SC Kinder Teachers Conference...Thanks, Y'all!

It sure was fun spending the day with SC Kindergarten teachers (SDE SC Conference for Kindergarten Teachers). I mean they speak my language, y'all! They were fun and friendly and ready to show their dance moves!

Did you know that brain research says I can only hope to keep your attention for 20 minutes? No problem...here we are up again!

I also introduced my participants to Whole Brain Teaching so that they would have plenty of time to share ideas with partners. Just look at these two awesome teachers rockin' it out with "Palms on your partners!" (Special thanks to Michelle and Heather for letting me share this picture. They were really missing being at school right here at this moment. But I cheered them up! *wink*)

Friends that attended, here are the video links you requested. 

Also thanks to Tracie McGovern for sharing information with the group about the Sounds in Motion program. Please go to the link to find out more!

If you have any trouble with the top-secret link to the session handouts, just drop me a note.

How can you get your hands on all the free stuff we shared? Attend an SDE workshop in your state or in VEGAS!!

I am humbled to speak to teachers and leave knowing there is so much for ME to learn, so a special treat for me was getting to hear my friend Kim Hughes present.

 

If you were at the sessions, I'd love to hear from you. Hope to see you soon! 

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EdExpo 2015 New Products!

Through a series of fortunate events and the gracious hospitality of Meghan Harris @ Keeping Up with Mrs. Harris, I was able to attend the EDexpo 2015. What is the Edexpo? It's the annual educational products marketplace...where all the teacher stores and companies buy the cool stuff in their stores. There were over 150 companies exhibiting the latest and greatest products for educating kids. Now why would this crazy bunch of teacher bloggers meet up for that? We each got to vote on our 10 favorite finds. Yeah. Turns out teachers' opinions count! The results were tallied and here is what we loved. Because I was focused on early childhood materials, I didn't see everything on this list, but I'm sure if our group voted the items in, they are HOT NOW! Please PIN these items so other teachers know they are available!

#1 Touchtronic Letters from Junior Learning

Lucky me...I got a free set! My kinders have already enjoyed using these letters with the iPads. The activities app is free. At less than $30, I think you'll want to try them out.

#2 The Reading Game

This is Meghan and Bonnie Kathryn from Bonnie Kathryn Kinders and Beyond learning about this award winning reading game that teaches Dolch and High Frequency Sight words. Watch the video to learn how it works!

#3 Say It! Game

The essence of Say It! is turning a card to reveal a word or phrase, which is then used in a sentence or to continue a thought. Aloud. Say It! should be played by 3 or more people.

#4 There was a tie...

 Fidgets by Boinks

Here's why the teachers loved this product: They are a great sensory therapy toy. Due to their texture and spring-like action, they help develop fine-motor skills and help kids with ADD, Autism and sensory challenges calm their fidgety fingers.

#4 Goldiblox

Girls, start your engines! Here are award-winning books and toys for the young female engineer.

#5 The F.U.N. Empty Number Line System from Learning Advantage

F.U.N. stands for Fluency and Understanding Numbers. This number line is a visual representation for sharing students' thinking and developing number sense. There are different grade level boxes available. I looked at the K-1 kit shown here.

#6 Math Bands

Kids who wear these bands can practice skip counting and multiplication facts wherever they go! No need to keep up with cards. The sets of bands come with an activity guide. 

#7 Busy Fingers by Fiddle Focus

I'm gonna just go ahead and admit I couldn't keep my hands off of these. They have a foam insert for pushing and different textures. They were designed to assist children with social and emotional regulation. (Guess I needed that!) They can be attached (with Velcro) to learning areas where the child works.

#8 Pinch Grip, Pencil Grip and Crossover Grip 

by The Pencil Grip, Inc.

If you've got kids that need help with holding a pencil, then this company has options! Just head over to their website to see the right choices for your students.

#9 Circuit Sticker Books by Chibitronics

I can't say I saw this one...but when I watched the videos I could see why kids would have fun. It's crafting and coding in a really creative way! Here's an introduction...

#10 Kapla Blocks

I love to find new building products! The Kapla concept is simple. No glue, no screws and no clips are needed with the simple pine blocks. Each block is simply placed one on top of the other. The blocks are held in place by gravity and balance alone. A great way to allow children to build, create and use their imaginations!

#10 There was another tie...

Cool Circuits

I missed these as well, but the science teachers loved them. So you lay down a card, solve the puzzle and it lights up. This builds spatial reasoning and abstract thinking.

WHEW! That's only the beginning. In addition to the top products, I found a few of my own that got my votes because they were perfect for our youngest smart kids. I'll share those with you in another post SOON! Remember, pin the items you liked so other teachers can find them.

Sneak Peek at My SC and Vegas Sessions: Sign up NOW!

"Work Smarter" tip for February...Sign up for an SDE Kindergarten conference! I've been attending these events since waaaaaay back. I always leave renewed and excited. You can find a state Kindergarten conference here. But the mack daddy of all Kindergarten conferences is I TEACH K! in VEGAS. There's still time to get the early bird price, too. Get a group together and you'll save even more. 

Here's a sneak peek at the sessions I've worked up for I Teach K! in July. I'll also be sharing info with teachers in South Carolina in March, so if you live near the palmetto state, take a day away from the kiddos and come on over to Columbia.

Take your students' thinking higher with read-alouds! In this session, we'll find out what research says about the value of read-alouds.Then we'll look at Bloom's Taxonomy to find ways your readers can remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and create with stories. I've got lots of lessons, charts, and activities ready to share!

In this session, we'll take a look at the developmental stages of writing with real samples from kindergarten students. We'll examine routines and centers to help you incorporate writing into your classroom. By viewing videos of children being coached, you'll understand how to help you class create narrative, informational, opinion, and persuasive pieces of writing.

Get your kindergartners ready for an amazing ride that takes them from read-alouds into writing. We'll look at the research road signs that connect reading with writing. Travel with me through books with plans for charts, prompts, centers, and projects.

You need lots of tools in your toolbox to run a successful readers' workshop. In this session, I'll help you lay out a blueprint for setting up your schedule. We'll nail down key areas of the curriculum to cover through the year. 

In South Carolina (March 2), I'll share Super Smart Writing and Reading Under Construction. I'll also lead these sessions:

Sing into schema, dance into determining importance, act out inferences, make visual art using visualization, turn questions into poetry, make music with the meaning of synthesis! Experience ideas for integrating visual art, music, movement, poetry, storytelling, and drama with children’s literature. I'll share innovative ways to teach comprehension strategies— making connections, visualizing, inferring, asking questions, determining importance, and synthesizing. 

Help your students set sail toward math success! In this session you’ll get a bounty of easy-to-use strategies for developing and reinforcing math skills, number sense and numerical fluency. On the journey, we'll examine the treasure map to find out what current research says about how young children learn these concepts. You’ll determine ways to avoid shipwrecks by looking at where children struggle with numeracy. Plus, you’ll also collect some treasures—whole-group lessons and games that easily transfer to center activities. 



If you attend any of these sessions, please be sure to introduce yourself! See you soon!

Interactive High-Frequency Books: 100 Pennies a Piece!

Since we're getting ready for the 100th day of school, I'm fixated on all things 100. All of my interactive books are on sale for 100 pennies a piece. 

Just click here to see all twelve books. Prices good until my 100th day of school...Thursday, January 22.
Each book contains: * Directions for the teacher and student. * Word/picture cards so students can build the phrases in the book. Use the cards in a small reading group or center. * Pages for the book.

Here's a picture of my kiddos working on the Frosty's Five Buttons book.

Get out your pennies while these books are a buck!

 

 

Teaching Word of the Year

I'm a fan of Christine Kane, president and founder of a company called Uplevel You. I'm sharing one of her recent blog posts that contains a pretty cool little tool for finding your word of the year. Only I'm proposing you give it a teacher twist.

After using the ideas to create your personal word of the year, how about spending some time thinking about your classroom? Here are some ways to apply her ideas to your teaching.

If you put your word into action daily, what would be different for your students?

What would be different for you?

In what ways do you already apply this word? 

What keeps you from living out this word in your classroom? Where do you get stalled?

What practices can you put into place to keep this word working?

If you made a craft project with your word, what would it look like? 

How can you display your word in your classroom so that you keep your focus until May?

I believe you can create new outcomes in your classroom just by taking this time to contemplate changes. Set your intention and give it your attention! For more inspiration, watch one of Christine's older posts that has a video.

Let me know if it works for you. Feel free to share your word and reasons in the comments.

Happy New Year!