tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46468522381758013692024-03-13T06:26:50.523-07:00 In 5th Grade with Teacher JuliaSpreading Positivity & Connecting with TeachersJuliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09761781086713769489noreply@blogger.comBlogger143125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4646852238175801369.post-57629330145385045972018-08-26T20:56:00.001-07:002022-01-25T08:46:23.542-08:006 Reasons Why I Love Being a Teacher <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.teachersonpoint.com/blog/6-reasons-why-i-love-being-a-teacher#/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #ff7700; font-size: medium;">If you would like to read this post on my new, updated site, please click here</span></b></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Recently, I felt like there is a lot of negativity surrounding teaching or.. maybe it's me and I am just so super stressed that I <i>feel</i> like there is a ton of negativity and really, everyone is doing just fine! Whatever the case may be, I felt the need to write a list of reasons why I love teaching. I want this year of mine to be better than all the rest and this seems like a good place to start. On the night before Day 1 of Year 13.<br />
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<h3>
Creativity</h3>
When I first decided to become a teacher almost many, many years ago, I made that decision based on the fact that I could be creative. I was excited to make lessons and activities that would create a fun learning environment and also be fun for me! Even when I was teaching at schools that did not allow for too much flexibility, I always found a way to bend the rules or found time to implement a fun, hands-on leaning activity for the content I needed to teach. Within a few years (and some experience under my belt), I was able to find schools that really valued my creativity and now I am at a school where I get to write my own curriculum! Teaching allows for the creativity side of me to flourish and I really love that about my job!<br />
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Make a Difference</h3>
Teaching allows me to come home everyday and know that something I did within those 7 hours made a positive difference in someone's life, even if I am unaware of it. Whether it was teaching a new concept, giving good advice or facilitating a conversation between 30 kids where they were able to learn from each other, I know something good happened and I was a part of it. I got into teaching because I wanted to be creative and I think what keeps me in the classroom is the fulfillment I get from being a positive person in the lives' of children. Last year was a really rough year. I thought since it was my 12th year in the classroom, I wouldn't have some of the same feelings I had my very first year of teaching, but I did! I was worn down by abnormal circumstances. I got down on myself because I thought I wasn't being the best teacher I could be for my kids and coming to school somedays felt like a chore rather than the privilege that it is. I decided that at the end of the school year, I would write a letter to my students telling them about how amazing they are and what a wonderful year it was that we had together. Some of them had tears in their eyes when I read it out loud to everyone. There was a 5th grade graduation that day and the love and appreciation I felt from my students and their parents was a feeling I will never forget. Sometimes we need validation in what we are doing and that is okay. We will not always get it and that is okay, too, but we need to always remind ourselves that we <i>are</i> making a difference.<br />
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It's Fun!</h3>
How many people can go to work each day and say it's fun? Not many that I know of. People are always saying "Love what you do and you will not work a day in your life". Even though teaching is a TON of work, it's also something I love to do and so it does not feel like a regular job. I get to laugh with the kids and be reminded on a daily basis of what it means to be young and excited about the silliest things. There are so many examples of this in my career, and some that stand out are: when the scholastic book box was delivered and my entire class gave it a standing ovation to it (see my IG account for that one!), when I returned after being sick for a few days, I got an applause for coming back, celebrating a book character's birthday and singing the "Happy Birthday" song to a nonexistent person, traveling to Washington, DC and experiencing the memorials and museums through the eyes of 10 year olds, an applause when I finish a really amazing read aloud, fidget spinner challenges the last week of school, coloring and pasting fun activities together - and the list goes on! Being a teacher brings out the inner child in you! <br />
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Vacations</h3>
I read a Facebook post from a friend and I absolutely loved it. She was talking with someone and the person was going on and on about how unfair it is that teachers only work part of the year, have summers off and all these breaks, great hours, etc. She turned to him and said, "Yeah, it is. Sucks you didn't choose a profession with the same benefits." Another teacher had a similar conversation and simply stated that he was collecting overtime throughout the summer. We work hard throughout the school year and only a teacher can really understand the absolute need for a spring break and summer break. The kids need a break from us and each other! And to our benefit, we still get to collect a check while sleeping in, reading our favorite novel, basking in the sun, traveling around the world, or walking around the malls when the crowds are all at their jobs. Heck, I even get excited about being able to schedule a dentist appointment! So as much as we get crap for this, I LOVE that we get so much time off. For a long time, I spent it making more money and adding to my income. And granted, for the first 8-10 years, I put in my time and worked in my classroom during most breaks, but now, I am living it up! This summer I traveled throughout Asia, I am going to Colombia to practice Spanish during Thanksgiving and next summer I hope to plan a cycling trip through France and visit a friend in England. Because I am a teacher, I am doing all of this on a teacher's budget, but that is what adds to the adventures. We put in our time to enjoy our summers off and holiday breaks. I will never let anyone make me feel guilty for that. When people tell me how great it is that teachers get so many days off, I smile and say, "I know!"<br />
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<h3>
We Get 2 New Years</h3>
The start of every school year is a new beginning and I love it because it's a new opportunity for me to plan fresh goals and check in on ones I made January 1st. Tomorrow is my first day of school and I have my outfit laid out, fresh, healthy food in the fridge, a morning workout planned and workout clothes ready to go for 5am. I have my planner ready for Day 1 written with a fresh set of flair pens and it's a new start for 27 kids that are entering our classroom tomorrow. There is something invigorating about fresh starts! I love that I get to also start over as a teacher again! I get to do what I didn't do so well last year better this year! I get to reinvent ideas that I was not so excited about <i>and</i> I get to look forward to the ones that were super fun! I get to also look forward to rereading my favorite books to the class and wait to see their responses, I get to share thoughtful quotes with them and teach them all the important things I taught previous classes and witness their attitudes and opinions. I get to be a part of a whole new group of kids' learning and achievements. With every new school year, I am given the opportunity to become a better teacher than I was the previous year and I am given the time before school starts to plan and prepare for how that is going to happen.<br />
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<h3>
I Get to Live Out My Passion</h3>
Very often, I speak with people who are trying to fulfill a passion after work or when they have time. Their jobs are not fulfilling and sadly, they know it. As teachers, we are so incredibly lucky to be able to <i>know</i> what our purpose is in life and <i>go for it</i>. I don't think many teachers realize how few people get to spend their entire day living out a passion. There are plenty of reassuring moments. When a student ran out of the room crying because a handful of kids laughed at her and I stopped the math lesson to discuss why that is not an acceptable way to behave in our classroom or in society and 20 minutes later, long after I have stopped talking and the kids are having their own conversation about it, I can tell that they get it. And then months later, I stopped and realized that they had all shown compassion, empathy and consideration towards that student since the conversation and tears were brought to my eyes, I knew that this is where I am supposed to be and without a question, this is what I am supposed to be doing. I am so sure that all of you have had plenty of moments like this one I describe. It's what our job is about. We can teach the standards, we can teach the math facts, we can teach kids how to read, but it's in the moments where we teach them how to be good people that the true hard work has been accomplished.<br />
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In conclusion, if you are ever down about teaching and aren't sure why you got into the profession in the first place and your hundredth Google search of "<i>What else can you do with a teaching degree besides teach</i>" comes up dry, or, if you are being inundated with negativity about the profession, please stop and think about why you love what you do. And if anything on my list rings true to you, stop by and have another read. Here's to you and me and our next new school year together!</div>
<br />Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09761781086713769489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4646852238175801369.post-68355902696645600332018-07-31T00:00:00.000-07:002018-10-21T00:24:27.584-07:00Magic Exists in our World and it's in Ubud, Bali<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>I chose to stay on a family compound and had breakfast out on my private porch one morning. </i></div>
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My final destination was Bali and as I sit here at the airport waiting to start my 30 hour trek back to San Diego, I am sad to leave a place that has so much magic, paradise and what I imagine to be a form of heaven. From Tokyo, to Saigon to Hanoi to Bali, this has been an experience unlike any I have ever had before. The people that came into my life throughout my travels, the places I experienced and the challenges I faced all contributed to my feeling of nothing but gratefulness, joy and laughter.</div>
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The people, the food, the landscape, culture and the environment in Ubud, Bali was more than I expected. As soon as I stepped into my room on a family compound, I felt like I was at home. My plan for this part of the trip was to relax, write and read and do some deep work with personal reflection and healing. But, my time in Ubud did not exactly go as planned in all ways and I am perfectly fine with that. Allowing my days to just “come as they are” was part of what made each day perfectly amazing. A typical day consisted of me waking up, walking 1km to the gym, showering, then stopping by a local juice cafe to order a fresh pressed juice (usually papaya and lime or a green detox of some sort). Next, I would walk about halfway back to the area I was staying and find a really great place to eat breakfast. I would then relax with a book and eat and read. Afterwards, I would explore the area. I might go shopping, take a painting class, stop and hang out with some friends I made or walk throughout the town and see where it leads me. Most of the time, it led me to a spa where I would get a foot massage, full body massage, body scrub, manicure or my hair done. There is something to be said about getting a massage everyday, I have to say! I always had my camera ready because capturing the beauty of Ubud was also a big part of the fun. I had no schedule and nowhere to be and that feeling of freedom is beyond the best feeling in the world!</div>
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<i>I met Dewa when I saw a sign for an art lesson while walking around town. He shared with me his art and we became instant friends! </i></div>
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One night, I caught a traditional Kecak Fire and Dance show steps from where I was staying, but most nights, I would have a late dinner after meandering around town and then go to bed. Most of Ubud is dark and quiet by 11pm which also made it a perfect place for me!</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The people in Ubud</span> are some of the most sweetest, kindest and genuine people I have met throughout the world. There is a sense of trust and I think their belief in karma plays a big role. One day, I took a painting class with a artist named Dewa. We spoke and got to know each other during the 2-hour session in his studio. He talked about a time when he was really sick and the doctors couldn’t tell him what it was, so he went to see a spiritual healer as a last resort. He told me that she said someone was jealous of him. Throughout bouts of laughter, he explained that he was so surprised to hear this from her because he always tries to do good and think about good things, so having someone be jealous of him didn’t make sense. The healer gave him oils to drink and different oil to rub on his body as way to rid the negative energy being sent his way. He said within a week he was feeling better. I told him about my chronic back pain that I have been trying to fix for close to 13 years and how I would love to have someone help me with that. Right away, he offered to take me to his healer. He said it would be 20 minutes away on his motorbike and we would have to stop to grab an offering for her on the way, but he wouldn’t mind taking me, if that’s what I wanted. We continued to talk and after the 2 hours and a completed painting of Buddha, we were on our way to his healer. Throughout the rest of my time in Ubud, Dewa took me to his healer three times. We became friends and I learned a lot about Balinese culture and what it’s like to live in Ubud.</div>
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<i>Ibudessa is a beautiful soul and woman. She performed healing sessions for me a few times while I was in Bali. Although we don't speak the same language, we were able to communicate in other ways. Her generous spirit helped me to cleanse my aura and keep grounded while I experienced another part of our beautiful world. </i></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The architecture in Ubud</span> had me fascinated the moment I stepped outside. From the brick roads and mosaic lotus lined with green moss to the family compounds that still remain exactly as they were built many, many years ago. Several generations of families reside in these compounds, <span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: italic; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">karangs,</span> and each structure within is built and placed in a specific part of the compound. To enter, you will see a beautifully carved, small door to walk through and immediately notice a small shrine that is honored with flowers, incense and/or rice. The small door and shrine are to help ward off any spirits that would be unwanted. The family compound reflects the human body and each building within is placed in a specific manner. For example, the family temple is built facing east as it will be the first to see the light of day. I couldn’t help but stop and notice these beautiful homes and I was very lucky to be invited into some and also stay within a compound through Airbnb (highly recommended you do this if ever you visit Ubud!).</div>
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<i>This street led to where I was staying</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit;"><b>I feel so incredibly lucky to experience such a magical and unbelievable place. I think Ubud, Bali was the perfect last stop in my trip throughout Asia this summer. It was a great place to reflect on my gratitude for having so much in my life and to cleanse my mind and body before returning back home and start my 13th year teaching!</b></span></div>
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Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09761781086713769489noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4646852238175801369.post-91032900345143165252018-07-11T09:20:00.000-07:002018-10-21T00:24:55.280-07:00The Value of Experience in Vietnam <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4RqAMuhoUdeBDtVxJEGNfSU-HCsbn0jyJhdNZ6rIP_s3tWe1yz2nyL3jYVO5jkuflq8vgvVQuLjMNSuYy03T1hMkbdIszosKpBv2OSYNeOBWeQHqw1Ft7yuAnzxm4g1oByZ81ik-O3Gg/s1600/IMG_9393.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4RqAMuhoUdeBDtVxJEGNfSU-HCsbn0jyJhdNZ6rIP_s3tWe1yz2nyL3jYVO5jkuflq8vgvVQuLjMNSuYy03T1hMkbdIszosKpBv2OSYNeOBWeQHqw1Ft7yuAnzxm4g1oByZ81ik-O3Gg/s320/IMG_9393.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Having now arrived to my third and final country this summer, I am noticing a pattern of how each of these explorations begin. At first, there is trepidation because I have no clue about the area, where to go or what to do, but as soon as I immerse myself into it (which is always just to hit the streets and start walking), that wall crumbles and I feel completely confident in becoming a part of the community in my own, small way. There is no judgment as to what I choose to do because I am alone and no one around me really cares what I am doing. I also make sure to embrace the opportunities as they offer themselves to me. Today, I was walking down a street and saw a sign for art classes. The owner of the art studio came outside and we spoke briefly. He asked if I would like to learn how to paint and of course, I said YES! Tomorrow I have my first lesson.</div>
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Suddenly, I started to feel more connected with people and places as I am striving to get that feeling of overwhelming beauty or awe (my ultimate goal every time I go somewhere). Walking around, talking with people, or just observing what is happening around me, I begin to tap into the ideas within me that aren't yet fully formulated, but soon construct themselves through exploration, questioning and thinking. The more I expose myself to the new people and places, the more I feel like I am not only learning about them, but I am also learning more about myself.</div>
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The challenges where I know I am in charge of building my own safety net in the midst of it all happening are the kinds of situations I sometimes hate while they are happening, but when I look back on them, I am so incredibly grateful. I continue to learn that the second I say I am ready to quit, if I just keep going, what's on the other side is beautiful, beneficial and worth more than I could have ever imagined.</div>
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"Okay everybody, how are you feeling? Are you done?" The tour guide asked us this question after we cycled about 20km in a heat index that was well over 110 degrees. I looked him dead in the eyes."Yeah, I am done." I said it, but I must not have actually meant it because I kept going. My head was spinning, I was well past a "runners high", my water was empty and I barely remember that stretch of ride. Even in the shade, I felt like there was no escape. At that point, I <em>wanted</em>to give up but, not enough, because I didn't. The energy from the group and the fact that I would have been the only one who actually stopped, helped me to keep going. And I am so glad that I did because if I had given up, I would not have experienced sitting in a basket boat on a river with an old Vietnamese tour guide making rings for me out of palm leaves and I wouldn't have experienced listening to CCR on the ride back through the rice paddies thinking about what it was like for the people of Vietnam in the 1960's.</div>
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If I had given up after an 11 hour train ride, 3 hour bus ride in (still) 100-something degree weather with a stomach ache, no sleep and no food and no traditional bathroom to use, I would not have experienced the life of people in a village where the first hospital was built in 2015 and they were given electricity in 1995. I would have missed out on looking up at a house built on stilts and seeing two children screaming "hello!" and waving frantically at me. If I had given up after finally rinsing the sweat off while standing next to a toilet only to be covered in mosquitoes and more sweat, I would have missed the home cooked meal the family was so proud to make and serve for us. I wouldn't have experienced freshly squeezed sugarcane juice or learned how 4 generations of families live in a one-room home. <strong>I would have missed out on the first hand experience of seeing how happiness can come from simplicity at its most basic definition. </strong></div>
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There are so many things I learned while spending time in Vietnam, but one for sure, is to never give up when times get tough. These are just some fun examples and don't compare at all to life's most toughest of times, but today they are serving me as a good reminder.</div>
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Life can suck, but if we give up or take the easy road, what are we missing? If you stop when it gets difficult, you know what the ending will be and it involves you surrendering. But if you keep going, the possibilities are endless and who doesn't like a good surprise?!</div>
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Below are some of the highlights of the trek through Vietnam. I hope you enjoy!</div>
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<img alt="" class="wp-image-3148 size-medium" height="300" src="https://www.teachersonpoint.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/IMG_6685-e1531408730878-225x300.jpg" width="225" /></div>
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Art combined with nature</div>
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<img alt="" class="wp-image-3149 size-medium" height="300" src="https://www.teachersonpoint.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/IMG_8906-e1531408677303-225x300.jpg" width="225" /></div>
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His motor bike wasn't making it, so another man helped him over the bridge.</div>
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<img alt="" class="wp-image-3150 size-medium" height="300" src="https://www.teachersonpoint.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/IMG_8932-e1531408621356-225x300.jpg" width="225" /></div>
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Woman making rice paper</div>
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<img alt="" class="wp-image-3151 size-medium" height="300" src="https://www.teachersonpoint.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/IMG_9062-e1531408548768-225x300.jpg" width="225" /></div>
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Pagoda</div>
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<img alt="" class="wp-image-3152 size-medium" height="300" src="https://www.teachersonpoint.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/IMG_9076-e1531408508935-225x300.jpg" width="225" /></div>
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Year of the Monkey</div>
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<img alt="" class="wp-image-3153 size-medium" height="300" src="https://www.teachersonpoint.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/IMG_9078-e1531408435466-225x300.jpg" width="225" /></div>
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Hand stitching with silk</div>
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<img alt="" class="wp-image-3154 size-medium" height="300" src="https://www.teachersonpoint.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/IMG_9092-e1531408339602-225x300.jpg" width="225" /></div>
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Boats on the river in Hoi An</div>
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<img alt="" class="wp-image-3155 size-medium" height="300" src="https://www.teachersonpoint.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/IMG_9316-e1531408183914-225x300.jpg" width="225" /></div>
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Many couples come to this setting to get pictures taken the day before the wedding.</div>
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<img alt="" class="wp-image-3156 size-medium" height="300" src="https://www.teachersonpoint.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/IMG_9344-e1531408115258-225x300.jpg" width="225" /></div>
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Ride up the mountain</div>
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<img alt="" class="wp-image-3157 size-medium" height="300" src="https://www.teachersonpoint.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/IMG_9664-e1531408055832-225x300.jpg" width="225" /></div>
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Mom making sticky rice</div>
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<img alt="" class="wp-image-3158 size-medium" height="225" src="https://www.teachersonpoint.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/IMG_9717-300x225.jpg" width="300" /></div>
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Sisters enjoy a game together</div>
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<img alt="" class="wp-image-3159 size-medium" height="300" src="https://www.teachersonpoint.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/IMG_9801-e1531408006345-225x300.jpg" width="225" /></div>
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Rice Fields against Beautiful Mountains</div>
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<img alt="" class="wp-image-3161 size-medium" height="300" src="https://www.teachersonpoint.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/IMG_9922-e1531407896521-225x300.jpg" width="225" /></div>
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You haven't had an adventure until you tried riding a bike through traffic in Vietnam![/caption]</div>
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<img alt="" class="wp-image-3162 size-medium" height="300" src="https://www.teachersonpoint.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/39ee04d7-ae72-4d54-b3e4-989b6fcd04c7-225x300.jpg" width="225" /></div>
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I learned how to make rice noodles! A great cause that teaches kids English and hospitality. (Planterra)[/caption]</div>
<br />Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09761781086713769489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4646852238175801369.post-75266404128348824712018-06-30T07:12:00.000-07:002018-10-21T00:25:15.049-07:00Silence as the Educator, my time in Tokyo<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<strong><em>The eyes behind silence get a glimpse into the realities of the unknown </em></strong></h3>
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<strong><em>- me </em></strong></h3>
As I was thinking about how to describe my (too short of a) time in Tokyo, I decided on <em>peaceful </em><i>observations</i>. I feel it's quite fitting as I did not have much to say (giant language barrier) and the calm and mellowness of the people was contagious. I felt like I was walking on clouds the whole time without a care in the world. Surprisingly (or maybe not surprisingly), few people in Tokyo speak English. And, there is something to be said about keeping your mouth shut and simply taking in your surroundings. So not being able to communicate was not really that terrible. The city and metro is easiest enough to navigate and pictures really do speak a thousand words!<br />
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<img alt="" class="size-medium wp-image-3093" height="225" src="https://www.teachersonpoint.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/IMG_8673-2-300x225.jpg" width="300" /></div>
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<strong><em>If you are in Tokyo anytime soon, you might want to check out the MORI Building Digital Art Exhibit. Definitely a little mind-blowing!</em></strong></div>
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For me, being in Tokyo was like being in another world which is a feeling I haven't experienced before when traveling abroad. While in Costa Rica or Panama, for example, things were different, but I had a reference to the language and I could figure out menus, street signs, etc due to the fact that they use the same letters as English and a lot of the words are similar enough to figure things out. Generally, the people act the same as I am used to. You can look at a person and guess how s/he is feeling. In Tokyo, I had no clue what people were thinking or feeling. Pretty much everyone had no expression on their faces, were reserved and kept to themselves. However, they all were friendly, patient and helpful. As soon as someone realized I was trying to communicate with them, they were more than willing to try and work with me. They waited while I pulled out my phone to type in my translator app and then answered as best they could or took out their phone to let me read the Japanese they translated. Staying in a hotel that was outside of the traditional tourist areas was also a great (unplanned) idea. Where I was staying was the only hotel around. (<em>I found it on Airbnb, but booked it through booking.com</em>). I definitely was an outsider and could feel that with the curious stares both from adults and children. Except, I didn't feel that being an outsider was anything bad. People were just wondering what I was doing there.<br />
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<strong><em>If you go to Tokyo, I highly suggest getting some nail art. I also got hummingbirds on my toes! So fun and I met the nicest people!</em></strong>[/caption]</div>
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<em><strong>Me and Mee! She was my toe nail artist!</strong></em></div>
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One of my favorite things to do at the end of a long day and after the sun had fully set, was take the metro to Shinjuku station and then walk 45 minutes home. I loved it so much because this was when the streets became even more quieter than during the day. The weather was perfect and I could only hear my footsteps, the humming of a bicycle quietly riding by me or an elderly lady watering her plants. If any cars came down the street, they drove very slowly and cautiously around me. Occasionally, I would see a mom pushing her child in a stroller heading home or with her child strapped to the back of her bike. Every night, people were making their way home in a place that felt like the perfect world. Everyone follows the rules, is conscientious of each other and respectful of their environment. I have always been a rule-breaker of sorts and actually, when someone tells me <em>not</em>to do something, that's what I end up wanting to do most even if the thought never crossed my mind before. So I was surprised at how much I appreciated this aspect of the country. I guess I never really considered what it would be like to live in a place where the rules weren't questioned or generally broken because I grew up questioning all the rules and that was perfectly acceptable in a lot of ways. Hell, I teach my students to question everything though I like to call it critical thinking ;-) The last book I read with my class this school year was<em>A Wrinkle in Time</em>, and I swear, this place felt like Camazotz (an awesome debate my students had was whether Camazotz is, in fact, the perfect place or not). Later in my trip, when I was at the home of a lady named Yuka, she was explaining to me that Airbnb had been outlawed in Japan starting June 15 and everyone was informed on June 1. She told me she wondered why they didn't give more notice and then said to me "It's the rule so we have to follow it" and then shrugged her shoulders. </div>
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<strong><em>Yuka taught me to play the Koto. She also lent me a kimono that her grandmother handmade. That's her awesome dog, Pooh!</em></strong></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Now she is applying for a license </span>and putting her Airbnb overnight host plans on hold. There was no protest or outrage from the country. They were told that was the new law and complied.<br />
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I don't want to forget the relaxed, contented and calmness I felt the entire time I was there. I learned a lot in the short time and hope to make it back soon to do all the things I now have placed on my Tokyo To-Do list. </div>
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Next is Vietnam! Something tells me it will be very different...</div>
Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09761781086713769489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4646852238175801369.post-1732424326926201482018-06-23T23:01:00.000-07:002018-06-23T23:01:53.313-07:00Follow Me through Tokyo, Vietnam & Bali!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This past September, I decided to plan an experience of culture, landscape and adventure. For the next 5 or so weeks, I will be on a journey through three countries: Tokyo, Japan, south Vietnam up to the northern city of Hanoi and Bali, Indonesia. This plan is Part 2 of infinite parts ;-)<br />
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Part 1 happened last summer when I was driving across the country alone over the course of 12 days. I had the opportunity to reflect on what I want my life to be and it's a road I continue to travel down. I definitely don’t have all of my answers yet and I know that my answers are not necessarily yours, but I did realize/finally face that teaching and working had taken over in many ways and as a teacher, I am pretty sure you have felt this before. Even though I have been able to experience a lot of really great things, there still felt like something was missing. I needed more excitement and I truly believe that this new path which involves stepping away from the job more will actually make me a better teacher (See? That’s still the focus in many ways, so it’s all good).<br />
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Discovering what makes us feel alive and taking part in it is essential if teaching is your chosen career. As teachers, there is way too much time and energy spent on providing an education and safe space for others that we often forget about ourselves or think that we don’t matter as much (we do!). For years, my life literally revolved around teaching and in some ways that will never change just because that is the nature of the job. However, teaching doesn’t have to deprive us of things we are worth having. Heading into my 13<sup>th</sup>year, I look back and realize that I felt like without me the world for my students/our classroom would fall apart. I am much less egotistical now and I am working to break free of this notion. Giving up our lives for others is not necessarily the best thing for everyone.<br />
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To read the rest of this blog post, please find my new site <a href="https://www.teachersonpoint.com/follow-me-through-tokyo-vietnam-bali/" target="_blank">here</a>!Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09761781086713769489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4646852238175801369.post-7682981074254793452018-06-12T18:30:00.000-07:002018-06-12T18:30:56.771-07:00The Last Day of School Plans!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hi! Thank you so much for following my classroom tales! I have recently updated my blog onto a new site called <a href="https://www.teachersonpoint.com/ideas-for-the-last-day-of-school/" target="_blank">Teachers On Point</a>! Please find this blog post there and sign up for a <a href="https://www.teachersonpoint.com/" target="_blank">FREE, EXCLUSIVE </a>teaching resource while you're there! </h3>
Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09761781086713769489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4646852238175801369.post-62593520650111637642018-05-04T09:15:00.000-07:002018-05-04T09:15:21.512-07:00Let's Talk During Read Aloud!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A lot of learning happens during read aloud and I think there is a misconception that read aloud should be a time of only quiet listening. While listening obviously is important during this time of day, talking is equally valuable to students' learning. When I was teaching third grade and did guided reading groups, I would often refer to the strategies students displayed during read aloud and connect it to what was being practiced in the small group. It was really helpful for kids to be able to have that model to think back and refer to. In fifth grade, I teach kids through modeling how to participate during read aloud. </div>
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There are two skills that can be practiced during read aloud and those are <b>SPEAKING</b> and <b>READING COMPREHENSION</b>. </div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Speaking</span></b><br />
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<b><i>"We are here to listen to the story and share our thoughts about the characters and what is happening to them. What we do in literature circle, we will also be doing during read aloud."</i></b></div>
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Listening, Speaking, Reading then Writing. Those are the levels of understanding that we work hard to achieve in our classrooms. After spending 5 years teaching fifth graders, I learned that children this age still have difficulty explaining their thinking in a concise and organized way. Although we know that kids love to talk, few know that they actually need <b>practice</b> speaking so that they convey what they are thinking.<br />
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<b>Reiterating and Questioning</b>: When I hear a child having difficulty explaining their thinking, I tend to reiterate what I think they are trying to say. It's important for children to have a model example of how to speak especially when in a situation where there is a group conversation and others want to express their thoughts, too. Unfortunately, we don't have all day and it's important to get it out quick and easy! Do not be afraid to tell your students that this is a time where you will be helping them to practice speaking.<br />
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<b><i>"Remember boys and girls, the reading strategies we talk about and practice during read aloud are the same strategies we should be using when we read books on our own." </i></b></div>
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<b>Questioning and Using Text Evidence</b>: When I first started teaching, I was afraid to call a student out for sharing a prediction that made absolutely no sense with what was happening in the story. I thought, well how can a prediction be criticized since everyone knows it will soon be confirmed or denied anyway. Also, I felt bad telling a kid their prediction was definitely not going to happen. Later in my career, I realized that I was doing children a disservice by always "agreeing" that their prediction could possibly take place in the story. So I began asking kids to give me evidence from the story that would <b>support</b> their prediction. If they had trouble coming up with evidence, I then suggested they revise their prediction. Oftentimes, just by asking for evidence students will revise their predictions right away. Also, if I don't respond at all, other students will chime in and explain how that probably wouldn't happen because of <i>xyz</i> in the story.<br />
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<b>Thinking Aloud</b>: Even if I had read the book before, I am, of course, always thinking about the reading. I find it extremely beneficial to share with students what goes on in my mind during read aloud. This can start conversation or, at the very least, make the kids aware that I am actually <i>thinking</i> while reading. I make connections with other texts, share what I am visualizing, discuss things that happened earlier in the story or anything that comes to mind really. It is a great example to show children that we don't just absentmindedly read through stories! Sometimes I will even ask the students what they were thinking during a certain part of the story just because I am curious.<br />
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Just letting kids be aware that read aloud is a time for thinking and discussing gives them the opportunity to check their understanding and be more engaged in the reading. What are some strategies you use in your classroom during read aloud?</div>
Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09761781086713769489noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4646852238175801369.post-86315455108692239982018-03-14T20:20:00.001-07:002018-03-14T21:43:25.644-07:00Scaffolded Reading Comprehension - From Answering Direct Comprehension Questions to Socratic Seminars <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Students love to talk. We know this. That is why I love the fact that I can run classroom discussions throughout my teaching day. There are lots of moments throughout the day where my students have the opportunity to talk and discuss their opinions, thoughts and questions. One of those moments is during Reading Workshop.<br />
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I structured Reading Workshop in a way to build more rigor as students work through each novel throughout the school year. I teach 3 novels per trimester.<br />
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Trimester 1</h4>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">During the first trimester, I kept things simple. Students read the chapters at night, took specific notes and then came to the carpet as a whole class the next day and discussed the reading. This was the trimester where I directly taught them how to have a whole class conversation and we practiced it everyday. After the conversation, students would answer written comprehension questions. </span></h4>
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Books: <i><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Blubber-by-Judy-Blume-Novel-Study-3440086" target="_blank">Blubber</a></i> by Judy Blume, <i>The Hundred Dresses</i> by Eleanor Estes</div>
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Trimester 2 </h4>
During the second trimester, the students read the <b>first book</b> and discussed it with the whole class while I facilitated the conversation. Students are always responsible for reading the night before and taking notes in a way that I assign. For the first book, they were assigned to take 3 notes (I.e. a question, a prediction and a favorite part). Then we would come together and conversations would be guided by using their notes. After the conversation, students would answer written comprehension questions. The <b>second book</b>, students were given notes to take that directly related to the chapters they were reading. They were assigned to small groups and there was a discussion director each week that facilitated the conversation by coming to the group with open-ended questions about the reading. After the conversation, students would answer written comprehension questions. For the <b>last book,</b> I split the class into two groups (15 kids each) and the students facilitated the conversations. Teachers monitored and were a part of the conversation. Students were taught and practiced writing summaries after each conversation. This was their comprehension check.<br />
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Books: <i>Weedflower</i>, by Cynthia Kodohata, <i><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Watsons-go-to-Birmingham-1963-Activity-Pack-2827911" target="_blank">The Watsons go to Birmingham</a></i> by Christopher Paul Curtis, <i>Nine, Ten</i> by Nora Raleigh Baskin<br />
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Trimester 3</h4>
We are now into the third trimester and final trimester before 6th grade, and students are working on advanced comprehension skills. I am running Socratic Seminars. When students come to the circle (15 in each group), they discuss what happened in the reading. The book lends itself well to conversation, so I usually have to tell them to end the discussion about the book and answer my central question (not a bad problem to have). <i>Examples of Central Questions:</i> <i>How does self-confidence play a role in being successful? Is it important to be an individual, why or why not? </i>The students discuss these questions and then are asked to write their answer to the question while also using evidence from the text to support their answers. This is a very advanced skill, but some of my students are able to do it! I am confident that by the end of the school year, I will have almost all of them able to share their opinion and use evidence from the text to back it up. This will be the structure for the rest of the school year. Students seem to be enjoying it and are practicing so many important LIFE skills at the same time: listening to others' opinions, formulating their own opinion and articulating it so that others understand, considering important questions that will help shape who they become, and finally, connecting their reading to their own beliefs and experiences.<br />
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Books: <i>The Wave</i>, by Todd Strasser, <i><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Courage-for-Beginners-Interactive-Notebook-2550242" target="_blank">Courage for Beginners</a></i> by Karen HarringtonJuliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09761781086713769489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4646852238175801369.post-77965885246695982822018-03-01T16:37:00.003-08:002018-03-01T16:37:46.844-08:00WWII Multimedia Timeline in 5th GradeThis trimester, students studied WWII events. I modeled for them the <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Writers-Workshop-Research-Paper-970596" target="_blank">steps of research</a> with the topic of Japanese Internment Camps and they researched a <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/World-War-II-World-War-2-1107527" target="_blank">WWII event</a> of their own that they chose. In small groups, they were assigned and given a syllabus to complete a multimedia timeline that depicts 10 important events of WWII. Students mostly used recycled materials they found throughout the school and at home. They decided on the events and how they would depict them. Below are some examples of their hard work. I am so proud!<br />
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<br />Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09761781086713769489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4646852238175801369.post-51743338777387406072018-01-04T17:07:00.002-08:002018-03-23T22:19:59.226-07:00Teaching Kids how to do Research in 6 Easy Steps<div style="text-align: center;">
I remember when I first decided that I wanted to teach my 5th graders how to conduct research in order to write a 5 paragraph essay. I was overwhelmed with where to even start! I know that kids are highly motivated when they have choice and are excited about their learning, and so I knew it would be important for each child to choose their own topic of study. Even though I would be modeling each step along the way, I did not want to assign them their topic. To guide students in choosing a topic, I always tell them a subject to choose a topic from. For example, for years, I had students choose a state they wanted to research while I modeled researching Alaska. For the first time this school year, I asked students to choose a topic related to WWII while I model with Japanese Internment Camps. It gives them a sense of interest and independence when they are able to choose for themselves what topic they will be spending their time digging through books and talking to experts about. </div>
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When creating a process for conducting research, I also wanted to provide students with a list of steps that they could use later on in middle, high school and even college. The steps had to be simple enough to work for any topic and any level of topic. So I knew they had to be simple, but also have potential to incite lots of information.<br />
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If you would like to purchase the unit of study that I created for writing a Research Essay, <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Writers-Workshop-Research-Paper-970596" target="_blank">click here</a>. </div>
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Below are the 6 Steps to Research </h2>
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<b>1. Decide on a Topic </b></h3>
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<i>Teacher provides structure of choice by assigning a subject such as a state or topic related to a time period in history such as WWII. This is helpful for when you are modeling steps 2 and 3. </i></div>
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2. List the Questions you want to answer about your topic. </h3>
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<i>I usually tell the students to come up with at least 20 questions. The more questions they have, the easier it will be to write the 5 paragraph essay. Also, I remind students to ask open-ended questions and to start with who, what, why, when, and how. </i></div>
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3. Categorize Your Questions.</h3>
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<i>This step can be a little bit more difficult for students if their questions are very basic or if they have less than 20. I sometimes will support students by discussing with them which categories they want to include (tell them to choose at least 4) and then list the questions, Reversing steps 2 and 3 helps those who are stuck on creating questions that will provide a decent amount of information.</i></div>
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4. Answer all of the questions. </h3>
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<i>At this step, I have students create Research Collection Folders in order to ORGANIZE all of this information. Each file folder uses library card pockets to hold the color-coded index cards. Each pocket is a category and on each separate index card, students write their questions on one side. Afterwards, students write the information they find that pertains to the questions they asked. </i></div>
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5. Add New Information to the Categories. </h3>
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<i>I suggest for students to choose the categories that are most interesting to them and read about it in their books then jot down any interesting new facts they learned. </i></div>
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6. Review Your Notes (index cards) and Decide on Which Categories will make Content-Rich Body Paragraphs in Your Research Essay</h3>
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<i>Students should choose 3 topics for the body portion of their essay. After this step is completed, students are ready to draft their research essay! </i></div>
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If you would like to purchase the unit of study that I created for writing a Research Essay, <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Writers-Workshop-Research-Paper-970596" target="_blank">click here</a>. </div>
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Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09761781086713769489noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4646852238175801369.post-54439703520784821312017-10-10T16:03:00.002-07:002017-10-10T16:03:32.990-07:00Celebrating Wonder, by R.J. PalacioMy class and I celebrated Auggie's 11th birthday today! Auggie is the main character in the book, <i>Wonder</i> by RJ Palacio. If you have not read this book to your class yet, I HIGHLY suggest you do! It is a heartwarming story about a boy with a facial deformity who is starting school for the first time in 5th grade. The book focuses around the theme of kindness and really hones in on the idea that we should ALWAYS treat each other kindly.<br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">I started my day off bright and early so I could come in and decorate the classroom before the students arrived. I purchased "Happy Birthday" necklaces to give everyone and placed one around each student's neck as they entered the classroom today. </span><br />
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Last week, I suggested to my students to bring in a book that they thought Auggie would like or reminded them of him. I framed it as the book would be his birthday present and a donation to our classroom library. After the students got settled in this morning, they wrote me an email response explaining what CHOOSE KIND means to them. When everyone circled around for Morning Meeting, students shared their ideas about choosing kind and then we opened up Auggie's presents (his books for our library!).<br />
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Next, students created a birthday card for Auggie. The directions were to include in the card something Auggie taught them. I gave them the sentence starter "Thank you, Auggie for teaching me _____ when _____"<br />
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After students finished the cards, we gathered together in a circle and students performed a Reader's Theater skit where they re-enacted the story. This was an AWESOME resource I found on Teachers Pay Teachers <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Wonder-Drama-Circle-3305119" target="_blank">here</a>. The kids had so much fun and this ended up being one of their favorite things from today! Lots of laughs!<br />
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Our final activity was one that focused on the students and their positive traits. I gave everyone a name tag and they were asked to write one positive trait they hold (in place of their name). Then I used the name tag to stick a blank paper to their back. Next, the class went around and wrote positive affirmations about each other on the paper. I used cardstock so the kids can keep these papers for a long time.<br />
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Once everyone got a chance to write positive affirmations to each other, I settled them down to listen to an interview with R.J. Palacio. Afterwards, we discussed. It was great to hear the students reflect on their learning based on what they learned of the author's perspective when she wrote <i>Wonder</i>. You can find the interview <a href="http://www.npr.org/2013/09/12/221005752/how-one-unkind-moment-gave-way-to-wonder" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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I have a few more activities that I will share with the kids before we finally wrap up this book. I have a feeling they will get really excited when I tell them that we are going to get a private screening of the movie on opening day!!Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09761781086713769489noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4646852238175801369.post-49258492013631917582017-09-04T13:58:00.002-07:002017-09-04T13:58:30.033-07:00My New Classroom! We are in an industrial warehouse! Hi Everyone! It has been a WHILE since I've posted on here and it's because I have been super, crazy busy! I hope you've been following me on my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Teacher-Julias-Resources-510263979082009/" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/teacherjuliasresources/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> to stay in the loop! At the end of June, I sold my condo and pretty much everything I owned in Wilmington, NC and headed to Philadelphia to visit my family. It was a detour on my way to San Diego to teach 5th grade at my new school!<br />
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I spent 11 days on the road from Philly to San Diego, visiting friends on the way and doing some major sightseeing of all the natural beauty our country has to offer which I never even knew existed! When I arrived in San Diego, I explored downtown, the beaches and caught up with friends and teachers that I either knew from the past or connected with on Teachers Pay Teachers. When school started, I was refreshed and ready to go!<br />
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The kids' first day was on August 28 and I am ready to share with you some pictures of my new classroom! I figure pictures can tell a better story than I can sometimes! I hope you enjoy!<br />
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<b>But first, a quick overview of Trimester 1 </b><br />
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<b>My School:</b> I am at a project-based school where students create and learn! <b style="font-style: italic;">The school year is being planned around the essential question: What kind of person do I want to be?</b> Trimester 1 is all about building community and a safe-space for learning and exploration!<br />
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<b>Reading</b><br />
Read Aloud - <i>Wonder</i> by RJ Palacio<br />
I am teaching Readers Workshop and focusing on specific comprehension strategies. I model with <i>Wonder</i> and then the students use their Independent Reading books to practice the strategies I model. When students are ready, they will read <i>Blubber</i>, by Judy Blume and then <i>The Hundred Dresses</i> by Eleanor Estes as a whole class literature circle.<br />
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<b>Writing</b><br />
I am using Writers Workshop and teaching students how to write a <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Writers-Workshop-Narrative-Story-1424447" target="_blank">narrative</a>. The plot being either a problem solved or a lesson learned by the main character<br />
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<b>Project</b><br />
Students will be working with an architect to design and make prototypes for a pop-up playground. The idea is to bring the community together by providing a playground for children in an un-used area around the neighborhood such as alleyways, parking lots, etc. This is known as place-making and the students will get first-hand experience with how it all works! We will be doing field trips and bringing in experts to create a full experience of how to create a pop-up playground from beginning to end!<br />
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<b>Social/Emotional Learning </b><br />
Through reading, role playing and activities, students will learn how to advocate for themselves and each other, how to apologize, how to make an appropriate complaint and how to disagree. I have so many great activities that will help build the classroom community and safe-space for children to explore their learning. I am super excited for them!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitJzgPwutcoh3Mhp-qLHaWe7KvAgFeWukNAJbNnehUF1aWP6oy5enX2R6kPeue34Mpw2r9SCsKD8b8u5NxSsjVhWwcQMrm12DGl9q_z4QIFK_gU4BZ7Jkq57XAL8027aZWjCyaQH_qCLE/s1600/FullSizeRender-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitJzgPwutcoh3Mhp-qLHaWe7KvAgFeWukNAJbNnehUF1aWP6oy5enX2R6kPeue34Mpw2r9SCsKD8b8u5NxSsjVhWwcQMrm12DGl9q_z4QIFK_gU4BZ7Jkq57XAL8027aZWjCyaQH_qCLE/s320/FullSizeRender-3.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>This is the front of the classroom where I keep anchor charts and our Yearly Goal and Essential Question</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQpLszHN76Bs_Mhoh7L9TNsE-38ew76U3M2mE3O21U2b9EAchACUR-qugyDQrNuTWtzZuIvXzeY_52VnoKEOcmcuiXFVLQ4dmBNb7CcyolweN7qSlESIcjQiI3wWFYXMFxOcdKv4QbMEQ/s1600/FullSizeRender-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQpLszHN76Bs_Mhoh7L9TNsE-38ew76U3M2mE3O21U2b9EAchACUR-qugyDQrNuTWtzZuIvXzeY_52VnoKEOcmcuiXFVLQ4dmBNb7CcyolweN7qSlESIcjQiI3wWFYXMFxOcdKv4QbMEQ/s320/FullSizeRender-4.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>Teacher Desk Area </i>😍</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQbACJlOd8DFuVIhrOsx6795rszXlt2uPopI5x-ytrYFdkd7xulJXMWx-f6HpflvEvpK5O_cCsQ36DZr7djcf8ctG8QyB5PeDNCGGTt56wAgh4OZBjBs1ffeisOg92o8uAodsGj60W7zo/s1600/FullSizeRender-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQbACJlOd8DFuVIhrOsx6795rszXlt2uPopI5x-ytrYFdkd7xulJXMWx-f6HpflvEvpK5O_cCsQ36DZr7djcf8ctG8QyB5PeDNCGGTt56wAgh4OZBjBs1ffeisOg92o8uAodsGj60W7zo/s320/FullSizeRender-5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>I tried typing out my lessons one year and prefer to write them using my awesome teacher planner and flair pens </i>😉</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxNVbhWcjOZ02_Lm8KQXr5Uqc0A1rgPO1cdlfco32focZzkr-R05WRRFu6Pgw209yDGqJzxEe-aaxLRnFMlHzSGfq3CqD4THnuWYQTGSZu6S-sP4W0_u-_lARPRDUbZfItDDSa-StAGR8/s1600/FullSizeRender-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxNVbhWcjOZ02_Lm8KQXr5Uqc0A1rgPO1cdlfco32focZzkr-R05WRRFu6Pgw209yDGqJzxEe-aaxLRnFMlHzSGfq3CqD4THnuWYQTGSZu6S-sP4W0_u-_lARPRDUbZfItDDSa-StAGR8/s320/FullSizeRender-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP2syaMZWljg4WQyK3sVaqV60FHGjQcLrbgkiGP3FSn72WV5rU5Bf6iyo9tUbMhNHb0IvqYKLbzORmReOPyOH0Do6ssHjtSbtVq-mdo1d96fk0MbVTq6pEcITESrO4x6WDoF9ACLZRFPk/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP2syaMZWljg4WQyK3sVaqV60FHGjQcLrbgkiGP3FSn72WV5rU5Bf6iyo9tUbMhNHb0IvqYKLbzORmReOPyOH0Do6ssHjtSbtVq-mdo1d96fk0MbVTq6pEcITESrO4x6WDoF9ACLZRFPk/s320/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>This is where student materials are kept. They are oversized magazine holders and the binders are kept on the side of the holders. I hate the setback holder thingys, so I am experimenting with this idea. So far, I am liking it. </i></div>
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<i>I bought these caddies from Big Lots. The long section is for their reading books, the square sections are for pencils and when they do activities where they need scissors, markers, crayons, etc, I use the other two square sections for that stuff. </i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMG5T1borCGzSDnjtvjm4lDFI-F4OO8unBX8EXrendRKsQ3cQarrbh6uDdqxAyYSlhAXpQZny18M6uFiV2VKj4BWUrXIQKLc5ZY7C220cML0LjVJAHxjelk44WNxBARyjRW0K0tVNn4eA/s1600/FullSizeRender-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1268" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMG5T1borCGzSDnjtvjm4lDFI-F4OO8unBX8EXrendRKsQ3cQarrbh6uDdqxAyYSlhAXpQZny18M6uFiV2VKj4BWUrXIQKLc5ZY7C220cML0LjVJAHxjelk44WNxBARyjRW0K0tVNn4eA/s320/FullSizeRender-8.jpg" width="253" /></a></div>
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<i>This area is for their homework to be handed in, first thing in the morning. </i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXeZlUtq1wGiVwt_OmLD9ds41JJdazxfgCHPEQn1Pgx-sR_ox8sa_nN1864hLMoVGYxD8r1w1fJcMteS4eirUA3yUGjSwjFMwGnnExL77l_SImCGNJxrlT5MDluPbhf5BSnLeBJPW77_E/s1600/FullSizeRender-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXeZlUtq1wGiVwt_OmLD9ds41JJdazxfgCHPEQn1Pgx-sR_ox8sa_nN1864hLMoVGYxD8r1w1fJcMteS4eirUA3yUGjSwjFMwGnnExL77l_SImCGNJxrlT5MDluPbhf5BSnLeBJPW77_E/s320/FullSizeRender-7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Classroom Library - enough said! </i>😍 </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvdlBjY7yt51SxoCL4CHgfuGqhccCWBS8C9sWFsG5PnNKt_QBIPe5kanQw9ZPmpd2hqHLSmCs6v-GUaCbrFwgqXanIAfYX770XAM7kpa8F_BSqxthLEDgYK_SPApwHQCc-MUUyUFUWUyg/s1600/46872.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvdlBjY7yt51SxoCL4CHgfuGqhccCWBS8C9sWFsG5PnNKt_QBIPe5kanQw9ZPmpd2hqHLSmCs6v-GUaCbrFwgqXanIAfYX770XAM7kpa8F_BSqxthLEDgYK_SPApwHQCc-MUUyUFUWUyg/s320/46872.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>This is how students will check out a book that they want to take home. They each are assigned a number and will use the correlating library pocket. </i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2-Mw4hA0LLzy5SaLUpx8pKcBarirwOUwZPfl0A3jX72UjeDtT0EvmcD0dEvN488KPY2O5yU-SmL_NbZZNpEc8y3lRmsRSJAwAGdPWmUgsRzJ3pLQ01uG6SqqIYMjkDi_wG0uNTj2Lpy0/s1600/FullSizeRender-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2-Mw4hA0LLzy5SaLUpx8pKcBarirwOUwZPfl0A3jX72UjeDtT0EvmcD0dEvN488KPY2O5yU-SmL_NbZZNpEc8y3lRmsRSJAwAGdPWmUgsRzJ3pLQ01uG6SqqIYMjkDi_wG0uNTj2Lpy0/s320/FullSizeRender-9.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>I "repurposed" metal shelves aka gave them another use. Here, students use a dry-erase marker to record which book they are currently reading.</i></div>
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<i>This is how I keep track of where students are in the Writing Process. The colorful squares are used for them to sit on when we come to the floor (until our rug arrives) and clip boards are always necessary in a 5th grade classroom </i>😉 <i>Usually come in handy when students want to work somewhere else in the room, not at their desks. </i></div>
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That is my new classroom! I hope you enjoyed the "tour" and that I've inspired some good ideas for you to use in your classroom!</div>
<br />Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09761781086713769489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4646852238175801369.post-85623601141100604532017-02-24T12:56:00.001-08:002017-02-24T12:56:11.345-08:00World War II - How I Integrate the Study Unit<div>
<b>The Introduction to WWII Studies</b></div>
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To begin the unit, I created a fun and engaging activity (that also makes for a really cool bulletin board!) for students to identify the Allies and Axis powers as well as a brief overview of important events in the form of a timeline. I read from a book entitled, <i>The Attack on Pearl Harbor </i>by Katherine Krieg which shares a diary entry from a US Marine soldier during the attack and one from a Japanese Fighter Pilot. This book stirs up a great discussion when students consider each person's point of view.<br />
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<b>Reading Circle </b><br />
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The book I chose for my students to read independently and discuss as a class is called <i>Farewell to Manzanar</i> by Jeanne Watasuki Houston. I can't say enough about how this book teaches about the internment camps and creates a sense of empathy for what is mostly an unknown truth about our nation's history. When Jeanne was 7 years old, her family was forced into an internment camp after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. This book goes into great detail of the struggles her entire family faced while in the camps and the discrimination and prejudice and struggles they experienced after leaving the camp in 1945. </div>
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The book provides insight as well as many talking points for a class discussion. It also is a great go-to "hook" and connection for when I want to teach about a specific topic within this subject. For example, when I wanted to teach my students about the roles and sacrifices of the Japanese American soldiers, I connected it to when Jeanne's older brother left the camp to join the US Army.<br />
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When students are finished with this reading, they are assigned a project to complete. They get to choose from a list of options that they think would be most fun!<br />
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<i>Write a news article where you interview someone from the book</i></div>
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<i>Make a map of Manzanar </i></div>
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<i>Make a family tree depicting Jeanne's family</i></div>
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<b>Books Use for Direct Teaching</b></div>
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These books are wonderful resources! I<i>mprisoned: The Betrayal of Japanese Americans During WWII</i> by Martin W. Sandler works well for this unit because the chapters are specific to experiences that Japanese Americans had starting with Pearl Harbor and the fight for justice up until the 1990's. The real pictures and side stories are extremely helpful to paint a full picture of the history. The layout is fantastic and students often borrow this book during Independent Reading to flip through and read sections I don't teach in class. <i>The Children of Topaz</i> by Michael O. Tunnell and George Chilcoat is another perfect book for this unit because it is a collection of diary entries from students within the detention camps. After each entry, there is an explanation of it which helps with creating a better understanding of what life was like for school children. <i>Japanese in America </i>is a book I randomly found as a library withdraw. It is a textbook-like book that describes what life was like for Japanese Americans prior to WWII.<br />
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<b>Writing Workshop</b></div>
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During Writers Workshop, students create Historical Fiction Picture Books. Because I taught about segregation and the Civil Rights Movement earlier this quarter (in preparation for our participation in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade), I allow for students to choose whether they want their books to take place during that time period or WWII. Among other things, I help prepare them by reading published historical fiction picture books to them. This works really well because while I am reading the books, students are completing activity sheets where they are asked to identify the fictional elements and historical facts. We discuss how the author intertwined fact and fiction. They learned more about the time period and they are thinking about how they will structure their own pieces of writing! </div>
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Although Lucy Calkins does not do a Historical Fiction writing unit, I structure my lessons as so. The revision stage is where even more history learning takes place. This is the part of the writing process where kids are fact-checking their stories. I often am guiding students in finding answers to questions like, "How did the Nazis know who was Jewish and who wasn't?" "Did any of the Japanese have friends who could take care of their homes while they were gone?" "What happened to kids who were too young to work in the concentration camps?" Also, during the publishing stage, when kids are illustrating their books, they are researching exact details such as, what the soldiers uniforms looked like and what the scenery was for the internment camps. </div>
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<b>Free Reading from the Theme Box</b></div>
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Every unit, I fill up a Theme Box in our classroom library. This is a box full of books students can choose to read on their own. Here are the books I've collected that specifically relate to WWII. </div>
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<b>This is how I like to set up each of my unit studies! The more integration, room for student inquiry and project based learning - THE BETTER! How do you set up your units?</b></div>
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Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09761781086713769489noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4646852238175801369.post-76668412685858787202017-02-17T12:45:00.000-08:002017-02-17T12:48:34.650-08:00WWII Studies and integrating the Japanese Language!During the second part of the third quarter, I teach students about WWII and specifically about the Japanese internment camps during Readers Workshop. Today, to honor the Japanese culture, students worked on an activity to learn some Japanese words!<br />
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First they received a list of words and their meanings. <i>I.e. Hai - Yes, hata - flag </i><br />
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Next, they gathered the supplies needed to make the cards: <i>cardstock paper, scrapbooking paper, scissors, glue, crayons, markers and colored pencils</i><br />
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Students cut the cardstock paper into smaller rectangles and then cut the scrapbook paper slightly bigger to fold over and glue to the back of the cardstock card in order to make them look like "playing cards". Within their groups, the kids divided up the work among each other. Some students were creating cards with written words and others were drawing pictures on the cards.<br />
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By the end of the activity, each group had a set of cards to play <i>Memory </i>by matching the picture with the correct Japanese word. </div>
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I knew that 8th graders were planning to visit our classroom today (my first class I had when I arrived to this school!). I thought it would be a fun idea to have my 5th graders and 8th graders play the game together! They ended up playing a few rounds! When I walked around the room and asked for them to tell me the Japanese words they know, I was surprised at how many they had already learned! It turned out to be a really wonderful afternoon! </div>
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Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09761781086713769489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4646852238175801369.post-23139041124704962622017-02-13T17:30:00.000-08:002017-02-13T17:30:00.682-08:005th Grade Takes Washington, DC!We had another very successful <b>3 days, 2 nights trip to our nation's capital</b>! I changed some things up from <a href="http://www.teacherjuliasroom.com/2016/02/5th-grade-went-to-our-nations-capital.html" target="_blank">last year</a> (my first year ever taking on this adventure!) and everyone had an amazing time!!<br />
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I replaced the Spy Museum with an activity and tour of the <b>Newseum </b>which teaches kids about the media. This museum was great because during the 4th quarter, students will be writing and reporting our G.H. Owl Newscast!<br />
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<i>Reading from a teleprompter </i></div>
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<i>Even the teacher can have fun, right?!</i></div>
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<i>Civil Rights Expo - they were locked up for protesting!</i></div>
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<i>An old WORKING typewriter! This was great because we had just finished the book "Stella by Starlight" which takes place in the 1930's and the main character describes, in detail, what it was like to write on a typewriter. </i></div>
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I added in a visit from a <b>Secret Service Agent. </b>He joined us at the Quaker house on Capitol Hill (which was where we were staying), and told us all about his job. He facilitated a great activity which involved counterfeit money. At the end, he surprised three kids with Challenge Coins and everyone got an SSA pin!<br />
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Afterwards, everyone went to sleep to rest up for the long and exciting day ahead. First stop: Arlington Cemetery! </div>
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<i>JFK Memorial </i></div>
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<i>Reflection Writing </i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYXIW-eBX5NsxoO9-mru9Kw6cIcyJcF4n5VPcNjPwCTXeDpEv5eXw_P1d6ZMLo1hhMVgc8GYcQqmEHvFcTG7ahK7KQ9wd74THIPrg6O48pzoMPsDEIqsYklTplUdLEKbyY5ZwstOtNXSE/s1600/IMG_3454.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYXIW-eBX5NsxoO9-mru9Kw6cIcyJcF4n5VPcNjPwCTXeDpEv5eXw_P1d6ZMLo1hhMVgc8GYcQqmEHvFcTG7ahK7KQ9wd74THIPrg6O48pzoMPsDEIqsYklTplUdLEKbyY5ZwstOtNXSE/s320/IMG_3454.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>A little collage action - they loved that this soldier was protecting the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier </i></div>
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Next stop, was the White House and then onto the Holocaust Museum</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLP55f510g4cnxNV6QH1rGDmqweL72m1r-a23XtWKxm26oCjj2VzWKXLTCg_N6hyphenhyphen28VT3V396C7REs9OZbD_4qzhiFcW_DrPRe1ncikzi6HUPVypbshPNeX_uOqZHtzj2OIuW8OyfLfPI/s1600/16299311_1200029470105453_4029391319174729102_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLP55f510g4cnxNV6QH1rGDmqweL72m1r-a23XtWKxm26oCjj2VzWKXLTCg_N6hyphenhyphen28VT3V396C7REs9OZbD_4qzhiFcW_DrPRe1ncikzi6HUPVypbshPNeX_uOqZHtzj2OIuW8OyfLfPI/s320/16299311_1200029470105453_4029391319174729102_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Last thing on the agenda for the day was a Night Bike Tour of the memorials. Even though it was FREEZING outside and everyone was pretty much reminding me of that every 5 minutes (haha!), when I later asked about their favorite activity, this was at the top! Such a neat experience and we were so lucky to have gotten a chance to do it! </div>
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<i>In front of the Washington Monument </i></div>
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As soon as everyone got back to the house, we all were ready to crash! For our last day, we took part in a Service Learning project which involved making breakfast and serving it to the poor and homeless. <b>Priority Task: Sit and talk with the people we were there to serve.</b> This was my favorite part of the trip because I got a chance to see how moving it was for my students. The results of this project continues to show up in the classroom, whether students are responding to a quote in Morning Meeting or discussing something from a book or part of our history lessons, I can see threads of what they learned from serving those who are less fortunate in life. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv7pYVaTrPd2_7Sf4SmyiJKoj6c8PqU5Bg-mWmHZJVF1cR4-V3kbr6jLyWps4Of0QKCFPiws2FHlQA5zGxDaffbmn0svoBO2cHfyOkhxpHvumRZ4iOUUh5rW8txkpKRQ8BIjsyQJ2DdHw/s1600/IMG_3620.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv7pYVaTrPd2_7Sf4SmyiJKoj6c8PqU5Bg-mWmHZJVF1cR4-V3kbr6jLyWps4Of0QKCFPiws2FHlQA5zGxDaffbmn0svoBO2cHfyOkhxpHvumRZ4iOUUh5rW8txkpKRQ8BIjsyQJ2DdHw/s320/IMG_3620.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2zO-c6-U58m3Phd7gSCugiFcX2drP0qAzonvmmYeZiRiCo3Ua3PV4VTgvVX3Zgb2_59gKChexAmhyphenhyphen1j2IxHBXqtT-etFGIuRTwjW6ycSx6EoT_F5jTwVE8JjAevFfXgCL6iA85XppHq4/s1600/IMG_3622.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2zO-c6-U58m3Phd7gSCugiFcX2drP0qAzonvmmYeZiRiCo3Ua3PV4VTgvVX3Zgb2_59gKChexAmhyphenhyphen1j2IxHBXqtT-etFGIuRTwjW6ycSx6EoT_F5jTwVE8JjAevFfXgCL6iA85XppHq4/s320/IMG_3622.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Afterwards, the stud</i>ents<i> had a chance to talk to Rob, the man who started this breakfast. He told us that it all began because someone asked him for a cup of coffee. </i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUeHOMbMVNIj73UiSdCv66f57Q5liZWUS4SCSMr6cxC7ZXI8hBCzq3YcmzhB5KX1vbrLvkCxWw6VKH8zJfB_DF_2249iENzeMXEKYqe2ozovcfwAt1XnzfIcc5K5G3fXVVsKm7vN0bq58/s1600/IMG_3644.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUeHOMbMVNIj73UiSdCv66f57Q5liZWUS4SCSMr6cxC7ZXI8hBCzq3YcmzhB5KX1vbrLvkCxWw6VKH8zJfB_DF_2249iENzeMXEKYqe2ozovcfwAt1XnzfIcc5K5G3fXVVsKm7vN0bq58/s320/IMG_3644.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>This picture says it all</i></div>
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Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09761781086713769489noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4646852238175801369.post-31826465370725026712016-12-16T06:45:00.003-08:002016-12-16T06:55:28.294-08:004th Annual "State" Fair!The fourth year already!? This year, like the ones past, went so well!! <i>Because </i>it has been a few years now, I can say there are some patterns/successes that will ultimately come with this project:<br />
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1. <b>Students become Experts</b>: Since their work is <b>meaningful </b>to them, the students become knowledgeable about their state of study and are the <b>experts</b> of that state</div>
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2. <b>Students find their work to be Relevant</b>: Since students are immersed in the work in Reading, Writing, Math and even in Art, they make a connection with their state and the information becomes relevant to them</div>
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3. <b>Students become Public Speakers</b>: Because the students are experts in their state and put forth meaningful, independent effort in the part of their science experiment (completed at home with a syllabus), they are able to speak eloquently and specifically to the information they are presenting </div>
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4. <b>Student work is Original</b>: Because one of their tasks was to create an experiment that relates to their state of study, their experiments are original </div>
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5. <b>Students feel Independently Successful</b>: Because students are tasked with completing a science experiment at home, starting a month before the due date, they come in with their project feeling proud of themselves! They know they did this all on their own with support in keeping up with deadlines and work, but ultimately, it was all on their shoulders</div>
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<b>Overall, it is a success each year! I am so very proud of every single one of my students!</b></div>
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<i>Utah: Does salt affect the bouncy of an object? </i></div>
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<i>Arizona: Do certain liquids work better to clean a penny?</i></div>
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<i>Maryland: Does the smell of Old Bay spice affect taste?</i></div>
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<i>Maine: Do shrimp, squid or mullet catch more fish?</i></div>
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<i>Nevada: Does the amount of water affect how a cactus will grow?</i></div>
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<i>New York: Does the structure of a bridge affect the amount of weight it can hold?</i></div>
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<i>Vermont: Which rocks are the easiest to break?</i></div>
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<i>New Mexico: Does the climate and soil affect the growth of tulips?</i></div>
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<i>Hawaii: Which is harder, a rock or a coconut?</i></div>
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<i>Idaho: Which is the best conductor of electricity; potato, apple or orange?</i></div>
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<i>South Carolina: Does the flow of water affect power?</i></div>
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<i>Washington: Does different kind of water affect how onions will grow?</i></div>
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<i>Florida: Does saran wrap preserve an unpeeled orange?</i></div>
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Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09761781086713769489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4646852238175801369.post-1855339091800266012016-12-01T13:15:00.004-08:002016-12-01T13:15:43.934-08:00Holiday Activity to Celebrate DiversityToday I worked with my students to put together a <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Holiday-Activity-Celebrate-Diversity-in-Your-Classroom-2890638" target="_blank">Holiday Star</a>! This activity is great because it teaches the <b>VALUE of DIVERSITY</b>. Something we need to bring to our students' attention all year long, in my opinion.<br />
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This activity gives opportunity to not only discuss the different holidays that are celebrated within your classroom during this time of year, but also gives everyone a chance to see the value in learning about each other. The goal of this activity is to teach kids that by learning about each other, we are far less likely to judge each other. I like to tell my students that when people judge, make fun of or act negatively towards someone, it is a clear sign that the person acting unkindly does not understand the person.<br />
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We made the star today and taped it to the whiteboard (very limited wall space in here) and when the students returned from Specials, they saw the star and gave it an applause! They are the cutest!<br />
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<br />Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09761781086713769489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4646852238175801369.post-44360119701021002592016-11-21T08:13:00.001-08:002016-11-21T08:13:05.796-08:00Turkey Disguise Project! A Thanksgiving ActivityEvery year, I give my students a Thanksgiving activity that is for <b>PURE FUN </b>(though sometimes I add in a writing piece if I feel the students need the extra practice). There are many teachers who do this, and so I am sad to say that I cannot give credit to the original owner of the idea because I do not know who it is! I saw it one year and fell in love and kept with it each year since! I hope you like the pictures! This is an activity that students in Kindergarten up to Middle School have enjoyed!<br />
<br />I gave the students a turkey and told them that the turkey is worried he will be eaten for Thanksgiving, so it is their job to disguise the turkey so he doesn't become dinner!<br />
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<i>A cupcake</i></div>
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<i>A box of popcorn</i></div>
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<i>Santa</i></div>
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<i>camouflage turkey </i></div>
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<i>a flower in a meadow</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikWyPRUYYq5TT68IdY1ewOOnCDuAGPu00iut6ieH4LCdVgTeoWkpZE0-ktYQK5ANgoVfeA1jbHeUswL4xNprDCd6Ar9ujISAhtbFUsYyMVSLj3NczR4yQigENJMlpYy4eoDCeopn9t7IE/s1600/IMG_20161121_104337-01.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikWyPRUYYq5TT68IdY1ewOOnCDuAGPu00iut6ieH4LCdVgTeoWkpZE0-ktYQK5ANgoVfeA1jbHeUswL4xNprDCd6Ar9ujISAhtbFUsYyMVSLj3NczR4yQigENJMlpYy4eoDCeopn9t7IE/s320/IMG_20161121_104337-01.jpeg" width="256" /></a></div>
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<i> a math teacher</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdf8380rm_WZFLaQJLlAZRUpffZ5iBLFgyAvLVyo7xhLUWSzoqWtr8ht-SBbABBbzjG-NWEGh8eY7nVG6suZywnETNKr-_cM0E5kSOY1c8whX4hX24anOMoZlzzuHkFM4TsK54X9VIRpw/s1600/IMG_20161121_104344-01+%25281%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdf8380rm_WZFLaQJLlAZRUpffZ5iBLFgyAvLVyo7xhLUWSzoqWtr8ht-SBbABBbzjG-NWEGh8eY7nVG6suZywnETNKr-_cM0E5kSOY1c8whX4hX24anOMoZlzzuHkFM4TsK54X9VIRpw/s320/IMG_20161121_104344-01+%25281%2529.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>a pilgrim </i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD7bVV6QkIH1Js_s4kofcGWmniakXwulaoLeqRu7bttL-H0ySN-I0gMpukD55UfRxj5Z0RTSl1w3mgxYY93T2NoIHa3neBYzC1PVD5ivOi3gACxsQjtkkNn9nZCrLTAImAcpsfxHf8BTY/s1600/IMG_20161121_104350-01.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD7bVV6QkIH1Js_s4kofcGWmniakXwulaoLeqRu7bttL-H0ySN-I0gMpukD55UfRxj5Z0RTSl1w3mgxYY93T2NoIHa3neBYzC1PVD5ivOi3gACxsQjtkkNn9nZCrLTAImAcpsfxHf8BTY/s320/IMG_20161121_104350-01.jpeg" width="285" /></a></div>
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<i>a unicorn</i></div>
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<i> a body builder</i></div>
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<i>a peacock</i></div>
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<i>a tree with falling leaves</i></div>
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<i>an FBI agent</i></div>
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<i>a tea kettle</i></div>
Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09761781086713769489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4646852238175801369.post-41401001404871114032016-11-16T13:23:00.001-08:002017-04-11T08:59:33.358-07:00Now What? Post Election Life Lesson Plans<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As upset as I am about Donald Trump being elected, I can't ignore the fact there is good that can come of it. <b>Not because of him, but because there has to be. </b><br />
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<i>Disclaimer: By my stating all of the good that can come from this very unusual (I'm being nice) man in power, I am in no way condoning what he stood for and exploited throughout his entire candidacy and I am <a href="http://www.teacherjuliasroom.com/2016/08/as-teacher-i-cannot-vote-for-donald.html" target="_blank">not in the least bit satisfied</a> about him as our new President-elect. However, this is what we were left with. And I still believe in Michelle Obama's words, "when they go low, we go high". Well, 47% of the voters went low and now, I am trying to convince you to resist it and go high. </i></div>
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HARD TRUTH: One thing that is for sure, if Hillary Clinton was elected, most of us would have sighed a breath of relief, and said to each other, "See? We didn't give people enough credit if we thought <i>he </i>was going to win. Love DOES trump hate and America IS good." November 9th would have marked the day in which we all went back to our normal lives with the added pleasure of having our first female president, seemingly putting this horrible election and all it dug up behind us.We would have picked up the broken pieces and made that our contribution. We would have felt the "deplorables" that came out of the woodwork were detained back to their baskets and racism, sexism, bigotry and the pure hate that we were constantly reminded of, now would soon have been a thing of the past....(for most of us). </div>
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<i>*Must be said: When I say "deplorables", I am talking about a small, sub-group of Trump voters, not anyone who would even read this post. I.e. the KKK freaks that are holding a victory rally 2 hours from my home in December, the men who think they can go around and just grab women now and this frighteningly odd group of white nationalists who now have a voice among us.</i></div>
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<b>But Hillary didn't win.</b> And so I see that as a much needed <u>wake up call</u>. For some reason or another, those things Trump stood for on his campaign trail either didn't matter as much to people who voted for him or people just didn't care about what he said. Either way, it doesn't make a difference to me right now because it all leads to the same outcome. Donald Trump will be our President. This is where we are as a nation. I know I don't typically spend my days around deplorables, but I do spend some days among people who voted for him despite all of the moral disgust he represents. <b>Therefore, I believe we need to rise up and subtly convince those people that it <i>does </i>matter. </b></div>
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<b>So what can we do, you say?! </b>Hillary didn't win and so that means we actually have even more work to do than what she talked about at the debates, speeches and rallies. <b>And I think this is a perfect opportunity for us to ask ourselves, "Am I doing enough?"</b><br />
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If not, think about what inspires you and the things that feed your soul. Is it the environment, social justice, politics? What makes you excited at the possibility of a real change, within <i>your </i>world?</div>
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Most of us can only really change the immediate world that we live in. By that, I mean, our community, our everyday lives. <b>You don't have to go out and change the world, but whatever you decide to do, might just change someone's world. </b>And that is a really special thing.</div>
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<b>What I Plan to Do</b></div>
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I found myself living my very own dream about 4 years ago and I am so thankful for the opportunity. I am at a Friends School teaching fifth grade and I love every minute of it. Prior to coming here, I worked within inner city schools in Baltimore, Harlem and Philadelphia. As tough as my days were, I felt a sense of purpose and comfort in knowing that I was sometimes the only light in a child's day. I believed I was inspiring them, on some level, to believe in themselves and their own dreams. It fulfilled me in a unique way and I often regret leaving behind that community. </div>
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1. Throughout my time at Friends School, once in a while, my conscience would nag at me about this move I made. I finally decided that I will continue the work I did with at-risk kids where I am living now. I kept thinking about where I could start and what to do. Tutoring after school, doing fun activities with the kids on the weekends, things like that. I haven't settled on what exactly yet. However, I knew that I needed some guidance. I remembered when a lady came to our school to speak about this kind of work that she does in Wilmington. I searched for her on the internet and found the contact info. to email her, and we are meeting for coffee in the coming days! Maybe you are thinking of doing something, but not sure if you should reach out. Don't be shy. Trust me, when you say to someone that you want to help, they will embrace the idea. It is so great for anyone to know that someone else is willing to be a part of the good things that are happening. So if you are wondering where you can start with getting involved, think about <i>any </i>type of connection you might have. Ask around to see if people you know have a connection. Chances are, you will find someone who can point you in the right direction. </div>
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2. I am also working within my classroom to continue to teach the concept that love and kindness are at the heart of being the best version of yourself which, happens to be, my 5th grade curriculum's overarching goal. At first, I wondered how I could still teach my students that love "wins" after this election. That was (and some ways still is) a difficult question. I felt like a sham, a fake and a fraud. How could I teach them that love drives out hate when there up on their screens every night was a real-life battle of Love vs. Hate/Fear/Anger? Whether we like it or not, the campaigns fell into that order and hate won the election.<br />
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So, now what? Well first, the popular vote was won by Hillary Clinton (<i>right now by about 800,000 votes which means about 61 million people voted for her and another 7 million for another candidate, so all in all about 68 million people did not vote for Donald Trump. These numbers also beg for a lesson on the importance of voting when there are about 219 million people eligible to vote in our country</i>) The other fact is that it takes more than one fight. When I teach about Human Rights in the winter, I will remind my students that there were plenty of times when love lost and we got up and fought again. <b>We still have fighting to do and it is only when we lose hope, that we can say hate won.</b> <b>Until then, we power on.</b> </div>
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<b>More Ideas:</b> When I told someone that I wanted to do more, he said, "You're a teacher. You're already doing something great." And that's true, but that doesn't mean we don't have other passions, too. Maybe <b>volunteering </b>at a hospital or working with an environmental group is something you would look forward to every Sunday. If you are looking to relocate, a colleague suggested that teachers should go to a Red state and teach, I would say also <b>consider a Red county</b>. Maybe you want to work in a school that better reflects what you believe and you feel would allow you to make more of a difference. Maybe <b>you are a retired teacher</b> and you always thought it would be fun to work in a cafe or bookstore. Take a percentage of your paycheck and donate it to a charity or foundation or use it to buy books for a new teacher. <b>If you are a teacher in the classroom</b>, there's plenty more you can do. Form an after school club that volunteers somewhere that the kids are interested in helping. <b>High School teachers</b> can teach students how to navigate falsehoods on the Internet and promote learning the facts and forming opinions based off of your own independent research. There is literally a never-ending list of things we can add into our lives to make our community a better place. I encourage you to even try lending a hand in a part of the community you are unfamiliar with. The more we experience, the more we learn, the more objective and empathetic we become. <b>If this election season has taught me anything, it is that there is always work to be done, no matter who is sitting in our White House. </b></div>
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Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09761781086713769489noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4646852238175801369.post-47088914887483575162016-11-04T14:10:00.001-07:002016-11-04T14:10:26.893-07:00Thanksgiving Activity for Grades 1-3Hi Everyone! I usually stick with 5th grade material on my blog, but this season I came up with a super cute idea for the younger grades and really wanted to share!<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Thanksgiving-Activity-Booklet-2859042" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg66KNcx4D_nXeCiEL-cgAOOOCSThDEuu6QUCRtKWblrbzCzrUvlWb7L4dcG75YYxz6ZUsoke5tYlWhlH4pvwWhNQOhXGJPK-SDefXLVJNo23rsW1AJsgSK2jDpzdPM4-5gqnmKqo-yGpw/s320/IMG_20161103_064933-01.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I call it <b><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Thanksgiving-Activity-Booklet-2859042" target="_blank">"Noun" is the Time to be Thankful!</a></b> Students get to practice what a noun is by writing about a person, place and thing they are thankful for! The booklet is in the shape of a turkey which makes it even more fun for kids!<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Thanksgiving-Activity-Booklet-2859042" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPLBOMHzg7Uk9acF7hOkPCGN4SrxIueVC33zjlOqF8GuWkq7u328kwfstUkJVrG9hf3e7WrYbxwqfyOjJfhBgUfI6In58d2zWO-4AOMoukWUuwgjxHmJ-pJKvcD0RClslJnKEAExwzJXU/s320/Slide1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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To guide students in their writing, I included an outline of questions for them to plan their paragraphs.<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Thanksgiving-Activity-Booklet-2859042" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLfuwSwJlW43SmnLAcKwVVziydiTrPBdavfrWTX0vJfhIrPVe8ZOi6-2weNAe6edhXyCD_7Z1Qg-Rk4iT2lc7HGcHplWRTOYkucY_2BeSwIPNViaTm5jtElc3eWx0_SEwtYnEcRLHyQo/s320/Slide2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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After they have written their paragraphs, each on a separate turkey, they color in the cover page and cut them each out. Finally, they place all the pages together and share their book with their family during Thanksgiving dinner! If you do this with a few weeks before Thanksgiving, you can make a bulletin board with them! They would be so cute hanging up around the classroom!<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Thanksgiving-Activity-Booklet-2859042" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4-83XzrL8YUGN7aFmpSGFZI5poacYAxVIs6dCha52PGQ5TVkzZiiYbXPzb111I96IshY1PHj4LjH4gikSOtfqLK8Yp7OQtpJyyY1TpJ2GzLAMOz7c3bqnrYQC7E0Ggc9CewoifitiSjg/s320/IMG_20161103_064526-01.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09761781086713769489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4646852238175801369.post-68777686238609838522016-10-15T14:52:00.000-07:002016-10-15T15:05:55.602-07:00Bring Kindness into Your Classroom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Teacher-Julia" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTOzh7meyHGBfeWTGhJXSeC7LItFaNmUr4iJmHJwP4sQkcsSLin-q4ucpfbQzT9jdRHT9NsU1qGifby6QE1vwfpl3M3o0BBgaG2aXMzyArm8VeGnJaBylabfMN7Q8kPbOjolk1zlqtizc/s320/Slide2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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There are so many fun ideas for kindness that all grades can bring into the classroom! To me, I think taking the time to circle back to being kind throughout the school year is something we can do fairly easily and has a long-term impact on our students. Try out my <b>#KindnessIsContagious</b> year-long idea to use as a touchstone of sorts to keep the conversation going and inspire students to look for and take part in random acts of kindness. Bonus is that it will also decorate your classroom quite nicely!</div>
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#KindnessIsContagious</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghWiMdhax6wC1BxMGqQiBBFx15jZfPffMadMza5-RayqIeiicnPIu1LxYTLAatV1gTghNwSxt4JAB5o6IL-Vk_EGad952363YqcAY498YURCbP3GLiI9-aHD0h5OXIGDopN1ZB-KGrDIE/s1600/IMG_20161006_074649.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghWiMdhax6wC1BxMGqQiBBFx15jZfPffMadMza5-RayqIeiicnPIu1LxYTLAatV1gTghNwSxt4JAB5o6IL-Vk_EGad952363YqcAY498YURCbP3GLiI9-aHD0h5OXIGDopN1ZB-KGrDIE/s320/IMG_20161006_074649.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>To Begin</b></div>
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Share a time during the week when you (the teacher) either saw a random act of kindness or performed a random act of kindness. Tell students the story and explain to them that when you were getting ready for this project, you started to notice a lot of different ways people were being kind. Then share with them the thinking that when people see acts of kindness, it is an inspiration for them to do something kind.</div>
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You can choose to read a book about kindness. I like <a href="chrome-extension://hehijbfgiekmjfkfjpbkbammjbdenadd/nhc.htm#url=https://www.amazon.com/Ordinary-Marys-Extraordinary-Emily-Pearson/dp/0879059788/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1476565108&sr=8-1&keywords=ordinary+mary%27s+extraordinary+deed" target="_blank">Ordinary Mary's Extraordinary Deed</a> by Emily Pearson.</div>
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<b>Next Step</b></div>
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Tell students you all are going to try to inspire EVERYONE who walks into the classroom to do something kind when they leave. You decided that by creating a chain of kindness and hanging it up in the classroom, people will see it and be inspired by the stories. The chain will be called <b>#KindnessIsContagious</b>. (Kids LOVE hashtags!).</div>
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Write the act of kindness you described earlier on the strip of paper and then tell students you are waiting for someone to write on another strip so you can begin making the chain. Ask if anyone has something they did or saw that they could write. If not, that is fine. I would tell students to be on the lookout and that you will check in with them at the end of the day to see if anyone has done or seen an act of kindness. (Be sure to leave enough time at the end of the day). I collect the strips throughout the day and after students pack up for dismissal, we meet in a circle and students share their links with the class. When they leave, I staple them to the chain and the next day, they see it and get all excited! It's great!</div>
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<b>Final Product!</b></div>
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Students will get a kick out of the chain growing longer and longer! Ours was about to touch the ground on Friday and the kids were excited to see it on Monday after I will have added the 15 strips we collected this week!</div>
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<i><b>Materials</b> </i></div>
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<i>Strips of paper (I used the colors of my classroom)</i></div>
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<i>Sharpie or Marker</i></div>
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<i>Bin for Strips of paper labeled "#KindnessIsContagious"</i></div>
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<i><b>Set Up</b></i></div>
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<i>Place the strips, Sharpie and bin in an easily accessible area of the classroom. Establish a clear time when it is appropriate for kids to write their acts of kindness on the strips. I say during read aloud, lunch, snack, before and after school or if they finish an assignment early. </i></div>
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Where in your Curriculum Can you Sprinkle in some Kindness?</h3>
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Take a moment and look over your curriculum. Find areas where you can tie in being kind or how kindness or not being kind has effected an outcome of a situation. Teachers of younger-aged students can use books about kindness, anti-bullying and making friends to teach how to read and/or comprehension strategies.</div>
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<a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/emeynardie/13-childrens-books-that-encourage-kindness-toward-26paw" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="41" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNLH01FqOo7E-i3W-VHa9h1tTd2Au8HKOJfl05xUbSUdMJbXbH4tJrKk_0LRH5dpIdfVXNEXSjsuRz26Z7DDucJQrmum7qunl2pjXlXkuFXQK7Puq-udxpPEGcatt8AxDIPhzqmOvEJzw/s320/kindness.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Teachers of older-aged students, when teaching history for example, can find out about the groups of people who supported troops or countries through nonviolent acts of peace and tell your students about it. <a href="http://www.friendsjournal.org/2010034/" target="_blank">This article</a> tells about Quakers who fed children and helped those in Germany after WWII following the principle that every person in need has to be helped. Math teachers can use the example of helping others and the cost of natural disasters. Make a graph for the types of supplies you collected for victims!</div>
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An 8th grade student himself came up with a kindness project that involves challenging middle school students to be kind. It has now been used in over 4600 different middle schools! Maybe it is exactly what your school is looking for or something you might want to adapt and use in your own classroom! Bonus: All the resources are free!</div>
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<a href="http://www.thebeoneproject.org/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuRraJ9CISlrRu-1Pa8oxfVvEW6kaGgMD9rIzv9LZOimJqH8vLncGGg8BLCftfJKA8Nry4L4GLKOKO5VxXn-dJw3FUjp_NKnIiAr3N2rTYcDXrbMTwgMV9Da8gidYew6JKk81AnL_IV8w/s1600/kindness2.JPG" /></a></div>
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Reestablish Classroom Unity and Togetherness in the Middle of the School Year</h3>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Back-to-School-Classroom-Community-1287229" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5DWWgAMK-k2kFEEzSLOhRYXZG671saDMgzzz4V7egk9O724kV6Q5cIxXaEOg7bhxkh6UKbCf-CHgC5cw_JeG_MqRdycSL77ypDALb2EXhrqD-puZDJ3jIwWvmYWKT6tmfQanh1NwUNXE/s320/13402486_251987481840470_544969991_n%25281%2529.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
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<i><b>Click on the picture to check out the lesson plan and puzzle pieces for this really amazing and super important student activity </b></i></h4>
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Sometimes bringing students together in the middle of the school year with a project or lesson is a good idea because it reminds students that they are all on the same team and need to look out for each other. I never assume that my students are always on the same page as each other. There is almost always trouble in paradise among friends at some point or another and unfortunately, I am not always aware of it. Therefore, I want to make sure I am not only teaching the skills to deal with conflict, but also fostering a sense of unity in my classroom even after the beginning of the school year. Using games where success can only be achieved if they work as a team is a great way to show the value in teamwork and trust. There are so many good ideas in the book called <i><a href="chrome-extension://hehijbfgiekmjfkfjpbkbammjbdenadd/nhc.htm#url=https://www.amazon.com/Great-Group-Games-Boredom-Busting-Zero-Prep/dp/1574821962/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476569023&sr=1-1&keywords=great+group+games" target="_blank">Great Group Games.</a></i> This book also offers really great ideas for challenges, trust building, and get-to-know-you games. I use this a lot at the beginning of the year and then pull it out a few times a month thereafter. </div>
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Classroom Discussions Can have a Wonderful Impact</h3>
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Sometimes just talking to students about what peace means to them can be really empowering. Through discussion, students will start to see that being peaceful can mean so many different things! When I facilitate this type of discussion in my classroom of 5th graders, I like to allow students to really guide each other in seeing that there is no one, correct answer. For younger grades, you might want to pose questions for students to think about. Such as: What would peace look like in your neighborhood? What would peace look like in our school? What does peace feel like? </div>
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<b>Kindergarten - 2nd Grade Book Suggestion for Conversation</b> </div>
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<a href="chrome-extension://hehijbfgiekmjfkfjpbkbammjbdenadd/nhc.htm#url=https://www.amazon.com/Peace-Book-Todd-Parr/dp/0316043494/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1476568043&sr=8-2&keywords=what+does+peace+feel+like" target="_blank">The Peace Book</a> by Todd Parr</div>
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<b>3rd and 4th Grades Book Suggestion for Conversation</b></div>
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<a href="chrome-extension://hehijbfgiekmjfkfjpbkbammjbdenadd/nhc.htm#url=https://www.amazon.com/What-Does-Peace-Feel-Like/dp/0689866763/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1476568205&sr=8-1&keywords=what+does+peace+feel+like" target="_blank">What Does Peace Feel Like?</a> By Vladimir Radunsky</div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Build-a-Positive-Classroom-Environment-2807283" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinfNdfaEFIOr3dBoxLpA5DPlqaltNFg8itEN0NnFCShIDBpegWLleey0FJtrVMOSVUH0-0TTXAyNw1BDTesPqekK8BSscpbNmaQnCkTbgZgiDyPQMbEBJejm_dpZKNQ6eOka4uF2xFQf0/s320/cover+final+no+text.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><b>Click on the picture to check out the lesson plan and activity </b></i></h4>
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Building Kindness into your Curriculum can only ENHANCE the learning and opportunities for your students to practice one of the most valuable life skills! </h3>
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<br />Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09761781086713769489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4646852238175801369.post-53295535377648511942016-10-08T12:19:00.001-07:002016-10-09T15:13:54.932-07:00Happy Halloween! A Mystery Story Writing Unit (Writers Workshop)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Writers-Workshop-Mystery-Story-Lessons-Bundle-2820434" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikPvxQCphSVBHrJKwg5Tu_ph3epqIwu4FshOn6Hwpir0NnOMHbntXsQSuCo3_mhuTAuZPHrqaBK4E5zPCC0TmPM8hlJKjeTYUOKMpzkaDbYTYSrbtLH7VF-Ys8BTNkw-5X9t_ZjMfcHuc/s320/IMG_20161008_210856-01.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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A couple of weeks ago, my students and I were discussing which genre of writing they want to learn. Typically, this is the point in the school year that I teach <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Writers-Workshop-Informational-Essay-940344" target="_blank">Informational Writing</a> to prepare them for the <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Writers-Workshop-Research-Paper-970596" target="_blank">Research Writing Unit</a> in November.<br />
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However, for the past couple of years, students have come to me as really strong writers of the 5-paragraph essay and I haven't needed to teach Informational Writing. I replaced it a couple of years with <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Poetry-Bundle-of-Lessons-1216025" target="_blank">Poetry </a>and the students really enjoyed it! This school year, I suggested poetry and then randomly suggested a <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Writers-Workshop-Mystery-Story-Lessons-Bundle-2820434" target="_blank">Mystery story</a>. The students got super excited about Mystery Writing; maybe because it's October and Halloween is at the top of every child's favorite holiday list! Either way, their excitement rubbed off on me and I decided to go with it and create a unit to teach them!<br />
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We are about a week in and I can just <i>feel </i>the energy from students about their ideas and plans for their stories! This week we are experiencing hurricane weather and tornado warnings and watches, so I took my extra, unplanned time off from the classroom and finished up my plans and materials for this unit! I am looking forward to seeing what my fifth graders create in the next couple of weeks!<br />
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<a href="https://youtu.be/px8hDaBRxr0" target="_blank">Click here for the video preview!</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlw095fMD0Mrqhmza_dsODivoqqkPQ5M93Bqa9GEGNgLy5o3CuBcpKoS3EuBfwDz4bccklKWMwGnaFKO-rLZAjlP3xq66iA9Sy-aR6LgLVVi55-jDzb1VQ69TNfK-ewZvtRWPqI6W3BpM/s1600/Slide1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlw095fMD0Mrqhmza_dsODivoqqkPQ5M93Bqa9GEGNgLy5o3CuBcpKoS3EuBfwDz4bccklKWMwGnaFKO-rLZAjlP3xq66iA9Sy-aR6LgLVVi55-jDzb1VQ69TNfK-ewZvtRWPqI6W3BpM/s320/Slide1.jpg" width="294" /></a></div>
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<b><i>I write the lesson plans in an outline format so they are easy to follow (step by step). There is also a list of materials needed, all of which are provided. You can literally print this off today and teach!</i></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIe6b1fViN-6WMAcduVUDRWu55RUIdooqm3fPmxGiDsjvBQ7yryfnZfutT7VWkWInDMC_4yLk4wwgjXlqYcaFih7TXEAiS0T3jmbmYNco8z65aa3vQyRjRGh0JggP-kJxy_Xmo0R9qUdA/s1600/Slide2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIe6b1fViN-6WMAcduVUDRWu55RUIdooqm3fPmxGiDsjvBQ7yryfnZfutT7VWkWInDMC_4yLk4wwgjXlqYcaFih7TXEAiS0T3jmbmYNco8z65aa3vQyRjRGh0JggP-kJxy_Xmo0R9qUdA/s320/Slide2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><b>Teaching Posters to use during the "Teach" portion of the Minilessons and are labeled as such for easy access within the 45 pages. </b></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEc_uKGqS6R8MnvaQsU-L8t_Rwcf6IwE1IfleBdbn_2G6r3Fmt9kRgJ86sCFXpRYXv5uPs3w1KjXVW3689qeOhVrQgg7ogaCl2qv4U7O0Z0JnkPmYo9RQExoPmRWj1MIg0mxmsb_XrxM4/s1600/Slide1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEc_uKGqS6R8MnvaQsU-L8t_Rwcf6IwE1IfleBdbn_2G6r3Fmt9kRgJ86sCFXpRYXv5uPs3w1KjXVW3689qeOhVrQgg7ogaCl2qv4U7O0Z0JnkPmYo9RQExoPmRWj1MIg0mxmsb_XrxM4/s320/Slide1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><i>Teacher Writing Examples allow you to actually write during the "I do" portion of the Minilessons - all of which are included for each lesson. </i></b><br />
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<span style="color: purple;"><i>Meet These Common Core State Standards for Grades 3 -5 </i></span></h3>
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<span style="color: purple; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline;">Third Grade</span><br />
<a class="identifier" href="http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/W/3/3/" name="CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.3" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #373737; font-family: 'Lato Light'; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none; text-transform: uppercase;">CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.3</a><br />
<span style="color: #202020; font-family: "lato light"; font-size: 17px;">Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences. </span></div>
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<a class="identifier" href="http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/W/3/3/b/" name="CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.3.b" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #373737; font-family: 'Lato Light'; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none; text-transform: uppercase;">CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.3.B</a><br />
<span style="color: #202020; font-family: "lato light"; font-size: 17px;">Use dialogue and descriptions of actions, thoughts, and feelings to develop experiences and events or show the response of characters to situations.</span></div>
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<a class="identifier" href="http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/W/3/3/d/" name="CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.3.d" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #373737; font-family: 'Lato Light'; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none; text-transform: uppercase;">CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.3.D</a></div>
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Provide a sense of closure. </div>
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<a class="identifier" href="http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/W/3/4/" name="CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.4" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #373737; font-family: 'Lato Light'; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none; text-transform: uppercase;">CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.4</a><br />
<span style="color: #202020; font-family: "lato light"; font-size: 17px;">With guidance and support from adults, produce writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose. </span></div>
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<a class="identifier" href="http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/W/3/5/" name="CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.5" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #373737; font-family: 'Lato Light'; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none; text-transform: uppercase;">CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.5</a><br />
<span style="color: #202020; font-family: "lato light"; font-size: 17px;">With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing. </span></div>
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<a class="identifier" href="http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/W/3/10/" name="CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.10" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #373737; font-family: 'Lato Light'; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none; text-transform: uppercase;">CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.10</a><br />
<span style="color: #202020; font-family: "lato light"; font-size: 17px;">Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.</span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="color: purple;">Fourth Grade</span></u></i></b></div>
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<a class="identifier" href="http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/W/4/3/" name="CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.3" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #373737; font-family: 'Lato Light'; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none; text-transform: uppercase;">CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.3</a><br />
<span style="color: #202020; font-family: "lato light"; font-size: 17px;">Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.</span></div>
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<a class="identifier" href="http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/W/4/3/a/" name="CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.3.a" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #373737; font-family: 'Lato Light'; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none; text-transform: uppercase;">CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.3.A</a><br />
<span style="color: #202020; font-family: "lato light"; font-size: 17px;">Orient the reader by establishing a situation and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally.</span></div>
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<a class="identifier" href="http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/W/4/3/b/" name="CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.3.b" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #373737; font-family: 'Lato Light'; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none; text-transform: uppercase;">CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.3.B</a><br />
<span style="color: #202020; font-family: "lato light"; font-size: 17px;">Use dialogue and description to develop experiences and events or show the responses of characters to situations.</span></div>
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<a class="identifier" href="http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/W/4/3/d/" name="CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.3.d" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #373737; font-family: 'Lato Light'; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none; text-transform: uppercase;">CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.3.D</a><br />
<span style="color: #202020; font-family: "lato light"; font-size: 17px;">Use concrete words and phrases and sensory details to convey experiences and events precisely.</span></div>
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<a class="identifier" href="http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/W/4/3/e/" name="CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.3.e" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #373737; font-family: 'Lato Light'; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none; text-transform: uppercase;">CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.3.E</a><br />
<span style="color: #202020; font-family: "lato light"; font-size: 17px;">Provide a conclusion that follows from the narrated experiences or events.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #202020; font-family: "lato light"; font-size: 17px;"><a class="identifier" href="http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/W/4/10/" name="CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.10" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; box-sizing: border-box; color: #373737; font-family: "Lato Light"; font-size: 11.76px; text-decoration: none; text-transform: uppercase;">CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.10</a><br style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Lato Light"; font-size: 16.8px;" /><span style="font-family: "Lato Light"; font-size: 16.8px;">Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.</span></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="color: purple;">Fifth Grade</span></u></i></b></div>
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<a class="identifier" href="http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/W/5/3/" name="CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.3" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #373737; font-family: 'Lato Light'; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none; text-transform: uppercase;">CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.3</a><br />
<span style="color: #202020; font-family: "lato light"; font-size: 17px;">Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.</span></div>
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<a class="identifier" href="http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/W/5/3/b/" name="CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.3.b" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #373737; font-family: 'Lato Light'; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none; text-transform: uppercase;">CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.3.B</a><br />
<span style="color: #202020; font-family: "lato light"; font-size: 17px;">Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, description, and pacing, to develop experiences and events or show the responses of characters to situations.</span></div>
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<a class="identifier" href="http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/W/5/3/d/" name="CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.3.d" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #373737; font-family: 'Lato Light'; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none; text-transform: uppercase;">CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.3.D</a><br />
<span style="color: #202020; font-family: "lato light"; font-size: 17px;">Use concrete words and phrases and sensory details to convey experiences and events precisely.</span></div>
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<a class="identifier" href="http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/W/5/3/e/" name="CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.3.e" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #373737; font-family: 'Lato Light'; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none; text-transform: uppercase;">CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.3.E</a><br />
<span style="color: #202020; font-family: "lato light"; font-size: 17px;">Provide a conclusion that follows from the narrated experiences or events.</span></div>
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<a class="identifier" href="http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/W/5/4/" name="CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.4" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #373737; font-family: 'Lato Light'; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none; text-transform: uppercase;">CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.4</a><br />
<span style="color: #202020; font-family: "lato light"; font-size: 17px;">Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. </span></div>
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<a class="identifier" href="http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/W/5/10/" name="CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.10" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #373737; font-family: 'Lato Light'; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none; text-transform: uppercase;">CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.10</a><br />
<span style="color: #202020; font-family: "lato light"; font-size: 17px;">Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.</span></div>
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Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09761781086713769489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4646852238175801369.post-74798223258661468072016-09-29T17:15:00.000-07:002016-10-07T10:36:47.979-07:00What Does Peace Mean to Me? A Positive Behavior and Classroom Decoration Activity!! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On International Day of Peace, I did a <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Build-a-Positive-Classroom-Environment-2807283" target="_blank">really fun activity</a> with my fifth graders! There was a great discussion about peace and what it means to each of them. I have added to this lesson to include a suggested read aloud and a list of Peaceful Precepts for my future classes to choose from. This list will help students to design their 3-Dimensional peace signs that get hung from the ceiling in our classroom.<br />
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I love how this activity supports peaceful conflict resolution and it doesn't hurt that it adds to our classroom decor! <b> </b><br />
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<b>We did this to celebrate a very important day, but it definitely could be use any day of the school year!</b></div>
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<b><i>Cool design!</i></b></div>
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<b><i>Wow! Looks great!</i></b></div>
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<b><i>Looks great!</i></b></div>
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<b><i>After designing both peace signs, students cut them out and glue the tabs together </i></b></div>
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<b><i>in order to hang them from the classroom ceiling</i></b></div>
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<i><b> Final Products are now up in the classroom!</b></i></div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Build-a-Positive-Classroom-Environment-2807283" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Build-a-Positive-Classroom-Environment-2807283" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfgcVgyRHr4S396mvpVctj2DjU61AvIf9S_1mWCeHoCJdzZkdd9qkAnm7nIaP9nUZyIg6aa8sxkF_VAcK1H6UtqJtBORgVXdbnKt43gPPohs8BzQUYAF6eJNvNLvkuK_vN_2uxefJPJEc/s320/peace+project+cover.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09761781086713769489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4646852238175801369.post-70539928016173153922016-09-28T09:05:00.000-07:002016-09-28T09:05:04.520-07:00Buddhist Projects Completed! Take a Look!As a culmination for the Buddhist section of the Religion studies in 5th grade, students were asked to choose from a list of projects and complete at home.<br />
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<b>Choices included:</b><br />
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<ul>
<li>A Research Paper</li>
<li>Experience the local Buddhist Temple on Sunday</li>
<li>Build a Pagoda or Temple</li>
<li>Make a Mala</li>
</ul>
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Each choice also included a written piece that required students to do some research on their own. This prepared them for when they share these projects with the class on Thursday. Below are pictures of their projects. I think they all look great!!<br />
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Malas</h3>
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Temples & Pagodas</h3>
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<br />Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09761781086713769489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4646852238175801369.post-31289893078673337512016-09-22T17:33:00.002-07:002016-09-23T04:38:10.671-07:00Love Has No Boundaries: The Daniel Story (Part 2)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My favorite picture <3</div>
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It's been over a week since Daniel made his way to Wilmington, NC to meet my students, me and his new buddy, Jack! The entire experience was one I am still trying to digest. I think it was a couple of days after this whirlwind, 28 hour visit that I finally took a deep breath, reflected on everything and <a href="http://www.teacherjuliasroom.com/2016/09/kindness-matters-daniel-story-part-1.html" target="_blank">let the moment hit me.</a><br />
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<h3>
Daniel Arrived on Sunday Evening</h3>
The plan was for Jack and his family, me and my family and a group of women who have been praying for Daniel to meet him, Yvonne (his caregiver from New Life Home in Kenya) and Jane Stephens (owner of Amani Children's Foundation in Winston-Salem, NC) at the Wrightsville Beach Park. It was quite the gathering and lots of fun! I had no idea when I suggested this park just how great it would be! There were so many things for all of the kids to play on and even a Bubble Soccer game going on. If you don't know what that is, just imagine a giant, blown up ball that kids can climb inside, hold onto the handles and smash into each other!<br />
As we were waiting for Daniel's arrival, the energy was super high! Finally, when Jane pulled the car into a parking spot, we all gathered around waiting for him to get out. I kept hearing from the kids, "I am so nervous", "this is awesome" and even "I've never experienced something like this before". I felt like my heart was going to explode! After a quick diaper change, Daniel made his way over to us!! He was a bit wobbly which I learned is part of the 'learning to hear' stage he is in right now. I never knew that our hearing, or lack of hearing, correlated so much with our balance.<br />
When Daniel walked over to the group, he fit right in! Jack brought a soccer ball and Daniel started to throw it into the air with the various people standing around. By that time, I had tears streaming down my face and was just hanging back, watching in awe.<br />
Throughout the rest of the evening at the park, the kids played with Daniel; going down the slides, using the giant steering wheel (he loves anything that spins!) and just plain running around!<br />
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Daniel getting out of the car with Yvonne</div>
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The kids</div>
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<h3>
It's Birthday Celebrations All Around!</h3>
After the park, Daniel, Yvonne, Jane, me and Jack and his family went back to Jack's house. Earlier, we had set up to surprise Daniel and Yvonne with a birthday party! Daniel's birthday is August 29 and Yvonne's is September 20 - same as Jack's! When they walked in, we had a cake with candles, balloons and presents! Yvonne loved her gifts and Daniel's favorites seemed to be the books and an airplane that Jack and his brothers picked out.<br />
We ate the cake and had ice cream in between playing with all of the presents. It was the best birthday party I have ever been to! I also got a chance to talk with Yvonne about her experiences as a teacher in Kenya and what it is like for her to be here in the United States. I have to say that the pure love and respect both Yvonne and Jane have for children is so inspiring to be around. Every little piece of material or craft or gift that was given to Daniel, whether it be a note from one of my students or a present from me or a folded up paper crown, Yvonne took it with care and placed it gently in a box for Daniel where she collected everything that came for him from the people who met him. She told me that everything will go with him back to Kenya, and stay with him as part of his story. I can't tell you how unbelievable and truly refreshing it was to see that kind of care go into a child's memories which he will have forever. By the end of the night, I (tried) to help Yvonne get Daniel ready for bed. I got to hold him and rock him in my arms right before he was washed up and put in the pack and play for bedtime. I stayed up chatting with everyone until about 11pm. I was exhausted and looking forward to the next day with my students. I was so ready for bed, but I when I got home, I sifted through the hundreds of pictures from just that evening, finally laying down for bed at midnight.<br />
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SURPRISE!</div>
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Wearing their special gifts from Kenya</div>
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Setting up beforehand </div>
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Chocolate Cake!!</div>
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Jack and his brothers, Archie and Baines made a giant picture for Daniel and Yvonne</div>
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<h3>
Daniel's Day at Friends School of Wilmington</h3>
When I got to school the next day, I knew I had to teach Social Studies and Math before everyone else would meet Daniel and totally regretted not getting a sub for two hours (just kidding, I wouldn't have done that anyway!). Mid-morning the 5th and 6th graders got together and planned for Daniel's arrival. There were four stations of fun!! Face painting and blocks, Play dough, Beading and an Obstacle Course - all planned and set up by the students! I was so proud of them! At one point a couple of news crews came to cover the story!! I saw Jack getting interviewed and the rest of the kids running around decorating, setting up and just extreme excitement and happiness beaming from all over that I wish I had taken a moment to soak it all in. Instead, I was teachering! I love it though!<br />
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Finally, Daniel arrived to the classroom. The kids LOVED HIM!!!! One of the songs Daniel knows is the <i>Itsy Bitsy Spider </i>and when he came through the door, the kids all started to quietly sing the song to him and do the hand motions. He played along and clapped at the end! It was seriously magical. I think my favorite part about this entire experience. Seeing my students play with him and hug him was also a moment I will never forget. Their compassion and love showed through in a way that was so pure and real that I just know these will be the people who will continue to make a difference in our world.<br />
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By the end of the day, I was beat!! We took Daniel to the beach and the poor guy was afraid of the big, blue ocean, but joined a family in a game I called: Build a sandcastle and let Daniel knock it down. It was so cute! He kept eyeing the ocean every now and again which made me think eventually he would want to get in, but that never happened. We tried and failed. It's ok though! He really liked the sand and his new friends he made!<br />
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When we came back to Jack's house, we watched the news casts about the whole day. That was fun! Daniel kept looking up at the screen making the cute noises he always makes! I really enjoyed listening to him listen to himself! I started to miss that when I was looking through the pictures and reflecting on the entire experience.<br />
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Jane tells students how special they are and presents them with soapstones from Kenya!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Dc8KW21_IlHfN1E2G6sKH97w-BproDCfv8nFTcnE1Mzc8CgrOLqhp1Vb0JrCq5xHO0MM7F0BhQa5Lu4fxt83IhXpvRSK3ysinAqI0iBsOb0yGmv7LOJvFw7eAMtwkaDanrmRugVAnkE/s1600/20160912_112056.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Dc8KW21_IlHfN1E2G6sKH97w-BproDCfv8nFTcnE1Mzc8CgrOLqhp1Vb0JrCq5xHO0MM7F0BhQa5Lu4fxt83IhXpvRSK3ysinAqI0iBsOb0yGmv7LOJvFw7eAMtwkaDanrmRugVAnkE/s320/20160912_112056.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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Jack being interviewed </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE7smymh6KP6_dK7KvDlgGOnvR6mwKbL0zugZyCCs37gMJGmSpBn1DWQedYeEcM6TGrHBgHIufRuHKxnkFJHu2m2w1jfid7wx81A6rlXXtHrjDtQbCCahZHyMiYLTpsvv06gOxSvQP1ps/s1600/20160912_130452.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE7smymh6KP6_dK7KvDlgGOnvR6mwKbL0zugZyCCs37gMJGmSpBn1DWQedYeEcM6TGrHBgHIufRuHKxnkFJHu2m2w1jfid7wx81A6rlXXtHrjDtQbCCahZHyMiYLTpsvv06gOxSvQP1ps/s320/20160912_130452.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Daniel loved the play dough!</div>
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The classes love Daniel!</div>
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<h3>
Where is Daniel Now?!</h3>
Now, Daniel is back in Indianapolis continuing his therapy until him and Yvonne take off back to Kenya. He will go back to <a href="http://www.newlifehometrust.org/" target="_blank">New Life Home </a> (along with Yvonne who will stay with him) and hopefully be adopted by a loving, Kenya family. The journey is not over yet. There are so many things that are in store for Daniel and I look forward to seeing what exactly they are. He is a special boy who has touched the hearts of so many people. His life has been changed forever and not just because he can hear, but he will grow up knowing that there were people thousands of miles away who made sure he got what he deserved. We <i>all</i> did something because we are part of what is good in the world and that is a beautiful thing.<br />
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My second favorite picture ;-)</div>
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<span style="color: red;">We are still collecting gifts for Daniel as this entire process (travel, surgery, batteries and therapy, etc) will end up costing about $100,000! We got him this far and I know we can get him there all the way. If you are interested in donating, please visit the <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/9267qqhc" target="_blank">Go Fund Me page</a> and make a contribution. Daniel deserves it all!</span></h3>
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<br />Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09761781086713769489noreply@blogger.com0