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Thursday, 4 April 2013

Coin Toss Activity: fractions, counting, and more math fun



Kids shake a group of various coins, cupped in both hands, and drop! Then, they compare heads and tails: writing fractions and coin amount.

TTOCs can do this easily with a pocket of coins or the fake money used in Primary Classes. Older students could then graph their results.

* I apologize for the USA coin, it was from the source.


[source]

Wednesday, 3 April 2013

Showcase Student Work

One thing I have had very little experience with is 'bulletin boards' Granted, as a TTOC I have put up some student work on bulletin boards for a teacher I was in for, and in my grade 6/7 temporary contract I did a few boards myself for our class work, but I can honestly say, talking to my friends who teach Elementary School, I am very inexperienced in the ways of the walls.

I am always amazed at the bulletin boards some teachers create and though I could do a blog post on some of the awesome ones I have seen (I often take photos of them!) I decided instead to show some new, interesting ways to showcase student work besides fancy bulletin boards.

This first one is using clothes lines to put up work hanging in the class.



This next one is awesome, if you have enough clipboards, you can put them up and decorate them. What I like most about this is that each student could have their own clipboard and decorate it. Then they just clip their work on to show it off, this may mean several different piece of work being shown as each student could choose what to clip up.

 

Similarly, this is a way for each student to have a "spot" to show their work....




 

What other ways do you showcase your student work?

April Currently...

I





Listening: to 80s music.
I made the mistake of asking "where is our ghetto blaster?" today to my Grade 8 class on our first day back to school. They laughed at me and I realized, it isn't called a ghetto blaster anymore. I said, "So what do you call it?" they laughed some more... "a stereo?!?!" This is the first time in a long time that I felt really old. But it was a funny moment. I love 80s music, blasting on my ghetto blaster - so what?

Loving: the weather.
We had the most amazing weather over Easter long weekend. It was a perfect way to wrap up Spring Break, spend Easter and celebrate my daughters 10th birthday. Fabulous sunshine!

Thinking: About our new units at school.
Touching Spirit Bear novel study and Castle Building projects. I am really excited about both units because I have some fun activities planned to make them more engaging and fun for the students.

Wanting: A massage.
I am feeling a lot of stress in my neck and slept funny last night so my shoulder is sore.

Needing: A massage? ha ha I don't know if that is a need or a want at the moment. I also need to get more sleep. Isn't that always my need every month ha ha!

Advice:  Hmmm... Work-Life Balance.
After some R & R over Spring Break, I am appreciating being back to work, but taking it easy and trying to have better time management and learn to say "NO" sometimes. I think as educators we take on too much, too often, and need to set aside time to relax. I have started to take longer walks with my puppy and family, play candy crush to unwind, and delegate/pass on tasks and say no when I simply can't do it all.


If you read my blog regularily you will know I have started to participate in this monthly "CURRENTLY" blog post that originates from Farley's awesome blog here.

Tuesday, 2 April 2013

Colourful Paragraph Structure

I love this. I have used paragraph diamonds, colour coding writing similar to this, but this is a very clear way to teach students.

Sunday, 31 March 2013

Teachers worried that over sexualized culture damaging youth

BBC posted this article on sexualization of women and the damages on young women.

Teachers are warning that young people are being damaged by an over-sexualised culture.
The National Union of Teachers annual conference will hear claims sexism is being “rebranded” as something fashionable and mainstream.

Delegates are to criticise the “raunch culture” of lap-dancing clubs and pole dancing.
Teachers, meeting in Liverpool, say it can have a “disastrous effect on the self-image of girls”.

The National Union of Teachers will hear warnings from teachers that “sexism and inequality are still a huge factor in shaping women’s lives”.

The conference will hear claims that old-fashioned sexism has not gone away, but has been re-invented into something that appears to be “ironic or empowering”.

Teachers will warn that pole dancing clubs and beauty pageants are turning back the clock on decades of campaigning for sexual equality.

There will be concerns that pupils are growing up in a culture where pornographic images are widely available, cosmetic surgery is advertised and there is a “fixation” with staying slim.

Teachers fear this can undermine young women’s self-confidence and contribute to problems such as eating disorders and anxiety about their appearance.

This can disrupt both girls’ school work and their social life, say teachers

Read the rest of the article here.

Happy Easter.....







Remember to save those plastic easter eggs (or grab some on sale post-Easter) for many uses in the classroom. I did a post last week with some ideas I found on pintrest.