How you teach READING poll?

I'm currently working on a research project on the preference of teacher's and reading instruction. If you are and elementary school teacher and you teach reading during part of the day- PLEASE answer the poll question and leave a comment regarding which style of reading instruction you think is best for students and which you prefer to teach. If you have examples you would like to share from your classroom, please do so but do not use the actual names of your students. You can, however, use the actual name of the program you are using!!!

launching my own website soon!!

www.TeachYourHeartOut.com

Within the next few days, I will be launching my own website that will give you access to lesson plans, materials, and resources on a variety of topics such as ...Reading (Guided Reading, Reader's Workshop, Differentiated Instruction, what to do with the other groups while working with small groups, Reading notebooks, Read Alouds, Shared Reading and much more), Writing (Writer's Workshop, Language Arts, Spelling Games, Spelling Lists, Phonics, Phonemic Awareness, How to integrate Language Arts and all the elements of it into the Writing Block, how to get kids to write fluently, how to get boys to write creatively, Children's Literature and Mentor Texts, Writer's Notebooks, Strategies for successful writer's, and much more), Math (problem solving skills, how to increase fluency with math skills, number sense, algebra in grades k-6, measurement, children's literature in the math block, using math notebooks in the math classroom, using reading strategies in the math block, and much much more! Science, Social Studies, Assessment, Classroom Management, and Behavior -- Everything you need to be successful in the classroom- YOU'LL FIND it at www.teachyourheartout.com Check back soon for a live link!!

TASHE program

I'm currently working as a mentor in a fabulous program with Palm Beach Community College.They provide a teaching certification program for second career seekers (mostly of hispanic descent- but not necessarily) called TASHE: Transitioning and Supporting Hispanic Educators. As mentors, we provide the support that the mentees need, whether it is information needed for coursework, or assistance in the classroom with curriculum, classroom management, and/or behavioral challenges with challenging students. The mentors are such a supportive group; we are constantly in touch with one another making sure we are up to date with what the mentees are in need of, we have held our first mini-conference where we discussed ESOL strategies, reading strategies, CRISS strategies, Reading and Writing workshop, and setting up a classroom, and we are planning on holding our next conference within the next four weeks. We are now working on implementing VoiceThread within the website, and updating our current website with resources for our mentees and other students who are enrolled in the teaching program at PBCC. We (those of us who want to see all educators- preservice and currently employed- succeed) want to make sure anyone and everyone has access to these resources that we believe are helpful to all educators!

Check out our links and some of our mentors websites!!!
http://www.palmbeachschooltalk.com/mcdonaldl/Literary_Lady/Welcome.html
http://www.pbcc.edu/TASHE.xml
http://www.projectcriss.com/

Increase traffic to your blog!

Looking to increase traffic to your blog?

I've got your answer....

If you are a relatively new blog/blogger and/or you just don't see the traffic to your blog that you want, then you should check out a new concept called "BLOG-UPP." It is a completely free program that will advertise your blog on other blogs.... FOR FREE!!!!

What do you need to do? It's EASY!....Download the widget "BLOG-UPP" and display it on your site. There is a waiting period for approval, approximately 24 hours, however Blog-Upp immediately starts working for you!!

The widget will post some blogs throughtout the day; this is how your blog will gather some viewers. Visitors from other blogs will see your blog advertised, click on it, and it will take them directly to your site! Viola! Magic... I've seen an increase in traffic since I've taken on my BLOG-UPP widget and I'm VERY HAPPY!!!! Try it- It's FREE!!

Lesson Study.. What is it? How can it help?

Why is it that Japanese students seem to outperform us in mathematics and science when we study the results of testing? Many seem to 'generalize' the answer to one notion...they have better students...This is not true. A typical classroom in Japan would look very similar to one here in the U.S. The difference is in the teaching practices and the delivery of material.



Japanese educators continually develop themselves and their teaching practices through the practice of Lesson Study. In their practice of Lesson study, Japanese teachers will work in small teams to develop lesson plans based on content/curriculum goals and the learning/emotional goals of their students. Once lesson plans are completed and agreed upon by the team, one teacher will deliver the lesson to his/her class while the other teachers observe.

After the lesson has been taught, the teachers meet again and discuss the lesson as a whole, delivery of instruction, interaction of students, achievement of instructional and affective goals. The lesson is then revised upon all the findings and then taught by a second teacher to a different group of students, while teachers observe.



In Japan, lesson study is a very important component of professional development. Japan's emphasis on this process has gained the attention of the National Council of Teacher's of Mathematics and the National Science Foundation. Check out the following link to find multiple resources on the process of lesson study, materials to help implement lesson study, and research that supports it's use in schools.



http://www2.edc.org/lessonstudy/lessonstudy/

Banyan Creek second-graders learn more while enjoying their education

September 29, 2008
Banyan Creek second-graders learn more while enjoying their education
> Posted by DAve DiPino at 4:01 PM

At Banyan Creek Elementary School, Susanna Livingston teaches a class of gifted second-graders and has found an innovative way to motivate her students.“First, and foremost, I prepare my students to be the world's future scientists, researchers, cancer curers by using inquiry skills,” Livingston said. She said her class has been renamed “the Livingston Township" at Banyan Creek Elementary School. Through regularly scheduled activities, some students who previously were uninterested in science are now excited about the subject.

Donations from parents and support from area businesses have allowed Livingston to purchase a pair of durable plastic goggles for each child to protect their eyes. Plus every child has his or her own lab coat, purchased slightly larger than their current size so that it will fit them through out elementary school.


The class also has participated in a recent “Read-In Celebration” held each month at the Livingston Township. In September, the read-in's theme was Dr. Seuss.focus was
Each student brought in as many Dr. Seuss books as they had at home and could physically carry to school, along with a blanket and pillow or sleeping bag, since the day's focus was to read, relax and enjoy, Livingston said.

Adding It Up: Helping Children Learn Mathematics

Adding It Up: Helping Children Learn Mathematics

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