from-student-to-teacher

positivelypersistentteach:

Spelling with legos.

I used this idea before I found it on blogs when I did literacy interventions.  It really helped some students — especially by putting blends, digraphs, and vowel pairs together.

gjmueller:

Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy: The interlocking of cognitive processes

This great new diagram show the interlocking gears of cognitive thought and every cog-word links directly to an iPad app that supports it! AWESOME - bookmark this!

ursoteachable:

Teaching Fractions the Fun Way: When I teach fractions to young children for the first time we make really cute pizza. You need two of the white inexpensive paper plates per child. I then print out a crust and circle. I let each child decorate their pizza. Some like pepperoni some just like cheese (I like peppers). Next the kids cut out their pizza and glue it down on one of their plates. Place a plate under the plate with the pizza and cut a line through both  plates to the center. The plates rotate and you can ask for different sizes, “show me a quarter of a pie”. Try it. :-) 

ursoteachable:

I love rich print posters…I am always changing them, this is an oldie but a goodie, just a classic favorite of mine. It can be used for many grades. When we do our independent reading we always grab a post-it. :-) 

world-shaker:

An awesome and simple little teaching tool over at Teacher Tipster’s Facebook page!

(look for “Teacher Tipster” on Facebook if this link doesn’t work; it’s in the recent wall photos)

aspiringeducator:

Students will be placed into six different groups (depending on the class size). Each group will be given a set of tools (different sized paint brushes, spade ect) and a clear plastic box filled with sand. The students will then have to use their tools to excavate the box. Each box will represent a different ancient civilization and students will have to interpret the content to identify the civilization. This exercise can be adjusted for different age groups.

I bought some Roman coins off of ebay (they are a few dollars each) and intend to add a number of different artifacts from different civilizations to my collection. I think it is an interesting way to kick off a unit but I guess the only way to find out is to try it. 

(Source: rorythefox)

aspiringeducator:

Metaphor Rattlesnake Activity

Confirm your students understandings or reintroduce what a metaphor is.

Get your students to write their own definition of a metaphor. Do not give your students a set definition of a metaphor yet.

Get students to explore their rattlesnake - appeal to the senses

Encourage your students to play with the rattlesnake, hit it against the desk , feel the grooves on its back, stretch it out, smell it, examine the colour, etc …

• Sounds
• Smells
• Looks
• Feels
• Tastes  (leave until last)

Get your students to write metaphors using their best describing words (again using their senses). 

Sounds: “My rattlesnake is a rippling whip.”

(differentiated  learning - students who have completed the first activity can move ahead)

The students are then given two scenarios:

1. Walking home through bushland in the summer you come across a snake lying on the path. It’s not just any snake though, it’s a giant gummy snake and it is about to eat you.
   
   Explain what it is like to be eaten by the giant gummy rattlesnake.
   
   
2. Walking home through bushland in the summer you come across a snake lying on the path. It’s not just any snake though, it’s a giant gummy snake! Seeing the snake you kill it and decide to take it home and cook it on the BBQ.
   
   Explain what it is like to cook the snake on the BBQ.

One of my amazing tutors at university did this with our English Curriculum class and I think it would be an amazing activity to try out with a class. It promotes higher order thinking and ensures understanding through doing.

(Source: rorythefox)

world-shaker:

Teacher Tipster

These were like 8 bucks at Kroger. I didn’t buy em’ but you could use these for True and False practice with your class. “Turn on your candle if you think this statement is true.” Just a thought. :)

(via Wall Photos)