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Musical Chairs

2012-01-22T06:19:00.000-08:00

A colleague of mine shared an interesting technique she uses in her classroom for a seating arrangement. After all, you know how it is, all students want to sit with their friends, but then they're just too chatty! In this classroom, there is no ownership over desks so the technique works quite nicely. The students come into her class and sit anywhere they like. However, if they are too chatty, the teacher immediately plays a bit of music, the music means, it's musical chair time and the students have to change where they sit. The students know exactly what to do when the music is played. The teacher indicated that she used to play music much more often at the beginning of the year, however, now the students know what the expected behavior is in order to sit with their peers.

Got a tip? Share it here. After all, we get our terrific strategies and tips from educators who share.
See my favorite classroom management strategies.

Book Talks

2011-12-04T06:57:00.000-08:00

Book Talk

Having a book talk within the classroom mimics what many adults do for a hobby. This works well when you have multiple copies of a few age appropriate books. Each student selects from 4-6 books, the book chosen forms the groups. After the students have read portions of their book, they meet and discuss what they've read. Students should be prompted to think deeply about what they read. Some sample questions to get students talking should be available for students which could include:

Why did the author give the main character those traits?
This book reminds me of......
Why did the author select this setting? How does it contribute to the story?
Could the events be real? Why or why not?
What makes you uncomfortable in this book?
If you summarized what you've read so far, what 3 points would you make?
What has surprised you or disturbed you?
What have you learned from reading this?
Predict what you think will happen next and why.
Talk about one of the characters and discuss who that character reminds you of and why.

Working on Christmas Worksheets

2011-11-27T12:47:00.000-08:00

I'm a bit late topping up my Christmas worksheets this year but better late than never. I have just finished a category of word problems involving Christmas Menus, Shopping Lists and Wish Lists. These worksheets start with the basics of adding 2 digit dollar amounts and move to shopping lists with discounts and taxes.

I'm also working on a problem solving category but have a ways to go yet. Problem solving is slightly different than word problems as you want the children to discover a method to solve the problems and of course, show their work.

I'm always looking to fill the needs of homeschoolers and educators and although I have much to do, I'll take your requests and add them to my to do list.

Have a great week educators, the holidays are just around the corner.

Correcting Inappropriate Behaviors

2011-11-20T03:57:00.000-08:00

Daily Progress Report

Let's face it, some children need a lot of support and guidance to correct their inappropriate behaviors. Personally, I have found that total respect, 1 to 1 conversations, positive reinforcement and a fair and consistent approach goes a long way to a winning relationship with a student who exhibits challenging behaviors. I also find it quite helpful to use a tracking sheet/behavior contract of some sort for a defined period of time to help support behavioral change. Check out the daily progress report along with the other behavior contracts found here.

See also: Analyzing when inappropriate behavior happens with these FBA worksheets.

Great strategies should be shared, if you like what you discover here at Worksheetplace, share with a friend. Have a great teaching week.

Dar

Greater Than or Less Than Worksheets

2011-11-06T11:49:00.000-08:00

Although it seems like a pretty easy concept, greater than and less than symbols are quite confusing for young learners. Last week, I heard one of the more comical ways of remembering these symbols, it was just too good not to share so here you are:

"The guy with the big nose, always looks down at us so he is the biggest number!"

The students laughed and a parent told me her son won't forget it.

Give the strategy a try and here are the greater than and less than worksheets to see if it works. Have another great tip? Share in comments.

It's just over a month until Christmas, are you ready? Have a great teaching week!
Dar

Success Criteria for Good Character

2011-10-30T13:49:00.000-07:00

Do your students know what being responsible looks like? Do they understand how to be responsible? We talk about great character traits like cooperation, respect, courage and optimism etc. but we don't often consider how it looks to a student in our classroom. Take a trait or two each month(s) and make it the focus. For instance, let students set goals about how they will become more responsible. Develop a success criteria with the class and post it for the month or two that the trait will be focused on.

Brainstorm what being responsible looks like with the students and come up with 5 or 6 items to post. It may look lilke:

RESPONSIBILITY1. Always come prepared for each class.
2. Follow routines and rules appropriately.
3. Complete tasks to the best of our ability.
4. Take responsibility for our own behavior.
Each time a new character trait is introduced, develop a 'looks like' or sucess criteria with your class and focus on the looks like throughout the month(s).

Have a great teaching week!
Dar

Organize Your Chart Paper

2011-10-09T05:19:00.000-07:00

If you don't yet have a SMART/White board to organize your files from one year to the next with ease, this tip is for you. I used to write out morning messages, problem solving strategies, success criteria and just about anything worthwhile on to chart paper. Storing it was always a challenge.

Take a hanger and some clothes pins and start hanging all your chart paper keepers. Use the sticky yellows on the side of each to indicate what they're about. AND, if you can have a bracket that shows about 6 inches or so, hang it there where they're readily available.

Do you have a favorite tip? Please comment and share with fellow educators.

Word Walls for Older Grades

2011-10-01T12:07:00.000-07:00

For Word Walls

Sometimes word walls can get too crowded, especially when they're used in higher grades. One trick that works well is binder rings of words. Simply laminate small cards of words and using a single whole punch, put all the words for each given letter on the binder ring. On your bulletin board, you will need 26 push pins to hang each group of words. This makes the words handy for students. When students need the spelling of a word that begins with t, they grab the ring containing all the t words.

Word walls should be growing all year, those pretty word walls that become static are nowhere near as effective as a growing word wall.

See the ready made words here or check out the word families.

Getting Your Students to be Quiet

2011-09-24T18:20:00.000-07:00

When you want your students' attention, you've probably tried every trick in the book. A flick of the lights, a ring of a bell, hands on your head, countdown 3 - 2 - 1, you name it. Are you ready to change it up? Here's one the students love. Each month pick a new one and it needs to be related to a favorite team, event or holiday. For instance, for the month of October, you would say 'Trick or Treat', that's the cue to have your students stop talking and listen. Or if you have a favorite sports team, you would say 'Go Jets, Go'. The students love coming up with the phrase each month and it works quite well. And if all else fails, perhaps your students need to set goals about becoming better listeners. Try these goal setting worksheets.

Have a great teaching week.
Worksheets by Dar.

Too Many Hands? or No hands?

2011-09-13T17:11:00.000-07:00

Pick me, pick me, Miss Nelson, you never pick me. Sound familiar? When you ask a question you either get no hands up or too many hands up. Well, here's a strategy to ensure all of your students are listening. Get popsicle sticks and put your student's names on in permanent ink (on the ends). Stick the sticks in a can with the names down. Each time you ask a question, reach in, grab a stick and read the name. That student is responsible for answering. No tuning out anymore. All students are listening, they don't quite know when their name will be pulled out of the can!

Student Voice

2011-09-04T14:12:00.000-07:00

Student Voice Box

Want your classroom to run smooth? Want your students to have better respect? Want to minimize the bullying and conflict? Do something different this year, give your students a voice by creating a voice box.

What you need: A cardboard box with an opening for submissions, placed conveniently near you.
Paper slips: I like to print and cut slips that have a heading at the top. (Some slips need the title Gripe, others need to be called Good Deed) You can determine the names for the slips, I've seen Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down, Cheers and Jeers, 1 Step Forward, 1 Step Back, Hits and Misses.

Now is the time to explain to your class that they have a voice. Each time they see something positive, they print it up on the slip and put it in the box. (For instance, I saw.........picking up litter that somebody else left.) If there is something negative, any student can put in the negative slip and it can be anomynous. (For instance, Thumbs down to a person who was teasing another student about wearing braces.)

Decide when you will have 'Student Voice' time. It should be for a few minutes each day or every other day. This is very important, you need to honor student voice and make it a regular happening. Read the notes and have a mini discussion. This also gives you an excellent strategy to focus on developing great character.

See more strategies for classroom management.

Have a great teaching tip to share? Please do!

Back To School Routines

2011-08-29T15:01:00.000-07:00

Classroom Management

You really only get one chance to make that first impression with your students. If you had one of those years last year where you said to yourself 'Next year will be different, I won't do that again', then be sure to learn from those mistakes.

I have some great tips and hints for you to excel at classroom management and discipline that have been used effectively by some of the most experienced educators. Learn from the best and you'll have a great year with your new students.

Tip of the week: When your students are talking when you are, stop talking! Put the timer on. Each minute they take will need to be paid back. When the bell goes (hopefully you don't have supervision duty.) They pay back their time. By giving up a few minutes of your time, you will be teaching them that they don't speak when you are. If you begin raising their voice over them, you will be teaching them that it's okay to speak when you are. Some of our most effective teachers will tell you that this is a big no no. Learn from the best.

Have a great teaching week!

Getting Ready to Go Back to School

2011-07-19T10:35:00.000-07:00

Be prepared for the upcoming school year. Take some great advice on classroom management, set it up right from the beginning and you'll have a great year. You'll find advice on teaching routines, what to do when the rules get broken and you can go through the classroom management checklist to make sure you're all ready.

Once you have your strategies for classroom management and setting up routines, you may want to select a few of these behavior contracts for those little tykes that push you to your limits.

Summer Countdown

2011-05-01T07:51:00.000-07:00

Do you find that your students aren't behaving as well as you would like them to? All too often, classroom management is a struggle as any holiday approaches. Sometimes, you just need to get down to business and claim back a little more authority. Try the countdown approach to those students who continue to be an ongoing challenge. I also like the I can do it behavior contract.

Another strategy I use is the reward system. Let's say you have 30 days left until the holidays. Establish 2-3 goals (e.g., always raise your hand before speaking, class becomes silent on the 3-2-1 countdown, nobody interupts when the teacher is speaking). Once the goals are established, start providing 1 point for a reasonably good day and 2 points for an outstanding day. Each time the class gets to 20 points, reward the class with either free time, an outdoor period, pizza party etc.

Share what works for you, educators are always looking for new strategies.

My Math Rant

2011-04-10T08:24:00.000-07:00

If you are teaching math in North America, chances are that your curriculum is ridiculously daunting. Is it any wonder that the teaching of it is often referred to as the inch deep, mile long approach? Plain and simple, there is too much content! Teachers have an impossible job. How can children possibly understand so many math concepts? The truth is, they can't! I'm sure that when these math courses of study or curricular documents were put together, they were done by complete math specialists. Great, in their minds, everything is important. However, with approximately 50 minutes a day for about 180 days 'everything' can't be LEARNED, regardless that everything is taught.

My advice? Use your flexible common sense. Look at that curriculum, tease out those important concepts or Big Ideas and eliminate the rest! Less is more and if we are going to teach our students anything, we need to ensure that they are learning. If you're not sure what's important in math, I'd be concerned. However, ask a colleague. Dig deeper and teach less of those concepts, your students will then learn.

March Break?

2011-03-17T06:31:00.000-07:00

Want the learning to continue throughout the March break? Check out this Holiday Memory Book. Print it out and have it handy for those parents who would like to see their children do a small amount of work each day during their holidays.

You can't print specific pages of the book, or scroll down to the bottom to print the entire booklet in PDF format.

Active Math

2011-02-21T12:03:00.000-08:00

I design worksheets and here I am advocating 'active math'. What is active math you ask? It's using body movements to learn math concepts. Why? Because young learners need to be active. When you allow for physical activity, learners are more engaged which allows for more permanent learning of the concept being taught.

Just how to you get your learners physical for math? Here are 3 to get you started:

All students stand up. Do the countdown around the room. Start at any number and when it's an even number, the girls touch their toes, when it's an odd number the boys turn around once. You can add any other elements you wish. (Jump once, squat twice etc.)
Form numbers with bodies. 1 or 2 students makes their body form a shape or number.
Math stomp. The teacher gives the question (3x2 or 9+2 or 12-7) etc. and the students stomp the answer by lifting their knees up and stomping down. Or students squat the number of times the answer would be.

Let you imagination wonder, add movement to math facts and you'll have a more engaged class! Use the comment section to add yours.
Of course, now that the class is tired out, you might want to turn to some fun math worksheets:

The Value of Skip Counting

2011-02-12T10:52:00.000-08:00

Skip counting is an important skill and can really turn into a great deal of fun. Skip counting merely means to count by 2's, 3's, 4's etc. When a child learns to skip count, the strategy will help with later math concepts:

Multiplication, let's say they're doing 4 x 6, they simply skip count by 4's or 6's tapping on each finger.....6....12.....18.....24 (tapping each finger as they skip count helps to remember how many times.)
Division, let's say they're doing 25 divided by 5, again, they skip count by 5, tapping each finger so they know how many taps they've done as they count 5, 10, 15, 20, 25

These are just a couple to name a few. To an adult, it just makes sense, however, to a child, you will want to point out this strategy. Another great way to emphasize skip counting is to use 100's charts. For these, you will ask the child to shade skip counts of 2 in yellow, or put an x on skip-counts to 4, or circle skip counts of 6. Get your imagination going as the ideas are endless.
See the worksheet resources here.
Enjoy and be sure to share your great ideas, educators are always looking for something new to try.

Literature Circles

2011-02-05T15:32:00.000-08:00

Differentiated instruction is another educational buzzword but as I've often said, the pendulum doesn't quite swing back and forth. Rather, it hangs on to the 'good stuff' often re-naming it and let's go of the 'not so good stuff'. Differentiated instruction isn't new, it's another word for doing your best to individualize instruction - remember multiple intelligences? Bloom's Taxonomy? Well, if you used those, there's no doubt you're diffentiating instruction. The first step toward differentiated instruction? Groupwork!

One great method to help you differentiate, is to use literature circles. Essentially, you establish groups based on the book that each group will read. The groups discuss the book through various roles and the teacher rotates through the groups.

To keep it easy for you, you'll find quick tip information on how to use Literature Circles in the classroom, worksheets for each of the roles and a marking rubric. Everything you need to support your literacy practice!

Be sure to post your great ideas, educators love what you share.
Make it a great week, Dar

Say No to Blurting Out

2011-01-31T09:25:00.000-08:00

Whether you're a teacher or a parent, blurting out is often an inappropriate behavior seen in many children. Why do they do it? Because they can! If you respond to a blurting out, you've just taught the child that it's okay to do so.

Think about the classroom, you are going over some instructions and a student speaks out and says 'but can we......' How do you respond?

1. Answer the question and carry on with your instructions.
2. Ignore, carry on with your instructions and ask for questions at the end.
3. Slowly walk over to the student, rest your hand on his shoulder, continue giving instructions.

Your best responses are 2 and 3. Once you engage the child, you've taught them that it's okay to blurt out, interrupt you and much more, expect a response for the inappropriate behavior.

If you remain consistent with your approach to blurting out, they will soon learn that it's an inappropriate behaviour. Will it completely end? Of course not, but it will certainly improve.

Same thing goes for students who neglect to put up their hands - DO NOT respond to them. If you do, your classroom management will suffer. When you respond to 1 student, you inevitibly are teaching the whole class that's it's okay.

For some of the best tips on classroom management including 'What to do when the rules get broken' and 'How to handle common behavior problems' be sure to check out these articles.

The 100th Day of School

2011-01-21T03:41:00.000-08:00

100 Days Smarter! The 100th day of school happens in this educational jurisdiction during February. I remember those days in the primary classroom. My students would make a chain link necklace for the principal, 100 links of course. But, that wasn't quite enough, they also made her a hat with 100 paper circles, each circle had a word to describe her. But that wasn't quite enough either, they wrote 100 cards of thanks to her and of course to top it off, they counted out 100 cheerios and 100 fruit loops and placed them in a cup as a snack for her. The 100th day of school provides so much fun for students even if some of the strategies are a tad bent!

Share you favorite 100 day activity.

For a terrific higher level thinking activity in literacy, chek out the Figures of Speech Worksheets.

After the Christmas Holidays

2010-12-28T11:59:00.000-08:00

Sometimes it's nice to provide students with the opportunity to share their holiday memories and traveling destinations. That's precisely why I created the Holiday Memory Booklet. Print enough copies of the booklet or just some of the great pages and your students will be thrilled to share their vavaction times with you.

I used to have some fun with my young learners when they returned from a holiday. I played Christmas Snap with them. The first student said one thing they got for Christmas, another student said SNAP if they got the same things, each student would get a chance to tell what they got.

I also let them do a comic strip about and event that happened over Christmas.

Have few ideas you would like to share? That's what we're here for.

Christmas Fun

2010-12-11T10:07:00.000-08:00

One of the challenges I used to give my students in the classroom was to have them figure out the cost of the items in the 12 Days of Christmas. Each year we would find the listing that would display the prices of each song item and calculate how much the True Love would have to spend this year.

A few other Christmas activities include

How many words can you make with the word Christmas?
How many items can you name that are white? red? green?
How many Christmas foods can you name?
How many Christmas ornmaments can you name?
How many days? hours? minutes? seconds until Chrismas?
How many different Christmas songs can you name in 3 minutes?
Re-write the words for a Christmas song and turn it into a birthday song.

Do you have some activities worth sharing? Share away.
Be sure to check out the free worksheets for Christmas too.

Christmas Worksheets

2010-12-05T10:26:00.000-08:00

Christmas worksheets are great for bell work. For better classroom management, make sure that your students always know what they should be doing when they come in from recess and lunch. Do you have worksheets you would like to share with other educators? Send them along to info @worksheetplace for review and possible posting.

End of School Year Fun

2010-05-18T04:32:00.000-07:00

As we near the end of the school year with the enjoyable summer holidays ahead, there are ample opportunities to motivate students. How you ask? The ideas are endless! Have them write your report card!

Or let them reflect about the year.
Or 4 things they want to do this summer.
Or a letter to next year's student.
Or a letter to this year's teacher.

Or just hop on over to worksheet place to see the free end of year worksheets.

Most importantly, keep the learning active to ensure they're motivated until the very last day. Go on a sound walk, have scavenger hunts, develop safety rules for the summer. Have mock interviews for summer jobs. Be part of the resource, post your great ideas.

Mother's Day

2010-05-02T09:54:00.000-07:00

Using themes and holidays to motivate learners is always a great idea. This month, 2nd Sunday in May is Mother's Day. Regardless of age, there are many great writing activities kids can do.
Take this worksheet for example, kids right about the similarities and differences between their mom and them. They also illustrate them.

Another writing activity that is more of a repetitive pattern for early writers is:
I like ____________ but mom likes_______________.
I don't like____________ and mom doesn't like_______________.

Children can illustrate the likes and dislikes. Be sure to check out all the Mother's Day worksheets. And if you have one to share, send it along.

Teaching Reading ~ Get it Right!

2010-04-25T07:41:00.000-07:00

A relative asked me my why a 5 year old could recognize a word like weather yet couldn't read yet. I said, it sounded like the child was exposed to these words regularly and therefore committed them to memory, a drill and kill, rote learning approach. She asked about the value of this. I responded that, memory is one of many strategies required to learn to read. Teaching a child difficult words prior to the child understanding basics doesn't make sense to put it mildly. Children aren't vessels waiting to be filled up with information. Unfortunately some private schools in their attempt to convince parents that their children are brighter often use this approach ~ it's shortlived, this I know. Did this child attend private school? Yes. It will remain nameless.

The task of learning to read is a very complex process and is developmental in nature. Learning to read requires sound symbol recognition of the alphabet, it requires understanding of the consonant sounds at the beginning and ending of words, it requires picture cues, sight recognition and decoding skills. Most importantly, it requires really good resources that are developmental in nature. Books that have high interest and low vocabulary, books with repetitive patterns.

I have taught the art of reading for a long time. I taught a developmental child with an IQ of 60 to read when others had given up; when I was told she would never read. I have provided my daughter with strategies, tips and resources to help my grandson read. He reads for enjoyment and information and reads well beyond grade level and has since kindergarten.

Have questions about teaching reading? Post away, although I no longer tutor, my advice is free!

Bell Work Fridays - and More!

2010-04-09T16:33:00.000-07:00

Do you ever notice that by Friday afterrnoon both you and your students lack zest and motivation? The last thing you want to do on a Friday is work on a mundane paper/pencil tasks. You need to kick it up a knotch. Inspire your student and get them hooked to learn right through to the bell.

Here are a few great ideas for 'pick me up Friday afternoons:

Try the bellwork ideas here.
Conversation circle: students sit in a circle and you begin round robin question/answers with the opportunity to pass (Favorite activity this week, least favorite activity, compliment about a student, where I'd rather be, what I'm most looking forward to this weekend etc.
Statues (play tunes, students wiggle/jiggle and when the tune stops, students strike a pose - repeat
Mystery Person - for example: my mystery person has a dog, got an A on their science test and was sent to the office this morning, the person guesses gets to do the next mystery person.

Add your own ideas in the comment section.

Revise and Edit

2010-04-07T03:21:00.000-07:00

Today our students have access to computers to do their writing and therefore access to the grammar and spell checker. Perhaps this is also why they're writing has taken a step or two backwards. After all, they spend a great deal of time texting and using text shortcuts. However, they still need to know how to edit their own work. These revise and edit self-checking worksheets are a great way to start.

A great way to use some of these checklists is to laminate them, give each student a laminated copy and let them re-use them. Wipe them each time and they're then ready for the next task.

Be sure to check out the fact and opinion writing worksheets to get them motivated to write.

Be sure to share with your colleagues.

The Internet is Great For Teachers

2010-04-05T07:11:00.000-07:00

I've been an educator for what seems like a lifetime. Without a doubt, the internet has made my job easier. I rarely buy resources at the teacher's store anymore. Good or bad, it's just the simple truth. Instead, I take time to create what I used to buy and offer it free online. Truly great educators share, after all, why reinvent the wheel? Should you have the desire to share your woksheets, send them along. I'll post them and give the credit back to you. If not, always free to gab the resources you find at worksheetplace.

This month, be sure to visit our shape books category to get your students motivated to write.

St. Patrick's Day Worksheets

2010-02-18T05:03:00.000-08:00

Drop on over the the St. Patrick's Day worksheets for some great classroom teaching ideas.

One of my favorite activities is this 'lucky, then unlucky' booklet. Let your students use their imagination to complete this great little booklet.

For example: It was lucky that my friend found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but it was unlucky that the coins weren't real.

Whether students work in pairs or alone, this booklet will stimulate writing.

Punctuation: Make it a Daily Effort

2009-09-07T16:29:00.000-07:00

There are many ways to include punctuation tips and practice into your daily teaching practice. As students come in each day, make sure there is a sentence on the board or chart paper that needs editing. As they come in, they put the sentence into their daily edit books and use the correct punctuation. You can also create a package of punctuation worksheets whereby students complete 1 or 2 a week as you so request.

Another approach I like to use: When you're reading with the class, stop and ask why the author used a colon or a comma etc. This ensures that your students understand the purpose punctuation.

Do you teach phonics?

2009-07-26T08:19:00.000-07:00

There's nothing wrong with teaching phonics, but, and I mean BUT, it's all in how you teach it. Even the gurus in the publishing world put out some pretty confusing messages. Consider Fountas and Pinnell for instance. There's no denying that much of what they produce is quite good. However, be smart and use your flexible common sense when using their resources. Don't assume they know it all, in fact, you've probably worked with students more often and longer than they have so again, I remind you to use your common sense.

I was scanning one of their phonics resources and under long vowels - specifically U they list the following words as having the long u sound: use, cube, huge, tube, clue, glue. I ask you, does u REALLY say its name in tube, clue and glue? Not at all! Sounds more like an 'ew' sound!

No wonder kids get confused with phonics! All vowels CANNOT be classified under long an short. Let's just look at a for a minute: bad (short a), lake (long a) call (?) car (?) ball (?)

So what do we do? What great teachers have always done! Teach the sounds that vowels make, then teach the sounds that vowel combinations make. Don't get locked into the long and short of it. Do what's best for young learners, which means, don't confuse them.

Here are the free worksheets that address the sounds that vowels make. And well I'm on the topic, I might add that many vowel and vowel combinations sound the same. There's NOTHING wrong when it comes to classifying vowel sounds by the sounds they make and not by the letters, it actually supports better learning. For instance a learner could classify the following words in the same category: blue, flew, too, shoe, do, you.

Have a thought or two? I'd love to hear from you.

A Second Chance to Get it Right? Hardly!

2009-07-17T10:26:00.000-07:00

Classroom management is everything! Many so called voices of authority throughout the educational jurisdictions will tell you something a little bit different. They'll tell you that great instruction will have your classroom management or discipline issues magically disappear.

I can assure you and I am a bit of a veteran, you need both and if you don't have exceptional classroom management strategies, you can be guaranteed to have problems and eventually you will develop a big dislike for the entire educational profession.

So what advice do I have for you? Well, aside from reading my articles on effective classroom management here it is in a nutshell (and believe me, I'm not trying to make it sound simple, it takes sincere comittment and follow through consistently to get it right).

1. If you say it, mean it.
2. Don't say it mean.
3. NO power struggles ~ nobody wins.
4. Use an assertive/progressive discipline plan.
5. Always respect your students and they'll respect you.

Teaching is most often about good relationships.

Teaching can be a worthwhile career, especially if you get it right. Afterall, why do so many of us still like it? And oh, yes, I too have taught at intercity schools!

New Worksheets!

2009-07-07T15:05:00.000-07:00

Well, I said I'd work to add more worksheets this summer and here they are! A new science category for Kindergarten to 2nd grade. Be sure to check out:

Your feedback by way of comments is most appreciated. For those of you who like me are enjoying the summer vacation, the best to you! I'll keep plugging away at worksheets and you can be sure that I'll share them with you.

Summer Learning

2009-06-01T04:52:00.000-07:00

2 Steps backwards and 1 forward. I've been teaching long enough to see how much some students slide over the summer. I have merely one tidbit of advice to all parents. Let your child read to you this summer, read to them and ask good questions that demonstrate comprehension and higher level thinking skills. What does this look like? Well, when you buy books for your children, make sure that they're at their instructional level - not ones they can read with ease or that they struggle on every word with. Books that for the most part, they need some help. As for questions, avoid the yes/no type. Think about asking questions like:

'Why do you think the author ended the story that way?'
'What advice do you have for the author about this book?'
'What character really made this story and why?'

Help children understand point of view, ask questions that make them think about point of view.

For a few more questioning tips on books, check out these.

Math Rehab!

2009-05-23T04:33:00.000-07:00

This week a fellow colleague/teacher shared with me how he remediates in math. He uses some interesting terms to ensure that students get the big idea behind the math concept. So, for instance let's say the concept is integers and the 4 operations. There's an exit ticket which is essentially a quick test with the basic questions about the concept. If the student miss the boat, in other words they can't add/subtract/multiply and divide with positive and negative numbers. They are put into math rehab. Math rehab provides them with some extra time to learn the concept. Math rehab will occur with additional homework or a few missed recesses. Sure makes the kids pay attention as they want their exit ticket.

Not a great year? Kids getting away on you?

2009-05-16T12:59:00.000-07:00

With summer holidays just around the corner, maybe it's time to reflect on this year and start acting and learning from those reflections. Teaching is much harder that it seems. Some teachers just get it and others really have to work at it. One of my colleagues asked what my secret was. I'm not sure I have a secret, I do know that I have high expectations for both learning and behavior. If I say it, I mean it and I don't say it mean. The other piece of advice I often give is to read a good book on classroom management. Harry Wong's is a favorite of mine, why not give it a whirl this summer?

See also, functional behavior assessments and behavior contracts for additional support.

Here are another few staples of mine:

Show respect, when you give respect, you will get respect -- most of the time.
Encourage the student, boost their confidence, show you care and provide them with the attention they so need for acting appropriately.
DON'T in power struggles, DON'T show anger. DON'T retaliate.
Understand that inappropriate behaviors are a cry for attention.

Stop With the Recounts!

2009-05-10T06:26:00.000-07:00

Surely by now, you've discovered that kids can write re-counts, even if they can't write anything else! So why bother with those daily journals? Where's the learning? Aren't you a little tired reading:

I went to the mall with my mom. Then I bought a new video game. I played my new video game with my friend Jack. Jack liked it. I liked it too. I hope when I go to the mall again, I can get another new video games. I like playing video games.
The End.

So what do you do? You balance your writing program. Provide opportunities for opinion writing, persuasive writing, procedural writing, and expository writing to name a few.

Another strategy to 'get them writing' is to ask higher level thinking questions and give them a free write. How about, 'If I could make the world a better place' or ' Why uniforms should or shouldn't be allowed to be worn at school' or 'Why every student should have a laptop'.

Have anymore ideas? Post them and share with our fellow educators.

Differentiated Instruction and Assessment

2009-05-09T15:01:00.000-07:00

The typical classroom seems to have a spread in grade level ability that varies somewhere between 2 to 6 grades. For instance, in your grade 8 class, the math ability will be anywhere from grade 4 ability to grade 10 ability. And you, as a teacher, must teach to them all and ensure that each of them reaches their potential! How, you ask? Well, like me, you're probably told to differentiate your instruction. You can search anywhere online and see that differentiated instruction is well defined. However, to get started, you need group work, get your class working in groups. When you're working with a specifc group, you'll need to figure out what the rest of the class is doing. One of the things that works really well for differentiated instruction is 'Literature Circles'. Check out the worksheets and give it an honest try.

Be sure to check out the Teacher Tube video on how to use literature circles in your classroom.

Reading Recovery - I'm not convinced!

2009-05-03T09:25:00.000-07:00

Reading Recovery is a reading intervention program (an expensive one too) that few educational, if any, jurisdictions can afford. So, why use Reading Recovery? It gets good results in a 1 to 1 setting. Then again, most teachers would get great success and enhance performance in that setting as well. However, it's not real. Educational jurisdictions need to look at intervention programs that work well in groups, not in a 1 to 1 setting. Oh, and I doubt you'll find any research out there that shows that Reading Recovery helps to improve standardized test scores beyond the primary years. Not much bang for the buck now is it?

Most boards are now dropping the program and all I can say, is that it's about time! So, let's move forward at teach students how to read in evidenced based ways. Phonics will always have its place, word walls/word cards are essential, an effective word study program is essential! But of course, these suggestions are just part of what is needed for a well balanced literacy program.

Share your thoughts, especially your point of views on Reading Recovery.

Teach Reading With Literature Circles

2009-05-02T14:09:00.000-07:00

If you're ready to differentiate your teaching and assessment then you'll want to teach with literature circles. Each child has a role and your groups of students rotate through the roles for the week. Be sure to read the overview first. Once you understand the roles, you're ready to start your class with literature circles. Suitable for the 3rd to 7th grades.

Get a Better Handle on Things for the New Year

2008-01-06T07:36:00.000-08:00

Do you feel like your students are somewhat out of control? After the holiday season, is a great time to get things under control again. First of all, make sure your students complete some goal setting worksheets. Then, re-establish your rules and routines. It's better to stick with 3 rules. Know your consequences and stick with 3 also. For instance: 1st offence = time out; 2nd offence = time out with a call home; 3rd offence = documentation to the office and a behavior contract.

Remember, consistency is what the best teachers employ all the time. Good luck in the New Year 2008

Get a Handle on Behavior

2007-09-22T05:42:00.000-07:00

Is the honeymoon over in your class? Certainly I've noticed a decline in some of my student's behaviors already. Well, it's time to be consistent, yet fair and by no means will I be letting go of my high expectations. My success in handing behavior has always stemmed from having a good relationship with my students while keeping my expectations high. And of course, I can't say enough about being consistent. If you expect it - demand it. This week why not try some behavior contracts or worksheets to help with those students that need that extra bit.

The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires. ~ William Arthur Ward

My Opinion! (Part of the Persuasive Writing Worksheets)

2007-09-02T05:49:00.000-07:00

Here is a great worksheet to help with persuasive writing, doesn't it all start with an opinion? This week in Ontario, Canada it's the first week back. I too will be returning to school and intend to do my best at adding new worksheets on my time off. Once again, if you have any suggestions, tips or ideas for back to school, feel free to comment back. I luv hearing from you.

Welcome Educators!

2007-08-26T05:45:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to provide a sharing place for educators since the late 90's and although it's taken what seems like forever, I finally went live! So, give me suggestions for resources, tips, best practices, strategies and worksheets and I'll do my best to provide the sharing opportunities to meet your teaching needs.

The pick this week is 'compare two characters' graphic organizer.

Feel free to comment with a tip, suggestion or just plain ol' feedback. Just click the comments text!