discipline. She was
able to balance a healthy lifestyle. She always believed in staying physically
fit…..exercise was always a part of her daily routine. I think this is another
secret to living a long life. I remember going with her to exercise classes and
then doing exercises with her at home; I loved dancing with her and remember
when she and granddaddy bought their first stereo record player. She loved to
be outside and walk. It was a big part of each day, until just a couple of
years ago, she continued to walk….even though her route changed from going
around the block to walking down the road to the stop sign…and then just to the
mailbox… Daddy had to ban her from walking to the mailbox because we were all afraid
that she was going to fall and hurt herself because of their sloping driveway. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Another virtue that Granny possessed was love. Love is
comprised of many important virtues—empathy, compassion, kindness, generosity,
service, loyalty, patriotism, and forgiveness, all of these make up love. Love
is a demanding virture. Granny took this verse pretty seriously, “love your
neighbor as yourself”. I know that she loved Ferrell and Pastor Billy. She
didn’t have much to give, but she was known to make a batch of biscuits and
beef stew and flag Ferrell down just so that she would have something to give
him to thank him for burning her pine cones. She loved her church. She and
Grandaddy volunteered at the church doing many things…things like helping set
up for Wednesday night supper…pouring the tea and putting it on the tables.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I could think of just three words to say
about Granny it would be <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">love of family</i></b>. Her family span five
generations. She loved her two children Dad and Jean. She loved my mom, Faye.
Granny thought she hung the moon. She loved each one of her grandchildren,
great grandchildren, and great great grandchildren. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Granny loved her special friend from First Baptist Church---JoAnn---who
visited her faithfully and ministered to her and the GA’s and other youth who
visited her while she was shut-in. She loved her brothers and sisters,
sister-in-laws and brother in laws. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Winnie and all the Dunn’s and their families
for their phone calls and visits. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The practice of virtues allows us to live a purposeful,
better life; a life not ordinary, but extraordinary. <o:p></o:p></div>
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To Dad and Jean, Scott and Jaimie, Lee, Kathy, and Greg and
all of our children and grandchildren: In many ways, each of us are the sum
total of what Granny and all of our ancestors were. The virtues they had may be
our virtues, their strengths our strengths, and in a way, their challenges
could be our challenges. I know that I’m a little bit clumsy….and I’m pretty sure
that I can credit that quality to Granny. Thanks for letting me share how much
Granny meant to me.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Rhondahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14846911593400599695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643652092952519307.post-15182662224632585262015-01-06T05:12:00.001-08:002015-01-06T08:05:27.732-08:00As a recently retired educator who loves teaching and learning <i><b>with</b></i> children and adults, I'm enjoying having the time to actually do the things that I love the most. My word for this year is "revision". When you retire, you have the opportunity to take your life, pick out the parts you like the best, and work on them. As I step back into the classroom, "revising who I am" here's a look into my slice of life.<br />
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Teaching Second
Graders to Write a Constructed Response: Where’s Your Proof?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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I recently was a “guest” teacher in a second grade classroom
during writing workshop. The class had begun an informational genre study several
days earlier. Since I was only going to be there one day, I wanted to do
something that could be accomplished in “one sitting”. It was so much fun I
want to share the lesson with you. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Following Lucy Calkin’s architecture of a mini lesson, the
main focus of the mini lesson was: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Writers support their thinking with evidence
from the book.</i></b> <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The first step in the mini lesson was to <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">CONNECT</b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I think of how to make a connection for
students, many things come to mind. The goal of this portion of the mini-lesson
is for students to learn why today’s instruction is important to them as
writers and how the lesson relates to their prior work. You might ask, what
does this look like? On this particular day, with this particular group of 2<sup>nd</sup>
graders, it looked like this: <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Me</b>: Have you ever
had to prove anything to your parents? (Children began smiling and raising
their hands. I made eye contact with them, nodded my head at them, smiled back and
kept talking.)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Me</b>: Have your
parents ever asked you to brush your teeth? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Children:</b> YES<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Me</b>: Has anyone’s
parents ever asked you the question---“Did you brush your teeth?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Children:</b> Some
begin pausing to think….some raise their hands….(I called on a few students to
respond.)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Me</b>: How could you
PROVE to your parents that you brushed your teeth? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Children</b>:
Responses included things such as: <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 72.4pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->I could show them my wet toothbrush<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 72.4pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->I could show them toothpaste in the sink<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 72.4pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->I could blow my breath on my mom and she would
smell the mint<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->I might have toothpaste on my mouth or on my
shirt<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Me</b>: As you grow
up---you will have to PROVE a LOT of things. For example, when you turn 16 you
will have to PROVE that you are able to drive. You have to take a test and
answer the questions correctly and then you have to show a policeman that you know
how to drive by driving a car and doing the things he tells you to do. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Me</b>: In
sports---you have to prove to your coaches that you know how to hit the ball…how
to catch the ball….and that you know how to run.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(Children nodded their heads signifying understanding.)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Me</b>: In school,
you will have to PROVE a lot of things….you will have to SHOW the teacher that
you know things. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Me</b>: I brought two
books to read to share with you today. Raise your hands to choose which book we
read first. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Books: About Fish, by Cathryn Sill<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>From
Tadpole to Frog, by Wendy Pfeffer<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(My thinking was to select non-fiction books that would
interest the children.)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The children selected <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">From
Tadpole to Frog.</i> I read the book, pausing to discuss key features of the
book, allowing children to comment, and answer any questions that I asked. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next phase of the mini lesson is to explicitly <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">TEACH</b> the children. Here’s what it
looked like: <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Me</b>: Today I’m
going to teach you how to write a response to a non-fiction book.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here’s a chart to help us with our work today. When someone
asks you a question, I hope that you have learned good manners and know
how to say “yes ma’am”. Look at the chart and you will see Yes Ma’am. Today we
are going to write about the book I just read to you and we are going to use
the letters in ma’am to help us. Pointing to each part of the chart, I read the
chart and explained that when responding to a non-fiction text, it is important
to PROVE to your readers what you think about the book, just like you have to
PROVE to your parents you brushed you teeth. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Chart idea found while
searching on Pinterest. It can be purchased from Smekens Education Solutions,
Inc. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="http://www.smekenseducation.com/">http://www.smekenseducation.com</a> although
I drew it on chart paper so that I could modify it for the particular grade
level in which I was working.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yes , MA’AM<o:p></o:p></div>
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;">
<tbody>
<tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td style="background: #D9D9D9; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 217; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 110.7pt;" valign="top" width="111"><div class="MsoNormal">
M<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #D9D9D9; border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 217; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 110.7pt;" valign="top" width="111"><div class="MsoNormal">
A<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #D9D9D9; border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 217; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 110.7pt;" valign="top" width="111"><div class="MsoNormal">
A<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #D9D9D9; border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 217; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 110.7pt;" valign="top" width="111"><div class="MsoNormal">
M<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 110.7pt;" valign="top" width="111"><div class="MsoNormal">
(Me---within the first sentence, restate the prompt)<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 110.7pt;" valign="top" width="111"><div class="MsoNormal">
(Author—support your inference with ONE specific detail
from the text)<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 110.7pt;" valign="top" width="111"><div class="MsoNormal">
(Author—support your inference with a SECOND specific
detail from the text)<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 110.7pt;" valign="top" width="111"><div class="MsoNormal">
(Me—end with why the evidence fits…explain how the support
proves the point)<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 2; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 110.7pt;" valign="top" width="111"><div class="MsoNormal">
Examples of sentence starters to use: <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 110.7pt;" valign="top" width="111"><div class="MsoNormal">
Examples of sentence starters to use: <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-In the text…<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-The text states….<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-According to the passage<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-One example from the passage….<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-The author states….<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 110.7pt;" valign="top" width="111"><div class="MsoNormal">
Examples of sentence starters to use: <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-In the text…..<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-The text also states….<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-According to the passage..<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-A second example from the text…<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-The author also states….<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 110.7pt;" valign="top" width="111"><div class="MsoNormal">
End with why the evidence fits.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-This shows….<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-This demonstrates…<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-I believe….<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-These details prove….<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To teach the students how to do this kind of thinking and
writing, we worked on a project together. I asked the children to help me write
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">about what they learned from the book.</b>
We used the chart to help us. I pointed to the first column, and explained that
we needed to tell our audience what we were writing about by writing the
question that I asked them----what did they learn from the book? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wrote the following words on the paper and
read them aloud to the children---I wrote---<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">What
did I learn from the book From Tadpole to Frog? <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Children raised their hands and I called on several to
respond.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I let them turn and talk to
their peers about what they learned, and then I selected one of the responses
to use in the example. Here’s what I wrote:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I learned frogs hibernate at the
bottom of the pond just like bears hibernate. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Explaining to the students that the next things we would
write would be things that we learned from the book….things that we could
prove, just like how we would prove to our parents we brushed our teeth.
Holding up the book, and flipping through the pages, the children selected
something they learned. I showed the children how to begin the sentence by
referencing the chart and then added something they said they learned. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wrote<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">:
According to the author there are about 2,000 frogs!<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I continued by explaining to the students that sometimes
when you are proving to your parents that you brushed your teeth, you need more
than just one piece of evidence. For example, if my daughter blew her breath in
my face, I might think that she could have minty breath because she just ate a
piece of peppermint candy. She could be tricking me and maybe she didn’t really
brush her teeth. I might need her to give me more “proof”, more evidence. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So if they are going to prove that they learned things from
this book, I needed more evidence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
children continued to name things that they learned; I listened, and then
selected one item that seemed to be one that resonated with most of the
children. I showed the children how to reference the chart and use some of the
words on the chart to help begin the sentence. I wrote: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A second example from the book that many people may not know is that it
takes some frogs two whole years to grow!<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I lead a discussion about how we might end the piece. Based
on the comments from the children, I wrote: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">This
demonstrates frogs are very interesting creatures and there is so much to learn
about the animals right in our own backyard.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Here’s what the
booklet looked like (Four 8 ½” x 11” pages stapled together)<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;">
<tbody>
<tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td style="border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 110.7pt;" valign="top" width="111"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Chalkboard;">What did I learn from
the book From Tadpole to Frog? I learned frogs hibernate at the bottom of the
pond just like bears hibernate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Chalkboard;">1<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 110.7pt;" valign="top" width="111"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Chalkboard;">According to the
author there are about 2,000 frogs! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Chalkboard;">2<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 110.7pt;" valign="top" width="111"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Chalkboard;">A second example from
the book that many people may not know is that it takes some frogs two whole
years to grow! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Chalkboard;">3<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 110.7pt;" valign="top" width="111"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Chalkboard;">This demonstrates
frogs are very interesting creatures and there is so much to learn about the
animals right in our own backyard.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Chalkboard;">4<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next component of the mini-lesson is <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT</b>. During this portion
of the lesson, students are given a chance to quickly practice what has been
taught or to share what they are noticing about the demonstration in order to
understand the kind of thinking about writing that they can try in their own work.
Although the children were very actively engaged during the “teaching” portion
of the mini-lesson, the students needed the opportunity to practice what had
just been taught. I read another book aloud, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">About Fish</i></b>. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Students were given blank pages stapled together and went to
their desks to work. I pulled a small group of children who needed extra
assistance to be successful to a small table and worked along beside them.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The workshop ended with a SHARE time. The students came
together on the floor and I read several of their writings aloud, complimenting
the success, and students applauded the efforts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To conclude the writing workshop, the last component is the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">LINK</b>. After bringing the children back to the community meeting area, I reiterated what the students
had been taught and reminded them that the things we learned could be used to
strengthen their writing in many areas. I closed by asking the students how they thought the workshop went. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Reflections from the
Teacher<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">I always find it a bit
challenging to come up with fresh, interesting ways to teach informative
writings. This particular lesson was a "Response to
Literature." It can be tricky teaching little ones to read or watch
something non-fiction and give you back that same information in their own
words. When Rhonda came, I was excited about seeing her take on it.
I knew her years of experience would benefit my students and myself. So I
hunkered down to "be an observer." I loved it. She had a unique
method that guided them as to <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">what
information </span>she wanted on each page. They had a particular
question to answer or a sentence to finish. It made sense. They
weren't just looking around the room wondering <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">what</span> they should write about. Most wrote pretty quickly
and gave really good information about the book that was read to them. I
was proud of how they just jumped right in and did it. They learned
something about fish or about frogs that day, and I learned something about
teaching informative writing. They will give you so much more if you just
get them started! Thanks Rhonda! You are welcome in Room 306 anytime!<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IqH9DReQlgs/VKvfNx5f0PI/AAAAAAAAA3Q/B25oAAj_9mo/s1600/Slice%2Bof%2BLife.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IqH9DReQlgs/VKvfNx5f0PI/AAAAAAAAA3Q/B25oAAj_9mo/s1600/Slice%2Bof%2BLife.jpg" height="319" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Rhondahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14846911593400599695noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643652092952519307.post-65812942866338762512014-10-26T16:51:00.003-07:002014-10-26T17:05:28.972-07:00Just how good is Buster Posey and how does baseball connect to education?<div class="MsoNormal">
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Baseball. It’s considered by some to be the American
pastime. For those of you that don’t follow the game, the grand finale has
started and the World Series is underway. This afternoon I read, “<i>Just how good is Buster Posey?”</i> an article by Ted Berg in the October 23,
2014 issue of USA Today Sports.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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I was interested in the article because I have a personal
connection to Buster Posey. His grandmother was my principal many years ago. I
know the family and what great people they are. It’s exciting to see someone
you know excelling. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Berg illuminated an interesting fact about baseball in this
article. He wrote about Posey’s offensive numbers, how he’s the best hitter on
a World Series team. Then he explained that this is only half of the story because
Posey plays baseball’s most physically demanding position, he’s the catcher.
Being behind the plate is totally different than being an outfielder. A catcher
has to work with each pitcher on his team along with each hitter on the other
team. He reads their hitters, their defenses, and learns everyone’s personality
and game plans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Berg explains that it is nearly impossible to pare all the
variables because there is so much anecdotal evidence that players hit better
when they are moved from behind the plate. But Posey has been behind the plate for
at least 110 games. According to Berg he’s caught every inning of the Giants’
postseason run this season. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Evaluating catchers can be difficult for baseball’s most
dedicated statisticians. Berg states, “By its very nature, playing behind the
plate requires a nebulous set of skills that are frequently discussed but
impossible to measure, like calling pitches and negotiating a pitching staff’s
various personalities.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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By the metrics that exist to try to measure catchers
defensively, how does Posey look? He throws out base runners at an above
average rate. He blocks wild pitches as well as anyone. He’s got a good arm and
quite simply, he is a great catcher.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Berg concludes that Posey is extremely invaluable, even though
it’s impossible to measure the full impact he has on his team. The point of
baseball is winning, right? And Posey has already been the best player on two championship
teams and now is only two wins from making it happen all over again. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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At a time when baseball analysts are finding increasingly
thorough ways to measure and assess players, educational analysts and politicians
are doing the same thing in education.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The point of school is to educate students. It used to be
enough to educate them to participate in the American democracy. But that is no
longer enough. School must prepare students to participate and compete in a
global environment. But just like baseball, there are many variables of school
that cannot be measured. It simply is not possible to find a metric that will
measure everything that a child learns in school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s also not possible to find a metric that
will measure everything that a teacher contributes to a child’s educational
experience. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Posey comes out between innings and talks to the pitchers in
the dug out. He tells them which pitches were good and which ones really
weren’t good. He provides instant feedback that’s invaluable to the pitchers.
Berg states that Posey is a dependable and consistent start on both sides of
the ball. Posey has a unique collection of talents and quantifying each of his
talents is impossible. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Teachers are like catchers. They provide instant feedback to
their students, telling them what they are doing right, what needs to be
improved, what they are doing that’s working or not. Teachers talk to parents
during the day, at night, in the grocery stores, in the car pick up line and on
weekends. Not only do they teach academic skills, they teach social and
emotional skills. They teach skills about being healthy, making good choices
and becoming contributing citizens of the world. They are invaluable to
parents, students, and administrators.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Teachers each possess a unique collection of talents and
quantifying each of them is just as impossible as it is to quantify Buster
Posey’s assets and contributions to the San Francisco Giants. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I wish there was a way we could simply “accept” that
everything in teaching can not be quantifiable, just like in baseball. After
all, we all know what greatness looks like when we see it, but when we try to
put it into words and numbers, it becomes impossible. Posey says that he likes
baseball and enjoys playing the game. There isn’t a teacher that I know that
became a teacher because of the money. They became teachers because they like
teaching and love children. <o:p></o:p></div>
Rhondahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14846911593400599695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643652092952519307.post-70150976657732084852014-08-22T11:28:00.000-07:002014-08-22T11:28:13.776-07:00<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">CREATE the SPACE Together<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
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It’s August. August = Back to School. Countless amounts of
time and money are spent by teachers decorating classrooms in preparation for
the new school year. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Do you want to have a classroom that children love and
cherish? One where the students know where everything is and how to use it? One
that the students help keep in order? If you do, the secret to success of this
kind of classroom is to let the students help “create their space”. Students will
long remember the discussions around creating the alphabet chart and be able to
make connections to the work, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">if </i>they
had a “hand” in the work. Design lessons at the beginning of the year that will
allow the students time to create the important things used in the room. <o:p></o:p></div>
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What’s on your walls? An ABC chart? A birthday chart? Color
words? Number words? Labels? The new year is a blank slate. The story hasn’t
been written yet.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I love the freshness that a new year brings. How many other
professions are given a “do over” each year? A chance for a fresh start, for
the students, parents, teachers, and administrators. Beginning the year, with
most of the walls blank, allows the children to help create the wall art and the
charts that they will use as references all year. It allows the students to
“own” the space.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Here’s how it might begin….<o:p></o:p></div>
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Have a large collection of alphabet books, they are an invaluable
part of a classroom (especially kindergarten). As I read the alphabet books to
my class, I learn my students. I notice which references the children “react”
to. As they respond to the pictures and words, I learn if they like alligators
or apples. If they are more interested in balls or butterflies. If they enjoy
cars or cats. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I give the students a chance to help “create” our classroom
resources by asking their opinions, garnering their input. For example, the
alphabet chart is a staple for most elementary classrooms. I let the “class”
decide the picture that will accompany each letter of the alphabet. It takes
some time, to do this. Actually it takes a few minutes of class each day,
spread over the first month (or thereabouts) of school. Taking a letter a day
(not to be confused with teaching a letter a day/week) I let one child paint
the picture we have a agreed upon, until everyone has at least one turn. I like
to lightly sketch the picture for the child because, although I greatly value
the child “doing the work”, I also want this work to be an example that
everyone can easily “connect” to and remember. If the child draws and paints the
picture, and no one can recognize it, the whole idea and a lot of time has been
wasted. If I lightly sketch the picture, I provide a scaffold for the budding
artist. My goal is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not</i> for the child
to be able to paint a beautiful picture. My goal is for the child to have a
helping hand in creating the literate environment for our classroom. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Many other resources can be created in this same manner.
Creating an alphabet big book, modeled after The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s
ABC book would be an outstanding example for the students to learn a few sight
words along with other pictures. First and second graders may be fully capable
of illustrating, coloring, or painting the pictures for the book. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Here are a few of my favorite ABC read alouds. Do you have
favorites too? I’d love to add them to my collection. Let me know your thoughts
on this blog and leave the title in the comment section. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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A is for Apple, by Tiger Tales<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Alphabet Animals, by Charles Sullivan<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Alpha Oops! The Day Z Went First, Alethea Kontis<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Arthur’s Really Helpful Word Book, by Marc Brown<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Eric Carle’s ABC by Eric Carle<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Geography from A to Z, by Jack Knowlton<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I Spy, An Alphabet in Art, Devised and Selected by Lucy
Micklethwait<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
LMNO Peas by Keith Baker<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Museum ABC, The Metropolitan Museum of Art<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
P is for Palmetto, By Carol Crane<o:p></o:p></div>
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The Alphabet Family, by Eva Montanari<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
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The Alphabet Tree by Leo Lionni<o:p></o:p></div>
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The Apple Pie ABC by Alison Murray<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Construction Alphabet Book, by Jerry Pallotto<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Here’s what the finished product might look like. A BIG THANK YOU to
Marisa Whittington, Kindergarten teacher for sharing pictures from her classroom. </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-99HJnF2g_w4/U_eJywAoOaI/AAAAAAAAAyI/gUrN6hxW0SY/s1600/10608842_10204608890805890_714899074_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-99HJnF2g_w4/U_eJywAoOaI/AAAAAAAAAyI/gUrN6hxW0SY/s1600/10608842_10204608890805890_714899074_n.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ABC Chart in Kindergarten Classroom, Thanks, Marisa!</td></tr>
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Reading Alphabet books and creating a big book that is similar is so much fun!<br />
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<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="Picture_x0020_5" o:spid="_x0000_i1025" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="Description: Macintosh HD:Users:rhondahayes:Pictures:iPhoto Library.photolibrary:Masters:2014:08:13:20140813-232148:10578876_10204608890365879_1973209642_n.jpg"
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<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" style="background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 26px; line-height: 0; min-height: 20px; min-width: 40px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 1261px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" style="background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 26px; line-height: 0; min-height: 20px; min-width: 40px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 1261px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>Rhondahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14846911593400599695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643652092952519307.post-31968747203721573592014-07-19T18:10:00.001-07:002014-07-19T18:10:02.903-07:00A Day in the Life: Leading and Monitoring School Improvement Plans<a href="http://rhonda-adayinthelife.blogspot.com/2014/07/leading-and-monitoring-school.html?spref=bl">A Day in the Life: Leading and Monitoring School Improvement Plans</a>: As a Superintendent and an Assistant Superintendent, I have enjoyed working with school leaders in various parts of the state of Georgia. I...Rhondahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14846911593400599695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643652092952519307.post-2316739609956696392014-07-19T18:02:00.000-07:002014-07-19T18:17:36.359-07:00Leading and Monitoring School Improvement Plans<div class="MsoNormal">
As a Superintendent and an Assistant Superintendent, I have
enjoyed working with school leaders in various parts of the state of Georgia. I
have observed that the day-to-day operational issues of running a school often bombard school leaders. Very little, if any, time remains in the school day for
principals to be the instructional leaders of the schools. Many principals feel
tired, confused, and fragmented. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
How can a principal effectively lead and monitor the school
improvement plan in the midst of so many challenges? The answer is easier said
than done. Nevertheless, by creating a short term 30/45 or 60 day action plan
and monitoring the implementation of the plan, positive headway towards closing
existing gaps will be made. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here’s a sample of an action plan template: <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
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UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
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table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
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{mso-style-name:"Table Grid";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-priority:59;
mso-style-unhide:no;
border:solid windowtext 1.0pt;
mso-border-alt:solid windowtext .5pt;
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-border-insideh:.5pt solid windowtext;
mso-border-insidev:.5pt solid windowtext;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
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<![endif]-->
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<tbody>
<tr style="height: 49.5pt; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Action<o:p></o:p></b></div>
</td>
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</td>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Cost<o:p></o:p></b></div>
</td>
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</td>
<td style="background: #BFBFBF; border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 49.5pt; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 191; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 60.65pt;" valign="top" width="61"><div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Evidence<o:p></o:p></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #BFBFBF; border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 49.5pt; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 191; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 58.2pt;" valign="top" width="58"><div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Artifacts<o:p></o:p></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
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<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 23.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.2pt;" valign="top" width="48"><div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
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<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 23.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.15pt;" valign="top" width="48"><div class="MsoNormal">
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</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 23.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 78.3pt;" valign="top" width="78"><div class="MsoNormal">
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</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 23.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 60.65pt;" valign="top" width="61"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 23.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 58.2pt;" valign="top" width="58"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 71.5pt; mso-yfti-irow: 2; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 71.5pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.2pt;" valign="top" width="48"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 71.5pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 60.4pt;" valign="top" width="60"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 71.5pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.15pt;" valign="top" width="48"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 71.5pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 78.3pt;" valign="top" width="78"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 71.5pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 60.65pt;" valign="top" width="61"><div class="MsoNormal">
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</td>
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<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3KjGI890lFA/U8sX-qE4RgI/AAAAAAAAAus/g7BzbfQC9JU/s1600/IMG_1814.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3KjGI890lFA/U8sX-qE4RgI/AAAAAAAAAus/g7BzbfQC9JU/s1600/IMG_1814.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RzRwQWjZCrg/U8sYbbtEdzI/AAAAAAAAAu0/5LPoSwZO4vM/s1600/IMG_1815.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RzRwQWjZCrg/U8sYbbtEdzI/AAAAAAAAAu0/5LPoSwZO4vM/s1600/IMG_1815.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1ALOWu47GY0/U8sYcCQykkI/AAAAAAAAAu4/oz5kBsH7Tbk/s1600/IMG_1816.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1ALOWu47GY0/U8sYcCQykkI/AAAAAAAAAu4/oz5kBsH7Tbk/s1600/IMG_1816.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
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<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
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Rhondahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14846911593400599695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643652092952519307.post-79060804691132349462011-08-16T14:22:00.000-07:002011-08-16T15:18:41.896-07:00Supporting TeachersWhen I first began teaching the only coaches in the school system were athletic coaches. Now there are many different types of coaches. Today we have weight loss or health coaches, relationship coaches, parent coaches, business coaches, life coaches, career coaches, and a smorgasbord of other coaches. One of the newest kinds of coaches in schools are literacy coaches.
<br />
<br />When I began teaching there were reading specialists in the schools. Although their role wasn't exactly the same as a literacy coach, I had the luxury of working with a wonderful reading specialist, Jane. One of the most positive experiences we shared was when she proctored while I administered the California Achievement Test to my first graders. I remember being absolutely terrified to give this test because I had never given a test to a whole class. We were instructed to read the teacher's manual and follow the instructions. While I was reading the directions to the class I remember thinking.....am I reading too fast...too slow...or placing too much emphasis on certain words? When we took a restroom break, I talked to Jane about how nervous I was...and she offered to let me observe her administer the next portion of the test. I gladly accepted, not knowing this was an opportunity that many people never have. By observing Jane administer the test I was able to notice the way that she read the items in her regular "talking voice". Her expression was completely neutral and she never placed particular emphasis on any of the words. Watching her gave me the confidence I needed to administer the next portion of the test. Jane encouraged me and let me know if I needed to slow down or speed up and if my tone was neutral she let me know. From this year forward, I never doubted my abilities to administer a test. Thank you, Jane for helping me learn how to administer a standardized test. Thank you, literacy coaches, for giving our teachers' confidence.
<br />Rhondahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14846911593400599695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643652092952519307.post-39336523560954016042011-08-06T11:41:00.000-07:002011-08-06T11:49:16.481-07:00School Supplies: A Love Story<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wnAdbs_Qo1A/Tj2MllXf5vI/AAAAAAAAAVU/AJCHhqkd8ks/s1600/suppliestu6.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637816885851449074" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 224px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wnAdbs_Qo1A/Tj2MllXf5vI/AAAAAAAAAVU/AJCHhqkd8ks/s320/suppliestu6.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div>My daughter loves, loves, loves school supplies. I thought when she entered middle school she wouldn't need as many school supplies as we had purchased when she was in elementary school. How many middle school projects require crayons, markers, and glue? But, I was wrong. As soon as the school supplies hit the shelves, we made a mad dash to the store and she walked the aisles for hours. We had to be sure to go when we had plenty of time, because goodness gracious we couldn't hurry while shopping for school supplies. Selecting the "just right" color and texture of folders, the perfect pencils, and notebooks were critical to the successful start of the school year. When she entered high school, I was pretty sure the love of shopping for school supplies would end, but it didn't. The types of supplies changed a little...we began purchasing fancier pens and pencils and special folders and notebooks. When she began college there was no doubt in my mind the school supplies purchases were over. I was beginning to be a little sad about her being all grown up. Wrong! Not only did the school supplies purchases continue, but the repertoire of supplies expanded and I spent more money than ever on printers, cameras, and storage bins. My daughter became a teacher. I think that secretly in a small corner of her heart one reason is so she can legitimately continue to purchase school supplies. She just had her first baby....and the school year is beginning. She's not going to teach this year because she is staying home with her baby, but I know that more than likely she's already purchased a new notebook or pencils. She simply can't resist</div>Rhondahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14846911593400599695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643652092952519307.post-27308133802354229142011-07-17T20:19:00.000-07:002011-07-17T20:32:34.312-07:00Back to the Future: New Teachers Building Relationships with Veteran Teachers by Sharing IdeasBuilding relationships with veteran teachers can bring rich rewards to first year teachers. As I remember my first year, there were plenty of veteran teachers in the school in which to build relationships. One of the veteran teachers in first grade would drop by my classroom while I was teaching. With my back to the door and facing the children, sometimes, when I turned around, voila, there she would be, standing in my room with her hands on her hips. She would smile at me, look around for a little while and then leave, slipping away as quietly as she had entered. Sometimes I would worry about what she was thinking and if I was doing something wrong. But through the two years I worked with her, I realized I needed to build a relationship with her. I buried the worried feelings I had by telling myself she was just interested in what I was doing. Sometimes, at the end of the day, I would go to her room and talk with her. She shared ideas and I shared mine. I learned she was an "old-maid" and was simply very interested in the lives of other people. I only worked at that school two years, but ten years later while eating family night supper at church, my life crossed paths with this particular teacher again. I was tickled to learn she had married. However, her love of knowing about the lives of other people had not disappeared.<br /><br />To all the new teachers, I advise you to build relationships with veteran teachers. It won't happen without intentionality. Make an effort to get to know the people with whom you are working. If necessary, establish a specific time to meet. They can offer advice related to discipline and curriculum. They can share ideas and provide support and encouragement. They can answer your questions about school norms. This veteran teacher never knew that she planted the seed of willingness to share ideas with colleagues in me. From the two years I worked at Mamie <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Brosnan</span>, one of the things I learned about sharing ideas was---if someone can take an idea that I have shared and make it bigger and/or better, I'm thrilled. I'm honored. I consider it a compliment. I'm thankful that I have helped someone else. Share your ideas. It's through sharing that we all learn more.Rhondahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14846911593400599695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643652092952519307.post-53317967902217973822011-07-15T06:18:00.000-07:002011-07-15T11:55:35.392-07:00Back to the Future<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RF45ToWSpfM/TiA_6OzLkpI/AAAAAAAAAVM/GRpR5CB04Bk/s1600/Mamie%2BBrosnan.png"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629569803850846866" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 190px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 228px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RF45ToWSpfM/TiA_6OzLkpI/AAAAAAAAAVM/GRpR5CB04Bk/s320/Mamie%2BBrosnan.png" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><br />I began my career in education teaching first grade in an inner city school, one with the highest poverty in district, Mamie Brosnan Elementary. Many of my students had never attended kindergarten and some had never learned to cut with scissors or hold pencils. Almost every child in the school lived in the housing projects that surrounded the school. I was fortunate to have a para-professional. Like me, it was her first year as an educator. Although she did not have a degree in education, she had an understanding of the growth and development of young children as the mother of two young children. She was eager to learn about "teaching school" and was a very hard worker. We were a great team. I loved working with her. Many of our experiences during that first year laid the foundation for my career. At the time, I had no idea how much the year would serve to shape my career. There are many experiences from that year that I want to share...therefore, I have created a series of posts related to this topic. </div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>My classroom was located across from the office. The principal came into my room regularly....mostly just to say hello, and to check to see how things were going, but often times, he would ask my opinion on things he was pondering or wanting to accomplish. I remember how important he made me feel by asking me, a first year teacher, what I thought...as if I knew something! Whether I knew anything at all about the issues that he was dealing with, really didn't matter. What mattered and what I learned from this was how important it makes someone feel when you ask their opinion....and how important it is to visit classrooms often...because it is within these drop by visits and through these informal conversations that relationships are formed...trust is built...confidence is gained and the seeds of teacher leadership are planted. It shows that you care and there is nothing more important than caring.</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>Today, as I reflect on how much I appreciated the principal asking my opinion, my thoughts, and my ideas, I am reminded that it's not just young, first year teachers who appreciate this opportunity for input, but all people appreciate this. I'm also reminded that our students appreciate this opportunity too. As the school year approaches, try to find out what your students are interested in, what their passions are.....ask their opinion about what they want to learn and how they want to learn it.....then try to teach the concepts they have to learn through their interests. Show you care and they will learn. </div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div>Rhondahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14846911593400599695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643652092952519307.post-2601329887058816912011-03-20T17:32:00.000-07:002011-03-20T17:32:43.725-07:00Salman Khan: Let's use video to reinvent education | Video on TED.com<a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/salman_khan_let_s_use_video_to_reinvent_education.html">Salman Khan: Let's use video to reinvent education Video on TED.com</a>Rhondahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14846911593400599695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643652092952519307.post-41544975584983816992011-03-05T07:08:00.000-08:002011-03-05T07:26:21.868-08:00When Budget is on Your Mind<strong>Think about these things: Live, Love, and Learn....</strong><br /><br />1. As your students share their lives with you, cherish every moment... <strong><em>live</em></strong> their lives with them by listening to their stories, reading the things they write, and looking at their pictures<br /><br />2. Laugh at the funny things they say....<strong><em>love</em></strong> the humor they add to your life...enjoy being in the presence of your students<br /><br />3. Look for the spark to ignite in their eyes....this is a clue of their <strong><em>learn</em></strong><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">ing</span><br /><br />4. Remember...they are children.....if your patience is growing thin, don't take it out on them<br /><br />5. <strong><em>Learn</em></strong> how to design work for your students using things that will be of interest to them....they will <strong>love</strong> you for it.....and they will <strong><em>learn</em></strong> more than you could ever imagine.Rhondahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14846911593400599695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643652092952519307.post-76931960580517488942010-11-02T17:18:00.000-07:002010-11-03T17:56:47.795-07:00the versatile blogger...<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_MnB8Eh5b_pg/TNCqmCliueI/AAAAAAAAAR8/AyCZG2_ggi4/s1600/versatile_blogger_award.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535111512544426466" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_MnB8Eh5b_pg/TNCqmCliueI/AAAAAAAAAR8/AyCZG2_ggi4/s320/versatile_blogger_award.jpg" border="0" /></a>Accepting an award graciously requires some thought and preparation. There are three ingredients that every acceptance should include: Gratitude, recognition, and sincerity. Accepting the Versatile Blogger award is certainly no exception. Many thanks to Abigail at <strong><em>The Washington Post</em></strong> for considering <em><strong>A Day in the Life of a Teacher</strong></em> worthy of the Versatile Blogger Award. I am truly honored! One might say that I'm addicted to blogging. I love reading the blogs I follow and rarely ever let a day pass by without checking them for updates. The writers of the blogs I follow allow me and others to catch a glimpse into their lives through their writing. The pictures they post are windows into their world. They allow me to peek inside their lives no matter how far away they live and I feel connected to them. Their blogs make me smile from the inside out. I have loved Abigail's blog from the first day it came online. I love the name, her writing style, topics, and her pictures. Abigail, thank you for taking the time to create <strong><em>The Washington Post</em></strong>.<br /><br /><div align="center"><strong><em>7 things About Me:</em></strong> </div><br /><br />1. I love people. I love watching people. I love everything about people--adults and children. Because of this, I am able to connect with people very quickly. I am able to connect so quickly that I actually have to be aware that some people may be uncomfortable when someone connects with them too quickly. I try to remember that everyone does not connect as easily as I do. In fact, I am very cautious about how fast I connect, so much so that I sometimes hold back when I first meet someone, if I notice that they may be feeling a little uneasy. Sometimes connecting with people easily is a strength. Sometimes it's a weakness. My family teases me that I wear a sign around my neck that says "Weirdos come talk to me!"....honestly, I'm like a magnet, weirdos are attracted to me!<br /><br /><br />2. My mother insisted in making sure that I was "well rounded". I took tap, ballet, point, jazz, acrobatics, piano, organ, and guitar throughout elementary, middle, and high school. I even took organ all through college. My mother believed that I needed to develop self-confidence and that the way to do this was by taking classes. She was right. I developed self-confidence. Some of you may not even know that when I was young, I was quite shy and totally lacked self-confidence.<br /><br /><br />3. My father traveled a lot when I was growing up and he often brought home gifts from his travels. Once he gave me a mirrored <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">carousel</span> record player. The <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">carousel</span> set on top of the records in the middle of the turn table. The records had illustrations on them that reflected in the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">carousel</span>. As the records turned, the pictures reflected in the mirrored <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">carousel</span> giving the appearance that they were really moving. He gave me the softest kid leather gloves, perfume in velvet boxes, and art sets. My mother and father are very generous people. My goal is to be as generous to my daughter as they have been to me.<br /><br /><br />4. My father taught me how to paint. When I was in middle school, we sat side by side and learned how to paint with oils together. He showed me how to mix the paints, how to sketch, and how to look at something and draw what I saw. He taught me about perspective, not just perspective in drawing, but in life. The first picture we painted together was a bowl of raw eggs. I truly believe that everyone has the ability to draw. <br /><br /><br />5. I love to look at toes. I think it is connected to my love of people. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Everyone's</span> toes are unique. There are no two alike. Just like snowflakes. I have always wondered if there was a connection to people's personalities based on their toes. Just like people say that over time people begin to look like their dogs.....I wonder, if a person's toes are short and rounded, does that mean they have a bubbly personality?<br /><br /><br />6. I love kudzu. When I ride down the road, I constantly search for kudzu covered trees and objects. It's like trying to make animal shapes or images out of the clouds in the sky. That's what I do with kudzu. There are two children's books that I've been wanting to write. One would be about toes....and the other about <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">kudzu</span>.<br /><br /><br />7. When I sew, I often sew things upside down, inside out, and backwards when I first begin. Then, I take it apart, figure out where I made my mistakes, and start all over again. No matter how hard it is, no matter how much I have messed up, I can't rest until I've fixed it, the right way. I'm OK with making mistakes because I learn from them. I'm not OK with giving up or throwing it away.<br /><br />In closing, I'd like to pass the Versatile Blogger Award onto some of my favorite blogs:<br /><br />1. My sister, Jaimie, who blogs about raising her two sons, <strong><em>Bird and Billy</em></strong><br />2. Trevor, a colleague and special art teacher, who has a gallery of his paintings and mixed media work in <strong><em>Brush Philosophy</em></strong><br />3. Chris and April, who blog about their <strong><em>Life in the Sham</em></strong><br />4. Friend and colleague, Mendy, who takes me <strong><em>Into the Woods</em></strong><br />5. A friend who is <strong>Positively Beth</strong><br />6. Jennifer who inspired me <strong><em>Living By the Sea</em></strong> and while <strong><em>Running Through the Grass</em></strong><br />7. Carrie, who opened the door of blogging to me through <strong>The Slow-Dripped Life</strong><br /><br />When one accepts the Versatile Blogger award, there are a few requirements.<br /><br />1. Thank and link back to the person that gave you the award.<br />2. Share 7 things about yourself.<br />3. Pass the award on to 7 blogs you've recently discovered and enjoy.<br />4. Leave your recipients a note, telling them about the award<br /><br />Thank you, Abigail, for this honor. Writing this post was personally gratifying. I think that might be why I enjoy blogging so much--the personal gratification is a wonderful feeling.Rhondahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14846911593400599695noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643652092952519307.post-44245114667968944842010-10-09T21:31:00.000-07:002010-10-09T22:34:54.365-07:00Second Year TeachersI've just spent one whole week with my daughter "volunteering" in her first grade classroom. The week far exceeded my expectations and heart's desire. <strong><em>Number one</em></strong>, I wanted to spend time with my daughter. Since she lives in Alaska I don't see her often. She's the best daughter anyone could ever hope to have. She calls her dad and me everyday and sometimes I even forget that she's over four thousand miles away. <em><strong>Number two</strong></em>, I wanted to try to help her to become the best first grade teacher any child could ever hope to have. I wanted to teach her everything that I know about teaching children to read and write.<br /><br /><br /><br />Teaching side-by-side with her was simply an incredible experience. The truth is, I think I learned more from her, than she did from me. As the children walked in the door, I saw her greet each child one by one, calling each child by name with a huge smile on her face, welcoming them to school. The sparkle in their eyes reminded me how much first graders love their teachers. The anticipation of the learning that was before them for the day was ever present as they sat on the carpet in a community meeting. She took attendance and the lunch count with the greatest of ease. She looked at the class "name chart" and read each name, the children looked around at their friends' faces, while she and some of the children commented, if the child was present or not. She quickly asked, "who wants a hot lunch today?" Hands flew in the air and she quickly counted them. At some point within the next few minutes, she slipped to the computer and entered the information she had just gathered. It appeared effortless. Children shared a few highlights from their activities since they left school the day before or their anticipated events of that day. Within minutes, the instructional day began.<br /><br /><br /><br />She teaches reading the first part of the day. Teaching first graders to read and write has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. I'm thrilled that my daughter will also be able to taste the miracle of opening the world of literacy in the lives of tomorrow's future. From the start of one lesson to the end of the lesson, we were able to see children growing in their knowledge and understandings. Miracles were happening right before our eyes. <strong><em>Number three</em></strong>--with children in the palm of your hand, sitting at the edge of your feet, absorbing your every word, internalizing instruction, and acting on the learning, I was reminded of the power of good instruction. When a teacher knows what to say and do and designs instruction based on children's needs, the children learn.<br /><br /><br /><br /><strong><em>Number four</em></strong>--children need to experience math. I watched her teach a math lesson to the entire class. Then the children were given an opportunity to practice their learning in a math journal. Upon completion of the journaling, they shifted into working in their math stations. They played math games in small groups or with a partner. I became the new kid in class and they welcomed me with open arms. I had no trouble finding someone who would let me play with them. It was such a pleasure to listen to the children "teach" me how to play the games. It was very obvious that their teacher had taught them well. I had no trouble understanding the games and found them quite fun. But, most of all, being able to "experience" math with the children was a tremendous learning for me. It's been many years since I've spent five whole days in a first grade classroom. The math games illuminated the math concepts so clearly for the children. While we were "playing", my daughter reviewed the math journals. Any children who did not demonstrate understanding of the concept she taught, were immediately brought together in small groups for reteaching, while the others worked in stations playing math games. Additionally, throughout the week, she assessed children's knowledge on key concepts, individually. She gathered input on their rationale and thinking related to their knowledge of the concepts. She gathered grades and recorded them, without me ever seeing her "give a test". Incredible.<br /><br /><br /><br /><strong><em>Number five--</em></strong>parent volunteers are awesome.<em> </em>On Friday she had several parent volunteers work the better part of the day creating little books for her reading class and math games. They sat on the floor trimming the many games they had laminated. Parents came and ate lunch with their children throughout the week. Parents dropped by the classroom and visited at the beginning of the day and at the end of the day. My daughter teaches on an Air Force Base. These parents brought a new understanding to me of "parents as partners" in a child's education. Seeing our military personnel take such an interest in their children's lives and education was rewarding beyond measure. Listening to the children share their many experiences was unlike anything I've ever witnessed in any school. Many of the children had lived all over the world and brought experiential backgrounds that ranged as far as the world is wide. Because of this, when we worked on creating a community, the children had no trouble identifying the key community helpers. They are the only children I've ever taught that had any concept of the need for water in a community. We saved milk cartons, juice cups, and yogurt containers for the community we were building. One child selected a container and said, "This will be our water tank. A community can't exist without water." Amazing.<br /><br /><br /><br />To my daughter, her students, and the teachers in her school---thank you for sharing your lives with me. I learned so much from you.Rhondahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14846911593400599695noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643652092952519307.post-71537321861631098392010-08-15T08:20:00.000-07:002010-08-15T08:32:42.267-07:00Working with a Co-TeacherClassroom teachers work with a variety of support teachers because children may need a variety of services. Services are provided for special education, English language learning, and additional educational support. There are many ways support is provided. The support teacher may pull the child from the regular classroom and serve them in a special classroom. However, the teacher may serve the child in the regular classroom. This service is often referred to as “push in”; the resource teacher pushes into the regular classroom, to serve the child.<br />If the resource teacher pushes into the regular classroom to serve a child or children, the two teachers should work together to provide the educational services to all the children in the classroom. The classroom teacher and the support teacher must discuss each of their expectations for the services. When the classroom teacher and co-teacher work together as a team, all the children in the classroom benefit greatly. However, working as a team does not happen without thoughtful planning.<br /><br />When a resource teacher “pushes into” the regular education classroom, often times, the support teacher feels like she should take a back seat, after all, it is not her “classroom”. When this happens, a highly trained teacher may simply “support” the regular classroom teacher and therefore, provide limited services to children. When this occurs, the resource teacher does not really ever teach. However, when a resource teacher pushes into the regular classroom, if the two teachers work as a team, an observer would not know which teacher was the regular classroom teacher or the resource teacher. The two teachers share the teaching responsibilities. Learning to do this and working as a team will be hard work. It will take time planning together and being honest with each other. The following issues need to be discussed for co-teaching to be successful:<br /><br />1. If grades are required, who will be responsible for them? Is it the regular education teacher’s responsibility or the special education/resource teacher’s?<br /><br />2. How are grades established? Work together to develop and establish grading guidelines.<br /><br />3. Classroom management. Whose classroom management procedures will be used? Classroom teachers and resource teachers should discuss the classroom management styles and roles they expect of each other in order to maintain a smoothly running classroom.<br /><br />4. Time to co-plan. Each week, resource teachers and classroom teachers need time together to plan. One suggestion is to take 45 minutes every week. Another suggestion is to take one-half to one full day every six weeks to discuss and plan extensively. Meet with the school administrators and establish planning time.<br /><br />Working with a co-teacher can be a positive experience for a new teacher. Use this opportunity to collaborate and partner with another educator. Learn from each other.Rhondahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14846911593400599695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643652092952519307.post-32293009318628509892010-08-10T19:56:00.000-07:002010-08-10T19:57:27.405-07:00RelationshipsThere are so many kinds of relationships: parent and child, husband and wife, and teacher and student. There are collegial and peer relationships, professional relationships, and congenial and volatile relationships. Last week I had the privilege of listening to my husband address a small group of new employees, new teachers to a school district. He challenged them to build relationships with their students; to take an interest in their lives. He shared a story of his fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Brown, and the impact she had made on his life. Mrs. Brown shared his love of baseball and through baseball, she hooked him as a learner all year. His life was ever changed because of her. In the spring of that year, he looked in the stands, and there she was watching him play baseball. Over 20 years later, when he obtained his first position as a high school principal, he received a letter from her, congratulating him on becoming a high school principal and expressing her pride in his accomplishment. Thirteen years later, he still has this letter. Mrs. Brown made an impact on his life. A big impact. She showed him how to care about kids. She showed him how to care about people. From her, he learned one of life’s most important lessons. He learned how to connect with people. As a learner he experienced the difference a teacher can make in your life. He experienced what it is feels like for your teacher to “hook” you as a learner….to find out what makes you “click”….and then design work for you around your interest. I challenge you to get to know your students, learn their interests, their heart desires, and what makes them “click”. Through getting to know them, relationships will be built. In the end, that’s all that really matters.Rhondahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14846911593400599695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643652092952519307.post-27784328312540169512010-07-24T14:27:00.000-07:002010-07-24T15:19:51.818-07:00Being a First Year Teacher and the New Kid on the BlockI'll never forget my first year teaching. There was never a knock at the door. There was never a "Hello". I would look up and there she would be. Arms folded staring at me. A rather large lady with light brown balding hair with a large mole on her face. I wondered... does she need something? Does she want to tell me something? Am I doing something wrong? She would just stand there and look around, never saying a word. Over the two years I worked at that school I built a relationship with her. She was sweet and very interested in others. Some people might even call her nosy. She was the worksheet queen and loved cute art projects. Later in my life, after I had made many moves, taught in three states and many grades, I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">found</span> myself going to the same church as Miss Anne. She was one of those people that you could pick up a conversation right where the last one ended, even if it had been ten years. I learned a lot from her and the others in my building over the first two years of my career. Veteran teachers know a lot. Ask them questions and they will gladly help you. Ask them questions even if you don't really need any answers. Ask them for help and advice even if you don't need any help or advice. When someone asks another person for help or advice, it is a way of reaching out and building relationships.<br /><br />Building relationships is one of the most important skills for a new teacher. Build relationships with the custodians. Ask the custodians what you need to do to get your room ready for them to clean it each day. Should you stack your chairs on the floor or on top of the tables? Are there things that you should do to your room each day that no one has ever mentioned?<br /><br />Build relationships with the cafeteria workers. Make sure you understand how the lunch count is done at your school. Make sure you submit lunch orders on time each day. Make sure you let the lunchroom ladies know how much you enjoy their food. It's also a good thing to carry treats to the lunchroom ladies. Even though they spend their time cooking, lunchroom ladies love someone to make them something special. Go ahead. Make their day. Bake them a cake or some cookies or brownies. I promise it will be a good thing. One day you might need to borrow something from the kitchen....something very important for a science experiment or a birthday party.<br /><br />Build relationships with the other new teachers in the school. Chances are they need a friend too. Ask them to meet you for coffee before school one day at a local coffee shop. Ask them to go work out after school or to dinner one evening.<br /><br />Build relationships with the other teachers and the administrators at your school. Be confident. Smile. Say hello. Say nice things about everyone. If you can't think of something nice to say, then don't say anything. Being new is hard. Sometimes things may feel uncomfortable. You may feel like you don't fit in. But give it time. Keep hanging in there and by all means, keep smiling. Before you know it, you won't be the new kid anymore. You'll feel comfortable. You'll feel like you own the place. You'll feel like everyone there is part of your family. Enjoy every moment. They will be etched in your heart and mind forever. After all, it's your first year teaching.Rhondahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14846911593400599695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643652092952519307.post-87633053261165002722010-02-06T18:47:00.000-08:002010-02-06T19:32:56.029-08:00Working with Para-ProfessionalsAs a young, first year teacher, working with a para-professional can bring a multitude of challenges. From the onset, it is important for the teacher to share her beliefs with the para-profesional. The para-professional and the teacher need to work together in tandem but the para will be at a disadvantage if she does not know the teacher's expectations. Here are important topics the teacher and para-professional should discuss:<br /><br />1. <strong><em>Discipline.</em></strong> Will there be a classroom discipline plan? The teacher should know how she plans to deal with discipline and be able to explain it to the para-professional and others. Will the teacher expect the para-professional to implement the plan? The teacher should share her expectations for the paras role in classroom discipline. For example, if a child is misbehaving and the teacher is dealing with the child, does the teacher want the para-professional to jump in too? Probably not. It's hard on children to have too many bosses. Here's another example--If the children are gathered on the carpet listening to the teacher read a book and someone misbehaves, how should the para respond? Unobtrusively. Intervening without further disrupting the learning of the children or the teacher's work should be the goal of the para-professional. It may help the teacher the most, if the para moved into close proximity with the child, and whispered in the child's ear, or gently touched the child on the shoulder, reminding the child to listen as the teacher reads.<br /><br />2. <strong><em>Paper Work.</em></strong> Will the teacher expect the para-professional to help with records, notes to parents, etc.? If so, what are the expectations? It's important to note that all permanent records should be recorded with black ink. Neatness and accurateness are critical elements of all interactions.<br /><br />3. <em><strong>Parent Interactions.</strong></em> Sometimes, the para-professional may receive notes from parents or talk with them before or after school. The teacher should explain that it is critical to keep the teacher informed of all communication with parents. If the parent sends a note to say the child will be leaving early, the para needs to inform the teacher because the teacher may need to alter the class schedule and make accommodations. For example, if there is a scheduled spelling test at 2:00, and the child is leaving at 1:30, the teacher might move the spelling test to an earlier time so that the child would not have to take a retest. If the child has been sick, the parent might send a note to the teacher. If the para finds the note first, she must inform the teacher because the child may require medication, need to stay inside during recess, or need other special arrangements.<br /><br />When I think of the best para-professionals I've ever worked with, I'm reminded of the old adage, children are to be seen and not heard. I don't agree with the adage at all for children. However, it's a pretty accurate description of the great para-professionals--they are seen but not heard. Don't take this literally. I don't mean that para's shouldn't talk, but rather, their voices are quiet. They work behind the scenes. They are the teacher's right and left hand. They know what to do before it even happens. Para-professionals help organize, clean up, and support the teacher and the students. These are just a few of things the teacher should discuss with a para-professional. Be honest with each other and work through issues as they arise.Rhondahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14846911593400599695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643652092952519307.post-49043132940718143082010-01-26T16:58:00.000-08:002010-01-26T17:52:14.062-08:00A Day in the Life of a New Teacher...how do you approach parents with a sensitive topic and have a difficult conversation?<strong>How do you approach a parent and let them know that you are worried about their child?</strong> What should you do if you think the child has a significant problem.....what if you are wondering if the child is autistic or severely delayed? These are time sensitive and no doubt about it, difficult conversations. Conversations like this take honesty, wrapped up with a whole lot of empathy. For beginning teachers and veteran teachers this is hard core.<br /><br />When a teacher suspects something is significantly wrong, it is important to discuss the concerns with the people in the school who could offer the most support--the building administrators. The building administrators will be able to help the teacher determine first steps.<br /><br />Begin the parent/teacher conference on a positive note...share the child's strengths. Here's what the conversation might sound like:<br /><br />Teacher: Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to meet with me. I am enjoying getting to know your child so much! I'd like to share some of the things I am learning about your child. I'm learning that he/she likes to-----. Share an example of a positive interaction with the child. Ask the parents how they think things are going...ask the parents if they have any concerns or questions.....<br /><br />Then, the teacher should share relevant data....say: I administered this assessment---show it to the parents and explain how it was administered and why. Then say--- this is what your child knows----and this is what he/she needs to know by the end of the year....<br /><br />After the parents have had a chance to digest the information and ask questions...the teacher might say something like....a concern I have is ----and I'm wondering what you think?<br /><br />Ask the parents to help you think through next steps.....record these thoughts and then follow up. For example, if the teacher agrees to try a certain strategy, the teacher should try the strategy and then let the parents know how it is working. If the parents agree to take an action, the teacher should follow up and ask the parents, how it is going.<br /><br />There's not an easy answer to this question. Intervening early is important. Don't wait until the end of the year to muster up enough courage to talk to a parent. Ask someone to help you think about how to approach this situation. Parents deserve to know. Partner with them. Work as a team so that the child has the best year possible!Rhondahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14846911593400599695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643652092952519307.post-31678901541073483402010-01-26T16:17:00.000-08:002010-02-06T18:28:03.595-08:00A Day in the Life of a New Teacher...Approaching a Parent and Having a Difficult Conversation....After a fun filled day of teaching and learning with first graders, I walked outside to greet the many parents who were waiting along the sidewalk beside my classroom. It was very common for parents and grandparents to arrive early enough to have time to talk with friends....sharing the latest rumors, news, and gossip. As I walked up to a father of a little boy in my class, the father leaned backwards, pressing his whole body against the brick wall, closed his eyes, clutched his hands against the bricks, sucked in his breath as if he would keel over any second if the wall wasn't there to support him, then uttered, "What's he done now?" You might be guessing that it wasn't the first time I'd chatted with him after school. And you're right.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I had worried all afternoon about how to begin the conversation.....reluctantly I said, "Well.... I've never had to tell anyone anything like this before." "Just go ahead and tell me," he whispered. I wondered how he read my face, how did he know he needed to brace for this news I was about to share? Mustering up all the courage I possessed, I said, "We had a little problem in class today....your son had a problem keeping his hands out of his pants....he was wearing sweatpants....there was an elastic waistband and he was distracted with the pants throughout the day....but......the problem came when others became distracted when he pulled his little thing all the way out of his pants." Totally <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">humilated</span>, this father looked at me and said, "Well, I guess we'll be wearing pants with a belt tomorrow!"<br /><br />This was a priceless conversation and will always bring a smile to my face. It wasn't easy for me to talk to this father....but the conversation helped me grow professionally. I realized how important it was to enter into difficult conversations gently, to be honest, all the while remaining very sensitive to the parents' feelings. More importantly, I realized how important it was to have the kind of relationship with parents that you could share the good, the bad, and the ugly news. As soon as the year begins....share the good news...because you don't want to have to share something bad...before you've built a relationship around the good stuff.<br /><br /><br />When it is necessary to approach parents and have difficult conversations, consider these things:<br /><br /><ul><li>The parents love the child with all their heart. He/She is their most prized possession. </li><br /><li>Begin the conversation with something positive</li><br /><li>Enter into the difficult part as gently as possible....then, share the information.</li><br /><li>Share a plan of the things that you will be doing at school </li><br /><li>Ask the parents how they might be able to help at home</li><br /><li>Ask the parents if they have other ideas</li><br /><li>Vow to keep the parents updated....and follow through on a regular basis</li></ul>Rhondahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14846911593400599695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643652092952519307.post-39865281506501255442010-01-25T18:14:00.000-08:002010-01-26T16:16:03.077-08:00A Day in the Life of a New Teacher...Parent/Teacher Conferences<strong>Having worked with new teachers for many years, the issues and concerns really came close to home this year as my daughter began her first year of teaching. As a lens on a camera zooms in for a close-up, I've been able to zoom in on the issues and concerns of a new teacher as I've listened to my daughter's concerns and questions. The first topic I would like to write about is conferences with parents. Parents are a child's first teacher. Cultivating close relationships with parents from the onset is one way to begin the year positively.</strong><br /><strong></strong><br />When preparing for a parent/teacher conference there are many questions to consider...such as:<br /><ul><li>When should you try to meet with parents?</li><li>What kind of information should you share?</li><li>Is it important to meet with all the parents?</li><li>How do you prepare for a conference? </li></ul><p>Here are some suggestions to consider:</p><p><strong>When should you try to meet with parents?</strong> If you are a regular elementary classroom teacher, it is helpful to meet with all the parents of the students you teach during the first few weeks of school (at least within the first six/nine weeks of school).</p><p><strong>What kind of information should you share: </strong>If you have assessed the children, share the information you gathered--including their children's strengths and the areas of need. It is helpful if parents know the areas in which their child has needs in order for them to support their child at home. More importantly, it is critical to share their child's strengths and ask the parents to help you get to know their child.</p><p><strong>Is it important to meet with all parents? </strong>It is important to meet with all parents. However, it is may be more important to begin by meeting with the parents of the students who are exhibiting the most concern. If parents can not come to the school, it is important to make contact either on the phone or through a letter. Set a goal to connect with 100% of the parents.</p><p><strong>How do you prepare for conferences? </strong>This may be the most important question to consider. There may be school policies in which to follow, such as sending specific notes home in advance or gathering information from parents regarding the time of day that best meets their needs. Find out your school's policy and follow it. Gather information about the children through your school's assessment. Spend time analyzing the assessment, looking for the child's strengths and needs. Create an information sheet to record the conference details and ask parents to sign it at the conclusion. If there are specific promotion guidelines, share it with parents at this first conference. It is very helpful to share the materials the children will be using during the year. Having sample reading, math, science, and social studies materials on display is very helpful. Additionally, share any materials created by the child since the beginning of the school year. </p><p><strong>During the conference, ask parents:</strong> </p><ul><li>How do you think your child learns best?</li><li>If you could design any experience for your child, what would it include? </li><li>What do you think I need to know about your child that I may not have already asked?</li><li>Will you be my partner this year? Will you stay in close contact with me and let me know if something happens at home that you think will bother your child, such as a family member's death, an illness, loss of pet, etc.?</li></ul><p>I hope this information is helpful in preparing for conferences with parents....always remember, they are the child's first teacher!</p><p></p>Rhondahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14846911593400599695noreply@blogger.com0