Classroom Set Up Resources: Back to School Giveaway

Update: This giveaway is now closed.  Congratulations comment #7, chosen by Random.org, julia shoemake. 


Our newest feature writer, Ana from Ingles360, has been sharing with us for a month now.  In response we have heard from several of you who have been looking for ways to incorporate a second language into your teaching.  On her personal site Ana has put together many downloadable kits to enhance your teaching.  This week she is offering a giveaway here on ABC & 123!

Are you  ready for this giveaway?

you will receive my Back to School Kit with 50 reproducibles ready to print, cut and use!

my Back to School thematic pack with lots of printables for literacy and math skills

and a set of printables for the first days of school with bookmarks, pencil toppers and cards

How to participate: To be entered to win this fun back to school collection please leave a comment below.  

Additional Entries: Consider following Ana's personal blog and letting us know in a separate comment.  If you choose to tell others about this giveaway via twitter, facebook, or your blog please let us know that as well for additional entries!

Entry in this giveaway will be open until Wednesday, September 7th at 10 PM EST.  A winner will be chosen randomly after comments close and will be notified accordingly.  Good Luck!

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Author Spotlight: Ron Clark

Not Every Child Deserves a Cookie
By Ron Clark,

Author of The End of Molasses Classes: Getting Our Kids Unstuck -- 101 Extraordinary Solutions for Parents and Teachers

Last year one of our new fifth graders was really struggling. He entered RCA below grade level in every subject and he was failing several courses. When I met with his mom she defended her son by saying, "Well, he made all A's at his other school."  When I told her that was shocking, she explained that he had done so well because he had a really great teacher. Urgh!


There is a misconception in our country that teachers whose students make good grades are providing them with a good education. Parents, administrators, and the general communiry shouldn't assume good grades equal high academic mastery. In fact, in many cases those teachers could be giving good grades to avoid conflict with the parents and administration. It's easier to fly under the radar and give high grades than to give a student what he or she truly deserves and face the scrutiny of the administration and the wrath of an angry parent.


I have attended numerous awards ceremonies where practically every child in the class received an honor roll certificate. Parents always cheer, take pictures, and look so proud. I just sit there and think, Ignorance is bliss. Are these kids really being challenged, or are they only achieving mediocre standards set forth by a mediocre teacher in an educational system that is struggling to challenge even our average students? Yet, all of the parents look so proud and content.


The worst part about it, however, is that I am afraid most parents would rather their child get a good education where they received straight A's and praise than an outstanding education where they struggled and received C's.


At the beginning of every year, I give my fifth graders an assignment. They have to read a book and present a project on one of its characters -- specifically, they have to figure out a way to cleverly show such details as what the individual kept in his heart (what he loved the most), saw with his eyes (his view of the world), "stood for" with his feet, and held to strongly in his backbone (his convictions). I encourage the students to "bring it" and to use creativity and innovation to bring the body of the character to life.


Most of the students will bring a trifold where they have drawn a body and labeled the locations. Some will use glitter, and some will be quite colorful. I am sure in most classrooms the projects would receive high grades, mostly A's and B's. I, however, hand out grades of 14, 20, 42, and other failing marks. The parents and students are always upset, and many want an explanation.


I ask them to trust me, and I explain that if I gave those projects A's and B's, then the students wouldn't see a reason to improve their efforts on their next assignment. Some staff members have even said, "Ron, but you know what that child is dealing with in her home, and you know she did that project all by herself." I quickly tell them that society isn't going to make excuses for their home situations, and we can't either. If we make excuses and allowances, it will send the child the message that it's okay to make excuses for his or her performance based on circumstances, too. We just can't do it. We must hold every child accountable for high standards and do all we can to push the child to that level.


I recall giving one fifth-grade student a failing grade on her first project. She cried and cried. She had never made less than an A on her report card, and her mother was devastated, too. I explained that the low grade would be a valuable life lesson, and I gave the young girl, and the rest of the class, tips and strategies for receiving a higher score in the future. I showed them an example of a project that would have scored 70, a project in the 80s, and a project that would have earned an A.


I was pleased to see that her next project came to life with New York City skyscrapers that were sculpted from clay, miniature billboards that contained academic content, and streetlights that actually worked. The project was much, much better, and it received a 70.


As a final project, the students were instructed to create a time line that would contain a minimum of fifty significant dates in the history of a specific area of the world. The same young lady brought in her final assignment wrapped in trash bags. Removing it, I saw a huge, four-foot pyramid, a replica of the Great Pyramid of Giza. The student had made it out of cardboard and apparently had used sandpaper to make it feel like a real pyramid. It was beautiful, but it didn't contain a time line, so I told her the grade would not be passing.
She grinned at me, walked over to the pyramid, touched the top point, and suddenly three sides slowly fell open, revealing the inside. She had carved her outline on the inside, using detailed pictures, graphs, and descriptions of 150 major events. She even had hand-carved Egyptian artifacts and placed them throughout the inside of the pyramid, just as you would find in the tomb of a great pharaoh. She had handmade mummies that she had learned how to make on the Internet. She looked at me and said, "Mr. Clark, I have worked on this for weeks. I wanted it to be good enough. I wanted it to be an A." It was miraculous and spectacular. I looked at her, full of pride, and said with a smile, "Darling, it's an A."


If her initial project hadn't been an F, she never would have walked in with that pyramid. That child is about to graduate RCA, and she is ready to compete with any high school student across the country. She knows what high expectations are, she understands the value of a strong work ethic, and she knows how to achieve excellence. If we continue to dumb down education and to give students A's and B's because they "tried," we are doing them a disservice and failing to prepare them to be successful in the real world. That young lady couldn't walk into an elite high school and compete with a glitter-filled trifold. However, she can walk into any high school with that pyramid and her overall knowledge of how to achieve that type of excellence and stand high above her peers.


I often bake cookies for my students. I tell them it is my great-greatgrandma's recipe and that she handed it to me in secret on her deathbed. (Okay, a stretch.) As I pass out the cookies, the kids who are working hard receive one with delight; the students who aren't working as hard do not. Parents will call and say, "Mr. Clark, I heard you gave every child in the class a cookie except my child. Why are you picking on my child?"


Why does every child have to get the cookie? The parents claim that I will hurt the child's self-esteem. Has it really gotten to the point that we are so concerned with our children's self-esteem that we aren't realistic with them about their performance and abilities? If we give "cookies" when they aren't deserved, then we are telling our young people that they don't need to work hard to receive rewards. We are sending a message that the cookie will always come. That is why we have so many young people in their twenties who have no idea what it means to work hard. And that is why they are still looking to their parents to provide support (and to give them the cookie).


I tell my students who don't receive a cookie that I will be baking cookies the following week. I tell them that I will watch them until that time and that if they are trying hard they'll earn their cookie. It is shocking to see how much effort kids, regardless of their age, will display to get a cookie. And when it is earned, it means something. The students will glow with pride, and they will explain how they are going to eat half the cookie then and save the other half for later. Also, it tastes better than any cookie they have ever eaten, and it sends the message that with hard work comes rewards. If parents and teachers are just rewarding our kids without cause, we aren't teaching the value of personal effort.
We all need to teach our young people that not everyone deserves a pat on the back just because we are attempting to make everyone feel good. Giving praise that isn't earned only sets up our students for more failure in the long run.


If you are a teacher who wants to increase expectations but is afraid of the backlash from giving failing grades on assignments that will cause your parents and administration to freak out, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself When you give an assignment, show your students beforehand what you expect. Show a detailed description of what would earn a failing grade, a passing grade, and an outstanding grade. Share that with your administration as well to make sure it meets their approval, and then make your parents understand the expectations. Letting everyone know what is expected beforehand will leave no opportuniry for complaints after the grades have been given.


If you are going to give rewards, such as cookies, let the parents know the classroom behaviors that will earn the reward and the behaviors that will not. When students are struggling, let the parents know specifically the areas that need to be addressed. If the child still does not meet the criteria, you have been clear about your expectations and therefore negative conflicts can be avoided.


The above is an excerpt from the book The End of Molasses Classes: Getting Our Kids Unstuck -- 101 Extraordinary Solutions for Parents and Teachers by Ron Clark. The above excerpt is a digitally scanned reproduction of text from print. Although this excerpt has been proofread, occasional errors may appear due to the scanning process. Please refer to the finished book for accuracy.
Copyright © 2011 Ron L. Clark, Inc 



Ron Clark, author of The End of Molasses Classes: Getting Our Kids Unstuck -- 101 Extraordinary Solutions for Parents and Teachers, is a New York Times bestselling author of The Essential 55, has been named "American Teacher of the Year" by Disney and was Oprah Winfrey's pick as her "Phenomenal Man." He founded The Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta, Georgia, which more than 10,000 educators from around the world have visited to learn about the extraordinary ways that teachers and parents of RCA have helped children achieve great success.



For more information please visit http://EndofMolassesClasses.com and follow the author on Facebook and Twitter

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Frugal Tips for Learning

Welcome! New to ABC and 123?
Please check out our FAQ in the left sidebar.

We're always interested in ways to make the dollar stretch farther, especially when it comes to learning activities. Which can cost a lot! If you've got a great way to save money of supplies or activities, email us so we can highlight your tips too!

I'll start! When I began teaching kindergarten, I had almost no classroom library. To build mine up quickly, so that kids would have plenty of books to look at and explore for language activities I became a frequent shopper at "Friends of the Library" sales. My current library has them once a month and all kids books, videos, etc. are only a QUARTER each! I've gotten some beautiful hardcover books in mint condition that I've even wrapped up and given my daughter for gifts.~Katie, Katie's Nesting Spot

MaryAnne from Mama Smiles share a thifty alternative for a sand table.

Rachel at Quiry Mama shares that "We mix our tempera paint with shaving cream. It makes the paint go farther, the colors seem more brilliant as they dry and the paint is no longer spill-able as the shaving cream makes it stick to the cup. Also, if I add a lot of shaving cream I now have finger paint - a huge hit with my toddler!"

Melinda at Mama Bear's Clubhouse sent us this tip to use page protectors to make worksheets reusable.

Annette at Live, Learn, Love also shared her way to get the most use out of preschool workbooks. Kids need so much practice with writing, this is a much greener way of learning, with less waste for sure!

Starr at examiner.com shares her tips for finding free and cheap art supplies.

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Alphabet Crafts & A Giveaway

Update: Unfortunately, the winner that was originally chosen for this great book did not leave an email address for us to contact and never responded here to claim the prize. So, lucky for comment #26 chosen by Random.org (5/17/10) the prize is now awarded to them.

Stephanie said...
What a neat idea! I'd love to have this book as my kids get older.



Allie, of No Time for Flash Cards, has teamed up with MemeTales to put together a wonderful alphabet resource for parents of preschoolers. The book Alphabet Crafts features a unique idea for visually representing each letter of the alphabet with creative materials.

Allie has put her knowledge as a professional educator and as a mom into the creation of this new book. Throughout the pages she offers useful suggestions and explains bits and pieces of her personal teaching philosophy. In addition to the project ideas, this book includes a helpful list of 15 great books for teaching the letters of the alphabet.

As a parent I (Katie from A List Maker's Life) loved the step-by-step instructions. There are pictures included for many of the steps. Since my craft age children are 4 and 5 they could actually follow these instruction independently with ease. I also appreciate the detailed material lists included for each of the activities. This was always an important piece of my lesson planning as a classroom teacher.

My personal favorite alphabet craft in the book is the adorable Watermelon W. However, the kids and I tried our hand at the E is for Envelope project because I wanted them to take it a step further by writing letters to put in the envelopes. Allie suggests writing letters (E & e on small scrap pieces) which is what my 4 year old practiced with, but since the 5 year old already knows his letters I wanted him to practice letter writing (Dear Gram...).


GIVEAWAY

Alphabet Crafts is available for purchase for only $8, which is a fantastic value. However, Allie has also offered a giveaway copy of this new book to one reader of ABC & 123.



To be entered to win please leave your comment on this post.

While there is no purchase necessary, or special requirements, to enter this giveaway we would love if you would also consider the following options. This helps us as we continue to spread the word about great educational sites and resources, as well as connect with amazing teachers and parents like you!
~Check out Allie's blog
~Follow and/or Subscribe to ABC & 123
~Join us on the ABC & 123 Community on Blog Frog



Entry in this giveaway will be open until Friday, April 30th at 10 PM EST.

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Teacher Feature

Welcome to Teacher Feature Tuesday! New to ABC and 123?
Please check out our FAQ in the left sidebar.

Today's teacher feature is a book review from a friendly ABC cooperator and guest writer. Thanks Ticia, from Adventures in Mommydom, for your willingness to share this kindergarten writing resource with us. My Very Own Poetry Collection: 101 Poems for Kindergartners
I got this book back when I was teaching 1st grade, at the time I don't know there was a 1st grade collection, but we had a lot of fun with this one. It covers many of the topics covered in Kinder and 1st: transportation, seasons, all about me, so on and so forth.

It's printed on perforated pages, so you can easily tear pages out to make copies. I took all the pages out and put them in page protectors and made copies of the sentence strips on cardstock and put it in the same page with the poem it goes with. Here's how we use it.

1. Each kid gets a copy of the poem to glue into their poetry notebook.

2. We take the sentence strips (these are one line from the poem) and work together to put them in order on the pocket chart. If you didn't have a pocket chart you could just do this on the floor. At this point, this is just a matching the same letters activity, not reading yet.

3. We also say the poem together everyday.

Here are some other things you can do with these poems, or other poems, or nursery rhymes:

1. Look for sight words.

2. Look for the letter you're studying for the week. This can be more challenging if the letter is in the middle of the word.

3. Make actions to go with the words.

4. Find rhyming words.

5. This is a higher level skill, but look for a rhyming pattern.

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A Special Needs Student Resource

Welcome to our Tuesday Teacher Feature! New to ABC and 123?
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Thanks to Lyla for sharing this elementary resource with us.



Stuttering Stan Takes a Stand
by Artie Knapp (Author)
Barbara L. Gibson (Illustrator)



Lyla says,
"There is a new book for kids who stutter that I would highly recommend. The book is titled Stuttering Stan Takes a Stand, and it's about a little squirrel who stutters. I bought this book because of the great reviews, and it actually exceeded my expectations. It's perfect for a read aloud environment like in the classroom."



NSAStutter.org also has a PDF synopsis of this book available for your review.

To read more reviews on this book, check it out on Amazon .

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Itty Bitty Bookworm Review & Giveaway

Welcome! New to ABC and 123?
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THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED, THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO ENTERED AND CONGRATULATIONS TO KERI, WINNER OF THE BAILEY CURRICULUM!

I've had a link on my personal blog to the Itty Bitty Bookworm since I first started blogging, because they have great free resources with printable booklets, thematic writing paper, classroom management forms, coloring pages. They are also working on adding monthly links to other online resources that enhance their curriculum.

So I already thought it was a great resource, and THEN we were contacted by Tara, the founder of Itty Bitty Bookworm and asked if we wanted to do a review of their literature based curriculum for preschoolers AND host a giveaway! We jumped at the chance!

The Itty Bitty Bookworm is a literature based program, with each week in Bo's or every two weeks in the Bailey curriculum centered on a particular book. There are two levels to the curriculum Bailey's is for 18-36 months and Bo's is for 3-5 year olds. We had the pleasure of reviewing the Year 1 April units for both levels and split them up according to the ages of our own children.

Bailey's Curriculum Review

This is Katie from Katie's Nesting Spot, my daughter is two and a half, so we've been having fun using the Bailey Curriculum for 18-36 month olds. I am so thankful to Tara for letting us have the opportunity to share it with you!

You get a very detailed and complete unit, that comes with a lot of theory behind child development. You won't just get ideas, you'll learn the why and how to teach your child. The long term goals of the program laid out in developmental stages will be of particular interest.

There are scheduling suggestions, including how to incorporate a picture schedule and suggestions for songs to start your day with. Learning centers are discussed at length with many examples and suggestions given. Motor skills, both fine and gross are also covered.

As a former teacher, I especially appreciated the forms already created to help record student progress, especially the writing portfolio milestones sheet, and the parent handouts detailing the program and for each two week period. How nice to be able to just copy and send home, a real time saver!

Speaking of time savers, if I had one suggestion, it would be that the animal cards for the sounds and felt board activities be provided in both color, so that you don't have to color them in before using them with your students, and black and white, so you still have a version for the kids to color in and use for your own extension activities.

The program is centered around storybooks, with shared reading a big component. I was happy to see that there is an in depth daily break down to the implementation schedule. It is very clearly written and easy to follow. It is the foundation for using the program. Every day there is a detailed shared reading, group activity, and creative arts activity.

For this month the focus books were:
~What Will You Wear, Jesse Bear?
~Clap Your Hands

Some of the shared reading activities were:
~Discussing the parts of the book
~Asking her what she remembers
~Chorally rereading the book
~Discuss favorite parts of the book
~Sing and practice a poem of the week
~Act out parts of the book
~Reread for fun

Each day there are also book related activities that also incorporate learning the color and shape of the month.

Some Activity Highlights Were:

~Making a character puppet, she enjoyed this so much we had to make more than one.

~Acting out the book and taking pictures, here she is clapping her hands and stomping her feet.

~Playing with her paper plate tambourine and water bottle maracas

~Getting to be the leader, when playing follow the leader
~Talking about feelings and making silly faces
~Singing an animals sounds song and doing a coordinating felt board activity
~Making animal sounds and finding the corresponding picture card, she made some of the cards and was proud of herself. Those are her favorites and when we play, she always chooses to make those animal sounds first.

~Yellow Handprint Flowers, I didn't make ours as directed but it's similar to the described activity and one of the things I liked about the program is how you can change things and make it work for you.


I found the activities easily adaptable to use items you have on hand. For instance, we did not make craft stick picture frames. We decorated inexpenisve frames I already had. I really liked using the program, it takes all the guess work out of planning and the books it uses are readily available, in fact we own fifteen of them already. I also would like to add that I agree with the other Katie, and many of the points she uses to describe the Bailey curriculum below, would also apply to the Bo curriculum.

I'd love to have the whole program, and I know you would to! Keep reading to find out how you can WIN it!

Bo Curriculum Review

I, the list making Katie, had the privilege of reviewing Itty Bitty Bookworm’s Bo Curriculum for children ages 3-5 (Year 1).

What a fantastic, comprehensive program for use in ANY school setting.

In typically list maker fashion, I’d love to share some of the many highlights of Itty Bitty Bookworm in general & specifically the Bo Curriculum.

Itty Bitty Bookworm
~ Lessons & activities foster the natural curiosity evident in all preschoolers.
~ Easy to implement
~ Very organized & detailed lay out
~ Creative thematic units
~ Helpful printables provided for easy management: daily reports, daily schedules, graphics, song posters, parent communication, and observation/record keeping forms.

Bo Curriculum
~The layout & format is incredibly “friendly” for busy moms and teachers.
~The curriculum includes a detailed daily schedule, weekly format, and monthly theme suggestion.
~Center activities are provided with set up explanations.
~The curriculum includes many opportunities for authentic assessment to monitor children’s progress as they move through the themes.
~Each theme includes a detailed supply list
~Each month’s skill objectives are clearly stated

Interesting Fact for Educators & Parents
Throughout the monthly themes the letters of the ABC are taught in order of printing complexity.

My kids & I specifically explored the unit “Bugs, Bugs, Bugs!”

We read the following buggy books:
~Bugs, Bugs, Bugs
~The Very Hungry Caterpillar
~The Grouchy Ladybug
~Miss Spider’s Tea Party

Some of the projects we enjoyed included:
~Ants on a Stump cooking project
~The Counting Bug Book math project
~Shared Reading & Response
~Fingerprint Bugs art project
~Play dough Bugs
~Bug “Guess Who”

Excited about giving the Itty Bitty Bookworm a try? Here are some options.
~Check out their site now for great ideas, lesson previews, and free printables.
~Purchase pieces of either the Bailey or Bo Curriculum that will be useful for your child’s specific needs.
~WIN an entire year of Itty Bitty Bookworm curriculum (a $300 value)!!!
To Be Entered in the Giveaway Drawing:

~Visit the Itty Bitty Bookworm. Take a look at the Bailey and Bo curriculum. When you come back comment on which curriculum you would prefer to win & which theme you are most excited to try! (This must be done to be entered)

Additional Entries may be Earned by Doing Any (or all) of the Following:
Leave a separate comment letting us know about each thing you have done.

~Twitter about this giveaway and leave a link to your tweet
~Follow ABC & 123: A Learning Cooperative
~Purchase & download any piece of the curriculum and let us know
~Add our button to your sidebar
~Add our link to your link list
~Blog about this giveaway and provide a link back

Good Luck! We will be choosing a winner one week from today, on May 7th!

Head back over to the Give it Away Now! Blog Giveaway Carnival at Mom Most Traveled for more great giveaways!

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Teacher Feature: Book Review

New to ABC and 123?
Please check out our FAQ in the left sidebar.

Jenn, a 2nd grade teacher, recently read the following book to enhance her writing instruction. She shares the following professional review with us here.

“Every student in your class, whatever the grade level, should have his or her own blog.”

Barry Lane, author of But How Do You Teach Writing? A Simple Guide for All Teachers

Barry Lane’s approach to teaching writing is entertaining and informative. His book, But How Do You Teach Writing? is separated into three main parts: getting started, reasons to keep writing, and how to make writing better. In it Lane suggests ways to enhance student performance in both fiction and nonfiction writing. He emphasizes the need for teachers to allow students to choose their own topics and strongly encourages teacher creativity and flexibility. In order to meet individual needs, Lane recommends setting up a writer’s workshop where the process of writing can be explored. He provides some basic guidelines to follow while acknowledging the need for teachers to create their own structure. The “Lane’s Law of Literacy” statements that appear throughout the book give quick glimpses into Lane’s personal beliefs as well as provide helpful insight. In addition, the funny comics throughout the text add a hint of his personal humor. It is an easy read and a great guide to have sitting by a desk. My copy is full of dog-eared pages, highlights, and sticky notes and I reference it often. I appreciate the layout of the chapters and the “Try this” sections that suggest how to put the ideas into practice. There is also a “Yeah, But” part at the end of each chapter where Lane answers readers’ questions. I especially like the top 21 forms that are provided at the end of the book. Barry Lane’s book is a must read for any teacher looking to improve student writing.

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