tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70819958354024180572024-03-05T22:39:19.267-08:00Ashley's Brainy CentersHelping YOU help kids! Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11085751450602893085noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081995835402418057.post-15761702752451085822017-07-14T12:07:00.000-07:002017-07-14T12:07:07.552-07:005 Back to School Outfits for Teachers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicPj_TliMq8a-aSq4ftVDUMIi5jZG9IzJh64RpARJ3LlaQLadw0lxZloT_fQ1QRcE4nhxLMN5DQJLtBETMAp3BDFFuX7RDcdR4TpHLszXKi6hVlr3mZhCWPHTIstOKmw_VyCKhqPWO4zDX/s1600/A+Teacher%2527s+Closet-5+Affordable+Back+to+School+Outfits.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicPj_TliMq8a-aSq4ftVDUMIi5jZG9IzJh64RpARJ3LlaQLadw0lxZloT_fQ1QRcE4nhxLMN5DQJLtBETMAp3BDFFuX7RDcdR4TpHLszXKi6hVlr3mZhCWPHTIstOKmw_VyCKhqPWO4zDX/s640/A+Teacher%2527s+Closet-5+Affordable+Back+to+School+Outfits.png" width="640" height="360" data-original-width="560" data-original-height="315" /></a></div><br><br><br>
<b>Back to school is quickly approaching... and do you know what that means? Back to School SHOPPING!</b>
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Now, we all know that when it comes to a teacher's budget we're not working with a lot of money, so places like Target, TJMaxx, Marshall's, etc. are the place to go to spruce up the new school year's wardrobe. I'm very fortunate that the couple schools I work in all have air conditioning, but I know that there are some that are not as lucky (come on administrators, it's 2017!!!)
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So, I've compiled a few work-friendly, warm weather, back to school teacher outfits and trends for fall that I found at Target. I've tried my best to link them to the Target website if I could find the item. Hopefully for all the items that I couldn't, you can find them in your local store. (Sorry Canada, I feel for you not having Target) I normally wear a medium or a large depending on how things are made. I'll try to give an idea of how the size fit.
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<i> It's kind of hard to tell in the pic, but it is a pinkish color with a white palm kind of detail. I believe it was $27.99 and was the Merona brand. It was the last dress I tried on and I think it was my favorite! It was very lightweight and fit true to size. I thought it was pretty flattering as well. I wore it up on my shoulders, but they styled it as an off the shoulder sleeve. Perfect for after work, right? <a href="https://www.target.com/p/women-s-palm-print-cold-shoulder-dress-merona-153-red-palm/-/A-52031744#preselect=51971456"> Check it out here</a>
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<i>I loved, loved, loved these two skirts. I didn't buy them, but I am going to be ordering them p.r.o.n.t.o! They fit so well and were comfortable (yay, elastic band!). They're a great length for a teacher. Plus, I'm a sucker for stripes. I didn't particularly love the shirt I picked out to go with them, but it worked. I like to tuck shirts into skirts like this... (a plain ole t-shirt would work on this as well). <a href="https://www.target.com/p/women-s-floral-pleated-skirt-merona-153/-/A-52304438#preselect=52115916"> Here is the floral one </a> and <a href="https://www.target.com/p/women-s-stripe-pleated-skirt-merona-153/-/A-52304456#preselect=52115910"> the striped one</a>. I wish I would have seen <a href="https://www.target.com/p/women-s-floral-pleated-midi-skirt-merona-153/-/A-52126756#preselect=52124316"> this one.</a>
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<i>Couldn't find this one online, but I'm sure you can find something similar in the store. They had a lot that were this style. There was a slit up the side to the knee, so it was not anything too risque, but I did think it was pretty long for the average person (I'm 5'5"). I do like the elastic in the middle to make it more flattering, but it wasn't my favorite outfit. I do love the print though.
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<i>I suppose this is more for a little cooler weather, but the shirt was very lightweight and cool feeling, so it wouldn't be bad on a little warmer days. This is another one of my favorites. I love a crisp white pant with a simple top. So easy, so timeless. Couldn't find it online (aaaaah, Target!!) but hopefully you can or in store!</i>
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<b>The last two are not the absolute best choices for teachers to wear to work, but I had to include them! I love the trends!</b>
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<i>These shorts are the cutest! It's hard to tell but there are little pineapples on them! Adorable! I saw pineapples EVERYWHERE in Target. Made me want a pina colada. Also, can we talk about this chambray shirt? Nothing could have been more comfortable and softer than this shirt. Go with the half-tuck and maybe a cute green cardigan and voila! <a href="https://www.target.com/p/women-s-7-embroidered-chino-shorts-merona-153-white/-/A-51982413#preselect=51945977"> shorts are here</a> and I have seen this <a href="https://www.target.com/p/women-s-printed-vintage-v-tee-merona-153-pineapple/-/A-52126988#preselect=51962423"> tee </a> everywhere on everyone and I looooove it!
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<br>I love the look of these and the comfort level is fantastic. It's almost romper-like, because there are actually shorts underneath and a dressish, capeish, kind of bottom over top. It's very different, but momma like. Couldn't find the exact one online, but here is a <a href="
https://www.target.com/p/women-s-floral-romper-maxi-walk-thru-almost-famous-juniors-burgundy/-/A-52649964#preselect=52252513">similar one</a>
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So, that's it. I wanted to buy it all, but I did not because...<br>
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Someday, Target, someday!
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<br>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11085751450602893085noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081995835402418057.post-36742686093647765932017-07-09T19:57:00.001-07:002017-07-09T19:57:52.115-07:00The Teacher's Summer Bucket ListIf you're a teacher, chances are summer is your favorite season. Yes, we all love our jobs and working with the kids that we do, but it's also a big relief when the year is over. I don't know about you, but for me it's a time to recuperate, refresh and revitalize myself for the coming school year. I know most teachers do school work during the summer, so I've made a list of things to do during the summer INSTEAD so that you can truly be at your best when it's time to head back.
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<b><i>1. Get a massage</i></b>. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcX5cSJGPbNVMrkCBinHS7sGDC07Sham3SHlzWVM6IC_FAtPyzOfAjWntfIh86dF9OZTLbHG73x4j7bg0rDyW5l731C3rmWIIKJZ2keSr1nmKp4ooeUCqvRwSo1WHMuqRyMBcBl60HW5YG/s1600/massage-1790063_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcX5cSJGPbNVMrkCBinHS7sGDC07Sham3SHlzWVM6IC_FAtPyzOfAjWntfIh86dF9OZTLbHG73x4j7bg0rDyW5l731C3rmWIIKJZ2keSr1nmKp4ooeUCqvRwSo1WHMuqRyMBcBl60HW5YG/s320/massage-1790063_640.jpg" width="320" height="213" data-original-width="640" data-original-height="426" /></a></div>
I know that I can get SUPER stressed during the school year as I imagine most other teachers do as well. I HIGHLY recommend splurging and finding a good masseuse in your area. I tend to get especially tight in my neck and shoulders and love a good deep tissue massage. Heaven!!! Trust me, you will not regret it.
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<b><i>2. Have an entire day that you do not change out of your pajamas and you just Netflix binge.</i></b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaHv0EQsVbxmYeU7l_B3rPxh0ftN_2v62RDRKAyZyb0lQZEzZNy8UUWgnG4nF_I0Aug0vpIJ2nQsMqV8DBJtYd2jOZ6LpHdE3Y-e4-Y3L7xBfNlbEfcJMXxDj3-s7kxDjS9oIZVHAUjZUW/s1600/cinema-450805_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaHv0EQsVbxmYeU7l_B3rPxh0ftN_2v62RDRKAyZyb0lQZEzZNy8UUWgnG4nF_I0Aug0vpIJ2nQsMqV8DBJtYd2jOZ6LpHdE3Y-e4-Y3L7xBfNlbEfcJMXxDj3-s7kxDjS9oIZVHAUjZUW/s320/cinema-450805_640.jpg" width="239" height="320" data-original-width="478" data-original-height="640" /></a></div>
Some of you may already do this all the time, but there are a lot of teachers who feel guilty on days when they do nothing. I say forget it! Chill, relax, binge. You deserve it! (I do recommend The Walking Dead, The Unbelievable Kimmy Schmidt, Orange is the New Black, and Stranger Things.) <br><br>
<b><i>3. Make a must-read list of at least 5-10 good books that you've been meaning to read and devour them.</b></i>
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Or maybe even a better idea, grab a few of your teacher buddies and start a book club. One of my fellow teacher buddies and I did just that last summer. We've been meeting (about 5 of us) once a month for the last year. Each time we rotate who hosts. That person chooses the book. We actually sit and talk about the book for probably about 20 minutes and then just talk, eat, drink, and play games for the other 2 or 3 hours, but it makes for a really fun night. Some of my favorite books in the last couple months have been: A Man Called Ove, anything by Karin Slaughter, Ugly Love (and other Colleen Hoover books) and so many more I can't even remember. I also recommend checking out the website <a href="http://www.goodreads.com">Good Reads</a> for recommendations, reviews, and ratings!
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<b><i>4. Go on a vacation (even if it's in your own backyard).</i></b>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKqMkmm7edajYo5t6g12Rw3AiYFplItJxRUdWGjtrDdeh1Tw132-azm_gVKgYCc3Jm2HOHql-_X48qDUC3bC3g_ExQgMyHToRKgkUa-6Bl2uXECIG7e2fJo6-oV0MPH7bIYeXfkBtLrCWN/s1600/passion-fruit-daiquiri-906099_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKqMkmm7edajYo5t6g12Rw3AiYFplItJxRUdWGjtrDdeh1Tw132-azm_gVKgYCc3Jm2HOHql-_X48qDUC3bC3g_ExQgMyHToRKgkUa-6Bl2uXECIG7e2fJo6-oV0MPH7bIYeXfkBtLrCWN/s320/passion-fruit-daiquiri-906099_640.jpg" width="320" height="214" data-original-width="640" data-original-height="427" /></a></div>
Even if you can't afford a full out vacation (cause c'mon we're teachers here, let's get real) it's always relaxing and inspiring just to even get away for a day or two. Plan a short weekend trip somewhere within a few hours of where you live. Even if you can't afford to do that, at least Google some fun things within an hour or so around your house that you've never done. Sometimes those little gems are so overlooked! You might be surprised what is in your own backyard.
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<i><b>5. Check out an amusement park or water park.</b></i>
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I will admit I am a total chicken and did not ride my first roller coaster until 2 summers ago...and you know what? I kinda liked it. If you're from the Pittsburgh area you grew up with Kennywood. It's an old-time roller coaster park that helped revolutionize coasters of today. I didn't attempt the big, crazy fast one yet (80 MPH at like 300 ft? ehhhhhh maybe not yet) but I did love the Racer, Jack Rabbit, and the Thunderbolt (all older wooden coasters that aren't quite as high or fast, but still pack a fun punch). On the other hand, I'm a HUUUUUUGE water park fan. Our nearby one (Sandcastle) has some really fun rides and I don't get there as often as I used to a few years ago, but it's one thing I love to do every summer!)
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<i><b>6.Spend as much time as possible with your babies (whether they be human or furry)</i></b>
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Personally, I do not have any children (of the human variety) but I do have a dog and 2 cats who I consider my babies. I try to give them as much attention as possible during the summer. I take my dog out for walks almost daily, take him for car rides when I can, take him for ice cream when we go, etc. (He's so spoiled!!!) We don't try to do it, but our pets and kids don't get quite as much attention from us during the school year as we'd like to give them, so make sure you do as much as possible while you're off. They'll be thankful for the time and memories.
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Finally, I'd like to finish by saying you all rock and deserve to let yourself relax in the summer. We have a very hard job that is incredibly demanding. Allow yourself to take the time off and forget about all school related things for awhile. It will still be there when you come back. Your brain, body, and family will thank you. <br><br>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11085751450602893085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081995835402418057.post-23017346883428844982016-11-05T06:59:00.000-07:002016-12-30T11:05:45.384-08:00Growth Mindset: Teach Your Students to Get Gritty! <h2>
Growth Mindset</h2>
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It's education's newest buzzword (<i>or words</i>?) What is it exactly? My definition of it is a person's way of thinking of their abilities, the perseverance to continue working at hard things, and to always be willing to give something a try, even if it's "scary" because you feel like you might fail. </div>
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The idea was invented by Stanford University Carol Dweck. <a href="http://www.caroldweck.com/" target="_blank">Click here to check out more about her and her book about growth mindset.</a></div>
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I found a research study that was done regarding all of this very interesting. I highly recommend watching the following video. </div>
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Now, as an educator, how should we use this information in our classrooms?</div>
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To start explaining it to students, I think this video would be a great introductory video to get a discussion going. I'd ask students to explain the difference between the two girls' thinking. How many times have they felt this way in class? </div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2zrtHt3bBmQ/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2zrtHt3bBmQ?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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I've shown this video. It's a great thing to do when you notice students are struggling with confidence. All of my students are struggling learners so this is a great lesson.<br />
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Before doing watching it, I polled the class. I had them vote whether they believed that people are BORN SMART or BECOME SMART. Then we watched it and discussed. Some of the things we discussed were: What are their reactions when things get hard? Do they give up or push forward with more effort and grit? Why do a lot of people quit? What can they do the next time things get hard?<br />
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Another great idea for older students might be to give them this quote and discuss:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOzSti3ZsDndIsSqK9DsI96YZ50i14wNNovx4NyzE0rUu33A-cD4trDw-XM05E53T7Nn9vOKyFunXg0_pOt08WXV_hzBjFsl0oQLwL0iuy6DbyeoeL55naqwj8FptXqyQIEdPtVq5ngdv5/s1600/everyone-is-a-genius-but-if-you-judge-a-fish-lg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOzSti3ZsDndIsSqK9DsI96YZ50i14wNNovx4NyzE0rUu33A-cD4trDw-XM05E53T7Nn9vOKyFunXg0_pOt08WXV_hzBjFsl0oQLwL0iuy6DbyeoeL55naqwj8FptXqyQIEdPtVq5ngdv5/s400/everyone-is-a-genius-but-if-you-judge-a-fish-lg.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Some great growth mindset resources on TPT follow...<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Growth-Mindset-Posters-1935355" target="_blank">Growth Mindset Posters</a> by To the Square Inch<br />
<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Growth-Mindset-1994964" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Growth-Mindset-1994964" target="_blank">Growth Mindset Unit</a> by Teaching with Hope<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Interactive-MINDFUL-Notebook-with-Growth-Mindset-2207729" target="_blank">Interactive Notebook for Growth Mindset</a> by The Write Stuff<br />
<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Growth-Mindset-Craftivity-2359819" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Growth-Mindset-Craftivity-2359819" target="_blank">Growth Mindset Craftivity</a> by Runde's Room<br />
<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Growth-Mindset-for-Parents-Teachers-and-Students-2644091" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Growth-Mindset-for-Parents-Teachers-and-Students-2644091" target="_blank">Resources for Parents, Teachers, and Students on Growth Mindset</a> by Schoolhouse Diva</div>
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<!--End mc_embed_signup-->Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11085751450602893085noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081995835402418057.post-14702380372739346332016-09-17T05:15:00.005-07:002016-09-17T18:34:12.160-07:00Why You Should Be Teaching Word Attack Skills and the Resources You Need to Do It! I don't think it is a stretch to say that every classroom has at least one student who could be considered a struggling reader, even in older grades, or in more affluent areas. For one reason or another, that student has not quite grasped the fundamentals of reading.<br />
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I am a reading specialist who has worked in my current position for six years. I'm really starting to notice that almost all of my students are weak in either phonics or what we call in the education world, "word attack skills".
In almost every school that I go into, after second or third grade, reading instruction shifts drastically from phonics-related instruction to comprehension-based instruction. I have mixed emotions about this. On one hand, most students are ready to move on with this shift; however, a few students, usually the kiddos who are referred to me, haven't quite grasped all of it yet.
Now, it doesn't take a teacher to realize that if you can't actually <b>READ</b> the words, it's going to make it that much harder to <b>UNDERSTAND</b> the words! This is where many of my kiddos fall into a downward spiral, and it's hard to get them out of it.<br />
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My answer? Head back to the basics, review, and FOCUS ON WORD ATTACK SKILLS!!!<br />
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I'm going to go out on a limb and guess you don't know what the word impecunious means. You may even not know how to pronounce it. (Not trying to insult your intelligence here... I didn't know what it meant when I looked it up. Kudos for you if you do!)<br />
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If you were a child reading and you came to that word in a text, what would you do?
If you were a struggling reader, more times than not, you're going to completely skip the word and not give it another thought. Now, as a teacher, how can you change that?<br />
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<b><i>1. Teach prefixes, root words, and suffixes.</i></b><br />
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<b>Nearly 70% of new words that students will come across in higher-level text will contain a prefix and/or a suffix. </b>I was actually kind of surprised when I read that statistic on a website. Why in the world are we not focusing more on prefixes and suffixes?<br />
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<u>Being comfortable with these prefixes and suffixes not only allows them to figure out the word by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable chunks, but it can also help them figure out the meaning of unknown words.</u><br />
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Remember our stumper of a word from earlier, impecunious? It has a prefix AND a suffix. Knowing this allows a reader to further break it down to im/pecuni/ous and even further to im/pe/cu/ni/ous using syllable rules. At least now we're getting somewhere.
If a student remembered that im- as a prefix means not and that ous or ious means having, it would be understood that this word meant not having something.<br />
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Now, how about we go a step further? It's likely they saw this word used in context. The rest of the sentence or paragraph could help them figure out the meaning.<br />
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Imagine this sentence: Growing up in an <i>impecunious </i>household taught Tom the value of money.
Given the context, it would be a reasonable guess to assume it meant not having much or being poor.
Since the student was able to use prefix and suffix knowledge and context clues all together, the word was attacked and deciphered.<br />
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After thinking about all of this for awhile, I had a very specific idea of what I wanted to use with my kiddos. I wasn't finding exactly what I wanted online, so I decided, duh! Make your own! Here's what I came up with...<br />
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This is going to be part of a growing bundle. I am working on a suffix edition (coming by September 20th!) and am in the process of designing 2 other products for the bundle.</div>
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If you'd just like this first edition, <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Word-Attack-Prefixes-2776106" target="_blank">it is available here</a> in my store at TPT.</div>
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Each lesson included has a full sheet of text using the words in context to tell a story. Text dependent questions are included as well. </div>
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Sentences are provided for students to practice using context clues to figure out the meaning of the word.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMb6spIaK78_rGw6hjciaeqtJPD0ImBXNA7txRyNMaYo0Vt9w0X5MFXZDapsp__8ItH184BrZ72pEK-vpGF3mtB-_3ZDi1sjtqS7OIjlQaTIMddCWQUDWJ32eDK-Xk3MKwbE356IPwyu41/s1600/Slide15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMb6spIaK78_rGw6hjciaeqtJPD0ImBXNA7txRyNMaYo0Vt9w0X5MFXZDapsp__8ItH184BrZ72pEK-vpGF3mtB-_3ZDi1sjtqS7OIjlQaTIMddCWQUDWJ32eDK-Xk3MKwbE356IPwyu41/s640/Slide15.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Words are grouped by like prefixes. Students can assess themselves on their knowledge of the words phonetically and semantically. </div>
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Another fun activity that I created goes along with the old Cootie game. (I loved that game!)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzUcrw2VfSh0FF5h2Tv9zk9blZKVoHjDaZ-hih5zmPRAtPvAMgE1n9Sl7TzPVarJb4MKSqpJzAovHcDmMAtTWFmgfCgNMUUlLYZwF2Cwd21hIy5PH_Q5lPBZ9MjI-DEU0AthEeqxqtRdL0/s1600/Slide01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzUcrw2VfSh0FF5h2Tv9zk9blZKVoHjDaZ-hih5zmPRAtPvAMgE1n9Sl7TzPVarJb4MKSqpJzAovHcDmMAtTWFmgfCgNMUUlLYZwF2Cwd21hIy5PH_Q5lPBZ9MjI-DEU0AthEeqxqtRdL0/s320/Slide01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Students collect cards to build a bug (prefix, root word, suffix). It does not have to be a real word, but they have to be able to put the three parts together and read it correctly to keep it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4v8uWNiVs_1TanhchWW569en2YDeHa2FT_T-obnsGsYnaHN62TyB2cguOBJ_tFYNwjouNrIQUUnLh8bMOw6Ja1m2y9VzcCrBl23eZF1HjzFfPGXo0fRGypj2ZhZoJC9L9jvgnTQAZJF_A/s1600/Slide05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4v8uWNiVs_1TanhchWW569en2YDeHa2FT_T-obnsGsYnaHN62TyB2cguOBJ_tFYNwjouNrIQUUnLh8bMOw6Ja1m2y9VzcCrBl23eZF1HjzFfPGXo0fRGypj2ZhZoJC9L9jvgnTQAZJF_A/s320/Slide05.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><i>2. Teach Greek and Latin word parts.</i></b><br />
<i>Comin' atcha with another statistic here...</i><br />
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<b>Over 60% of our English languages stems from the Greek or Latin language. In science and technology, the figure can rise near 90 PERCENT!!!!</b><br />
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So why should you care as a teacher about this statistic?
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Knowing how to pronounce these words or word parts and the meaning of them could be beyond helpful for any child. I suggest starting slowly (especially in the lower grades) by introducing a few a week. Maybe even make a "Word of the Day" sort of thing out of it. This daily practice and introduction to this whole new side of looking at the English language is critical for word attack and vocabulary.<br />
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I found this great <a href="http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/athens_games/gameGreekToMe.htm"> website to practice with a fun Greek themed game.</a> Check it out!<br />
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<a href="http://www.playkidsgames.com/member-homepages.php?d=1828"> Here's another! </a>
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<b><i>3. Don't ASSUME that your students are solid in phonics skills. </i></b><br />
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I think as students get into the upper elementary grades it is assumed often that they known letter sounds, vowel variants, blends, etc. I don't have to tell you what happens when you assume something. :)<br />
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I'm sometimes slightly alarmed at how poorly some of my students do on a phonics review assessment once they are in the upper elementary grades. I found it often reveals many cracks and holes that NEED to be fixed. Sometimes it is even necessary to go back and review short vowel sounds. It may demeaning to do something like that, but it is critical that they understand the very basics before anything can be built upon it... at least, that is my philosophy.<br />
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If you're worried about hurting your students' self-esteem, I have two points I want to make.<br />
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1. <b>You are doing this to HELP them. </b>Point that out to them. Make sure they know that you are only doing this work to make sure they understand the basics so that you CAN move on to harder stuff. I find that often when you simply explain to students WHY you are doing what you are doing, they're fine with it.<br />
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2. Not reviewing the basics and trying to move on when the foundation isn't solid is only going to make their "houses" crumble in the future.<br />
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<i>*shoulder shrugs*</i> That's just my way of looking at it.<br />
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<b>Let me know what you do to help struggling readers. I'm always looking for new ideas!</b><br />
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<br />Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11085751450602893085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081995835402418057.post-4655198643082763242016-08-15T00:00:00.000-07:002016-08-15T13:36:59.831-07:0014 Tips to Help Save Your Sanity in the ClassroomWelcome to the VERY LAST STOP on the blog hop. I feel honored! If you stayed this long, you deserve to win something for sure!!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ye3Q-dPLtojNnuW3yKa3I7qi51D_2KHNezMdVQQndCuGWZDV3g4_ayOcvLBnUpAG1WStCsXTI-k5VwLYZYsO0B06y08I7Vz9w9VJ0FHPHlTHLeeu30zLdyO4zgHz96aGF-UKAYM1wHQ4/s1600/BTSBlogHop.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ye3Q-dPLtojNnuW3yKa3I7qi51D_2KHNezMdVQQndCuGWZDV3g4_ayOcvLBnUpAG1WStCsXTI-k5VwLYZYsO0B06y08I7Vz9w9VJ0FHPHlTHLeeu30zLdyO4zgHz96aGF-UKAYM1wHQ4/s640/BTSBlogHop.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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The beginning of the school year is the time to set routines, teach clear procedures, and organize things so that you don't go absolutely BONKERS by the end of the first month. I like this quote.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoMCZ-CEAiOXy2mJDPkNMD366EIrHu6STRgr4Tt-Y3QvsQuMaJuE0SH1D-juW5cqAct63wbd1yQztknf0_GKYPDYVB57_jB-Uum217QjoeOEctzfphOqogCebdcN4JTU6VKMd3qoesrSDL/s1600/teachingprocedures.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoMCZ-CEAiOXy2mJDPkNMD366EIrHu6STRgr4Tt-Y3QvsQuMaJuE0SH1D-juW5cqAct63wbd1yQztknf0_GKYPDYVB57_jB-Uum217QjoeOEctzfphOqogCebdcN4JTU6VKMd3qoesrSDL/s400/teachingprocedures.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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August and September are crazy enough, so remembering to keep yourself, the classroom, AND most importantly- the kids on top of things is the best sure fire way to help everything run smoothly.<br />
I've done some research (mostly on Pinterest, my best friend). Here are the best tips I could find to help you not look like this after your first day.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiob30s11-xJm6iOuwdCM8ejlhRVhI58alAHPv3xZfIMQ8D6IcttdG0Yv7N2jtYKGfHfR-6OxiE5uNg6tHGi7rvoQ40aHwOE7CjhpFAcqkdmqY4WArbqhjOUOUaXy7b9MbXNiQs0A28YLVV/s1600/46609ef00429396f53ddd310a3659dcc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiob30s11-xJm6iOuwdCM8ejlhRVhI58alAHPv3xZfIMQ8D6IcttdG0Yv7N2jtYKGfHfR-6OxiE5uNg6tHGi7rvoQ40aHwOE7CjhpFAcqkdmqY4WArbqhjOUOUaXy7b9MbXNiQs0A28YLVV/s640/46609ef00429396f53ddd310a3659dcc.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Setting Routines and Procedures</h3>
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Everyone needs a break after a long, intensive lesson. Let the kids have a few minutes to have fun and relax. Join in with them! Use this cute idea from <a href="http://www.thehappyteacher.co/2012/08/brain-breaks.html" target="_blank">The Happy Teacher</a> for Brain Breaks. She gives plenty of ideas of things to do and breaks them down in case you don't know what they are. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH2gn1BTnE6SJQ65Wvp4Ps0-1jRYjf74VET9gtm39siHd9wwBYBVQzBiOZKWuD0bNQ_wi53JeAEW4j0DivGYLRzQRps6zi9rzun9cwuLQ4dbi9GFvloch289mbvNEZx6YYF7reL-pI2pUK/s1600/d1012f301befdd13d98bef8fd715bf07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH2gn1BTnE6SJQ65Wvp4Ps0-1jRYjf74VET9gtm39siHd9wwBYBVQzBiOZKWuD0bNQ_wi53JeAEW4j0DivGYLRzQRps6zi9rzun9cwuLQ4dbi9GFvloch289mbvNEZx6YYF7reL-pI2pUK/s320/d1012f301befdd13d98bef8fd715bf07.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I love using task cards in the classroom and when I don't feel like creating my own I go to Rachel Lynette on TpT. She has almost every imaginable topic covered with task cards. <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Classroom-Procedure-Task-Cards-757424" target="_blank">Here's her set for teaching classroom procedures. </a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBgelMMOStS13_WOZdHdBM36B03UfwTyaG88djW0HM_mk9nGmnLYRrR7t2F_u9LCsQzf0KkcgjfmNM5QiQQ_i7UNxMbLyahyphenhyphenuD9oOYMHDBqHozrHg023_0iLIONqrRPHbK0ibsJZVUyvas/s1600/taskcards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBgelMMOStS13_WOZdHdBM36B03UfwTyaG88djW0HM_mk9nGmnLYRrR7t2F_u9LCsQzf0KkcgjfmNM5QiQQ_i7UNxMbLyahyphenhyphenuD9oOYMHDBqHozrHg023_0iLIONqrRPHbK0ibsJZVUyvas/s400/taskcards.jpg" width="285" /></a></div>
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Teaching procedures can be a bit of a drag for both you and the students, but the Pinspired Teacher came up with a really cute idea of a way to jazz it up a bit. <a href="http://thepinspiredteacher.com/2013/08/14/my-1-back-to-school-must-have-classroom-procedures/" target="_blank">Go over and check out her "game" that she created to help practice important procedures. </a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt-YCJIgVOd2vrM8iEwEnabwc0XTK4tgdbf-ud3h62AYgO8E72K1BR_et9fzLQxNyMhORg0VjH1CLF3vYgJo24ft2zPlxOfc0m5SM3WXXb6kDmJuMGCV7re4JZepwAlUrSg2BPvFpfVSdC/s1600/Classroom-Procedures-Made-Fun-by-The-Pinspired-Teacher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt-YCJIgVOd2vrM8iEwEnabwc0XTK4tgdbf-ud3h62AYgO8E72K1BR_et9fzLQxNyMhORg0VjH1CLF3vYgJo24ft2zPlxOfc0m5SM3WXXb6kDmJuMGCV7re4JZepwAlUrSg2BPvFpfVSdC/s400/Classroom-Procedures-Made-Fun-by-The-Pinspired-Teacher.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Many teachers in elementary classrooms use little chants or sayings to gain students' attention. This cute collection of attention grabbers is a good reminder of a few oldies and some different ones that I haven't heard. <a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/blogs/mrs-heerens-happenings-3988515" target="_blank">Check out Mrs. Heeran's Happenings for more ideas!</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO3o-LQhYwvp3cDwWC1UmXbgFGz5cxLUigpRyIZP6qB6CEyG5vyGAkdut7RQ55B_CU0J2sGyLSnVBy_GCAavXCnaDZu9wCQinju8TeZyzSff0PUifeHKhazsscNYBsdL9TNiLyRgfF8Bmw/s1600/attention.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO3o-LQhYwvp3cDwWC1UmXbgFGz5cxLUigpRyIZP6qB6CEyG5vyGAkdut7RQ55B_CU0J2sGyLSnVBy_GCAavXCnaDZu9wCQinju8TeZyzSff0PUifeHKhazsscNYBsdL9TNiLyRgfF8Bmw/s640/attention.jpeg" width="490" /></a></div>
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I love <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/127-Classroom-Management-Questions-FREEBIE-1325396" target="_blank">this freebie</a> from Tamara Russell on TpT. It covers 127 (!!!) Classroom Management Questions. No wonder teachers feel completely overwhelmed at the beginning of the year!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC2NvwmBh0meB4dk6jQOMwwWA03QxUPIJ7Ny-sFTtWVEW7YkXRZGfd-bitl1pAxFxBvNS3lXoHjpXUGaA-Pqvk66K7VR73J8eGkENq6hENzHvqsQKOn5zsl8f18Qo3wM-B7hlZFVictKI-/s1600/management+questions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC2NvwmBh0meB4dk6jQOMwwWA03QxUPIJ7Ny-sFTtWVEW7YkXRZGfd-bitl1pAxFxBvNS3lXoHjpXUGaA-Pqvk66K7VR73J8eGkENq6hENzHvqsQKOn5zsl8f18Qo3wM-B7hlZFVictKI-/s640/management+questions.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<h3>
Managing Students</h3>
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Here's a cool alternative to keep students engaged during a lesson when you want to call on them. Instead of using the typical sticks with names on it use this app called Decide Now. <a href="http://tonyastreatsforteachers.blogspot.com/2014/07/decide-now-appa-bright-ideas-for-your.html" target="_blank">Tonya's Treats for Teacher</a>s even used it to decide on a classroom reward. Awesome idea and it's FREE!!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQFylhGoW2TS_19efM-wesnWVsL9UOqjTkJFHZOMLIWEyzQC8XFDOhm-TilsFJvvdFdBaKOOGJy3Ec6Vo4fD8UH4-TaaVCSiqnzc1MqmkMGFhJMY8r6FWmqo76BHcEmHifapmQ_RyEnwm2/s1600/6aa1c2bb2819c481ea24a5f51c871bbc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQFylhGoW2TS_19efM-wesnWVsL9UOqjTkJFHZOMLIWEyzQC8XFDOhm-TilsFJvvdFdBaKOOGJy3Ec6Vo4fD8UH4-TaaVCSiqnzc1MqmkMGFhJMY8r6FWmqo76BHcEmHifapmQ_RyEnwm2/s640/6aa1c2bb2819c481ea24a5f51c871bbc.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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A lot of the times when students are working in centers, I will be working with a group of students as well. I've used this idea before, and I think it's a great way to minimize distractions. Teach your students different hand signals to show that they need something. Ashley from <a href="http://www.onesharpbunch.com/2015/07/classroom-management-tips-tricks.html" target="_blank">One Sharp Bunch</a> has posters available to put up in your room to use as reminders of the signals. I'm so using this one! </div>
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Managing students' desks is a big issue. Here's a great layout that is well thought out from Hannah at <a href="http://www.onesharpbunch.com/2015/07/classroom-management-tips-tricks.html" target="_blank">The Classroom Key</a>.</div>
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Classroom chatter is probably the biggest issue for classroom management. Students should be talking in your classroom, of course about what they are meant to be talking about, but it should also be regulated. <a href="http://www.helloliteracy.com/2014/10/monitor-classroom-noise-level-with.html" target="_blank">Jen Jones from Hello Literacy wrote a blog post</a> about a cute website called <a href="http://www.bouncyballs.org/" target="_blank">Bouncy Balls</a>. The balls or eyeballs bounce more as the noise increases. I'm not sure if it makes a noise once it gets to a certain level (I hope it does), but I have found that these types of visual reminders are great so that you don't have to keep interrupting with reminders to quiet down.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Q1VwdUCIlTn8yegUqUKyXVbAxZEdkrXz9oAJsNwuEF8xoXjq6lCXIGmQu43EiQAXuG3vx1A3LfPzQmqHzUtpKNhF22oBESjEuxBK-nrfsxlMhGBGnSo_zwlU9huZDKoWyPtJ_JDha2eU/s1600/bouncy_balls_001.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Q1VwdUCIlTn8yegUqUKyXVbAxZEdkrXz9oAJsNwuEF8xoXjq6lCXIGmQu43EiQAXuG3vx1A3LfPzQmqHzUtpKNhF22oBESjEuxBK-nrfsxlMhGBGnSo_zwlU9huZDKoWyPtJ_JDha2eU/s640/bouncy_balls_001.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Another idea (which is nothing new) for student behavior is to reward positive behavior instead of always punishing negative behaviors. Hello Educational Psychology 101! The problem is sometimes it can be a pain to come up with fun reinforcers that don't include food. <a href="http://www.adventuresofaschoolmarm.com/2015/07/easy-classroom-rewards-that-wont-cost.html" target="_blank">Beth from Adventures of a Schoolmarm</a> has a great blog post about the rewards she uses and how she does so. This is going to be in my classroom this year!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwervqc4rGCGITjvRQyXKR6q7mWW7anj9exA2CXPttKFHPd0iBUvJbQ_q6m-7kvaRbKXIHbQ13M8Hj7vbtDVHZdsD2u0BkwqF9ZYjG9uRL1xfBLmJdiT1Fvnn1JrD9dSj2ve8YGNKaEA_r/s1600/Adventures-of-a-Schoolmarm-Reward-Coupons-08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwervqc4rGCGITjvRQyXKR6q7mWW7anj9exA2CXPttKFHPd0iBUvJbQ_q6m-7kvaRbKXIHbQ13M8Hj7vbtDVHZdsD2u0BkwqF9ZYjG9uRL1xfBLmJdiT1Fvnn1JrD9dSj2ve8YGNKaEA_r/s400/Adventures-of-a-Schoolmarm-Reward-Coupons-08.jpg" width="238" /></a></div>
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Organizing </h3>
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Here's a genius way to use cheap containers to organize base 10 blocks. Thanks to Janaye from <a href="http://www.onesharpbunch.com/2015/07/classroom-management-tips-tricks.html" target="_blank">Tales of Frogs and Cupcakes</a> for the idea! She mentions she got them from the Dollar Tree. (Excuse me while I go to the nearest one!)</div>
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Do you have students who often forget their backpack or are boggled down with too much to carry? Keep an emptied out wipes container next to the door on the wall filled with plastic bags. <a href="http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/teachers/2013/10/classroom-organization-tips-frugal-teacher-part-1" target="_blank">Thanks to Allie at Scholastic.com for this idea!</a> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLqgNVockjmOE5-GLc4Mbp-7csClU_EEBtL3o9NFhvGvFHWAQaFxcrkZKBmVWFnebTVFGoTfQONMTo8hrc7GcoxAYHFMyBPVedTiK8KL82JhK7XKeZv8LeWHdm64_IjRlQDX_um_eyUkn0/s1600/plastic_bags.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLqgNVockjmOE5-GLc4Mbp-7csClU_EEBtL3o9NFhvGvFHWAQaFxcrkZKBmVWFnebTVFGoTfQONMTo8hrc7GcoxAYHFMyBPVedTiK8KL82JhK7XKeZv8LeWHdm64_IjRlQDX_um_eyUkn0/s640/plastic_bags.jpg" width="478" /></a></div>
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This isn't much of an organizational tip as it is a classroom decoration idea, but I just had to include it because it's so cute! <a href="http://differentiatedkindergarten.com/no-sew-table-skirt-tutorial/" target="_blank">Marsha from Differentiated Kindergarten</a> made this cute DIY table skirt to hide things under her table. How adorbs! This would be cute too as curtains or just a border somewhere in your room. </div>
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I could post about 30 pictures for this next part from Stephany at Primary Possibilities, but I'll pick one that I am going to be using for sure. <a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/blogs/primary-possibilities-5106525/teachers-love-ikea-part-2-4810448948" target="_blank">She did a whole post about things to get at IKEA for your classroom</a>. Sadly, my closest one is about 1 1/2 hours away, but I look forward to a trip there every now and again. I'm going to be on the look out for these to use for station directions. How cute!</div>
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If you'd like to start at the beginning of the hop, click below to start all over again!<br />
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<a href="http://wildaboutfifthgrade.blogspot.com/2016/07/back-to-school-classroom-scavenger-hunt.htm" target="_blank" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd_OFzYGDTnFEc4dF0apGGjVyzPmmArG2JJ_bozr_4Pm9nfkJxinTNqkX6RvxRQGJf3AA3-HHd-N93IOiU6EodUUocFvD-pEbIKG1CrYQUgPuKnv9o1HQufH3-8JSXS6WajuvCZBWpI5V6/s320/BTSHopButton.png" width="295" /></a></div>
<br /></div>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11085751450602893085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081995835402418057.post-70288706652001645942016-08-06T06:37:00.001-07:002016-08-06T06:37:52.022-07:0011 Ways To Use Duct Tape In Your Classroom Like the MacGyver of TeachingSo if you were born before the '90's, you're probably familiar with the T.V. show MacGyver. The one where the main character, MacGyver, could get <i>anyone</i> out of <i>any</i> predicament, usually by using duct tape in some way.<br />
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Remember this guy? He worked wonders.<br />
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Well, I like to think of teachers as their own kind of MacGyver. Teachers are the most genius people on the planet when it comes to using simple, household items to perform a different task than what they were initially intended for. I mean, we're working with <b><i>REALLY, REALLY</i></b> limited budgets here. Can I get a hell yeah?<br />
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<a href="http://www.weareteachers.com/" target="_blank">Credit: We Are Teachers</a></div>
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I decided to collect all the genius ideas I was able to find on the good 'ole trusty interwebs via different blogs and Pinterest. Here is a collection of all the genius, MacGyvery ways to use handy, dandy duct tape in your classroom. I tried to do my research to the best of my ability to find the original posts so that I could give credit.<br />
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Decoration Purposes</h3>
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Look at this cute clipboard that a fellow blogger, Marie, made for her classroom. I'm a sucker for animal prints.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRVQEPqRjiprU7z_wh4_jqf37Fr0Bpi-OGwKQRkRnBSzBYA0ms2NtPWRyTOook9H0FVW1jBanH05K2be2bmOQ7pbblngyfLq8G2H21NgUoQcmEEgtww3OnHl78Kn1UlHKW_tl-u_dhwQee/s1600/clipboard5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRVQEPqRjiprU7z_wh4_jqf37Fr0Bpi-OGwKQRkRnBSzBYA0ms2NtPWRyTOook9H0FVW1jBanH05K2be2bmOQ7pbblngyfLq8G2H21NgUoQcmEEgtww3OnHl78Kn1UlHKW_tl-u_dhwQee/s400/clipboard5.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taken from The Hands-On Teacher<br />
<a href="http://www.cotesclass.com/2012/06/more-wild-improvements-with-duck-tape.html">See her original blog post</a></td></tr>
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Another option is to change out your students' desks. This would especially be good if yours have some fugly colors. I love what Jodi did with hers. It would especially be great if you have a themed classroom and could find some that matched your theme. Side note: She had a great tip that vegetable oil or vinegar helps take off any messy residue left over after taking duct tape off of things!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJTj56tiC-QOdZSYLRYT8Mpdw6pO6W39DWyRpXkaDz-XpHBR28_DBxXuKULOy8ieWp4BWSw2f0AueYJt7jFE5C2HYPNNaN6eoTlh2fyopRQTDmiv15Q0LAUZrqIYnxAlWZCY8nKNZiaQgz/s1600/desks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="341" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJTj56tiC-QOdZSYLRYT8Mpdw6pO6W39DWyRpXkaDz-XpHBR28_DBxXuKULOy8ieWp4BWSw2f0AueYJt7jFE5C2HYPNNaN6eoTlh2fyopRQTDmiv15Q0LAUZrqIYnxAlWZCY8nKNZiaQgz/s400/desks.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taken from The Clutter-Free Classroom<br />
<a href="http://clutterfreeclassroom.blogspot.com/2012/06/duck-tape-desk-makeover-classroom-360.html">See her post here</a><br />
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Organizational Purposes</h3>
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Ok, now, this next one made me do one of those head slap moments like when you say to yourself, "Why didn't I think of that?"</div>
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I work currently in three different private schools, but I am hired by a public school agency... it's confusing, I won't get into it. Anyway, I use www.readinga-z.com A LOT! When I came across this idea on Pinterest my heart grew three sizes just like the Grinch! I am SOOO doing this. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8pIc4p_lOhsx7NSp9sOVMXEqqrG-LtxAIhwrqIRwxPQXr1BAkQQWLPNCOqG4jZu0J9lkKVC7rGTUM0FwNqDrOQu-tov0NJToypPX3feB-SjYqhfEbhjrMLHoim-bplwkruxJGFCg6k3TX/s1600/2012-10-10+16+31+59.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8pIc4p_lOhsx7NSp9sOVMXEqqrG-LtxAIhwrqIRwxPQXr1BAkQQWLPNCOqG4jZu0J9lkKVC7rGTUM0FwNqDrOQu-tov0NJToypPX3feB-SjYqhfEbhjrMLHoim-bplwkruxJGFCg6k3TX/s640/2012-10-10+16+31+59.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taken from Wicked Fun in First Grade<br />
<a href="http://missfrenchfirstgrade.blogspot.com/2012/10/classroom-reading-leveled-books.html">See her original post here</a></td></tr>
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She used different duct tape to organize all of her books by level. Looooooove. Then she added the same tape to a bin so that kids could easily put them back in the right bin. Not only does it help organize the books, but it helps keep them together better since they are printed. Genius.</div>
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To go along the same idea, use duct tape to organize different subject notebooks and folders. This is something that would be very easy for students to do to help keep their lockers, desks or cubbies organized. Everything is color coded. The red notebook and red folder are for reading. The green notebook and green folder are for math, etc. Easy peasy.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEBVgNow3ws4KSyxZX9foxreOc7ATqPrD3FI1hNLyn12VQWvbPfMQmIomh7DnOnlDPYw0NU1eNgQnGLBHu4-zDBbMTj6b1BnuL7PVSjlG5Sehsu2RqMFx-9U8mIOC6_ihRKRvfj2-06pac/s1600/DSC_0003_thumb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEBVgNow3ws4KSyxZX9foxreOc7ATqPrD3FI1hNLyn12VQWvbPfMQmIomh7DnOnlDPYw0NU1eNgQnGLBHu4-zDBbMTj6b1BnuL7PVSjlG5Sehsu2RqMFx-9U8mIOC6_ihRKRvfj2-06pac/s400/DSC_0003_thumb.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taken from Cleverly Inspired<br />
<a href="http://cleverlyinspired.com/2012/08/tip-for-organizing-schoolwork/">See her original post here</a></td></tr>
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Also very similar, instead of plain ole colors, jazz up your reading groups with duct tape patterns like Tara West.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMTNBE15sOEN5E3cnkJveRxbDSBNG8ZVO98HZMQW9gXtCaKurLDQaRG1sFgENZZW3VQAQ6dYF5Roi2kDjhMggg2Yx_bfJHkkbGl7apYKyvdtOB11evejUyXhRVeSJjPO5DYnNtwpsY82St/s1600/407beea2dc39c319f5f9e23532948c98.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMTNBE15sOEN5E3cnkJveRxbDSBNG8ZVO98HZMQW9gXtCaKurLDQaRG1sFgENZZW3VQAQ6dYF5Roi2kDjhMggg2Yx_bfJHkkbGl7apYKyvdtOB11evejUyXhRVeSJjPO5DYnNtwpsY82St/s640/407beea2dc39c319f5f9e23532948c98.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taken from Little Minds at Work<br />
<a href="http://littlemindsatwork.blogspot.com/2014/07/getting-classroom-back-to-school-ready.html">See her original post here</a><br />
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Here's another GENIUS idea. Tape a large straw (think milkshake straws) to students' desks so that they can keep their pencil inside when not using it to help with all of the "I can't find my pencil!" complaints.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCn9xVcBw9BpZ8r7C1UG4CgWjYXsXMQRKlJUIhijYcu06Vx9_d0NRxyvpNyUY2J-iSuE8Wl-0hULAfZXqgzKkBu2tzg5_xqAkRmd9Wsr6WNEmIgjvitZGFbsUk08eWkTx0a4g3dqQUa303/s1600/3a485f8571e92de9dc481f6fc00b15e7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCn9xVcBw9BpZ8r7C1UG4CgWjYXsXMQRKlJUIhijYcu06Vx9_d0NRxyvpNyUY2J-iSuE8Wl-0hULAfZXqgzKkBu2tzg5_xqAkRmd9Wsr6WNEmIgjvitZGFbsUk08eWkTx0a4g3dqQUa303/s400/3a485f8571e92de9dc481f6fc00b15e7.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Couldn't find original post. Let me know if you find it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Another idea for pencils is to wrap some of the duct tape around the pencil to show which are yours to help students to return them. (We can wish, right?)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAXHlVpHEH7mR777T9U1j9rLPw5i2aClRXAsoV1rFgLxD1e_yA9uzE0WhONPJC-jisVK-xQiXWVjkjx1LcQ0K35Rf-UbCvExTU8sB_ozk_T86yrpojalNv0glBqWKIpvnaDHrN4dj1E82E/s1600/534eafcb9d9243503817f5d1fcc1ef6a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAXHlVpHEH7mR777T9U1j9rLPw5i2aClRXAsoV1rFgLxD1e_yA9uzE0WhONPJC-jisVK-xQiXWVjkjx1LcQ0K35Rf-UbCvExTU8sB_ozk_T86yrpojalNv0glBqWKIpvnaDHrN4dj1E82E/s400/534eafcb9d9243503817f5d1fcc1ef6a.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Couldn't find original post. Let me know if you find it.</td></tr>
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Misc. Uses</h3>
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Some children don't understand what "personal space" means. I've seen teacher do this as well around their teacher desk to show a "No Children" boundary for little ones. The blog that I found this on was for Special Ed., so this would work great for kids who are autistic and need that visual reminder of where they need to stay. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX1W55qwxaGL3hqYLgF9DemU0XMxFqrAxGOsDGNxrWtw7NIU3FKtIqaXIT3m1E-1rbW9-M0uVTD_lf4uh_udY0Wyqho-y_XL6-vVb7SNHzygJn8OkWGjG5DGvMjWqsZ_zJBJ-7584wuMnx/s1600/P6100047.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX1W55qwxaGL3hqYLgF9DemU0XMxFqrAxGOsDGNxrWtw7NIU3FKtIqaXIT3m1E-1rbW9-M0uVTD_lf4uh_udY0Wyqho-y_XL6-vVb7SNHzygJn8OkWGjG5DGvMjWqsZ_zJBJ-7584wuMnx/s400/P6100047.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taken from A Special Sparkle<br />
<a href="http://www.aspecialsparkle.com/2013/07/visual-solutions-for-staying-in-your.html">See the original post here</a><br />
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I've always wanted to make these for my classrooms. I am a reading specialist, so I'm constantly working on letter sounds and phonics related activities. I need to get my butt in gear with these pronto! (The duct tape is just decorative pretty much)</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3UNBJEFYwdkVoYnEL-mkcquC9qY-rC1kBV0HYqVPR3FaKExQEdCzg70_oiA5D8qiYnIvUvPvphaY4ZXy881R4wdmm9xA-_fz91b-7iCAhugTCz3ajLj8EkermnqKhZfgBDoQqx5lq6R_J/s1600/Phonics+Phones.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3UNBJEFYwdkVoYnEL-mkcquC9qY-rC1kBV0HYqVPR3FaKExQEdCzg70_oiA5D8qiYnIvUvPvphaY4ZXy881R4wdmm9xA-_fz91b-7iCAhugTCz3ajLj8EkermnqKhZfgBDoQqx5lq6R_J/s1600/Phonics+Phones.gif" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taken from Make Take Teach<br />
<a href="http://www.classroomdiy.com/2012/05/diy-phonics-phones.html">See the original post here</a><br />
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I recently went to a conference where I received a TON of great ideas and tips (which is going to be a WHOLE other blog post that I'm going to do soon) but this was one of them. I'm thinking of having kids make these as well so that we can organize their things in the classrooms. This would also work great with the previous idea of labeling folders for reading groups.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7v81Ya-tDRhdgi1filWz_Eh16u4X9qYJeHEO5R0nU0RcdA3vXK6I9PZO2nfivZAal_sVW5HwQFY9iGwKsKsjKvdXDT3TAQaX6WpnlBLh5PmvrbtFbk9CqjtkzlQG8TV1WrhqS9iztDkkv/s1600/IMG_0098.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7v81Ya-tDRhdgi1filWz_Eh16u4X9qYJeHEO5R0nU0RcdA3vXK6I9PZO2nfivZAal_sVW5HwQFY9iGwKsKsjKvdXDT3TAQaX6WpnlBLh5PmvrbtFbk9CqjtkzlQG8TV1WrhqS9iztDkkv/s400/IMG_0098.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taken from Classroom DIY<br />
<a href="http://www.classroomdiy.com/2012/05/diy-magazine-holders.html">See the original post here</a><br />
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So here is a good idea for all of your summer beverage holders. These would work great if you had students' desks in groups or at a center to organize materials. So, get to drinking!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRdWWK8BuHHIfyC8P99JWMDXg52z0LUI7liIYBUw_XqtE5NzO3u0YuqYLEaLMPWTQZVxsZXvSFhGCH5Tf7hftNHh2HgfvrYEXetNTuPFgps1QFaF-bfX7tb4Kke1Es_GRhL7GAtt9U5H67/s1600/enhanced-buzz-24856-1375981173-18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRdWWK8BuHHIfyC8P99JWMDXg52z0LUI7liIYBUw_XqtE5NzO3u0YuqYLEaLMPWTQZVxsZXvSFhGCH5Tf7hftNHh2HgfvrYEXetNTuPFgps1QFaF-bfX7tb4Kke1Es_GRhL7GAtt9U5H67/s400/enhanced-buzz-24856-1375981173-18.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taken from Classroom DIY<br />
<a href="http://www.classroomdiy.com/2012/07/diy-classroom-caddy.html">See the original post here</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I hope this post helped to inspire you. I'm sure that you've seen all the different kinds of duct tape that have been out now for a few years. I've found them at pretty much any store from Dollar Tree, Dollar General, Target, Wal-Mart, Michaels, Jo Ann Fabrics, Hobby Lobby, AC Moore, etc. </div>
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If you have made anything for your classroom with duct tape or use one of these ideas to make something, please leave a comment and a picture below. I'd LOVE to see it!</div>
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Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11085751450602893085noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081995835402418057.post-27991985231370235242016-08-03T03:35:00.000-07:002016-08-03T17:33:18.570-07:00Top 5 Classic Children's Books<h2>
So what makes a book a classic?</h2>
For me to considered a classic, a book needs to have three things: lovable characters, ideas and a story that transcends time, a likability to it that lends itself to be read over and over again and it never gets old or boring.<br />
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If you've read my other posts in this blog hop (which I've loved being involved in... need to do it again Katie!) you know that I'm a HUGE animal lover. So it's no surprise that most of my "classic" books are animal-related. So, without further ado, lets jump right into my list.<br />
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5. Charlotte's Web</h3>
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This is pretty much the epitome of classic children's literature. I think everyone has read the book before or knows the general idea of what happens in the story. It's been made into countless plays and movies... it's pretty much the definition of classic.<br />
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4. Fox in Socks and How the Grinch Stole Christmas</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO8VFbISMGeANcpvEfBsVQ_P1KE2a4YG1vfKwCESmwoPs7W66zh_fhEPZvkOPIiF7aCdlVvpVKEGepWBXBZjRdg7x5AN6hXQLBtEgJXtEfUUSMblWaFgsNpho1o_Zm_Hkke0W5raoDgkHu/s1600/how-the-grinch-stole-christmas-movie-poster-1966-1020427389.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO8VFbISMGeANcpvEfBsVQ_P1KE2a4YG1vfKwCESmwoPs7W66zh_fhEPZvkOPIiF7aCdlVvpVKEGepWBXBZjRdg7x5AN6hXQLBtEgJXtEfUUSMblWaFgsNpho1o_Zm_Hkke0W5raoDgkHu/s320/how-the-grinch-stole-christmas-movie-poster-1966-1020427389.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I'm counting this as one... cheating? Maybe, but it's my list and <strike>I'll cry if I want to.</strike><br />
Fox in Socks is the ultimate tongue twister. Kids LOVE when I read it to them. I LOVE it when I read it to them. It's just fun and pretty much impossible to read without getting tongue tied.<br />
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I included How the Grinch Stole Christmas in another one of my posts. That's how much I LOVE this book. My Christmases are not complete until I see the cartoon and read it to my kids. (P.S. How CUTE is Max?)<br />
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3. Goosebumps</h3>
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I remember reading these books like crack when I was little. I was obsessed with them. I think it's what got me REALLY into reading. I couldn't get enough of them. I vividly remember going to the mall with my parents, going into Walden's (who remembers those?) and finding new Goosebumps books. I'm a texture person too, so I always liked that the title was embossed to make it feel like Goosebumps. I was proud of myself when I didn't get scared from the books, too!<br />
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2. The True Story of the Three Little Pigs</h3>
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This is probably the newest book on this list, but I really enjoy it. I think I like it sometimes more than the kids do when I read it. It's an awesome book though for many reasons. First, it's a fun take on a classic tale. Secondly, it's funny. Third, it lends itself greatly to teaching point of view and showing how a story can be very different depending on who is telling the story. I often use it for compare and contrast lessons as well.<br />
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And now for my #1 classic book...<br />
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1. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day</h3>
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So, I know it's hard to see, but even in that little blue circle it says, "The classic book behind the major motion picture". See! I'm not the only one who thinks this book is a classic. I think I love this one so much, because I can just relate to Alexander so well. I feel like I have those kind of days pretty much once a week. I always ask the kids if they feel like they have those kinds of bad days and so many reply, "No!" Boy, I want their life. <br />
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Head on over to the next book!</h3>
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<a href="http://www.sommerslionpride.com/2016/08/classic-picture-books-for-kindergarten.html" target=”_blank” imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNYqJoFpZfxgBE-m9Zo7kElvzUw4pp-llTiIXJ39h91G-3b0YN2tNz4aEZDO2oqv1Yzxo0F13uFTMXT-0IZ8djKLFJmMEuevki4OgnAGX0vkwpaZ2lqlbwU9All2aoFfMnxlFUf_1MZ9Hk/s1600/Kay+Sommer-1.png" /></a></div>
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<a class="rcptr" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/92171dac2/" rel="nofollow" data-raflid="92171dac2" data-theme="classic" data-template="" id="rcwidget_z6hljgku">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11085751450602893085noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081995835402418057.post-15068071019519411742016-07-26T18:06:00.005-07:002016-07-26T18:06:44.934-07:00The Back to School Giveaway Winner is..... <h3>
So, contests are awesome, especially when you're the winner like Georgette H! </h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9on2JnyMzQP3yQ0rLrso_MAvIyO3l7SgI3AFor1x7ETWQCqGXl810VKiApPqQJicHqbY3ulSvBKzhFxqDkRJgf4y4zjkf3m-9BIRR5ykHXILOOwg0eCRxPoGf_CutuFjd1jBsXKX2Ox64/s1600/Slide1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9on2JnyMzQP3yQ0rLrso_MAvIyO3l7SgI3AFor1x7ETWQCqGXl810VKiApPqQJicHqbY3ulSvBKzhFxqDkRJgf4y4zjkf3m-9BIRR5ykHXILOOwg0eCRxPoGf_CutuFjd1jBsXKX2Ox64/s400/Slide1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I emailed Georgette to let her know that she was randomly drawn by Rafflecopter to win and she was so excited! She told me a little about herself... she's pretty new to teaching. She didn't start until her late 40's when she got out of the Navy (thanks for your service, Georgette!)<br />
She's now an early childhood special education teacher.<br />
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She lives in Missouri now, but is originally from PA (where I'm from... I knew I liked this lady!), although we're from totally opposite ends, that's ok. She misses this great state of PA for it's mountains (we do have some great scenery if you've never been here) and the good food (we can eat here in PA)<br />
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Congratulations again. Hopefully all the materials will help you and your kiddos this school year! Make 2016-2017 the best year yet!<br />
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(Just to recap--- Georgette is the lovely winner of a $20 Staples gift card, $55 in TpT resources from some GREAT TpT stores, AND nearly $30 in miscellaneous school supplies!)<br />
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To everyone who entered, thank you! Make sure you check back here often for more giveaways in the near future!<br />
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<br />Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11085751450602893085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081995835402418057.post-16575668519876299002016-07-24T20:58:00.000-07:002016-07-24T20:58:07.399-07:00Back to School Giveaway!<h3>
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Back to School...</i></h3>
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If you are a teacher those three words may be enough to induce nightmares. Although I absolutely love what I do, I also absolutely love my summers off. It's a time for me to reflect, refresh, and relax! I think most teachers feel the same way. </div>
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Here's how I respond when someone asks me: "So, are you ready to go back to school?"</div>
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I did a little soul searching and decided to face the facts. I head back to inservice in less than 2 weeks. I'm trying to get my head around it all. There's so much I want to do! I did pick up these awesome adhesive label holders from Target's Bull's Eye Playground (or whatever they're calling it these days).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWuHEMRiv7uPoBiWncaJJTQNMaIHOzYSiL3d4yAdPp1Fgf7bNgKYlcONYIyZIog46iurqaqAtkNmN_lS3DzpWoXF_FCbughJi-RFh1ZIfPxkf1yKG6zzXIxUeRpnHtuTjwmMX8RkqsdeWd/s1600/20160720_143733.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWuHEMRiv7uPoBiWncaJJTQNMaIHOzYSiL3d4yAdPp1Fgf7bNgKYlcONYIyZIog46iurqaqAtkNmN_lS3DzpWoXF_FCbughJi-RFh1ZIfPxkf1yKG6zzXIxUeRpnHtuTjwmMX8RkqsdeWd/s320/20160720_143733.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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Then my teacher brain started thinking up all the cute designs for some labels to fill these babies. I came up with a nautical themed set and a rainbow colored themed set. I'm also in the process of making a beach themed set and one with kids on it (possibly Melonheadz from Scappin Doodles on TpT!) I'll post those on here as soon as they are done! If you're interested in the two below, here are the links to my store.<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Rainbow-Colors-Themed-Labels-EDITABLE-2657361" target="_blank">Click to get the Rainbow Labels</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/144467100526931838/" target="_blank">Click to get the Nautical Labels</a><br />
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I also have created motivational posters that I am going to print out and put into some cheap 8x10 frames and make a sort of "gallery wall" in my classroom. ( I know I need motivation at the beginning of the year... <i>and the middle and end</i>, and I know the kids do as well!) They're some great quotes, and I think they'd work in any classroom!<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Motivational-Posters-for-Any-Classroom-2628139" target="_blank">Click to get the motivational posters!</a><br />
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To help ease the pain I'm running a BTS giveaway!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYw1dCOVvEtCJyjhvkPIpnvVc2H_TXMF55t9UV5hvEjG8B9v6GscouC3pakLGX1fqX3gf3Ca72P93r33tN3cSEVgYTQc0zJ0Ly9EpcDkL_91r9UXCxAy0xUJD91jv6zXl2HMss1ZlbQKnc/s1600/Slide1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYw1dCOVvEtCJyjhvkPIpnvVc2H_TXMF55t9UV5hvEjG8B9v6GscouC3pakLGX1fqX3gf3Ca72P93r33tN3cSEVgYTQc0zJ0Ly9EpcDkL_91r9UXCxAy0xUJD91jv6zXl2HMss1ZlbQKnc/s400/Slide1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Ashleys-Brainy-Centers" target="_blank">My TpT store</a>- $10 store credit<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Creative-Teaching-Resources" target="_blank">Creative Teaching Resources</a>- $15 store credit<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kristin-Jason-7154" target="_blank">Kristin Jason</a>- $5 store credit<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Teach-Me-T" target="_blank">Teach Me T</a>- $5 store credit<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Ashley-Wright-At-The-Wright-Nook?aref=p4oc7rfa" target="_blank">Ashley Wright at the Wright Nook</a>- $10 store credit<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Denise-Hill-7138" target="_blank">Denise Hill </a>- $5 store credit<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Toad-ally-Exceptional-Learners" target="_blank">Toadally Exceptional Learners</a>- $5 store credit<br />
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<i><u>Enter below to win!</u> </i></h3>
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<i><span style="font-weight: normal;">Winner will be announced on Tuesday, July 26th, here on my blog, as well as on my <a href="http://www.instagram.com/ashleysbrainycenters" target="_blank">Instagram page</a></span></i></h3>
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<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="24b608cd0" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/24b608cd0/" id="rcwidget_68ie5zi5" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11085751450602893085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081995835402418057.post-48208735291457295642016-07-20T01:00:00.000-07:002016-07-20T02:06:50.927-07:005 Most Beloved Characters in Children's Literature<h3>
Welcome to the 4th week of the Summer Stash blog hop!</h3>
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Again, thank you to Minute Mommy for hosting this great idea.<br />
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Amazon is probably quite happy with me right now after all the books I have ordered because of this blog hop- my bank account and fiance might not be <i>quite </i>as happy. Oh well! <i>It's a teacher thing.</i><br />
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This week is all about beloved characters in children's books. It makes me nostalgic to think about this. I'm brought back to my elementary days thinking about Baby-Sitters Club books. Anybody remember those? Those were the shiz.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I felt SO grown up when I started reading these! </i></td></tr>
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Fast forward 15 or so years, (maybe more, who's counting?) and I'm now a reading specialist, working with students who struggle with reading, trying to get them to love reading like I did as a kid and as an adult.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>How true, right?</i></td></tr>
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Without any further ado, here are my top 5 most beloved characters in children's literature.<br />
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Skippyjon Jones by Judith Byron Schachner </h4>
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I'm a <b><i><u>huge</u></i></b> animal lover. Pretty much anything to do with animals is a sure win for me. (FYI: You're going to see this is pretty much true for the rest of this post.) Who can resist a cat who thinks he's a <i>leetle</i> Chihuahua? He has a group of imaginary Chihuahua friends named Los Chimichangos. (I can't stand the cuteness!) </div>
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This is a great book for read-alouds if you're up to getting your Spanish accent on. The kids love when I do it (<i>shaking my head</i>... what we don't do for our kiddos, huh?)</div>
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<a href="http://www.skippyjonjones.com/teachers.php" target="_blank">Here's a link to the author's website.</a> There are lots of cute extras that you can use for free with the books. </div>
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Pigeon by Mo Willems</h4>
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Ok, first off, can I just say how much I ADORE Mo Willems? Especially for this..</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Everybody now... "Awwwwww"</i></td></tr>
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This past year a lot of my kiddos became OBSESSED with the pigeon books. I just found that he even has his own Twitter account. (<a href="https://twitter.com/The_Pigeon?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" target="_blank">I mean, really?</a>) Again, who can resist a good animal book, especially when it's funny? Pigeon has a few friends like Elephant, Piggie, Edwina, etc. that add to the fun. My favorite of the series is probably <i>Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus</i>. It has a lot of dialogue. It's great for pointing out expression as you read. Pigeon has lots of energy. At one point, Pigeon freaks out, and whenever I get to that point the kids know that I'm going to YELL, because the letters are in capital and have lots of exclamation marks. </div>
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<a href="http://www.pigeonpresents.com/" target="_blank">Here's his website.</a> </div>
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Junie B. Jones by Barbara Park</h4>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Not an animal, but I love her spunk. </i></td></tr>
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One of the few favorite characters that's not an animal... Junie B. Jones! I enjoy using these books with kiddos who are just starting into chapter books. The chapters are usually short (5-8 pages). They are sucked into the books because of Junie's mischievous ways. I think a lot of them can relate to her! With the character being a girl, you'd think at this age most boys wouldn't be into it, but I find that sometimes boys like this series more than the girls. (I think it has to do again with the mischievous ways!) </div>
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My only thing with Junie that I have mixed emotions about is the way she talks. She talks how you'd expect an average 5 or so year old to talk. Her grammar is not exactly the best. I like this because the author is keeping it real, but on the other hand, my teacher mode kicks in. I feel the need to point out the errors. I usually tell the students about the fact that sometimes Junie doesn't speak <i><strike>good</strike></i> well (see what I did there?) beforehand. Sometimes they'll even point out the errors. They'll say things like, "That doesn't sound right."</div>
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<br /> Duck from Duck for President by Doreen Cronin </h4>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I'd vote for him in this election!</i></td></tr>
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Here we go again, another animal. I know, I know. Doreen Cronin introduced us to Duck in <i>Click Clack Moo: Cows that Type, (which is another awesome book by the way). </i>This book is great to use this year with the upcoming election. I always use it in election years to explain what it means to become POTUS and how that happens. We do a whole bunch of things regarding this (which I'm turning into a TpT product as we speak). </div>
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Plus, we always check out a few <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-gQLqv9f4o" target="_blank">Kid President videos</a>. (This one especially. He's too darn cute!)<br />
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Pete the Cat by Eric Litwin</h4>
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Who doesn't love Pete the Cat? He's one cool cat. This character is a favorite of the kids and mine. (I also have a soft spot for Pete because my fiance has a cat named Pete... well, actually Pierre, but we call him Pete.)</div>
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Thanks for reading all about my 5 fave characters! </div>
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Head over to Minute Mommy for the next stop!</div>
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Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11085751450602893085noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081995835402418057.post-10476326207354787512016-07-13T01:00:00.000-07:002016-07-12T20:01:22.415-07:005 Nonfiction Series to Use in Your Elementary Classroom Thanks again to <a href="http://minutemommy.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Minute </a><a href="http://minutemommy.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Mommy</a> for hosting this weekly blog hop. For this week, we're diving into nonfiction books, a very under-appreciated genre for some kids. I personally love using non-fiction books with students. I'm a reading specialist so I work with kids kindergarten to sixth grade. I like to start early with them using nonfiction. I see so many times that when kids have comprehension issues, it is almost always when nonfiction is involved. Again, it's best to start as early as possible modeling comprehension strategies while reading nonfiction books.<br />
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Very often nonfiction books come in series of topics. I have a lot of series that are favorites, so I decided to go that route with my list of books. So without further ado... here are my must have nonfiction series.<br />
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<u>I Survived</u> series by Lauren Tarshis </h4>
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So these books may be a little bit of cheating when it comes to "nonfiction". The idea behind the books is that Lauren uses real events that have happened and includes some true facts about the event, but then also throws in a fictional element with some of the characters and events. I personally love this series, because I think it's a nice middle ground for students who are bored by nonfiction. They're learning some facts about a real event in history, while also being entertained by a fictional story. I think it's a win-win.<br />
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Also, check out <a href="http://www.laurentarshis.com/i-survived" target="_blank">Lauren's website.</a> There are tons of activities and other info to look at while reading the books. I've used both of these books shown with students that I tutor (students who are not super interested in reading) and they LOVED them. In fact, they both saw that it was a series and wanted to read the others. Again, WIN!!!<br />
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<u><b>If You Lived Series</b></u> by various authors</h4>
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I love this series of historical books. So far, I'm aware of there being 12 available. <a href="http://www.prairieviewpress.com/catalog/If_You_Lived_Series-139-1.html" target="_blank">Check out this link to see them all.</a><br />
The best thing about them is the format in which they are written, which is question and answer. I find this helpful because students can pick and choose parts of the book to read. They can skim to questions that they find interesting.<br />
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Also, they're great to use with the KWL (What I Know, What I Want to Know, and What I Learned) strategy. I'll have the students list what they know about the topic before we read, brainstorm a few questions they have about the topic, or pick out a certain number of questions in the table of contents that they would like to learn more on, and then after reading, they answer the questions in a short summary telling what they learned from the book. <br />
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Other topics covered include:<br />
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<li>If You Lived 100 Years Ago</li>
<li>If You Lived During the San Francisco Earthquakes</li>
<li>If You Lived in Colonial Williamsburg</li>
<li>If You Lived in Colonial Times</li>
<li>If You Lived When There Was Slavery in America</li>
<li>If You Lived With the Cherokee Indians</li>
<li>If You Lived With the Iroquois Indians</li>
<li>If You Lived With the Sioux Indians</li>
<li>If You Sailed on the Mayflower</li>
<li>If You Traveled West in a Covered Wagon</li>
<li>If You Were at the First Thanksgiving</li>
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<u><b>National Geographic Kids</b></u> </h4>
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These are awesome for even beginner readers because of the great illustrations and pictures that are used in the book. I've had many struggling readers who really latch onto this series because they often can use the pictures to look for clues when figuring out an unknown word. The series ranges from animals, science, people, and nature. <a href="http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/super-readers/" target="_blank">Here's a website where you can have a student log in to keep track of the books they read</a>.<br />
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<u><b>Scholastic's True or False Series </b></u></h4>
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I find that with most nonfiction books, for most kids, if it has something to do with animals- you're good to go. In this series there are a lot of books that have to do with just that... especially this one! I've had kids get into a fight over who was going to get to read it next! I mean come on, look at those babies on the cover!!!<br />
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It's written in a question and answer format. The reader has to decide whether or not it's true or false. The pictures are great as well. These are really good for students in fourth or fifth grade who really struggle with reading.<br />
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<u><b>Magic Treehouse Nonfiction Companions</b></u></h4>
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I love that Magic Treehouse has companion books to go along with their fictional stories (like the two above). It reminds me in a way of the <u>I Survived</u> series. I have found that kids love these books, because they can can be related back to a fictional story that they have already read or could read after the nonfiction. (I prefer doing the nonfiction one first, so that they can have prior knowledge for some things they will come across in the fictional story.)<br />
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This is also a great way to talk about compare and contrast between fiction and nonfiction, such as text structures and so on. <br />
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If you liked this post, I'd appreciate it if you'd post the following pic on Pinterest. Just hover over it and voila! Click on the Pinterest button on the top left corner!<br />
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The next stop on your quest through this lovely blog hop is to none other than the lovely Minute Mommy! Go check her out now!</h4>
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<a href="http://minutemommy.blogspot.com/2016/07/no-lying-superstar-non-fiction-titles.html" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1x-XndU3my0OBqG_6w51LcyzhQIAPF50UI_QeCHk1Nl-aiToNfKLIJx5pDbDtDUzXx8aBWew-Bs5Qol9erRPNL6e4wA0ysXBNGVWK28DGFyHTQv9FrFeVlb0tzmw2ZmzHL1S2b5Vzhpaa/s200/RBD+MM+Logo+for+Product+Covers+%25281%2529.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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Just to catch everyone up on this who isn't familiar with it... there are a few of us joining together each week (on Wednesdays until the beginning of August) to post our favorite children's books to use in the classroom based on a different theme each week.<br />
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This week is seasonal. I have quite a few that I love. I'll give a quick summary of each in case you're not familiar with them.<br />
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Mooseltoe by Margie Palatini</h4>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0yg9Da68a_V-VGUm60IO-X9bTumvoMaWpc1xebyNm_TyzHUnmCNX-x_SmhtpjYsmVp7dWH2c2XgeZ5eiIOhuE5ijAe_zSfLQ5fdeLlWc1BLinLmsDBw2-cYHqhB0OkwIwEbmWPp46l611/s1600/book+cover.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0yg9Da68a_V-VGUm60IO-X9bTumvoMaWpc1xebyNm_TyzHUnmCNX-x_SmhtpjYsmVp7dWH2c2XgeZ5eiIOhuE5ijAe_zSfLQ5fdeLlWc1BLinLmsDBw2-cYHqhB0OkwIwEbmWPp46l611/s320/book+cover.JPG" width="244" /></a><br />
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Mooseltoe is part of a series of books featuring the great moose with a big MOOSETACHE! In preparation for Christmas he does everything he can think of that is needed. In all the craziness, on Christmas Eve, he realizes... <i><b><u>dun dun dun</u></b></i>.... HE FORGOT THE TREE! He can't find one anywhere since he's so late, so what does he decide he has to do? He stands in the corner and uses his great moosetache as the tree to decorate. The bad part for him is that he has to stand in the corner now without leaving!<br />
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The Puppy Who Wanted A Boy- by Jane Thayer</h4>
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I'm a total sucker for any dog book. Who can you resist a book about a cutie who just wants a boy for Christmas? He goes around to many dogs asking if they'd like to give their boy away, but none of them would like to do so. Little Petey doesn't give up though. Finally, he comes about a home for boys and finds 50 boys for Christmas! I have a Winter Comprehension Packet available at Teachers Pay Teachers with a few <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Winter-Reading-Comprehension-Skills-Task-Cards-Activities-and-Worksheets-2257348" target="_blank">activities to use with "The Puppy Who Wanted A Boy"</a> in it. The activities deal with character traits and QAR (Question Answer Relationship strategy). </div>
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The Little Old Lady Who Wasn't Afraid of Anything- by Linda D. Williams</h4>
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This little old lady is brave! She walks through the woods at night and hears all kind of spooky noises, but she keeps on going. The kids love to make the noises along with you as you read. The book teaches you to face your fears and not to be afraid. Good for even the littles!</div>
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<br />'Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving- by Dav Pilkey</h4>
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I love, love, love this book! The book is told in the famous "Twas the Night Before Christmas" style poem. A group of children go to a farm the night before Thanksgiving on a field trip with their class. They are having lots of fun until they realize that the turkeys are going to soon become dinner for Thanksgiving. </div>
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:( :(</div>
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They smuggle the turkeys home with them on the bus under their shirts. Everyone enjoys Thanksgiving day together!!</div>
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How the Grinch Stole Christmas- by Dr. Seuss </h4>
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This is an absolute classic and my all-time favorite Christmas book... EVER! Hands down!</div>
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I always use this book at Christmas as well as watching the cartoon! (NEVER the Jim Carrey version!) I don't think I need to do a summary on this one. </div>
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(Plus, how <u><b>CUTE</b></u> is Max by the way??)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3BBOsQeVaK-pKqhCVgwagI_VYjiUBnS2EY6HTTYhqXAlPVz6sl4EAV0vDi3NMeelSofvSaJVUXfSuBh_AtNGWoLeN-6JUspB_yzwtLC8HyxnHudbgXapi8GFzR5exGiA0alktv_Da8NIO/s1600/grinchmaxrules.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3BBOsQeVaK-pKqhCVgwagI_VYjiUBnS2EY6HTTYhqXAlPVz6sl4EAV0vDi3NMeelSofvSaJVUXfSuBh_AtNGWoLeN-6JUspB_yzwtLC8HyxnHudbgXapi8GFzR5exGiA0alktv_Da8NIO/s400/grinchmaxrules.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzi52AoYxi2cYeEVW6GDqt3Acw0cCSbMXqA0JjMCJA_3LUBmDJ7pcwOLaqJ9T84TXfjymNDQe060ucJUTfdI81rWywa9i-bcbAJCj7pHA1rUicvvr5kfh1u9ZglqkUkrQermGo8Ki7d-y8/s1600/Kay+Sommer.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzi52AoYxi2cYeEVW6GDqt3Acw0cCSbMXqA0JjMCJA_3LUBmDJ7pcwOLaqJ9T84TXfjymNDQe060ucJUTfdI81rWywa9i-bcbAJCj7pHA1rUicvvr5kfh1u9ZglqkUkrQermGo8Ki7d-y8/s400/Kay+Sommer.png" /></a>The next stop in the blog hop takes you to <a href="http://bit.ly/SummerStash2" target="_blank">Sommer's Lion Pride</a><br />
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<!-- end InLinkz script -->Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11085751450602893085noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081995835402418057.post-78160878250221098362016-06-30T10:10:00.000-07:002016-07-02T07:35:33.626-07:00Blog Launch MEGA Giveaway! To really help kick off the start of my blog I wanted to get out of the gate with a real <b><i>BANG</i></b>! (Cause it's the 4th of July soon.... and fireworks.... get it? Right.) I figured what better way to do this than to have a mega, super, fantastic, crazy-good giveaway?? <i>(Did I mention the winner is gonna be SUPER LUCKY to win all of this? So jealous that I can't.)</i><br />
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I created a little picture for social media to find some fellow TpTers to help, and I have to say the response was absolutely <b><u>UNREAL</u></b>. If you ever need help with anything TpT related you should go no where else but the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/TpTSocialMediaStrategies/" target="_blank">#TeacherpreneurTribe Group on Facebook</a>. It's a closed group, but you can join very easily. Everyone there is the bee's knees. FO REAL.<br />
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Now, onto the giveaway that is going to end all other giveaways (well, maybe not, but it's dang good. What can I say? I'm a little partial to it.)<br />
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Not to stereotype, but, pretty much every teacher likes Target (hi, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/targetteachers/" target="_blank">Target Teachers!</a> I love their Instagram account.) Just check out my latest visit to the Dollar Spot.<br />
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Plus, who doesn't love to get stuff from fellow teachers on TpT for FREE???<br />
I'll tell you. <i>The answer is no one. </i><br />
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That's why this giveaway is <b>bananas</b>. So, let's break it down. The winner will receive:<br />
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<li>a $50 TpT gift card (!!!)</li>
<li>a $50 Target gift card (!!!)</li>
<li>and a whooooole bunch of TpT resources from some awesome sponsors (see the list below)</li>
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<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="24b608cd1" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/24b608cd1/" id="rcwidget_75lhp6x1" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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The giveaway is hosted by Rafflecopter and the winner is randomly chosen from it. I will have no control who wins the giveaway. It begins on 7/1/16 and will run until 7/8/16. The winner will be announced here on my blog as well as <a href="http://www.instagram.com/ashleysbrainycenters" target="_blank">my Instagram</a> by 7/10/16.<br />
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<!-- end InLinkz script -->Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11085751450602893085noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081995835402418057.post-24224517480298357322016-06-29T20:02:00.000-07:002016-07-06T17:57:19.373-07:008 Ways Parents Can Help a Struggling Reader<br />
My number one question that I get from parents as a reading specialist is, "How can I help my son/daughter at home?" I always have a few good ideas lined up in my brain when talking with parents to answer this one, and to be honest, there are tons of things, but I've tried my best to neatly organize everything into a handy-dandy infographic below. <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Literacy-8-Tips-for-Parents-of-Struggling-Readers-2618322" target="_blank">A printable handout for parents is available in my TPT store as well (FOR FREE!)</a><br />
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<b>L-</b> <b>Locate the child's strengths and weaknesses</b>. </h3>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Knowing where a child is strong in reading and where he/she is weak is the first step in addressing the "problem" at hand. There is no sense in spending time working on things that she does well. The best way to do this is to have a teacher/reading specialist at his/her school test them if possible. Contact the classroom teacher to see if this is available in your district. If not, try reaching out to a tutoring company such as Huntington Learning Centers or Sylvan. I would be slightly hesitant with these though as they are for-profit businesses. Research yours and find out if it's the best place for your child. Another choice may also be to reach out to any nearby universities. Sometimes training teachers that are still in college may be able to help. </span></h4>
The main thing to keep in mind when testing reading is that there are five major components: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Worthwhile, quality reading diagnostic tests should be addressing these components.<br />
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I- Interests... use them!</h3>
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Remember a time that you weren't interested in something. Maybe at a work meeting people were talking about things that didn't hold your interests or your significant other wanted to see a movie that you'd rather not. What was your reaction? Probably not a positive one. I don't want to read about the stock market or car mechanics, but some people do. I'd rather pick up a fictional mystery book or something about dogs. No one wants to read something that doesn't interest them. </div>
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Children are exactly the same! They are always going to be more receptive to reading if it's about a topic that holds their attention. Let them choose what they read as often as possible. Of course, at school this isn't always an option, but they need to see that reading can be enjoyable. That is much more likely to happen if it's something that entertains them. Find a joke book or a book about farts. Kids like some really weird stuff sometimes.<br />
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T- Time to Read</h3>
Give children time to read at home... but it doesn't have to take up their whole day! Many parents think that it needs to be long periods of time. That's not true at all! A good rule of thumb is to start out at about 5-10 minutes for a Kindergartener and add about 2-3 minutes per grade. This means that a sixth grader should be reading for about 17-28 minutes a day at home. You'll be surprised that a lot of the time children will actually want to read for longer than what is expected, especially once they start to get better at it, and the only way that happens is by READING!<br />
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I'd also like to point out that reading time at home should be seen as a positive thing not a punishment. Remember, the overall goal is to show that reading is a positive, enjoyable activity, not something that should be avoided. Give them a snack while they read and don't be exact and strict on the time that was spent reading. Some days they are probably going to read a little less than others. It's all about balance and making it into a daily habit. That's why I suggest working it into a schedule. Maybe it is something that can be done before bed, right after school, or in the car between sports practices. It's whatever works for your family.<br />
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E- Encourage!</h3>
Encouragement is probably the biggest component when it comes to working with struggling readers. I do it daily. We chart the students' successes. It's a major intrinsic reward. Students start to see that they can do it and that begins to snowball into more progress and more success.<br />
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The more a child is struggling with reading the more encouragement that is needed. Be specific about what you're praising him/her for also. For example, if he figures out a harder word independently instead of just saying "Good job" say something like, "I like the way you used clues to figure out that word" or "I like that you sounded out that word".<br />
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Also, try to limit material rewards as much as possible. Don't bribe your child for reading. If they reach a major milestone or do something completely amazing, try celebrating by buying them a book that they would like or something related to reading.<br />
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R- Resources... Where? What?</h3>
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Knowing what, where, and who when it comes to resources at home is often the biggest problem that parents have. </div>
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An obvious resource is the local library. Know where yours is located and visit often. Allow your child to get their own membership if possible. Again, let them choose their own books. If needed, guide them towards certain books that might be good for them. A good rule to remember when choosing a "Just Right" book is the 5 Finger Rule. Have them read a random page in the book. If they can read all the words or they only miss 1, it's probably a book that is too easy. If they miss 2-3 it's probably a book that would work for them. If they miss 4 or more, it's probably too hard. Use your judgment. They should never been at the point of frustration.<br />
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The Internet is probably my favorite invention ever. It's endless. If you want to know something and the Internet can't help you... it doesn't exist. You can Google pretty much anything. Like I said, if you can't find your answer on Google, it probably can not be answered. Here is just a short list of some links that are great places to start when working at home on literacy.<br />
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<a href="https://www.raz-kids.com/" target="_blank">Raz-Kids</a> (It is a paid site, but I highly recommend it.)<br />
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<a href="http://pbskids.org/games/reading/" target="_blank">PBS Kids</a> (Great for littler guys/gals)<br />
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<a href="http://www.teachyourmonstertoread.com/" target="_blank">Teach Your Monster to Read</a> (I love this one. Many levels. Again, better for younger to mid-elementary)<br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/" target="_blank">Teachers Pay Teachers</a> (I LOVE this website. It's a place where teachers make materials and sell/give away their resources to others. Many things are available for free and are easy to just print out and do as activities, worksheets, etc. Even most items that are sold are anywhere from $1 to $10, while some can be a bit more.) <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Ashleys-Brainy-Centers" target="_blank">Here is a link to my personal store on the site</a><br />
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A- Act it Out</h3>
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There are many different ways to learn something and everyone does not learn the same way. Some people learn better by seeing, hearing, doing something, etc. Many children have trouble understanding the books that they read, but can get it much better if they can see it in a movie or in real life. That is why it's a good idea to act out the book as it is being read. It's fun for the kids as well. Pick out a certain chapter or section of a book. Pretend to do the things that the characters are doing. If the child puts themselves in the shoes of the character, it is easier to understand their emotions and helps everything to make more sense. </div>
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C- Communication is KEY!</h3>
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Communication with your child as well as your child's teacher is one of the utmost important things. Be aware of what is going on in the classroom, as far as skills that are being covered, when tests will take place, how much progress is being made, etc. I find that sending emails works great for most teachers. We're happy to keep parents updated, and email is a great way for us to stay in touch. </div>
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Probably even more important than that is communication with your child. Explain to them WHY reading is important and WHY it is needed. When something holds a certain value it will be taken more seriously. Help them see that it's not just a school subject, but a lifelong skill that is imperative to success in life. </div>
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Also, I'd like to go in a different direction with communication. Read a book together and talk about it. Do something called a "think-aloud". It's a teacher strategy that allows a student to "see" how we're thinking. Perhaps in a book a character does something unexpected. Say something like, "I'm wondering why that character chose to do something like that. I know that if I were him, I wouldn't have. Let's read on and see if he regrets his choice later on." Explain your thinking as you're reading. This shows that as a successful reader you are not just reading the words, but you are actually "reading". Students need to understand that a real reader is thinking while reading the words not just going through the motions.</div>
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Y- YOU! </h3>
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As the saying goes, "With great power comes great responsibility". As a parent, you are your child's number one role model. As much as you may not realize it, your child looks to you to show them how to live life. (Just ask any parent who had a child repeat some choice words from home. It happens.) You are your number one child's teacher. They will follow your lead. If you don't SHOW that reading is important, they won't think it is. </div>
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I capitalized SHOW for a reason. Just saying "Reading is important" doesn't mean much. Remember, actions speak louder than words. They need to see YOU reading. Let them see you reading the newspaper, or something online, or a magazine. Point out how you were able to make a delicious dessert because you could read and follow steps to a recipe. </div>
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<br />Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11085751450602893085noreply@blogger.com0