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Tuesday Teacher Tips - Oct 2


As a way to connect with the other teachers I'm working with and share ideas that I happen upon while surfing the net or following conversations on our state lms listserv I'm going to try to send out weekly or bi-weekly Tuesday Teacher Tips.  I'll keep them brief and only send 3-4 tips out at a time - along with some brief announcements about things happening in library.

Testing Tip

You can already get a jump start on preparing your kids for KPREP state testing by helping them improve their mental endurance.  Just like you can improve your physical endurance for a 5k, you can help your students improve on the length of time they can concentrate on a task through practice. 

Each month, ask students to increase the amount of time they engage in silent reading. I love this graph over at www.julieballew.com http://www.julieballew.com/A_Literate_Life/Photos/Pages/Anchor_Charts.html#7


Smart Board Tip

When you orient your board, instead of just touching the center of each plus sign with the pen, get a more accurate orientation by touching the pen away from the plus sign and dragging it to the center of the plus sign, then release.
You may also want to use a 12 or 20 point orientation (instead of a 9) by
· Clicking on Smart Board Tools icon
· Select Control Panel
· Select Smart Hardware Settings
· From drop down menu select Orientation/Alignment Settings
· Choose 4, 9, 12, or 20—the more you choose the more accurate


Tech Tool—Random Name Generator
Check out the random name generator on Super Teacher Tools.
It allows you to enter the names of your students in a list and it will randomly draw their names—takes the place of popsicle sticks or note cards, and it can be used on the iPad.
http://superteachertools.com/instantclassroom/random-name-generator.php

In Honor of Our Champion Reds - Check out some books about great teams

Made using InstaCollage


For this rather impromptu display to celebrate the success of the Cincinnati Reds, I promoted nonfiction books about great teams and fictional groups that show great team work to accomplish a task.

Some books I included in the display were:
Bone - Jeff Smith
Harry Potter - J.K. Rowling
The Big Field - Mike Lupica
Beezus & Ramona - Beverly Cleary
Magic Tree House series books
Selections about Lewis & Clark
University of Kentucky Basketball
various NFL, NBA & MLB teams
and of course books we had on the Cincinnati Reds

This is all very fluid, and I don't have a set list at this point.

What teacher tips would you share - or what good books about teams can you think of?

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