Join a Mailring at the
Teacher Mailring Center
http://www.teachers.net/mailrings/
Hockeyrabbit - I need a good April/Spring bulletin board Idea.any thoughts?
Jessica - a good spring bulletin board idea - I could use one too!
duffy - Hockey, do you do push=in or pull-out for sp ed?
Hockeyrabbit - shucks..I just can't seem to think up one
Hockeyrabbit - I actually am a 12-1-1 teacher for now..looking for a diff job for next year..but my kids mainly stay with me..they push in for their specials
Jessica - I see we have one Spec Ed - what other grades do you all teach? I teach Kdgn
cw - i teach first
duffy - I teach K but have Sp ed kids who are pulled out two tiume===
duffy - I teach K with sp ed kids who get pulled out two times a day.
Hockeyrabbit - the K teachers use this BB but I do not want to copy them..the title is Spring has Sprung..and they have the kids cut out a lamb, and then wrap a white garbage bag around the body to give it a 3D look
cw - we have open house thursday, any quick and neat ideas for parents?
CLB/NC - HI
Hockeyrabbit - I would really like to teach K though..any jobs out there?
duffy - Hockey, do you have a lang calss, or skills, or behavior management
Hockeyrabbit - duffy- I got it ALL..thats what is frustrating..I have 7 kids..2 "Ks", 2 "1st" and 3 "2nd" graders
Jessica - Yes, we're hiring - where are you from?
Hopper - for BB how about "High Flying Writers" They make kites with writing about what it would be like to be able to fly or what they see from the sky
Hockeyrabbit - for lang though I have been using the peabody..but its an OLD version..does anyone know if there is an updated one?
Hockeyrabbit - NY
Hockeyrabbit - hopper..neat..mayber
duffy - where in Ny. I'm in Saratoga Springs
Hockeyrabbit - near Binghamton
Jessica - Shucks hockeyrabbit, I'm from Wisconsin
Hockeyrabbit - are there any Jobs up near your way? I know the budget is bad
Jean - 'Evening all
cw - anyone close to Ga?
duffy - Hockey, we will probably have jobs and I know districts south of us are hiring
CLB/NC - I'm in NC-- not that that's close
Hockeyrabbit - what are some things you guys do to spice up your calendar?
Hopper - I'm in Fla-xentral part of the state
Jessica - Anyone out there do 4Block/Buliding Blocks?
cw - yes, i do!
Hockeyrabbit - will they be lower elementary?
CLB/NC - I try to do 4 blocks, but it seems I can't eep them all going at the same time
duffy - Probably
Jean - I'm applying with a new district after teaching for 14 years in the same place. I made it to the 2nd interview with the elementary office and was wondering if anyone had any idea of the sort of questions I can anticpate?
Jessica - CW, what grade do you teach?
Hopper - We act out motions for the calendar pattern
Hockeyrabbit - we use guided reading methods from Fountas/Pinelli..and also use Rigby
cw - i have been doing them for 3 years and wouldn't change for the world!
cw - i teach first
Jessica - Wow Jean, I'm a first year teacher and I have a LONG list of interview qustions for education!
recess - I'm in GA.
CLB/NC - I teach 1st, too! I love it!
Hopper - 4 Blocks...me too...w/adaptations
Hockeyrabbit - duffy-maybe I should do some research
Hopper - Also teach 1st
cw - i taught 2nd for 7 years and then switched to first, i'm in heaven
Jean - jessica, questions that you were asked?
duffy - Yes, hockey- look into it. it's a geat area!!
Hockeyrabbit - duffy-do you guys have Universal PreK in your district?
Maggie - hello room....
recess - I teach K...and I use Building Blocks.
cw - i love to see the growth in reading, I mean you can REALLY see it in these folks
cw - hi maggie
Jessica - Jean - they are questions I was asked in interviews or that I had frineds who were asked or that I received from interviewers, etc. If you give me your e-mail address, I will send you the l ist!
duffy - Hockey, yes but very liomited. we actually use our Head start program to do it.
Maggie - hello, this is the first time that I am here, I"m from asia,
Maggie - hi cw,
Jessica - Recess - ME TOO (teach Kdgn with BB)
Hopper - I agree cw..they are truely blossoming now...I really like Systematic Sequential Phonics by Pat
cw - tell me, are any of you doing something interesting with the wordwall papers? I have been ending them home daily, but I'm afraid that they just get thrown away or lost, i want to make them more useful...
duffy - Hockey, are you a hockey fan?
Jean - Jessica, I would be so grateful. Do I just post my e-mail address on this site?
CLB/NC - How is Systematic Sequential different? I saw the book but haven't gotten it yet...
Hockeyrabbit - this is the first year in our district, and boy have the kids really grown..I can see the benefits..the only thing I do not like is that there are 18 in the class..too many
recess - Jessica ~ I think we're both on the BB ring.
cw - SSP it really directed, you give them step by step directions
Jessica - I think you can send it just to me (I'm new to this though and I'm not sure exactly how. I think you go to the box where it says "Send to: Room" and then you click on "Send to: Jessica" instead?
CLB/NC - Hockey-- 18 with an assistant or no asst?
Hockeyrabbit - yes I like hockey..but FIELD hockey
Maggie - I'm teaching K for esl, and I would like to know , it's about schedule plan of a week, can anybody give me a hand?
Jessica - Recess - you probably know my name with all the questions I've posted lately? Are you known as "recess" on there too? I attended a BB conference today but didn't get much out of it (it was basically review for those of us who use it already)
Jean - OK Jessica, I see. I'm going to send it to you privately. Let me know if it works
KindergartenCop - Hi, I'm K (obviously) and use BB
Hockeyrabbit - and aide too
Hopper - CLB/NC it is basically daily/weekly lessons that take you step by step through the making words block. very easy to follow for a beginner like myself.
Jessica - YEA Kdgn Cop!
cw - SSp is also great for those that don't have a "phonics " program per say, with it's 100 plus lessons you have a year worth of lessons to keep central office happy
duffy - Those that use BB - Do you have a Reading Series as well?
Hockeyrabbit - do any of you use basal series? We use Houghton Mifflin
recess - I'm not sure if my posts on the ring are "iloverecess" or "Rhonda."
CLB/NC - We use Scott Foresman
KindergartenCop - Maggie, for K - do you have the BB book? It is DIFFERENT than 4-Blocks
Jessica - Duffy - no, we dont' have a reading series!
Hockeyrabbit - duffy-you and I thinking the same..yikes
KindergartenCop - I am using the new Houghton Mifflin Reading
Jean - Is there a different Building Blocks for Kindergarten?
Hopper - Yes cw...its been very helpful for covering phonics
Jessica - where are you from Recess?
Hockeyrabbit - jessica-so do you have a set curriculum to followe?
cw - we use ... i can't remember... the one that has Make a Wish
KindergartenCop - Jean, YES BB for K is different than 4 Blocks!
Jean - Jessica, I sent the e-mail address, did you get it?
Bonnie - this is my first time here. My school system uses Scott Foresman and they use a bb type format
CLB/NC - cw-- is that Silver Burdett?
Hopper - We have Ready Readers from Modern Curriculum Press...mot really a basal
duffy - Kinder, how do you like the new HM series?
recess - We have Literacy Tree but I don't really use it much. I use trade books/ big books that relate to my theme. For guided reading I'm using a lot of self made blacklines. I like the kids to get to keep a copy.
cw - I have faihtfully gone through all the making words lessons in my month by month phonic, then have moved on to the warm up lessons and am into the lessons from making more words book
recess - I'm in GA.
cw - yep, that's it CLB?NC
cw - recess, where in GA?
KindergartenCop - duffy, YES I like the new HM, it has phonemic awareness and new alpha friends (a change from letter people) BUT it has a TON of ideas - so you have to pick and choose
cw - ho jessica, hi bobbie
recess - I'm in Gwinnett County. Are you in GA?
cw - yes, i am in Gray, jones county, near Macon...
Jessica - Oops - I accidently logged off and am back with a new color!
Hockeyrabbit - our HM series is about 4 years old..not sure if that is old or new?
Jean - Jessica, I sent it, did it work?
meeha/ece/tx - 'evening, all!
Hockeyrabbit - oh ok..no we have no alpha tales with ours..some teachers do use the old letter ppl
Maggie - k Cop> sorry, I"m in asia now, could you tell more details abou tthat?
Jessica - Jean - I think so, let me try e-mailing you the list of questions now
CLB/NC - Welcome!! Meeha
recess - I know where Gray is! I would go through there when I lived in Athens and went to visit inlaws in Moultrie
cw - recess, do you 4 blocks?
meeha/ece/tx - Hi, CLB! What is the topic tonite? Are we talking about literacy programs?
eduKate - Hi. Making Words, good program. I don't use Cunninghams' but one with nursery rhymes.
Jean - I was wondering, for those of you using BB, what sort of things are your average students capapble of doing at this time of year?
eduKate - we use letter people, too, but I"ve found it best to use it for just one semester
cw - hey we have a McDonald's, Waffle House, and we are getting both a D.Q. and a Burger King!
recess - cw...I teach K so I use Building Blocks. I did use 4 Blocks when I taught first.
Hockeyrabbit - meech- anything u want to talk about
Jean - I'm specifically interested in where your Kindergarteners are while using Building Blocks
Jessica - Jean, my kids are doing terrific at stretching words out and writing using kid spelling independently. They are all reading, at some level. What else are you interested in?
cw - educate- explain more about your nursery rhyme thing
eduKate - I'm sort of a cross between Building Blocks & Guided Reading like Fountas & Pinnell talk about
recess - cw...My husband had to stop and look at some record book deer that is a barber shop near the train tracks!
meeha/ece/tx - Hi, Kwiz!
recess - educate...is that by Lynch?
eduKate - The nursery rhyme making words program isn't mine... I bought a book - can look it up if you need
Jessica - Jean - I sent the ?'s - let me know if you get it!
Jean - Jessica, do your kids write "stories" with a begining, middle, and ending or are the stories typically 1-2 sentences long?
eduKate - I think so
recess - cw...make the "in a barber shop"
cw - thnaks, i was wondering....
Kwiz - Evening all. Do any of you teach summer school? How is your program set up?
KindergartenCop - Jessica, are you using "Kid Writing" or your own program?
Bonnie - Those of you who use BB ...What does your schedule look like?
eduKate - My class is still just giving me 1 or 2 sentences. I started Kid Writing in Jan. and that's helped
meeha/ece/tx - My district went to a Scholastic program for pre-k this year ... BLL -- Building Language for Literacy.
recess - I use the same book as educate, I think!
Hopper - Our summer sch program was cut due to budget cuts
Hockeyrabbit - does anyone do a calendar routine? if ya, what do u typically do? I am looking some new things to add to mine
Jessica - right now 1-2. We are now starting to expand more and write and publish stories. They are loving it. (We probably should have started this early, but I'm feeling overwhlemed as a 1st year teacher and didn't realize that we needed to be moving here . . . . long story!)
cw - educate please let me know the name of the nursery rhyme thing please...
meeha/ece/tx - It explores basic letter/phonics concepts, introduces "words" as labels, and does a fair amount with rhyming words.
recess - Most of my kids are ESOL (ESL). Almost all can write 1 or 2 sentences on a topic with phonetic spelling.
Jean - eduKate my average kiddos are doing 1-2 sentences, Is that what most school systems would expect?
meeha/ece/tx - recess -- that is wonderful!
Hopper - I thing the N Rhyme book is by Scholastic. I've seen it before
eduKate - The other 3 Kdg. teachers seem to be getting better results - using lined paper, more site words represented more sentences - Am I making excuses for myself when I comfortt myself with the fact that 1/2 of my class was still 4 in Nov.??
Jessica - Kdgn Cop - what do you mean by "kid writing" I guess I just found out on the last chatroom I participated intaht there is a program called Kid Spelling. To me, kid spelling is invented spelling w hen the write the sounds they hear in stretching words out. Does that answer your question? I don't do a real program - I just encourage them to stretch words out and write hte sounds they hear so they can read it
Hockeyrabbit - meech- wow in prek..I think our PreK teacher would have a fit..she does alot of playing and simple lit activites
cw - i have one spanish student, i speak spanish fluently so of course they put him with me, but I have NO idea where he should be or anything...
meeha/ece/tx - jessicca -- if you go back in the archives here you'll find meetings a while back that discussed a book/program called Kid Writing --
Jessica - eduKate - that suprises me - it doesn't seem developmentally appropriate to me what those other teachesr are doing in kdng
eduKate - That's what we expect but that's gone up ... expectations are always going up
KindergartenCop - Jessica, there is a book, from the "Wright Group" called Kid Writing. They have a web site and I moderate a yahoo group for it.
Jean - Jessica, I just checked the e-mail and got your questions. THANK YOU!
recess - KidWriting is a book about kid writing
meeha/ece/tx - rabbit, it has six themes, I"ve used two with my kiddos -- just take what I want to use and leave the rest off ...
Jessica - No problem - I hope they help (those are hot interview questions here in the midwest at least - hopefully they will help you! Good luck in your interview!
Jessica - who is the book Kid Writing by?
eduKate - well, we share an aide and she said the other teachers have them copy from the chalkboard more than I do... they do use open ended sentences but she says they focus on handwriting more
Jessica - is that basically what kid writing is - phonetic/invented spelling?
Jean -Jessica
eduKate - I really like the Kid Writing book
Jessica - copying from a chalkboard at a distance can be damaging to the eyes of children under age 8 (besides being very difficult to follow!)
meeha/ece/tx - I think if it is well used it is a great program -- even at the pre-k level -- gentle literacy, but it really does help the kids become aware of concepts needed as they enter kinder
Hockeyrabbit - edukate..for handwriting we use a program called Begin Write..does anyone else use this?
recess - Nursery Rhyme "making words" book that I have is called Easy Lessons for Teaching Word Families ny Judy Lynch
Hockeyrabbit - meech-do your kids play alot too?
Jean - eduKate, is the KidWriting Book different from BB strategies. If so, do they work well together?
meeha/ece/tx - ... parts of the book, letters vs numbers/numerals, sounds (we don't learn all the sounds, just that each letter has its own sound), rhyming words is a big needed skill for K kiddos here, too.
Jessica - I attended a conference recently which talked about how we are putting pencils in children's hands much too early and runing their pencil grip. they aren't ready.
cw - good night everyone, thanks for chatting and good luck!
recess - My kids usually write with markers.
meeha/ece/tx - Yes, in a 3-hour day we have 60 - 90 minutes of "play" time scheduled .... I prefer a lot of unscheduled, free-exploration time in my classroom and the kids seem to gain from it.
recess - I do the teacher writing with a pencil.
Hopper - Jessica, when did they say is the right time for pencils
eduKate - sorry, I got booted off
Hockeyrabbit - oh..didn't realize you were half day..here we are a full day program
KindergartenCop - My K's write in their jounals with markers, too, cuz it teaches them to cross out errors or changes instead of erasing. THis is an upper grade "rough draft" skill
Hockeyrabbit - I am not sure Begin Write is all that though
meeha/ece/tx - Jessica -- my OT is big on vertical surfaces and very short pieces of chalk - pencil - crayon to develop the best grip (when the kids are late-five or six years old)
eduKate - I have found Kid Writing goes with either Cunningham or Fountas & Pinnell's books, but I see that both have published more on writing in their own write
Jessica - it's an individual thing - when their hand is ready - but they said probably not until second semester of kdgn (before then it's writing with fat crayons and markers and on an inclined surface) Lined paper and teaching letter formation doesn't come until 1st grade
Hockeyrabbit - it teachers the children to FORM the letters..its very disciplined..the OT person does it with them..they write on easels
KindergartenCop - I use Kid Writing with BB and Houghton Mifflin reading/phonemic awareness
meeha/ece/tx - we work a lot with thera-putty, stringing beads, building with manipulatives, "painting", etc. to develop the muscles the kids need for writing
eduKate - that's the problem I'm running into... I think formal instruction in handwriting should wait until 1st grade (for the most part) and I use bigger crayons etc until second semester. I let kid's choose.
eduKate - that's interesting Kdg.cop, I use HOughton Mifflin, too.... 1991 version I think, 26 site words, hee hee hee.
recess - I'm supposed to try to motivate others on my grade level to explore BB. Any words of wisdom from you BBer's?
meeha/ece/tx - we offer the big crayons and pencils, thick and thin markers, etc. all year long -- most of my kiddos prefer the "skinny" ones (even the 3's!)
Jessica - Personally, I think 1/2 the problem with this is how kdgn is becoming first grade in our expectations. Kdgn was supposed to be about developing those fine motor and not expecting proper letter formation, etc.
Hopper - I teach 1st & see a lot of kiddos coming to me that already have bad habits for writing/letter formations. Maybe that is because they were taught how to write too early. I never thought about that aspect
Hockeyrabbit - well its also more complicated then writiing etc..they use hoops to learn directionality..I could go on and on..but I am not really sold on it
Lou - opps...
Jean - I teach the kids how to write on the lines and if they are ready for it then they do it. Those that aren't are just exposed. I had a parent tell me that when she told her daughter to write on the lines better, the daughter said, "Oh mommy, it's OK." I know found that reassuring to know that the kids do not feel pressured if they are not ready.
meeha/ece/tx - recess -- check the gazette here, read aggie's columns each month -- I think she addresses a lot of BB concepts.
KindergartenCop - I have the NEW series - probably close to the same number of words, BUT when you add the chunks (at, it, in, ox, etc.) there seems to be lots more words
Jessica - Hopper, I know - after hearing this presenation I realized I gave pencils to my kids too soon- we could practice writing letters, etc with paint, playdough, etc more often and hold off on the pencils
Hockeyrabbit - no clue what to tell you, but thats what we do here..once a week..ONE formal lesson, and then we are suppose to add it into our daily routines
recess - meeha...thanks I'll check it out.
meeha/ece/tx - you can also check in the archives here at t.net for past early childhood meetings about BB -- we've had several, including more than one with the author!
Jean - Not all kids are ready for lines but some are and I want to give them the opportunity to access that knowledtge.
eduKate - we just heard a presentation by Rigby on MOnday and are thinking about switching - my school is big into Fountas and Pinnell
eduKate - Ribgy and F/P seem like a good match
meeha/ece/tx - Does everyone know that these minutes are recorded and placed in the archive so that in a day or two you can come back (or a year or two!) and review conversation ... look up shared web sites, etc.?
Jessica - I don't use lined paper in kdgn - I feel that most don't have the fine motor skills to control that yet. But most importantly, when they write, I don't want them worrying about staying on the lines, etc. I want them to concentrate on WHAT they are writing
Hockeyrabbit - edu-we use Rigby..just the GR books and they are good..we have the PM kits and each grade level has a set of the benchmark kits
meeha/ece/tx - Kate,, the biggest downfall I've seen in most districts is that the programs used change with the wind -- nothing is given a chance to prove itself over time!
eduKate - Well, I'm open to whatever, just let me shut the door and do what I know words
eduKate - works, I mean
eduKate - I just got a free chart stand (an extra one).... any suggestions?
Hockeyrabbit - bye everyone..good luck
meeha/ece/tx - 'nite, rabbit!
eduKate - By the way, is there a special topic tonight?? Am I off task (hee hee hee)
Jean - Jessica, I begin handwriting skills on paper without lines. Though, I do use many other mediums as well. I begin story writing on unlined paper too. By the middle of the year, lined paper is used and those who can, do. Those who can't yet just seem to ignore the lines as they always do.
meeha/ece/tx - open topic tonite, Kate ... anything (pretty much!) goes
KindergartenCop - eduKate, I'd like an extra chart stand to put 100's pocket chart on one side and an extra sentence chart on the other side.
Jean - eduKate. Someone on the K chatboard posted a website with many super chart activities. I don't remember which post but it likely indicates it in the "title"
Jessica - I'm signing off - nice chatting with you all! (Does this go on here EVERY Tuesday?)
meeha/ece/tx - When I work with my older kiddos to learn to print their names we have no lines ... over time we go to trying to get them to "fit it inside a box" we draw on the paper ... just to get them to recognize the location in space concepts.
meeha/ece/tx - Jessica -- good seeing you! Yes, we meet here every Tuesday evening, although turrn-out seems really good tonite!
Jean - Night Jessica, thanks again.
eduKate - we have report cards coming out again next week. Seems we just have progress reports.. I'm going nuts assessing them all the time.
Jessica - (Before I go, at this confernece, they said at the end of kdgn, if you really wanted lines, you could show them where the letters sit with ONE LINE!!! This paper could be availbe if anyone wanted to try)
recess - Someone was asking about stories with a beginning, middle, and end...something I do is use sequence picture cards. The kids write a sentence to go with each picture. It's been a good way to get them started on simple stories.
Jean - Jessica, I hope my different opinion on lined paper didn't offend. Just another point of view. Thanks so much for you help
Jessica - Is this K/Primary group every Tuesday?
Hopper - Bye Jessica..I'm off too.First time...I'll be back. Thanks to all
meeha/ece/tx - what a great idea, recess!
eduKate - Plus, we are always doing some school wide thing: visiting magic show, local theater group, .... Recess, nice idea for story sequencing
meeha/ece/tx - Jessicca, yes!
Jessica - Jean, NO, not at all. I hope my opinion didn't offend you either! It's good to hear what others believe. It either makes us feel stronger about our own beliefs or opens us up to new ideas!?!? It's great to chat! No offense taken at all!
eduKate - I need to get some sleep, too, I should have called some parents earlier... time sure slips away
Jean - Nice chatting with you Jean!!
recess - After I do that a while I have them fold their paper into 3 sections. They draw their own pix and write a sentence to go with each one. We build from there.
Jean - OOps, that's nice chatting with you Jessica (now don't I feel silly)
Jessica - Okay, I enjoy this chatting so, but I must log off.
meeha/ece/tx - That is a good plan, recess.
Jessica - Nice chatting wtih you too Jean
meeha/ece/tx - 'nite, Jessicca!
Jessica - Ooops, Jean, good luck in the interview - hope the questions help!
Jessica - I like your idea too recess - I will try that!!
meeha/ece/tx - Jean -- tell me about the interview!
Jessica - Recess, do you do that in their journal or separate writing
recess - Not is journals at first. Once they've taken to the concept they do it in journals on their own. I let them free write in journals. I don't give topics.
Jessica - Alright . . . . I'm really going now!!!! BYE ALL! Thanks for your ideas!
Jean - Meeha, what do you want to know about the interview?
recess - Later Jessica
meeha/ece/tx - where (general -- of course!) what age? public or private school?
meeha/ece/tx - ... is it your first teaching job you're applying for?
Jean - Meeha, I teach Kindergarten and I am looking to get a position in a neighboring district, one I will be moving to. I had one interview, thought I bombed, but received a request for a second interview....
meeha/ece/tx - (I wasn't in the room earlier when you were talking about it ... good luck!
meeha/ece/tx - I hope it works well for you ... and that you're happy where you land! best wishes!
Jean - Meeha, I have been teaching for 14 years and just can't even remember my interview process the first time around. I'm glad I made the "first cut" at least rejection will be easier knowing I made it that far, if I'm rejected.
meeha/ece/tx - I certainly understand that, Jean! It has been 7 years for me and I don't look forward to need ing to interview again (after I finish the next degree!)
Jean - My interview is for April 15th. I probably shouldn't have scheduled it on tax day. The interviewer could be in an unhappy state of mind. Oh well
KindergartenCop - night all, it's time to "RETIRE" for some of us "senior" teachers :-0 (23rd year teaching)
meeha/ece/tx - ... or maybe he/she will be quite content with a nice refund!
meeha/ece/tx - 'nite KC ... rest well and have a great rest of the week!
Jean - So now I have plenty of time to be nervous and then plenty of time after to think of all the things I wish I had said. Who knows how long it takes for them to get back to me....yeesh
recess - I'm going to shove off as well. Going to look for the BB archives.
meeha/ece/tx - Well, I think I'll excuse myself, now, too. Take care and may good things come your way!
Jean - I'm really not insecure, just a nervous wreck, this county is at the top of the "food chain" when it comes to hiring teachers in our state
meeha/ece/tx - recess -- start at http://www.teachers.net/archive and scroll to the early childhood section -- you'll find it!
Jean - I'm out of here too. Nice chatting with everyone.
meeha/ece/tx - 'nite all
recess - Thanks! 'nite!
