Learning
Re-thinking Testing
From the desk of Hope… The EOG’s are over, well almost over. For the students who did not pass the test, they have to do a week of remediation and then they have to re-test. Test, Test, Test, Bubble, Bubble, Bubble. Ugh! The students who pass the test with the first administration have three weeks…
Read MoreDazed and Confused
From the desk of Amanda… I got an email yesterday… It was from a teacher. It was a question. The question was about a lesson idea. I am SO excited. I love it when we can be smarter together. It made me think, “I bet other people have this same question.” So I decided…
Read MoreCommon Core Standards and Implications For Our Gifted Students: More Rigor? Keep it Coming!
From the desk of Michelle… By now we’ve all heard about this new little movement called the Common Core Standards. According to the Council of Chief State School Officers, The standards were developed in collaboration with teachers, school administrators, and experts, to provide a clear and consistent framework to prepare our children for college and…
Read MoreBe a Guided Reading Fashionista
From the desk of Melissa… Somehow I don’t think this is what Glamour magazine had in mind when they were writing their fashion notes for 2012: cheerful color-blocking (√), colorful camo (√), and metallic basics (√). All the pieces are there, but something still isn’t right. Have you ever found this to be true in…
Read MoreChild Care or Child Watch?
From the desk of April… My boys attend an enriching, loving child care facility while my husband and I are working on weekdays. This child care facility offers them a healthy place to cultivate their love of learning and social development each day. The teachers at this center are a wonderful, kind and understanding bunch…
Read MoreAsk and You Shall Receive
From the desk of Michelle… Today I am sitting in my favorite bakery eating cake, sipping coffee, and watching my daughter across from me filling cups with water to see which weighs more. After a few minutes she jumps up from her make shift science lab to read a book that’s nearby. Occasionally she will…
Read MoreTest Prep
From the Desk of Hope… Anxious. Frustrated. Unmotivated. Worried. These are all adjectives that describe the behaviors I see in some lessons centered around test preparation. Teachers feel tremendous pressure to prepare students for high stakes tests. In response they spend considerable time (sometimes months) before the test on test-like items and teaching test-taking strategies.…
Read MoreA Reading Journey
From the desk of April F… I have a confession. Though my professional career is now devoted to Literacy, I was (into adulthood) an apathetic, reluctant reader. I could read, though I didn’t know about any strategies. If I looked at the words long enough I could figure them out or fake it. That was…
Read MoreLet's Be Solution Oriented
From the desk of Hope… As I reflect on my work week I keep thinking about all of the obstacles and barriers I heard that keeps progress from happening. I recounted conversations over and over in my head and the more I recounted the more stressed and drained I felt. All of us are guilty…
Read MoreWhat does early literacy look and sound like?
Yesterday I was trying to make a grocery list for a quick run to the store. While I was in the act of writing the items on paper and checking the cabinet for a few critical supplies, Bossy Boots (age 4) walked in. She immediately wanted to help me with my list and snatched the…
Read More