This is My Reading List:
* 1. Essentials of Evidence-Based Academic Intervention by Barbara J. Wendling & Nancy Maher
* 2. Differentiating Math Instruction by William N. Bender
* 3. Differentiating Instruction for Students with Learning Disabilities by William N. Bender
* 4. Reading Strategies for Elementary Students with Learning Disabilities by William N. Bender
* 5. Scaffolding Language, Scaffolding Learning by Pauline Gibbons
* 6. If You're Trying to Teach Kids to Write...(then you've gotta' have this book)! by Marjorie Frank
* 7. The Schwa Was Here by Neal Shusterman
* 8. Molly Moon series by Georgia Byng (1 (finished), 2 (@ the beginning), 3 9finished), 4, 5, 6)
* 9. Lemons, Lemonade, and Life by Janet D. Thomas (finished)
Today, I have at least three great things going for me. First, I am a mother, and have been for over 23 years. My children range in age from 11-23. So, HAPPY, HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to me!
Secondly, I walked across the stage today at LMU for my Master’s in Special Education and my Education Specialist teaching credential. YAY ME!!! It was a struggle, but it’s done. Next step is Ph.D when Phillise graduates from high school in 8 years!
Lastly, I’ve been blogging for 6 years now! I can’t believe it. The time has simply flown by. I sometimes look back on my posts and see how far I’ve come. Lately, I’ve been a little discouraged. I’ve gotten better though. I was only looking at the negative and not the positive. I’ve been meditating and reading Iyanla & keeping my thoughts positive. I just might make it. I’M GOING TO MAKE IT!!!
I am the little engine that could. I’ve progress from I think I can to I know I can and will!
Thank you for being there Dear Readers. Here’s some pictures of me on my special day today!
Self-portraits @ 42, almost 43 years old!
My husband and my four children relaxing after graduation!
As the title states, “Happy BLOGIVERSARY to ME!” I have been blogging for 6 years now! I’d like to take the time to appreciate those who have been with me from the beginning as well as the newcomers.
I think I’ll begin writing again. Until I do, I have over 1600 posts over 6 years to keep you busy. See ya’ when I look at ya’!
I’ve stopped writing because I just don’t have it in me to write and try to be optimistic when I am NOT. I am seriously rethinking if I want to proceed in my chosen occupation. The reason I say this is because I’m having a hard time yet again. In fact, I’ve had a hard time since I began teaching. So, I have to wonder if teaching is really for me???
I know that is something that only I can answer for myself, but I am seriously leaning towards NO!
I just want to SCREAM!!!!
Why am I having such a hard time when all I want to do is teach? All I want to do is change lives for the better. Yet, I keep encountering the same problems time and time again. I’m so tired.
I was trying to let at my problems objectively and say that this was something that I need to learn. But, I can’t see anything. I’m out of answers and questions and faith. I don’t have anything left to give. I’m so tired and discouraged. I feel like it’s 2009 all over again where my boss is going to sully my name when all I am trying to do is be left alone to do my job. If I could lay down and die, I would. However, obviously it’s not my time to go. If I could have wished myself dead, I’d have been dead a long time ago. So, I guess I will just have to keep on living until I die.
So, there you have it Dear Readers. The story of my really pitiful, trouble filled life!
This post is in regard to striving to be better. I recently read an article about classroom jobs. More specifically, making the children apply for the jobs. I went on over to Beth Newingham’s blog + a couple of others in the blogosphere and am definitely making the process of buying from my classroom store better.
Some of the best advice on setting up a classroom store came from Beth Newingham’s Scholastic blog. I have to say that I never thought of my classroom store and monetary system as a classroom economy. I guess I never put a name to it. Additionally, I never thought to write a lesson plan for this. I simply implemented it through trial and error. However, I will now write a Unit Plan for it.
Next year I am going to “steal” Beth’s idea of having a grand opening. She made a good point when she said to make the “bank” look the way students are used to seeing them.
When I initially set up this system, I didn’t see how this system could work for older, more knowledgeable students. But, as I sat down and thought about it, this system could be made to fit a middle school or even high school classroom. If you have a middle school or high school classroom and would like to brainstorm on how this system could work for you, email me @ specialedandme@gmail.com
The most helpful piece of advice was when it came to stocking the classroom store. Here’s a breakdown:
As of 12:45 on Thursday, March 28, 2013, I am on Spring Break. I started it out with a bang. I picked up my nephew and took him, David, Phillise, and Moriah to see The Croods. We all loved it. The theme was family-father and daughter, in particular. I am definitely not one to give away endings. Just suffice it to say that I think it would make a fantastic father-daughter outing. You won’t leave there without tears in your eyes and some good laughs!
It is almost Spring Break. I AM SO HAPPY! I simply cannot wait until Spring Break is here. The countdown has begun. I am so done! I will write more about that later!
I have been missing in action yet again. I’ve never gone so long without writing. I’ve been overwhelmed. How could I have forgotten how much work it is to teach a combination class? I’m very nearly acclimated to the amount of work, but it’s still a bit much. So, anyway, I’m happy because of the freedoms and liberties afforded me by working in a private, parochial school. Like today, during Religion, my students blamed a game called The Blame Game. There were a series of scenarios which the students had to answer; I have to admit that they answered quite honestly. We were able to discuss the problems and come to an understanding. It was really nice. It’s times like this that makes me love working in a parochial school.
Here are two of the scenarios:
I can’t find my backpack because my dad drove away with it in his car.
Who’s to blame?
The students unanimously agreed that it was the child’s fault. I was so proud of them.
Having an iPod at school is against the rules. My friend takes mine out of my backpack to play with it. He gets caught, but I get sent to the office because of his actions.
Who’s to blame?
For this one, the students answered that it was the student’s fault who brought the iPod because if he wouldn’t have brought it, his friend wouldn’t have known that it was there for him to go in the bag and take it.
I think part of the reason my students are so honest is because I am so honest with them. When I make a mistake I readily admit it. So, when they make a mistake, I hold them accountable. I don’t punish them harshly, but I do make them admit that they made a mistake. Once they admit it we take it from there.
I know you didn’t ask for this. I just thought you might find it interesting. So, without further ado, here is the link for how paper is made: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gq7L9-0XdVw
I am so happy! I got my credential. YAY ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This opens up so many more options for me. I’ve been applying for jobs all over the place. I even had to turn one down because I wasn’t going to be able to make the interview.
I am looking forward to this job hunt of mine. Won’t you join me!
I have been really overwhelmed and extremely busy. In fact, I’d say I’ve been overly busy. But, hopefully things will slow down soon. It seems like I had it more together last year. I planned a month ahead of time. Now, I am only able to plan about a week ahead of time. I don’t know what happened but I am going to get back to that place.
It is my goal to get back to that place and to get back to writing more than once a month. So, I guess you’ll be reading a lot more often.
Since re-taking possession of my classroom, I am so, so, so overwhelmed. I have not been able to get back in to the grove of things. It’s been a month and still don’t have student work upon the board. I’m just not feeling it. How can I get my groove back?
I am sooooooo happy. My degree posted a couple of weeks ago. I feel quite accomplished. For a hot second I thought I was not going to be able to complete the requirements to get it, but I did. I sure pulled a rabbit out of a hat for this one.
In the last couple weeks before Christmas break, I took and passed the R.I.C.A. & C.S.E.T., completed my final project & my final class, completed my literature review for my Master’s degree, completed my portfolio & wrapped up my pilot Inclusion program. Whew!
I didn’t realize how much I had until the last week when someone pointed it out. It’s so weird that I don’t usually know that I am overwhelmed unless someone points it out! I ended up stressing myself out so much that I got sick & stayed sick for the whole vacation. Thank God that’s over. I’ve finally completed a really big goal. Now, what’s my next goal???
I know in someparts of the world it is already Christmas. Not here. Still about 3 hours to go. Sad to say that it doesn’t mean as much to me as it used to. Just trying to do a little something for my children. If left up to me, I would not do a lot on that day. I’d probably host it just to have a family get together. Other than that, all the fanfare and people spending money they don’t have, is not for me. People are nicer, so it’s still my favorite time of year. I get to spend time with family, so it’s a good day!
I got a solicitation via e-mail for an online editing job. I thought it was legit, but I checked it out as best I could. The person purported to be from answers.com- Mr. Willie Ding, Content Recruiter for Answers.com. I did find a Willie Ding on Linked In that seemed to check out, but apparently something was fishy becuase I never heard anything back once I sent my resume with personal info removed.
I was happy for the extra money I would have earned had the offer been real, but it wasn’t. I’m just trying to figure out why someone would offer a fake job. I don’t get it! There’s nothing I can do about it. I just wish it would have been real. I could really have used the money! Oh well, c’est la vie!
As the title states, I passed the R.I.C.A. I am over the moon happy. I cut it very close. I just got the results last night. I just exhaled again. Now, all I need are my final grades. Once I see those, the rest of my vacation will be spent relaxing. Final grades come out tomorrow. I have much to write about, but will not write about it now because I am going to pick my little boy up from school in a little bit. I will keep you updated though. Bye for now!
The last three weeks have been a whirlwind of test taking and super business! Within the past three weeks I took and passed the C.S.E.T., took and passed the R.I.C.A., completed & submitted my final project, wrapped up my pilot program at work, & finally submitted my portfolio for the whole program at the very, very, very last minute. WHEW!!!!! I honestly didn’t think I could do it. I came so close to giving up on my literature review, but since failure was NOT an option, I persevered. So, the word of the day is PERSEVERANCE. That word means so much to me.
It didn’t matter what grade I got in classes; the most important thing was that I finished. I FINISHED!!! In the past, I started so many projects that I never finished. They were just left sitting on a backburner that never got lit! That, however, will be my post for tomorrow. Bye for now!
As I was walking out of the Main Office at lunch time, I saw Coaster outside brooding.
“What’s wrong,” I asked.
He said, “The girls are doing something terrible!”
Knowing Coaster and his propensity for exaggerating and brooding on the most minute of offenses, I asked what the girls were doing.
“Well, they are laughing and talking really loud. Mrs. L. had to send me down to the office to concentrate!”
I kinda’ giggled at that myself. I’m not a monster; let me explain. It was kinda’ a ha ha! funny laugh at the fact that I’m a victim of my own success. I worked with him on expressing himself. Now, there’s no stopping him. He does it all the time. I’m not complaining though. I’d much rather have this version of him than the one from a couple of years ago when he didn’t interact with other students.
I’m happy that he felt comfortable enough to talk to me. On a side note, another person he feels comfortable talking to is the new Principal. As I walked down the hall before the bell rang, I saw him sitting in the his office “expressing himself. “
So, all in all, I guess it was a good day. I’m happy that he’s expressing himself. I’m going to get on those girls when I return to my class after Christmas break. I know they’re just being girls, but they talk a looooooooooooottttttttt!!!
I’m tired. It has been a long couple of weeks. I have so much to write about. I’ll, more than likely, do it on the weekend. Bye for now!
I have a confession to make. Ever since I started in Special Education, I’ve had nagging questions about Auditory Processing that no one could seem to answer. Quite frankly for the longest time, I really did not understand it at all or how to help those who has the deficit/disorder. It was all so confusing. Well, here’s an article I read that explains how to help your student who has an auditory processing deficit.
Kit Richert, Ph.D.
What in the world is an auditory processing disorder anyway?
Specific Learning Disabilities come in several varieties, but probably the most common is a disorder of auditory processing. Nearly all students with reading disabilities will have their delays rooted in an auditory processing disorder.
Auditory processing is not hearing, its what you do with what you hear.
Your student with an auditory processing disorder may exhibit some of the following processing problems: (more…)
Here’s an excellent article I read regarding children with Aspergers. It’s pretty long but I think it’s worth it:
The Emotional Aspergers Child
Many children with Aspergers and High-Functioning Autism fall into one of the “emotional types” listed below. Their feelings control their actions. These kids have many more tantrums, are less available, easily disengage, and are more prone to defiant behavior.
This is the most difficult type of Aspergers child to deal with, because rules – and the reasons for rules – mean much less to him. The parents and teachers who have to deal with the emotional Aspie often find themselves in a state of frustration or crisis. Many of these children will end up on medications for their issues, because their coping skills are poorly developed and inadequate to meet the demands of home and school. But that’s o.k., because the right medication and an effective behavioral plan can do wonders.
One of my students, Coaster, mispronounces pronouns all the time. I didn’t realize it was a thing. I found this on Pinterest. BTW, Pinterest is so addicting. You can spend hours on there. But, I digress. Here’s an article that explains it all:
I am smarter than a 5th grader. How do I know? Well, I will tell you. Two of my students, one a 5th grader (who I’ll call Jayla), the other a 4th grader (who I’ll call Velma), are struggling with the times tables. So, I’ve been drilling and skilling them, playing multiplication bingo, and concentration bingo with multiplication flash cards.
These were the rules:
If they picked up the right match and didn’t know the answer, they couldn’t keep the cards.
I was not going to take it easy on them.
We spread out the cards and started playing with me going first. They thought I was joking around and that I wasn’t going to beat them. The way the game started off, it seemed like I was joking. I wasn’t. I just couldn’t find a match. However, once I got on a roll, I was unstoppable.
My 5th grader picked up a match and hesitated. she looked to me for approval. I told her that I was not going to tell her if she was or not. She recognized that she had the right answer and flashed the biggest smile.
Jayla managed to get 3 matches before I got one; while Velma got 1 match. Like I said, once I got on a roll I was unstoppable. It came down to the wire. There were only four cards left and it was Jayla’s turn. She chose the wrong one. I swooped in and got the last two matches. I ended up with 9 matches, Jayla had 6, and Velma had 4.
We finished just in time. Once I picked up the last two matches, I laughed an evil villain laugh, dropped the cards, and told them to learn the times tables or I would clean their clock again next week when I picked them up.
They said ok and laughed. They told me they couldn’t believe I beat them. I repeated that I’d do it again. See, I am smarter than a 5th grader!
Have you ever heard of TED? If you haven’t, you don’t know what you’re missing. It was created by . A topic is presented by an expert in a certain field. They have 18 minutes to present their topic. This particular topic was given by Susan Cain. She recently wrote a book called The Power of Introversion. I loved this TED talk because it seemed to be singing my life story. I am an introvert. When I announced that I was an introvert, one of my classmates said that I wasn’t. I can see what she was thinking. I would not have believed it either.
She thought I wasn’t an introvert because she was also. However, she is not a talker nor is she good at public speaking. She thought I was an extrovert because I am a talker, I speak to everyone, and I’m not shy about public speaking. I can be around people and talk and schmooze, but only for a limited amount of time.
If she knew anything about introverts, she would know that that is not what an introvert is all about-that not all introverts are like her. I always say that I live in my own head, that being around too many people drains me and I need to recuperate. That’s what an introvert is about. I do best when I can think through things or when I am reading or writing.
If you thought like my former classmate, then you should watch this TED talk with Susan Cain.
So which side won the arm wrestling contest? Now that you know which side of your brain is dominant, it’s time for you to learn exactly what that means for you as a student of academics – and the world. How can you improve your academic learning/studying techniques?
First, take out the worksheet from our last post. We all use both sides of the brain when we need to, but when we’re stressed, it‘s difficult for the “weaker” brain hemisphere to take action efficiently. It can sort of ‘freeze up’. And what is one situation where you become stressed? Probably in school when learning something new, or when taking a dreaded test/quiz.
Take a look at which side you marked as your dominant brain, and which parts of your body are your strongest. Now let’s look at figures “X”, “Y”, and “Z”. (more…)
I was just talking to my daughter, Phillise, the other day about this very subject. She was talking to her dad about this and they concluded that she is left-brained, while I am a combination of right-brained and left-brained. It is an extremely long read, but is so worth it.
(Click the image to get the printable version of the exercise!)
Are you right-brained or left-brained? That is the question…! Understanding which side of your brain you use most to learn can totally transform the way you feel about school and academics. This is exciting stuff – and we are here to help you transform!
Over the next several weeks, we are going to help you figure out your strongest learning styles. How are we going to accomplish that? Well, we’re going start by teaching you to analyze “what makes you tick?” You’ll be doing some fun exercises, and a little self-analysis, to figure out which side of your brain is the “strong side,” and what kind of learner you are. Once you are armed with that information, you will be ready to embrace your learning style.
No more wondering, “How do I learn?” or “I don’t know how to study!” We will give you suggestions for studying techniques that will make you an academic rock star! If you find yourself scratching your head wondering, “HUH?” in class – then these next few weeks will transform that to an, “A-HA!” May the academic force be with you.
I found this on another site and I just had to share. Here’s the link just in case you’re interested: http://enabledkids.ca/?p=2071
1. Thou shall not yell when speaking to me.
My disability does not impair my hearing and I am extremely bright. Perhaps even brighter than you are.
2. Thou shall not ignore me, talk negatively about me, speak unnaturally slow, or ask questions to others in the room that pertain to me.
I can comprehend what you are saying just fine.
3. Thou shall believe in me and help me believe in my skills and self worth.
Note the good in me and do not merely point out my negative behaviors. Believe in me and I will believe in myself.
4. Thou shall not perceive me as dumb.
I am extremely intelligent. I do not learn in the same way as you, and maybe not as quickly as you expect me to. Have patience with me. Once I recall information, I never forget.
5. Thou shall not judge my behavior.
I can get overstimulated in certain environments. I may be hypersensitive to sound and loud noises may hurt my ears. Fluorescent lights are distracting for me. They have a humming noise, and can pulsate. All the noises in a room can blur together. Please make accommodations to help me.
6. Thou shall not be so quick to scold me.
Do not tell me that “I know what I did”. I do not. Tell me what my infraction was in a simple, concise manner. I want to please you, but I have difficulties inferring meaning within a vague statement. For instance, do not say please clean up your bedroom. Tell me exactly what you want, such as ‘Please make your bed and pick up your toys”.
7. Thou shall not compare me to others.
Please remind me, and note the talents that I possess. This increases my confidence and positive self worth. Learning disabled or not, we ALL have talents to contribute within society. I need you to help me realize what mine is. Believe in me and I will believe in myself.
8. Thou shall not exclude me from activities.
Please do not mimic me, ignore me, or bully me. Please invite me to play with you. It hurts my feelings when I am excluded. I like to run and jump in the playground, and be invited to birthday parties too. Grownups can help me make friends by encouraging other children to play with me. I can be a loyal friend if you get to know me.
9. Thou shall give me choices.
I do not like being ordered about any more than the other children. Give me choices so I know you value my capabilities and opinions. Make them simple and concise. Present two options or so. I get confused when too many questions or directions are given at one time due to my processing speed. For instance, ask me if I would like to wear my blue sweater or green one, rather than asking which sweater I would like to wear.
10. Thou shall not judge me by my diagnosis, but by my character.
I am an individual, just like other children. As my son used to say, “Mom my name is John (name changed for his anonymity) not Asperger’s”. A profound statement I would say. :-0)
Please join me in my utopian world where society perceives individuals as a whole, and does not judge them merely in character segments.
Earlier this week I wrote about forgetting about a meeting that I’d scheduled. I felt very bad about it. Well, yesterday and today I had a S.T.E.P. meeting that I did not forget. The one yesterday was cancelled by the parent at the VERY last minute. The one today wasn’t cancelled, but due to a series of miscommunications, I did not attend.
This is how my day began. I had to be in Pasadena, CA (about an hour away) today to re-take the CSET. When I passed it five years ago, I was unaware that the scores expired. So, after four hours (instead of the full five this time) of re-taking all sub-tests, I hightailed it to work. When I get there, there’s no one around. I go to the Main Office and there’s someone in the Principal’s office. I knock on the door and the security guard informs me that everyone has left.
I then call the Pre-K teacher who tells me that the staff meeting and my meeting are cancelled.
“Whew!!!,” I said, as I breathed a sigh of relief.
I really didn’t want to mediate the meeting, but was, of course, going to do it anyway. With that out of the way, I start on my way home. On the way, my youngest son call me to pick him up from school because he left his bus pass at home. When I am almost home, I get a text from the 6th grade teacher asking if I was still coming to the meeting.
I was so confused at this point. To shorten this story, I texted back and forth and was going to go back. While I’m doing this the Secretary calls, then I speak to the Principal. He tells me that I don’t have to come back. Although I should have breathed a sigh of relief that I did not have to drive an hour back to work on a Friday, I didn’t. I felt like such a slacker. I felt like crying, so I did.
I’m so upset. I did what I was supposed to do but still ended up looking like a slacker. I guess there’s really nothing I can do about it at this point and time. It’s been a long week.
I came in the house, had another small cry and took a nap. I’m feeling better, but still a little upset that I came out looking like a slacker. I’ll get over it though. In the grand scheme of things, it’s not a big deal. Thank God it’s the weekend and I can relax!
I am so forgetful. I’d been getting better about writing things down, but I totally dropped the ball on a meeting I was supposed to hold on Monday. I apologized to the mother & rescheduled for a week from now. Thankfully she took it all in stride. I will put a system in place so this won’t happen again.
I find myself with quite an unusual situation of being too successful! Is there such a thing? Apparently there is. Let me explain.
Yesterday I was the representative of my school for Coaster’s initial I.E.P. It was relatively small. It consisted of the Assistant Principal (who’s in charge of Special Education-A.P.E.I.S. or A.P. for short), the school psychologist, the RSP teacher, Coaster’s mom, and I. It was held in the A.P.’s office; really small and cozy. Very nice, not intimidating at all. Not only that, but the school goes to the 6th grade, which would give Coaster an additional year in elementary school. The only thing I disagreed with was the psychologist’s use of jargon that was not explained to Coaster’s mom. Other than that the meeting went very smoothly.
The reason I say that I was too successful is because Coaster qualified for Specific Learning Disability (SLD) instead of Autism (Aut). I asked the school psychologist about it and she said that she wanted to observe him more because she didn’t see as many of the behaviors usually prevalent with children with autism.
I was thinking, “Boy, she should have seen him last year before I started working with him!”
Coaster’s mom told them that Coaster is a different person thanks to me. After I detailed the various behavior modification techniques I used with Coaster, the School Psychologist said she now understood why she didn’t see some of the behaviors she was expecting.
I was happy on one hand, but not so happy on the other. On one hand I am happy for Coaster that his behavior has improved so much, to the point of his behaviors upgrading from severe to moderately low; which means a better of quality for life for him. On the other hand I am unhappy because it was my hope that Coaster’s offer of a Free & Appropriate Public Education (F.A.P.E.) would be placement in a class specifically for students with Autism. However, his offer of F.A.P.E. was an hour of Resource class 1-2/week.
I then asked if the offer of a Special Day Class/Program (SDC/P) was even an option because the 6th grade class size is 30 students. There is no way that Coaster will be able to cope with 30 students. He would positively have a meltdown on the first day of school. The AP said that the F.A.P.E. offer would was his Least Restrictive Environment (L.R.E.) and that he needed to be placed in his L.R.E. first. She was correct, but I am still worried about his mental well-being should his mom choose to put him in that school next year.
FINAL OUTCOME: His mom, as I expected, rejected the F.A.P.E. offer because she didn’t want him to leave our school. I understand that. He does NOT adapt to change well. So, he will finish out the remainder of the school year at our school and hopefully be placed in his school of residence next year. Even though his mother rejected the F.A.P.E. offer that was offered to her, some services were offered. The services offered will be in the form of 12 hours of training for me to learn more strategies to deal with Coaster. It wasn’t the best case scenario but at least his mother now has a clearer picture of his disability.
Although I am really sad that he will be leaving at the end of the school year, it is for the best. It really makes me wonder how many students with disabilities drop out of high school because of the low chances for success. I know the number is high. Too high!
Although I can’t save them all, it is my desire to work on those students one at a time! Imagine if more and more people did that? Everyone can contribute just a little. Bye for now Dear Readers!
It’s time for a book review. I haven’t written one in a long, long time. Well, I have one that’s worth the wait. It’s actually more than a year overdue. I’d promised a review of this book in September ’11. I wasn’t sure if I’d made good on that promise so I had to peruse my blog to make sure I hadn’t already posted a review of it. I am ashamed to say that I did not.
I wrote briefly about the concept of bucket filling last year, but didn’t continue it. I guess I just got so busy with life that I completely forgot. For that I do apologize. Now that that’s out the way, on to the review!
How Full Is Your Bucket, by Tom Rath (2007) and illustrated by Mary Reckmeyer, is a must-have book. The theme at the beginning of the book is along the lines of Alexander and Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst. You can totally feel the child’s pain. But, by the middle of the book, readers are given useful tools to help turn that terrible, no good, very bad day around. (more…)
I played hooky from work a couple of weeks ago. I’ve been so overwhelmed that I’ve been letting things fall by the wayside. That is so not good. Thats why I took time off to play catch up and handle my business. Well, during the day, I decided to pick up the Brigance testing binder that was being given to me from another Inclusion Specialist. It’s older but still useful. The only part that’s out of date is the Math. I’ll put together some work, grade level by grade level, based on Common Core standards.
I love when others are very generous with their time and resources. Thank you Dr. Toni!
I am still excited about the assembly at my school where I was able to give away the books for the grant that I wrote. My librarian is a sweetheart. I tried to share credit with her for writing the grant, since that is her territory, but she wouldn’t hear of it. She gave me time at the end of the assembly to speak to the parents and students and express to them my passion for reading and how I love to instill that same passion in my students. After that, I gave the parents information on the Molina Foundation and perseverance (It took a long time to hear back).
I got the idea to write the grant because I was so disheartened when, after speaking to some of the students, I discovered that some of them didn’t have any books at home. I knew I had to do something about that. I think it is so important for children to have books and enjoy reading. So, from now on, no matter what school I work at, I will keep the information from the Molina Foundation handy and use it to bring the joy of reading into a child’s life.
The students were so excited to receive those books.Well, the excitement didn’t stop. After school the following Monday, two 3rd grade students came up to me and asked if they could check out books.
“SURE!!!” I exclaimed. I quickly did what I needed to do and hightailed it to my office with the 3rd graders in tow. However, once we got to my office, there weren’t two 3rd graders anymore. I also had two 3rd graders and one of my 1st graders.
I happily checked out books for all of them. I was so thrilled, you could have knocked me over with a feather. I am ecstatic that they are growing to love reading. Hopefully it will be a lifelong habit. Here’s hoping!
I flew overnight from Vancouver to be with you today. I landed in New York a few hours ago and caught a flight down here because I needed to tell you all in person that I think you’re awesome.
I was raised by a teacher. My mother is a professor of early childhood education. And from the time I went to kindergarten through my senior year in high school, I went to public schools. I wouldn’t trade that education and experience for anything. (more…)
***This post is for Mary t. (sorry about the transposed letters). I hope this answers your questions. If not, don’t hesitate to e-mail me.***
Recently I posted about Elkonin boxes and how I have been having much success with them. I also linked to some other posts of mine regarding their usage. Click here and here. Now let me further explain how I use them.
Here’s a picture of an Elkonin box with three boxes. You can print this or you can make your own. To make your own, just draw 2,3,4, or 5 boxes side by side. Either way will work.
Elkonin boxes are used to teach phonemic and phonological awareness and syllabication.
Elkonin boxes are great because the students are using multiple modalities- tactile, visual, oral, & kinesthetic.
Dear Readers,
I want Kindergarten teachers or anyone teaching the ABC song to make sure their students hear the different letters and not jam them altogether into one word. I have two stories about that. The first story is about my experience just this past week. The second story is about my niece, Mimi’s graduation twenty-one years ago. Like to hear ‘em, here they go!
“Mrs. B,” my Kindergarten student, Will, asked, as I told him to write out the alphabets, “What is ellumenopea? How do you spell it?” (more…)
This post is for Marty. I will indeed write a post explaining the Elkonin boxes later. I cannot right now because I attended a Homegoing celebration (funeral)today. It’s an old friend of my husband’s since Middle School. My husband hasn’t cried or anything yet, but I know he has to be feeling his own mortality. So, I will probably post on this tomorrow. Bye for now!
Dear Readers,
I really feel as if I’m making a big difference in my student’s lives. One student, in particular, has been struggling since he was younger. He’s in 8th grade now and will graduate in June so he will soon be out of my reach. So, I have to reach him while I can. Thankfully my school has given me the opportunity to do just that.
His problem wasn’t major, just enough to cause him to be frustrated. After speaking with him, his teachers, and after performing some small assessments, I determined that his main problem was multi-syllabic words and knowing how to properly break them down syllable by syllable. More specifically some words patterns that he either never learned or some how just never internalized because they were causing him stress.
What I did to help him: I took out my tried and true Elkonin boxes and showed him how to use them. One thing about older students is how easily they embarrass. Even though I showed him how to use it I knew that he wouldn’t because the copy of the Elkonin boxes that I use are a little babyish. So, since I knew that the best tool, no matter how good, will never work if it’s not used, I showed him how to “tap it” on either his leg or under the table where no one could see him.
During the session he began “tapping it”. I was so proud!
Dear Readers,
I had a good laugh today, even though I probably shouldn’t have. During yard duty I saw that one of the first graders was having a bit of a hard time. You could see it in her face. So I asked her what was wrong.
She replied, “Well, Angelina & her friends are being mean to me & my dad told me if they are mean to me or if they hit me, then I should hit them. But I don’t want to hit them. But my dad told me to hit them.
“What should I do?” she asked herself.
It was like an epic battle of good and evil! I could see the seriousness of the situation, but it was incredibly funny. You had to see the look on her face. Let me assuage your fears lest you think I ‘m a monster. I did talk to her and calm her down, but it was still funny!
Dear Readers,
I am so excited. I wrote a book grant back in August for my school and was recently notified that my school won to the tune of 489 books. This is such great news. Especially since the school librarian won a book grant earlier in the year for which we are having an assembly in November.
It was my wish to give the books to the parents during the ceremony. Now that wish has become a reality. I’ll speak with my Principal and see if I can pick them up sometime this week.
I am really excited about this. I’ll keep you updated. Bye for now!
Dear Readers,
I use Elkonin boxes to help my students hear discrete sounds. With my 1st & 3rd grade students I am working on short vowels. The Elkonin boxes are especially helpful when working with 2, 3, & 4 letter words. They can also be used to teach syllabication.
Also, check out my post regarding discreet vs. discrete sounds.
It’s a great resource. Check it out!
Dear Readers,
I am so tired. It’s not a big deal because I’m usually tired after work on Wednesdays since I head straight to school. I am so happy this is my last class. However, I am thinking about getting a 2nd Master’s in Instructional Leadership. It would be the perfect lead-in to being Assistant Principal.
I have until Spring or Fall of next year to think about what I’m going to do. As always I’ll keep you updated.
