Two weeks ago Sara revealed her perfectly styled kitchen. But today she is showing you how it really looks every day and how it functions (ideas ahead).
Did you know using a whole house paint color will help you create a cohesive flow throughout your entire home? Learn about my favorite colors!
Square Paneled Wall - This wall treatment works well in any space from your bedroom to dining room as well as with any decor style!
The hottest new way to update your kitchen cabinets is here - It's time to try this! In my last house, I painted my kitchen white and shared a tutorial on the best way to paint kitchen cabinets. And I still stand by that tutorial! But, I've also found an
8 of the best Ivar Ikea hack to radically transform this simple and classic Ikea piece. Now, you just need to choose...
I sommar har jag tagit väldigt många bilder från trädgården, för att kunna visa er resultatet av den stora trädgårdsförvandling som pågått de senaste två åren här på Solhaga. I några inlägg framöve…
Creating a warm and inspiring space for children to play, learn, and rest is key in nurturing their development. Every child's room is a canvas where creativity meets comfort. In this article, we will
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Consider your December lesson planning done! Christmas is a fun time for all involved, including teachers! If you're stumped for ideas on how you can bring the Christmas spirit into your English Language Arts class, here are a few ideas to help you get started. Fellow ELA teacher (and holiday guru) The Classroom Sparrow and I have compiled a list of of ideas to help you find the perfect match for your class. Use Christmas Topics to Practice Public Speaking Skills The Classroom Sparrow: Use these fun Christmas-themed topics to practice public speaking and debate-style skills in your classroom! Get your students moving by hanging up four signs that indicate the following: strongly agree, agree, strongly disagree, disagree. Present the following topics and let the discussion begin! Students should be prepared to share their reasons for their opinion selection, so they should choose their decision wisely. Discussion topic #1: Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays? Discussion topic #2: A real Christmas tree or an artificial tree? Discussion topic #3: Is re-gifting okay? Discussion topic #4: The angel or the star as the treetop? Discussion topic #5: Which is better, giving or getting? Why? Nonfiction Articles & Discussion: Giving to Charity Sara: Are millennials REALLY selfish, or are they the most giving generation to date? Has society gotten any better since Ebenezer Scrooge’s time, or would Dickens still judge us? Answer these questions (and squeeze in some holiday nonfiction reading) in a fun, 2-day reading Jigsaw! Even if your students have never read A Christmas Carol or seen any movie versions, they’ll still get into these debatable questions, reading three short articles as evidence before drawing final conclusions. Grab the download here! Whole-Class Christmas Activity The Classroom Sparrow: The last week of school before the Christmas break is tough. The students are excited and they seem to have trouble focusing on anything other than their school work. Why not challenge your students to work together to solve a variety of puzzles? Not only will they be working with their peers, it’s also an easy way to celebrate the season in your classroom. THEIR TASK: HELP! Santa accidentally locked himself in the toy workshop and he needs your help to get him out! But, before he can be freed from the workshop, you will have to successfully complete a series of tasks and challenges. Note: Aside from the materials that you would already have in your classroom (pencils, pens, scissors and colored pencils or crayons), no additional supplies are needed! These escape room-style games were created as a print-and-go resource, so no extra prep has to be done on your part. Read & Collaborate on a Classic Short Story Sara: Teach one of the most surprising classics of all time (“The Gift of the Magi”) with a no-prep mini-unit that’s a total win-win: students get to work with partners, and the teacher has less to grade! I’m obsessed with how many literary devices and skills can be accomplished in a short time with this story, and students ALWAYS have opinions about it… especially when we ask loaded questions like, “Who made the bigger sacrifice: Jim or Della?” Whether you use just parts of the unit or the whole thing, check out the collection of activities here! Reinforce Writing Skills Using Daily Christmas Prompts The Classroom Sparrow: A great way to establish a routine in any classroom is through the use of daily writing prompts/bell ringers. Not only are students practicing their writing daily, but they are also developing a standard in your class, which might also encourage students to arrive to class on time, prepared to write! You can easily incorporate the Christmas theme into an English class, by having your students respond to a Christmas-themed prompt during the weeks leading up to the holiday! Do a Dramatic Read-aloud Sara: Whether your students are in 6th grade or 12th, there’s a practical application for the letter “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus”. While reading it for comprehension skills is fine, another option is to get students to practice reading it out loud, focusing on the vocals of public speaking: inflection, speed, dramatic pauses, facial expressions, volume, etc. (It could also make for a fun popcorn reading!) Another option is to use it as the foundation for creative writing, asking students questions like What would YOU have said back to Virginia in 1897? What would you say to her if she were a little girl now? What do you agree and disagree with in The Sun’s letter back to her? Christmas Vacation Newspaper Article Writing The Classroom Sparrow: Get ready because Cousin Eddie is on his way! Are your Christmas vacations Griswold-worthy? Have your students share their memories about their winter holiday vacations, while at the same time, learning the proper format of a newspaper article. An actual 'vacation’; however, is not required for this activity. Students can write about a past vacation or make up details about a vacation that could possibly occur over their winter holiday break. Grab this FREE resource HERE! Meet Writing Standards & Genres with Holiday Prompts Sara: December is a great time to get a snapshot of how students are doing across different genres (and see how they’ve grown since you started teaching them). Make that process fun with this set of 40 prompts, a rubric, story starters, and a brainstorming sheet! This set can take as little or as much time as you need it to, since you can decide how many total prompts students need to complete. Grab it here! Incorporate Holiday-Appropriate Short Stories, Poems, and Books The Classroom Sparrow: Another way to bring the Christmas spirit into your middle and high school English classes could be through the use of festive short stories and books during the month of December. Holiday-appropriate texts to use during the month of December: • A Christmas Carol (Charles Dickens) • Little Women (Louisa May Alcott) • The Little Match Girl (Hans Christian Andersen) • A Christmas Memory (Truman Capote) • ‘Twas the Night before Christmas (Clement Clarke Moore) Get ready for New Year’s Eve! Sara: Activities for New Year’s are a great option for right before winter break or right after it, and there’s SO much opportunity for reflecting on the past year and setting goals for the next one. For example, here are two free resources to ponder: Free Student Goals & Resolutions BINGO Free Reflection Writing Prompts: Count Down to Midnight! Have you tried any of these activities? Tell us about it in the comments!
Image 10 of 21 from gallery of House Schwab / Architekturbüro Huber. Photograph by Florian Holzherr
Image 1 of 18 from gallery of Rudolso House / Arnau estudi d'arquitectura. Photograph by Marc Torra
Sloped backyards are tricky when it comes to landscaping, but we have selected some really creative sloped backyard ideas on a budget for you to choose from.
Meséljétek el a mesét, aztán kérjétek meg a gyerkőcöt, rakja sorba a képeket a történet szerint! Ezzel a játékkal nemcsak a gondolkodása, emlékezete fejlődik, de a szókincse is gyarapodik.
Transform your boring walls with these beautiful wainscoting ideas! Whether you're drawn to classic paneling or modern designs, discover how wainscoting can add architectural interest to any room. #WainscotingIdeas #HomeDecor #DIYDesign
Square Paneled Wall - This wall treatment works well in any space from your bedroom to dining room as well as with any decor style!
In the next of our special nights where we will be tasting the delights of the different regions of Italy. Next we are visiting Umbria.
Are you tired of struggling to find your favorite shirt buried under a mountain of clothes? Are your shoes scattered everywhere, making it a challenge
Best IKEA Ivar hack. Or perhaps I should call it the most colourful, happy and simply the best IKEA Ivar hack. At least that Is what I think
European style in the mountains.
Se hur färgexperten och inredaren Sara Garnaty färgsatt sin lägenhet i enlighet med färgspykologi och metoden color-blocking.
I was desperate for a better way to teach grammar. On my end, I was overwhelmed with how much I needed to teach: how to get it all done and how to do so logically. For my students, I was concerned about their engagement (not tuning out or getting bored) AND how to ensure that they "got it". These worries are particularly valid if you KNOW your students have knowledge gaps, are going to need a LOT of practice, or aren't doing well with transferring knowledge into their writing. Solution: The Grammar House Cup (game) The idea for the GHC came partially from the "Grammar Olympics", a competition that I witnessed in another high school while student teaching. I decided to go with the Harry Potter theme instead and built my own game board system that differed from the Olympics' structure. The BENEFITS of the GHC game are: Clear organization of a single topic or unit (in the game board format) A "frame" or theme for the whole year Logical sequence of topics/units Increased student buy-in Increased student use of study tools and teacher-provided resources More students going "above and beyond" the minimum because they're motivated to earn points for their houses. The Basic Game Premise We have 4 houses of students (just like in Hogwarts). Students earn points for their house throughout the year, and whichever house has the most points at the end of the fourth quarter (end of the year) wins. Students earn points by completing tasks in the game board (see below). Sometimes the points are connected to an assessment (such as passing a quiz on the first try), and some point opportunities are directly within a student's control (such as doing more practice than is assigned). The biggest prize/motivator is bragging rights. We have an actual trophy, and the winning house/homeroom gets their homeroom name and year added to the trophy (AND gets to keep the trophy in their homeroom the following year). I have also given donuts or food to the winning house. Fortunately, we've been doing the GHC for enough years now that incoming 7th graders are looking forward to it, so that adds to the motivation as well. The Secret of the Game ...is that my game board is actually a very traditional learning sequence in disguise (see image below). For EACH grammar topic... Students watch a flipped video lesson (of me teaching) and fill in their guided notes. (See a DEMO VIDEO on commas here. This is a longer video, and most are shorter than this.) Students independently attempt a practice page after the guided notes. CHOICE practice: Before the quiz, students can get teacher help, do independent practice on IXL (a program we have), or do a "creative project". In-class quiz (after which they either get points for passing OR are required to do "quiz corrections" and show improved mastery). We move on to the next topic of the quarter. (There are 3-4 topics per quarter.) Closer to the test, students complete a practice test as homework (to review), and we go over the practice test answers in class. Students take the quarter test over the 3-4 topics, after which they get points or do corrections (just like they did for quizzes). MEANWHILE, during the game board, students have been picking up points for various reasons, such as... Doing more practice than assigned Doing a "creative project" to show application of learning Completing the game board EARLY (working ahead and not procrastinating). We call this reward "catching the golden snitch". (Scroll down to see the GAME BOARD later in this post!) Points & Grades It's important to note that a house's points are NOT directly connected to grades. ...However, students who earn more points DO tend to perform better on quizzes and tests, because they were earning points by LEARNING. So while GHC "points" and grades are correlated, the points have more to do with effort and participation. Putting Students into Houses I conveniently have a total of 4 class periods (2 each of seventh and eighth grades), and likewise we just HAPPEN to have four homerooms in the middle school. Therefore, I just assigned each homeroom one of the Hogwarts houses. (Obviously, my homeroom is Gryffindor. My social studies teacher in the room next door to mine is a huge ally of the GHC game and agreed to be Slytherin.) I know a sorting hat might have been more fun, but the positive of doing it by homeroom is that it promotes homeroom unity and enthusiasm; it also motivates the homeroom teachers to care about and support the GHC. Launching the Game Teacher setup on my part includes: Prepping this quarter's game board (and all of its respective lesson videos, guided notes, practice sheets, etc.). I organize it all in Google Drive and share a folder to students. Copies of this quarter's grammar notes. (I put ALL the guided notes, practice pages, and practice test into ONE packet for the quarter. If they lose it, they have to print their own replacement from what I shared with them in Drive.) When we begin in the first quarter, there is usually a diagnostic test (see above), and I have to do a lot of explaining of how the game works. However, students learn by doing as we go through the motions of the first topic, and then they learn the routine. What a Game Board Looks Like Here's the most updated view of what my game boards are going to look like this year. (The biggest change is that I'm digitizing more, with a heavily hyperlinked Google Docs game board instead of a paper one.) Let's break this down: Notice that the game board has... A "scoreboard" at left to collect points Deadlines built into the game board A sequence (trail) of action steps At the end of each quarter, I verify each student's points, collect all the totals, and update the scoreboard for each house. This Year's Improvements/Updates As I mentioned earlier, I plan to use the digital game board instead of a paper one, and I also plan to use these free Grammar Stations before each topic's quiz. I'm hoping the stations will help ME pinpoint student struggles in a small group format AND give students more practice time with all the resources I've made available to them. I will also be experimenting more with self-grading quizzes when possible (using Google Forms). I will try to update this blog post later in the year. What topics we teach There is SOME intentional overlap in 7th and 8th grade topics (especially when we are reviewing at the beginning of 8th grade), BUT there are some topics that only 8th graders get (such as verbals, verb moods, and active/passive voice, which are CCSS for 8th grade and not 7th). See my complete/current list of grammar topics here. Can I have all of your lessons, Sara? Yes! You can get all of my grammar topics (or just some of them) in my TpT store. The bundle includes game boards, all lessons/quizzes/tests, the diagnostic test, stations, premade Quizlet sets, and more! RELATED BLOG POSTS: How to Play Grammar Quidditch Turn Your Unit into a Game Board 12 Tips for Teaching Grammar like a Pro 10 Ways to Help Teen Writers Revise You might also like... Game Board Unit template Grammar bell-ringers: volume 1 and volume 2 Student Grammar Video Project "Why Grammar?" Nonfiction Reading Mini-Unit "Word Crimes" music video lesson/activity Grammar Poetry Do you have questions or ideas? Tell me in the comments!
Nous y sommes, enfin : c'est le moment de découvrir le "nouvel" escalier (si on peut dire) ! Petit rappel en images de l'avant : Vous êtes prêt(e)s : TADAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM !!! Fin du suspens : le voici donc après un travail de longue haleine (c'est le...
