This How We Learn Mini-Poster helps introduce to students in beginning Dyslexia classes (such as MTA Kit 1 or Alphabet Phonics Schedule 1) the different ways people learn. ...

There are some lows and many highs with being a teacher. These are the top 100 things I've learned about being a teacher.

October 2017

How to spot dyscalculia

As a teacher you have many challenges that you face daily. Here are 5 articles to help you overcome these challenges.

ADHD is usually apparent from the first day of school, whereas dyslexia is often not recognized until fourth or fifth grade, when the shift is made from learning to read to reading to learn. How to tell the difference between ADD and its comorbid learning disabilities, and how to get help.

Preschool is that time and the age when kids are least bothered about their grades and are lost in their own world of exploration and learning. While they’re trying to make sense of the world around them, teachers play their crucial role as a guiding light that nurtures young

25 Reading Strategies That Work In Every Content Area Via Bookmarking Librarian

Writing correctly is very important for students. Punctuation and capitalization are important aspects when writing a text. Let´s practice it with this funny activities. Interactive activities

Preschool is that time and the age when kids are least bothered about their grades and are lost in their own world of exploration and learning. While they’re trying to make sense of the world around them, teachers play their crucial role as a guiding light that nurtures young

A perfect Diagnosing the Invisible Disabilities of children can make them Treatable effectively.

The schwa is the most common vowel sound. It is found in the unaccented (unstressed) syllable of a word. It makes the lazy short u sound.

We all know how important reading strategies are to becoming successful readers. My students struggle with many of the strategies. We would focus on one each week, and by the 3rd week, they couldn't remember the first strategy. I created this poster to post in the classroom as a reminder of the strategies. Now, this is not a "post it and ignore it" type of thing. I used it as I taught each strategy and I would refer back to it daily, until it became ingrained in their heads! I printed the poster on a small vistaprint banner. The printing came out fabulous and the vinyl of the banner means it will last for years to come! This could very easily be printed onto a bookmark for students to keep at their desks. Enjoy!

In our classroom we have been learning all about prepositions. I usually hate teaching grammar, but these hands-on reading units have made it so much more fun! Pinterest I started off by introducing prepositions with a song… These songs were PERFECT!! If you play them, be prepared for a classroom of little singers that will […]

How do we distinguish Asperger's from Austism? And how does it affect the learning experience of students? Learn from this infographic the basic characteristics/behavior of students with Asperger's.

We all know the importance of Algebra in mathematics. It grows as the classes go higher. Unfortunately, the truth is that a lot of students hate algebra. Most of them feel it is a huge burden to keep track of formulas and properties while applying logic to the question.

Inclusive education is finally starting to attract the attention it deserves in American public schools. Inclusion improves outcomes, fosters social and emotional development and equips students for life outside of school. Despite its value, however, school districts still claim challenges to implementing full inclusion. Talk of insufficient resources, ill-prepared staff and myths about inclusion still exist to create barriers. The good news is that there are ways to overcome these challenges and move towards inclusive schools in every community. Let’s explore some ways in which we can make inclusion become a reality. The first common challenge to overcome is debunking the myths and misunderstandings of inclusive education. We need to provide educators, schools and communities with accurate, up-to-date information. For example, inclusion is not a service or program that is offered to a group of students. It doesn’t happen in a classroom nor is it an instructional strategy. Inclusion is an attitude that determines how we interact with one another. It drives our desire to include every student, regardless of ability, in meaningful learning experiences alongside their peers. The website, Wrightslaw, is an excellent place to start learning and sharing accurate information about inclusion. Newsletters, Parent Night, teacher inservice and videos such as Including Isaac can also help relay the meaning of inclusion. Another challenge to inclusive education is belief that it works for students with and without special needs. The National Catholic Board on Full Inclusion has complied an extensive amount of research that that shows the many benefits of inclusion to both typically and non-typically developing students. For example, The National Institute of for Urban School Improvement found that, "Surveys conducted with parents and teachers involved in inclusive settings generally show that they see no harm to the non-disabled children and that they have positive opinions about inclusion. In fact, one survey of more than 300 parents of elementary-age children shows that 89 percent would enroll their children in an inclusive classroom again.” Furthermore, evidence reported by McGregor, G., & Vogelsberg, T. (1998) found that inclusion results in greater number of typical students making reading and math progress compared to non-inclusive general education classes, inclusion does not compromise general education students’ outcomes, typical peers benefit from involvement and relationships with students who have disabilities in inclusive settings, and the presence of students with disabilities in general education classrooms leads to new learning opportunities for typical students. According to Falvey (2004), “There have been no studies conducted since the late 1970’s that have shown an academic advantage for students with intellectual or other developmental disabilities educated in separate settings.” It is clear that inclusion can be a significant benefit to the entire school community. And, finally, the third most common challenge is understanding the mechanics of inclusion. Inclusion is like a car. There are many parts under the hood that work together to make it run smoothly. One of the most important parts is having the support of school administration and staff. The adults in the building help set the tone of an inclusive school - from the principal to the bus driver, the playground supervisor and the classroom teacher. They are friendly, welcoming and make inclusion a priority in all school activities. In fact, many inclusive schools institute a school-wide character education program, in which staff, students and families participate. This helps reinforce the common goal of inclusion. Another important aspect to inclusion is ensuring that the general education classroom is where a student receives the majority of his/her educational needs. Special Education teachers and Paraprofessionals offer their support, as outlined in the student’s IEP, while the classroom teacher makes accommodations and/or modifications to the curriculum. There may be some need for focussed instruction outside of the classroom, which usually happens during the least disruptive time of day. In addition to curriculum, materials and resources are made accessible to all students. Varying levels of text, visual supports, manipulatives and assistive technology are woven into the class program. For ways to implement these strategies, you can look to Brookes Publishing Company where there are a great selection of teacher guides for the inclusive classroom. Lastly, inclusion involves the work of parents and families. Communication between home and school is essential to making sure the student is learning and thriving in the classroom. It should be a consistent, pro-active arrangement where information is shared between the family and classroom teacher, that is for the benefit of the child. Depending on the child’s needs, daily, weekly or monthly updates is required beyond the yearly IEP meetings. Setting up lines of communication such as email, a “communication book” or phone calls, can facilitate an on-going conversation about the child’s progress, challenges and needs. Inclusive education is a belief system that values a child’s abilities first, not their disabilities. Because it involves the entire school community, there are challenges that can be faced. However, knowledge, discussion, access to resources and support, along with ongoing communication, can help those challenges feel surmountable. Children of all abilities can then truly have equal access to a free and appropriate education. Staub, Deb. "Inclusion and the Other Kids." National Institute for Urban School Improvement, 2005. Web. 25 May 2015. . McGregor, G., & Vogelsberg, T. (1998). Inclusive schooling practices: Pedagogical and research foundations. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes. Falvey, M. (2004). Towards realizing the influence of “Toward realization of the least restrictive environments for severely disabled students.” Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 29(1), 9-10.

Learn the traits that might indicate dyslexia in students and what you can do inside and outside the classroom to better support these students.

This blog post discusses the importance of making predictions with problem solving. Students make predictions with evidence before they solve the problem.

People often find the distinction between metaphors and similes a difficult concept to master. Teaching these subjects using fun activities makes the challenging topic easier to learn. These activities do not take much preparation, but get your whole class or group involved. Be sure to provide your students with lots ...

This really is probably going to be the most disjointed blog post ever! There were a few different education and non-education topics swirling around in my head, and I'm just going to lump them all into one post. I haven't blogged in a bit for no good reason than it is summer, and I'm being a bit lazy. Every morning, this is the plan: But, then I get distracted. One of my biggest distractions this summer has been this little app: Yes, that devilish little Kindle app on my iPhone! It has been so nice to have time to read fluff. I am still in the middle of two different professional books, but I just lost interest for a bit. I might need to delete this app for a couple of weeks so I can get something done! Like blogging and working on my TpT stuff. Figuring out this whole Tpt thing was is one of my goals this summer. I have some things I want to get done, but the time-suck that is my Kindle app has been getting the best of me. It was so fun seeing all the pics of bloggers who attended the Tpt gathering (convention?) in Vegas last week. It looked like so much fun. I've been reading lots of blog posts on it, and I have yet to hear of anyone that didn't have a great time, meet some amazing bloggers, and learn lots of helpful tips. In fact, I posted this pic on my Instagram account during the festivities. More on Instagram later! My goal is that by next year my Tpt store will be up and running and I will attend the next gathering One thing I am getting done is summer school. I have the best group of kids this year! I truly love them to pieces. They are so sweet, just really nice children who are willing to learn. No attitudes! They really make heading to work on nice, sunny, beach days not so bad. And, there are only 7 of them which has let me get so much done. My summer friends will be entering 4th grade in September but have reading levels 1-2 years below that. One thing I learned right away is that they are unfamiliar with the most basic of affixes. I know they were taught them in 3rd grade, but the recall is not there at all. So, when deciding what to do with them for word study this summer, affixes it is! I wanted to get the most bang for my buck. They certainly need help with spelling patterns, but as soon-to-be-4th-graders I feel mastering some basic affixes will help them more with decoding the grade level words they will encounter. For visuals with my lessons, I've been using this beach themed packet of 31 different prefixes and suffixes by Rachael Parlett that I found on Teachers Pay Teachers. It is awesome. And, free! She actually has this same pack available in different themes (pirates, jungle, Hollywood, and more) along with other for sale resources that compliment them. We've been doing one a day. I write the affix down, and then I give the kids a basic word that has that affix. I then let them try to figure out what it means. Once they do, we write the definition on the chart we've glued in our notebook. We then work together to brainstorm a list of words. After that, they select a word and use it in a sentence that shows they know the meaning of the word. Finally, they sketch a quick picture showing their sentence. This form is another freebie I also found on Teachers Pay Teachers created by Gaily Girl. It's a pack of various materials, including this chart/organizer. I will say that I did tweak it a bit, but it is essentially the same. I just changed the font, made one line dotted, and changed the center box to put in the particular affixes we are using. The form is editable, so it was easy to do. I only have my friends for five short weeks this summer, so we are spending two weeks on prefixes, two on suffixes (there they are below, ready to go!) and on our last week we will be combining the two. The best part of it all is that I can really see this clicking for the kids. They are using the new words they learned in our conversation and have stopped me during our read aloud more than once to point out that I said a word that had a prefix we learned. Score!!! After summer school today, I went to my school to grab some materials from our supply room. If you are not a teacher and wonder what schools look like during the summer, here it is! I really feel for our custodians in the summer. Our school is not air conditioned, and it is hot as blazes in that building. They are busy clearing out the classrooms, stripping and freshly waxing floors, cleaning the rooms, making repairs, and actually working to retile some classrooms this year. It is hot and sweaty work! They have to empty every room, do all that work, and then put it all back again. But, it all very much appreciated when we come back to shiny, clean classrooms in September! So, frozen peas. Yup, that's me driving home from school last week with a bag of frozen peas on my knee. At dismissal last Thursday, I tripped on some uneven sidewalk and did a full-on face plant (really more of a knee injury) in front of all the summer school staff, students, and parents. It was so bad, I literally couldn't get up for a minute. I was going to post a picture of my knee today, but it is so ugly I didn't want to subject you to it! It is blue, green, purple, black, red, yellow, and every other color you can imagine. I honestly can't believe how bad the bruise is. It is still really sore, but I'm just glad I didn't break anything. And to prove how sweet my kids are this summer, I can't begin to tell you how upset they got when I fell. I was so busy reassuring them that I was fine that it wasn't until after they were all gone that I realized how bad it was. To keep on with this disjointed post. . . I might be mildly obsessed with getting some Jamberry nails. I'm seeing them all over the web. When I first heard of them, I thought I could just pick them up in the store. But, I think it is some kind of home party sales thing. I do see though that I can order some on their website. They aren't cheap, but I think it would be a fun treat. Have to look in to this some more! Do any of you do Jamberry nails? How do you like them? Where do you get them? My other mild obsession this summer has been banana frozen yogurt. I tell you this for no reason other than I feel more people need to know about banana frozen yogurt. (You know I'm an elementary school teacher because I can't even type the word banana without thinking of Minions and laughing!) I posted this picture of some on Instagram a few days ago. It was a bit disappointing due to the lack of toppings. Notice there aren't really any? I wanted some fresh fruit, and there was none! When is the last time you went to a fro yo shop that had no fresh fruit?!! Speaking of Instagram, I have just started using my blog Instagram. I find I am much more of an Instagram person than a Facebook person. I use FB in my personal life for friends and family, but I find it really difficult to switch back and forth between my blog FB page and my personal FB page. As a result, I sort of don't pay any attention to my blog FB page which isn't good. Some of you have been so nice to follow me on it which means you are probably on it more than I am! However, I find it much easier to blend my personal and blog Instagram in one. I think I'm more of a visual person and just find Instagram more appealing. I need to add an Instagram link to my buttons up top, but you can find me HERE. I've only posted a few pics, but I think IG is one social media I will keep up with. So, that's my disjointed post. Which seems about right for summer blogging! :-)

Kinesthetic learners like to be active, and become easily bored in a traditional classroom. Here are 14 strategies for kinesthetic learners.

Grammar exercises for 1st and 2nd-grade children. It's a useful resource for grammar assessment, and help child build association between symbols and grammar rules, colour code help develops a strong impression of grammar symbols in child's mind. This activity is also useful for children with dyslex...

What is dyslexia? Learn the signs, causes, and how you can help. Dyslexia is a learning disabiltiy that makes it difficult to read and spell.

Web accessibility doesn't only extend to color blind users, but dyslexic users too. Dyslexia is a learning disability that impairs a person's fluency or accuracy in being able to read, write, and spell [10]. As designers, we can help dyslexic users read text better by avoiding the bad design practices that hurt them. Seeing things […]

In my Orton Gillingham journey I’ve heard some who use the word CLOVER to teach syllable types. In the class I took, the word to remember syllable types is REVLOC. The reason for using REVLOC is that this is the order of the syllable for labeling. CLOVER may be an actual word, but REVLOC will […]

This week I tried something new with the vocabulary in the story. I got the idea at a First Grade Conference in December. The student writes the vocabulary word in the middle of the sheet and then there are four things to do with the word. We completed two of the boxes together as a class and they finished the last two boxes independently. The kiddos sure had a great grasp of the vocabulary after this. When we read the story they had fantastic comprehension.

Preschool is that time and the age when kids are least bothered about their grades and are lost in their own world of exploration and learning. While they’re trying to make sense of the world around them, teachers play their crucial role as a guiding light that nurtures young

Preschool is that time and the age when kids are least bothered about their grades and are lost in their own world of exploration and learning. While they’re trying to make sense of the world around them, teachers play their crucial role as a guiding light that nurtures young

Preschool is that time and the age when kids are least bothered about their grades and are lost in their own world of exploration and learning. While they’re trying to make sense of the world around them, teachers play their crucial role as a guiding light that nurtures young

Relatives Review on this blog Relatives who, which, that, when and where in jokes Practise: ISL COLLECTIVE Lots of onli...

I was talking with a student recently about the word family built on the base . We created this word sum: . I asked him to look at the word and t…