Sunday, March 3, 2013
Fantastic First Grade
Michelle Oakes has passionately taught first grade for 12 years in Ohio, and she loves to share her passion with other teachers. Michelle's classroom website, Fantastic First Grade, highlights everything that happens during the day in her classroom. She has many links to resources for parents, students and other teachers.
When you click on her teacher tab, you will find classroom resources her and her peers have created to make daily management routines simple. These documents include lesson plan tips and forms, student worksheets, behavior charts, and so much more. The reason I really like her web page is because teachers do not always have time to recreate the wheel, and it is so nice when experienced teachers share the resources they have! She also shares other teachers web pages and blogs that she finds helpful and encouraging.
It is true that peer teachers are our best resources, but not every teacher has the opportunity to work with a really creative master teacher. Websites like Michelle's are very helpful to teachers around the world because we can all access the information she shares online. You can tell that Michelle is a dedicated first grade teacher, but I also see her as a mentor to new and experienced teachers. You can find Michelle's classroom at http://www.fantasticfirstgrade.com/.
She also has a blog where she post where sure post new and current information about her classroom multiple times a week. Please check out her blog at http://fabulousinfirst.blogspot.com/.
Tara
Saturday, March 2, 2013
NAEYC: Message in a Backpack
Parent and family engagement can be a huge challenge for any early childhood teacher, so NAEYC has created a resource in their Teaching Young Children (TYC) publication called Message in a Backpack. Since NAEYC knows that most teachers struggle to get over 50% participation form their student's families, they created an online link so that any teacher can have access to these resources.
Each Message in a Backpack links classroom best practices to the home, with information and guidance for the parents and activities that can be completed with the children. Teachers can add items to the message and create a take home activity that assist families in learning the importance of being their child's first teacher and the need to participate in their education. Each message has specific content information that is easy for families to understand.
Many of our families do not have the ability to be a part of the classroom due to jobs and other responsibilities. If teachers use resources like Message in a Backpack, they can still assist families in engaging their child and support their physical, cognitive and social development. You can find both English and Spanish versions of the Message in the Back pack at http://www.naeyc.org/tyc/backpack.
Tara
Each Message in a Backpack links classroom best practices to the home, with information and guidance for the parents and activities that can be completed with the children. Teachers can add items to the message and create a take home activity that assist families in learning the importance of being their child's first teacher and the need to participate in their education. Each message has specific content information that is easy for families to understand.
Many of our families do not have the ability to be a part of the classroom due to jobs and other responsibilities. If teachers use resources like Message in a Backpack, they can still assist families in engaging their child and support their physical, cognitive and social development. You can find both English and Spanish versions of the Message in the Back pack at http://www.naeyc.org/tyc/backpack.
Tara
The AMAZING Deanna Jump
Seven years ago I had the pleasure of working with one of the most amazing teachers ever. Deanna Jump has become a household name in the early childhood education programs across the United States for creating amazing activities and selling her resources online. Back when we taught first grade next door to each other, Deanna was just a very inspirational teacher who loved to mentor and help other teachers create an engaging and positive classroom. Since then, we have both moved away from central Florida, but I have kept up with my mentor through her classroom website, blog, and Teachers Pay Teachers page.
Start by visiting her classroom website for a tour around her kindergarten classroom to see how colorful, fun and kid friendly a classroom can really be. These pictures will give you several organization and display. She also has each month split up so teachers can see the different themes and activities she uses to engage students while following common core standards. One of the most impressive things I have found in Deanna's classroom in the way she takes documentation of learning, creates charts and has a strong environmental print foundation for early print awareness support. She shows several different ways to use thinking maps and documentation panels with the students, as well as ideas to encourage student writing. The language environment is very powerful and integrates all other areas of learning. You can find Deanna's classroom at http://www.mrsjumpsclass.com/.
Next, you should visit her blog spot. This is where Deanna shares her instructional ideas and post in time examples of what is happening in their classroom currently. You can find her blog spot at http://mrsjumpsclass.blogspot.com/.
Both of these web pages are full of great activity ideas and photos to inspire any early childhood teacher. I still give Deanna credit for helping to develop me into the teacher I am today, she can be that inspiration for you too!
Tara
Start by visiting her classroom website for a tour around her kindergarten classroom to see how colorful, fun and kid friendly a classroom can really be. These pictures will give you several organization and display. She also has each month split up so teachers can see the different themes and activities she uses to engage students while following common core standards. One of the most impressive things I have found in Deanna's classroom in the way she takes documentation of learning, creates charts and has a strong environmental print foundation for early print awareness support. She shows several different ways to use thinking maps and documentation panels with the students, as well as ideas to encourage student writing. The language environment is very powerful and integrates all other areas of learning. You can find Deanna's classroom at http://www.mrsjumpsclass.com/.
Next, you should visit her blog spot. This is where Deanna shares her instructional ideas and post in time examples of what is happening in their classroom currently. You can find her blog spot at http://mrsjumpsclass.blogspot.com/.
Both of these web pages are full of great activity ideas and photos to inspire any early childhood teacher. I still give Deanna credit for helping to develop me into the teacher I am today, she can be that inspiration for you too!
Tara
Prekinders Web Page
Karen Cox has been teaching Pre-k for 13 years and has experience working with High Scope, the project approach, Montessori, and Reggio Emilia. What do all of these approaches have in common? They are all excellent models of the child-centered approach to learning.
Prekinders is a great resource for any early childhood teacher to use for ideas to support just about anything in the pre-k classroom. The website is very easy to navigate, and the home page has links to the the different sections that include learning areas, themes, printables and classroom ideas. Each of these areas gives information, ideas and photographs to help teachers understand why and how Karen has set up her child-centered classroom.
One area I have found very helpful in planning activities for my classroom is on her learning areas tab. She has broken down information for each center area of the classroom so that teachers can pull up information on specific content areas and find ideas for activities that are developmentally appropriate. This is extremely helpful when making changes to centers to keep the students engaged.
Another area that has been very helpful is the classroom ideas. I have used several of Karen's classroom tips for organization and center design when setting up the classroom in the beginning of the school year. She has also listed great resources for creating a schedule, the classroom management system, and training students to follow daily routines and expectations.
There is so much information that a teacher could hunt for hours finding new ideas.
You can find Karen Cox and Prekinders at http://www.prekinders.com/.
Prekinders is a great resource for any early childhood teacher to use for ideas to support just about anything in the pre-k classroom. The website is very easy to navigate, and the home page has links to the the different sections that include learning areas, themes, printables and classroom ideas. Each of these areas gives information, ideas and photographs to help teachers understand why and how Karen has set up her child-centered classroom.
One area I have found very helpful in planning activities for my classroom is on her learning areas tab. She has broken down information for each center area of the classroom so that teachers can pull up information on specific content areas and find ideas for activities that are developmentally appropriate. This is extremely helpful when making changes to centers to keep the students engaged.
Another area that has been very helpful is the classroom ideas. I have used several of Karen's classroom tips for organization and center design when setting up the classroom in the beginning of the school year. She has also listed great resources for creating a schedule, the classroom management system, and training students to follow daily routines and expectations.
There is so much information that a teacher could hunt for hours finding new ideas.
You can find Karen Cox and Prekinders at http://www.prekinders.com/.
Amazing Teacher Resources
Teachers today have an amazing resource in the Internet. To have the ability to find new ideas for their classroom and to collaborate with an online teacher learning community, without leaving their own room, has allowed them to grow and adjust to meet the ever constant changes in early childhood education.
This blog will share a few of those resources I have used over the years to assist me in mixing up my instruction, structuring the classroom, and learning new ways to engage my students and their families in these very important early childhood years.
Tara
Teachers today have an amazing resource in the Internet. To have the ability to find new ideas for their classroom and to collaborate with an online teacher learning community, without leaving their own room, has allowed them to grow and adjust to meet the ever constant changes in early childhood education.
This blog will share a few of those resources I have used over the years to assist me in mixing up my instruction, structuring the classroom, and learning new ways to engage my students and their families in these very important early childhood years.
Tara
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