tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41324316951302170862024-03-19T07:02:26.072-05:00Ms. Lilypad's Primary PondTeaching ideas for Kindergarten, first grade, and second grade teachersMs. Lilypad's Primary Pondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09404918134935952218noreply@blogger.comBlogger143125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4132431695130217086.post-64808235360586031402015-03-21T06:15:00.000-05:002015-03-21T06:15:00.373-05:00Creating a Revising and Editing Table for Your Classroom<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 28.799999237060547px; margin-bottom: 15px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Last month I gave a presentation at an SDE conference about something that's been super challenging for me as a teacher: teaching kids to revise and edit. I've always taught the primary grades, and very few of my students have wanted to take the time to fix up their work. I often feel that simply getting young kids to put something down on paper is enough of a challenge in itself!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">However, teaching students to revise and edit is absolutely essential. Revising and editing are part of the writing process, part of the Common Core Standards, and just plain part of being a good writer. Revising and editing may be difficult to teach (especially in the primary grades), but we have to teach our kids these good writing habits when they are young.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><strong style="font-style: inherit;">The Revising and Editing Table is Born</strong><br style="font-style: inherit;" />Let's rewind to a couple of years ago. I was trying to figure out how on earth to get my kiddos to spend more than .03 seconds looking over their work. After doing some reading, I decided that I was going to create a special place in our classroom where kids could go to help each other revise and edit their writing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Just a plain old table, right? Not so much, actually. This thing was pure MAGIC! As soon as I introduced the revising and editing table to my second graders, they were suddenly excited about looking over their work to make it better. My little writers were clamoring to bring their stories to the table and enthusiastic about putting in those missing periods!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">So how did the revising and editing table work? And why was it so effective?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><strong style="font-style: inherit;">Setting Up the Table</strong><br style="font-style: inherit;" />First of all, I really didn't have to do much at all to set up the table. I had two bean-shaped tables in my classroom that year, and one of them was used by the ESL teacher. However, she wasn't in our classroom during writing workshop time, so that table was free. I picked it to serve as the revising and editing table.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Ideally, the revising and editing table should be near a wall or bulletin board so that you can post reminders and information nearby. That year, however, having the table by a wall wasn't an option for me. So I sometimes used a mini anchor chart stand to post things.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">After I had decided on a location, I placed sticky notes and copies of our writing rubric on the table and called it a day. Setting up the table was not time-consuming at all!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><strong style="font-style: inherit;">Establishing the Rules</strong><br style="font-style: inherit;" />Explaining the procedures for using the revising and editing table was a bit trickier. The ultimate goal of having a revising and editing table is so that it functions on its own (kids sitting there to revise and edit their writing without needing any intervention or help from you). When I first introduced the table, I conveyed a lot of excitement to the kids. But I also explained that they would only be permitted to use this special place in our classroom if they were using it correctly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The table, I explained, was a place where they could go during writing workshop time to revise and edit their work. Once they were finished with a draft, they would (independently) decide to go to the table. Once they were at the table, they would work with a partner (or alone, until someone else was ready).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Each writer would have an opportunity to read their work aloud to the other person. The writing should be placed between the two students, so that they could both have their eyes on it. After the read-aloud of the writing, both writers would talk about ways to make the work better.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">During the revising/editing conversation, the students were to use writing rubrics as a reference (reminders about what to look for). The writer should write down ideas and things to change on sticky notes. However, no changes were to be made at the actual table. After both writers had read aloud their work, they would return to their seats and use the sticky notes to fix up their writing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><strong style="font-style: inherit;">Supporting Kids at the Table</strong><br style="font-style: inherit;" />Once I had explained all of this, the kids were super excited to try out the revising and editing table. For that first day, I spent the entire writing workshop time sitting at the table. Although my goal was for the table to eventually be able to run itself, I wanted to make sure that kids had the support they needed. I wanted to help them have productive conversations that were also respectful.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I spent a good deal of time at the table for the rest of the week, too. After that, I backed off and let kids work at the table independently. I did check in from time to time, especially after long weekends or holiday breaks, to make sure that kids were still using the table appropriately. I also taught several follow-up minilessons to show students different strategies for having revising and editing conversations with their peers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><strong style="font-style: inherit;">Why the Table Worked</strong><br style="font-style: inherit;" />I think there are a couple of reasons why the table was so effective for my kids. First, I think that the very act of getting up out of their seats to revise and edit was powerful. This served as a reminder that they were supposed to be doing something different than drafting. When they came to the table, they had a "fixing up" mindset.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Second, I think that being able to interact with their peers served as a powerful motivator. Before I created the revising and editing table, my students had opportunities to work with each other during writing time. However, the table created many more opportunities for them to interact. It made collaboration, revising, and editing a consistent part of their daily writing routine.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">If your kids are having trouble making significant revisions to their writing, I would definitely recommend trying out a revising and editing table! To find minilessons and printable materials to help make your revising and editing table a success, check out either of these two units below. Each unit walks you through</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">setting up the table and teaching kids how to use it. There are also visual aids, conversation starters, and posters that you can use to support your kids at the table.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/First-Grade-Writing-Curriculum-Unit-2-1319355"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwmP_Dn_EYsV2yDEjsI2VvDoK5ZcQQ3E6HbgQUDVkQE-Qe76H7hJO1-0LPmpI_f5w_m8Abv0Wp9pFoN_5bSZR0y-wdtfJ6bG4VOfsHm_I2t7LOsB1g_yS9iSQc89oq4aS98t_1U71-lrM/s1600/Unit2DummyVersion.001.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Second-Grade-Writing-Curriculum-Unit-2-1361912"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB53oU1J6yiL2cs6ZNTd_awHZq5dkOqC2tvVj9rmo2g5KsopOBTvb3iRsOKVAOXh_VffNnAZHTU3ZV0lL4BrJyz_Bdsw5xMEeg3L0Y9eOn_oJfYXtegHgqjFV7bkXyyySWpr5EJpV5rP4/s1600/2ndGradeWritingWorkshopUnit2.001.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Do you use a revising and editing table in your classroom? I'd love to hear your tips!</span></div>
Ms. Lilypad's Primary Pondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09404918134935952218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4132431695130217086.post-47555041698036877282015-03-15T00:01:00.000-05:002015-03-15T00:01:00.191-05:00Butterfly Symmetry<span style="font-size: large;">Life cycles are one of my favorite topics to teach, and what better time to teach them than spring? I usually focus on the <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Butterfly-Life-Cycle-Mini-Unit-for-PreK-Kindergarten-or-First-Grade-602088">butterfly</a>, <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Frog-Life-Cycle-Mini-Unit-for-PreK-Kindergarten-or-First-Grade-602798">frog</a>, <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Chicken-Life-Cycle-Mini-Unit-for-PreK-Kindergarten-or-First-Grade-613843">chicken</a>, and <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Plant-Life-Cycle-Parts-of-a-Plant-Mini-Unit-for-PreK-Kinder-or-First-Grade-617276">plant</a> life cycles, and I integrate literacy and math topics, too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Learning about butterflies lends itself nicely to teaching kiddos about symmetry! Watch this short video to see an easy craft you can do to help students understand that a butterfly's wings have a symmetrical pattern:</span><br />
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After we do the butterfly craft, I ask the kids to talk with a partner about what they noticed. Then, I reconvene with the entire class to listen to their thoughts, and I introduce the concept of symmetry. Here are a few additional ideas you could use to extend the symmetry lesson:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYkvpYBilNBnb11GSsCHszSljL_QKFE4hohoYFGARzL6A1WkmeO5DhiFFY2rogX6CBHcDrfhUBScUJOiSoKCG8PhlYqVpyCIN-4Ysk7F8yKMYBXItPMZmyOwFX0czZjftdE0-dHOWefr8/s1600/5IdeasforTeachingSymmetrySecond.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYkvpYBilNBnb11GSsCHszSljL_QKFE4hohoYFGARzL6A1WkmeO5DhiFFY2rogX6CBHcDrfhUBScUJOiSoKCG8PhlYqVpyCIN-4Ysk7F8yKMYBXItPMZmyOwFX0czZjftdE0-dHOWefr8/s1600/5IdeasforTeachingSymmetrySecond.jpg" height="640" width="434" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In the past, I've made symmetry anchor charts with my kids, on which we listed or drew things that are symmetrical. You can include alphabet letters, shapes, and numbers on this list, as well as classroom objects. You could even make the anchor chart interactive, like this one from</span><span style="font-size: large;"> <a href="http://mrstsfirstgradeclass-jill.blogspot.com/2013/10/monster-symmetry.html">Mrs. T's First Grade Class</a>. </span><span style="font-size: large;">It looks like she used cut-out shapes and actually folded them to help the kids see if they were symmetrical or not. Neat!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD90OVG42hOMmVmI1XvYwMctSPYnkm-d42PQ-LhQLjoHHjy8J-I7kRPM-3RMNuCNZ21D7IWS2fS-x-hj6ldLvfNOYu0aOQolJMDHvcVO8vfY-AykNRSYmuH2yjpB7GuGiZlTwiq5MBGSo/s1600/P1090587.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD90OVG42hOMmVmI1XvYwMctSPYnkm-d42PQ-LhQLjoHHjy8J-I7kRPM-3RMNuCNZ21D7IWS2fS-x-hj6ldLvfNOYu0aOQolJMDHvcVO8vfY-AykNRSYmuH2yjpB7GuGiZlTwiq5MBGSo/s1600/P1090587.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">While browsing Pinterest for more symmetry activities, I found this one from <a href="http://teaching-in-oz.blogspot.jp/2012/10/geometry-unit-and-symmetry-activity.html">Teaching Tales Along the Yellow Brick Road</a>. I'd definitely have to model a less complex pattern for my Kinders, but it looks fun!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I found this photo on <a href="http://www.education.com/activity/article/halves/">Education.com</a>. After creating the popsicle stick halves, you could give one to each child in the class and have them try to find their partners!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjUh4Ac5h1LjHIRDhVx3dKu-Vhx2W8K8hlxeyVACjG8BN7Ms8RSd44tn-CS11yKZwFBfcM1Zazh35Xctu56dz5gi6AoUQpZ5FCe5K6CoMIBiV4Lu1l030spw7plULxxXj9dlFEISbJcds/s1600/halves-slide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjUh4Ac5h1LjHIRDhVx3dKu-Vhx2W8K8hlxeyVACjG8BN7Ms8RSd44tn-CS11yKZwFBfcM1Zazh35Xctu56dz5gi6AoUQpZ5FCe5K6CoMIBiV4Lu1l030spw7plULxxXj9dlFEISbJcds/s1600/halves-slide.jpg" height="320" width="254" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you want to incorporate another craft, how about this darling paper plate ladybug from <a href="http://cocktailswithmom.com/2013/07/paper-plate-bugs/">Cocktails with Mom</a>?! Another great Pinterest find!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">And last but not least...I love teaching math through literature, and here's a book about symmetry in nature that looks great:</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0778733475/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0778733475&linkCode=as2&tag=mslilspripon-20&linkId=XL7J6YR6JTR6LSVT"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0778733475&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=mslilspripon-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=mslilspripon-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0778733475" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The butterfly symmetry printable handout is from my <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Butterfly-Life-Cycle-Mini-Unit-for-PreK-Kindergarten-or-First-Grade-602088">butterfly life cycle unit</a>. You can get this and other life cycle units individually, or in a bundle here:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Do you have any other fun ways to teach symmetry? Please share below!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Happy teaching!</span></div>
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<img class="nopin" src="http://honeybunchblogdesign2.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/sgn2mlpp.png" />Ms. Lilypad's Primary Pondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09404918134935952218noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4132431695130217086.post-2954476220322736552015-03-14T07:00:00.000-05:002015-03-14T07:00:00.820-05:00Sentence "Write and Cut-Aparts"<span style="font-size: large;">Happy Saturday! Today I want to share with you an activity that I do with my Kinders every week - twice a week, in fact. It's part of the intervention program developed by my district, and it's also part of the more widely known Reading Recovery program. I haven't had the "official" Reading Recovery training, so it may look slightly different in that program, but here's how I do it:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Step One: Write the Sentence</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">To start the activity, the student writes a sentence that I dictate to her. (You could also use a sentence that the child comes up with - this would make it even more meaningful!) I help with spelling, capitalization, and punctuation, but I try to get the child to do as much of the work as she can. {Note: These photos are going to show a sentence in Spanish that means "The cup is full."}</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">As you can see in the photo, there's a highlighted line for each word in the sentence. <u>Before</u> I give the child her pencil, I have her repeat the sentence several times to me, and the last time I draw a line for each word. This helps develop awareness of spacing and concept of word.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Once the lines are drawn, then we start writing. Every time my student finishes writing a word, I say to her, "Read me your sentence!" Many of my Kinders have trouble "holding onto" the sentence that I dictate, so stopping to reread helps them recall the sentence.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Step Two: Transfer To a Sentence Strip</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">After the entire sentence is complete and she has reread it again, I write the same sentence onto a sentence strip. As long as time permits, I have the child tell me what letters to write, where to put spaces, and where to put capital letters/punctuation.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Step Three: Cut Apart the Sentence Strip</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Once I've rewritten the same sentence on the sentence strip, then I cut it apart. Each time I cut, I say, "palabra," which means "word." It sounds a little goofy saying, "Word...word...word...word," but I do this to develop concept of word - so that the child knows that every piece that falls onto the table is a single word.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Step Four: Put the Words Back in Order</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Once the sentence has been completely cut apart, it's the child's responsibility to put the words of the sentence back in order. I usually remain quiet during this part of the lesson and just watch to see what she does.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In the bottom photo here, the child has incorrectly put the words in order and is checking it against another version of the sentence that I wrote. I don't usually say anything until the sentence is in the correct order, placing the responsibility fully on the child to correct any mistakes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Once the words are in the correct order, I have the student read me the sentence <u>again</u>. I'll then ask, "Can you hand me the word _____?" Once the child hands me the word card, I say, "How did you know that word was _____?" I'm trying to get the child to tell me something about the print that helped her recognize it (such as the first letter or syllable). I'll do this for 2-3 words, leaving a high frequency word or two left on the table. Then I'll ask, "What word is that?" and have the child read it to me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Step Five: Save the Words for Future Practice</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Once all of the words are off the table, I paperclip them to a strip that has the complete sentence written on it. The child can take the sentence home and put the words in the correct order independently or for her parents. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">All done! This should take about 10 minutes altogether.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Using this Activity in the Classroom</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">If you're a classroom teacher, you might be wondering how you could use this activity, since it requires a lot of one-on-one attention. It certainly <u>is</u> easier to do it with just one child, but you can also do it with a pair of students or even a small group.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">When I do it with 2 children, I have them write the sentence in the same way (as described in Step One). Next, I write it on a sentence strip, having them take turns telling me which letters to write. These first two steps are the same. But <u>then</u>, I have a pre-prepared, cut-up sentence strip ready that I give to one child, and I give the other child the sentence strip that we just cut up. They both work to put the words in order independently, and finally I ask them both to hand me words once they are finished. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you do this with a small group, you'd have to decide on a sentence ahead of time so that you could write it on sentence strips and cut up the words. Everything else could stay just about the same.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This simple activity teaches so many different skills! It covers phonics, concepts of print, decoding, and more. Have you done this with your students before? Do you have any tips to make it easier to accomplish with a small group? Share your thoughts below!</span><br />
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<img class="nopin" src="http://honeybunchblogdesign2.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/sgn2mlpp.png" />Ms. Lilypad's Primary Pondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09404918134935952218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4132431695130217086.post-22697311999891965922015-03-07T06:30:00.000-06:002015-03-07T06:30:00.098-06:00This week in intervention<span style="font-size: large;">Happy Saturday! Something that's been on my mind a lot lately is how to best reach one of my Kindergarten students who has some special needs. I see him for about 15 minutes a day, but remaining engaged for even that short amount of time is very challenging for him. I'm still working on finding strategies that work for him, and here's what I've been doing so far:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">- Using a <b>visual flip chart</b> that he can change to see what we're going to do next:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">- Offering <b>choices</b> to activities so that he can select the option that seems "easier." The image below shows the alphabet book (laying flat on the table) that I am supposed to use with the program I teach. It's super effective with the other kids, but he doesn't really like it much because it seems so "long." Instead, I let him choose from reviewing the letter names/sounds using the little booklet, or the ABC chart shown in the picture. This seems like less work in his mind!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">- <b>Writing on the wall</b> - with his fingertip! This is a great sensory activity and gets him up and moving a little.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I also try to include as much movement as possible. I frequently save little bits of trash so that I have an excuse to ask him to get up and throw something away! ;) Whatever works, right?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I'm going to have to keep trying to find effective strategies for him, because we have a looong way to go, academically speaking. However, last Friday when I asked him to write some words, he actually got some of the sounds down on paper! This was a big step for him, and something I haven't seen him do before. We will keep at it, and hopefully the progress will continue.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Have a wonderful weekend!</span><br />
<img class="nopin" src="http://honeybunchblogdesign2.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/sgn2mlpp.png" />Ms. Lilypad's Primary Pondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09404918134935952218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4132431695130217086.post-13448218383504525512015-03-03T17:30:00.000-06:002015-03-03T17:30:00.539-06:00How I Use Pinterest to Improve My Teaching<span style="font-size: large;">All right. I'm just gonna put it out there. Pinterest has changed my <u>life</u>! When my teaching teammate told me about "this site that's super addicting" 3 or 4 years ago, I had no idea that it would end up impacting me in so many ways.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">When I first joined Pinterest, you had to request an invite and then wait to receive one. The images people were posting weren't that great yet, but I was still enthralled. I love to cook, and Pinterest quickly became my #1 way to find and keep recipes. Now, I no longer have a recipe file box. When I meal plan, I sit down and open up Pinterest! So convenient and fun.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Pinterest has also helped me decorate my house, expand my fashion sense...I could go on. But today I want to share with you how I use Pinterest to improve my teaching. Because Pinterest has really made me a better teacher!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Before Pinterest, I had no idea that people had these things called "teaching blogs" or that there were photos online that could help me decorate my classroom. Saying that now might sound a little silly, especially if you are a brand new teacher and have always been able to use Pinterest for inspiration! But seriously, before Pinterest, I just didn't use the internet that much to find classroom decor ideas or fun activities for my kids.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now, however, I use Pinterest just about every day to find and organize my teaching ideas. I have my Pinterest boards set up so that when I'm teaching a particular skill or theme, I know right away where I can find the ideas I've pinned. This saves me a ton of time and allows me to be more creative, too, because I have multiple ideas right in front of me when I look at one of my boards.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I've created a little video to show you exactly how I use Pinterest to <b>find content</b>, <b>organize my content</b>, and <b>share my content</b> with others. The video covers some basic stuff that you might already know if you've been using Pinterest for a while. But it also has some tips and tricks that you may not know about - like how to customize your feed so that Pinterest knows exactly what you're interested in, and how to set up your pins so that you can easily find them again. Watch it here:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Okay, so to recap: we talked about ways to find teaching ideas, how to organize your ideas, and how to share your ideas with your teacher friends. Here are the highlights:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Finding Content:</b> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">- Use the feed to find ideas that Pinterest thinks you might like. Help Pinterest customize your feed by making sure to pin things that you are interested in.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">- Check the "Find Friends" box to choose people to follow.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">- Use the "Education" category</span><span style="font-size: large;"> and "Interests" to browse teaching ideas.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">- Follow different "Interests" categories so that relevant ideas pop up in your newsfeed right away.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">- Search for pins using the search function.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">- Find boards to follow using the search function.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">- Pin ideas from external websites.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Organizing Content:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">- Create really specific boards so that you can find ideas right away. You'll end up with a ton of boards, but you can quickly search for them using the search function.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">- Add descriptions to your pins that include keywords you'll search for later.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">- Search for your own pins or boards later, using the search function.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Sharing Content: </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">- Post pins that your friends might like to Facebook or Twitter.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">- Send pins to a friend on Pinterest.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">- Send pins to an email address, or your email at work to look at later.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I hope you took away at least one new and helpful idea! Pinterest has been so inspirational to me in finding new ideas to use with my students. Five years ago I never could have imagined that such an awesome tool would exist. Funny how fast technology changes, isn't it?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Do you have any of your own Pinterest tricks to share? Comment below. Happy pinning!</span><br />
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<img class="nopin" src="http://honeybunchblogdesign2.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/sgn2mlpp.png" />Ms. Lilypad's Primary Pondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09404918134935952218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4132431695130217086.post-37389399101213052242015-02-28T06:00:00.000-06:002015-03-01T11:02:36.702-06:00This Week in Intervention<span style="font-size: large;">Happy weekend!! This was a busy, busy week for me and I am thankful for some time to relax.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">One of the many reasons why this week was so crazy was because I presented for SDE on Monday at the Illinois 1st grade conference!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRneL-CBMCQ6uDL183T8aSeX2wgWKIrE6EENsf7TDOkGTYLNlvQJ-fqlGI5X6GYyCI3SV8P7FFD0b6QzFronCkfQc67UuKGpXUET4j_uMtwr7EJ2RmHMixRjadFFZs7LhebL2N3UFwpMc/s1600/SDEPresentationFeb2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRneL-CBMCQ6uDL183T8aSeX2wgWKIrE6EENsf7TDOkGTYLNlvQJ-fqlGI5X6GYyCI3SV8P7FFD0b6QzFronCkfQc67UuKGpXUET4j_uMtwr7EJ2RmHMixRjadFFZs7LhebL2N3UFwpMc/s1600/SDEPresentationFeb2015.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">That's me! I make dopey faces while I present. Thanks to Reagan from <a href="http://tunstalltimes.blogspot.com/">Tunstall's Teaching Tidbits</a> for the photo! Reagan and I chatted for a bit during lunch and it was nice to see a friendly face in the audience. Because, you know, I was a teeeeeny bit nervous!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Anyway, the topic of the presentation was how to teach first graders to revise and edit their writing. I chose this as my topic because getting my kids to actually make significant changes to their writing has not always been something that's easy for me to pull off. It's tough to get them to move beyond just adding in a period or two!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">During the presentation, we talked about using rubrics, peer revising/editing conferences, interactive flip books, and some other fun strategies to help kids learn to revise and edit. One of my favorite strategies I shared was something I call "Conventions Cards." Here's an image of my slide on this topic:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBsenUjVoVsUvEo-ENRlCkjQFzUnns5lY3UerQ9JDcR3VF0jvBfkFYF_NpWNLokDm4qRT0HviFl0mkCbgb3IDvoKyHE8hg_A5V7s9uGwLX7qhx2uvGxzngIjHouftk31g2xg24LqSYAzs/s1600/Backup+Copy+for+Cloud.001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBsenUjVoVsUvEo-ENRlCkjQFzUnns5lY3UerQ9JDcR3VF0jvBfkFYF_NpWNLokDm4qRT0HviFl0mkCbgb3IDvoKyHE8hg_A5V7s9uGwLX7qhx2uvGxzngIjHouftk31g2xg24LqSYAzs/s1600/Backup+Copy+for+Cloud.001.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is such a simple and quick strategy, and it can really make a difference in your students' writing! While the kiddos are working independently, walk around the room and quickly scan their writing for correct use of conventions. If you notice, for example, that one child is doing a great job using capital letters, place the "Cool Capitals" card on her desk, give her a little pat on the back, and then keep on walkin'. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjWvn6Ny9Dn1UZOTqp4dkdwuqXUdMTlxgP2bg4NjUu81vywFTBonJ3wcF0hbm3Co6rdYsgbOEM-HHqK29ESMC8y0IA9o1B9TrmnsYOYgxlHGWgRfTjePPYcqsQ0wIs6EYcGkAtE-dNGgQ/s1600/ConventionsCardsforWriters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjWvn6Ny9Dn1UZOTqp4dkdwuqXUdMTlxgP2bg4NjUu81vywFTBonJ3wcF0hbm3Co6rdYsgbOEM-HHqK29ESMC8y0IA9o1B9TrmnsYOYgxlHGWgRfTjePPYcqsQ0wIs6EYcGkAtE-dNGgQ/s1600/ConventionsCardsforWriters.jpg" height="400" width="301" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is a simple way to acknowledge students' good work without having to sit down and have a full-out writing conference. AND we all know that first graders are nosy, right?! The students siting near the child will definitely take notice, and they might even start fixing up their own writing, too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Want to download these cards to use in your classroom? Just click on the image below.</span><br />
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4wn9SL4wEPfa0QzSktFQkRfNTQ/view?usp=sharing"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJkvq5Cp9G1biMyfWTlw39KqIP9XabF4P-0Px478WHl_6PWg2XsS9zfqJg_LJBrz_oNJAm4N5sZ0WhReGwGtFHZ3Ai_GYeHoonSjsDvBXwEH3n35cd8Ty8L5JoCVs2y7JKJXnJBAhh57k/s1600/Conventions+Cards.001.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I had a blast presenting, and I'm looking forward to the next SDE conference I can attend! If you want to attend the biggest SDE conferences of the year (in Vegas!!) register <a href="http://www.sde.com/nationals/2015/">here</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Have a wonderful weekend!!</span><br />
<img class="nopin" src="http://honeybunchblogdesign2.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/sgn2mlpp.png" />Ms. Lilypad's Primary Pondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09404918134935952218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4132431695130217086.post-16920630856003802682015-02-23T16:00:00.000-06:002015-03-10T08:21:23.086-05:00Spring Math & Literacy Activities<span style="font-size: large;">Hey there! Is anyone else dreaming of spring right now?! Here in the Midwest the temperatures have been below zero and just miserable lately! To cheer myself up, I am trying to delude myself into thinking that spring is coming soon. A few weeks ago I blogged about resources for teaching life cycles (click <a href="http://lilypadlittles.blogspot.com/2015/02/ideas-for-teaching-life-cycles.html">here</a> if you missed that post), and today I'm going to be sharing some additional spring teaching resources with you. Maybe if I keep thinking and writing about spring, it will arrive soon!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Spring is one of my favorite times in the school year. The kids are finally able to get outside and burn off that extra energy, and I feel like I personally have more energy to put into teaching. The kiddos can, however, get a little squirrelly from spring break and all that fresh air, so I have to make sure that whatever I put in front of them is super engaging! That's where my Spring Math & Literacy Centers for <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Spring-Common-Core-Math-and-Literacy-Centers-Activities-for-Kindergarten-564612">Kindergarten</a> or <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Spring-Common-Core-Math-and-Literacy-Activities-and-Centers-for-First-Grade-580377">First Grade</a> come in.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Spring-Common-Core-Math-and-Literacy-Centers-Activities-for-Kindergarten-564612"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtbA_9-fyublqHvDFKjlANUEa2FthQPR-OHoJEaf6Zk669Epkjhpvs4xYyKlpw_v39yqetAFmxhAP__MT9M-yKKTGMKdRdttCiAtLJfc1o7PF6hVQBa2X6uOqeBlt0Q3iSdQ3KUvbTSpk/s1600/Kinder+Spring+Bundle+Cover.001.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Spring-Common-Core-Math-and-Literacy-Activities-and-Centers-for-First-Grade-580377"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsFDDtHajbXct4cz7bkunkU21q8GRDYRjbS2x1nheh3HJN8SkYE_iIsPrrbBDT2l5zD5pez4q0-0NYkmDia8CGtRNmC76_fwRHxOml5r0pk0_tmlzZHuzZvpZ-SFFlbhbMc19XKqVLYy0/s1600/First+Grade+Spring+Bundle+Cover.001.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Both of these packs have games and activities for centers/partner work, as well as printable sheets that you can use right away or send home for homework. Here's a little peek inside!</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Spring-Common-Core-Math-and-Literacy-Centers-Activities-for-Kindergarten-564612"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWQDRhDNPFr093dEGhJRNjwUKUWl4mo_tI-zhw7J-8H7WHwIRhfeM6iz5vJWRRKO_pyzp6wq2ET55IjtafPDlViIpXwp4Y-WJawhLN0oRLUNW8dLdkdlYo4tdzhM1jlTlDsRMr9o9oywk/s1600/Birds+on+a+Fence+Game.jpg" height="400" width="276" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Above is the Kindergarten version of the "Birds on a Fence" game. The kids draw cards, figure out what goes in the blank, and then use a counter to cover that number on their game sheet. The first person to cover all of her birds is the winner!</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Spring-Common-Core-Math-and-Literacy-Activities-and-Centers-for-First-Grade-580377"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUOuTKaD0FUEJPqXhyCyf_9OR7ZpVAfo6G3kCG7tboqp_107ThDEGxhDgO_ZgLD1roY0Ksf07ytCKRNqUHh-8Fl5efCDlYgrNlraSVYzlZS6MCZEEsMHg0E5vc78ba82vTsOmKgxkLKQ4/s1600/Flower+Fractions+Game.jpg" height="400" width="348" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; text-align: left;">This "Flower Fractions" game is from the first grade pack. Kids draw one fraction card at a time, and then fill in that fraction on their flower. The first person to fill up both of his flowers is the winner!</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Spring-Common-Core-Math-and-Literacy-Activities-and-Centers-for-First-Grade-580377"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkehZP69DJZ5Op7PzM_UYnmc-Xo1nS7bo4thyphenhyphenUf6PEb0zNuU1-hChfghktfSM0dJEaWeSNsp1-89mEh-ujEZA3Mi2bSVjNx7GEzer1KBdiJkgWKVuiSXG14PVAZ6UyrqNwaO24sNWz2Zg/s1600/Kite+Game+Photo.jpg" height="400" width="316" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; text-align: left;">This game is also from the first grade pack. Kids draw two cards and if the long vowel word ending is the same, they write them on their kite sheet. </span></div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Spring-Common-Core-Math-and-Literacy-Centers-Activities-for-Kindergarten-564612"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1igUoDirVdtU_2GmSi9UqKtXJ4bw4nXQkg26ckKLVY7HKmQ429-oDSe49rVDgsjSMfBv-fPLHAaK4jnLn5NTXYTfDop7J5V4YDE3-tp_bEPI92j3QP5flts0X6WiH_7ioW_D_Zq9g99M/s1600/Snail+Puzzle.jpg" height="400" width="330" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; text-align: left;">This is a literacy game from the Kindergarten pack. Kids draw two cards - a word beginning (onset) and a word ending (rime). If the onset and rime form a word, they get to add a piece to their puzzle! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If these look interesting to you, but you need only one subject (math or literacy), click <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Spring-Common-Core-Math-Centers-Activities-for-Kindergarten-564532">here</a> for Kinder math, <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Spring-Common-Core-Math-Centers-Activities-for-First-Grade-576553">here</a> for 1st grade math, <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Spring-Common-Core-Literacy-Centers-and-Activities-for-Kindergarten-564075">here</a> for Kinder literacy, and <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Spring-Common-Core-Literacy-Centers-and-Activities-for-First-Grade-580312">here</a> for 1st grade literacy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Last but not least, I have a freebie for you! During the spring, in any grade I've taught (K-2), I've tended to focus a lot on word problems. It seems that my students always struggle with the language of word problems, and by springtime, I'm thinking, "Eek! We have got to master this before the end of the year!"</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So I developed these "make your own word problem" activities with a spring theme. These are a set of word, number, and picture cards that kids can arrange and rearrange to create different word problems. I like having students work in partners - one person creates the word problem and the other person solves it. This is much more fun than doing lots of word problem worksheets!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here are some of the different ways that you can use the cards:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiabsCNI20ofqaiE9IHOps_-vkGhbuhU9gJ5vrNNZhOwB0O7B-QFEBLYsL5df59igiapefCx2NMqDZgitPJWFcaq4Ya5YF2vw8JVaZbVZm2mFco1XYw1N7YVmBaq0YOAqGk60FWE3bM9kg/s1600/SpringWordProblemsLevel1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiabsCNI20ofqaiE9IHOps_-vkGhbuhU9gJ5vrNNZhOwB0O7B-QFEBLYsL5df59igiapefCx2NMqDZgitPJWFcaq4Ya5YF2vw8JVaZbVZm2mFco1XYw1N7YVmBaq0YOAqGk60FWE3bM9kg/s1600/SpringWordProblemsLevel1.jpg" height="275" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Give your students number cards, picture cards, and operations cards as shown above. Have them create simple number sentences for each other and then use manipulatives to solve.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0hTVvPfQKD76fZR7d-nCL9pUYpyFbAilLlXOkRJE25Nk-UbU9rQgLB9bLSifOZiI0WMqrabAUhXsWJZyLZR-OQUOmr7wGtPkt7-4gpT-J_ihkh-DlD0R68wZo4RIx0fPZ26bcqcY-VjY/s1600/SpringWordProblemsLevel2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0hTVvPfQKD76fZR7d-nCL9pUYpyFbAilLlXOkRJE25Nk-UbU9rQgLB9bLSifOZiI0WMqrabAUhXsWJZyLZR-OQUOmr7wGtPkt7-4gpT-J_ihkh-DlD0R68wZo4RIx0fPZ26bcqcY-VjY/s1600/SpringWordProblemsLevel2.jpg" height="412" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This word problem is a bit more complex. Students can use simple language to create "how many in all," "how many are left," "how many more," and "how many fewer" problems.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWAj_DNqlEp6_OLqgV8Kh6oVMhgMOytHcEEhk_LXQdFx-rdPSNFOUBiPvNld_8uEzm_H60wl73_b9Pwq9JrTIhcaAD6HVWPrgYZaTlcxuFgN2NY-rmMoFDfkwZvGjmJhIADd8vcIqHUhI/s1600/SpringWordProblemsLevel3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWAj_DNqlEp6_OLqgV8Kh6oVMhgMOytHcEEhk_LXQdFx-rdPSNFOUBiPvNld_8uEzm_H60wl73_b9Pwq9JrTIhcaAD6HVWPrgYZaTlcxuFgN2NY-rmMoFDfkwZvGjmJhIADd8vcIqHUhI/s1600/SpringWordProblemsLevel3.jpg" height="640" width="556" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In this last example, 2-digit numbers are used to increase the challenge of the problem.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This free set lends itself to differentiation in so many ways! First, you can determine which students get which set of cards (there is a "beginner" and "advanced" set included). Students will also self-differentiate, because the lower kids will stick to creating the same types of problems that you model, while the higher kids have the freedom to be a bit more creative and make different types of problems.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Click on the image below to download for free. I hope you enjoy!!</span><br />
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4wn9SL4wEPfaXpFaEJqWVJqM1k/view?usp=sharing"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXK4f3_MLptljNnv_pMBSQ1yQRjqc69hw0Z7fLKtoEovqMg7nO1tP49QM3qopOYFHFNVLJ8D89uxCGcRjrU5rEgZndAvsReEKtXRcSAa5Ca9AtAolq_mvJSQI97LKhVsvc_PANm66hNuo/s1600/MakeYourOwnWordProblemsforSpring.jpg" height="640" width="456" /></a></div>
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<img class="nopin" src="http://honeybunchblogdesign2.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/sgn2mlpp.png" />Ms. Lilypad's Primary Pondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09404918134935952218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4132431695130217086.post-83966789712531478312015-02-21T06:30:00.000-06:002015-02-22T10:17:18.667-06:00This Week in Intervention<span style="font-size: large;">Happy Saturday!! So this past week was a short week with my intervention kiddos. We had Monday off (yay!) and Tuesday was a teacher work day (aka "Day In Which I Filed a Lot of Junk"). Then we had a snow day on Thursday! It made for a rather choppy week, but also an easy one.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">But back to the teacher workday. I've worked in a handful of districts but it's been 5+ years since I've been in a district that has real teacher work days...I'd forgotten how amazing they are!! Our admin doesn't interfere with our time at all...we just get stuff done. And in my case, that "getting stuff done" was doing the filing that I've been putting off for about 3 months. :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Okay, so speaking of filing, I'm going to go off on a tangent here! I am in the process of redoing my home office and went to Target the other week to get hanging file folders. When I got there, all they had were those yucky, dark green, barfalicious file folders. The ones that look like they belong in the filing cabinet of an Army sergeant. You know what I'm talking about, right? These.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001LR54PM/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001LR54PM&linkCode=as2&tag=mslilspripon-20&linkId=UKOQLDS7KDYEVTEN"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B001LR54PM&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=mslilspripon-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=mslilspripon-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B001LR54PM" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Am I the only one who can't stand that all the file folders in the world seem to be this color?! I tolerate these at work (actually I think I have some in the primary colors this year), but I wanted something prettier for my home office. So I went online and found these!</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00006IF4E/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00006IF4E&linkCode=as2&tag=mslilspripon-20&linkId=XKTTZJOEVYQQRJFV"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00006IF4E&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=mslilspripon-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=mslilspripon-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00006IF4E" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Jewel tone hanging file folders from Smead!! (You already saw that I scored these if you follow me on <a href="http://instagram.com/mslilypadsprimarypond">Instagram</a>). Anyway, to make a long story short, I am delighted that my desk drawers no longer make me look like I am the Sergeant of Filing in the Army.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Okay. Sorry for that tangent...back to my main topic here - intervention! This Friday, I had an especially great time with my intervention kids. I always love Fridays with my kids because instead of having to squeeze in the many components of our super busy intervention program, we just sit together and I read them a story. It is such a lovely experience! I know that many of them aren't able to have this type of story reading experience at home, so it's especially important that they get to sit one-on-one (or one-on-two, for some of my groups) with an adult and enjoy a story. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">However...I end up reading whatever story I choose about 7 times in a period of 2 hours! So I have to make sure I <u>really</u> like the story to avoid going completely insane. This Friday, I brought the story <u>Kitten's First Full Moon</u> by Kevin Henkes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Max the cat also endorses this book.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I teach bilingual students, so I had ordered a copy of the book in Spanish. I love this story so much that I just had to own it! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The story is about a sweet little kitten who sees a full moon for the very first time. Unfortunately for Kitten, she mistakes it for a bowl of milk. She ends up chasing it through a field, falling into a pond, and experiencing other mishaps in pursuit of this "bowl of milk." The ending to this story is sweet and heartwarming, and it makes me smile every time (even after reading it 7 times in one day). The kids love it, too!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The book is great for PreK through 1st grade. You can use it when teaching about reflections, the moon, or making inferences. I can even see it being used as a mentor text for writing - it shows how the author stretches out the problem in the story, because Kitten doesn't solve her problem right away.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">You can check out the book here (it's available in English or Spanish):</span><br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=ss_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=mslilspripon-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0060588284&asins=0060588284&linkId=F73TRL6VPS7NMIWR&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-size: large;"> </span><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=ss_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=mslilspripon-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0060872233&asins=0060872233&linkId=CRLKHT3AQB7XGCSQ&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I feel like my post today was a little all over the place, but hey, it's the weekend, right? Hope you have a great one!!</span><br />
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<img class="nopin" src="http://honeybunchblogdesign2.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/sgn2mlpp.png" />Ms. Lilypad's Primary Pondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09404918134935952218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4132431695130217086.post-18964725385610934422015-02-14T06:00:00.000-06:002015-02-14T06:00:01.035-06:00This Week in Intervention<span style="font-size: large;">Happy Valentine's Day, sweet readers!! I know some people don't like this holiday very much, but I enjoy it. Not in a sappy, huge-amounts-of-balloons kind of way, but in a way that I think it's a great excuse to celebrate all kinds of love. My husband has a surprise dinner date planned for us tonight in downtown Chicago. :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Anyway, back to my week. It was busy for sure...I kind of thought that things were going to settle down a bit now that our round of winter assessments is finished, but how silly was I to expect calm and normalcy in a school week?! This week I sat in on a handful of problem-solving meetings for students who are having difficulty. Even though I don't directly see those students in intervention (none of them are Kindergarteners), as the reading specialist I still participate in the meetings to share what I do know about the kiddos and help come up with possible interventions.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Usually the interventions that are chosen in those meetings are pretty ordinary, run-of-the-mill things (fluency practice, like with my <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Spanish-Reading-Fluency-Ladders-Escaleras-de-fluidez-1606127">Spanish escaleras de fluidez</a> for example, or using RAZ Kids 15 minutes a day on the computer). However, for one 2nd grader (who I used to work with - he's reading at a Level D), a more unique intervention was developed. He's going to be doing the Language Experience Approach (LEA) with a paraprofessional a few times a week. I was tasked with training the para in LEA and coming up with a lesson planning template, so I thought I'd share a few tidbits about LEA with you!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZTBgDZ-2xz6p6nD3AHP02GJHyTOr2LRPLdjHnJNpKvG7t96zCnPOW4JtjzMf6Gv0pRP5T3f1vZA9yL8d8H0JWVGkN0A-Eya_UyvXDdBQCl0CCB1NkUahqsJnGuXTKDvBuUOwiF3L0iH8/s1600/LEA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZTBgDZ-2xz6p6nD3AHP02GJHyTOr2LRPLdjHnJNpKvG7t96zCnPOW4JtjzMf6Gv0pRP5T3f1vZA9yL8d8H0JWVGkN0A-Eya_UyvXDdBQCl0CCB1NkUahqsJnGuXTKDvBuUOwiF3L0iH8/s1600/LEA.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>What is LEA?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">LEA is an oral language and literacy instructional strategy. It's designed to help get students talking about experiences that are personal, familiar, and meaningful to them. It's also intended to help children see how their spoken words can be turned into written words, and how those written words can be read ("What I can think, I can say. What I can say, I can write. What I can write, I can read.")</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>How do you do LEA?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">LEA can be done whole-group (this is how I've done it most often, with my Kindergarten classes in past years), small-group, or one-on-one. You start by choosing (or having the children choose) a real-life event that all of the participating students have experienced. I used to do this with fire drills, field trips, class visitors, science experiments, class parties, etc.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Have the child or children tell you the story of what happened. As one student speaks (the kids can take turns if you're doing this with a group), record what he/she says. If you're doing this whole group, record it on chart paper using large printing. If you're doing this with a small group or single student, you can use smaller paper. You should transcribe verbatim what the children say, but correct any errors. When you write, don't talk to the kids about spelling, spacing, or anything like that. You want the focus to be on the content, not on writing mechanics.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">After you've written down the story, choral read the story with the children, or read it aloud to them if they're not able to participate the first time. Read it another time with the students. Then, have the students suggest any changes to make to the writing. Make those changes, and then read the final story again.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The final story should be kept and reread again later. You can extend the activity in sooo many ways, too! You can type up the story and send it home for the students to read to their families. You can cut up the story into strips and have the kids put them in order. Have students make a class book from the story. Record students reading the story with an iPad or computer. The possibilities are endless!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Why do LEA?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The main reason to do LEA (in my opinion) is because it develops oral language and literacy skills in a way that is personal to students. The stories you create using LEA are <u>so</u> meaningful to kids because they are THEIR stories!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">LEA is also a great strategy to use with English Language Learners and struggling readers. These students may get drilled on phonics and basic skills, but LEA brings the focus back to meaningful reading and writing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you are interested in doing LEA one-on-one with a child (or have an aide/parent who can do it), here's a planning/recording template you can use. Even if you're not able to do it with just a single child, you can still use the sheet to guide you when doing the activity with a small group or whole group.</span><br />
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4wn9SL4wEPfaGQxcUtuQmdjWkE/view?usp=sharing"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAPv24XxxT9RLEYgx41qTt-a8C-L_xGtlATFAdKFvOyjcyRPXOo-gtoxAvmsv61kWuEJtS-uDYbFfek8FErf-tSWuh65jHPwhjEI4igpv4LD6HDwI4n9K7MM1u5-n9THZI2C39BLwG4WA/s1600/LEA+Planning+Format.001.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">That's all for now! Have a wonderful weekend, and as usual, I'll be back next Saturday with more fun stuff from my week.</span></div>
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<img class="nopin" src="http://honeybunchblogdesign2.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/sgn2mlpp.png" />Ms. Lilypad's Primary Pondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09404918134935952218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4132431695130217086.post-25096351380565195672015-02-09T15:00:00.000-06:002015-03-05T19:33:25.800-06:00Why I Don't Use Sentence Fixing with My Students<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Do you give your students sentence fixing activities to complete? You know, the ones where you provide a sentence that's written and punctuated incorrectly, and they have to fix it?</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> Sometimes these activities are referred to as D.O.L. (Daily Oral Language). D.O.L., sentence fixing, or whatever you want to call it is a pretty common way to teach grammar. I have done these exercises with my kiddos, and I actually remember doing lots of them as a student, too. But…bad news, friends! Sentence fixing is </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">not</span><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;"> an effective way to teach grammar!!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;">Let me back up a little here. This past summer, I finished packaging my writing curriculum series for </span><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/First-Grade-Writing-Workshop-Curriculum-Bundle-1319329" style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">first grade</a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;"> and for </span><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Second-Grade-Writing-Workshop-Curriculum-Bundle-1361891" style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">second grade</a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;">.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;">My writing units follow a writing workshop model.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;">Each unit focuses on a single genre, and students are often free to choose their own writing topics. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;">I know that some other writing workshop programs really don’t advocate teaching grammar at all, because they don’t view it as an “authentic” part of writing.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;">Which, honestly, I don’t completely agree with.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;">I am not a grammar junkie (it’s not my favorite thing to teach), but the fact is that kids need practice with grammar skills. (By the way, when I say grammar, I am lumping together teaching kids about capitalization, punctuation, parts of speech, etc.)</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I am all about integrating grammar instruction into authentic writing activities. For example, if you're teaching kids how-to writing, teach them how to include commas in a list of supplies that the reader will need. However, a minilesson here or there isn't really enough to give kids the extended practice that they need to master a skill. So when I created my first and second grade writing units, I knew I wanted to include grammar exercises to reinforce the skills taught in the minilessons.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">When I wrote the grammar exercises, I included lots of sentence fixing practice. Now, I've gotta be honest here - the little reading specialist alarm that I have in the back of my mind was going off while I did this. I knew that sentence fixing wasn't the very best way to teach grammar, but I wasn't entirely sure what else to do instead to help supplement the grammar lessons in my writing series. So I included sentence fixers in my grammar activities, and I published the units.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Fast forward a bit to my district's reading specialist professional development at the beginning of the school year. One of the topics we touched on was (can you guess?) sentence fixing! The literacy director in my district (who I really respect and admire) shared </span></span><a href="http://tandfbis.s3.amazonaws.com/rt-media/eoe/whitepapers/ruday_wp_v4_final.pdf" style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">this document</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> with us. It's all about why traditional grammar exercises (</span></span>like<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> sentence fixing) do not work, and what we should be doing instead. Here are my major takeaways from that document and what the literacy director said:</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">- Sentence fixing is <b>not effective</b> for several reasons. First, we want to show our students examples of good writing, not bad writing! Second, it's not engaging. Third, research shows that using sentence fixing activities does not result in students applying these same skills in their own writing (and that's what really counts, right?!).</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">- Students need to see examples of good grammar, good use of capitalization, and good punctuation, and they need opportunities to apply these skills to their own writing. We need to point out how and why published authors choose punctuation marks in the context of real texts. We need to talk to them about <u>why</u> published authors follow grammar rules and what effect it has on us, as readers. And we also need to give our kids opportunities to go try out grammatical structures, different punctuation, and capitalization in their own writing. Basically, kids need to <b>see and use grammar in real contexts.</b></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Okay. So as you can imagine, I started feeling a teeeensy bit guilty about all those sentence fixers in my writing units. Our </span></span>literacy<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> director <u>did</u> point out, however, that doing some sentence fixing is completely fine - we just need to show kids examples of correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar before we ask them to fix incorrect usage.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">With that in mind, I've revised the grammar/language arts exercises in all of my first grade and second grade writing units. I still do have some sentence fixing in those exercises, because I know that kids do need to practice their editing skills. However, I created a format that forces kids to take note of examples of <u>correct</u> usage in <u>correctly written</u> sentences, and only then are they asked to fix an incorrectly written sentence. Here's an example from <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Second-Grade-Writing-Curriculum-Unit-5-1361932">Second Grade Unit 5</a>:</span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The first two sentences use possessives correctly. Circle the apostrophes. Then, fix the last sentence.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>That is Michael’s tennis racket.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Courtney’s book is on the floor.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">Fix:</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> I saw Elizabeths tablet on the table yesterday.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This particular activity is timed so that the day after you teach a minilesson on possessives, this grammar exercise follows up with further practice. This is intended to honor the idea that kids need to practice grammar skills in context (i.e. during the minilesson and writing workshop time) but also provides them with follow-up reinforcement. In addition to this type of exercise, I've also included a variety of quick activities that are designed to be engaging and cover Common Core language skills. These exercises (like "find the pattern") also expose students to examples of well-written sentences. There is a quick daily grammar exercise for each day in each unit, which is more than enough for the entire school year!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So, if you own one of my <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/First-Grade-Writing-Workshop-Curriculum-Bundle-1319329">first</a> or <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Second-Grade-Writing-Workshop-Curriculum-Bundle-1361891">second grade units</a> (or the bundles), you will see that when you log into your Teachers Pay Teachers account and click on "My Purchases," there is red text below the unit(s) that says "Newly Revised Re-Download." This just means that you can redownload the unit for free and check out the changes I've made (and I certainly hope you will consider using the new activities with your students!).</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Thanks for bearing with me; I know this was sort of a long post! If you have any comments or ideas to share about how you make grammar instruction fun and authentic for your students, please comment below. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Happy teaching!</span><br />
<img class="nopin" src="http://honeybunchblogdesign2.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/sgn2mlpp.png" />Ms. Lilypad's Primary Pondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09404918134935952218noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4132431695130217086.post-61067809362067626122015-02-08T09:40:00.002-06:002015-02-08T11:03:13.924-06:005 Ways to Help Your Principal Help You<span style="font-size: large;">I've never been a principal. But I've worked for 6 different ones, and I have seen that it is <u>no</u> easy job! I have lost sleep over my responsibilities as a classroom teacher and now a reading specialist, and I'm pretty sure I'd <u>never</u> sleep again if I had to worry about an entire school.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Principals have a different perspective than we do, as teachers. Most of us teachers haven't been administrators, and we haven't had an opportunity to see the challenges and pressures that they face. We also don't always agree with the choices of our administrators. However, I've found that, for the most part (I'm not talking about the exceptions here!), the majority of administrators do want to support us. So in that spirit, here are 5 ways that we can help our principals help us:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY0O28YHaQkGcz80goYYnRhEAfCoH-PhZPaG2d42R5uv1cdXgsBX6jIRPDYtsIaiec0CBifDxbIFvemfCMEj3SbGjyE8_RqyHlSq0pn1BCV3qia_ws7Wiob_XaNxFGN-qEg7NIsUW-v1c/s1600/5+ways+to+help+your+principal+help+you.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY0O28YHaQkGcz80goYYnRhEAfCoH-PhZPaG2d42R5uv1cdXgsBX6jIRPDYtsIaiec0CBifDxbIFvemfCMEj3SbGjyE8_RqyHlSq0pn1BCV3qia_ws7Wiob_XaNxFGN-qEg7NIsUW-v1c/s1600/5+ways+to+help+your+principal+help+you.jpg" height="640" width="452" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>1. Keep your principal "in the know." </b>If there's some sort of negative situation developing that your principal may eventually find out about (particularly between yourself and a parent), keep your principal in the loop. If a parent is upset about something and writes me an email, I will forward that email and my response to my principal, labeled as "FYI." It only takes a second, and I'd much rather do this than have my principal find out later about a problem that's been going on for 3 months!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>2. When you have something very difficult to share with a parent (or maybe even a coworker), consult with your principal first. </b>This is sort of related to #1, but if you're going to share some information with a parent that may be hard to take, sit down with your principal first. Show them the data or information that you plan to share, and then ask, "What do you think?" Not only may your principal be able to give you some pointers on how to share the information tactfully, but now she will be "in the know" and prepared if the parent then comes to her. She may even offer to sit in on the conference.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>3. When you come to your principal with a problem, bring along a solution, too.</b> To help your principal understand that you're not just complaining, when you bring up an issue, try to also share a possible solution or two. Maybe your principal will even agree with that solution, and the problem will be solved immediately.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>4. Choose your emails wisely. </b>My principal accidentally displayed his email account on the projector screen during a professional development session, and holy cow. He had sooo many unread emails! I wonder how many he gets a day - from the district, from teachers, from other school professionals, from parents...wow. Even before I saw this, I had always been careful about how many emails I send my principal. If I have a question and think that I may be able to find out the answer from someone else (maybe a coworker, secretary, or assistant principal), I typically try that route first. Also, if you can catch your principal in person for a quick question, it might be quicker and easier for both of you than a string of emails. I like to keep my principal "in the know" (see #1), but I also don't want to overwhelm him with emails!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>5. Ask for help when you need it. </b>I rely on my team members and other coworkers for help most of the time (see #4 about too many emails!). But there are some things that may be best handled by a principal. I'd much rather ask my principal for help when I need it, rather than let a problem spiral out of control and expect her to deal with it once the "ship has sailed."</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So there you have it - 5 ways to help your principal help you. (Note: I didn't make up these little nuggets of wisdom - I've heard most of them from mentors and coworkers in the schools where I've worked.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Do you agree? Disagree? Have more to add? Comment below!</span><br />
<img class="nopin" src="http://honeybunchblogdesign2.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/sgn2mlpp.png" />Ms. Lilypad's Primary Pondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09404918134935952218noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4132431695130217086.post-87886070230277953172015-02-07T07:30:00.000-06:002015-02-07T07:30:00.176-06:00This Week in Intervention<span style="font-size: large;">Happy Saturday! It has felt like a really long week, even though we had Monday off on account of the giant blizzard that hit Illinois. This week I really got rolling with my Kindergarten interventions (in <a href="http://lilypadlittles.blogspot.com/2015/01/this-week-in-intervention.html">this post</a>, I shared that I'll be working with only Kindergarten students for the rest of the school year).</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I work in a fairly large school, and the reading room is pretty far from the Kindergarten classrooms. My time with the kids is limited (we had quite a few kids qualify for interventions and I only work in the afternoons), so I just decided to ditch the idea of bringing the kids back to the reading room. Fortunately there is a nice-sized table in the hallway by the Kindergarten room. So every day before the PM Kinders come in, I set up shop!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirUqZRvOOkPmiBDkN9X2gi-6mRKu_3LhpyPWidWEJmphc1TGGjXjJX2WOMkdn3jeUy1YFl2l8H36sTD9RU8NDxjQeW9G9jFX3OgGstNggXtM0qVqKXOSZDgncxh7FaKYf1tFscA-e2_1g/s1600/20150205_123839-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirUqZRvOOkPmiBDkN9X2gi-6mRKu_3LhpyPWidWEJmphc1TGGjXjJX2WOMkdn3jeUy1YFl2l8H36sTD9RU8NDxjQeW9G9jFX3OgGstNggXtM0qVqKXOSZDgncxh7FaKYf1tFscA-e2_1g/s1600/20150205_123839-2.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It's not an ideal situation, but I just can't justify bringing the kids all the way to my room just for the sake of my own convenience. I'm seeing 10 kiddos in a little over 2 hours, so I have to make use of every minute!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">When I realized that I was going to be working out of my room, I started thinking that I would need some way of displaying alphabet charts, anchor charts, and "I Can" statements for my kids. I was thinking about making one of those cute little mini anchor chart stands I've seen on Pinterest (like <a href="http://fallingintofirst.blogspot.com/2014/03/mini-anchor-chart-stand.html">this one</a>). Then I got real - with my lack of craftiness, it would probably fall apart after a week. So I decided to invest in this:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhdGKhNPce32Vc-SmL1YDO0Z2Hq7HcH7Lgy0efBZJt6-syIOQRdVcZF9cIIuOl_eMTLcbwa0rDoEovDganBagqUTZpb6I7sPKRkVBZUpK3DnaQT1ctn0qlKIgGPYZZZ7efJ4JV-TaPZOY/s1600/20150205_123903.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhdGKhNPce32Vc-SmL1YDO0Z2Hq7HcH7Lgy0efBZJt6-syIOQRdVcZF9cIIuOl_eMTLcbwa0rDoEovDganBagqUTZpb6I7sPKRkVBZUpK3DnaQT1ctn0qlKIgGPYZZZ7efJ4JV-TaPZOY/s1600/20150205_123903.jpg" height="400" width="225" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I am actually really glad I bought this one, because it's super convenient. It has clear pockets for displaying 20 different sheets, and it stands up really well. If you'd like to purchase one for your guided reading table or centers, click on the image below (they aren't expensive at all!). They may not be as cute and crafty as the PVC pipe chart stands, but I am really happy with mine.</span><br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=ss_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=mslilspripon-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B000EFQSTS&asins=B000EFQSTS&linkId=6XM56AOC3Z46LQAD&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>
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That's all for now! Have a great weekend!</span><br />
<img class="nopin" src="http://honeybunchblogdesign2.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/sgn2mlpp.png" />Ms. Lilypad's Primary Pondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09404918134935952218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4132431695130217086.post-85689206879716404972015-02-02T16:30:00.000-06:002015-02-02T16:30:00.793-06:00Ideas for Teaching Life Cycles<span style="font-size: large;">Hi from <strike>Antarctica</strike> the midwest! I am currently looking out my window at the heaps of snow that came down this weekend, and thinking about how ready I am for spring. One of my favorite topics to teach in the spring are the life cycles! So I thought I'd share some of my favorite resources in case you are planning ahead.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Life-Cycles-Unit-for-PreK-K-or-First-Grade-599585"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN6jzcxNF33zx-nQc3bdcI2Dh_Rv40o9qhi4ouyjH3hQySwP-EnI8gzXNUMtfCm3lNvBkoAxxTMGvcHZx3i-QRMxec6Y_QZJrazY4UzORwZ3rd5CgXdv5DSvU3yZtI0ivWFkN26S964bo/s1600/Life+Cycles+Image+3.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">When I teach life cycles, I like to teach the butterfly, frog, chicken, and plant life cycles one after the other. I encourage the kids to make connections between the different life cycles so that they understand the "big idea" that all living things grow and change. I start off the unit by having the kids each bring in a baby photo. I collect them all, spread them out on the tables, and have the kids rotate through the tables like centers. They try to guess whose baby picture belongs to who! After we finish the baby pictures activity, we talk about how they have grown and changed since they were babies...both physically and in their abilities to do "big kid" stuff. Soon after that lesson, we talk about the difference between living and nonliving, and I explain that we are going to be learning about how living things grow and change. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The next day, I launch into teaching about the <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Butterfly-Life-Cycle-Mini-Unit-for-PreK-Kindergarten-or-First-Grade-602088">butterfly life cycle</a>. I read <u>The Very Hungry Caterpillar</u> during the first lesson, since most of them have already heard it and already know what happens at the end. We focus on the butterfly life cycle for about 2 weeks, during which they learn lots of vocabulary, including the body parts of an insect. Here are just a few of the crafts and activities we do as part of this mini-unit:</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Butterfly-Life-Cycle-Mini-Unit-for-PreK-Kindergarten-or-First-Grade-602088"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMhyTSUPqQWLvrLAmUS3nCE_LCMjkVLjTAtn1ggv7JgRIyew7K_gRLM3n4qW15Bs9ujdEmo98HAY3PjlwLRtcng2dqGok7j6Zby_7D-N53Z5qdBUzBxMHx6oq5mpsT3kkd0fbi6cUdmf4/s1600/Butterfly+Life+Cycle+Journal.jpg" height="400" width="352" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Butterfly Life Cycle Observation Journals </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">(The kids use these with the butterflies we have in our classroom and use the vocabulary cards shown above the journal to support their writing)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Butterfly Life Cycle Pasta Craft</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Butterfly Symmetry Painting</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">(I have the kids use tempera paint and q-tips to design one side, then fold and see what happens to the other side)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Butterfly Life Cycle Vocabulary Puzzles</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After the butterfly life cycle mini unit is over, we move on to the frog life cycle! One of my favorite things we do during this part of the unit is to make the frog life cycle out of playdough. I wish I had some photos of this, but the kids get really into it! You can have them work in partners to get them using the vocabulary while they talk about how to make each stage in the life cycle. Here are a couple of the other activities that we do during this part of the unit:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Frog-Life-Cycle-Mini-Unit-for-PreK-Kindergarten-or-First-Grade-602798"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfzQima4jWRibV2sb639Mx7aTIssm5iYNyGUmhnImIySwj0YEf6xU4klBDMBEb8JVTK4yCrd3PwYnWCF4CfOMiYvxNtIezXXo8NgVcOnJI6me5wEwn4H74Mi9O2wuVdGH652Ef7u93m-w/s1600/Frog+Puzzle.jpg" height="400" width="293" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Venn Diagram to compare the body parts of a tadpole and frog</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We always sing this so-cute song called "Tadpole Blues" by Peter Combe. I love this song so much I am listening to it again right now, with absolutely 0 children near me...let's hope my husband can't hear the music!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Okay, so after the frog life cycle part is done, we move on to the chicken life cycle (if I time things right and the holiday doesn't fall too late, we do this right around Easter!).</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Chicken-Life-Cycle-Mini-Unit-for-PreK-Kindergarten-or-First-Grade-613843"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTYw_gP4A7frroRymMJKYdAVDmtJwtpECEgCK23XcnX0G5qU9FThq-3gNdT4XfSD-Y8bct9wQ2u6Mn0C1tiKr8NKpI6CfxElOrFYcYCtzVLEdL6vfpxDjw7GnOGnTizH37dhSNG6LgfHM/s1600/Chicken+Life+Cycle+Cut+and+Paste.jpg" height="400" width="288" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Chicken Life Cycle Cut and Paste</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">(As with all the other life cycles, we do cut-and-paste practice - and I have the kids write labels for each picture when they're finished)</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Chicken-Life-Cycle-Mini-Unit-for-PreK-Kindergarten-or-First-Grade-613843"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWOlD2TXeV264wuBnFzcTTtJdw2WQvetj-KBcRYYij1rcpVd_Nfly87pHgkioLNlbB56IxOPJRVUoBtzvKOUFQFOb4r8_5nM3uECPR5UT_FqKaOmegWzZ7TFSHA2yT-SsqiSHqCPEMn8A/s1600/Oviparous+or+Viviparous.001.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Oviparous vs. Viviparous Picture Sort</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">(Once we've learned about the chicken life cycle, we learn about other animals that come from an egg, as well as the terms "viviparous" and "oviparous")</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And last but not least, after the chicken life cycle mini-unit is finished, we move on to the life cycle of a plant (I also hit on plant parts here, too.) </span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Plant-Life-Cycle-Parts-of-a-Plant-Mini-Unit-for-PreK-Kinder-or-First-Grade-617276"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGM2_RZRCBl0-Tqih8MV-Jw8BgE5Su1emwyHu6Va1FmmFON40nYqq0jyebHI8LobNvbkoVXxU2elDl3Ty4jRxcJ0OP0edW-5T4mzPdA4aLAac8nV6Oil0FBRuAiNhK9hZHTI5d83vaR0g/s1600/DSCN1070.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Parts of a Plant Color & Label</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Plant-Life-Cycle-Parts-of-a-Plant-Mini-Unit-for-PreK-Kinder-or-First-Grade-617276"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2VVMvknkRzkEVWLXSL6BxLaC9l1FRR5egHuW4cUuyi0QyOscqrCIONWhH49q2DqvxwSpIruzhLcnOIqjxj1-JYbLtpui496YO8oMW3V4S79ao8ucsCoNSuwQ6L5_k_pah5FwKYX8yjCA/s1600/DSCN1096.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Plant Life Cycle Board Game</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Plant-Life-Cycle-Parts-of-a-Plant-Mini-Unit-for-PreK-Kinder-or-First-Grade-617276"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjb_p99-TuEda5inA6H8JkgLwWpr1jbX09nL_Tlf0k4Zknrry4hvyj70p4sxpl5N1pLxbHhvrbZ8xOGiDwWQx9vdS97OYOGUOelAOgvLupeAUijFcchX7clVXvHQMEGu7h9JWsybPp0IM/s1600/DSCN1102.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Leveled Readers about Plants</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">To wrap up the whole unit, we do some comparing and contrasting of the different life cycles, and the kids do some sort of final project to demonstrate their learning. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">All of the materials shown are found in this bundle:</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Life-Cycles-Unit-for-PreK-K-or-First-Grade-599585"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuY-aTqSIiVi39q40ZP7V2EWcORk4z0OcqaDHVM1y5I4G8hwiPai_XeDYhKOyT2X9_J2OCBA33-4VwKpf50xiN6qZoGjuHlyw7H7wAmCuwg2tvloqrAyohRO3Z_5jspQuhWejEZNujo4w/s1600/Life+Cycles+Bundle+Dummy+Version.001.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It's cheaper to buy the bundle, but you can also purchase the units separately:</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Butterfly-Life-Cycle-Mini-Unit-for-PreK-Kindergarten-or-First-Grade-602088"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp_IOphFXZjrDKjRE5jJ1eDcCZ8P0_0ufLmH7ESshXnY4YmUL31ERDOt20SChhWxU4l-ONm8N4CmYUQsbQaQSEJdQFDq02OzikF9U5Ln-OrEN18c3s5x_wQPkzj5B38d4BeZfUjwzjqtw/s1600/Butterflies+Mini+Unit+Cover+Image.001.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Frog-Life-Cycle-Mini-Unit-for-PreK-Kindergarten-or-First-Grade-602798"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCNiPKP5QfcUntn4lL6ywkUJFDBUC1Tj_hIAsbTljS8qkq2mkLxXdIc5zaj5Xuf4fAtBQINnNo9ofCoj0I5y_H2Vqxc2m1chXuCpjF37pLShLuGzp86cAGPGOs_s4cA9C77Ur-2VGhGzE/s1600/Frog+Life+Cycle+Mini+Unit+Cover+Image.001.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Chicken-Life-Cycle-Mini-Unit-for-PreK-Kindergarten-or-First-Grade-613843"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8qAGtzuL9v_yZ4ZAjysWGsm1jkgTz2cXTHHpb2XNPtKNO6wz_1c2W2WR3sSzQvTdCmCcx0RXEm2JhlnwFNkTYOISoxzmazxmtY-20evdMchpUcfhlUV63pLlGiaFv8rJSrKjiW3XW3Ho/s1600/Chicken+Life+Cycle+Mini+Unit.001.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Plant-Life-Cycle-Parts-of-a-Plant-Mini-Unit-for-PreK-Kinder-or-First-Grade-617276"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP6QGPOfAd_qmIACxWaHbjc0p_L3utTo99katP5pi-2Try8VaSMSGI1y0hyphenhyphenZzdhgA7JtQUm4b25XcMNMZxnyNKZIE4SUzahnaFlpb-kIAvi1UNC3vfQvj9eUzloWAYuxKzmUDlMyXRZXw/s1600/Plant+Life+Cycle+Mini+Unit+Cover+Image.001.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And now for some fun Internet life cycles links to explore (all free):</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">- Interactive sequencing game for the butterfly life cycle: <a href="http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/scienceforkids/life_cycle/butterfly_lifecycle.htm">http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/scienceforkids/life_cycle/butterfly_lifecycle.htm</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">- Time lapse video of the monarch life cycle: <a href="http://www.neok12.com/php/watch.php?v=zX5e6d74677163757b450e45&t=Metamorphosis">http://www.neok12.com/php/watch.php?v=zX5e6d74677163757b450e45&t=Metamorphosis</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">- Frog life cycle sequencing interactive game: <a href="http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/scienceforkids/life_cycle/frog_lifecycle.htm">http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/scienceforkids/life_cycle/frog_lifecycle.htm</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">- Video about the life cycle of a frog: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ce5_Vk_yNcY">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ce5_Vk_yNcY</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">- Animated video of the chicken life cycle: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQaA2f4eZrA">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQaA2f4eZrA</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">- Real video clips from the life cycle of a chicken: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsI63OrMEEQ" style="letter-spacing: 0px;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsI63OrMEEQ</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">- Time lapse of a seed growing: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPTJ3qD1ikk&feature=fvwrel">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPTJ3qD1ikk&feature=fvwrel</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">- Plant life cycle sequencing game: <a href="https://jr.brainpop.com/science/plants/plantlifecycle/sequenceorder/">https://jr.brainpop.com/science/plants/plantlifecycle/sequenceorder/</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I hope you enjoy the links! Happy teaching, and here's to an early spring this year!</span></div>
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<img class="nopin" src="http://honeybunchblogdesign2.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/sgn2mlpp.png" />Ms. Lilypad's Primary Pondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09404918134935952218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4132431695130217086.post-15970852895515803032015-01-31T08:56:00.002-06:002015-01-31T08:56:19.268-06:00This Week in Intervention<span style="font-size: large;">First of all, holy cow! It has been about 5 weeks since I was able to do my weekly "This Week in Intervention" post. Thanks to Christmas break, some snow days, and lots and lots of assessing/data crunching, I haven't seen kids for intervention for a full week since the second week in December. Yikes!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">But this week I finally started getting back into somewhat of a routine...sort of. For the first part of the school year, I had been seeing bilingual K-2nd graders for interventions, but due to the number of students in K who qualified based upon our January assessments, I am now working with 100% Kindergarteners! I am definitely excited to work with the grade level that I am most comfortable with. I love Kinders and their enthusiasm for learning! I'm a little sad to have to "leave" my 1st and 2nd graders - but they will be in good hands and will still get extra help from bilingual reading assistants. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I'm now going to be implementing a district-developed program for Kindergarten intervention...and I have a lot of learning to do. The program is only 15 mins per kiddo, which is great for their little attention spans, but there's a lot I have to cram into those 15 minutes. On Thursday I met with my Kinders for the first time. We started off nice and easy, by reading an alphabet book together, and I also had each child create a cover sheet for their folder, just for a little personalization and fun:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje4WqxhDivLvR7okuJWJvRx3C9ZpVa2k6CvSQ_E42Wn0oCDmRek8C8MBkNAmkUxp4O9IkkNcKyNe2bxIuNufKAMS_Pu2Ps_xiYAN4V_tgZ07RBp5de1LNIUUZNGmgpmFjWzOydWADokrs/s1600/20150130_152411.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje4WqxhDivLvR7okuJWJvRx3C9ZpVa2k6CvSQ_E42Wn0oCDmRek8C8MBkNAmkUxp4O9IkkNcKyNe2bxIuNufKAMS_Pu2Ps_xiYAN4V_tgZ07RBp5de1LNIUUZNGmgpmFjWzOydWADokrs/s1600/20150130_152411.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This week I also created a little checklist to help me with record keeping. I do have "official" paperwork to fill out for the program, but my schedule in the afternoon is crazy (seeing 10 total Kinders in a span of a little over 2 hours - with no time in between). So I needed something that I could use to very, very quickly mark how the kids are doing. I came up with this little half sheet checklist:</span><br />
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4wn9SL4wEPfVWJEVU5fVjhkZDg/view?usp=sharing"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIzMu3WJuT0h_xH7HacXd_K3yldcOH3_tMtILp_IhspWStOkDIWQlMzwhJyqBd5HSI3HHYqxVCU6AiZ2dfYTd2opExPs-2l6UhChQm8yfUWPdwrPcB-_UjPhVJej1pwpUC_5xhxVOiT_w/s1600/Kinder+Checklist+Image.001.jpg" height="256" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I created it around the activities included in our program, but it's probably general enough to use with a Kinder or 1st grade guided reading group. To download, just click on the image.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This week I've also been hard at work on my presentation for the <a href="http://www.sde.com/PD-Events/Conferences/1252">SDE Conference for Illinois First Grade Teachers</a>. If you live in Illinois and teach 1st grade, come see me (and many other <u>much</u> more distinguished presenters) in Oak Lawn, February 23-24th.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Have a great weekend!!</span><br />
<img class="nopin" src="http://honeybunchblogdesign2.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/sgn2mlpp.png" />Ms. Lilypad's Primary Pondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09404918134935952218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4132431695130217086.post-81336786384019621322015-01-27T17:30:00.000-06:002015-01-27T17:30:01.721-06:00Why Journal?<span style="font-size: large;">You're a teacher. You're super busy. You don't have the time or energy to write in a journal. Right?? That is exactly what went through my head when someone recommended journaling to me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">To be honest...I've <u>never</u> really been a great journal-er. This dates back to when I was a kid, way before I ever even thought about becoming a teacher. Every so often, I'd decide that I was going to keep a journal. For a few days, I'd write in one of those cute little notebooks that had a tiny lock and key, and then completely abandon it and find it months later, at the bottom of my closet. Fail! And I can't exactly use the "too busy" excuse for my 11-year-old self, can I? </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Anyway, the point is that I have never exactly been a dedicated journal-er. But fairly recently, I have taken up journaling and I L-O-V-E it. And if you are a teacher, you will L-O-V-E journaling, too. Here's why!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrY_3KoJme1PYggkFlHwQSWMDCydGaqTudgZm1WRGR6Thlc2KUKmdC4Eke8IEYPwG4JgH1nW3GKpvGKiEt8OAszl79InLleV9R8R5lbT9RCq4jCgrPDD7WPNlGVgCEthP3DaBZyo6fmO0/s1600/5ReasonsForJournalingImage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrY_3KoJme1PYggkFlHwQSWMDCydGaqTudgZm1WRGR6Thlc2KUKmdC4Eke8IEYPwG4JgH1nW3GKpvGKiEt8OAszl79InLleV9R8R5lbT9RCq4jCgrPDD7WPNlGVgCEthP3DaBZyo6fmO0/s1600/5ReasonsForJournalingImage.jpg" height="640" width="568" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>1. Stress relief!</b> </span><span style="font-size: large;"> There is something so therapeutic about sitting down to write or type out your thoughts after a long day at work! I always have so many thoughts buzzing around in my head about what has happened at work, and what I need to do at home. Writing down what's in my head allows me to let go of those thoughts so I can enjoy my night at home and also sleep better. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>2. Keeping memories.</b> I'm not sure if it's because so much happens each day at school, or because I just have a bad memory, but I am <u>not</u> good at remembering things! And when I say "things," I don't mean that I forget to pick up bread at the store (I have a to-do list for that!). I mean "things" like the funny answer one of my kindergarteners gave, or how much fun I had during a weekend hiking excursion. Keeping a journal helps me remember all these little moments. In addition, I make an effort to write down positive things, so journaling helps me remember to be grateful and focus on the good.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>3. Clarifying your thinking.</b> When I have a problem, writing about it often helps me solve it. Having to turn my jumbled up thoughts into written words helps me clarify my thinking about the problem. This is especially great when I'm struggling with a student who has a learning or behavior problem. Sometimes I inadvertently come up with possible solutions just by journaling about it. The same goes for personal problems, too!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>4. Knowing yourself better. </b>Teaching is all about learning...and this includes learning about yourself (as a person and as a teacher). If you write down your thoughts and feelings and look back at your entries at a later date, some patterns of your own behavior might jump out at you. Are there certain triggers that make you stressed out? How does your energy level change throughout the school year? Keeping a record of your thoughts and feelings helps you learn more about yourself as a teacher and a person.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>5. Setting and achieving goals.</b> I once read that writing down your goals makes you much, much more likely to actually follow through and achieve them. A journal can be a great place to write down your goals and dreams (both teaching and not teaching related). Just the act of getting your goals down on paper serves as motivation. Plus, you will have a written record of your progress as you work toward and ultimately achieve your goal. And it'll be pretty cool to be able to look back on your journey!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So...did I convince you to start journaling yet?! I sure hope so! If you need a notebook to get started, check out the <i>My Teaching Life</i> journal for teachers. It's unique because each page has a question at the top to help inspire your writing. What I like to do is get started writing by answering the question, and then just write about other work and personal things after I've answered it. You can learn more about the journal by reading {<a href="http://lilypadlittles.blogspot.com/2015/01/teacher-reflection-journals.html">this post</a>}. </span><br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/My-Teaching-Life-Reflection-Journal-for-Teachers-1650500"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj17YQyAkH7h9nIfQNY3Qr2xnXUnkTGCCndikUo2VtK2q8AEW_0ttJioDu2OWqSCbxH-I345tF0ZIt7ed2VNVSKr17hoGHPLLSkqTwcWD_T2unwcw6X5AcWXHH_7z2Y-XdVNDGrggCeEMY/s1600/ImageforTpT.jpg" height="370" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/My-Teaching-Life-Reflection-Journal-for-Teachers-1650500"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1iMpbctJcUFzWkOE6rQMDWd74i-rbZpi6eFPirsaXXdOORvkX9bDQlz3N7ZkobYDWxk4zIm5D5-gb2XUK6T_YXF2u6l0yGFkMBBbcwURIl0Vi4p2nzGPu2dTj5B5MpDSmCggBhxX3BA8/s1600/Journal+Question+CloseUp.jpg" height="250" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Happy journaling!</span><br />
<img class="nopin" src="http://honeybunchblogdesign2.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/sgn2mlpp.png" />Ms. Lilypad's Primary Pondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09404918134935952218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4132431695130217086.post-89649960045194680182015-01-22T16:32:00.000-06:002015-01-22T16:32:04.806-06:00Poetry Teaching Ideas & Activities<span style="font-size: large;">Are you a little apprehensive about teaching kids to read and write poetry? Well, so am I. And I think it might be because <i>my </i>elementary school teachers may have been a little apprehensive about teaching poetry, too! From what I remember, my experiences with poetry in elementary school consisted of writing a few poems with a very specific format (cinquains and haikus in 3rd grade) and then memorizing some poems in my later years of elementary school. That's it! I don't think I really knew much of anything about poetry until my senior year of high school. It was only then that I learned that no, you <i>don't </i>pause at the end of every line unless there is punctuation there. I also finally learned to analyze and appreciate poetry a little more.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Kids shouldn't have to wait until their last year of high school to appreciate poetry! I do think that, in recent years, more elementary teachers have been incorporating poetry into their instruction. Poetry is great as shared reading, and it's also awesome with helping kids practice fluency! I still think that we need to go a little deeper with teaching poetry, however - and the Common Core Standards agree. In Kindergarten, kids are expected to "recognize common types of texts (e.g., storybooks, poems)." Then, in first grade, students are asked to "identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses," as well as "read prose and poetry of appropriate complexity for grade 1." In second grade, students are required to "describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song," as well as read and comprehend poetry appropriate for grades 2-3. (There are, of course, more standards about poetry for the older grades, but since my blog focuses on K-2, I'll stop there.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Wow! I don't know about you, but the Common Core Standards ask second graders to do a lot more with poetry than I was asked to do in all of elementary school! I think that this is great, though - hopefully kids won't grow up with the same apprehension about reading and writing poetry that I did. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So what can we do to help kids become more comfortable with poetry? Read on for suggestions for teaching poetry, a list of some of my favorite poems for kids, and a fun, no-risk writing activity to help kids get started with poetry.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>1. Read and discuss poetry frequently with your students.</b> Learning about poetry needn't be reserved for a short unit at the end of the year or for National Poetry Month. Integrate poetry into your instruction on a weekly or at least monthly basis! The nice thing about poems is that they are usually short. So why not squeeze in a few poems one day a week during your readaloud time? Or maybe read aloud a poem to start or end the day? One of my <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/2nd-Grade-Reading-Workshop-Curriculum-Unit-5-Different-Types-of-Fiction-1115972">reading workshop units for second grade</a> has plans that you can use to help kids understand and talk about poetry (these plans also include lessons on alliteration, rhyme, repetition, etc.). </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>2. Use poetry to help kids practice reading fluency.</b> Kids may get tired of reading the same passage 5 times, but a funny poem will more easily hold their attention for 5 reads. Many poems express emotion, so model how to read them expressively and expect students to read them with lots of expression. Students can perform poetry for each other, which further motivates them to practice, practice, and practice reading their poems fluently! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>3. Encourage kids to write their own poetry. </b>The nice thing about poetry is that there really aren't any rules (unless you want your students to write a specific type of poem). Expose kids to lots of different poems and point out how different poets write differently. Explain how much freedom students have as writers of poetry - some poets don't even use traditional punctuation and capitalization! Check out my <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/First-Grade-Writing-Curriculum-Unit-8-1319393">poetry writing unit for first grade</a> or <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Second-Grade-Writing-Curriculum-Unit-8-1361950">poetry writing unit for second grade</a> for plans that gently guide students into writing their own poems.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now for some of my favorite poems! I love anything by Shel Silverstein or Jack Prelutsky. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0394850106/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0394850106&linkCode=as2&tag=mslilspripon-20&linkId=H3UIUUGK5D7IOCPB">The Random House Book of Poetry for Children</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=mslilspripon-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0394850106" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> (compiled by Prelutsky and Lobel) is a great collection of poetry from different authors. Here are 5 other favorites that are great for K-2 (click on each poem title to read it</span><span style="font-size: large;">):</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">"<a href="http://mypoetryprogram.blogspot.com/2008/08/cat-by-mary-britton-miller.html">Cat</a>" by Mary Britton Miller (great description and use of verbs)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">"<a href="http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/176302">The Worm</a>" by Ralph Bergengren (rhyme and humor)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">"<a href="https://ps062grade2.wordpress.com/2010/06/08/what-is-red-by-mary-oneill/">What is Red?</a>" by Mary O'Neill (description and metaphor)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">"<a href="http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/hannah-moved-away">Since Hannah Moved Away</a>" by Judith Viorst (similes, expressing emotion)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">"<a href="http://readingandwritingproject.com/public/resources/staff_developers_a/2011-2012/Resources%20for%20Reading%20Across%20Genres/1st%20Grade/City.pdf">Open Hydrant</a>" by Marci Ridlon (description, use of verbs, capturing a small moment - scroll down in the link to find the poem)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Poetry reading and poetry writing go hand-in-hand! But kids and adults (myself included) sometimes don't know where to begin when writing a poem. So here's a fun little activity to get your kids started with writing their own poems:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This activity is a great way to kick off a writing unit. First, read a descriptive poem aloud to students</span><span style="font-size: large;"> ("<a href="http://mypoetryprogram.blogspot.com/2008/08/cat-by-mary-britton-miller.html">Cat</a></span><span style="font-size: large;">" is great for this). Have students point out the describing words and verbs that the author uses.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Next, model how to pick a topic that you will describe in your own poem. In one of my lessons from my <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Second-Grade-Writing-Curriculum-Unit-8-1361950">second grade poetry writing unit</a>, I model writing a poem about waves at the ocean. Write "Waves" or whatever your topic is on one index card.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Then, model how you write a few different words and phrases to describe waves. Put each word or phrase on a different index card.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkaaM2Anbnfxoh0Dub4Zm-O9twcim54kPT2E7_iVQxgQg8WoBEP9b3oGHRDY3mXXVjj0CMkqhVKDLSJOJWgiBSUgZz2g2CgxefX48z9lLRR8g06IX1wooYoNOkrIAsQHoeTS499O9TV6c/s1600/PoetryWritingImage1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkaaM2Anbnfxoh0Dub4Zm-O9twcim54kPT2E7_iVQxgQg8WoBEP9b3oGHRDY3mXXVjj0CMkqhVKDLSJOJWgiBSUgZz2g2CgxefX48z9lLRR8g06IX1wooYoNOkrIAsQHoeTS499O9TV6c/s1600/PoetryWritingImage1.jpg" height="640" width="537" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Last, spread out your index cards so that they are flat, but so that students can see them (use magnets on a board or a document camera). Put your index card with your topic at the top. Then, try out different arrangements of the words and phrases. Model how you read your poem out loud. Keep rearranging until you have something that sounds good to you.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy9gExxzwApwRm3MEXwl7CAiUpZCJvnABykGGqYHAVQECUheCy21Pw6rWxa16LPLUF_ayA0BsJWucPGKiDeOFM46OmTZNaKJvT1LIohRNZn2cd6zsFP6LqcBdZFwee5wJt1JrtVAC7pqU/s1600/PoetryWritingImage2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy9gExxzwApwRm3MEXwl7CAiUpZCJvnABykGGqYHAVQECUheCy21Pw6rWxa16LPLUF_ayA0BsJWucPGKiDeOFM46OmTZNaKJvT1LIohRNZn2cd6zsFP6LqcBdZFwee5wJt1JrtVAC7pqU/s1600/PoetryWritingImage2.jpg" height="640" width="452" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Once you've done your modeling, pass out index cards (or sentence strips) to your kids. Invite them to pick a topic to describe and write the topic on an index card. Then, have them work independently or with a partner to brainstorm words and phrases that describe the topic on different index cards. They can rearrange the cards until they have a poem that sounds good to them (students should read their poems out loud several times until they figure out what sounds good). Finally, students can copy their poems over onto lined paper.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is a great way to get students started with poetry writing because you're not asking them to sit down and write an entire poem all at once. They can construct their poems a few words or phrases at a time, and then writing an entire poem will (hopefully) not seem so daunting in the future! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here's a little peek into my first grade poetry writing unit and second grade poetry writing unit (part of my f<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/First-Grade-Writing-Workshop-Curriculum-Bundle-1319329">irst grade yearlong writing curriculum</a> and <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Second-Grade-Writing-Workshop-Curriculum-Bundle-1361891">second grade yearlong writing curriculum</a>). Click on any of the images below to read more about the ready-to-go lesson plans and materials.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/First-Grade-Writing-Curriculum-Unit-8-1319393"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2hcdmbWZbkfikLctf2Xj6TZxYUDCUBqIEA6dw4lCSerSdSlwn8cl0vHEmNjFPBE-PllrKyy6A3lURTLCLQbRYpZuB5wF3TfUa3WF1kcJM8iIJ5xF02rEwAidcS5qqUYOrB0juiUR8hsc/s1600/Unit+8+Dummy.001.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a> <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/First-Grade-Writing-Curriculum-Unit-8-1319393"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvFNIn7lZzPT9fEFkh9lXDuDUXiUBTDoYSO3odtWB0UxJNueEJLT2miosbMnz5xVJ9tlL_SgCtW_AgwjHSknV_zQYGsmYL3T_waR6pUaqy4rQIpm5WKsdZmil1YPLPLsBQAPNltB3TeEo/s1600/Unit+8+sample+lesson.001.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a> <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/First-Grade-Writing-Curriculum-Unit-8-1319393"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbRqVhd7IPxPfFp13X8BwXhUFWOIIMcSebMbJFatGN0FGDr6dDucMXKhBt2u7RBt_H_DAyPkaJ8-Y9KwIoraX78tsYEENjYQBE7sRyouh2EOv9Z9x5GvRYo7sfGv-sc9hRYpqvF7DgMFw/s1600/Unit+8+Poster.001.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Second-Grade-Writing-Curriculum-Unit-8-1361950"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzOVHJ_-M9TE4vcLQCcR3Dvcb0DWys037ufYG_BTZ62-4w_ESe2SAJTpXuPYy-TR6RPY0IkaHVhrwJ0ZnPqVYhXlM-UxJTW8ObAwvbxo85N9GuY8cX8Iw6ignLvlRCOkINP-GFfylXoIs/s1600/2ndGradeWritingWorkshopUnit8.001.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a> <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Second-Grade-Writing-Curriculum-Unit-8-1361950"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBV_RXs7OdEky1hnqqCQOs_pgR6te5xImJlRrg6ILhcieHuwgGyCRsaCj66s0yjkJ1nnWCHc0IR8O7-qlBBGQdPEXScrgxJZ3_CZAd56ncAe7VxgPa0CLx6zI4jSjP9f-gYYrcWlfc8Uk/s1600/Unit8SampleLesson.001.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a> <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Second-Grade-Writing-Curriculum-Unit-8-1361950"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgocofrEhswVN0LY3SkeCQMmeXFbq4tAZ3s5M5eZXJb9xpGy7atQtsZiE7gsful1CJBMsbG9F2BDbeaYKcvhi4Vw2h3TE6szNXkgb-mbCwWtJxMkhTGG5Oh5qvC9N2NKRvmzLru-C-2VJQ/s1600/Unit8Poster.001.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Do you have any tips, tricks, or favorite poems to share? Comment below!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Happy teaching!</span><br />
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<img class="nopin" src="http://honeybunchblogdesign2.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/sgn2mlpp.png" />Ms. Lilypad's Primary Pondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09404918134935952218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4132431695130217086.post-15532372722184656572015-01-19T17:39:00.001-06:002015-01-19T17:39:41.515-06:00Meaningful End-Of-Unit Projects<span style="font-size: large;">Hey there! Today I'm blogging about something related to one of my very favorite teaching topics - integrated/thematic units! When I was in the classroom, creating <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Ms-Lilypad/Category/Science-and-Social-Studies-Units">integrated units</a> was one of my very favorite things to do. I love tying science and social studies learning into literacy instruction (and math-, when possible). When my kids are reading, writing, and learning about a topic or theme throughout the school day, they learn so much more vocabulary and gain so much more knowledge than if we are reading random texts during the literacy block and studying a topic <u>only</u> during science and social studies time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">But moving on from my love affair with integrated units...one of the most important parts (in my opinion) of an integrated unit is the final project! In a good final project, kids show what they've learned. But in a <u>great</u> final project, kids share what they've learned with a real audience and for a real purpose!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Some of the end-of-unit projects I've done include:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">- Making posters with healthy eating tips and placing them in the school hallways (from my <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Farm-and-Food-Unit-875430">food and farm unit</a>)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">- Making books about a topic of study and reading them to younger students or their parents</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">- Creating a class book about a topic and placing it in the classroom or school library</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">- Writing letters to the principal or someone in the community to share information and suggestions about how to solve a problem</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">- Having students participate in a community service project (from my <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Giving-Project-A-K-2-Literacy-Unit-1521155">giving project unit</a>) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">- Helping students create a class video about a topic, for sharing with parents or other students in the school</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Oh976Fu-f_6sLzSzHIBaOm6pj0dN51tWm5cDdejjQHN2kurGsWdorZEPGvk2IQ-j9_Mange1V93tdGaRIRuitclCUoq7mZKTVdAiiQ1bKxT64tEn4kBFxi90Z0QcQKDG9eeHwvaVEis/s1600/MeaningfulFinalProjects.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Oh976Fu-f_6sLzSzHIBaOm6pj0dN51tWm5cDdejjQHN2kurGsWdorZEPGvk2IQ-j9_Mange1V93tdGaRIRuitclCUoq7mZKTVdAiiQ1bKxT64tEn4kBFxi90Z0QcQKDG9eeHwvaVEis/s1600/MeaningfulFinalProjects.jpg" height="400" width="303" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Sometimes I've found that these projects don't always make a great assessment for the unit - because they don't thoroughly assess students' understanding of the topics covered in the unit. In these cases, I have students complete a quiz or other small project in addition to the more "meaningful" final project for a real audience and a real purpose. This allows me to get an accurate picture of students' learning while still providing a meaningful end-of-unit activity.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">One of the best parts of developing a meaningful end-of-unit activity is that you can talk about it throughout the entire unit! When I introduce a unit, I mention what we will be doing at the end in a way that gets the kids excited and looking forward to the project. This also helps with motivation during the unit ("Why are we learning ____?" "So that we can _____ when we do our final project!" </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Do you create projects or assessments for your students that have a real audience and a real purpose? Share your ideas below!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Happy teaching!</span><br />
<img class="nopin" src="http://honeybunchblogdesign2.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/sgn2mlpp.png" />Ms. Lilypad's Primary Pondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09404918134935952218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4132431695130217086.post-70314511360733560242015-01-17T05:00:00.000-06:002015-01-17T05:00:04.512-06:00Valentine's Day Learning and Printable Valentines for Students<span style="font-size: large;">Valentine's Day is officially less than one month away! With the holidays over and a very <u>cold</u> January underway here in Illinois, it's nice to have a fun holiday to look forward to. Keep reading to find some of the activities that I've done with my K-2nd graders in past years, and to download some free Valentines you can give to your students!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The last year I taught Kindergarten, we made a fun panda craft - all of the pieces were heart-shaped! I couldn't find any pictures of my kids' crafts or the original link, but here is a similar version of what we did:</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.craftymorning.com/panda-bear-craft-for-kids/"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2wz1rVZ4BfqC284AXA-FY_J7tD0stOaeELaVMwMrSzvP8TPhVryDenww1kHfbCYL3ndyGQuOyrTc8JCSptleEzcWJmDtcOt79khhmUj2R1IKz4snlQyO6-1H6umLfLwsxj1pLIQ_Wo_s/s1600/heart-panda-craft-for-kids-691x1024.jpg" height="320" width="215" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This photo is from <a href="http://www.craftymorning.com/panda-bear-craft-for-kids/">Crafty Morning</a>. Click on the image above for the link. The craft is super simple and perfect for PreK, K, or first grade!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In addition to fun activities the day of Valentine's Day, I like to use Valentine's Day themed literacy and math activities for a couple of weeks leading up to the holiday. Here are some photos from the different activities I've created:</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Valentines-Day-Literacy-Centers-for-Kindergarten-and-1st-Grade-464905"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1cmxqiKSkpbpd-D4m63I6qpDobo7GbQ3ic-4dLj1a04vTf_YuDG_OpWCO1cGPggFs3FVlqz8TzfXBfP7UtRFvx7j8IkfiR4_m1miU0VkSzfLxVtBAa5x6Pgp-O_3qWq9ejZcVGcGpSTc/s1600/ValentinesDayLiteracyCenters.jpg" height="400" width="291" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This word family spinner game has kids use a paperclip and pencil to spin twice - once for the first letter of a word and once for the word family pattern. When a child is able to make a real word from the two parts spun, she writes it down on the recording sheet. The first player to fill up their recording sheet is the winner! This game is from my <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Valentines-Day-Literacy-Centers-for-Kindergarten-and-1st-Grade-464905">Valentine's Day Literacy Pack for K-1</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This pack has 4 different centers games/activities (actually 8 total, because there is a Kindergarten version and a first grade version for each game). In addition to the centers games and activities, you get some print-and-go, no prep literacy sheets. Click on the image below to find out more.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Valentines-Day-Literacy-Centers-for-Kindergarten-and-1st-Grade-464905"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMIjSZsisFIU-dfJAklyadUMgqbSdoxOkQfGPiofxnfm0V-6AEnjMiqIsE9p_eIp-EEcHRPjAPshyphenhyphen9Dq6qifvVCgb6qOmOInwxRYZtfGPfEg6XDxBmXYSpM6gqIu2PQMqJtp3PKIG07eY/s1600/Valentine's%2BDay%2BCover%2BPages.001.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I also have a <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Kindergarten-and-First-Grade-Valentines-Day-Math-Activity-Pack-490022">math activity pack for Valentine's Day</a>, also for K-1. </span><br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Kindergarten-and-First-Grade-Valentines-Day-Math-Activity-Pack-490022"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2MlIzGB3B8tTNBoUfdsMMvYKnPe9U0i7YpHJkJYxsXpvVEgATieNQxkGGFJNujaV8ePUtVPxMinMhi3CW4479CuDN4yMfZP9L1hi7aNGqWNsM1GvKQF5hYBHvUEB9zxszzaGn70K1Lvw/s1600/ValentinesDayMathCenters.jpg" height="400" width="305" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The game shown above has kids use printable heart dominoes to find different ways of making a number (you can use any number up to 18 as the target number). For example, if you want kids to find ways to make the number ten, they might pull out dominoes that have 2 and 8 on them, and 4 and 6 on them. Students write a number equation and draw the dominoes they find that make the target number.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Like the literacy centers, this pack has 4 games (each game has a different version for K and 1st), as well as print-and-go, no prep math sheets for each grade level.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Kindergarten-and-First-Grade-Valentines-Day-Math-Activity-Pack-490022"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRUDhAEcXnCRBBSt0yQaeajP7eszvd15ohVXi9qmvtpC_ttY3iYDAh2Puf10oJiVcN1rDxUbkK4gZLNJEqXvGhOr1dlA4kXKjwy71sOhRjzplobB4sDTyHw-1k3aR0HbHYVYjm3IPZl8M/s1600/Valentine's%2BDay%2BMath%2BCenters%2Bfor%2BK-1.001.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">You can also buy the <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Valentines-Day-Literacy-and-Math-Activities-for-Kindergarten-and-First-Grade-508075">literacy and math centers together</a>, for a discount!</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Valentines-Day-Literacy-and-Math-Activities-for-Kindergarten-and-First-Grade-508075"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlE4AOLnPGBDKCa1qnM8ijcNsXbMdY4AFT0xA388lz0n-GgiistQsbz_BOBW0J-L4xjdyws9m6a8js5AQX2Gpg6K8nkLHbnwkaWmQs4oOFka46vMXXuMCmX4i4dbMNgJ5czOOPtuKM_K4/s1600/Valentines+Day+Activities+Bundle.001.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Last year we had a lot of fun playing Valentine's Day BINGO during the weeks leading up to the holiday. </span><br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Valentines-Day-BINGO-for-Second-Addition-Subtraction-CCSS-Math-Practice-1057193"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipPeDxxOem3meINGVlBnOQX62kHmH7E_3Onxlev9zJYEs9nWglH5ojKIllD4tFfUBX9fnh_aWjKu0qrBn1615Qn01vbtv4Pmxg_BxjCDY7b7jbxMiJJ404iufvqGb6x9VVUhz1-mo5TxE/s1600/SmartBoardSubtractionVDay.jpg" height="304" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Valentines-Day-BINGO-for-Second-Addition-Subtraction-CCSS-Math-Practice-1057193"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8e8lpU-CXbBTGHPXOsJ5d8MD8xToHUOtvzyiLnVVG8b4se-aZn6ddflQr-pkKHkiAv-ilPoPWkBRRJRVeW2oH4GR5ZbDD-JavXoF99i9pU0jFqo6AH2LWREI_SQKC58Xe3zGSrB7Qbbo/s1600/ValentinesDayBingoCard.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Valentines-Day-BINGO-for-Second-Addition-Subtraction-CCSS-Math-Practice-1057193"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSYAJdyVViItAhea-ydn54eWDorHjjjQAqZpEWJ2IsbylIXIZb021vHMBHP3uAO_VAePLXftcr2iEgrFnxGZUkZDFcZV8bpDaGGrL9ewuwoFHn99teQoDtnO00oMEdyrbUik2hq7OtUUA/s1600/SmartBoardWordProblemVDay.jpg" height="259" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The pictures above are from the 2nd grade version. You use an interactive white board or other projector to show the math questions, and then the kids cover the corresponding number answer on their Bingo cards. There are two ways to play the <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Valentines-Day-BINGO-for-Second-Addition-Subtraction-CCSS-Math-Practice-1057193">2nd grade version</a> - mixed addition and subtraction within 20 (top photo), or Common Core math practice (bottom photo). The Common Core math practice covers time, graphing, word problems, number patterns, place value, money, simple fractions, and more (we used it to get ready for our spring MAP test). </span><br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Valentines-Day-BINGO-for-Second-Addition-Subtraction-CCSS-Math-Practice-1057193"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2bt1-T-R7YDRItt9o3bHD0KtR7Qt3RfVfkWzoAZ4DT3pcVMOpFNinYRiJhUrYKgKUs53c8wD_hwfvqz0KH_q9_zAdqr7M-qZKqknWia4gEcvgFofxbv1zeL2UtS4oniipFN8Pw4GeaYc/s1600/Valentine's%2BDay%2BBINGO%2Bfor%2B2nd.001.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I've also created Valentine's Day Bingo for Kindergarten and first grade. The <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Valentines-Day-BINGO-for-Kindergarten-Addition-Subtraction-Number-Sense-1054812">Kindergarten version</a> has 4 ways to play: addition within 5, subtraction within 5, mixed addition and subtraction within 5, and number sense fluency (subitizing).</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Valentines-Day-BINGO-for-Kindergarten-Addition-Subtraction-Number-Sense-1054812"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_r3N923Lt1b1wun8c5SXsxg6ZbIdjsvU7psKWv-JVerLoDX-1mZS1JLI-56nvKHQbzzBgimRYrqsgViA8IqYI_cAzyLS2mxvN9DaIm0iHvIbr7Yt-yZoNhi113pKisYh7Vo2z4MrP_SE/s1600/Valentine's%2BDay%2BBINGO%2Bfor%2BK%2BCOVER.001.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Valentines-Day-BINGO-for-First-Grade-Addition-Subtraction-Number-Sense-1055680">first grade version</a> also has 4 ways to play: addition within 10, subtraction within 10, mixed addition and subtraction within 10, and number sense fluency (subtilizing).</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Valentines-Day-BINGO-for-First-Grade-Addition-Subtraction-Number-Sense-1055680"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfG8nMezWTBV6ZvvcCAxdQKu29pMZAoSVynS-hI4Ev-ga1xSL4e4iT1AlfycGrJh_ui8iyX04vmWx0o-wQlBtH5J65LdE1n3-eh8FVy_hvtvqHjyyO4rVEL-nEvKD5wcJ8VtpiocuZK9A/s1600/Vday+Bingo+1st+Grade+DUMMY+VERSION.001.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And now for the free Valentines!! I tend to be a little picky about what Valentines I give my students, so I just decided to make my own. Click on any of the images to download a set for your own students (there's even a set in Spanish!).</span></div>
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4wn9SL4wEPfZFlXSW5XRHkzMEU/view?usp=sharing"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHWaMZ5J_nXcrBT4eDgqAV_qNPl3Sn__Lnw_gI-PyKiV5nbC3Rg6c0_lvxyQJPYjEphwNGknvYBqf56MgnYSSyaDpckCEl3UJyCED2syl40EZkE_NC1wZW8MvsEkiF9L6gm5fJ7N6AyLc/s1600/FreeValentinesForYourStudents3.jpg" height="640" width="457" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4wn9SL4wEPfZFlXSW5XRHkzMEU/view?usp=sharing"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_tCCgtm3_vAApyDh8m9-dbJxcbr46L9CfV7vGfq6RJtHw3WmX4lwhwUtUCcxjb-8ZQzVulUPzlsKbJ3OlsEzfvlIKnsgPrbflsu2YW9uqmSNrCusr3oMHQCqihluvrrm9XseXeKPrpkI/s1600/StarStudentValentine.jpg" height="320" width="288" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4wn9SL4wEPfZFlXSW5XRHkzMEU/view?usp=sharing"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8bUFk931rvbbMAjGkOZ4zZ7jNbyOMy-a6BmhxDqQL_xsT0emjGCSY6p5GGAhtt_XvVZ4gsftKE4yb_wg24b9BnA5EJyuj0zcMtlZf_Brjd2Qvt1jkhM3DEf5YIpPy4vq8wn7om52tUfc/s1600/BeeValentineCard.jpg" height="316" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Enjoy!!</span><br />
<img class="nopin" src="http://honeybunchblogdesign2.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/sgn2mlpp.png" />Ms. Lilypad's Primary Pondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09404918134935952218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4132431695130217086.post-2356966722765572682015-01-14T16:31:00.001-06:002015-01-14T16:33:38.805-06:00Teacher Reflection Journals<span style="font-size: large;">Happy Thursday! If you read <a href="http://lilypadlittles.blogspot.com/2014/12/exciting-news.html">this post</a>, you already know that one of my resolutions for 2015 is to write down more memories from the year. I just love looking back on old photos and old planners, but I want to remember more of the little things that happen each day - especially what happens at school. (We all know how easy it is to forget things in the craziness that is the school day!) I've decided to keep a journal this year to help me meet this goal.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">To be completely honest, I've never been very good about consistently writing in a journal! Some days I have so many thoughts swirling around in my head that I don't know where to start. Other days I have no idea what to write about! So when I decided I was going to keep a journal, I knew that I would need a focus for my writing each day - some sort of prompt that would help me think about one specific part of my day or my teaching. Enter the <i>My Teaching Life </i>journal!</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/My-Teaching-Life-Reflection-Journal-for-Teachers-1650500"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6keN7bOJ_GuTOVVJaAEuMopcHgXIo5Y97g1MeM0C9OVhv7VmQB5cgTazhh_Jt1VTwFzOg9PYrWDBj3F9iIImsOl-Va_gj8qHf_7C2OreJN3DLpAAxBrCWyWBQSaMC5SFyKW7La7ozzIU/s1600/ImageforTpT.jpg" height="370" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I personally designed this journal with teachers in mind. We have busy schedules and a million things going on at once, am I right?! This journal will help you slow down a little, focus on the positive aspects of teaching, and reflect upon your practice - in just a few minutes of writing per day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Each lined page in the journal has a question at the top to inspire your thinking. Each question invites you to focus on only <u>one</u> aspect of your teaching life, so you're not overwhelmed with trying to write everything down. Here are a few sample questions:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">- What made you laugh today?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">- What special project or assignment has really engaged your students this month?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">- What were you most thankful for today?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">- What can you do to make tomorrow better than today?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">- Write the name of one student who is having a tough time right now. How can you reach out to that student?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The questions vary throughout the journal, but of course, they are just a guide - there is lots of room to write about whatever is on your mind and in your heart!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I am </span><u style="font-size: x-large;">really</u><span style="font-size: large;"> looking forward to being able to read back through my thoughts from a whole school year and see how much my students and I have accomplished. I can't even imagine how awesome it will be to read back through my journal, years in the future!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">To read more about how you can start journaling in your own <i>My Teaching Life </i>notebook, click on any of the images below.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/My-Teaching-Life-Reflection-Journal-for-Teachers-1650500"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcGrU9Eo7XRBW4Uvd6k5ba3sI-lzzbWvXov968khb_MlB3_fRCXK84jj5ocV7zTDtbgLQXHUcAzOoVD9_ElIbuBYozpx6sSboowOlaWjJa3Nn5IFlS6BFuMoN50mYiKtsGKNWKcVE0jPc/s1600/OpenJournalPhoto.jpg" height="286" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/My-Teaching-Life-Reflection-Journal-for-Teachers-1650500"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEXZPXKhhnJGSjuWQ600AVYCe-XhbHc4vlKerdN0c6hStJBVsfJtvEDiyrQyDv3CAScFWiMlIX-gVJx96NUtMQbpcL-vxiCy1SCQ5Z13rrT9CEa1qm8c03EN2YYkIPTurZ7AzKN2eAg9A/s1600/Journal+Question+CloseUp.jpg" height="250" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Happy journaling!</span><br />
<img class="nopin" src="http://honeybunchblogdesign2.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/sgn2mlpp.png" />Ms. Lilypad's Primary Pondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09404918134935952218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4132431695130217086.post-13397838119170833102015-01-12T15:00:00.000-06:002015-03-20T19:51:14.866-05:00Writing Folder Tools for K-2<span style="font-size: large;">Hey there! Do you use writing folders with your students? If you don't, you are definitely going to want to after reading this post - I have some ideas to share about what to put in students' writing folders, as well as 30+ pages of writing folder freebies for you!!</span><br />
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<a href="http://learningattheprimarypond.com/free/"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ1Fi4gDLvFrX3EZkCAyF-aXxGte7cezTY1H_LfK_D2IIAobzfvLEf_XtfY0VqiIfQPc5qCEwsu0Jcj93LGCWFLWa_Npmt6beLnOxtSCv-r3YtOvIHa3CcBAekNi30gSHY0jPKY0Lm_aI/s1600/Writing+Folder+Freebies.jpg" height="400" width="297" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Okay, so maybe your kiddos already have writing folders, but are they just a place to store student work? Writing folders can be SO much more than that! I like to create student folders that have tools and supports that students can use during writing time. I do this because Kindergarteners, firsties, and second graders can need a LOT of support with their writing! And unless you are lucky enough to have lots of assistants in your room or a machine that allows you to clone yourself, there is only ONE of you to support 20+ little writers. This gets tricky!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">One of the most simple tools you can give young writers is an alphabet chart. This helps with letter formation and spelling. I <u>always</u> expect my kids to spell words without my help. When my Kindergarteners first began adding words to their pictures, I would always respond to the question, "How do you spell _____?" by saying, "How do you think you spell it?" or "Listen for the sounds in the word" or "What strategy are you going to use to figure it out?" Here are the 3 letter charts included in the free download - an alphabet chart, blends and digraphs chart, and a vowel chart (the download also has them in black and white).</span><br />
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<a href="http://learningattheprimarypond.com/free/"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbqSvtnilMh_WtFCXQ_zAJ2w738WnjMaB-yGX5dcCjmk3trFlybSswT2vNI7Bzj7_R1vW5oMx9BnBOnArFYDmO-fx783oyo2LtjanSJYmFoUiLrz9KQdO-IF2yugXdYKgyPygG028ycys/s1600/3+Free+Spelling+Charts.001.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Another great tool to put in students' writing folders is an editing checklist. I can't tell you how many times I had this conversation with my second graders:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Student: I'm done!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Me: Did you already edit?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Student: Yes!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Me: Did you check for capital letters and periods?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Student: ...No... (shuffles back to desk)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If the kids have their editing checklists right in front of them, they are more likely to remember to edit without you having to have that conversation with them! I recommend using writing folders with 3 prongs in the middle - you can place an editing checklist and other resources in the middle of the folder, without them getting shoved behind other papers in one of the pockets.</span><br />
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<a href="http://learningattheprimarypond.com/free/"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9GBe-RPUzYCli3j4T_22ESZ4lZxNNA9bmwhNi5MgCNk8UL-OUM2bZZHnFjZYh3mNT3Pdz4wCnt4WqdPR4cvL2BaVM0Hb7V3a5YJuJSutnfVmTyhAe0tjDfxof27TTrRWE3Y8xF-A2O-I/s1600/Editing+Checklist+3.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Another handy tool is a genre mini-anchor chart. The charts I've created guide students through the process of writing narrative, informational, or opinion persuasive pieces. Teaching lots of minilessons on a genre is great, but these anchor charts consolidate the most important points of writing in a given genre.</span><br />
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<a href="http://learningattheprimarypond.com/free/"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZa7cZnggH8bVMlIVmpaYHKi1vkA1xBJx5acVUOGgHXLdi8n1ovM_1xSMyNIJgbcENV_SpqkvsFkDIoGhN3q3GQd_iqKt1krsS6sdr_JlyqFp8b3pmsdNJNE9AcmskBuZR1YO0RMz6D1o/s1600/Genre+Mini+Anchor+Charts.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In addition to the alphabet charts, editing checklists, and genre charts, you'll also find transition and temporal word banks, blank booklets for keeping sight words or interesting words, and more. There's a lot of material, so make sure you teach students how to use each component before having them add it to their writing folders!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Click {<a href="http://learningattheprimarypond.com/free/">here</a>} to get your free download! Some of the materials are adapted from parts of my <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Kindergarten-Writing-Workshop-Curriculum-Bundle-298852">Kindergarten</a>, <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/First-Grade-Writing-Workshop-Curriculum-Bundle-1319329">1st grade</a>, or <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Second-Grade-Writing-Workshop-Curriculum-Bundle-1361891">2nd grade</a> writing curriculum bundles. All of the freebies will go along nicely with the writing minilessons from the bundles!</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Kindergarten-Writing-Workshop-Curriculum-Bundle-298852"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0YvSFL5Yi5tMimgPBykr_kqNBGQOtoJKFf81b2CVqKVUoZtwTr-VIE0FUY0keieY4U8RGjRerE0ac1gwog0wSV2oFOy9N6Wa1c4xVM47SKvfeM4JIVUEKfFp1kL_xGIINPWwUAY6w1g4/s1600/KinderWritingWorkshopBundleCover.001.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a> <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/First-Grade-Writing-Workshop-Curriculum-Bundle-1319329"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-xDnM5CbUVvRzgNjSBqs0ug5CS3l0ELkYhqZI_2uo6xJn9W7H2DhJs6UZyEA9_NGi2aaN8XfyWpTH3_4izAj7cWcxbzW3ggsu_ZGObFaCImju0suuJahAJB80LxxK_7CxzkSMdCBLpbE/s1600/FirstGradeWritingWorkshopBundleCover.001.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a> <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Second-Grade-Writing-Workshop-Curriculum-Bundle-1361891"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKMquB21JvsbMlLV8RS2SiMF6asG3vyYhQUbVUSaUI8K-0YW5EW_TcZ-6t12VmtKZ0sDrBtgjp6qQoEDPcoIYPILFYJs44S6QfLS_6munxbSjhUA4X8nYmfnlBcJj9v48u8AfFUnJAnJU/s1600/SecondGradeWritingWorkshopBundleCover.001.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Happy teaching!</span><br />
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<img class="nopin" src="http://honeybunchblogdesign2.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/sgn2mlpp.png" />Ms. Lilypad's Primary Pondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09404918134935952218noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4132431695130217086.post-12767133815649529752015-01-09T08:57:00.000-06:002015-01-09T08:57:05.407-06:00My Homemade Planner<span style="font-size: large;">Hey there! I'm on Day 3 of no school due to the cold...meaning that we've had school for a grand total of 2 days during the past 3 weeks, thanks to winter break! Eesh! Going back for a full week next week is gonna be rough. Assuming, that is, that the temps actually climb above -300 degrees. ;)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Anyway, I've been getting a lot done during these days off. Something I accomplished yesterday was getting my 2015 planner ready. Recently, I've taken to making my own planners. I tend to be rather...particular...about the pages in my planner! So when I couldn't find one in stores that I liked, my husband suggested I make my own. Genius, husband!! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I found out that planners are really pretty easy to make, once you figure out what you're doing. (I actually made one this past summer, but then decided I wanted a new layout for 2015.) I print out the pages I want on my own printer - I use card stock for the monthly pages and regular paper for the weekly pages. Then, I take it to Office Depot, where they bind it and add a frosted cover and back cover for some durability. Voila! It's very inexpensive and I get just what I want.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4pODnWij6Kgqntaa_8z_0c53LrhTpOMSi0k4q2M4rsO3xq8CojE5-XbVdAmlEHC8hchrEx_5XiDqrB3JyGCkUxRPyT5kkVcPVhlt-JkCzmOE3aZHl37FIF6_Ow7IiLe9plXTcljl-IU0/s1600/HomemadePlannerCover4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4pODnWij6Kgqntaa_8z_0c53LrhTpOMSi0k4q2M4rsO3xq8CojE5-XbVdAmlEHC8hchrEx_5XiDqrB3JyGCkUxRPyT5kkVcPVhlt-JkCzmOE3aZHl37FIF6_Ow7IiLe9plXTcljl-IU0/s1600/HomemadePlannerCover4.jpg" height="395" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Some of my planner consists of blank calendar pages. They're nothing fancy - I write in the dates so I can reuse the same calendar in other years. If you'd like to download the free pages for your personal use, just click on the image below.</span></div>
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4wn9SL4wEPfTDdOb3JQS1hxSTA/view?usp=sharing"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqw1sgEgnSvFG5sSyyBPQr4Ovk8BOmxGJPeKWlZZ7LsnVQzlCD0gHrP5TPbt1gVr_9ceIv_EMXd5Gb7AyHX4dhgDGWJpsTVizeiGIv-fMA5YaEZAgwuwGRAIFH9NLSvW0njo_VAZIDGbM/s1600/Calendar+Photo.jpg" height="384" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Happy teaching (and planning!)</span><br />
<img class="nopin" src="http://honeybunchblogdesign2.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/sgn2mlpp.png" />Ms. Lilypad's Primary Pondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09404918134935952218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4132431695130217086.post-51895716635320149352015-01-07T13:17:00.000-06:002015-01-07T13:17:02.679-06:00Winter math centers for Kindergarten and 1st<span style="font-size: large;">Ya'll. It is COLD! I am sitting here writing this in my warm and cozy office, so thankful I don't have to go into work today! It is something like -1,000,000,000 degrees in Illinois. All of my friends are here in the midwest, but I spent a good part of my life in the south, and days like these are definitely motivation to move back down there!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Anyway, in celebration of this "cold day," I have a little freebie to share with you! It's a math center for K or 1st with a winter theme. Math centers are one of my favorite resources to make! Kinders and firsties need lots of repetition to learn counting, addition, and subtraction skills. Themed math centers can be a fun way to help them get that repetition in, without it becoming boring. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here's a photo from my winter math centers for K and 1st. Both packs have a version of this penguin spinner, but the spinner in the photo is from the first grade pack. In the first grade game, each player spins twice - one digit goes in the tens place, and the next digit in the ones place. The players compare their numbers with the <, >, or = sign on a recording sheet, and the larger number wins!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/First-Grade-Common-Core-Winter-Math-Centers-388271"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieNKniwCvvu3RqQ443HDh_6tWJzFG85NkY5IWYmafkFUQ4KDObdeIdFR6DZje8TWd5pcxE6ZRrgIf884-DfHsVyTISfPcYynDLlTFsfpMBxCk1qUaQGWzt0gipdgVzwH4zhX1aEgzF1DE/s1600/DSC_0044.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/First-Grade-Common-Core-Winter-Math-Centers-388271"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLXYz2TqA2L3Kp82jXQ02F9Gb9zePkfL4aDgauNMs4-TLiqGIs_GTaau56jOsnnqGV6Dhr76XuMjg56MUGPfIGe_h5gps0betpiyo7NRHH01Md2If0H1aKVgAL8ItQEVsbFrnT_TQCHZM/s1600/1st+Grade+Winter+Math+Centers.001.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Kindergarten-Common-Core-Winter-Math-Centers-Pack-938034"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRFvRLMRGKSOOvQ3iABspp6XCXP5jTLm20bZf472TNGWZOD16MYGHLhKX13-j3VzANN1SVrHFAh5D_2NMTaVVM4oLXrpBBvmSJOP8zVrPESxAnorLag1N1IR-pANuyLbO4dleG2U6lAeU/s1600/Kindergarten+Winter+Math+Centers+PREVIEW.001.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I also have some printable board games that just focus on teen numbers - I found that with my Kinders, this was a topic that we really had to work hard on during the winter. </span></div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Kindergarten-Teen-Number-Board-Games-for-Winter-469219"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhieN5oNMEnhq-je4zxevqwyJrzHuMz-XPpxfPxHtgTeNb2LuWjQFYUCpaRs5EYMzX5npKXgbBTg3lTGOj-uuUas0MYvHOTbHfkYFtKLY0oeTYqtO_pGV-kowm3eDITObhyVT3rRK1MxyM/s1600/DSC_0041.jpg" height="400" width="316" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">These teen number board games give kids a chance to practice reading and writing teen numbers with a partner or small group. They also get practice counting/recognizing teen numbers in ten frames, and working with teen number equations. </span></div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Kindergarten-Teen-Number-Board-Games-for-Winter-469219"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyV-0qoaR7g6pD7MW18WQa8C4csT8bEt5KKyLIp_DgHv6m2PqKPNj5Pzl2rsbDa8kKgMoyKNtaTkxrj45FycV6pgwSV8C4LpO7xbjgGPBqqCY5HUxBKBeh002YBV1agJZA8cB5RlLomH4/s1600/Teen+Number+Board+Games+for+Winter.001.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Click on any of the images above to read more about the centers. And </span><span style="font-size: large;">now for the freebie!! </span></div>
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4wn9SL4wEPfSURKeEpTX2NyRUU/view?usp=sharing"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnb-PNJ308UZP2zsv-jaGUlp21OAMAzf8uTYuNy2rw7l5TNkKi_dj9Go1ZA1y3RHAgV8i5tfWFtxEnzP_KrOWPOzxYHVim6k5iRRu2vOyQ34l6tHCuNV_U5qep9yLfhMd4r0AL3y9loQc/s1600/DSC_0066.jpg" height="400" width="332" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This game is called "Penguin Sums Steal." Kiddos roll either 2 or 3 dice and find the sum. They get to steal that penguin sum card from their partner! There's also a recording sheet involved, so that while one player is counting or doing mental math, the other player is writing down the equation to check the first player's work.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Click on the photo to download the instructions, number cards (in either color or black and white), and recording sheets! This game is great for either Kinder or first grade. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now I'm going to go change out of my PJs, because, well, it is 1:15pm. :) Teehee. Happy winter!!</span></div>
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<img class="nopin" src="http://honeybunchblogdesign2.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/sgn2mlpp.png" />Ms. Lilypad's Primary Pondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09404918134935952218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4132431695130217086.post-41159585369847230062015-01-03T05:15:00.000-06:002015-01-03T05:15:00.488-06:00This week while I was not teaching intervention...<span style="font-size: large;">Hey there! It's time for my weekly "this week in intervention" post...but there is just <u>one</u> problem. I have not taught any interventions for two weeks! :) :) I've been enjoying my winter break <u>so</u> much. Here are some highlights!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSskbDzT_rxt0SKcEtD70SngbohUZ6Krf2b8ndBPUeOLtQt0GK8RzEsHPOV5FwgtFtR55RR6x59_dZxq0sKme4DEuC7XGtI7kPZId3PCFFPmYW0nOWrhYIybDmq6QGqcbeDclM8LVUsPI/s1600/ChristmasCollage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSskbDzT_rxt0SKcEtD70SngbohUZ6Krf2b8ndBPUeOLtQt0GK8RzEsHPOV5FwgtFtR55RR6x59_dZxq0sKme4DEuC7XGtI7kPZId3PCFFPmYW0nOWrhYIybDmq6QGqcbeDclM8LVUsPI/s1600/ChristmasCollage.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This fun little collage is from Christmas. The top left is me and J on Christmas morning, before we went to spend the day with his family. The top right is from Christmas Eve dinner - we did red and green food for both lunch and dinner that day (quesadillas with green and red peppers, and <a href="http://damndelicious.net/2014/06/20/avocado-pasta/">this pasta</a> for dinner)...so festive! The bottom left is our brand new stainless steel pots and pans that we got for Christmas, and the bottom right is Max, who promptly removed all the bows from the gifts as soon as they were under the tree. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmYcjDSEhyymga5EFESXQmZyoP8BYlHPGgxPTBgV7HvtT6zZGHyokXI77NKIpPzaZaG8mQo10ikxQ8GLThOxNRNacpLNTHsUyDNysi1gB9J6bfB7JszNkcsnWJL58JYYhZJLd9WkeJWDo/s1600/New+Years+Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmYcjDSEhyymga5EFESXQmZyoP8BYlHPGgxPTBgV7HvtT6zZGHyokXI77NKIpPzaZaG8mQo10ikxQ8GLThOxNRNacpLNTHsUyDNysi1gB9J6bfB7JszNkcsnWJL58JYYhZJLd9WkeJWDo/s1600/New+Years+Collage.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">These are just a few random pics from New Year's Eve at our house, including me and my beautiful bestie!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It's been a great couple of weeks...I'm sad that it's going to be over so soon! I hope you've had a great break as well. Happy New Year!!</span></div>
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<img class="nopin" src="http://honeybunchblogdesign2.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/sgn2mlpp.png" />Ms. Lilypad's Primary Pondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09404918134935952218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4132431695130217086.post-73077038858752509342014-12-30T16:43:00.001-06:002014-12-30T16:43:26.019-06:00Exciting News!!<span style="font-size: large;">Hey friends!! I have some exciting news to share with you! I've had a few projects in the works lately and can finally share what I've been up to. Here's what I've been working on lately:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">1. I have a new main website! You can find it at <a href="http://www.learningattheprimarypond.com/">learningattheprimarypond.com</a>. I will still have my good ol' blog right here, but my new main page will make it easier for you to see what's new, as well as navigate my products and freebies. I am super excited about this website because I designed it myself! Now, I am no web design expert, but I'm happy with how it came out. Check it out here:</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.learningattheprimarypond.com/"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi5NM5cuz-RLFMc8PD9ufEv072Q4jRYX70qi_ncnLdFDTonC_YSCIdRO1wBiETRhFuhCNrSNAlkOEKWbY4mWab8ZPRVLRq1iJ3rUua8oCsxlBaaMqsaQ9GkTFBP3qmlxjq9yOIuakujj4/s1600/WebsiteRevealImage.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">2. In a couple of weeks, I will be debuting a new line of products called "My Teaching Life" - journals and notebooks just for teachers! The first notebook I will have available is a memory and reflection journal for teachers. Here is a digital image that shows the cover:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiauGKqrzzvlyGZcpFczcKdAf6T0gcybAnHtYDeKIbLOjRKHkvPT2bnKGQt3LbNtIoXRKoSpgzBY-3nA4X1_S4chkAyXEAJR8zDfeLSh0q_cVt2Qqo7E1CJYr3ovRiI0IM5iXD1pPOY6Fw/s1600/My-Teaching-Life-COVER.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiauGKqrzzvlyGZcpFczcKdAf6T0gcybAnHtYDeKIbLOjRKHkvPT2bnKGQt3LbNtIoXRKoSpgzBY-3nA4X1_S4chkAyXEAJR8zDfeLSh0q_cVt2Qqo7E1CJYr3ovRiI0IM5iXD1pPOY6Fw/s1600/My-Teaching-Life-COVER.png" height="320" width="235" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Here's how the journal came about:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">About a month ago, I started thinking about all the little moments that happen in our everyday lives as teachers. You know, the funny moments, like when you have to ask your students to please quit petting your socks, or the joyful moments, like when your struggling student finally masters that tricky concept in math. I don't know about you, but with all the things that happen in just one day of school, I tend to wind up forgetting some of the most amazing things that happen.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So, one of my resolutions or promises to myself this year is to </span><u style="font-size: x-large;">write down</u><span style="font-size: large;"> meaningful memories from my teaching life and personal life. I'm going to be using the "My Teaching Life" journal to record both the joyful moments and the challenges that I face as a teacher. I can't wait to be able to look back on the year and see how I've grown as a teacher, as well as be reminded of all the special things that have happened with my students. I am also hoping that writing for just a few minutes a day will help me be more reflective about my teaching. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you want to do the same, you can order the "My Teaching Life" journal to keep track of all your little moments this year! </span><span style="font-size: large;">Each page of the journal has a question at the top to prompt your thinking. The questions are different, to encourage you to consider different aspects of your teaching. Here are just a few sample questions:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">- <i>What made you smile today?</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>- What have your students done recently that made you really proud?</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">- <i>How are you doing with your work-life balance? Are there any changes you want to make?</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>- Think of one student who is having a tough time right now. What is one thing you can do to reach out to this student?</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Of course, the questions are just there as a helpful guide. You can always skip the day's topic and write about whatever is in your head and heart! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">When the journals are available for purchase, I will write another post with more details, so check back in a week or two! And if you want to make sure that you don't miss out, leave your email address below - I will also be sending out a newsletter with the announcement.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I can't wait to get my journal and get started on my New Year's resolution!! Happy New Year, and happy teaching!</span><br />
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<img class="nopin" src="http://honeybunchblogdesign2.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/sgn2mlpp.png" />Ms. Lilypad's Primary Pondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09404918134935952218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4132431695130217086.post-90447749365748706072014-12-23T18:02:00.000-06:002014-12-23T18:02:32.682-06:0014 in '14 linky party!<div style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">I just came across this fun </span></span><span style="line-height: 24px;">linky party (hosted by Miss Kindergarten, Dragonflies in First, and A Teeny Tiny Teacher) and decided to play along! Here are 14 different things from my year!</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.miss-kindergarten.com/2014/12/14-in-14-linky-party.html"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvFTeG7ZcsBeBiQ_WXVvuSMNzBr7w9dnypov19PZ14l8gATmzP2a3QCm19RwGMFfR3GJGsm9jCMLeRNyd3k5NBqDFy5l0himPXuyY5ibcxh9YZzYdpBXbO3vbbNpkOQlEQvuWOjctXTRo/s1600/header.png" height="287" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><b>14. Favorite quote: </b></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmtpFj7uFLfvCcvXFYm8tsWaNA_7IR36TMM-d6IFzR9sjqa5womI2D4_8570J1B7yS11mHhTNYXhZbU1ZQvJ3hkUkgat0lPT3WGixSzvsvQCJefVoMqhXd2mE4ovwaUhZL2NohCYcQbM0/s1600/25e934288eeaed39e1bc5b67049362f5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmtpFj7uFLfvCcvXFYm8tsWaNA_7IR36TMM-d6IFzR9sjqa5womI2D4_8570J1B7yS11mHhTNYXhZbU1ZQvJ3hkUkgat0lPT3WGixSzvsvQCJefVoMqhXd2mE4ovwaUhZL2NohCYcQbM0/s1600/25e934288eeaed39e1bc5b67049362f5.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">I am not a huge quote person but I just </span><u style="line-height: 24px;">love</u><span style="line-height: 24px;"> this one. It's always been my goal to write a book, and I have been putting it off for a long time, telling myself I'll do it when I'm older. Well, why not now? So I'm now in the process of writing 2 books. Thanks, Amy Poehler!!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><b>13. Favorite article of clothing:</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">This is a toughie...because I really <3 clothes. Therefore, instead of having to pick a favorite from many, I've opted to pick my LEAST favorite...found these leopard print "jeggings" in Target a few months ago. So sorry if you rocked the leopard print jeggings this year, but just...nothankyou.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-59ikfLnEdgmcf1VlqnS7m-gqWcIivC0jJRrv_g5ZnF8CrLc9gPrELv-HXQkU3QZdSxdvX5rtC9XzeVgQX27ne3s1SJ4jjgiBcQfGP6H0TkriCOFQKG5186UFr0Iom2piOF0EMukuB5c/s1600/20140912_162321.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-59ikfLnEdgmcf1VlqnS7m-gqWcIivC0jJRrv_g5ZnF8CrLc9gPrELv-HXQkU3QZdSxdvX5rtC9XzeVgQX27ne3s1SJ4jjgiBcQfGP6H0TkriCOFQKG5186UFr0Iom2piOF0EMukuB5c/s1600/20140912_162321.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><b>12. Favorite movie you watched:</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">We went to see The Neighbors in the theater and really loved it! I think it's available on Amazon instant video now (free for Prime members), so check it out if you haven't seen it yet!</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmNHlH0dVuZSem2zk-t0PgWLFapq4zmJZaqsZvXv1SRUUzU6zrDD-jbSfMSupybxkcx9uSNgOnjsKfGMlZgT26CS5qNQSoNKLIL7YidtgMhAW9ILVxqe6IJzq-AnX99AaAql04DAJuKiA/s1600/MV5BOTQ0OTkzODgyNF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwOTA3OTE4MDE@._V1_SX214_AL_-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmNHlH0dVuZSem2zk-t0PgWLFapq4zmJZaqsZvXv1SRUUzU6zrDD-jbSfMSupybxkcx9uSNgOnjsKfGMlZgT26CS5qNQSoNKLIL7YidtgMhAW9ILVxqe6IJzq-AnX99AaAql04DAJuKiA/s1600/MV5BOTQ0OTkzODgyNF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwOTA3OTE4MDE@._V1_SX214_AL_-2.jpg" height="320" width="202" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><b>11. Favorite TV series:</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">We are TV series lovers! We've watched too many to name this year...The Wire, House of Cards, The Office (for the second time). I guess the series that I most love to watch when I'm having some "me" time is House Hunters. Oh, I love me some House Hunters.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><b>10. Favorite restaurant:</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">Cooper's Hawk!! Do you have one by you?! Find out {<a href="https://www.coopershawkwinery.com/locations/restaurant-locator.php">here</a>}. If you do, you need to go RIGHT NOW! I am not kidding!! Their wine is wonderful, and the food is delicious. You <u>have</u> to get the bacon-wrapped "drunken" shrimp. Amazing. We tend to like to try different restaurants, but Cooper's Hawk is one you can go back to again...and again...and again. :)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><b>9. Favorite new thing you tried:</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">Hmm...I'm not sure I tried that many new things in 2014! Maybe that should be my goal for next year. I did, however, try a new job, if that counts?? I went from being a full time classroom teacher to a part time reading specialist. And I love it!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><b>8. Favorite gift you got:</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">My camera! I still am not very good at using it, but my husband got me a Nikon for my birthday. Another goal for 2015...actually learn how to use it! </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXwN_I3YIrNtezwGmP6wteuJ5bxUqzd9lER8ZnEEgDuCvszNKZoYeUmTSvtgQRzyEBNeeKI17KcI-ij5Ft4HTOLRqbHhZoDguClXMMoP3qY2aTHVkuda0BT6rKHyqVLh9HuMqUG6PfqLE/s1600/20140813_163728.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXwN_I3YIrNtezwGmP6wteuJ5bxUqzd9lER8ZnEEgDuCvszNKZoYeUmTSvtgQRzyEBNeeKI17KcI-ij5Ft4HTOLRqbHhZoDguClXMMoP3qY2aTHVkuda0BT6rKHyqVLh9HuMqUG6PfqLE/s1600/20140813_163728.jpg" height="320" width="243" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><b>7. Favorite thing you pinned:</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">Sheesh, how do I pick just one!? I am a Pinterest addict!! I guess I will pick <a href="http://www.kevinandamanda.com/whatsnew/new-recipes/top-20-most-popular-recipes-in-2013.html#_a5y_p=1142526">Kevin and Amanda's spicy sausage pasta</a>, because my husband loves it so much!</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.kevinandamanda.com/whatsnew/new-recipes/top-20-most-popular-recipes-in-2013.html#_a5y_p=1142526"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCfbDhhLNnDfsES7f6tf13Lsoyv-vt8w6e8KQNoxPfnroglbrlFYrl3UGfbR2zx03QTe5dd9TJJfu4qJY5p1IRy2mYOAD7f3pmAfojPzmnOnsfsZ_PpJ4bJWbyndQ2e6fTOWotjvZYLBc/s1600/84e970d06c1f3b98064d28d8d3eff685.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><b>6. Favorite blog post:</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">I've enjoyed writing most of the posts I did this year, but I think I'll pick my most popular one - <a href="http://lilypadlittles.blogspot.com/2014/06/making-most-of-bulletin-boards.html">Making the Most of Bulletin Boards</a>. I loved how my bulletin boards were set up because it allowed me to easily post anchor charts, and I'm glad I was able to share the idea with others!</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://lilypadlittles.blogspot.com/2014/06/making-most-of-bulletin-boards.html"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxwQ8KrVlZfS8DY09u6E5rdLdTTwtDQ0uUjELqIQLyGp5na8BpwvSoFgggkiHIU9pnSOCo9JL42XPgn-lXo5ifD3xZhWJ_ImhRSwH470KytLbg6Q8SA0ucy6KYh6jWrqFcYNvh9I6jzdg/s1600/BulletinBoardsCollage.jpg" height="400" width="280" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><b>5. Best accomplishment:</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">I was super happy when I finished my <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/First-Grade-Writing-Workshop-Curriculum-Bundle-1319329">first grade</a> and <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Second-Grade-Writing-Workshop-Curriculum-Bundle-1361891">second grade</a> writing curriculum bundles this summer. I had the lessons in my head and partially written down, but it took a long time to get them packaged and ready to go. The night I finished, my husband surprised me with champagne, and I was a very happy camper!</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/First-Grade-Writing-Workshop-Curriculum-Bundle-1319329"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXvqUZW_NQQcG_6Kzg60nsC054QYyvSm0ZGIcRLuDYrWW0kz-JKvUXZu6m4jVUTz9AOzm4rUT1_JB1rMEf4PtyoeRwhx-magKW65h6t99Ry37rfh7u3xHlqUjh3M3edt3qD3QOE82qjmE/s1600/FirstGradeWritingWorkshopBundleCover.001.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a> <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Second-Grade-Writing-Workshop-Curriculum-Bundle-1361891"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3GFawALxR4EX0iY0kUJyZDM_i90drfXxJHfOO4ZbR5rpcissiTkepjvmUSuSvhQZZCPm2-c7NUtlW1qWsUjecVl2V2VeY7pZV0C9ax7FyV7JVggYvQhDhXjdnmSHpgm3jmEh1uQW4iN8/s1600/SecondGradeWritingWorkshopBundleCover.001.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKOIqBgCQT2pa49jMPPGlC8022MjGe8TcnoYZ16uu1TF05vezOuZpr4yZyErkuVFQ_D8PwkmgOe0WNXKiVXOdEhk45c8jQKvDtSE19dOTQxfTS6x4ne128rSYkplGCOVLfvzaj8TjYZfY/s1600/20140731_195949.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKOIqBgCQT2pa49jMPPGlC8022MjGe8TcnoYZ16uu1TF05vezOuZpr4yZyErkuVFQ_D8PwkmgOe0WNXKiVXOdEhk45c8jQKvDtSE19dOTQxfTS6x4ne128rSYkplGCOVLfvzaj8TjYZfY/s1600/20140731_195949.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><b>4. Favorite picture:</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">I take a lot of pictures with my phone...this is a classic one:</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjycnzXPydvXLL4d7Xrj6NuIzCX7tED8YpwElg9D2DDmm3pIw4E_HdwTqEYzNucai7Xdz04gNdwCHAuyj-lREck16201wDRPoPGmy32bApGeCsZoH_sh_Gmvi2catbrvIF_x-Cjd5GKkdA/s1600/20140804_094118.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjycnzXPydvXLL4d7Xrj6NuIzCX7tED8YpwElg9D2DDmm3pIw4E_HdwTqEYzNucai7Xdz04gNdwCHAuyj-lREck16201wDRPoPGmy32bApGeCsZoH_sh_Gmvi2catbrvIF_x-Cjd5GKkdA/s1600/20140804_094118.jpg" height="320" width="279" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><b>3. Favorite memory:</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">The trips I take with my husband always stand out in my mind as the best memories - this year we went to see my little brother graduate from college and visit my grandfather in Alabama, to Michigan for a little vacation, and to Wisconsin to celebrate our 2 year anniversary. The photos are from Sleeping Bear Dunes in Michigan (we climbed that sucker!) and from our anniversary weekend in November.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaJLXeXNRTPW0KNX-nSz80NSPgf45kdPAXQPdX0KF6_V9OPaMFViZEOGCSiMvkuWgGVxtvkfJR9qH0G4397X5ftJCSXb93O-tBYvKPZ11-5jwbC7rFYufnhem-GyqlHuqhTQ1x4GmdovQ/s1600/20140718_122802.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaJLXeXNRTPW0KNX-nSz80NSPgf45kdPAXQPdX0KF6_V9OPaMFViZEOGCSiMvkuWgGVxtvkfJR9qH0G4397X5ftJCSXb93O-tBYvKPZ11-5jwbC7rFYufnhem-GyqlHuqhTQ1x4GmdovQ/s1600/20140718_122802.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSRggaN_KIG41ROYpo6BWefSDNEZIZaN9fKb3340MhUk-gbEMBBjawtljsaZlUZiFRX1Z6BjB5Baznyrla4e4K_0VbZl_elO-xNAJD5ZkmsNXeT6EBDEL6Ffn-BpLAtOSTNsUbofZTotY/s1600/20141122_183301.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSRggaN_KIG41ROYpo6BWefSDNEZIZaN9fKb3340MhUk-gbEMBBjawtljsaZlUZiFRX1Z6BjB5Baznyrla4e4K_0VbZl_elO-xNAJD5ZkmsNXeT6EBDEL6Ffn-BpLAtOSTNsUbofZTotY/s1600/20141122_183301.jpg" height="320" width="251" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><b>2. Goal for 2015:</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">I guess I have discovered, through doing this post, that my goals are to try more new things and learn how to use my camera! Tomorrow I'm going to sit down and write some additional professional goals, too.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><b>1. One little word:</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">Contentment. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">I was pretty unhappy in the job I had before this one, so moving into my new position as a reading specialist has been a biggie for me. Some other personal obstacles (like grad school) were no longer an issue for me this year, so although life is never problem-free, I was able to find contentment. So thankful for that, and remembering to be thankful every day in 2015 is another thing to add to my goal list.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">This has been fun to write, and it was fun to look back through all my photos from the year! Happy (almost) 2015!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><img class="nopin" src="http://honeybunchblogdesign2.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/sgn2mlpp.png" /></span>Ms. Lilypad's Primary Pondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09404918134935952218noreply@blogger.com0