The kindergarten years are important years where solid foundations are laid - foundations on which future academic success are set, if you will, in foundational stone. During these early years it is of upmost importance to teach deep — not wide!
Read MoreMy husband and I just went through the process of dividing my Mother-in-Law’s things between her children in preparation of her living in a nursing home. All I could think as we sorted through it was that, in the end, it was just stuff. Why do we need it all? The experience encouraged me to simplify my life; eliminating that extra stuff that is filling spaces in my house, not filling spaces in my heart.
Read MoreA farm theme is a great example of how starting with a general idea can mushroom into many smaller themes. Actually every facet of a farm could lend itself to thematic instruction. After I present the broad theme of the farm, I let my student’s interests guide the way to the facets that most interest them.
Read MoreThe day G. told me that she doesn’t like her nose because it “isn’t cute” is the day I started writing this book. Our bodies are ours alone. They need to be honored, cherished, and loved. Do we all look the same? No. Do we all have magazine worthy bodies? No. But that isn’t what being “Me” is all about!
Read MoreI love to celebrate Earth Day when Spring is awakening the beauties of the earth. Whether you celebrate our planet for a week or a day, take note of this special day.
Read MoreToday’s world is one of instantaneous inter-connectivity. Working collaboratively is an essential skill that must be taught, nourished and fostered in order to succeed in such an environment.
Read MoreWho doesn’t love adorable ducks! I love bringing the excitement of these friendly fowls into the classroom. If you have a farm store in your community (you can even find them in larger cities), it is easy to find baby ducks waiting for you right in the store. If I have a family ready to adopt the ducklings, I will purchase them, but I find the farm stores are generally more than happy to let the ducks visit your classroom for an extended visit, to only return back to the store to find their permanent home.
Read MoreDid you know that Level A and Level B books were created especially to teach children to track print? It’s true! These two beginning levels have a specific purpose. To train a child’s eyes to track print on the page using their finger as a guide. In this way they experience important concepts of print: that print moves from left to right, how to hold a book and turn the pages, and how to identify individual letters and words. After a child has learned to track print, it is important for them to move immediately to Level C, to start learning word attack and decoding skills.
Read MoreLife in a pond is filled with some of the most fascinating characters you can find. Consequently it makes for a great thematic unit!. Frogs, duck, turtles, alligators, butterflies, dragonflies, and other pond life are among some of my favorite creatures to study, because they are not only fascinating, but pretty cute!
Read MoreAs I walked by a classroom yesterday, I heard a teacher yelling at a student with a very forceful voice and exaggerated body language. This immediately took me to another place and time, the time when Mr. Black karate chopped me so hard in the back of the neck that I peed my pants instantly in front of the entire class. Why, you might ask? Because I ran on a corner of the grass instead of the sidewalk. You see, Mr Black, had a very strict rule that grass was not a place for children. I was playing tag with my friends and in the chase, I took a short-cut across the grass to place the tag. And there he was — I froze in fear. He chopped, and I peed. “Go clean yourself up he growled.” (I wonder how my head stayed attached to my body with that forceful chop).
Read MoreTwo of my favorite thematic units are the Jungle and the Zoo. These two units are such great companions! I begin with the study of the jungle and then move into study of zoo animals.
Read MoreMy mom told me that she wanted to name me Kathy, but she went with Kathleen because I was due on St. Patrick’s day. I also took a DNA test that told me I’m 4.9% Irish, so I guess there is nothing to do but embrace this lighthearted holiday, which is based on a patron Saint in Ireland that died in 461. Wow! That is a long time for a celebration to survive. The community where I currently live has a giant St. Patrick’s Day parade, started by a an Irish settler in the community four decades ago. His goal was to give opportunity for everyone to act like a kid again, which is something I do every day!
Read MoreI love bringing fairy and folk tales into my classroom, I could focus on these tales all year long and still not run out of fun, rigorous, and purposeful material for my students!
These great tales are a fabulous way to study positive and negative character traits, other cultures, learn effective decision making, how to handle conflict, and natural consequences. It’s no wonder that these tales have been told for centuries!
Read MoreI love constructing multimedia art projects with my students. Especially when it involves putting the child into the picture.
Read MoreHas anyone else extended themselves so far that they actually shut down? My guess is that I am not the only one. After all, feeling spread thin is actually the definition of being a teacher, wife, mother, husband, father, or simply put, human being.
Read MoreIn America, there has been a rush for pushed-down academics to prevent the failures of students in older grades. The academics of preschools, kindergarten, and 1st grade have been pushed to a full year beyond the expectations of previous times. In fact, it is very common to hear people refer to Kindergarten as the new First grade, or Preschool as the new Kindergarten.
Read MoreTeaching is a performance skill. Like a dancer who practices muscle movements daily until his body can perform intricate dance routines with ease, an actor who studies unconscious body movements until she can recreate them on the stage, or a writer who knows all of the elements of a well written tale so well that she can construct a page turning novel, teachers learn and practice the elements of lesson design, behavior management and modification, and lesson delivery, until these become second nature.
Read MoreHomework has become a hot button issue lately. Is it appropriate? Should it be sent home? Does it help academics? The truth is, that on Hattie’s scale of Visible Learning, homework only has an effect size of .16. Meaning, it really doesn’t matter if you send it home or not. Either way doesn’t have a large positive or negative effect on student learning.
Read MoreLook no further for some great Christmas and Winter Thematic units for your kindergarten, preschool, Pre-k, T-K or 1st grade classroom. All of these units are cross-curricular, strategically linked to the common core standards, and scripted for easy use.
Read MoreYour students will love making this adorable book of Christmas shapes. Not only is it a great and memorable keepsake, it is a great way to teach mathematical shapes to mastery. At the completion of the project my students usually pass off this common core standard with 100% accuracy; even the tricky hexagon!
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