Subject: T2T DIGEST (#659, 1/11/98) from Teachnet.Com Date: Sun, 11 Jan 1998 09:16:23 -0600 (CST) From: "Teacher-2-Teacher DIGEST" Reply-To: ------TOPICS IN THIS DIGEST------ 1. A Martin Luther King Treasure Trove 2. Re: Children's Lit. sites 3. Creative Connections 4. Re: fraction ideas 5. Re: fraction ideas 6. Re: fraction ideas 7. Hero poem and suggestion 8. Authentic learning 9. testing and assessments 10. Re: testing and assessments 11. Re: testing and assessments 12. Re: Tools 13. Re: White Board Clean Up 14. Re: White Board Clean Up 15. Writing a resume 16. 100th Day of School --------------------------------- 1. From: Maggie Lee Costa Subject: A Martin Luther King Treasure Trove Thanks to all who submitted grand ideas for MLK Day. Here's my contribution: http://www.kjchallenge.org Go there! You'll find an amazingly complete website designed to engage children and teachers in acts of kindness and justice. Have fun exploring this one! Do so quickly, because there are some deadlines involved if you wish to participate. If someone else has already shared this, sorry-- I missed it. All the Best, Maggie Lee Costa ------------------------- 2. From: Becky Pyle Subject: Re: Children's Lit. sites This is a great site:. http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/index.html Becky Pyle becky@foryou.net Urbana, OH ------------------------- 3. From: "Paul Hurteau" Subject: Creative Connections After teaching English and Science for several years in Kenya, East Africa and the Amazon rain forest region of Ecuador, I have recently returned to the US classroom (in the field of Arts in Education) and have created a language arts based Web site for teachers and students based on my experiences overseas. The site, called 'Let's Go!: Around the World' and accessible at http://www.ccph.com, features 'Great Learning Adventures' (field trips, safaris...) for students and 'Curriculum Connections' pages for teachers linking site content to the math, science and social studies curriculums. The site is brand new and I am seeking feedback from fellow educators before trying to promote it on a broader scale. I will use your input to make it a better classroom tool. Any response will be greatly appreciated. I hope you and your students enjoy the site and find it to be a valuable resource. Thank you. Paul Hurteau Creative Connections 89 Bath St. #2 Ballston Spa, NY 12020 E-mail: ph@ccph.com Web site: http://www.ccph.com ------------------------- 4. From: Marasloan Subject: Re: fraction ideas >I want to do a hands on (FUN) beginning lesson on fractions with them. I >have >thought of everything from cooking to bingo games and I haven't >decided on >anything yet. I need to impress this man!!! Any ideas that anyone has as to >what I can do with the kids would be greatly appreciated! The class hasn't >done fractions yet, so I want to stay as primary as possible. I've used graham crackers to introduce halves and fourths with my LD students. The perforations make it easy for them to see, plus they get to eat them when the lesson is over with. I have them describe what they see to start with. Then we get into how they could divide it into 2 equal pieces and talk about how those would be called halves. Then we talk about dividing it between 4 people and how those would be called fourths. I also show how 2/4 are equal to 1/2. ------------------------- 5. From: Jason Ferguson Subject: Re: fraction ideas >The observation is on Jan 20, 98. I will be teaching my former third grade >students. I can choose any subject area and I have decided to go with math. >I want to do a hands on (FUN) beginning lesson on fractions with them. I have >thought of everything from cooking to bingo games and I haven't decided on >anything yet. I need to impress this man!!! I have used Ed Emberley's Picture Pie book as an intro lesson on fractions with 2nd and 3rd graders. I first make a poster using one of the colorful designs in the book to use half-way through the lesson. The first part of the lesson is a paper-tearing activity in which students identify halves, fourths, eighths, and sixteenths. We do some simple trading, problem solving, estimating, etc. during the paper-tearing activity. Then I show my poster. Students are able to identify halves, fourths, etc in the design (the pieces they have just torn look like the pie shaped pieces in the poster design) and 2nd graders can even add up the fractions to determine how many whole circles I used in each color to make the design (I coach them using the circles we have torn previously). Then I introduce the book. . . there is very little to read. . . it is a design book and needs to be shown. I provide students with several pre-cut circles in colorful paper and they create their own designs, labeling the fractions and the sums. This lesson does take more than one class period. Beth Ferguson ------------------------- 6. From: "elwood@fast.net" Subject: Re: fraction ideas Here's a way to introduce fractions... Buy a few Hershey chocolate bars...the ones that are divided up into pieces (regular sized bars break into 12 equal pieces). Write fractions on the board starting with 1/2 and continue on with smaller fractions. Ask the students to pick what fraction of the candy bar they want. Usually hte first to volunteer will pick the 1/12 because 12 is a bigger number. Let other students pick how much they want. Usually the person who picked 1/12 will want to really learn those fractions when they someone get 1/2 of a candy bar. ------------------------- 7. From: SKasse Subject: Hero poem and suggestion Thank you for all who wrote asking for the poem about heroes. There were over 20! If I didn't get to everyone, I'm sorry, and will post the poem here. From: Staci from Medford I also suggest you trying to find Jonathon SproutÌs C.D. ÏHeroesÓ This is a great album, from a talented performer out of NJ. He also has a web site. Have a good week everyone! The book is called The ChildrenÌs Book of Heroes by William J. Bennett. The poem is Our Heroes by Phoebe Cary Seeing what is right and doing it, even though the world tempts you to do something else, is the mark of moral courage. HereÌs a hand to the boys who has courage To do what he knows to be right; When he falls in the way of temptation, He has a hard battle to fight. Who strives against self and his comrades Will find a most powerful foe. All honor to him if he conquers A cheer for the boy who says, ÏNo!Ó ThereÌs many a battle fought daily The world knows nothing about; ThereÌs many a brave little soldier Whose strength puts a legion to rout. And he who fights sin single-handed Is more of a hero, I say, Than he who leads soldiers to battle And conquers by arms in the fray. Be steadfast, my boy, when youÌre tempted To do what you know to be right. Stand firm by the colors of manhood, and you will oÌercome in the fight. The ÏrightÓ be your battle cry ever In waging the warfare of life, And God, who knows who are the heroes Will give you the strength for the strife. ------------------------- 8. From: Judith Williams Subject: Authentic learning The middle school, where I teach, has used authentic learning in its curriculum for the past 4 years. We are very pleased with the expected and unexpected outcomes and would like to network with others using authentic learning so that we can have an exchange of ideas. Anyone using this, please email me. ------------------------- 9. From: Avi Alex Gold Subject: testing and assessments Help! I've got an interesting situation, some of the staff I work with have opinions about allowing students to retake tests. The literature says that it should be permitted. The feeling of the administration is that it is a good idea, but these particular staff members have the attitude that once and you're out! Any ideas to convince them otherwise? Reply soon please. Thanks ------------------------- 10. From: Katharine Subject: Re: testing and assessments Unfortunately, the only way some students will pass is by being allowed to retake tests. Should they all fail? I don't know. ------------------------- 11. From: Kerri Whitehead Subject: Re: testing and assessments Well, I think that you're bound to meet with opposition to re-takes when you **only** expect the student to re-take the test. According to Mastery Learning, students should re-take tests if they fail, beacuse they have not gained the information that they need to gain as is dictated by the curriculum. In other words, they haven't met the objectives of your lessons. Mastery Learning ***also states that students should not reatke without having participated in some form of correctives. Correctives may be as simple as correcting mistakes made on the first exam, and then telling where he or she received the information...ex: class notes 3/5/97, etc. They may also include students being reatught in a differnt modality or learning style. In order to convince your staff to allow students to reatke tests, I would probably tell you to ask them if good teaching means that only 1/2 of the class met the objective. And I would probably also ask them to reflect on their knowledge about learning styles. Did they present the materail in a variety of learning styles, or was it presented in only one? There, of course is always the issue of "in real life, you don't get a second chance..." Well, yes you do. My favorite example is the pilot. He practiced over and over in a simulator before being allowed to even fly a small plane. You want ***practiced*** people to be entering society. Not everyone is going to get it right the very first time, and not **anyone** should be expected to. Mastery learning is a lot of work, but it really increases the confidence of students. I make charts to show how many people got mastery on end of the unit tests. Mastery level is conitinuing to increase with each test given for many reasons, correctives are extra work, students know that I'm not just going to forget about them if they flunk a test--they know they'll be retaught, and so if they're just not studying, they start to!, plus students are probably getting used to my testing style and format, and to my teaching style. I'm going on and on--I apologize! KW ------------------------- 12. From: cscott12@sprynet.com Subject: Re: Tools I have a heavy duty stapler (1/4"-3/4" staples) that I use on paperback books and anything that is too thick for an ordinary stapler. As soon as I get new paperbacks, I staple them at the spine. No more pages falling out or covers coming off. These staplers tend to be a little expensive but Viking Office Products has one on sale this month for $19.95, regularly $64.95. 1-800-421-1222 I also use plastic crates in which I have hanging files. I give each child a number corresponding to their number in my grade book. I file everything according to number, that way I don't have to rename the files each year. I file correspondence concerning each child, midterm grades, behavior documentation, etc. In another crate I file creative writing samples. I file graded papers in another file, (these are sent home weekly). The children put their numbers on all their papers. This way the students (second grade) can help by filing papers. Charlotte Scott ------------------------- 13. From: Lise Subject: Re: White Board Clean Up Best thing to clean the whipe/white board is nail polish remover. Bats ------------------------- 14. From: "Lynda Reid" Subject: Re: White Board Clean Up I use a generic windex and an old towel. Works great. Lynda ------------------------- 15. From: "Jana Michelle Lippe" Subject: Writing a resume I am about to start my final semester of college, and am realizing that I really need to get on the ball if I want to find myself a job!! My first step is to write a resume, and I was wondering if anyone could point me towards a web site that outlines the correct format for teachers. If someone could send me a sample resume of their own, demonstrating a correct format, that would be great, too!! I'm also interested in cover letters--what do I need to say in a cover letter? A sample would be VERY helpful. Thanks a bunch Jana Lippe missschatter@rocketmail.com :) Jana S094215@huntcol.edu http://members.aol.com/suzyzoo/index.html "I can't believe the first time I looked into your eyes I didn't instantly know you were the man I'd spend my life with." Lois Lane, I 'VE GOT YOU UNDER MY SKIN ------------------------- 16. From: "Tammy" Subject: 100th Day of School ~~~~~~~Excuse the Cross Postings!~~~~~~~ Hi! The 100th Day of School is almost here! Have you been counting the days at your school to see how many days your students have attended? If you have, then visit our activity page about the 100th Day of School and see what other educators around the globe are doing. Included on this page are tips for Internet activities that you can do to celebrate this day. http://www.siec.k12.in.us/~west/100th.htm Enjoy! Tammy ********************************************** Tammy Payton First Grade Teacher and Web-Editor for Loogootee Elementary West Loogootee, Indiana 47553 http://www.siec.k12.in.us/~west/west.htm mailto:tpayton@dmrtc.net ----------END OF DIGEST---------- Teacher-2-Teacher Postings is a free service of Teachnet.Com Interactive Webforum at http://www.teachnet.com/t2t.html TO POST A MESSAGE: mailto:postings@teachnet.com SUBSCRIBING/UNSUBSCRIBING: http://www.teachnet.com/contact.html PROBLEMS OR HELPING TEACHNET FINANCIALLY: mailto:staff@teachnet.com ---------------------------------