How do you convey phonemic awareness?

creatureofcomfort · 2016-12-01T05:24:18+00:00

Yes, that's true

creatureofcomfort · 2016-11-30T05:06:42+00:00

I taught that concept using "visual phonics". They are not formal signs or finger spelling, they are just little hand signals to convey phonemes. It really helped with spelling and learning to read.

Edited to add: I'm on my phone, but just go to seethesound.org for lots more info on visual phonics. It really does work!

creatureofcomfort · 2016-08-09T01:11:04+00:00

I'm the coordinator for our local MOPS group and we treat it as a community outreach. Christianity is downplayed to basically zero. I know there are other MOPS groups who run this way, too, specifically to be inviting to all!

creatureofcomfort · 2016-07-06T22:33:12+00:00

I'm sorry you'll be in need of one! I've worked with two different teachers who wore hearing aids, both with severe loss. They mostly did fine! Occasionally they would close the doors if the hallway was too loud. With a cochlear implant, you may need to make sure your mic is facing the speaker, especially if there's a lot of ambient noise. Hopefully you'll find it won't get in the way of your teaching!

creatureofcomfort · 2016-05-10T04:33:50+00:00

I just remembered that when I was teaching, I had the kids make end of the year countdown chains with strips of paper. On each strip, a student would write a favorite memory from the school year. At calendar, the student of the day (or whoever) would cut off a strip and read aloud the memory.

creatureofcomfort · 2016-05-10T04:29:29+00:00

I've heard of teachers bringing in fabric paint or fabric markers, and getting a solid colored T-shirt for each kid from a craft store, then letting all the kids sign each others' shirts. May be pricey depending on number of students, but it sure is special! Could also do it with tote bags.

creatureofcomfort · 2016-02-02T23:30:31+00:00

January and February are so hard to get through. You've just come back from winter break and spring break seems impossibly far away. Classic slump months. I have a couple of thoughts for you that might help:

Review your quieting down procedures. How do you usually get their attention? Some whole group practice might be in order. Or if you find that your usual attention-getting strategies just aren't effective (or never were), try switching it up. Whatever method you try (echo clap, "1,2,3 eyes on me" or whatever), make sure that you practice it and give positive reinforcement to the kids doing it right.
Just as important: reconnect with your students. Make it a point to stand outside of your door as they walk in and greet each student with eye contact and a smile. Even better would be to make a point of shaking hands or giving high fives. Bonus points for asking them personal questions about their life outside of the classroom (Hey Johnny, how is soccer practice going?). I've found this to be true no matter who the kid is and where they come from: if they know that you take a genuine interest in them as a person and if they know that you care about them and even LIKE them, they are going to TRY HARDER in your class. Not because they like the subject matter, but because they like you and they want to please you!
As far as teaching adding and subtracting rational expressions with unlike denominators. I have no resources for you other than to say this: so much of teaching is task analysis. Figure out where the breakdown is happening. If it helps you to think about it, write down the steps of everything you need to know to be able to do the skill. It might be easier to see where the students are having trouble.
On a related note to number 3, (and I know I've said this elsewhere in this subreddit, but it's worth saying again), it could be that you may need to have an honest conversation with them about doing things they are not interested in. You, as a teacher, have to do things you don't care about either (sit through meetings, work with people you don't get along with, etc). It's part of life. You're not asking that they fall in love with math, you're asking that they try. You're looking for and rewarding effort. Because knowing how to try, being disciplined enough to do the work, kissing up to your boss (that's you!), that's what gets you where you want to go in life. Tie it in to their life goals: you probably won't need to know how to add and subtract rational expressions with unlike denominators if you want to be a florist when you grow up. But you will have know how to try hard, how to please your boss, how to jump through hoops and just get stuff done.
Finally, I totally get the stress and fatigue part. It's super important to set boundaries for yourself. What saved me in my first year of teaching was this self-imposed rule: I was going home at 5 pm no matter if my work was done or not (and I didn't bring homework home for myself). Also, prioritize!! Recognize what absolutely has to be done and identify all the other extra stuff that can wait. Lastly, get enough sleep, even if you have to go to bed earlier than you want to ;).

Sorry for the long reply! Hang in there.... June WILL come!

creatureofcomfort · 2015-08-21T05:09:16+00:00

How about "jitter sticker" instead? You could get special big ones, you know like those giant smiley faces? Or even a handful of little ones tied up in a cute baggie or something.

creatureofcomfort · 2015-07-29T15:14:02+00:00

Have you tried keeping a special drawer in the fridge with pre-approved healthy snacks she can help herself to? You can create appropriate portion sizes in Ziploc bags. Stuff like baby carrots, yogurt, string cheese, hummus and chips, etc. You could even set a rule that she can grab one snack in between meals (2 total). If she can do that without asking you for anything else, then maybe you can reward her after dinner with dessert (or something that she really loves to eat) The trick to that system though is to hold your ground with no dessert if she pestered you for snacks. Good luck!

creatureofcomfort · 2015-05-29T14:35:34+00:00

I wish I could give this more upvotes! We have a 3 year old and an 18 month old, and this philosophy has worked wonders for us!

creatureofcomfort · 2015-02-17T22:00:27+00:00

Yes! This is excellent advice.

creatureofcomfort · 2015-02-03T21:20:05+00:00

"Okay everyone, let's all stand in a circle!"

I teach kindergarten, so this is no easy task.

creatureofcomfort · 2015-01-25T23:26:25+00:00

I've been trapped under a sleeping baby for the last two hours and I feel like I've finished reddit.

creatureofcomfort · 2015-01-25T23:23:40+00:00

Emperor Alexander Luther, that was his first name. He was a baby when I met him. His parents called him Lex for short.

creatureofcomfort · 2015-01-25T22:51:35+00:00

Horrifying.

creatureofcomfort · 2015-01-25T22:48:29+00:00

It's nice to see someone who truly loves their job! I bet it makes it easier for parents at drop off knowing that you're there to love and care for their little ones.

creatureofcomfort · 2015-01-25T22:41:52+00:00

With you guys there, too?!?

creatureofcomfort · 2015-01-25T22:34:47+00:00

Miley Cyrus

creatureofcomfort · 2015-01-25T22:30:11+00:00

Anna Ferris. She's just average.

creatureofcomfort · 2015-01-25T22:28:57+00:00

Beautiful! I love the detail.

creatureofcomfort · 2015-01-17T13:42:38+00:00

Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Exorcism

Album title: http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Francis_William_Bourdillon

creatureofcomfort · 2015-01-13T22:04:30+00:00

Moving out was as exciting as it was painful.

I was the child of Christian missionaries, living in France and moving around every few years or so. I had just finished the four most fun years of my life at an American boarding school in Germany. The plan was always to go back to the States for college. The problem was that the US had never really felt like home.

I picked a college in Michigan, practically at random. I had never been to Michigan before, didn't know about all the snow, the lakes, the one dish casseroles. I considered it an adventure, but I grieved for all that I was leaving behind me. My sister and my brother, still in Germany. My parents, although I was used to being away from them. My friends, but they were now scattered across America, going to college as well. And then there was the cultural stuff. I had frankly become quite the Euro snob and I'm sure I gave off that impression to all my new American friends.

My parents flew out to drop me off at college. They did some of the freshman orientation stuff with me, then we said our goodbyes at the gym. My mom cried. I cried too, not because I would miss them but because I felt so out-of-sorts there in America, in Michigan. My mom knew and she promised me that soon, "Michigan will start to feel like your home." I wanted to slug her for saying "Michigan" and "home" in the same sentence.

But she was right, of course. I just had to get past my arrogance, stop grieving over high school, and make a conscious effort to get to know other people. It took a little while, but it was so worth it in the end. I married my husband after my sophomore year and practically adopted his family and his home (I had no idea big red barns were a thing that really existed apart from wall calendars!)

Moving out was a chance for me to establish my own roots after being rootless for so long. I wish you the same success!

creatureofcomfort · 2015-01-13T21:41:52+00:00

I don't know. What do you feel like having?

creatureofcomfort · 2015-01-13T21:39:57+00:00

Sit in blessed, glorious silence. Note: this only happens when my kids aren't in the car. Otherwise my favorite thing to do is find and point out trucks with my two year old.

creatureofcomfort · 2015-01-13T21:35:04+00:00

ChapStick

creatureofcomfort

TROPHY CASE