tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56148666482574021102024-02-07T21:15:55.176-08:00Special Little LearnersSpecial Little Learnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329773400444676482noreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5614866648257402110.post-62536545786131835812019-09-14T14:25:00.000-07:002019-09-14T14:25:24.726-07:00Using Power Cards in the Elementary Classroom <!--StartFragment-->
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>What is a Power Card:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Power cards are a type of social narrative, similar to a social story. Unlike social stories, power cards are one page stories that include a topic that the student is very interested in. They are often paired with a social story. The cards describe the rules of how a student should behave in a certain situation (i.e. following rules in the lunchroom, following a classroom routine, or using calming strategies). They are an evidence-based practice for students with autism, but can be a helpful visual for many students. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSrc_7jGiPdNHR9rjejPv0gQPPCKSpeVbepkrUM8q53Qe09Kgmf9gGs1hbC-OaqbHzCuE1XS5b0B1Hz1gbgNr-bj2NZ4b9doS1paWjQZVzimEh-jtTN5SX_e-giDQKq3wFCgClvWasviba/s1600/ACS_0123.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1124" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSrc_7jGiPdNHR9rjejPv0gQPPCKSpeVbepkrUM8q53Qe09Kgmf9gGs1hbC-OaqbHzCuE1XS5b0B1Hz1gbgNr-bj2NZ4b9doS1paWjQZVzimEh-jtTN5SX_e-giDQKq3wFCgClvWasviba/s400/ACS_0123.jpg" width="332" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Developing a Power Card:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If you want to use a power card with a student, first identify the behavior you want to address. For example, I have used a power card with a student to increase the usage of coping skills when becoming upset. This particular student didn't have a strong interest in any one topic, so I made their power card generic. You can use specific characters or items that the student enjoys when creating a power card </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">(i.e. Paw Patrol characters, Dora the Explorer, superheroes, etc). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Once you identify the behavior, think about the reasons for the unexpected behavior and develop rules outlining the expected behavior. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>How to Use:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Be sure to introduce the card to the
student. Read through it and talk to them about it in a one-on-one setting. Ask
them comprehension questions about the card. You can have them read the card
before a situation that might trigger them or hand them the card when they
begin to become upset. You can also have the student practice using the card in role playing situations. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I have also placed the card on a
student’s desk at all times, so that it’s easily accessible. I would suggest only using the card in this way when a student has shown that they are able to use the card independently. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>I have created a generic power card to help a student know what to do when they are angry. It can be found <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Anger-Power-Card-A-Social-Narrative-4552779">HERE</a>. </i></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Anger-Power-Card-A-Social-Narrative-4552779"><img alt="Anger Power Card (A Social Narrative)" height="320" src="https://ecdn.teacherspayteachers.com/thumbitem/Anger-Power-Card-A-Social-Narrative--4552779-1557085932/original-4552779-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
Special Little Learnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329773400444676482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5614866648257402110.post-91736847547595320022019-07-29T11:26:00.000-07:002019-07-29T11:26:20.771-07:00Four Ways to Build Relationships in a Resource Room Setting<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It's no secret that building relationships in the classroom is <u>so</u> important. It is also important, but sometimes more difficult, in the resource setting when a teacher only sees students for 20-45 minutes at a time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Here are four tried and true ways to build community and relationships in a short amount of class time. </span><br />
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<u><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1. Ask questions.</span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One of the easiest ways to get to know your students is to simply ask them questions. Ask them about their family, their interests, what they did over the weekend, etc. Ask them follow up questions about what they've previously told you. Every Monday, I always take time to ask my students how their weekend was and what they did. This only takes a few minutes, but it's so worth it. Students love to share about themselves!</span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2. Share information about yourself.</span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Kids love to learn about their teachers. I always share about my weekends with them, pictures of my pets, and anything else that might be a way of connecting. When they ask me questions about my life, I typically answer them unless the question is too personal. My students love to hear stories about and see pictures my dog and cat. </span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">3. Use their interests to influence your lesson planning. </span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Once I know some of my students' interests, I can use them to plan activities and lessons. For example, I had a student who was really interested in dinosaurs. When I found this out, I found reading passages and activities about dinosaurs. Using these materials was a great way to build connection with this particular student and let him know I was listening when he would share information about his interests. </span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">4. Spend time in the beginning of the year team building before jumping into content.</span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I always spend time during the first few weeks team building and getting to know the kids before we jump into content. This is especially helpful if I haven't worked with them before, as they may not be comfortable with me yet. In previous years, I have used the <a href="http://www.leadershipchallenge.com/resource/challenging-the-process-with-the-marshmallow-challenge.aspx">Marshmallow Challenge</a> with older students. I also have students fill out my <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/All-About-Me-Handout-FREEBIE-1364918">All About Me</a> handout. With this, I can easily learn some of their favorite things. This give the other students and I a chance to talk about or favorite things, find similarities, and possibly learn about something new in a relaxing environment. I'm also able to get a sense of their current literacy skills. It's also interesting to look at at the end of the year to see how students have changed. </span><br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/All-About-Me-Handout-FREEBIE-1364918"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfcr7auxiDerEAqoYhzQrlo0k0IfdjpWeSLgsfCt4MW6oDOu0fy_2fCXC6-fd5CBJMMb62pOxgSoPUSXVBQmKtmckkKBhPhxtb-Omtj5lFQ0LVWRfr_3k-DT93kgm5OeRVNtcFWO393KSL/s320/All+About+Me+Handout+Cover.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This is an excerpt from my First Week of School: Icebreakers & Get to Know You Activities Pack which can be found <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/First-Week-of-School-Icebreakers-Get-to-Know-You-Activities-1338443">HERE</a>. Included in this pack are ELEVEN activities that can be used to build community and relationships in the first weeks of school. </span></div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/First-Week-of-School-Icebreakers-Get-to-Know-You-Activities-1338443"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6RoCPWRvkybvd6x_HVFHg9auBxg3sRMZWhvvD-BDrIczCDCnNHn8jWggDL5YPutxdihKXM4S9z0hrPOPQSfhqmk9e0YtFEi6cEQZBHzDUE-jH9hX50TYTEOs64FOytqoc6fgKu4LqA_0J/s320/Icebreakers+for+BTS+Cover+.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Special Little Learnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329773400444676482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5614866648257402110.post-27691668827048960462016-08-21T00:00:00.000-07:002016-08-21T00:00:20.944-07:00Back to School Blog Hop & GIVEAWAY!<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
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It's Back to School time! My students return in one week, so I am in full BTS prep mode.<br /></div>
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Special Little Learnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329773400444676482noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5614866648257402110.post-1010627070169911312016-06-28T14:07:00.000-07:002016-06-28T14:07:03.024-07:00Reflections on a 40 Books in 4 Months Challenge<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>What is it? Why would I do it?</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">A lot of my students are reluctant readers. They have struggled for a long time, don't always enjoy reading, and feel easily defeated when they pick up a book. I'm always trying to find ways to combat these feelings and get my students more motivated to read. </span><br />
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This spring, I challenged my 4th grade students to a "40 Books in 4 Months" Challenge. Essentially, they would need to read 40 books in 4 months. Since many of them read primarily picture books, I felt that it was within reach for all of them.<br />
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I didn't want them to feel overwhelmed and I wanted them to be consistently motivated, so I decided to do the challenge with them. That way, we could all hold each other accountable. I hoped that it would provide an added sense of motivation for them to "compete" with me.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>I chose to do this for three primary reasons:</i></span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">The more you read, the better you get. If my students are reading more, chances are they are going to improve in some aspect of their reading. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">I wanted them to push themselves to read more books and be successful in a challenge. Since my students struggle academically, they sometimes feel as though they are failures. I wanted them to see that they could be successful with an academic challenge. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">I wanted them to expand their reading horizons. With all of us completing the challenge together, I wanted students and myself to give each other recommendations and become exposed to books that we otherwise would not have read. </span></li>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>How to:</b></span></div>
I introduced the challenge in January by telling them I had a challenge for them to read 40 books by the end of the school year. A few looked at me like I was crazy and another told me there was no way he could do it. I reminded all of them of how I much I believed in them and knew they could complete this challenge. We officially began the challenge a few days later.<br />
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Since I was doing this in my resource classroom, I also made the general education teachers aware of the challenge so they could motivate the kids and support them.<br />
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I gave each student a square on my bulletin board, put their name up, and told them they could bring in a picture for the square if they wanted.<br />
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Once the challenge started, I initially counted books after they had completed an Accelerated Reader test. That way, they were also working on this school requirement. Once they met their AR goal, they would write down the book they read and the author for me. Every time they read a book, I would print out a picture of the book cover (found from google) and staple it in their square.<br />
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Once a week, they would count their covers and write their total on a sticky note. That way, they could see how they were progressing.<br />
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Once the four months was over, a good chunk of my students read 40 or more books (and I did too!). Those students were invited to my classroom for lunch for pizza and they also received a certificate. You can download the certificate for free <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7SfuRSrMxJ9T2YzUlhYZVhlZm8/view?usp=sharing">here</a>.<br />
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<img alt="Displaying IMG_1564.PNG" src="blob:https%3A//mail.google.com/102d0149-15ea-433e-ad73-b280019289fe" /><br />
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<b>Next Year:</b></div>
Many of them asked me if we would be doing the challenge again because they really enjoyed it. My goal is to start a full year challenge in the beginning of the school year, but with some added components to make it more engaging, student-led, and get some family support as well.<br />
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I would suggest a reading challenge for you students, especially if they are a group of reluctant readers!<br />
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Special Little Learnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329773400444676482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5614866648257402110.post-12589720921282569362016-04-24T06:00:00.000-07:002016-04-24T08:24:30.529-07:00End of Year Bloghop: Tips for the End of the School Year<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I'm linking up with some other great bloggers with some tips for the end of the school year. Blog hop through all the blogs and enter the raffle at the end of this post for a chance to win a $50 TpT and a $50 Target gift card! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>1: Prepare your kids for a crazy schedule!</b> Schedules can be a mess at the end of the year. Testing, fun days, field trip, and assemblies can throw a kink in a normally smooth schedule. This can cause a lot of stress and confusion, especially for our students with disabilities who struggle when there is a change in routine. With my students, giving them repeated reminders for the few days before a big schedule change seems to work well. Other students may need visual reminders that there are going to be schedule changes coming up. Be mindful of these students because the end of the year craziness is an especially difficult time for them. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>2: Utilize your helpers!</b> Every year we have to clean our rooms and get them ready for summer cleaning, which, depending on a variety of factors, can take hours. Ever since my first year of teaching, I have stressed to my students that the classroom is our classroom. Since it's our space, I use their help at the end of the year too. They love helping me take down bulletin boards, sort papers, clean desks, or whatever other small things need to be done. This is such a time saver when those work days come, I can focus on the paperwork and more important things. If you just dedicate a few minutes a day or every few days to those cleaning/organizing tasks, you'll be amazed at how much time is saved at the end of the year! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>3:</b> <b>Enjoy it! </b>This time of the year can be crazy. Testing, end of year paperwork, report cards, and all of the other stress can leave all of us feeling drained and counting down the days to the end of the year. My last piece of advice is to make sure you spend some of these last few days and weeks of school enjoying time with your students. Talk with them. Laugh with them. Do some fun activities with them. Eat lunch with them. Enjoy them before they head to the next grade or school and you don't get to see them everyday! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>My Secret Letter: O</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><a class="rcptr" data-raflid="cf379f0c1" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/cf379f0c1/" id="rcwidget_t0xpz0ra" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Hop to Shannon from <a href="http://teach2love.blogspot.com/2016/04/end-of-year-tips-gift-card-giveaway_24.html">Teach2Love </a>next and read about her tips for the end of the school year! </span></div>
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Special Little Learnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329773400444676482noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5614866648257402110.post-32255730669753787722016-04-04T18:12:00.001-07:002016-04-04T18:26:46.117-07:00Currently: April 2016<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">In an effort to get myself back into the blogging world, I'm linking up with <a href="http://www.ohboyitsfarley.com/">Farley </a>for this month's Currently. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><u>Listening</u>: I LOVE Bob's Burgers. My husband and I catch new episodes every week on Hulu.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><u>Loving</u>: Springtime--warmer weather, rain, flowers, longer days. I love it! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><u>Thinking</u>: I'm going on a cruise to Mexico, Belize, and Honduras next April and my husband and I are in the planning stages of a trip to the UK/Ireland sometime in the future. If you have suggestions, please share!! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><u>Wanting</u>: I got a massage over spring break and it was fantastic. I already want another one!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><u>Needing</u>: New clothes for warm weather! I might need another Stitch Fix soon!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><u>Whatever</u>: We went to the Outer Banks last week and took my puppy. He loved the beach so much! </span></div>
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Special Little Learnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329773400444676482noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5614866648257402110.post-76336842742912185342016-01-23T11:29:00.001-08:002016-01-23T11:29:48.125-08:00Say it, Move it, Write it {A Multi-Sensory Early Literacy Intervention}<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhahfjEFjLXodADEO9834Ro5iw1STDQde4_A6xxOvlkTSggYbnCd4tWdBxxahFd77e5mMqVMmv0C2mjxa3Myt7uqWS53ZC-XhTRARr3lOl3oVoeHf27jfdspJGY2PxPuc8cYAba1fBALFhb/s1600/Say+it+Move+it+Write+it+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhahfjEFjLXodADEO9834Ro5iw1STDQde4_A6xxOvlkTSggYbnCd4tWdBxxahFd77e5mMqVMmv0C2mjxa3Myt7uqWS53ZC-XhTRARr3lOl3oVoeHf27jfdspJGY2PxPuc8cYAba1fBALFhb/s320/Say+it+Move+it+Write+it+Cover.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">For the past few months, there's one activity I've kept in constant rotation with my first graders who are working on CVC words: <u>Say it, Move it, Write it.</u> This is a multi-sensory routine to build one or multiple beginning literacy skills. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Materials Needed:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">*Laminated Workmat (Click the picture below to get your free copy)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">*3 Chips, Cubes, or Manipulatives per Child</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">*Vis-a-Vis or Dry Erase Marker (Vis-a-Vis works so much better)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">*Eraser or Dry/Wet Paper Towels</span></div>
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7SfuRSrMxJ9d2xuYzRiMmgxRjA/view?usp=sharing" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9l4tzb97Wv8Ivl0GLIdAz3X1LamSjJxrI5Fs4NYKVEp56Vl0jjiAFWvoGmYtoaRiuYjyNtoRl7Pb1v296kG20mhEVLiyMFvW7doqxryNl1309MHMk-DIgSrzDjfG-xSQZHjQbom3uRFt_/s320/Say+it+Move+it+Write+it.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Since this is a routine, I try to keep my language the same each time. When explaining/demonstrating the steps, I will put my words in <b>bold </b>and my students' responses in <i>italics</i>.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Steps:</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">1. Choose 1-3 words to work on during your small group time. If I plan to spend more time manipulating a word, we will only work on one or two words. </span></div>
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2. <b>Phoneme Segmentation Portion:</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Say sat.</b> <i>Sat</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Say sat.</b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sat</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Say the sounds in sat. </b><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">/s/ /a/ /t/</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Say the sounds in sat. </b><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">/s/ /a/ /t/</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Move your chips & say the sounds in sat. </b>As they move the chips: <i>/s/ /a/ /t/</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Write the word sat.</b><i> </i>Students will write the word sat in the bottom boxes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">3. <b>Phoneme Manipulation Portion:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">During this portion, you can have your students change one letter or sound, flip letters/sounds, etc. What you have them do will really depend on their level at that time. For example, my group is only able to switch one sound at a time but you may have a group that can flip the beginning and ending sounds successfully. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Here is an example of how one part of the manipulation portion may look like in my room:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>What word did you write? </b><i>sat</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Touch the chip that sounds like /t/. </b><i>Students will then touch the third chip.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Change the /t/ to /m/. </b><i>Students will erase the t & write m. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>What's our new word?</b><i> Sam</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Say the sounds in Sam.</b> <i>/S/ /a/ /m/</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">*We may change letters more than once, time and attention span permitting. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJRUtvn0uAc32pAFKWC63qn2XkN5WuTIrHCRafDlnBbApAtIjJdw0TFt2oL0EOTG5lbrVhwOd_DkjwnOg4SDfh2kg7uDWF2EcllTbpP6N5YQj9ZlMTCU4S8_kVS4dkZdR0cyxY8RTX0azF/s640/blogger-image-1919464293.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJRUtvn0uAc32pAFKWC63qn2XkN5WuTIrHCRafDlnBbApAtIjJdw0TFt2oL0EOTG5lbrVhwOd_DkjwnOg4SDfh2kg7uDWF2EcllTbpP6N5YQj9ZlMTCU4S8_kVS4dkZdR0cyxY8RTX0azF/s640/blogger-image-1919464293.jpg" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">To begin a totally new word, they erase the whole sheet and put the chips back in the circle. When you first begin this process, it will take a little bit longer because they won't know the routine. After a few times, they will know the routine and it will work like clockwork!</span>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Note: This intervention can be/is tailored to hit a lot of areas: decoding, encoding, phonological awareness, & phonemic awareness. Make sure you put your own spin on it if my way isn't doesn't exactly fit the needs of your specific students.</span></i></div>
Special Little Learnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329773400444676482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5614866648257402110.post-72937705083480204652015-12-31T19:43:00.000-08:002015-12-31T19:43:23.484-08:00Reflections of 2015 {Linky Party}<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I can't believe that 2015 is almost over. Probably because this year really has flown by, but it could also be that it has been unseasonably warm here in North Carolina. It definitely does not feel like the very end of December.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">A lot of exciting things happened this year, and I'm linking up with<span style="background-color: white; color: #073763; line-height: 24px;"> </span><a href="http://www.ateenytinyteacher.com/" style="color: #444444; line-height: 24px;" target="_blank">Kristin</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #073763; line-height: 24px;">, </span><a href="http://www.dragonfliesinfirst.com/" style="color: #003366; line-height: 24px;" target="_blank">Traci</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #073763; line-height: 24px;"> and </span><a href="http://www.miss-kindergarten.com/" style="color: #444444; line-height: 24px;" target="_blank">Hadar</a> to talk about some of my favorite things that happened in 2015! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>{ONE}</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I got married! On July 18th, my now husband, Joe, and I got married in northern Michigan. It was a perfect day spent with all of the people we love! </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQpWDx2t_AO4EXygbChb44OGgfyCF38bOPJe-dqHfv8XgASzCRSZD0nMW8a-T_zKMTqDyBsXGlZOQxIuoChz_J3p7RLfOuYQcJiugbB_DUjog6PeGLvklLmCk6scLUd2KNZKGa3SOUBBhM/s1600/1eb74a90-c163-453f-9cd8-cea9d7733a4d.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQpWDx2t_AO4EXygbChb44OGgfyCF38bOPJe-dqHfv8XgASzCRSZD0nMW8a-T_zKMTqDyBsXGlZOQxIuoChz_J3p7RLfOuYQcJiugbB_DUjog6PeGLvklLmCk6scLUd2KNZKGa3SOUBBhM/s320/1eb74a90-c163-453f-9cd8-cea9d7733a4d.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>{TWO}</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I got my Master's degree! Earlier this month, I graduated with my Master's in Special Education. It took a lot of work (and made for a lot of busy weekends), but I am so happy to be done! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>{THREE} & {FOUR} </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">We went on our honeymoon! We waited until December to go since we got married in such a beautiful place and spent a week there after the wedding anyway. For the first part of the trip, we went on a cruise that stopped in Key West and Cozumel. Instead of spending the day in Cozumel, we decided to take an excursion to the Mayan ruins in Chichen Itza. It was so worth it! It was an amazing experience! We loved our cruise and are interested in taking another one in the future!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2xKeoL8RqUVCvfIwQXQp5Pl4sce6qbRKi6RFjou9eHfTGpWBufh8WtyMrsanbqMtRK0RCXgVJCpOE5ZySWdxHFrQ8UMPWIPFlOkz0S34OTiby3WXU2Co8FUe-F3Ghmu-h62-R6lXr1Atm/s1600/0089c344-95f3-4e43-b33a-3bf59e0933c7.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2xKeoL8RqUVCvfIwQXQp5Pl4sce6qbRKi6RFjou9eHfTGpWBufh8WtyMrsanbqMtRK0RCXgVJCpOE5ZySWdxHFrQ8UMPWIPFlOkz0S34OTiby3WXU2Co8FUe-F3Ghmu-h62-R6lXr1Atm/s320/0089c344-95f3-4e43-b33a-3bf59e0933c7.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">On the second leg of the trip, we spent two days at Disney World. We spent a day at Epcot and a day at Magic Kingdom and had a blast! </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDYNCzgbvY7tsK6eyhwuitl3pBK4G6B8qAzBVhDOoX3J1qDoxq2BrWCFMt3sGbEdWG5ebYtkMMV2IZwANsQ7UpuJYrr3MM4lrayRAtJmMqGlcIWjKpC-RoHH1O0B9sSWRg3R8KdpCkIOX6/s1600/8f323413-4d6e-4f6a-9cbe-98587442cfef.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDYNCzgbvY7tsK6eyhwuitl3pBK4G6B8qAzBVhDOoX3J1qDoxq2BrWCFMt3sGbEdWG5ebYtkMMV2IZwANsQ7UpuJYrr3MM4lrayRAtJmMqGlcIWjKpC-RoHH1O0B9sSWRg3R8KdpCkIOX6/s320/8f323413-4d6e-4f6a-9cbe-98587442cfef.png" width="255" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>{FIVE}</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">When we got back from our honeymoon, we picked up the newest member of our family, Barry! </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDOynb8Zj6fEUbMhyphenhyphenzscHlJXp_IrJa7OcsZXRE0o3Vo5QTOWSFco7kifdLlru-dHay4LOXY3sgitq-Lt4-YRqY-3WEchyphenhyphenDu3vfHvRxreMguUH3TmRgVkru3nGdSndxmk3T1GEMRBnV338w/s1600/8d765d9d-cc4a-47a8-850e-81bc7c6407aa.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDOynb8Zj6fEUbMhyphenhyphenzscHlJXp_IrJa7OcsZXRE0o3Vo5QTOWSFco7kifdLlru-dHay4LOXY3sgitq-Lt4-YRqY-3WEchyphenhyphenDu3vfHvRxreMguUH3TmRgVkru3nGdSndxmk3T1GEMRBnV338w/s320/8d765d9d-cc4a-47a8-850e-81bc7c6407aa.png" width="245" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>{SIX}</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">This summer, the Rolling Stones came to Raleigh and I was able to snag tickets to see them! They were at the top of my concert wish list and they were worth every single penny I paid for the tickets. It's amazing that they are still able to put on such a mind-blowing show after all of these years!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSvrkLp13cLQeNhYbyQVbglXBWlntWZGd0EXYhkwdintv9JrWF9CpzUqlL0EUyIDFqGOoeUHtK50WnIqIAPqusbjR2mODQgCLTl_KcPS_D5ZWYG98qPGpf6ElVFIwa5Csl-A-F1XYy2nLk/s1600/f96f6e29-c5d8-493f-8641-df39852743b4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSvrkLp13cLQeNhYbyQVbglXBWlntWZGd0EXYhkwdintv9JrWF9CpzUqlL0EUyIDFqGOoeUHtK50WnIqIAPqusbjR2mODQgCLTl_KcPS_D5ZWYG98qPGpf6ElVFIwa5Csl-A-F1XYy2nLk/s320/f96f6e29-c5d8-493f-8641-df39852743b4.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">2015 was a pretty fantastic year and I cannot wait to see what 2016 brings. Happy New Year, everyone!</span></div>
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Special Little Learnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329773400444676482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5614866648257402110.post-87513338701055223932015-10-14T15:24:00.000-07:002015-10-14T15:24:17.156-07:00Building Automaticity with Letter Combination Sounds<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I gave my students a phonics assessment in the beginning of the school year. You know what I found? My students had some major gaps in their knowledge of the sound(s) that a combination of letters makes. For example, many of them couldn't tell me that ph sounds like /f/. I realized that I needed to address this issue ASAP, in order to improve my students' decoding skills. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">One way I've decided to tackle this problem is with flashcards. These flashcards that you can download for free below include various letter combinations (blends, digraphs, vowel pairs, ets). I use them in a small group or when working one-on-one with a child. It only takes a couple minutes and really builds that automaticity they need for successful decoding. It also makes a great time filler when you finish a lesson a few minutes early!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">When we get to a card where the children hesitate to answer or answer incorrectly, I stop and quickly teach the sound(s) and give one or two examples. This has been really helpful for my kiddos! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Click <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7SfuRSrMxJ9UEhDVFNEX1ZzNG8/view?usp=sharing">here </a>to download the cards. </span></div>
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7SfuRSrMxJ9UEhDVFNEX1ZzNG8/view?usp=sharing"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgui9NQMPrU-YDwVPwPmHGkZbqlJLfEMGoPqXKfhgOTCeZxPh66zMtmuezBs75zp5nwkAuplj2Ss_LxlORHi8dztpyEZm-3TeMgKYCYrWL3ZUMG004mpEeyR7V3XHJRgoJ_Ca2AIIYOxu8v/s320/IMG_0642.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div>
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Special Little Learnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329773400444676482noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5614866648257402110.post-29636545622981083442015-10-04T18:56:00.000-07:002015-10-04T18:56:18.784-07:00Currently {October}<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">It's OCTOBER, which means it's time to link up with <a href="http://ohboy3rdgrade.blogspot.com/2015/10/currently-october-2015.html">Farley </a>for this month's Currently!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><u>Listening</u>: I feel like, in the fall, football is always on the TV. Since I'm not a big football fan, this is a perfect time for me to get some work done!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><u>Loving</u>: We are finally seeing some cool fall weather in NC and I love it! It is so hot in NC for so long that I am so grateful when it gets cooler.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><u>Thinking</u>: Yesterday, I attended EdCampWake in Raleigh. If you've never been to an EdCamp before, they are an amazing professional development opportunity. I'm planning a blog post soon to share some of my reflections. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><u>Wanting</u>: It has been raining for over a week in NC. I love rain, but I have had enough. I am ready to see some sun!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><u>Needing</u>: I need to finish this week's homework for my grad school class. This is my last class and I am so excited to be so close to the end!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><u>Boo-tiful</u>: Fall is my favorite and I love when the leaves change. We don't have any change in leaves yet, but I am ready for it to start!</span></div>
<br />Special Little Learnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329773400444676482noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5614866648257402110.post-70974399276073171242015-09-26T18:30:00.002-07:002015-09-26T18:30:38.868-07:00IEP Input Form {FREEBIE}<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">One of my goals for this school year is to increase communication--with gen ed teachers, parents, administrators, etc. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">One way I'm doing this is by getting more structured feedback from gen ed teachers about a child when I'm preparing rough drafts of IEPs. Previously, I had gotten my information through emails or discussions, but I didn't have a specific form that I used to collect teacher input. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">To ensure that I had information in all of the areas I needed, I created my own form. I will hand these out to a child's gen ed teacher a few weeks before the IEP meeting, so they have plenty of time to fill it out and then I will use their information when writing the IEP. It will be very helpful in getting more detailed information about a child's behavior and performance in the general education classroom during this school year!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Click below to get a free copy of the form!</span></div>
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Special Little Learnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329773400444676482noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5614866648257402110.post-25101319707410550102015-09-11T20:53:00.000-07:002015-09-11T20:53:11.370-07:00Five for Friday {September 11}<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Happy Friday! Although this has been a short week, it's been pretty exhausting! Short weeks always feel the longest to me!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I'm linking up with <a href="http://doodlebugsteaching.blogspot.com/2015/04/five-for-friday-linky-party-april-17th.html" target="_blank">Doodle Bugs Teaching</a> to talk about what's been going on this week!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I've mentioned before that I'm using Reading Mastery in my classroom with my 4th graders this year. We are loving it! They are staying engaged, feeling confident, and are learning! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcAbvAyM-u5zaNCxK7mPRFNfnxv2FjYuilEQJEnyViWIqjJkjo1DF_z6cRVnyfH7mMcDFR-7KYJAVu1UZyKy_GhQUdSN9MJiSNi3r_6jRRKOXZrm25J4xrSJrwzDjA5I1iGe83KNt417el/s640/blogger-image-1583157340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcAbvAyM-u5zaNCxK7mPRFNfnxv2FjYuilEQJEnyViWIqjJkjo1DF_z6cRVnyfH7mMcDFR-7KYJAVu1UZyKy_GhQUdSN9MJiSNi3r_6jRRKOXZrm25J4xrSJrwzDjA5I1iGe83KNt417el/s640/blogger-image-1583157340.jpg" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">One important component of Reading Mastery is the teacher-student game. Essentially, I give points when my students are following the rules and working hard. Before we started the game, I had the group agree on their reward when they received 100 points. One group is getting so close and they are so excited! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirzXJIyjTPxLXDThJH1CN8Fcmy-JyijdYcSjclxeD923F-3TsYtYxpD6NNyHavVDGJOu5EDZMyNrUidljfdLp_D_7KUssbGCB88o6ckQ2vSXpzVxsTiT05zyo1vWXrQ9hKTVBSqtOcVNF0/s640/blogger-image--1802649452.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirzXJIyjTPxLXDThJH1CN8Fcmy-JyijdYcSjclxeD923F-3TsYtYxpD6NNyHavVDGJOu5EDZMyNrUidljfdLp_D_7KUssbGCB88o6ckQ2vSXpzVxsTiT05zyo1vWXrQ9hKTVBSqtOcVNF0/s640/blogger-image--1802649452.jpg" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">My third graders have been working on arrays. To make it more fun, I found online flash cards so my students could tap the iPad to get their next multiplication sentence. Sometimes small tweaks, like using online flash cards instead of writing down new equations, really makes it more engaging for them! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTXJcqtMKgw8HGduKYIgEIiJW96gYZ68VxCFPS3mI8Vt07_HQrZCbpYlD6z6z_CanWMiVsSbAQ56Ka7SvPmc-fj9I3zMsT2rdAOSBmJ_77m-d6N0lIUtgjAHbU1ih18qUH4OslJhXxaUca/s640/blogger-image-1031172833.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTXJcqtMKgw8HGduKYIgEIiJW96gYZ68VxCFPS3mI8Vt07_HQrZCbpYlD6z6z_CanWMiVsSbAQ56Ka7SvPmc-fj9I3zMsT2rdAOSBmJ_77m-d6N0lIUtgjAHbU1ih18qUH4OslJhXxaUca/s640/blogger-image-1031172833.jpg" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">We also used Legos to make arrays! They really loved this! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIYBPIrZmJYHdZWgwrVH5ZctqTP5ao89PBAAnWTPx4Bzg2SQlYTqoibRWbotcuL7yit1pRE7bCi0Y1hySGXKo_4Wj2Z7HkOHOFyzmzkBR-ecaR9rQ0la4NYHCesTywAxnuHhTKOE_btiQh/s640/blogger-image--2000099279.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIYBPIrZmJYHdZWgwrVH5ZctqTP5ao89PBAAnWTPx4Bzg2SQlYTqoibRWbotcuL7yit1pRE7bCi0Y1hySGXKo_4Wj2Z7HkOHOFyzmzkBR-ecaR9rQ0la4NYHCesTywAxnuHhTKOE_btiQh/s640/blogger-image--2000099279.jpg" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); font-size: large;">I'm trying to get my students to think more about their learning, so I created this anchor chart (inspiration from Lacquer, Teach, Repeat) to get them thinking. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD8FB1JdGWrAp-3vsowimZ1cNUEZuh-wJSc1PH8uslGE91PpHn6p7-lusoqZoL-oJxHqaELGy8c8Ep5VtMUhrlKxkQURBUg_uxM-twlSWCXGHjgP0jPh4qXpslCprT7b2EHKnSmMQAdv36/s640/blogger-image--694608150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD8FB1JdGWrAp-3vsowimZ1cNUEZuh-wJSc1PH8uslGE91PpHn6p7-lusoqZoL-oJxHqaELGy8c8Ep5VtMUhrlKxkQURBUg_uxM-twlSWCXGHjgP0jPh4qXpslCprT7b2EHKnSmMQAdv36/s640/blogger-image--694608150.jpg" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Even though I worked with almost all of my students last year, we did a few get to know you activities just to get back into the swing of things. Here's one activity from my <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/First-Week-of-School-Icebreakers-Get-to-Know-You-Activities-1338443">Back to School Icebreaker</a> pack that they absolutely loved!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4WQ94vPosa3kcW1NaBUcCngDBG4iv7etGPIBrcITkUbBEOyZdki4f6JVvzLCVrkh9ujJDHMR1pau5fAOUsbGLp1IZEYddbV-lQTkiiXFZZoKBzSrRkiV4XklhjQQwItmZuneEAAm8_UOs/s640/blogger-image-769011303.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4WQ94vPosa3kcW1NaBUcCngDBG4iv7etGPIBrcITkUbBEOyZdki4f6JVvzLCVrkh9ujJDHMR1pau5fAOUsbGLp1IZEYddbV-lQTkiiXFZZoKBzSrRkiV4XklhjQQwItmZuneEAAm8_UOs/s640/blogger-image-769011303.jpg" /></a></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/First-Week-of-School-Icebreakers-Get-to-Know-You-Activities-1338443"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><img alt="First Week of School: Icebreakers & Get to Know You Activities" src="https://mcdn1.teacherspayteachers.com/thumbitem/First-Week-of-School-Icebreakers-Get-to-Know-You-Activities-1338443/original-1338443-1.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><img alt="Divider-5_thumb3" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Oaf2ZvrE0Es/VTBTXMYK9xI/AAAAAAAAdRM/-hQ9DXGg15s/Divider-5_thumb3_thumb%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">My youngest kiddos forgot some of their letter names and sounds over the summer, so we are spending lots of time refreshing these skills. My <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/First-Sound-Fluency-Activities-1718310">First Sound Fluency</a> Pack has been really helpful for this!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJfQwMz-TQiHmFjI_qx7vyE1icLSjetq3OuoEFH8Uvm-LP2lKb4JP0e2SFHXGuK9y41v5IFp8SwPtQQbvNQBb_Tze2V4CpRm5Fc9ukDToKyWAsTXIJLs2uGmpla58r2QOteEG1QLnl5Opk/s640/blogger-image-1011770187.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJfQwMz-TQiHmFjI_qx7vyE1icLSjetq3OuoEFH8Uvm-LP2lKb4JP0e2SFHXGuK9y41v5IFp8SwPtQQbvNQBb_Tze2V4CpRm5Fc9ukDToKyWAsTXIJLs2uGmpla58r2QOteEG1QLnl5Opk/s320/blogger-image-1011770187.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/First-Sound-Fluency-Activities-1718310"><img alt="First Sound Fluency Activities" src="https://mcdn.teacherspayteachers.com/thumbitem/First-Sound-Fluency-Activities/original-1718310-1.jpg" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Have a great weekend!</span></div>
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Special Little Learnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329773400444676482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5614866648257402110.post-77284876285082714272015-08-31T18:32:00.000-07:002015-08-31T18:32:06.138-07:00Teacher Week--Five Things About Me!<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">It's Teacher Week over at <a href="http://imbloghoppin.blogspot.com/">Blog Hoppin'</a>, so today I'm linking up to share five fun facts about me! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I got married on July 18th! Not to sound cliche, but it really was the best day ever! All of our family and friends were in the same place and I married my best friend. This past month and a half of marriage has been fantastic, and we are looking forward to spending the rest of forever together!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">This semester is my last semester of graduate school! I will graduate in September with my Master's in Special Education. It's been such a fantastic experience over the past two years and I am so excited to get my diploma in three months!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Ernie is my furbaby! He is a year and a half old and has so much personality. He really brings such joy to my life and I'm so glad he's a part of the family!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I love to travel anywhere and everywhere! My next big trip is my honeymoon to Key West and Cozumel in December. I am so excited to visit these places! If anyone has recommendations or travel tips, please share!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxTJCBkl2ovJIu_jy6C_rnq3jm6v1RJ9nYGXkmWbfQ5akEYo_6MY-4Vwr4OFYYLatDCJkdj3TloPbQS_5cikxeKtZCrydt6Pm3k49P7_-Lv9geLRw7CKAWEL-z-EwUreSUJX87EaqRwlDu/s1600/Slide5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxTJCBkl2ovJIu_jy6C_rnq3jm6v1RJ9nYGXkmWbfQ5akEYo_6MY-4Vwr4OFYYLatDCJkdj3TloPbQS_5cikxeKtZCrydt6Pm3k49P7_-Lv9geLRw7CKAWEL-z-EwUreSUJX87EaqRwlDu/s320/Slide5.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">My undergrad degree is from Michigan State. It was a fantastic four years and I feel so lucky to have had such a great college experience. Go Green!</span></div>
Special Little Learnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329773400444676482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5614866648257402110.post-52838065426880972532015-08-21T13:47:00.000-07:002015-08-21T17:55:53.976-07:00Classroom Reveal {2015-2016}<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This year I moved from my teeny tiny old classroom into a kindergarten classroom that wasn't being used. I have at least four times as much space! I tried to fill up the room as much as I could but still leave it open and spacious. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj424H2Jp0F1P-YYhDzg5R7UGb9nOv54yv5UAzJbhn1WA5EOBtMhv9IoeQNBhlgXBNt33u9sawaC6mTvJizBJlClJtb5LTx5Hw8d_M3fOIfbXHetXqI3XZaV6pHr9em5b_LjF8G_Wh5A35G/s1600/photo+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj424H2Jp0F1P-YYhDzg5R7UGb9nOv54yv5UAzJbhn1WA5EOBtMhv9IoeQNBhlgXBNt33u9sawaC6mTvJizBJlClJtb5LTx5Hw8d_M3fOIfbXHetXqI3XZaV6pHr9em5b_LjF8G_Wh5A35G/s320/photo+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320"></a></div>
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This is the view from my teacher desk in the corner. Behind me is a whole wall of cabinets! They are filled with tons of stuff, since my room had been used as storage for the past few years. Hopefully they will get organized little by little throughout the year! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKPopY2Zqv7tHCgufnJP2o4BC_AksOgbmu3cJ_N8j5uyRcUTaywnY-fkFgpxIQiP_QXaTOhk2SDHLK24C4Rn7PTmcewyw_7NhoFnCoF-MVekskYqbFUoeMewH9DitITTfyH_4sVvJFAZ_P/s1600/IMG_0534.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKPopY2Zqv7tHCgufnJP2o4BC_AksOgbmu3cJ_N8j5uyRcUTaywnY-fkFgpxIQiP_QXaTOhk2SDHLK24C4Rn7PTmcewyw_7NhoFnCoF-MVekskYqbFUoeMewH9DitITTfyH_4sVvJFAZ_P/s320/IMG_0534.jpg" width="320"></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">This is my word wall board. I'm going to put all of the words on rings so that students can take them off and utilize them more than if they were just stapled to the board. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGObPe_1H-f96oEXnaBt6CQSGvik4s896N1SxkIY2t78Lg-Bvg-EqqSDyGboAhr_l9xKKRGzr4YV3bwmNdPP6nU2nCh8Zcjr-FhWiRLO0_rt6D_qCYz0wJb-w3vnU2Th6MrQIVaM51qkvZ/s1600/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGObPe_1H-f96oEXnaBt6CQSGvik4s896N1SxkIY2t78Lg-Bvg-EqqSDyGboAhr_l9xKKRGzr4YV3bwmNdPP6nU2nCh8Zcjr-FhWiRLO0_rt6D_qCYz0wJb-w3vnU2Th6MrQIVaM51qkvZ/s320/photo.jpg" width="320"></a></div>
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The bulletin board to the left is blank now, but I will fill it with anchor charts as soon as we get started. Also, how cute is this alphabet from Doodlebugs Teaching? This is my second year using it and I love it so much! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNnAYfdu2GygiGxn8r_Yp4C5T3HhCPt9G74UCVkbpYaRFRavsF8auKP9sU-sqqPwiPlZirsMd5xfROe2fxwI2BcjW0SYJMoCQR-Kf15QUi-9rYTwPxqwykG_7lDhe_I-Xc9O_P_8j7tMm1/s1600/photo+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNnAYfdu2GygiGxn8r_Yp4C5T3HhCPt9G74UCVkbpYaRFRavsF8auKP9sU-sqqPwiPlZirsMd5xfROe2fxwI2BcjW0SYJMoCQR-Kf15QUi-9rYTwPxqwykG_7lDhe_I-Xc9O_P_8j7tMm1/s320/photo+%25283%2529.jpg" width="240"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Last year, I didn't have a pencil system so this year I have a sharpened and unsharpened bin. I'm hoping this works a lot better. I'm prepared with a lot of sharpened pencils already! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxkp8rVNpS_fmHLbbZVd8G8dz8BV0kcfZEX3lth25sa16FCVrMd-zra0rPK89LNGZgbhvs4ddT6fbJMAUJxdtIW980cmPO8yMm0CR5cqFkrZD58SNBrcNYpXGa-wUtlCz2Adn4pXRFoNwj/s1600/photo+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxkp8rVNpS_fmHLbbZVd8G8dz8BV0kcfZEX3lth25sa16FCVrMd-zra0rPK89LNGZgbhvs4ddT6fbJMAUJxdtIW980cmPO8yMm0CR5cqFkrZD58SNBrcNYpXGa-wUtlCz2Adn4pXRFoNwj/s320/photo+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This year we have an ocean theme at our school, so I decided to fit that in with my beginning of the year bulletin board. I tried to make a sailboat to add more to the board, but failed miserably! I'm excited about how this turned out though! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Thanks for reading! I hope everyone has a great start to the school year!! </div>
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Special Little Learnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329773400444676482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5614866648257402110.post-36302225321092701392015-08-08T19:55:00.000-07:002016-06-28T14:19:20.936-07:00Growth Mindset Series: Part 1 {What is it? Why is it important?}<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">There's been a lot of talk on Twitter and Instagram lately about mindset and how we can build a growth mindset in our students and school community. Since I've spent a lot of time recently researching and reading about the subject, I want to share some of those things with you! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9OX1am-NTwpcoGaoIe47_m0jdRL3XTIYS_eENaFxtsqaP2Xk2ZoVqbGYlECHRsYH7ACo7CAVe-cZcFwOIxfbE5aMENQvAFmtAmZwwXZwjshyDV7MyqrytbTdo-gC8Rrh0Y62NkVMNzDYA/s1600/Slide2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9OX1am-NTwpcoGaoIe47_m0jdRL3XTIYS_eENaFxtsqaP2Xk2ZoVqbGYlECHRsYH7ACo7CAVe-cZcFwOIxfbE5aMENQvAFmtAmZwwXZwjshyDV7MyqrytbTdo-gC8Rrh0Y62NkVMNzDYA/s400/Slide2.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">One of my primary goals for the school year is to work to build a growth mindset in all of my students. That might seem like a lofty goal, since many of my students struggle to believe they can succeed, since they've spent their whole academic careers struggling and working below grade level. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">First of all, what is growth mindset? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk38aQ61fxzHQLPTlz7K_H7ShLXDD2lG1rO5rZS5pwFaYCiRBS-XpXyEM4zSyCFEiWd_As_lDBfK0DlzZJ7FJzA1qBDBPN4eMM9HzgKXyFNEzKi2pmw2ErmtPIBSnZhVEoe6XDBQ40OrKN/s1600/Slide3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk38aQ61fxzHQLPTlz7K_H7ShLXDD2lG1rO5rZS5pwFaYCiRBS-XpXyEM4zSyCFEiWd_As_lDBfK0DlzZJ7FJzA1qBDBPN4eMM9HzgKXyFNEzKi2pmw2ErmtPIBSnZhVEoe6XDBQ40OrKN/s400/Slide3.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Our mindset (and our students') really determines how we approach our jobs, relationships, and other aspects of our lives. People can fall into one of two categories: a fixed mindset or a growth mindset. You can take a quiz to find out your mindset <a href="http://mindsetonline.com/testyourmindset/step1.php">here</a>. If you have older students, you could also have them take the quiz to find out their mindsets. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Here are some characteristics of each mindset. When reading through these, think about where your students, especially those that are struggling, fall. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiblpiLeG_rvAugjnobBqtbMDdhSRlW1SappJQicRJE9oSxufKTkzGhV1LrG-ubLiWOw4IkGlDuwdQY4dYW83kjVGZCckTR24-A0ZZ3y8bVH93K30Ttlw2Un8MMMu2HrqPm_Vio_GGcHwR4/s1600/Slide4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiblpiLeG_rvAugjnobBqtbMDdhSRlW1SappJQicRJE9oSxufKTkzGhV1LrG-ubLiWOw4IkGlDuwdQY4dYW83kjVGZCckTR24-A0ZZ3y8bVH93K30Ttlw2Un8MMMu2HrqPm_Vio_GGcHwR4/s400/Slide4.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">In our classrooms, we really want students to have a growth mindset, but, honestly, a lot of our students will probably have fixed mindsets. Sometimes, that can make it hard for us to teach and help students grow to their potential. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3cnORdNdZs4TB5l7l3_WDsYYTXrSQT-s6gZpkWAde_Xc82SS_rQ8jEqZm5Tyu1cX7OPKzMsHoppaZ2MjT8hVdgoYjcqfLBbOmfvu2FPH1Ze9_kfyUurygBxFrx-7Zs2tXnUOA40XhpEiT/s1600/Slide5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3cnORdNdZs4TB5l7l3_WDsYYTXrSQT-s6gZpkWAde_Xc82SS_rQ8jEqZm5Tyu1cX7OPKzMsHoppaZ2MjT8hVdgoYjcqfLBbOmfvu2FPH1Ze9_kfyUurygBxFrx-7Zs2tXnUOA40XhpEiT/s400/Slide5.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Helping our students have a growth mindset is so, so important. One important thing to remember is that it's hard to teach students to have a growth mindset if you don't have one yourself! Evaluate your mindset, and if you don't have a growth mindset, reflect on how you're mindset is fixed and think of possible ways to change that! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">If you want to know more about growth mindset, the hashtag #growthmindset on Twitter is pretty popular and helpful! </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Also, this </span><a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/carol_dweck_the_power_of_believing_that_you_can_improve?language=en" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;">TedTalk</a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> by Carol Dweck, the pioneer researcher on growth mindset, is very informative!</span></div>
Special Little Learnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329773400444676482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5614866648257402110.post-566141289856691662015-08-01T20:44:00.000-07:002015-08-01T20:48:37.645-07:00Currently {August} <div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I'm linking up with Farley over at <a href="http://ohboy3rdgrade.blogspot.com/2015/08/currently-august-2015.html">Oh' Boy 4th Grade</a> for this month's currently.</span></div>
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<a href="http://ohboy3rdgrade.blogspot.com/2015/08/currently-august-2015.html"><img src="http://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/04fallingstar/Custom%20Blog%20Design/Meghan%20Farley/3am_MF_button2_zps7f6923d7.png" height="197" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I can't believe it's already August! In less than two weeks I'll be back at school for teacher work days. This summer has really flown by, but I am getting ready for another school year to start! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><u>Listening</u>: I finished watching Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp today, so now I'm just watching reruns of Parks & Rec while I try to get some work done. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><u>Loving</u>: When I ordered my Erin Condren Life Planner months ago, I bought the quick print version that didn't come with a personalized cover. I finally ordered a new cover and it came today. I love it! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><u>Thinking</u>: This is my last weekend of summer break, so I want to plan a weekend trip to the Outer Banks. I live only about 3 hours away, so it's a pretty quick trip. A few days of relaxation will be nice before I get back into full Back to School mode. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><u>Wanting</u>: I haven't been in my classroom yet this summer, but I'm excited to get back in their soon and get to work! I'm moving into a new, much bigger classroom this year and I even get a SmartBoard. I am so excited to get everything set up. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><u>Needing</u>: I am in need of new borders for my bulletin boards. I've found a bunch that I want from Creative Teaching Press and I'm going to order some as soon as I narrow down what I actually need. I've seen a bunch of great bulletin boards using the hashtag #tptcheckoutmyclassroom on Instagram. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><u>B2S RAK</u>: I am so lucky to work in a really positive environment. There really is a sense of teamwork and community within the staff at my school. This year, I want to work to increase that. I love the idea of putting positive notes in my co-workers mailboxes.</span></div>
Special Little Learnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329773400444676482noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5614866648257402110.post-4285687855039167582015-07-25T21:00:00.000-07:002015-07-25T21:00:00.079-07:00SPED Summer Bloghop: Week 5 {First Week of School}<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> <img alt="Displaying SpEd Summer Blog Hop_MAIN.png" height="249" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=8cd3810e83&view=fimg&th=14e097a25ffa697b&attid=0.1&disp=inline&realattid=f_ib2y2ru40&safe=1&attbid=ANGjdJ8sVoIxr0nd7NEfU3uTr-66PFAQtmeHlcvGq9mXOU8DQoegdbzTJZ3amJHRk5aulLz4MIOn-M1Oyk4Vgmq_o1aL60QUlaz7dsog-Ew1p1tVDVY6QlVx78ghx2U&ats=1437862285203&rm=14e097a25ffa697b&zw&sz=w1342-h523" width="320" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">It's time for week five of the SPED Summer Bloghop! This week we're discussing the first week of school. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The first week of school is always a whirlwind for me. It's such a busy week of getting to know students, figuring out what they know, and getting all of the beginning of the year paperwork out of the way. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">In an inclusion/resource setting, there's a lot to do in the first week. I spend most of of that time really getting to know my students, especially if I've never worked with them before. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Because schedules can change and I want my students to get to know their classmates, general ed teachers, and rules and procedures, I spend the first day or two in the general ed classroom. This allows me to get familiar with my students and see what they know without taking them away from the important beginning of the year activities. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">When students do start coming into my classroom, I like do some get to know you activities and some pre-assessments. For me to plan my instruction, I really have to know where my students are, especially since most of my instruction isn't on grade level. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I'm using the Reading Mastery program this year with my older students, which has a built in pre-assessment. For my younger students, I do a sight word assessments and a comprehension passage to see what they know. I also use beginning of the year mClass/DIBELS once the general education teachers have the data. As a resource/inclusion teacher, it is so important to talk to the general ed teacher and get as much info and data from them as possible. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I have my students fill out a beginning of the year "All About Me" sheet on the first day. This is a helpful way to find out some basic information about my students. Also, the time that they are answering the questions is a great time to strike up a conversation with your kids. It's a low pressure time to really get to know them. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">*Also, you can use the favorites that they share on the sheet to find ways to engage them on activities. For example, if a student really likes horses, create activities that include horses. They will be interested in the activity and be practicing the standards at the same time!* </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">You can download the "All About Me" sheet that I use <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/All-About-Me-Handout-FREEBIE-1364918">here</a>: </span><br />
<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/All-About-Me-Handout-FREEBIE-1364918"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><img alt="All About Me Handout {FREEBIE}" src="https://mcdn.teacherspayteachers.com/thumbitem/All-About-Me-Handout-FREEBIE-1364918/original-1364918-1.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">It's actually a part of my full Back to School Icebreaker Pack that you can find <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/First-Week-of-School-Icebreakers-Get-to-Know-You-Activities-1338443">here</a>: </span><br />
<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/First-Week-of-School-Icebreakers-Get-to-Know-You-Activities-1338443"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><img alt="First Week of School: Icebreakers & Get to Know You Activities" src="https://mcdn1.teacherspayteachers.com/thumbitem/First-Week-of-School-Icebreakers-Get-to-Know-You-Activities-1338443/original-1338443-1.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Tips for the First Week of School: </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">1. <i>Overplan</i>. If you don't know your students, you don't know how fast they will complete activities. It could be twice as fast as you plan for, and you don't want to be left with free time. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">2. <i>Get to know your students.</i> People really aren't exaggerating when they say that building relationships with your students is a key factor to success during the school year. Without those relationships, the school year can become so much more difficult. Take time to ask your students about themselves, tell them things about you, and show them that you care about them. It really will make a world of difference. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">3. <i>Get as much data as you can on your students</i>. When you know where they are academically, you can use that to help you plan upcoming lessons and activities. It also informs you on where they are in regards to IEP goal progress. Don't overwhelm them with pre-assessments though. Try to assess their skills in more fun and engaging ways. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">4. <i>Try not to get overwhelmed.</i> The first week of school is crazy. Don't beat yourself up if you don't fit something in or you feel like you could have done better. Reflect on what happened and try to do better next time. No teacher is perfect but as long as you're reflecting and always trying to get better, you're doing an awesome job! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 25.2000007629395px;">Visit Julie at <a href="http://www.superheroesinsped.com/2015/07/special-ed-blog-hop-week-5-first-week.html">Superheroes in SPED</a></span><a href="http://www.theeagerteacher.com/2015/07/back-to-school-forms-summer-blog-hop.html" style="background-color: white; color: #ec499b; line-height: 25.2000007629395px; text-decoration: none;"> </a><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 25.2000007629395px;">to see what she does in the first week of school!</span></span><br />
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Special Little Learnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329773400444676482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5614866648257402110.post-65167025651467870862015-07-12T09:03:00.000-07:002015-07-12T09:03:01.093-07:00SPED Summer Bloghop: Week 3 {Back to School Forms}<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">It's time for Week 3 of the SPED Summer Blog Hop! This week we are talking all about Back to School Forms. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><img alt="Displaying Week 3.png" height="246" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=8cd3810e83&view=fimg&th=14e097a25ffa697b&attid=0.5&disp=inline&realattid=f_ib2y2rvv4&safe=1&attbid=ANGjdJ-YYXeVU_zo5hVBO7YhKvL5tFldu3zX6lgFCkbKoPBP6e5W2-6Zd13a2PH3QqMeEq0nDgMn1K9xG8PhPIJCzsQ2T73qcfFk2_PXwtiCUWx9SdZozwHbSHxLJm8&ats=1436633183008&rm=14e097a25ffa697b&zw&sz=w1342-h523" width="320" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Before the school year starts, I provide all of the regular education teachers with an IEP snapshot. On this, I share the child's disabilities, the type and amount of special education services they receive, an overview of their classroom accommodations, and any other information I have that can help the teachers work with our students. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>**Keep your eyes out for a freebie IEP snapshot coming soon**</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">These forms list all of the testing accommodations that my students will receive on end of the year assessments. I hand these out to the general education teachers so my students are given these accommodations throughout the school year, so they are comfortable when they receive them on benchmarks and end of the year assessments. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I did not do this last year, but this year I plan to send home a parent letter. Many of my students' parents did not show up to our open house, so the first time I met a lot of them was at their child's annual review IEP meeting. Even though I know many of my parents this year because I worked with them last year, I want to give them a letter with my contact information so they can reach me if they need to. I haven't made it yet, so I'd love to hear any tips you have on parent letters, especially for inclusion/resource teachers!</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Make more copies than you need! We have so many kids moving in the beginning of the school year in our district that my case load changes a lot in the first few weeks of school! Always make more, so you won't have to run to the copy machine every time something changes.<br /></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Give the general education teachers as much information as you can before the first day for kids. The more they know and the earlier they know it, the better they can differentiate instruction and activities to meet the needs of all of the learners in their classrooms.<br /></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Talk with the general education teachers to see what information they are sending home with the kids in the first week. If they are asking parents to return a survey about their child's learning style or a questionnaire with important contact information, ask them to share it with you. The information could be valuable as you plan your instruction or contact parents. </span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Visit Sarah at <a href="http://www.theeagerteacher.com/2015/07/back-to-school-forms-summer-blog-hop.html">The Eager Teacher</a><a href="http://www.theeagerteacher.com/2015/07/back-to-school-forms-summer-blog-hop.html"> </a>to see what forms she uses at the beginning of the school year!</span></div>
Special Little Learnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329773400444676482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5614866648257402110.post-34141945956933203892015-07-04T21:00:00.000-07:002015-07-04T21:00:03.038-07:00SPED Summer Bloghop: Week 2 {Classroom Setup} <div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><img alt="Displaying SpEd Summer Blog Hop_MAIN.png" height="249" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=8cd3810e83&view=fimg&th=14e097a25ffa697b&attid=0.1&disp=inline&realattid=f_ib2y2ru40&safe=1&attbid=ANGjdJ9sBLJD5_kgE1lsifM3OWWZnRUoW1sJ2H19yGb1sedcZUvOnO6ak_ocKBFWhcBweRmgV3v3_e8Nb8nXu6-ho6w1hbT1hTcbMUrwXOjDmyS1NVT54xXppKPqP2E&ats=1435978955163&rm=14e097a25ffa697b&zw&sz=w1342-h523" width="320" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Welcome back to the SPED Summer Bloghop! It's week two and we're talking all about classroom set-up! If you're interested in my week one post on scheduling you can find that <a href="http://speciallittlelearners.blogspot.com/2015/06/sped-summer-bloghop-week-1-scheduling.html">HERE</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Since I am in a resource/inclusion setting my room is pretty tiny. I have room for everything I need and I rarely have more than five kids in my room, so tiny is okay for me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">My small group table really is the heart of my classroom. When I'm not out of my room doing inclusion, I spend almost all of my time at this table with my resource kids. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">In addition to my small group table, I have one long table and a few desks scattered around for partner and individual work. I don't have a lot of excess furniture because I don't want my room to feel cluttered. Less is more, especially when your students have difficulty with focus. </span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Make sure all spaces are clearly defined (i.e. small group area, independent work area, etc). It's less confusing for some students if each space is defined and there are clear expectations for that area.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Try your best to limit distractions. Obviously it is not possible to do this 100%, but really think about your set-up. Sit in your library area or small group and see the room from your students' perspective. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">If you want your students to be able to access supplies, keep them in an easy to reach area to limit distractions and wasting time. Since I only have a few students with me at a time, I keep supplies near me so I can hand them to the students quickly. </span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Visit Sarah at <a href="http://www.theeagerteacher.com/2015/07/classroom-set-up-summer-blog-hop-week-2.html">The Eager Teacher</a> to see how she sets up her classroom!</span></div>
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Special Little Learnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329773400444676482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5614866648257402110.post-1096908153614596572015-07-03T17:12:00.002-07:002015-07-03T20:01:17.096-07:00TpT Seller Challenge: Week 3 {Make Your Masterpiece}<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">This week's challenge is to create and post a new product. This week's product is the most recent in my line of one-to-one correspondence activities. It's fall themed, so it's perfect for back to school time! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">My students really love these activities. They are effective practice and you can differentiate based on what your students know and what they need to work on. When a few of my kindergartners were struggling with the teen numbers, we did the activities with only those numbers until they were showing improvement. If you have higher kids that can work with numbers 1-20, they can use all of the cards. If you have students who can only work with 0-10, you can only use half of the cards. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/One-to-One-Correspondence-Activities-Fall-Edition-1938360"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeypU5prqdqw9Qh7tbTBINitgboXUq1E3YScSPr42lf-D0IQsejSUtBdbA_aw1Le3tMCmNLsJ7bIY8562oiTCWCxO2mAlkNidFrqwH0m8Dvn4qWgvOhk24jDlqg2UPwf4uMpbU0RzqmY31/s400/One+to+One+Correspondence+%257BFall%257D.png" width="300" /></a></span><span id="goog_848907726"></span><span id="goog_848907727"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">You can find the pack by clicking <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/One-to-One-Correspondence-Activities-Fall-Edition-1938360">here</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I've also turned all of my One-to-One Correspondence Packs into a growing bundle! Four packs are included now, but more will be added! Click <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/One-to-One-Correspondence-Activities-A-Growing-Bundle-1938660">here</a> to check it out!</span><br />
<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/One-to-One-Correspondence-Activities-A-Growing-Bundle-1938660"><img alt="One-to-One Correspondence Activities {A Growing Bundle}" src="https://mcdn.teacherspayteachers.com/thumbitem/One-to-One-Correspondence-Activities-A-Growing-Bundle-1938660-1435978563/original-1938660-1.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">You can find my posts on Week 1 and 2 of the challenge <a href="http://speciallittlelearners.blogspot.com/2015/06/tpt-seller-challenge-week-1-makeover.html">here </a>and <a href="http://speciallittlelearners.blogspot.com/2015/06/tpt-seller-challenge-week-2-dare-to.html">here</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Thanks to the following ladies for putting this challenge together!</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbxUK_3dafcNR3uzR7Ig0bWofMuUYEIxBLINj2VEr0ZLJrA8OS0_KoX65A6MCTpZoVS-4ME5MxJD_yet9uvnVu1HI-phL4e4vAkThlsI9lFHpHWQIAiMdrYQJov2XzLEHi3GEgqdcupdo/s1600/tptchallenge2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 29.568000793457px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="http://www.teachcreatemotivate.com/" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbxUK_3dafcNR3uzR7Ig0bWofMuUYEIxBLINj2VEr0ZLJrA8OS0_KoX65A6MCTpZoVS-4ME5MxJD_yet9uvnVu1HI-phL4e4vAkThlsI9lFHpHWQIAiMdrYQJov2XzLEHi3GEgqdcupdo/s200/tptchallenge2.png" style="-webkit-box-shadow: transparent 0px 0px 0px !important; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial !important; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: none; box-shadow: transparent 0px 0px 0px !important; outline: none; padding: 5px; position: relative;" width="200" /><img alt="http://www.thirdinhollywood.com/" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUkPP4pUftH-mHjYO3vvQWAcGmQVIYAB04pMjeBpEXQjH6vXCoJd8tlgXM5V_h5pAdd6XHDhml0O-jJtFih7bDTTCQewPKfhZuq1U3GoM9Lau_ocI6o5RRU0fcwCaawUBhZCRPuNK7DlQ/s200/tptchallenge1.png" style="-webkit-box-shadow: transparent 0px 0px 0px !important; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial !important; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: none !important; box-shadow: transparent 0px 0px 0px !important; outline: none; padding: 5px;" width="200" /></a></div>
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Special Little Learnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329773400444676482noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5614866648257402110.post-88821250055443820802015-06-27T21:00:00.000-07:002015-06-28T06:05:52.954-07:00SPED Summer Bloghop: Week 1 {Scheduling}<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">For the next five weeks, a great group of special education teachers will be blogging about important beginning of the year topics for special education teachers. This week we are talking about scheduling!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">As a resource and inclusion teacher, scheduling can be a bit of a headache in the beginning of the year. I have to get schedules from the general education teachers, so that I can be sure my students are receiving services at an appropriate time. Then I have to check their IEPs to see what services they receive, for how long, and for how many days during the week. Then I try to decide when to work with them and fit it all into a schedule. I also have to decide how to group my resource students so that our time will be used most effectively and we will see the most growth. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">If you're lucky, it will all work out nicely and the schedule for each day will be very similar. If not, I suggest using a spreadsheet to plan and organize each day's schedule!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">My principal helped me set up my initial schedule last school year, since it was my first year working with those students and teachers. For this upcoming year, I've already given her my ideal schedule and she's going to take it into consideration when making classes for next year. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">I am very, very lucky to have such a supportive administration! If you're new to scheduling, talk with your administration if you have questions. They might know what kids shouldn't be pulled together, what kids are best pulled in the morning or afternoon, etc. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">On the first day of school, I had a generic schedule that looked like this:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I adjusted as the year went on as new kids were added to my caseload or kids moved to another school. Also, mid-year I realized that one of my third grade students would be better helped if he were pulled with my second graders, so that affected my schedule. Flexibility is so key for special educators! Make sure your schedule works for you AND that it also works for your kids!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><u>Tips for Scheduling in a Resource/Inclusion Setting:</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">1. Be flexible! Things change all the time! </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">2. Get copies of the general education teachers' schedules before the year starts, so you can make a tentative schedule for yourself. You want to start working with your kids as soon as possible so they begin to learn the day's routine. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">3. Don't be afraid to rework your schedule if something isn't working. Talk to the general education teachers. Reflect on what is happening in your room. Make sure your schedule and groupings are best for your kids too! </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">4. Make sure you are aware of special events happening in the school. If a grade is going on a field trip or having a special speaker, make sure you make a note of it. You don't want to be running all over the school trying to find your kids when they are off on a field trip!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Visit Sarah at <a href="http://www.theeagerteacher.com/2015/06/4-ways-to-rock-out-self-contained.html" target="_blank">The Eager Teacher</a> next to see how she handles scheduling in her classroom!</span></div>
Special Little Learnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329773400444676482noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5614866648257402110.post-37626579188377429292015-06-22T19:04:00.002-07:002015-06-22T19:20:29.520-07:00TpT Seller Challenge: Week 2 {Dare to Dream}<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">It's time for week two of the TpT Seller Challenge. If you want to see my week one challenge, click <a href="http://speciallittlelearners.blogspot.com/2015/06/tpt-seller-challenge-week-1-makeover.html" target="_blank">here</a>!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Since I'm "all in" for this challenge, I finally created a Facebook page. You can follow me <a href="https://www.facebook.com/speciallittlelearners" target="_blank">here</a>!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">This week is all about goals and dreams. When I put my first product on TpT, I had no expectations. I thought it would be so cool to even sell one product a month. I was unaware of the potential that TpT could have for me and my life. I am beyond grateful for the extra income, inspiration, and creative outlet that TpT brings to my life. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">That said, the endless possibilities on TpT allow me to dream for more than I ever thought possible on a teacher's salary. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><u>Travel</u>: I want to go <i>everywhere</i>. I can't really think of a place I don't want to go. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Italy, Vietnam, Australia, Spain, South Africa, etc. My soon to be husband also loves to travel. We dream of future excursions all the time. Some day I hope to make those discussions a reality. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><u>Collaborate</u>: In the short time I've been blogging and TpTing, I have been blown away by the creativity and talent of other teachers. I hope to not only continue to learn from others, but collaborate with them in order to help other teachers around the globe. Also, I love that the idea that collaborating and learning from other teacher-blogger-TpTers pushes me to become a better teacher and seller. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><u>Pay Off Debt</u>: I went to a big college...and I was an out of state student. I am also currently working on my Master's degree. Needless to say, I have a LOT of loans to pay back. I also have a relatively new car to pay off. Although they are all deferred right now because I'm in school, I know those payments are going to be very, very scary once they kick in. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Thanks to the bloggers below for setting up this great set of challenges! </span></div>
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Special Little Learnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329773400444676482noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5614866648257402110.post-26473546292382876442015-06-15T20:27:00.001-07:002015-06-15T20:27:27.861-07:00TpT Seller Challenge: Week 1 {Makeover Madness}<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I know I've really been dropping the ball on the blogging front, but the last two months of this school year were NON-STOP. Now that life has slowed down just a little bit (I'm still planning my wedding and taking grad school classes this summer), I am super excited to announce that I am joining up with a bunch of other teachers for a TpT Seller Challenge. If you're interested in joining yourself, you can get all of the information you need <a href="http://www.thirdinhollywood.com/2015/06/tpt-seller-challenge.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Before starting the challenge, we wrote down our current data. One of my major goals this month is to get a facebook page up and running!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjW-ZrIJgdPSiTUAUqUu8jORIVYgZ3b_zEAkwkUZ5V2QVtMl6T7EIgaqxeKmGlEeEAlYaC68tHWQs1rKLyT1Dwb9_VqV-0QsPmSpVqf3g8_90sYxR10s1iDu3902wcKjTwFzHDLTeK11fg/s1600/FullSizeRender+%25286%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="325" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjW-ZrIJgdPSiTUAUqUu8jORIVYgZ3b_zEAkwkUZ5V2QVtMl6T7EIgaqxeKmGlEeEAlYaC68tHWQs1rKLyT1Dwb9_VqV-0QsPmSpVqf3g8_90sYxR10s1iDu3902wcKjTwFzHDLTeK11fg/s400/FullSizeRender+%25286%2529.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">For my makeover, I decided to update my Subject Verb Agreement Task Cards. These task cards are one of my favorite products, so I thought now was a great time to give them a little facelift. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The content is still the same, but I've updated the fonts and backgrounds. You can find the updated version in my TpT store <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Subject-Verb-Agreement-Task-Cards-With-or-Without-QR-Codes-1268662" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Thanks to these ladies for setting up this challenge and keeping us motivated during the summer!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Stay tuned for Week 2!</span></div>
Special Little Learnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329773400444676482noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5614866648257402110.post-72429188657379501852015-04-17T20:24:00.000-07:002015-04-17T20:24:36.135-07:00Five for Friday {April 17th}<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The week's following any school break are always difficult, for students and teachers. Although some of my kiddos are still getting back into the school groove, we managed to have a pretty good week! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I'm linking up with <a href="http://doodlebugsteaching.blogspot.com/2015/04/five-for-friday-linky-party-april-17th.html" target="_blank">Doodle Bugs Teaching</a> to talk about what's been going on in the past few weeks! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Before I dive into teaching stuff, I want to share some pictures from my spring break! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">My fiance and I took a wonderful trip to the Smoky Mountains. We did a lot of hiking, tourist-ing, and relaxing. It was great! </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk2QgIAbF33flB6lhkB0qFdY4vyTQWv2MTTKi0Pl-spFkXKt4Fy70MCWfbsIWPJs82eIQzdpN8_RMG4e9h_mj_5X3Uga7dgP00vw7bYgvAZtyKAYhO1TNgcHp1_01XHE24EfMedXW8yuk5/s1600/IMG_0226.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk2QgIAbF33flB6lhkB0qFdY4vyTQWv2MTTKi0Pl-spFkXKt4Fy70MCWfbsIWPJs82eIQzdpN8_RMG4e9h_mj_5X3Uga7dgP00vw7bYgvAZtyKAYhO1TNgcHp1_01XHE24EfMedXW8yuk5/s1600/IMG_0226.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">When we got back to NC, we caught the final Red Wings game before playoffs! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">We have been working on fluency a lot in my classroom. My students really struggle with this, so I try to find fun and engaging ways to practice this skill. Our most popular way now is Buzz, Buzz, a sight word phrase fluency game. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">You stick all of the cards in the middle of the table and students pick one card and read the phrase. They have to read it correctly and fluently, or else it goes back in the pile. Some cards tell students to pick more cards or put cards back into the pile. They love it and ask to play it every day! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">You can find it in my store <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Buzz-Buzz-A-Sight-Word-Phrase-Fluency-Game-1780256" target="_blank">here</a>. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_w6ePYlaXXHUB42P6cQ8OE-B1nDSAIEdc55hM1fhIw6pCYzKjr427GKsIYkJEw3yoNj_nxoGV2_SbgQeoqP_M_lmy0FbdchL4cnScVaMp0n8XF9FeufhIdHBGW-9aJCI2um2xTXulQtKF/s1600/FullSizeRender+(3).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_w6ePYlaXXHUB42P6cQ8OE-B1nDSAIEdc55hM1fhIw6pCYzKjr427GKsIYkJEw3yoNj_nxoGV2_SbgQeoqP_M_lmy0FbdchL4cnScVaMp0n8XF9FeufhIdHBGW-9aJCI2um2xTXulQtKF/s1600/FullSizeRender+(3).jpg" height="224" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">In my <a href="http://speciallittlelearners.blogspot.com/2015/03/book-study-worksheets-dont-grow_24.html" target="_blank">post on graphic organizers</a> from <u>Worksheets Don't Grow Dendrites</u>, I mentioned that I wanted to try to implement more graphic organizer practice with my younger students. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I tried that this week with much success! With some support, they correctly filled out a beginning, middle, and end organizer. We talked through it, but they wrote it down in their own words. Happy teacher moment for me! </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ov5ZKkeO27izhY0MzebnmHVPCIpp_6Nu7tq6sSIBEcT2WZykQJT8tANQBTYMlS4VJxX3ucCBSxMHWjAH4-rWB3DqsXG10UYVUohzIp4nT2RPy227rmZyBJSIjrmTLkkYmrAi0NLCab6b/s1600/FullSizeRender+(4).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ov5ZKkeO27izhY0MzebnmHVPCIpp_6Nu7tq6sSIBEcT2WZykQJT8tANQBTYMlS4VJxX3ucCBSxMHWjAH4-rWB3DqsXG10UYVUohzIp4nT2RPy227rmZyBJSIjrmTLkkYmrAi0NLCab6b/s1600/FullSizeRender+(4).jpg" height="236" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">We've been hitting prefixes and suffixes pretty hard lately. When reading, my kids tend to leave off suffixes and struggle with the meaning when prefixes and suffixes are added. After working so hard this week, I am seeing SO MUCH improvement. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">One of my kids who was having a lot of difficulty in the beginning of the week was independently answering questions by the end of the week. I was so proud, and I could tell he was so proud of himself. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">My job really is the best.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Here's a picture of the anchor chart we've been referring to all week!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">We have state testing coming up in a few weeks. To prepare, we've been doing a lot of task cards and reading passages. I don't want it to get too dull for them, so I'm looking for other review ideas. What do you do in your classroom to get your students ready to take the state tests? </span></div>
Special Little Learnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329773400444676482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5614866648257402110.post-16948024889531404882015-03-29T17:55:00.003-07:002015-04-09T19:14:11.204-07:00Book Study: Worksheets Don't Grow Dendrites {Chapter 6}<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I'm doing my best to catch up, so here is my reflection on Chapter Six of <u>Worksheets Without Dendrites</u>!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Seriously, though. It really is. I love to laugh and I love to make other people laugh. I don't really think of myself as a funny person, but sometimes I say or do silly things that make my kids laugh. I love to see them having a good time. Sometimes we all just have to take a little break and laugh, or else we'll go crazy!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Some students think school is boring and dread coming. Therefore, it's important that we, as teachers, add fun throughout the day. What's a good way to do that? HUMOR! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">If you're worried about adding a little humor to your class, just remember this: "Having laughter breaks in class increases the flow of positive neurotransmitters, which are necessary for alertness and memory (Jensen, 2007)". You can have fun and build skills at the same time! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Also, the book mentions laughing clubs. I want to join one/be in one. They sound awesome! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">We always break for laughter, unless it gets too excessive! Laughter relieves stress and sometimes my kiddos get really stressed when the work is challenging for them. We play lots of games (you can read about them <a href="http://speciallittlelearners.blogspot.com/2015/03/book-study-worksheets-dont-grow_11.html" target="_blank">here</a>). I also try to find silly stories and books for us to read. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I would love to give my students more opportunities to use humor in their work. I really liked the suggestion of students writing comics or jokes based on what they're learning. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Also, I really, really want to start using Go Noodle as a way to reward good behavior in my classroom. I'm having some technology difficulties in my room, so once these are fixed, I plan to become a Go-Noodler! </span></div>
Special Little Learnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329773400444676482noreply@blogger.com0