Just recently I had the opportunity to recall the best teaching advice I’ve ever been given. And, surprisingly, it came while I was babysitting my godson. I have spent tons of time with him and his parents, but this was the first time I had him all to myself. I looked forward to it all week. I planned games, picked out books to read, and bought a new box of crayons. I was all set! But within 15 minutes of his arrival, I realized my sweet little godson had turned into a not-so-sweet little monster. I tried both reasoning with him and diverting his attention. I even threatened to call his parents. (He knew I was bluffing!) Finally it hit me…my very smart godson was testing me, and I had fallen into his trap. That’s when I heard the voice of my mentor teacher saying, “Always start out firm to show your students you are in charge. You can always ease up later. But if you let them run over you from the beginning, you’ll have a hard time gaining control later.” I know she was right because this advice helped me with my students. But for some reason I hadn’t applied the same learning to my godson. I was eventually able to gain some control back that afternoon, but I have to admit the day could have gone better.

So what about you? What’s your best teaching advice? I’d love to know…it just might help me next time I babysit my godson!

8 Comments | Subscribe |  Email This

Hollywood is at it again! This time they have chosen to make a screen adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. I’ll admit it: I cannot wait to see what the moviemakers do with this rollicking story. I have wonderful memories of Max and his wild pals. My mom read this story to me again and again. I read it to my younger brother and then, years later, shared it with my students. This is one you just can’t keep to yourself!

If your students haven’t heard the book before, what are you waiting for? Read it to them today! Or if they have heard it, why not read it again? A good story just can’t be heard often enough. Then use the activities in this post to enrich your students’ experience and prepare them for the movie.

A Wordless Rumpus

No words are spoken as Max and the wild things frolic during the rumpus. But no doubt the characters are thinking a variety of wild thoughts! After a first reading, direct students’ attention to the wordless pages. Welcome students’ ideas about why the author-illustrator designed the pages so that there is no text and the illustrations are full-size. Then explain that students are going to give voice to the characters’ thoughts.

Place the book and a supply of large sticky notes at a center. When a child visits the center, she studies the wordless pages. She writes on a sticky note what a chosen character might be thinking and then places her sticky note on the appropriate page. Near the end of each day, remove the labeled notes and display them on a poster. Return the book to the center for more thought-provoking responses! (The Mailbox, grades K-1,  Dec./Jan. 2004-5)

Max in Action

Max’s actions are a very important part of this spirited story. Review the book and encourage students to describe the things Max does. Write each action on a sentences strip. Next, display the strips and ask volunteers to put them in sequential order using the book as a reference. Then direct each child to select a trio of sequential sentences and write them on a 12″ x 18″ sheet of construction paper, trifolded as shown. Ask the child to draw and color a picture for each sentence; then have her share her sequence of story scenes with the class. Aren’t Max’s actions interesting? (Reading & Writing With Picture Books, grade 1)

Scare Tactics

From roaring their terrible roars to rolling their terrible eyes, the wild things react to Max’s arrival and departure in exactly the same way. Perhaps they could spice up their repertoire of actions with suggestions from your youngsters! Revisit the book with students and review the wild things’ response to Max when he arrives and leaves. Then give each student a 12″ x 18″ sheet of drawing paper and a copy of the prompt shown.

Ask each youngster to complete his sentence to tell how he would act fiercely if he were a wild thing. Have him glue his sentence near the bottom of his paper and draw a picture of this wild thing in action. Then invite students to share their wild ideas! (The Mailbox, grades K-1, Dec./Jan. 2004-5)

Wild Thing Puppet

Materials for one puppet:

1½ paper plates, two 2″ x 4″ gray construction paper rectangles, two 2″ construction paper squares, 2½” construction paper square, 2″ x 9″ construction paper rectangle, several dried lima beans, crayons, scissors, glue, and stapler

Steps:

1. Cut a circle from each 2″ paper square to make two eyes. Use crayons to add pupils. Glue the eyes to the rounded side of the whole paper plate.

2. Cut a nose from the 2½” construction paper square. Glue it in place on the plate.

3. Draw a mouth. Glue on lima beans for teeth.

4. Cut two horns from the gray construction paper rectangles. Staple them to the back of the plate.

5. Tear or cut the 2″ x 9″ construction paper rectangle into strips to make hair. Glue the strips in place.

6. Staple the paper plate half to the back of the project as shown. (The Mailbox, primary, Aug./Sept. 2002)

Still looking for more? Try this page from the grade 1 Teacher’s Helper magazine, Oct./Nov. 2000.

Leave a comment and let me know how much your students enjoy these fun ideas and activities. And if you see the movie, come back and let me know what you think.

Now pass the popcorn, please!

Hope

7 Comments | Subscribe |  Email This

While I was watching TV last week, commercials for a community fair reminded me of the county fairs I grew up with. The county fair is a pretty big deal in my hometown. Everyone goes. As a kid, going to the county fair was the highlight of the fall. A day at the fair started something like this: waiting outside the exhibit hall while the judges made their decisions, rushing in the minute the doors opened, checking our projects, and making a quick ribbon count before heading over to ogle the supersize vegetables and spot the grand prize winners. The rest of the day was spent hanging out at the animal exhibits, riding carnival rides, and eating fair food. (You know—cotton candy and ice cream cones.) The fair’s not a very big part of my life now, but I wouldn’t trade the memories for anything. Is the county, regional, or state fair important to your community, to you, or to your students? I’d love to hear about it!

9 Comments | Subscribe |  Email This

Several minutes ago, as I was pondering an appropriate topic for this blog post, I heard a squeal of alarm from Brenda, the editor in the cubicle next to mine. Because anyone squealing in the workplace is intriguing, I jumped up to see what was the matter. I found Brenda staring at her computer screen in horror. All the images were no longer in the normal direction. They had, in fact, rotated. So in order to see her screen as normal, she would have to lie in front of her computer on her left side. I thought this was hysterically funny. Other editors started to gather, and when the laughter died down, we all began throwing out suggestions for correcting her screen malfunction. Nothing worked and we all felt clueless. It took a technology-savvy coworker to solve the problem.

Technology, it seems, has the power to render everyone clueless from time to time. Do you feel that you have a firm grasp of all things computer-related or do you occasionally want to take a bat to your printer/scanner/fax machine? Do you incorporate technology into your classroom with great joy? Or do you do so grudgingly, knowing that it will cause you headaches? Drop me a line and tell me about technology in your life.

All the best!

Kim

14 Comments | Subscribe |  Email This

During a recent conversation with my brother, he mentioned that he was in charge of getting my third-grade niece, Carly, to school by 9:00 the next day. Since I’m settled at my desk by 7:30 most days, 9:00 seemed like a late start to me. But then, thinking about my teaching days, my start times definitely varied. At one school, students rolled in at 7:45. I taught at another school where half the class arrived at 8:00 and the other half was expected by 8:50. (Their release times were also staggered.) At still another school, the day officially began with the 9:15 bell. While there were surely advantages to each schedule, as a morning person I definitely preferred the earlier start times. Earlier start meant earlier dismissal, perfect for my energy levels. For some of my students, though, it meant more time in afterschool care, while for others it created ample time to complete homework before sports practice.

What about you and your students? Do you notice a change in energy levels during the day? Do your start and dismissal times affect your planning or your use of parent volunteers?

17 Comments | Subscribe |  Email This

If you’re a regular blog reader, you know how much I love teachers. Usually, when I meet someone new, I can tell within a few minutes whether the person is a teacher. Teachers are just special like nobody else I know. What can I say? Who else can appreciate a teacher’s job the way teachers do?

Hey, let’s take a step back today and look at the fun, humorous side of teaching. Let’s tell some sweet, positive stories that only teachers will understand. We know who we are and what we do! Let’s hear it for teachers!

To start, I’ll modify a prompt from a famous comedian: You might be a teacher if…

• You tell your husband to use his “inside voice.”
• Your Christmas tree is covered with handmade ornaments–that were made by other people’s children.
• You tell strangers to spit out their gum.
• When you’re in the mall and a child runs by you, you stop him and tell him to walk.
• You can’t remember the last time you read a book that didn’t have pictures in it.
• When you’re in a store, you ask people not to cut in line.

Get the idea? Let’s have fun and share a giggle!

Your admiring blog host,

Hope

58 Comments | Subscribe |  Email This

I love good news; don’t you? My motto is “Bring it on!” I mean, really, can there ever be too much good news? My challenge has always been taking the time to notice the good stuff and then finding the time to share it with others. I still remember the first year I started sharing good news with my students’ parents. At the time, phone calls were the standard method of communicating; and unfortunately a phone call from the teacher signaled trouble at school. Parents were taken back by my good-news calls at first. However, they quickly warmed up to the practice, and students thought the calls very cool indeed. As a teacher, I learned that parents who received good-news calls were more willing to trust my observations when difficult conversations were needed. And that was a big bonus for me! I could go on and on about the greatness of good news, but I won’t. Instead I’ll challenge each of you to send a good-news email to a friend, a colleague, or one of your students’ parents. After you press “send,” take a moment to appreciate how great you feel. Are you hooked on sharing good news? I sure hope so!

Until next time,
Diane

12 Comments | Subscribe |  Email This

Recently, a coworker and I were chatting about some magazine spot art. At one point I said, “Yes, I knew that because my dad used to raise guinea pigs,” and I waited for my coworker’s response about the art. But he wasn’t looking at the art anymore; he was looking at me. “Your dad raised…guinea pigs? Are you being serious?”

“Oh yeah,” I said, “at one time we had over 200 living in our garage.” When I saw his odd look, I stopped talking and ran the conversation back through my brain. Then I thought to myself, “Hmmmm…maybe this sounds kind of strange. I mean, not everybody has a father who raised guinea pigs, I guess.”

As I made my way back to my desk, I was blushing furiously. But I was also thinking about teachers. (I love teachers!) For some reason, my mind immediately connected the incident with teaching. Why? Well, think of it this way: We know that teachers have the challenge of understanding and reaching different learning styles. But they also spend every day bringing together 20–30 individuals who each have different backgrounds and different experiences. Some are only children and others are from large families. Some may have lived in many different states while others may have lived in the same house all their lives. And one child may even spend half an hour or so each evening helping her dad fill water bottles for guinea pig cages!

Think of the challenge of bringing these kids to a common ground! But also think of what these kids can learn from each other. Wow, don’t you think teachers have the most awesome, exciting job ever? I do!

Congratulations to Rhonda Brown of Messiah Lutheran Preschool in Fort Wayne, Indiana. She is the winner of a copy of one of the books from our Mix & Match Games series.

26 Comments | Subscribe |  Email This

As I look about my office, I notice a lot of piles. There are piles of folders, piles of ideas, and piles of miscellaneous things that need to be sorted into other piles. I’m sure some of my coworkers are horrified at my haphazard organizational system. It isn’t that I don’t want to have everything in its place; I really do! However, my brain doesn’t seem to function that way.

The one time I always had everything organized and as neat as a pin was at the beginning of the school year. Of course, my organized room would slowly disintegrate into my more typical piling method. Do you consider yourself well organized? Are you consistently neat and tidy or do you lean a bit more toward my method of organization? Do you feel that your home and classroom are both organized or does one suffer? Drop me a line and let me know!

Your slightly disorganized blog host,
Kim

Congratulations to Rhonda Brown of Messiah Lutheran Preschool in Fort Wayne, Indiana. She is the winner of a copy of one of the books from our Mix & Match Games series.

63 Comments | Subscribe |  Email This

Do you tweet? Do you post? Can’t stop taking those crazy quizzes on Facebook? I know I answered yes to all the above. I must say, within the last year, I’ve become hooked on Facebook and have recently spread my addiction to Twitter. How did I learn about Ted Kennedy’s passing? By following Ann Curry from the Today show on Twitter. How did I know when Top Chef was returning to TV? The Top Chef fan page on Facebook told me.

I’ve come to rely on these social networking sites to keep me up-to-date on important events. (Okay, so maybe the premiere of Top Chef is not earth-shattering news.) What social sites do you turn to? Who are your favorites to follow? If you haven’t yet, we’d love for you to become our fan on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Congratulations to Linda S. of Rio Rancho, NM! She is the winner of a copy of the Social Skills for Little Learners book.

27 Comments | Subscribe |  Email This