Greedy Apostrophe: A Cautionary Tale by Jann Carr

Greedy Apostrophe: A Cautionary Tale (2009), written by Jan Carr and illustrated by Ethan Long was quite an informative little book. I believe that it would go under the title of edutainment since it was informative, educational, and entertaining all at the same time.

I highly recommend this book since it does double duty. It could introduce or reinforce the concept to the students while serving as a refresher for parents reading the book to their child. This was definitely a great purchase. I purchased this in the summer and I am definitely going to use it during English/Language Arts. I would put this book (as far as reading it independently) at 3rd-4th grade level. However, the content can be understood by students as young as 2nd grade. Plus, the illustrations are cute and interesting enough to capture the interest of young children.

I know that my students will really respond to this book. They’ll be learning and they won’t even know it. I even have a game in mind for them that I’m going to make up. It’ll be called find the “right” apostrophe. The idea came from the book since the greedy apostrophe bounces around a lot and insinuates himself into situations where he does not belong. Hence the title “greedy”.

Synopsis (from book jacket): Greedy Apostrophe is on the loose and causing all kind’s (kinds) of trouble. Hide your toy’s (toys), your dog’s (dogs) and your ice cream cone’s (cones) because nothing is safe from his greed. He want’s (wants) it all. But this isn’t his book, it’s yours (not your’s). Save it from the hands of Greedy Apostrophe-before it’s (not its) too late.

“The big question is how are we going to stop the Greedy Apostrophe?” wonders all of the other punctuation marks. How indeed? He is all over the place, especially in places he’s not supposed to be.

As they line up, wondering what jobs they would be assigned, who should burst into the door but the Greedy Apostrophe himself?

While the other punctuation marks did not like it, their disdain would have to wait as they recited the Punctuation Oath.

“On my honor I promise

To work with words, phrases, and sentences

To make their meanings clear.

I promise to uphold the rules of punctuation

And always to help readers, never to confuse them.”

However, one punctuation mark refuses to recite the oath. Who is it? Of course it is the Greedy Apostrophe. He does not believe in the oath. He thinks that it is his job to confuse readers-not help them.

As everyone else is handed their job assignment, the greedy apostrophe is the last to receive his job assignment. The assignment is for a possessive!

Oh boy! All the other punctuation marks freeze because they know that he always gets into trouble with  possessives. The Director reminds him that, since he’s assigned possessive, he is only allowed to insert himself before an s if that s is there to indicate that someone possesses something.

“Do you understand that when readers see you, they understand that something belongs to someone?” asks the Director.

Do you think the Greedy Apostrophe is going to listen? Well, I guess you’re going to have to read it for yourself to find out.

Results Of My Personality Perception Image Test

NBPC – The Daydreamer

Nature, Background, Big Picture, and Color

You perceive the world with particular attention to nature. You focus on the hidden treasures of life (the background) and how that fits into the larger picture. You are also particularly drawn towards the colors around you. Because of the value you place on nature, you tend to find comfort in more subdued settings and find energy in solitude. You like to ponder ideas and imagine the many possibilities of your life without worrying about the details or specifics. You are in tune with all that is around you and understand your life as part of a larger whole. You are a down-to-earth person who enjoys going with the flow.

If you’d like to take yours, go to: http://www.helloquizzy.com

Be Like Nike…

Okay, this is my beef for the day. In my program, there are a lot of young “intellectual” types. They are working my last nerve. Whenever we are given an assignment, they have to question everything and let the instructor know that they don’t agree with the assignment for whatever reason. Usually it’s a vague, almost hippyish reason why.

These are three of the top reasons that were given for not wanting to do the assignment. I don’t want to do the assignment because:

1. I am opposed to testing.
2. I don’t believe that I should invade a student’s privacy by observing them.
3. I don’t believe in standardized tests.

What am I thinking while all of this whining, complaining and trying to get out the assignment is going on? I’m thinking that they should shut up, be like a Nike commercial and just do it. What is so hard about that? They are so young and don’t understand life. I understand about being inquisitive and not being a drone and doing whatever you’re told, but come on.

One student asked me why didn’t I just buck the system by not buying into all the b.s. “Why don’t you and everyone else stop buying into this massive lie being perpetuated “by the man”, said she of many conspiracies.

Well, according to her, we (as in everyone) are the man because we are governed by the people. So we, as the people, are actually the man. Therefore we are holding ourselves down. For real?

Even though I am diametrically opposed to standardized testing, the assignments are requirements for passing the class. Testing is one of the requirements of teaching. Deal with it!!!!

Do you see what I’m dealing with? I cannot wait to graduate because I am like a Nike commercial, I just do the damn assignments and not complain. I realize that I cannot just buck the system because I have four children that have to do silly things like eat, wear clothes, and have a roof over their head.

Silly me for not bucking the system!!!

And that, my dear sir or madam, is my rant for the day!!!

All That I Am…

All that I am, I owe to my hard times.

All that I am, I owe to my suffering.

All that I am, I owe to doing what I didn’t want to do.

All that I am, I owe to being hard headed.

All that I am, I owe to my good times.

All that I am, I owe to my joyous times.

All that I am, I owe to my willingness to listen.

All that I am, I owe to God.

I just wrote this as I was preparing to write this post because I have been looking back and reflecting on my wildly unsettling, yet wildly successful year last year. There were so many cards stacked against me.

It was not a good time in my life, but, you have to think about it,  how else can a diamond be formed unless it’s put under an enormous amount of pressure? How else can iron be forged if it’s not put into the fire?

There were many times where I thought that I just could not possibly make it another day; when I just wanted to lay down and give up. Just then, I would hear this small, still voice that would let me know that everything would be okay.

I can’t believe I survived. I know that I’ve written a lot about this, but I truly cannot believe that made it. It was one of the hardest years in my life. I thought that I was going to break, but I didn’t. I didn’t. I didn’t break. Instead I thrived.

All of last year is a blur. As hard as everything was, it doesn’t matter right now. It’s like it never happened in one way. In another, it’s like it had to happen for me to start on the path that I am on. Of course I questioned why I had to travel this hard path. But, it’s not for me to wonder why. I’ll just go along with the flow like I always do and continue being me.

You know what, even though the cards were stacked against me, God brought me through it all, and those cards turned into a beautiful building. Much like the what I’m “building” in my life and my classroom.

Well, I have to go. I’m off to fix up my classroom. As always, here’s to continued success this year and the years to come.

It’s Closing Time…

I was @ a birthday party on Saturday when I noticed that the owners of the house owned a karaoke machine.

“Hey, Rose. Is that a karaoke machine?” I ever so politely asked.

Do you guys karaoke???

“Yes,” she replied. “Would you like to try it?”

“Try it? Are you kidding? I am the karaoke queen. I am definitely game!”

Boy, did I enjoy myself. I was unstoppable. Six, seven… well, about 15 songs later, I was as happy as I could be. Of course I sang my staple songs, but since I had the mic all to myself, I threw in a new one- Closing Time by Semisonic. I just love this song.

Let me set this up for you: The song’s setting is a bar. I’m not a big fan of bars since I don’t drink, but you don’t really have to be to appreciate the song. The song’s setting isn’t as important as what the song is saying. There is one line in there, in particular, that strikes me as so profound. The line goes:

Every new beginning is some other beginnings’ end.

When I first heard this song a couple of years ago, I thought that that was possibly one of the best sayings I’d ever heard. I have been thinking about that saying because I am beginning my 2nd year of teaching. In order to begin teaching I had to obtain that oh so previously elusive Bachelor’s degree that I had been desiring for so long. That new beginning-teaching- was my other beginning’s end, which was that of completing that long sought after Bachelor’s degree.

Endings can be sweet, they can be bittersweet, they can be horrible, etc… You just never know. For now, I am not concerned about the bittersweet or horrible endings though. Right now, my main concern is about happy endings, or rather happy beginnings.

I may have had a very rocky beginning to my teaching career, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It is what has made me who I am. It is what has put the swagger (according to my husband) in my step. So, that’s it; that’s all I have to say for now. I have to go. I need to get up in the morning and continue fixing up my classroom.

As always, here’s to continued success!

The Biggest Difference Between Good & Bad Spellers…

From Marie Rippel @ all-about-spelling.com

What are the biggest differences between a student who knows how to spell and one who struggles?

Kids who are good spellers tend to enjoy learning, read more, and do better in all subject areas. They normally have the confidence that they can tackle most academic learning.

Poor spellers, on the other hand, usually dislike school, are often frustrated, and try to hide their learning challenges.

That was the problem with almost all of my students. They couldn’t spell because some of them didn’t even know the alphabets. I really worked on that. This year, I am going to work on spelling, phonograms, & high frequency & sight words to keep my students on the marvelous track they started on.

Here’s to continued success!

Nine Ways To Save Time In The Classroom by Gay Su Pinnell

Hey, folk, I found this informational article on Scholastic.com.

Nine Ways to Save Time in the Classroom
By Gay Su Pinnell

Posting a daily schedule keeps students informed and the day on track.
Posting a daily schedule keeps students informed and the day on track.

Figuring out how to get it all done is a challenge for all teachers, not just new ones. Sometimes it will feel like there are simply not enough hours in the day. But here’s a secret: As these first few months pass by and you gain more experience, you’ll realize that you can accomplish more in a day than you did at the outset of the school year. Until then, here are some time-saving tips for managing all you have to do as efficiently as you can.

1. Analyze your schedule and set priorities. Categorize activities such as reading, math facts review, and oral language learning as high priority and activities such as holiday art activities, free-choice time, and an enrichment video as low priority. Be assertive in cutting down on the time for low priority items.

2. Cluster specials such as music and art in order to give yourself a longer planning time and to create fewer interruptions in reading and writing time.

3. Offer immediate activities for your students to do as soon as they come in. In many schools, students arrive at staggered times. Many teachers have students immediately begin to read from book boxes or write in their journals.

4. Streamline housekeeping by creating efficient ways to accomplish housekeeping tasks, such as taking the roll and determining lunch status with a sign-in board or name magnets.

5. Keep materials readily and quickly accessible to your students. One teacher I know has students’ folders (color-coded by subject) in different crates. The students are divided into committees of five, and each committee has its folders in one crate. The crates are in different parts of the room. When students need to retrieve their writing workshop folders, they scatter to different points in the room. Only five students are getting into a given crate to retrieve materials. This simple system eliminates the lines and inevitable delays that occur when all of the students are getting materials from one place.

6. Use mini-lessons. Mini-lessons are just — that quick, focused lessons. For a week or two, estimate the appropriate time for each mini-lesson you do. Set a timer for the estimated time. When it goes off, are you still introducing the lesson? Are you halfway through? Are you writing the last examples on the chart? This exercise will help you be more aware of the pacing in the lesson.

7. Talk less. While it is important for you to have conversations with your students, you will find that the less talking you do, the more students will learn and the faster lessons will go.

8. Develop systems for yourself so that you can efficiently accomplish tasks. For example, establish a system of checking reading journals over the week. Some teachers have the Monday Kids, Tuesday Kids, etc. This way, you have five to seven journals to look at each day rather than a whole pile at the end of the week.

9. Try incidental teaching during in-between times in the day. If you have five minutes before lunch, review a mini-lesson or read aloud a bit of a familiar well-loved story. If  young students are lining up, have them sing a song or enjoy shared chanting of a favorite poem (thus promoting phonemic awareness).

This article originally appeared in Instructor, published by Scholastic.
About the Author

A former classroom teacher, Gay Su Pinnell authored several professional books for Scholastic and is a professor at the School of Teaching and Learning at the Ohio State

Snap Back To Reality (continued)…

Well, today was my first day back at school. Not where I teach at, but the university where I am working on my teaching credential/Master’s degree. It’s so nice to be back. The atmosphere is so very nice. The teachers are super laid back. However, although I am happy to be back, I will be happy when I finish. I only have two more semesters and I am done.Yahooooooooo!

Welcome To The Newest Member Of My Family

I want to extend a warm welcome to my great-nephew, Khai Rodrigo. Born two days ago, to my niece, Brooke. He weighed in @ 6 lbs. 1.5 ozs., 19 inches long.

Thoughtful Quote

“Worry is like a rocking chair–it gives you something to do but it doesn’t get you anywhere.”
-Anonymous

Multiple Intelligences by Howard Gardner, Part 2

While writing my previous post, I realize that I am a kinesthetic, and tactile, as well as a visual learner. I thought that I was a tactile learner only, but have been doing a bit of thinking about it and realized that I, as well as a many people, employ multiple modalities during the course of their learning (which is life long btw).

My husband loves to use the computer for everything, but the way for me is writing with a pen and paper, or having something in my hand. I also realize that I need someone to show me how to do something as opposed to just telling me.

I realized this as I was in the bar the other night with my older sister. You see we (my sisters and I) go karaoking every Friday night. And of course there is music there. Well, my sister was trying to teach me to do this particular dance called the Cha-cha (a real old school dance), and I just could not get if for anything while she was trying to tell me. However, once she showed me, I got it. It still took a few tries, but I got it. I don’t think I would have ever gotten it if I had to rely on written instructions alone.

This is one of the concepts that I introduced to my students last year that I will be re-introducing to them next week when school begins. You can read about it here and here. It is a theory posited by Harvard professor Howard Gardner. Introducing my students to this concept was very helpful last year. If you’d like to read about it, check it out here.

The Joys Of Reading

I was reminded of just how much I love books when I was talking to my husband on one of my weekly trips to the library. He mentioned that he didn’t even know why anyone still used the library when the internet is so handy, and how great technology is- the Kindle electronic hand held reader, IPAQ, miniature hand held computers (that are used to read books electronically and do so much more).

However, there is no substitute for the feeling one gets when holding a new or old book in your hand. I told him that I don’t care how technologically advanced the world becomes that there is no substitute for holding a book in hand. There is simply no substitute for a book. Feeling the crisp pages, the smell of fresh paper; the way it moves and turns. Oh, how I love a good book.

Back In The Game…

Okay, folks. I am back in the game, as far as my student loans are concerned. A while back, I wrote a post about how I cried because I misunderstood something and that something cost me more than $13,000- the money from the Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program.

Let me explain. Firstly, I thought that I could participate in two AmeriCorps program for four years with a grand total of $18,900 earned. I was, however, woefully wrong. I found out that the correct amount of times that I could participate in an AmeriCorps programs was for 2 years with the total amount of money earned $9,450. Secondly, I thought that having received the AmeriCorps money, that I was ineligible for any Teacher Forgiveness Loan money. That is also not so.

I clicked on a link @ the T.E.A.M.S. AmeriCorps site and was so compelled to try to find a loophole. I knew that there just had to be another way. I need and want that extra money. So, I took another looksee and found that “other” way that I’d been looking for. I read the fine print and found out that as long as I didn’t receive the AmeriCorps money for my teaching service, then I was okay.

Yaaaaaay! I did not receive AmeriCorps money as a teacher! I received it as an assistant. Now, I can gracefully bow out of my T.E.A.M.S. AmeriCorps program, so that I can get that Teacher Forgiveness Loan money; which as it turns out is about $13,000 more than the AmeriCorps money that I would have received this year.

Hallelujah and Thank you Jesus. I am soooooooooo happy that everything will work out. Once I receive that money, I will have almost all of my loans paid for.

Here is the link if you want to find out more information, click here.

Hey Black Child by Useni Eugene Perkins

This is one of my favorite poems.

Hey Black Child

Hey Black Child,

Do you know who you are?

Who you really are?

Do you know you can be

What you want to be?

If you try to be

what you can be.

Hey Black Child,

Do you know where you’re going?

Where you’re really going?

Do you know you can learn

What you want to learn?

If you try to learn

What you can learn?

Hey Black Child,

Do you know you are strong?

I mean really strong?

Do you know you can do

What you want to do?

If you try to do

What you can do?

Hey Black Child,

Be what you can be

Learn what you must learn

Do what you can do

And tomorrow your nation will be what you want it to be.

Counting Down The Days

Well, people, it’s about that time. Summer is almost over. School will be starting in a couple of days. I’m ready to go back. I’m ready to tackle another year. The one good thing about teaching 2nd-5th grade is that I still have all of my students except for the three that graduated. So, I guess I don’t need to do any ice breakers because they already know each other. I only need to reintroduce them to the class rules and small stuff to make sure their behavior is still in check.

I guess I can get off to a quick start since I don’t have to do as much work getting them under control. I just need to maintain what I started last year. Here’s to another successful year.

What Language Do You speak? or (Can You Spare A Square?)

** WARNING- This post is kinda’ long**

Let me begin by saying that because of budget cuts, the district will no longer be paying for hotels for teachers’ training. Nor will they be providing lunch. They provide a continental breakfast (fruit, coffee, juice, croissants, and muffins) to get you there. After that, you are on your own. I know that we’re adults and we shouldn’t expect to be fed breakfast and lunch, but we have gotten accustomed to the star treatment. Now, it’s taken away? That’s why most of the teachers in the training were so uncomfortable. We were in a cafeteria on the benches that are reserved for elementary school students. Factor in no air conditioning and crowding, then you have the making of a bunch of grouchy, irritable people.

As I was thinking about how to put exactly what I was feeling into words, two of my favorite shows came to mind: Star Trek: The Next Generation & Seinfeld, because the situations were so similar. While these two don’t seem to have a lot in common, bear with me. As usual, I will bring it around.

In one of my favorite sci-fi shows, Star Trek:TNG, we viewers are allowed to hear a conversation between the Captain and his adviser regarding his upcoming meeting with an alien race. The adviser tells him to insult the aliens first, before beginning any type of negotiations.

Basically the conversation between the two goes like this: “Are you sure that’s the right thing to do?” asks Captain Picard.

“Of course,” replies his adviser. “That’s their culture, and in order to garner any type of respect from them, you have to open with an insult.”

“Okay,” replies the captain, “as you wish”.

My situation also reminded of an episode of Seinfeld where Elaine is stuck in a restroom stall that has run out of tissue. She politely asks the woman next to her if she can spare some tissue.

“No,” comes the reply, “I sure can’t”.

“Not any? Can you just give me a couple squares? Can you spare a square?” asks Elaine.

“No. Sorry!”

Well, Elaine got her back, but good. A couple of days later,

The Alphabet War by Diane Burton Robb

The Alphabet War, A Story About Dyslexia (2004), written by Diane Burton Robb and illustrated by Gail Piazza, was a cute and informative picture book about dyslexia. It was simple enough that it can be read to a small child to acquaint them with the disability. Yet, it has enough information in there for the parents.

So far, I’ve only had one student with dyslexia, but I am so sure that I am going to run across it much more in my career. That’s why I have been on a quest to find as many books on children with disabilities. Let me just say that there is a dearth out there of books for children with disabilities to use for bibliotherapy.

I really liked the story because it was very realistic. It didn’t use unrealistic techniques. It used good, old fashioned teaching. I don’t like things sugarcoated, but as it turns out, I didn’t have to worry about that with  this book.

For the dyslexic students, or any student with a learning disability I’ve worked with this sums up their behavior exactly. Refer to one of my other posts regarding children who would rather be considered bad than stupid.

On to the book, the title character, Adam, loved to sink into his mother’s warm lap and listen to her read. He would close his eyes and imagine himself crouching behind a huge saltshaker as a terrible voice thundered, “Fee-fi-fo-fum!”

His mother could look at the pages of “Jack and the Beanstalk” and suddenly know how the beanstalk shuddered and swayed under the weight of the angry giant.

I can’t do that, thought Adam.

He didn’t care though. He was just happy playing and being the sweet little boy that he was. It continued through the first grade, all the way up to the fourth grade. Suddenly, he receives the help he needs. Is a miracle in the works? or does his “miracle” consist of good old-fashioned teaching methods?

I guess you’re just going to have to read it and find out.

Looking Back or (The Secret To My Success)…

I am still trying to put my finger on exactly what worked for me this year because I would really love to have an equal amount, if not more success this year. I’d like to know exactly what it was that made my student’s test scores shoot up so much.

While I’m not exactly sure what all of the contributing factors were to my students’ success this year, I’m pretty sure that one of them was all of the reading that we did. I love reading. I am a voracious reader. So, since I love reading so much, I want to instill that same love in my students. That’s why, from the very first day of school, I read to the children least four times a week. The first book that I read to them was “Thank You, Mr. Falker” by Patricia Polacco. My students hung on to my every word. So, began their love of literacy.

We’d take turns, my students and I, picking the books. Whenever I was introducing a new topic, I would have a book to read to them. They loved it. Some of them would ask me what I was going to read next. They almost always liked my choices. When they didn’t, or when the book seemed to be taking too long to get to the point, I would ask them if they wanted to continue reading it. We would take a vote. If they didn’t want to continue, we didn’t. If they did want to continue reading it, we finished.

I definitely plan on continuing the tradition of daily reading. I guess it did make a difference after all. Well, I’m finished bragging until next time!

I Looked Fabulous!!!

I just returned home from my 20th High School Reunion. I have to say that the people were a lot nicer this time around. The first time, the people who were snotty in high school were still snotty. Not this time though. Time tends to soften people. I spoke to some people for the first time. Ever. We didn’t talk in high school, but spoke a few words tonight.

I had a wonderful time. I’m glad I went. It was a last minute decision. It all started this morning when my friend, Annette J., who I’ve known since elementary school, ripped into me this morning for using my weight as an excuse for not going. She was right; I was. So, I stopped making excuses and went.

Let me just say that I looked fabulous. I really did. As I stated above, I was a little worried about going because I’d put on a couple of pounds since my last reunion. But, as it turned out, I really didn’t have to worry because I found a dress (that really showed off all the right curves) last night that was calling my name.

“Leila, here I am. Pick me up. Buy me”, it seemed to be saying to me.

Since it asked so nicely, of course I had to do what it said. So, I bought it. What else was I supposed to do? It was my size, and it was calling my name after all.

Let me describe the dress to you. It was a kinda’ dressy (like something worn to church) wrap dress that was cream on one side, black and cream on the other, with a tie front. So, if you saw me from the front, it looked totally different from the back. It didn’t even look like the same dress when I turned around.

I will post pictures tomorrow or Monday (Really! I will). So, until next time people!

Disaggregating The CST data!

We are disaggregating the data today at school. Simply put, disaggregating the data  means that we are taking the data apart and analyzing it. For instance, for my class, I want to see how many of my students moved from FBB to BB or B; or even if they stayed at the same level, did they make progress.

My answer (and yes I am bragging) is a resounding yes. There was so much progress made in my class- from a low scoring FBB to a high scoring FBB, almost BB, to a jump from FBB to B.

This is such a great feeling for me. I simply cannot believe the amazing progress. Some of the teachers think that this is boring, but it’s very exciting to me because I can’t believe how much the test scores have gone up. My mind is blown. I guess I really did make a difference.

Well, I have to go. I have to continue basking in this glow. Until next time people!

Alphabet War by David Artuso

I found this poem in the front of a book entitled READING BY THE COLORS by Helen Irlen. It was written by a college student who wanted the world to understand the frustration of the reading experience for someone with SSS. Perhaps there was a title, but I didn’t see it. So I took the liberty of naming it The Alphabet War by David Artuso.

ALPHABET WAR by David Artuso

B’s and d’s look the same to me—

And so do p’s and q’s.

N’s and u’s I always confuse—

And m’s and w’s.

The page is bright. It hurts my eyes.

the words, they jump about.

Like little worms, they wriggle and squirm.

They make me want to shout.

The teachers tell me I must try.

I try! I try! I try!

It hurts my head. It hurts! It hurts!

And then I start to cry.

—David Artuso

Refreshed & ready

I know that I’ve said this a lot in the past couple of weeks but I am still going to say it again, “I wish that I would have had this training that I’m getting now, last year”. I know that my timing was all wrong, but it still would have been the difference between a frazzled me and a calmer, more organized me.

This year though, I have been blessed enough to receive the training. As a result, I am enthusiastic about returning to school. I have so much work ahead of me since I am collaborating with the other third grade teachers, but it will be well worth. At least now I know how to begin.

Right now, the third grade teachers are charged with collaboratively creating lesson plans of Social Studies lessons that coordinate with Open Court. So, hasta la bye-bye while I do my work.

Guess How Smart I Am?

Well, guess!! I am so smart that I went to the library and checked out some books. No, that’s not the guess how smart part. The guess how smart part is when I fell asleep in one of those comfy chairs while waiting for David, Phillise, Calvin, & Chloe to finish on the computers and check out their books, and left one of the books that I just checked out in the chair. Yeah, smart, I know!

I called the library, but the librarians couldn’t find out because of the shift change. So, now I have to file a lost report or something like that.

I am, however, not going to leave this matter in the hands of the library system. The last time I did, I ended up paying $20.50 for a book that I didn’t lose. When I return to the library on Thursday, I am going to look for it.

So, until then, I hope I don’t do something too smart! Bye for now!

The CST Scores Are In!!!

My school just received our preliminary CST test scores, and they are very good. I am extraordinarily proud of my students. They did such a great an excellent job.

I’m talking about my students having an average +58.2 point gain in English/Language Arts, and an average gain of +57.5 points in Math.

I’m not sure if wrote about crying last year because one of my students could not distinguish between the plus & the minus sign. Well, he finally did, and I am happy to report that Lil’ Man jumped +91 points in ELA and +56 points in Math. How’s that for progress and learning the difference between the plus and the minus signs.

While some of them are still Far Below Basic (FBB), they have made significant gains to be on their way to Proficient (P) or Advanced (A) (which is the goal). This is very significant. My students can finally be looked at as students, instead of just Special Education students. Yaaaaaaaaaaay for my students!!!!!!!!!

Another thing is that I am really proud of me. Me. The same me who I thought was so incompetent during the year. The same me who cried most of last year. The same me who beat myself up so bad, and nearly drove myself into the ground. The same me who had stomach flu twice, and walking pneumonia (and didn’t even know it) because my body broke down when I thought that I could not possibly survive another day. The same me, who, though I knew that I could do it, still had serious doubts.

I am sooooooooo happy! Here’s to continued success this year!

** I don’t know how, but I forgot to mention that one of my other students, Marry, gained +96 points in math to go from a Far Below Basic to a Basic**

About The CSTs!!!

The California Standards Test. What is it? It is the test given by the state of CA.

If you’ve ever read the results and didn’t understand what they meant, here’s an explanation:

• FBB-(Far Below Basic- the lowest)
• BB- (Below Basic)
• B- (Basic)
• P- (Proficient)
• A- (Advanced- highest level)

These tests are a thorn in some people’s side. There are so many educators who don’t think that these are necessary. I am one of them. Why do I count myself among them you ask?

As a Special Education teacher, most of my students are at FBB because of their lack of reading skills, they’re English Learners (EL), different disabilities, etc. There are myriad reasons why their scores are low. The bottom line is they’re in sp. ed. for a reason; and in the lower grades, it’s usually because something’s lacking with their reading skills.

That’s why I count myself among them because I am a Special Education teacher. Most of my students just learned to read last year. In the 3rd and 4th grade! Yet, they are held to the same standards as General Education students.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think that they should get special treatment in every area, just some. If they don’t know how to read, how are they supposed to answer the question? If I were allowed to read the questions to them, that would be so much easier. But, believe me when I say that that my students overcompensate in many areas. Those students who struggle with reading are very verbal; they are very good conversationalists.They can answer the questions, but they just can’t read them. Hence the special treatment that I think they should receive.

The scores are due in any day now. I am very hopeful that my students (and the school, of course) did well. We’ll see!!!

The Big R (Reclassification)

• RFEP
• IFEP
• EO
• ELD 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

These were all terms pertaining to me that were foreign to me last year when I first started teaching. In teaching, there are so many acronyms. Imagine trying to make sense of them all. Especially when I have to contend with special ed. acronyms also. It enough to drive anyone crazy.

But I digress. On to the good news. I just finished ELD training. It was wonderful. I am so happy that I was finally able to get trained. I hope I always feel this way about training.

During the year, I was confused when it came time to complete the ELD folders. Thank goodness my EL Coordinator walked me through it. Though helpful, it was not enough. I was still lost. That’s why I was so thrilled when my Principal informed me that I would be going to the training.

I learned so much in this training. I am excited about going back and using these strategies in my classroom. If I could have had this training last year, I would have been so far ahead of the game. But you live and you learn. Again, I digress.

During the training, I learned about something called Reclassification. I’d briefly heard about this in meetings, but didn’t know that it was so important. This week, I found out exactly how important it is.

Reclassification pertains to the ELD program, formerly known as the ESL program. Reclassification is the Holy Grail of ELD (formerly ESL). This is how it works. Upon entering school, a questionnaire is given about the student’s native language. If the parent puts anything besides English, the student is required to take a test- the CELDT, which stands for CA English Language Development Test.

After students take the test, they can either test out as an IFEP, which stands for Initially Fluent English Proficient. However, if the student is not proficient in English, they will be placed @ ELD levels 1-5. The goal of the ELD program is to reclassify or get out of the program by becoming proficient in English. Once they are reclassified, they are considered RFEP- Reclassfied Fluent English Proficient.

The really important fact that I learned this week is that if the students don’t reclassify by Grade 5, they will probably never reclassify. This is not a good thing because according to the presenters at the training, after elementary school, not much attention is given to ELD.

If the student is still in ELD classes in high school, they are not given the chances that others are given; they are not allowed to take college courses; nor do their ELD courses count for any college credit.

As a result of all of this, the students become defeated and give up. At this point, there is no way they can go to a university straight out of high school. So, they eventually give up and drop out. This has very far reaching effects. Not reclassifying is one of the main reasons that students drop out of high school. I cannot remember the numbers, but they were somewhere around 3,000 students starting in K, with only 500 graduating. Sooooo depressing.

If you are a parent and you are reading this and would like to know more, talk to your child’s teacher or ELD Coordinator.

**Here is a link to the ELD standards.

Grade Level Planning. Yay!

Oh, how I wish I could have had this information last year. Well, I did have some of it last year, but not to this extent. It is simply wonderful. I don’t have to have the burdern of planning by myself. I now have others to split the work with.

This year already seem so much more promising. I have so many more tools at my disposal  and I plan to take advantage of them all.

Rocket Science

Reading is rocket science by the way. There’s actually an article (a 40 page pdf) with this title, that was written especially for the American Federation of Teachers.

The article deals with teaching reading. It basically says that reading can be taught using a systematic approach. That information was all that surprising to me. Even though I had a moderate to good amount of success with teaching my students to read, I was amazed because I didn’t really have a systematic way of teaching it. Yet, I still had a small amount of success.

So, if you have the time, read the article when you get a chance. All 40 pages of it! Enjoy!

Check it out!

Books For Children About Disabilities

I have read all of these books. I will update the list as I come across more.

One of my favorite books of all time, Thank You Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco (dyslexia)

Egg Drop Blues by Jacqueline Turner Banks (dyslexia)

The Alphabet War by Diane Burton Robb (dyslexia)

Joey Pigza Loses Control by Jack Gantos (ADHD)

Joey Pigza Swalloed the Key by Jack Gantos (ADHD)

What Would Joey Do? by Jack Gantos

I am Not Joey Pigza by Jack Gantos (ADHD)

Petey by Ben Mikaelsen (cerebral palsy)

Above is a simple list of books that I am familiar with. Since it was so small, I did a little research and found a couple of lists that you can access by clicking here, here (click disability to the right), here, here, here and here.

What Do I Do On The First Day Of School? part 2

Thanks to snap22, I now have more tips on how to deal with first day of school jitters for new teachers. I don’t know how I forgot # 1. That was one of the first things I was told in grad school. Anyway, here they are:

Here are a few that I posted to a first -year teacher asking about that first day and first week to end all others:

survival tip #1: make the custodian and secretary your best friend – buy them coffee, bring them donuts, wash their cars, but make sure you stay in their good graces at all times.

survival tip #2: find a partner teacher that you can send a kid out to see on timeout when you’re at your limit and can’t take it anymore. don’t make the front office the dumping ground for behavior problems you can’t yet handle, or are having trouble with when they target you as the freshest teacher meat on the block. and they will smell that first month fear on you and test those boundaries.

survival tip #3: figure out who are going to be those most difficult to deal with, authority-defying, hormone-raging, balance-of-power classroom catalysts that have the potential to get everyone around them stirred up. call their parents within the first 48 hours of meeting them – before the first incident happens – and give compliments and optimistic statements about their child’s potential to have a great year up the wazoo. lie through your teeth if you have to. the good will that introductory phone call creates will be the insurance policy you will draw upon for the rest of the year.

survival tip #4: buy the costco 5 gallon bucket of twizzlers for bribes and rewards. and i mean specifically twizzlers. any small candies with wrappers will litter the ground like a trail of breadcrumbs leading from your classroom door. chocolate will get on textbooks. with twizzlers, they’re too hard to break and share, so those who were off-task when you gave directions and didn’t get the treat can’t pressure the goody-two-shoes in the front row to hand over half of the reward. and, *laughing at the irony* don’t forget to read alfie kohn’s punished by rewards at the same time.

survival tip #5: get a good pair of merrells, born, or other support shoe, then add gel insoles, then put a rubber mat in front of the white board where you’ll be standing, then leave the bucket and epson salt by the sofa for when you get home.

What Do I Do On The First Day Of School?

• What do I do on the first day of school?
• What do I wear on the first day of school?
• Am I going to know what to do with unruly students?
• Will the kids respect me?
• How will I know how to teach a certain concept?
• What will I do if a lesson bombs?
• What if I can’t answer the student’s questions?

If you’re reading this blog, if you purposely typed those words into a search engine, then you are searching for answers. Those are a few of the questions I asked myself before I started teaching last year. I typed in those same words because, like everyone else, I was lost for the first couple of months of teaching. It seemed like everyone else seemed to have “it” more under control than I did. In the copy room, they seemed to know what they were doing; what pages to copy; in the classroom, what lessons to teach. However, the solution isn’t as simple as typing those words into a search engine and getting an answer. I hate to say this, but no one can give you those answers. They can’t give them to you because you have them. Sure they may be able to tell you what lesson to plan or give you helpful hints on how to handle kids, but some things you have to experience for yourself. There are some things no one can tell you. No one has the secret that you need. You have it. The answers may be deep down inside you, but they are there.

As I stated above, when I first started, I was so lost. I didn’t have a clue. Although I had recently graduated from an excellent teaching program @ Azusa Pacific University, I thought that surely other teachers had a secret weapon; that they knew more than I did. I thought that surely they must have had some sort of secret training in their teacher training program that I didn’t. Surely I was missing something, wasn’t I? Why didn’t I have the “secret” that they had? Why didn’t I go to their training program? Why, oh, why was I so stupid that I couldn’t pick the right program? Little did I know that I had that same “secret” they did; that same secret weapon.

They did have the “secret”. Once I learned the secret, I found out that it wasn’t as complicated as I’d originally thought. I will get to the secret, but first, I will continue with my current train of thought regarding my secret weapon.

The only thing most new teachers didn’t know more about than me was MY secret- my classroom management skills. If I must say so, they are very good. I cheated though. I had an advantage. I was an assistant for 6.5 years. During that time I picked up many “tricks”. That’s how I was able to gain control over my class and establish control from the beginning. That’s the reason why I didn’t go completely crazy. If I didn’t have the classroom under control, I would have gone stir crazy and had a nervous breakdown.

Okay, now that I’ve said that. I’m going to tell you the “secret”. It’s so simple, you might think that it’s too simple. Just trust me on this and listen very carefully, cause here it goes:

• it’s perseverance to keep getting back up when all you want to do is lay in the bed and feel sorry for yourself because that kid got the best of you yesterday.
• it’s about learning as much information as you can handle so you can master the programs that you teach.
• it’s reading ahead and being prepared.
• Let me say it again, it’s about being prepared.
• it’s about staying positive when you want to scream @ the top of your lungs because no one seems to understand what you’re going through.
• it’s about stick-to-it-ive-ness.

There are a couple more. Well, I’m sure, there are a lot more, but these are all I’ve been able to find out for myself so far. I will add more to this as I learn more.

Read To Me L.A.

(Taken directly from Los Angeles Public Library website)

Read to Me L.A. is a free program that teaches parents and caregivers how to read to their preschool children and help them become successful readers. Giving children a head start in reading is important, because kids who read succeed!

Beginning in Fall 2007, librarians will hold Read to Me L.A. storytimes for parents and their preschool children at the Central Library and all 71 branch libraries citywide. At the storytimes, parents will learn how to bring books into their home, how to read to their children daily, and how to give their children the skills they need to become readers. Children will learn about books, simple phonics and new words.

At the storytimes, parents will also receive free books, booklists, and tips so they can continue building their children’s reading skills daily.

For more information about Read to Me L.A. and helping your preschool child read—and succeed—contact Ilene Abramson, Director of Children’s Services, 213-228-7480, or visit your local Los Angeles Public Library.

There is an excellent booklist (click here) that highlight the six pre-reading skills- Letter Knowledge, Vocabulary Skills, Phonics Awareness, Narrative Skills, Print Awareness, Print Motivation. Once children know these essential skills, they should be well on their way to reading.

What’s Up With That?

I don’t know what’s going on with the feed stats, because I’ve noticed that a couple of people added. Yet, it doesn’t show up to the left. The number of readers haven’t gone up for a couple of months even though a couple of people have added.

I asked this question a while ago, but I have to ask again, “What’s up with that?”

21 Ways To Get Your Child To Write This Summer

(Taken directly from All About Spelling) Summer is a great time to introduce
spelling and writing activities to keep your student’s skills sharp. Take advantage of these fun ideas to encourage your child to write:

1. Go on a nature walk with your child and have him bring a sketchbook. Encourage him to draw sketches of insects, flowers, and other things he observes, writing the names of them under the sketch. It is interesting for kids to read their notes later.

2. If you have a garden, your child can keep notes about the vegetable or flower varieties you planted.

3. Encourage your child to write letters to pen pals, relatives, or friends.

4. Let your child make up a treasure or scavenger hunt, complete with written clues and a map.

5. Show your child how to keep a scrapbook of summer activities and write captions under the photos.

6. Get a pad of Mad Libs and have fun filling in the words and reading them to each other.

7. Help your child write and “publish” a book of poems or stories to share with friends and relatives.

8. Ask your child to design and write the invitations to a summer party or family barbecue.

9. Write a note for your child to discover. Put it under his pillow, in his backpack, or next to his dinner plate.

10. Encourage your child write a play to perform with friends.

11. Cut individual words out of a newspaper or old magazine. Arrange them into sentences with your child.

12. Give your child the important job of creating weekly shopping lists or menus for the family.

13. Get a box of colored chalk and have fun writing messages on the sidewalk with your child.

14. Have your child write out his favorite recipes on index cards to create a “personal favorites” recipe collection. Then make the dishes together.

15. Play a rhyming game together in which you give your child a simple word, like “splat.” He goes through the alphabet and writes down all the words he can think of that rhyme with that word. This game can also be played verbally and is great for long car rides.

16. Make a copy of the first paragraph or two of your child’s favorite story. Then cut out each sentence, mix them up, and have your child put the story back together.

17. Clip out a comic strip. White out the words, and let your child create new dialogue for the characters.

18. Have your child invent a new animal, draw a picture of it, and write about it. He can describe what it looks and sounds like, what it eats, where it lives, and so on.

19. Play Boggle, Scrabble, or Upwords together.

20. Have your student randomly select ten words from the dictionary or old spelling lists and shape a poem around those words.

21. Plan a trip. Look up books at the library and map out the route.

I’m Back!!!

Today was the first day of buy back days. I went to work today and it wasn’t that bad. There was, as always, lots of good information. One of the high points are our grade level meetings. We accomplish so much. I guess I’ll be getting to bed now. I gotta’ go back tomorrow @ 8:00 a.m. Since being off in the month of July, I’ve been up that early maybe twice.

I’m happy to get back to a routine though. I got a little too used to doing my own thing. I had a good rest, but it’s time to get back to work.

So, bye for now.

The Scrambled States of America

The Scrambled States of America (2002), written and illustrated by Laurie Heller is a pretty nice little book. It originally came to my attention because it is part of the Scholastic Video Collection. So, on one of my trips to the bookstore, I read it. liked it so much that I decided to buy the Scholastic video; especially since I am working on completing my Scholastic video collection. Right now, we have 20 of the 27 videos.

I just finished reading the book to David & Phillise. Then we watched the video. I always like to do that to compare. I want the children to imagine it in their heads before they see how someone else imagined it in their head.

How did I like it? How did David & Phillise like it???

I am happy to report that they loved the book. They wanted to look at the before and after pictures of when the states switched places. It also brought up questions about the way they were dressed, which led to a conversation on what the different states were like.

What’s In My Future…

There are so many things going on with me this month. Like to hear about ’em, here they are:

• There were so many birthdays in my family in the summer that my aunt Linda is giving a party for all of the July & August birthdays tomorrow. It’s adults only. I’m not mad at her. There are so many kids in the family that it takes a small fortune to feed them if everyone shows up.

• Phillip is scheduled for surgery Monday to have the pin removed from his ankle on Monday.

• I have a conflict on Monday because I go back to work on Monday for 3, count ’em, three weeks of professional development meetings.

• I return to school in about 3 weeks.

• Which means that I only have a little more than one month left before I go back to school and teaching full time.
• Consequently, I go back to praying full time! 🙂