tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50956289884570160992024-03-05T13:34:43.761-08:00Beg, Borrow, and Teach!Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17340687619091243860noreply@blogger.comBlogger360125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095628988457016099.post-50616744853807162192022-01-31T09:59:00.000-08:002022-01-31T09:59:13.870-08:00Are Open-Note Tests Effective Learning Tools? <div>Have you considered offering open-note tests? Are you worried that the students won't learn the information if you allow it? I explore those issues and more in this post!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqTWdoQTMIhtxs8bnbRYfMSAZxHAY-rtDaZH0PqTAdmHV1TZ5zqd3sa8-UxHrJWa2IMesH8zzfds6sCqnbFVbBBiGZo-r7JtVj9VFA2efq5yzboIqzXsnhZ7m0eT5vwHahC8ShbG8hT6mxggXI3XzxdDF6arR1ClR_4nd3oLZlFPFVN5HoBtj2-tuW=s960" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Are Open-Notes Test Effective Learning Tools?" border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqTWdoQTMIhtxs8bnbRYfMSAZxHAY-rtDaZH0PqTAdmHV1TZ5zqd3sa8-UxHrJWa2IMesH8zzfds6sCqnbFVbBBiGZo-r7JtVj9VFA2efq5yzboIqzXsnhZ7m0eT5vwHahC8ShbG8hT6mxggXI3XzxdDF6arR1ClR_4nd3oLZlFPFVN5HoBtj2-tuW=w400-h225" title="Are Open-Notes Test Effective Learning Tools?" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>First, I'd like to say that I DO offer open-note tests, but not ALL of the time. There are definitely pros and cons with open-note testing, and I'm going to dig in to both here.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Pros</h3><h4 style="text-align: left;">What are the situations that work best with open-note tests for me?</h4><div><br /></div><div><b>For differentiation</b>: When most of my students are ready for the test but a handful still need extra support. It helps for those who struggle with memory/recall and need the clues to help.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>To practice answering higher-level questions</b>: Specifically when we are practicing for the state tests that require a decent synthesis of the information and are not simple to answer just by reading the text or skimming.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>To practice a much-needed skill</b>: This works best with nonfiction texts that allow students to practice skills like using picture/context clues or using the glossary/index.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Cons</h3><div><h4>What are the situations that don't work well with open-note tests for me?</h4></div><div><br /></div><div><b>When a student's notes are extremely disorganized or missing</b>: Then it takes them an extra long time to find what they are looking for and they can't/don't focus on the test questions. As a side note: I am using Google Slides and Docs exclusively for notes this year, so there is no such thing as "losing notes". </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Students lack the skills necessary to find what they are looking for in the textbook</b>: There are a couple of work-arounds for this. First, use the textbook for formative assessments when you are able to guide small groups and remediate the skills after the assessment. Alternatively, use student notes exclusively, rather than the textbook.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>When a student is skilled at finding information in their notes, but they do not recall information on their own</b>: Once again, there is a possible solution: Alternate between open-note tests and closed-note tests. If the students doesn't do well on the closed-note tests, you can have them correct the test or complete a retake.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div>As you can see, there are an equal number of pros and cons from my perspective. The bottom line is that we have to know what's best for our students. We have to meet them where they are in their abilities. Personally, I have seen some positive results from using open-note tests as long as I don't use them all of the time.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Have you used open-notes testing? What were your experiences with them? I'd love to hear all about it!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiFzlqukY1Fte-t4lV0-xzYC13U5KdkbcXVKwOgPQI0mOK6ppuOO0y0OfFg_GBNTM5c4tIdL9WqlysLHww8JEn8Uzkt3kbx5xG1W9kLxavQG6VT6X1gjS6Mp3m10mXDn2qZuebCcVJfWtA1n6pLM3AITGqPcXplo0PK1WfIgtcTbKskdMs2G0IJ31Iv=s280" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="250" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiFzlqukY1Fte-t4lV0-xzYC13U5KdkbcXVKwOgPQI0mOK6ppuOO0y0OfFg_GBNTM5c4tIdL9WqlysLHww8JEn8Uzkt3kbx5xG1W9kLxavQG6VT6X1gjS6Mp3m10mXDn2qZuebCcVJfWtA1n6pLM3AITGqPcXplo0PK1WfIgtcTbKskdMs2G0IJ31Iv" width="250" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17340687619091243860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095628988457016099.post-1993154534818146742022-01-23T09:50:00.000-08:002022-01-23T09:50:58.971-08:00How to Help Students Excel at Multiple-Choice Tests<p> Do your students need help with test-taking strategies? Do they rush through multiple-choice tests and make careless mistakes? If so, then my <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Multiple-Choice-Test-Taking-Strategies-7664316" target="_blank"><b>Multiple-Choice Test-Taking Strategies Checklist</b></a> is for you!</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEir1SCNtGgFbI5GR5I0GPo-QpjNYmC6CrE2S4sxpR3l48FlFvJptpvNyUtl1Q1939fRc-nlwccyzIckgKUMnopzawLtRrIPTyQlD7NUh1EOAgfuPDqabtMV7zMMZ_de7U6e7oo8KXOxNhP6exYLcSWPWI8_GXdGbuPWjBxF1ksl2eSh2NjPST2aqGLR=s1056" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Directions for Multiple-Choice Test-Taking Strategies" border="0" data-original-height="1056" data-original-width="816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEir1SCNtGgFbI5GR5I0GPo-QpjNYmC6CrE2S4sxpR3l48FlFvJptpvNyUtl1Q1939fRc-nlwccyzIckgKUMnopzawLtRrIPTyQlD7NUh1EOAgfuPDqabtMV7zMMZ_de7U6e7oo8KXOxNhP6exYLcSWPWI8_GXdGbuPWjBxF1ksl2eSh2NjPST2aqGLR=w247-h320" title="Directions for Multiple-Choice Test-Taking Strategies" width="247" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi0O6jP-DbTjFPmy2e6T_9_1EONbrVvE4oO9yYsRvVhvomRq-4uiJ3jSve1RV67qQUkSu3gOkH524owO0UYSWxJEjS6y_sm5ICLzuRPoQiQqjJBBOxWvqqbRrwhueXGlZxyqwxJop5OQ8W7SIFEUVxuc1M1Qul51ppOluxvxZ0WtbP7jf-L5y2tS2Bw=s1056" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Checklist for Multiple-Choice Tests" border="0" data-original-height="1056" data-original-width="816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi0O6jP-DbTjFPmy2e6T_9_1EONbrVvE4oO9yYsRvVhvomRq-4uiJ3jSve1RV67qQUkSu3gOkH524owO0UYSWxJEjS6y_sm5ICLzuRPoQiQqjJBBOxWvqqbRrwhueXGlZxyqwxJop5OQ8W7SIFEUVxuc1M1Qul51ppOluxvxZ0WtbP7jf-L5y2tS2Bw=w247-h320" title="Checklist for Multiple-Choice Tests" width="247" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Do you have any strategies you can recommend for test-taking? I'd love to hear them!</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj6myvfsF4CYSoJwwiu_chyGq1rqWzGTybhr8GO9x5xq1gPFCYMt4joqzD9swwPCQBCjeK7RLbxEfoveviEuAC1F4soMXhIjmOmCRIOjXXGevl93XEQdAo9pl4-uG5okj8HbdfpJL6yPLhdwtvpiu4ZAzvgoXnafYT0Yqau0DwmVQvLia5J4pVq2CrI=s912" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="912" data-original-width="816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj6myvfsF4CYSoJwwiu_chyGq1rqWzGTybhr8GO9x5xq1gPFCYMt4joqzD9swwPCQBCjeK7RLbxEfoveviEuAC1F4soMXhIjmOmCRIOjXXGevl93XEQdAo9pl4-uG5okj8HbdfpJL6yPLhdwtvpiu4ZAzvgoXnafYT0Yqau0DwmVQvLia5J4pVq2CrI=s320" width="286" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17340687619091243860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095628988457016099.post-48188838813690938982020-02-02T05:00:00.000-08:002020-02-02T05:00:06.709-08:00100th Day of School ActivityDo you want to celebrate the 100th Day of School in a meaningful way? Would you like to incorporate some math into the celebration? Then this post is for you!<br />
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My son’s teacher recently sent a notice home that his class would be celebrating the 100th Day of School. Being a Middle School teacher, I had completely forgotten this, but I was totally game to get back into my elementary school vibes!<br />
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So I got to thinking: What can we make instead of buy? I had two reasons for this. First, I would like him to count to 100 as he decorated it and secondly, I'm not sure he will use it again so I don't want to spend money on it!</div>
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I decided after some discussion with my son to go with either a paper bag best or crown. We could easily decorate either one of these with 100 stickers of his choice.</div>
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I searched around for how to make these two things and found a couple of cool DIY videos. The links for each of them are below.</div>
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<a href="https://youtu.be/XE8O3GmOTew" id="id_a09f_f920_cefb_7e3b" target="_blank">Paper bag vest</a></div>
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<a href="https://youtu.be/-f1DR5uJiR4" id="id_cc52_9d9c_cf8c_1aea" target="_blank">Paper crown</a><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
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We settled on making a crown. This seemed like the quickest solution for us because we don’t typically have brown paper bags big enough to cut a vest out of lying around the house.</div>
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To be honest, I’ve got a lot going on at my school right now so I went to my favorite place or finding educational resources. Of course I searched Teachers pay Teachers! <a href="https://www.blogger.com/100th%20Day%20-%20Crown%20Pattern%20by%20First%20Grade%20Fancy%20on%20Teachers%20Pay%20Teachers%20%20https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/100th-Day-Crown-Pattern" id="id_3c7a_d897_9607_ec3c" target="_blank">This is the crown</a> I found that we like the most. Bonus points for it being cheap!</div>
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I had some bulletin board border that I used to attach the crown to. It made the overall crown less flimsy and gave more area to attach the stickers. </div>
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After printing, cutting, and decorating it with stickers this was the end result. Not my best picture, but I was under a time crunch to get it before my little guy could put it on his head.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQAUXc-vLT0b0fqct1o__Y11cLfVC15pD4qk627vhBmwhnvdUmXcvjebqLhMBxQWSL0LZAm2t2U0CcwZ9NI-U9I5WkDy2CXeGhKfUtUTHyd7PwgJn8Fvw_Misr-9LHDDtT3QUSl10BATY/s1600/100th+Day+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="367" data-original-width="505" height="232" id="id_6c3b_527e_846e_fce4" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQAUXc-vLT0b0fqct1o__Y11cLfVC15pD4qk627vhBmwhnvdUmXcvjebqLhMBxQWSL0LZAm2t2U0CcwZ9NI-U9I5WkDy2CXeGhKfUtUTHyd7PwgJn8Fvw_Misr-9LHDDtT3QUSl10BATY/s320/100th+Day+5.JPG" style="height: auto; width: 320px;" width="320" /></a></div>
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Do you have any other fun and inexpensive ways to celebrate the one hundredth day of school? Comment with some ideas below!<br />
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17340687619091243860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095628988457016099.post-47131741620517381202020-01-26T02:00:00.000-08:002022-01-30T16:45:00.613-08:00Winter Self-Care in Ten Minutes or Less<span style="font-family: inherit;">It's that time of year when we find ourselves in need of a new self-care routine. In this post, I’m going to share my favorite items and techniques that take 10 minutes or less. Most of them can even be done at your desk!</span><div><br><div><br></div><div><img id="id_8f_8110_72bc_efd5" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/zPVAIyz_iamtHKNuZ3G5RxZ5mb1MyH2QZtpyDDVXq2qP5DmzV0I_QRXAXt8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br><br>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">First, I’m going to share the relatively cheap or free self-care items and techniques that I love.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Wash your hands!</span></b></h3>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We all know how important hand-washing is to our overall hygiene and health. However, we are all also under strict time crunches with our schedule. Please do not skip washing your hands. It’s not worth it the risk of getting the flu!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We all know how important it is to hydrate our bodies, but we often neglect hydrating our skin. Every time you wash your hands, you should be applying lotion during this incredibly dry season. Cracks and dry skin on your hands let bacteria and viruses in. </span><a href="https://www.doterra.com/US/en/p/doterra-spa-hand-and-body-lotion" id="id_9e61_c0a0_99f9_49fb">My favorite lotion is by Doterra</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> but any lotion will work. </span><br>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Hydrate your body with more than just water</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Bone broth powder</b></span></div>
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I buy packets of these <a href="https://www.walmart.com/ip/Sam-s-ChoicePowder-Beef-Bone-Broth-2-12-oz-4-Count/720529225" id="id_147f_e8ee_9724_1ea1">bone broth packets</a> at Walmart. Bone broth has amazing anti-inflammatory and healing qualities. It also adds extra protein to your diet without adding a ton of extra calories. I just pour one of the powder packets in a mug and add boiling water and within minutes, I have a wonderfully nourishing cup of broth to sip on.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Magnesium tea</b></span></div><div><br></div><div>I have an entire post on how to make <a href="https://begborrowandteach.blogspot.com/2017/01/teacher-self-care-magnesium-tea.html" target="_blank" id="id_5c79_81d0_fc81_3d8b">Magnesium Tea</a>. In that post, I talk about the amazing qualities that magnesium have for healing your body and calming your mind.<br>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK9RsnVGkGG_xThLDS36xdEq2d4aRLllVNa4T_0tJf1GaBwsxum-p_410xQ8ha53R0Xpd-3j1oJx_ddnN3zhTl4abYCurb-YbkLFfuadTyT_RHCrBjQpv4TJQw5gP1_6Ghbtqc48wCl68/s1600/magnesium+tea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="282" data-original-width="400" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK9RsnVGkGG_xThLDS36xdEq2d4aRLllVNa4T_0tJf1GaBwsxum-p_410xQ8ha53R0Xpd-3j1oJx_ddnN3zhTl4abYCurb-YbkLFfuadTyT_RHCrBjQpv4TJQw5gP1_6Ghbtqc48wCl68/s320/magnesium+tea.jpg" width="320" id="id_8949_94c0_638c_41ab" style="width: 320px; height: auto;"></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Now I’m going to share some of my self-care items that will require a small investment but pay off big time in the mental health department.</span></div>
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<a href="Bluetooth Earbuds,TeaTronics V4.1... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07F2LN5WF?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share" id="id_c445_3c5b_1c2_b38f" target="_self">Wireless earbuds</a></h3>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>My favorite wireless earbuds </b>last a long time before needing to be recharged. On rough days I like to put on either an uplifting music playlist or a positive video on YouTube. On long days, I love listening to energizing music. Wireless earbuds allow me to move around the classroom and complete tasks without being tied to my phone. The same thing applies at home. Doing dishes is a lot more fun when I’m jamming to my favorite songs. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Get some sunlight… Or get the next best thing</span></b></h3>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">My room is on the ground floor of our building. That means I do not get any natural sunlight in my classroom. Especially in the winter, I get the blues when I can’t get enough fresh air and natural light. So, that’s when I reach for the next best thing: <a href="https://www.blogger.com/Verilux%20HappyLight%20Compact%20Personal,%20Portable%20Light%20Therapy%20Energy%20Lamp%20https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K08ZDBI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_eV6dEbBJ1Q0GG" id="id_2c71_d407_a376_af59" style="font-weight: bold;">A Portable Light Therapy Energy Lamp</a><b>. </b>Just spending 10 or 15 minutes in front of it while sitting at my desk grading papers makes a huge difference in my mood. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "amazon ember" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Combat dry air</span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Studies have shown that dry air carries viruses more readily. At home, I have humidifiers running constantly but in the classroom it is a little more difficult. So the answer is a <a href="https://www.blogger.com/HARATA%20USB%20Cool%20Mist%20Humidifier%20280ml%20Portable%20Mini%20Humidifier%20with%20LED%204Hours%20Auto%20Shut%20Off%20for%20Home,%20Office,%20Yoga%20Green%20https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XQ7GYWY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_y36dEbN4R51QZ" id="id_720b_1644_72a0_d6aa">portable humidifier with a USB cable</a>. I can plug it into my laptop and move it around the classroom on my portable podium. The optimum humidity is between 40 to 60%. If you are curious what the humidity of your classroom is, you can use <a href="https://www.blogger.com/ThermoPro%20TP50%202%20Pieces%20Digital%20Hygrometer%20Indoor%20Thermometer%20Room%20Thermometer%20and%20Humidity%20Gauge%20with%20Temperature%20Humidity%20Monitor%20https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07R3YC1BC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_X56dEbAZAW37N" id="id_425b_bbf3_57e4_d7ce">this hygrometer</a> that I use at home.</span></div>
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Try some aromatherapy</h3>
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I use a portable diffuser that also has a USB cord that I plug into my laptop and travel around my classroom with. I turn it off when students are in the room. Several studies have indicated that the benefits of diffusing essential oil last 2 to 3 hours so it doesn’t need to be on all of the time.</div>
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Here is <a href="https://begborrowandteach.blogspot.com/2019/01/let-it-snow-essential-oil-diffuser-blend.html" target="_blank">my favorite January-inspired diffuser blend</a> if you need some extra inspiration.<br>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhswJrS3lp_q9xOhTRd_rbEdsGFECDiFD88I-J3GsBGC4Jg5A4zvGGNNPrW9_BB9q9xGlQiFz4ORcghDtKj1HLJ9ignw3ZRroVxzezR8pzBnagBHf9QwSzfWArHOpyEj7rDnuf2k0ipHmY/s1600/Let+It+Snow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="539" data-original-width="574" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhswJrS3lp_q9xOhTRd_rbEdsGFECDiFD88I-J3GsBGC4Jg5A4zvGGNNPrW9_BB9q9xGlQiFz4ORcghDtKj1HLJ9ignw3ZRroVxzezR8pzBnagBHf9QwSzfWArHOpyEj7rDnuf2k0ipHmY/s320/Let+It+Snow.jpg" width="320" id="id_cc9e_7794_c435_a56a" style="width: 320px; height: auto;"></a></div>
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Nurture your body</h3>
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I saved one of my favorite new things for last. I bought myself <a href="https://www.blogger.com/RESTECK-%20Massagers%20for%20Neck%20and%20Back%20with%20Heat%20https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DBY2X24/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_IT7dEbXT2YMYA" id="id_9364_9b5e_5d9f_8aa2">this portable body massager</a> for Christmas. It is amazing because it has a car charger converter so I can use it when I am waiting to pick my son up at school in the car line. Then I can use the AC adapter at school for a quick neck and shoulder massage while I’m sitting in my desk chair. It has a heat option that feels amazing on those cold winter days. </div>
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What are your favorite self-care routine‘s and items? I am always searching for new things to nourish my soul.</b></div>
<br></div></div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_99ce_850a_e968_222" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/jlNpuh4fJ3LNn4xrD5LpVxlbFrtamgsNu0Raxu2r-dhoh_WQ4ldsUF62y3g" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 272px; height: auto;"><br><br><br></div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17340687619091243860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095628988457016099.post-33143996154005244472019-12-01T05:00:00.000-08:002019-12-01T05:00:16.099-08:00Cyber Monday Sale<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Are you ready to keep the discounts rolling with a Cyber Monday Teachers Pay Teachers sale? If you said yes, then this two-day site-wide sale is for you! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Read about it below and <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Beg-Borrow-And-Teach" target="_blank">click HERE</a> to get started shopping.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs0RQ3pqscskI49Uibg_IJxhL3cX_nknkjbx1ubZJshKFnueNZSwMPl782MFjMsCT3K5s-fP3gP79itjlcuEF-GSmw5JO-a7SNUu38fKHNT_Jo3F7fUupAcHTm0rie5iU-tDCVrkVoz48/s1600/Sale+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="417" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs0RQ3pqscskI49Uibg_IJxhL3cX_nknkjbx1ubZJshKFnueNZSwMPl782MFjMsCT3K5s-fP3gP79itjlcuEF-GSmw5JO-a7SNUu38fKHNT_Jo3F7fUupAcHTm0rie5iU-tDCVrkVoz48/s320/Sale+2.jpg" width="211" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">During the site-wide sale, you can save up to 25% off </span></span>TpT<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> resources. </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b style="background-color: white;"><br /></b></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b style="background-color: white;">Happy shopping!</b></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b style="background-color: white;"><br /></b></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255 , 255 , 255 , 0); font-family: inherit;">The sale will <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://1" style="word-break: break-word;" x-apple-data-detectors-result="1" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">start on Monday, December 2nd at 12:01am ET</a>and will run <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://2" style="word-break: break-word;" x-apple-data-detectors-result="2" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">through Tuesday, December 3rd at 11:59pm ET</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255 , 255 , 255 , 0); font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">I will be offering a discount of 20% AND TpT will provide an additional 5% promo code to be used during checkout. That means </span><b style="background-color: white;">you will get a total of 25% off EVERYTHING in <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/My-Account/Store_Profile#no-back">my store</a>! </b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhADM9huZwA35UFKodjUbE0TsSQDnTEq5NbiDk8-yvc34ugW_-kon4UvnptJfk_96Ty3gbZQrkbHVDpXd10wZMBNT5YIXvVlAdGOLuP7xEjkxqLmTtTmZ-c12-JUo8dd4gCFWuNTetGxzM/s1600/Heather.BegBorrowTeach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="912" data-original-width="816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhADM9huZwA35UFKodjUbE0TsSQDnTEq5NbiDk8-yvc34ugW_-kon4UvnptJfk_96Ty3gbZQrkbHVDpXd10wZMBNT5YIXvVlAdGOLuP7xEjkxqLmTtTmZ-c12-JUo8dd4gCFWuNTetGxzM/s320/Heather.BegBorrowTeach.jpg" width="286" /></span></a></div>
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17340687619091243860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095628988457016099.post-7914949183806768192019-02-25T03:00:00.000-08:002019-02-25T03:00:03.520-08:00It's Time for a TpT Sale!<span style="background-color: white; color: #5c5c5c; font-family: "PT Sans Caption"; font-size: 15.4px;">What's on your TpT wishlist? TpT is hosting a 2-Day sale, starting tomorrow! So whether you need lesson plans, classroom reward ideas, or just some pretty new labels for all those supplies, TpT has you covered!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLS23rO9gsYQg2KakwzGtljew_YwqzHBqMbTHA7yjPa4nPwtnW2N5Pmu6WPiJOrb-CKmSpwXBL8vcrsW6OsNU5FWp1xa_4uC6zv5ttrFYi14JPGGi1c3epyqXh2bd-UdxTZ0DQAEooLSU/s1600/sale_740_400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="740" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLS23rO9gsYQg2KakwzGtljew_YwqzHBqMbTHA7yjPa4nPwtnW2N5Pmu6WPiJOrb-CKmSpwXBL8vcrsW6OsNU5FWp1xa_4uC6zv5ttrFYi14JPGGi1c3epyqXh2bd-UdxTZ0DQAEooLSU/s400/sale_740_400.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #5c5c5c; font-family: "pt sans caption"; font-size: 15.4px;">I will be offering a discount of 20% AND TpT will provide an additional 5% promo code to be used during checkout (see below). That means </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #5c5c5c; font-family: "pt sans caption"; font-size: 15.4px;">you will get a total of 25% off EVERYTHING in <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/My-Account/Store_Profile#no-back" style="color: #b9e81f; text-decoration-line: none;">my store</a>! </b><br />
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<span style="color: #5c5c5c; font-family: "pt sans caption"; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The sale starts TOMORROW, February 26th at 12:01 a.m. ET and runs through February 27th at 11:59 p.m. ET. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLL9LjOA-4gNYdGd6cWIA8gEgI7XH2eXjSePP3KOmlDptO1pHF_1DhtKBV-DQj8fJ3hyphenhyphen3PbJXTXqOIkw9R9dhPDQz0i5DgRzlLHhNquXg6RhFhkcutd7YEjfGCAD6-5LLPxMR4Qtsmbs4/s1600/Heather.BegBorrowTeach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="912" data-original-width="816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLL9LjOA-4gNYdGd6cWIA8gEgI7XH2eXjSePP3KOmlDptO1pHF_1DhtKBV-DQj8fJ3hyphenhyphen3PbJXTXqOIkw9R9dhPDQz0i5DgRzlLHhNquXg6RhFhkcutd7YEjfGCAD6-5LLPxMR4Qtsmbs4/s320/Heather.BegBorrowTeach.jpg" width="286" /></a></div>
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17340687619091243860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095628988457016099.post-25697649305598207062019-01-28T03:00:00.000-08:002019-01-28T03:00:03.865-08:00How to Teach When You Have Limited Time Are you having a difficult time covering all the material you need or want to each day? Do you have shortened class periods that present a challenge for your teaching style? This post gives some of my best solutions to these problems!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifS7EICzABqxHmfUrCOuDEn38sGJvIbMQ0qR06AGpMe4cUlc3B5GdJUc_Cqu7bjlYkVaK4jkL65oezJFioK0TSnHwn7RbFHuIupdanb5iKoIx4rFW6fISu7Z2kaOzBqTiUxDvJ4Gda53A/s1600/How+to+Teach+When+You+Have+Limited+Time.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="How to Teach When You Have Limited Time " border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="581" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifS7EICzABqxHmfUrCOuDEn38sGJvIbMQ0qR06AGpMe4cUlc3B5GdJUc_Cqu7bjlYkVaK4jkL65oezJFioK0TSnHwn7RbFHuIupdanb5iKoIx4rFW6fISu7Z2kaOzBqTiUxDvJ4Gda53A/s400/How+to+Teach+When+You+Have+Limited+Time.jpg" title="How to Teach When You Have Limited Time " width="400" /></a></div>
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Think About What You Absolutely Need to Teach First</h2>
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Choose Quality Over Quantity</h3>
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Pick a few things to cover, go deep with those few things, and make connections to as much as you can. Quality over quantity will give you the most bang for your buck. Plus, if you have fun "independent" study projects for them to design and complete, they'll be begging to get to the subject you teach.<br />
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Carefully Consider the Learning Activity</h3>
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Sometimes things like waiting for students to write down notes can take an enormous amount of time. I'm not saying that note-taking is not important, but think about what they’re writing and why. Can some of it be replaced with videos or printouts?</div>
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Teach Students Vocabulary During Activities Instead of in Isolation </h3>
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Instead of teaching vocabulary words in seclusion, include/ teach them while you’re doing a hands on activity. This can save a lot of time and you can always take the final moments of class to review vocabulary words each day to reinforce their meaning.<br />
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Try Stations</h3>
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Just keep in mind that you don’t have to complete the rotations in a day. It can carry on for tomorrow or the next day.</div>
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<b>Alternate Activities Throughout the Week</b></h2>
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This is especially helpful if you teach multiple subjects and some subjects are allotted less time than others. For example, if you have 90 minutes for math and only 30 for science. </div>
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Try a Weekly Schedule</h3>
<b>Once you have chosen the activities that are the most important, come up with a weekly schedule for when you will use them.</b><br />
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<b>A sample weekly schedule might look like this:</b><br />
Notes/Instructional videos on Monday/Tuesday to prepare students for in-depth things like labs or projects<br />
Labs/Projects/Stations on Wednesdays/Thursdays<br />
Quizzes on Fridays<br />
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<a href="https://begborrowandteach.blogspot.com/2018/12/how-to-start-teaching-as-soon-as.html" target="_blank">Start Teaching as Soon as Students Enter the Room</a></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii1b6WSC1O2KNJ_PHDypaTFo1piC3e66CXfftAsFuGeCK5jmuGEY-BFTwcz9co_CRx0hOzKE1VauwXwf3ZclzhsY0w4c35IdzMazN7979clI3D7zfZ_266gzPiDvMkHzesVjeFu7BJSlQ/s1600/Begin+Teaching+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="How to Teach When You Have Limited Time: How to Start Teaching as Soon as Students Enter the Room" border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii1b6WSC1O2KNJ_PHDypaTFo1piC3e66CXfftAsFuGeCK5jmuGEY-BFTwcz9co_CRx0hOzKE1VauwXwf3ZclzhsY0w4c35IdzMazN7979clI3D7zfZ_266gzPiDvMkHzesVjeFu7BJSlQ/s400/Begin+Teaching+2.jpg" title="How to Teach When You Have Limited Time: How to Start Teaching as Soon as Students Enter the Room" width="400" /></a></div>
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I did another blog post about this recently. Click <b><a href="https://begborrowandteach.blogspot.com/2018/12/how-to-start-teaching-as-soon-as.html" target="_blank">here </a></b>to learn more.</div>
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What else do you do to maximize your limited time in class? This is a subject I always need extra advice in!</h3>
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17340687619091243860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095628988457016099.post-72793329241362420412019-01-21T03:00:00.000-08:002019-01-21T03:00:00.198-08:00How to Help Absent Students Catch UpHow do you help students who are absent to catch up? Here are some of my best tips for helping students help themselves and how you can assist them when they struggle with catching up on their own.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8R0qeQdAD36bWceWqrP3WjJmZIY0sF6SwuxcnrjijykiAJL7GaUOAUqGS98QrAQck3OmH50wYd6fF4eLR54aYa8c6sb4VJdUT9ay8X67BQzxlLzMdwswqFyaVeFDPv0gTQZpjbCHgsm4/s1600/Overwhelmed+Student+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="How to Help Absent Students Catch Up" border="0" data-original-height="507" data-original-width="705" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8R0qeQdAD36bWceWqrP3WjJmZIY0sF6SwuxcnrjijykiAJL7GaUOAUqGS98QrAQck3OmH50wYd6fF4eLR54aYa8c6sb4VJdUT9ay8X67BQzxlLzMdwswqFyaVeFDPv0gTQZpjbCHgsm4/s400/Overwhelmed+Student+2.jpg" title="How to Help Absent Students Catch Up" width="400" /></a></div>
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Have Things Set Up in the Classroom So They Can Help Themselves</h2>
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<b>"Were You Absent?" crate</b></h3>
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I have a crate with a hanging file for each period I teach. I fill out a sheet for what we did that day or maybe even two or three days depending on if my plans are set in stone. Than I make copies. When someone is absent I just put their name on it and put it in the correct hanging file. Student responsibility to check crate when they return.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4GRMy00mATDYzsi2sOA7ujS_35nB1iFiO_meRZxxvVZcHBQkWRgGYQYYJFVa-Hh_kFR-tTVK3bMMten1x5Vqyq2xBsCTYtsnXk1dTLvMYD7NKOnjTw6XXvD2OgVQ_QO6GPD2CjFQXePg/s1600/Absent+Crate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="How to Help Absent Students Catch Up" border="0" data-original-height="492" data-original-width="372" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4GRMy00mATDYzsi2sOA7ujS_35nB1iFiO_meRZxxvVZcHBQkWRgGYQYYJFVa-Hh_kFR-tTVK3bMMten1x5Vqyq2xBsCTYtsnXk1dTLvMYD7NKOnjTw6XXvD2OgVQ_QO6GPD2CjFQXePg/s400/Absent+Crate.jpg" title="How to Help Absent Students Catch Up" width="301" /></a></div>
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<b>Table of contents poster</b></h3>
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I keep a binder with all of the items students should have completed. It's basically the same as the one each of the students keeps for my class. The first page is the Table of contents.<br />
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This is just a laminated piece of chart paper. I write on it with dry-erase markers to keep it updated. It helps students see what they missed as soon as they walk in. Students know to ask for help from either teachers or accountability students (see my explanation below) to find these assignments. Most often, I keep them in the Absent Crate I mentioned above.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilM53TC01TzZQuck0M1zYYK7gvLLJi3Oi7rTexQft8rqoKcGBpKBsdBQLCVdIyqO6d6NOdIUp-JGyZZkNR1fVAncMZkS3gh9E9sF-Y6yQATwdM2_jzrYb5F_58CthB-TnIG0BsFTCX5j0/s1600/Table+of+Contents.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="How to Help Absent Students Catch Up" border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="389" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilM53TC01TzZQuck0M1zYYK7gvLLJi3Oi7rTexQft8rqoKcGBpKBsdBQLCVdIyqO6d6NOdIUp-JGyZZkNR1fVAncMZkS3gh9E9sF-Y6yQATwdM2_jzrYb5F_58CthB-TnIG0BsFTCX5j0/s400/Table+of+Contents.jpg" title="How to Help Absent Students Catch Up" width="296" /></a></div>
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<b>Make up work poster</b></h3>
This is another laminated piece of chart paper. I write the graded assignments on this one. Most often, these will not be kept in the Absent Crate because I want to make sure:<br />
1. Students are given the proper testing environment, if necessary<br />
2. Students are given the proper assistance or information in order for it to be a proper assessment<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3D8zB4Ko1zI7yBZk7pTC7Wch387gnOW8VSgcvgwR_7cncWH5s2LA1Na7jOXzLyu_fOgjtBQ3xO8biDCNw_bz_WVSXvYjH-EjdY0kKmd7h8W3lYO-clLuOaMLKjJNBTGzBMCXprjFOezo/s1600/Make-Up+Work+Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="How to Help Absent Students Catch Up" border="0" data-original-height="402" data-original-width="354" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3D8zB4Ko1zI7yBZk7pTC7Wch387gnOW8VSgcvgwR_7cncWH5s2LA1Na7jOXzLyu_fOgjtBQ3xO8biDCNw_bz_WVSXvYjH-EjdY0kKmd7h8W3lYO-clLuOaMLKjJNBTGzBMCXprjFOezo/s400/Make-Up+Work+Poster.jpg" title="How to Help Absent Students Catch Up" width="351" /></a></div>
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<b>Online homework/assignments calendar</b></h3>
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My county uses an online repository called Blackboard, but you could just as easily have a classroom website with a Google Calendar that lists the daily homework and assignments. I will often take pictures of the notes written on the board and attach them to the calendar so students know what needs to be done regarding those assignments.</div>
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Use Accountability Students </h3>
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These are the students who are organized, usually finish before other students, and are looking for a way to help in the classroom. A good way to let them help is to <b>have one of them fill out a "While you were out sheet" for the missing student</b>. It has a short description of what they did in class and the homework assigned.</div>
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<b>A word of caution for this technique: </b>If you have a student fill out a form I suggest that you sign off on it that it is accurate. </div>
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Making Up Stations and Labs</h2>
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Divide the learning/lab into several stations</h3>
That way if a student is absent for a day or two, they can still make it up while working with the other students in the days following their return to school.<br />
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What About Students Who Are Absent for Several Days?</h2>
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<b>First, decide what assignments you must have for assessment purposes.</b></div>
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These are the assignments you want to help students tackle first.</div>
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<b>Next, decide if you can modify any assignments.</b></div>
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Sometimes we give assignments for enrichment. Sometimes we give assignments to help students dig deeper and think critically. I'm not saying you shouldn't give these type of assignments to students who are chronically absent, but you may want to cut out any extra work that doesn't directly relate to what you will be assessing on the final test.</div>
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<b>Be flexible with due dates.</b></div>
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My policy is that I give two days for every day the student is absent for them to turn things in. That being said, I remain as flexible as possible. If a student is working diligently to complete an assignment but it's taking a little longer, I tend to support that whenever possible. To me, the learning is more important than following a strict deadline when a student is trying to catch up.</div>
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<b>Decide what needs to be done at school and what can be sent home.</b></div>
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Things like labs and assessments obviously need to be done at school. Things like vocabulary and study guides can be sent home for most students who don't have special needs. If you send assignments home, you may want to communicate with the parents what you will be sending home and when it is due, along with any special instructions. </div>
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<b>Decide if you can exempt any assignments.</b></div>
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Sometimes, for one reason or another, students just can't make up the same amount of work that their classmates completed while they were absent. In those cases, I look at everything I assigned a grade for during the period of time the student was absent and I decide which of those things to exempt (leave blank in my gradebook). </div>
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How do you help your students catch up? Which of the things I mentioned will you be using in the future? I'd love to hear your thoughts!</h3>
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17340687619091243860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095628988457016099.post-50237779024234490722019-01-14T03:00:00.001-08:002019-01-14T03:00:06.622-08:00Let It Snow! Essential Oil Diffuser Blend<div>
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<b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #454545; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Let It Snow</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #454545; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is the perfect blend for January because a</span></b><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>s</b> a teacher and parent, I am all for snow days. I love getting to spend the extra time with my son and it's a good excuse to stay in my comfy clothes drinking hot chocolate. When I taught 4th Grade, the students did the “snow dance” at home by turning their </span>PJs<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;"> inside out and flushing ice cubes down the toilet to increase the probability of snow. I consider this Diffuser Blend to be my version of bribing the snow clouds to bring on the snow. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhswJrS3lp_q9xOhTRd_rbEdsGFECDiFD88I-J3GsBGC4Jg5A4zvGGNNPrW9_BB9q9xGlQiFz4ORcghDtKj1HLJ9ignw3ZRroVxzezR8pzBnagBHf9QwSzfWArHOpyEj7rDnuf2k0ipHmY/s1600/Let+It+Snow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Let It Snow! Essential Oil Diffuser Blend" border="0" data-original-height="539" data-original-width="574" height="375" id="id_9560_9d90_3724_7f13" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhswJrS3lp_q9xOhTRd_rbEdsGFECDiFD88I-J3GsBGC4Jg5A4zvGGNNPrW9_BB9q9xGlQiFz4ORcghDtKj1HLJ9ignw3ZRroVxzezR8pzBnagBHf9QwSzfWArHOpyEj7rDnuf2k0ipHmY/s400/Let+It+Snow.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 400px;" title="Let It Snow! Essential Oil Diffuser Blend" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #092066; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Check out my video for the full details: </span><a href="https://youtu.be/9DajGRHhmSQ" id="id_85b4_ad73_f284_ca4c" target="_blank">Let It Snow! Essential Oil Diffuser Blend</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #092066; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7QFTDc2_DEk4FgqChOOOfNTXBxpfC9gBwk8JQOBLIug6Y2IZTaIdatHym3bDBsAK9EXulS7iLGRaP2F8JRU4Ls53FoOrhWvhd8AivI9ilJpdAtB0hqro8ExfKEvdgs5BI8lMdN_RIx5I/s1600/Heather.BegBorrowTeach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="912" data-original-width="816" height="320" id="id_1f4f_bd71_2196_a39" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7QFTDc2_DEk4FgqChOOOfNTXBxpfC9gBwk8JQOBLIug6Y2IZTaIdatHym3bDBsAK9EXulS7iLGRaP2F8JRU4Ls53FoOrhWvhd8AivI9ilJpdAtB0hqro8ExfKEvdgs5BI8lMdN_RIx5I/s320/Heather.BegBorrowTeach.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 286px;" width="286" /></a></div>
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17340687619091243860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095628988457016099.post-19855487967058146632019-01-12T17:25:00.002-08:002019-02-05T09:28:17.036-08:00Birthday Cake Essential Oil Diffuser Blend<b><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "arial"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Birthday Cake</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "arial"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is the perfect blend for February because </span></b><span style="color: #454545; font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’ve baked up a spice cake diffuser blend that will stand up to this cold weather. It will both uplift and calm you. February also happens to be the birth month of several of my favorite people, including my son and oil mentor (Hi Hillary!).</span><br>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOFlzKjZLOaeROTg5XHBdG6PYB0bMrrK_FwoqA8XQ2BREstj5jB3w4F8RGRDQTJ7ufbYR5-KmnUglhQfLrygtmPyRpyLEh_SABWAz7lBIbcPv5E3Ge2nzdr-mnd3hW6Pd4Xp7dBbffTyA/s1600/Birthday+Cake+Diffuser+Blend.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="435" data-original-width="769" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOFlzKjZLOaeROTg5XHBdG6PYB0bMrrK_FwoqA8XQ2BREstj5jB3w4F8RGRDQTJ7ufbYR5-KmnUglhQfLrygtmPyRpyLEh_SABWAz7lBIbcPv5E3Ge2nzdr-mnd3hW6Pd4Xp7dBbffTyA/s400/Birthday+Cake+Diffuser+Blend.jpg" width="400" id="id_43c2_5d81_30ce_f3c5" style="width: 307px; height: auto; margin: 4px;"></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #092066; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Check out my video for the full details: </span><a href="https://youtu.be/UYhUnEs-H4w" id="id_4f64_3733_f0e3_eaa7">Birthday Cake Diffuser Blend</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #092066; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">. </span><div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #092066; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #092066; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Got any suggestions for diffuser blends I should do in the future? I’d love to hear them!</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #092066; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></span></div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17340687619091243860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095628988457016099.post-38305429511187162652019-01-07T03:00:00.000-08:002019-01-07T03:00:05.403-08:00 What Your Student Teacher Wishes You KnewWhat makes a mentor teacher a GREAT mentor teacher to a pre-service teacher? How do you make a student teacher's time in your class worthwhile? This post shares the things your student teacher wishes you knew.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh12nvc4-8rPDLhyphenhyphen7UlGYPi3vjsQZSspXytlJkK0O3yOOSNSqTwBz5Qn9YjOeHZcAcjDT3vS-kR0wJISYsnXMWsofXBxLMnIZ75jEQLFQ1TOlCHVmbWJ-5qddd3YQJJG32ZDYxniBYzHaw/s1600/Student+Teacher+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt=" What Your Student Teacher Wishes You Knew" border="0" data-original-height="538" data-original-width="632" height="340" id="id_c788_3fac_78c8_4c59" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh12nvc4-8rPDLhyphenhyphen7UlGYPi3vjsQZSspXytlJkK0O3yOOSNSqTwBz5Qn9YjOeHZcAcjDT3vS-kR0wJISYsnXMWsofXBxLMnIZ75jEQLFQ1TOlCHVmbWJ-5qddd3YQJJG32ZDYxniBYzHaw/s400/Student+Teacher+1.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 400px;" title=" What Your Student Teacher Wishes You Knew" width="400" /></a></div>
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First, there are some things the mentor teacher (MT) needs to ALWAYS keep in mind:</h2>
<b>Student teachers are often afraid of making more work for their MT! </b><br />
Just be honest with your student teacher, they are as nervous as you are.<br />
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<b>Keep in mind that they are a student and will make mistakes. </b><br />
Help show them that it’s not the end of the world.<br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Remember that you do have a lot to give. </b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">You have been in the trenches. Don’t underestimate how valuable both your past successes AND failures are to your student teacher’s learning. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Know who the point of contact is for the college your student teacher is attending. </b></span></div>
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I didn’t ask who this was at first for my student teacher, even though I was expected (unbeknownst tonme) to communicate with this person on a regular basis. If your ST is attending an online college, this person may not have been made abundantly clear to them. Investigate this from the start and things will go more easily. </div>
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<b>YOU are still in charge of your classroom and responsible for student learning. </b><br />
Be strong and do what is best for your class. Most colleges won’t insist that you do anything that you don’t feel is right, but if your student teacher has an assignment that impedes your classroom learning, have a talk with the representative at the college.<br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Treat your ST as a colleague and partner teacher. </b></span><b>Focus on how you two will develop a professional relationship. </b><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">If you feel comfortable, try being hands-off more often to allow the ST to figure out their style and try things they want to put into practice. </span><br />
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Figure out a schedule for when your ST will observe and teach</h2>
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<b>The student teacher (ST) needs to build relationships with the students the same way any classroom teacher does.</b></div>
It's always best to allow the ST to observe for a full day or two, and longer, if possible. Just allowing the ST to get to know the students first and seeing how you run the classroom is a huge help! <span style="background-color: rgba(255 , 255 , 255 , 0); font-weight: 400;">Knowing the students allows the ST to understand what they like and dislike and how they prefer to work. Another option is to h</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255 , 255 , 255 , 0); font-weight: 400;">ave the ST observe senior teachers around the building. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255 , 255 , 255 , 0); font-weight: 400;"><br /></span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>On observation days, help your ST grade some assignments, do attendance, and hand back papers. </b>This helps them understand your grading system and how you assess students. It also helps the ST learn the kids' names and get to know them better. </span></div>
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<b>Sit down with your ST before they start teaching and come up with a gradual-release schedule of responsibilities. </b><br />
The responsibilities should include how the ST will gradually turn the classroom back over to you before they leave. If you teach multiple subjects, choose one to let your ST focus on at first. If you teach one subject, choose particular aspects of that subject to release to the ST. For example, let them plan the opening activity that might include reviewing previously taught material or an anticipatory question that gets the students thinking about what the lesson of the day will teach.<br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">After you decide the gradual-release schedule, focus on the lesson planning.</span></h2>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Provide your ST with the general lesson plan template and things they can immediately implement that you use to plan with. </b></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Ask your ST if their college already has a lesson plan template because many do. If you can allow them to use that template instead of the one you use, that will help your ST. If the college hasn't provided your ST with a template, give them the one you use.</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Try co-teaching or partner teaching at first.</b><br />Write the plans together and divide your lessons into segments, splitting the lesson delivery. For example, she opens and closes and you present new material. This is a great opportunity to provide more support for kids.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Use the beginning as an opportunity to do more small groups. Some options to do this:</b></span><br />
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<li style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Encourage the ST to modify your lessons and materials for lower students. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Have the ST pull small groups for remediation or enrichment. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Give the middle-achievement students to the ST for small groups. The low- and high-achieving students are the most challenging to grow, but the middle group often needs guidance and monitoring to keep on track.</span></span></li>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>If you're worried about the inclusion kids just keep that class or group. </b><br />There is no rule that stays you must give them every class or group. </span></div>
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Give continuous follow up and real classroom take-aways. </h2>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Make the time to sit down and talk with with your student teacher. </b></span></div>
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This should be daily, ideally several smaller sessions, at first. This gives the ST time to pose questions and the MT to address any concerns as they arise. After the first couple of weeks, ask your ST how often they would like to meet, but still ask often how they’re doing even if you’re not meeting as often. Sometimes an ST just needs the MT to check in on them and they will open up about their needs. </div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Use rubrics for your observations of your ST. </b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It will help guide you on how you need to help them and they will know your expectations.</span></div>
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<b>Give direct feedback. </b><br />
Don't make "suggestions" if it's something that they actually need to be doing.</div>
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<b>Teach your ST about evaluations. </b></div>
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They need to know what a classroom evaluation by an administrator or School Board official will look and feel like. Having another experienced teacher come in to do an evaluation is a great way to do this.<br />
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<b>Make sure your ST knows how to do a parent-teacher conference.</b><br />
They also need to know what to do on Back-to-School Night. Your ST also needs to be communicating via emails/phone calls with parents for students successes and concerns. </div>
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<b>Be helpful instead of just taking an hour of time to talk. </b><br />
Talk while helping staple homework packets, etc. Yes, you want the ST to learn how to juggle all of the responsibilities of the job, but remember that they are overwhelmed MOST of the time. Never underestimate how much help it is to do small things like administrative duties for them every once in awhile.<br />
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What else do you think Student Teachers want or need the seasoned teacher to know? I know there's so much more that needs to be included than what I have here!</h3>
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17340687619091243860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095628988457016099.post-56798407353499630372018-12-31T03:00:00.000-08:002018-12-31T21:48:33.558-08:00How to Start Teaching As Soon As Students Enter the Classroom<div>
How can you begin the learning as soon as students enter the classroom? This post shares my best tips for continuing the learning from one class to another and using every possible minute to its fullest.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZhqgDW5pdCHghuVuZ0kw9qJ93fuqPGp-PpM2WH4mSLUhkeaau6aYI8THKRVaUEKz75qXiyXxwkG3mwijsNYanI9ZsnYsUGVw2fIu0f3av1eyXA_kBbEa8zcCLqSe-VK95pCCFKkTdeSE/s1600/Begin+Teaching+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="How to Start Teaching As Soon As Students Enter the Classroom" border="0" data-original-height="713" data-original-width="890" height="320" id="id_59c_99af_f2f9_9f22" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZhqgDW5pdCHghuVuZ0kw9qJ93fuqPGp-PpM2WH4mSLUhkeaau6aYI8THKRVaUEKz75qXiyXxwkG3mwijsNYanI9ZsnYsUGVw2fIu0f3av1eyXA_kBbEa8zcCLqSe-VK95pCCFKkTdeSE/s400/Begin+Teaching+2.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 400px;" title="How to Start Teaching As Soon As Students Enter the Classroom" width="400" /></a></div>
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Build Relationships First, Even if It’s not the Beginning of the Year</h2>
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The beginning of the year is a great time to do this, but so is the return from a holiday break or anytime you need to reconnect with your class. </div>
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Each day's warm-up should have something to do with relationship-building at first. For example:</div>
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<b>Monday</b>: a deep breathing exercise/strategy.<br />
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<b>Tuesday</b>: students share a place they would travel to and explain why. Bonus points if it's a place you will be learning about this year.<br />
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<b>Wednesday</b>: Share what's going well and what needs improvement. It could come in the form of "Two Successes and an Improvement". Have students start with two things that are going well and give one thing that needs improvement.<br />
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<b>Thursday</b>: What are you curious about? Let students research and learn more about whatever they are curious about. Bonus points if it's related to the subject in your classroom.<br />
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<b>Friday</b>: Break out all of those get-to-know-you worksheets from the beginning of the year and start playing games with them. <br />
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Here's some things I like to do/revisit those get-to-know-you information you've already gathered:</h3>
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<a href="https://begborrowandteach.blogspot.com/2017/08/get-to-know-you-name-tags.html" target="_blank">Get-to-Know-You Name Tags</a></h3>
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<a href="https://begborrowandteach.blogspot.com/2017/10/how-to-use-get-to-know-you-activities.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: small;">How to Use Get-to-Know-You Activities Later in the Year</span></a></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuxJkTsqf85zL9V2yTuQKQYJ5Gq1rEXyWNsDyUWTTx4Sr6JVY7piQ9NxdAgs8bW26-9tQ_3qiU77rMsxR8OaCIrpP9EMUzMiWjHnpkTpQ0n0GoQPKqAeTImf2IhftOYlbLLDAspMAWbyk/s1600/nametag2.png.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="How to Start Teaching As Soon As Students Enter the Classroom" border="0" data-original-height="608" data-original-width="907" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuxJkTsqf85zL9V2yTuQKQYJ5Gq1rEXyWNsDyUWTTx4Sr6JVY7piQ9NxdAgs8bW26-9tQ_3qiU77rMsxR8OaCIrpP9EMUzMiWjHnpkTpQ0n0GoQPKqAeTImf2IhftOYlbLLDAspMAWbyk/s320/nametag2.png.jpg" title="How to Start Teaching As Soon As Students Enter the Classroom" width="320" /></a></div>
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If the traditional get-to-know-you activities aren't what you're looking for:</h3>
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<a href="https://begborrowandteach.blogspot.com/2018/07/fresh-alternatives-to-get-to-know-you.html" target="_blank">Fresh Alternatives to Get-to-Know-You Activities</a></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9xG-LmDY_DqFG_SOCSM7QASwLAzy5k6YIK_4v_LQZfvGIp7OgeFLyt3DDfaxLszj4rT43I_MUBh9t-swWQ0I5mdtqtogppYMLqzvLYj_GAzYqtzi6juc2PfexLlDq10Q7U40GYOzc0pg/s1600/Get+to+Know+You.png.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="How to Start Teaching As Soon As Students Enter the Classroom" border="0" data-original-height="716" data-original-width="715" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9xG-LmDY_DqFG_SOCSM7QASwLAzy5k6YIK_4v_LQZfvGIp7OgeFLyt3DDfaxLszj4rT43I_MUBh9t-swWQ0I5mdtqtogppYMLqzvLYj_GAzYqtzi6juc2PfexLlDq10Q7U40GYOzc0pg/s320/Get+to+Know+You.png.jpg" title="How to Start Teaching As Soon As Students Enter the Classroom" width="319" /></a></div>
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After Relationship-Building, Focus on Directions</h2>
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Have the Directions Clearly Displayed for Students as They Enter the Room</h3>
<b>Use your Smart Board, projector, doc cam, or simply write the directions on your board. I like to have them written in a numbered list so students know what to do first, second, and so on. </b><br />
This ensures that you are able to do the executive tasks, such as take attendance and get out materials for the next lesson, while students are preparing for learning themselves.<br />
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Write/Type These Directions on the Board Before You Leave Each Day</h3>
It's the last thing I do each day to prepare for the next day. If you can't hand write the directions, try typing them and projecting them. This might actually make it easier and quicker for you and your students. You can blow up the font and edit it without losing much time.<br />
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Make Prep Work Part of the Opening Activity</h3>
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There are administrative things that need to be done on almost a daily basis. Getting students to do this on their own at the start of class makes everything go more smoothly and quickly for the rest of the lesson. Some things I often have students do:</div>
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<li>Write homework in their agenda</li>
<li>Get out papers that I will collect/grade so they are ready to turn in</li>
<li>Get papers/materials they will need during the class</li>
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After Directions, Decide How You Will Encourage Good Behavior</h2>
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Incentivize It</h3>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Teach them to get to work on it even before the bell rings and give them participation points for doing so. You can award individual or team points if you have them sitting in teams. You'd be amazed at how positive peer pressure can make things happen!</span><br />
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Make It Cumulative for the Week</h3>
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Sometimes the warm-up will be a question on what we learned the day before. Then I have them turn in the whole thing on Friday. This way if a student is absent or needs more time to complete a particular assignment, they do not feel stressed to try to get it done all in one class. </div>
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Go Digital </h3>
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If you have to ability to use Google Forms, you can both assign and instantly assess your warm-up questions and activities. Here’s is a <a href="https://support.google.com/docs/answer/7032287?hl=en" id="id_1665_31c7_93de_992e">detailed explanation of how to use Forms to create and assess</a>. </div>
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Finally, Make It Easier for Students to Continue the Learning on Their Own </h2>
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Give Students a Sneak Peak at What They Will Learn That Day </h3>
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Having a warm-up activity each day will establish what students are going to be learning and/or extend previous learning through a question, political cartoon, quote, etc. </div>
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Have Students Review Previously Taught Material</h3>
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This could be material you taught this year, or it could be material that should have been taught last year in your subject area. I will sometimes have students quiz each other on previous test material or study guides during this time.</div>
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Vocabulary </h3>
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I go through and find the most difficult words from the state test and assign a few at a time. These are from the unit I’m ABOUT to teach. I only have them do the definition and draw a picture and we go over examples and non-examples as a class. It front-loads the information so students can participate in class discussions in the future. If you're interested in learning more, check out my <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Vocabulary-Instruction-and-Assessment-Packet-2193174" target="_blank">Vocabulary Instruction and Assessment packet</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisDhb5WqPHUwRG2zrNU4NOFRY4nMGviYrqlzqxeXZ8ulE25lTT6H1T_vqz8mZ_S-a6LhfoGrl1ihAyuWINRjU6zP3IcrOg6V_g9QBvYvXNly6CA2dM2_ys73aKDWuIBkBBW-t4xHyO1XY/s1600/Vocabulary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="How to Start Teaching As Soon As Students Enter the Classroom: Vocabulary" border="0" data-original-height="1081" data-original-width="719" height="320" id="id_30e6_c01b_43bd_6d44" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisDhb5WqPHUwRG2zrNU4NOFRY4nMGviYrqlzqxeXZ8ulE25lTT6H1T_vqz8mZ_S-a6LhfoGrl1ihAyuWINRjU6zP3IcrOg6V_g9QBvYvXNly6CA2dM2_ys73aKDWuIBkBBW-t4xHyO1XY/s320/Vocabulary.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 212px;" title="How to Start Teaching As Soon As Students Enter the Classroom: Vocabulary" width="212" /></a></div>
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How do you get students to begin learning as soon as they enter the classroom? I'd love to hear your thoughts and tips!</h3>
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17340687619091243860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095628988457016099.post-89862492376645333722018-12-23T19:24:00.001-08:002018-12-23T19:24:58.422-08:00Gingerbread House Essential Oil Diffuser Blend<div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-1fac6d29-7fff-ccde-1b98-15477a072c10"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One of my students specifically requested that I make and diffuse this blend to set the holiday theme in my classroom. Even if you're not a teacher, this blend really has that holiday spirit!</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo6kiKPp9FmKacqIZHQm1qjLUTWVWmbAIRO4d9Ni2EG-8R1KHUEEGEDnpzZ06ysrnTuxvEvs-whh8t87l0jElwr_PDXiGF51cIG6QxQpVnyobZSX3MNq08cFsff2FnFkh-HmitBnn3j8w/s1600/Gingerbread+House+Essential+Oil+Blend+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Gingerbread House Essential Oil Diffuser Blend" border="0" data-original-height="538" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo6kiKPp9FmKacqIZHQm1qjLUTWVWmbAIRO4d9Ni2EG-8R1KHUEEGEDnpzZ06ysrnTuxvEvs-whh8t87l0jElwr_PDXiGF51cIG6QxQpVnyobZSX3MNq08cFsff2FnFkh-HmitBnn3j8w/s400/Gingerbread+House+Essential+Oil+Blend+%25281%2529.jpg" title="Gingerbread House Essential Oil Diffuser Blend" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Check out my video for the full details: <a href="https://youtu.be/Fz-9yLhWHAk" target="_blank">Gingerbread House Essential Oil Blend</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!</span><br />
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17340687619091243860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095628988457016099.post-65090361598678544042018-11-26T04:00:00.000-08:002018-11-26T04:00:07.483-08:00How to Find the Time to Lesson PlanDo you ever find it difficult to find the time to get everything done at school? Do you have to take work home just to keep up? This post has some ways you can manage the work each day and make more time for yourself!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU3NlgvR4jYK8p6anb2IFOoxMuS9_gxpm8NCIA8O18kmPFlEL0FgZytmGAyUIaIrc3koxImu0hpy4zBW7GHji5RZCeqiDEFxMmeiZh1yKj_75C1WdDrB3UVMbKuzwqU-t-nAyas_DFlXs/s1600/How+to+Find+the+Time+to+Lesson+Plan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="How to Find the Time to Lesson Plan" border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="924" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU3NlgvR4jYK8p6anb2IFOoxMuS9_gxpm8NCIA8O18kmPFlEL0FgZytmGAyUIaIrc3koxImu0hpy4zBW7GHji5RZCeqiDEFxMmeiZh1yKj_75C1WdDrB3UVMbKuzwqU-t-nAyas_DFlXs/s400/How+to+Find+the+Time+to+Lesson+Plan.jpg" title="How to Find the Time to Lesson Plan" width="400" /></a></div>
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<h3>
Use Your Prep Time As Efficiently As Possible</h3>
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I know, I know. Planning periods are often taken up by things like meetings and conferences, but when you do get those few unencumbered moments, use them to your advantage. </div>
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<b>Do the Things at School That Can’t be Done at Home: </b></h3>
<b>Copying </b><br />
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I try to get all my copies done on Fridays for the upcoming week if I haven't had time during the week to get it done. The copier is ALWAYS breaking, so I don't want to wait and take the chance the following week that I won't be able to get it done.</div>
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<b>Parent phone calls </b></div>
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Please don't EVER make these from your home or cell phone. For one thing, it's important to keep those healthy boundaries between work and home. For another, this is one of those things that really is best done at school for several reasons.<br />
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<b>"Batch" the Tasks</b><br />
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What I mean by "batching" is to focus on one thing/subject at a time and finish that before moving on. For example:<br />
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<li>Make the lesson plans</li>
<li>Gather the materials</li>
<li>Make the copies</li>
<li>Grade the assessments</li>
<li>Decide if any of these things can or should go home for completion (with the exception of copying)</li>
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<b>Plan With Your Grade Level When Possible</b></div>
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Try to collaborate with anyone who teaches the same thing so you can work together on units.<br />
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<b>Don't Reinvent the Wheel</b><br />
If lessons or units don't need to be changed from previous years, don't bother with them. Focus on making your lessons work smarter, not harder.<br />
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<li>Make sure you have accommodations/modifications written into your lessons for students with special needs. </li>
<li>Fluff (worksheets, filler notes) should get tossed aside quickly for learning driven by the students, such as projects where they have to actually find the answers instead of you preparing the information for them.</li>
<li>Have a set number of assignments that repeat and use the same template. So the form doesn't change, but the content does. That way you don't have to create everything over and over.</li>
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<b>Use An Online Planbook</b></div>
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I have the app on my phone, which means I can change or view lessons ANYTIME, ANYWHERE.<br />
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<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.planbookedu.com/" style="color: #5c2b86; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">PlanbookEdu</a> : This website has practically saved my life this year. Yes, it's not free, but it's worth every penny. You can input your state standards above your lessons and it keeps track of how many you've covered in your lessons. You can attach files that you need. You can print and email the whole plan book or a selection. In a word, priceless.</li>
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When You Can't Get It All Done During Your Planning Period:</h3>
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<b>Have set “late nights” like Tuesdays and Thursdays (or whatever works with your schedule). </b><br />
That way you can get what you need to get done when there aren't so many people around to break your concentration. You're sacrificing a bit of time for work so that your don’t have to be stressed when you’re hanging out with your family. That way you can have the energy you need to give them.</div>
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<b>Get To Work Early Instead of Staying Late or Taking Work Home</b></div>
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You will be so much fresher and not have the same interruptions you do by staying later in the afternoon. Of course if you're like me, I'm still groggy in the morning so I actually prefer staying later in the afternoon.<br />
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<b>Be Very Selective About The Work You Do Take Home</b></div>
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Whether you have a family or not, your time in the evenings is short and you NEED downtime to recharge your batteries. Sure, you can power through some nights without much sleep, but if you do it too often, you are setting yourself up for teacher burnout.<br />
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You can read more about this in my <a href="https://begborrowandteach.blogspot.com/2018/08/how-to-avoid-teacher-overwhelm.html" target="_blank">"Avoiding Teacher Burnout" post</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGafZDV6AeJdRNRIGVpinhC73mNiX0AbxJv_1h6PMAsPwzVFnG9TSyJ_MeKuprC_DGXtZBDuyBNAEaaj-EWREF84tXUr1sXDqHlqO3kfpVEdpYkLU345J5U-Uj4s-gECeaMGzcw4BylYQ/s1600/Teacher+Overwhelm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="How to Find the Time to Lesson Plan and Avoid Teacher Overwhelm" border="0" data-original-height="1165" data-original-width="706" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGafZDV6AeJdRNRIGVpinhC73mNiX0AbxJv_1h6PMAsPwzVFnG9TSyJ_MeKuprC_DGXtZBDuyBNAEaaj-EWREF84tXUr1sXDqHlqO3kfpVEdpYkLU345J5U-Uj4s-gECeaMGzcw4BylYQ/s320/Teacher+Overwhelm.jpg" title="How to Find the Time to Lesson Plan and Avoid Teacher Overwhelm" width="193" /></a></div>
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<b>Go to Your "Happy Place" to Grade Papers</b></div>
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Sometimes I have to leave the house to grade so concentrate at a Starbucks and knock out papers that way.</div>
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<b>Join An Online Support Network</b></div>
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There are many Facebook and online teacher communities designed to support your effort to get more work done at school and bring less home. </div>
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Many teachers have highly recommended the <b>40 hour teacher work week club</b>. </div>
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<a href="https://40htw.com/join/">https://40htw.com/join/</a></div>
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How do you balance it all? I can always use more tips on how to do this!</h3>
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17340687619091243860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095628988457016099.post-4516028765004097942018-11-19T05:00:00.000-08:002018-11-19T05:00:18.469-08:00Do You Really Need to be Teaching The Scientific Method?Have you ever questioned the need to teach the Scientific Method because it isn't part of your county's or school's pacing guide or the NGSS standards? Then read this post to help you decide!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir1sM2y_38hRKtUyvtUFHq_FsCRBkjrOTDD59IAe1twOqpatfg62t8j7I9FNL-pAFevWMCdjf0qTsvvRRbZ4WXX1CULHzPbdshLJC0v6BTZf2v9R2DAGhEkOWdhSe7ZWcEBxMk_dVTkZg/s1600/Do+You+Really+Need+to+be+Teaching+The+Scientific+Method_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Do You Really Need to be Teaching The Scientific Method?" border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="801" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir1sM2y_38hRKtUyvtUFHq_FsCRBkjrOTDD59IAe1twOqpatfg62t8j7I9FNL-pAFevWMCdjf0qTsvvRRbZ4WXX1CULHzPbdshLJC0v6BTZf2v9R2DAGhEkOWdhSe7ZWcEBxMk_dVTkZg/s400/Do+You+Really+Need+to+be+Teaching+The+Scientific+Method_.jpg" title="Do You Really Need to be Teaching The Scientific Method?" width="400" /></a></div>
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<h3>
From a Standards Perspective, No</h3>
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It's not a Performance Expectation in the NGSS, but it is in the Science and Engineering Practices. With NGSS, it's meant to be woven through your curriculum as opposed to it being taught by itself.</div>
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NGSS is more correlated to the CER (Claim Evidence Reasoning), as opposed to the scientific method. </div>
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From A Life Skills Perspective, Yes</h3>
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You might think of it like the Scientific Method, or inquiry, is now referred to as "engineering practices", so it means that you should still teach it.<br />
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It will be helpful as science requires investigations and labs. It may not be assessed but it is still imperative to teach to hone their skills in doing investigations and writing lab reports. If you think about it from a procedural perspective (outside of standards alone), they need it to successfully complete labs. You might not need to spend a ton of time on it, but I’d at least expose them to it.</div>
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So how do you teach it without spending too much time on it since it’s not standards-based?</h3>
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Have Students Generate Their Own Labs</h3>
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This is <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Science-Fair-Scientific-Method-Report-Graphic-Organizer-2879453" target="_blank">the blank lab report sheet</a> I have students use when they are creating their own labs. </div>
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<h3>
Give Students an Example Lab and Have Them Identify the Steps of the Scientific Method</h3>
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I use this <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Scientific-Method-Foldable-Graphic-Organizer-1367634" target="_blank">Scientific Method Foldable</a> to do just that.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCU453VCK0VRkJxWjwmO-kZDAPdy35QCj3SUlHokWbYXxDDiGuczmtWb_ytlg4EOCO0WMXYueTWglTBh-ogQULUrVqUJXRFPs19_7ll1igFZOLY_-OMVXylIYWNnPUeT-HQ9oQO88Mo2o/s1600/Scientific+Method+Foldable.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Do You Really Need to be Teaching The Scientific Method?" border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCU453VCK0VRkJxWjwmO-kZDAPdy35QCj3SUlHokWbYXxDDiGuczmtWb_ytlg4EOCO0WMXYueTWglTBh-ogQULUrVqUJXRFPs19_7ll1igFZOLY_-OMVXylIYWNnPUeT-HQ9oQO88Mo2o/s400/Scientific+Method+Foldable.jpg" title="Do You Really Need to be Teaching The Scientific Method?" width="300" /></a></div>
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Get Students Moving to Review the Scientific Method</h3>
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We have a lot of fun reviewing with my <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Scientific-Method-Human-Bingo-Board-2573342" target="_blank">Scientific Method Human Bingo Board</a>. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSGjBaU3kfdZkFVyllExUZEmwTaIkB9lqF4dq67bO73X3bYav88Y1Igy_-A5SQbuMoOn8m7isod4hE0OGEbvbIutyBPNf1usCXXHZ8PYDywwWx0glZunfLUdapuKkaEb2fQXxpUliRwTQ/s1600/Scientific+Method+Bingo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Do You Really Need to be Teaching The Scientific Method?" border="0" data-original-height="643" data-original-width="919" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSGjBaU3kfdZkFVyllExUZEmwTaIkB9lqF4dq67bO73X3bYav88Y1Igy_-A5SQbuMoOn8m7isod4hE0OGEbvbIutyBPNf1usCXXHZ8PYDywwWx0glZunfLUdapuKkaEb2fQXxpUliRwTQ/s400/Scientific+Method+Bingo.jpg" title="Do You Really Need to be Teaching The Scientific Method?" width="400" /></a></div>
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What else would you add to the activities that you use to review the Scientific Method or teach it in context? I'd love to hear your ideas!</h3>
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17340687619091243860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095628988457016099.post-63716467392943361002018-10-23T09:21:00.001-07:002018-10-23T09:21:42.620-07:00Should Teachers Dress up for Halloween?<div>
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Does your school allow or encourage teachers to dress up for Halloween? Do you need a school-appropriate costume? Then this post is for you!</div>
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<b>First, figure out if you’re going solo or a group theme. </b></h2>
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<b>Solo Costumes</b></h3>
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<b>Emojis </b></div>
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This one could be solo or group. It comes from <a href="https://www.diyinspired.com/make-cardboard-emoji-faces/" id="id_81b3_e911_4e92_6f85">this website</a>. </div>
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<img alt="" id="id_4103_4c47_84c7_e5d9" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg7OPUNZb1zZWo4FrnuDLaoXi7Jfkjcte4mqaYGqthOkl1mkFFcn7vY6vwlpWHn0xvz4uS9pcyvaTqti6zQuA5G1Qw0O-0TX0BvQ8SVyFF3fZ4Kh_rjUz0FWpn9jbgDlNBJpUe8g31r-k/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="height: auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /><br />
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<b>Group Costumes</b></h3>
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<b>Shark Week</b></div>
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With “Baby Shark” being so popular everywhere, why not do a “Shark Week” theme? It doesn’t need to be elaborate. The picture below comes from <a href="https://www.brit.co/ladies-group-costumes/?utm_campaign=pinbutton_hover" id="id_78b9_e2fb_8d9c_a437">this website</a>. </div>
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<b>Turtle Power</b></div>
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How about an easy DIY from <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/amphtml/alisoncaporimo/cheap-costumes-for-days" id="id_780_e5e_7001_21f8">this website</a>?</div>
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<b>Science Humor</b></h3>
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<b>I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t try to encourage you to get some science in your life. </b></div>
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<b>Table of Elements</b></div>
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This is demonstrated on children, but it’d be easy to duplicate on adults. The idea came from <a href="https://amp.cheezburger.com/6981036800/youre-turning-your-kids-into-dorks" id="id_6f58_3ce7_bb78_e6d4">this website</a>. </div>
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Put measurements on a T-shirt and a graduation cap. A graduated cylinder!</div>
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<b>Humorous Costumes </b><br />
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Tape Smarties candy to your pants and go as a smarty pants. </div>
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Make a piece of foam board look like graph paper and put fake snakes on it (Snakes on a Plane)</div>
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Get a funky colored wig and pull it into a troll-do. Then put on the most brightly colored clothes you can find, use some blusher to do circles on your cheeks, and go as a troll.</div>
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Report card: Placard on the front and on the back. Could easily turn it into a lab report.</div>
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<b>Keep It Simple</b></div>
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Wear all black and put dots on you...YOU'RE A DOMINO!</div>
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Scrubs...be a nurse or doctor..</div>
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What would you add to this list? I'm a "Keep It Simple" kind of gal myself!</div>
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17340687619091243860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095628988457016099.post-24446511275797919332018-09-17T01:00:00.000-07:002018-09-17T01:00:04.855-07:00Decreasing Grading Time Series: General Strategies to Engage and Assess Students<br />
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Are you struggling to keep up with grading? Do you spend hours upon hours grading? Do you struggle with creating and grading assignments? Then this post is for you!</h3>
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Don't Grade an Entire Assessment</h3>
Instead, choose the top questions that represent the concepts you want to assess. For example, if you have a worksheet with 20 questions, grade four of the best questions and multiply by five.<br />
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<b>Why it works</b>: You may be asking yourself why you would create extra questions and have students complete them if you will only be using part of them for assessment and grading. The answer to that is that it is extremely useful for practice, particularly for classwork. So the students get extra practice and you get an assessment that doesn't take ages to grade.<br />
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Give "Completion Points"</h3>
Students get a set amount of points that represent the quality of their effort and output. For example, if you present the student with a 20-question assessment and they work diligently for an hour to accurately complete ten of those questions, they might receive full points, such as 10 out of 10. If you were strictly going on percentage, that same student would receive only a 50%. Is that really an accurate representation of their knowledge?<br />
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<b>Why it works</b>: This works well for classwork that is being used for practice and formative assessments. As you walk around to help students, you instinctively know which of them truly understands and which students are not quite there yet. Awarding points on a sliding scale based on this is often better than a straight percentage. So you are using your observations and knowledge of your students to accurately and quickly grade them daily.<br />
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Use Rubrics</h3>
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Create rubrics with a certain focus for each assignment. Many teachers like to save time by creating online rubrics using <a href="http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php" target="_blank">RubiStar</a>.</div>
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<b>Why it works</b>: This is great for lengthy assignments like the Science Fair, essays, or labs. When I was grading essays, for example, I picked writing traits that needed to be graded and only focused on them. I ALWAYS graded for capitalization and punctuation, but I picked a few other writing traits for each essay to grade as they were explicitly taught in class, such as adverbs or figurative language. That way, I wasn't grading for EVERY little detail, which would take HOURS. </div>
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Use the Open-Ended Strategy </h3>
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It starts with giving an open-ended assignment where students can use notes, etc to look up answers. They can then use just the assignment to take the multiple choice version. I would make the multiple choice higher level or multi step questions, so there is still a level of recall and differentiation to the assessment.</div>
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<b>Why it works</b>: Sometimes this is just as valuable for assessment as asking students to recall the information on their own. It takes longer, but it assesses multiple levels of understanding and levels the playing field for all students. You can combine this strategy with the ones listed above, such as using a rubric or only grading part of the assessment, to make everyone's life easier.</div>
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Sometimes you Just Have to Grade the Whole Assignment</h3>
I know this doesn't go very well with the theme of this post. However, if it's a state assessment or school-mandated assessment, you probably don't have a choice. Ask your grade-level cohorts if you're ever in doubt. If you aren't required to grade the entire assessment though, use the strategies above!<br />
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<br />Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17340687619091243860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095628988457016099.post-32236094071896438602018-09-10T01:00:00.000-07:002018-09-10T01:00:01.356-07:00Decreasing Grading Time Series: Using Apps to Engage and Assess Students<div>
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Are you struggling to keep up with grading? Do you spend hours upon hours grading? Do you struggle with creating and grading assignments? Then this post is for you!</h3>
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<a href="https://www.zipgrade.com/">ZipGrade</a></h3>
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<b>What is it? </b>Here's <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.zipgradellc.android.zipgrade&hl=en_US" target="_blank">an in-depth summary of ZipGrade</a>, but it's basically a Google app that uses an Android device's camera as a grading scanner for multiple-choice tests. </div>
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<b>How does it help with grading? </b>You can use it in addition to the <a href="https://www.zipgrade.com/" target="_blank">ZipGrade website</a> for additional options once you create a free user profile. It's a great option for IEP students who have modifications for a paper test.</div>
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<a href="https://www.google.com/forms/about/" target="_blank">Google Forms</a></h3>
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<b>What is it? </b>Here's the <a href="http://www.edtechroundup.org/reviews/google-forms-collect-analyze-and-automatically-grade-student-data-for-formative-and-summative-assessments" target="_blank">full explanation of what Google Forms does</a>. It's a Google app in which you can create quizzes, exit tickets and various assessment tools. You then give the sharable link to your students via email or online classroom website.<br />
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<b>How does it help with grading? </b>There are options you can select while you are creating the assessment that allows it to be immediately graded once you provide the app with the answer key you will also create. You can add feedback for correct and incorrect answers so students know how to approach that question in the future. By setting up the answer key, the results will be tallied and available to you with the click of a button. If you use it to create exit tickets, it grades itself, and from that, you can make groups for practice the next day. It makes differentiation so easy!<br />
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<a href="https://socrative.com/" target="_blank">Socrative</a></h3>
<b>What is it? </b>This app uses devices to assess knowledge with exit tickets or questions (multiple-choice, true/false, short answer).<br />
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<b>How does it help with grading? </b>You create and save your assessments to your Socrative account. It tallies the results and allows you to view them by class, student, or question results. These results can be downloaded and sent to email or Google Drive.<br />
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<a href="https://quizizz.com/" target="_blank">Quizizz</a></h3>
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<b>What is it?</b> Here's <a href="https://quizizz.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/203610052-What-is-Quizizz-" target="_blank">a comprehensive explanation of Quizizz</a>. I've heard it described as Kahoot, only quiet. There's still competition, but less noise.</div>
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<b>How does it help with grading? </b>You use a bank of quizzes that are already created and modify them to best assess your students. Theses questions are presented to students at their own pace and the results can be sorted by class-level and student-level and downloaded into an Excel spreadsheet.<br />
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<a href="https://www.plickers.com/" target="_blank">Plickers</a></h3>
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<b>What is it?</b> If you're worried about engagement with Kahoot and not being 1:1 with your technology, try using Plickers instead! The device is used scan paper cards for student responses.<br />
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<b>How does it help with grading? </b>All you need to do is print out the game cards, and have either an iPad or a cell phone for you to scan the cards when students answer a question. You also can download reports if you choose to give the students grades.<br />
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Come back next week to see the next part of the Decreasing Grading Time Series: General Strategies to Engage and Assess Students. See you soon!</h3>
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17340687619091243860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095628988457016099.post-16610163478965957212018-09-03T04:43:00.000-07:002018-09-03T04:43:25.074-07:00Decreasing Grading Time Series: Using Videos to Engage and Assess Students<div>
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Are you struggling to keep up with grading? Do you spend hours upon hours grading? Do you struggle with creating and grading assignments? Then this post is for you!</h3>
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<b><a href="https://edpuzzle.com/" target="_blank">Edpuzzle</a></b></h2>
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<b>What is it? </b></h3>
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<li>You can use any YouTube video and build a quiz into it. </li>
<li>You can use the cut tool to snip any unwanted parts from the video. </li>
<li>You can use multiple choice and free-response type questions. </li>
<li>You can connect it to Google Classroom for easy/automatic assessment.</li>
<li>Multiple choice questions are graded automatically. </li>
<li>Depending on your county's internet security measures, putting a YouTube video in EdPuzzle will sometimes circumvent the problem of blocked YouTube videos. </li>
<li>If students fail the assessment, they can reset and watch it again.</li>
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<b>Here are a few things to keep in mind:</b></h3>
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<li>Students can not edit their responses.</li>
<li>Students need to watch the video until the end or it will not show up as complete. </li>
<li>If you have multiple “correct answers” students must select all to get it “correct”. A way to fix this is to give any opinion questions a short-answer format.</li>
<li>Short-Answer questions are not automatically graded. The teacher must read through those.</li>
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<a href="https://learn.playposit.com/learn/" target="_blank">Playposit</a></h2>
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<b>What is it?</b> </h3>
It was formally known as eduCanon. Here's <a href="https://www.smore.com/ek7yh-playposit" target="_blank">the full explanation of what Playposit is</a>.<br />
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<li>Similar to Edpuzzle, except this website allows you upload videos from various places (not just YouTube) and use them as interactive assessments. These places include: YouTube, LearnZillion, TeacherTube, Vimeo, and Khan Academy</li>
<li>Students can't skip past anything they haven't already watched</li>
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<b>How does it help with grading? </b></h3>
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<li>It sends the assessment data to the gradebook on your existing learning management system, such as edmodo, moodle, Blackboard, and Powerschool.</li>
<li>If you don't have a learning management system, the results are sent to the dashboard on playposit</li>
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General Strategies</h2>
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<li>Do a short formal assessment in class after students have watched the video. This way, you can check what they know/recall without the video or other resources in front of them.</li>
<li>Have students take notes while they watch and let them use the notes for the assessment that will follow</li>
<li><b>Cloze Reading</b>: Here's the <a href="https://www.thoughtco.com/cloze-reading-can-be-used-to-solidify-learning-3194249" target="_blank">full explanation of what Cloze Reading</a> is, but I use it with my videos by typing up the transcript of the video as I watch it or sometimes the transcript is provided by website. I then blank out key words, print the transcript, and have students fill in the blanks as they watch.</li>
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Come back next week to see the next part of the Decreasing Grading Time Series: Using Apps to Engage and Assess Students. See you soon!</h3>
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17340687619091243860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095628988457016099.post-60429557168483552502018-08-27T05:00:00.000-07:002018-08-27T05:00:11.776-07:00Decrease Grading Time Series: Using Websites to Engage and Assess Students<div>
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Are you struggling to keep up with grading? Do you spend hours upon hours grading? Do you struggle with creating and grading assignments? Then this post is for you!</h3>
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<a href="http://www.problem-attic.com/">Problem Attic</a></h3>
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<b>What is it?</b> This is <a href="https://www.problem-attic.com/teacher-overview" target="_blank">an in-depth summary of Problem Attic</a>, but basically it's online database of questions that can be turned into warm-ups, exit tickets, review activities, and much more.<br />
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<b>How does it help with grading?</b>You can print the PDFs for written activities or use the scoring app to to assess and immediately grade students. You can build, save and edit tests year to year and answer keys are provided.<br />
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<a href="https://moodle.org/">Moodle</a></h3>
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<b>What is it?</b> This is <a href="https://docs.moodle.org/35/en/About_Moodle" target="_blank">an in-depth summary of Moodle</a> if you want to read it straight from the source.<br />
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<b>How does it help with grading?</b> You can put your tests and quizzes on Moodle. It takes a little while to get them on there but the computer grades them. You also don’t have to re-enter them after the initial time and can use them the following year.<br />
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<a href="https://edulastic.com/" target="_blank">Edulastic</a></h3>
<b>What is it?</b> Here's the <a href="https://edulastic.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/203355199-What-is-Edulastic-" target="_blank">full explanation of what Edulastic is</a>.<br />
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<b>How does it help with grading? </b>You can use it for your daily formative assessments as well as performance assessment benchmarks to practice for state testing. What sets Edulastic apart is the fact that it offers a bank of Technology-Enhanced Items (TEIs) that truly prepare students for those type of questions that they will inevitably see on state assessments, all of which are automatically graded.<br />
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<a href="https://padlet.com/" target="_blank">Padlet</a></h3>
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<b>What is it?</b> Here's the full explanation of <a href="http://www.wvadulted.org/uploads/4/2/4/9/42499625/padlet_for_beginners.pdf" target="_blank">Padlet</a>. Basically, I consider it to be like an interactive Pinterest board where students can ask/answer questions, collaborate, and share links and pictures. Padlet calls it a "bulletin board".<br />
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<b>How does it help with grading?</b> The boards can be exported, printed, or shared with a URL. You can assess for understanding and attach a grade. <br />
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<a href="https://goformative.com/" target="_blank">GoFormative</a></h3>
<b>What is it? </b>It can track progress, allow students to see answers after assessment is finished, and teachers can see live answers and direct message students to check questions.<br />
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<b>How does it help with grading?</b> It gives percentages to correct answers for each class and an entire grade for each assessment. Students can have access to scores all year round to track growth. It has free and paid versions.<br />
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Come back next week to see the next part of the Decreasing Grading Time Series: Using Videos to Engage and Assess Students. See you soon!</h3>
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17340687619091243860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095628988457016099.post-4972408498534602412018-08-20T05:00:00.000-07:002018-08-20T05:00:02.307-07:00What to Do With Students Who Finish FirstHow do you manage the time when some students are done with an assignment and others need to finish before you move on in a lesson? This post gives you tips and techniques for managing the time with early finishers.<br />
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<b>Things to consider before choosing activities for your early finishers:</b><b> </b></h3>
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<li>Are these activities for enrichment, review purposes, or just for fun? </li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Will the assignments count for extra credit?</span></li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Will these be assignments to be done individually or in pairs/groups?</span></li>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><b>First, I’d like to mention that </b></span><b>I always have a list of must-do activities to be completed before students are allowed to do any extras:</b></h3>
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<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Vocabulary</span></li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Organizing notes</span></li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Make up work</span></li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Correcting tests </span></li>
</ul>
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<h3>
<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><u>Enrichment Activities </u></b></h3>
</div>
<div>
If students complete the list above, they can request one of the following:</div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
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<div>
<h4>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Laminated file folders with simple activities that can be completed with dry-erase markers: </b></span></h4>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Crosswords </span></li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Word searches</span></li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Storyboards</span></li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Acrostics </span></li>
</ul>
</div>
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<h4>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Comprehension activities:</b></span></h4>
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<ul>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">TIME magazine</span></li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Scholastic</span></li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Book reviews</span></li>
</ul>
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<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></b></div>
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<h3>
<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Reading</b></h3>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I love to tell students that when they finish early, they may EAT (enjoy a text). </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I have a classroom library with books and magazines about the subjects I cover in the courses I teach. When someone finishes early, I often tell them to find something to read. It gives students additional reading practice and it also lets them learn more about topics that I may not have addressed in my lessons that interest them. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
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<h4>
<b>I have the following available for students to use while reading:</b></h4>
<b><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Nonfiction-Close-Reading-Bookmarks-1545326">Nonfiction Close Reading Bookmarks</a></b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXdynBf_Dbh4EMrEyPf_bbVvXgbM6r7PSexUtmHfbLazYIBGfB6R-2eB88h9Of-Vu98vKTJrCz3xyO35FZoeeu5vQoSyx7cCb498Q9NuWim5Beltiz5I6uXQJF3CCkdcLDfnW1t3_NlFo/s1600/NonfictionCloseReadingBookmarks2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="What to Do With Students Who Finish First: Nonfiction Close Reading Bookmarks" border="0" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="487" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXdynBf_Dbh4EMrEyPf_bbVvXgbM6r7PSexUtmHfbLazYIBGfB6R-2eB88h9Of-Vu98vKTJrCz3xyO35FZoeeu5vQoSyx7cCb498Q9NuWim5Beltiz5I6uXQJF3CCkdcLDfnW1t3_NlFo/s320/NonfictionCloseReadingBookmarks2.jpg" title="What to Do With Students Who Finish First: Nonfiction Close Reading Bookmarks" width="274" /></a></div>
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<b><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Close-Reading-in-Middle-School-1936219">General Close Reading Instructions</a></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpIzEOrCvd8NOYrMoyOlMRbQc88lbFNJH4lvcAeFQ7WbK9GJxHWFu9VBfMD-qT91cOJmuaAoZS1yA4fmgbOpFJrOkZPJkG3LWdIyu8jNXSlMp54GBcl3Fzf6KrhNexnnG_LE_xBtqiqsA/s1600/Close+Reading+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="What to Do With Students Who Finish First: Close Reading Instructions" border="0" data-original-height="765" data-original-width="423" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpIzEOrCvd8NOYrMoyOlMRbQc88lbFNJH4lvcAeFQ7WbK9GJxHWFu9VBfMD-qT91cOJmuaAoZS1yA4fmgbOpFJrOkZPJkG3LWdIyu8jNXSlMp54GBcl3Fzf6KrhNexnnG_LE_xBtqiqsA/s400/Close+Reading+2.jpg" title="What to Do With Students Who Finish First: Close Reading Instructions" width="220" /></a></div>
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<b><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Using-Sticky-Notes-to-Increase-Reading-Comprehension-732080">Sticky Notes for Reading Comprehension</a></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTkyc9KOcU3jszQmKLSqpozMJCyXQ1vtBRiGOvF14shuGanl7PNSCVQzKB-fWTV2GOZ6qk5UEMbxfFG8KrGOeHbVfkZj2XzxU9jXl-KND1SD8E8ssSOfA44WtnFU0KmAvbirfenraCfp0/s1600/Using+Sticky+Notes+for+Reading+Comprehension.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="What to Do With Students Who Finish First: Using Sticky Notes for Reading Comprehension" border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="263" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTkyc9KOcU3jszQmKLSqpozMJCyXQ1vtBRiGOvF14shuGanl7PNSCVQzKB-fWTV2GOZ6qk5UEMbxfFG8KrGOeHbVfkZj2XzxU9jXl-KND1SD8E8ssSOfA44WtnFU0KmAvbirfenraCfp0/s400/Using+Sticky+Notes+for+Reading+Comprehension.jpg" title="What to Do With Students Who Finish First: Using Sticky Notes for Reading Comprehension" width="300" /></a></div>
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<h3>
<u style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Review Activities</b> </u></h3>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
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<h4>
<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Use Quizlett for:</b></h4>
</div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Vocabulary review</span></li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Use Classtools.net to put in your content, copy, and then go to Quizlet and paste it in there. </span></li>
</ul>
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<div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I also have them “quiz” each other on:</span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">vocabulary </span></li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">turn the headings from their textbook into questions and quiz each other with that</span></li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Old test questions (I have them keep all their old tests in their binder)</span></li>
</ul>
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<h3>
<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Student Tutors</b></h3>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">One option is to pair up the kids that are always finishing first with kids that need more time so that they can hopefully encourage each other - one will reinforce their skills by 'teaching' it and the other will get the support they need.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>A word of caution with this technique</b>: Make sure the personalities mesh before pairing up. Not all early-finishers are kind or helpful tutors. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
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<h3>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b><u>Activities just for fun</u>:</b></span></h3>
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<ul>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Challenge capsules: </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Little plastic bottles with random questions inside</span></li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Make an enrichment bulletin board with QR codes to make it more interactive. Students watch videos with a tablet/phone</span></li>
</ul>
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<h3>
<b>What else would you add to this list? I always need fresh ideas!</b></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLdWhvMnRTW5RBqYxFp8VrAhTKhbS4G8rye5vpCv_9fa0Hb8Ng6TNpz-rUGw-ENCk240IUF4YwV4DH6PUBxnChOZdpcxz0nz9SyKiNa0nV-RibPVp0xNE8iJebjHwCQ6H738BVDYJU3YA/s1600/Heather.BegBorrowTeach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="912" data-original-width="816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLdWhvMnRTW5RBqYxFp8VrAhTKhbS4G8rye5vpCv_9fa0Hb8Ng6TNpz-rUGw-ENCk240IUF4YwV4DH6PUBxnChOZdpcxz0nz9SyKiNa0nV-RibPVp0xNE8iJebjHwCQ6H738BVDYJU3YA/s320/Heather.BegBorrowTeach.jpg" width="286" /></a></div>
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17340687619091243860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095628988457016099.post-53497990340430300432018-08-13T05:00:00.000-07:002018-08-13T05:00:03.582-07:00How to Create and Follow a Pacing GuideHave you been asked to create a pacing guide or felt the need to make one for yourself or your team? What happens if you make one and can't follow it? This post will help you navigate through the process of creating a pacing guide and sticking to it!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLU31QS6SCSJt8iGUJC27_xfxu9bMKWCkgl7djUAgoZgArsyb4lGSsgweWipzU0_VQjeCNM7-GrGB9X_OXlc979Qn6gehHdCXrwcPn_GQJOmgTA3h36Jelfslpy0KSgZVQgn8Y7HiFnkU/s1600/Pacing+Guide2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="How to Create and Follow a Pacing Guide" border="0" data-original-height="719" data-original-width="1059" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLU31QS6SCSJt8iGUJC27_xfxu9bMKWCkgl7djUAgoZgArsyb4lGSsgweWipzU0_VQjeCNM7-GrGB9X_OXlc979Qn6gehHdCXrwcPn_GQJOmgTA3h36Jelfslpy0KSgZVQgn8Y7HiFnkU/s400/Pacing+Guide2.jpg" title="How to Create and Follow a Pacing Guide" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>First and Foremost: Always Plan With the State Standards</b></h3>
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It's really best if each person on the team either has a printed or electronic copy of the standards, depending on what appeals to them. I personally like printed copies so I can mark them up any way I see fit. You can usually find the standards on your state's department of education website. I like to save mine as a PDF AND print it out.</div>
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<h3>
<b>Make Sure Everyone in the Group has a Role</b> </h3>
<div>
Assigning roles and due dates will keep everyone on track. Start with the standards you will need to teach at the beginning of the year. Then, find out what each person enjoys using to teach those standards. For example, I often liked to find the activities that involved movement or mentor texts to teach the concepts, so I was often in charge of finding those things and sharing with the group so we could include them on the pacing guide. <br />
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<h3>
<b>Other roles you may want to add:</b></h3>
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<ul>
<li><b>Assessments </b>(multiple-choice, online, vocabulary, etc.). Make sure they closely match what your state will assess at the end of the year so students have plenty of practice before then.</li>
<li><b style="color: #092066; font-family: "PT Sans Caption";">Multi-Media Instruction</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #092066; font-family: "PT Sans Caption";">: Things like online practice games, videos, YouTube, music, computer lab activities, etc. You want to try to incorporate as many different forms of instruction as possible so that you reach as many different learning styles as possible.</span></li>
<li><b>Vocabulary</b>: Make sure you do some kind of activities that explicitly teach the words that your state standards use. My post on <span style="background-color: white; color: #092066; font-family: "PT Sans Caption";"><a href="http://begborrowandteach.blogspot.com/2017/10/no-tech-ways-to-teach-and-assess.html">No-Tech Ways to Teach and Assess Vocabulary in Core Subjects</a> gives several ways to do this, including a vocabulary review packet.</span></li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC8rQrwYDiHnFhZ_zgcqoKKIx0mZ90RFoNEV-Jr2SnyxW0SwiYysKejqzl2imzyRhFfF4xjL59THRWInqoLS0ENC2pTocg0TSINbsKyf8pZ0uoyHVwX327iVOHMJirIDGh_Q8gjbLJsDo/s1600/Vocab+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="How to Create and Follow a Pacing Guide: Vocabulary Instruction and Assessement" border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1366" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC8rQrwYDiHnFhZ_zgcqoKKIx0mZ90RFoNEV-Jr2SnyxW0SwiYysKejqzl2imzyRhFfF4xjL59THRWInqoLS0ENC2pTocg0TSINbsKyf8pZ0uoyHVwX327iVOHMJirIDGh_Q8gjbLJsDo/s400/Vocab+4.jpg" title="How to Create and Follow a Pacing Guide: Vocabulary Instruction and Assessement" width="400" /></a></div>
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<h3>
Use Google Drive to Make Sure the Process is Truly Collaborative</h3>
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To do this, everyone will need to bring their laptop to each meeting. You can either create a Doc or a Sheet and add all your team members using their emails. I'd make a Sheet like the one below.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBF2iCMmKwQvWuL851dP9t8_eSPlVjNXuoaKX6jwnRY3g5k1uU-7Klk5BoubDoptQan6HsaCGrxOAubpM1YmXrCaKeBlZQS92fzfmiAdVjB7mOyzeCHe4zhzu2GjZ1s3l-dOTDuwyYNNg/s1600/Pacing+Guide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="How to Create and Follow a Pacing Guide: Team Planning " border="0" data-original-height="226" data-original-width="640" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBF2iCMmKwQvWuL851dP9t8_eSPlVjNXuoaKX6jwnRY3g5k1uU-7Klk5BoubDoptQan6HsaCGrxOAubpM1YmXrCaKeBlZQS92fzfmiAdVjB7mOyzeCHe4zhzu2GjZ1s3l-dOTDuwyYNNg/s400/Pacing+Guide.jpg" title="How to Create and Follow a Pacing Guide: Team Planning " width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>Don't Let the Conversation Wander</b></h3>
If you start talking about what you did over the weekend or "that student", you will never get the pacing guide done. <br />
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<h3>
Meet Weekly, If Possible</h3>
You'll want to meet regularly so you can talk about the standards you will need to teach in the future and make sure everyone is at the same place (or close) on the previous standards.<br />
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<h3>
<b>Now, Let's Talk About Everyone's Least Favorite Question: </b>How do I Stick to the Pacing Guide????!!!!</h3>
<h3>
<br /></h3>
<h3>
Use a “Window” </h3>
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Setting a three-day window for when the team should do things like give the unit exam gives a level of freedom as far as the day-to-day lessons.</div>
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<h3>
Build in Extra Days</h3>
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Create a pacing guide with built in pause days. Don't forget things like holidays, snow/inclement weather, assemblies, state testing, and all the other things that throw the pacing off. <b>Make sure you sit down with the school/district calendar so you can include important dates as "pause days" on your pacing guide.</b><br />
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<h3>
Adjust the Pacing Guide</h3>
The pacing guide may need to be adjusted as a grade level if everyone is just too far behind what was originally anticipated. If only one member is behind, brainstorm how the team can best support that person and their students to help get them caught up. <br />
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<h3>
<b>What else would you add to this? I'm sure I'll be making more pacing guides in the future, so I can always use more advice!</b></h3>
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17340687619091243860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095628988457016099.post-69626144578864761272018-08-06T05:00:00.000-07:002018-08-06T05:00:00.309-07:00How to Avoid Teacher Overwhelm<div>
Do you ever wonder h<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">ow other teachers deal with feelings of being endlessly behind and never done? Whether you’re a first-year or a seasoned teacher, this post has some time-tested advice for you!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGafZDV6AeJdRNRIGVpinhC73mNiX0AbxJv_1h6PMAsPwzVFnG9TSyJ_MeKuprC_DGXtZBDuyBNAEaaj-EWREF84tXUr1sXDqHlqO3kfpVEdpYkLU345J5U-Uj4s-gECeaMGzcw4BylYQ/s1600/Teacher+Overwhelm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="How to Avoid Teacher Overwhelm" border="0" data-original-height="1165" data-original-width="706" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGafZDV6AeJdRNRIGVpinhC73mNiX0AbxJv_1h6PMAsPwzVFnG9TSyJ_MeKuprC_DGXtZBDuyBNAEaaj-EWREF84tXUr1sXDqHlqO3kfpVEdpYkLU345J5U-Uj4s-gECeaMGzcw4BylYQ/s400/Teacher+Overwhelm.jpg" title="How to Avoid Teacher Overwhelm" width="241" /></a></div>
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<h2>
<b>For the New Teacher:</b></h2>
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Most importantly, you need to understand that classroom teaching is different and difficult compared to college, which has set deadlines and a defined“end” with the final project/exam. <b>In classroom teaching, there’s always more you can do or should be doing.</b><br />
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<b>Try to find a seasoned teacher or mentor who is willing to explain what is mandatory and what is “extra”.</b> Always focus on the mandatory first. For example, grading assignments and providing timely feedback, should be top priority since students’ knowledge (or lack thereof) should guide your planning and instruction. </div>
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<b>For All Teachers:</b></h2>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>First of all, understand that the to-do list never ends, so you have to make it “end” each day for yourself. </b></span></h3>
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<b>Make Sure You Differentiate Between Work and Home</b></h3>
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If you come home and still work on school things and don't have time to do things with your loved ones, this sets you up for overwhelm. You have to decide what your "school hours" and "home hours" are. Pick a time for school, say 7:00 am to 4:30 pm. At 4:30, leave school and school work behind so home is home time. Of course, it won't ALWAYS work out that way, but setting personal school hours really helps.</div>
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Make Weekly To-Do Lists</h3>
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Many teachers like to use stick notes to do this so they can either throw the note away when it's done or move the sticky to the next week if they don't get to it. This helps them to prioritize and have a healthy work/life balance.<br />
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<b>When setting up your to-do list, think of the daily tasks you need to get done.</b><br />
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<b>Set Up Daily Tasks</b></h3>
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For example, <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Mondays you could have </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">students pass out portfolios and graded papers and then collect portfolios. Tuesdays, are for grading. Wednesday is for inputting</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> grades. </span>Thursday is for planning your next week’s lessons. Fridays might be for getting your copying done and collecting materials for the following week.</div>
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<b>After Your Daily Tasks, Write a Secondary List:</b></h3>
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<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">You need a clear "do today", "do sometime this week/month", and "do one day whenever the world slows down" list. </span></li>
<li>Accomplish the “today” list and when you have a slower day or extra time, jump on the “this week/month list”. </li>
<li>Plan out your day each evening/morning and if you have a short today list, add something from your week/month list to "today" </li>
<li>Don't worry about the other two lists. Focus on today. Eventually you will get enough done. And eventually that future list will fix itself on some things and will get shorter.</li>
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<b>Assign Class Jobs</b></h3>
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If your school allows it, here are some common tasks that students can do to save you time:</div>
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<li>Take attendance </li>
<li>Pass back papers</li>
<li>Help absent students catch up</li>
<li>Tutor other students</li>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Just Do Your Best, Always</b></span></h3>
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Don't try to over do it. If you don't get to that one lesson, it will be okay. Some years you will be behind and it's not the end of the world. If you stick to showing students that you care about them, they will likely learn and retain more anyway.<br />
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Spend Some Time Each Day Organizing Your Classroom</h3>
<b>I don't like to leave each day until I've at least:</b><br />
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<li>Tidied up my desk </li>
<li>Put the to-do list for the next day in a visible area of my desk</li>
<li>Put all stacks of papers to be graded in a neat stack in a central location</li>
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<b>I have students help me out with the "clean up" portion of organizing the classroom during homeroom. This includes:</b><br />
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<li>Putting back classroom supplies such as scissors, markers, and glue sticks</li>
<li>Wiping down counters, tables, and desks</li>
<li>Straightening up book shelves</li>
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How do you avoid teacher overwhelm? What would you add to this post? I'd love to hear your ideas because I still feel overwhelmed sometimes too!</h3>
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17340687619091243860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095628988457016099.post-3513868695872897632018-07-30T05:00:00.000-07:002018-07-30T05:00:00.197-07:00Top Teacher Time-Savers at Home<div>
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Do you ever wonder how the teachers who seem to have it all together do it? They have a secret: They maximize their time at home as well as at work. So if you're looking for some tips on how to do that, this post is for you!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsODzSmZKU9ImznstF6nc6vddRMLI6gnUUkU9_h2ZiL_GOt5cpo9gc0xgJ_M-7Ez-mz7nZsnhFI9d82tcKtgAy7E16j7vuHvvzdpNwxMdqQ9Jb3mza9zCuo8kolkTJnrDjHJ4zCGVcEtM/s1600/Teacher+Time+Savers+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Top Teacher Time-Savers at Home" border="0" data-original-height="759" data-original-width="696" height="400" id="id_6fcb_85d3_7f6_a80f" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsODzSmZKU9ImznstF6nc6vddRMLI6gnUUkU9_h2ZiL_GOt5cpo9gc0xgJ_M-7Ez-mz7nZsnhFI9d82tcKtgAy7E16j7vuHvvzdpNwxMdqQ9Jb3mza9zCuo8kolkTJnrDjHJ4zCGVcEtM/s400/Teacher+Time+Savers+1.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 366px;" title="Top Teacher Time-Savers at Home" width="366" /></a></div>
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I'm going to start with food because it's one of the most important parts of my life that can also be the most time-consuming if I don't use all my best time-savers.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUFVRUcZZW41lw6h38QDRa3IYx3ks60gPcoBCB3OFqR9q6wT7LxvAI_qV4IIhyphenhyphen5Y2LwbbNBf7o907uHGTESzCywzH5oYhlW5mNozvkEtFFvGB1tCs2iPGiNQuff10HuNAPD83SrbOa71o/s1600/Our+Groceries.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Top Teacher Time-Savers at Home: Our Groceries App" border="0" height="309" id="id_1669_8127_647b_7b4b" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUFVRUcZZW41lw6h38QDRa3IYx3ks60gPcoBCB3OFqR9q6wT7LxvAI_qV4IIhyphenhyphen5Y2LwbbNBf7o907uHGTESzCywzH5oYhlW5mNozvkEtFFvGB1tCs2iPGiNQuff10HuNAPD83SrbOa71o/s320/Our+Groceries.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 320px;" title="Top Teacher Time-Savers at Home: Our Groceries App" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Time-Saver #1: <a href="https://www.ourgroceries.com/overview" target="_blank">Our Groceries Shopping List App</a></b></h3>
This app is the best food-related thing to happen to my busy family! For one thing, it's free. It also allows you to add to your grocery list from any mobile device. So, when my husband uses the last of the bread, he adds it to the list and it automatically shows up on my list on my phone. No more lost handwritten lists. We just add to it anytime we think of something we need. It also has the capability to store your recipes so you can get all the ingredients you need if you suddenly remember that you want to make Grandma's Pumpkin Pie, but didn't write the ingredients down before going to the store. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi42g5z6K8GJ8myEyifuI5QhoTEPHfh9blybKfry-NfXYmyHK51nW4w0JYluldUQ5Vi6laDCnXxG1NSNWfAIN2W_vhauTABzq7-Gh2Ms-Ukd0Nj0kmGTpv1jWhuBqK4bcj5VgXJ7pc85lk/s1600/Meal+Plans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Top Teacher Time-Savers at Home: Meal Planning" border="0" height="271" id="id_cc8d_64bb_f230_2fb5" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi42g5z6K8GJ8myEyifuI5QhoTEPHfh9blybKfry-NfXYmyHK51nW4w0JYluldUQ5Vi6laDCnXxG1NSNWfAIN2W_vhauTABzq7-Gh2Ms-Ukd0Nj0kmGTpv1jWhuBqK4bcj5VgXJ7pc85lk/s320/Meal+Plans.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 320px;" title="Top Teacher Time-Savers at Home: Meal Planning" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">I collect recipes from magazines and search Pinterest for inspiration. I sit down Saturday or Sunday to pick some recipes we want for the week and make a shopping list. </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">We usually have at least one "breakfast for dinner" and a couple of leftovers meals per week. </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">On most weeks, I shop once for the entire week. This way I know what's for dinner even on nights when my creativity and energy are low. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Speaking of saving time with groceries ...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><b>Time-Saver #3: <a href="https://grocery.walmart.com/">Walmart Grocery</a></b></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">After I've made my grocery list for the week, I often use this online shopping feature. You can shop for all your groceries and schedule a pick up day/time all from the comfort of your couch! You just pull up to the front of the store and they help load the groceries. Bonus: It's FREE if you order at least $30, which is always true for me. From start to finish, I'm usually out of there in less than 15 minutes. Not having to browse the isles also saves me money because I don't see things I "need" that weren't on my grocery list. </span><br />
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<b>Time-Saver #4: An Instant Pot or Crock Pot</b></h3>
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I've done other posts on why this thing saves my life when it comes to mealtime:<br />
<a href="http://begborrowandteach.blogspot.com/2015/09/slow-cooker-teacher-savior-italian.html" target="_blank">Italian Marinara Sauce</a><br />
<a href="http://begborrowandteach.blogspot.com/2015/07/slow-cooker-teacher-savior-pork-roast.html" target="_blank">Pork Roast</a><br />
<a href="http://begborrowandteach.blogspot.com/2015/06/slow-cooker-teacher-savior-applesauce.html" target="_blank">Applesauce</a><br />
<a href="http://begborrowandteach.blogspot.com/2015/01/january-recipe-round-up-favorite-slow.html" target="_blank">Mashed Potatoes</a><br />
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If it weren't for my Instant Pot, I would eat fast food all the time. That causes all kinds of undesirable results for me: Sluggishness, weight gain, predisposition to sickness. I do a couple of hours of prep on the weekends and have dinners/leftovers for the week. I know a couple of hours sounds like a lot of time, but compared to the amount of time I would take to plan and make meals during the week, two hours is nothing.<br />
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<b>Time-Saver #5:</b> <b>Salads in a Jar</b></h3>
I'm not kidding, I NEVER get tired of these. I make all five days of salad on Sunday and they are still fresh and tasty the whole week through. They make packing a healthy lunch so much easier and I don't have to rely on the cafeteria, which seems to take at least ten of my precious 20 minutes of lunchtime. The secret in making these beauties is in how you layer them. Dressing and veggies go in first, then meat, and the lettuce goes in last. There are a million great recipes out there, but here are a few of my favorites<b>.</b><br />
<a href="http://www.goodlifeeats.com/2014/04/layered-ground-chicken-taco-salad-in-a-jar.html" target="_blank">Taco Salad</a> </div>
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<a href="http://jessexplainsitall.com/caprese-salad-in-a-jar/" target="_blank">Caprese Salad</a><br />
<a href="http://mrscoxblog.com/2012/07/ranch-rotini-mason-jar-salad.html" target="_blank">Ranch Rotini Salad</a><br />
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Here's on of my favorites: <a href="http://begborrowandteach.blogspot.com/2016/01/teacher-time-saver-mason-jar-lunches.html">Black Bean Salsa</a><br />
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<b>Time-Saver #6: Protein Bars</b></h3>
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Protein bars are inconspicuous and can be eaten standing at a copier. Need I say more? <b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MU7KQTJ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1">Primal Thin Protein Bars</a> </b>are my favorite because they have only four totally natural ingredients, no milk protein, and only 1 g of sugar. </div>
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<b>Time-Saver #7: Choosing Your Outfit the Night Before You Need It</b></h3>
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I Pick out my COMPLETE outfit for the next day before I go to bed. This includes shoes and accessories. Why? Because I'm not a morning person and I try not to wake my family by stumbling around while I'm searching for clothes at zero-dark-thirty in the morning. It saves time and energy to just have it all laid out the night before.<br />
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<b>Time-Saver #8: Do a Load of Laundry Each Day</b></h3>
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This includes washing, drying, and folding. Here's the part where I get lazy: I rarely put the clothes away after they're folded. I just pick out of the basket until there's only a few pieces of laundry left and <i>then </i>I put them away. If I consistently do laundry this way, I usually only have one load to do on the weekends. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2WtBFD_2AaH9JzXp511Y6JR8hMwca70H3bCl5G6cwqRaRgmgoqUwJs4gRpgz5fzxVixlMq5B_MoNghbkqiF-zr_nFPnkLvciXX0oJQQKHC2USsNS_OUhNmekIk064GPorx2Zsdpj8xZk/s1600/Teacher+Time+Savers+Laundry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Teacher Time Savers at Home: Do a Load of Laundry Each Night" border="0" data-original-height="719" data-original-width="703" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2WtBFD_2AaH9JzXp511Y6JR8hMwca70H3bCl5G6cwqRaRgmgoqUwJs4gRpgz5fzxVixlMq5B_MoNghbkqiF-zr_nFPnkLvciXX0oJQQKHC2USsNS_OUhNmekIk064GPorx2Zsdpj8xZk/s400/Teacher+Time+Savers+Laundry.jpg" title="Teacher Time Savers at Home: Do a Load of Laundry Each Night" width="391" /></a></div>
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What would you add to this list?<br />What are you already doing from this list?<br />I'd love to hear how you maximize your time at home!</h3>
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17340687619091243860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095628988457016099.post-45313426518624368542018-07-23T05:00:00.000-07:002018-07-23T05:00:00.795-07:00Fresh Alternatives to Get-to-Know-You ActivitiesDo the traditional get-to-know-you activities feel a bit stale to you? Are you looking for some fresh ideas to get your students interacting with you and each other? If so, then check out these multi-age activities!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_C9aeRfKEJAf9KhxFeCLGri5LusU2XAwU8VosNH_RxG_S7pP_1Mh-vsxn-_wWXtZQdJSBR8JkxFIQSOvXPbWM66Jc8ze9i3bWn_6oRVVu-2RrCKt8YgDWQuYKunPStrRYWBg83TJrYbk/s1600/Get+to+Know+You.png.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Fresh Alternatives to Get-to-Know-You Activities: Multi-Age activities to try at the beginning of the school year" border="0" data-original-height="716" data-original-width="715" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_C9aeRfKEJAf9KhxFeCLGri5LusU2XAwU8VosNH_RxG_S7pP_1Mh-vsxn-_wWXtZQdJSBR8JkxFIQSOvXPbWM66Jc8ze9i3bWn_6oRVVu-2RrCKt8YgDWQuYKunPStrRYWBg83TJrYbk/s400/Get+to+Know+You.png.jpg" title="Fresh Alternatives to Get-to-Know-You Activities: Multi-Age activities to try at the beginning of the school year" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>Minute to Win It Team Building </b></h2>
For each activity, you can set a timer for the traditional minute, or you can choose the amount of time appropriate for the groups. I like to have them strategize at the end of the round to see how they could better improve for the next round.<br />
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<b>Chain</b></h3>
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<b>To be done in small groups</b>: Set a timer for a minute. Then, each player must make a chain of paperclips. At the end of the minute, have teams count their paperclips and strategize about how to make a longer chain in the next round. </div>
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<b>Captain Kirk</b></h3>
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The players are asked to discover a new planet (balloon). One player blows up the balloon as soon as possible and ties it off. The other players "inhabit" the planet by drawing as many people on it as possible with a felt-tip marker.<br />
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<b>Get Them Moving With....</b></h2>
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<b>Pool Noodles</b></h3>
Here's a fun way to use pool noodles to get students up and moving. I love how the instructor gives modifications for students to work in teams or alone. I also love that pool noodles are on sale during this time of year.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/GwzH-gpKOPw/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GwzH-gpKOPw?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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<b>Switch Sides If...</b></h3>
I was inspired to share this activity with you when I read <a href="http://mommieshobbies.blogspot.com/2014/01/switch-sides-if.html?m=1">this post</a> by <a href="http://mommieshobbies.blogspot.com/">Mommies Hobbies</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgup4IQoByzpslWBk4HpoRwSl5NFBeqmP_3QFW7VN8bhsf9cvZLZsoDEyOnauv1SI00PXu4pCj0BoukpsPIjkCJ-lIZ9zeBHugKkqq7LP3m-YhodwWMnoydPh24d1SgCwPRJ256Gey-I79R/s1600/DSCN1594.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Fresh Alternatives to Get-to-Know-You Activities: Multi-Age activities to try at the beginning of the school year" border="0" data-original-height="1212" data-original-width="1600" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgup4IQoByzpslWBk4HpoRwSl5NFBeqmP_3QFW7VN8bhsf9cvZLZsoDEyOnauv1SI00PXu4pCj0BoukpsPIjkCJ-lIZ9zeBHugKkqq7LP3m-YhodwWMnoydPh24d1SgCwPRJ256Gey-I79R/s1600/DSCN1594.JPG" title="Fresh Alternatives to Get-to-Know-You Activities: Multi-Age activities to try at the beginning of the school year" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is a really cool activity that works with any age.<br />
<b>First</b>, divide your classroom into two sides. You can even put painter's tape in the middle to make a visual divide.<br />
<b>Next</b>, have students stand on whatever side they want.<br />
<b>Then</b>, say "Switch sides if..." and insert get-to-know-you statements such as:<br />
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<li>You prefer country music to rock music</li>
<li>Your best friend goes to this school</li>
<li>Your favorite subject is science</li>
<li>You have more than one sibling</li>
<li>You were born in a different state</li>
<li>You have lived in this area for at least five years</li>
<li>You are a morning person</li>
<li>You play sports </li>
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<b>What would you add to this list? I always need fresh ideas to keep things interesting at the beginning of the year!</b></h3>
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17340687619091243860noreply@blogger.com0