tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56039310366549260042024-03-14T00:15:46.171-07:00Kids Rock!Fitbeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13222797446732249143noreply@blogger.comBlogger185125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603931036654926004.post-55744035493581751672021-09-24T16:51:00.003-07:002021-09-24T16:52:11.606-07:00Reading Street Resources/Games<img src="http://i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u378/designbychristi/rocker/rocksig.png" /><div>If you like the reading Street Games and run into a problem downloading them. {<a href="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B2wknI_L-fmJYW1abnI3WEQ5T00?resourcekey=0-CGShcrdqw3vQH_nE1JuLZA&usp=sharing" target="_blank">Try this link}</a>. I hope you enjoy these games.</div><div><br /></div>Fitbeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13222797446732249143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603931036654926004.post-28991924953352058452015-09-12T17:44:00.001-07:002015-09-12T17:54:01.883-07:00We are Super Heroes!So I know I haven't blogged in quite some time... I changed schools last year, and it was one busy year! This year we have a Super Hero theme. I am still an Instructional Specialist. As a part of my job, I have been capturing the Super Heroes in all of us. Below is the first month of Sonoma Super Heroes!<br />
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<img src="http://i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u378/designbychristi/rocker/rocksig.png" />Becky Auhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13331234581845316192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603931036654926004.post-70997602814878564042014-01-26T15:45:00.001-07:002014-01-26T16:10:23.364-07:00Reading Street Trifold TemplatesMy days as an Instructional Specialist are busy conducting data meetings, analyzing data, reporting out the data, and participating in lots of professional development. I recently had a request inquiring about the Reading Street trifolds. After doing a little searching, I came across a blank template from proteacher.net. Click {<a href="http://www.proteacher.net/discussions/showthread.php?p=2150768" target="_blank">here</a>} if you are interesting in downloading the template. As Reading Street publishes new versions of their Reading series, the page numbers often change. Hopefully this template will help those of you with a different version than my district. Happy Teaching!<br />
<img src="http://i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u378/designbychristi/rocker/rocksig.png" />Fitbeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13222797446732249143noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603931036654926004.post-51544754639856042662013-03-14T18:59:00.000-07:002013-03-14T18:59:15.189-07:00Harlem ShakeThe staff at my school are very creative! A few years ago they made a video to get kids pumped up for our NMSBA standardized test. You can see that video from my previous post <a href="http://ep2ndgraderocks.blogspot.com/2012/03/its-testing-time.html" target="_blank">{here}</a>. Now they are back again with another video to get kids excited about testing, which runs all next week. <br />
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If you are wondering...no I am not in this video. I have been at our Professional Development Center all week working with a team to revise our Common Core Pacing Guides for ELA and Math. I'll post more on them, once everything is finalized. I hope you got a good laugh watching our teachers and office staff! <br />
<img src="http://i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u378/designbychristi/rocker/rocksig.png" />Fitbeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13222797446732249143noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603931036654926004.post-37664206322243633962013-02-18T19:01:00.001-07:002013-02-18T19:01:52.941-07:00Nancy Fetzer Literacy ConnectionsBack in December I took part in a three day training on <a href="http://www.nancyfetzer.com/" target="_blank">Nancy Fetzer Literacy Connections</a>. We were very lucky to have Nancy Fetzer herself as our trainer. My district had adopted her writing program many years back and implemented lots of training then. Now that we have moved to Common Core, my district decided to revisit Nancy Fetzer Writing since it ties in perfectly with meeting Common Core skills in ELA. If you have never heard of Nancy and the strategies she uses, I highly recommend her! She is currently in the process of getting all of her video demonstrations and her materials onto her website. She also has a ton of videos on YouTube that are linked from her website.<br />
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<a href="http://www.nancyfetzer.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitnoItCPekxe5MbSe6ratejXpVMkq1i1OIM7OPOEVFGD5wrSqgBlki6T_W6a3A4rwLl2IICHSXLkhbbLHchNLIx0kBZGQ2YUt53KnOBLja_ipxsrSkXvgVf7Ok-vq76Y4hqwKAUGndT5ho/s640/Untitled.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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In the last few weeks I began training the staff at my school to use Nancy Fetzer Movie Scripts, Word Masters, and Story Blasters. I started off by having staff look at the Three Tiers of Vocabulary from the Common Core Appendix A. Once everyone had a better understanding of the Three Tiers of Vocabulary, I had each team begin looking at choosing 3-4 Tier II Vocabulary words for Kinder - 1st grade and 5-7 Tier II Vocabulary words for 2nd - 5th grades that teams would be using in the next few weeks for their Focus Story. <br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Once teams had their words decided upon, they would then create a Story Blaster using the vocabulary words that students needed to know for their upcoming story. <span style="font-size: 12pt;">Students will practice reading the Story Blaster
numerous times. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The teacher will divide the class into two groups – readers and definers. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Readers will read the story blaster</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> and stop when they read a vocabulary word. They will point
to the definers. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Definers will repeat the word, provide the definition, and
act out TPR.</span> Here is a sample from the 3rd grade training.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> It started on a sunny winter day at my
house. I was for once</span></b><b><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></b><b><u><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">ecstatic</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">about taking my math facts test at school,
because I had studied the night before. I knew if I passed my test I would get
to go to a movie that weekend. As I got
ready for school that morning, I kept repeating my math facts to myself. My
older brother started to</span></b><b><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></b><b><u><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">mock</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">me which really made me mad. My mother hurried
me into our car which she had let</span></b><b><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></b><b><u><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">idle</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">to warm
up the engine. The car started out of the driveway when it chugged and stopped.
I was worried that I would not get to school on time to take my test, and I was
on the</span></b><b><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></b><b><u><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">verge</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">of breaking into a cold sweat from being so
nervous. My mother started the car up
and drove me to school. I was on time!!</span></b><b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I took my
math facts test and got all the problems right. I guess my mother was right
when she said I had the <u>potential</u> to learn the math facts.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b> </b>Another component of learning the vocabulary words was to create a Movie Script. Here is a sample Movie Script in which we used in the training. Teams were to create one together, and then incorporate the Tier II Vocabulary words (nature, dim, and humongous) into each part of the story. Here is the sample movie script with vocabulary that teachers would present to their class and then practice saying with TPR each day.</div>
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ot9Cx4SsEc89ZTRp3DUDDLlN5n-VGubA2yr5pjW6PeeQXC7kF3kfcIPMMFNTYyztZZ7xiB0tN66dx_6If0CREdboeIAMbZckuUIEVaLdCX6OSCech940X3aGR64kz0cVqTaQL4BAWLMh/s1600/Picture1.tif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ot9Cx4SsEc89ZTRp3DUDDLlN5n-VGubA2yr5pjW6PeeQXC7kF3kfcIPMMFNTYyztZZ7xiB0tN66dx_6If0CREdboeIAMbZckuUIEVaLdCX6OSCech940X3aGR64kz0cVqTaQL4BAWLMh/s400/Picture1.tif" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-indent: 0in;">One cloudy day, the
Gingerbread Man was walking through the forest.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-indent: 0in;">
</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-indent: 0in;">As he looked around, he saw all parts of <u>nature</u>--- birds, a stream,
rocks, and the wind blowing through the trees. Suddenly, the clouds completely covered
the sun making it very, very <u>dim</u>.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-indent: 0in;">The
Gingerbread Man started running, but he tripped over a <u>humongous</u> rock and
landed on his head.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz7acNUT77GSEO0njNJOYO5nubw1BdnH30Cpi_87XVTsndvMzxnopuNKk1xKekIe7lOlXdAOHm-5LToGBRCBbASpZCvfqQ-YhJhBINhFxj7nUMHVnz28rKWPgJGTIZ-Bei-nCVATVs_uGr/s1600/Picture2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz7acNUT77GSEO0njNJOYO5nubw1BdnH30Cpi_87XVTsndvMzxnopuNKk1xKekIe7lOlXdAOHm-5LToGBRCBbASpZCvfqQ-YhJhBINhFxj7nUMHVnz28rKWPgJGTIZ-Bei-nCVATVs_uGr/s320/Picture2.jpg" width="302" /></a></div>
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Another important strategy of the Nancy Fetzer Vocabulary is to have each word posted with a simple definition with a picture of what it means to the students. 2nd - 5th grade students also create their own Word Masters in which they write the vocabulary words with a definition and picture with each Focus Story. In addition students also create their own Story Blaster using the vocabulary words from the Focus Story. There are also homework extension activities that kids can read the words to their families, read the Story Blaster at home, or create another story using the vocabulary words at home. </div>
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Once the words have been mastered, they are then moved to a Vocabulary Wall in which the words are sorted according to Nouns, Verbs, and Adjectives. This is separate from a word wall, as word wall words are suppose to be a place for kids to look for common words that they may need a reminder of how to spell. The current Movie Script is also posted with the current vocabulary story words. Once the Movie Script has been retired, many teachers move it into a class book and will revisit them throughout the year. </div>
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Many of the teachers at my school were eager to begin using the vocabulary strategies, although some of the upper grade teachers were a bit uncomfortable with the idea of using TPR to tell the stories. But then again, the dual language teachers were very impressed and excited to use as much TPR as they could with their ELL kids. As teachers begin to use more of her strategies and we roll out more Nancy Fetzer Strategies to my district I will continue to post more.</div>
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<img src="http://i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u378/designbychristi/rocker/rocksig.png" />Fitbeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13222797446732249143noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603931036654926004.post-81074984278565139492013-02-10T16:22:00.000-07:002013-02-10T16:22:09.364-07:00Sign Up GeniusNow that I am no longer teaching in the classroom, I find that my administrative duties have given me a different view. It's often more difficult to find topics to blog about, unless you want to hear about the newest data I have compiled. Anyhow, I recently decided to use Sign Up Genius to schedule Professional Development for my school for this semester. It was so easy to set up. It sends me an email every time someone signs up for a training. It also sends the people who signed up a reminder email. There are many uses for this website. It would be great for scheduling parent teacher conferences or other volunteer events. Check it out!<br />
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<a href="http://www.signupgenius.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://www.signupgenius.com/images/SignUpGenius-logo.gif" /></a></div>
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<img src="http://i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u378/designbychristi/rocker/rocksig.png" />Fitbeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13222797446732249143noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603931036654926004.post-90703362995933024182012-11-06T16:11:00.001-07:002012-11-06T16:12:43.217-07:00Creating a School Master ScheduleYep! Just like the title says, I've been working on a rapid reset for our elementary school of about 565 kids. This year, due to the fact that I am teaching reading instruction for two hours daily, it has made some scheduling a bit fragmented. I lead weekly PLC's and cannot begin them until after 10:00 a.m. each day. So, after our leadership team agreed that a new master schedule for our school would be best for students, I began working on one. Let me say that as a teacher, I never dreamed how much of a job this entailed! After about 15 hours of working on it, I was ready to present it on Monday. Now teams will present pluses and deltas and we will go from there.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjoOv47CAWFsaME9IteUqDWGU6K1AVKALyBvgmzUDMQAJArmqCssAlSpl2WgyzYgAMjSYTUboBtOwX7PXWBsU9aPYgJa5zBCM2HAgwvbucCGA1cfsIsPrLMlIhEEH_8zQpj5-CqA9-DfzF/s1600/Untitled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="74" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjoOv47CAWFsaME9IteUqDWGU6K1AVKALyBvgmzUDMQAJArmqCssAlSpl2WgyzYgAMjSYTUboBtOwX7PXWBsU9aPYgJa5zBCM2HAgwvbucCGA1cfsIsPrLMlIhEEH_8zQpj5-CqA9-DfzF/s320/Untitled.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0rzBOazwhj8E4UOawkro-sATMeLSZUuEICbkzIuUr_8x-A_LbNjZtkhMIOA4t-kwh-9WG66ASNfaAt4G0aLJdNQ5sqNHSca5Cn7z5xm_NKbGOLfrp-RZNGsqIHLoxg2XXtQSSRt6saux2/s1600/Untitled2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0rzBOazwhj8E4UOawkro-sATMeLSZUuEICbkzIuUr_8x-A_LbNjZtkhMIOA4t-kwh-9WG66ASNfaAt4G0aLJdNQ5sqNHSca5Cn7z5xm_NKbGOLfrp-RZNGsqIHLoxg2XXtQSSRt6saux2/s320/Untitled2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Here is just a snapshot of what I've been working on. While doing some research on school schedules, I didn't have much luck finding resources or templates. I did come across this book.<br />
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<a href="http://www.eyeoneducation.com/bookstore/productdetails.cfm?sku=7080-8&isbn=9781596670808&title=elementary-school-scheduling" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCjvdA4EHQKvpgA4ObN1vaxEpKugKPc8XiTLPLlfYrOWEIN_afolPoDMJ9bgDxvpblGhNVz77qpDB5mvXdDSGSrLBS8ZO0p3Fn88Zg12Y3HYJvC8-BWUY7oT4qnIO_sKC2jhD7dNCsCwjU/s1600/7080-8.jpg" /></a></div>
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I am curious to know if anyone out there has heard of it and if it's worth getting.</div>
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<img src="http://i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u378/designbychristi/rocker/rocksig.png" />Fitbeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13222797446732249143noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603931036654926004.post-31062467319543771832012-11-04T14:37:00.001-07:002012-11-04T14:37:30.353-07:00Classroom Walk ThroughsNow that I am an Instructional Specialist, my focus on classrooms has taken on another meaning. As a part of my position, I am responsible for conducting Classroom Walk Through's each week. They are snapshots of what we currently see happening in classrooms during a five to ten minute time frame. Last year our district conducted CWT's through PD360. However this year we no longer had the option to use PD360 for CWT's. I began searching the internet for something to use other than the paper and pencil version, as that seemed like a step backwards. I found this great tutorial for creating a CWT using Google Docs (now Drive) that you can find {<a href="http://frankbuck.blogspot.com/2011/07/conducting-classroom-walkthrough-using.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-large;">here</span></a>}. <br />
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AmwknI_L-fmJdFctNUNVWW5XY0MyNkxJRE15bDlsNEE#gid=0" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqHEYojf0voPPiWFcHb7SSfG9H7r27dxuKKYqOccQDJeT9MBTubAvwskNs9ekvYuz0od0yhyphenhyphen3FkOHbEd0UhiLZNK0FspMAhQWBRVzn_GoGZqu4I0vs-05iLeLuYr0wSvNg7c9RQZ2JdPnP/s1600/CWT.jpg" height="224" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here is what I came up with. You start off by making a spreadsheet in Google Drive. From there you can go to the live form and input each CWT you conduct. The spread sheet tracks the information collected. Each week our admin. team discusses the data. I copy and paste each teacher's information into a table in Word and distribute. We then pass on the data to the entire staff in our Weekly Item Sheet. If you are interested, you can click on the picture and see a sample spreadsheet.</div>
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P.S. I also wanted to do a Shout out to Brenda from Just Ask! She celebrated her birthday on Saturday. Happy Birthday!! I hope is was a great day!!!</div>
Fitbeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13222797446732249143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603931036654926004.post-31917597635608867722012-09-15T16:16:00.004-07:002012-09-15T16:16:59.663-07:00Henry and Mudge and the Starry Night Game BoardHi Everyone! This one is short and sweet. Here is my latest game board that uses consonant blends. It goes with Reading Street 2nd grade Unit 1 Week 3.<br />
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B2wknI_L-fmJaW5uTU5yZ2doVWc" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK7RMiAN6Bj7E66jGoabuxqm1i1W5g7cYjj8bFGT4i66zDhHOFE191AMbnzxI7wAaOMzNiHF9RrqH_YjSSxoPfk9dPI-tFb8Iw3_aDMSkPH03MMbNWzTSkOub6tofz-tMpyqAoCFfs4kN2/s320/Untitled.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Click on the picture to download your own game!</div>
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That's all for now...</div>
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<img src="http://i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u378/designbychristi/rocker/rocksig.png" />Fitbeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13222797446732249143noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603931036654926004.post-2713125036344905892012-08-26T14:26:00.001-07:002012-08-26T14:26:13.145-07:00Exploring Space with an AstronautHere is a weekly game board that I have created to go along with Reading Street's story Exploring Space with an Astronaut from Unit 1 Week 2. It's focus is on long vowels. <br /><br />
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B2wknI_L-fmJZ3paNk5zQkJjd2M" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg__7FTsUangei-lZnazbajL193RKFsfx1-oehG_d8eN4XpSciLNrM7ROsyqxCihEDMfudybgUpcof3pbP-7ZdtLFskJRirDp1NJTpTQ1huI1qEtPAn3TQPBfVkJlDI0tcgaiSxkCx-xjDB/s320/exploring.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Please click on the picture to get your own copy of my game board. I'm off to finish up more tasks before my weekend is over. Have a super week everyone!!<br />
<img src="http://i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u378/designbychristi/rocker/rocksig.png" />Fitbeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13222797446732249143noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603931036654926004.post-86644188362243154652012-08-25T18:00:00.003-07:002012-08-25T18:00:50.927-07:00Cool Screen SaverHi everyone! I just wanted to share a screen saver that I thought was too cool! Another colleague showed it to me this summer. I finally got around to finding it online the other day. <br />
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<a href="http://www.superteachertools.com/classroom-tools/randomdesk.php" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghQeEnYe_7nf_8BcdT06YME4bRXGBV0VjxDRUWjFPveEZIQ4blify7nUORlnuzbzn4seuiHpXlbYKS3qSEQFquoizl02UnQpc1B5XzE95vP6_GIHJfN3Oday0smVnEOBsTYueqxQQoNUt6/s320/screensaver.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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What I really like about this screen saver is that the note pad changes the message, displaying different facts. I thought that would be too cool for your students! If you like this screen saver, click on the picture to download it!<br />
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<img src="http://i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u378/designbychristi/rocker/rocksig.png" />Fitbeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13222797446732249143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603931036654926004.post-24171738823973225192012-08-19T12:10:00.001-07:002012-08-20T05:44:54.574-07:00Reading Street's The Twin Club Hello everyone! Long time no see! I've been in training after training it seems all month long. Although I am now an Instructional Specialist, I will still be working with 2nd graders in Reading. I have created a weekly game board that goes along with Reading Street's story The Twin Club from Unit One Week One. Last year I didn't start making the games until about one month into the school year, so if you were missing some of the games I made last school year hopefully, I will be able to complete the missing ones. Although, since our state has moved to CCSS, I may not be listing any of the missing stories in the same order that the publisher has them.<br />
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B2wknI_L-fmJcFhLT244T2owNVU" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhouS5mmoTCzZrt3knXyx70RJcNTVie7i8hdnxtvwxHDldAQGHs0vjvPzT-tc4FaUq2wcjivRuBMHBvmNudRdafEmpth97xJWT3vJvEPEr9NZkXPN5TDNemMkhPRx_7Atr9PpPZtGZ9-w-R/s320/TwinClub.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Click on the picture to download.</div>
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I hope to post pictures of my new room soon. I'm still completing a few tasks before I'm ready to take pictures! Have a great week!!<br />
<img src="http://i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u378/designbychristi/rocker/rocksig.png" />Fitbeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13222797446732249143noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603931036654926004.post-483490800989098642012-07-24T07:00:00.000-07:002012-07-24T07:00:06.904-07:00Random Name Generators<div style="text-align: center;">
Hey everyone! Back in April I remember seeing Shannon from</div>
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<a href="http://www.technologyrocksseriously.com/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc443/shannonplong/trsbanner.gif" /></a></div>
write a post about using various random name generators. She has some really cool ones that you can use in your class. Click on the picture and check them out!<br />
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<a href="http://www.technologyrocksseriously.com/2012/04/student-selectors-grouping-tools.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi61s11KAyOqXwtKrTLIeQSgE7E5nMsbUM6tO4RJRkkuK8CCXXExqmdisdXBfPHjLJFSZhSLelVtbp-L0H6xjFdH-7mMuFnatLD8cCF_usJzEwKflh-KUWY6AYOvfQrjGYJArknCBPiNw0F/s320/dart+board+st+select.bmp" width="320" /></a></div>
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<img src="http://i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u378/designbychristi/rocker/rocksig.png" />Fitbeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13222797446732249143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603931036654926004.post-74529103826589956562012-07-23T07:00:00.000-07:002012-07-23T07:00:08.647-07:00Active Learning and Engagement Strategies<div style="text-align: center;">
I was recently given the opportunity to review a copy of Active Learning and Engagement Strategies by Paula Rutherford from</div>
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<a href="http://www.justaskpublications.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="34" src="http://www.justaskpublications.com/images/stories/ask/logo.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Let me say, this book looks wonderful! It is full of strategies and exemplars from previous books published from Just ASK Publications. It is a quick and easy reference tool to use when you are designing lessons and want to select a strategy depending on your goal. It has extensive self-assessment, guidelines for structuring small group work and setting up cooperative learning, an extensive array of products and perspectives to use in creating real-world assignments and assessments. If you click on the picture of the book, you can see a 15 page sneak peak of what this book entails for teaching and learning in the 21st Century.</span><br />
<img src="http://i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u378/designbychristi/rocker/rocksig.png" />Fitbeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13222797446732249143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603931036654926004.post-19863653433113295562012-07-21T07:00:00.000-07:002012-07-21T07:00:06.491-07:00Useful Websites for ELAHi everyone! I have a list of useful websites piling up, and thought I would pass them on. This first one comes from one of my teamies who recently left our school to become a middle school librarian. Click on the picture below to see the best websites for Teaching and Learning from the American Association of School Librarians.<br />
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<a href="http://spotlight.macfound.org/blog/entry/school-librarians-favorite-websites-for-teaching-learning/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://spotlight.macfound.org/images/uploads/dt.common_.streams_.StreamServer_.cls_.jpeg" /></a></div>
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This next link is for Reading Rockets. If you have never checked out this site, it's well worth your time. There are a ton of resources for Common Core State Stanards ELA.<br />
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<a href="http://www.readingrockets.org/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://www.readingrockets.org/themes/rr_new/images/static/aniRicky.gif" /></a></div>
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Now this link was suggested to me at a recent workshop for Common Core State Standards ELA for Close Reading. It also has other resources worth looking at.<br /><br />
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<a href="http://www.mhecommoncoretoolbox.com/close-reading-and-the-ccss-part-2.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="53" src="http://www.mhecommoncoretoolbox.com/images/stories/site_images/banner.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This next link has been around for quite some time. I have used it for literacy stations in my classroom.<br />
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<a href="http://fcrr.org/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="98" src="http://fcrr.org/Gfx/home_banner2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Moving on, this link was also recommended at my recent training. It's another one great for CCSS.<br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://wiki-teacher.com/" target="_blank">Wiki-Teacher</a></span></div>
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Last, but certainly not least, here is Eric Carle's website. You can show students an animated version of Eric Carle narrating his own book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar. This one got me thinking that maybe the next time I want to introduce a book to students that perhaps I should look on the author's website for more resources.</div>
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<img src="http://i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u378/designbychristi/rocker/rocksig.png" />Fitbeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13222797446732249143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603931036654926004.post-1168732360292738902012-07-20T07:00:00.000-07:002012-07-20T07:00:04.594-07:00Technology Tailgate & a Few More Too!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I recently came across the blog Technology Tailgate. Have you heard of it? If you haven't check it out! There are so many great tips on this blog.<br />
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<center><a href="http://technologytailgate.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i1185.photobucket.com/albums/z343/ladybugteacher/new%20album/technologytailgatebutton2.png" /></a></center>
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Here are a few posts that I found really useful (click on the pictures to take you there):</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1367579250"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge7nzhUimT-W0hxdOScjCoQlKowDlYj48TkWnV7gdwEz69ZLXk_EivuB92Y7ulW64VDTidYfUN7a1f1KOyQuiITsCOEp_F7DRGfOlE88YL4Dfld2TCPHAzQYSp6ZzNc0oX2wK6FIafF6ci/s320/blog1.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://technologytailgate.blogspot.com/search/label/Google" target="_blank">Using Google Voice Search for primary students to search topics</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1367579228"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgZaMXX4UjjXqhmQIBIfwvlp2uiTmv5dly9Lc8a-1IrsbrFB63IjnAMbqrd4n0ZdohA1_pEZ6ru4RIxtFu9mlUyP3O1tBay9wzcq9Nkf9T8tHv7MZ_Yw-yt_rWCYQVodO0-EJsvXoUdnE/s200/google+docs+2.png" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://technologytailgate.blogspot.com/2012/07/creating-google-forms.html" target="_blank">Creating Google Forms</a></td></tr>
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<a href="http://technologytailgate.blogspot.com/2012/07/more-acceptable-use-posters-for-ipods.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi69lXMxdU9KLq8hV55disF2ozWZMI4ohIC6aAssN7Lb1o6PSm4XyefDbQFeHnkuSWDkCoHMUcSBu-VTy-KYqixhCKq8m045krxioL1tn36g3z0ZNe8n3VS5ezWuD6LSwRDzmWON5ELro0k/s320/Screen+Shot+2012-07-14+at+1.34.24+PM.png" width="244" /></a></div>
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Also Valerie over at </div>
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<a border="0" href="http://allstudentscanshine.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1260.photobucket.com/albums/ii580/vayoung/blogbutton_shine.png" /></a>
</center><center>recently blogged about SEN Teacher. This is a cool website for making your own "I Have... Who Has" cards.</center><center>You can check out her post here:</center><br />
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<a href="http://allstudentscanshine.blogspot.com/2012/07/another-cool-website.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFL2lTydGNWlrp04uH12Eck2gVdyQ_lKmi7UPt5ZkSWsWcenN-Es_qDNdYGIrDwTwsuLhCm9ilv3VeZaqQJUAyeRW6YHjMlyie2vdTN4jZPBQ814zISTRnh09u5N-8jxSQDQlcco4XHyQ/s320/SEN+Teacher.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">While I'm on the topic of Technology, Tori over at </span></div>
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<a href="http://toristeachertips.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i1142.photobucket.com/albums/n601/pennywi/blog_button-23.png" /></a>
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has posted some great tips recently for Smart Boards. You can check out her posts here</div>
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<a href="http://toristeachertips.blogspot.com/2012/07/smart-stuff-and-linky-new-fun-pic.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK6gTxznc-TJD9UZVQHB7_Dy_WAdP9z21sruLhMATvJbcLPzaZQj26uuETZUGe_gOz2hzBW6FKxklaaYf4ypHmsDLa2azfF1O9W2We0KoZZwHwpOAw-t8GdOXEG0-aSpXn7tFnHZXBt4k/s320/Slide1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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and here</div>
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<a href="http://toristeachertips.blogspot.com/2012/07/more-smart-stuff-good-technology.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEive_GIpEHaOREpFrCEyQz53PDgDKXd6LFfG98odUAc4P-E2Ml9T_EAcpgV-VFMZjsj5-L_PkySAU1eU_l5ScRmroPkzf6TFjOLQRrMQazL5eb-zZ3Mbbi7pmfC7djKUFgSLPQdWjw6fX4/s320/Slide1.JPG" /></a></div>
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Have a great one!</div>
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<img src="http://i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u378/designbychristi/rocker/rocksig.png" />Fitbeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13222797446732249143noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603931036654926004.post-45284870558230338662012-07-19T11:25:00.004-07:002012-07-19T11:27:45.381-07:00The Leader in MeThis summer my school has been participating in a book study on the late Stephen R. Covey's book, The Leader in Me. I was saddened to learn that he died at the age of 79 at the beginning of this week, due to complications from a bicycle accident that he was in back in April.<br />
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<a href="http://www.theleaderinme.org/uploads/images/lim_books/13-tlimBook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.theleaderinme.org/uploads/images/lim_books/13-tlimBook.jpg" /></a></div>
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I highly recommend reading this book! It is such a motivating book about teaching kids 21st Century Skills. I am super excited to implement the 7 Habits into our school! This last spring, our entire staff had the privilege of going on a field trip to another school in our city that uses the 7 Habits. After leaving that school, our staff felt very enlightened and ready to take the 7 Habits back to our school. We are in full gear, preparing to make this school year one in which we find leadership qualities in all of our students. </div>
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Our school has also purchased copies of this book to share with the students.</div>
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<a href="http://www.theleaderinme.org/uploads/images/lim_books/14-7H_happyKids.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.theleaderinme.org/uploads/images/lim_books/14-7H_happyKids.jpg" /></a></div>
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In addition, some of us have begun to make our own 7 Habit Tree banners from Vistaprint such as this one:</div>
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<a href="http://www.theleaderinme.org/uploads/images/lim_images/7H_Tree_Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.theleaderinme.org/uploads/images/lim_images/7H_Tree_Poster.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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If you are not familiar with the 7 Habits, here is a brief description:</div>
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<b><span style="background-color: #ccffcc; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">Be Proactive</span></b><span style="background-color: #ccffcc; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"> I am a responsible person. I take initiative. I choose my actions, attitudes, and moods. I do not blame others for my wrong actions. I do the right thing without being asked, even when no one is looking.</span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><br /><b><span style="background-color: #cc99ff;">Begin With The End In Mind</span></b><span style="background-color: #cc99ff;"> I plan ahead and set goals. I do things that have meaning and make a difference. I am an important part of my classroom and contribute to my school's mission and vision, and look for ways to be a good citizen. </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><br /></span><b><span style="background-color: #ff99cc; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">Put First Things First</span></b><span style="background-color: #ff99cc; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"> I spend my time on things that are most important. This means I say no to things I know I should not do. I set priorities, make a schedule, and follow my plan. I am disciplined and organized.</span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><br /></span><b><span style="background-color: #ffcc99; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">Think Win-Win</span></b><span style="background-color: #ffcc99; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"> I balance courage for getting what i want with consideration for what others want. I make deposits in others' Emotional Bank Accounts. When conflicts arise, I look for third alternatives. </span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><br /></span><b><span style="background-color: #ffff99; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">Seek First To Understand, Then Be Understood</span></b><span style="background-color: #ffff99; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"> I listen to other people's ideas and feelings. i try to see things their points of view. I listen to others without interrupting. I am confident in voicing my ideas. I look people in the eyes when talking.</span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><br /></span><b><span style="background-color: #ccffcc; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">Synergize</span></b><span style="background-color: #ccffcc; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"> I value other people's strengths and learn from them. I get along well with others, even people who are different than me. I work well in groups. I seek out other people's ideas to solve problems because I know that by teaming with other's we can create better solutions that any one of us alone. I am humble.</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: #ccffff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">Sharpen The Saw</span></b><span style="background-color: #ccffff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span>I take care of my body by eating right a, exercising, and getting sleep. I spend time with family and friends. I learn in lots of ways and lots of places, not just at school. I take time to find meaningful ways to help others.</span></div>
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I have also started my own Pinterest 7 Habits Board with more ideas <b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://pinterest.com/mrsau/7-habits/" target="_blank">{here}</a></span></b>.<br />
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Our school district has had all administrators go through a 7 Habits training, and it looks very positive that my entire district will be moving towards becoming 7 Habits schools. <span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">I am curious to know if your school uses the 7 Habits and would love to hear your experiences. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Rest in peace Stephen Covey and may your legacy continue on.</span></div>
<img src="http://i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u378/designbychristi/rocker/rocksig.png" />Fitbeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13222797446732249143noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603931036654926004.post-33320789186710783612012-07-14T08:00:00.000-07:002012-07-14T08:00:07.917-07:00Guided Reading Tool BagI have recently shared several strategies to use during Reading. Today, I wanted to share a great way to organize all of these ideas. It's a teacher's reading tool bag. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfpy09smTHXwI_HQzboV_K3NF6k-h_qoAVrarGlEHQ84vVHVt4nYvbn0DXGeYfYfYcbP74TaiB0_Qap6S5AKA96t4rdXgGPPCZ14tFC-oyNBcZfk7V3oIlXh0vxDIQenid2Dk7TgImXmjN/s1600/Bag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfpy09smTHXwI_HQzboV_K3NF6k-h_qoAVrarGlEHQ84vVHVt4nYvbn0DXGeYfYfYcbP74TaiB0_Qap6S5AKA96t4rdXgGPPCZ14tFC-oyNBcZfk7V3oIlXh0vxDIQenid2Dk7TgImXmjN/s320/Bag.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is a bag that one of the presenter's from my workshop had brought for demonstration purposes. She said that this particular bag was actually a gardening tool bag that she had gotten from Big Lots. It has pockets all around the outside to put things such as flash cards, I have who has cards, index cards, etc. Inside there is plenty of room to put in fluency bags, a guided reading binder, and more. </div>
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So this week I have been on a mission to find a bag like this. Unfortunately the Big Lots where I live didn't have any. I checked Hobby Lobby, but they only had mini ones. I hit up Jo Ann Fabrics and Tuesday Morning without any luck either. Next week I plan on being in Albuquerque and will check the Michael's and some of the Big Lots there. If you have a similar bag, I'd love to hear where you bought it and how you use it. </div>
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<img src="http://i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u378/designbychristi/rocker/rocksig.png" />Fitbeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13222797446732249143noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603931036654926004.post-90726075371175541192012-07-13T08:00:00.000-07:002012-07-13T08:00:06.371-07:00Magic Panel FoldablesSo today I wanted to share a really cool foldable that I recently saw. I haven't actually had a chance to make one yet, but it's on my to do list. This one is called a Magic or Mystery Panel Foldable. While I was doing a little bit of searching for how to make this one in particular, I came across an awesome site! It's <a href="http://www.southamptonpublicschools.org/webpages/KPalumbo/foldables.cfm" target="_blank">Mrs. Palumbo's site</a>. She even has a powerpoint with step by step directions for making a Magic Panel Foldable. <a href="http://www.southamptonpublicschools.org/webpages/KPalumbo/foldables.cfm" target="_blank">Mrs. Palumbo</a> has tons of resources on how to make all kinds of foldables. Be sure to click on her name and check out her website too! <br />
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<a href="http://wvde.state.wv.us/strategybank/documents/MysteryBook.doc" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK3gqR0Q9izLhsgGyZGyy-Y9o5iiPa1Lpcb-5Ufjf6RtQ9NLY14jB3prnh3Oh0KQOSF-xlJmmlnR45wabR2BjJIsEp2ykavIehkljPA4EmdxXYvem5zebhW4tBtug9zYrWLzsAy3i7Dr8B/s320/MysteryBook.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Click on the above picture to get your own copy of these directions.</div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;"><a href="http://wvde.state.wv.us/strategybank/DirectionsforFoldedBooks.html" target="_blank">Here's another site that I found with directions for making more foldables!</a></span>
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<img height="148" src="http://i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u378/designbychristi/rocker/rocksig.png" width="200" />Fitbeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13222797446732249143noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603931036654926004.post-52950142313664252462012-07-12T08:00:00.000-07:002012-07-12T08:00:00.129-07:00Reading Instruction IdeasI'm back again today with another idea to use while you are reading with your students during guided reading, in small groups, or during shared reading. It's important to keep variety in the way we have our students read in class. The following strategies can help liven up the way your students become proficient readers.<br />
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B2wknI_L-fmJdFFFaVhiZlBYWU0" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOg2SVjnG72o8sdfHOEY-ViTGsgZOXxAcJGY2bS-tH9Qj2Xm9vNxqnRtdjjFnZgKKoIsM4PMfKPQ-J5zqgf5MFb4zcI1VRubmJEKwX9HLOyQmrSBqsAgUPJ2Pq4ODiT-Rx66hDXJVmocsc/s320/Reading.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Click on the picture (I made it at wordle.net) and get your own copy of different strategies to use while reading with your students. Copy the strategies off onto card-stock, laminate for durability, and then place them on a ring for easy access.<br />
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Now I'm off to get ready for my yard sale that we're having this Saturday! Have a great day everyone!!<br />
<img src="http://i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u378/designbychristi/rocker/rocksig.png" />Fitbeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13222797446732249143noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603931036654926004.post-28173662353752429142012-07-11T08:00:00.000-07:002012-07-11T08:00:04.894-07:00Fluency BagsAt the NM Reads to Lead workshop that I recently attended, the wonderful presenters just kept giving us idea after idea! This next idea that I'm sharing is for making class sets of fluency bags. To do this each child needs:<br />
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<li><span style="background-color: white;">1 gallon sized zip lock bag</span></li>
<li>Reading passage with word count at the end of each row</li>
<li>High-frequency word bank</li>
<li>Leveled readers at students' instructional and independent levels</li>
<li>Fluency graph </li>
<li>Decodable passage or book</li>
<li>Timer</li>
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After you have constructed each fluency bag to meet the reading levels of each student distribute them to the class. Here are some suggested scenarios to tell your students when using them:</div>
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<li>"Partner up, and you'll play One Minute, Please!, reading from the passage in you fluency bag." (Each week, give a new passage to each student at his or her instructional level.)</li>
<li>"When I say go, Partner One will read for 1 minute."</li>
<li>"Ready, go!" (Begin timing for 1 minute.)</li>
<li>"Now it's time for Partner Two to read; ready, go." (Begin timing for 1 minute.)</li>
<li>"Count the number of words read correctly in 1 minute for your partners, then record the number on your fluency graphs."</li>
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Variations to the fluency bags can include subject matter; reading passages can be added to the fluency bag (e.g., science, social studies, literature stories). Vocabulary cards or lists for science, social studies, or other subjects can be included in the fluency bags too.</div>
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What a great way to have your students practice their fluency!</div>
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<img src="http://i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u378/designbychristi/rocker/rocksig.png" />Fitbeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13222797446732249143noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603931036654926004.post-42481870314569812402012-07-10T08:00:00.000-07:002012-07-10T08:00:02.413-07:00Word Building Folders<span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm back with another idea from my recent workshop! This idea is for making individual Making Words Folders for you class. It's easy to make and so useful!. <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px; text-align: center;">All you need are file folders and small size post-it notes.</span></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.pcboe.net/les/elderweb/HARCOURT%20FILES/Managing%20Bulding%20Word%20Activities%20in%20Storytown.pdf" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHfCXbW94MvflTukBf3Ou_OtG9CvvC19yw0era0ES-ZRUH0SpncSRW_qUr3V0G8hWtJjNRgmOY99GbMPSmii1fDZBdQVvBV7T1Xc-tCHS0uF5EESyxqkm-yj8pw9o7AlLzWMI93lMTJ8rC/s320/IMG_1149.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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First you will need to write each letter with a sharpie on the folder. Then you will want to put the post-it notes on top. You may need to make more than one post-it for commonly used letters. It was also recommended to use four separate colors of post-it notes. This way when a student builds a word most sounds will be different colors and can be more easily distinguished. Click on the picture above for more detailed instructions on how to make your own class set of Making Words Folders. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIPQ8rydb4t4iPBVx00eX34u6AJI3dfZz1PGRl26OglMfk7P9fUKO794f3WehcBJeiAbsagpm0RWsJEsqkqTUWbqklfdXnz0IH5JdGp0quaW2jJ88f22gbJHla5UZgQ6wWwUFz7sAeMs5e/s1600/IMG_1152.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIPQ8rydb4t4iPBVx00eX34u6AJI3dfZz1PGRl26OglMfk7P9fUKO794f3WehcBJeiAbsagpm0RWsJEsqkqTUWbqklfdXnz0IH5JdGp0quaW2jJ88f22gbJHla5UZgQ6wWwUFz7sAeMs5e/s320/IMG_1152.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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With that same idea, you can also color a tongue depressor and have kids practice beginning, middle, and ending sounds in words. Or you can get linking cubes and practice chunking the sounds in a word by snapping different colored cubes together to represent each sound. Another simple idea was writing short words such as "me." Then fold over the end of an index card and put a "t" on the fold. Now the word is met. You can make it more difficult and write larger words such as silent e words for example "mad" becomes "made."</div>
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There were so many more ideas from this workshop. If all goes well, I hope to have another idea for everyone tomorrow too!</div>
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<img src="http://i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u378/designbychristi/rocker/rocksig.png" />Fitbeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13222797446732249143noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603931036654926004.post-14348577058867462142012-07-09T08:00:00.000-07:002012-07-09T08:00:06.040-07:00Literacy WheelsAt my recent ELA training the presenters talked about Literacy Wheels. They are made with cd's, and are used for discussing story elements in fiction as well as nonfiction. You write on them with sharpies and can even jazz them up a bit with decorations. You put your finger in the center and spin it. Wherever it stops, that is the story element you discuss. <br />
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<a href="http://www.kbumreading.com/files/2011_Literacy_Wheels_kbumreading_1_.pdf" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFremM0-gUMbS4ntgU8excAexJ9nAIaz2H-4N4zQW9nXlAWmOSgcBOHS5DzgqkwamereIdVgneKlNpvHHuYXf6NAAKnjvPls3AY4R-sA6uiu1qHW9P8mRr7SMWWwaEQ08TwIPzka93acz1/s320/cd.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.kbumreading.com/files/2011_Literacy_Wheels_kbumreading_1_.pdf" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie2T6HOl9YLJqwyJRXps5PLBxYTvcQ6HQO2JSOBFcsW8kcDziJ9MaF9-aqn1tNPJEna6mLR_GNRr6YDAYG-ItCD7bAhgcltW-481e_reRS1jgrUex9WSdJ-8lPuCR69zY91cGTDh12KNpd/s320/nf.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Aren't they just too neat! </span>Click on the pictures above to see how to make these literacy wheels and more from <a href="http://www.kbumreading.com/" target="_blank">Kathy Bumgardner</a>. </div>
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<img src="http://i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u378/designbychristi/rocker/rocksig.png" style="background-color: white;" />Fitbeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13222797446732249143noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603931036654926004.post-32602316281737511422012-07-08T17:05:00.002-07:002012-07-08T17:05:56.939-07:00ComprehensionI recently attended a CCSS training on ELA for reading coaches. During the 2 day workshop we got some really great strategies to use during reading instruction. One idea was to use a retell glove. It is a great way to ensure that students are comprehending what they read.<br />
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<a href="http://www.pcboe.net/les/elderweb/Retell/retell%20glove.pdf" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-_VGCUdeJsLevrOwcxX5Gp2dvMIIXSQ_NOS876jj5_kopVGAbzlGdBofbUgGcraHAD3ARWu_ZYiCQ7rmPyYQeJ1Q0LzpuTJ1EmvLZfyN5ARcNxkXKCdJ8bCe5IR1GUhZog1EFd2h8ceoT/s320/glove.jpg" width="191" /></a></div>
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You can use a gardening glove or just make a paper one and laminate it for durability. This is what each part represents: </div>
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Thumb: Stick people- Represents the characters in the story. </div>
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Who is this story mostly about? Who are the characters in this <span style="background-color: white;">story? </span></div>
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Finger one: House- Represents the setting of the story. Where <span style="background-color: white;">and when did the story take place? </span></div>
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Finger two: Lock- Represents the problem in the story. What is <span style="background-color: white;">the problem in this story? </span></div>
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Middle finger: Key Represents the solution to the problem in the <span style="background-color: white;">story. How is the problem solved in this story? </span></div>
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Pinky finger: Ladder- Represents the beginning, middle, and end <span style="background-color: white;">of the story. </span></div>
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Back of hand in middle: Heart- Represents personal connections <span style="background-color: white;">to the story. Does this story remind you of anything that you </span><span style="background-color: white;">know about? Does this story remind you of anything that you </span><span style="background-color: white;">have experienced?</span></div>
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Click on the above picture for directions to make your own retelling glove.</div>
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Another great idea is to use a cube or beach ball and program it for students to answer questions. Here's a sample cube:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgApHT7ORKzJd2rWEkYwRaCHknSWCjmzr1FLk5qcPjzD70jlkbuk8qoiV96XeNHj86K9u2vcmLXNLmFjbr8gRt05IPTajTgGxP24cxbduJB0tSfKdFCAoTnXNV-TJ4IMnG4jFVMMyvUeTLB/s1600/Cube.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgApHT7ORKzJd2rWEkYwRaCHknSWCjmzr1FLk5qcPjzD70jlkbuk8qoiV96XeNHj86K9u2vcmLXNLmFjbr8gRt05IPTajTgGxP24cxbduJB0tSfKdFCAoTnXNV-TJ4IMnG4jFVMMyvUeTLB/s320/Cube.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Comprehension cubes can provide endless ideas for discussing various story elements.<br />
<img src="http://i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u378/designbychristi/rocker/rocksig.png" />Fitbeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13222797446732249143noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603931036654926004.post-88891369606091601402012-06-25T07:29:00.000-07:002012-06-25T18:00:33.488-07:00My New Blog!<br />
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So what do you think!
I am absolutely thrilled with my new blog design! With a new design, also comes a new name,
"KIDS ROCK!" Christi from <a href="http://designbychristi.blogspot.com/">Design by Christi</a>, was so quick
and helpful to help me get this awesome design.
Her prices ROCK! If you are
looking to get another blog design or start up your own blog, I highly
recommend her.</div>
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I have an exciting announcement! A few weeks ago I interviewed for an
Educational Specialist position at my school and for another school. The interviews were held in front of a rather
large committee at Central Office. I was
very excited to get a call back offering me the position at my current
school! I was quick to excitedly accept
the position! So after being a classroom
teacher for 14 years, I am now going to make the leap and do something a bit
different. I will be working with
teachers in my school 70% of the time, and students 30%. I will focus on leading trainings with our
K-5 staff. It will also include facilitating
PLC's and backwards planning with CCSS.
As a part of this position, I will still have a core reading group that
I will work each day. </div>
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I have been trying to begin the process of sorting through
my classroom things. I'm pretty good
about not being a pack rat, but after being in the same school for the last 8
years, it amazes me to see how much I have accumulated. I have some things that I know I will no
longer need. Then there are the things
that I'm not sure of, as well as the items that I want to hang onto. Once I get everything sorted out, it looks
like I'm going to have a teacher yard sale at my house on July 14th.</div>
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So I hope that you will continue to follow my blog. I have plans to blog about what I am doing in
education, as well as projects that the K-5th grade teachers in my school are
sharing. Thanks for stopping by...<br />
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Oh and don't forget to grab my new button: </div>
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<a border="0" href="http://ep2ndgraderocks.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u378/designbychristi/rocker/rockerbutton.jpg" /></a>
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<img src="http://i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u378/designbychristi/rocker/rocksig.png" />Fitbeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13222797446732249143noreply@blogger.com13