A Learning Life

The Nerds Wife

2011-07-20T21:31:00.000-05:00

I mentioned Twitter on my previous post. Another great thing about being in the Twitterverse is discovering freebies and giveaways! I don't participate in these very often, but this one was just too tempting!

What I learned today: The Nerd's Wife is giving away two books. One is a signed hardcover of Anna and the French Kiss. I read this earlier this year and absolutely fell in love. (A five star for sure!) The second book is a ARC of Lola and the Boy Next Door. Both are by the amazing Stephanie Perkins. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

Flip Snack

2011-07-18T23:56:00.000-05:00

I honestly cannot understand why more educators are not on Twitter. It is an amazing resource! I am officially making it my mission to get more people Tweeting!

What I learned today I ran across this short video that explains Flip Snack, a site that turns pdf documents into flip books. I can't wait to try it!

Literature Map

2011-07-07T06:31:00.008-05:00

I've said it once. and I'll say it again, I love ilearntechnology! I always find something to whet my whistle.

What I learned today: Literature Map is cool! Put in an author's name and voila! a magical web of new authors' names appear. Here is the one I created for Jenny Han. In her informative post, Kelly describes how teachers might utilize this resource in the classroom. Literature Map kind of reminds me of the Book Seer, a site that provides a reading list based on the book you just finished.

The Nine Day Queen

2011-07-05T23:57:00.003-05:00

If you have not subscribed to historyteacher's channel on youtube, I highly encourage you to do so. There are a variety of videos to choose from, and they are a fun and interesting way to learn history.

What I learned today: Sixteen year old Lady Jane Grey, great- niece of King Henry the VIII, reigned England for nine days before giving up the throne to Mary. She was tried for treason and beheaded. This little video teaser prompted me to put Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir on my TBR list.

Blogging Break

2011-07-05T05:19:00.003-05:00

After a long blogging break, I'm finally back to writing. Why the absence? I'm not sure, but it may have something to do with my thinking that posts need to be perfect, and so I put it off, and off, and off... However, I have recently been reminded that “It is not necessary to commit to perfection, but to progress." (A Higher Standard of Leadership: Lessons from the Life of Gandhi by Kashavan Nair p. 103). So here I am, sharing my learning again.

I've decided to try a new format for my blog. Hopefully, this will help me stay on track. It will be short and simple, and updates will be more manageable for me.

What I learned today: Thanks to Donalyn Miller, I learned a new vocabulary word, epistolary. She recently tweeted, "#bookaday Deadly by Julie Chibbaro. Epistolary novel about the 1906 NY typhoid epidemic and the search for Typhoid Mary." I had no idea what this was so, of course, I Googled it. I discovered that an epistolary novel is a novel written as a series of documents. This immediately brought to mind a couple of examples in my own collection, Griffin and Sabine by Nick Bantock and The Jolly Postman: Or Other People's Letters by Janet and allen Ahlberg. Griffin and Sabine is a love story written as a series of hand painted postcards and letters. The Jolly Postman invites readers into a wondrous world with a variety of correspondence between classic fairy tale characters. Honestly, I had forgotten about this genre, so I am looking forward to getting my hands on a copy of Deadly. Are there any other epistolary novels I should add to my TBR pile?

geoGreeting

2010-08-12T23:19:00.007-05:00

"The surface of the earth holds a message for you. You just have to look a little closer..." This is what popped up when I visited geoGreeting for the first time. Intrigued, I pressed the "click to view button" and my eyes lit up as I read a message made up of letters from places all over the world. I was then invited to create my own message, which I did. (Click here to see the geoGreeting I made.) This little gem is ridiculously easy to use and will be fun to share with teachers and students this year.

Summer of 100 Books

2010-08-12T01:54:00.004-05:00

Donalyn Miller, author of The Book Whisperer, issued a challenge to her followers in June. She challenged us to read a book a day during summer vacation. Being a huge fan, I was excited to join her in what she called the "ultimate staycation."

I began the challenge on June 7th reading two books, If I Stay by Gayle Forman and Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko. I finished Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater today, and it was my 100th book.

Throughout the summer, I read 33 fiction and non-fiction picture books. Two of my favorites were Mom and Dad are Palindromes by Mark Shulman and Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes.

I Heart You, You Haunt Me was my first verse novel, and by reading it, I rediscovered my love of poetry. It led me to choose 4 others: Carver: A Life in Poems, Crank, Out of the Dust, and Who Killed Mr. Chippendale: A Mystery in Poems.

10 fantasy and science fiction titles made my summer list. I adored Shiver and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. Life As We Knew It is still keeping me up at night.

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, The Summer I Turned Pretty, and The Outsiders were my favorites out of the 14 realistic fiction books I finished, and Countdown, Flygirl, and The Book Thief stood out as the best of the 15 historical fiction titles.

When I looked at my list of books, I was surprised that 17 were biographies, because I'm usually not drawn to non-fiction. However, Driven, A Photobiography of Henry Ford, Up In the Air: The Story of Bessie Coleman, and The Boy Who Invented TV: The Story of Philo Farnsworth were all fascinating, and I learned something new from each one.

2 more books, Writing About Reading and The Right to Literacy in Secondary Schools: Creating a Culture of Thinking made their way onto my professional bookshelf.

Although I tried to read mostly middle grade and young adult fiction, I did manage to squeeze in a 4 adult titles. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society was beautiful, and I can't wait to discuss it at book club this year. I stayed up all night reading Confessions of A Prairie Bitch: How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated by Alison Arngrim.

So there you have it! 100 books in 66 days. (My complete Book-A-Day list can be found on Goodreads.)

I want to thank Donalyn and all the other book-a-day readers for their enthusiasm and encouragement. I appreciated your comments and suggestions. You have all inspired me to take my passion for reading and learning back to school. It was a great summer staycation, and it will be a great year in my learning life.

Read-a-Thon Closing Comments

2010-08-02T01:35:00.000-05:00

It was touch and go for a while there, but I finished my third book, Out of the Dust at 11:51 p.m. I had wanted to finish before midnight, I made it with a whopping 9 minutes to spare!

What a great experience this Read-a-Thon has been! I enjoyed each book, and I had fun following everyone's progress on Twitter. Thanks to #bookblogchat, my TBR pile is now the size of Chimney Rock.

Besides book recommendations, another perk has been discovering some cool new blogs. In addition to Wallace's Unputdownables (the creative force behind this weekend's event) I'm loving Carin's A Little Bookish, Reese's Bibliophile Girl, and Michelle's The True Book Addict. You all have inspired me to be a better blogger!

With the three books I've read this weekend, my summer reading challenge (more about that in my next post) stands at 75 books.

Thanks again to Unputdownables for hosting this event, and to Donalyn for sharing it with me.

48 Hour Read-a-Thon

2010-07-30T18:19:00.000-05:00

This weekend I am participating in a 48 hour Read-a-Thon. This event is being hosted by the Unputdownables blog. I hope to finish The Watson's Go to Birmingham, Al Capone Shines My Shoes, and Out of the Dust. Mmmm, I guess I'm in the mood for historical fiction!

Panoramas

2010-05-28T15:16:00.001-05:00

At jimmoulton.org, educators can find a wealth of technology resources. As I was perusing the list, I came across panoramas.dk. There are hundreds of pictures on panoramas.dk to choose from, and each provides a stunning 360 experience. I clicked on New Year in Sydney and was absolutely amazed. Next year I might try using this site with students. I'm thinking I'll show part of the picture and have students do a "See Think Wonder."

4 Square Brain Bender

2010-05-21T22:27:00.003-05:00

Here are two HAL students trying to figure out this Brain Bender. Toothpicks are used to create 2 squares on top and 3 squares on the bottom. Next, moving only two toothpicks, students try to make the original 5 squares into 4 squares. Can you do it?

Journey North for Kids

2010-05-21T15:25:00.000-05:00

Seasonal change is all around us. Children see it in the length of a day, in the appearance of a flower, in the flight of a butterfly. Journey North is a free internet-based program that explores the interrelated aspects of seasonal change. Classes can participate in projects, and by visiting the kids page, students can find engaging stories, photos, videos, and slide shows from the natural world. This great resource will build observation skills, inspire scientific thinking, and create fertile ground for discussions and new questions!

Spelling Songs

2010-04-23T14:07:00.006-05:00

One of my favorite ways to differentiate spelling is by having students sing their spelling words. Three, four, five, six, and seven letter words can easily be sung to well-known songs. Here are some students spelling the word cool to the tune of "10 Little Piggies."

The classic "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" can be used to practice a five letter word like world.

Here are the songs I have used:

3 letters: Three Blind Mice
4 letters: 10 Little Piggies
5 letters: Row, Row, Row Your Boat
6 letters: Happy Birthday to You
7 letters: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

This activity gets students up and out of their seats and gets their brains working! It is especially successful with your students who are music smart.

Book in an Hour

2010-04-20T09:05:00.001-05:00

It's spring cleaning time, and I've been busy organizing, filing, and recycling all kinds of papers. The best part of this horrible chore is discovering a lesson or idea that you once loved but had forgotten.

Buried in a pile of papers, I found a packet from a conference titled, "Intriguing, Inspiring, and Innovative Ideas to Make a Difference in Your Reading Classroom by Dr. Deb Wellman and Dr. Madeline Kovarik. As I flicked through the pages, the words "Book in an Hour" jumped out at me. When I was still in fourth grade, I remember trying this strategy with the book Night of the Twisters by Ivy Ruckman.

Book in an Hour goes something like this:   Pairs of students choose or are assigned a chapter from the book. No one gets to read the first chapter or last chapter.  When they are finished reading, partners write down the "gist" of the chapter. They also write down questions they have about previous chapters and questions they have about future chapers.

When students are finished reading and writing, the class comes back together. The first chaper is read aloud by the teacher. The students then take turns sharing the information and questions from their chapters. As their peers are sharing, students have most of their questions answered.   The last chapter is then read aloud. Any remaining questions or thoughts are discussed.

Like I said, it had been awhile since I used Book in an Hour, but I thought it might be a good differentiated activity to suggest to teachers.   I was excited to be invited into a fourth grade room to "try it out."

Unfortunately, it didn't go so well. The lesson wasn't a total flop, but it was close. After debriefing with the teacher and reflecting on my own, I madesome changes (more modeling, more practice, shorter book) then tried it again in another fourth grade classroom using the book Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner.   I'm happy to report that this time it went much better.   I was pleased with the inferences and questions that the students generated.   Best of all, students were engaged in an authentic task that resulted in meaningful discussion and a wonderful shared reading experience.

So, "Book in an Hour" turned into "Book in a Couple of Days", but it was time well spent. Wish spring cleaning was half as fun.

Making a Difference

2010-04-14T09:36:00.003-05:00

A group of sixth grade students at Adams Middle School are discovering that they can make a difference in the world. Their HAL coach, Lori Brouillette, used KIVA as inspiration. Kiva empowers individuals to lend to an entrepreneur across the globe. Click here to watch their story.

Teaching Content is Teaching Reading

2010-04-02T19:02:00.001-05:00

"You're My Yoda"

2010-03-31T19:15:00.015-05:00

During a recent Blackberry conversation, I received a text from a colleague that read, "You are my Yoda." Not knowing what she meant, I quickly typed back, "?????" I didn't get a text back, but later on that morning I had the chance to ask her what she meant. She explained, "You know, like in Star Wars? You are my Yoda. You're the person I go to when I need to know something."

I must admit I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, it makes me feel REALLY old. Not so long ago, I used to be Luke. Young, enthusiastic, fearless, and ready to take on the galaxy (Or at least a group of fourth graders!) Now, suddenly, I'm an ancient, wrinkled, big-eared advice-giver?

On the other hand, it's kind of nice to know that I've helped someone. I've chosen to work mainly as a coach this year, and I have wondered many times whether or not it was a good decision. Being called a YODA makes me feel like maybe it was.

So, I'm a Yoda? Yeah, I can live with that.

Game On!

2010-03-30T15:41:00.006-05:00

Last month, I attended the NAG Spring Conference. As anyone who goes to conferences can tell you, shopping at the vendor booths is one of the best parts!

I always look forward to seeing what new things Connie has at CR Toys. Not only does she display her items, she does workshops for teachers. After attending one of her sessions, I ran to her booth and bought You've Been Sentenced, Word Pirates, Camouflage. and Knockout/Muggins.

There are many benefits of playing games. Social play teaches students how to share and take turns, how to communicate, and how to behave in groups and on teams. Games can reduce stress and help students gain confidence in their abilities. Physical movement helps keep children focused and engaged. Games allow students to apply the skills they have learned in different situations.

A study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that challenging your brain with mentally stimulating leisure activities (including board games or cards, doing crossword puzzles, reading, writing, and playing musical instruments) is great for your mind. In fact, seniors who participated in such activities about once a week for a 20-year period reduced the risk of dementia by 7 percent. Those who engaged in these activities more often reduced their risk even more--by 63 percent.

So, come on teachers! Game ON!

2010-03-28T07:30:00.001-05:00

Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity | Video on TED.com

2010-03-24T20:44:00.000-05:00

Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity | Video on TED.com

Differentiation in an Hour

2010-03-18T22:02:00.006-05:00

If you are interested in learning more about differentiated instruction, I recommend the online course Differentiated Instruction: Success for Every Student offered by Curriculum Associates. The tutorial is divided into 4 lessons, and each lesson takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. Lessons include Differentiation Instruction at a Glance, Identifying Student Needs, Instructional Strategies and Classroom Management, and Putting Your Plan Into Action. So in about an hour, you can have in your hands some new "tools" to help you meet the needs of all the students in your classroom.

The Nebraska Stock Market Game

2010-03-17T16:17:00.006-05:00

Last month, I attended the Nebraska Association for the Gifted Spring Conference. As a board member, I was responsible for being a room monitor for some of the sessions. I know from experience that this can be torture if you get a presenter or topic that is not so good.

I must say that I lucked out this year! Jennifer Davidson, from the Nebraska Council on Economic Education, did a fantastic job telling us about The Nebraska Stock Market Game.

The Stock Market Game is a ten-week academic competition for students in grades 4-12. Student teams manage a $100,000 portfolio, do research, and buy stocks and bonds. I can see students really getting into this, and it is definitely something to consider for next year.

Economics is Everywhere!

2010-03-11T20:50:00.007-06:00

Economics is Everywhere is an entertaining and educational program for students post 6th-post 8th grade. The Summer 2010 Day Camp will be held June 14-18 at the UNL College of Business Administration. The cost is $200 and includes all field trips, materials, lunches, and snacks.

For more information about the kinds of activities offered this year, check out this brochure

This event is sponsored by the UNL Center for Economic Education. Questions can be emailed to tfischer1@unl.edu, or visit www.nebraskacouncil.org/unl

Fregor

2010-03-11T06:40:00.018-06:00

Portmanteau (pronounced port-MAN-toe) is a word formed by merging the sounds and meanings from two other words. Some common examples include smog (smoke + fog), brunch (breakfast + lunch) and telethon (telephone + marathon). Perhaps the most popular are those used to identify famous Hollywood couples. Who hasn't heard the terms "Brangelina," "TomKat," and "Bennifer"?

Portmanteaus seem to be ginormous right now, so I 've decided to create my own...
Fregor (freedom +rigor)

I'll admit, it seems strange to want to put these two words together. In fact, freedom and rigor would probably be listed as antonyms in a dictionary. It's true that on the surface these words don't have much in common.

However, when you dig a little deeper, there does seem to be a connection. When I really started to think about what rigor is and what it isn't, I actually began to think of rigor AS freedom.

When you watch students involved in a rigorous learning activity, you notice that they have all kinds of freedom. They have the freedom to explore and create. They have the freedom to take risks and to fail. They have the freedom to agree or disagree.

On his Speed of Creativity podcast, Wes Fryer makes a case against the word rigor. As he so cleverly points out, other words for rigor include inflexibiltiy, stringency, and cruelty. Why, then, would we want these words as defining characteristics of our educational system? "Differentiation and flexibility," Wes says, are things we need to embrace.

Rigor, as defined in the dictionary, is not what we want in our classrooms. What we want is FREGOR!

Differentiation Video #2

2010-03-10T14:18:00.005-06:00

Karen Dumond, a teacher from Kentucky, finds out what her students know by using formative assessments. In this video, students give pioneer presentations using a variety of methods and materials. You can't help but smile when you see how one student gleefully explains the concept of "buffalo chips" to his classmates. As you watch, you may want to ask yourself, "What evidence is there of student learning? It may also be helpful to think about how this type of assessment is guiding the instruction of the teacher.

Is There A Better Way?

2010-03-10T14:06:00.007-06:00

Hoping this gives us all something to think about...

1620

Carrot Sticks

2010-03-05T21:49:00.005-06:00

As far as bloggers go, I'm pretty much a newbie. I'm still learning the ins and outs of the blogging world. Luckily, there are some amazing sites out there that I can look to for inspiration. I've mentioned ilearntechnology before, and thanks to Kelly's alliance, I've found some other awesome blogs to follow, like freetech4teachers.com.

Both of these blogs regularly highlight technology resources, and both blogs have featured CarrotSticks.

CarrotSticks is an online multiplayer game that encourages K - 5th graders to practice their math computation skills.

I love how students are given the option of practicing alone or going head to head against an opponent. Another cool thing is that problems get more challenging as you play. When I was there, I accepted a challenge from another person and was surprised to get a three digit addition problem. (I'm embarrassed to admit that I lost!)

I'm so happy to be able to pass on this little tip: Teachers can get a classroom account for FREE by emailing support@carrotsticks.com.

Differentiation Video #1

2010-02-24T12:17:00.009-06:00

This video shows some children in a first grade classroom in Omaha. Notice how the teacher uses flexible grouping to meet the needs of her students. I also love the "Guess the Rule" and "Money Scoop" activities.

2010-01-26T04:19:00.020-06:00

Jumping Into the Water

Jumping Off A Diving Board

Jumping Off A High Dive

Jumping Off A Super High Dive

http://teacher.scholastic.com/maven/zoo/index.htm

Art

2010-01-25T20:48:00.003-06:00

As any of my former teaching partners and/or students will tell you, art is not my forte! I distinctly remember Mary, my first 4th grade teaching partner, coming into my room after one sketching lesson. She took one look at my work and burst out laughing. I really couldn't blame her. It was worse than awful!
I wish I would have known about these sites when I was in the classroom, but I'm excited to share them with teachers. I can imagine doing a whole Picasso unit using the site Mr. Picassohead.

Here are some other sites that I've also had fun experimenting with lately:
Kerpoof
Jackson Pollock
Bomomo
Art Pad

Maybe if I would have had these online resources, I wouldn't have dreaded Art Fridays.

I Made the List!

2010-01-24T13:37:00.006-06:00

Mr. Livingston, a social studies teacher at our high school does a really cool project each year. I don't know all of the details, but I think he has each student create a timeline about his/her life. Somewhere along the way, students must identify their favorite teacher.

I was excited to learn that Jacob Engel had named me as his favorite. I taught him 5 years ago, and my best memory of him is when he dressed up as Johnny Carson for Notable Nebraskans Night. He was a great 4th grader, and I wish him all the best in the future.

Congratulations to my colleagues who also made the list this year!

Mrs. Dotson
Mrs Boyd or Mrs Boyle (maybe these are two different teachers.)
Mrs Kinnaman
Mr. Petersen
Mrs Furrow
Mrs Evans
Mrs. Rogers
Mr. Sodawasser (from his Adams years)
Mrs Stevens
Mrs Flanders
Mrs Harshburger
Mr. Deutschmman
Mrs Malmkar
Mrs. walters
Mrs DeBoer
Mrs. Shotkoski
Mr. Mohs
Mrs Leach
Mrs Roberts
Mrs Lehmkuhler
Mrs Elmshouser
Mrs chapman
Mr Halsted
Mrs Roggow
Mr Gulzow
Mrs Gulzow
Mrs Woodill
Ms. lukwitz (student spelling)
Mrs Miller
Ms. Brinkmeyer
Miss Callaway
Mrs Wiles
Mr. Hammond
Mr. Whitney
Mrs Hatch
Mr. Luke
Mrs Diamond
Mrs Fickel
Mrs Cox (Hershey)Mr. Burns
Mrs Burke
Mr Beeman
Mrs Andre-Henn
Mrs Davis
Mrs Hanson
Mrs Harvey
Mrs Deterding
Mrs Mickolatchi
Mrs Ludwig
Mrs Horn
Mrs Hyaban
Mrs Milsap
Mrs Westland
Mrs Cuttingham(student spelling)
Mrs Volchek
Mrs Johnson
Mrs Rickett
Mrs Hess
Mrs Meduna
Mrs O'Rouke
Mrs Michaels
Mrs Froman
Mis Hill
Mrs Groves
Mrs Knepke
Mrs. French
Mr. Vemeer
Mrs Schroeder
Mrs. Digiovioni
Mrs Brogden
Mrs Rolands
Mrs Mohrman
Mrs. Isom
Mrs Carlson
Mrs Brouillett
Mrs Reynolds
Mr. Callaghan

Providing Challenge Through Tiering

2010-01-19T17:33:00.005-06:00

I recently had a meeting with a teacher who is teaching multiplication to her third grade students. She told me that she has 4 students who seem to be really struggling, 11 students who are cruising along fine, and 7 students who seem to need more of a challenge.

This situation isn't unique. We teachers often find ourselves wondering how to meet the extremely diverse learning needs of our students.

Tiering is a strategy that can be used to differentiate assignments. By adjusting the level of the task and by allowing students to choose their own entry level, we can help students be successful.

One of the best resources I've found on tiering is Challenge by Choice. This blog asks the question, "What happens when students are offered authentic assessment choices and given the responsibility for determining the appropriateness of their own learning targets?" It's a great question, and by exploring the information, lesson plans, and videos on the site, teachers may find that they want to see what happens when they try to answer it.

For me, the most important part of tiering is making sure that students at each level are engaged in meaningful tasks. If we have one group doing a problem-solving activity and have another group reciting facts with flashcards, we show little respect for our our students. A better solution would be to have all groups solve a problem. The problems, however, could be modified to meet the readiness levels of students.

On the Houghton Mifflin Math site, there is a great multiplication story problem. It's challenging, but I think with some tiering, it would be perfect for the third grade class I mentioned earlier.

Go Big Red!

2010-01-18T12:37:00.005-06:00

Wouldn't it be amazing if students could say, " I edited a film over the summer" or maybe "I spent my summer designing and carrying out field and laboratory-based research projects."

Both are possible with 2010 BIG RED ACADEMIC CAMPS . These career exploration camps (which begin in June) give students a chance to explore the UNL campus, meet people from across the state, spend time investigating an interest or potential career, and have lots of fun!

The topics this year are biological science, companion animals, culinary arts and food science, fashion design, filmmaking, golf, natural resources, youth legistlature, veterinary science, and
3-D animation and virtual world creation.

For more information, read the online brochure or go to the FAQs.

I've been Thinking....

2010-01-18T10:56:00.000-06:00

Cover 21

2010-01-18T10:39:00.004-06:00

Here is a fun logic game that you might want to try in the classroom. It would make a great anchor activity as well.

Create a 3 x 7 grid to use for a gameboard. Number them in rows like this:

1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9
10 11 12
13 14 15
16 17 18
19 20 21

How to play: Students take turns putting one or two markers down in order starting at the box with the "1" in it. The person who loses is the person who has to put a marker down in the "21" box.

Thanks, Dimis, for sharing this with me. And yes, there is a way to always win the game. The challenge is figuring it out!

Ad Adstra

2010-01-18T09:56:00.007-06:00

The new year just started, but I am already getting things in the mail about summer programs and activities for students. Ad Astra (to the stars in Latin) offers HAL middle school students the opportunity to experience a week of living and learning on the Ceighton University campus. Students attend classes in the mornings and participate in other social and educational activities for the remainder of the day. Instructors include Creighton professors, master teachers, and other professionals from the metropolitan area. Session 1 is June 6-12, and Session 2 runs from June 13-19. Registration information can be found here.

Jumping Calculator

2010-01-16T10:52:00.004-06:00

Here's a great idea for practicing math facts that I found on the Math Models blog.

So....Does anyone have a mini trampoline laying around that I could borrow?

Body Systems

2010-01-07T20:29:00.013-06:00

Fifth graders in our district learn about the different body systems. One brilliant and innovative teacher I know has decided to use Dr. Kathie Nunley's Layered Curriculum concept to teach the unit.

Layered Curriculum is an effective differentiated teaching method that fosters complex and creative thinking while holding students accountable for their learning.

Students work through and demonstrate 3 levels of understanding. The acquisition of basic knowledge happens during the the first part of the unit or the "C" layer. Students then move on to the "B" layer and apply what they learned in a variety of ways. "A" level tasks require students to synthesize information and form and defend opinions.

One of the things I love about Layered Curriculum is choice. At each level there are a variety of assignment options. I've compiled a list of online activities that I think would work well in a layered unit plan for body systems.

Body Systems Podcast C level Basic Knowledge

In a nutshell: Students from Mr. Coley's 5th grade classroom share information about the different kinds of human body systems.

Build Arnold's Body C Level Basic Knowlege

In a nutshell: The object of the game is to get the right organs in the right system.

Fun With Mummies B Level Application

In a nutshell: This amazing interactive website guides you through the steps of preparing a mummy for burial. Students will be interested to learn to learn all that had to be done to each body.

Blood Drive A Level Critical Thinking and Analysis
In a nutshell: In this activity, students are in charge of a organizing a school blood drive.

They design a flyer that explains the process and importance of blood donation to the community.

Virtual Knee and Hip Replacement: A level Critical Thinking and Analysis

In a nutshell: Amazing site! Students take on the role of surgeon throughout a hip or knee replacement surgery.

A 15 minute video, "How Do I Begin Layered Curriculum?" is available on the Layered Curriculum site. There is also a collection of lesson plans that teachers may find helpful.

Reading Ideas

2010-01-07T14:30:00.011-06:00

Today a teacher asked me if I knew of any good reading websites. She needed something to use as a center activity during her reading block. Thanks to Kelly from ilearntechnolgy for sharing these sites.

Big Universe

In a nutshell: Big Universe has hundreds of non-fiction and fiction books that students can read online. There is a monthly fee, but students can access the free book of the day.

Book Wink
In a nutshell: Through podcasting and video, Book Wink connects kids in Grades 3 through 8 with books that will make them excited about reading. After watching the booktalks, students could create a list of books that they would like to check out from the library.

Ology
In a nutshell: This little gem from the American Museum of Natural History invites students to investigate a variety of "ology" topics including zoology, archaeology, astronomy, and more. It is very user friendly and would be perfect for a reading center activity.

Organization Tips Kids Will Actually Use

2010-01-06T09:29:00.003-06:00

The following information is provided by Susan Goodkin, Executive Director of the California Learning Strategies Center, http://www.learningstrategiescenter.com/. The Center helps parents meet the needs of gifted and advanced students from kindergarten through college planning.

Organization Tips that Work for Kids

When it comes to organizing young students, many parents and teachers try to fit all students into one box.

For example, students generally come home from their first day of middle school with new planner in hand and strict instructions to record all their assignments in it every day.

As many frustrated parents have learned, however, making every child use a planner as their primary organizational tool simply doesn't work in practice.

For many students - particularly young boys - writing down their assignments in tiny boxes, for up to six different classes, is torturous.

Additionally, for the planner to be effective, not only do students have to accurately record the assignments in the brief time between classes, but then they have to remember to review their scribbles. As one of my young clients earnestly informed me, "Oh, the planner works for me - I just forget to look at it."

If we want to improve our children's organization skills, we need to consider tools many kids are more comfortable with - and more likely to actually use - than planners.

Take cell phones, for example. When teachers write assignments on the board, a click of the cell phone camera will record the homework accurately and instantaneously.

Students can also text message the assignment to their mom or dad. (I know, to many adults it seems just as easy to write down the assignment as to text it, but texting seems easier to kids.)

If homework is assigned verbally, students can use their cell phones, and some Ipods, to record their teachers' instruction. You can also can channel your child's inner James Bond and get cool spyware gadgets such as a recording pen.

For an example, check out http://www.spy-tronix.com/mp3playerpenrecorder.html.

Of course, students need to get the teacher's permission before recording.

Parents must also understand that teachers already have their hands full policing the use of cell phones and Ipods. Students who don't limit their in-class use of these devices to recording assignments should lose the privilege of doing so - back to the planner.

However students initially record assignments, they still need to review them.

Rather than trying to get kids to haul out their planners to check their assignments every day, why not make use of a tool the vast majority of kids unfailingly look at without reminders: their computer. You can turn the computer into an organizational aid through the many free programs available on-line.

Using programs such as Airset (http://www.airset.com/) or zohoplanner (http://planner.zoho.com/) students can calendar homework assignments, record appointments, create to-do lists, and more.

Students can also program reminders to pop up before assignments are due, as well as e-mailing their entries to parents - thereby creating another source of reminders!

Finally, for those kids who are reluctant writers of to-do lists and the like, parents can check out voice recognition systems such as Dragon Naturally Speaking, http://www.nuance.com/naturallyspeaking/.

This software will magically transform your child's spoken words into a written document. This is helpful for all kinds of tasks, as well as reducing the frustration of those kids who think faster than they can write.

Getting our children organized will be a lot easier if we adapt to their world. What are the odds that today's students will rely on low-tech devices such as planners when they're adults?

Let's help our kids by letting them use 21st century tools to organize their 21st century lives.

The Futures Channel

2009-12-29T14:56:00.010-06:00

As part of our district's professional development this year, we are reading and discussing Intellectual Character by Ron Ritchhart. We have also been watching videos that in some way exemplify the culture of thinking that Mr. Ritchhart advocates.

A couple of months ago, our principal showed us Good Morning, Miss Toliver. It was a reminder for me about how teaching and learning are supposed to be. I wondered if there were any more videos out there of her, and I found some of her work on The Futures Channel.

The Futures Channel is a wonderful resource. There are several more video lessons by Kay Toliver, including the one on area, where students design their own apartment.

In addition to the lessons, this site also has engaging movies that demonstrate how STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) skills are being used in the real-world.

Whether you are trying out one of Kay Toliver's thinking lessons, or if your students need a break from BrainPOP videos, The Futures Channel is a great site to bookmark.

No Pulling Hair!

2009-12-18T18:54:00.000-06:00

Last week I received this email from a teacher:

"I am really struggling with writing. I want to pull out my hair!!!! We have been practicing writing prompts and they are really needing work on word choice. Do you have any lesson suggestions? I am so burnt out trying to find ideas I could cry."

Boy, do I feel her pain. As a classroom teacher, I, too, wanted to provide meaningful and engaging activites for my students, but there never seemed to be enough time to search for them!

Now as an instructional coach, it is my job to help teachers find books, websites, and other resources that create positive learning experiences for students, and I must say, I love the challenge!

I know Halloween is long gone, but really, do kids ever get tired of monsters? The Monster Exchange Project encourages the development of reading and writing skills while integrating technology. Here's how it works: Classrooms are paired together. The students in each class draw then write a description of a monster. The students then exchange their descriptions via e-mail. Using only the written description of the monster, the students must use their comprehension skills to try to redraw it as close to the original picture as possible. Both the new and original drawings are posted online to compare.

A couple of years ago, when I was looking for a lesson for Camp Write-A-Way I discovered Writing Fix. There is a wealth of information and lesson ideas on this site. I ended up doing Sausage Sentences,

which the students loved!

Story Starters from Scholastic is another great resource. What could be more fun that using a slot machine to help create a story? It is very similar to a RAFT. A teacher's guide to this resource can be found here.

ilearntechnolgy (winner of the 2009 Best Educational Tech and Support Blog...Yay!) has many ideas for integrating technology and writing. StoryBird is a recommended site that offers "collaborative storytelling for families and friends." I also like Telescopic Text. We always say to students, "Show, don't tell." When you click on the highlighted portions and the sentence expands with descriptive words, students will finally understand what we're talking about!

I also want to mention one of my all-time favorites, ReadWriteThink. There are hundreds of lesson plans, and the online student tools are fantastic. It's impossible to leave ReadWriteThink without a great idea.

I'm still on the hunt for more great ideas, but I hope these will keep the teacher from pulling out any hair (at least for a little while.)

Art

2009-12-12T18:46:00.005-06:00

I wish I would have known about these sites when I was in the classroom, but I'm excited to share them with teachers. I can imagine doing a whole Picasso unit using the site Mr. Picassohead.

Here are some other sites that lI've also had fun experimenting with lately:

Maybe if I would have had these online resources, I wouldn't have dreaded Art Fridays.

Let's Say Thanks!

2009-12-11T23:14:00.000-06:00

XEROX IS DOING SOMETHING COOL

If you go to this web site, www.LetsSayThanks.com you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving overseas. You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to a member of the armed services.

How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send one!!! It is FREE and it only takes a second.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these? Whether you are for or against the war, our soldiers over there need to know we are behind them.

This takes just 10 seconds and it's a wonderful way to say thank you. Please take the time and please take the time to pass it on for others to do. We can never say enough thank you's.

Thanks for taking to time to support our military!

I found gold!

2009-12-10T18:04:00.000-06:00

Sometimes surfing the internet can seem like panning for gold. You spend hours and hours looking for something worthwhile, but more often than not, you come up empty.

However, if you keep at it long enough, you eventually find some little piece worth keeping. If you are very lucky, you discover a huge nugget!

That's what happened to me about a month ago. I was searching for some differentiation sites to share with teachers, and I found ilearntechnology.

ilearntechnology 's creator, Kelly Tenkely, teaches 3-5 technology and is a technology integration specialist and instructional coach for elementary teachers. Kelly finds and shares wonderful online resources and expertly explains how they might be used in the classroom. Whenever I visit, I always find something that I can use the next day.

I was excited to hear that Kelly had nominated for a 2009 edublog award . I encourage everyone to visit ilearntechnology then vote for this gold nugget here.

Thanksgiving Sites

2009-11-24T13:27:00.000-06:00

Here are a couple of sites I found for Thanksgiving .

www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving

http://www.plimoth.org/education/olc/index_js2.html#

xtranormal

2009-10-28T11:31:00.001-05:00

Thanks, Jill, for sharing this resource! I haven't quite figured out how to use it , but I'm excited to have my students try it, and I'm sure they'll be able to help me!

Here's the one Jill made!

http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/5485261/

Going Batty!

2009-10-28T11:18:00.000-05:00

Students in several classrooms around the district are exploring bats. Here are some sites I found that might be helpful.

First Grade Bat Webquest

Bat Conservation Trust

Another Bat Webquest

One teacher I know created this Voki and is going to have her students create one, too.

Get a Voki now!

My Avatar Editor

2009-10-15T20:18:00.001-05:00

Here's the avatar I created of myself using My Avitar Editor.

I can't wait to have students create their own! They'd be great for Voice Threads, wikis, and other applications. They could also be used in PowerPoint shows.

Differentiated Resources: A to Z

2009-09-04T20:06:00.000-05:00

Tonight I have the honor of presenting to the Sandhills Reading Council. I will be sharing some of my favorite internet sites and resources. As teachers strive to meet the needs of their students, I hope these will be of some help to them. Here is my "Differentiated Resources: A to Z.

A Animoto:

http://animoto.com/

B BrainBashers:

http://www.brainbashers.com/index.asp

Book Wink

http://www.bookwink.com/

Byrdseed:

http://www.byrdseed.com/

Bitesize:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/

C: Countdown

http://countdown.luc.edu/index.html

Cyperguides

http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/cyk3.html

Cubing and Think-Dots

http://www.lcps.k12.nm.us/Departments/SPED/AES/Differentiation/nagc_cubing__think_dots.pdf

D: Differentiation Module http://www.k8accesscenter.org/training_resources/differentiationmodule.asp

E: E-learning for Kids

http://www.e-learningforkids.org/courses.html

F : Fit Brains
http://www.fitbrains.com/

G: Glossopedia
http://www.globio.org/glossopedia/default.aspx

Guess My Number
http://www.wmnet.org.uk/wmnet/custom/files_uploaded/uploaded_resources/851/Guessthenumber.swf

Go Animate
http://goanimate.com/

H: Hoagies
http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/

I: Illuminations
http://illuminations.nctm.org/Default.aspx

ilearn
http://ilearntechnology.com/

ixl
http://www.ixl.com/math/

J:

K: Kinder By Kim
http://www.kinderbykim.com/

Kideos
http://kideos.com/

L: Learning Upgrade
http://www.learningupgrade.com/compup/index.htm

M: Menus
http://www.pvusd.net/Departments/GATE/choiceboards/MeaningfulMenus.pdf

Mandy Gregory
http://www.mandygregory.com/index.htm

Math Apprentice
http://www.mathapprentice.com/index.html

Math For Everyone
http://www.netrox.net/~labush/math.htm

MathWire

My Avatar Editor
http://www.myavatareditor.com/

N: Mr. Nussbaum

http://www.mrnussbaum.com/index.html

Naturescapes
http://eduscapes.com/nature/

O:

P: Math Playground
http://www.MathPlayground.com/index.html

Q: Quick Online Tutorial
http://cainc.com/professional-development/topics/DiffInstruction/index.htm

R: The Reading Lady

S: Simple Science
http://simplescience.net/index.html

Skype an Author
http://skypeanauthor.wetpaint.com/

Related article

T: Tammy's Tech Tips
http://www.tammyworcester.com/

Tiered Assignments
http://www.doe.in.gov/exceptional/gt/tiered_curriculum/welcome.html

U: U-(You) Tube Videos

V: Voice Thread
http://voicethread4education.wikispaces.com/3-5

Voki
http://www.voki.com/

http://voicethread.com/#home

Visual Learning

http://www.visualmathlearning.com/index.php

W: Webquests
http://www.techtrekers.com/webquests/

Wonderville
http://www.wonderville.ca/

Wordle
http://www.wordle.net/

Word Sandwich

http://www.wordsandwich.com/

Worldly Wise 3000
http://wordlywise3000.com/

X: X-tend a Menu
http://www.extendamenu.com/index.php

Y: Yahoo Video
http://video.yahoo.com/watch/4746198/12675796

Z

Essential Questions

2009-07-23T19:47:00.002-05:00

Here is a great piece on essential questions.

http://fno.org/feb01/pl.html

Student Survey

2009-04-15T12:23:00.000-05:00

Click here for the student survey.

Math Websites

2009-04-14T10:18:00.000-05:00

I've been getting several requests for math resources from students in my online class and from teachers in the district. I love being able to help when I can, so I've searched the web to find some differentiation resources for math. Here is what I've found so far.

e-Learning for Kids online courses in math and other subjects, too!

I've also found some great interactive lessons and activities on BBC School's Bitesize site.

There are also some demo lessons on the Time 4 Learning site.

I've used some of the demo lessons on the Math Upgrade site.

For skill practice, the IXL site may be useful, or head over to Mr. Nausbaum's site for some great math games!

There are a ton of math sites here. I admit I have not gotten around to exploring them all, but I'm sure you will find something that your students will like.

Don't forget BrainPOP and BrainPOP Jr. If you have forgotten the username or password, just email me!

Summer Opportunities

2009-04-14T09:01:00.000-05:00

I wanted to share with you some enrichment opportunities that are available to students in the summer. Unfortunately, most of these are in the eastern part of the state. Are there any that you know of that are closer to home? Please let me know so I can post them! Maybe we need to be thinking about how to provide our own summer activities for our HAL students! Anyway, here are some things that I've found.

The first one is Big Red Summer Academy geared toward 9-12 graders. You can read all about the camp here.

The University of Nebraska at Omaha offers Aim for the Stars. Camps are available for 3-10 graders. There are also "girls only" programs.

Ad Astra is a one-week residential program at Creighton University for gifted students completing 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. .Students explore the many exciting facets of college life, and participate in courses designed to expose them to a variety of academic fields of study

Bright Lights is another summer program for elementary and middle school students. It doesn't offer housing, but if you have friends or relatives to stay with, it may be worth checking out.

Nature enthusiats might want to explore the two camps offered in Gibbon, Nebraska. Big Bend SOAR and Flying Higher camps are held at the Rowe Sanctuary.

The Nebraska Association for the Gifted had information about Camp Invention, a day camp to encourage creativity. There are several Nebraska locations. Click here to see NAG's entire list of summer opportunties.

Surveys

2009-04-14T08:47:00.000-05:00

Here is the link for the parent survey. Thanks for your participation.

Click Here to take survey

Change the World in 5 Minutes a Day!

2009-04-02T08:59:00.000-05:00

This video is awsome. These students show how easy it can be make a difference in the world. Take a look!

Future City

2009-04-02T03:13:00.001-05:00

At the NAG Fall Workshop, John Thomsen shared information about Future City. It is a program which is intended to promote teamwork and critical thinking in math and science while using a community mentor to work with students. Students use Sim City software to design a future city, and then they research and write a solution to a problem that troubles cities of today and tomorrow. This sounds like a wonderful opportunity for our 7th and 8th grade students in HAL.

Do your students know this man?

2009-03-31T10:40:00.000-05:00

They will after completing the activities on the following links!

http://www.brainpop.com/math/geometryandmeasurement/coordinateplane/preview.weml

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2FqyJL2w8U&feature=channel_page

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/maths/revision_bites/grids.shtml

http://www.gradeamathhelp.com/coordinate-plane.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/mathsfile/shockwave/games/planethop.html

http://www.harcourtschool.com/jingles/jingles_all/5get_to_point.html

http://www.aimsedu.org/aimskids/ipuzzles/hurkle/index.html

http://www.funbrain.com/co/index.html

http://www.oswego.org/ocsd-web/games/BillyBug2/bug2.html

http://www.learningupgrade.com/mathup/index.htm

http://www.counton.org/games/virtualmathfest/dinosaur.html

http://education.jlab.org/topquarkgame/index.html

http://www.mrnussbaum.com/stockshelves1.htm

http://www.kidsthinkaboutit.com/meet_rene_descartes

http://www.mathplayground.com/locate_aliens.html

Independent Projects

2009-03-30T14:24:00.000-05:00

Students in HAL have been working on their independent projects. As part of the process they have selected topics and subtopics, identified questions to explore, and searched the internet for answers to their questions. After completing their research, students were asked to share the information with their classmates in a creative way. Many of them chose to use PowerPoint, and these are poste on the Slideshare widget on this blog.

Other students built models to share what they learned. Here is Packer, a student at McDonald, showing King Tut's tomb.

Other students chose to do impersonations of famous people. Here is , portrayed by Talitha.

Greatest Common Factor

2009-03-24T17:42:00.000-05:00

The Factor Game
http://illuminations.nctm.org/ActivityDetail.aspx?ID=12

Sliding Factor Game
http://www.visualmathlearning.com/Games/sliding_factors.html

BrainPOP video/ Factoring:
http://www.brainpop.com/math/numbersandoperations/factoring/preview.weml

Greatest Common Factors Online Course:
http://e-learningforkids.org/Courses/EN/M1104/index.html

Greatest Common Factor YouTube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guMCJ792UF0&feature=related

Greatest Common Factor online quiz:
http://school.discoveryeducation.com/quizzes8/mrforbes/GCF.html

Greatest Common Factor worksheet
http://www.mathslice.com/simple_gcf_lcm.php

Factor Trees
http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/NAV/frames_asid_202_g_3_t_1.html

Review and practice:
http://www.studyzone.org/mtestprep/math8/e/gcf5l.cfm

What do you MEAN?

2009-03-24T17:01:00.002-05:00

Here are some resources for teaching mean or average.

You tube mean lesson:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgxZfQDf4qY

Online dice .. Have students "roll" a set number of times and calculate the mean:
http://www.random.org/dice/

Online playing cards..Have students "draw" a set number of cards and calculate the mean:
http://www.random.org/playing-cards/ndom.org/playing-cards/

Candy Colors Average Activity:
http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/03/lp293-02.shtml

The Average Kid lesson plan:
http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/00-2/lp2057.shtml

You know those free auto magagizines you see around town? How about using them for an averaging activity? I've used them before for place value, and my students absolutely loved it! You could use one of the following problems for a whole class activity, or you could put them on a think-tac-toe board.

Cut out 3 (or more) vehicles. Find the average.

Find 3 vehicles that were made in 1990's and calculate the average.
Find 3 more vehicles that were made in the 2000's and calculate the average. What is the average difference between them? Why reasons can you think of that would explain the difference
Find the average of all the cars on a page. (Put this in the center of the think-tac-toe board and encourage students who need more challenge to include it in their choices.)
Find 5 cars that show a monthly payment. Find the average monthly payment of the cars. (This would be easier for students to calculate.)
Use Mapquest to find the distance to several of the car dealers. Calculate the average distance.
Find 5 cars that are named after animals. Calculate the average.
Fnd 5 cars that are alike in some way (leather, AC, CD, same year..etc.) Calculate the average price of the cars.

Here are some other tasks for a choice board:

Find two vehicles that were made in the same year and are the exact same price.
name two vehicles that are named after cities in the United States. Tell what state they are in and how many people live there.
Choose 3 vehicles. Find the total. Find 5 more vehicles that have the exact total as your first 3 vehicles.
Find a car that was made in the same year that the Denver Broncos won their second Super Bowl.
Choose 6 vehicles. Find the total. Next, find out how much more money you would need, or how much you would have left if you had $1,000,000 to spend.
Find 2 vehicles that have a price which is a palindrome.
Find three vehicles that are named after animals. Research how much those animals weigh and what they eat.
Choose 1 vehicle that is more than $30,000. Find out how long it would take you to pay it off if you pay $200.00 per month.
Find a vehicle that was made in the same year that former president Ronald Regan died. Find out what Ronald Regan did before he became president.

Here are some ideas that the students came up with:
Choose three vehicles that are named after animals. Find the difference between the weight of the cars and the weight of the animals.
Choose three vehicles that are named after animals. Find the difference between the top speed of the car and the top speed of the animal.
Find a car that was made in the year you were born. Find out some major things that happened in that year.
Find the oldest car. Tell about some events that happened in that year.

Time To Measure!

2009-03-24T10:19:00.000-05:00

Need some differentiation ideas for your measuring unit? Try some of these resources.

Try to balance the scales:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/mathsfile/shockwave/games/animal.html

This game tests your knowledge of angles: http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/mathsfile/shockwave/games/bathroom.html

Measure to the nearest fraction of an inch:
http://www.hbschool.com/activity/elab2004/gr5/25.html

Super lesson plan for lengths and heights: http://school.discoveryeducation.com/lessonplans/pdf/measure_lengths/measure_lengths.pdf

Another Discovery Education plan-converting from standard to metric. http://school.discoveryeducation.com/lessonplans/pdf/metricworld/metricworld.pdf

Metric scavenger hunt:
http://www.hbschool.com/teacher_resources/math/grade_03/g3a_measure.html
Interactive movies and activities:
http://www.saskschools.ca/curr_content/byersjmath/geometry/students/coverpg.html

Scroll down to find some interesting measurement investigations involving lunch:
http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/docs/elemath/projects.html

Lesson using measurement and oranges:
http://www.fi.edu/sln/school/tfi/fall96/oranges.html

Measurement webquest:
http://oops.bizland.com/gothedistance.html

Metric Interactive course:
http://www.learner.org/interactives/metric/

nrich time and measurment:
http://nrich.maths.org/public/monthindex.php?year=2008&month=05&showfulltier=yes

Bitesize lesson: measures
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/maths/shape_space_measures.shtml

elearning online courses-scroll to find measurement related :
http://www.e-learningforkids.org/courses.html

Olympic measurement webquest:
http://www.uni.edu/schneidj/webquests/fall04/olympics/index.html

Mrs. Lincoln

2009-03-24T10:11:00.000-05:00

Lincoln School recently celebrated the birthday of Abraham Lincoln. When they asked me to portray Mrs. Lincoln, I jumped at the chance. I loved dressing in costume and telling students about Mary's life. I am not sure how effective I was, though. After my presentation, a boy came up to me and whispered, "I know you're a fake!" I laughed and replied, "What gave me away? Was it my wig?" He shook his head and said, "No, if you were real, you'd be, like, 200 years old!" Well, at least I got them thinking!

Smashing the World Record!

2009-03-06T15:46:00.000-06:00

On March 4, HAL students gathered at McKinley Education Center for World Math Day. Their challenge was to answer as many mental math questions as possible with the ultimate goal of breaking a world record.
At the end of the day, the group had answered over 20,000 questions, and together with students from around the world, had answered 452, 682, 682 questions, smashing the previous record!!

Our top point earner was Andrew! Talk about a walking calculator!

We also had treats and prize drawings. Braden and Hope won World Math Day t-shirts, and several other students won Wal-Mart gift cards.

Thank you to all of you who participated in World Math Day! You were amazing! I can't wait for next year! Another big thanks to John Lindenberger for writing about us in the North Platte Telegraph. And, of course, we can't forget Mr. Hokanson! What did we ever do without him! He helped us out all day and created our World Math Day video. You are awesome, Neil!

Palindromes

2009-01-23T11:46:00.000-06:00

This week I introduced students to palindromes. If you aren't sure what a palindrome is, you can read more about them here. I was also very excited to learn from Tim, one of our middle school HAL students, that musical parodist "Weird Al" Yankovic (one of my favorites) created a song using palindromes. For an interesting use of palindromes, watch the video "BOB" here.

Teacher Spotlight

2008-11-13T15:46:00.000-06:00

Mrs. Walters, fourth grade teacher at Cody is doing a wonderful job of differentiating in her classroom. What I admire most is her focus on pre-assessment. She finds out what students already know, then uses this data to plan her unit. This is the key to differentiated instruction! For example, she recently pre-tested her students on graphing skills. Amazingly, all of her students achieved proficient or advanced. Just think of all the time that would have been wasted and how bored her students would have been if she hadn't pre-assessed and continued teaching the unit in the usual way!! Now her students are being challenged in new and exciting ways. She is extending their learning by teaching them about percentages. Students are also being asked to apply what they know by doing projects with real world connections. Mrs. Walters plans to use this graphing site with her students. http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/createagraph/ Be sure to bookmark it and use it with your students. Thanks, Mrs. Walters for sharing it and for being our Differentiated Teacher of the Month!

License to Learn!

2008-11-12T14:36:00.000-06:00

HAL students have a license to learn this week! Using the link http://www.acme.com/licensemaker/licensemaker.cgi?state=Nebraska&text=LUVPUGS&plate=1993&r=290158581 students made their own personalized license plates. I asked them to create one that would tell others about them. Here is one I created:

2008-11-04T15:37:00.000-06:00

One of the best resources I've found this year is Differentiated Assignments: Helping Students Show What They Know, by Patricia Pavelka (Husky Trail Press). The book gives specific ideas to use when giving assignments to your students. Instead of planning 3-4 different assignments for the different levels in your classroom, you are planning one assignment that can be completed by all in a variety of different ways.

Instead of using workbook pages, author Pavelka suggests using magazine pictures for tasks. Magazine pictures involve choice, are motivating, and requires students to use higher level thinking. For example, when working on nouns, students choose a photograph and list all the nouns they see in the picture, or nouns their picture brings to mind.

I used calendar and magazine pictures, but you could also use pictures off the internet. Here is a site that might be good.

http://www.akidsphoto.com/botanical/flowers/index.html

Silly NIllies and Dr. Dooriddles

2008-11-04T15:13:00.000-06:00

This is a picture I use when I am introducing Silly Nillies to students. Silly Nillies are two-word definitions for phrases. The words must rhyme and have the same number of syllables. My clue is "an overweight feline." Students eagerly respond, "fat cat!" Thy just love to solve these! After practicing a few more, I ask students to create their own.

Dr. DooRiddles is a fun way to develop students' fluency and flexibility with word meaning and associations as it improves their spelling, vocabulary, reading and problem solving skills. Students carefully read through clues in each riddle, analyzing connections within and between clues to figure out what is being described. There are books appropriate for every grade level. Here is an example:

My stream is the one that
Conformers stay in
The hair on a lion that is
Not on his chin
What am I?

These activites can be done whole class, small group, or individually. They make great anchor activities as well.

Preserving the Past

2008-03-26T11:16:00.000-05:00

This morning at 6, I jumped out of bed, dug in my purse for two quarters, jammed my feet into some slippers, grabbed my glasses and keys, and headed out the door. Where was I going in such a hurry, you ask? The nearest newspaper stand, of course! I just couldn't wait to read the article in the Telegraph about our school history project.

I wasn't disappointed. "Preserving the Past" was the front page headline. What a perfect title! I hadn't really thought of it that way before, and when you think about it, that's exactly what our students are doing. My goal was to get students to use higher level reading, writing, and thinking skills and compare school life today with school life in the past. Now I realize we're doing much more, and I'm very proud of the HAL students for taking on this challenge.

I want to express my sincerest gratitude fo Jim Whitaker, Dr. William Hasemeyer, Marion Effenbeck, Donna Effenbeck, and Eva Swedberg for talking with the students on Tuesday. Your stories were very entertaining. The students couldn't stop talking about them on the bus ride back to their schools. They especially liked the "spit wad" story! That tale is worth the price of the book alone!

My thanks also to John Lindenberger and Beth Gilbert for their coverage. I have received two phone calls already from people who had read the story and wanted to share some other wonderful memories with the students. I appreciate your dedication to our students.

If you would like to read the article, click on the link below:
http://www.nptelegraph.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19423431&BRD=377&PAG=461&dept_id=601696&rfi=6

HAL PALS Article in the Telegraph

2008-03-10T11:31:00.001-05:00

Click on the link below to read the article about our HAL PALS who attended the Nebraska Gifted Conference in Omaha last month.
http://www.nptelegraph.com/site/index.cfm?newsid=19372385&BRD=377&PAG=461&dept_id=601696&rfi=8

School Stories

2008-02-27T14:43:00.000-06:00

Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve loved school. You may not believe this, but I used to pretend I was Laura Ingalls Wilder! On Saturdays, I would I put on my pink bonnet and teach my stuffed horses and bears their letters and numbers!

As we all know, education has changed greatly since Laura’s time. I’m willing to bet that our children know very little about how school used to be for their parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents.

So, I'm asking the HAL students to research school history. For this project, students will be asking questions to find out more about this topic. Last week students traveled to Centennial Park, The Senior Center, and Linden Court to interview people about their school memories.

Next week, some people from the Living History group will visit our schools. Students will also be talking to their family members about their experiences. The information they gather will be combined into a class book. Our plan is to sell the books and donate the proceeds back into the community. If you have a school story to share, please contact us!

Students Score Big At Super Book Bowl

2008-01-31T17:03:00.000-06:00

Students Score Big At Super Book Bowl

One hundred and sixty elementary students participated in a variety of reading activities at the first annual Super Book Bowl held Friday at Jefferson Elementary School.

The event, sponsored by the NPPS HAL (High Ability Learner) program and K.I.D.S. Klub Community Connections, was a culminating event of a program started earlier this year called, “Score Big with Books.” Students from across the district formed teams and read twelve books nominated for the Nebraska Children’s Choice Literary Award.

Denise DiGiovanni, North Platte Public School’s HAL Director created Score Big with Books. “Providing additional enrichment experiences for all students is one of our priorities this year,” she said. “We wanted to do something which would bring students from all of our schools together. We also wanted to encourage students to read books, talk about them with others, and personally interact with different kinds of text. A district-wide reading challenge was a way to accomplish those goals.”

Twenty-five teams signed up and competed in the Super Book Bowl. During the competition, they fielded questions game show style from KNOP-TV Sports Director, Joe Swift. The winning team received a trophy and a prize bag filled with donated items from the University of Nebraska Athletic Department, A to Z books, Waldenbooks, and author Rejean Luebs Shepherd.

The teams were cheered on by family members and other students who were attending the Super Book Bowl Mega Day organized by K.I.D.S Klub. In addition to the reading competition, students had the opportunity to make bookmarks and pennants, play Bingo for Books, and vote for their favorite story. They also got to participate in reading and sports activities with the NPCC Knights, NPHS football players, and NPHS cheerleaders.

Local sports celebrities were also on hand. Division II Football Player of the Year, Danny Woodhead, read a book to the students and talked to them about the importance of practice and goal setting. Marcia Serrato, a NPPS teacher, shared her experience as an Olympic torch carrier.

The Book Fair was another highlight. Children attending K.I.D.S Klub’s before and after programs displayed booths they had made for each of the books on the reading list. Carrying Keep North Platte and Lincoln County Beautiful bags, students toured the booths and quickly filled their bags with small tokens related to the books. Kids visiting the booth of Tooth Fairy’s First Night, by Anne Bowen, for example, received a toothbrush donated by Dr. Barrett Klemm. At Sakes Alive, A Cattle Drive, by Karma Wilson, students pocketed cow finger puppets. At each booth, students could also sign up to win larger prizes. Prizes were handed out at the end of the day.

“We’re thrilled to have partnered with HAL and members of the community for another fantastic learning event,” said Michael Davis, Director of K.I.D.S Klub’s Supplemental Education. “By working together, we can impact a greater amount of students and deliver more unique educational opportunities, like the Super Book Bowl, that will help us achieve the district’s mission of student learning, student achievement, and student success.”

Free Rice!

2008-01-12T14:38:00.000-06:00

You know those Internet newsletters you subscribe to, but never have time to read? Well, I don't know what got into me last week, but I actually got around to reading Pieces of Learning, and I hit pay dirt with their recommendation of freerice.com.

This site is a great vocabulary builder , and for each question you answer correctly sponsors of the site donate 20 grains of rice to the United Nations to help end world hunger. It is both educational and socially commendable! For younger students, you can use this site to help teach dictionary skills. For older students, you can do what I did and connect the site throughout the curriculum. I asked the HAL students to find out how many grains are in a pound! Talk about some challenging math!

This is a great anchor activitiy for students to do when they've completed work early.

Thank You, North Platte Public Schools Foundation

2007-12-25T20:33:00.000-06:00

HAL would like to thank the North Platte Public School Foundation for funding our "HAL-lo to BrainPOP" project." We are extremely proud to be have been one of the eight REACH grant recipients. Because of the foundation's generosity, teachers and students now have access to the educational website BrainPOP and BrainPOP Jr.

Hosted by an expressive orange robot named Moby and his teen companion Tim, BrainPOP movies cover everything from the Underground Railroad to the atomic model to Shakespeare. Interactive quizzes for assessment and enrichment materials like experiments and creative activities supplement the movies. Topics – aligned with state and national education standards and searchable by state standards – are grouped within the subjects of Science, Math, English, Social Studies, Health, Technology and Arts and Music.
HAL students will be able to access this site for enrichment activities. Teachers will be able to use BrainPOP to enhance and differentiate lessons.
I went to a school yesterday and modeled some BrainPOP lessons. In one fifth grade classroom, students were encouraged to think about what they already knew about Winter Holidays. Next, they wrote some words and phrases in a wiki. After watching the BrainPOP movie, they went back to their wiki and added things they learned. Although we had computer gliches, they students did a fantastic job.
For the second group of fifth graders, I asked them create acrostic poems instead of wikis. Students watched a BrainPOP segment with a partner, then met with two other people to process what they had seen. The final products were excellent.
BrainPOP is such a wonderful educational resource! I know once people try it, they will be hooked! Thanks again North Platte Public School Foundation for providing teachers and students with such a cool tool!

Minneapolis from A to Z (Almost)

2007-12-25T20:22:00.002-06:00

I recently attended the NAGC conference in Minneapolis. There were 3, 500 people from the US and other parts of the world. It was a busy, informative, and inspirational four days. One of the most exciting things was being able to listen to the leading experts in the field of gifted education including Joseph Renzulli, Carol Ann Tomlinson, and Dr. Robert Sternberg. As you can imagine, my brain is full of new information and ideas. I decided to organize my ideas into an ABC list, but I came up a little short. Anyway, here are some highlights, reflections, and ideas from Minneapolis.

A Affective Issues: All children face affective and developmental challenges, but gifted children also face issues that many of their peers will not. In her presentation, Staff Development to meet the Social/Emotional Needs of the Gifted, Sherry Earle named a "Bakers Dozen" of affective issues including perfectionism, dyssynchronous development, ownership of the gift, over-excitability, social isolation, multipotentiality, underachievement, acceleration, miscommunication, lack of organizational skills, chameleon, misdiagnosis, and distorted self-concept. Dr. Earle recommended that gifted children participate in discussion groups facillitated by a counselor. One of our HAL goals this year to is to provide students with this service, and I appreciate the work of the NPPS administrators to recognize this and include it in the HAL plan.
B Begin with the Brain: I was walking through the exhibit hall and noticed a book called Teachers, Change Your Bait! What a great title! Upon closer inspection, I learned that this book was Martha Kaufeldt's latest release. Kaufeldt is known for her expertise in the field of brain-compatible learning, differentiated instruction, and integrated curriculum (my passion). I didn't purchase the book, (Do any of you out there have it?) but I did write down her website: http://www.beginwiththebrain.com/. When I got on the site I found lots of resources, including books, multimedia, downloads, and classroom tools, including the beautiful and amazing singing bowls. I love the brain pins, hats, and bumper stickers! Be sure to use the free downloads for lesson ideas.

C Cindy Strickland: You can always tell the effectiveness of a presenter by how many notes you take during a session. During Cindy's workshop, I was writing like crazy. Of course, in the middle, she mentions that her entire session and more can be found at www.base.google.com/base/a/cindy.strickland. There is tons of information here, and I encourage anyone who wants to learn more about tiered instruction, anchor activitites, or differentiated learning to visit.

D Digital Natives: By now you've probably all have heard the term "digital natives." If you haven't, it is a reference to children who have never known life without computers and probably have no idea what a rotary phone or record is. Digital natives have unique learning styles and are more motivated to learn when using technolgy. Did you know that digital natives think graphically, and their eyes actually track differently? I also found out that DN are typically drawn to red, neon green, and burnt orange, and they tend to ignore black and white. Who knew? Stock up now before word gets out...

E EPALS: One of my goals this year is to find a way for HAL students and Score Big With Books teams to communicate with each other online. Internet safety is always a barrier to making this dream a reality. I was looking into Gaggle, but there is a cost involved if you want an ad free site. Imagine my delight when I heard about ePals and learned that ePals is now free. I'll have to research it further and check with the tech department, but I'm excited about the possibilities. Under careful parameters, students can email and blog with each other or maybe even with students across the world.

F FOLDABLES: As a classroom teacher, I often had students ask me, "Hamburger or Hot Dog?" No, they weren't serving lunch, they were asking me which way to fold their papers. For those of you who don't know, a hamburger fold makes short pages and a hot dog fold makes long pages. In fourth grade, we folded papers for a variety of activities. I learned at this conference, however, that what I did was just the tip of the iceberg. In fact, there are hundreds of things students can create by folding. Foldables connect with the body smart intelligence, and they can also be used as alternate assessment tools to evaluate student progress. I purchased the Big Book of Science by Dinah Zike, but the ideas can be used in any subject area. I'm more than happy to share, so just let me know if you want to look at it.

G Google Earth: Being somewhat of a cybergeek, I was aware of the application Google Earth, but hadn't really thought about how I might use it with HAL students. One great idea was to have students explore places where meteors have hit the Earth, then create a chart of craters per continent. www.gearthblog.com/kmfiles/impacts.kmz Another fantastic project is to tour the 19 landmarks mentioned in Jules Verne's Around the World in 80 Days then have students annotate the 19 places they would stop if they were traveling around the world. I'll need to learn much more before I dive in, but I can't wait to try this. I believe Google Sky was just released, too, so this provides even more exploration.

H Hoagies Gifted Education Page This site http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/ offers a wealth of resources. The Kids page has a gazillion links in every subject. There is something for every student, so get some coffee, get a comfortable chair, and do some serious surfing!

I igoogle: Because there were so many great sessions, it would difficult to name my favorite, but if I had to, I would pick "The Glories of Google." I think my mouth hung open the entire time. I had no idea the things google could do! I really don't know how I lived without igoogle. To have everything in one place is fabulous. Using idocs, I can have all my documents together and have them accessible anywhere. Now I don't have to worry about which flash drive my project is on, or if something is on my computer at home that I need at school. There are really too many other features to describe here, but I was thinking that maybe its possible to use Google for electronic portfolios. HAL students could create an igoogle page and upload their word documents. For the presenters Top 10 Google Things, visit http://gloriesof.googlepages.com/.
J
K
L Lots of Circles Wholemovement is a new approach to understanding geometry by making 3-D shapes out of circles. It's a little (ok, a lot) beyond me, but you math people out there might like to find out more. Here's the address http://www.wholemovement.com/.

M MENUS: At the Prufrock Press booth, I spied a series of books called Differentiating Instruction With Menus by Laurie E. Westphal. There was math, language arts, science, and social studies, but I picked up the math because I'm currently working with a teacher to provide extended learning opportunities for a third grade student. I liked it so much that I tried to go back and get the others, but they were already sold out!! I love menus because they provide the 2 c's important for high abiltiy learners-- choice and challenge.

N Nebraska: The University of Nebraska had a booth (I got a pen since I was from North Platte) and was promoting their UNL Independent High School program. They offer many courses for students who desire to accelerate learning through high school, AP, or college independent study courses. For more information go to http://www.nebraskahs.unl.edu/.

Online library: I wanted to mention that I can order the entire NAGC conference online or on CD-ROM. It costs $149, and features all of the 2007 sessions. Let me know if this is something you would like. The subscription includes three free co-users.

P Pre-Assessment: For quite a while now, we've focused on three questions: 1. What do we want students to know (standards) 2. How will will determine if they know it? (Assessment) and 3. What will we do if they don't know it? (interventions) One presenter suggested that we have been leaving out another important question... 4 What will we do if they already know it? (compacting/acceleration) Talk about an "aha" momement! As adults, do we usually watch tv shows we've already seen? Once we pass the drivers test, do we still study the drivers book? Isn't it torture to sit through a workshop when nothing new is presented? There are many students, HAL identified or not, that already know the skills. As educators we have to be aware of this, and we always have to ask, "What will I do if they already know this?" This is easier said than done, because it requires creating and administering a pre-assessment, and as a teacher, I know how hard it is to find time for everything. Still, I think we owe it to our more able students to provide opportunities for them to learn something new everyday, and the only way to ensure this is by finding out what they already know and can do.

Q Quiddler: Using special cards, Quiddler draws on one's ability to combine letters into words. Players must combine their entire hand into words trying to use the highest point value letters. Quiddler challenges you to do this first with three cards (round one), then with four, on up to ten cards in the last round. A bonus is given for both the longest word, and the most words made by a player in each round. The average game takes 20-40 minutes. A cool thing about Quiddler is that there is a school competition. It is open to grades K-12, and if your class gets within 10 points of the highest score once a week for 25 weeks, your schools wins a Set site lisense. Go to http://www.quiddler.com/ for more information.

R Responding Online: I mentioned epals earlier, and I wanted to list some other student response activities. In English, teachers could give the students a story starter and have students continue the story online, with each student adding to the previous post. In math, students could respond to the number 10 by writing as many things as they can about that number. For example, one student could write "It is 2x5," and another student could add, "The number of digits in a telephone number. In science, students could respond and discuss which activities would be easier on the moon than on earth.

S SET Another thing I love about conferences is hearing about cool things from other teachers. As I was eating lunch, I struck up a conversation with a teacher, and she asked me if I had ever used SET. She told me that she used this game for visual perception and visual thinking skills. Of course, I had never heard of it, but I promised her I would go check it out. In the exhibit hall, I found the booth. I learned that SET is an award winning visual perception puzzle game that can be used with the whole class or groups. It took awhile, but I finally got the hang of it. I can't wait to try it with students and with my own kids at home. For more information about SET go tohttp://www.setgame.com/.

T Tennesee: Ever heard of Murfreesboro, Tennessee? This town is the home of the Discovery School at Reeves Rogers. They are an Apple 1:1 school, and principal Patsy Davis and teacher Kristy Mall gave a awesome presentation about how technology is utilized in the school. They shared several websites like giftedsources, coolmath, rainforestweb, nasa.gov, gamequarium, and national geographic. A free, professional development site that helps teachers answer questions about the use of technology in teaching and learning can be found at www.eduscapes.com/tap. Students can design and ride their own rollercoaster at http://virtual.questacon.edu.au/rollercoaster, and at http://www.edheads.org/ students can perform virtual knee surgery.

U University Enrichment Programs: I learned that several universities offer Saturday and Summer Enrichment Programs. Unfortunately, most are far, far away from us. However, if you are interested, Emory University, University of Michigan, Princeton University, University of Texas at Austin, UCLA, and UC Berkley all offer Summer Institutes.

V Voices Before the keynote on Thursday evening, this group of very talented boys performed for us. They have won numberous awards, and it was easy to see why. The best part was when they came down into the audience, singing in Latin or Spanish or whatever language it was. I had an aisle seat so many of them stopped right in front of me. I was in total awe. If you would like to hear them or purchase a CD, go to http://www.lolcb.org/.

W WORDIGO: Wordigo is a unique crossword game in which students form words with tiles. There is also an online verson. The twist is there is a time limit, and many students can play at once. I didn't buy this one, so if you're interested go to http://www.wordigo.com/

X: X-celleration (aka acceleration) Something that our HAL committee will need to address is an acceleration policy. As far as I know we don't have one, and as our program moves forward, this may be an option for some of our students. Some things we'll have to adress are early admittance to school, subject specific acceleration, and grade skipping.

Y Youth Education Series: Remember the Disney song When You Wish Upon A Star? Well, if I had a wish, it would be to take our students to the Disney Youth Education Series. YES http://www.disneyyes.com/ is an opportunity for students to explore a wide variety of concepts and issues designed to enlighten, inspire and thrill. Many programs are designed to meet national standards, and all programs take students inside or behind the scenes of Walt Disney World® Resort to share the magic of learning.
Z

N.L.Sharp Visits Jefferson

2007-12-25T20:03:00.000-06:00

N.L. Sharp, author of Today I’m Going Fishing With My Dad, The Ring Bear, and Effie’s Image, visited students at Jefferson Elementary and Jefferson Kids Klub on November 16.
Sharp told students that there are four places to get ideas for writing: Memories, Books, Pictures, and Spying.

Sharp used her memories of a fishing trip to write Today I’m going Fishing With My Dad. She encouraged students to think about something they hated to do, and write about it, just as she did. She mentioned that books are another place to get ideas. The book Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder inspired Sharp to begin writing. She told students to read as much as they can, and use books as springboards for their own stories.

Students also learned that pictures can help them with the writing process. Sharp showed them her own visual journal. The journal contained personal photographs and magazine clippings. She told the children that when she has writer’s block, she uses the pictures to help her brainstorm ideas. Sharp told the students that they can also get ideas for stories by “spying.” The idea for the book, The Ring Bear, was conceived when she overheard a conversation at a baseball game about a boy who thought he was going to be a ring “bear” in a wedding. She promised the students that by keeping their eyes and ears open, they would be able to “spy” a story, too.

In addition to her writing tips, Sharp shared memories about growing up in Nebraska. She was born in Valentine and went to school in a one room schoolhouse. “I was the smartest one in my class,” she joked after telling students she was always the only one in her grade. She reminisced about riding a horse to school, reading books, and listening to stories. It was in third grade that she came up with her pen name, N.L. Sharp. Today she is also known as Nancy Wagner. She lives in Fremont, Nebraska, and she works as a children’s author and educational writing consultant. For more information, go to www.nlsharp.com.

To date, Mrs. Wagner, has published three books, and she is currently working on her first chapter book. Effie’s Image, her latest work, is a Learning Magazine’s 2006 Teachers’ Choice Award Winner. It is also a K-3 Nebraska Golden Sower nominee for the 2007-2008 school year.

A big thank you to Jefferson Elementary and K.I.D.S. Klub for partnering with HAL for this event!

2007-12-25T19:48:00.000-06:00

Hal-lo! This is my first post as HAL Director. HAL stands for High Ability Learner and my job is to promote awareness and provide services for these kinds of students. The goals for the first year are identification, parent and community involvement, student programming, professional development, and social/emotional support.

It's not easy starting a program from scratch, but so far I have enjoyed the challenge! One of the first things I was asked to do was to present an overview of the program to the entire NPPS staff on their first day back. What an experience! I was nervous, but I made it through without passing out or falling down!

"On the Road Again" has become my theme song. I don't know how many miles I've put on my Mazda since school started. I've been to staff meetings, board meetings, and PTA meetings. I was even invited to a Rotary meeting. I travel to all ten schools each week to deliver differentiated lessons to 4th and 5th graders. (A girl told me today that she likes it when I come because it's always fun!)

Around 3 o'clock each day, I make it back to my office. I use this time for phone calls and to plan enrichment activities for K-3 grades. I'm so excited about the events that have been lined up so far. For example, the Wichita Children's theater is presenting a workshop at Hall School on October 2. Jefferson School will be having a student writing workshop with Nebraska author N.L. Sharp on November 16. We've also scheduled a parent/teacher workshop with teacher and author Nathan Levy. He is an expert in the field of gifted education, and he will be in North Platte on October 15th and 16th.

One of the things I'm most excited about is the district wide reading challenge, Score Big With Books. HAL has teamed up with Kids Klub for this event in which students in grades 2-5 form teams, read books, and compete against each other for the title of Best Readers in North Platte! I'm really looking forward to our Super Book Bowl on February 1!

When people ask me how I like my new job, my reply is so far...so good. I'm looking foward to other great things ahead.