tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2051585279922708442024-02-26T02:01:06.500-05:00Cinnamon's SynonymsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08244106952513172261noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-205158527992270844.post-54674597424981035922015-12-27T15:28:00.001-05:002016-02-21T22:09:58.806-05:00Time to the hour and half hour {Spot It & Steal It}With new year's eve creeping up, I thought it would be the perfect time to introduce the concept of time to my lil Cinnabun. He has been showing an interest in watches and telling time, so I figure... why not nurture his interest. Plus, since new years is all about watching the clock strike 12, it just seemed like perfect TIMING ;)<br />
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My son loves playing card games so I knew that he would enjoy my new TIME Spot It & Steal It game. The interactive element of the game is just what he needs - he is not into boring worksheets!! This pack comes with hour and half hour cards!<br />
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Yesterday we were with the fam so my lil man got to play the game with his cousins! I love how they were learning without even realizing it!!<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/TIME-to-the-Hour-and-Half-Hour-SPOT-IT-STEAL-IT-GAME-2270268"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSPHowPLYavcYccOl6tvf3ck_Sy81AeGLhtAMd6rXzjX2KXk3HPUTuPcWTSbKEbmeO3neLq2Stuzx-16WQRta9Jo2aok3-SRFScx_uDkhNG7gmq6rn1LaPnornOgCbGj0ilFB7QlW2z8k/s640/TIME+Spot+Steal+Blog+jpgs.001.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here's how to play in pairs: Lay out all the "picture cards" and take turns reading the "spot it" cards. Reading the cards allows kids to practice reading the time in different ways. I have included "spot it" cards that are written in word form and digital form.<br />
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Whoever spots the "picture card" that corresponds with the "spot it" card can SPOT IT (or in this case, SWAT it!) & STEAL it!!<br />
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You can put this little spin on any of my Spot It & Steal It games if you'd rather have students use the cards in pairs versus groups!! All you need is a fly swatter!<br />
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I left my swatters at school so I made my own with a spatula and yogurt lid! I just inserted the paper into the lid and voila - homemade Time Spot It & Steal It swatter done! I actually like it better than a boring ol' fly swatter... so it all worked out!<br />
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You can download the template for free <b><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5JyKNvSzU4YOUpucjF0QXd4Tms/view?usp=sharing">HERE</a></b>.<br />
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5JyKNvSzU4YOUpucjF0QXd4Tms/view?usp=sharing"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3BAbb_nrc_Tc9QFRPXKHD0esAKsCkNN3svnd9_Py01cVAOR_2Nh9V4987kXm9m_ZyqrtnP5l35CKVCXuFskv5Bu2kvGw6-fVyT9AndQWejtaGPpS6Dtc4xtJGMLuFh8YJlDLmWQWd2T4/s640/TIME+Fly+Swatter+Template+jpg.001.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Later, my nephew wanted to join so we changed the set up to allow for more players.<br />
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In this set-up, each kid gets 2-4 cards (depending on how many players) and they take turns reading the "spot it" cards. Again, if you spot it, you can steal it! The player with the most cards wins!!<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/TIME-to-the-Hour-and-Half-Hour-SPOT-IT-STEAL-IT-GAME-2270268"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWbC6Xs79KQVuSJZegzDBJtKrvze-F0zYdtXDlSRtrdhtDOlR6WnzUa187xahZ_OP2ylBqUJ4oz4Uhvp11vlZEiWks_v6AnPlLEsRY8gywgBVrKrSlhUm4E6DkLBLV5lMEsaqJIkB89-c/s640/TIME+Spot+Steal+Blog+jpgs.004.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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You can save your card from being stolen by slapping your card before anyone can steal it!! This element of the game really forces everyone to pay attention! It also increases the FUN factor!<br />
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If you want to use this game in your classroom, you can use it in the ways mentioned above (in pairs or small groups)... but you can also play <b>as a class.</b> Just combine a couple of the centres in the pack (there are 4 centre options) to play as a class.</div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/TIME-to-the-Hour-and-Half-Hour-SPOT-IT-STEAL-IT-GAME-2270268"><img alt="time, games, hour, half hour" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWQE8ec3A5XpJjl4vzdHFRl6wLf__iNDolaYUrYjmxYSoyODfw64pj9ZNA3S-z_tDdF8w1hkuH2osnVMX7GXKAd_RqmS_chAsOsrv8y6Iy_9-BJVcOKAzNqkYW6TzgpFDKuyyfoxVJIwE/s640/Time+Spot+It+%2526+Steal+It+pin.001.jpg" title="Spot It & Steal It" width="457" /></a></div>
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CLICK <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/TIME-to-the-Hour-and-Half-Hour-SPOT-IT-STEAL-IT-GAME-2270268">HERE</a> TO GET THIS GAME! </div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08244106952513172261noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-205158527992270844.post-60896860436406125052015-08-14T05:30:00.000-04:002018-03-22T14:33:32.656-04:005 Reasons You Should Get Rid of Your Classroom Thesauruses & Why You Should Use Picture Thesauruses Instead!!<div style="text-align: center;">
Several years ago I was teaching grade one and then moved onto teaching grade 4 the year after - a huge jump! One thing that really stuck with me is how:</div>
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<b>1. </b>The elementary grades had limited resources to help students write descriptively (i.e., a thesaurus isn't exactly a kid friendly tool).</div>
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<b>2.</b> It was NO DIFFERENT in the higher grades. Students would often select synonyms at random when asked to be more descriptive! A regular thesaurus was just not cutting it.</div>
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This is when I KNEW I had to create a resource to help my students... something that would serve as the "Angry Birds" of thesauruses. Like Angry Birds, it had to be something young kids could use (and enjoy) just as effectively as older students.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6s9EougDtU9PgFLiK0TnpWZ_jxj3acmphHYRzp-OH-Cfc_cRfs6vBTKNBmafpR6nBEPVORUkJuHQEpI5rw-QKXH75Xhyed4NPlJUQ_Q2pEWsZVNMNaWbE27rEU-kvYlnbjiSWTKP3rvE/s1600/GET+RID+OF+YOUR+THESAURUSES+%25282%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6s9EougDtU9PgFLiK0TnpWZ_jxj3acmphHYRzp-OH-Cfc_cRfs6vBTKNBmafpR6nBEPVORUkJuHQEpI5rw-QKXH75Xhyed4NPlJUQ_Q2pEWsZVNMNaWbE27rEU-kvYlnbjiSWTKP3rvE/s640/GET+RID+OF+YOUR+THESAURUSES+%25282%2529.png" width="480" /></a></div>
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After hearing from all the wonderful teachers who have left me feedback on <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Shades-of-Meaning-Boring-Words-Bundle-1353091">my Picture Thesauruses </a>(click <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Shades-of-Meaning-Boring-Words-Bundle-1353091">HERE</a> to read all the feedback comments), I am delighted to know that teachers spanning from the elementary grades to the upper grades...and even up to high school... are enjoying the books. If this is your first time hearing about the books... or you're on the fence about grabbing a set for your class, this post serves to show you 5 REASONS <b>why I think you should get rid of your classroom library of thesauruses and use Picture Thesauruses instead</b>! Oh, and I have a couple of FREE books for you to try out... keep reading... the links are at the end!<br />
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<b>You can also ENTER TO WIN a Picture Thesaurus Bundle AND a $100 TpT Gift Card!!</b><br />
{You'll see more details on this at the end of this post!}</div>
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Here is an example of a page in a Picture Thesaurus booklet, just to give you an idea of how they are organized. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBTlrlPeDopRZj5G8uyBu4HzlkmPPZaZeRpTr-9DucU2aOQA1nu4SGRoeBtBtbhsEu-4IJ56e94lupou7RgTSXmZypXzjuD2kOKX4hAYgVekVSjKLSCPRGziKOmYrLtTo2cM0tfn9VW7Q/s1600/pic+thesaurus+blog+post.002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBTlrlPeDopRZj5G8uyBu4HzlkmPPZaZeRpTr-9DucU2aOQA1nu4SGRoeBtBtbhsEu-4IJ56e94lupou7RgTSXmZypXzjuD2kOKX4hAYgVekVSjKLSCPRGziKOmYrLtTo2cM0tfn9VW7Q/s640/pic+thesaurus+blog+post.002.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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A complete booklet would look something like this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2SarWl3Gb3akgNQxUnhwpRsV_3sg4Dfl0mktzv6a6UjNTOfBizz12AMK-cOJyKJ6JG9_3ygcMDM-CUq9jsStHaaEr7mKksT1UWh6kJNElFFeD0Z1dFbUUI08XA-_4MFeh1Ox6DnE8NjU/s1600/sad+preview.jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2SarWl3Gb3akgNQxUnhwpRsV_3sg4Dfl0mktzv6a6UjNTOfBizz12AMK-cOJyKJ6JG9_3ygcMDM-CUq9jsStHaaEr7mKksT1UWh6kJNElFFeD0Z1dFbUUI08XA-_4MFeh1Ox6DnE8NjU/s400/sad+preview.jpg.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Now for WHY I got rid of my classroom thesauruses and created Picture Thesauruses to use with my students instead:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNFpNDE6xeQjDMLkqPnot9p4k9jyJMGw4cNJVSG8J6tokpjak9UPaTXZP9YB3B6YT7SMGgwqKFCaoBSyjdbNhHBsigkl_5vdzPA8o-jSnMKzZWHActRi-AadKKNo3D_ZAclCMb_cf7D-Y/s1600/pic+thes+post+solution4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNFpNDE6xeQjDMLkqPnot9p4k9jyJMGw4cNJVSG8J6tokpjak9UPaTXZP9YB3B6YT7SMGgwqKFCaoBSyjdbNhHBsigkl_5vdzPA8o-jSnMKzZWHActRi-AadKKNo3D_ZAclCMb_cf7D-Y/s640/pic+thes+post+solution4.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9sYxe34X2Ozjp_PqSmwHZPED8mTp7gDoT8lhLf6K2eqBPpwXlOD-4zqDyA0w0JF9wYj-u5FrEY1tM6QMfCTxiZ_nEaiNZwT5CcyhYV_g9dtjuioEnMVyC0lqApFxBgn-J69FrmjMQGuM/s1600/pic+thes+post+reason5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9sYxe34X2Ozjp_PqSmwHZPED8mTp7gDoT8lhLf6K2eqBPpwXlOD-4zqDyA0w0JF9wYj-u5FrEY1tM6QMfCTxiZ_nEaiNZwT5CcyhYV_g9dtjuioEnMVyC0lqApFxBgn-J69FrmjMQGuM/s640/pic+thes+post+reason5.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjODCaG7VHwLSm4OQF59tz1Jg32mLQnrU3mzd-RUxpwr-cAv20YURLkq6Oxy0JXr5mK-_TsUV8jd7h9A5dw8ZMa9Ujx0s93voE2YTwUfdQyR1Ncw6384tiSHgSFRB7P4pldFmVoyUlIusA/s1600/pic+thes+post+solution5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjODCaG7VHwLSm4OQF59tz1Jg32mLQnrU3mzd-RUxpwr-cAv20YURLkq6Oxy0JXr5mK-_TsUV8jd7h9A5dw8ZMa9Ujx0s93voE2YTwUfdQyR1Ncw6384tiSHgSFRB7P4pldFmVoyUlIusA/s640/pic+thes+post+solution5.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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My Picture Thesauruses get used A LOT in my class... so I also created some quick reference cards that students can use when a booklet is in use. Once students have used the booklets several times, and have a sense of the word they're looking for (but just need to double check spelling etc.), the reference cards are the perfect tool.</div>
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You can also choose to use them in an interactive notebook! Click the image below to learn more!</div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Boring-Words-Interactive-Notebook-Reference-Cards-1663458"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoVcdUhndGXWFeUj7gFt4JtUW0aHkGtHzGov9kze481f99vRBUSP5GeVjFNTzprWm7lP2r_G3wvExMxWim9VpkJSzNccNR806ZUecFbC1TB3DXSYCGR9QY7wElpvW-npXAo6yimR2anAU/s640/pic+thesaurus+blog+post+ref+cards.003.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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If you're thinking "How will I organize the Picture Thesauruses in my classroom?", I have some ideas for you!</div>
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I put my cards on magnetic hooks on the black board:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDgjKsIJn3OH5EnyAcwn3Tn129reqVgTWJ6hNe5AnOHfqghw_qhPfwsxlXNgtcmrPKiWWm1ynGtVkdixT1jXonjyrbsrQDVHRTFJcvLFrxgMSlJs0mCUVtGTRzKrTjQXTlE0M8gJZt-lY/s1600/pic+thesaurus+blog+post+magnetic+hooks.004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDgjKsIJn3OH5EnyAcwn3Tn129reqVgTWJ6hNe5AnOHfqghw_qhPfwsxlXNgtcmrPKiWWm1ynGtVkdixT1jXonjyrbsrQDVHRTFJcvLFrxgMSlJs0mCUVtGTRzKrTjQXTlE0M8gJZt-lY/s640/pic+thesaurus+blog+post+magnetic+hooks.004.jpg" width="425" /></a></div>
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But you could also put them on a cork board with push-pins:</div>
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(Thanks Amy Mezni from Teaching Ideas 4U for snapping a pic of how you organize them in your class!!).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5vizpNzuOi29N-Ihi9XUByqPJDLfFgFaADqkyviMLuPOUaRMCA3DDXnCUdPVvKDxmPa14id-xmREITeKIQFP0vkWGH7gB9DD11X_zXr7qjNNJfvEmeuKaBf6aj77RFD0iCL_Gl7vt1RU/s1600/pic+thesaurus+blog+post+corkboard.005.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5vizpNzuOi29N-Ihi9XUByqPJDLfFgFaADqkyviMLuPOUaRMCA3DDXnCUdPVvKDxmPa14id-xmREITeKIQFP0vkWGH7gB9DD11X_zXr7qjNNJfvEmeuKaBf6aj77RFD0iCL_Gl7vt1RU/s640/pic+thesaurus+blog+post+corkboard.005.png" width="426" /></a></div>
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She sent me a message the other day saying she had room for a few more books on the bottom and that I should get on it and add some MORE in my store!! Well, little did she know, I was in the middle of adding "<b><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Shades-of-Meaning-for-SAID-FREEBIE-2030924">SAID</a></b>" to my store just as she sent me the message! Ask and you shall receive, haha! </div>
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Another option is to put the books on a peg board. </div>
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I organize my books by senses (the 5 senses + emotions). </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgUZQio44DSmOjFgefg9R971PAxm77SA4ftALjWXj1XLn8LN7Wt9ZTBcznnijk46TP2KyMcD57Qa6h4KfP_VSeymRa_K0HOfqntlc-SKZHUIMU6RvDaRegvKgOPsuJfh0zo4Y2p2X_kOk/s1600/Picture+Thesaurus+Bundle+COVER.002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgUZQio44DSmOjFgefg9R971PAxm77SA4ftALjWXj1XLn8LN7Wt9ZTBcznnijk46TP2KyMcD57Qa6h4KfP_VSeymRa_K0HOfqntlc-SKZHUIMU6RvDaRegvKgOPsuJfh0zo4Y2p2X_kOk/s320/Picture+Thesaurus+Bundle+COVER.002.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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For the longest time I just had them on the ledge of my blackboard. Whatever works!!</div>
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NOW... if you want to WIN A SET for your class ENTER the raffle below!!</div>
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To enter all you have to do is download the FREEBIES listed below and leave a lil love in the feedback section for each book in my store! </div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Shades-of-Meaning-for-SAID-FREEBIE-2030924">Said Picture Thesaurus FREEBIE</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Shades-of-Meaning-for-Angry-A-Picture-Thesaurus-1167403">Angry Picture Thesaurus FREEBIE</a></div>
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It really is a win-win... you were going to download these freebies anyway!!!</div>
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<script src="//widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>
<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="e2ab79fa2" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e2ab79fa2/" id="rcwidget_3xg3wthe" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><br />
WAIT...that's not all I'm giving away!! My friends at the Lesson Deli and I are ALSO giving away a $100 TpT GIFT CARD!! This is happening on our collaborative blog, here:<br />
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<a href="http://thelessondeli.blogspot.com/2015/08/do-this-not-thatback-to-school-blog-hop.html"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU1d5iGNFfYyc5FenDfzi_ZmfawzWqP_krfd4UF1DGMY508Q73jI-dt8SmY1YYiwxMeqTWlWmPXqVrGFgL-R6eQGNmXVk-Hhjxj36KV_vNaFarTFP2zZLW-v1o2cZPZGTPfGxqC2gMfoc/s400/11824984_10207332094887755_6882379303972941934_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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But before you make your way there, be sure to hop on to the next blog in our hop!<br />
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<a href="http://jbcreations5.blogspot.ca/2015/08/welcome-to-back-to-school-season-i-dont.html"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaWIRP6e-dzgOhmxalhDwUi-ghnSk1bZEpAWpLvQ6wK-DHNfuGYKw1ayfVKk9yLI6TN3vhqtjJxgda3rbxYkTdFPQekB9742MAg-0p54DXuKaGuSAcp15aU291JgW6CcT-nNzFSmKfuuA/s320/11831750_10207332094927756_4028055707229189924_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08244106952513172261noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-205158527992270844.post-66805107903538488642015-04-14T19:55:00.000-04:002015-11-22T20:01:23.393-05:00Go Green!Earth Day is just around the corner... but at our school Earth Day truly is EVERY DAY... because we are an <b><a href="http://www.ontarioecoschools.org/">ECO SCHOOL!</a> </b>Nevertheless, it is nice to have these special days to inspire extra awareness around the impact our decisions have on our planet!<br />
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Several weeks ago, our school celebrated Earth Hour by turning off all the lights for an hour and unplugging our electronics! Our window lets in a lot of light so we didn't have to work in complete darkness at all. It was neat because it made us realize just how much energy we actually get from the sun. Maybe we will work with the lights off more often!</div>
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I introduced the class to my <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Go-Green-Spot-It-Steal-It-1802267"><b>Go Green Spot It & Steal It</b></a> game cards the week of Earth Hour and we've been using the pack for various activities ever since...not just for playing the game!<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Go-Green-Spot-It-Steal-It-1802267"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrHpKrTnil5xpZ_sX7Sq38pMMoYxjzqGMnrIpwun-wLQcc-8ECs3NX-cTvoW4qTvJ7JGDaqB31m4l_8crCnbpkb5N3i4RxDIUmovro47lsD0XDShzRU4n1q0MukcvNOGLh1JBJylPA9zU/s1600/EARTH+DAY+SPOT+STEAL+IT.001.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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You can use <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Cinnamons-Synonyms/Category/Spot-It-Steal-It-ALL">all my games</a> in the ways I'm about to describe...so if you have the <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Figurative-Language-Spot-It-Steal-It-Games-1730776">Figurative Language set </a>for instance, you can use the same strategies.</div>
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One example: Instead of creating my own anchor chart, I like having my students get involved in the process. We use the black and white versions of the game cards to do this!</div>
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Recently, I asked my students to brainstorm ways that we could be kind to the Earth. Each time a student mentioned an idea that I had a "picture card" for, I handed the black and white version of the card out to the student who shared the idea. For this game, I had enough cards to hand out to everyone. For the games where I don't have enough picture cards for the whole class, I just use the colored cards and have students put them up as key ideas/concepts are mentioned. {You can see an example of how I did this with my<b> <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Graphing-Word-Wall-Can-Double-As-a-Spot-It-Steal-It-Game-1545310">Graphing Spot It & Steal It </a></b>cards <b><a href="http://cinnamonssynonyms.blogspot.ca/2014/11/spice-up-your-math-vocab-sweeten-up.html">HERE</a></b>}</div>
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After our brainstorming session, students colored in their cards:<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Go-Green-Spot-It-Steal-It-1802267"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUKzYVkqzzRupGbhPuRHF34sOex-X4c_sHQzQhnkKneVTxiI9AdMdob_oJYITr7uaKfIWMOEa3A6sIeWDmbGMLF9KesTxggsFy-1Hx19h8Jzl1z8S2SbmafirKfEAIxeYBa1roGqQOUc0/s1600/Untitled.002.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Then we pasted the cards onto chart paper! You could also use <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Go-Green-Spot-It-Steal-It-1802267">the cards</a> to create a display or make a class book! For the book, you can have students write a blurb about how they conserve energy at home and place this with the picture.</div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Go-Green-Spot-It-Steal-It-1802267"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglntARSFPKAN7oQzOoHAL1z9MhASRL2b5R2KTfiw18vX3jo26TI8jRGVMd4ljhwXl8VI08_elwexMBrwS07yfb2wndmuXNHfan02bQqLKegHhqQfxC5F3IMBp8-Z4HOEO-qkDPbosJk54/s1600/Untitled.001.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I think there's real benefit in doing a collaborative anchor chart because students are more likely to refer to it if they played a role in creating it.</div>
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We are now working on creating Earth Day posters! Students used the anchor chart to come up with ideas for their posters! Since they had tons of ideas to refer to, they had no problem coming up with a plan! Below, you can see students gathered around the chart!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN4qs9vaPvRqw1tQHeZDUisBUwkI77cmW0KlXdBnrYp6_rcJDHBTU-nInGuqBuBgKCzA7RfbPBe7VQsKFfDq927qZQm8CM-i96AxrQ2IFhZHMiAIMoIA1ga-GlVFGu0WC-AYtJdM9fZIk/s1600/Untitled.003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN4qs9vaPvRqw1tQHeZDUisBUwkI77cmW0KlXdBnrYp6_rcJDHBTU-nInGuqBuBgKCzA7RfbPBe7VQsKFfDq927qZQm8CM-i96AxrQ2IFhZHMiAIMoIA1ga-GlVFGu0WC-AYtJdM9fZIk/s1600/Untitled.003.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Next week we will play <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Go-Green-Spot-It-Steal-It-1802267">the game</a>!<br />
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So you see, my Spot It & Steal It games can act as a word wall (see that post <a href="http://cinnamonssynonyms.blogspot.ca/2014/11/spice-up-your-math-vocab-sweeten-up.html">HERE</a>); you can create an anchor chart; have students write a class book; put the cards up on a bulletin board for a visual reminder<span style="color: #202020;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 12.8023986816406px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "arial" , "geneva" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">; </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">use it as a </span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">GAME to review concepts... and more. The options are endless!</span><br />
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Here are some more of my Spot It & Steal It games! Click on a box to learn more!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08244106952513172261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-205158527992270844.post-42800226736897789962015-04-01T20:07:00.000-04:002015-04-01T20:18:59.021-04:00Art with Jenny K!Can I just say thank goodness for <a href="http://www.jennyknappenberger.com/2015/03/24/how-to-draw-a-bunny-rabbit/">Jenny K</a>!! I just love the guided art lesson on "How to Draw a Bunny" that she has on <a href="http://www.jennyknappenberger.com/2015/03/24/how-to-draw-a-bunny-rabbit/">her blog</a>!<br />
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Students can add their own flair to the bunnies by deciding how to finish them off. I had my students come up with a design for the center (using various types of lines and shapes - we reviewed these first). They also picked a medium of their choice.<br />
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A couple of them chose to use pastels...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_D69Z2glEeuBGKX6NOT1XMm07WJFJZl2iSQFQ1ecOenpJ5xEQ_rY1ONZNHZ5DvOHOXhhWRQ0jwqKxostbMLPj-67jeOT4JJryb2wegx_rG6AnQ96OShKH96x3oKXciKRM6Fq8t-IjBpg/s1600/Untitled+2.003.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_D69Z2glEeuBGKX6NOT1XMm07WJFJZl2iSQFQ1ecOenpJ5xEQ_rY1ONZNHZ5DvOHOXhhWRQ0jwqKxostbMLPj-67jeOT4JJryb2wegx_rG6AnQ96OShKH96x3oKXciKRM6Fq8t-IjBpg/s1600/Untitled+2.003.png" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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...but most chose paint (surprise, surprise!!).<br />
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Although I have paints for every color in the rainbow, I decided to give my kiddos ONLY the primary colors so that they could create their own hues.<br />
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To my delight, there was some great vocabulary building going on...<br />
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"I made TURQUOISE!"<br />
"I made a ZOMBIE COLOR" {LOL}<br />
"This looks MAROON"<br />
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...were just some of the descriptive color words (and phrases) I heard!<br />
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I'm sure if I had just given my kiddos all the paint colors to start with, these conversations would not have taken place! Instead, I might have heard "Can you pass me the <i>purple</i> please!". <br />
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We also added art terms to our vocabulary like: <i>hue</i>, <i>shade</i>, <i>tint</i>, <i>primary</i> colors, <i>secondary</i> colors, as well as words to describe various types of lines (<i>horizontal, vertical, wavy</i> etc.)! See, art can turn into a mini language lesson too!<br />
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Back to the paints... when I bring out paints, I like to use q-tips! For starters, they allow students to get into all those tiny details. But to be <i>completely honest</i>... it just makes clean up a BREEZE!! No paintbrushes to wash, no fuss, no muss!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_gKBQ1SrMzGXyCbeYYQ93_tFTkmKaTFCZ2l0ooGpJ-I7IoERYlh8aU213gBzjklLVYNEeISJfxCheOMcCNycUDPby5YY1I0v_Qpzu-Edsc0WXmKzMZ8h14ZHkfpJHKJlFBvogmuIP2c4/s1600/Untitled+2.002.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_gKBQ1SrMzGXyCbeYYQ93_tFTkmKaTFCZ2l0ooGpJ-I7IoERYlh8aU213gBzjklLVYNEeISJfxCheOMcCNycUDPby5YY1I0v_Qpzu-Edsc0WXmKzMZ8h14ZHkfpJHKJlFBvogmuIP2c4/s1600/Untitled+2.002.png" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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We used small paper plates as pallets (another easy clean-up solution!). Three plates were used for the primary colors and students were given a plate of their own to experiment and mix!<br />
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I'd love to hear your easy clean up solutions when it comes to painting! Comment below!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08244106952513172261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-205158527992270844.post-13065274994191877322015-03-27T22:20:00.000-04:002016-02-21T22:12:18.366-05:00Would You Rather...This week we worked on persuasive writing.<br />
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Prior to getting my students to write I like to give them time to talk about their ideas, out loud, with a partner. This helps them generate ideas and synthesize their thinking. Sometimes we skip the oral discussion part and I just get kids to write freely ...depending on the writing task, that works too! However, for our first crack at persuasive writing I knew that the oral component would result in stronger, well thought out arguments when it came down to the writing part.<br />
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I stumbled upon this "<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Would-You-Rather-Spring-and-Easter-FREE-1764398">Would You Rather...</a>" activity on my FB feed the other day and knew it would be the perfect 'hook' for my persuasive writing lesson. <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Would-You-Rather-Spring-and-Easter-FREE-1764398">You can grab it for FREE</a>!<br />
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It's such a fun intro to persuasive writing because, let's face it: who doesn't love talking to their best bud during class about ridiculously funny scenarios.<br />
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For each question, I got students (in pairs) to highlight their choice, then they had to come up with at least 3 reasons to defend their opinion. They did this orally first. <br />
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If their buddy made the same choice, they could come up with reasons to defend the choice together. If the opinions differed, they were encouraged to challenge the validity of their partner's arguments. This inspired students to think critically about their reasons and also helped to eliminate 'weak' reasons such as, "...because I like it".<br />
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After going through all the scenarios, students selected ONE to write about.<br />
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I think throwing in a bit of 1. choice 2. humor and 3. time to think ideas through with a buddy, really helped my students when it came down to the writing part! Plus, the fact that my kiddos were engaged and laughing while learning made this lesson a home run in my books. But, they weren't the only ones having fun.. eavesdropping was hil-ar-ious! Eight year olds say some pretty funny things!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08244106952513172261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-205158527992270844.post-6878267005406383792015-02-02T13:04:00.002-05:002016-02-21T21:59:29.043-05:00Solids and Liquids Part 3: Making Ice Cream in a Bag <div style="text-align: center;">
Making ice cream is such a delicious way to show your class how <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/MATTER-Spot-It-Steal-It-1642761">solids, liquids and gases</a> connect to everyday life... especially life in the kitchen!!</div>
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During our Discovery Day we made ICE CREAM with the munchkins!! We followed the steps in this YouTube video to make our ice cream:</div>
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When you do this activity, you'll need to make sure your students shake the bag REALLY well... otherwise the experiment won't work and you'll have some disappointed kiddos on your hands.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv4HBpbFa3WEas3fFVrtiIVWDyKmeEX1Yve7Z3U2WS5TKz0WrOUkEkcdBb-uGlbb5fDHFuFwZUb5thTVS4I_1IbJdmsUPxU1e7_Lf7sGmZgHwjl5Jg_o2daB47LMQUF28vIA78Sg-XtWk/s1600/ice+cream+shaking.001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv4HBpbFa3WEas3fFVrtiIVWDyKmeEX1Yve7Z3U2WS5TKz0WrOUkEkcdBb-uGlbb5fDHFuFwZUb5thTVS4I_1IbJdmsUPxU1e7_Lf7sGmZgHwjl5Jg_o2daB47LMQUF28vIA78Sg-XtWk/s1600/ice+cream+shaking.001.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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It can get tiring after a while, so we had each student shake the bag for a bit and then they passed it onto the next person. This way everyone got a chance to be involved as well!</div>
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I haven't tested the video below out yet, but it looked too good not to share!! I might make it my little weekend project to test this recipe out...mmm!!</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/j70yTq2ysLQ" width="480"></iframe><br />
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The other Discovery Day station we organized was a pancake station.<br />
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Our students sure had fun, and I just loved how each experiment we did showed them the various factors that can turn a liquid into a solid:<br />
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1. churning (<a href="http://cinnamonssynonyms.blogspot.ca/2014/12/liquids-solids.html">butter experiment</a>)</div>
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2. mixing different substances (<a href="http://cinnamonssynonyms.blogspot.ca/2015/01/solids-and-liquids-part-2-making-oobleck.html">oobleck experiment</a>) </div>
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3. cooling & agitating (ice cream) </div>
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4. heating (pancakes) </div>
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Teaching <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Matter-Word-Wall-1641751">science vocabulary</a> in an engaging and hands-on way is definitely the best way to get students to understand <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Matter-Word-Wall-1641751">new terms</a> and concepts in science!<br />
As the proverb goes:<br />
"Tell me and I will forget.<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 24.4799995422363px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Show me and I will remember. Involve me and I will understand"</span></span></span><br />
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Also, by keeping my <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/MATTER-Spot-It-Steal-It-1642761">Matter Spot It & Steal It game</a> out throughout the year, these important science terms will stay fresh in students' minds! <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/MATTER-Spot-It-Steal-It-1642761">The game</a> is perfect at a center; for early finishers; or for those moment when you just need to fill in 5 minutes before the bell rings!<br />
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Now for a little side note:<br />
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If you follow my blog and have been waiting for me to put up this post...would you believe that this was ready to go ages ago... I was just hoping to add some pics of my students playing the <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/MATTER-Spot-It-Steal-It-1642761">Matter game</a> before posting. I'm always forgetting to take these pictures and planned on doing that today...<br />
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... then this happened:<br />
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SNOW DAY!!<br />
Do you see the imprint of my door, ha! Oh, and this is a morning shot... blah... I hate how dark winter mornings are :(<br />
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Determined to publish this post no <i>MATTER</i> (pun intended) what... so it doesn't end up staying in my 'drafts' folder forever, I figured maybe the pics of my students having fun with <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/MATTER-Spot-It-Steal-It-1642761">the game</a> will just have to wait!<br />
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Posted! Goal accomplished!<br />
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Now time to snuggle with my boy while watching a movie!<br />
Snooowwww dayyyy!! Wooo hoo!!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08244106952513172261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-205158527992270844.post-24319444842508192242015-01-19T23:15:00.000-05:002016-02-21T21:57:10.113-05:00Solids and Liquids Part 2: Making Oobleck<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-zn3sIUjEpxgVLGztzVZXH7o2vHoDUY91xukzNdGGPqY53-fjAuvDhs0U2cXPaT_hFQBbWz83sMzYsHGHhe14TC4214Aifv9h5HfbSTgMyYVPNyL6NMBEDRzjmOv5Sws29N62nZ4GuzA/s1600/oobleck+pin.001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-zn3sIUjEpxgVLGztzVZXH7o2vHoDUY91xukzNdGGPqY53-fjAuvDhs0U2cXPaT_hFQBbWz83sMzYsHGHhe14TC4214Aifv9h5HfbSTgMyYVPNyL6NMBEDRzjmOv5Sws29N62nZ4GuzA/s1600/oobleck+pin.001.jpg" width="425" /></a>In my last post about "Making Butter", I said to check back soon because I'd be blogging about more fun ways to teach 'solids and liquids'... little did I know that it would take me nearly 4 weeks to get to this post. I'm so sorry. I have a tendency to bite off a bit more than I can chew (both literally and figuratively haha!)... sometimes this means my blog gets a bit neglected.<br />
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Although this happened before the winter break, our 'Science Discovery Day' was way too much fun not to blog about... even if it did happen nearly a month ago (wow, time flies!!).<br />
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Since there are 6 of us teaching grade 2, we all paired up and took control of a 'station' which we set up in our classrooms. Our classes also paired up and traveled from room to room visiting each station throughout the day.<br />
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When we were planning the discovery day I knew I had to run a station that involved oobleck. This solid/liquid just fascinates me! (I'll admit, I'm like a child... I get excited by the littlest things!)<br />
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Oobleck is really easy to make. All you need is 2 cups of cornstarch for every cup of water.<br />
We added green food coloring to make it look a bit like slime.<br />
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This kiddo was having fun doing "magic tricks" with the oobleck:</div>
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When you let the oobleck sit, its starts to get all runny. The more you move it around, the more it behaves like a solid.</div>
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The moment I caught sight of this little girl, my heart just filled with joy. Ah kids... so carefree and oblivious. You should have seen her face: white powder ALL over!<br />
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During my planning period, I just had to sneak a peak at some of the other classes to see how things were going. I will blog about that in Part 3 of my Solids and Liquids series. (The post will include tips on how to make ice cream with your class!!).<br />
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To help my students keep new science terms fresh in their minds, I created this fun little game. You can grab it <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/MATTER-Spot-It-Steal-It-1642761">HERE</a>. <b>(UPDATE: This game is undergoing revisions and will be available in my store soon.)</b> The game helps students build science vocabulary in an engaging way!<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">We are starting our water cycle unit next... I think it just makes sense to teach it next so students can see how solids, liquids and gases connect to the water cycle! I created these word wall cards as another way to reinforce new science terms. You can get these cards <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Matter-Word-Wall-1641751">HERE</a>. [Note: In the word wall set, the words "solid", "liquid", "gas", and "matter" are also included].</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Alrighty... stay tuned for my ice cream post... I'm hoping I get to it faster than 4 weeks :S How people manage to blog every day bloggles my mind (ha, get it.. boggles, bloggles)... It's late... I should go to bed... cheesy jokes start when I'm sleep deprived ;)</span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08244106952513172261noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-205158527992270844.post-305158435953355292014-12-10T20:06:00.000-05:002016-02-21T21:55:57.868-05:00Liquids & Solids Part 1: Making Butter<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuyspZmcYPFOQFwpV8m9m5D6ne3_dvzFo-YGrSyaXisi2iWBvKJun5hBkfHfLBWnZkIc8uAIybE6z2VHUycQmZDRjgckFfNUxmpnseyDP909Ku6wL5sCY6i4ClpFPX-7tNCEzSCrr96gA/s1600/how+to+make+butter+pin.001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuyspZmcYPFOQFwpV8m9m5D6ne3_dvzFo-YGrSyaXisi2iWBvKJun5hBkfHfLBWnZkIc8uAIybE6z2VHUycQmZDRjgckFfNUxmpnseyDP909Ku6wL5sCY6i4ClpFPX-7tNCEzSCrr96gA/s1600/how+to+make+butter+pin.001.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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Yesterday, we had a special visitor from the dairy farm!<br />
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We learned how to make butter!! It was definitely a fun intro to our unit on solids and liquids!!<br />
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First, we looked at all the products you can make from milk. I would seriously cry if I ever became lactose intolerant... ice cream, cheese, whipped cream, butter... ohhh... I love dairy!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhidZ7YpcqDYYOrpSf0pYeUXRqNCbqpDKeC_lwLt8UiGAb3alU8nFMHg0OeUF8bpjgmz6z-tYQq8FevJpcu0_v2EIhuAzBtne_Jnk1-z51yGBGmtTEKPxgQe-afgwVV3c3YKOJSgeVkAc0/s1600/making+butter+blog+post.001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhidZ7YpcqDYYOrpSf0pYeUXRqNCbqpDKeC_lwLt8UiGAb3alU8nFMHg0OeUF8bpjgmz6z-tYQq8FevJpcu0_v2EIhuAzBtne_Jnk1-z51yGBGmtTEKPxgQe-afgwVV3c3YKOJSgeVkAc0/s1600/making+butter+blog+post.001.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Next, the munchkins sorted the products.</div>
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Then...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUYTYDOwccgeaVc9iCNzB7j5f7dHgWmSz2Tg8rbebnssNiH3J2Ap4eH7GpZS78rEvxsc_q6m_zTfG5nx61GAn7DeyKlaY39DhE8ZEHrv9DGFc1e39a4kh5SucTyz1nd_qQ3UkZqsDzShc/s1600/making+butter+blog+post.003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUYTYDOwccgeaVc9iCNzB7j5f7dHgWmSz2Tg8rbebnssNiH3J2Ap4eH7GpZS78rEvxsc_q6m_zTfG5nx61GAn7DeyKlaY39DhE8ZEHrv9DGFc1e39a4kh5SucTyz1nd_qQ3UkZqsDzShc/s1600/making+butter+blog+post.003.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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We had to test out the steps to see what would happen!!!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4TW6hX5obFUORNBYDtXWdS3x6ozzbjV2PCNBs02S73NbuJXxWeiabCL1DdoxHMdqXN5xSQzaPSo7CyD5rdGmHrfgeNd9T07WOsXhwApiLsZNnr8rN5we_lOzWUMKTppSrWcXavPHTrZE/s1600/making+butter+blog+post.004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4TW6hX5obFUORNBYDtXWdS3x6ozzbjV2PCNBs02S73NbuJXxWeiabCL1DdoxHMdqXN5xSQzaPSo7CyD5rdGmHrfgeNd9T07WOsXhwApiLsZNnr8rN5we_lOzWUMKTppSrWcXavPHTrZE/s1600/making+butter+blog+post.004.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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They had way too much fun with this next step. Do you see my boy in red... he was warming up for his turn! Ha, ha!</div>
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This part was important!!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghLXgXCCWExDlXxla8OLjj4MzRInFAfpZgdIqg6OzT2Rq1TyJXorIMqHsPbeWl8ZxVgIETuFUXXvS3BItHvXzpWVr2jyHw_eoHG6_Nw5Bm8sSHFMnXRnxY3X52U1rXAogqDrwpGy3XXDc/s1600/making+butter+blog+post.007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghLXgXCCWExDlXxla8OLjj4MzRInFAfpZgdIqg6OzT2Rq1TyJXorIMqHsPbeWl8ZxVgIETuFUXXvS3BItHvXzpWVr2jyHw_eoHG6_Nw5Bm8sSHFMnXRnxY3X52U1rXAogqDrwpGy3XXDc/s1600/making+butter+blog+post.007.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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So, after a bit more shaking, it started to look (and sound) just right!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdu5HtVIT2Ulgly270i6o5HkJbB2CRuJ951AthSj4y-wnR7OTOPn9H7l2515hNP_HP8CnxwElR2zMYTYAyAnxoGV8BV_BDXFxiNjd0nqbRiBpvx-F6fm1cRzgox2FcpTdn-kFZdAmRg1Q/s1600/making+butter+blog+post.008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdu5HtVIT2Ulgly270i6o5HkJbB2CRuJ951AthSj4y-wnR7OTOPn9H7l2515hNP_HP8CnxwElR2zMYTYAyAnxoGV8BV_BDXFxiNjd0nqbRiBpvx-F6fm1cRzgox2FcpTdn-kFZdAmRg1Q/s1600/making+butter+blog+post.008.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Do you see the butter. It's like MAGIC!</div>
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Mmmm.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHbczCbOZOe-hq-thTvKf5h4hxM94SQ983pH3Fwu_rXRbgh2iwfSluSVNI3STP7FvoCClnByJkNQcGhGRQiUOjQm8k3NJusQ_Dv2lVC66msE0HSZdeqiu7VlnZblYfdnQ-LMmVWT0OZY8/s1600/making+butter+blog+post.010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHbczCbOZOe-hq-thTvKf5h4hxM94SQ983pH3Fwu_rXRbgh2iwfSluSVNI3STP7FvoCClnByJkNQcGhGRQiUOjQm8k3NJusQ_Dv2lVC66msE0HSZdeqiu7VlnZblYfdnQ-LMmVWT0OZY8/s1600/making+butter+blog+post.010.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Creamy goodness!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3TY80UxeeUDPuQcdhSX9oye3b6191cwx9x_MKsnaGHF3mYONLeo4a2gUXQmKagSSeiEWMYUCbshF1EowE8slkJPJuFKXIzYOPYBEdKI7zb5NXl8VCHKoZozIBXElhHw5NXb2-1LqU3o0/s1600/making+butter+blog+post.011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3TY80UxeeUDPuQcdhSX9oye3b6191cwx9x_MKsnaGHF3mYONLeo4a2gUXQmKagSSeiEWMYUCbshF1EowE8slkJPJuFKXIzYOPYBEdKI7zb5NXl8VCHKoZozIBXElhHw5NXb2-1LqU3o0/s1600/making+butter+blog+post.011.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">This activity was a great way to inspire some <b><a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Adjectives-Shades-of-Meaning-Picture-Thesaurus-Bundle-1353091">descriptive language</a> </b>because all of our senses were used during the butter making process! </span></div>
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<span class="s1">To SPICE UP their vocabulary, I modeled other ways of saying “<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Adjectives-Soft-Picture-Thesaurus-Shades-of-Meaning-1214331"><b>soft</b></a>”, “<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Adjectives-Smooth-Picture-Thesaurus-Synonyms-Shades-of-Meaning-1215508"><b>smooth</b></a>”, “<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Adjectives-Yummy-Picture-Thesaurus-Shades-of-MeaningSynonyms-1220614"><b>yummy</b></a>”, and “<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Adjectives-Yucky-Picture-Thesaurus-Shades-of-Meaning-Synonyms-1219650"><b>yucky</b></a>”! Yes, that's right.. 'yucky'... because a few of my kiddos were reluctant to try the butter. They missed out though... it was absolutely <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Adjectives-Smooth-Picture-Thesaurus-Synonyms-Shades-of-Meaning-1215508"><b>creamy</b> </a>and <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Adjectives-Yummy-Picture-Thesaurus-Shades-of-MeaningSynonyms-1220614"><b>scrumptious</b></a>! </span></div>
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Check back for my <a href="http://cinnamonssynonyms.blogspot.ca/2015/01/solids-and-liquids-part-2-making-oobleck.html">next post</a>, because we'll be having more fun with <a href="http://cinnamonssynonyms.blogspot.ca/2015/01/solids-and-liquids-part-2-making-oobleck.html">solids, liquids</a> and gases!!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08244106952513172261noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-205158527992270844.post-65754244374110834292014-11-07T10:03:00.000-05:002016-02-21T22:13:01.394-05:00SPICE UP Your Math Vocab & SWEETEN UP Your Graphing!<br />
Mmm... chocolate!!<br />
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I. LOVE. CHOCOLATE! I seriously think I overdosed on treats this week! The worst part of this confession? Each night after my boy went to bed...I would sneak into his bag of treats to get my sugar fix. This is what a chocolate addiction does to a person. You are probably thinking,"Stealing treats from a little child? How dare you?". Well technically I worked just as hard to get those treats... I <i>did</i> take him trick-or-treating ...in the RAIN!! So, I think I deserved each and every moment of those endorphin releasing highs!!!<br />
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On Monday, my grade 2's couldn't stop talking about all the fun they had trick-or-treating. So, as any teacher would... I made the most of their post-Halloween excitement and planned a couple of lessons around it. We did a fun writing activity (which I will have to blog about later) as well as some graphing.<br />
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I got my munchkins to bring in some of their Halloween candy and we allowed these sugary treats to make a guest appearance in our math lesson ;) Yes, that's how you SWEETEN UP your graphing!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwp8FOz8UrpAsaPJknyLi1PFb3V2AiO0bXzFPwhUzPDM6UFoSrd8Ff5O5ZBri38JuKxgSNeLkaabNmI-gXfyqklnOxRqtwV8x0yhsUGZWM7W_IZmTtStZsEOm81_ybLGUln8WJaMyqgHI/s1600/sort+candy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="481" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwp8FOz8UrpAsaPJknyLi1PFb3V2AiO0bXzFPwhUzPDM6UFoSrd8Ff5O5ZBri38JuKxgSNeLkaabNmI-gXfyqklnOxRqtwV8x0yhsUGZWM7W_IZmTtStZsEOm81_ybLGUln8WJaMyqgHI/s1600/sort+candy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Prior to Sorting and Graphing:</h3>
First, we reviewed some features of a graph and discussed important <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Graphing-Vocabulary-Game-Spot-It-Steal-It-1545310" target="_blank">graphing vocabulary</a>. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN_G3n48dp2C_oPBfLBFnHIQ1wRNPE_IQBhGPyrhnmmBvitTYbr4vFbIKvoC3CIXOYQ8prBOmqgaiT1-HrRYvCcIQv1n1qko1DmjBPgA9OyEzzmZsP1wBKnKxaM-gLPVlbJh3feIbHNuQ/s1600/graphing+word+wall+image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="578" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN_G3n48dp2C_oPBfLBFnHIQ1wRNPE_IQBhGPyrhnmmBvitTYbr4vFbIKvoC3CIXOYQ8prBOmqgaiT1-HrRYvCcIQv1n1qko1DmjBPgA9OyEzzmZsP1wBKnKxaM-gLPVlbJh3feIbHNuQ/s1600/graphing+word+wall+image.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Building <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Graphing-Vocabulary-Game-Spot-It-Steal-It-1545310" target="_blank">math vocabulary</a> is just as important as building the critical thinking skills needed to succeed in math. I have come up with a fun way to do that this year.<br />
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I use my <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Cinnamons-Synonyms/Category/ALL-Spot-It-Steal-It-Games" target="_blank">Spot It & Steal It games</a> which my kiddos just LOVE!! The best part? The <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Graphing-Vocabulary-Game-Spot-It-Steal-It-1545310" target="_blank">game cards</a> for <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Graphing-Vocabulary-Game-Spot-It-Steal-It-1545310" target="_blank">my graphing game </a>can do double duty and serve as a <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Graphing-Vocabulary-Game-Spot-It-Steal-It-1545310" target="_blank">WORD WALL</a>!!!<br />
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Before they play <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Graphing-Vocabulary-Game-Spot-It-Steal-It-1545310" target="_blank">the game</a>, they need to get familiar with the <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Graphing-Vocabulary-Game-Spot-It-Steal-It-1545310" target="_blank">graphing terms</a>. I posted up some of the <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Graphing-Vocabulary-Game-Spot-It-Steal-It-1545310" target="_blank">bright picture cards</a> (which are from the game) and the class had to figure out which words matched the pictures. I will introduce more <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Graphing-Vocabulary-Game-Spot-It-Steal-It-1545310" target="_blank">math vocabulary</a> in the coming weeks, but for our first lesson, we just reviewed the basics...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAsfN61PyOsSCceOPv6Cui_P_9GznDjfaUX0B7qRsrdzgbasyJ-DCr937W5Cmo0eIRWLZXJvt9Lg-Nu4XOwGhNRuPcpghkMEZCPIeICx2ZZSEae1GchtIUffuNh4na-KH1mfyDq665VnY/s1600/graphs+vocabs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="514" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAsfN61PyOsSCceOPv6Cui_P_9GznDjfaUX0B7qRsrdzgbasyJ-DCr937W5Cmo0eIRWLZXJvt9Lg-Nu4XOwGhNRuPcpghkMEZCPIeICx2ZZSEae1GchtIUffuNh4na-KH1mfyDq665VnY/s1600/graphs+vocabs.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Although we weren't working on a pictograph (or 'picture graph' depending on where you're from) we added it to the <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Graphing-Vocabulary-Game-Spot-It-Steal-It-1545310" target="_blank">word wall</a> because it came up in our discussion. We talked about why a pictograph might be more feasible in day to day life (versus a concrete graph). For example, using real objects might not be a practical way to represent data in everyday life but using pictures to represent real objects is! Our graphing activity will be a nice segue into pictographs, so I figured, why not review the word!<br />
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Putting It In Action:</h3>
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Some were better than others at planning their graph, BUT that's OK! I will use this info to guide my instruction over the next couple of weeks. I will definitely have to review labeling and 1-1 correspondence with a few of them.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJjcz2DzeBuqmbDCEuX_87GiEzFjFMpSvrv9UsC1cPNXrAKI7LCl1oLoQA195ii-cypR_H7HmNZPR1Vj3C6ZedQTb2G-84v5SMF6SvGaHD3bTYtHoGuf-gsiooIe_pBMOr1nfZDvKLIlo/s1600/uh+oh+where+will+the+labels+go.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJjcz2DzeBuqmbDCEuX_87GiEzFjFMpSvrv9UsC1cPNXrAKI7LCl1oLoQA195ii-cypR_H7HmNZPR1Vj3C6ZedQTb2G-84v5SMF6SvGaHD3bTYtHoGuf-gsiooIe_pBMOr1nfZDvKLIlo/s1600/uh+oh+where+will+the+labels+go.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This little girl is helping her friend understand why his graph shouldn't go up to 15.</div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">Wow! This graph impressed me! Although...after looking at it closely, I realized that even this student had troubles with 1-1 correspondence. We will definitely add "1-1 correspondence" to our <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Graphing-Vocabulary-Game-Spot-It-Steal-It-1545310" target="_blank">vocabulary</a> (and <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Graphing-Vocabulary-Game-Spot-It-Steal-It-1545310" target="_blank">word wall</a>) next week! T</span>he great thing about the <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Graphing-Vocabulary-Game-Spot-It-Steal-It-1545310" target="_blank">vocab cards</a> is that it also serves to remind me of all the topics I need to cover!!!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAXCAi_7jrICF3j2UgONLWWJB2doHoojtVMYeDz0gBkEKxq9G21aM7-xDPnMwO3TElTX-Nk0tsZIKX0T_o5VPSSDiAyCKMhYZM8qHX9SN0mypLIYaGZwoq62juqIhIwKxh9TNoIRhCgPU/s1600/graphskis+blogskis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAXCAi_7jrICF3j2UgONLWWJB2doHoojtVMYeDz0gBkEKxq9G21aM7-xDPnMwO3TElTX-Nk0tsZIKX0T_o5VPSSDiAyCKMhYZM8qHX9SN0mypLIYaGZwoq62juqIhIwKxh9TNoIRhCgPU/s1600/graphskis+blogskis.jpg" width="482" /></a></div>
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Once my grade 2's are a bit more familiar with ALL the <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Graphing-Vocabulary-Game-Spot-It-Steal-It-1545310" target="_blank">vocabulary cards</a>, I will take them off the <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Graphing-Vocabulary-Game-Spot-It-Steal-It-1545310" target="_blank">word wall</a> and my kiddos will be able to play the <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Graphing-Vocabulary-Game-Spot-It-Steal-It-1545310" target="_blank">Spot It & Steal It game</a>! The <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Graphing-Vocabulary-Game-Spot-It-Steal-It-1545310" target="_blank">game</a> helps to keep important terms fresh in students' minds <u><i>throughout</i></u> the year! Plus, taking the words down frees up precious bulletin board real estate...so I can add my next set of math vocab words! (I will be creating <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Cinnamons-Synonyms/Category/ALL-Spot-It-Steal-It-Games" target="_blank">more</a> vocab cards/<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Cinnamons-Synonyms/Category/ALL-Spot-It-Steal-It-Games" target="_blank">Spot It & Steal It games</a> to cover all areas of math! )<br />
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How to Play: </h3>
Each player places 3-4 <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Graphing-Vocabulary-Game-Spot-It-Steal-It-1545310" target="_blank">picture cards</a> out in front of them. Players take turns picking up a <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Graphing-Vocabulary-Game-Spot-It-Steal-It-1545310" target="_blank">vocabulary card</a>. The first person to <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Graphing-Vocabulary-Game-Spot-It-Steal-It-1545310" target="_blank">SPOT</a> the matching picture card yells <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Graphing-Vocabulary-Game-Spot-It-Steal-It-1545310" target="_blank">STEAL</a> and gets to keep the card!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAo1Rr-v8mEnSLneLtol96Q0vPzX0Y2Ju6KUC9GnMFD2MSDRkaFAwqQjIUUR_67OIJzlcVgVHsyMc32C4nmxsxJDERdum8qVhY-F9WqtyJzqy05hGs4hPrugUhp46FNmK2ERxRsmtc_dI/s1600/pick+a+vocab+card+(1).png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAo1Rr-v8mEnSLneLtol96Q0vPzX0Y2Ju6KUC9GnMFD2MSDRkaFAwqQjIUUR_67OIJzlcVgVHsyMc32C4nmxsxJDERdum8qVhY-F9WqtyJzqy05hGs4hPrugUhp46FNmK2ERxRsmtc_dI/s1600/pick+a+vocab+card+(1).png" width="426" /></a></div>
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If the <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Graphing-Vocabulary-Game-Spot-It-Steal-It-1545310" target="_blank">card</a> is in front of you, and you notice this before someone yells steal... you can SLAP the card so that NO ONE CAN STEAL IT!!! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWoQBD1bTd52Qozf9GL9-dEH00dUT2S7_sgnisaeOPCdsSBDDKMs1P64MiWAJ8WRfBLfHkFZZVyl14fWD3D-q3HFKHA8GRY2PiJwny2UKNuP9Hky9AFO43MCej_a9fJOKthTOZ_dheEo8/s1600/slap+the+cardski.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWoQBD1bTd52Qozf9GL9-dEH00dUT2S7_sgnisaeOPCdsSBDDKMs1P64MiWAJ8WRfBLfHkFZZVyl14fWD3D-q3HFKHA8GRY2PiJwny2UKNuP9Hky9AFO43MCej_a9fJOKthTOZ_dheEo8/s1600/slap+the+cardski.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Kid-tested, super fun! I love <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Cinnamons-Synonyms/Category/ALL-Spot-It-Steal-It-Games" target="_blank">these games</a> :)<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-205158527992270844.post-41963339757629897952014-11-01T08:17:00.002-04:002016-02-21T21:54:10.842-05:00Spice Up Your Vocabulary - Autumn Ideas!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's funny what can inspire a lesson idea!<br />
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This one was inspired by all the gorgeous pumpkins and squash at my local supermarket!<br />
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So many wonderful <span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">shapes</span>, <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">SIZES,</span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">colors</span> and <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">te</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">x</span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">T</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">u</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">r</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">E</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">S</span>!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3rzG04I-_hp2dVCX5eqfWpI-IPMoGepvAYwpfihyphenhyphenFZfvWqQS1hAfi6zge1l_CKzNVB5VsO7UaRf4aaeC72FPUpMDgYcFeB-Rz82LUqjB5DTpkBGUbH5xTANLUTo76VgwFBmjgm68m8TD7/s1600/fall+writing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3rzG04I-_hp2dVCX5eqfWpI-IPMoGepvAYwpfihyphenhyphenFZfvWqQS1hAfi6zge1l_CKzNVB5VsO7UaRf4aaeC72FPUpMDgYcFeB-Rz82LUqjB5DTpkBGUbH5xTANLUTo76VgwFBmjgm68m8TD7/s1600/fall+writing.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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The goal of this lesson: Inspire students to be more descriptive by getting them to use their<i> <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/5-Senses-Descriptive-Writing-Activity-1529122" target="_blank">5 senses</a></i>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMnq6NSq5NpRch7hGyDx8gQ9VsylRF5ZCDkDWTztHEx9Y6bDcb1b0kGD4PceJE6DtUZPQytsEsx8t7vs20Ae5HnM8JIihaPop3swP8vTKzHAYvfWfuA6PG3O8zCMnroTY14LqNvernjFBi/s1600/5+senses+book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="391" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMnq6NSq5NpRch7hGyDx8gQ9VsylRF5ZCDkDWTztHEx9Y6bDcb1b0kGD4PceJE6DtUZPQytsEsx8t7vs20Ae5HnM8JIihaPop3swP8vTKzHAYvfWfuA6PG3O8zCMnroTY14LqNvernjFBi/s1600/5+senses+book.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/5-Senses-Descriptive-Writing-Activity-1529122" target="_blank">The activity</a> we did was simple... we focused on <i>writing</i> <i>descriptive words, drawing detailed pictures and labeling</i>. <br />
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I encouraged my kiddos to SPICE UP the over-used words "<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Adjectives-Big-Picture-Thesaurus-53-synonyms-1183299" target="_blank">big</a>", "<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Adjectives-Small-Picture-Thesaurus-Shades-of-Meaning-Synonyms-1214412" target="_blank">small</a>", "<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Adjectives-Rough-Picture-Thesaurus-Shades-of-Meaning-1214366" target="_blank">rough</a>", "<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Adjectives-Smooth-Picture-Thesaurus-Synonyms-Shades-of-Meaning-1215508" target="_blank">smooth</a>", "<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Adjectives-Yummy-Picture-Thesaurus-Shades-of-MeaningSynonyms-1220614" target="_blank">yummy</a>" and "<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Adjectives-Yucky-Picture-Thesaurus-Shades-of-Meaning-Synonyms-1219650" target="_blank">yucky</a>"... but they also came up with some great adjectives on their own. It just goes to show how students are more likely to write descriptively if their senses are immersed in the experience! I was impressed!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRj6sabOYwnqb6yf6OzoEo09hW8QR6kvrPYjPUs7lwIUVOuYT0zpz7CQ0xPyILXDZMF-PovryEXhgRfOM6gtMGrj9PsTqp5OSDTjH-bconrtc9UMBaGGNp7-8Cps3JcOQclA9W1bBlDugt/s1600/juika.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRj6sabOYwnqb6yf6OzoEo09hW8QR6kvrPYjPUs7lwIUVOuYT0zpz7CQ0xPyILXDZMF-PovryEXhgRfOM6gtMGrj9PsTqp5OSDTjH-bconrtc9UMBaGGNp7-8Cps3JcOQclA9W1bBlDugt/s1600/juika.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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If you would like to try this with your class, you can grab a copy of my <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/5-Senses-Descriptive-Writing-Activity-1529122" target="_blank">5 SENSES BOOKLET HERE</a>. It's FREE <b>[Update: I've taken this freebie down as I'm working on updating it to make it better]</b>! You can also use my <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Adjectives-Shades-of-Meaning-Picture-Thesaurus-Bundle-1353091" target="_blank">PICTURE THESAURUSES</a> to spice up your students' writing <i>throughout</i> the year!<br />
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Now, grab yourself a pumpkin spice latte (don't tell me this post didn't leave you craving something pumpkin flavored!) and check out some more fall ideas from my Lesson Deli friends!<br />
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<!-- end InLinkz script -->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08244106952513172261noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-205158527992270844.post-56669446083088763972014-10-25T22:07:00.001-04:002016-02-21T21:57:56.473-05:00Drawing Self Portraits and Building Positive Self Talk<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcTDIX3pvUfqyF58VYzdZnTD0tf1En7STfnWId52WaBhuzRMOZYbYYFFIv0j_SKbedsgvio5KnLB61c7CWtaEr1D3SweBrAomVwbxHRyO_tBk2AHJbWMmselUg_eR9LxnGjL5jObpFISk/s1600/for+laura+c's%2Bguest%2Bblog%2Bpost.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcTDIX3pvUfqyF58VYzdZnTD0tf1En7STfnWId52WaBhuzRMOZYbYYFFIv0j_SKbedsgvio5KnLB61c7CWtaEr1D3SweBrAomVwbxHRyO_tBk2AHJbWMmselUg_eR9LxnGjL5jObpFISk/s1600/for+laura+c's%2Bguest%2Bblog%2Bpost.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<h3>
DAY 1 - DRAWING THE PORTRAIT:</h3>
I am <strike>not an artist</strike> working on improving my artistic skills (see what I did there... I replaced that negative self talk with something a bit more positive!). Although I am getting better, I can't deny the fact that I can barely draw a dog to save my life. Once, I was trying to draw a dog on an anchor chart and when I was done, a very honest 8 year old commented, "That looks like a dog-chicken!"<br />
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*Sniff*<br />
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Needless to say, I was thrilled when I found this gem of a video! I was actually looking for videos that would help <i>me</i> <i>teach</i> my students, but I found something even better... an <i>art teacher</i> to teach my students! Ha! I could not resist using this YouTube video as my 'substitute art teacher' for a solid 6 minutes and 29 seconds!:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/3ouiumHlnmA?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />
The video is targeted towards kindergarten kids but I think this aspect makes it perfect for students of <i>any grade</i>! When it comes to directions, children and adults alike benefit from slow, step-by-step instructions (I know I do!). Also, many of my students are ESL learners, so this video was just perfect for them too!<br />
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The great thing about using a video to teach art is that you can pause, rewind or re-play the lesson for students who need extra time or just need to re-visit a step. I loved this aspect of using video to teach my portrait lesson!<br />
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To help her draw her portrait, the artist uses a mirror. I don't have 20 mirrors in my class... BUT our school has an iPad cart... so, my kiddos put it in selfie mode and used this to attend to the details of their faces. I thought this was a brilliant idea (if I do say so myself)! Students also practiced taking portrait style photographs of each other which was a fun way to add a quick mini lesson on photography. They had the option of using their photograph or "selfie mode" to help them as they worked on their portraits.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv8YJ2eiwHhr0G0G07gd37jCMfwZgKuRtZqfgUb505L0lY9Zp1958GU06YCvjUM9RMvFSmim9uXKWDcHshL-vAezYbi9RYdKX0e7mGaUwkXD07rEVM0Pd5CQZrvC0zKCOJGuFeLn4DGyc/s1600/portrait,+picture+taking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv8YJ2eiwHhr0G0G07gd37jCMfwZgKuRtZqfgUb505L0lY9Zp1958GU06YCvjUM9RMvFSmim9uXKWDcHshL-vAezYbi9RYdKX0e7mGaUwkXD07rEVM0Pd5CQZrvC0zKCOJGuFeLn4DGyc/s1600/portrait,+picture+taking.jpg" width="636" /></a></div>
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Here is an example of how they turned out! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm9SU8YJHbiaskgC6iBVLnblEIomv9NnoRQrrsNzjXD7z0NdGUyLEk_Vja0FIOdkY9Hqi_79-LetIG0FzQLYsFKMTaLxbvgHQQyLIXS-CiBVlOrzLGgdBIloE_EEwnzbx_EdZsnd_vwZ8/s1600/portrait.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm9SU8YJHbiaskgC6iBVLnblEIomv9NnoRQrrsNzjXD7z0NdGUyLEk_Vja0FIOdkY9Hqi_79-LetIG0FzQLYsFKMTaLxbvgHQQyLIXS-CiBVlOrzLGgdBIloE_EEwnzbx_EdZsnd_vwZ8/s1600/portrait.jpg" width="484" /></a></div>
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<h3>
DAY 2 - BUILDING POSITIVE SELF TALK</h3>
I read the book, "The Way I Act", by Steve Metzger.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipwvdjz-XGl8EGuaPMzuyBkYiZfvvq_zzJxXpGUKdONFZtg8ytVtdmjGUjSrlQKvNzwMOZ7fnCvtJhb8BzzPPP4yylm1wuCzj7bB2gv60NvcPsICVYZ6ULDVn3EHk6rrywnPU9_qa-mU4/s1600/book+and+posters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="481" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipwvdjz-XGl8EGuaPMzuyBkYiZfvvq_zzJxXpGUKdONFZtg8ytVtdmjGUjSrlQKvNzwMOZ7fnCvtJhb8BzzPPP4yylm1wuCzj7bB2gv60NvcPsICVYZ6ULDVn3EHk6rrywnPU9_qa-mU4/s1600/book+and+posters.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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{<b>Note: The posters seen in this picture can be found <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Classroom-Management-Raffle-System-Character-Education-Positive-Reinforcement-1367557" target="_blank"><i>HERE</i></a></b>}<br />
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This book is PERFECT for inspiring students to build positive self talk and it was a great tool for sparking dialogue amongst my students. Bonus: The image on the cover was a good reminder of what a portrait entails - a close up shot, from the shoulders down!.<br />
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As I read each page, I turned to my class and asked them to reflect upon a time when they demonstrated each character trait mentioned in the book. By asking them to reflect, and share memories that highlighted their character, I was getting them to build evidence to support their beliefs about themselves. This exercise strengthens and shapes positive self talk. Saying words like "I am ...." is powerful, especially when supported by events in one's life because it helps to <i>strengthen</i> the belief. Tony Robbins - you know, the energetic author and motivational speaker - encourages this exercise in his books.</h3>
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My students were displaying all sorts of positive self-talk as they shared their stories. Let me tell you, it is heart warming to hear young children reflect upon moments when they were <i>courageous,</i> or accomplishments that made them <i>proud!</i> My heart melted several times during this sharing period!<br />
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As I read the story, I also introduced synonyms for each character trait by referring to my character posters. {You can get a <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Classroom-Management-Character-Education-Trustworthy-Raffles-1401688" target="_blank">free poster<i> </i>HERE</a>!}. Along with the posters, I use <i><b><a href="http://cinnamonssynonyms.blogspot.ca/2014/08/blasting-back-to-school-giveaway-and.html" target="_blank">raffles</a> </b></i>to positively reinforce my students for demonstrating<b><i> <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Classroom-Management-Raffle-System-Character-Education-Positive-Reinforcement-1367557" target="_blank">specific character traits</a></i></b>. Praising children in this way helps to build positive self talk because these words of affirmation (saying things like, "Wow! You are so <i>responsible</i>!") influences how a child will perceive him/herself.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPtVGbKhhRShnEjOByTx7sL87m9ZEA1NE8ld3cXHAPFeY8sAt52ejCw6_Ab-q5UpMk2LAt638OXVvZc1FeskfM0dHDdcM4jv9soVLS9klaosfeXcVc0T2JKcoa-uJciJ8w-c_pZzCgo58/s1600/girl+portrait+example.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="481" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPtVGbKhhRShnEjOByTx7sL87m9ZEA1NE8ld3cXHAPFeY8sAt52ejCw6_Ab-q5UpMk2LAt638OXVvZc1FeskfM0dHDdcM4jv9soVLS9klaosfeXcVc0T2JKcoa-uJciJ8w-c_pZzCgo58/s1600/girl+portrait+example.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I love all the <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Classroom-Management-Raffle-System-Character-Education-Positive-Reinforcement-1367557" target="_blank"><b><i>positive words</i></b></a> my students used to describe themselves! Just look at how perfect these turned out:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRSKjj-n94HlQTDAOr-UwEVYFaHhtdG6Wb_aDaENcLlsklKgL3cXs5PCK8f0LwLaflXW1n4VIFIEDGV5y8xN6UX4HEzD6NgVcj-1_4CLw7E9kxAnVzo5hmt9lbDj-Fw3yVCiPVzI7ic_U/s1600/framed+portraits.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRSKjj-n94HlQTDAOr-UwEVYFaHhtdG6Wb_aDaENcLlsklKgL3cXs5PCK8f0LwLaflXW1n4VIFIEDGV5y8xN6UX4HEzD6NgVcj-1_4CLw7E9kxAnVzo5hmt9lbDj-Fw3yVCiPVzI7ic_U/s1600/framed+portraits.jpg" width="488" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs6PxRU1RndrrqIYOz5BG4nyeP4Bq35XZhltJpO6UkTZL7fsyXnxjBr4_cMguaxEQ94lNBdAtRFaUAh3NIrihSlAUm1A1-JwjhRqTbIh3HRsCVO8quUyoDqacKWUcuS4gdCEG4DktqzfI/s1600/portrait+boy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs6PxRU1RndrrqIYOz5BG4nyeP4Bq35XZhltJpO6UkTZL7fsyXnxjBr4_cMguaxEQ94lNBdAtRFaUAh3NIrihSlAUm1A1-JwjhRqTbIh3HRsCVO8quUyoDqacKWUcuS4gdCEG4DktqzfI/s1600/portrait+boy.jpg" width="488" /></a></div>
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Not only do I love how these turned out... the best part is... I'm over hearing my students use this vocabulary in their conversations with each other.<br />
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For example, the other day one of my students said to me, (after quietly observing me getting frustrated with annoying tech issues I was having):<br />
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"Mrs. Pinkerton, remember?! <i><a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Classroom-Management-Raffle-System-Character-Education-Positive-Reinforcement-1367557" target="_blank"><b>PERSEVERE</b></a>!!!!</i>".<br />
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This made my day, not only because she used this fabulous 'spiced up' word but because<i><span style="font-size: large;"> <b>if she was telling me to persevere, she is likely to use such vocabulary when faced with a challenge of her own.</b></span></i> This is what self-talk is all about!<br />
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Of course the beauty of having an 8 yr old tell you to persevere is just perfect all on its own!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08244106952513172261noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-205158527992270844.post-38490414665164346392014-09-25T21:23:00.000-04:002016-02-21T22:09:04.574-05:00Teach Procedural Writing Using "Pic Collage" & iPad Mini GIVEAWAY!!My friends over at the <a href="http://thelessondeli.blogspot.ca/p/about-us.html" target="_blank">Lesson Deli</a> and I are throwing an AMAZING GIVEAWAY!! We have each blogged about our fav iPad apps... and... get this... we are giving away an iPad Mini! Woo hooo! This is SO EXCITING!!<br />
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But first, let me tell you a bit about an app that gets A LOT of use in my classroom: <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/pic-collage-video-photo-editing/id448639966?mt=8" target="_blank">Pic Collage</a>.<br />
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Kids love taking pictures and turning them into collages, am I right? Sooo, why not take that love and link it with some learning?! That's what we do over in room 222... and let me tell you... it takes engagement to a WHOLE new level.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1E3uTlpanU9LbG0na2Mddki8F-qf9z65Dce7pHtFXjo1IMRMIDtfhasVhz2z0r_L6FTvnqr8Xf3ZkFI2G5VCZJ4J8xYzkeal9WY6HcZk0gK64wiuNU86SW-IgjMyWWqaI7xP1gCfEXpQ/s1600/photo+(1).PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1E3uTlpanU9LbG0na2Mddki8F-qf9z65Dce7pHtFXjo1IMRMIDtfhasVhz2z0r_L6FTvnqr8Xf3ZkFI2G5VCZJ4J8xYzkeal9WY6HcZk0gK64wiuNU86SW-IgjMyWWqaI7xP1gCfEXpQ/s1600/photo+(1).PNG" width="480" /></a></div>
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I have used <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/pic-collage-video-photo-editing/id448639966?mt=8" target="_blank">Pic Collage</a> in a dozen ways with my students... and funnily enough I have never actually used it for creating collages. Ha!<br />
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The layout options offered in this app make it really easy to get kids creating various media texts such as brochures, fliers, menus, posters, comics... and more. This is what I love most about the app...its versatility. I'm sure the app creator just wanted to give kids a fun way to design collages, but if you think outside the box, you can easily adapt this app to teach just about any subject! Another great feature? It's super easy to use, making it great for kiddos in ANY grade!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh04vE7cuRhhn5iYBd4k2T3DtstxtbsE6ggohDhn7POv5mLQ9JCRkCp98i7v3pI_U7qbZYU0grGG6R7lAkRYbGH-UxPevI_uy8RRNAvFA74BFiI1TKB7BLJaA9Pv-Z15y7wcynSn36FlJk/s1600/bake+cake+pic+collage.003-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh04vE7cuRhhn5iYBd4k2T3DtstxtbsE6ggohDhn7POv5mLQ9JCRkCp98i7v3pI_U7qbZYU0grGG6R7lAkRYbGH-UxPevI_uy8RRNAvFA74BFiI1TKB7BLJaA9Pv-Z15y7wcynSn36FlJk/s1600/bake+cake+pic+collage.003-001.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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For this post, I will focus on how I use <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/pic-collage-video-photo-editing/id448639966?mt=8" target="_blank">Pic Collage</a> to teach procedural writing. Using this app to teach procedural writing was inspired by a student I had last year who absolutely HATED writing, BUT LOVED creating paper airplanes (and boy was he good at it!). Sooo... I thought... hmm... maybe I could get my kiddos to write a procedure on something they were <i><b>passionate</b></i> about and that they were an expert at (like building paper airplanes). I wanted an app that was easy to use and would keep my students engaged. The results were amazing! My class was focused and having fun while writing! They especially enjoyed taking pictures of all the steps in their procedure!<br />
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Here's how it works:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLdhAgwGPm6SQE03CPkwqRNMV3TsEteTXvD74EQY9Lq6HYBfkhu63FcKEr25XUbTxGYEsAILliT5wwxdy8bZO_qZSTtVmMMWCciY3sGJ78BRm-rDJ8HHu2HpRRIzszKsp4Zp5pjqKJLMA/s1600/bake+cake+pic+collage.004-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLdhAgwGPm6SQE03CPkwqRNMV3TsEteTXvD74EQY9Lq6HYBfkhu63FcKEr25XUbTxGYEsAILliT5wwxdy8bZO_qZSTtVmMMWCciY3sGJ78BRm-rDJ8HHu2HpRRIzszKsp4Zp5pjqKJLMA/s1600/bake+cake+pic+collage.004-001.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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My students enjoyed bringing in their materials and taking pictures for their procedure, however, in some cases it was difficult for students to bring in certain objects (either because they were too big, valuable or fragile). In this case, using pictures from the web made it feasible for students to write about ANY topic they were passionate about!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwb7ulLZLT4QHLjrTUR5R_MXEu8c8ft_mNWoSLNsNyACzD_AClefVDS9VBRn9vsydCx-BX37vinJ4OYmxcwWbLZvtgllt6CY9mhZDwkYo9mz_JE_22ItYjqBGa9sbmsdJKtX0eTl2UOio/s1600/bake+cake+pic+collage.005-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwb7ulLZLT4QHLjrTUR5R_MXEu8c8ft_mNWoSLNsNyACzD_AClefVDS9VBRn9vsydCx-BX37vinJ4OYmxcwWbLZvtgllt6CY9mhZDwkYo9mz_JE_22ItYjqBGa9sbmsdJKtX0eTl2UOio/s1600/bake+cake+pic+collage.005-001.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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I whipped up a quick example to show you how easy it is to use this app. Here's my procedure on "How to Bake a Cake".</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyFIQefo4O0aLTtm-FW0BYMWX8B_M4FoZLcAheqJyRYPmbWLIl4meuA9KUr4s1jLeRW2cCwiEXKFhhi8xnS4-0YWktB8nLul0J15GMX6-TZIGkx4HBlfbwzEQKQ0Zi5XaF4UNn2OSFkwg/s1600/bake+cake+pic+collage.006-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyFIQefo4O0aLTtm-FW0BYMWX8B_M4FoZLcAheqJyRYPmbWLIl4meuA9KUr4s1jLeRW2cCwiEXKFhhi8xnS4-0YWktB8nLul0J15GMX6-TZIGkx4HBlfbwzEQKQ0Zi5XaF4UNn2OSFkwg/s1600/bake+cake+pic+collage.006-001.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Notice the search bar. Just type in what you need an image for, and voila, you have loads of images to choose from! Alternatively, you can take your own pictures and easily select images from the camera roll.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQTBroMwPYwesrxqHtJlZ26cmStlhS7VTi96k1AriAn1rckvZuNPUhH3O3b5kvWqnej9eXgrtJRUA_S_hhTM7tJRXgp2sjz3UnmDfLapmTkFogMY2kDlp5Vs-heLqkDjsF3eBgKOJyct8/s1600/bake+cake+pic+collage.007-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQTBroMwPYwesrxqHtJlZ26cmStlhS7VTi96k1AriAn1rckvZuNPUhH3O3b5kvWqnej9eXgrtJRUA_S_hhTM7tJRXgp2sjz3UnmDfLapmTkFogMY2kDlp5Vs-heLqkDjsF3eBgKOJyct8/s1600/bake+cake+pic+collage.007-001.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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If you make a mistake, its easy to drag and drop the images right where you need them. You can change the layout mid-way if you realize that you need to add more steps or that you prefer another layout.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOux4y5MAZyd42cpOjPjkFCB_DMSbiMGG5ei-CZqCNl7syAACM5GiK_H5szecqutM7Baye2KQS6zQYhpl-ZAE4dcuyjOsnf2kFYzg9oYyKAGGHaJGEyoJSQDMT3eecRoSLrm8OGT5XXx4/s1600/bake+cake+pic+collage.008-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOux4y5MAZyd42cpOjPjkFCB_DMSbiMGG5ei-CZqCNl7syAACM5GiK_H5szecqutM7Baye2KQS6zQYhpl-ZAE4dcuyjOsnf2kFYzg9oYyKAGGHaJGEyoJSQDMT3eecRoSLrm8OGT5XXx4/s1600/bake+cake+pic+collage.008-001.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Once the images are in place, students can type in their procedure! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRMqi2BZZ-NeFsU7cHI2ApfkGQIgSJ2Ra1BbXFlRIUpbSVZp4b6al6NTGhAI-K3ZW9UWITRhahtxbYgQi3t_2hJ8XyAGIHcFF_1dRZI3dWlVlwBEDCf-lxdpkaGB2lr1Krx9YtPwTnb8I/s1600/bake+cake+pic+collage.009-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRMqi2BZZ-NeFsU7cHI2ApfkGQIgSJ2Ra1BbXFlRIUpbSVZp4b6al6NTGhAI-K3ZW9UWITRhahtxbYgQi3t_2hJ8XyAGIHcFF_1dRZI3dWlVlwBEDCf-lxdpkaGB2lr1Krx9YtPwTnb8I/s1600/bake+cake+pic+collage.009-001.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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They can play around with the style, size and color of the fonts!</div>
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To teach your students about all the functions in the app, have them click on the question mark at the top. This is what will pop up: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw0TwQ1JisvLpQCT2OQObqXzYYjDfMpek6dN2UNfvRicc8Ix_n_VShlHv0tKlpH9HhRRqfzCGVLG6Z5jJJFCeVZ305UjcYUxPlaZu6bthFU99ro9bBtUWS5R_xbAi2Vk0TYhwj88cHqmo/s1600/bake+cake+pic+collage.010-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw0TwQ1JisvLpQCT2OQObqXzYYjDfMpek6dN2UNfvRicc8Ix_n_VShlHv0tKlpH9HhRRqfzCGVLG6Z5jJJFCeVZ305UjcYUxPlaZu6bthFU99ro9bBtUWS5R_xbAi2Vk0TYhwj88cHqmo/s1600/bake+cake+pic+collage.010-001.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<br />
NOW for your chance to WIN AN iPAD mini!!!<br />
<span style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.81px; line-height: 13.96px;">This giveaway is only open to teachers (classroom and homeschool) who are living in the United States or Canada. The winning entry will be verified and proof of eligibility may be required. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica";"><br /></span>
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Contest starts September 26th and ends September 29th.<br />
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Enter to win by following my store (around 10 choices down)! Follow my Lesson Deli pals as well to increase your chances of winning!! Good luck!</h3>
<span style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.81px; line-height: 13.96px;"><br /></span>
<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/4abf5e7815/" id="rc-4abf5e7815" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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<!-- end InLinkz script -Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08244106952513172261noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-205158527992270844.post-84874614284648074642014-08-21T00:00:00.000-04:002016-02-21T22:03:52.803-05:00Technology Thursday: QR Code Basics<div style="text-align: center;">
QR codes are starting to pop up everywhere... they are even being added to classroom resources as a way to make learning a bit more engaging.</div>
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They might seem a bit intimidating at first but they really are simple to use <i>and</i> create!</div>
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HOW TO SCAN A QR CODE:</div>
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STEP 1: Download a QR reader onto your device. The one I currently have is </div>
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{<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/quick-scan-qr-code-reader/id483336864?mt=8" target="_blank">Quick Scan - QR Code Reader</a>}</div>
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<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/quick-scan-qr-code-reader/id483336864?mt=8" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrT2f7fvhRQpvu8nTO8AHuzCGRyhjj6I2owWzvDDlOMjpRQ3GzH5goyNxr32n-d76DctYmJHu-pLTsY8FZNf-LSNi9QVkKYrmNB_vuYIp0AmVzGmkR-ixFHGCmhUq8YctmsHyFPXwfYFo/s1600/imgres.jpg" width="224" /></a></div>
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STEP 2: Scan the code. </div>
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Tip: You need a steady hand while holding the item with a QR code on it.</div>
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It might be easier to lay it on a flat surface.</div>
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I really like this app because it keeps track of all the QR codes you've scanned. </div>
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Simply click on the history button (the clock type button next to the star).</div>
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You can also bookmark your favorite links!</div>
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HOW TO CREATE A QR CODE:</div>
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It is SO simple. Seriously. If you can copy a link and press enter then you can create a QR code. I'm not kidding. (A lot of people are surprised when I tell them that it's really that easy!)</div>
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Before we start, get yourself onto a good 'QR code generating' website. </div>
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I like<a href="http://www.qrstuff.com/" target="_blank"> QRStuff.com</a></div>
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<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo3yLSPl4hHcK3fTs1oAEGiCseyjBxmaeUYWK16bwPT779dJCVzR3y9JGj_dFCEuwPQtWz9ZXJvfNAGWsJrePelrb2XTXSt65j27viCQSCtG_X5osL9MxqD9fZ21XYgAdyRGa7wTr7ZQM/s1600/qr+code+create.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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STEP 1: Decide what you want your QR code to link to. </div>
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There are lots of options to choose from.</div>
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STEP 2: If you are linking to a website, just copy and paste the link. </div>
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If you want the QR code to link to a page of text, simply copy and past the text. </div>
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Whichever option you choose, this site will let you know what you need to provide (link, text, etc.)</div>
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STEP 3: Click 'Download QR code"</div>
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You could add a step in between and change the foreground color, but you really don't need to do this.</div>
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So there you have it. QR codes. Easy!</div>
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Now that you know how to scan and create QR codes, you might be wondering how this relates to the classroom... </div>
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Check back for my next Tech Thursday post when I'll delve deeper into this.</div>
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Until next time, happy scanning!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08244106952513172261noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-205158527992270844.post-22899707092586880332014-08-14T10:33:00.000-04:002016-02-21T22:05:51.254-05:00Technology Thursday: Speech App<div style="text-align: center;">
I am thrilled to be linking up with <a href="http://teachingtrio.blogspot.ca/">Teaching Trio</a> for Technology Thursday!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKi7WCotxzfp_EV5H7zExZDottGqRVSOoFA2io1g6B7pwRz5eYvN8F5IhpIetOOSGIjLJUB2DjMYb8lJB1OS7O9AO1HgXT-6CDj6b3nrtEoMjKt0nY-D-v-m7Kp8l06Y4PBP07PtO2rSc/s1600/Technology+Thursday.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKi7WCotxzfp_EV5H7zExZDottGqRVSOoFA2io1g6B7pwRz5eYvN8F5IhpIetOOSGIjLJUB2DjMYb8lJB1OS7O9AO1HgXT-6CDj6b3nrtEoMjKt0nY-D-v-m7Kp8l06Y4PBP07PtO2rSc/s1600/Technology+Thursday.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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I am addicted to iPad apps and just love incorporating them into my lessons.<br />
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However, since I'm still on summer holidays and not really in "school mode" yet, I am going to focus on an app that I've been using with my son this summer. (By the way, I have a TON of great app/tech recommendations for teachers, so check back each Thursday for new ideas!)<br />
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<img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsx5QydwDVcfyK8URzmctY-8Vzy-VnjGeMqqoiU06bpJvzXcsIhUvRgE-rseZ1COXM25aywTmc9YyovJU6Lbm90xSG4vAhIfl-JlB5n2s1mll75DjVl0Tv8bC5TuOvZomk08KY7UCDdEA/s1600/Blends.png" width="200" /></div>
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<a href="http://smalltalk%20consonant%20blends%20by%20lingraphica/">Small Talk Consonant Blends By Lingraphica</a></div>
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At first glance, it might seem like the app I'm about to introduce is an unusual choice. </div>
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Let's see... some reasons would include:<br />
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1. <span style="color: red;">It is intended for patients with aphasia</span> (a disorder that affects one's ability to process and use language<span style="color: #656565; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , "clean" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 25.200000762939453px;">)</span></span>. The most common cause of aphasia is <span style="color: red;">stroke</span> and it often occurs in <span style="color: red;">older folks</span>! </div>
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2. It's<b> </b><span style="color: red;">not a game</span>. You don't earn points. You would think that this app would be the last thing a child would want to "play" on their iPad.</div>
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It's a good thing that I have an open mind and an eye for effective teaching strategies (if I do say so myself!) otherwise I would have skipped right past this awesome app!</div>
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So let me begin by saying my son is 4... he does not have aphasia nor does he have any issues processing or using language. BUT, I figured if this app is good enough for the elderly suffering from a pretty serious speech disorder... it would be perfect for teaching anyone with a speech issue (serious or not)!</div>
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Now, my son has an outstanding vocabulary and he enjoys telling stories! All in all his language skills are advanced for his age. [You can check out this {<a href="http://cinnamonssynonyms.blogspot.ca/2014/07/3-ways-to-expand-childs-vocabulary.html">previous post</a>} to see what I mean]. But he is having some issues pronouncing certain blends. Hubby has an Australian accent, so for the longest time, we couldn't figure out if this had something to do with our son dropping random consonants. For example, our boy will say mirra instead of mirror, which is fine (and pretty darn adorable), but I've noticed that there are other sounds he seems to have issues with... like his "s" blends. These blends can't be attributed to the accent... so I figured it was time to nip things in the bud.</div>
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I downloaded the app because the title made me think it would be a perfect fit for my son (it's called "Consonant Blends") AND it was <span style="color: red;">free</span> (yay for free apps!). I was expecting a fun kids app that would teach blends using games with bright, engaging colors.</div>
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When the app started, I thought, oh dear...he's not going to want to do this. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfSudJBoNwv-UupWaaF2O-el6U-FRbnd7gRp-8XqGgOrbRadwZKZy7fB12OWh3WTi5tntNCMaS45tnG8JolDk1XUgkcqe5zOiVH8eyreZyCdf4Yc9vc7fa6u1tJi5LCb0jC3690EFRIE4/s1600/Tech+Thursday+-+:br:.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfSudJBoNwv-UupWaaF2O-el6U-FRbnd7gRp-8XqGgOrbRadwZKZy7fB12OWh3WTi5tntNCMaS45tnG8JolDk1XUgkcqe5zOiVH8eyreZyCdf4Yc9vc7fa6u1tJi5LCb0jC3690EFRIE4/s1600/Tech+Thursday+-+:br:.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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But I was wrong. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilpjmXJKQn5x4dsHKmOpnBiTPEm0_bYq5lnBL28-AhoL1kMNsQadkUeAd505FLWKEtwYkFk3F2NaKVbyVZpmjhr0SWCf39C5V8bBMn-1TQZOGA3rjtwQWFscmssQjREGNPcYN4hDd3l3M/s1600/tech+thurs+-+speech+blog+post.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilpjmXJKQn5x4dsHKmOpnBiTPEm0_bYq5lnBL28-AhoL1kMNsQadkUeAd505FLWKEtwYkFk3F2NaKVbyVZpmjhr0SWCf39C5V8bBMn-1TQZOGA3rjtwQWFscmssQjREGNPcYN4hDd3l3M/s1600/tech+thurs+-+speech+blog+post.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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My son happily flipped through the screens to practise new blends. It was a lot more engaging than having his mother repeat: "Look at my mouth. Look where I'm putting my tongue. Look carefully. Are you looking? Stop looking at the cat outside the window! LOOK at my MOUTH!!!". </div>
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But, you put a random person's enlarged mouth on an app, and that's it, the kid blocks out the world and is focused on how <i>she</i> is modeling the sound. Fine, don't listen to your mother! Listen to <i>this random lady </i>instead! :'( (Hem hem... "rejected mother rant" over.)</div>
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I think, for my little man, being in control of how long <i>he</i> wants to spend on each blend is what makes this app so attractive. He can tap the screen if <i>he </i>wants to see and hear the sound being modeled again. <i>He </i>can choose to practice blends he's good at when he's tired of practicing the trickier ones. He can interact with the app by swiping, tapping, listening, watching. All of this is much more exciting than listening to his mother (*sniff*). But hey, I am just relieved that he's so engaged when using this app... that it's working...and that he is happy to spend 5-7 minutes a day practising his blends. I am truly shocked at how well this app has worked out!</div>
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The lessons here: </div>
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1. Try using apps that are intended for other purposes/audiences. You might just discover an innovative approach to teaching an everyday concept. I think you'll be surprised!</div>
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2. Sometimes it's not all about games and high scores. I think kids are motivated by being in control. Having the freedom to choose what they learn and when, is very empowering. Being able to choose when to move on to trickier skills (ie. when <i>the child</i> feels ready) or being able to review skills that have already been mastered, allows a child to set his/her own pace. </div>
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3. Although I was doing the exact same thing as the model in the app when trying to teach my son how to say certain blends, my son would never have been able to study the nuances of where to place his tongue or how to shape his mouth as clearly as the app demonstrates. The third lesson then: Don't underestimate just how effective some of these seemingly 'simple' apps can be. </div>
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If you have a student who is struggling with pronouncing blends correctly, try this app. I noticed a huge improvement in my son and I highly recommend it! Within a week he was calling Pider Man, Spider Man and now we're moving on to changing 'fruck' (which can sometimes sound like something else) to truck!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0nSTQnu_vtoLSMfJet65NEk191kI1UIRLozKzfkJZL1SZs4txR6v-9juZ1Q4auVwOcJ5xYUEsQgxWIX-gS5IZm-7khuvgHrgUxV8s6lsvwqgCAK8JraWNZoi9yxcuHo-d2G96lO0MpkA/s1600/Build+Positive+Self-Talk+(2).png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0nSTQnu_vtoLSMfJet65NEk191kI1UIRLozKzfkJZL1SZs4txR6v-9juZ1Q4auVwOcJ5xYUEsQgxWIX-gS5IZm-7khuvgHrgUxV8s6lsvwqgCAK8JraWNZoi9yxcuHo-d2G96lO0MpkA/s1600/Build+Positive+Self-Talk+(2).png" width="426" /></a></div>
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Check out {<a href="http://www.aphasia.com/products/apps">this link</a>} to learn about other speech and language apps!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08244106952513172261noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-205158527992270844.post-25436599990639844152014-08-04T03:00:00.000-04:002016-02-21T22:07:16.152-05:00Classroom Management Tips<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large; font-weight: normal; text-align: left;">Using Positive Reinforcement to Manage your Class </span></h3>
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<span class="s2">I have been teaching for ten years now, and I have to say, it took me a while to realize that it couldn’t be sheer luck that year after year I keep getting blessed with a “good class”... I would even dare to say, the “<u>best</u> class ever... in the <i>history</i> of classes!”. </span></div>
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<span class="s2">Seriously, each and every year teachers will comment on how lucky I am to have such a well behaved group. Each year, substitute teachers come by my room to let me know just how much they love covering my class because my students are always so respectful and responsible. </span></div>
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<span class="s2">After years of being "lucky", I realized that there was something that I was doing that just seemed to work like magic! It had nothing to do with luck at all.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>It’s my raffle system! </b></span><br />
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WHO doesn't love being entered into a raffle? The anticipation of winning something...anything... gets folks of ANY age excited! That's why this strategy works so well..with <i>any</i> grade!<br />
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I have shared this strategy with many of my teacher friends but noticed that some were having more success than others. I came to the conclusion that knowing <u><b><i>how</i></b></u> to implement the system is a crucial element... because as B.F Skinner said:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuq3VrXPgyplIj82vjVmh_B-KF43ZvhJ1jDq2_1HBDIX4tfVRjcsQIJdrkC3WViBkbSoK1BL4R9Xx__Lc2kt86MJYgo8MysN4efLZ2h2Gj0E1LNe7G0JGHl5zAPLnsctRHX3fYPIDc8YTk/s1600/skinner+quote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuq3VrXPgyplIj82vjVmh_B-KF43ZvhJ1jDq2_1HBDIX4tfVRjcsQIJdrkC3WViBkbSoK1BL4R9Xx__Lc2kt86MJYgo8MysN4efLZ2h2Gj0E1LNe7G0JGHl5zAPLnsctRHX3fYPIDc8YTk/s1600/skinner+quote.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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For those of you who are new to this idea, here's an explanation of the raffle system in a nutshell: Every time you catch your students following expectations and behaving appropriately, you give them a raffle. The raffle is put into a raffle box and at the end of the day, there is a draw. The selected students win a prize! You will be surprised that the prize actually doesn't have to be that big - it's all about pairing the prize with praise and words of affirmation. </div>
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The best part? Setting up the raffles can be as low prep as you want it to be. Simply cut or tear paper into strips that are long enough for students to write their name on and use any old container as a raffle box. That's it. Done!</div>
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<b><span style="color: #333333;">But, I like taking it one step further by</span><span style="color: #0b5394;"> </span>integrating<span style="color: #990000;"> <a href="http://cinnamonssynonyms.blogspot.ca/2014/08/using-raffles-to-teach-character.html">character education</a>, <a href="http://cinnamonssynonyms.blogspot.ca/2014/10/drawing-self-portraits-and-building.html">building positive self talk,</a> </span>as well as vocabulary building <span style="color: #333333;">into my raffles. </span></b><br />
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<span class="s2"></span>Ok so now for the HOW:</div>
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1. Do not give <i>any</i> attention to negative behaviors.</div>
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2. Instead, focus your attention on the kids who are doing the right thing and praise the heck out of them.</div>
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3. Be generous with raffles when your goal is to change a specific behavior</div>
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4. Be unpredictable.</div>
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5. Pair the prize with praise. This is MORE important than the actual prize itself.<br />
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The main purpose of a raffle system is to <b>change disruptive behaviors</b> into <b>behaviors you want to see more of. </b></div>
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<b>1. </b>DO NOT GIVE ANY ATTENTION TO NEGATIVE BEHAVIORS. </h3>
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<span class="s2">Don’t even acknowledge these behaviors for a second. By giving these kids attention for misbehaving, guess what's going to happen? More misbehaving! In my class, I want to teach my students that they will ONLY get my attention for positive behaviors (such as being respectful, responsible, inclusive, caring, etc.). As soon as I see someone behaving in a way that I’m <u>not</u> pleased with I <u>immediately</u> find someone who <b>IS </b>behaving the way I expect...and I reinforce that child<b> </b>right away. I do not make mention of the misbehaving child. It seems counter intuitive but it works! </span></div>
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2. PRAISE THE HECK OUT OF THE KIDS WHO ARE DOING THE RIGHT THING!:</h3>
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<span class="s2">It’s so important to pair the idea of each raffle with lots of positive words. Your students need to build an association between this raffle and your praise. By doing this you are also helping them expand their vocabulary (ie. if you are mindful to use a variety of adjectives to describe how fantastic they are!).</span><br />
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<span class="s2">Instantly, you will see everyone wanting to change their behavior so that they can win a raffle too. It causes a ripple effect. Students quickly realize that the only way to get the attention they desire is to demonstrate positive behaviors.</span></div>
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<span class="s2" style="color: #333333;">But this can </span><span class="s1" style="color: #333333;">ONLY work</span><span class="s2"><b style="color: #333333;"> </b><span style="color: #333333;">if you </span><span style="color: #990000;"><b>keep</b> <b>focusing on the positive behaviors</b>.</span><span style="color: #333333;"> This is, at times, easier said then done, hence my reason for stressing this point so much.</span></span></div>
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3. BE GENEROUS WITH RAFFLES WHEN YOUR GOAL IS TO CHANGE A SPECIFIC BEHAVIOR </h3>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: #333333;">In the beginning of the school year I have my work cut out for me. Kids will test what they can get away with so it is important to implement this system </span><b><span style="color: #990000;">right away</span></b><span style="color: #333333;">. (But don’t stress if it’s the middle of the year and you’re reading this - better late than never I say!)</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Last school year, I remember my chatty lil monkeys would take for. ev. er. to trickle into the classroom after recess. I get it, recess is exciting, there’s so much fun to be had, and every kid wants it to linger for as long as possible. But I don't have time for time wasters and this is a behavior I like to nip in the bud right away.</span></div>
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<span class="s2" style="color: #990000;"><b>This is how ‘being generous’ works:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2">(Let’s take the classic “taking forever to come into class after recess scenario”)</span></div>
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First, I let my students know what my expectation is and that I will be handing out raffles to the first 5 kids who come into class as soon as the bell rings.<br />
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<span class="s2">On day one, I’ll give out <b>a bunch </b>(ie. 3 or more) of raffles to the first 5 students to come in from recess promptly. Now the 6th kid in might feel a bit bummed - but guess what - tomorrow, he’s going to be even quicker. The seventh or eighth kid to enter the class is also thinking ‘hey I was pretty close too... that darn chatterbox beside me... tomorrow I’m going to ignore her so I can get a bunch of raffles too”. For the first little while I will give out 3,4 or 5 raffles to the first several kids. Gradually, I'll reduce it.</span></div>
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<span class="s2">Before you know it, the whole class is trickling in around the same time. At this point I don’t need to hand out so many raffles anymore. Heck, I might not even give out raffles at all for this behavior once it has been changed. </span><br />
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<span class="s2">On occassion, I will hand out raffles here and there, just to keep the positive behaviors continuing.</span></div>
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4. BE UNPREDICTABLE!</h3>
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<span class="s2">Usually, I give my kiddos a heads up as to how many raffles I will be giving out and for what behavior... but sometimes I will make it completely spontaneous. T</span><span class="s1">his just keeps them on their toes. For instance, let's say homework was assigned over the weekend and <u>only two</u> students handed it in. Even though I didn’t announce that students would receive raffles for completing homework, I will give these two superstars a bunch</span><span class="s2"> of raffles (3 or more) just to make a point! It rewards the kids who are responsible and shows the rest of the class that they just never know when they might get rewarded! </span><br />
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It might seem like homework has nothing to do with classroom management, but it does. If I don't have to waste precious class time chasing up notes, homework, trip money etc. this results in a smooth flowing morning (the time when I get students to hand this stuff in)! A smooth flowing morning sets the tone for the rest of the day!<br />
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5. THE PRIZE ISN’T AS IMPORTANT AS YOU THINK</h3>
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<span class="s2">It’s really not necessary to go out and buy a whole bunch of goodies from the store. In fact I think the smaller the prize the better. This is because the prize shouldn’t be the focus. It’s your constant praise, attention and encouragement that your students value (and need) the most!</span></div>
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6. BE SPECIFIC:</h3>
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<span class="s2">When I hand out the raffles I try to remember to be very specific about the behavior I am reinforcing. </span></div>
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<span class="s2" style="color: #333333;">Up until last year, I used to get kids to write their names on regular old paper that I had cut into rectangles. This worked fine to a degree, but I found that when I asked the raffle winners to recall what they won the raffle for, sometimes they would forget, or it would take them a while to remember. I needed to tweak my system...and so I did! </span><br />
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<span class="s2" style="color: #333333;">My new system can be used for:</span><span class="s2" style="color: #262626;"> </span><span style="font-family: "droid sans"; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24.96000099182129px;"><a href="http://cinnamonssynonyms.blogspot.ca/2014/08/using-raffles-to-teach-character.html">character education</a></span><span style="font-family: "droid sans"; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24.96000099182129px;">,</span><span style="font-family: "droid sans"; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24.96000099182129px;"> story writing, </span><span style="font-family: "droid sans"; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24.96000099182129px;"><a href="http://cinnamonssynonyms.blogspot.ca/2014/10/drawing-self-portraits-and-building.html">building self esteem</a></span><span style="font-family: "droid sans"; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24.96000099182129px;">, </span><span style="font-family: "droid sans"; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24.96000099182129px;">building a positive classroom climate</span><span style="font-family: "droid sans"; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24.96000099182129px;">, and </span><span style="font-family: "droid sans"; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24.96000099182129px;"><a href="http://cinnamonssynonyms.blogspot.ca/2014/10/drawing-self-portraits-and-building.html">developing positive self-talk</a></span><span style="font-family: "droid sans"; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24.96000099182129px;"><a href="http://cinnamonssynonyms.blogspot.ca/2014/10/drawing-self-portraits-and-building.html"> </a>in children...</span><span style="font-family: "droid sans"; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24.96000099182129px;">all while building vocabulary too</span><span style="font-family: "droid sans"; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24.96000099182129px;">! </span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333;">This is just a sneak peak at what's inside my prize pack. <b><i>(Update: this giveaway is now over). Click <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Classroom-Management-Raffle-System-Character-Education-Positive-Reinforcement-1367557" target="_blank">HERE </a>if you would like to learn more about it. </i></b></span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-205158527992270844.post-24525025088406776312014-08-03T09:43:00.001-04:002016-02-21T22:07:58.385-05:00Using Raffles to Teach Character EducationIn my district, Character Education has become as important as teaching literacy. Each month we have a Character Education assembly to recognize students who have demonstrated specific character traits in an exemplary way. We focus on one of the following character traits: <span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">1. Caring </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">2. Cooperative </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">3. Honest </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">4. Inclusive </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">5. Respectful and </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">6. Responsible</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
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Although there are definitely many more character traits one could add to this list, these six <span style="font-family: inherit;">attributes were selected <span style="background-color: white;">through consultation with students, staff, community members and faith groups in order to form a </span><span style="background-color: white;">manageable number of traits that everyone felt were most important.</span></span><br />
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In my class, I use raffles as a way to positively reinforce my students - doing this really helps with my classroom management. You can read more about <i>how</i> I use raffles to manage my class {<a href="http://cinnamonssynonyms.blogspot.ca/2014/08/blasting-back-to-school-giveaway-and.html" target="_blank">here</a>}, but for now, I'll be focusing on how I integrate character education and vocabulary building into my raffle system. <br />
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Last year, it occurred to me that I should start handing out raffles that were geared towards the 6 character traits our school focuses on. <br />
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I spiced up my system even further by adding synonyms for each character trait onto character education/raffle posters!<br />
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I love using these posters because it reminds me to be <i>very specific</i> when handing out raffles. The synonyms for each character trait are also a great visual for my students and exposes them to a wide range of vocabulary. What a great gift to give our students - these words of positive affirmation! This is SO powerful because when we use these words to describe our students... THEY start to use these words to describe themselves. This in turn shapes and molds their thoughts and opinions about themselves.. <i>which then</i> inspires and develops into positive self-talk and increased self-esteem! When faced with a challenge, a child might think to himself: "Yes, I can do this! I am a determined person". They start to use this vocabulary to deal with challenging moments that rely on CHARACTER!<br />
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So many WINS here! Can you see why I'm so excited about this!<br />
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An added bonus: Students can also refer to these posters during story writing when they might want to think of adjectives to describe the characters in their story. Boy do I have a ton of ideas on how to use these posters for writing - another blog post, another day - promise.<br />
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My raffle system used to be <u>very low key</u>. I'd cut (sometimes even just tear) sheets of scrap paper, put them in a basket and my students would grab one of these wonky shaped rectangles to put their names on. <br />
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The old way:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw4NT4tIepdbZ5umf3pK0rsezAqELynLakPfAiRUd8IB54Y4fPLMbSOEL9y0i1lQQFMdc_bIMPqWJEmUCgcnEE407weqIXZU10Rpw3fFoSdKLryR8wCY92ET9VauPsJMSHxahlaU6-aoBr/s1600/Untitled+design+(4).png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw4NT4tIepdbZ5umf3pK0rsezAqELynLakPfAiRUd8IB54Y4fPLMbSOEL9y0i1lQQFMdc_bIMPqWJEmUCgcnEE407weqIXZU10Rpw3fFoSdKLryR8wCY92ET9VauPsJMSHxahlaU6-aoBr/s1600/Untitled+design+(4).png" width="400" /></a></div>
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This worked fine. I mean it did the trick in terms of being an amazing classroom management strategy! <u>BUT</u>, I found that when I did my draw and asked my raffle winners what they won the raffle for, (I wanted them to reflect and recall what they did to deserve it), it would take them a while to recall why the raffle was given to them. I would then remind them by saying something like, "You were so cooperative during group work today...remember?"... to which they would reply, "Oh yeah!". <i>NOW</i>, I don't have to worry about reminding them. The character trait on the raffle is that reminder!<br />
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PLUS, they can take the raffles home and show parents/guardians how awesome they were in school that day. What a great way to keep on-going communication with parents!<br />
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<span class="s2" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20px;">Students can also keep track of the number of raffles they win by using this graph. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT0Lzy3EtglVrazUQVDLdPvrUUCie6LSfoNetxkgFsOipKoIGntFCY0YWDl0cscQc7KIwI91qqdeubOsS5N686A1pMn0W4ptR_Edshysi4dWrjcJq0gbo-_s_wZUy6rZFXhsjtcRf1uyOg/s1600/Untitled+design+(6).png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT0Lzy3EtglVrazUQVDLdPvrUUCie6LSfoNetxkgFsOipKoIGntFCY0YWDl0cscQc7KIwI91qqdeubOsS5N686A1pMn0W4ptR_Edshysi4dWrjcJq0gbo-_s_wZUy6rZFXhsjtcRf1uyOg/s1600/Untitled+design+(6).png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Although "Perseverance" is not on our school's list, I created this as my 7th set because this one is an important one to me. I really want my students to know that it's not about being the best reader or strongest mathematician. Perseverance is <i>way</i> more important. I try to reinforce this character trait as often as possible!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFq0AeQdM6s4CXkHO4Mm4Jy8U2wSvjdI5CkniZfv3NSTVAQPjo2SWZvCOlRPUK33gHP1ITODtZNvUA1MILNdOKOJXqbuAlPRadapmQXw9isReVE5kXhyphenhyphenrwa33MV_FW_fuZMPUq_LU6EFl8/s1600/Untitled+design+(7).png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFq0AeQdM6s4CXkHO4Mm4Jy8U2wSvjdI5CkniZfv3NSTVAQPjo2SWZvCOlRPUK33gHP1ITODtZNvUA1MILNdOKOJXqbuAlPRadapmQXw9isReVE5kXhyphenhyphenrwa33MV_FW_fuZMPUq_LU6EFl8/s1600/Untitled+design+(7).png" width="400" /></a></div>
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The 8th set I created is blank because sometimes there are other traits I'd like to recognize when I see it! Having a blank one gives me the freedom to still reward students for demonstrating these other traits.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">My Awards:</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqzlICfZqm1P9RkjO2y3geqUmtKPg1LsyhqIBm6QFy85v8eB-REJN6cmLeVlErnVwoY7sfKlB0DYV6RpUK-NcVjwEaZI-cOUSF7e3tzoNYQ8SBc21bWdNdx8feGypOty5tS1BQKpppKYjy/s1600/Untitled+design+(8).png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqzlICfZqm1P9RkjO2y3geqUmtKPg1LsyhqIBm6QFy85v8eB-REJN6cmLeVlErnVwoY7sfKlB0DYV6RpUK-NcVjwEaZI-cOUSF7e3tzoNYQ8SBc21bWdNdx8feGypOty5tS1BQKpppKYjy/s1600/Untitled+design+(8).png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>Note: I realize that some of these pictures could be better. Looks like I'll need to schedule a picture re-take day! </i><br />
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As I mentioned at the start of this post, our school has an awards assembly where students are recognized for demonstrating character. I just thought it would be so cute to hand out awards in the shape of a raffle as well. Plus, during the awards assembly, we usually select 1 or 2 award winners, but often times I just want to give it to each and every kid in my class... and now I can!! Once you start reinforcing positive behaviors, you start seeing MORE of it ... to the point that it becomes very difficult to select just one or two winners!<br />
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I can't stress how much I love my system. It is so much more than just a classroom management tool. It's a tool for:<span style="color: red;"> </span><span style="color: #b45f06;">character education</span>,<span style="color: lime;"> </span><span style="color: #a64d79;">writing stories</span>, <span style="color: #6fa8dc;">building self esteem</span>, <span style="color: #bf9000;">building a positive classroom climate</span>, and <span style="color: #38761d;">developing positive self-talk</span> in children... <span style="color: red;">all while building vocabulary too</span>! That's pretty darn spectacular!<br />
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To purchase this Classroom Management Raffle System, click {<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Classroom-Management-Positive-Reinforcement-Character-Education-Raffles-1367557" target="_blank">here</a>}</div>
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<img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb0o378F9OoIqoeYJnieiDsThy2abB2zH5qJfFTlR7vuzTgtHyW9chdjLVtMGPtQlrczh2aq3NSR6blnmLmGwekmRh2wzAHZ894_RufEVWOR_0klxhM_zQAfcDbf92yDO77SFFxUeuvG_U/s1600/Positive+Reinforcement+Character+Education+.001-001.jpg" width="640" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-205158527992270844.post-82454173662478708432014-07-22T20:28:00.001-04:002016-02-21T22:11:03.257-05:003 Ways to Expand a Child's Vocabulary<br />
I can't believe my little baby is off to Kindergarten in just 6 weeks. Wow! Time really does fly! I think he's ready for school ...and has been for a long time now. He's as social as the most extroverted butterfly and he loves to learn!! <br />
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Judging by his preschool report card I think his teacher feels the same way!<br />
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Now, before I go on, I have to apologize in advance if sharing this pic comes off as me bragging about my clever little boy... I'm only sharing his preschool report card here because it inspired me to write this post!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUdtNzmxYjIgYEYZVcgKvVrNi6VP4UF0vxaNfL_oYYAfZmKsx_-DljAH3B3YgDdgLEgVGAX4D_WZNqVqaWGK12Rlhh0mlAt4O7QNgF0EiJTFFJPykEj_-AAC2QYdLdLUqiZ72XgnrEu5I/s1600/Sandon+report+card+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUdtNzmxYjIgYEYZVcgKvVrNi6VP4UF0vxaNfL_oYYAfZmKsx_-DljAH3B3YgDdgLEgVGAX4D_WZNqVqaWGK12Rlhh0mlAt4O7QNgF0EiJTFFJPykEj_-AAC2QYdLdLUqiZ72XgnrEu5I/s1600/Sandon+report+card+pic.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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My son's teacher has no idea about my <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Adjectives-Shades-of-Meaning-Picture-Thesaurus-Bundle-1353091" target="_blank">Picture Thesauruses </a>or that I've been working on my Cinnamon's Synonym's app, so it meant so much to me that this comment came from a place of unbiased observation. Now, you're probably thinking: Does this girl just shove all these words down her son's throat to make him sound "smart"? No. That couldn't be farther from the truth. In fact, when I read this comment, I was a bit surprised myself because it's not like I set time aside every day and say, "Ok kid, let's learn some new words". Bah, how boring would that be!!<br />
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This report card comment made me ask myself, "<i>what <u><b>was</b></u> I doing right?<b>!</b></i>" because I didn't really think I was doing anything extraordinary (or at least not consciously).<br />
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Here's what I think contributes to my boy's incredible vocabulary and I encourage you to try these tips with your own kids whether they are your students or your own children.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">1. Read to them... a lot. </span></b><br />
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I spend a lot of time reading to my boy. When I was a stay at home mom, I remember spending hours curled up in his bed with him, reading until I needed the nap more than he did. We all know the importance of reading to children, so I won't go into too much detail about this one. But I will say, his love of reading and listening to stories has definitely impacted his vocabulary.<br />
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Here's an interesting infographic for you to ponder:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfwy4yAIyghyphenhyphen082Aunf6hggNXXr-QFd50ey1OLU7iTczoPbKkXXXTKUrBm8u2CuFJjBlza_PSO4futY3OEC8gDa_sFPIKoJD7fDhnTjT5AQfbctQv-3ocEr3Kqk4luSaho2Fj-hB39H_K_/s1600/importance+of+reading,+infographic.jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfwy4yAIyghyphenhyphen082Aunf6hggNXXr-QFd50ey1OLU7iTczoPbKkXXXTKUrBm8u2CuFJjBlza_PSO4futY3OEC8gDa_sFPIKoJD7fDhnTjT5AQfbctQv-3ocEr3Kqk4luSaho2Fj-hB39H_K_/s1600/importance+of+reading,+infographic.jpg.jpg" width="484" /></a></div>
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In my class, I work on building my students' stamina when it comes to reading. I will talk more about that in another post!<br />
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<b><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">2. Expose kids to "BIG" words when you communicate with them:</span></b><br />
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The second reason is significant because I don't think adults do this enough.<br />
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From the time my boy was an infant I NEVER dumbed things down for him. If he asked a question about something, I would explain my answer using adult terms. I do this in my teaching as well. Sure, I'll make the concept easier to attain by giving fun, relatable examples (usually by providing visuals), but the vocabulary I use remains the same. Some might think 'big words' are difficult for young kids to say but... think about the word Tyrannosaurus Rex!! I can barely even spell that word but I hear kids saying it <i>all the time</i>!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKyk09zS2vt4cUlW0z6hAoTb-FkXoosRZNUpimcUDdLFow8UOLXb67A6Kf411MCMWU9deRWQZAgQ0oxJhG40YD34JUlbE5Rm14-s7xtFfp4YOQIIH18EmYIBjoH9YtUMv9Lb8WbL6rm-Lv/s1600/Trex+quote+2+jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKyk09zS2vt4cUlW0z6hAoTb-FkXoosRZNUpimcUDdLFow8UOLXb67A6Kf411MCMWU9deRWQZAgQ0oxJhG40YD34JUlbE5Rm14-s7xtFfp4YOQIIH18EmYIBjoH9YtUMv9Lb8WbL6rm-Lv/s1600/Trex+quote+2+jpg.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">* this image can be found in my picture thesaurus "<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Adjectives-Big-Picture-Thesaurus-53-synonyms-1183299" target="_blank">Big</a>" - a word that kids tend to overuse a lot!</span></i></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">Tyrannosaurus Rex is also a tricky word to say (never mind spell), but kids as young as 2 or 3 know this word because they've been exposed to it so often. And </span>THAT's<span style="text-align: start;"> the key - <i>the more we expose young kids to 'big' words, the better!</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-size: large;"><b>3. <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Adjectives-Shades-of-Meaning-Picture-Thesaurus-Bundle-1353091">My Picture Thesauruses</a>.</b></span><br />
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Originally, the intended audience for <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Adjectives-Shades-of-Meaning-Picture-Thesaurus-Bundle-1353091">my books</a> never meant to include preschoolers, but after noticing how much my son loved looking at <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Adjectives-Shades-of-Meaning-Picture-Thesaurus-Bundle-1353091">the pictures</a> and hearing me talk about them, I realized these <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Adjectives-Shades-of-Meaning-Picture-Thesaurus-Bundle-1353091">books</a> could be used in a variety of ways and for a variety of ages (from preschool up to grades 5 or 6).<br />
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This realization happened by accident! <br />
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My kid LOVES to eat and he loves to eat as slow as a gastropod with a broken foot.<br />
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BUT, I never minded this because <b>a.</b> I'm a slow eater and I hate being rushed. <b>b. </b>Working on an ipad app is a long process... sneaking in time to work on my computer while I waited for my lil man to complete his 700 chews per bite kept me sane <b><i>and</i></b> productive!<br />
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Dinner time was the time I usually received final images from my illustrator. This was my chance to take a look and make notes of any edits I wanted to have done. As I'd open my e-mails, my lil man would eagerly turn the computer to face him too so he could take a look at the fun images. "Oooh, he likes them", I would think! "This is great! Market research right at my dining table". We would end up talking about the images... I would use the same <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Adjectives-Shades-of-Meaning-Picture-Thesaurus-Bundle-1353091" target="_blank">adjectives </a>listed in the books to orally describe what was happening in each picture and he would add his inferences to our dialogue.<br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Adjectives-Shades-of-Meaning-Picture-Thesaurus-Bundle-1353091"><img border="0" height="570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZuqD1sh8ZpOXlV7fNU8LomOGTLIZ4Yn3iZDVr-DThAj9g4PsyblEO9lTcmgxm9YeduwobfeYR4bcKmTRcivY6SFqJSn2ysfcCMpR_a8-8BN-BYKMmvWZ_5fZc-xVQPxoV_V3Z_jmd8KoI/s1600/mad+book.jpg.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I guess he really picked up a lot from these e-mail checking sessions. Sure, he can't read the <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Adjectives-Shades-of-Meaning-Picture-Thesaurus-Bundle-1353091">synonyms</a> in my books (and soon to be iPad app) yet, but reading pictures is one of the first stages of reading and my guy was doing a great job at that.<br />
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This made me realize that these books <i><b>can</b></i> be used at <i><b>any age</b></i>! Children who are still learning how to read can use the pictures to have oral discussions with an adult about the <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Adjectives-Shades-of-Meaning-Picture-Thesaurus-Bundle-1353091">shades of meaning </a>illustrated on each page and in each context. Then when they are older (and able to read fluently) they can interact with these books in other ways like using them as a thesaurus to replace boring words!<br />
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I love using <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Adjectives-Shades-of-Meaning-Picture-Thesaurus-Bundle-1353091">my books</a> to inspire kids to expand their vocabulary because they are always engaged when using them! Take a look at my freebie and try it yourself! Click {<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Adjectives-Shades-of-Meaning-for-Mad-1167403">here</a>}! I can guarantee you'll have as much fun looking at the pictures as your students or kids will!<br />
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The <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Adjectives-Shades-of-Meaning-Picture-Thesaurus-Bundle-1353091">complete bundle</a> has <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Adjectives-Shades-of-Meaning-Picture-Thesaurus-Bundle-1353091">20 picture thesauruses</a>!<br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Adjectives-Shades-of-Meaning-Picture-Thesaurus-Bundle-1353091" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLa_EE81AGK9Xt7tUAQWrb8boV4vxJ3IS3zBmNbWLa4kyXyhSijFT5lyN__FEJCroNGy3uepncCjquTCjNQBM-U1hvBOFmbTQoUJ6fBT034mpgg4zGFqOBwJQENWtGXLvhuoHDlBMrjTY/s1600/COVER+THUMB.001-001.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com41tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-205158527992270844.post-68511342353803311032014-07-09T16:17:00.003-04:002014-08-04T01:11:16.619-04:00Stay TunedMore info coming soon!<br />
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Thanks for stopping by!!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0