Pizza Hut Reading Certificates Are Here!!!

Dear Parents,

The Pizza Hut Reading Certificates are here. Your child will be receiving them on a bi-weekly basis.

Thank you

I didn’t want to take this post down, but I mistakenly posted this on my personal blog thinking it was my classroom blog. What I will do is post the information is you’re a public or private school teacher or homeschooler and would like to sign up to receive them. Here is the link to sign up:

http://www.bookitprogram.com/

Once you’re there, click on Enroll Now, then click on your school type, search for your school by city and state or zip code, and follow the directions from there.

Enjoy!

My New Job!

I have been mad busy. Mostly, Ive been bullshitting and haven’t been budgeting my time right. Also, I have a co-teacher. Well, she’s not a co-teacher as much as a substitute. In order to complete my degree (M.A. in Special Education & Education Specialist Credential), my last Principal was able to secure a position (for 1 semester) as an Inclusion Specialist. Once the semester is over, I will go back to my classroom and finish out the school year, with the position becoming permanent next Fall. So, for the past two weeks I’ve been training my co-teacher. Can I just say that it is so scary leaving another teacher in charge of your students? It was almost as scary as leaving my own children at school. I had to learn to let go really quickly and appreciate her strengths. I can only hope that she comes through. I’m behind in lesson planning, so I will say good-bye and post the rest of the story at another time.

So, bye for now!

Progress Monitoring Forms

Since my school has no budget for extras, I am on the lookout for FREE progress monitoring tools. Some of the websites I’ve come across are:

• Intervention Central- http://www.interventioncentral.org/
• http://www.mciu.org/Divisions/SpecialEducation/EarlyInterventionOverview/ProgressMonitoringTools/tabid/296/Default.aspx (On this site there are progress monitoring tools from everything to Adaptive tools to Social Behavior)
• Montgomery County Public Schools Best Practices- http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/info/baldrige/staff/addresources.shtm
• http://www.mciu.org/Divisions/SpecialEducation/EarlyInterventionOverview/EarlyInterventionForms.aspx (Early Intervention Forms)
• Center of Instruction (COI)- http://www.centeroninstruction.org/topic.cfm?k=R **

I will add more as I find them. Bye for now!!!

Snap Back to Reality, Part Who Knows…

Well, Dear Readers,

I am back at work. Since I have a co-teacher (I’ll explain in a later post), I was able to set up my classroom in one day. I forgot the lettering at home, so I just need to put up the lettering and the posters at the top of the room. I packed so much into today and this summer. Usually I’m a big, fat slacker in the summer. But, I was determined to make the most of this summer & I did. I spent so much time with my children, I finished 1/2 of my final classes. I decided on a topic for my Literature review (Inclusion) and I read many of the books for my summer reading list. I had such a good summer. I’m sad to see it end so early, but it was good while it lasted. Now, I will see you later. I’m off to LACMA’s Friday night jazz.

Bye for now!

Best of…

Works4Me is a free weekly e-newsletter, showcasing practical classroom tips written by the readers themselves. For over 10 years we have been gathering great ideas from the real experts, educators like you.

Here they present you 21 of the best back-to-school-themed teaching tips we’ve gathered over the years.

Learning About Each Other

1. Learning About Each Other
   With this get-to-know-you activity, Ms. Herbert’s fourth-grade students practice their conversational skills, learn proper etiquette, and discover just about everything they ever wanted to know about their new teacher.
2. Ten Questions to Start the Year
   Ms. Skid, a retired high school teacher, suggests excellent conversation starters that will engage students and elicit great responses to help the class learn more about each other.
3. Teacher Test
   Ms. La Masa helps her students learn more about her with a pop quiz on the first day. Questions detail her personal interests, and students make guesses before she reveals the answers.
4. Math Autobiography
   In order to learn more about her budding mathematicians, Marybeth L. asks her new students each year to write about their experiences in math classes: the good, the bad, the ugly.

Building Community

15 Libraries Taking Summer Reading to the Next Level

***Taken directly from http://www.oedb.org**

Summer reading programs have long been a staple of library activities in communities all across the nation, yet many libraries today are offering much more than the usual programs that encourage young kids to read by tracking their progress and offering rewards. Today, many reading programs are accompanied by seriously cool reading and education-related events and there are numerous reading programs targeting adults and teens, pushing whole families to enjoy a few good books over the summer months. While not an exhaustive list (there are a lot of amazing libraries out there), here we highlight some of the libraries we think are going above and beyond in their summer reading initiatives, offering programs and activities that help readers spend their summers reading, learning, sharing, and growing.

1. Framingham Public Library:

   Framingham Public Library has a great summer reading program for keeping young minds engaged during their break from school, but where it really stands out is in what it has to offer adults. In recent years, the library has developed summer reading programs that target adults, offering additional entries in a raffle for every book they read. Readers log their books, which are of their own choosing, and at the end of the summer can get a chance to win a grand prize: a new Kindle. The library also sponsors other adult-focused events over the summer, including screening foreign films and hosting lectures on topics like super heroes and mythology.

2. The Charles H. Stone Memorial Library:

   When kids sign up for the summer reading program at this North Carolina library, they get a whole lot more than just motivation to read. The library has incorporated a number of fun and exciting events into their summer reading program. These include a mobile space lab, yoga classes for kids, magic shows, nighttime parties for tweens, and plenty of fun activities for teens. Kids of any age can also compete to see who can read the most books, with a cash prize to the winner.

3. Pima County Public Library:

Progress Monitoring Forms

Since my school has no budget for extras, I am on the lookout for FREE progress monitoring tools. Some of the websites I’ve come across are:

• Intervention Central- http://www.interventioncentral.org/
• http://www.mciu.org/Divisions/SpecialEducation/EarlyInterventionOverview/ProgressMonitoringTools/tabid/296/Default.aspx (On this site there are progress monitoring tools from everything to Adaptive tools to Social Behavior)
• Montgomery County Public Schools Best Practices- http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/info/baldrige/staff/addresources.shtm
• http://www.mciu.org/Divisions/SpecialEducation/EarlyInterventionOverview/EarlyInterventionForms.aspx (Early Intervention Forms)
• Center of Instruction (COI)- http://www.centeroninstruction.org/topic.cfm?k=R ***

EasyCBM

I love this site. You have to register for an account, but no worries, it’s free. Once you register, there’s a boatload of free assessments with graphing. I’m using this for school-wide assessment and progress monitoring. What’s more, it’s available for grades k-8. Check it out @ www.easyCBM.com!

I Don’t Have to Reinvent the Wheel!!!

Dear Readers,

I was going to reinvent the wheel, but you know what, I don’t have to. For my new position, I was going to put together a framework; piecemeal it actually. However, once I started I realized that, firstly, it was taking too long. Secondly, if I did it that way, it was going to be a little disjointed. Thirdly, and most importantly, someone else has already done it. Since that was the case, the only thing I needed to do was find the best one. Yeah, I found one I like- AimsWeb! It very comprehensive and exactly what I need. I’ll let you know how it works out.

Bye for now!

 

My New Position!

Dear Readers,

Just had to tell you about my new position. I am officially the new Inclusion Specialist at my school. I got a $10,000 raise by way of tuition payments.

So, what exactly is an Inclusion Specialist? Well, that’s the private school title for Resource Specialist. I am only responsible for the students with an I.E.P. As of today, that makes 7. Is that a nice position or what?

I will expound more and definitely post more when I start school next week. I need to train my replacement, so my position doesn’t officially start until September after I’ve had time to train her.

So, bye for now!

50 Best Blogs for Special Ed Teachers

***Taken directly from http://www.onlineuniversities.com***

50 Best Blogs for Special Ed Teachers (Updated)

by Staff Writers

While being a teacher is never easy, working with students in special education comes with some unique challenges. From writing lengthy IEPs to working closely with parents and other teachers, it takes a calm, collected, organized, confident, and very special person to work with students who often need a great deal more support and assistance than their peers to succeed. Yet even the best special education teachers can use a little guidance, inspiration, and information to help them to be even better at what they do. That’s just what the 50 blogs we’ve collected here can do. Read through this updated list (a revision of this list to reflect new blogs and to remove old, no-longer-updated sites) to find resources that will help you teach, learn, and grow right alongside your students.

Special Education Teaching Tips and Strategies

These blogs are written by teachers and educational professionals who share their ideas, tips, tools, and advice for working with special education students.

1. Reality 101: The Council for Exceptional Children maintains this blog along with the help of several special education teachers who share their experiences and advice.
2. About.com Special Education: Blogger and teacher Jerry Webster shares the basics of special education here, as well as some helpful insights from his own experiences in the classroom.
3. About.com Learning Disabilities: Through this blog you can learn more about a variety of learning disabilities and how you can help children with them excel.
4. Teachers at Risk: Teacher Elona Hartjes shares her insights, resources, and practical classroom advice here, an invaluable resource for any special education teacher.
5. Successful Teaching: This blog isn’t focused on special education, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be a great place for special ed teachers to find advice on all things education-related.
6. Special 2 Me: Check out this blog from a highly dedicated special education teacher (and for the present general education teacher) who is teaching in a high-crime, low-income school in L.A. ***Now an Inclusion Specialist @ a private school***
7. Special Education Strategies and More: Teachers and parents of children with special needs can find some helpful strategies for helping them grow academically, emotionally, and socially on this blog.
8. Teacher Sol: Exceptional Needs Specialist Maria Angala shares what’s going on in her class as well as updates on her battle to improve special education here.
9. Teaching Students with Learning Difficulties: Teachers and staff working with high schoolers in special education can find useful lessons, tips, and more on this great blog.
10. Life in Special Education: Head to this blog to see what special education teacher Karla Banks is doing in her elementary school classroom.

On Your Mark…Get Set…STAND STILL!

***Dear Readers,

This is a long read, but well worth it. It comes directly from one of my favorite inspirational websites, The Diva Zone. I felt as if the writer was talking directly to you. Hopefully you will get something from this as well. ***

Good Morning God’s Beautiful People!

I love the way God speaks to me through His beautiful nature. I personally don’t seem to hear His voice (speaking to my heart) in the loud booms, but in the quiet moments and when I’m least expecting it.

Yesterday morning I had one of those moments I will never forget. I was at my home in Virginia and my mother and I were sharing a coffee break. I was staring out of the deck door just watching the ducks quietly swim in the creek, listening to the birds sing praises unto God and just feeling truly grateful to God for His love and provision.

Why Visual Learners Struggle With Phonics???

Guest post from easyreadsystem.com

With Synthetic Phonics systems in place in most classrooms, many more children are picking up literacy with relative ease. However, 20% of children reach age 11 and are not able to pass a reading test. Many children are still not grasping phonics.

Why?

Children, like everyone, have different learning styles. We all naturally use the parts of the brain that work best for us. The more we use those parts, the more they develop, to the detriment of other areas. When this scientific truth is applied to literacy, it can have a dangerous result. Visual learners seem to be at particular risk when it comes to reading, though at first this risk may be well hidden. Children with this visual learning style will usually succeed in early literacy tasks, like learning the alphabet and simple words through sight-memorization and repetition. Both of these methods appeal to their brain’s highly engaged visual capacity.

10 Tips to Help You Raise Kids Who Love Reading

**Resolutions for Parents on Raising a Reader

1. Raising a Reader: Read aloud to your children every day.

According to Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read, “The more models of fluent reading the children hear, the better….Reading to children also increases their knowledge of the world, their vocabulary, their familiarity with written language (‘book language’), and their interest in reading.” If you have young children and want to learn more about the joys of reading aloud, read Mem Fox’s Reading Magic: Why Reading Aloud to Our Children Will Change Their Lives Forever.

Many families enjoy a 20-30 minute read-aloud time just before bedtime. Start reading aloud to your children on a daily basis when they are babies. Keep reading to them up through elementary school and later. As they get to be independent readers, continue to read aloud to your children but also give them time to read aloud to you. For information on the how, why, and what of reading aloud, I recommend The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease.

2. Raising a Reader: Get a library card.

Public libraries are wonderful. You can save money at your public libraryby taking advantage of all of the resources it offers. It is easy to get a library card. In most cases, all you need is identification verifying that you live in the area served by the library. If your children are old enough, they need to get their own cards and learn to keep track of their borrowed books so as to get them back on time.

Once you have a card, ask the librarian to show you and your children around the children’s section and show you how to use the card catalog (generally computerized). If your children have special interests (favorite subjects, authors, etc.), make sure they ask the librarian how to locate books related to them.

3. Raising a Reader: Take your children to the library once a week.