What are some of your best math test prep from third through fifth grade ideas? I’m trying to compile some ideas for my teachers!

Why is Phonemic Awareness so Important?

Phonemic awareness refers to the ability to identify, manipulate, and work with individual phonemes—the smallest units of sound in a language.

Participating in phonemic awareness activities, students can decode words, spell, and comprehend text.

How do you incorporate phonemic awareness into your daily activities?

This weekend I presented a couple of different sessions at the MiAEYC conference and someone was inquiring about the following: tunes to help students learn the correct spelling of their names - does anyone have any resources for this?

I have a couple of student teaching candidates that I am supervising right now and one of them is really struggling with grading 1st grade student work accurately. Do you have a grading checklist or other tool you use (or share/advise new teachers etc) that would be helpful for this teacher?

How do you use a graphic organizer for reading comprehension?

1. Determine what information (sequencing, supporting details, story structure, etc.) you want your students to pull from the text.

2. Model your expectations for exactly how the graphic organizer should be filled out.

3. Instruct your students to fill out the graphic organizer as they are reading or after as a summarizing technique.

You can find many examples and free downloads of graphic organizers. What type of graphic organizers have you used?

We are beginning an economics unit this week. The students are learning about needs and wants. They earn play money for coming to school which is their job. I tell them that this would be their paycheck in the real world. They take the money that they earn and use it to rent their desks and chairs. They are fined for not raising their hands or not doing their homework. This has been a great way to teach my students about the real world. What activities do you teach in your classrooms that relate to teaching students about economics?

My students are learning about money in 2nd grade. I teach them a strategy called hairy money to help them to learn about the value of coins. Does anyone use a different strategy to help students learn how to count money?

How do you celebrate and talk about Earth Day with your students? What are some books and resources you use?

I have a good friend whose nephew is heading into first grade and needs some online reading resources to help with practice. Besides the obvious in reading books, what are some great sites I could offer?

What are some PBIS systems that work + are sustainable at your schools?

Is your school offering summer school? If so - what programs or resources do you utilize for this? For reading? math?

What are your favorite participatory books? Eric Litwin and I share a list of my favorite books as part of the professional development book we wrote. Check out this list of my favorite:
https://www.ginapepin.com/_files/ugd/5fe563_cb4ad2b743cf48929bab9cc05385720d.pdf

So many of the students in intervention right now are not able to separate their head from their eyes... and this causes a lot of reading issues. So we have partnered with our OT and students do quick EYE COLUMN JUMPS during intervention. How do you monitor functional vision during learning?
I have this downloadable for free on my website: https://www.ginapepin.com/_files/ugd/5fe563_bac012bed9a14a4b9800eebbae03d4df.pdf
or https://www.ginapepin.com/blank-10-1-1-1-1-1-1

How does your whole school share upcoming important dates with one another? We utilize Google Calendar for this - i.e. field trips, end of year concerts, testing dates etc. What do you use - and what would be your ideal scenario?

Are your states requiring any additional coursework related to the Science of Reading? In Indiana, we have to take an 80 hour course on our own time to renew our Elementary licenses. Just curious what other states are requiring.

I have a parent asking for websites to help her son with 4th grade math over the summer. What do you suggest?

What are you doing to keep your students motivated to do well on end of year district assessments for grades K-2? I am awarding my students play money if they show growth so that they can purchase a prize from our classroom store. I am also posting their pictures outside my classroom.

No power or Internet!

Today, and hour into our day, the power went out in parts of the building due to weather. How do you quickly switch your teaching when you have no power or Internet?

As a Stem school, we host a family stem night each spring. What are some go to ideas for stations or ideas for community partnership? We’re always looking to expand our reach!