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How
can I help you?
Do you feel like you are running out
of school year and there is still so much to do? It makes sense
to maximize instructional time to offer students the greatest amount of
learning in the least amount of time. However, now that Spring has
sprung, how do you capture student attention? Brain research
provides us with many insights into learning and how students learn
best. I would be delighted to model lessons and collaborate with
you on lessons to maximize your teaching while capturing.attention.
Research Indicates....
Graphic organizers (such as
Kidspiration & Inspiration) increase retention and recall in all
elementary age groups.
(Bos & Anders, 1992; Ritchie
& Volkl, 2000; Griffin et al., 1995)
Tech Tip:
Time for Spring Cleaning.
Here is how to organize your My Documents:
Is your My Documents folders getting so full that it's hard
to find the document you are looking for? Then maybe it's time
you start using folders to organize things. It's very easy to do
and works for any location on your computer, not just My Documents.
- First, open my
documents. (If you have Windows 2000 or XP a shortcut to this
folder is already on your desktop. If you have Windows 95, you
will need to go into My Computer, then C:, then you will see it.)
- Then you can either Right
Click and choose New then Folder
OR go to File then to New then to Folder
- Name the folder whatever you
want (i.e. Tests) and hit enter.
- Now you can click on any
file and drag it on top of the folder you just created. When the
folder is highlighted, you can 'drop' the file and it will move into
that folder.
Create as many folders as you need. You can even open
the folders you've made and make folders inside those folders.
This will make it much easier to find things when you need them.
And now when you are in Word and you are saving a document,
you will see the folders in My Documents and you can open them to save
the file in the appropriate place!
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Upcoming
Staff
Developments
We really enjoyed seeing you all at
the recent staff developments. Sorry that last one was such a
pain to schedule. That's what happens in January and February, I
guess. We are talking about doing one entitled, Read, Write,
Publish. This will provide you with some awesome tricks to use to
help with the writing process. Before we set anything in
concrete, we were wondering if you would be interested in such a
workshop? Time is running for this year and we are not sure about
adding anything more to your schedules. Please email us. If
we get at least 6-8 people who feel they are interested, we will start
planning.
All You Need To Know About Life, You Can
Learn From A Leprechaun
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<> 
Wonderful
Web Sites
St. Patrick's Day, St.
Louis
Click
on "Gallery" to view images from past St. Patrick Day's parades in St.
Louis. NOTE: The site includes ads.
An Irish Feast
This is
a collection of recipes for making seasonal goodies. Note: The site
includes a pop-up ad.
St. Patrick,
Missouri
Visit
the only town named after St. Patrick. NOTE: Teachers should navigate
the site for students because of the numerous external links.
Celebrate! Holidays in the U.S.A.
Read
about how we celebrate St. Patrick's Day in the United States. Also
learn about leprechauns.
St. Patrick's Fun at Kids Domain
This
site has printable color pages, online games, history, stories, and
more. NOTE: The site includes ads.
The History of St. Patrick's Day
This
site from the History Channel tells about this holiday, its history,
and how it is celebrated in the U.S. Click on the pictures to read
more. Video Clips is included.
Enchanted Learning: St. Patrick's Day Crafts and
Activities
Fun
hands-on projects plus some information about Ireland.
The Luck O' the Irish Quiz
Answer
these questions and see what you know about St. Patrick's Day. Note:
The site includes pop-up ads. NOTE: The site leads to websites with
discussion boards.
ABC Teach Worksheets
Here
are several printable sheets including stationery, word searches,
poems, and more. Note: The site includes ads.
eThemes Resource: Country: Ireland
These
sites include information about the history, art, castles, folklore,
and music of Ireland. See maps and photographs of many interesting
sites in Ireland. Includes an eThemes Resource on St. Patrick's Day.
Fairy Tale Season
I know we are suppose to integrate
all the genres into our teaching all year long but some how this just
seems to be the season where fairy tales fit best so whether you are
just now introducing these to your class or whether you are reviewing,
I hope the following can be of use to you.
Fairy
Tale Unit
Read
how one teacher incorporates fairy tales into her classroom.
Fairy
Tales Reproducibles
This
site provides information about fairy tales that you can print out.
Includes a Venn diagram, a graphing sheet, and an interactive crossword
puzzle.
Scholastic: Fractured Fairy Tales
This
site lets students write fractured fairy tales after they have
experienced them.
ALFY's Picks for Fairy Tales
Read
these familiar fairy tales online. The stories include audio and
illustrations. There is also a section with "New Twists on Old Tales."
Hans Christian
Anderson
This
site provides information about this fairy tale writer and links to
many of his stories. Click on "Chronological List" and then choose a
title to read one of his stories.
Ongoing Tales: Old Time Fairy Tales
This is
a large collection of fairy tales to read online. Also includes fables.
The
Gift: A Rocky Mountain Fairy Tale
This
online version of this tale includes text and pictures. Click on the
pictures to move forward or backward.
Absolutely Whootie
This
list of fairy tales gives the estimated reading time for each tale,
origin of the tale, reader age range, and a summary of the story. The
tales are accompanied by children's drawings.
Childrenstory.com
Read
the fairy tales and look at the illustrations. Click on the bottom
picture to move to the next page. You can listen to the stories in
RealPlayer also.
Multicultural
Fairy Tales
This
lesson plan has students not only learn about the characteristics of
fairy tales, but also compare and contrast them.
Grimms'
Fairy Tales
Learn
about the Grimm Brothers and their fairy tale writing. There are 12
tales to read online.
The Fairy Tale Trivia Quiz
Take
this quiz to see how much you really know about fairy tales.
Russian
Fairy Tales
Choose
to read the long or short version of these different Russian fairy
tales.
Folktale
Definition
Read
about the many forms of folktales that we read. This definition might
be helpful to educators.
eThemes Resource: Folktales: Tall Tales
This
eThemes Resource has literature sites with online tall tales from
America. Includes tall tales and information about Paul Bunyun, Davy
Crockett, John Henry, Annie Oakley, and Slue-Foot Sue. Learn what tall
tales are and their common characteristics.
eThemes Resource: Folktales: Fables
This
eThemes Resource include lists of fables by Aesop and other authors.
There is also some background information about what fables are, how to
write your own fable, etc.
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Conference Share
We learned a lot from the recent VSTE conference that we attended from
February 25-27. One item of interest that I would like to share,
concerns WIKI spaces and blogs. Wiki spaces or blogs are web
pages that two or more persons agree to work on in order to collaborate
on some type of project. What a great way for two classes to work
together even though they may be miles apart. I am going to share
two such sites with you. Both of these are free and are made just
for educators and both are endorsed by the Virginia
Department of Education. In fact, the VDOE has a wiki
they are using to allow the presenters a place to put handouts and such
from the conference. Please check these links out and let me know
if you
would like to use one of these tools in your instruction. This is
a wonderful differentiation strategy to share the writing process
across two classrooms separated by geography.
Teachnology
Wiki
See my Wiki that I have
started. I plan on using this tool when I present at workshops
outside of Amherst.
Edu-blog
Webcams
and virtual fieldtrips are also really good things to use with
children. Now that we are looking at one of our more magical
times of the year, you may be wanting to take a trip to a more Fairy
Tale Type place. I am sharing some very wonderful castle tours
with you as well as some tours of Ireland. (I wish I could go for
real!) If you want to have someone come into your classroom to
talk about Ireland from first hand experience you may want to consult
Brenda Watson from Central Elementary. She may even share a fairy
tale with your class.
Irish Castles
1. Dublin Castle receives
our award for excellence on the Internet with their gorgeous website.
Not only is there an interactive model of the castle, there are virtual
tours which includes a tour of the art, a pictorial map, and a 17
chapter virtual history book on the castle that you can download in PDF
format! Have fun exploring the castle grounds!
2. Knockabbey
Castle is, luckily, one of the castles in Ireland that has
been loving restored. Built in 1399, the castle was originally called
Thomastown Castle. It has changed hands a few times through the
centuries, and in the 1730s the Tenison family began to develop the
extensive gardens. Although it fell into disrepair, the current owner
decided to bring back 30 acres of the ancient gardens. No you can visit
The Garden Today through this virtual tour, complete with iPix virtual
movies. Then read it’s extensive history in the History and Heritage
section.
Historic Event
3. Titanic Times - Belfast
at the Time of the Titanic brings this event to life though
news clippings, photos, and a rich recounting of the historic events.
Under the Belfast - Then & Now category you can compare two 1911
photographs with two photovistas taken in 1999 of the same locations.
The Magical Side of Ireland
4. The Leprechaun 360o Panorama
& Webcam give you a glimpse of the magical side of the Irish
countryside. If you’ve never seen standing stones or a fairy ring, this
is your chance. Zoom, pan, and explore to your heart’s content. Then
look into the countryside with the webcam and see if you can find a
leprechaun.
URL -1: http://www.irelandseye.com/leprechaun/panorama.htm
URL -2: http://www.irelandseye.com/leprechaun/webcam.htm
5. GhostWatch
lets you hunt for the ghost of Helena Blunden, who died after a
horrible fall in a Belfast mill in 1912. The webcam is set up in the
mill, and it has been running 24 hours a day, allowing visitors from
all over the world to watch and report their ghostly sightings. Be sure
to print out your GhostWatch certificate when you’re through searching
for ghosts. Wouldn't fourth and fifth graders love this site?
Irish Street Scenes
6. Welcome to Sligo has
six stunning 3-D photos to help you explore the countryside of Sligo
County. Choose the countryside, the city streets, or the Drumcliff
Graveyard to see William Butler Yeats’ grave.
7. Carrigaline
Virtual Tour allows you to remotely explore castles, churches,
harbors, ferries, and the great outdoors. This collection of VR photos
tours and Quicktime movies gives yo one of the most extensive online
touring experiences in Ireland.
8. Take a Virtual Tour of
Dublin lets you do just that! Choose from among more than 25
destinations in the city and explore via 3-D images that you can view
in all directions, left, right, up and down. Immerse yourself in the
luck of the Irish.
9. Live Ireland Webcams
lets you sneak a peak at more than ten
locations around Dublin, including the Guinness Brewery webcam and
Christchurch.
10. 360 Degree
Photos of Kildare has a set of Flash tours and Webmedia 360
Degree Tours of Kildare. Explore the Kildare Cathedral, Naas Town, and
the Roberstown Village.
Have a happy- go-lucky Saint
Patrick's Day!
May the luck of the Irish be with
you!
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If you have a
website that you think is wonderful, please email it to me. I
will pass it on.
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