tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19897750717316094582024-03-20T12:49:25.621-07:00Cues from Ekuwah MosesCues from Ekuwah Moseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789209448529375280noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1989775071731609458.post-327215433857629132021-02-08T10:16:00.005-08:002021-02-08T10:16:51.219-08:00NEW WEBSITE!!<p> I am glad you found this blog post! Please join me on my new website for the latest publications, information, and resources! </p><h1 style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ekuwah.com">ekuwah.com</a></h1>Cues from Ekuwah Moseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789209448529375280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1989775071731609458.post-65169550735789807212020-12-28T21:31:00.000-08:002020-12-28T21:31:02.984-08:00B is for Baby<p> <span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.01); border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 1.3125; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;">My daughter and I watched author Atinuke</span><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.01); border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 1.3125; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> read the picture book <u>B IS FOR BABY</u>. I enjoyed hearing the author pronounce the Nigerian words and read with enthusiastic expression!</span></p><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-4qtqp9 r-ip8ujx r-sjv1od r-zw8f10 r-bnwqim r-h9hxbl" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.01); border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline-block; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; height: 1em; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0.075em; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 1.2em;"><div aria-label="Right-pointing triangle" class="css-1dbjc4n r-xoduu5 r-1mlwlqe r-1d2f490 r-1udh08x r-u8s1d r-h9hxbl r-417010" style="-webkit-box-align: stretch; -webkit-box-direction: normal; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; height: 1.2em; left: 0px; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: absolute; width: 1.2em; z-index: 0;" title="Right-pointing triangle"><div class="css-1dbjc4n r-1niwhzg r-vvn4in r-u6sd8q r-x3cy2q r-1p0dtai r-xoduu5 r-1pi2tsx r-1d2f490 r-u8s1d r-zchlnj r-ipm5af r-13qz1uu r-1wyyakw" style="-webkit-box-align: stretch; -webkit-box-direction: normal; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; align-items: stretch; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-image: url("https://abs-0.twimg.com/emoji/v2/svg/25b6.svg"); background-position: center center; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: 100% 100%; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; height: 18px; inset: 0px; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; width: 18px; z-index: -1;"></div><img alt="Right-pointing triangle" class="css-9pa8cd" draggable="false" src="https://abs-0.twimg.com/emoji/v2/svg/25b6.svg" style="height: 18px; inset: 0px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; width: 18px; z-index: -1;" /></div></span><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.01); border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 1.3125; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><a class="css-4rbku5 css-18t94o4 css-901oao css-16my406 r-1n1174f r-1loqt21 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" data-focusable="true" dir="ltr" href="https://t.co/7T7OJjpfXL?amp=1" rel=" noopener noreferrer" role="link" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.01); border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1b95e0; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 1.3125; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank"><span aria-hidden="true" class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-hiw28u r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: inherit; display: inline; font-size: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.3125; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; white-space: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/O8M1JRlA9cw" width="320" youtube-src-id="O8M1JRlA9cw"></iframe></div><br />http://</span>youtu.be/O8M1JRlA9cw</a><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.01); border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 1.3125; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
Then, we hunted for “B” words in junk mail & magazines. She added sketches to illustrate a few words.</span><div><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.01); border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 1.3125; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.01); border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 1.3125; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0eNd2EvBvnAvk3fSDq9UaVH7VUOLp3dRWEXGPvGA6XgqmFGkrap0aH9pWeRepKMY1TAbAk0PqSBMJrx5Hm3lIRB0LlQu3LBuGlp0dNaReKI1Ka7rTxCHnHZ3bZkM0DZF5tWtp4XtwfZ0/s2048/B+is+for+Baby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1104" data-original-width="2048" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0eNd2EvBvnAvk3fSDq9UaVH7VUOLp3dRWEXGPvGA6XgqmFGkrap0aH9pWeRepKMY1TAbAk0PqSBMJrx5Hm3lIRB0LlQu3LBuGlp0dNaReKI1Ka7rTxCHnHZ3bZkM0DZF5tWtp4XtwfZ0/w640-h344/B+is+for+Baby.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> </span></div>Cues from Ekuwah Moseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789209448529375280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1989775071731609458.post-2038840447248720732020-12-28T21:23:00.002-08:002020-12-28T21:24:10.701-08:00Winter Break Plans?<p> <span style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.03); color: #0f1419; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">What do you do with your mail? Don’t just toss it out! Beautiful words are everywhere!</span></p><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.03); border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 1.3125; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Reuse </span><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-4qtqp9 r-ip8ujx r-sjv1od r-zw8f10 r-bnwqim r-h9hxbl" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.03); border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline-block; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; height: 1em; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0.075em; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 1.2em;"><div aria-label="Universal recycling symbol" class="css-1dbjc4n r-xoduu5 r-1mlwlqe r-1d2f490 r-1udh08x r-u8s1d r-h9hxbl r-417010" style="-webkit-box-align: stretch; -webkit-box-direction: normal; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; height: 1.2em; left: 0px; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: absolute; width: 1.2em; z-index: 0;" title="Universal recycling symbol"><div class="css-1dbjc4n r-1niwhzg r-vvn4in r-u6sd8q r-x3cy2q r-1p0dtai r-xoduu5 r-1pi2tsx r-1d2f490 r-u8s1d r-zchlnj r-ipm5af r-13qz1uu r-1wyyakw" style="-webkit-box-align: stretch; -webkit-box-direction: normal; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; align-items: stretch; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-image: url("https://abs-0.twimg.com/emoji/v2/svg/267b.svg"); background-position: center center; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: 100% 100%; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; height: 18px; inset: 0px; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; width: 18px; z-index: -1;"></div><img alt="Universal recycling symbol" class="css-9pa8cd" draggable="false" src="https://abs-0.twimg.com/emoji/v2/svg/267b.svg" style="height: 18px; inset: 0px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; width: 18px; z-index: -1;" /></div></span><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.03); border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 1.3125; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
Repurpose </span><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-4qtqp9 r-ip8ujx r-sjv1od r-zw8f10 r-bnwqim r-h9hxbl" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.03); border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline-block; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; height: 1em; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0.075em; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 1.2em;"><div aria-label="Scissors" class="css-1dbjc4n r-xoduu5 r-1mlwlqe r-1d2f490 r-1udh08x r-u8s1d r-h9hxbl r-417010" style="-webkit-box-align: stretch; -webkit-box-direction: normal; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; height: 1.2em; left: 0px; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: absolute; width: 1.2em; z-index: 0;" title="Scissors"><div class="css-1dbjc4n r-1niwhzg r-vvn4in r-u6sd8q r-x3cy2q r-1p0dtai r-xoduu5 r-1pi2tsx r-1d2f490 r-u8s1d r-zchlnj r-ipm5af r-13qz1uu r-1wyyakw" style="-webkit-box-align: stretch; -webkit-box-direction: normal; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; align-items: stretch; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-image: url("https://abs-0.twimg.com/emoji/v2/svg/2702.svg"); background-position: center center; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: 100% 100%; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; height: 18px; inset: 0px; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; width: 18px; z-index: -1;"></div><img alt="Scissors" class="css-9pa8cd" draggable="false" src="https://abs-0.twimg.com/emoji/v2/svg/2702.svg" style="height: 18px; inset: 0px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; width: 18px; z-index: -1;" /></div></span><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.03); border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 1.3125; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
Redesign </span><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-4qtqp9 r-ip8ujx r-sjv1od r-zw8f10 r-bnwqim r-h9hxbl" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.03); border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline-block; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; height: 1em; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0.075em; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 1.2em;"><div aria-label="Artist palette" class="css-1dbjc4n r-xoduu5 r-1mlwlqe r-1d2f490 r-1udh08x r-u8s1d r-h9hxbl r-417010" style="-webkit-box-align: stretch; -webkit-box-direction: normal; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; height: 1.2em; left: 0px; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: absolute; width: 1.2em; z-index: 0;" title="Artist palette"><div class="css-1dbjc4n r-1niwhzg r-vvn4in r-u6sd8q r-x3cy2q r-1p0dtai r-xoduu5 r-1pi2tsx r-1d2f490 r-u8s1d r-zchlnj r-ipm5af r-13qz1uu r-1wyyakw" style="-webkit-box-align: stretch; -webkit-box-direction: normal; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; align-items: stretch; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-image: url("https://abs-0.twimg.com/emoji/v2/svg/1f3a8.svg"); background-position: center center; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: 100% 100%; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; height: 18px; inset: 0px; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; width: 18px; z-index: -1;"></div><img alt="Artist palette" class="css-9pa8cd" draggable="false" src="https://abs-0.twimg.com/emoji/v2/svg/1f3a8.svg" style="height: 18px; inset: 0px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; width: 18px; z-index: -1;" /></div></span><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.03); border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 1.3125; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
Rethink </span><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-4qtqp9 r-ip8ujx r-sjv1od r-zw8f10 r-bnwqim r-h9hxbl" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.03); border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline-block; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; height: 1em; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0.075em; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 1.2em;"><div aria-label="Electric light bulb" class="css-1dbjc4n r-xoduu5 r-1mlwlqe r-1d2f490 r-1udh08x r-u8s1d r-h9hxbl r-417010" style="-webkit-box-align: stretch; -webkit-box-direction: normal; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; height: 1.2em; left: 0px; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: absolute; width: 1.2em; z-index: 0;" title="Electric light bulb"><div class="css-1dbjc4n r-1niwhzg r-vvn4in r-u6sd8q r-x3cy2q r-1p0dtai r-xoduu5 r-1pi2tsx r-1d2f490 r-u8s1d r-zchlnj r-ipm5af r-13qz1uu r-1wyyakw" style="-webkit-box-align: stretch; -webkit-box-direction: normal; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; align-items: stretch; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-image: url("https://abs-0.twimg.com/emoji/v2/svg/1f4a1.svg"); background-position: center center; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: 100% 100%; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; height: 18px; inset: 0px; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; width: 18px; z-index: -1;"></div><img alt="Electric light bulb" class="css-9pa8cd" draggable="false" src="https://abs-0.twimg.com/emoji/v2/svg/1f4a1.svg" style="height: 18px; inset: 0px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; width: 18px; z-index: -1;" /></div></span><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.03); border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 1.3125; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
Reread </span><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-4qtqp9 r-ip8ujx r-sjv1od r-zw8f10 r-bnwqim r-h9hxbl" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.03); border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline-block; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; height: 1em; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0.075em; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 1.2em;"><div aria-label="Books" class="css-1dbjc4n r-xoduu5 r-1mlwlqe r-1d2f490 r-1udh08x r-u8s1d r-h9hxbl r-417010" style="-webkit-box-align: stretch; -webkit-box-direction: normal; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; height: 1.2em; left: 0px; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: absolute; width: 1.2em; z-index: 0;" title="Books"><div class="css-1dbjc4n r-1niwhzg r-vvn4in r-u6sd8q r-x3cy2q r-1p0dtai r-xoduu5 r-1pi2tsx r-1d2f490 r-u8s1d r-zchlnj r-ipm5af r-13qz1uu r-1wyyakw" style="-webkit-box-align: stretch; -webkit-box-direction: normal; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; align-items: stretch; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-image: url("https://abs-0.twimg.com/emoji/v2/svg/1f4da.svg"); background-position: center center; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: 100% 100%; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; height: 18px; inset: 0px; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; width: 18px; z-index: -1;"></div><img alt="Books" class="css-9pa8cd" draggable="false" src="https://abs-0.twimg.com/emoji/v2/svg/1f4da.svg" style="height: 18px; inset: 0px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; width: 18px; z-index: -1;" /></div></span><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.03); border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 1.3125; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
Reframe </span><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-4qtqp9 r-ip8ujx r-sjv1od r-zw8f10 r-bnwqim r-h9hxbl" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.03); border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline-block; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; height: 1em; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0.075em; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 1.2em;"><div aria-label="🖼" class="css-1dbjc4n r-xoduu5 r-1mlwlqe r-1d2f490 r-1udh08x r-u8s1d r-h9hxbl r-417010" style="-webkit-box-align: stretch; -webkit-box-direction: normal; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; height: 1.2em; left: 0px; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: absolute; width: 1.2em; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-1dbjc4n r-1niwhzg r-vvn4in r-u6sd8q r-x3cy2q r-1p0dtai r-xoduu5 r-1pi2tsx r-1d2f490 r-u8s1d r-zchlnj r-ipm5af r-13qz1uu r-1wyyakw" style="-webkit-box-align: stretch; -webkit-box-direction: normal; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; align-items: stretch; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-image: url("https://abs-0.twimg.com/emoji/v2/svg/1f5bc.svg"); background-position: center center; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: 100% 100%; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; height: 18px; inset: 0px; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; width: 18px; z-index: -1;"></div><img alt="🖼" class="css-9pa8cd" draggable="false" src="https://abs-0.twimg.com/emoji/v2/svg/1f5bc.svg" style="height: 18px; inset: 0px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; width: 18px; z-index: -1;" /></div></span><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.03); border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 1.3125; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
Regift </span><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-4qtqp9 r-ip8ujx r-sjv1od r-zw8f10 r-bnwqim r-h9hxbl" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.03); border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline-block; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; height: 1em; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0.075em; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 1.2em;"><div aria-label="Wrapped present" class="css-1dbjc4n r-xoduu5 r-1mlwlqe r-1d2f490 r-1udh08x r-u8s1d r-h9hxbl r-417010" style="-webkit-box-align: stretch; -webkit-box-direction: normal; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; height: 1.2em; left: 0px; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: absolute; width: 1.2em; z-index: 0;" title="Wrapped present"><div class="css-1dbjc4n r-1niwhzg r-vvn4in r-u6sd8q r-x3cy2q r-1p0dtai r-xoduu5 r-1pi2tsx r-1d2f490 r-u8s1d r-zchlnj r-ipm5af r-13qz1uu r-1wyyakw" style="-webkit-box-align: stretch; -webkit-box-direction: normal; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; align-items: stretch; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-image: url("https://abs-0.twimg.com/emoji/v2/svg/1f381.svg"); background-position: center center; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: 100% 100%; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; height: 18px; inset: 0px; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; width: 18px; z-index: -1;"></div><img alt="Wrapped present" class="css-9pa8cd" draggable="false" src="https://abs-0.twimg.com/emoji/v2/svg/1f381.svg" style="height: 18px; inset: 0px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; width: 18px; z-index: -1;" /></div></span><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.03); border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 1.3125; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.03); border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 1.3125; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.03); border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 1.3125; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-4qtqp9 r-ip8ujx r-sjv1od r-zw8f10 r-bnwqim r-h9hxbl" style="background-color: white; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; font-size: 23px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; height: 1em; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0.075em; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: 1.2em;"><div aria-label="Scissors" class="css-1dbjc4n r-xoduu5 r-1mlwlqe r-1d2f490 r-1udh08x r-u8s1d r-h9hxbl r-417010" style="-webkit-box-align: stretch; -webkit-box-direction: normal; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; height: 1.2em; left: 0px; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: absolute; width: 1.2em; z-index: 0;" title="Scissors"><img alt="Scissors" class="css-9pa8cd" draggable="false" src="https://abs-0.twimg.com/emoji/v2/svg/2702.svg" style="height: 27.5938px; inset: 0px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; width: 27.5938px; z-index: -1;" /></div></span><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" style="background-color: white; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-size: 23px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 1.3125; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px;">A word hunt</span><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" style="background-color: white; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-size: 23px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 1.3125; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px;"> is an awesome screen-free family literacy </span><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" style="background-color: white; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-size: 23px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 1.3125; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px;">activity. Make a creative winter break plan by cutting words out of junk mail, magazines, or newspapers. </span>
</span><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO-k-vLIBAECFQ3SHUlCQ47swRvvLchMRSz5Z6cLn-IrQ7pJBFJAuM4gi8iogJcWD6KtJQ0cq6Y8BBlQ80T4tNiL4qdRFyDHaijwmPiWf7WDTPXCNyDzTuXRI8uKgM9hWLRPNAfgLy1Z4/s2048/Word+Hunt164.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="1583" data-original-width="2048" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO-k-vLIBAECFQ3SHUlCQ47swRvvLchMRSz5Z6cLn-IrQ7pJBFJAuM4gi8iogJcWD6KtJQ0cq6Y8BBlQ80T4tNiL4qdRFyDHaijwmPiWf7WDTPXCNyDzTuXRI8uKgM9hWLRPNAfgLy1Z4/w640-h494/Word+Hunt164.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.03); border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 1.3125; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>Cues from Ekuwah Moseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789209448529375280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1989775071731609458.post-31982527099676812422017-11-04T07:55:00.000-07:002017-11-04T08:29:51.068-07:00The Reading "Log" Going Viral!<a href="ttps://www.facebook.com/thescarymommy/posts/10155466688043301" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt=" Scary Mommy Facebook Post" border="0" data-original-height="1385" data-original-width="1242" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmbaRhyphenhyphenG7l0WFktTWCnjbov3AohYFcQfB9s36SfSCdOr0JBx1BITHVgUH2NTRQWIwOapyEo_t_P9SJ-GjL90_tot0vNvY98VclAFDUsHt1Dsl3G5_AF-3R9pTpBr9gVGyDd-9IxJaKa10/s320/iPhone+Image+231CE2.jpg" title="" width="286" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;">I am thankful that </span><a class="profileLink" data-hovercard-prefer-more-content-show="1" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=295199098300&extragetparams=%7B%22fref%22%3A%22mentions%22%7D" href="http://www.scarymommy.com/reading-log/" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Scary Mommy</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;"> reached out to me for an update about the reading “log” I created years ago. I blogged about the creation of it <a href="http://ekuwah.blogspot.com/2015/01/weekly-reading-inventory.html" target="_blank">here </a> and <a href="http://ekuwah.blogspot.com/2015/07/honest-reading.html" target="_blank">here</a> when I first freely published it for use in 2014. It is shocking how the "log" has supported families globally and generationally since originally sharing it with </span><a class="profileLink" data-hovercard-prefer-more-content-show="1" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=418187054867602&extragetparams=%7B%22fref%22%3A%22mentions%22%7D" href="http://www.thecurriculumcorner.com/thecurriculumcorner456/corner-spotlight-ekuwah-moses-a-twist-on-reading-logs/" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">The Curriculum Corner</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;">. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Christine Organ, the </span><span style="background-color: white;">Associate Editor and Social Media Manager of <a href="http://www.scarymommy.com/reading-log/" target="_blank">Scary Mommy</a>, tracked me down through Facebook Messenger and asked if I would answer</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #500050;"> a</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"> few questions about the reading "log" I developed. She masterfully condensed my response and wrote an amazing piece. Her <a href="ttps://www.facebook.com/thescarymommy/posts/10155466688043301" target="_blank">Facebook post</a> has received an outpouring of positive feedback from educators and families! </span></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.scarymommy.com/reading-log/" target="_blank">This Educator’s Unique ‘Reading Log’ Is Something Teachers, Parents, And Kids Can Get On Board With</a></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">have included my full response to her Q & A below.</span></span><br />
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</span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Please
tell us a bit about your background.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #1d2129;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I graduated from the University of Central
Missouri on December 15, 2001. The month prior to graduation, I was hired on
the spot at a conference table that said, “Come and Teach in Las Vegas.” It is
nearly impossible to find a teaching position in Missouri midyear, so my
husband and I decided to move across the country. I started teaching 5<sup>th</sup> grade the
week after graduation to a classroom of 33 students. I taught 5<sup>th</sup> and 2<sup>nd</sup>
grade before completing my Master’s degree in Literacy. Upon completion of my degree, I became a
Learning Strategist, Literacy Specialist, and Performance Zone Instructional
Coach. I am a published author with the
International Literacy Association and have presented internationally. Currently, I enjoy writing and presenting
family engagement workshops for our district’s Family and Community Engagement
Services (FACES). This rewarding position allows me the opportunity to share
with parents, districtwide, some of the strategies I shared with teachers and
use at home with my own growing children.
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</span></b><!--[endif]--><b>How did
you develop the alternate reading log?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Years
ago, while working as a Performance Zone Instructional Coach, I was assigned to
a school with a progressive principal that was adamant about implementing a new
“no homework” policy school-wide. R<span class="hascaption">eading
homework is the best assignment to increase the academic achievement of
elementary students, according to research. </span>She
asked me to develop a homework reading “log” that could be used in all grade
levels (K-5<sup>th</sup> grade). The “log” needed to give open-ended and
family-friendly reading ideas to encourage wide reading based on student
choice. Additionally, the log could not ask students to record minutes (why put
a limit on fun?) and could not include any pointless or mundane writing of book
titles. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="hascaption"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was an attachment to the traditional <b>weekly </b>newsletter<b>
</b>and served as a consistent accountability tool for teachers, students, and
parents. We expected our elementary students to read each week and wanted to support
families. Our mission was simply to use the form as a clear, concise, and
consistent communication vehicle of ideas and strategies that are not stuck in
rituals. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="hascaption">It is an <b>inventory</b>, but it does not count number
of minutes read, number of books read, or ask students to list the author or
titles like a traditional reading "log." Additionally, the teachers
were specifically trained not to offer rewards for completion or collecting the
most tallies. The removal of these traditional practices was based on a
phenomenal piece written by Donalyn Miller entitled - </span><a href="http://bookwhisperer.com/2014/08/12/the-40-book-challenge-revisited/" target="_blank">The 40 Book Challenge Revisited</a><span class="hascaption">;
and, the insightful piece directed to parents entitled - </span><a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/07/how-to-kick-start-summer-reading/373737/" target="_blank">How to Trick Your Kids Into Reading All Summer Long</a><span class="hascaption">. We want to use the 'inventory" to build the
foundation and routines of life-long readers.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Have you
found other teachers and parents to be supportive of it?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Unbelievable response! Two years ago, Kindergarten teacher,
Christina Hardeman, was the first person to give me feedback about using the
log as a parent and classroom teacher. She told me that her kinder parents
typically filled out the log and voluntarily wrote positive notes or comments
in the available space each week. She had parents, with multiple
school-age children, thank her for not making her homework assignment a cumbersome
process. Other parents acknowledged that the flexibility of the
"menu" of options helped when juggling a hectic schedule. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When I joined the FACES department, I
shared the inventory and multiple positive responses from classroom teachers
and their families. Immediately, the FACES Director asked me to write a University
of Family Learning workshop around the ideas of the inventory and have the
ideas translated into Spanish. “<a href="http://faces.ccsd.net/university-of-family-learning-ufl/100Ways/" target="_blank">100 Waysto Raise a Reader</a>” is the title of the workshop, and it has been presented to
more than 120 schools in our district.
It is our most requested workshop! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">During the one hour workshop, we present
families with the research about the importance of reading. We also share a
bank of ideas to demonstrate how to overcome the common excuses children give
for not wanting to read. The workshop
slides are filled with pictures and testimonials of everyday families using the
ideas. One size does not fit all. At the conclusion of the workshop, we ask
families to choose just one idea that they can implement immediately that day
and write it on an exit slip. The
responses vary and it’s exciting to see what a parent chooses as a goal. Please visit our website (<a href="http://faces.ccsd.net/university-of-family-learning-ufl/100Ways/" target="_blank">here</a>) to view photos and download the ideas.
Additionally, search the social media hashtag (#CCSDReads) to see testimonials
and photos from families and schools in our district.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Parents literally rush up to us, at the
conclusion of the workshop, with mile-wide smiles and hugs. I had a father who shared that his kindergarten
daughter recently wanted to try gymnastics and he has enrolled her in
lessons. He is excited to search for
books about gymnastics and successful gymnasts to provide relevant materials
she may enjoy! Parents that are overwhelmed with the technological distractions,
are pleased to hear that audio books are acceptable, and usually available at
no cost from their child’s school. Countless parents shared that they felt
compelled to read with their children more, read consistently, and start
providing choice in materials (even graphic novels). </span><br />
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</span></b><!--[endif]--><b>What do
kids think of it?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Children love the
ideas and active involvement of their parents.
I have had several children pick ideas like reading in the bathtub,
reading with a flashlight, and reading with a family pet. The responses that stick out to me the most
are the children that are thankful for the opportunity to read with their
parent. As educators, we assume too
often that this is occurring in our students’ homes. </span><br />
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</span></b><!--[endif]--><b>How do
you think this reading log promotes reading without turning an enjoyable
activity into a chore, like so many reading logs do?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I believe that the simplicity
of its’ function and design promotes reading.
We are simply listing habits of life-long readers and providing a
choice. Life-long readers do not read for prizes, count pages, or write titles
of books. Rather, readers who read for
pleasure enjoy reading on the go, select a variety of materials, enjoy sharing
or comparing thoughts with others, and are always on the hunt for the next
thrill.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(6)
What impact have you seen in students using this alternate reading log?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Based on feedback following our workshops, parents have
shared that their children are more eager to read without prompting. <span style="line-height: 107%;">I
have seen students feel liberated to read.
Students who are eager to share their week of reading with their
classmates and swap stories from their journey. From the Facebook testimonials
of parents, I have seen reluctant students read with their parents for the
first time. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As a facilitator of a Family Engagement Center, I
heard parents proudly speak about steps they have taken that will affect
generations. In our workshop, we
encourage families to read aloud to their children in the language that they
feel most comfortable. This is astounding
to many who have been silenced in the past due to fear of negatively impacting
their child’s academic growth. One
Spanish-speaking mother left our workshop, grabbed a handful of books written
in Spanish, and shared them with her husband.
She emailed a photo of her husband reading with their 3<sup>rd</sup> and
4<sup>th</sup> grade boys for the first time.
He had never read to them before and now felt safe to share a love of
literacy. </span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have noticed that my own children are reading more
for their own pleasure. For example, my
son (who is not an avid reader) shocked me by choosing to read in the car and
then continued reading at the doctor's office. Without my usual prompting, he
chose to read something he enjoyed and sustained his reading much longer than
the typical "required" minutes. It's moments like these that help me,
teachers, and other parents know we are developing life-long readers. This honest reading counts.</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(7) Is there
anything else you'd like our readers to know?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">How
do we know if this inventory is accomplishing our long-term goal of developing
students that independently choose to read?
Ask parents if they are noticing their children are reading more without
being told or asked to "read for 20 minutes." Ask them to give you examples, if
possible. Their response may give you
goosebumps!</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />Cues from Ekuwah Moseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789209448529375280noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1989775071731609458.post-16863866923079752772016-05-18T15:34:00.001-07:002016-05-18T15:58:15.985-07:006 Area Design Challenges<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I<span style="font-family: inherit;"> was energized to create a family worksh<span style="font-family: inherit;">op simply by seeing <span style="font-family: inherit;">examples from a 3rd grade classroom on Twi<span style="font-family: inherit;">tter</span>. </span></span></span></span>My recent <a href="http://faces.ccsd.net/" target="_blank">CCSD FACES</a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154214932222996.1073742071.345886377995&type=3" target="_blank">Family Enrichment Da</a>y workshop was inspired by a tweet I saw from <a href="https://twitter.com/kingspaced/status/727225557818183680" target="_blank">Carrie King</a>. I was immediately drawn to the open-ended nature of the task card and wanted to build an interactive parent-child workshop based on <span style="font-family: inherit;">her photograph</span>.</span><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://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cheftv-WgAEozT-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="400" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cheftv-WgAEozT-.jpg" title="" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/kingspaced/status/727225557818183680" target="_blank">Carrie King </a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I had to to think of what skills would be needed in order to access this project. What would the parent and child have to already know in order to be successful? I planned a series of quick and endlessly repeatable routines to build up to the final project!<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Roll a Rec<span style="font-family: inherit;">tangle</span> </span></h3>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I started the workshop, as I do all math workshops, by briefly explaining <a href="http://www.mathcoachscorner.com/2014/07/the-abcs-of-number-sense/" target="_blank">C.R.A. (Concrete, Representational, and Abstract</a>). I stressed that manipulatives
are
not
just for elementary children. <u>All</u> students move through a developmental sequence from
concrete to abstract, and many need the physical
representations for a
longer period than is often provided in schools. Therefore, we need help from parents to help provide additional support at home. To demonstrate th<span style="font-family: inherit;">e develop<span style="font-family: inherit;">mental sequence</span></span>, we started with modeling multiplication with square tiles<span style="font-family: inherit;"> - <a href="http://marcialmiller.com/wordpress/page/3/" target="_blank">Roll a Rectangle.</a></span></span><br />
<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/AVvXsEif9EiddJI3lKSnQqQU0KAkFqeinkdyEyrVIJJ-wDmqGSwkL2EBMGZONOte_N_RxUEddss1YviJUBtpA-j2wr8Cw2M4-fgQ1yAIEdPjqVRG01p2xQ0dHPC2Nq9Ka8QgfhReme_oohXaggQ/s1600/20160514_110239.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif9EiddJI3lKSnQqQU0KAkFqeinkdyEyrVIJJ-wDmqGSwkL2EBMGZONOte_N_RxUEddss1YviJUBtpA-j2wr8Cw2M4-fgQ1yAIEdPjqVRG01p2xQ0dHPC2Nq9Ka8QgfhReme_oohXaggQ/s400/20160514_110239.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roll 2 dice. One dice represents the rows and the other represents the columns</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The families were not allowed to take the square tiles home, but I showed them additional images of Wheat Thins and Cheez Its being used in a similar fashion. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkF1b0W4hw-9TvJcQbIlda2rtqyAlFttcyRYRlM3L6aO3_hn7p8SJhOsjMcZ-EnTWwZn4c8Wt8Tqk4p_Qy2Aym14dN5R4UHiMcAKEwz7DHQBcPfOnyD4ZFSnOC7CcJhLO2mjvlim-XRd8/s1600/iPhone+Image+5C5C46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkF1b0W4hw-9TvJcQbIlda2rtqyAlFttcyRYRlM3L6aO3_hn7p8SJhOsjMcZ-EnTWwZn4c8Wt8Tqk4p_Qy2Aym14dN5R4UHiMcAKEwz7DHQBcPfOnyD4ZFSnOC7CcJhLO2mjvlim-XRd8/s320/iPhone+Image+5C5C46.jpg" width="244" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Roll a R<span style="font-family: inherit;">ectangle with Cheese I<span style="font-family: inherit;">ts in Mrs. Jackson's 3rd grade class</span></span></span></td></tr>
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<h3>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Area Dice Game </span></h3>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">After manipulating concrete objects I introduced the families to the <a href="http://reliefteachingideas.com/area-dice-game/" target="_blank">Area Dice Game</a>. The participants rolled the two dice and represented the area on white grid paper. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXIdYrWPrNLWC36SOlnXhHwSchE-72fOeIiqlaUqthtBBgzsOyOb-HYmgE3ykPb2JvmPAL3ypCaNgDvPZewz13xW2mOsVmRL85aqiU3LX5-u5o5gbPqV-b06KnhnzmW6tz21_tnyl81yE/s1600/13243723_10154214933352996_8858870780161058993_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXIdYrWPrNLWC36SOlnXhHwSchE-72fOeIiqlaUqthtBBgzsOyOb-HYmgE3ykPb2JvmPAL3ypCaNgDvPZewz13xW2mOsVmRL85aqiU3LX5-u5o5gbPqV-b06KnhnzmW6tz21_tnyl81yE/s320/13243723_10154214933352996_8858870780161058993_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(We offered support for our younger guests that are not quite ready for multiplication.)</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK9BAOu_N_7Xshci4up4gEscYtzTO_p-pl9SprB98NNxUi3WI5Se1KBPZcqkTmxBNW3PW0xnvAWovz1nKhyAfmiRLDyx6WrQIjWij9CJUx7zKlnTOMsJVfXPa7X0WTT3lVromF1zhL0C0/s1600/20160514_115605.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK9BAOu_N_7Xshci4up4gEscYtzTO_p-pl9SprB98NNxUi3WI5Se1KBPZcqkTmxBNW3PW0xnvAWovz1nKhyAfmiRLDyx6WrQIjWij9CJUx7zKlnTOMsJVfXPa7X0WTT3lVromF1zhL0C0/s320/20160514_115605.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ3-HQ2UheS8aWrZphhvzIVcPzqb4guGRjG4j5m-3dK39h2Gb7Y-jlT2dqzVR7oVCek3CPN7Ghgbo_RAOn7_o-64RbyA6PJpcDkBcBWBpxFWAf5xCpGwPHrgEM7hC6JJyhRgtynA70tMQ/s1600/13244222_10154214933542996_4647576238426707833_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ3-HQ2UheS8aWrZphhvzIVcPzqb4guGRjG4j5m-3dK39h2Gb7Y-jlT2dqzVR7oVCek3CPN7Ghgbo_RAOn7_o-64RbyA6PJpcDkBcBWBpxFWAf5xCpGwPHrgEM7hC6JJyhRgtynA70tMQ/s320/13244222_10154214933542996_4647576238426707833_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I supplied the families with multiple pieces of extra grid paper to take home, but also showed them that these representations could be done outside with sidewalk chalk like Jaclyn Jackson's 3rd grade class completed one sunny afternoon!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg569W_KvbxOVYDxkqzHe16XlmYukhFjaz8ZLGvD3gB5xfMSaZJxkMQUnOIzFkkYnchhTRx5fmCmVzE1NTkKdDpH1Q-OFarA70hh0ciCIvBJKbU895HGDpBEmTJyrzU7OuGaRUqLF5ZaEc/s1600/iPhone+Image+5C5C11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg569W_KvbxOVYDxkqzHe16XlmYukhFjaz8ZLGvD3gB5xfMSaZJxkMQUnOIzFkkYnchhTRx5fmCmVzE1NTkKdDpH1Q-OFarA70hh0ciCIvBJKbU895HGDpBEmTJyrzU7OuGaRUqLF5ZaEc/s320/iPhone+Image+5C5C11.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jacyln Jackson's 3rd grade class</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwH3PDBCWKB_-CxAoBJq1hLmxiKe5bAuw3UBDInLKkr_SyRzuIaNk1JhnsXwIogQohYl0sfOCv8obd6crc99g-ibclDBvaozuM-p57ob6VC8op5YqRMgJdCpVYnVnTstQwTOGyPle_-AY/s1600/iPhone+Image+5C5C01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwH3PDBCWKB_-CxAoBJq1hLmxiKe5bAuw3UBDInLKkr_SyRzuIaNk1JhnsXwIogQohYl0sfOCv8obd6crc99g-ibclDBvaozuM-p57ob6VC8op5YqRMgJdCpVYnVnTstQwTOGyPle_-AY/s200/iPhone+Image+5C5C01.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
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<h3>
Multiplication Table </h3>
I modeled how to use a handy <a href="http://thegriddle.net/handouts/mult_color_num.pdf" target="_blank">Multiplication Table</a> (drawn to scale). I chose this table because it clearly shows what the abstract number represents in an array. Many of the educators and attendees had never seen or used a reference guide like this illustrated example.<br />
<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/AVvXsEjuo9xLlk2sI4n9qKnn-7Ka_kuY9l0ah-oujRw3SmaoNSC5iSul99jUgKoo9uwfF1T0W7Wom7yZwiXCNc53vfkpazMQx2Gnoa-r_jpQgzPONZXU2ZjE3BKTkCnHaLLDJMfVuHuwD9nKs40/s1600/13217351_10154214933432996_7004020111912924902_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuo9xLlk2sI4n9qKnn-7Ka_kuY9l0ah-oujRw3SmaoNSC5iSul99jUgKoo9uwfF1T0W7Wom7yZwiXCNc53vfkpazMQx2Gnoa-r_jpQgzPONZXU2ZjE3BKTkCnHaLLDJMfVuHuwD9nKs40/s320/13217351_10154214933432996_7004020111912924902_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://thegriddle.net/educators" target="_blank">Multiplication Table (Color, with Numbers)</a></td></tr>
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<h3>
Choose a Challenge </h3>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Build a Robot</div>
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Design a City</div>
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Design a Community Playground</div>
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Plan a Dream Bedroom</div>
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Design a Petting Zoo</div>
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Design a Dream House</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigdd13dGpTSd4xADenuxRvtTvK7fDR7XKey2Qm-TMGNk4Pe1I-Xoog0f0njdXSQK4yoY8QDsasTJQmuHcJUP0cGs1dgZNm6NoDg8QhS2MKRT9mVEizJbnD3P9JpXh_lmcwBViheTDhPJs/s1600/13243658_10154214933717996_4009437159315595833_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigdd13dGpTSd4xADenuxRvtTvK7fDR7XKey2Qm-TMGNk4Pe1I-Xoog0f0njdXSQK4yoY8QDsasTJQmuHcJUP0cGs1dgZNm6NoDg8QhS2MKRT9mVEizJbnD3P9JpXh_lmcwBViheTDhPJs/s320/13243658_10154214933717996_4009437159315595833_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Explaining the directions to build a robot and using Carrie King's photos as examples. </td></tr>
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I quickly moved through several examples to explain the six tasks I imitated and innovated from the work of <a href="https://twitter.com/kingspaced/status/727225557818183680" target="_blank">Carrie King</a>. This is a natural progression from the concrete to the abstract. Each of the tasks give a total square units and the learner has to create the object or design. For example, the head of the robot is a total of 36 square units which means a child could construct a 12x3, 18x2, 9x4, 1x36 rectangle. The dimensions allow for multiple responses!<br />
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<img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDXWJgM0wHk6IbGsOYp0cR9s1Jt3fOVg27AXb31JdEgBDXsa2l7mQwBUmMjhgRKgXkAbQ_dbHw0iVS2IGn1DU0SwQzzvwOajprMQcM6k5euGy_z-rreD8B7wht6RCCtAmHpE4HjQYSYUg/s200/5182016_33754_1.png" width="153" /><span id="goog_1442065807"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_1442065808"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyT1ldEqEFczQVBnF5GIV7Zv9y6GFhBZAkWinK411ykW-rDsr-vpj5uXKnr84lT92hKM84iyft-7GBT7mEOPEQkUhR4CSJV23ilTIDeQFixPMEtoIB6iI2RFDN2DO5z4p_WLXDU2lj2WE/s1600/5182016_33709_0.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyT1ldEqEFczQVBnF5GIV7Zv9y6GFhBZAkWinK411ykW-rDsr-vpj5uXKnr84lT92hKM84iyft-7GBT7mEOPEQkUhR4CSJV23ilTIDeQFixPMEtoIB6iI2RFDN2DO5z4p_WLXDU2lj2WE/s200/5182016_33709_0.png" width="154" /></a></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B34n34C-tMNNWkhGeTEyNnd6bms/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Download the 6 tasks! (FREE)</a></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfQljqPcy0k73WVgKYuTFKFCFu8NYASjeStIk9RBf75vxvwQ9ZairP-43LwDHGucc_3r9ctFlG109-DFTgeMLbHUF7MB7Pp239yrANZsr2jrjSvTA2FePjcGdFzuxVR3r7O-_V5d92Ohc/s1600/20160514_111752.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfQljqPcy0k73WVgKYuTFKFCFu8NYASjeStIk9RBf75vxvwQ9ZairP-43LwDHGucc_3r9ctFlG109-DFTgeMLbHUF7MB7Pp239yrANZsr2jrjSvTA2FePjcGdFzuxVR3r7O-_V5d92Ohc/s400/20160514_111752.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9EeTBBJhzBxYGqRcuAfcKpdAkbl2Jm6xGrV7PMMzL1KkllvSy4DgBEXrBi20sySGsqq0egnmiITzWG421_breHABEGx0_YukJkDaxCcKaLA3PQVaVedlSb4wu6DI77HIWqhzLbW8uuKY/s1600/20160514_111801.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9EeTBBJhzBxYGqRcuAfcKpdAkbl2Jm6xGrV7PMMzL1KkllvSy4DgBEXrBi20sySGsqq0egnmiITzWG421_breHABEGx0_YukJkDaxCcKaLA3PQVaVedlSb4wu6DI77HIWqhzLbW8uuKY/s400/20160514_111801.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I also incorporated related books that are relevant to each of the <a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B34n34C-tMNNWkhGeTEyNnd6bms" target="_blank">six tasks</a>, and encouraged families to link reading with the mathematics. I mentioned that families could read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wanna-Room-Karen-Kaufman-Orloff/dp/0399254056" target="_blank"><i>I Wanna New Room </i></a>and also incorporate writing with the "Dream Bedroom" project. Parents could ask their children to write descriptively about the bedroom choices and layout. For a visual example, I showed the bedroom maps and opinion writing that I had students complete during a series of 3rd grade model lessons. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi84LDNjFX59wEA2EUdemATp0WMXXugLL77Vlixvcxh4qmNv_pTZ1NP0yDKmLRKuDONNavN1sFyui66SHRiyLzGU5bJztnEZNcEl4JIKhdb3IBHHj3fWhVo3k7FZ6UfAN6Rgoeip6CROZo/s1600/may+7+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi84LDNjFX59wEA2EUdemATp0WMXXugLL77Vlixvcxh4qmNv_pTZ1NP0yDKmLRKuDONNavN1sFyui66SHRiyLzGU5bJztnEZNcEl4JIKhdb3IBHHj3fWhVo3k7FZ6UfAN6Rgoeip6CROZo/s640/may+7+011.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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Unfortunately, I had to present the workshop in a 35 minute session and did not get to see the projects and games fully completed. Completion was not my intention. It was just a time to get their feet wet.</div>
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Regardless of the compact time frame, I believe I reached my goals with the assistance of the translators and volunteers. A majority of the attendees are non-English speakers with varying levels of education. The feedback was tremendous and positive. The parents appreciated the novelty of this approach and style of mathematics instruction. The children and parents were excited to take the extra materials home. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM4p4UsmHRRVSdvS_3rqHx-JiNWQmK5rBjXQdNeayMeFnN__u2Pr_xsq1-P_OqlDND3EH1f4TTQgN1QeJ28O3PQ_eoqv-Sq0Jx_0GIb7OgMcTrX4kV2tpJhavR5vhXTQ-efCnJZGy6Ffs/s1600/13198411_10154214933592996_7086102313747286379_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM4p4UsmHRRVSdvS_3rqHx-JiNWQmK5rBjXQdNeayMeFnN__u2Pr_xsq1-P_OqlDND3EH1f4TTQgN1QeJ28O3PQ_eoqv-Sq0Jx_0GIb7OgMcTrX4kV2tpJhavR5vhXTQ-efCnJZGy6Ffs/s320/13198411_10154214933592996_7086102313747286379_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Ultimately, I wanted to give the parents and children just a quick taste of multiple ways to master multiplication facts at home. I wanted to give them unique ideas and tangible resources (beyond flashcards and worksheets) that they could immediately take home and implement. I wanted to provide experiences that were engaging and promote positive attitudes about math. I wanted them to feel safe to explore, question, and collaborate. I wanted to let them attempt the activities for just long enough to feel confident to use it at again at home. <br />
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I am so thankful for teachers that freely share ideas on social media and keep me energized! <br />
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I look forward to presenting this again in the future. Stay tuned... </div>
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Cues from Ekuwah Moseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789209448529375280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1989775071731609458.post-49032179982980628072016-04-04T21:46:00.001-07:002016-04-04T22:26:31.163-07:00Counting & Money in PreK - Kindergarten<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Mondays are tough for family engagement workshops. We have tried scheduling different topics to boost attendance. After looking at the past attendance reports we are concluding that one workshop is more successful than most - Math Games and Projects (K-5th grade). Today was no exception and the attendance exceeded expectations. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I presented more than a dozen ways that preschool through kindergarten age children could begin investigating money through counting and other readiness skills. I planned this topic because the most consistent guests have children in this age range, money is an important life skill, and counting to 100 is expected by the end of kindergarten. Participants took home the items created and manipulated throughout the interactive workshop to use with their children immediately.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Objectives of the workshop:</span><br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Know number names and the count sequence</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Count to tell the number of objects</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Classify objects and count the number of objects in each category</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Here is a quick highlight reel of the session:</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Rubbings</span></h2>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;">Enhance fine motor skills and attention to details</span></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/AVvXsEisNq4TzJW-mPswncRfLbJ7bwcYSedwAjUI5RqUOw_Y-DIR7elm93y1SJa9lH4Rlo4UewMogjd62G25ZolxN4xzR0drjw2fdaB1bJZf6C0cwQdE0ZHlNK9l6Q2nueRbcZfsrpUL5-9BA2k/s1600/20160404_101335.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisNq4TzJW-mPswncRfLbJ7bwcYSedwAjUI5RqUOw_Y-DIR7elm93y1SJa9lH4Rlo4UewMogjd62G25ZolxN4xzR0drjw2fdaB1bJZf6C0cwQdE0ZHlNK9l6Q2nueRbcZfsrpUL5-9BA2k/s320/20160404_101335.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(The participant chose to add extra labels)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Sorting Mats</span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4iTxnC0XkvDQYJdtrAbUtrSmP3zRo4ayz4ag3HPjzIG182cScoJmScwy6deYpClUrWepraAI6S_sfxfBATlRiQ4Irvv2XYGpNCscEoEJNPuZlhF-cZO-rq-5jdUYQJ4cHN8-91lozXJ8/s1600/20160404_095021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4iTxnC0XkvDQYJdtrAbUtrSmP3zRo4ayz4ag3HPjzIG182cScoJmScwy6deYpClUrWepraAI6S_sfxfBATlRiQ4Irvv2XYGpNCscEoEJNPuZlhF-cZO-rq-5jdUYQJ4cHN8-91lozXJ8/s400/20160404_095021.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> I gave each participant card stock and coin stickers to design a coin sorting mat for their child. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(Classify objects and count the number of objects in each category)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF2TS-RpP3rp5was1jh2eBuFoQYNfCY8MPJQRjzjfAjNE7u9f_zkZXYe6zoz6EhaFTQQlwHkVzOwMgy2Xi2_kk_gA3N1273Lxf3XtuA3So7o9OIV1On5Ml_ox9w4aiHZBF6ip77fCZ_7Q/s1600/20160404_101342.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF2TS-RpP3rp5was1jh2eBuFoQYNfCY8MPJQRjzjfAjNE7u9f_zkZXYe6zoz6EhaFTQQlwHkVzOwMgy2Xi2_kk_gA3N1273Lxf3XtuA3So7o9OIV1On5Ml_ox9w4aiHZBF6ip77fCZ_7Q/s320/20160404_101342.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: blue;">Coin Stacking</span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Roll a die and stack that amount of coins </span></div>
<div style="direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0.3in; margin-top: 5.76pt; text-align: center; text-indent: -0.3in; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Repeatedly roll the dice until the stack
falls</span></div>
</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUEh9lxqco5jFuCxW2hfMSC_cnNMBuSuXcTugBI2-9elao4wUGX4CEjZIYVg62e6eDYF402YzOL7T-yQta1643tmIy-ZG68iZ3OVGbQCYXi3_MhM_vZ8lghkNkyooKBIENyxxIOAX5Fkg/s1600/20160404_095734.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUEh9lxqco5jFuCxW2hfMSC_cnNMBuSuXcTugBI2-9elao4wUGX4CEjZIYVg62e6eDYF402YzOL7T-yQta1643tmIy-ZG68iZ3OVGbQCYXi3_MhM_vZ8lghkNkyooKBIENyxxIOAX5Fkg/s320/20160404_095734.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqckwTBuTU7Ib1LQIrsacnDw6UQT7LZj8euuG9524oPS0VwpqTwCXSQNwlr5jEcCeUr8S0F__oylCxfQrZTkM_QAxvzE1n-qoQWgDZIwjbr8Bo8Mp1IS8VDagv35b53o_OVQqT3B9PdCo/s1600/20160404_095916.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqckwTBuTU7Ib1LQIrsacnDw6UQT7LZj8euuG9524oPS0VwpqTwCXSQNwlr5jEcCeUr8S0F__oylCxfQrZTkM_QAxvzE1n-qoQWgDZIwjbr8Bo8Mp1IS8VDagv35b53o_OVQqT3B9PdCo/s200/20160404_095916.jpg" width="112" /></a></div>
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<h2 style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: blue;">Vocabulary & Shopping</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-weight: normal; text-indent: -0.3in;">Use markers to add prices to the vocabulary cards made from newspaper ad clipping</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-weight: normal; text-indent: -0.3in;">(Each participant received two bags of 15 vocabulary cards I made in advance)</span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_I9JJVWH2JCtJrp4SabHMqHxXP-sZU75yA9QxrdCvGR3gTWjG6GgL94hx-uzhe2xBb_EB7PoUGzgbX_lEervO5QrxOcX6eI4dNd7MbABHxm4vkQKCmnGjIvpeXgKcdwk0i_Yq0Iv7-vQ/s1600/20160404_101353.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_I9JJVWH2JCtJrp4SabHMqHxXP-sZU75yA9QxrdCvGR3gTWjG6GgL94hx-uzhe2xBb_EB7PoUGzgbX_lEervO5QrxOcX6eI4dNd7MbABHxm4vkQKCmnGjIvpeXgKcdwk0i_Yq0Iv7-vQ/s400/20160404_101353.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bag 2: 11-20 cent items</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; text-align: center; text-indent: -0.3in;"><span style="text-indent: -0.3in;">(Bag 1: 1-10 cent items) (Bag 2: 11-20 cent items)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; text-align: center; text-indent: -0.3in;"><span style="text-indent: -0.3in;"> Ask your child to “purchase”
the item by</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; text-align: center; text-indent: -0.3in;">
</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; text-align: center; text-indent: -0.3in;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="text-indent: -0.3in;"> counting the correct number of pennies. </span></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/AVvXsEh5D9CWW3dHqczMs8UDx8xaf3HRCFGZjf-cH9zxLKZT7HlWB5IfrRr91CoNbBMor-uu_WmXyFiXjZTKFkayUr3SbV2Ki9U11GcYhSp4NbfYJxf54c1ltEtnl1cnwFtNgIOpts1gNHyE7CI/s1600/20160404_101022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5D9CWW3dHqczMs8UDx8xaf3HRCFGZjf-cH9zxLKZT7HlWB5IfrRr91CoNbBMor-uu_WmXyFiXjZTKFkayUr3SbV2Ki9U11GcYhSp4NbfYJxf54c1ltEtnl1cnwFtNgIOpts1gNHyE7CI/s320/20160404_101022.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bag 1: 1-10 cent items</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
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</span></div>
<h2 style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: blue;">Hundreds Chart & Counting</span></span></h2>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfQi3OSWTh1lcRa_ZKVg1FL0RtObzKHqvA3bgZ_UB9h_lLzX_78Od23wgA5yTMCFvgo-6fTvV898fTVj0U9zB8fiuV9L2GM-TKbpzBgfaEvCRRNG9wHso9rmABJyd12TLurO6zTt8jJJM/s1600/20160404_102710.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfQi3OSWTh1lcRa_ZKVg1FL0RtObzKHqvA3bgZ_UB9h_lLzX_78Od23wgA5yTMCFvgo-6fTvV898fTVj0U9zB8fiuV9L2GM-TKbpzBgfaEvCRRNG9wHso9rmABJyd12TLurO6zTt8jJJM/s320/20160404_102710.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Extension: Skip Counting dimes </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I printed one of Donna Boucher's free <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_wlnPzXZBUZZFNFQ0gwOVpoQjg/view" target="_blank">120 charts</a></span></div>
<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/AVvXsEjuCU2CmLgE4GReVl3CprN9j_KrGExA6dAA5BVtznuDUfbLcu4QByL8iDESasDgPK3qiVyVQRD0uMCGFrzsD9SFFNwkHqS28RboCNDor5eHGiU8-MDFldkTucnPBFyd7B3Cwt2SONVIb3Y/s1600/20160404_102519.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuCU2CmLgE4GReVl3CprN9j_KrGExA6dAA5BVtznuDUfbLcu4QByL8iDESasDgPK3qiVyVQRD0uMCGFrzsD9SFFNwkHqS28RboCNDor5eHGiU8-MDFldkTucnPBFyd7B3Cwt2SONVIb3Y/s400/20160404_102519.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Counting pennies</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></div>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: blue;">Counting Boats</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">How many coins can you put in the foil boat before it overflows or sinks?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
We counted to 130 before the best boat spilled over!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDCDYdQ9Nb7jsQKc7UwkMeI-AmXiJ1FfPaWT_oYg7n-ZJRCLd5E7CXpw1OHTm7mYs4iSqTaceWMRgc9tQOKVkcwMS_Q40eCdcUAYl9zZ8pEtq2JCDDCXKrhpVM_f03F2ZJHz5rOa8ADvc/s1600/20160404_103209.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDCDYdQ9Nb7jsQKc7UwkMeI-AmXiJ1FfPaWT_oYg7n-ZJRCLd5E7CXpw1OHTm7mYs4iSqTaceWMRgc9tQOKVkcwMS_Q40eCdcUAYl9zZ8pEtq2JCDDCXKrhpVM_f03F2ZJHz5rOa8ADvc/s320/20160404_103209.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiga32uHKS4CplRPt4EmO2z8g9Tb4pgJvrTF-sT-UFBmOk89FyGUffr02OQkH6J4dQZmA4-a2EmIAu6W5nWH439QPpnhye_En2UHIpRdd2rugbOQ3lBb4zMCQAlOuMRz2j7sO6U5WLOlmI/s1600/20160404_102928.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiga32uHKS4CplRPt4EmO2z8g9Tb4pgJvrTF-sT-UFBmOk89FyGUffr02OQkH6J4dQZmA4-a2EmIAu6W5nWH439QPpnhye_En2UHIpRdd2rugbOQ3lBb4zMCQAlOuMRz2j7sO6U5WLOlmI/s320/20160404_102928.jpg" width="180" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigR3h-nRvTqMdEbcxNyuofUqf4BJ4VH_kPzMSuZOAbVKQz3S1q7piI8iaqTR4-F3clDG5Kc0BUV0xiVQqflVWjje5i1CSp3gufLGMxK8NPthrN0oakL87Anz9sM1XgRY8Sl8XHF7FKTF4/s1600/20160404_103123.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigR3h-nRvTqMdEbcxNyuofUqf4BJ4VH_kPzMSuZOAbVKQz3S1q7piI8iaqTR4-F3clDG5Kc0BUV0xiVQqflVWjje5i1CSp3gufLGMxK8NPthrN0oakL87Anz9sM1XgRY8Sl8XHF7FKTF4/s320/20160404_103123.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>Sources of inspiration for many of these fabulous ideas and dozens more:</i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.prekinders.com/preschool-money/" target="_blank">Exploring Money in Pre-K</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.playideas.com/25-fun-money-activities-for-kids/" target="_blank">25 Funny Money Activities for Kids</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I can't wait to hear personal stories from the attendees or present this workshop again in the future! Stay tuned... </span></div>
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Cues from Ekuwah Moseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789209448529375280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1989775071731609458.post-26250048095064216172015-12-03T15:50:00.001-08:002015-12-03T17:36:42.865-08:00Seasonal Realia - Upcycling<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisRFysqnu8o_x3xPlznqFzgjIVD0KkRm3JFdkxn9l5z9HrtJ2OfO7Pc7d0xxDPYXn9ImghyphenhyphenI-5ijDz0V20SuXRdkWfz0SUux_wwTe7DhhUhy1TOtXSVXMuiaS3WvquqvRRKuDNp3rFe1Q/s1600/PhotoGrid_1449024543173.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisRFysqnu8o_x3xPlznqFzgjIVD0KkRm3JFdkxn9l5z9HrtJ2OfO7Pc7d0xxDPYXn9ImghyphenhyphenI-5ijDz0V20SuXRdkWfz0SUux_wwTe7DhhUhy1TOtXSVXMuiaS3WvquqvRRKuDNp3rFe1Q/s320/PhotoGrid_1449024543173.bmp" width="320" /></a></div>
I am a big advocate of using all sorts of <a href="http://ekuwah.blogspot.com/2015/11/prioritizing-realia.html" target="_blank">realia</a> in the classroom and in our family engagement center. I am still new in the facilitator role and I keep having epiphanies on how I can incorporate more and more tangible and thematic materials to support the Title I community. Currently, I am exploring how small additions of seasonal objects (splashed throughout the learning environment) temporarily add to the December cultural ambiance, enrich vocabulary instruction for the ESL population, and promote inclusive relevance for all guests. I have decorated the family engagement center with tangible and authentic objects I have had for over 10 years, otherwise known as upcycling. Although the design was completed with money that I spent more than a decade ago, I find that the timeless <a href="http://it%20is%20money%20that%20i%20spent%20more%20than%20a%20decade%20ago%20and%20the%20realia%20is%20still%20applicable%20today%21/" target="_blank">realia</a> is still applicable to elementary student families today!<br />
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Two weeks before Thanksgiving break, I searched and searched for a "turkey" read aloud for the early childhood parent/child class I teach on Fridays. I could not find it in the boxes of materials I saved. I looked through my children's bookcases and in the garage full of Rubbermaid tubs. I knew I had several "turkey" books somewhere, but I was forced to choose another Thanksgiving book because I simply could not find it. I decided I needed to get organized. <br />
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By simply thematically organizing my garage of teaching items/books (based on the months of the year) and upcycling ornaments I was able to bring some eye candy to the center. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmpMiYBev0Idu-wrmmZy6gR52GRCfTKhUvqS5jSzedy2EPtRHiJwWLTkZAcnVcIZK-7WHCnr09Rfk-GzVrEo8IIzTt-90M5TqaMS1TaQIBTNQLhG9CEBo6RZ-0ImPuzI7v-46IrldNlsk/s1600/20151201_162533.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmpMiYBev0Idu-wrmmZy6gR52GRCfTKhUvqS5jSzedy2EPtRHiJwWLTkZAcnVcIZK-7WHCnr09Rfk-GzVrEo8IIzTt-90M5TqaMS1TaQIBTNQLhG9CEBo6RZ-0ImPuzI7v-46IrldNlsk/s640/20151201_162533.jpg" width="561" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The silver garland, old holiday cards (from former students), the Scholastic News poster, and books from my 2nd grade classroom library, now have a new purpose<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">. They are living and breathing again for families in the center. This display is designed to show parents seasonal books for December read alouds. They can read the books in the center and check them out in the school library! My assistant and I also incorporate the books in our workshops and daily instruction. </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> </span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr1gOWReM0sawn1_3Af6P0L3vbhfn1_5jbnEqOlmeHhKLSAOo4oUjv26YfpTTyQWdM4_zZ5kRUto8f_CiTnZmTJYOqMIzEVjBE03CD81rKxBBtk5NsuEakfFVqytMI5IF5pn5u6ArJD8g/s1600/20151201_162517.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr1gOWReM0sawn1_3Af6P0L3vbhfn1_5jbnEqOlmeHhKLSAOo4oUjv26YfpTTyQWdM4_zZ5kRUto8f_CiTnZmTJYOqMIzEVjBE03CD81rKxBBtk5NsuEakfFVqytMI5IF5pn5u6ArJD8g/s640/20151201_162517.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">I trimmed the top of the front dry erase board with more silver garland and the ornaments from my home. The nutcrackers are an excellent conversation piece and <a href="http://ekuwah.blogspot.com/2015/11/prioritizing-realia.html" target="_blank">realia</a> for informational text. All of the objects are safely out of reach of our youngest guests (ages 0-5).</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg_6nRQU5YVjIdpgTLMK0Jcmhv0CiGHnIOvwowjsgxDLgc-EASwRBiQ_3Lb_xXzAVxQfytQJEEvSPOG3W5kRjFRIRDpUtF23VogrbP5LqH3HIbsv0CgVr8uH03WiYihZ249gZPw6nejqU/s1600/20151201_162344.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg_6nRQU5YVjIdpgTLMK0Jcmhv0CiGHnIOvwowjsgxDLgc-EASwRBiQ_3Lb_xXzAVxQfytQJEEvSPOG3W5kRjFRIRDpUtF23VogrbP5LqH3HIbsv0CgVr8uH03WiYihZ249gZPw6nejqU/s640/20151201_162344.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">I brought my family's ornaments to the center and </span><span style="font-size: small;">tied string to have them suspended from the ledge of the window. I found multi-colored garland in my "December file" of teaching supplies.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">I heard students gasp and make pleasant comments as they walked past the center! I am so happy that they could enjoy it too. It's eye-catching from across the room and most parents immediately notice the subtle change. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">I added a couple strings of lights around our most prominent bulletin board to shine a light</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">on our <a href="http://faces.ccsd.net/university-of-family-learning-ufl/" target="_blank">University of Family Learning </a>opportunities. </span> </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQTxwrW2N_zL8nai2wC2AViBqUkH3_Tm1RGJHFIOWLL3KvlYXYMzDoT9Zq8J7IR9T5geLmNSPIKnggRGzozNkeK4kU3OugVjHVl_yShjQEg_qvphcqFDnfasUcbKas1FlsaEr3dhri7io/s1600/20151201_162612.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQTxwrW2N_zL8nai2wC2AViBqUkH3_Tm1RGJHFIOWLL3KvlYXYMzDoT9Zq8J7IR9T5geLmNSPIKnggRGzozNkeK4kU3OugVjHVl_yShjQEg_qvphcqFDnfasUcbKas1FlsaEr3dhri7io/s400/20151201_162612.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">I also added a bit of silver garland and old holiday cards around the door. One final reminder</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">that children can write and send cards for the winter holidays (as presented in one of the parent workshops).</span></td></tr>
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I am certainly not an interior designer, but I am an educator that likes to add purposeful sparkle to each day. I enjoy the creative aspect and the resulting social interactions. It's the small things that can brighten a parent's day and in tandem expand their vocabulary acquisition and family dynamic. I hope that families will feel a bit more connected and welcome in our center as a result of upcycling the seasonal realia.</div>
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I welcome your feedback and how you upcycle realia!</div>
Cues from Ekuwah Moseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789209448529375280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1989775071731609458.post-68632868211837630782015-11-22T08:58:00.001-08:002015-11-22T09:23:02.211-08:00Learning From Our StudentsIt's Sunday morning and I just watched a video that moved me to quickly reflect. Do I take the time to learn from my students? How often do I take the time to learn a skill from my students? As you watch this brief video clip (click on the link below), ponder on your own humility, the structures or routines you provide for students to teach you something new, and the frequency of the opportunities (formal/informal).<br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/nbcnightlynews/videos/10153792925078689/" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.08px;">HIGH NOTE: Meet the unlikely student taking his place alongside the kids in the orchestra.</span> </a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhel_TWzYWeiI7sHXINxgZ1Rkgd1eLFjMQE4E6mbbZ22Yz74Y213CX0o8H2CCGLGJPTBbydF9lXundg5hYaLDRb9pixC9X6dUgrdxiqyWg92RQtPM6zBusKDKXlG5Lwa472vTPbqcxTThU/s1600/May+2015+026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK9Gqlkc8mnOUcBdiwHMHUmLxvPuMNCMCq0YkMEQvOeMRblKVo-HMv0m3yf26XCZZUV8iPK5f_ycIVdSdUkSPHFCAlVU0Tt9tz6HLPa8tPTNrIHH7YlxviwMV4Q2f6KhGlzJWJ8K7h52Q/s1600/May+2015+028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK9Gqlkc8mnOUcBdiwHMHUmLxvPuMNCMCq0YkMEQvOeMRblKVo-HMv0m3yf26XCZZUV8iPK5f_ycIVdSdUkSPHFCAlVU0Tt9tz6HLPa8tPTNrIHH7YlxviwMV4Q2f6KhGlzJWJ8K7h52Q/s320/May+2015+028.jpg" width="320" /></a>After watching the video, I paused and<br />
mentally scrolled through my recent year of teaching in the family center and my most taught class - ESL. My first recollection of learning from my students was in May 2015. I teach and schedule daily courses and workshops for our school community. One of the major ways we measure our reach and impact is by charting our daily attendance. I wanted to boost the attendance at our center by scheduling workshops taught by parent leaders - instead of me or community organization presenters. I thought the unique topic, personal relevance, and peer advertising would attract new families. Two of my regular ESL students are skilled at crocheting and balloon twisting and I often heard them talking about it. I asked them if they would present a workshop and they agreed. It was dynamic instruction!</div>
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It gave me an opportunity to sit back and learn from two of the ESL students. I asked them to present the workshop in English and practice their conversational English skills. It was a challenge for them, but the casual environment made it less intimidating. </div>
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They saw me struggle with crochet. These ladies are extremely talented and have had years of practice. I could not get my fingers and brain to coordinate the repetitive motion! In fact, one of the mothers had to come over and help me hand-over-hand. I was that bad. Something so easy to them was torture for me and they had loads of giggles as they watched me plead for assistance. </div>
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I was a bit more successful with the balloon twisting class. I was able to twist a dog and several flowers. I learned to be delicate with each balloon that unexpectedly popped. My ESL student was patient and really used her intermediate English to teach us her weekend work. </div>
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These are two formal opportunities I provided at my center; but, each day I have multiple informal learning opportunities. As I try to explain English vocabulary I hear Spanish translation. In the parenting classes, I learn nifty ideas for parenting my own children from other parents. I can always learn from my attendees, students, and colleagues. If I listen. If I plan opportunities. If I am humble to realize that... </div>
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<b>"Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don't." - Bill Nye</b></div>
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Cues from Ekuwah Moseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789209448529375280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1989775071731609458.post-10488369623883949012015-11-11T08:18:00.002-08:002015-11-11T09:10:19.781-08:00Picture Word Inductive Model<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Theme: School</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I enjoy using photographs in the classroom daily! I find that photos are applicable to all age groups, realistically portray daily life, are high-interest or captivating to distracted students, relevant to content and the learner, and fit thematic pathways to vocabulary acquisition. It is simple to find photos and does not complicate my planning process. Therefore, </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I was intrigued to implement the </span><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2013/11/07/the-best-ways-to-modify-the-picture-word-inductive-model-for-ells/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.4;" target="_blank">Picture Word Inductive Model</a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 1.4;"> (PWIM) </span><span style="line-height: 22.4px;">recommended</span><span style="line-height: 1.4;"> by <a href="http://t.co/5QFkXIDa0L" target="_blank">Larry Ferlazzo</a>. </span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5TqaG9zUVEIKWNbgJl7hLeVo_KXu4cW5Ok_SS_R2Fk2EdC8kViTpgHHNI7c_2-4_a4wsBnDLNGwc1zVGL_TB3UTmkwzk0PGh2u0ZdKAaDwmdEQuXjRJ3WhU5KB1uMNmA2FYxiAVZFP00/s1600/20151110_155543.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5TqaG9zUVEIKWNbgJl7hLeVo_KXu4cW5Ok_SS_R2Fk2EdC8kViTpgHHNI7c_2-4_a4wsBnDLNGwc1zVGL_TB3UTmkwzk0PGh2u0ZdKAaDwmdEQuXjRJ3WhU5KB1uMNmA2FYxiAVZFP00/s320/20151110_155543.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Theme: School</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 1.4;">I have been gradually using the strategy and various implementation suggestions with my Adult ESL class. I started, in September, by using PWIM to review the vocabulary presented in each of the picture dictionary themes - school, work, weather, holidays, etc. Initially, I sat with the students and recorded all of the words the small group randomly pointed to and identified. I quickly released control and let the students cooperatively annotate the photos. Each student uses a marker and the small group works together to hit the target - 20 words. The student must verbally share his or her contribution before writing it on the paper. It's an </span><span style="line-height: 22.4px;">exhilarating observation of</span><span style="line-height: 1.4;"> rapid fire speaking, listening, reading, and writing! </span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQXYArvCfJzvjTaZQarxIDdPLQ8RFN8zKn3YZKJmCY-cqX309jpQ-Yz8gIU-QoQCmiq9vMc48u3PyI2x4cdatmgIj16IhnDHkwHmCwvDG9bRMoMmaLt5-UwlRyMcTtIouAe-PfnNKGjfM/s1600/20150916_153506.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQXYArvCfJzvjTaZQarxIDdPLQ8RFN8zKn3YZKJmCY-cqX309jpQ-Yz8gIU-QoQCmiq9vMc48u3PyI2x4cdatmgIj16IhnDHkwHmCwvDG9bRMoMmaLt5-UwlRyMcTtIouAe-PfnNKGjfM/s320/20150916_153506.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An example chart created by a student</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 1.4;">We write simple sentences or questions after the lightning round of identifying details of the photographs. </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">I ask the students to use the words we generated to write sentence captions for the photo(s).</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 1.4;">The students independently and silently write in his or her notebook first. Our cooperative labeling experience provided an entry way to the composition and I do not want them to </span><span style="line-height: 22.4px;">merely</span><span style="line-height: 1.4;"> copy what an another student said. I circulate, preview the sentences, and provide bite-sized feedback to encourage the range of writers. Discussion and charting occurs after I have made sure everyone attempted to write something in the notebook. I write on the board or type the sentences and questions offered by volunteers. This is my full circle opportunity to highlight and extend the grammar skills we have previously studied in isolation! </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 1.4;">I used the PWIM model the day before Veterans Day to prepare students for the vocabulary and significance of the day off from school. Again, I observed rapid fire writing, reading, speaking, and listening. The participation rate has increased and the vocabulary target has been exceeded. The students' sentences are gaining in complexity, spelling has dramatically improved, and confidence is soaring! </span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Veterans Day</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.4px;">My next steps will include compare and contrast, paragraphing, and technology. Stay tuned! In the meantime, be sure to read further background and the multiple suggestions from <a href="http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2014/06/10/i-explain-the-picture-word-inductive-model-in-my-latest-british-council-post/" target="_blank">Mr. Ferlazzo</a>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2013/11/07/the-best-ways-to-modify-the-picture-word-inductive-model-for-ells/" target="_blank">The Best Ways To Modify The Picture Word Inductive Model For ELLs</a></span></h1>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2010/06/27/the-best-ways-to-use-photos-in-lessons/" target="_blank">The Best Ways To Use Photos In Lessons</a></span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: white; font-family: "british_council" , "verdana" , "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.5em;">y Ferlazzo: The picture word inductive model</span>Cues from Ekuwah Moseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789209448529375280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1989775071731609458.post-59517246402959710232015-11-07T07:30:00.002-08:002015-11-07T07:48:30.900-08:00Prioritize Realia<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>"What is realia?"</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At <a href="http://www.pageturnpro.com/Progress-Printing/66615-2015-Directory/index.html#212" target="_blank">IRA 2015</a>, I was interrupted with a teacher's question that I was not expecting. "What is realia?" I had assumed that every teacher knew the term realia and prioritized its usage as much as possible. Realia are the tangible or concrete objects and materials of real daily life. Too me, realia are what make teaching dimensional and dynamic.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Adult ESL</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Since February 2015, I have been teaching Adult ESL at an elementary school in the Family Engagement Center. The course has tremendous potential and I am aggressively learning to subtly capitalize on its generational reach. Four afternoons a week, I have the opportunity to teach English to the parents of our students and incorporate materials they can take home to use with their children. I intentionally add realia that will boost their English acquisition and get them actively supporting their children's academic achievement simultaneously. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At first, I was reluctant to use my toolbox of elementary materials and projects with adults. I thought it would be condescending and boring. I quickly found that these parents want to help their elementary children acquire the language and need time to feel comfortable using non-worksheet materials. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Therefore, these ESL parents are eager to take the materials and supplies home after each lesson. Many return to class the following day with pictures and testimonials about using the lesson with their children. (I'll share these in future posts.)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDT7wFvnScph5gA8pHiX-ObWUuBHkk1u63_JmE0TQ68xPSmN_EHqkhSCwXHNOqBa0ITj-k2PpxsIby6rWkILxurAfgiY3sJxWZB9llJ_5I0CcMvui16ge37JdiEmFisJXcEVk7u3pQO9M/s1600/20150924_140538.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDT7wFvnScph5gA8pHiX-ObWUuBHkk1u63_JmE0TQ68xPSmN_EHqkhSCwXHNOqBa0ITj-k2PpxsIby6rWkILxurAfgiY3sJxWZB9llJ_5I0CcMvui16ge37JdiEmFisJXcEVk7u3pQO9M/s320/20150924_140538.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Board Games & Dice</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">This father has not missed a day of my ESL class since it started Sept.15, 2015. I heard him tell another parent that it was because he never falls asleep in my class. All of his other previous ESL classes put him to sleep and he got poked by those around him to wake up. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Adult ESL does not have to be boring. Infuse free learning games and realia these parents can take home and use with their families. The classroom practice makes them comfortable to lead and replicate the learning experience at home. They will give you a thumbs up!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheKgeEWVjS9PydBMK0z1fpRXe3xIfptx0L6rk3mOuPQXmDb5f7K04b6EreheVpddmdbWaiszNsPjXtOBptGtAlW8Qh-hgBv_3xTzWAkPIncxRzd7PqEkH2kKoTaXK8pJi8_4NqyAXEzes/s1600/20151027_145540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheKgeEWVjS9PydBMK0z1fpRXe3xIfptx0L6rk3mOuPQXmDb5f7K04b6EreheVpddmdbWaiszNsPjXtOBptGtAlW8Qh-hgBv_3xTzWAkPIncxRzd7PqEkH2kKoTaXK8pJi8_4NqyAXEzes/s320/20151027_145540.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px; text-align: left;">The ESL class is ready for the vocabulary of Halloween! They learned the body parts and bones, closely read and performed children's poetry, and debated <a href="http://ekuwah.blogspot.com/2015/01/would-you-rather.html" target="_blank">"Would You Rather"</a> Halloween questions. All students were able to take the free materials home to use with their children and families! </span> </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkiJcs45JAIsL56GLD8tiiT28vAXE33QlonyUHGSQ03eBP1hqiqJSm0azQLH7-oZX8xbJYu0oA_9ftR7PKuv57EIBkw2eGpNdnbyto81u4YSe9Vqislm8HIjGGWXHc0ZrCJumDCA1zhh8/s1600/Feb+2015+018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkiJcs45JAIsL56GLD8tiiT28vAXE33QlonyUHGSQ03eBP1hqiqJSm0azQLH7-oZX8xbJYu0oA_9ftR7PKuv57EIBkw2eGpNdnbyto81u4YSe9Vqislm8HIjGGWXHc0ZrCJumDCA1zhh8/s320/Feb+2015+018.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Textures - smooth, rough, bumpy</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQqJZrhPzBuBtEwjYF3zSOeCuR9uGv0oQ_6xCktefQ32kEMM-O_fGH7AcYYfkzjEh8vDEUIPU1p5jIsQTgeu_WKmkdzygHfRSM_AdrhZr0hh0o3WVXlalnu7R5Pb7vuwjMt251hu39e4M/s1600/May+2015+076.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQqJZrhPzBuBtEwjYF3zSOeCuR9uGv0oQ_6xCktefQ32kEMM-O_fGH7AcYYfkzjEh8vDEUIPU1p5jIsQTgeu_WKmkdzygHfRSM_AdrhZr0hh0o3WVXlalnu7R5Pb7vuwjMt251hu39e4M/s320/May+2015+076.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Antonym Legos<br />
Foldables</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I was spurred to write this post, months after IRA 2015, because of a comment I heard yesterday. On Fridays, I offer a course entitled - "My Family and Me." It is an opportunity for parents to interact with their non-school age children and participate in early learning stations. During the class, I had a mother and daughter (who attend my ESL class) come to use the computer lab. They noticed all of the early stations and materials and quickly jumped in to participate (despite the fact they did not have young children with them). Together, they worked on the poem -"Rain, Rain, Go Away" and the accompanying activities.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> I noticed them complete all four stations and giggle as they touched all of the realia - cotton balls, ribbon, shaving cream, hole punch, cue tips, paint, construction paper, glue. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The daughter commented to me, "I never had a chance to use these materials when I was a child. Look at my mother. She loves it. This is new to us!"</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhux9xGFw48RvFf-1uBllT-XPcW0369NDCOoXA9M7q7od1rTemL_VbTEk8gKy8hKG4JJsCmAG27kt2aVynyJbNSvatgplTiQHIvL1WJ-3H9MnyZSwQ9y5TAfzRFYEJiHqr7z05a_6SnGEw/s1600/PhotoGrid_1446905460465.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhux9xGFw48RvFf-1uBllT-XPcW0369NDCOoXA9M7q7od1rTemL_VbTEk8gKy8hKG4JJsCmAG27kt2aVynyJbNSvatgplTiQHIvL1WJ-3H9MnyZSwQ9y5TAfzRFYEJiHqr7z05a_6SnGEw/s320/PhotoGrid_1446905460465.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Implications</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Realia are invaluable to all learners, regardless of age or language proficiency. Adult ESL learners also value the opportunity to experience tasks that include tangible materials. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The real materials build background knowledge and ignite the senses. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Don't underestimate the potential educational magnitude simple materials can generate. Find realia. Include realia. Prioritize realia. </span><br />
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<span id="goog_797706534"></span><span id="goog_797706535"></span><br />Cues from Ekuwah Moseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789209448529375280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1989775071731609458.post-80864417488550703652015-08-16T17:07:00.001-07:002015-08-16T17:25:03.652-07:00Device-Free & Interactive Family Learning On The Go!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7_cGsdbzrfIHcad63y0jKj-T4HVYpjOinP4DaYQ5EY5Qtvq3D1JjWfnufzNod6gZxYEWs5ouS4y_EbxBxQWZH8pRt_nFCkud6saIARNt1_7o8s4GXTrsrMiDcV1lRwFkyfN4npJ0d9hw/s1600/Jan+28+2015+012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7_cGsdbzrfIHcad63y0jKj-T4HVYpjOinP4DaYQ5EY5Qtvq3D1JjWfnufzNod6gZxYEWs5ouS4y_EbxBxQWZH8pRt_nFCkud6saIARNt1_7o8s4GXTrsrMiDcV1lRwFkyfN4npJ0d9hw/s320/Jan+28+2015+012.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My son self-selected a magazine to read from the basket.<br />
The basket wears a seat belt too!</td></tr>
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Today, I am thankful for being intentional during the 25 minute device-free commute to church. I look forward to Sunday morning car rides because my husband drives and I am able to be fully present with our kids (ages 8 and 10). (I must admit that I am inconsistent and that sometimes I block them out by staring at my smart phone.) This Sunday, however, I maximized this limited amount of time that the kids are buckled in, without devices, and are yearning for something to occupy their attention. I want to share the 3 items I constantly keep in the car to facilitate mobile learning and spark conversation (whether or not I am engaged).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdu5dtbJyReeMYm46bISBIX59djmUlXqdFCZevZ6j9U9aEE_xheDWLOJMAqkiUjpOi6z5p3vQrcamgG9fGlcbM4NH5wJKrMi1-3iVg-RCsrn-uJcQlqcfFIR5p1UbeScUed2KcJ6Fi5lI/s1600/August+2015+267.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdu5dtbJyReeMYm46bISBIX59djmUlXqdFCZevZ6j9U9aEE_xheDWLOJMAqkiUjpOi6z5p3vQrcamgG9fGlcbM4NH5wJKrMi1-3iVg-RCsrn-uJcQlqcfFIR5p1UbeScUed2KcJ6Fi5lI/s320/August+2015+267.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reading basket in the backseat</td></tr>
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1. Reading Basket</h2>
Usually, when I'm driving without my husband, I prompt the kids to choose something to read from the reading basket in the back seat. I have written about the purpose and inspiration of the reading basket <a href="http://ekuwah.blogspot.com/2015/07/honest-reading.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://ekuwah.blogspot.com/2015/01/weekly-reading-inventory.html" target="_blank">here</a>. Ten, twenty, and thirty minute car rides can provide a substantial amount of uninterrupted reading time. Magazines, word searches, crossword puzzles, joke books, chapter books, and Mad Libs are excellent basket fillers and provide hours of entertainment. Endless choices and voice in the car!<br />
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2. Flash Cards</h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoDWqeUACfD1Aph1O_Jbazt0vkwzWlUhaS3yZzRcv-l9r9bGnuXguzqju3Gn1z4PmpjPKgZiHFr-A0ldx8reuMgfR1QRW7bqnp2W8htpgn646-rroSXEQbTl9mB9uVaBKMXk8JWI0opsY/s1600/August+2015+268.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoDWqeUACfD1Aph1O_Jbazt0vkwzWlUhaS3yZzRcv-l9r9bGnuXguzqju3Gn1z4PmpjPKgZiHFr-A0ldx8reuMgfR1QRW7bqnp2W8htpgn646-rroSXEQbTl9mB9uVaBKMXk8JWI0opsY/s320/August+2015+268.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Multiple flash cards are stored in the passenger's <br />
pocket of the door</td></tr>
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This particular morning, I used the math flash cards on the ride to and from church. I asked the kids if they knew the purpose of my quizzing them on the facts at a rapid fire pace. They both gave good answers. I explained that I wanted them to have enough mental energy to concentrate on figuring out which operation(s) would help them efficiently solve the word problem; and not be mentally taxed with solving the basic computation. My children are going into 4th and 5th grade this year. The word problems will involve multiple steps and operations and perseverance is imperative. It is time to accelerate their computational fluency of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts. </div>
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I never really used flash cards or emphasized speed with them in the past because I wanted them to have a strong conceptual understanding of what the facts represented (number sense). Flash cards are for memorization and do not "teach" the facts. Rather, strategy-based instruction facilitates fact acquisition and number sense more efficiently than rote memorization. With that said, I know the kids have a solid grasp of the functions of the four operations and I can use flash cards to boost their immediate recall. </div>
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Math flash cards are not all that I pack in the car. I also carry "Would You Rather" cards to spark humorous conversation. I wrote about this card game <a href="http://ekuwah.blogspot.com/2015/01/would-you-rather.html" target="_blank">here</a>. We love laughing and giggling over the silly debate topics. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVndyxGMkiCCUHyxNiogQRwFbdt_BnhgueENsQQgYBpxACH9hCRj_opaAwFE6g9v_N8PlbAIK3jyR1QcW32GiijkroFgisui6tCQRfvhsrQQVgKkeq5kCb8QunQffWAR61DVwRQlIDKfY/s1600/July+2015+roadtrips+117.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVndyxGMkiCCUHyxNiogQRwFbdt_BnhgueENsQQgYBpxACH9hCRj_opaAwFE6g9v_N8PlbAIK3jyR1QcW32GiijkroFgisui6tCQRfvhsrQQVgKkeq5kCb8QunQffWAR61DVwRQlIDKfY/s200/July+2015+roadtrips+117.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
This summer I traveled across nine states with a good teacher friend and my two kids. I intentionally planned the road trip as an opportunity to boost our <a href="http://www.readingrockets.org/article/top-10-resources-summer-reading" target="_blank">background knowledg</a>e. I packed the "United States" and "Landmarks" flash cards, I found at Target, to provide short and relevant text. We sorted through the cards and found the nine states we were planning to visit. The children orally read the cards as we entered each state and before touring each landmark. Reading in advance generated insightful questions, landmarks to discover in each state, and supported their blogging about the experience afterwards.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAvuD6AWuC8WI16z2JlLzluM4jTmjFm5b8wtRyfOET0ZlKFH1amAZ7VpVSvCvcePwj4gTnbZpY4jCjwBjhHYcSaypXAZ0dsW8GlmGsoTP4odDN0Esesxd4ByQvCXn0gxc2VtXajCXX2Bo/s1600/July+2015+roadtrips+116.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAvuD6AWuC8WI16z2JlLzluM4jTmjFm5b8wtRyfOET0ZlKFH1amAZ7VpVSvCvcePwj4gTnbZpY4jCjwBjhHYcSaypXAZ0dsW8GlmGsoTP4odDN0Esesxd4ByQvCXn0gxc2VtXajCXX2Bo/s200/July+2015+roadtrips+116.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reading about the Grand Canyon<br />
before arrival</td></tr>
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Reading about the Grand Canyon, seeing a simple photograph, and generating questions prepared us before we arrived (as mentioned in the article - <a href="http://www.readingrockets.org/article/night-museum" target="_blank">The Night Before the Musuem</a>). We were able to look at the environment in a completely different way because we enhanced our background knowledge. (I also share <a href="http://www.readingrockets.org/article/use-summer-fun-build-background-knowledge" target="_blank">this</a> article about using summer to boost background knowledge with parents.)<br />
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3. Music </h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ26oeHWZYFmFr6xKqj1HVQU7BZSqrZQ74xx1sUf2nEM9yMcaIM8OF3M5KAj1gaqy4bxKNv8HtBlm1qAU66zOLRldS0Zhcp4nwAtZLAVEc5xWcNIQP1XNQCYz3zC6l9jliFV6vnkL5qSY/s1600/August+2015+269.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ26oeHWZYFmFr6xKqj1HVQU7BZSqrZQ74xx1sUf2nEM9yMcaIM8OF3M5KAj1gaqy4bxKNv8HtBlm1qAU66zOLRldS0Zhcp4nwAtZLAVEc5xWcNIQP1XNQCYz3zC6l9jliFV6vnkL5qSY/s320/August+2015+269.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I typically listen to Christian music or smooth jazz stations while I am driving. I find the music on these stations to be uplifting, relaxing, and the lyrics are appropriate for my children. However, I still have a few educational CDs in the car I pop in occasionally. Keeping these educational lyrics in the car is an easy reminder to review academic skills in a novel manner.</div>
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These are three items that came to my mind this morning. Again, I must confess I do not use these items every single car ride. I do not feel any family has to use these items every single time. I do think it is important to use them to support learning after school hours, but please find an appropriate balance for your family. Additionally, I am sure there are many other ways to facilitate interactive family learning without iPads and TV screens. Please feel free to add suggestions in the comments below. <br />
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Cues from Ekuwah Moseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789209448529375280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1989775071731609458.post-43034463700091172352015-07-29T12:38:00.001-07:002015-12-05T11:45:37.070-08:00Handwritten NotesThis morning I read a brief <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/when-a-handwritten-note-trumps-email-2014-2" target="_blank">article</a> that connected to one of the long-term goals I have maintained for years - provide more handwritten notes. I cherish receiving handwritten notes (I've saved every single one) and I know our students, <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/weareteachers/24-teacher-thank-you-notes-that-make-it-all-worthw-h0xt" target="_blank">colleagues</a>, guest speakers, community partners, and families do also. I want the art of writing handwritten notes to become automatic for me and anyone that works with others. I truly believe words of affirmation are powerful and handwritten notes forge lasting relationships. In fact, "Words of Affirmation" is a primary <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-5-Love-Languages-Children/dp/0802403476" target="_blank">Love Language</a> of so many children and adults. One kind word can change someone's entire day!<br />
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In terms of the educational purposes, I think there are times we need to have a variety of stationery available to capture and communicate our inner positive feelings. Here are some of my first thoughts...<br />
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<h2>
<b><span style="color: blue;">1. Thank You Notes</span></b></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp92LFhCZKwDTUzinDHlElk8PtE_wS3U5gkPgMuvq9gKr129LlJF4WfjYiHDcS9-7UYkiXtisV4RoNKXvAadqudgoVk1Wyq5q7FtADNAyiFhZo1KEFYPHVkd1pw9ZQLmCD8Xc0qlDSSpE/s1600/dc8810d730f18649f4e8b72710d27017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp92LFhCZKwDTUzinDHlElk8PtE_wS3U5gkPgMuvq9gKr129LlJF4WfjYiHDcS9-7UYkiXtisV4RoNKXvAadqudgoVk1Wyq5q7FtADNAyiFhZo1KEFYPHVkd1pw9ZQLmCD8Xc0qlDSSpE/s1600/dc8810d730f18649f4e8b72710d27017.jpg" /></a></div>
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A. Gifts from Students and Children</h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-w9TZRFl32icvsY4gVbbSpQ72w9BI6kKQ3ySu-lXxppggLXGd0RawOgt8C-4oUf7_bLKLb9D-kz3aRt1CvWI3kZd7SwJ0pEAth8hJ_wqxx7zomul9h8WRb0zFS2LpFrDTw1Y0GuroCj4/s1600/1796452_10202634342038233_1251814538_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-w9TZRFl32icvsY4gVbbSpQ72w9BI6kKQ3ySu-lXxppggLXGd0RawOgt8C-4oUf7_bLKLb9D-kz3aRt1CvWI3kZd7SwJ0pEAth8hJ_wqxx7zomul9h8WRb0zFS2LpFrDTw1Y0GuroCj4/s200/1796452_10202634342038233_1251814538_n.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kindergarten </td></tr>
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Adults and teachers are given so many random items and drawings from diverse children. It is given from their heart and means so much to them. Unfortunately, we are often quick to brush it off or put it to the side after a quick half smile. How special would it be to return our appreciation with a quick handwritten note to the child? The note does not have to be long and detailed. Just make it specific to the item and child's intentions. </div>
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My daughter spent countless early morning hours waiting in my classroom for the school bell to ring. She was consistent in making notes for me and her classroom teachers. She took pride in writing special messages and drawing pictures. I kept these notes posted by my desk each day. The notes truly made my day! I would return her kindness in our nightly dialogue journal we wrote back and forth to each other. Busy teachers do not have to write daily thank you notes to children, like my daughter, that frequently give notes and gifts every day. Randomly, give the child a note to express your appreciation.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZyBvD-1qX3N7W2fNdeIbJc4WApogadggdA-ccaf9BKOZj6bs1YNMD6cIjFK7evnkpYDNSXNY4Vbhf7Z1jTvf2sY014tqSvYHpOgR4eNx6iId82R-C5u7SipJ2wEGqhgsh8DuE3oxnOkM/s1600/img007+%25288%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZyBvD-1qX3N7W2fNdeIbJc4WApogadggdA-ccaf9BKOZj6bs1YNMD6cIjFK7evnkpYDNSXNY4Vbhf7Z1jTvf2sY014tqSvYHpOgR4eNx6iId82R-C5u7SipJ2wEGqhgsh8DuE3oxnOkM/s320/img007+%25288%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dear Mom, I hope you have a good day like I will. Love you.</td></tr>
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<b>B. Gifts from Parents/Families</b></h3>
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It's almost the beginning of another school year and the current parent debate is about giving teacher's a gift at the start of the year. Is it too early to give? Is it a form of bribery? Regardless of preference, I have seen lots of creative handmade gifts to give teachers <a href="http://happyhomefairy.com/2013/08/11/first-day-gift-ideas-for-the-teacher/" target="_blank">here</a> and dozens more circulating on Pinterest. Gifts come from families at the beginning of the year, holidays, our birthday, Teacher Appreciation Week, and randomly throughout the year. It is one way in which our families communicate that they appreciate our professionalism and time devoted to their child. It only takes a minute or two to say thank you to those parents and family members. </div>
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This past year, I enjoyed tutoring after school because it gave me the close relationships with students and families again. It is simple cards, like the one below, that rejuvenates teachers and keeps the zest for teaching.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp6h95sQnl6NTqRZWt8_btSkzkjBecxQUIFKITSri_yh34U2F36Q9ZiWc0G3MFjqAonLQ_973WOHSftVI7duItDu5ZI28wNCPtG6DNedre4Ml_pj7xHt5w0DpgA6K5R8GLuWJ8VeU1Rd8/s1600/20141217_104420.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp6h95sQnl6NTqRZWt8_btSkzkjBecxQUIFKITSri_yh34U2F36Q9ZiWc0G3MFjqAonLQ_973WOHSftVI7duItDu5ZI28wNCPtG6DNedre4Ml_pj7xHt5w0DpgA6K5R8GLuWJ8VeU1Rd8/s320/20141217_104420.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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C. Gifts from Colleagues</h3>
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I was sincerely blessed to work with kind colleagues during my years of instructional coaching and received several sweet cards and gifts. Two cards really stood out to me. The first card was given to me immediately following a training several teachers attended. I was shocked by the purpose and timeliness of the card. It assured me that I was coaching in the right direction and it was appreciated.</div>
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It was extremely difficult for me to leave my instructional coaching position in the middle of the year. I have always transitioned into a new position at the end of a school year. In February, a position in the Family and Community Engagement Services department opened and I could not resist the opportunity to make a passion-based leap. My teachers embraced my decision and gave me wonderful notes, a wallet, a happy hour outing, and warm hugs. I was deeply touched. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWcw-pSHIpQroG74cVluB7LBHsekJt4U6F5qwhXh-0WIGZbcs5VuotZNg6m7n_Oaaz6A4sFI-teL8TY2cB6LpTFw2YJNAZlGt7PHuvQ557YPhL_U0tEUCJsYeoN0CP9VNI8I-YZ1QwDgE/s1600/Feb+2015+043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWcw-pSHIpQroG74cVluB7LBHsekJt4U6F5qwhXh-0WIGZbcs5VuotZNg6m7n_Oaaz6A4sFI-teL8TY2cB6LpTFw2YJNAZlGt7PHuvQ557YPhL_U0tEUCJsYeoN0CP9VNI8I-YZ1QwDgE/s320/Feb+2015+043.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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D. Gifts from Community Partners and Donors</h3>
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Additionally, it is important to mention the thank you cards for special luncheons, gifts, donations, and service projects from volunteers. We are quick to offer our verbal thanks, but taking an extra step to send photographs and cards are sincerely appreciated. You will often see thank you cards publicly posted in local businesses and agencies. Those words of gratitude can foster future funding opportunities as the donor realizes the donation is appreciated and valued. I recently sent a thank you note for several carloads of free resources I received from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/232345283480818/photos/ms.c.eJw9k0kOQzEIQ29UMYXh~;hfrD8QsWunJZohp8ySpVprYkTi~;vGyUcSJP5bAoXY7wxyxU~;H0~;XeXcerXHXHb9ybJ8dYt6~;vKrOxP00~;3soH~;XR8ly15~;CPtx~_Wu75ptjX6urf5~;Hh1kWWu~;~;BPO~;3xtZHdr3Lcr~_v4M~_pl~_VqPQ08~;lx9~_jP6VzTv~;jXzDPNq9re3v5J3P4~;lqSfwzPM3TycvRV7KnS~;J6jGsuJ~_On~;aerTP8EnPfd~;87oFnAMox95x6KPD~_h77372fiVl0c3cDUfvPfQtw9~;qSx3~;e7v04~;Rz8eftHpzYB~_fvAj7xPgD~;uBmR37ReX5nAfc9fX~;~;UePH~;KTRkVdOfaI~_532M9xWNjvfU5LX5l8~;~;M~;4AS7~;y.bps.a.858031847578822.1073741977.232345283480818/858031944245479/?type=1&theater" target="_blank">Another Joy Foundation</a>. </div>
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<span style="color: blue;">2. Notes of Praise</span></h2>
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<h3>
<b>A. Notes of Praise from Administrators</b></h3>
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Educators often feel unappreciated from their administrators that are required to write lengthy performance evaluations. Many teachers, unfortunately, rarely receive genuine positive or non-directive feedback. Consequently, many teachers (and instructional coaches too) feel inadequate and unnoticed despite the hours of service and sacrificing countless hours of personal time. I want to provide a small gallery of a few of the (specifically) handwritten thank you notes I have received from several thoughtful administrators. Please note how these administrators connected with me on a personal and professional level. Also, notice the variety of stationery, length of letters, and purposes. This is not meant to boast or brag about my career, but rather give positive examples for other administrators to imitate and innovate. I hope these authentic examples will ignite a continual loop of kindness in the school setting from all administrators. I am forever thankful and cherish the experience of working with these caring administrators.</div>
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<h3>
B. Notes of Praise to Fellow Colleagues</h3>
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I had the pleasure of being a Performance Zone (4) Instructional Coach (PZIC) team leader. Our district's Instructional Unit and our Academic Manager gave us a book to read and implement. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><a href="https://www.google.com/shopping/product/5145508038223467310?sclient=psy-ab&site=&q=leverage+leadership&oq=leverage+L&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.&bvm=bv.99028883,d.eXY&biw=1920&bih=935&dpr=1&pf=p&gs_rn=64&gs_ri=psy-ab&tok=TPXu9V895vVFhSOHS-65Pw&cp=10&gs_id=14&xhr=t&tch=1&ech=11&psi=wOi4Vdq1MMKBgwTb_4LQAQ.1438181568022.1&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=0CH4QuiRqFQoTCKrD7-3LgMcCFU_vgAodGloHXA" target="_blank">Leverage Leadership: A Practical Guide to Building Exceptional Schools </a></i></span></h1>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYd0Tx8WpeLw1bqyED6NV6_otQfCzhNz9kECRkWaQILWNJDihFMeEIQk6SDT-aRKrKFKUvRU-9Dt67LzgtqJ75RNvEBlxpwufpU2UcVJzdXFc00wY6yA8__atGnd_QiRjUUbM16CsJYZs/s1600/9172013_72430_0.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYd0Tx8WpeLw1bqyED6NV6_otQfCzhNz9kECRkWaQILWNJDihFMeEIQk6SDT-aRKrKFKUvRU-9Dt67LzgtqJ75RNvEBlxpwufpU2UcVJzdXFc00wY6yA8__atGnd_QiRjUUbM16CsJYZs/s200/9172013_72430_0.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Postcard template created by Angie Shepard</td></tr>
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The book gave specific purposes and guidelines for giving handwritten notes of praise to colleagues. Our coaching team knew that this was not occurring frequently enough in the schools we served. Therefore, PZIC Angie Shepard drafted a postcard template (right) for us, as coaches, to provide handwritten notes of praise on our unscheduled walk-through observations. It was highly successful and well received from the classroom teachers. We often saw the postcards posted and preserved near the teacher's desk. I also continued the practice, during my daily unscheduled coaching observations, with small stationery templates I printed. <br />
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The only negative administrative feedback we received was from a principal that was worried the notes could be used against her evaluation documentation. For example, we left a very general note to an "unsatisfactory" teacher and that teacher then used it to tell the principal she was indeed performing up to standard. This was one isolated incident and we were cautious on our wording after that event.</div>
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The notes were usually written with the PQP (Praise, Question, Praise) format. I liked to include a reflection question to spur the conversation into the next coaching step. It is important to acknowledge the good things teachers are doing each day. All teachers, even those deemed ineffective, are doing something good in the classroom. I wanted them to continue those good aspects and also reflect on their practice. </div>
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B. Notes of Praise to Students</h3>
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Several authors note that private and specific praise is most effective. Simple handwritten cards, postcards, sticky notes, or scraps of paper quickly slipped on a student's desk can radically change behavior and academic performance. Educators can definitely use these alternatives to simply saying <a href="http://www.naeyc.org/tyc/article/good-job-alternatives" target="_blank">"Good Job!"</a> Keep notes clearly worded, concise in wording, and consistently used.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsYPCVQtusBmGao6QO4AeWp2JupumVVmfa2wKWO4pmexBHhb_IGYuhEzRTyMehPs3hTTXQMMK1f2OOoEyUUgS6KuDDF2p0hrM5m-g8-wUiGMm3jdi1GGbKeEZfJ6xlQvYQfpxzvNa49SU/s1600/20151205_111731.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsYPCVQtusBmGao6QO4AeWp2JupumVVmfa2wKWO4pmexBHhb_IGYuhEzRTyMehPs3hTTXQMMK1f2OOoEyUUgS6KuDDF2p0hrM5m-g8-wUiGMm3jdi1GGbKeEZfJ6xlQvYQfpxzvNa49SU/s320/20151205_111731.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You've got mail! (Positive postcard from my daughter's 4th grade teacher) </td></tr>
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<span style="color: blue;">3. Lunch Box Notes</span></h2>
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I have served in the lunchroom over the years and I always get tickled to see the smile on a child's face when s/he receives a lunch box note. It's rare, but a touching moment every time. My friends at the <a href="http://www.thecurriculumcorner.com/thecurriculumcorner123/2012/08/03/lunchbox-notes/" target="_blank">Curriculum Corner</a> have several to print for free. Another great source for free lunch box notes can be found <a href="http://kidsactivitiesblog.com/57305/500-free-printable-lunchbox-notes" target="_blank">here</a>. These notes could be printed and signed with a personalized note to the student. Teachers, parents, and adults can tuck these notes in textbooks, pencil cases, backpacks, and lunchboxes to make that child's day. </div>
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I enjoy reading about how these lunch box notes have impacted families for years: </div>
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<a href="http://www.scarymommy.com/articles/dad-lunchbox-note-to-daughter-goes-viral?section=news&u=MDAAZ80L46" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: small;">Dad's 20-Year-Old Lunchbox Note To His Daughter Goes Viral</span></a></h1>
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<a href="http://time.com/2110/dad-is-prepping-over-800-napkin-notes-for-daughters-lunchbox-before-he-dies/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: small;">Dad Is Prepping Over 800 Napkin Notes for Daughter’s Lunchbox Before He Dies</span></a></h2>
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Final thoughts...</h2>
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At the end of the day, everyone wants to feel valued and appreciated. Everyone! </div>
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We want to know that we are noticed by the ones we love and trust. </div>
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A person who feels appreciated will always do more than what is expected. </div>
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Choose to find something good in every classroom, student, teacher, parent, and community partner. <br />
Express your genuine appreciation with a handwritten note.</div>
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I quickly generated this post after reading the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/when-a-handwritten-note-trumps-email-2014-2" target="_blank">article</a> and I know there are many other types and reasons to provide handwritten notes in the educational setting. Please feel free to add suggestions and personal stories in the comments below! </div>
Cues from Ekuwah Moseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789209448529375280noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1989775071731609458.post-79432816418447120842015-07-08T12:03:00.001-07:002015-07-08T12:21:44.979-07:00Measuring Honest Reading (at Home)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKAlZsCqyzkzFllTNZhKkkEsDOGxRfE5Y1fNkN-NhFCo94qxLG0AxS6iRq5UyoZVsY0rHJ8txGOxLxIbYY_w-cLh_LNLf612Celmn7ULPnGjgg5mEoola_AMXzxAYwH0GNMjGLpNEARqc/s1600/1172015_122129_1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKAlZsCqyzkzFllTNZhKkkEsDOGxRfE5Y1fNkN-NhFCo94qxLG0AxS6iRq5UyoZVsY0rHJ8txGOxLxIbYY_w-cLh_LNLf612Celmn7ULPnGjgg5mEoola_AMXzxAYwH0GNMjGLpNEARqc/s320/1172015_122129_1.png" width="248" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am thankful to Jill and Cathy at the <a href="http://www.thecurriculumcorner.com/thecurriculumcorner456/corner-spotlight-ekuwah-moses-a-twist-on-reading-logs/" target="_blank">Curriculum Corner</a> for repeatedly sharing versions of the "Weekly Reading Inventory." I have blogged about it's purpose and construction <a href="http://ekuwah.blogspot.com/2015/01/weekly-reading-inventory.html" target="_blank">here</a>. I was asked to respond to a reader's two questions about the log and wanted to share my response with other educators that may be pondering the same concerns. This twisted "log" is about forging positive relationships more than it is about a quantifiable assignment.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">1. <i style="line-height: 19.5px;">Do students really use these logs correctly?</i></span></b></h2>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.5px;">Yes, absolutely! However, longevity depends on the passionate diligence of the teacher and family. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.5px;">Teachers:</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.5px;">The point of the inventory is to saturate our children with voice and open-ended choice in their reading. Period. We want to instill the natural habits of life-long readers. The results give us a weekly relationship-building tool. We can see what the child likes to read and how they like to read it. We can use the information to our instructional advantage. I have heard numerous classroom teachers rave about implementation success built upon the inventory data. Secrets to success:</span></span></div>
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<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.5px;">Model how to complete the inventory during class and parent meetings</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.5px;">Discuss the long-term intentions and natural actions of life-long readers </span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19.5px;">Verbally celebrate the classroom reading trends and suggest under utilized activities</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19.5px;">Call the parents or catch them on the playground and praise specific strategies used for reading at home</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19.5px;">Display photos of families and students reading at home and specifically annotate the strategy used</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19.5px;">Conference with children and ask probing questions about information provided in the log</span></li>
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<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.5px;">Can you tell me more about your experience reading in the bathtub?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.5px;">I noticed you read a recipe this week, what did you make? Did it turn out the way you expected?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.5px;">What is your favorite magazine to read? Why?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.5px;">What was it like reading via Skype? </span></span></li>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.5px;">Families:</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.5px;">Christina Hardeman is kindergarten teacher that uses the log as a parent and classroom teacher. She has told me that her kinder parents typically fill out the log and voluntarily write positive notes or comments in the available space. She had parents, with multiple school-age children, thank her for not making her homework cumbersome. Others have acknowledged that the flexibility of the "menu" of options helped when juggling a hectic schedule. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="line-height: 19.5px;">2. </span><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.5px;">What about honesty?</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.5px;">Honesty is always a factor with any homework assignment or reading log. There is always a chance, with anything sent home, that it would not be completed honestly. Children have been exaggerating the number of minutes read, number of pages read, number of books read, and providing inaccurate/incomplete summaries for decades. What matters in growing life-long readers is unlimited and unrestricted choice. Honesty comes when the student, family, and teacher have a genuine relationship based on frequent and positive communication.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19.5px;">Teachers can forge relationships with students and families via the conversations about their reading at home. </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.5px;">Many families do not know the myriad of ideas to get their children reading and this inventory is a comprehensive guide. Additionally, many parents think books are the only text that counts for reading "homework" and teachers can use the inventory to change this misconception. This inventory expands the options for reading and gives families ideas for making it enjoyable. Consequently, students and families are more apt to honestly complete the "homework" assignment.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.5px;">I frequently ask parents to show how the log has impacted them at home and share photos of their family reading. Sara and Leticia's photos are exceptional examples.</span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHEp_x3pgZ8OLAJP2KDOfeILHFMCDnM5D3hWQtUZVQIy2cU9M1IDACU0XoDKCeLNYJyNxAdKUvhAHKXxJFSj-RNcUAqJk_CNK1FlS4jW62V7JSu-9scNBwJPvuLOsNfAya5BMZwC8atSM/s1600/1962746_856059871099045_826473690695015216_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHEp_x3pgZ8OLAJP2KDOfeILHFMCDnM5D3hWQtUZVQIy2cU9M1IDACU0XoDKCeLNYJyNxAdKUvhAHKXxJFSj-RNcUAqJk_CNK1FlS4jW62V7JSu-9scNBwJPvuLOsNfAya5BMZwC8atSM/s320/1962746_856059871099045_826473690695015216_n.jpg" width="226" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sara challenged the idea of reading to the family pet. She </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">immediately used the free picture book (middle picture) and had her daughters read to the family pet - a CHICKEN!! </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn-ZxLUMncgEBabnzj0CSJCwvKg-gxZNLo0vOKBAUmFEVNsiDXWqhu1dRy1eHA21YuoYC9yvj1B_m-EjekGWjug486V8bah93NP5MHg7JQOg5NtRin84vm68SLSjPNjAPo8nRaK1qKRtU/s1600/May+2015+016+-+Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn-ZxLUMncgEBabnzj0CSJCwvKg-gxZNLo0vOKBAUmFEVNsiDXWqhu1dRy1eHA21YuoYC9yvj1B_m-EjekGWjug486V8bah93NP5MHg7JQOg5NtRin84vm68SLSjPNjAPo8nRaK1qKRtU/s320/May+2015+016+-+Copy.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Leticia was thrilled to receive so many books from the center and the implemented the suggestion of having her husband read aloud to the children. </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How do we know if this inventory is accomplishing our long-term goal of developing students that independently choose to read? Ask parents if they are noticing their children are reading more without being told or asked to "read for 20 minutes." Tell them to give you examples, if possible. The response may give you goosebumps.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have noticed that my own children are reading more without being prompted. For example, one particular day my son (that is not an avid reader) shocked me by reading in the car and then continued reading at the doctor's office. Without my usual prompting, he chose to read something he enjoyed and sustained his reading much longer than the typical "required" minutes. It's moments like these that help me, teachers, and other parents know we are developing life-long readers. This is honest reading that counts. </span></div>
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Cues from Ekuwah Moseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789209448529375280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1989775071731609458.post-91899270114153572742015-02-03T20:33:00.004-08:002015-02-03T20:50:59.045-08:00A Transparent View of Our School<span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">In May 2014, I escorted our K-5th grade teachers on an actual <a href="http://www.edutopia.org/blog/feelings-walking-tour-surveying-school-climate-maurice-elias?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=blog-feelings-walking-tour-surveying-school-climate-link" target="_blank">Feelings Walking Tour</a>. (The "symbolic" tour guidelines are thoroughly described in a thoughtful <a href="https://twitter.com/edutopia" target="_blank">Edutopia</a>
blog by Maurice Elias.) My principal and I decided our small staff deserved a collective voice in the school improvement process. It's OUR school. First, however, we wanted our staff to have an authentic view of our campus and see the school in daily performance mode. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSVut5rMtsWibc8U636WiBngmZ5-MEWR9Kn8pS5ECRu4OXi2oA8hwCY3-yfLG4nKBwGONipljlI1Pt31GLAGoxt-rsTtGd6DQfXWa67ijmY1UWRKacrwdUP-hrc_qH4kNl7qrHsqMkVGw/s1600/NOLA+MAY+2014+073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSVut5rMtsWibc8U636WiBngmZ5-MEWR9Kn8pS5ECRu4OXi2oA8hwCY3-yfLG4nKBwGONipljlI1Pt31GLAGoxt-rsTtGd6DQfXWa67ijmY1UWRKacrwdUP-hrc_qH4kNl7qrHsqMkVGw/s1600/NOLA+MAY+2014+073.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">Lounge talk and professional development utopia does not improve schools - it's the daily action of all stakeholders that matters most to school improvement. The tour was one action step in our aggressive professional development plan designed to break down the walls of isolation, complacency, and professional resistance. Our low student achievement data warrants the need for systemic and radical improvement. We needed the teachers to "see it" for themselves. Teachers have to want to improve and be the change. Mandatory professional development does not work uniformly. Experiences planned for open-ended self-reflection produces exponential and sustainable results. Professional development based on choice satisfies the need of the human self-system.</span><br />
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<span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">Each half-day session (over the course of three full days) was attended by four teachers, from different grade levels,
and myself. Substitutes were provided so the emotional experience would be uninterrupted and free of students. Before each tour, teachers read the author's short <a href="http://www.edutopia.org/blog/feelings-walking-tour-surveying-school-climate-maurice-elias?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=blog-feelings-walking-tour-surveying-school-climate-link" target="_blank">blog</a>, discussed the five guiding questions; and defined data gathering procedures
for solely self-reflection and school improvement planning. The teachers only carried
blank paper and a copy of the prioritized environmental initiatives to record
their thoughts and reactions to the campus environment. </span><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">It was repeatedly clarified that the tour was non-evaluative and individual feedback would not be provided to teachers. Self-reflection and personal change was the top priority. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRUm2c3v62MbCXhvDTsw0sDVTe1J2YsWtUupv430Mc6K4mFNSfo-k7J-q50Pczj95wWbi-tvzcZiMPN3YW7HEuOfQyR_2VWVX34oAJDn1Gxu-P0HoMI7b9BtH43mAPH9mxcUahY4rJYqU/s1600/NOLA+MAY+2014+079.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRUm2c3v62MbCXhvDTsw0sDVTe1J2YsWtUupv430Mc6K4mFNSfo-k7J-q50Pczj95wWbi-tvzcZiMPN3YW7HEuOfQyR_2VWVX34oAJDn1Gxu-P0HoMI7b9BtH43mAPH9mxcUahY4rJYqU/s1600/NOLA+MAY+2014+079.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">Every
classroom, hallway, and entryway was observed during a "regular" school
day. Teachers sat in all classrooms for about 5 minutes, sauntered
through the hallways, and observed the entire facility in "normal" operation. All classroom visits were unannounced, random, and silent observations. Complete campus transparency.</span><br />
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<span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">After walking through the entire facility, from outside to inside,
teachers confidentially debriefed in my professional development room. </span><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">As the coach, I only listened and kept the conversation moving. I did not offer feedback or insist on a viewpoint. The dialogue was free and candid and brutally honest.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQmtOgjRGpNTXasW-5fdm-D08Y2gtUMv1FtB1GW5IYZ3-8nmmoYYazIinKIXdLeBsbsq6rTsEPyJuQSjPapQW2Lcgd6qNwlsP6eY8YI9NVfSweR_jFvR0bwBwIqm0HsWfRKyCones8KDI/s1600/NOLA+MAY+2014+080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQmtOgjRGpNTXasW-5fdm-D08Y2gtUMv1FtB1GW5IYZ3-8nmmoYYazIinKIXdLeBsbsq6rTsEPyJuQSjPapQW2Lcgd6qNwlsP6eY8YI9NVfSweR_jFvR0bwBwIqm0HsWfRKyCones8KDI/s1600/NOLA+MAY+2014+080.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"> </span>All teachers wrote at least one positive (yellow sticky note), one negative (pink sticky note),
and one middle ground </span><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">emotion </span>(blue sticky note) on paper. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3uZSqs7CaCTktQ52UDKjXJmfKIurXi60qLUD47jjBtJcgbYCj-EWE6IC4e5JBlEpKnfB1Rvsj9dcVf2vhzOnAemRXD2mW28dqgIOAlVX9eEtZ3Y9dB9b-2sZIL86OHlOCrQbT0VNC5so/s1600/NOLA+MAY+2014+078.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3uZSqs7CaCTktQ52UDKjXJmfKIurXi60qLUD47jjBtJcgbYCj-EWE6IC4e5JBlEpKnfB1Rvsj9dcVf2vhzOnAemRXD2mW28dqgIOAlVX9eEtZ3Y9dB9b-2sZIL86OHlOCrQbT0VNC5so/s1600/NOLA+MAY+2014+078.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwrN0Wuk_AagNOOx6OMsvYakQMiInb6y_ePPg5E4ncAq8EJhnRU6t11Odtv1nY2RI_JgxE9gM6UtfWjJ8ug-Igwf7cFhB_tTaUNyWEsPcZPUJBNPDRaKPnPLYGYQzV3byEf0h9aILO3Xg/s1600/NOLA+MAY+2014+081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwrN0Wuk_AagNOOx6OMsvYakQMiInb6y_ePPg5E4ncAq8EJhnRU6t11Odtv1nY2RI_JgxE9gM6UtfWjJ8ug-Igwf7cFhB_tTaUNyWEsPcZPUJBNPDRaKPnPLYGYQzV3byEf0h9aILO3Xg/s1600/NOLA+MAY+2014+081.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">After the final
day of tours, the sticky notes were displayed in the lounge so the
entire staff could view the results. The conversation continued and change happened immediately. The custodian changed light bulbs and the clutter started disappearing in classrooms. Ultimately, teachers pleasantly confronted what needed to be addressed school-wide. </span><br />
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<span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">The unique tour experience was extremely powerful and
an eye-opening data collection for all stakeholders! Here a few of the comments collected from the evaluations...</span> </span><br />
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Purchased Games...</h2>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0QL5Hy4UnTkyc8JvjUTgqrd57Ml74cb1UFrsNAisGpWQwaQxgq6KzFo7DCAIqgEVF2IT6QHL0UdqmD5xGV4x9Apx4FU6mKwazez-f8PI8ZtbKVeYmGoWs3fWmUxNuH5DLeJhZ5xoPXj0/s1600/Jan+30+2015+016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0QL5Hy4UnTkyc8JvjUTgqrd57Ml74cb1UFrsNAisGpWQwaQxgq6KzFo7DCAIqgEVF2IT6QHL0UdqmD5xGV4x9Apx4FU6mKwazez-f8PI8ZtbKVeYmGoWs3fWmUxNuH5DLeJhZ5xoPXj0/s1600/Jan+30+2015+016.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Card Game Version (Target)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGzcXv6NG8ngD0i2DaW9hfisZPEhrTGW0CXiLZgfK1RhS2q7lGgzjl6zm-8lxuvp3o78sRR5aq7cxkzoQpNbZRYncnEvrr_GxYE6j6Lr_iQFczOMFQUFWzzORRXI08sDGALvRqBFrdCTw/s1600/Jan+28+2015+106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGzcXv6NG8ngD0i2DaW9hfisZPEhrTGW0CXiLZgfK1RhS2q7lGgzjl6zm-8lxuvp3o78sRR5aq7cxkzoQpNbZRYncnEvrr_GxYE6j6Lr_iQFczOMFQUFWzzORRXI08sDGALvRqBFrdCTw/s1600/Jan+28+2015+106.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Board Game Version (Toys R Us)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The game can be purchased by families and used to trick their children into reading too. (I purchased a set for the house and the car.) The board game version is for more adults and teens. Although, I played it with our 8 and 9 year old and did not run into any questionable content, yet. The content of the card game (right) is for children (8+).<br />
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Our school is using the <a href="http://ekuwah.blogspot.com/2015/01/weekly-reading-inventory.html" target="_blank">Weekly Reading Inventory</a> and the game could be used for the following "homework" options (and more): <br />
"Play reading games..."<br />
"Read in planes, trains, or automobiles"<br />
"Read to a parent or guardian"<br />
"Read at the park"<br />
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<h2>
Math...(Free Resources)</h2>
I suggest using <i>Would You Rather</i> in the math classroom too! I was first introduced to the idea from Donna Boucher's <a href="http://mathcoachscorner.blogspot.com/2013/10/comparison-subtraction-in-action.html" target="_blank">blog</a>. She wrote an amazing piece about using the questions for <a href="http://mathcoachscorner.blogspot.com/2013/10/comparison-subtraction-in-action.html" target="_blank">comparison subtraction</a> and having students physically moving to the sides of the room. Students literally take a stand and move to the corner of his/her choice! Such an easy way to get students out of their seats and model mathematics!<br />
<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/AVvXsEhBM03ceUASvX8UAzf4yP-fNYw_Y6voRNMybUhNxMmei3lsSDXodObBnk3b6iCf2PCt-nCneRsJolazrsCS5g2VTa3WEVubE2AIDJLv_pkVtVDZ1Us5BDrtbalQ1-pFwEKr30fCo80kb5E/s1600/Would+You+Rather.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBM03ceUASvX8UAzf4yP-fNYw_Y6voRNMybUhNxMmei3lsSDXodObBnk3b6iCf2PCt-nCneRsJolazrsCS5g2VTa3WEVubE2AIDJLv_pkVtVDZ1Us5BDrtbalQ1-pFwEKr30fCo80kb5E/s1600/Would+You+Rather.JPG" height="205" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mathcoachscorner.blogspot.com/2013/10/comparison-subtraction-in-action.html" target="_blank">Math Coach's Corner</a></td></tr>
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Also, check out John Stevens' <a href="https://wyrmath.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">blog</a> that is loaded with free annotated pictures and intermediate scenarios! Here's one quick sample...<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/AVvXsEhQaEDgdwDS6H5w3yVUxwFt8IyIdGoCIg_4IppBhNDroRUNNNu8z_cdd_z_zS5jc6h9jZDKoJF3jwcTuQDN10b5cirPlVJL9qoeZiUoDVjQpGArHn3Ej_PZmKcMz0rvC_J_kyJQmTproqQ/s1600/bananas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQaEDgdwDS6H5w3yVUxwFt8IyIdGoCIg_4IppBhNDroRUNNNu8z_cdd_z_zS5jc6h9jZDKoJF3jwcTuQDN10b5cirPlVJL9qoeZiUoDVjQpGArHn3Ej_PZmKcMz0rvC_J_kyJQmTproqQ/s1600/bananas.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://wyrmath.wordpress.com/">https://wyrmath.wordpress.com/</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The structure of the <i>Would You Rather...</i> game facilitates multiple math practices!<br />
<ul>
<li>Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.</li>
<li>Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.</li>
<li>Reason abstractly and quantitatively.</li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgufv_RJzlQ8VB6mvfHUT4Ctvn1q6WcY8I7yepLRJzp6uPJOOqDvW0pgATsKHhJYUbNnejbalIDNGC6xbsMY6HZRuKKucpNWfuP2NxmoIFboqXoNqx8ipxECZgLWJCg10WIhn8CO1bU3n8/s1600/10202014_85445_0.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgufv_RJzlQ8VB6mvfHUT4Ctvn1q6WcY8I7yepLRJzp6uPJOOqDvW0pgATsKHhJYUbNnejbalIDNGC6xbsMY6HZRuKKucpNWfuP2NxmoIFboqXoNqx8ipxECZgLWJCg10WIhn8CO1bU3n8/s1600/10202014_85445_0.png" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Imitate and innovate your own problems! I created this after Halloween shopping!<br />
10 for $1.99 or 24 for $3.00 </td></tr>
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<h2>
Reading and Writing... (Free Resources) </h2>
The Common Core State Standards expect elementary students to write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic, state an opinion, supply reasons and information for the opinion, and provide some sense of closure. The Would You Rather format is a wonderful format to peek interest and provide repeated practice.<br />
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Rachel Lynette has published several free sets of questions for the various holidays and certain books. Download, print, pin, or save all of these:<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/FREE-Would-You-Rather-Questions-for-Kids-by-Rachel-Lynette-52895" target="_blank">Free Would You Rather Questions for Kids by Rachel Lynette</a><br />
<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/FREE-Thanksgiving-Would-You-Rather-Questions-for-Kids-104707" target="_blank">Free Thanksgiving Would You Rather Questions </a><br />
<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/FREE-Christmas-Would-You-Rather-Questions-107134" target="_blank">Free Christmas Would You Rather Questions</a><br />
<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/FREE-St-Patricks-Day-Would-You-Rather-Questions-119297" target="_blank">Free St. Patrick's Would You Rather Questions </a><br />
<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/FREE-End-of-School-Summer-Would-You-Rather-Questions-131568" target="_blank">Free End of School & Summer Would You Rather Questions </a><br />
<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Harry-Potter-FREE-Would-You-Rather-Questions-121102" target="_blank">"Harry Potter" Free Would You Rather Questions</a><br />
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<b>Do you have other <i>Would You Rather</i> resources to share? Please share in the comments below!</b>Cues from Ekuwah Moseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789209448529375280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1989775071731609458.post-25084773339702688132015-01-17T14:11:00.000-08:002015-09-02T21:51:50.586-07:00Weekly Reading Inventory<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">On August 2, 2014, I posted the following quote on my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CuesfromEkuwahMoses/photos/pb.1440900962831144.-2207520000.1421382160./1463046390616601/?type=3&theater" target="_blank">Cues from Ekuwah Moses</a> Facebook page:</span></span><br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"> <span style="color: blue;"><br /></span></span></span><br />
<i><span style="color: blue;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">My
progressive principal asked me to develop a school-wide homework
reading log (K-5th). It needs to give open-ended and family-friendly
reading ideas to encourage wide reading based on student choice. The
log cannot ask students to record minutes (why put a limit on fun?) and
no pointless or mundane writing of book titles. Here is what I have
drafted for semester one. Please give me feedback before we print! </span></span></span></i><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: blue;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span style="color: black;">The <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CuesfromEkuwahMoses/photos/pb.1440900962831144.-2207520000.1421382160./1463046390616601/?type=3&theater" target="_blank">feedback</a> I received from on my online PLN was tremendous! In fact, the Curriculum Corner decided to feature me in their Corner Spotlight, share my twist on a traditional reading log on their <a href="http://www.thecurriculumcorner.com/thecurriculumcorner456/corner-spotlight-ekuwah-moses-a-twist-on-reading-logs/" target="_blank">website</a><span style="color: black;">, and share via their <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheCurriculumCorner" target="_blank">Facebook page</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/curriculumcornr/status/529721688410161152" target="_blank">Twitter account</a>.</span> Needless to say, I pressed forward with my plan to implement the school-wide log on a semester basis. </span></span></span></span><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/AVvXsEhvnxtKMhSGOD17JDPNnufNYgQIdlu_WX_erEJIT8T9Fd2sKVdj1DZg8Lsw14YAGgsgFqw280_OV2prgJBpok62WsBsL_b0LUamdgb8NX-AVeaFmrKLh9kgLGm3I9JpvY6YbmDKaKQ5_Mg/s1600/2014+Log.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvnxtKMhSGOD17JDPNnufNYgQIdlu_WX_erEJIT8T9Fd2sKVdj1DZg8Lsw14YAGgsgFqw280_OV2prgJBpok62WsBsL_b0LUamdgb8NX-AVeaFmrKLh9kgLGm3I9JpvY6YbmDKaKQ5_Mg/s1600/2014+Log.png" width="303" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Semester 1 </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjod5OqlCoztqa7-JZyvnasURk-6cnFutw4quYENF_OFBiY15SuaI5HFW3Ce3qSoeAi_frF6-DLFikQNHWeI_7xv9PZFtTh4GS6jy1FjBGY20vRrsyklzQYQ7uEMCsnHluXIhY4KN_4mFc/s1600/10660111_1477381085849798_5082702985401436118_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjod5OqlCoztqa7-JZyvnasURk-6cnFutw4quYENF_OFBiY15SuaI5HFW3Ce3qSoeAi_frF6-DLFikQNHWeI_7xv9PZFtTh4GS6jy1FjBGY20vRrsyklzQYQ7uEMCsnHluXIhY4KN_4mFc/s1600/10660111_1477381085849798_5082702985401436118_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="color: blue;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span style="color: black;">Semester 2 starts next week and it is time to freshen up the log with all that we have learned from implementing it during semester 1. I received feedback from a <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1qcb8Y_tIE5sZJylw-ivOuuRNVsjvqU9GgBG8FAlAcFk/viewform" target="_blank">Google Form</a> I created, for our K-5th grade teachers, in the first few weeks of implementation. Additionally, I personally </span></span></span></span><span style="color: blue;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: blue;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span style="color: black;">implemented the log as a parent (of a 3rd and 4th grader). </span></span></span></span> I have also done a tremendous amount of professional reading and collected several fantastic reading resolution lists over the last several months. Now, I would like to unveil the new version. But, before I do I must explain it. </span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjsF3OdRe6AlxhNcgEfDe8UzEoG4xnabriQYTEY_MJVLF3XGmFyc8FvtFeYGDeZ69TPXJtGJNzB_Zo4S4hx0n013XJMmqyFi_pxfhuL3YJXvU-q-EfBc3mticE7VvhMzsc1-cwH9YVJio/s1600/IMG_0462.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjsF3OdRe6AlxhNcgEfDe8UzEoG4xnabriQYTEY_MJVLF3XGmFyc8FvtFeYGDeZ69TPXJtGJNzB_Zo4S4hx0n013XJMmqyFi_pxfhuL3YJXvU-q-EfBc3mticE7VvhMzsc1-cwH9YVJio/s1600/IMG_0462.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="color: blue;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span style="color: black;">I am passionate about freely sharing ideas and resources with fellow educators, but faulty implementation and innovation can occur when proper professional development is not provided. </span></span></span></span><span style="color: blue;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span style="color: black;">So, I would like to explain the rationale for the changes I made to Semester 2's "homework."</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: blue;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span style="color: black;">New Title- </span> </span></span><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span style="color: black;"> <span style="color: blue;"> </span></span></span></span></span></h3>
<h3>
<span style="color: blue;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: blue;">Weekly Reading Inventory</span></span></span></span></span></h3>
<span style="color: blue;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span style="color: black;">I have changed the name of the form to reflect and summarize our ultimate goal. First, it is and remains a <b>weekly </b>newsletter<b> </b>attachment to serve as a consistent accountability and conversation tool for teachers, students, and parents. There's a quote that says, inspect what you expect. We expect our elementary students to read each and every week. We completely agree with <a href="http://www.brilliant-insane.com/2014/02/5-reasons-homework-destroys-learning.html" target="_blank">Mark Barnes</a> and other progressive educators challenging the homework tradition. Our mission is simply to use the form as a clear, concise, and consistent communication vehicle. There's power in having multiple accountability partners. This our only assigned "homework" school-wide. </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span style="color: black;">Research indicates that ALL children should read each and every night. Furthermore, reading homework is shown to be the best assignment to
increase the academic achievement of elementary students. We want to provide our students and parents with the plethora of suggestions to make it exciting and engaging for the entire family. </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span style="color: black;">This is an <b>inventory</b>, but it does not count number of minutes read, number of books read, or ask students to list the author or titles like a traditional reading "log." Additionally, our teachers were specifically trained to not to offer rewards for completion or collecting the most tallies. The removal of these mundane rituals was based on a phenomenal piece written by Donalyn Miller entitled - <a href="http://bookwhisperer.com/2014/08/12/the-40-book-challenge-revisited/" target="_blank">The 40 Book Challenge Revisited</a>; and, the insightful piece directed to parents entitled - <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/07/how-to-kick-start-summer-reading/373737/" target="_blank">How to Trick Your Kids Into Reading All Summer Long</a>. We want to use the 'inventory" to build the foundation and routines of life-long readers.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: blue;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span style="color: black;">Altered Directions - </span></span></span></span><span style="color: blue;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span style="color: black;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Directions:</span></span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Over the next week you will be expected to read anything you
want for as long as you can and take an inventory. You determine the day and
times you will read, and record tally marks every time you complete your
reading. Strive to record a tally in as many boxes as you can during the week. Have
a parent or guardian sign at the bottom of the page to confirm that you have taken
an accurate inventory of your reading experiences. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s your choice! Don’t forget to return your inventory
results to your teacher every Monday!</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">
</span> </span></span></span><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span style="color: black;"> </span>"Over the next week..." <span style="color: black;">This is a manageable length of time for progress monitoring and frequent communication with parents. Each classroom teacher prints a weekly classroom newsletter on the opposite side of the paper.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"> <span style="color: black;"><span style="color: cyan;"><span style="color: blue;">"...anything you want..."</span> <span style="color: black;">Respected literacy author </span></span>Kylene Beers justifies this phrase beautifully in this <a href="https://twitter.com/KyleneBeers/status/489571897080700928" target="_blank">tweet</a>: </span></span></span></span>"What's the best program for struggling readers? It's called C-H-O-I-C-E."<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">"...for as long as you can..."</span> The lack of numerical specificity goes back to the article mentioned above by <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/07/how-to-kick-start-summer-reading/373737/" target="_blank">Daniel Willingham</a>. He gives an insightful example, "If reading were fun (as parents claim), they wouldn’t need to set
minimum goals. Parents feel no need to say 'I want to see you on that
swing set for twenty minutes every day, mister. And swing like you mean
it.'"<br />
<br />
Additionally, we know that 15-20 minutes per day is the <a href="http://www2.readaloud.org/importance" target="_blank">research-based</a> recommendation. However, this does not have to be completed all at once. It can be spread throughout the day, which is important as kids attention spans vary. Twenty minutes can seem very daunting and unrealistic to over-scheduled working families and restless children. When students use a combination of several ideas, listed within the inventory, they can easily read substantially more than 20 minutes.<br />
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<span style="color: blue;">"...tally marks..." <span style="color: black;">Tally marks are u</span></span>sed to infuse mathematical data collection in a method accessible to kindergarteners through 5th graders. Again, the quantity of tallies is not used for grading, rewards, classroom prizes, or school-wide competitions.<br />
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<span style="color: blue;">"...every Monday..." <span style="color: black;">We want our students to read through the week and weekend!</span></span><br />
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<h3>
New Headers - </h3>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: blue;"><b>Extending</b></span> Reading (previously called Shared Reading)</li>
<li><span style="color: blue;"><b>Extensive</b></span> Reading (previously called Wide Reading)</li>
<li><span style="color: blue;"><b>Extreme</b></span> Reading (previously called Wild Reading) </li>
</ul>
<h3>
Additional weekly options -</h3>
I added more options to give plenty of choice for an entire semester. Teachers can encourage several ideas each week based on the previous week's data! I compiled ideas from several awesome sources:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/free-printable/reading-printables/time-reading-resolution?cid=PAR/smd/20150102/facebook/readingresolutionprintable//PAR/content/2pm&linkId=11448252" target="_blank">Time for a Reading Resolution</a><a href="http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/free-printable/reading-printables/time-reading-resolution?cid=PAR/smd/20150102/facebook/readingresolutionprintable//PAR/content/2pm&linkId=11448252" target="_blank"> </a></li>
<li><a href="http://mscranfillsclass.blogspot.com/2013/07/i-have-to-read-20-minutes.html" target="_blank">I Have to Read 20 Minutes?! </a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.scholastic.com/parents/blogs/scholastic-parents-raise-reader/abcs-reading-resolutions-new-year?cid=PAR/smd/20141229/facebook/rrblogreadingresolutions//PAR/content/9am&linkId=11318573" target="_blank">The ABCs of Reading Resolutions for the New Year</a></li>
<li><a href="http://growingbookbybook.com/2014/02/03/100-ways-grow-reader/" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: normal;">100 Ways to Grow a Reader </span></a></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.scholastic.com/parents/blogs/scholastic-parents-raise-reader/more-just-novels?cid=PAR/smd/20150129/facebook/rrblogmorejustnovels//PAR/content/9am&linkId=12028744" target="_blank">More Than Just Novels </a></span></li>
</ul>
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<h3>
<b> Data Analysis</b>-</h3>
<ul>
<li>Circling the box with the most tallies (see bottom right box)</li>
<li>Starring the data (to build goal-setting life-long readers) (see bottom right box)</li>
</ul>
Morning class meetings on Monday: What did you enjoy reading last week? What are you excited about reading next week? What haven't you tried, yet? Is there anything I help you find for next week?<br />
<br />
Teacher Observation: <br />
What are our students choosing each week? After reviewing weeks of the inventory data, which suggestions can a teacher praise during a <a href="http://www.edutopia.org/blog/power-positive-phone-call-home-elena-aguilar" target="_blank">weekly phone call home</a>? What do we need to promote and model in our classrooms and library?<br />
<ul>
</ul>
<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/AVvXsEhyMNtH_zTZR1qaR0LHO1BGGqQ8ussMiXWWV4xU3EO3498Tok280-VZaXKDOUrnYhE0fH-rB0VVEit-AQfn8FlQIO834JhPcwSxetL3mq7kekf3lgAyvTNH3nFaKx4Oz3shP6cmXJ5tPJA/s1600/1172015_122129_1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyMNtH_zTZR1qaR0LHO1BGGqQ8ussMiXWWV4xU3EO3498Tok280-VZaXKDOUrnYhE0fH-rB0VVEit-AQfn8FlQIO834JhPcwSxetL3mq7kekf3lgAyvTNH3nFaKx4Oz3shP6cmXJ5tPJA/s1600/1172015_122129_1.png" width="310" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Semester 2 </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B34n34C-tMNNSGk1WkN5UUpQTkE/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Download the PDF Version</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<h2>
UPDATES! </h2>
<h2>
New & Innovative Ideas to add to the list...</h2>
September 2015 - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.763102717133312.1073741834.279120845531504&type=3" target="_blank">"Read in the laundromat"</a><br />
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As always, I welcome your feedback, questions, and suggestions along this professional learning journey.</div>
Cues from Ekuwah Moseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789209448529375280noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1989775071731609458.post-23282515747364855592015-01-17T09:47:00.002-08:002015-02-01T21:58:21.684-08:003-2-1 and The Common Core Writing Book <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjvp00GGsYzAxw5idKrVvMCeQfwVTJJ6ww3j9QQkfLlvdWd7PkVKy4oiRPqR4gnusMuuPVpNRFX435Hpe_hkRhuEPFgHD4txbNjLeMc2XnSOG544rtnIu7qvYcwIKfBzeGHXv-n45uwtg/s1600/index.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjvp00GGsYzAxw5idKrVvMCeQfwVTJJ6ww3j9QQkfLlvdWd7PkVKy4oiRPqR4gnusMuuPVpNRFX435Hpe_hkRhuEPFgHD4txbNjLeMc2XnSOG544rtnIu7qvYcwIKfBzeGHXv-n45uwtg/s1600/index.jpg" height="200" width="156" /></a></div>
<div class="entry-title">
Our administrative and coaching team previously concluded that our intermediate students are not proficient with the writing standards and we must take rapid and systemic action. I ordered multiple resources to give the teachers standards-based support. The first book our Title I funding purchased was <a href="http://heinemann.com/blog/index.php/gretchenowockionthecommoncore/?utm_campaign=Owocki&utm_content=11192453&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook" target="_blank">The </a><a href="http://heinemann.com/blog/index.php/gretchenowockionthecommoncore/?utm_campaign=Owocki&utm_content=11192453&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook" target="_blank">Common Core Writing Book</a>. (Be sure to read more about <span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://heinemann.com/blog/index.php/gretchenowockionthecommoncore/?utm_campaign=Owocki&utm_content=11192453&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook" target="_blank">Gretchen Owocki on the Common Core</a> and grab free sample chapters via the Heinemann <a href="http://heinemann.com/blog/index.php/gretchenowockionthecommoncore/?utm_campaign=Owocki&utm_content=11192453&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook" target="_blank">website</a>.)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8jqGwgduIWWJlZh1dwH2snhs-v4Na1Dd4v9Pk1cmRTdfa8TB6lVR0Wq9UeIP7vVQcl-SJP9p0oDKyaSz5WRg8seG0Y7Z7ohallg50orZDewNd5oDuVERlSNXqvV2A1ynffSFsdfkeLAA/s1600/563745_10152059765083708_644041900_n.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/AVvXsEi8jqGwgduIWWJlZh1dwH2snhs-v4Na1Dd4v9Pk1cmRTdfa8TB6lVR0Wq9UeIP7vVQcl-SJP9p0oDKyaSz5WRg8seG0Y7Z7ohallg50orZDewNd5oDuVERlSNXqvV2A1ynffSFsdfkeLAA/s1600/563745_10152059765083708_644041900_n.png" height="320" width="211" /></a>As with any new resource, we do not want to just throw it at the teachers and say "use it." So, we planned an engaging introductory session (with several more sessions to follow). It did not include PowerPoints or anything similar! We gave teachers the opportunity to read, share connections, and discuss.<br />
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<br />
After distributing the books, we had teachers silently read the overview section (p.xv-xx) and complete the 3-2-1 activity (described below). This may seem like a horrible use of time, but we acknowledge the reality of our classroom teacher's daunting schedule. Flipped professional development (where teachers read beforehand) has flopped multiple times due to several teachers that were not prepared to participate in the "book club" experience. We find it more productive when we give teachers uninterrupted time to read short pieces and immediately discuss the reading with peers. The overview section, of <a href="http://heinemann.com/blog/index.php/gretchenowockionthecommoncore/?utm_campaign=Owocki&utm_content=11192453&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook" target="_blank">The Common Core Writing Book</a>, establishes the mindset for writing instruction, and we thought it is essential for the teachers to question the author's view of intensifying instruction. We used this brief section to establish a collective agreement of the elements of quality writing instruction. <br />
<br />
Instead of a lengthy PowerPoint, where I do all of the talking and summarizing, I purposefully tuck-n-weave an accountability or an engagement strategy that teachers can take back to the classroom. The strategy we, SRLC Coach Stacy Moore and I, co-planned for this session is called 3-2-1. <br />
<br />
<i>Directions:</i> Silently read the overview pages. As you read, use the folded legal sized paper to list <b>3</b> significant words that stick out to you, <b>2</b> important phrases, and <b>1</b> complete quote that summarizes the text. Be prepared to discuss your notes with the colleagues at your table and have your organizer posted in the staff lounge.<br />
<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/AVvXsEggy8D5XSVPOIBwoLel84m7sM5Vgfm46GWp4ka5IdsQb966IMe3OXDIl34GersHkfasyvyNsnx3Lw03V5BXgHT1WEJ6BO_Ym6sn7DOxc4ik34SFi2DOtd4md8ydauh8qgNosmkJLPeChf8/s1600/010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggy8D5XSVPOIBwoLel84m7sM5Vgfm46GWp4ka5IdsQb966IMe3OXDIl34GersHkfasyvyNsnx3Lw03V5BXgHT1WEJ6BO_Ym6sn7DOxc4ik34SFi2DOtd4md8ydauh8qgNosmkJLPeChf8/s1600/010.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Example chart created by Stacy Moore</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Teachers silently read and completed the organizer for nearly 20 minutes of the morning professional development. Then, teachers were guided to use the organizer to discuss the overview at the table. Stacy closed the session by having one teacher, from each table, share the key quotes, phrases, and words the teachers mentioned repeatedly; and, she also emphasized those we had similarly annotated as presenters. The completed organizers were collected and displayed in the staff lounge for long-term review, continued discussion starters, and to keep our community focused on the priority of improving the student's writing.<br />
<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/AVvXsEjLqTQzw4SsmlAT6L7300plEwUidYJ3s05wZjJtrQhcVg1ROmEIbGDZkMa463pVAgxh3SkeXvHBcFh5lZMOCl0TYDL1bttK3n7XVvAXceQPFbMVAwBDcDSp-Wk5sQuc2QSP4ih6fRcMjkk/s1600/030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLqTQzw4SsmlAT6L7300plEwUidYJ3s05wZjJtrQhcVg1ROmEIbGDZkMa463pVAgxh3SkeXvHBcFh5lZMOCl0TYDL1bttK3n7XVvAXceQPFbMVAwBDcDSp-Wk5sQuc2QSP4ih6fRcMjkk/s1600/030.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Organizers displayed in the staff lounge</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Let's take a closer look at what the teachers wrote on the 3-2-1. What do you notice?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS2nvnRtiqU8VSp8NQQqFTx15Ud4DZnyVR3bKFccwtVV-Oel77n8JTBHJVA3Nhq08Yq0gcbYssAzWNqDoKMmWw7hP8PrWb4EAn5HFhQBjuS533Y6o-5Qv3dCKDgRhPORV07iyIborc1uU/s1600/016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS2nvnRtiqU8VSp8NQQqFTx15Ud4DZnyVR3bKFccwtVV-Oel77n8JTBHJVA3Nhq08Yq0gcbYssAzWNqDoKMmWw7hP8PrWb4EAn5HFhQBjuS533Y6o-5Qv3dCKDgRhPORV07iyIborc1uU/s1600/016.JPG" height="200" width="149" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJnJzh7SyQjgghPP1EkA6FAMNB0UDY870YXmhhbHr5F912xm17BwA1v_aXF-mPQsQg6iSUJbiBC3Omuy7UcgDtUkkswopJiQhFJFFds9mN-V6HIzyAVcxi5jOGteUpE7uaNJl1R6K8g7U/s1600/027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJnJzh7SyQjgghPP1EkA6FAMNB0UDY870YXmhhbHr5F912xm17BwA1v_aXF-mPQsQg6iSUJbiBC3Omuy7UcgDtUkkswopJiQhFJFFds9mN-V6HIzyAVcxi5jOGteUpE7uaNJl1R6K8g7U/s1600/027.JPG" height="200" width="149" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLhb7B_NoVt5Iq7UZ2pLSJX_IV_IGt_PxqEOPOZK4XvUI1yolpzt2qrjUzmnC3aNgV03hw95X0LSPIbaifJ2tI8sppVy2IvH90z2dd96d63ZMyPcw1KgtWBCnd2MpW7znYlS9GpUkckXc/s1600/017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLhb7B_NoVt5Iq7UZ2pLSJX_IV_IGt_PxqEOPOZK4XvUI1yolpzt2qrjUzmnC3aNgV03hw95X0LSPIbaifJ2tI8sppVy2IvH90z2dd96d63ZMyPcw1KgtWBCnd2MpW7znYlS9GpUkckXc/s1600/017.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQzhwZk86WBoigYkavQxBxAFzKpj1u3pLgajqbt1XKoPeK5BD37Jz57CU-vuXRGLWzrLgscne9L5ui_vrbLvaX8iAz3xWhxO8wT6xYyEb1WPGq3wie5cDRpsN7XZuc4W-VnAI1o8xJlrA/s1600/022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQzhwZk86WBoigYkavQxBxAFzKpj1u3pLgajqbt1XKoPeK5BD37Jz57CU-vuXRGLWzrLgscne9L5ui_vrbLvaX8iAz3xWhxO8wT6xYyEb1WPGq3wie5cDRpsN7XZuc4W-VnAI1o8xJlrA/s1600/022.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
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We noticed that several teachers chose the same powerful quotes and a wide variety of meaningful phrases and individual words. The teachers highlighted and shared the main points for us! They read, wrote, and shared our collective agreement!<br />
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The 3-2-1 is an excellent tool for professional development and has several uses for the classroom:<br />
<ol>
<li> Summarizing text</li>
<li>Individual accountability for reading</li>
<li>Discourse facilitation</li>
<li>Low-stakes writing</li>
<li>Strategy for comprehending complex and lengthy text</li>
<li>Structure to enable "teacher as facilitator"</li>
</ol>
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I welcome your feedback, questions, and suggestions along my professional journey!
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This afternoon we came back to the kitchen to make the treats. Yikes! I found one opened package of marshmallows and tossed through the pantry to find more. I could not find any in the pantry and I feared that she had nibbled too many this morning. Do we have enough to make the recipe that calls for 4 cups of mini marshmallows? I asked my daughter to do some estimation. She estimated that we did. How can we find out if we are correct? She told me to grab the measuring cup to prove it. Perfect estimate! We had just enough. Yum! Yum! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiACvD0_tfWOoCqFX-n_tmAKRKDfNt9Lp_8e7yw5c78w1URHB3VwfDu8aYw1H6_Ek5L6H1tx6rCYpZv31AT0XQBNALua_LQod8KSGz_jVb0BP4ZE6psGOT5fumWcGyGq3lK8IObw1CyKYU/s1600/PhotoGrid_1419109126740.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiACvD0_tfWOoCqFX-n_tmAKRKDfNt9Lp_8e7yw5c78w1URHB3VwfDu8aYw1H6_Ek5L6H1tx6rCYpZv31AT0XQBNALua_LQod8KSGz_jVb0BP4ZE6psGOT5fumWcGyGq3lK8IObw1CyKYU/s1600/PhotoGrid_1419109126740.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
Asking her to use estimation, then actually filling up the measuring cup (before we continued with the recipe), reminded me of the water tank problem in the powerful TED Talk by Dan Meyer. He does an amazing job of explaining how <i>Math Class Needs a Makeover</i> and how we use math to make sense of our world. Listen for the water tank example...<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/qocAoN4jNwc?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
As Mr. Meyer suggested in the video, I used authentic materials and visuals (which are a step better for her than photos and videos). I involved my daughter in the formulation of an authentic problem to solve that had real-life benefits. We did not check the answer key or back of the book for the answer to our estimation question. We used our measuring cup to figure out the answer.<br />
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I think we, as teachers, need to start seeing how math makes sense in our personal world so that we can bring more authentic experiences to the classroom. I will continue looking and noticing these connections! Stay tuned...<br />
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As I just looked at her 3rd grade Common Core State Standards, I realized I could have made our spontaneous math experience more standards-based. (Since I coach K-5th grade, I do not always have immediate recall of each grade level's standards.) I asked her to estimate if we had enough cups instead of the suggested measures (below). I guess that means we will have to convert measurements and try the recipe again another day! No problem!<br />
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<a class="identifier" href="http://www.corestandards.org/Math/Content/3/MD/A/2/" name="CCSS.Math.Content.3.MD.A.2">CCSS.Math.Content.3.MD.A.2</a><br />
<b>Measure and estimate liquid volumes and masses of objects using standard units of grams (g), kilograms (kg), and liters (l). </b>Cues from Ekuwah Moseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789209448529375280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1989775071731609458.post-42841560590195601202014-12-20T09:50:00.001-08:002014-12-20T14:33:27.534-08:00French Toast MathThe winter break is finally here! I love the time at home with my third and fourth grader. I want to make sure they enjoy our vacation, but do not lose academic skills (only gain new background knowledge). I try to make our time together naturally count for multiple purposes and also challenge myself to grow in my questioning skills.<br />
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This morning I made French toast with my third grade daughter. I haven't made the recipe for a while and I could not remember if I usually double it or make a single batch while my husband is at work. We made a single batch and immediately the math experience started, but I was worried if I had prepared enough French toast for the three of us to share. I turned my dilemma into an authentic reason to use mathematics.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWuIE_pgqo0hAgt691S_aMkRQ4UKGDvcoma83C_ZGH7it9ToC2xzNts-AvXHzBeIl2KMoqAbB2t9HfefZkUS_54IFrdBxzXl354YZ6RJN9dzv1w8B7hww1QEKLY83D1kEBuGDzLLigHjE/s1600/PhotoGrid_1419095127463.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWuIE_pgqo0hAgt691S_aMkRQ4UKGDvcoma83C_ZGH7it9ToC2xzNts-AvXHzBeIl2KMoqAbB2t9HfefZkUS_54IFrdBxzXl354YZ6RJN9dzv1w8B7hww1QEKLY83D1kEBuGDzLLigHjE/s1600/PhotoGrid_1419095127463.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
1. I asked my 3rd grade daughter...<br />
<b> We have slices of French toast on the griddle. All of three of us need to eat breakfast. How many slices will each person get?</b><br />
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Using mental math, my third grade daughter answered, "Mommy, we each get 3 pieces with one piece left over." (Hooray, I thought silently to myself!)<br />
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I replied with a stumped look, "Prove it to me."<br />
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2. She moved the slices into a group for her brother, a group for herself, a group for mom, and a group for the remainder. (Yes! She knows to model and represent her thinking!)<br />
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3. I asked them, "What shall we do with the remaining piece of French toast?"<br />
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My 4th grader immediately responded, "Divide the whole into thirds." (Another joyous moment for me!)<br />
I replied, "Show me what you mean by that."<br />
My son used the spatula to divide the slice into 3 equal pieces.<br />
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Needless to say, the math lesson was over and we enjoyed a yummy and fair breakfast. Happy holidays everyone!<br />
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Have you encountered "math at home"? Please share!<br />
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<h3>
<b>Related 3rd and 4th Grade Common Core State Standards:</b></h3>
<a class="identifier" href="http://www.corestandards.org/Math/Content/3/OA/A/3/" name="CCSS.Math.Content.3.OA.A.3">CCSS.Math.Content.3.OA.A.3</a><br />
Use multiplication and division within 100 to solve word problems in
situations involving equal groups, arrays, and measurement quantities... <br />
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<a class="identifier" href="http://www.corestandards.org/Math/Content/3/OA/C/7/" name="CCSS.Math.Content.3.OA.C.7">CCSS.Math.Content.3.OA.C.7</a><br />
Fluently multiply and divide within 100... <br />
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<a class="identifier" href="http://www.corestandards.org/Math/Content/4/NF/B/3/b/" name="CCSS.Math.Content.4.NF.B.3.b">CCSS.Math.Content.4.NF.B.3.b</a><br />
Decompose a fraction into a sum of fractions with the same denominator... Cues from Ekuwah Moseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789209448529375280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1989775071731609458.post-90702252117645267992014-12-15T18:19:00.000-08:002014-12-15T18:52:52.659-08:00How Close to 100? - 3rd GradeI blogged about using<a href="http://ekuwah.blogspot.com/2014/12/how-close-to-100.html" target="_blank"> "How Close to 100?"</a> with 4th graders last week. Today, I introduced the multipurpose <a href="http://youcubed.org/teachers/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/AppendixA.pdf" target="_blank">game</a> to two 3rd grade classes. The repeated practice yielded valuable information... <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpc8DcAFXpCw-AvrussaV82X14hHNGhLiFwHBK7aMuGtlEAzb-gQkR7kmROddDwdbVayvJ1cvVqqB_WUgJakAWnNOxTN9LlSf9KyK7RCzixMOmfOSh0JIOf4C7c7UnbLX66gpwDC4aOpQ/s1600/IMG_0486.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpc8DcAFXpCw-AvrussaV82X14hHNGhLiFwHBK7aMuGtlEAzb-gQkR7kmROddDwdbVayvJ1cvVqqB_WUgJakAWnNOxTN9LlSf9KyK7RCzixMOmfOSh0JIOf4C7c7UnbLX66gpwDC4aOpQ/s1600/IMG_0486.JPG" height="200" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMQe9Czfefh-DFoYXoCuwxxBEwjVC3n3xUgKpH-im58qCyu7YRhq0Z-aIo4w2tdc0HTN_j9bffzJbyyJnMngpxeLaRoc5V6EWHqkf77p1Y1wCif1i3S_m4dUrcjhV7s2ZOqahOfv79nkk/s1600/IMG_0483.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMQe9Czfefh-DFoYXoCuwxxBEwjVC3n3xUgKpH-im58qCyu7YRhq0Z-aIo4w2tdc0HTN_j9bffzJbyyJnMngpxeLaRoc5V6EWHqkf77p1Y1wCif1i3S_m4dUrcjhV7s2ZOqahOfv79nkk/s1600/IMG_0483.JPG" height="192" width="320" /></a></div>
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I noticed several times, in both classes, that the two-digit addition with multiple addends was not accurate when calculating the player's total score. The addition was not an obvious concern in the 4th grade classroom. The activity is such a wonderful formative assessment opportunity as several students made errors in computation. The partner format lead to dynamic and productive discourse. The teacher has data to inform her instructional next steps.<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/AVvXsEjaleeYG3-kBy8QteIwLXeoKgrMwGL2Uc_3ccMTywKlJ7zoq_mlX9pMAaDhHU0QblqC4WTQjpqg8naxZrwSD6SCE5vg1TAUKgoP9dr7PXByellCJpLnNzu4-7J3WMH1UaXe9g86X2byNZM/s1600/IMG_0487.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaleeYG3-kBy8QteIwLXeoKgrMwGL2Uc_3ccMTywKlJ7zoq_mlX9pMAaDhHU0QblqC4WTQjpqg8naxZrwSD6SCE5vg1TAUKgoP9dr7PXByellCJpLnNzu4-7J3WMH1UaXe9g86X2byNZM/s1600/IMG_0487.JPG" height="320" width="252" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oops! The red player needs to take another look...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I used the same closure technique that I used in the previous <a href="http://ekuwah.blogspot.com/2014/12/how-close-to-100.html" target="_blank">lessons</a>. I simply asked the students what math skills were needed to play this game. I was thrilled by the academic vocabulary generated by the two minute quick write. Students orally justified skills like sportsmanship, area...<br />
<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/AVvXsEihBso0ItsmrqnxtamKygL0h-dO5acfG2xrxbviansAzRdYXGl8eY5dnxRqwiqIT80RheaPe_mVORrgLmvtS7wvctzzN4GmsBEsMBP0To0dS9JP5WPRJ793Fn4tgg_I3A-pmfIqHp8eTvs/s1600/IMG_0478.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihBso0ItsmrqnxtamKygL0h-dO5acfG2xrxbviansAzRdYXGl8eY5dnxRqwiqIT80RheaPe_mVORrgLmvtS7wvctzzN4GmsBEsMBP0To0dS9JP5WPRJ793Fn4tgg_I3A-pmfIqHp8eTvs/s1600/IMG_0478.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">addition, base-ten blocks</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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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/AVvXsEhwhzupFXvUBNDGcxp428usPyTDjsYd7cv29RW6ca1rPQWs_qisyIjyzagCpZlNeHcb9Nd98SQpXUgX6SeywH6ErNBdvRnjcCxuY2lfOF9mrbsX81xVM9Bgsm0pRnYcwr4HPEULcdljaxQ/s1600/IMG_0491.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwhzupFXvUBNDGcxp428usPyTDjsYd7cv29RW6ca1rPQWs_qisyIjyzagCpZlNeHcb9Nd98SQpXUgX6SeywH6ErNBdvRnjcCxuY2lfOF9mrbsX81xVM9Bgsm0pRnYcwr4HPEULcdljaxQ/s1600/IMG_0491.JPG" height="281" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">skip counting, addition, multiplication, and arrays</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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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/AVvXsEg9_vwpoMGPSLD6nJxo9u5JBBcW2GjZIdBmmYVwZ0_QYX9jDWe5zeSxYKu3OkWUeSHcoll-KZtoDltMSpStQ-O8Mhfvo3TGX6jt8b99aexoDfvp-BOZwFPHoSRVvF2uPamgPI_RZYHScnA/s1600/IMG_0492.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9_vwpoMGPSLD6nJxo9u5JBBcW2GjZIdBmmYVwZ0_QYX9jDWe5zeSxYKu3OkWUeSHcoll-KZtoDltMSpStQ-O8Mhfvo3TGX6jt8b99aexoDfvp-BOZwFPHoSRVvF2uPamgPI_RZYHScnA/s1600/IMG_0492.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">addition, multiplication, arrays</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<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/AVvXsEiiADFLN9W6sNfSNU8HORqEquMsBuB0IfhJjR7PyIHT-oWI14KE5QutyKWLkB6SqYzzc0IYlo_ZOKrtjGE6RuGVXZjhkO4vLEOltpZVqJQ9o-fgyleOyPWj-HQY5Fz9ULv4qr4nQ301JGM/s1600/IMG_0482.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiADFLN9W6sNfSNU8HORqEquMsBuB0IfhJjR7PyIHT-oWI14KE5QutyKWLkB6SqYzzc0IYlo_ZOKrtjGE6RuGVXZjhkO4vLEOltpZVqJQ9o-fgyleOyPWj-HQY5Fz9ULv4qr4nQ301JGM/s1600/IMG_0482.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">multiplication and brainstorming... :))</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<h3>
Free Download - <a href="http://youcubed.org/teachers/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/AppendixA.pdf" target="_blank">How Close to 100?</a></h3>
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</h3>
<h3>
Read more about this and other games to boost computational fluency from Jo Boaler: <a href="http://youcubed.org/teachers/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/FluencyWithoutFear.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Fluency Without Fear: Research Evidence on the Best Ways to Learn Math Facts </span></a></h3>
<h3>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></h3>
<h3>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></h3>
<h3>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></h3>
Cues from Ekuwah Moseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789209448529375280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1989775071731609458.post-86134632852101922212014-12-14T14:54:00.000-08:002014-12-14T14:54:03.755-08:00Icebreaker: Compare and Contrast Staff Members<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRS0K2RNBdSfUfqC3gLBFNnoVgvi49sE9-_FMFXLoLK3x3PW_O3oYxKDkj_sL8jqASgTtYaxwQ9-qfbpFtnlDsz_-eKy_EuDOUsNN3mQXrhP8AW9RS1M97a7I9Q-mSKGoaoHqQX1__-HE/s1600/Aug+21+Compare+and+Contrast+Teachers+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRS0K2RNBdSfUfqC3gLBFNnoVgvi49sE9-_FMFXLoLK3x3PW_O3oYxKDkj_sL8jqASgTtYaxwQ9-qfbpFtnlDsz_-eKy_EuDOUsNN3mQXrhP8AW9RS1M97a7I9Q-mSKGoaoHqQX1__-HE/s1600/Aug+21+Compare+and+Contrast+Teachers+001.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">August 21, 2013 (Before our students arrived!) </span></span><br />
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<b><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">Icebreaker Activity: </span></span></b><br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">Compare and Contrast Staff Members<br /> <br />
Teachers were given multiple student-friendly interest inventories to complete as they entered
for breakfast. That inventory was used to compare and contrast similarities and differences. Our teachers collaboratively created Double-Bubble Maps with someone unfamiliar to them or new to campus. Why?</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzlvPx95gZiHzGc1vCaZauVir16RhIYoUgdEdi9sw_CziZZLAVrbt3-GH90gIGVyS0_IY2phSh-Sb5MpFQyiAFo_h5wcae47VKwxoGwV_y2qUpuBdVUO_ZiKBLQOQb3GHPVy5gLUjTgxg/s1600/Aug+21+Compare+and+Contrast+Teachers+015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzlvPx95gZiHzGc1vCaZauVir16RhIYoUgdEdi9sw_CziZZLAVrbt3-GH90gIGVyS0_IY2phSh-Sb5MpFQyiAFo_h5wcae47VKwxoGwV_y2qUpuBdVUO_ZiKBLQOQb3GHPVy5gLUjTgxg/s1600/Aug+21+Compare+and+Contrast+Teachers+015.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<b><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"> </span></span><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">Purpose of activity: Address Standards</span></span></b><br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"> “When teachers ask students to consider two or more perspectives on a
topic or issue, something beyond surface knowledge is required: students
must think critically and deeply...” </span></span><br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">Common Core State Standards, Appendix A, p. 24</span></span><br />
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<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">The
compare and contrast text structure offers a framework for using a
number of skills at a variety of levels during the learning. Four
comprehending levels are used while working with a compare and contrast
text structure.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw1ld3FByNhTUOwu6Q1PFmSbkF5yeih6mPhwi1HWAt9jqynf64huewm5kP6fKQj_mE0hFQcwvvwFEQDopkLS9optCRlNglvnQtTJjoPxJatJLRirOB6kwSbuzn4-J-MBZQe6n09NG0Y4A/s1600/Aug+21+Compare+and+Contrast+Teachers+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw1ld3FByNhTUOwu6Q1PFmSbkF5yeih6mPhwi1HWAt9jqynf64huewm5kP6fKQj_mE0hFQcwvvwFEQDopkLS9optCRlNglvnQtTJjoPxJatJLRirOB6kwSbuzn4-J-MBZQe6n09NG0Y4A/s1600/Aug+21+Compare+and+Contrast+Teachers+011.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><br /><b>Purpose of activity: </b> <b>Review the power of student-generated graphic organizers</b><br /> <br />
When students make the graphic organizers (and not use
premade/photocopied organizers) they are actively creating a model of
their thinking. Additionally, premade organizers limit thinking by only
providing a limited number of bubbles! Check out how many similarities/differences an open-ended organizer encourages -
unlimited! <br /> </span></span> </span></span> </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwcp8Z3t6VhSlOtUv8Syzhr1yke4bTdwWH0JPYq25mErGOONv4OZZXJU_EiTfhPZ57PkvrP2rAkHhyRIIQsPFvA1VW20g4fGFbbyK2VSIyYT2ZsIBr6gWcsBk578VxSg8qcm103-LFmMY/s1600/Aug+21+PD+at+Parson+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwcp8Z3t6VhSlOtUv8Syzhr1yke4bTdwWH0JPYq25mErGOONv4OZZXJU_EiTfhPZ57PkvrP2rAkHhyRIIQsPFvA1VW20g4fGFbbyK2VSIyYT2ZsIBr6gWcsBk578VxSg8qcm103-LFmMY/s1600/Aug+21+PD+at+Parson+006.JPG" height="169" width="320" /></a></div>
<b> </b><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><b>Purpose of Activity: Team-building</b><br /> <br /> What an amazing opportunity to get to know each other! Additionally, displaying the maps in the entry way was a unique way to introduce staff members to the students and community.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1aqrGiKAmPs2cwxnfoQ_gmp0X3MFT1rAMb0QWX5hy5VGBZA2Ydf_cFNT9vOnDnQUSVMQpY8z1AVr8DyiqmE01tFUkWhZnqmBjbnC4TYzYtpKfmUlasyRjwFkOpBvRpeQeinbaaCSskhQ/s1600/Aug+21+PD+at+Parson+007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1aqrGiKAmPs2cwxnfoQ_gmp0X3MFT1rAMb0QWX5hy5VGBZA2Ydf_cFNT9vOnDnQUSVMQpY8z1AVr8DyiqmE01tFUkWhZnqmBjbnC4TYzYtpKfmUlasyRjwFkOpBvRpeQeinbaaCSskhQ/s1600/Aug+21+PD+at+Parson+007.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZbtLWU-p5DXCzWYtjyRs8cKFS6QzxSEumHCewr8RNtTUQu5HwejnM24AmEqbyh8ZUzWJu5woboXj9bo0fy0Iu7yquosVjYoFoJ7sRSIv0tneFWe8LaLs7jycuM9MUdCIoHILstFuCfb4/s1600/Aug+21+PD+at+Parson+009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZbtLWU-p5DXCzWYtjyRs8cKFS6QzxSEumHCewr8RNtTUQu5HwejnM24AmEqbyh8ZUzWJu5woboXj9bo0fy0Iu7yquosVjYoFoJ7sRSIv0tneFWe8LaLs7jycuM9MUdCIoHILstFuCfb4/s1600/Aug+21+PD+at+Parson+009.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a><br />
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<b>Purpose of Activity: Imitate and innovate with our students</b><br />
I encouraged teachers to use this activity at the beginning of the year before tackling this concept with complex text. Starting the year with personal student information builds confidence and establishes the essential student-teacher relationship. Here are two sample displays that popped up immediately following the professional development...<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/AVvXsEh16g4Wrwde_7OtoyEqxT0tAWF84jyuCdKpLYXA1976on8dADVIoNJRFEZ3TnjS-H9oaJCj2KUDeToeJd5hkwLMP59Wko9EoKCKnzr23NPOUwsEdqi-W6anSBgMwnN4WrsTGPUoh1qQZHU/s1600/Sept+18+041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh16g4Wrwde_7OtoyEqxT0tAWF84jyuCdKpLYXA1976on8dADVIoNJRFEZ3TnjS-H9oaJCj2KUDeToeJd5hkwLMP59Wko9EoKCKnzr23NPOUwsEdqi-W6anSBgMwnN4WrsTGPUoh1qQZHU/s1600/Sept+18+041.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First grade took it back to the classroom! This display appeared the first week of school! Hooray!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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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/AVvXsEg3z8NMK9KVcnOfM9UxaBfqYm4QwOZUZ-187h9BJLv2d8LnADL0NgVThBK_MRY5gHLb0OX0Y3lH526H7B3ak_0BntijJ3rE0DNKGGxEFfPUT7WWSle5QJLgF5afGL9MD2dXuIPNQmmwf1c/s1600/Sept+18+063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3z8NMK9KVcnOfM9UxaBfqYm4QwOZUZ-187h9BJLv2d8LnADL0NgVThBK_MRY5gHLb0OX0Y3lH526H7B3ak_0BntijJ3rE0DNKGGxEFfPUT7WWSle5QJLgF5afGL9MD2dXuIPNQmmwf1c/s1600/Sept+18+063.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First graders used an inventory, created maps, and wrote about each other! We're off to a wonderful start!</td></tr>
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<br />Cues from Ekuwah Moseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789209448529375280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1989775071731609458.post-87123859068072264292014-12-14T12:39:00.000-08:002014-12-14T12:39:09.127-08:00Long-Term Review & Reflection via Mind Mapping <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEmjL8q9EY9srED3kRZtfOo1SZ28h5NzhTYCYmTW5bg0G7BfXpJSF4MBXxxcLxNRBSjSXyfv_iRWICsJfzkOHQEt4Ij0hLvFK65z19P6OLAkCQlegeevqjtN8N8qEfGWeiKSTnZiuxo6A/s1600/Oct+2+048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEmjL8q9EY9srED3kRZtfOo1SZ28h5NzhTYCYmTW5bg0G7BfXpJSF4MBXxxcLxNRBSjSXyfv_iRWICsJfzkOHQEt4Ij0hLvFK65z19P6OLAkCQlegeevqjtN8N8qEfGWeiKSTnZiuxo6A/s1600/Oct+2+048.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"> Have our teachers grown professionally as of December? Are we truly "Building a Culture of Achievement"? Have I saturated them with so much professional development (PD) that the message has been lost? Have we built in enough time for professional discourse and reflection? As an Instructional Coach, I am constantly reflecting on these first months of school. We are approaching the end of another calendar year and I want to pause for a moment. In October of 2013, I used a very powerful school-wide reflection activity and I am thinking of using it again this year. It involved a strategy we have used multiple times during PD - <a href="http://ekuwah.blogspot.com/2014/12/mind-mapping-during-professional.html" target="_blank">Mind Mapping</a>. (Mind Mapping is a multipurpose activity that incorporates writing, reflection, discourse, synthesis, and visual modeling techniques.)</span></span><br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"> </span></span><br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">Last year, our
Parson teachers had received bi-weekly professional development since
school started in August. That is a tremendous amount of bite-sized chunks and can be completely overwhelming! I decided to STOP professional development for a
couple weeks and allow time to process the information! It's not about me "covering"
information, it's about synthesizing into classroom practice and raising student achievement. I gave teachers one week to synthesize all of the training materials, book
study notes, e-mails, and the reality of classroom implementation. The teachers were given a poster board and asked to visually represent what "clicked"
during these weeks of PD. Each teacher would share a 3 minute presentation
for their peers during a morning PD. Initially the staff moaned and groaned about additional "work," but on presentation day the reflection process produced tears, shouts of joy, dropped jaws, thunderous applause, and deep questions! </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhruFqjmFyNgJwWHsAsb5FczWBL5IbUGtUjV6_GZ2xPlGqAVfWnzkHxT2KNwtApyUx6jCYaiXB-9Kjxg9_ShEFxfv__WHUUgGz-rQciuKUiNQ23LX7r6Jha-QtoVdZ-3cFwEhXrgxUz6KQ/s1600/Oct+2+051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhruFqjmFyNgJwWHsAsb5FczWBL5IbUGtUjV6_GZ2xPlGqAVfWnzkHxT2KNwtApyUx6jCYaiXB-9Kjxg9_ShEFxfv__WHUUgGz-rQciuKUiNQ23LX7r6Jha-QtoVdZ-3cFwEhXrgxUz6KQ/s1600/Oct+2+051.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">Before
the presentations began, I reviewed our school-wide classroom priority - Accountable Talk. Discussions are
not meant to be a free-for-all! We need active listeners and articulate
speakers. I always want to model and use PD time to emphasize classroom strategies. </span></span><br /><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">Therefore, I established a discussion agreement and distributed
sentence frames on strips of paper. (The slips of paper were a new method of facilitating Accountable Talk.)</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin6dIjmJQ5GOI7gZ9wvupII8Qr-3ezEUf120XrggCOyOBni6WT62P_O4tHqGdHs2RjdcCBvLnaS6RpoG_Co4cU315GHPHw-Fvh-2EALSre7VtbqyyQTdGw511lfElfc22Bi0P0H7tKC24/s1600/Oct+2+018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin6dIjmJQ5GOI7gZ9wvupII8Qr-3ezEUf120XrggCOyOBni6WT62P_O4tHqGdHs2RjdcCBvLnaS6RpoG_Co4cU315GHPHw-Fvh-2EALSre7VtbqyyQTdGw511lfElfc22Bi0P0H7tKC24/s1600/Oct+2+018.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMPg2vhkQM9Jj8nCfTRBKU0vA8C0-YcCoBB7c0mCWA3XaNgvoGbAY2D388CKcoX72YYcMOIdbqbjr3_raAZI4l1G1c_ZkvhPquo3A9qzVTlZ-zsvbmQWyGevBjVbHBBX14rr4ZgG-1w5A/s1600/Oct+2+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMPg2vhkQM9Jj8nCfTRBKU0vA8C0-YcCoBB7c0mCWA3XaNgvoGbAY2D388CKcoX72YYcMOIdbqbjr3_raAZI4l1G1c_ZkvhPquo3A9qzVTlZ-zsvbmQWyGevBjVbHBBX14rr4ZgG-1w5A/s1600/Oct+2+006.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">We
rotated the small Accountable Talk stem (slip of paper by Mr. Goddard's
arm) before the next teacher presented. The discussion was on topic and
everyone participated! (Again, this is a valuable mock practice of strategies that can be used to foster productive discourse in the classroom.)</span></span></td></tr>
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<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">The teachers presented in a group of 4 teachers. (A reminder that groups of 4 are magic!) The teacher presenting spoke
for 3 minutes uninterrupted. (Yes, we set a timer so we would not loose
track of time.) The other 3 teachers actively listened and could not interrupt. At the end of
the 3 minutes, the listening teachers used the provided Accountable Talk
stems to give feedback or a question. The feedback round was timed for 1
minute. This sounds rigid, but exaggerated timing is a major reason discourse flops in the classroom.</span></span> </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLV9huLL65VJj8Y_8A9Fft39RpRdwAGlEH6PXyBmdd5RsSYWp1Q4RGSM-s23l4feqg3l7SmOk6VQ7pDhbHOv3yj9_5XsbZujdNxEmg95vDDGKpgTcqMeejonrptpbnrGpKG4sVpSp_ugg/s1600/Oct+2+026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLV9huLL65VJj8Y_8A9Fft39RpRdwAGlEH6PXyBmdd5RsSYWp1Q4RGSM-s23l4feqg3l7SmOk6VQ7pDhbHOv3yj9_5XsbZujdNxEmg95vDDGKpgTcqMeejonrptpbnrGpKG4sVpSp_ugg/s1600/Oct+2+026.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">We repeated the cycle 3 more times to give all teachers a chance to share and receive immediate feedback. </span></span><br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">Mrs.
Prosen, the principal, was holding back tears as she walked around the
tables. Listening to the level of conversation took her breath away.
She repeatedly praised the staff for the level of thought that went into
the Mind Maps!</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0djDAL4SYZPwB6UIlASYnysjQJpdUg9GLOkwaPCORVw12JfNABiF5Ff2tms6o5yVUFgNXWBvz4iYoxr6Uhsqgqmk8wDnTaaSwj0u5VZ1k408s_3Vz345O_Yu6KJ1jflTsnq5MpdLgsbo/s1600/Oct+2+029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0djDAL4SYZPwB6UIlASYnysjQJpdUg9GLOkwaPCORVw12JfNABiF5Ff2tms6o5yVUFgNXWBvz4iYoxr6Uhsqgqmk8wDnTaaSwj0u5VZ1k408s_3Vz345O_Yu6KJ1jflTsnq5MpdLgsbo/s1600/Oct+2+029.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some teachers created an elaborate production and shared unique personal reflections.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVzJvPmmqcphsArbZfbl3_OLKuH2Rmz3W0yemVEEgJedFj31UX1_sGyzJu74ZOnV1784LgzfeN_haasXF1r51Zf8A1fS50iITLsszzm4D0vBTiNUEWUqWoo8ywz-TOMGcFQ-wJxAtD-0A/s1600/Oct+2+030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVzJvPmmqcphsArbZfbl3_OLKuH2Rmz3W0yemVEEgJedFj31UX1_sGyzJu74ZOnV1784LgzfeN_haasXF1r51Zf8A1fS50iITLsszzm4D0vBTiNUEWUqWoo8ywz-TOMGcFQ-wJxAtD-0A/s1600/Oct+2+030.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First Grade Teacher...</td></tr>
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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/AVvXsEhKxaEuYXhDM80zAVBstKaUJueg_0P3KtuKYIEa4-30FaIcNcDa0T8FZc4j7IndsYPoXN9LmGFVptFg7FY4ZnnDZSeqPMq_WaJVzQf8BDl2Z03u4wmWNw1avT_rcWk3NzE1kioQto6d-TA/s1600/Oct+2+032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKxaEuYXhDM80zAVBstKaUJueg_0P3KtuKYIEa4-30FaIcNcDa0T8FZc4j7IndsYPoXN9LmGFVptFg7FY4ZnnDZSeqPMq_WaJVzQf8BDl2Z03u4wmWNw1avT_rcWk3NzE1kioQto6d-TA/s1600/Oct+2+032.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Music Teacher...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQKufT06_0z0pH-u6zi_kRfXlEHistv6keC7WqvFNNg8UQlWcnTgY3fqn08ShhWn9a2XUh2zBdhm3Sw8VfsQv1_KRaxDdLB0TpGDcRpWD3hS3Q9ottmyBug_tgOkX8alG7nI-VhdXzM9Q/s1600/Oct+2+033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQKufT06_0z0pH-u6zi_kRfXlEHistv6keC7WqvFNNg8UQlWcnTgY3fqn08ShhWn9a2XUh2zBdhm3Sw8VfsQv1_KRaxDdLB0TpGDcRpWD3hS3Q9ottmyBug_tgOkX8alG7nI-VhdXzM9Q/s1600/Oct+2+033.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PreK Teacher...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<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/AVvXsEh7_q0_NW6hT946f1JzOf12vnKQ1RRlWNEIcBA_Rewi9NnmcvRcAipPJ3GH2b56QUKIGWVrSaJ41paUpmc2ROfreFLQowqykn3S2etgWW0XOtml059wl9ZLBpgujeMKu7l7kSXJt1X0ReQ/s1600/Oct+2+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7_q0_NW6hT946f1JzOf12vnKQ1RRlWNEIcBA_Rewi9NnmcvRcAipPJ3GH2b56QUKIGWVrSaJ41paUpmc2ROfreFLQowqykn3S2etgWW0XOtml059wl9ZLBpgujeMKu7l7kSXJt1X0ReQ/s1600/Oct+2+003.JPG" height="281" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Fifth Grade Teacher...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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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/AVvXsEjZosFN7QipN-Hu8u0l4fKvqzeQKd385nJ7ejtVOV1CBHtPtoW3aXdfZWKeNa8u55S4v3Ki6GUEaIXrCO2wc7udrz6xcfA_hQagP47Eq54AY-c_CO6m30ddFkmAMQ7u71_MtmI7qMgcPHk/s1600/Oct+2+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZosFN7QipN-Hu8u0l4fKvqzeQKd385nJ7ejtVOV1CBHtPtoW3aXdfZWKeNa8u55S4v3Ki6GUEaIXrCO2wc7udrz6xcfA_hQagP47Eq54AY-c_CO6m30ddFkmAMQ7u71_MtmI7qMgcPHk/s1600/Oct+2+006.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The P.E. Teacher...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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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/AVvXsEgiGN937LEF906qbGnBwyPMxPY3agRQ7hsy6hJbNuFoOBdw9gaRoDUTHfp9ovJrGMhyNC6x7FSFoQn0bVd6zkshkfyNkhuTTZ51m2VSy4ea2YhB4CdfMUoD1OZtkcGABtOkJrxNDUTIHCg/s1600/Oct+2+007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiGN937LEF906qbGnBwyPMxPY3agRQ7hsy6hJbNuFoOBdw9gaRoDUTHfp9ovJrGMhyNC6x7FSFoQn0bVd6zkshkfyNkhuTTZ51m2VSy4ea2YhB4CdfMUoD1OZtkcGABtOkJrxNDUTIHCg/s1600/Oct+2+007.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Third Grade Teacher...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<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/AVvXsEhpr8KVeZ7w2s67UUnlB3fWpSGHDNmnqIow7E032KuxkxDK4A3j9FZpZYOGVYjJnZTpTUBWArWvshfyWc_2CcoCj3fECmR8x4iH-2_8nqwZs90rxi53NlG3xh8JsIjPlyC-miLPfXVUH8A/s1600/Oct+2+009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpr8KVeZ7w2s67UUnlB3fWpSGHDNmnqIow7E032KuxkxDK4A3j9FZpZYOGVYjJnZTpTUBWArWvshfyWc_2CcoCj3fECmR8x4iH-2_8nqwZs90rxi53NlG3xh8JsIjPlyC-miLPfXVUH8A/s1600/Oct+2+009.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A First Grade Teacher...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<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/AVvXsEh_PaKsoJh8NlRIwZm9R_V9VYRFigro_1XQzsjD2DepVIey8v33Oyux5OMMU6lrrsXFe-dPsfrCp3JHQHabzMoWqgVKDP6QRzGh642HwBAhUX-AWkDsBSOCFh0KQDaF9BSrdWuVOM71h48/s1600/Oct+2+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_PaKsoJh8NlRIwZm9R_V9VYRFigro_1XQzsjD2DepVIey8v33Oyux5OMMU6lrrsXFe-dPsfrCp3JHQHabzMoWqgVKDP6QRzGh642HwBAhUX-AWkDsBSOCFh0KQDaF9BSrdWuVOM71h48/s1600/Oct+2+011.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Fifth Grade Teacher...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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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/AVvXsEhcz3GExuZPqZvTuWE2XJEx6s62UqwSVVoQmhiDxdkXsVYCPQmANuX9iJOW_ZTVNrTqhioqzVakpEwW23oW-AJkXzI2g8RJmu39MgayoMVowJKSVELExaxvD3aSGLXZyhyphenhyphengzXHGZaOACDY/s1600/Oct+2+012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcz3GExuZPqZvTuWE2XJEx6s62UqwSVVoQmhiDxdkXsVYCPQmANuX9iJOW_ZTVNrTqhioqzVakpEwW23oW-AJkXzI2g8RJmu39MgayoMVowJKSVELExaxvD3aSGLXZyhyphenhyphengzXHGZaOACDY/s1600/Oct+2+012.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Kindergarten Teacher...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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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/AVvXsEhFM7I3FeUXcGQ2ynur252LwAu8JkxeAoplbOOGcO-R0CCD86r7vjCM0ZCmpV309az6u3XvnwXjvAgi_mvkRm2Uu-JFtRFMMN2lyx21Ls2Pidprp3m-9QTM-W671M2oM6RsiBNFd_MVlz4/s1600/Oct+2+021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFM7I3FeUXcGQ2ynur252LwAu8JkxeAoplbOOGcO-R0CCD86r7vjCM0ZCmpV309az6u3XvnwXjvAgi_mvkRm2Uu-JFtRFMMN2lyx21Ls2Pidprp3m-9QTM-W671M2oM6RsiBNFd_MVlz4/s1600/Oct+2+021.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Second Grade Teacher...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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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/AVvXsEhg07a9q-jlOm4Nz-wl9MmuQiTe4PZQNnltbWGzFAn3EmNud_WWBiPzqog1mlPczTUX3xrgW-WZGFzkLRgJHM00kI2oQghwV258DvTHvBH2Y_0Jw6NF7gxMdzV16QRWcTqUAXAhNyd2XA0/s1600/Oct+2+022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg07a9q-jlOm4Nz-wl9MmuQiTe4PZQNnltbWGzFAn3EmNud_WWBiPzqog1mlPczTUX3xrgW-WZGFzkLRgJHM00kI2oQghwV258DvTHvBH2Y_0Jw6NF7gxMdzV16QRWcTqUAXAhNyd2XA0/s1600/Oct+2+022.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An Early Childhood Special Education Teacher...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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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/AVvXsEimJFqb9qGsXRTbvwkGJaspzNQ45qhwTtd1Ovh_lAIuT1jhIrcvmvPU9DNDcaTOCxxAjNatg81MAHx6I5xhxAwTHWlIh-U-eq57sKEDA9bcL_xiJ0gQs8eC7mY0VDV3b-suWyoXDQDjdwc/s1600/Oct+2+023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimJFqb9qGsXRTbvwkGJaspzNQ45qhwTtd1Ovh_lAIuT1jhIrcvmvPU9DNDcaTOCxxAjNatg81MAHx6I5xhxAwTHWlIh-U-eq57sKEDA9bcL_xiJ0gQs8eC7mY0VDV3b-suWyoXDQDjdwc/s1600/Oct+2+023.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Librarian...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"></span></span>
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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/AVvXsEgj3USQr2Bao4Fqhceg2szRG1xbSKU88LUJYKOmKah8lYFHoezuhGEzE2oZBNgPzPKqNktGhr7K55CwZZxPey_y-gk2iy0fp2x6sJNhKAYkUAT1ncyxufLR4u0YsXgs7HjFOLVo5naB_MY/s1600/Oct+2+049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj3USQr2Bao4Fqhceg2szRG1xbSKU88LUJYKOmKah8lYFHoezuhGEzE2oZBNgPzPKqNktGhr7K55CwZZxPey_y-gk2iy0fp2x6sJNhKAYkUAT1ncyxufLR4u0YsXgs7HjFOLVo5naB_MY/s1600/Oct+2+049.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">The Mind Maps were displayed in the lounge to continue the school-wide reflection and </span></span><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">long-term review</span></span>.</span></span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYZPX7S7txv3OCeV4I4KNymjGUsYTmGo-PZ7foOyjMhyphenhyphenv_YCFZRdhJAqQPXFR-Wc2htgS6T5S_BETSjyUFjTKxcWm1VCSJT5uGgPrZBwG-3K-Dr3kZvmuXYn71ILenBqHuU5sp3Oo1_K0/s1600/Oct+2+050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYZPX7S7txv3OCeV4I4KNymjGUsYTmGo-PZ7foOyjMhyphenhyphenv_YCFZRdhJAqQPXFR-Wc2htgS6T5S_BETSjyUFjTKxcWm1VCSJT5uGgPrZBwG-3K-Dr3kZvmuXYn71ILenBqHuU5sp3Oo1_K0/s1600/Oct+2+050.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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So, this is where we were as of October 2013. The level of professional conversation and classroom implementation has absolutely increased. Our student achievement is steadily climbing. What can we say at the end 2014? Stay tuned...<br /><br />
<br />Cues from Ekuwah Moseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789209448529375280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1989775071731609458.post-47598224265072507412014-12-13T16:10:00.002-08:002014-12-13T17:42:48.647-08:00Mind Mapping during Professional Development<span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">Simply giving each teacher a poster
board, a few pre-printed images, a variety of Sharpie markers, and a brief tutorial on drawing, can transform
traditional "sit and get" professional development. The "drawing" or note-taking skills also
transfer into the classroom via co-constructed anchor charts and student-generated academic notebooks.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">I was initially inspired to try this strategy after watching this TED talk by Rachel Smith.</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/3tJPeumHNLY?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<h3>
A gallery of examples from a 2010 professional development (6 hour session)... </h3>
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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/AVvXsEhuIt4QJ3sffRwB9tFfFAyxNecy81yTCZFUaptFd4v0VZwUQAglqsJnbDNaUi-KobTi8btPBcikM_2YRk33USf3KhLn05RVweyEVBVp6141_ZIpANCoDeQ_bOBrDCxlYAdguyQkys0sZ-w/s1600/mindmap+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuIt4QJ3sffRwB9tFfFAyxNecy81yTCZFUaptFd4v0VZwUQAglqsJnbDNaUi-KobTi8btPBcikM_2YRk33USf3KhLn05RVweyEVBVp6141_ZIpANCoDeQ_bOBrDCxlYAdguyQkys0sZ-w/s1600/mindmap+006.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">Add the central image<br /> (I provided all of the teachers with an image of the brain.)</span></span></td></tr>
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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/AVvXsEiwcyQh49bVLV8gSxTp-1O4760SG9643vF3yZDPtvAX8gI78r-Xs0JBJc-mP8Af-5KamlQXIJ2cWac_P48lpsyOeWEpdXW3pDYsg5VbT3GnUr7B1ANIO1tXCRK2tzi7y-E-4bqn7xb3y1w/s1600/mindmap+008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwcyQh49bVLV8gSxTp-1O4760SG9643vF3yZDPtvAX8gI78r-Xs0JBJc-mP8Af-5KamlQXIJ2cWac_P48lpsyOeWEpdXW3pDYsg5VbT3GnUr7B1ANIO1tXCRK2tzi7y-E-4bqn7xb3y1w/s1600/mindmap+008.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">Branches represent the key points<br /> (I provided a few images to anchor thinking relating to the central image and each branch.)</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<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/AVvXsEihbM1qXLejNYtuMeMYHwkwAWsWBLKxbiFTSPvI2Sag59s2cT8ynXY9B4EA36mKBup-spSC9CpCxb0rXR-xmmcDdV-1DdO2M-OsNbZJyue8Jb71xqJdQ5u7EmZqPWt6ACMAqcj9_9HYh24/s1600/mindmap+010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihbM1qXLejNYtuMeMYHwkwAWsWBLKxbiFTSPvI2Sag59s2cT8ynXY9B4EA36mKBup-spSC9CpCxb0rXR-xmmcDdV-1DdO2M-OsNbZJyue8Jb71xqJdQ5u7EmZqPWt6ACMAqcj9_9HYh24/s1600/mindmap+010.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">Add Details<br /> (We provided the teachers with <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sharpie-Ultra-Fine-Point-Permanent-Markers-75847/dp/B002766V3K/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1418515074&sr=8-3&keywords=sharpie+extra+fine+marker" target="_blank">Sharpie Ultra-Fine-Point Permanent Markers</a> and let them keep them at the conclusion of the professional development.)</span></span><br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<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/AVvXsEijAo34pz_cpT1v-oFZ2rqAj7C9PIuEbvBFf6oDGDX5RjSu3hXih09Lz5hljX8rqimb9VGT6yZky3tz9qWKaehKSJSkTu4Dh5AYB1D1ytRYKTGdUNlskZOZlYW-mHQ9CEywdKOloWbBV1I/s1600/mindmap+009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijAo34pz_cpT1v-oFZ2rqAj7C9PIuEbvBFf6oDGDX5RjSu3hXih09Lz5hljX8rqimb9VGT6yZky3tz9qWKaehKSJSkTu4Dh5AYB1D1ytRYKTGdUNlskZOZlYW-mHQ9CEywdKOloWbBV1I/s1600/mindmap+009.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Add Realia<br />
I also provided the glasses (realia) to emphasize the point of focusing on the target and essential questions. This teacher chose to attach her glasses to the Mind Map. </td></tr>
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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/AVvXsEghz57LrT1RtOV_e5wkKOFUYhDoSdxTN3gH6DY4MB-52bc08NWzn6zvI1UoaSBzNYgdZx4OznOy2__GpE3uzo6JmfkFg54W4T4e7EMr-sgZdtgzvmSeLzsPaVPj46F9uDcmEiplQo_DqwY/s1600/mindmap+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghz57LrT1RtOV_e5wkKOFUYhDoSdxTN3gH6DY4MB-52bc08NWzn6zvI1UoaSBzNYgdZx4OznOy2__GpE3uzo6JmfkFg54W4T4e7EMr-sgZdtgzvmSeLzsPaVPj46F9uDcmEiplQo_DqwY/s1600/mindmap+005.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">We
chose to display the Mind Maps in the hallway leading to the principal's
office. This allowed teachers to compare, question, and simply continue
the conversation of "Focus Lessons."</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<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/AVvXsEhNYalyD1OTNGbyzOJh95_60emotR0fTwyTpq-S2ThBFjcunzhcUAVqPdRLdKVmBnKWlRs7WjV5LmQEOUW712c9lhjduyiIExnF9N-fMBx5dYIexSGZYE-xqDJvRVLnmzIWkBnZV4FHJaA/s1600/mindmap+007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNYalyD1OTNGbyzOJh95_60emotR0fTwyTpq-S2ThBFjcunzhcUAVqPdRLdKVmBnKWlRs7WjV5LmQEOUW712c9lhjduyiIExnF9N-fMBx5dYIexSGZYE-xqDJvRVLnmzIWkBnZV4FHJaA/s1600/mindmap+007.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everyone takes notes differently.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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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/AVvXsEiGLQWHp5dfpVAwcZ-Tq2EFD8xCd_A5o9Dkcgq8BX5QZR9ptQ0UpvhEnK_d6w8I2GThJ3RyvlbNiZ6ipyoSpMB-fpM11ivcElJl1xUCZoxu7eRBztbP7Edbf1p-zNZeDTou_uErhzStUVk/s1600/mindmap+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGLQWHp5dfpVAwcZ-Tq2EFD8xCd_A5o9Dkcgq8BX5QZR9ptQ0UpvhEnK_d6w8I2GThJ3RyvlbNiZ6ipyoSpMB-fpM11ivcElJl1xUCZoxu7eRBztbP7Edbf1p-zNZeDTou_uErhzStUVk/s1600/mindmap+011.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mind Maps are engaging and powerful!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<h3>
<b> A gallery of examples from a 2013 professional development (3 hour session)...</b></h3>
<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/AVvXsEh0SZBmg4hqav-uC4YejsoxO7OrooZlgwqocorjqiz7aw1_dqjfUdQe13XS1iY53iwtZuI59xH__1EqsAHbSwok-4F0s7ZeZK31ASVKwtNKQi2mQwHJ0Xr_dC-sKT7bVE0Luc_TBCmeVi4/s1600/Aug+21+PD+at+Parson+019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0SZBmg4hqav-uC4YejsoxO7OrooZlgwqocorjqiz7aw1_dqjfUdQe13XS1iY53iwtZuI59xH__1EqsAHbSwok-4F0s7ZeZK31ASVKwtNKQi2mQwHJ0Xr_dC-sKT7bVE0Luc_TBCmeVi4/s1600/Aug+21+PD+at+Parson+019.JPG" height="222" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">Drawing During Staff Development -<br /> The Parson ES instructional plan and PZ 4 initiatives were introduced while the teachers synthesized the key details.</span></span></td></tr>
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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/AVvXsEgWNNVvE7l9-lNLoGPEidpjKCKPHRcZMqWL2_i3Vhen0SCNenRqKvTdQ6-0eUaJq-uLorAxgQ8ILJYNchLnT-hB15CBjWml3AJIUXmU7BCANtETLWXDhziiRJeTHyrjbxLbX0QgOuol5tw/s1600/Aug+21+PD+at+Parson+017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWNNVvE7l9-lNLoGPEidpjKCKPHRcZMqWL2_i3Vhen0SCNenRqKvTdQ6-0eUaJq-uLorAxgQ8ILJYNchLnT-hB15CBjWml3AJIUXmU7BCANtETLWXDhziiRJeTHyrjbxLbX0QgOuol5tw/s1600/Aug+21+PD+at+Parson+017.JPG" height="183" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">The
maps are displayed in the lounge and work room to serve as a reminder
that we all have a hand in making "Our Academic Environment"
language-rich!</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<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/AVvXsEh3GypV2rKfvxGP0nkS24S7JeKf6KX984WQH2wrb0jqdAwssWfvroKrDWVTPgqcX7FICnCiKrKSZ10er_LTKv0AtTVzLAQsvgjUV8CmqOCXsIMnwA5ZHRRmhaI9ZfnOGF-TEMPxeGN0ABo/s1600/Aug+21+PD+at+Parson+018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3GypV2rKfvxGP0nkS24S7JeKf6KX984WQH2wrb0jqdAwssWfvroKrDWVTPgqcX7FICnCiKrKSZ10er_LTKv0AtTVzLAQsvgjUV8CmqOCXsIMnwA5ZHRRmhaI9ZfnOGF-TEMPxeGN0ABo/s1600/Aug+21+PD+at+Parson+018.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><br />Teachers are able to view how colleagues synthesized the same information differently.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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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/AVvXsEjpSHoR4LhWsXFiPkhx9G3TRwHxY1Gr10jV8IncQkqK8SRFYYkYZdLyOayOsz7jeW-sDvwEVw73jAgV6z98eLaKR0mnIVZZjaXu8B9mwfvE-3kijUOqu324Wt8Qy9gZensZTZ0eXjd4sCw/s1600/Aug+21+PD+at+Parson+014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpSHoR4LhWsXFiPkhx9G3TRwHxY1Gr10jV8IncQkqK8SRFYYkYZdLyOayOsz7jeW-sDvwEVw73jAgV6z98eLaKR0mnIVZZjaXu8B9mwfvE-3kijUOqu324Wt8Qy9gZensZTZ0eXjd4sCw/s1600/Aug+21+PD+at+Parson+014.JPG" height="199" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The central image is the cover of the 2013-2014 Building a Culture of Achievement instructional blueprint </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgreF-LSQCFOzyDXopOhmrBNHcnWdjXo3qMXXYn9M-R6V0gyjH8X7tkYgCarVJqYTmgYw46En0KuRfdfvYoEZIUzAe3DtIABZBiLx6GxB5Vt0iWWWT647HBeRNe92pweG8IARsC1XaDl4s/s1600/Aug+21+PD+at+Parson+015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgreF-LSQCFOzyDXopOhmrBNHcnWdjXo3qMXXYn9M-R6V0gyjH8X7tkYgCarVJqYTmgYw46En0KuRfdfvYoEZIUzAe3DtIABZBiLx6GxB5Vt0iWWWT647HBeRNe92pweG8IARsC1XaDl4s/s1600/Aug+21+PD+at+Parson+015.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></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/AVvXsEgpw46nM22idIRLTwl5Ge6E3EZnffCRqhutjMHOpJXppGjQq-m5yY1hVvch0Ot2ZkQmSJsAyMgGEdFx5WnD6c7v49sipgXiaT1_NHWfCoZar0SgpDMbqimiozSAsquKPYStccyiuVCb6JU/s1600/Aug+21+PD+at+Parson+016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpw46nM22idIRLTwl5Ge6E3EZnffCRqhutjMHOpJXppGjQq-m5yY1hVvch0Ot2ZkQmSJsAyMgGEdFx5WnD6c7v49sipgXiaT1_NHWfCoZar0SgpDMbqimiozSAsquKPYStccyiuVCb6JU/s1600/Aug+21+PD+at+Parson+016.JPG" height="313" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Free Sharpies were provided and teachers were allowed to keep them!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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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/AVvXsEhKGgBBvpgCFbxc-4NgN4p-Z8PbYxLa4gv7Ah9iHT1BM9GzDK2E1CwLrzV4_6XFuNTNBcI78dKpHO80M2nDFL2r9V-fBsgtQ733aZz7Uhmm5s3AtBW7uSi18ZGxzew952D0pkZy1a6101s/s1600/Aug+21+PD+at+Parson+012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKGgBBvpgCFbxc-4NgN4p-Z8PbYxLa4gv7Ah9iHT1BM9GzDK2E1CwLrzV4_6XFuNTNBcI78dKpHO80M2nDFL2r9V-fBsgtQ733aZz7Uhmm5s3AtBW7uSi18ZGxzew952D0pkZy1a6101s/s1600/Aug+21+PD+at+Parson+012.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">The Mind Maps are displayed above the copier too! Making every minute count...</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Cues from Ekuwah Moseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789209448529375280noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1989775071731609458.post-32980253351796629392014-12-13T14:56:00.000-08:002014-12-13T14:56:02.239-08:00School-wide Collaborative Problem Solving <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIG0iNo6pRrPw0V-eHbdK77ovBkHzPsb1bM12i4PxPgHmA0136Gus3ylIsniSweMy2_M2ZT6lHYKpuA4xfjWaOpde92HFirAo6QHyRF9T_JzqNbmFeOClNdLfrAXp_RKIyvdLMBXGvEI0/s1600/NOLA+MAY+2014+086.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIG0iNo6pRrPw0V-eHbdK77ovBkHzPsb1bM12i4PxPgHmA0136Gus3ylIsniSweMy2_M2ZT6lHYKpuA4xfjWaOpde92HFirAo6QHyRF9T_JzqNbmFeOClNdLfrAXp_RKIyvdLMBXGvEI0/s1600/NOLA+MAY+2014+086.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">I strive for active engagement during all professional development </span></span><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">(PD)</span></span> sessions. I also make it a point to make all of our engagement purposeful and immediately applicable to the classroom. I use our brief morning meetings to model endlessly repeatable strategies, facilitate discussion, and give them something to replicate in the classroom. Periodically, I give teachers a task to complete with their students and bring samples back to share. </span></span><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">The school-wide activity presented in this post</span></span><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"> was chosen to get an idea of our student's number sense, emphasize the usage of the common situations for all four operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division); and offer a collaborative culminating activity to multiple PDs on the variety of ways to use representations or drawings to solve problems (</span></span><a href="http://mathcoachscorner.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-abcs-of-number-sense.html" target="_blank">The ABCs of Number Sense</a>)<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">. Teachers were previously trained on: ten frames, open number lines, number bonds, base-ten models, bar model, simple shapes, and more. </span></span><br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"> </span></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA4E58dtLNrRg6qhYHA9E40EPgEO0zChXriglPDk_6XZ7Bmc4EA86oaeU5WFQiRq6ewHKiW-u5Uk4qu6c0nLBiYFD9iRaxIue0Qkf3gm306TDj_HvL0tFN0maytp2iji3OOxAwKt5DF7A/s1600/NOLA+MAY+2014+071.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA4E58dtLNrRg6qhYHA9E40EPgEO0zChXriglPDk_6XZ7Bmc4EA86oaeU5WFQiRq6ewHKiW-u5Uk4qu6c0nLBiYFD9iRaxIue0Qkf3gm306TDj_HvL0tFN0maytp2iji3OOxAwKt5DF7A/s1600/NOLA+MAY+2014+071.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">"I
used this problem as an informal preassessment, purposely choosing
these numbers and this problem type in order to learn more about my
students' number sense and mathematical reasoning. I was expecting a
range of ideas and strategies..." (p. 5 - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Number-Sense-Routines-Building-Numerical/dp/1571107908/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1418503728&sr=1-1&keywords=number+sense+routines+building+numerical+literacy+every+day+in+grades+k-3" target="_blank">Number Sense Routines> Jessica Shumway</a>)</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"> During
a thirty minute morning professional development , <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Number-Sense-Routines-Building-Numerical/dp/1571107908/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1418503728&sr=1-1&keywords=number+sense+routines+building+numerical+literacy+every+day+in+grades+k-3" target="_blank">Jessica Shumway's</a> monarch problem was modeled with K-5th grade teachers in a
similar fashion described on the yellow sheet (above). Teachers worked
independently for a couple of minutes and then shared representations at table groups. One
teacher per table was nominated to present and model for the school-wide audience.
The teacher signed his or her name next to the representation on the collaborative poster</span></span><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">.</span></span> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP3LOJ2qMOnDnAo-N8HSjH2BEe7jkYHehd38HzHrT4aaLOH-OHrB5ZCU5X1qtBUXnoziy-Gz5H_Zzlh6E7jTqwgf7RN8sCHBgCvUB8KJUrVaFbiDBIlM5icLUXTmYMKP0RjzcD5WC784E/s1600/NOLA+MAY+2014+069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP3LOJ2qMOnDnAo-N8HSjH2BEe7jkYHehd38HzHrT4aaLOH-OHrB5ZCU5X1qtBUXnoziy-Gz5H_Zzlh6E7jTqwgf7RN8sCHBgCvUB8KJUrVaFbiDBIlM5icLUXTmYMKP0RjzcD5WC784E/s1600/NOLA+MAY+2014+069.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"> </span><br />
<span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"> </span><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">At the end of the PD, the teachers (K-5) chose a calendar photograph to complete the assignment...</span></span><br />
<ul style="text-align: center;">
<li><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">Select vibrant pictures to create a meaningful context for problem solving. (Just like I chose the beautiful monarch photo from an old dollar store calendar.)</span></li>
<li><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"> Choose a variety of situations provided in the Common Core (NVACS).</span></li>
<ul>
<li><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"><a href="https://grade1commoncoremath.wikispaces.hcpss.org/Problem+Solving" target="_blank"> K-1st Grade Situations</a></span></li>
<li><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"><a href="https://grade2commoncoremath.wikispaces.hcpss.org/Problem+Solving" target="_blank">2nd Grade Situations</a></span></li>
<li><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"><a href="https://grade3commoncoremath.wikispaces.hcpss.org/Problem+Solving" target="_blank">3rd Grade Situations</a></span></li>
<li><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"><a href="https://grade4commoncoremath.wikispaces.hcpss.org/Problem+Solving+in+Mathematics" target="_blank">4th Grade Situations</a></span></li>
<li><a href="https://grade5commoncoremath.wikispaces.hcpss.org/Problem+Solving" target="_blank"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">5th Grade Situations</span></a></li>
</ul>
<li><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">Choose grade-appropriate addends or subtrahends </span></li>
<li><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">Change characters/objects to relate to the photo (sample situations provided in the links above)</span></li>
<li><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"> Use multiple representations to solve your generated problem and the problems posed by other classrooms</span></li>
<li><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">Spread a "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Math-Curse-Jon-Scieszka/dp/0670861944/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1418509148&sr=1-1&keywords=math+curse" target="_blank">Math Curse</a>" around the building by posting the posters around campus for other classrooms to take and solve in another way</span><br /><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"></span></li>
</ul>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5-5WAiBO_3zUqBBT79GFwhDZbzbNHbW6QHO41ovEV7L2cGg_nAdQuk5h7_nRMXt8dUSAY0CeicjCk_0FhMQb2RXrXs-td0k6xQy1tNmKpgf40ja7QzbDiQKdsaRwlz1QpcuCtwrabssE/s1600/NOLA+MAY+2014+072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5-5WAiBO_3zUqBBT79GFwhDZbzbNHbW6QHO41ovEV7L2cGg_nAdQuk5h7_nRMXt8dUSAY0CeicjCk_0FhMQb2RXrXs-td0k6xQy1tNmKpgf40ja7QzbDiQKdsaRwlz1QpcuCtwrabssE/s1600/NOLA+MAY+2014+072.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">The
Common Core State Standards (NVACS) outline a variety of common situations in the Appendix.
This is the perfect document for planning differentiated instruction.</span></span><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"> There are 12 different problem types for addition and subtraction word
problems. Historically, we have not been exposing elementary students to all of them. </span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"></span><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">On
May 13th, teachers brought the poster back to the morning PD. We analyzed
which situations teachers chose to use with students and the types of models used to represent the solution.</span></span><br /><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"></span><br />
<span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"></span><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihSmQdVFy91irWC_CyQ_wCXLmXc4P5j1X8AOE_b-H0CtaCiTV1-3BFKmoYCGjbSUsnw47g1gRjsCnzbzlCiBGERA9xW0r2Qwqr55KOociadS5LKQYrVZvZJGBk45jSmzBPdZrlaImV7RE/s1600/NOLA+MAY+2014+067.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihSmQdVFy91irWC_CyQ_wCXLmXc4P5j1X8AOE_b-H0CtaCiTV1-3BFKmoYCGjbSUsnw47g1gRjsCnzbzlCiBGERA9xW0r2Qwqr55KOociadS5LKQYrVZvZJGBk45jSmzBPdZrlaImV7RE/s1600/NOLA+MAY+2014+067.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gallery Walk - Analyzing the posters generated in the classroom</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_RzbSrzMNr8a1tVknUUncEXqD79l4leDduWIAUkbFmiYA0Gub0GX1gyq0kf0J1XwxbnzrTLhwi92GFs83vtjZ66Lw_7c39_Mcp0dr4CjG41zbBE4k_Up_CH638C8bFQD_QOGKnLtJ4as/s1600/NOLA+MAY+2014+066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_RzbSrzMNr8a1tVknUUncEXqD79l4leDduWIAUkbFmiYA0Gub0GX1gyq0kf0J1XwxbnzrTLhwi92GFs83vtjZ66Lw_7c39_Mcp0dr4CjG41zbBE4k_Up_CH638C8bFQD_QOGKnLtJ4as/s1600/NOLA+MAY+2014+066.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">Great discussion about future classroom application!<br /> <br />
The first grade teachers said the students shut down once the poster
already had an answer from another classroom. But wait... this is the
perfect reason to justify or prove the answer in another way! What is
another way we can prove the answer is 8?</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKWZcOqGJpqdJaFSu1TpKSS42CTVr26Sw7lJgAayAF_s0QtszBJfT3k509Np45B3Dm8xT6EPLoVLc_eLW0A27PocGRUiitx0zCc1IqLMVpPIzhYbM4Azn9nL7A3BD7HMB3JfbMJ4F-xBs/s1600/NOLA+MAY+2014+068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKWZcOqGJpqdJaFSu1TpKSS42CTVr26Sw7lJgAayAF_s0QtszBJfT3k509Np45B3Dm8xT6EPLoVLc_eLW0A27PocGRUiitx0zCc1IqLMVpPIzhYbM4Azn9nL7A3BD7HMB3JfbMJ4F-xBs/s1600/NOLA+MAY+2014+068.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">Benefits:<br /> Facilitates great student discourse<br /> No worksheets involved<br /> Providing a context makes computation meaningful<br /> Students must justify answers with a representation</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsiTVpPk4AhPSZA0IamHvre7h4CUsRpQ3rWOt5lhDxfbCaSQifdiRYs2z1jSdijVfz_OyL6cr6Jt8hdRx4A8vgQ00Q2er3eCJJeKn3y9CTszY1TFFMofbH0MK_ceveO7KKvae9gWUzl6M/s1600/NOLA+MAY+2014+087.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsiTVpPk4AhPSZA0IamHvre7h4CUsRpQ3rWOt5lhDxfbCaSQifdiRYs2z1jSdijVfz_OyL6cr6Jt8hdRx4A8vgQ00Q2er3eCJJeKn3y9CTszY1TFFMofbH0MK_ceveO7KKvae9gWUzl6M/s1600/NOLA+MAY+2014+087.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">All of the collaborative posters (K-5) were displayed in the main hallway for families to enjoy during Math & Science Night!</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH3JTZJ1GXXgY4DTTULK9E2vw2EJdN12I4yExyezigZgL6E5Jb0wMLzTneNwCSg-tE5de7wgeQmdpCQDQshPUEbIGVTis_i0NQYVVPbchdN9DyRQedBUr7Ot0ZP7Gr9ShAMay0nhMw4Ws/s1600/NOLA+MAY+2014+088.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH3JTZJ1GXXgY4DTTULK9E2vw2EJdN12I4yExyezigZgL6E5Jb0wMLzTneNwCSg-tE5de7wgeQmdpCQDQshPUEbIGVTis_i0NQYVVPbchdN9DyRQedBUr7Ot0ZP7Gr9ShAMay0nhMw4Ws/s1600/NOLA+MAY+2014+088.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kindergarten</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFLgsdvWNPFzdAKIW7wq4CtVmS40d97wDNVttyo4n9iSJodJoj5nXqPHukQtPd1NPaEiparDx3Vf8WqlGPV3AhyuYKkiot60jamAHN8gZjJT0y7N22AcaCUP_PmWNUrIKscqEQD5LKDuY/s1600/NOLA+MAY+2014+089.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFLgsdvWNPFzdAKIW7wq4CtVmS40d97wDNVttyo4n9iSJodJoj5nXqPHukQtPd1NPaEiparDx3Vf8WqlGPV3AhyuYKkiot60jamAHN8gZjJT0y7N22AcaCUP_PmWNUrIKscqEQD5LKDuY/s1600/NOLA+MAY+2014+089.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kindergarten</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhlvJJegE-PwxHevUWiU51nMpo1nj9YD2CWqZKSfGwuqeIQFrDkJwR-FfCZyRxQ1nHWb0ZLhci2xe8Z7zKJNT_O0Tgm4pqXj_L3RhFvAnOzpZn2BBG-CPG-2pIOTAMwsIRm8i7WMgEdZs/s1600/NOLA+MAY+2014+090.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhlvJJegE-PwxHevUWiU51nMpo1nj9YD2CWqZKSfGwuqeIQFrDkJwR-FfCZyRxQ1nHWb0ZLhci2xe8Z7zKJNT_O0Tgm4pqXj_L3RhFvAnOzpZn2BBG-CPG-2pIOTAMwsIRm8i7WMgEdZs/s1600/NOLA+MAY+2014+090.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kindergarten</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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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/AVvXsEhJgs1AeDEx8V_1Gr1Hi8GPxuRRvG9X1_SYn8HLtEusIchuUTqBXj_SaC-oneTMapKQdqrIroq2SZFxGRxjXdZNrhJCpODcmn33cqqOwcruckI3U55XEOG1CnUk-afCucTSY0I9lA7QLK0/s1600/NOLA+MAY+2014+091.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJgs1AeDEx8V_1Gr1Hi8GPxuRRvG9X1_SYn8HLtEusIchuUTqBXj_SaC-oneTMapKQdqrIroq2SZFxGRxjXdZNrhJCpODcmn33cqqOwcruckI3U55XEOG1CnUk-afCucTSY0I9lA7QLK0/s1600/NOLA+MAY+2014+091.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kindergarten</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQTyTfUlKEX-Fu59T6gCH8x1tt-1UauXn1uiEM8I-3s9so8YX40Uq7XRyY2ZW7vwStMTpYIbi-lLkHFaZgDo73P4lbGBpAlgJ12UM6CYFSZ5kCrdBlX3ofpS5FO6UjGdgwB1_fczTL-0c/s1600/NOLA+MAY+2014+092.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQTyTfUlKEX-Fu59T6gCH8x1tt-1UauXn1uiEM8I-3s9so8YX40Uq7XRyY2ZW7vwStMTpYIbi-lLkHFaZgDo73P4lbGBpAlgJ12UM6CYFSZ5kCrdBlX3ofpS5FO6UjGdgwB1_fczTL-0c/s1600/NOLA+MAY+2014+092.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1st Grade</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhldp8IJBdO5SJTFhEdWweFkqjzTx_GaixwJyVt9TIeFVbVs_5D1xmBYbM5Ru1kpvcuQvqvLIH01XHrFbVas50Rf4vNXLnhAlTw3oknaDV-B9VDkrRgVBX8TWrPARktsgYZUw1lrBCySc4/s1600/NOLA+MAY+2014+093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhldp8IJBdO5SJTFhEdWweFkqjzTx_GaixwJyVt9TIeFVbVs_5D1xmBYbM5Ru1kpvcuQvqvLIH01XHrFbVas50Rf4vNXLnhAlTw3oknaDV-B9VDkrRgVBX8TWrPARktsgYZUw1lrBCySc4/s1600/NOLA+MAY+2014+093.JPG" height="320" width="161" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1st Grade</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTH-AqWYIR0O8yXuZAoPh3o8LPofm60I4kLfctDhX5fZSqADmPQNo8RdX_EcYCC-2isksQKINQyV56DWfWg4oanEAEWVQS3guBhGnBn-KWdzU5T3wGUbMoUSnBGfGHMq1sQQhl6cCSfGI/s1600/NOLA+MAY+2014+094.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTH-AqWYIR0O8yXuZAoPh3o8LPofm60I4kLfctDhX5fZSqADmPQNo8RdX_EcYCC-2isksQKINQyV56DWfWg4oanEAEWVQS3guBhGnBn-KWdzU5T3wGUbMoUSnBGfGHMq1sQQhl6cCSfGI/s1600/NOLA+MAY+2014+094.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1st Grade</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk3LajKPt9_vWp5XpMlH6hwnWK5UP_u7bVxZIpSCkzG_iIxED4dJ2olMFOgNbAgla3Gs4j3NBdd0oACRFo5jREw2CepnsMhGKz5kwMrNjdhjtVcxgw8x5NpMtXeEN75r8rwis1RScIi-8/s1600/NOLA+MAY+2014+095.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk3LajKPt9_vWp5XpMlH6hwnWK5UP_u7bVxZIpSCkzG_iIxED4dJ2olMFOgNbAgla3Gs4j3NBdd0oACRFo5jREw2CepnsMhGKz5kwMrNjdhjtVcxgw8x5NpMtXeEN75r8rwis1RScIi-8/s1600/NOLA+MAY+2014+095.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2nd Grade</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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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/AVvXsEh20Ng94gGyYYdvoxQOfLrOgftAYJ86Cgo7NjZRduJE7cdfRErRwzICiJ7hPCAlDWt2j8fImU5RKF7QZ-oz81cN70f9CaviMMRV9xWdLr8AusqI4vi0O6F1jT8eQXqMT2BDHsHrXjQ83Cs/s1600/NOLA+MAY+2014+096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh20Ng94gGyYYdvoxQOfLrOgftAYJ86Cgo7NjZRduJE7cdfRErRwzICiJ7hPCAlDWt2j8fImU5RKF7QZ-oz81cN70f9CaviMMRV9xWdLr8AusqI4vi0O6F1jT8eQXqMT2BDHsHrXjQ83Cs/s1600/NOLA+MAY+2014+096.JPG" height="320" width="271" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2nd Grade</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinVkOwQu1ciQzDZnMOzFGbR_6tqPR4rf9jvpo0UnPYHqCUGDaAH-M9RyoXAqpldbXigAhRYZgzVQCLHWhNoLcLimnsMbsRAgSQqQzuBJm4gtOGsqXgnJFaGcQE3G3rm7wSmOhBjVCwf4Q/s1600/NOLA+MAY+2014+097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinVkOwQu1ciQzDZnMOzFGbR_6tqPR4rf9jvpo0UnPYHqCUGDaAH-M9RyoXAqpldbXigAhRYZgzVQCLHWhNoLcLimnsMbsRAgSQqQzuBJm4gtOGsqXgnJFaGcQE3G3rm7wSmOhBjVCwf4Q/s1600/NOLA+MAY+2014+097.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2nd Grade</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihQ7BNCSL0KfewS0N2ZPVzLSYR6pFMAPQtM24jAJ-wRkQRnzvKF0586SWW2aFWp7doRvDVgncwCpENSBbf4B0_49MwANJyHtwved8_Hs2LQMsRE3PAh4-jG5noMyZTXCuTBSn8ORgA6-E/s1600/NOLA+MAY+2014+101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihQ7BNCSL0KfewS0N2ZPVzLSYR6pFMAPQtM24jAJ-wRkQRnzvKF0586SWW2aFWp7doRvDVgncwCpENSBbf4B0_49MwANJyHtwved8_Hs2LQMsRE3PAh4-jG5noMyZTXCuTBSn8ORgA6-E/s1600/NOLA+MAY+2014+101.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3rd Grade</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"><br /></span>Cues from Ekuwah Moseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789209448529375280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1989775071731609458.post-67476065781999831422014-12-12T17:48:00.001-08:002014-12-15T18:35:33.936-08:00How Close to 100?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Toolbox</td></tr>
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The plea for computational fluency is constant on our campus and has boggled teachers nationally. The effectiveness of traditional approaches (loved by parents and some teachers) are fiercely debated and teachers are simply searching for adequate solutions. I have teachers that are reluctantly abandoning timed tests and flash cards and are desperately seeking alternatives to implement consistently. This post is dedicated to a powerful tool we have just added to our toolbox.<br />
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<a href="http://pic.twitter.com/Agl2MtDFwL" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="pic.twitter.com/Agl2MtDFwL" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5fM_fRlDkIoyWFV6yq3acEPQ6t9vSQh6GyaZcG9mjaqaQOM5aTz7W5FXlDie_MSXjKmgTdhB2RfaLdc8VeEz2U-pe-t4KrgV687UpCpuu2ui9niVs8DhU6seZPoMgvPR2bno4e8N8isk/s1600/12122014_41650_1.png" height="192" width="320" /></a></div>
Sometimes you have to see something multiple times before you move to try it yourself. That was the case for this activity called <i><b>How Close to 100? </b></i>I was compelled to try this computational fluency activity after seeing variations shared a couple of times in my Professional Learning Network (PLN). On October 27th, <a href="http://pic.twitter.com/Agl2MtDFwL" target="_blank">Dan Meyer</a> tweeted a recommendation, and on November 4th <a href="http://pic.twitter.com/U45wdFenfo" target="_blank">Ashley Minton</a> tweeted a different variation that uses spinners (pictured below).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Twitter photo by Ashley Minton <a class="twitter-timeline-link" data-pre-embedded="true" dir="ltr" href="http://t.co/U45wdFenfo">pic.twitter.com/U45wdFenfo</a></td></tr>
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The dots were connected for me yesterday as this same robust activity appeared in Boaler's article that was shared by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CommonCoreMathResources/photos/a.186029898219126.1073741828.171792979642818/389083541247093/?type=1&theater" target="_blank">Common Core Math Resources</a> on Facebook. I knew I just had to try it and share it with others! <a href="http://youcubed.org/teachers/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/AppendixA.pdf" target="_blank">How Close to 100?</a> is one of several resources provided in the must-read article- <a href="http://youcubed.org/teachers/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/FluencyWithoutFear.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Fluency Without Fear: Research Evidence on the Best Ways to Learn Math Facts</i> </a>by<a href="https://twitter.com/joboaler" target="_blank"> Jo Boaler</a>. (The template can be easily <a href="http://youcubed.org/teachers/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/AppendixA.pdf" target="_blank">downloaded</a> from the <a href="http://youcubed.org/teachers/" target="_blank">YouCubed website</a>). I highly recommend anyone concerned with computational fluency strategies to read this article and grab the provided resources. The content is in alignment with another favorite article I've read from Linda Gojak called <a href="http://www.nctm.org/about/content.aspx?id=34791" target="_blank"><i>Fluency: Simply Fast and Accurate? I Think Not!</i></a><br />
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I introduced <a href="http://youcubed.org/teachers/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/AppendixA.pdf" target="_blank">How Close to 100?</a> in a 4th grade classroom today! I inserted a slightly <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B34n34C-tMNNQlpNTWhkbXUxa0U/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">altered template</a> into a sheet protector for each group, gathered enough dice and dry erase markers, and made additional copies for the students to use for practice at home. (Sheet protectors and dry erase markers make repeated practice sustainable by reducing the amount of paper needed.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRIqmVpEJnZAsN08u9z4SgtcxphwpvXKEFjMOb64XH8E_yMM242gYfXq3JaQXX85FUNnzR5yerx5s_aFF-l6-iimJa3zs_dJFbw2DUjuI2_bMCEgKyGkP-z-QTT_EJzfAFh-9IUvEOzdQ/s1600/DSCN3471.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRIqmVpEJnZAsN08u9z4SgtcxphwpvXKEFjMOb64XH8E_yMM242gYfXq3JaQXX85FUNnzR5yerx5s_aFF-l6-iimJa3zs_dJFbw2DUjuI2_bMCEgKyGkP-z-QTT_EJzfAFh-9IUvEOzdQ/s1600/DSCN3471.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
The teacher and students enjoyed the activity tremendously! In fact, my son said, "You packed too much fun into this activity." During the closure of the practice time, I asked the students what mathematics were used in the activity. The students noted that the activity includes: writing equations, drawing arrays, applying multiplication strategies (skip counting, repeated addition, etc.), juggling the commutative property of multiplication, and accurate addition! It also naturally infused several math practices! This activity is multipurpose and the student discourse is productive!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_HsSMbXeHE4WdGDSlvOMKaPPQP1ifWY4bHWUMbbVMq1DMgipVH0Bsp74TjNpcrP0N-jeAXYA_PFvUh4xjgvEA6VUng1YxHd_mM1pyKq-OUFog9U0jZEqZ9HpREYqHXNDRgeFBkWDOdhY/s1600/DSCN3469.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_HsSMbXeHE4WdGDSlvOMKaPPQP1ifWY4bHWUMbbVMq1DMgipVH0Bsp74TjNpcrP0N-jeAXYA_PFvUh4xjgvEA6VUng1YxHd_mM1pyKq-OUFog9U0jZEqZ9HpREYqHXNDRgeFBkWDOdhY/s1600/DSCN3469.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Each player used a different color dry erase marker and shared a template to increase the opportunities for discourse.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYgle__UloxV1IsCrdXZ4A3VRTK-PfU9JozBKJN78OOlalD6KqIs7qFHKqS-dgwF-9XoopylADnNTombB2V9JymEnnMTDd5lFtXhcfTa9ZVEETwuDA5Sx3MipkryZRDD8yXV24cvX_zoE/s1600/DSCN3478.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYgle__UloxV1IsCrdXZ4A3VRTK-PfU9JozBKJN78OOlalD6KqIs7qFHKqS-dgwF-9XoopylADnNTombB2V9JymEnnMTDd5lFtXhcfTa9ZVEETwuDA5Sx3MipkryZRDD8yXV24cvX_zoE/s1600/DSCN3478.JPG" height="250" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The player with a total sum closest to 100 was the winner!</td></tr>
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Cues from Ekuwah Moseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789209448529375280noreply@blogger.com0