Parent Education
Math At Home
Reading opportunities exist almost everywhere we turn. The same is true for math. Some may seem obvious while others are more subtle. Once you begin to see these teachable moments, you can easily take advantage of them. Here are some of our favorite and fun math activities. Board and Card Games– Many games give children…
Read MoreExplaining Differentiated Assignments
As teachers we want to meet the needs of all of our students. This is difficult when there are many different learning levels and styles in our classrooms. We know that differentiated instruction works, but how do we tell parents what this actually means? How do we explain differentiated assignments? Our goal in the classroom…
Read MoreIgniting the Reader Inside You
From the desk of Keela… Everyone’s book is out there somewhere. You know, the book that ignites the reader inside of you. Some discover it at a young age, others later in life, while others may never discover it. I feel one of my responsibilities, as a teacher, is to help create life-long readers by…
Read MoreQuality – Not Quantity
From the desk of Leigh Ann . . . The word homework makes me cringe. I think back to the countless hours my now grown daughter and I spent at the kitchen table – more concerned about completing the seemingly endless assignments than actually learning from them. She survived, but my heart breaks as I…
Read MoreParental Trust
From the desk of Carol C… Years ago when I was still a young teacher and TB tests were required before you could teach every year, I paid my doctor a visit. Routine except this time my blood pressure was up. When my doctor commented on it and asked why it might be higher than…
Read MorePigeonholing Children
From the desk of Carol… I’m a reader all the time and a mathematician when necessitated. So it was clear to me when my great-niece, Madyson, reached the toddler stage she was going to be a reader. After all, she loved to look at and listen to books. She couldn’t seem to get enough of…
Read MoreLearning Outside of School
From the desk of Carol C… Learning opportunities outside of “the schoolhouse” arise all of the time. Some may seem obvious while others are more subtle. Once you begin to see these teachable moments, you can easily take advantage of them. Be a Chef- Involving children in helping to make something good to eat is…
Read MoreContext Matters
From the desk of Alice… Somewhere along the way I read about research that showed people can dramatically change their actions based on context. I think the particular study I was reading about had to do with prisons and I came across another one that looked at the influence your highschool friends have on your…
Read MoreNo Doodling!
From the desk of Gina… When my daughter, Madison, was beginning the 5th grade she was doing the usual grind of work sheets, testing and homework. One day a spelling test came home for my review and she had “doodled” on it. As I reviewed the paper I see the teacher assistant had written at…
Read MorePromoting Independence
From the desk of Leigh Ann… “To find yourself, think for yourself.” ~ Socrates This week I have thought a great deal about how to make our kindergartners more self-reliant learners. As a teacher I want to facilitate learning, model appropriate behaviors, and guide students in developing strategies that help them become competent readers,…
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