Teacher thought of the day!

Today on my run, I was thinking about the MANY differences between now and when we were in school. Today kids are different. Schools HAVE to be different too. We can’t just walk in and demand that students sit still, don’t talk, and listen to your teacher, for success…Well, you can, but I wouldn’t recommend that approach. We have to ADAPT to the changing needs of our kids. If we expect them to conform to the way things “used to be,” we are setting ourselves (and our kids) up for failure. These kids are movers and shakers. Our classrooms need to facilitate this generation in order to reach them and teach them! ADAPT your approach.

Teacher thought of the day!

PRAISE, PRAISE, PRAISE…I guess everyone needs/seeks some form of recognition. We get paychecks for our jobs, warm fuzzies, or a sense of purpose. Those are things that keep us working… Kids are no different. They will do SOMETHING to get your attention and your recognition. You can decide what form of attention you will “pay for” in your classroom. If you make a habit of praising your students for catching them doing the right thing, they will seek out this positive attention. This has a dual benefit. You will improve the entire environment of your class, and you will feel super at the same time. A smile is contagious. So is praise. CATCH THEM DOING GOOD!

Teacher thought of the day!

Take the time to get to know your students. Each one has a unique personality. If you spend time really getting to know your students, you will benefit twice. One…you will greatly improve the chance of reaching them – hence teaching them. Two…they are cool. You benefit from their coolness in your life. J

Teacher thought of the day!

Years ago when texting became so popular, I thought I would never text my own children. (Did I just actually just admit that?) FOOLISH ME!!! Boy, did I have a thing (or two hundred) to learn about the changing times. Time in the classroom is the same. What might just be “THE BEST PLAN EVER” one year may be a BOMB – or outdated - the next…WHAT???? Don’t chisel your lesson plans in stone. Be flexible from year-to-year, week-to-week, and even day-to-day. Just when you think you are getting comfortable, the target will move! DANG!! Times are changing fast. Don’t get stuck in rut, and DON”T STAGNATE. Beside, continuing to learn to meet the needs of your students is FUN, and helps keep you young too. J

Daily 5 - WORK WORK

After reading (and re-reading) the wonderfully inspirational book: The Daily 5 – Fostering Literacy Independence in the Elementary Grades  written by Gail Boushey & Joan Moser “The 2 Sisters” I worked hard to put together a fun and engaging way for kids to interact with their weekly words. 

My students have piloted this and absolutely LOVE working with words. This packet truly helps foster independence with words in the classroom. Many tasks focus on both a literary and a math standard. Four of the literacy and math combination tasks are: Money Words, Place Value Words, Scrabble Words and Graph a Word.

We would work whole group one different WORD WORK activity at a time until the kids understood the concept. I would scaffold the support with each task, and next they worked with partners. Once they understood the activity, they could work independently. WOW!! Watching them quickly learn each of these skills was amazing. 

Best of all, you can be conferring with students in writing or reading when they are independently working with their words.  If you purchase this package, please email me and I will send you an editable Bingo card to customize to your liking. My email is: DebBolken@park6.org. You can find this word work packet HERE 

Use all of these different WORD WORK options with your weekly words. The following is a list of the different options you will get:

Rainbow Words

Hidden Words

Scrabble Words

Secret Code Words

ABC Order Words

Money Words

Place Value Words

Graph the Words

Stamped Words

Beaded Words

Stair Step Words

Swirl Words

Bingo Cards