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TEACHERS.NET GAZETTE
Volume 3 Number 9

COVER STORY
U.S.Coast Guard AVDET 157 welcomes the opportunity during deployment to the South Pole to communicate with classrooms across the United States. Throughout the voyage, aviation personnel will correspond with schools that are interested in Operation Deep Freeze...
ARTICLES
Teachers.Net Teams with U.S. Coast Guard Operation Deep Freeze from The Editor, Kathleen Carpenter
Homework as an Issue in American Politics by Etta Kralovec & John Buell
Preparing for the One Year Anniversary by David J. Schonfeld, MD
The Anniversary of September 11th: Teachers' Guide for Talking to Your Students from the National Center For Children Exposed To Violence
Books About September 11, 2001 by Kathleen Carpenter, Editor
Privacy in a Technological Age by Dr. Rob Reilly
Relational Discipline by Bill Page
Teachers Are Individuals Too by Bill Page
Veteran Educators Share Tips for New Teachers Compiled by Jerry Taylor
Learning Centers - 3 Helpful Threads from the NEW Learning Centers Chatboard
Bits and Pieces - Various Small Articles by The Teachers.Net Community
  • For School Administrators and Teachers:
    A Book and Planting Activity for Beginning the School Year
  • Ideas for Open House
  • Breaking the Ice in 7th Grade
  • Book Recommendation
  • Favorite Kid Quotes
  • Uses for Old Business Cards
  • What Makes a Truly Great Principal? A chatboard survey initiated by "TLC"
    A Word Wall Story by Louise/2/Albuquerque
    Teaching Gayle To Read (Part 7) by Grace Vyduna-Haskins
    Girls Will Be Girls: Raising Confident and Courageous Daughters by JoAnn Deak
    Dear Old Golden Rule Days, Chapter 3 - Music by Janet Farquhar
    Emphasis On Testing Leads To Sacrifices In Other Areas by Alfie Kohn
    Pension Loophole Exploited by Allen Pusey - The Dallas Morning News
    Focus on After-School Time for Violence Prevention from: ERIC Clearinghouse
    Beyond Books: Making the Most of Today's Library Resources by Cindy Rogers
    Master Teachers Have Healthy Self-Esteems by Glenn Dietzel
    Distance Learning and Disabled Students by Jeff Redding
    September Columns
    September Regular Features
    September Informational Items
    Gazette Home Delivery:

    Best Sellers


    Learning Centers (Grades K-4 )
    by Michael F. Opitz

    $10.36 from Amazon.com
    More information

     

    Primary Literacy Centers : Making Reading and Writing Stick!
    by Susan Nations

    $23.95 from Amazon.com
    More information

     

    Quick-and-Easy Learning Centers: Math (Grades 1-3)
    by Patsy Kanter

    $10.47 from Amazon.com
    More information

     


    Teacher Feature...

    Learning Centers - 3 Helpful Threads
    From the NEW Learning Centers Chatboard http://teachers.net/projects/centers


    Learning Centers
    Questions to Ask Yourself

    by Barbara Gruber, author, presenter, and Gazette columnist

    Rene posted:
    Need Ideas for 4th Grade Learning Centers-I am a new teacher and I will be teaching 4th grade. If anyone has some ideas for learning centers I would greatly appreciate them.

    Barbara Gruber responded:
    Center management and center content are different issues.

    Management--just a few questions to consider:

    1. At the end of a week or month do you want all kids to have rotated thru the same centers?
    2. Do you want centers to offer enrichment for the "I'm done" kids?
    3. Do you want to use centers prescriptively so some kids are required to do more than others?
    4. Do you want centers to be assigned, free choice or a mix of both?

    Content--just a few considerations:

    1. Do centers provide extension and enrichment of the curriculum?
    2. Are centers not related to the curriculum?
    3. Do centers provide practice and review?
    4. Is content leveled?

    Thinking about these issues may help you end up with centers that work well for you. My best advice for you is to start slow...you'll learn as you go what works best and you'll find ways to streamline center management so you don't have to bring a sleeping bag to school and live there. Centers should not create work for teachers.

    Barbara



    Take It to Your Seat Language Arts Centers: Grades 4-6

    by Evan-Moor

     

    Posted by ms j
    I just bought this book for grades 4-6 today. It cost me $19.99. It's great for people who aren't creative or don't want to spend a lot of time to create centers.

    It's in color and all you have to do is cut out the task cards and laminate them. Place them in a folder and your center is made. A cover for the folder is included for each center and is also in color.

    The downside is that it seems to be more for independent work than for partners or small groups.


    Early Childhood Centers in Tubs/Containers

    Posted by Stumped:
    I've been reading that many of you keep your center materials in tubs, pulling them off a shelf as needed. I bought a few tubs and made a nice ABC center. But now I don't which others to make. Early childhood teachers, what centers do you put into containers?

    Phyllis responded:
    I have taught K-6th grades. All of my centers are in plastic shoe boxes. I use the book

    What Are the Other Kids Doing While You Teach Small Groups?
    by Donna Marriott

     

    I make copies of (for example) a story map. I place the story map, a book, a tape of the book and directions in the tub. I label the tub on the outside so it is easy to find.

    I make copies of (for example) a story map. I place the story map, a book, a tape of the book and directions in the tub. I label the tub on the outside so it is easy to find.

    I place items of various kinds in tubs. Kids can sort them, make venn diagrams with them, invent things- the directions are in the box. Most of the time I tell them what I want. They do not choose unless it is a highly motivated child.

    • I have supplies to make a popsicle stick puppet in a tub along with directions (a book on puppet making).
    • I have copies of fairy tales in a tub laminated along with pieces or pictures of the characters of the fairy tales I have copied onto colored paper and laminated. I attach magnetic tape to the back of each piece. They use my desk which is metal to retell the story to their friend.
    • I have words to go along with a theme or unit. Students use to write stories, place in abc order.
    • I have clocks and time cards they have to set the clock correctly.
    • I have tangrams and patterns.
    • I have attribute blocks with patterns.
    • I have map puzzles in tubs.
    • I have math fact cards.
    • I have two Battleship games from The Dollar Tree.
    • I have magnetic letters for make a word.
    • I have stamps of letters for them to stamp their spelling words.
    • I have word stamps, number stamps (use for math problems), I have money stamps, etc.


    Browse the latest posts from the Classroom Centers Chatboard:
     

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