tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43606943485237438132024-02-18T20:11:38.378-08:00Dancing into FirstDancing into the first grade classroom everyday with a smile on my face and a skip in my step. I love teaching my first graders through centers, hands on activities and movement.Dancing into Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318976724446932136noreply@blogger.comBlogger120125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4360694348523743813.post-4850691437611450502020-10-11T19:23:00.001-07:002020-10-11T19:23:23.386-07:00The Winner is...It has been such a busy week, and happy Canadian Thanksgiving! The draw for The Supermaskers book is closed and the winner is... HEIDI O'NEILL!!! Congratulations Heidi, I will be sending you an email. <div>Thank you to all those who entered the draw, and I hope you enjoy the book.<br />
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<center><img border="0" class="nopin" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5PMPA7rH6jSrnhZWKtqxZnRNdxAOOBhOPu1tnsqvEPb7JFqjJXsiXhYMXkDREj_OzOwzH1trixvvlEoRwebvQldKXCIaygyC5wU44mrHEb_vtYLTJlchHwltanjEyXkJIiy5LPP_t24bb/s1600/Signature-01.png" /></center></div>Dancing into Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318976724446932136noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4360694348523743813.post-31089221156376704662020-09-27T19:00:00.012-07:002020-09-27T19:06:23.375-07:00The Supermaskers book...and a giveaway!<br />The day is here, it's finally here! I am so proud to say that I wrote and illustrated a children's storybook. I can't even believe it. It's called The Supermaskers. Our city has mandated mask wearing during this crazy pandemic and students in schools also must wear masks. It can be tough on the little ones; however, my own two children LOVE wearing their masks with Superhero capes running around the house saving the world and I was inspired to write this book!<div><center><br /></center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8H5x6soaaCl3g2KnUpYAooEEhCkpt0NSZcjxUmawbvY14Wl1oO7F1Yzr_1pWoRCoPFNgqP0qdrgWrVLNI_RucAwkw1GuOW3hPQ23TWj0TzgVHeiwwFKCOS1dDZTJvAPzwOaCzOXgdyoo/s2048/IMG_2112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1948" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8H5x6soaaCl3g2KnUpYAooEEhCkpt0NSZcjxUmawbvY14Wl1oO7F1Yzr_1pWoRCoPFNgqP0qdrgWrVLNI_RucAwkw1GuOW3hPQ23TWj0TzgVHeiwwFKCOS1dDZTJvAPzwOaCzOXgdyoo/w380-h400/IMG_2112.JPG" width="380" /></a></div><br /><center><br /></center><h4><center>PURCHASE THE BOOK BY CLICKING HERE</center></h4><center><div id="badge" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: initial; background: url(https://www.blurb.ca/images/badge/borders/dual-h-orange.gif) top left no-repeat; height: 120px; margin: 0px; padding: 20px; position: relative; width: 240px;"> <div style="height: 100px; left: 20px; line-height: 116px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; top: 20px; width: 118px;"> <img alt="The Supermaskers" src="https://bookshow.blurb.com/bookshow/cache/P15614960/lw/cover_2.jpeg?access_key=bc3b63468cb62aac9e513c497340cb5e" style="border: 1px solid rgb(167, 167, 167); height: 116px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle;" /> </div> <div style="border: 0px; left: 148px; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: absolute; text-align: left; top: 68px; width: 120px;"> <div style="border: 0px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; width: 105px;"> The Supermaskers </div> <div style="border: 0px; color: #545454; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; font: bold 10px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 15px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </div> <div style="border: 0px; color: #545454; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 10px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 15px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> By Dynelle Dunn </div> </div> <div style="border: 0px; bottom: 18px; color: #fd7820; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font: normal 10px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; left: 148px; line-height: 15px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute;"> <a force="true" href="https://www.blurb.ca/books/10298826-the-supermaskers" only_path="false" style="color: #fd7820; text-decoration: none;" title="Book Preview">Book Preview</a> </div> <div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; right: 20px; top: 20px;"> <img alt="Photo book" src="https://www.blurb.ca/images/badge/photo-book.png" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /> </div> <div style="border: 0px solid black; clear: both;"></div></div>
Meet our heroes; Nasha, Aiyana, Charles and Sam. </center><center><br /></center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqn-CJ8PpAB9C7XheZ5QEfCCwnbrPtAfQTuKSxwYyfwaE2Gr8rx-LH3hSw8K3xaIUP2Bg1vuZc4m7vqZW1mjABaxdR54acHnNOi6blGwe8sFDBpcp-OYvixcdd5Z59OWaw1kus4ndEYnc/s3701/Crew.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="850" data-original-width="3701" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqn-CJ8PpAB9C7XheZ5QEfCCwnbrPtAfQTuKSxwYyfwaE2Gr8rx-LH3hSw8K3xaIUP2Bg1vuZc4m7vqZW1mjABaxdR54acHnNOi6blGwe8sFDBpcp-OYvixcdd5Z59OWaw1kus4ndEYnc/w640-h146/Crew.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">They know just what to do because they are part of the</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzEy0-sztUOjBa33WHEjLqggibP8_GyYKVCQzAusmFfm4CXTe8mJ-sRmLuYkblFb-pNoXaEE5puLWnLz0VsRchVA6ezBWYegUckejL8dogWiWyRx1oLxBaOI_rMzfcENJNJxeHlfLIWx8/s2048/Supermasker+title.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1043" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzEy0-sztUOjBa33WHEjLqggibP8_GyYKVCQzAusmFfm4CXTe8mJ-sRmLuYkblFb-pNoXaEE5puLWnLz0VsRchVA6ezBWYegUckejL8dogWiWyRx1oLxBaOI_rMzfcENJNJxeHlfLIWx8/s320/Supermasker+title.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><center><br /></center><center>Here is a sneak peek of one of the pages</center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTphvaytZxYAfBTivzlzedTYQ6FTuZiPUeywhkT2sfVZWv22uRlHB_2oki4Tev5YuN6zcYgC7ttVnVUju2sAguTGKjQYQaCZgfoJXyi8VjjquolZWNTxFG3yKuF_bk46N6FBbd4BfSn2s/s2048/IMG_2110.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTphvaytZxYAfBTivzlzedTYQ6FTuZiPUeywhkT2sfVZWv22uRlHB_2oki4Tev5YuN6zcYgC7ttVnVUju2sAguTGKjQYQaCZgfoJXyi8VjjquolZWNTxFG3yKuF_bk46N6FBbd4BfSn2s/w640-h480/IMG_2110.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center style="text-align: left;">Even better news, I will be giving away one free copy of the book to a lucky person! Use the entry form below for your chance to win your very own copy of The Supermaskers. There are 4 ways to enter. If you already follow me, please write that in the comment where it asks for follower number. I will be picking a random winner on Monday October 5.</center><center><a class="rcptr" data-raflid="a965c38f1" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/a965c38f1/" id="rcwidget_j2b63ykm" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script></center><center><br /></center><center><img border="0" class="nopin" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5PMPA7rH6jSrnhZWKtqxZnRNdxAOOBhOPu1tnsqvEPb7JFqjJXsiXhYMXkDREj_OzOwzH1trixvvlEoRwebvQldKXCIaygyC5wU44mrHEb_vtYLTJlchHwltanjEyXkJIiy5LPP_t24bb/s1600/Signature-01.png" /></center></div>Dancing into Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318976724446932136noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4360694348523743813.post-10907318073657796092020-09-26T21:46:00.003-07:002020-09-27T07:50:41.834-07:00Big Surprise<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I CAN'T HOLD ONTO THE SECRET ANY LONGER</span></h1><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidDleLMZNOwKAhYHon_ITbBo-DmPYurRbGxSeqhZM_-gg7FygbuyCpQEwYga9CZ2bFawbo3URtRXnxihtyN9dGsshjKnVEaC5yL2nppKHCgWpi14aeCk3hyphenhyphenraJHgK7s_6CsCZphoci5R0/s2048/Secret.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1245" data-original-width="2048" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidDleLMZNOwKAhYHon_ITbBo-DmPYurRbGxSeqhZM_-gg7FygbuyCpQEwYga9CZ2bFawbo3URtRXnxihtyN9dGsshjKnVEaC5yL2nppKHCgWpi14aeCk3hyphenhyphenraJHgK7s_6CsCZphoci5R0/w640-h390/Secret.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Well, I did something that I've never done before...in the middle of a pandemic....and I can't wait to share it with you!!!</span><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Since my blog was full of cobwebs and rust from lack of use, I thought I should dust it off with something extra special. Come back tomorrow night to find out what it is, it's like Christmas eve!!!!!!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhxIxsGUHf-o2WrzHnsNKAf-UjA9QXLU-26C-ghl-p8Kfr_zSnWq9tkGHOqVRELzbf7Z2HbY3hghu5NNXuLGGAIMkptNkY5vHl_r0NptpgC5lWP3-hIP7-i2Jq_HUXD-OJIobMtctDC2s/s2048/Coming+soon.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhxIxsGUHf-o2WrzHnsNKAf-UjA9QXLU-26C-ghl-p8Kfr_zSnWq9tkGHOqVRELzbf7Z2HbY3hghu5NNXuLGGAIMkptNkY5vHl_r0NptpgC5lWP3-hIP7-i2Jq_HUXD-OJIobMtctDC2s/w400-h400/Coming+soon.png" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">See you tomorrow!</div><div><br />
<center><img border="0" class="nopin" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5PMPA7rH6jSrnhZWKtqxZnRNdxAOOBhOPu1tnsqvEPb7JFqjJXsiXhYMXkDREj_OzOwzH1trixvvlEoRwebvQldKXCIaygyC5wU44mrHEb_vtYLTJlchHwltanjEyXkJIiy5LPP_t24bb/s1600/Signature-01.png" /></center></div>Dancing into Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318976724446932136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4360694348523743813.post-73462547258791484232017-11-26T09:14:00.001-08:002017-11-26T09:14:43.503-08:00Great Canadian Cyber Monday Giveaway!I've teamed up with some amazing Canadian Sellers for a TPT gift card giveaway!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidWZd-EULCicDCSMskLXaCjlgvAjGxxyJPKVBHu6ymah3-RR96TkiKuFyGYG2M1Vs5Dp1Q9gPvl3qfLwicqctDOMEw3TXJPyFsvV8-18mzEaPf55neLHv8XHR_Uwuj2_tlngpjnbA-14s/s1600/TPT+gift+card.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="767" data-original-width="767" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidWZd-EULCicDCSMskLXaCjlgvAjGxxyJPKVBHu6ymah3-RR96TkiKuFyGYG2M1Vs5Dp1Q9gPvl3qfLwicqctDOMEw3TXJPyFsvV8-18mzEaPf55neLHv8XHR_Uwuj2_tlngpjnbA-14s/s400/TPT+gift+card.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<b style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; text-align: start;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><span style="font-size: large;">REMEMBER: each <span class="il">entry</span> counts as ONE <span class="il">entry</span>, the more links you complete, the higher your chances of winning!!</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">You can win 1 of 3 - $50 TpT gift cards.</span></b></span></div>
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<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="02a806be9" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/02a806be9/" id="rcwidget_gsnlmxs8" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">GOOD LUCK!</span></b></span></div>
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Dancing into Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318976724446932136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4360694348523743813.post-50456423708239384552017-07-23T19:01:00.000-07:002017-07-23T19:01:06.630-07:0010 Must Have Classroom Essentials- Part 6<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKr0-UhzixhAT6o5YWCtSEdqiC44Fhl6nA21yaAKrLSHrWO8JNcpX78tklczVKMIxVz05HdQwP5ujAi7-Q_Wy6Fri2zntYYG93-zUN_7M171nDtcW322hsEKyzysCD8BkBT2ykzjnN9DI/s1600/Essentials+title.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="489" data-original-width="1600" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKr0-UhzixhAT6o5YWCtSEdqiC44Fhl6nA21yaAKrLSHrWO8JNcpX78tklczVKMIxVz05HdQwP5ujAi7-Q_Wy6Fri2zntYYG93-zUN_7M171nDtcW322hsEKyzysCD8BkBT2ykzjnN9DI/s640/Essentials+title.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Problem: Students raising their hand</div>
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I know many teachers have their students line up if they need help or their work checked, but that never really worked for me, I found there was too much misbehaviour and wasted class time as a result. I also know that kids will sit at their desk with their hand up for a long time, also wasting time and having a sore arm as well!</div>
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I decided to try the cup system, and it works pretty well. Students have three cups stacked on their desk, a green, yellow and red one. It is on green most of the time, as they are working and not needing any help. I had them change their cup to yellow if they needed help with something, and red if they were completed their work. This way they could keep working, read a book or do something while they were waiting for me to come and see them. I also found it an easy visual to check in with. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyQJc97y4DqPGtoDYHIhCYp_CAVNePtuaWy__prU11lXgyeT0gvGD6dm4_QnEmyJbpbfKX9_iO1UcCNHXy983M7GDTVJ8dxnSalo38B0bFMDQVVZWiZO14k53gTu35D_WCvUr0TXxPanA/s1600/IMG_5244.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyQJc97y4DqPGtoDYHIhCYp_CAVNePtuaWy__prU11lXgyeT0gvGD6dm4_QnEmyJbpbfKX9_iO1UcCNHXy983M7GDTVJ8dxnSalo38B0bFMDQVVZWiZO14k53gTu35D_WCvUr0TXxPanA/s320/IMG_5244.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
I found the cups at Walmart for a reasonable price. My only issue was eventually the kids decided to poke holes or colour them, but I think this depends on the class you have how well they take care of them. Overall I found the system to be quite effective.<br />
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Dancing into Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318976724446932136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4360694348523743813.post-62974483474372385882017-07-18T18:52:00.000-07:002017-07-18T18:52:00.962-07:0010 Must Have Classroom Essentials- Part 5<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKr0-UhzixhAT6o5YWCtSEdqiC44Fhl6nA21yaAKrLSHrWO8JNcpX78tklczVKMIxVz05HdQwP5ujAi7-Q_Wy6Fri2zntYYG93-zUN_7M171nDtcW322hsEKyzysCD8BkBT2ykzjnN9DI/s1600/Essentials+title.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="489" data-original-width="1600" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKr0-UhzixhAT6o5YWCtSEdqiC44Fhl6nA21yaAKrLSHrWO8JNcpX78tklczVKMIxVz05HdQwP5ujAi7-Q_Wy6Fri2zntYYG93-zUN_7M171nDtcW322hsEKyzysCD8BkBT2ykzjnN9DI/s640/Essentials+title.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Problem: Using the SMARTboard as a listening centre.</center>
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I have tried all different ways of doing a listening centre. I had the big earphones for a while connected to a cd player, but a parent was super concerned about the kids sharing earphones and I found it difficult to find books on cd and storing them all was tricky.</center>
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Then I started using my SMART board to show the kids a story and listen, but it was distracting when they all could hear.</center>
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So, each student now has earphones on their supply list, but I was still trying to figure out a way to connect it all to the computer. </center>
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Enter this green star of amazement!!!!</center>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAumLq8-D6jrFK17hLJxTfJ9QGVUQEWO9LNxxvCSx8qIX-BCNjZlztgpyrw-V_AHOsEa5WyWAuacTkg82AxvnQezO2rAkbWbLeHQECH5cB6_Ji9-8IQIcKDRkxF4XU7bLGTeb604oDFB0/s1600/IMG_5241.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1513" data-original-width="1600" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAumLq8-D6jrFK17hLJxTfJ9QGVUQEWO9LNxxvCSx8qIX-BCNjZlztgpyrw-V_AHOsEa5WyWAuacTkg82AxvnQezO2rAkbWbLeHQECH5cB6_Ji9-8IQIcKDRkxF4XU7bLGTeb604oDFB0/s200/IMG_5241.jpg" width="200" /></a><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?ref=tf_til&t=dancingintofi-20&m=amazon&o=15&p=8&l=as1&IS1=1&asins=B01D4FPVT2&linkId=abbea3b177d77264e7a4d6697e124a30&bc1=FFFFFF&lt1=_top&fc1=333333&lc1=0066C0&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;">
</iframe> </center>
<center style="text-align: left;">
Voila, I can connect all of the kids individual earphones to the laptop (I have a long cable to connect it). It works great.</center>
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<img border="0" class="nopin" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5PMPA7rH6jSrnhZWKtqxZnRNdxAOOBhOPu1tnsqvEPb7JFqjJXsiXhYMXkDREj_OzOwzH1trixvvlEoRwebvQldKXCIaygyC5wU44mrHEb_vtYLTJlchHwltanjEyXkJIiy5LPP_t24bb/s1600/Signature-01.png" /></center>
Dancing into Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318976724446932136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4360694348523743813.post-17117562499576428942017-06-11T11:34:00.000-07:002017-07-18T16:01:38.160-07:0010 Must Have Classroom Essentials- Part 4<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIoI1htIyoCDptSNGSqy9Ko39Kjxa-frFOo87k_OQiQoyg7GXLhjHK8ZL4iMZL2Ogr8L-MPabj9AzEJeXnMLi5DyXkteGSY_mkcSmR600lKKkdzyW-2FebH5HHnfablP_TxCkNX-9Eyv4/s1600/Essentials+title.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="489" data-original-width="1600" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIoI1htIyoCDptSNGSqy9Ko39Kjxa-frFOo87k_OQiQoyg7GXLhjHK8ZL4iMZL2Ogr8L-MPabj9AzEJeXnMLi5DyXkteGSY_mkcSmR600lKKkdzyW-2FebH5HHnfablP_TxCkNX-9Eyv4/s640/Essentials+title.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Problem: Students have a difficult time calming down.<br />
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In Kindergarten and First Grade especially, there are a lot of BIG feelings that come up in school, whether that be getting along with others, frustration over not being able to do something, or just plain feelings with no event attached!<br />
I wanted to create a space in my room where students could go to get calmed down if they got frustrated so that we could speak when they are ready.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVUBOWu29IJONeCWY0ha8KYKH24qLIPIg6UCSKFj6jgPtpV5xMpw-0QjWbouG4x0Ic0lvofdQEyeWxqh6xrHnWNyXJo1KVtffkJhuajeD6gBsVVjiNAltunhVuJbQqSoN1VMDWc8HGKYo/s1600/IMG_5395.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1086" data-original-width="1600" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVUBOWu29IJONeCWY0ha8KYKH24qLIPIg6UCSKFj6jgPtpV5xMpw-0QjWbouG4x0Ic0lvofdQEyeWxqh6xrHnWNyXJo1KVtffkJhuajeD6gBsVVjiNAltunhVuJbQqSoN1VMDWc8HGKYo/s640/IMG_5395.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
Here is what I have in my cool down corner:<br />
-bean bag to sit in<br />
-cards that show different ideas to cool down<br />
-mirror<br />
-feeling pictures<br />
-Magnetic calm down cards<br />
-Small, medium and big problem<br />
-Zones of Regulation<br />
-Sand timer so they don't stay too long!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH1Cbc7pTvPa5vF1AyCad5ea7WVFslVyK548diw8rO_hpPwUVkqW_z3V_KemV4dipUg_xN9z-OsQrGYykEox4DSxP33Rca1sbvo4nKPuw1D7OaNKNzIS2QcyA2YU1wXSKUDaVFxCv6StU/s1600/IMG_5501.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH1Cbc7pTvPa5vF1AyCad5ea7WVFslVyK548diw8rO_hpPwUVkqW_z3V_KemV4dipUg_xN9z-OsQrGYykEox4DSxP33Rca1sbvo4nKPuw1D7OaNKNzIS2QcyA2YU1wXSKUDaVFxCv6StU/s320/IMG_5501.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
-Calm down bottle<br />
I found the idea from <a href="http://www.preschoolinspirations.com/galaxy-calm-bottle/">Preschool Inspirations</a>.<br />
I ordered everything off of amazon:<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?ref=qf_sp_asin_til&t=dancingintofi-20&m=amazon&o=15&p=8&l=as1&IS1=1&asins=B01M28JN9S&linkId=a39ff23da0a31ddab9d1a3efd6a59ca1&bc1=FFFFFF&lt1=_top&fc1=333333&lc1=0066C0&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;">
</iframe>
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?ref=qf_sp_asin_til&t=dancingintofi-20&m=amazon&o=15&p=8&l=as1&IS1=1&asins=B003M5E2ZO&linkId=87c2e3f148664cacdcbc723f0e1b7a2d&bc1=FFFFFF&lt1=_top&fc1=333333&lc1=0066C0&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;">
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I love my magnetic feeling choose board. I got the idea from <a href="http://consciousdiscipline.com/">Conscious Discipline</a>, but I wanted a magnetic board instead of the felt board they have. I printed the pictures on magnetic paper, cut them out and used a simple magnetic whiteboard. The kids (and my three year old who has one at home) love using this board!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLYyCYSPvhurFj_jZqaGscsl8dQLBX9n2j-bd5Z0kvAQZTHC3fRlMI0-11uf_GDkj816yRyJ6l4NCzC_yKw6Y5-Zo_LxKEaJ1CB-FX9gmDR2NetzwAgk1jWoev11Qxyi7iFaAEPAO3q8M/s1600/IMG_5600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLYyCYSPvhurFj_jZqaGscsl8dQLBX9n2j-bd5Z0kvAQZTHC3fRlMI0-11uf_GDkj816yRyJ6l4NCzC_yKw6Y5-Zo_LxKEaJ1CB-FX9gmDR2NetzwAgk1jWoev11Qxyi7iFaAEPAO3q8M/s400/IMG_5600.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?ref=qf_sp_asin_til&t=dancingintofi-20&m=amazon&o=15&p=8&l=as1&IS1=1&asins=B004K137GY&linkId=82769e37531f9ac8d6aa6bf3fbfc5d77&bc1=FFFFFF&lt1=_top&fc1=333333&lc1=0066C0&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;">
</iframe><br />
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?ref=qf_sp_asin_til&t=dancingintofi-20&m=amazon&o=15&p=8&l=as1&IS1=1&asins=B008FM29AY&linkId=10f210dbdba34a69aa70b3484ac2e6a9&bc1=FFFFFF&lt1=_top&fc1=333333&lc1=0066C0&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;">
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How do you keep your kids calm in your classroom? What do you use in your calm down corner? Let me know in the comment section!<br />
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<img border="0" class="nopin" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5PMPA7rH6jSrnhZWKtqxZnRNdxAOOBhOPu1tnsqvEPb7JFqjJXsiXhYMXkDREj_OzOwzH1trixvvlEoRwebvQldKXCIaygyC5wU44mrHEb_vtYLTJlchHwltanjEyXkJIiy5LPP_t24bb/s1600/Signature-01.png" /></center>
Dancing into Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318976724446932136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4360694348523743813.post-86737336260597873122017-06-04T21:21:00.002-07:002017-06-04T21:21:58.355-07:0010 Must Have Classroom Essentials- Part 3<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnjDOnH-T23nkf_kEeLrPqynEWs6p8OaTCk76ns8AMF2LFDLbD1teS-qK6HR0thyphenhyphenDgdz8rWcekvJkElKi57qpVb8VSs_iyLgmIHSt6xR7LD68Jrr3926g-O6wBZLyd6pX24k3L6OsaSlM/s1600/Essentials+title.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="489" data-original-width="1600" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnjDOnH-T23nkf_kEeLrPqynEWs6p8OaTCk76ns8AMF2LFDLbD1teS-qK6HR0thyphenhyphenDgdz8rWcekvJkElKi57qpVb8VSs_iyLgmIHSt6xR7LD68Jrr3926g-O6wBZLyd6pX24k3L6OsaSlM/s640/Essentials+title.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Problem: The horrible fluorescent lighting in my room.</center>
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It seriously drives me crazy, I find the lights to be so overstimulating and if I could I would ditch them entirely! That being said, I found a solution is to turn half of them off and use lamps around the classroom to create that warm, cozy feel. I like ikea lamps but I found they haven't held up very well, so I found some other more sturdy lamps.</center>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjELUnYT6irZFVZKNwkiR4b8Ot5xqPDTQpbqXnMmefV4_4dWowQTr2-lfYn3k1AAVqB0wJaGSMWtr8vbC0mFXUvLid_iRDQXc_bW53bVGPta9JmP_7YR8jBazyIWmptnLkhwBQVfrrF1kA/s1600/IMG_5392.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjELUnYT6irZFVZKNwkiR4b8Ot5xqPDTQpbqXnMmefV4_4dWowQTr2-lfYn3k1AAVqB0wJaGSMWtr8vbC0mFXUvLid_iRDQXc_bW53bVGPta9JmP_7YR8jBazyIWmptnLkhwBQVfrrF1kA/s320/IMG_5392.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I have three in my room, but I would like to add a few more and am always on the lookout for a new one. What kind of lighting do you have in your room? What would you change if you could.</center>
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<img border="0" class="nopin" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5PMPA7rH6jSrnhZWKtqxZnRNdxAOOBhOPu1tnsqvEPb7JFqjJXsiXhYMXkDREj_OzOwzH1trixvvlEoRwebvQldKXCIaygyC5wU44mrHEb_vtYLTJlchHwltanjEyXkJIiy5LPP_t24bb/s1600/Signature-01.png" /></center>
Dancing into Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318976724446932136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4360694348523743813.post-42696047739290308692017-05-13T20:44:00.000-07:002017-06-04T21:36:38.391-07:0010 Must Have Classroom Essentials- Part 2<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_d9707QdfEXa_HmPkgonlrg1p6aQXYoM3Fe5OwPZfgd_f4pJFer3B7PLBAoSa2wq3AucB_cLIUPhyPH55m6FD62PmBcj9Schh1fmkk_xuKdB-UmkxP-ww_1VlcJ60kl-PcSOD5WCcd14/s1600/Essentials+title.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_d9707QdfEXa_HmPkgonlrg1p6aQXYoM3Fe5OwPZfgd_f4pJFer3B7PLBAoSa2wq3AucB_cLIUPhyPH55m6FD62PmBcj9Schh1fmkk_xuKdB-UmkxP-ww_1VlcJ60kl-PcSOD5WCcd14/s640/Essentials+title.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Part 2:</span></div>
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Problem: Writing on completed student work and communicating with students (and parents) about the work.</div>
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As my students were completing their work I would write notes, abbreviations in various coloured pens for work that was complete, incomplete, needed to be corrected or I had worked with them. I found it was taking lots of time and the abbreviations I was using may not have been clear to parents when they looked through their children's work.</div>
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I wanted some personalized stamps of some kind and found these amazing self inking ones that I was able to make into exactly what I wanted. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEksRI1Sbd6aqZd31Zxlu3ZAZjzmnKlf5w4xzz9kUh5iaPQvl01akTPNLrhPfTeqfDrwVX0XzDCzvavOvC_h_IalWEfTy2DtwgH0NjGSY8kxreNmQ5cBCvpEleMdtIKq_QoG8dwG-YrwM/s1600/IMG_5390.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="473" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEksRI1Sbd6aqZd31Zxlu3ZAZjzmnKlf5w4xzz9kUh5iaPQvl01akTPNLrhPfTeqfDrwVX0XzDCzvavOvC_h_IalWEfTy2DtwgH0NjGSY8kxreNmQ5cBCvpEleMdtIKq_QoG8dwG-YrwM/s640/IMG_5390.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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These save me SO much time and help the students quickly fix anything that needs to be changed as well as keep parents in the loop so they know if work was completed with teacher assistance. I just can't live without these now! I got them from <a href="http://www.rubberstamps.net/">Rubber Stamps</a>, they have a great selection, I want to make so many more!</center>
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See you next week for part 3!</center>
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<img border="0" class="nopin" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5PMPA7rH6jSrnhZWKtqxZnRNdxAOOBhOPu1tnsqvEPb7JFqjJXsiXhYMXkDREj_OzOwzH1trixvvlEoRwebvQldKXCIaygyC5wU44mrHEb_vtYLTJlchHwltanjEyXkJIiy5LPP_t24bb/s1600/Signature-01.png" /></center>
Dancing into Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318976724446932136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4360694348523743813.post-28169704430184821032017-05-06T21:45:00.000-07:002017-05-06T21:46:43.137-07:0010 Must Have Classroom Essentials- Part 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJEWPReTvrouX0PpurMdXO-uRvT7UJft3Ud27xBg8kfvzLjYREdtjueIIhlc1PaS0nGaTzJrt8PVY7CbaeBtjkVIy-nhwo4lwIlACgFbuA1gGXOZHeYkkGkrGaxyUKq48tnHRCJZMOMy0/s1600/Essentials+title.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJEWPReTvrouX0PpurMdXO-uRvT7UJft3Ud27xBg8kfvzLjYREdtjueIIhlc1PaS0nGaTzJrt8PVY7CbaeBtjkVIy-nhwo4lwIlACgFbuA1gGXOZHeYkkGkrGaxyUKq48tnHRCJZMOMy0/s640/Essentials+title.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I find as a teacher I am constantly scouring the internet/books/asking other teachers for innovative ways to solve problems that I encounter in my classroom. I decided to do a little series (I will TRY to do 1 each week) of the top 10 essential 'problem solving items' in my classroom. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">PART 1</span></div>
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Problem: Losing my voice/students focusing on my voice and directions. </div>
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Have you ever found that all of that talking makes your voice run out of steam pretty quickly? I know I have. I also know that my students have some, erm, trouble hearing my voice at times. I'm not a quiet person at all, but even with a loud voice I still have some students struggle to 'focus on the sound of my voice'.</div>
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I knew I needed a voice amplifier, and over the years I have managed to snag one from our district services or Library, but they can be difficult to come by and are often broken or missing parts.</div>
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So I went searching on the internet to see if there was something affordable that I could get for myself and then I wouldn't have to worry each year about finding one.</div>
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SOLUTION: Enter the WinBridge voice amplifier. This thing is amazing. No separate speaker required, I attach this to my belt at the beginning of the day and I am ready to go. It is easy to charge and I find it lasts for quite a while. The headset works well and I don't find feedback to be an issue unless I put the mic too close to the amplifier.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_EcaBOz04u9uAKRpSy183ArG0Xm5xfiectTD2rEx4ZbgXKWd7WoJzLuXU9RMabPsYdqWOz4hs1NLVmDoxH2N1hkfe3tM6lZwc_TxKm41EVZA8Z4Vf0KqtpZ9_dFF8bQsumeo1D5dGzg8/s1600/IMG_5243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_EcaBOz04u9uAKRpSy183ArG0Xm5xfiectTD2rEx4ZbgXKWd7WoJzLuXU9RMabPsYdqWOz4hs1NLVmDoxH2N1hkfe3tM6lZwc_TxKm41EVZA8Z4Vf0KqtpZ9_dFF8bQsumeo1D5dGzg8/s320/IMG_5243.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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At around $40, this has saved time, effort and MY VOICE. I just can't live without this classroom essential.</div>
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?ref=tf_til&t=dancingintofi-20&m=amazon&o=15&p=8&l=as1&IS2=1&asins=B014JJG43E&linkId=e3624d5d32200ed09bc500d0248e8204&bc1=ffffff&lt1=_blank&fc1=333333&lc1=0066c0&bg1=ffffff&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;">
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Check in next week to find another MUST HAVE in my classroom.</div>
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Dancing into Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318976724446932136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4360694348523743813.post-78598785902402456072017-05-05T22:46:00.000-07:002017-05-05T22:46:58.687-07:00Father's Day S'mores<br />
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As we get closer to June, I am trying to plan ahead for Father's Day. I always have a difficult time coming up with ideas for something to make for Dad, and of course remain sensitive to those students for which this is a difficult day.</div>
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What better way to make dad happy than through his stomach? I decided to create a bunch of different Father's Day activities about... SMORES!!! Yum. </div>
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The students created bags with enough crackers, chocolate and marshmallows for a SMORE for their Dad and themselves. They were SO excited, and many of them told me after they made them while they were camping over the weekend, so fun.</div>
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They also made a booklet and card to take home as well for that special guy that takes care of them. They loved writing the story. We made a canvas picture using their hands for the fire, which turned out super cute.</div>
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How do you celebrate Father's Day in your classroom? You can find the writing activity, tag for the SMORE bag, card templates and more in my Father's Day resource.</div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Fathers-Day-activities-gift-card-and-writing-714213"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC_z6SlUIdca7UjTyGnr9R7_YXesJ44OwPcHdstmmVNMTYuuN22JyU999whlRyF22Yu11zcfTaHVPNVIiwG7sFnaTzCSMYLs7AyAohlQuYSwlZ81Vlx6k3hjtgd3EmA9MHu38Ovm7xh0g/s320/Father%2527s+Day+cover+8x8.001.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Thanks for stopping by, Happy Father's Day!</div>
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As an adult I have a better understanding of the importance of remembering fallen soldiers from the wars of the past as well as honouring the veterans who proudly serve our country today. After my husband joined the reserves, and did a tour in Afghanistan, I felt an enormous responsibility in my classroom to connect students with Remembrance Day. Because so many of the veterans of WWI and WWII no longer with us, I wondered how to honour their memory so their sacrifice would never be forgotten.<br />
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Here are some ideas, activities and resources to honour the fallen and teach your students about the importance of Remembrance Day.<br />
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<b><u>ACTIVITIES IN THE CLASSROOM</u></b></div>
<b>Art: </b>I love to do art projects for Remembrance day. I think my favourite image to create is the poppy and I have used different mediums, ideas and text to go with it. Here are a few different ones I have done over the years.<br />
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If you would like to find the step by step instructions for these art activities and many others please visit Gail, <a href="http://www.thatartistwoman.org/p/fall-projects.html">THAT ARTIST WOMAN</a>. Scroll down the fall projects until you find Remembrance Day. You can also find more Remembrance Day art ideas on my Pinterest page.<br />
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<b>Writing: </b>A great writing activity for Remembrance Day is to write letters or postcards to Veterans or Soldiers currently serving. To find more information on where to send these messages please visit the Veterans Affairs <a href="http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/get-involved/postcard-for-peace/teachers-guide">website.</a><br />
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<b>Reading:</b> I love a good read aloud to introduce a topic to students; however, finding a story that is both appropriate for young children as well as relevant is a bit difficult for Remembrance Day. Here are a few that I use in my classroom.<br />
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'A Poppy Is to Remember' by Heather Patterson is probably one of my favourites. The pictures are beautiful, the text is simple and it helps students to understand more about why we wear a poppy and the importance of Remembrance Day. It also includes the ever important poem 'In Flanders Fields'.
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'Lest We Forget' by Kerry Brown is a remarkable story in that it helps young children relate to the generation that went to war through images, in a way that is appropriate for young children. I think this book is a great tool that allows students to better understand what it must have been like for the soldiers and their families.<br />
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<iframestyle float:="" frameborder="0" margidth="0" right="" scrolling="no" src="//rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?ref=tf_til&t=dancingintofi-20&m=amazon&o=15&p=8&l=as1&IS2=1&asins=0689866763&linkId=5ae2d68f24cd3f9c7e41475d0393a11c&bc1=ffffff&lt1=_blank&fc1=333333&lc1=0066c0&bg1=ffffff&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;">
</iframestyle>'What does Peace feel like?'<span style="font-family: inherit;"> by<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;"><a class="authorName" href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/193649.Vladimir_Radunsky" itemprop="url" style="color: #333333; line-height: 19.799999237060547px; text-decoration: none;">Vladimir Radunsky</a> is a story with</span> wonderful imagery and would be a great starting place for a writing activity wh</span>ere students could write about what peace looks like, smells like or tastes like. I love the pictures and ideas from children. This gives students great examples of things that they experience in their own life and how they can bring Peace to those around them.<br />
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<span style="text-align: left;">I love how 'Proud as a Peacock, Brave as a Lion' by Jane Barclay uses animals to tell the story in this unique book. The little boy's grandpa uses animals to describe what he was feeling during his war</span><span style="text-align: left;">time experiences. It definitely gets me misty eyed at the end.
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<b style="text-align: center;"> <u>REMEMBRANCE DAY CEREMONY</u></b></div>
If you are in charge of preparing the Remembrance Day ceremony at school, it can be a daunting task! Here is a great resource from the Veterans Affairs website with information about the <a href="http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/get-involved/remembrance-day/guide-to-commemorative-services">CEREMONY.</a><br />
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One of the most important things at a Remembrance Day ceremony, besides the 2 minutes of silence, is inviting a Veteran to your school to lay a wreath and if possible speak to the students. My husband always attends the ceremonies at my school. When he was in Afghanistan a few of the junior high students wrote letters to him while he was there, and when he came back he talked to the boys and girls about his experience in Kabul. They formed a connection with him and I believe this made the Remembrance Day ceremony much more meaningful. If you would like a veteran to speak at your school you can find more information <a href="http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/information-for/educators/guest-speaker">HERE.</a><br />
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Another great tool to engage students during the ceremony, or in the classroom, is showing a video. This one always gets me emotional, and encourages students before the 2 minutes of silence to really take time to honour the fallen.<br />
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My husband made this video using pictures he took of a memorial wall in Afghanistan with messages dedicated to the fallen.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #505050; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Click on the links below to visit other Canadian teacher-bloggers showcasing their ideas for Remembrance Day lessons.
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Dancing into Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318976724446932136noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4360694348523743813.post-56408237611904167852016-10-03T07:07:00.001-07:002016-10-03T07:09:56.447-07:00Halloween Center ActivitiesAs the leaves change colours, the weather becomes cooler, and the pumpkin spice lattes and sweaters come out of hiding, it can only mean one thing; it's October! I know that this month all I will hear about is one thing, and one thing only. You guessed it; HALLOWEEN!!!<br />
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First graders will probably ask every day in October if it is Halloween yet, and so as the anticipation builds and the excitement grows, when the day finally comes, they are about ready to explode! When October 31st arrives it is so difficult to focus on curriculum that I had to come up with a way to keep the students engaged and busy and what better way than, you guessed it, centers!</div>
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If possible, I ask an older grade to join us in the classroom so they can assist the grade one students with each activity. The centers take all afternoon as the students spend about 10 minutes at each one. I make sure to include math and literacy skills plus a whole lot of fun!! I prepare eight stations for the students, with direction cards at each one and materials all prepped and ready to go. They stay with their buddy and a small group of students for the entire afternoon.</div>
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I think the favourite is the snack center, I mean who doesn't love a spooky Halloween snack! I make sure they are healthy snacks because they will be eating so much candy at night, with a spooky twist. Eyeballs, Jack-O-Lanterns and Ghosts OH MY!</div>
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Our math center focuses on estimation. I always carve a pumpkin with the kids earlier in the week and we do some five senses writing about what we see, feel, and smell. I save then seeds, wash them off and then put a plastic bag in the pumpkin. Students take a small handful of seeds, estimate how many there are and record it.</div>
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I find it helpful to have buddies at this one as students often forget about the estimation part and skip right to counting and recording their seedsx.<br />
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We do lots of Language Arts; I include some spooky stories at one center, halloween sentence making at another and a listening center. I use my SMARTboard to show the story and hook up ear phones so the whole group can hear.</div>
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Another one of my favourite centers is the Haunted house! Students use their senses to predict what is in the jar. Some of them are too afraid to touch, but once they figure out what is actually in the container they can't wait to try it out! THE HAUNTED HOUSE IS A FREE ACTIVITY you can try out in your classroom by clicking on the picture.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZpOjdki58DuL4P-S1IWr_RixMPMOS-gXKfd1C-PN2F8l4Jjs54UvE-oPQ2dEAMuZ1kTsFtIystFsbwBzlGKVeuqZDHGa1CAWxVNPAC7fa0mBpB_56vHC366V8XO3jZMEKcHzWrkHYVfk/s1600/IMG_2405.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZpOjdki58DuL4P-S1IWr_RixMPMOS-gXKfd1C-PN2F8l4Jjs54UvE-oPQ2dEAMuZ1kTsFtIystFsbwBzlGKVeuqZDHGa1CAWxVNPAC7fa0mBpB_56vHC366V8XO3jZMEKcHzWrkHYVfk/s320/IMG_2405.JPG" width="320" /></a>I also like to do a craft with the students, a Jack-O-Lantern Lantern!!! Again, it is super helpful to have a buddy at the this station. I provide visual instructions for each step so it is easy to follow along. After students complete each activity I have them put it on top of their desk, and then at the end of the day they get to take everything home with them.</div>
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How do you deal with the Halloween Crazies in your class? To try out all of these centers in your classroom, click on the picture! Happy Halloween friends.</div>
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Dancing into Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318976724446932136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4360694348523743813.post-86105587818318036682016-09-23T21:17:00.000-07:002016-09-23T23:05:06.438-07:00Directed DrawingTeaching art....those words put fear in the hearts of many an educator. When I first began teaching Art, I will admit I really didn't know what I was doing. We may have done a lot of *gasp* CRAFTS instead of Art. There are so many books, teaching resources, internet articles and professional development sessions for Math and Language Arts, and the Arts seem to be put at the bottom of the list. After working on Math and Language Arts for a few years, I decided there was a big gap in my Art instruction and chose to focus on this area.<br />
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One of the biggest influences I found for my instruction was Gail from <a href="http://www.thatartistwoman.org/">That Artist Woman</a>. After looking at her step by step pictures, I found I could not only make some beautiful art, but actually TEACH kids how to make art that they could be proud of, that was their own and not something I had photocopied to colour or cut and paste. I learned how important teacher guidance is, and from this I discovered DIRECTED DRAWING!!<br />
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Of course, this is not my entire Art instruction, I do many different techniques, but once I started doing this my kids were HOOKED! After a directed drawing lesson, one of my students said, "I didn't think I could do art, but look at what I made!!!" He was just so proud, and I chalk it all up to directed drawing.<br />
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So, what does this look like in the classroom? Here is a rundown of the different ways that I use it with my first graders.<br />
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<b><u>ART CLASS</u></b><br />
This is the obvious one, but it has helped so much. I usually take a couple of Art classes a month to focus on this. I pick a thematic image, give the students some drawing paper, and go through each step to draw the image carefully on my whiteboard, as the students follow along.<br />
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<b><u>INTEGRATION INTO OTHER SUBJECT AREAS</u></b><br />
<b>"I don't have time to do this!"</b><br />
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I hear you. There is never enough time in the day for these things; however, I found that I can use directed drawing in other subject areas! In Language Arts, after we draw our picture together I have students write about the image, and they love it. I find they are so much more engaged when they have something to write about and they can visually look at the image and describe it.<br />
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Very pretty, but not quite what the seed looks like! </td></tr>
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In Science we talk about drawing things from our imagination versus OBSERVATIONAL drawing. Let me tell you, this is difficult. You would not believe how many flowers I get in pictures (in our Needs of Plants and Animals unit) that are observations of their growing seeds, and there is not a flower to be found in real life!!! So I help the students by doing a directed draw together of what they SEE in front of them, and it works wonders.<br />
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<b><u>GAMES</u></b><br />
Y'all know how I love centers and games in my classroom and directed drawing is a great little game to play when practicing other skills. In math, I write addition facts on the back of directed draw pictures and students find the cards that have the same sum, and then draw their picture. So much fun!<br />
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Do you want to try directed drawing in your class and need some inspiration? I have Directed Drawing clip art of all different animals to help you to teach your students to draw!<br />
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Dancing into Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318976724446932136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4360694348523743813.post-54119171649262521762016-06-13T13:31:00.003-07:002016-09-29T14:07:07.738-07:00Engaging students using Social Studies Centers<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I have always struggled with teaching Social to my first grade students. I found it difficult to keep them motivated, a challenge getting them to express their ideas, and frustrating to teach about things they hadn’t experienced.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I needed a change, so I thought about what made teaching Math or LA more enjoyable. Then it came to me: CENTERS!!!! </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I came up with 4 different centers to meet my objectives each week. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSm5KeTL-DJnfduGleS17efHtnha6A4N4hVXf2N3hsDLuEOGjtc4fMi94BgQNWOSbNh_jXPZrQaOBSaNAAGsMFmSOxRo8A5TlrDtv5wiTzUA9cldI_6sLG81V_meQ5j57iKnWY3rH4eOA/s1600/PHOTO+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSm5KeTL-DJnfduGleS17efHtnha6A4N4hVXf2N3hsDLuEOGjtc4fMi94BgQNWOSbNh_jXPZrQaOBSaNAAGsMFmSOxRo8A5TlrDtv5wiTzUA9cldI_6sLG81V_meQ5j57iKnWY3rH4eOA/s320/PHOTO+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHzHaAKv9ADy3bQOUIiIfc7V9byZyDuY-xXWJKwMfsmL7IbKAY-g8fWH262wiaNEN3WOcFwqJQibJsDGvbLL499u7dxmmUqt5IcdsLPqVrNYyB5ydvQpJMg8BVdwmUIlQ7DxlUxYkotDY/s1600/PHOTO+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHzHaAKv9ADy3bQOUIiIfc7V9byZyDuY-xXWJKwMfsmL7IbKAY-g8fWH262wiaNEN3WOcFwqJQibJsDGvbLL499u7dxmmUqt5IcdsLPqVrNYyB5ydvQpJMg8BVdwmUIlQ7DxlUxYkotDY/s320/PHOTO+2.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>REAL LIFE CENTER -</b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">It is challenging to get students thinking about topics in relation to their life. I chose to use technology, projects and interactive notebooks. Students acted out being responsible/irresponsible(haha, they love this) and recorded each other on the iPad at the center. I put all the clips together in a movie. They also brought clothing items from home and video taped their discussion about how it shows they belong.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">We made poster wanted ads for GOOD CITIZENS to put up around the classroom. Students completed drawings and writing reflections in their Social notebook.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>READ ALOUD CENTER- </b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Developing vocabulary related to outcomes was my goal for this center. Social books are often not at a grade one reading level, so I made readers theatre plays about the topics and included lots of pictures. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Students work in groups to read their parts and then read it to the class. I also use books (we don’t have a textbook but I’m certain you could use one) and have students look through them together and discuss what they have read.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>GAME CENTER- </b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Social can be a little, how should I say this, dry at times, so I decided games were the way to go! Have you ever tried to find games related to your Social topics? I couldn’t find much, so I created my own. I brainstormed a list of common games, and then figured out a way to relate them to my outcomes. We played Symbol BINGO, I have/Who has Community Helpers, ‘My Rights’ memory match, and the ‘Groups I Belong To’ board game to reinforce concepts. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">To make sure my students understand how to play and the rules (so I don’t get the ‘he said/she said’), we play as a class before they play at the center. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_lvhI1kM7NieHIBdKq4Zp-e4glyv0z9tFfeksSJB1-Vcny1N7t4XEElhzxaS1fWcqcOCbAtn_LttVqRfBsfaH6ixPc5vrYmj0sibMtP0JZ1Uw4C4vW20n1q0jiOVgYpHSmbH_H6kl-PU/s1600/PHOTO+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_lvhI1kM7NieHIBdKq4Zp-e4glyv0z9tFfeksSJB1-Vcny1N7t4XEElhzxaS1fWcqcOCbAtn_LttVqRfBsfaH6ixPc5vrYmj0sibMtP0JZ1Uw4C4vW20n1q0jiOVgYpHSmbH_H6kl-PU/s320/PHOTO+5.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>TEACHER CENTER-</b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> Assessment is challenging in its own way, and trying to figure out if my students got the Social topic we were learning about by looking at their notes was almost impossible. I decided that oral assessment would be a better direction, but how can you assess 20-30 kids orally during class time? It’s very difficult. By sitting with students at a ‘Guided Social Studies’ center, I can teach a mini lesson about the topic and ask questions. I can quickly tell who easily understands and ask higher level thinking questions, who gets the basics, and who is struggling and needs extra support for differentiated learning. I take anecdotal notes at this center, and quickly realized that my standard mark book format wasn’t going to work so I made a space for notes in my mark book.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Turning my curriculum objectives into centers took a lot of thinking ahead and detailed planning. I looked at my outcomes and sorted them into units and then weekly objectives. Then I planned out how I was going to turn those outcomes into the four center based activities.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Try these ideas out for FREE here.</span></div>
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Do you do centers with your students? How does it work in your classroom? I'd love to hear from you!<br />
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What do we define a successful classroom to look like as teachers? When you look into someone's room, how do you define a good teacher?</div>
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Most of the time we watch the students. Do they look engaged, are they listening, what kind of activities are they working on?<br />
For the longest time, I felt pressure to have that 'quiet class'. Sitting in rows, I would run around shushing, using all the management techniques in the book to have that quiet hard working class. I felt uptight and nervous, was my class quiet enough, were they bothering others, what did people THINK OF ME?!?!?!?<br />
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Haha, I've come a long way since then. I don't worry so much about what others think, as I began to realize that defining a successful classroom does not mean the quietest, there are other ways we can define good teachers.<br />
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As I settled into my teaching career, I began to use centers in Language Arts. Students sat around the room in small groups chatting away, laughing and enjoying their activities. As I looked around the room, I felt content and not worried about running around shushing everyone. I enjoyed the centers so much that the next year I began Math centers and that same feeling came over me as worked with students in small groups and watched kids shriek with delight as they played a math game. The year after that I introduced Social Studies centers. This was it, I was hooked on centers! A quiet classroom just doesn't work for me. I like the noise, the chatting, and the laughter.<br />
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This also rolled over into my teaching style. I started Whole Brain Teaching and I LOVE IT. It get's your kids talking and interacting during your lesson, and keeps the direct teaching in short amounts. I like giving students chat time, and I find in turn they give me better listening because they have had that opportunity to talk.<br />
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Do I do centers all day long? No<br />
Do I think everyone should do centers? No<br />
Is whole brain teaching for every teacher? Absolutely not.<br />
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What I think I've learned is that you need to find what works for you and not define yourself by other people's definition of a good teacher. So if you walk by my room and my kiddos are noisy and chatting...well... that's just the way I like it ;)<br />
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Dancing into Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318976724446932136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4360694348523743813.post-8203552175721917902016-05-12T09:02:00.000-07:002016-05-12T13:26:34.924-07:00We are here for you Fort McMurray<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">
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My home province, Alberta, has experienced a devastating tragedy over the last few weeks; an enormous wildfire in Fort McMurray. Up to 90 000 people have been evacuated, homes destroyed and families uprooted. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWiOLh40MbfVTQvBxid4m6Geg8dYwONw9gs2twpjFcy5UzXv060EBizrcSTp0BSx3sN_r59_Ir_6bmVhZ9GzitahjbLgDPU809fk7XHhKPqo5sKfVffrubWFTbvYxBsxu3qw84TgbLdYk/s1600/Map.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWiOLh40MbfVTQvBxid4m6Geg8dYwONw9gs2twpjFcy5UzXv060EBizrcSTp0BSx3sN_r59_Ir_6bmVhZ9GzitahjbLgDPU809fk7XHhKPqo5sKfVffrubWFTbvYxBsxu3qw84TgbLdYk/s320/Map.png" width="189" /></a></div>
Cities in Alberta are welcoming the people of Fort Mac with open arms and hearts into their <a href="http://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/westjet-flying-fort-mcmurray-evacuees-from-work-camps-to-calgary" target="_blank">communities</a>, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2016/05/03/fort-mcmurray-fire_n_9834314.html" target="_blank">homes</a>, and <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2016/05/08/alberta-schools-open-their-doors-to-12000-fort-mcmurray-students.html" target="_blank">schools</a>. Amid this tragedy heroes have risen from the ashes, stories of <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/fort-mcmurray-firefighters-save-homes-of-others-but-lose-their-own-1.3575078" target="_blank">firefighters saving lives,</a> <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/fort-macs-teachers-remind-us-that-heroes-are-found-in-the-classroom/article29973937/?click=sf_globefb" target="_blank">teachers taking care of their students</a>, <a href="http://edmontonjournal.com/storyline/amid-flames-fears-for-their-families-fort-mcmurray-nurses-and-doctors-moved-hospital-patients-to-safety" target="_blank">nurses and doctors evacuating hospitals</a>, and countless stories of donations and <a href="https://ca.news.yahoo.com/lemonade-stands-raise-thousands-fort-215600171.html" target="_blank">kids raising money</a> to help out.</center>
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HOW CAN WE HELP?</center>
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To donate to the Red Cross, go to this <a href="https://donate.redcross.ca/ea-action/action?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=NO-DM&ea.client.id=1951&ea.campaign.id=50639" target="_blank">website</a> or</center>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjip8rdUkst6rSRNeLiAX5DfHAiq-iWoe89aa-JvTRvacJfVnEAM5-PRu-I_v67CYMTZzcXI1l9I5lJ6WVxPsHS3Fbne7CBVRUVS8rrBqg0GurBhgT7YTZ_Ukec8xOcEodUBGQXY0hklZ8/s1600/Phone.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjip8rdUkst6rSRNeLiAX5DfHAiq-iWoe89aa-JvTRvacJfVnEAM5-PRu-I_v67CYMTZzcXI1l9I5lJ6WVxPsHS3Fbne7CBVRUVS8rrBqg0GurBhgT7YTZ_Ukec8xOcEodUBGQXY0hklZ8/s200/Phone.png" width="103" /></a></div>
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The pets need our help too!!!</center>
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<a href="http://www.fortmcmurrayspca.ca/"><img border="0" src="http://www.fortmcmurrayspca.ca/upload/image/67d308cd07fcd62dbd1e544835658b6c.jpg" height="149" width="320" /></a></div>
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There is of course such an <a href="http://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/moodiness-headaches-nausea-these-are-normal-ways-to-feel-after-disaster-fort-mcmurray-evacuees-told" target="_blank">emotional</a> toll on these families as well. I can't imagine what these families are going through, especially the young children struggling to make sense of it all. I would be at a loss if I had to explain this to my toddler. The Red Cross has some resources available on coping with the aftermath of natural disasters for both <a href="http://www.redcross.org/find-help/disaster-recovery/recovering-emotionally" target="_blank">adults</a> and <a href="http://www.redcross.org/images/MEDIA_CustomProductCatalog/m14740413_Helping_children_cope_with_disaster_-_English.pdf" target="_blank">children</a>.</div>
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A group of Canadian Teachers Pay Teachers Authors would like to help out and are donating all sales on MONDAY, MAY 16 to the relief fund set up by the Red Cross. </center>
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<!-- end InLinkz script -->Dancing into Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318976724446932136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4360694348523743813.post-90783520204279288212016-04-17T14:39:00.000-07:002016-04-17T14:39:05.133-07:00New Play Room!<br />
We just had a baby in December, and with a toddler running around, my husband and I thought, WHAT BETTER THAN TO RENO THE BASEMENT!!! Yah. So we had an unfinished basement and with the new baby moving in upstairs, we were out of rooms and hoping to have space for guests to come stay. Hubby began construction in September, and I was little to no help being super pregnant and all, so he has completed it mostly on his own and finally finished up the bedrooms and play space. It is still a work in progress, but I wanted to share our play space as it makes my teacher heart SUPER happy. Organization, labelling, wall art, toys in one spot. SIGH. So many good things to keep me busy while on maternity leave and out of the classroom. Here it is!!<br />
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The little loves playing down here, and I am enjoying it too. Of course, each bin is labeled with a picture so the little, and the big people ;) haha, know where to put everything away. I bought a bunch of frames and glued clothes pins onto the top for easy change up of art work. The word masterpieces is at the top of this wall (not in the picture) which is what the little refers to when he shows everyone the wall. "These are my masterpieces" HAHA. We also have pillows, a big play mat, a tent and a huge table for creating those masterpieces that are not in this picture. It is working so well and is our happy place. Stay tuned for more activities that we love to do in our playroom.</div>
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Dancing into Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318976724446932136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4360694348523743813.post-85752998490325049662015-10-17T23:48:00.000-07:002015-10-17T23:48:27.573-07:00Tricks & Treats: A Halloween Blog Hop and Giveaway!Happy (almost) Halloween! I am so excited to link up with some fellow Canadian bloggers for a blog hop and GIVEAWAY.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7BkE2-hDUK1LzHTXxhlQopzkIeSKdsQHnXLqPb-qcG1s-2tOTcoM5zReGO3FthOaEe3cqLu_NHwGpz-SgeGEyvaM6uyqwfFXszsbvRK1ju2V_z8-EL1_qO7L07gIu8xIHAhuO_01d43U/s1600/Main+Image.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7BkE2-hDUK1LzHTXxhlQopzkIeSKdsQHnXLqPb-qcG1s-2tOTcoM5zReGO3FthOaEe3cqLu_NHwGpz-SgeGEyvaM6uyqwfFXszsbvRK1ju2V_z8-EL1_qO7L07gIu8xIHAhuO_01d43U/s320/Main+Image.PNG" width="240" /></a></div>
At Halloween the kids are off the walls CRAZY, and it seems near impossible to get them unstuck from the roof. To keep the day under control, I have them complete curriculum related centers that have them too busy having fun and learning to think about ALL the candy they will be getting very soon. Here is a little Halloween treat for you, an engaging center using the five senses.<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Halloween-Center-Freebie-2156196" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsiaocQd_t7AM1O1HxFi8Jf_d9PakdY_qsN9V744gLHnlrtfWpalC6ABKcTW0zxBegSDgbia_jDvSXxP9i2F0jTPwCZUPPvUoiUkjpHQn1XB3h5TZVbdjCEPfCftZ_QF_gufsU-N2OcB4/s320/Halloween+Center+Freebie+cover.001.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Another little treat for you, a TPT giveaway, just enter below using the form.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqY02FHds8mNxSpxZ-37dgYL9uVT07aT9VVZ8h0107k0u4nZK9pdtyotrzeUXyJUW55gm4m9zfup0GPzvd1Fu0uVsJYJ-yULmaiRFkFOfmTGbEo-N9WgWBNulc0BObHnkMpeuvajOuLjM/s1600/Mummy.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqY02FHds8mNxSpxZ-37dgYL9uVT07aT9VVZ8h0107k0u4nZK9pdtyotrzeUXyJUW55gm4m9zfup0GPzvd1Fu0uVsJYJ-yULmaiRFkFOfmTGbEo-N9WgWBNulc0BObHnkMpeuvajOuLjM/s320/Mummy.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="f101db2e31" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/f101db2e31/" id="rcwidget_zp4jpjks" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a> </div>
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Check out this amazing Canadian blogger for more freebies and a chance to win.</div>
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<a href="http://www.teachingfsl.com/2015/10/tricks-treats-halloween-blog-hop-and.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTStx9UYppuvQJxOqGWBjiabGPtPlnLI3Eyd63kifh4CKoq1gnbaSdmTqYHMb3WIfyizP434p18w_AhBYmyL-braoMfdKuZ67_E_1ufLOMeceNSGYZLIy0RDbIIvF22-kFbOClWmYHB9E/s320/Haunt+Over+to+Next+Blog.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Finally, if you are looking for all my centers, have a peek at this resource.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Halloween-Centers-385957" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqlP-ssW4f12Hfj26JxwtyvOtnaljN2xSj1ETB2tJXPsJ2QZ8QeQhT2ue0OuwiBmc1lPFXrlVYcXFJ6P8uQIrmfvKFraOdPXFn3BfjpZYIq39rOQhA_H7LEM0giKEWK8hs2lAepsoV384/s320/Halloween+Center+Cover.001.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Dancing into Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318976724446932136noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4360694348523743813.post-66799169410750302862015-07-30T23:32:00.000-07:002015-07-31T07:16:14.684-07:00Teacher, I've never been to recess before!!!<br />
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The first days back at school are all about routines, schedule and new experiences. For Kindergarten and Grade One students, one of the most exciting, and potentially overwhelming new experiences, is, that's right, the dreaded R word...RECESS!!!</div>
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The school I was at a few years ago had full day Kindergarten, so when the students entered grade one they were recess pros. They already had a year of practice with the routines. It was also a smaller school, only one of each grade, so there weren't an overwhelming amount of students outside during recess time.</div>
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The school I am at now has half day Kindergarten, and the students don't have recess with the rest of the students when they go outside. The school is also quite large, about 4 of each grade. When the students enter grade one they have never experienced recess.</div>
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This was new to me, and so on the first few days during recess I had students who were terrified of being outside, who wanted me to be with them during every recess for the entire month of September, and who were generally not ready to be with 600 other students and play. </div>
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Sound familiar? I felt terrible that I didn't do a great job of preparing them and vowed to change things for the next year. Here are my top five ideas for making this an easier transition.</div>
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1. Practice, Practice, Practice- expectations MUST be very clear, don't leave anything out. Things such as which washroom to use, who to ask if you need help, where to play, which shoes to wear, where to go when the bell rings and the list goes on! I think it's important to go through these expectations, role play them, read stories and most importantly be a role model. Go out with your students and show them where to go, what to do and how to play. This foundation with set them up for success during recess time for the rest of the year. </div>
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2. Building Relationships- Of course it is always important to build relationships with students, but knowing your students well can also help with this recess transition. Sensitive students may need an extra buddy, or a visit from you when they are playing to feel safe. It is also important that classmates have relationships with each other as they are each others lifeline when they are outside. Make sure to set this up before, and especially look out for students who are new to the school and may need an extra buddy or two.</div>
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3. Comfort- These kids are still so little! It must be incredibly overwhelming to see kids EVERYWHERE with no structure and the person that they are supposed to trust (their teacher) may not be with them outside. They may need a heart sticker, a hug, a picture or a stuffed buddy to take out with them to make the transition a little more easy.</div>
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4. Distraction- Give them a job, something important to do while they are outside. Some equipment to play a game, a scavengar hunt, finding a supervisor and saying hello, figuring out where the park is, and any other ways to take their mind off feeling scared, nervous or worried.</div>
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5. Positive Attitude- A little "I'm so proud of you", and "I see a big improvement"; a little encouragement goes a long way. It is baby steps in those first days. You know that student that cried for the entire first recess, well celebrate that the second day they only cried for half of it. Looking at things in a positive way can help students feel better about.</div>
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Using all of these ideas, I made a resource to use in those first days of school. Included is a scavenger hunt, getting ready sheets, King and Queen puppets, certificates, a story, recess rules, a chant, and scenarios to practice. You can find this entire resource here:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVQAttnh5VM3LbWnPvWzsQtOM3-7EgYXZNjB0Nln6LbO8My7qre7nr79YQJQVOHBbP9IndsrWKxKoaaNMnLETrW_qfwcuELNWNEYGZL4ONMqNDuYxURp7PorFRBSmqf1KW5AQJayC-1CM/s1600/Recess+Rules+Cover.001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVQAttnh5VM3LbWnPvWzsQtOM3-7EgYXZNjB0Nln6LbO8My7qre7nr79YQJQVOHBbP9IndsrWKxKoaaNMnLETrW_qfwcuELNWNEYGZL4ONMqNDuYxURp7PorFRBSmqf1KW5AQJayC-1CM/s320/Recess+Rules+Cover.001.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Recess-1997023" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: small;">Recess Jungle</span></a></td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: left;">I hope that your students are easily able to transition into the recess routine, good luck on the first days back!</span></div>
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Dancing into Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318976724446932136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4360694348523743813.post-65593101545186928402015-07-01T22:27:00.000-07:002015-07-01T22:27:38.278-07:00The Clothespin Pinterest fail- and win!So I did this long ago, and was going to blog about it but just never got around to it! So finally it is summer and I have time to catch up. I tried this idea from Pinterest and for me, it was a FAIL. (<a href="http://middleschoolforlife.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">from Middle School For Life</a>). The clothespins broke, the pins fell off and it was a hot mess for me in my room.<br />
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So instead I tried this with much better results. I bought plastic clothespins from Walmart that look something like this. They have to be flat at the top. I then pushed the pin THROUGH the plastic and pushed it into the wall. Well, it lasted the rest of the year and is still going strong.</div>
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<a href="http://guideimg.alibaba.com/images/shop/112/04/14/8/ddi-394265-plastic-clothespins-16ct-pack-of-48_4991698.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://guideimg.alibaba.com/images/shop/112/04/14/8/ddi-394265-plastic-clothespins-16ct-pack-of-48_4991698.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
Here is what it looked like, I use this board to put up my students math work activities and it works GREAT!<br />
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Dancing into Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318976724446932136noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4360694348523743813.post-79613568853557258562015-05-09T21:16:00.000-07:002015-05-09T21:16:19.216-07:00Happy Mother's Day!This year my hubby and little one were full of so much sweetness, flowers, brunch and LOTS of love. Of course my little guy was up a good chunk of the night with a cold, but looking on the bright side we did lots of snuggling, even if a sniffly nose was involved!!!<div>
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At school the kids made these cute canvas paintings, they were so excited to give them to 'that special lady in their life'.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOjw51NXVu74tK_MrgJ_PzniC_rzOv4qbV28sLPK1XFHoUKJkFSLbjjgVvLZ7afw2ZgZIQP5_1GviqZHB3nevMV6WBZhg5ekabKzMKP-hlAj40N61JVOabpoj5wq34EyjnhdS7BCA4Fts/s1600/IMG_2642.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOjw51NXVu74tK_MrgJ_PzniC_rzOv4qbV28sLPK1XFHoUKJkFSLbjjgVvLZ7afw2ZgZIQP5_1GviqZHB3nevMV6WBZhg5ekabKzMKP-hlAj40N61JVOabpoj5wq34EyjnhdS7BCA4Fts/s320/IMG_2642.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I always have a hard time with mother's day as I think it must bring up some pretty sad feelings with some of our littles, and I carefully dance around the topic as best as I can. I can only imagine that it must be like rubbing salt in a wound for some kids. How do you address this in your classroom? It is something I have always been conscious of and I want to be considerate of all my students.</div>
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These paintings could be given to any special person in their life, and I think they turned out really great!</div>
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Mrs. Dunn</div>
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Dancing into Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318976724446932136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4360694348523743813.post-16510828876787936642015-04-30T20:27:00.000-07:002015-04-30T20:27:07.426-07:00Math Centres... Numbers 1-100 and Skip CountingThis year I have been trying a WHOLE new approach to math because in the past...well...let's just say that math wasn't my most favourite thing to teach ;)<br />
And let me tell you, what a difference, my kids love it and I look forward to teaching it, nothing better than that.<br />
So basically it revolves around a weekly system of teaching and centre based practice of outcomes.<br />
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A LOOK AT MY WEEK<br />
Monday- I complete a full lesson on the outcomes, we practice as a class and then the students practice in groups, partners or on their own.<br />
Tuesday- I complete a mini lesson on the outcome and then go through the centre activities. Students complete one centre.<br />
Wednesday- I complete a mini lesson on the outcome and then students complete two centres.<br />
Thursday- I complete a mini lesson on the outcome and then students complete two centres.<br />
Friday- We review what we have learned over the week and complete any unfinished centres.<br />
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How I set up rotations:<br />
I have a bulletin board with each of the centres<br />
CAMPP<br />
Computers, Alone, Manipulatives, Problem Solve, and Partner<br />
Each group is listed underneath of the title card, and when they complete a centre then I just move the groups to the next space. I have three bins with binders to contain paperwork. The students complete all activities in their math interactive notebook.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjxHEeUV4100Q6_k13L60EfcWA8amV1mTioFSoaTQGQq2YA_U7ywNljxMUKaJ0eEoeWX-wlpvDYNtz75AyQK_eoZgQPjj8MS2gwQzWCIfDVJ5LXHDfbHNpGfJxCGTJ2s8hSj8GXWjUQXs/s1600/IMG_2480.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjxHEeUV4100Q6_k13L60EfcWA8amV1mTioFSoaTQGQq2YA_U7ywNljxMUKaJ0eEoeWX-wlpvDYNtz75AyQK_eoZgQPjj8MS2gwQzWCIfDVJ5LXHDfbHNpGfJxCGTJ2s8hSj8GXWjUQXs/s1600/IMG_2480.JPG" height="123" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here are some sample centre activities from this unit. They especially love the partner games and playing on the computer. At the alone centre I get a chance to work with small groups on areas that they need improvement. The centres really allow for differentiation as I can put different manipulatives and activities into the bins as the groups work through them.</div>
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You can find my entire unit <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Numbers-to-100-and-Skip-Counting-Math-Unit-1830585" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</div>
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Mrs. Dunn</div>
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Dancing into Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318976724446932136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4360694348523743813.post-86162615167014067532015-04-27T20:41:00.000-07:002015-04-27T20:41:16.253-07:00Teach in Canada? <html>
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Dancing into Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318976724446932136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4360694348523743813.post-26937191490984482672015-04-27T19:48:00.000-07:002015-04-27T19:48:00.804-07:00Earth Day...Really late...Ok so I am super late posting this...but well... life got in the way I suppose!!<br />
We did lights out, as much as possible, at school for the day. I didn't actually find no lights too bad to manage with the window open. No technology YIKES!!! My firsties and I really missed our SMARTboard, computers and FM system but I think it was good for them to see how much we use electricity in our day.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX02WwaD3WucaUhohFBvG3SmX9RF0qcD7goYMXSMyQPioD-zePG2jkewd_YL3LXiHvndjQ2bjKxOVHM4G3NfLDDu3sasXAeQpyHnEI_kbFkQa1gqnlv-_6OYzK275J8be9w2mjveu4VwU/s1600/IMG_2482.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX02WwaD3WucaUhohFBvG3SmX9RF0qcD7goYMXSMyQPioD-zePG2jkewd_YL3LXiHvndjQ2bjKxOVHM4G3NfLDDu3sasXAeQpyHnEI_kbFkQa1gqnlv-_6OYzK275J8be9w2mjveu4VwU/s1600/IMG_2482.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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I wanted the day to be a photocopy free day!!! It makes sense that we use recycled materials instead of wasting paper... so here is some of our activities. I had the students make pictures out of magazines. They were really creative; robots, trees, penguins, dogs and flowers OH MY!!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFxD7QEiLmjgTPm9g3lcrohBGtP2RnpHunLkX1aEkG7IIisStYsEJGwV1jW9ZRIqqLvJ3Mu-E0t2eJwbCs8jzxozdGdqmn70CgVvidfthbpGYM37HedFJ4mlzuJK7dAEn27Nr-k-qJ4RE/s1600/IMG_2481.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFxD7QEiLmjgTPm9g3lcrohBGtP2RnpHunLkX1aEkG7IIisStYsEJGwV1jW9ZRIqqLvJ3Mu-E0t2eJwbCs8jzxozdGdqmn70CgVvidfthbpGYM37HedFJ4mlzuJK7dAEn27Nr-k-qJ4RE/s1600/IMG_2481.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
Our next photocopy free art project used a book that was falling apart! I had students write I heart the Earth and then we painted our Earth in the heart. Turned out super cute and was Earth friendly to boot.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzB0cTMnl0yy3jLulVY5BTZ8fazgh47vq5aPaQDW8lLQ2rfWGenXFvLA1z00-qC0GWPr8f__sj31mWEP_VA4G-NUY35qpOAAchxYfbMg_kvs9mCVHcJ90xgDDa9Iy3zWl0UeE_4x_LVXk/s1600/IMG_2483.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzB0cTMnl0yy3jLulVY5BTZ8fazgh47vq5aPaQDW8lLQ2rfWGenXFvLA1z00-qC0GWPr8f__sj31mWEP_VA4G-NUY35qpOAAchxYfbMg_kvs9mCVHcJ90xgDDa9Iy3zWl0UeE_4x_LVXk/s1600/IMG_2483.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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It was a great day, but the kids asked if we were going back to normal tomorrow, as in do we get the computers and SMARTboard back ;). Even though we turned our technology back on we are more conscious of how much we are using it and the kids have been reminding me to turn off the lights and SMART board when not in use. </div>
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Happy Earth Day!</div>
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Mrs. Dunn</div>
Dancing into Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318976724446932136noreply@blogger.com0