Mrs. Brown's Best Ideas

TeacherTube Videos - We Didn't Start the Fire

2010-07-31T22:24:00.000-07:00

TeacherTube Videos - We Didn't Start the Fire

This video would be great for history teachers. I loved watching it and putting pictures with the lyrics. It made more sense.

Classroom Rules

2010-07-31T22:16:00.000-07:00

Classroom Rules

I loved this!-Watched this video. Great for the first day, if you have some extra time.

Star Lab

2010-07-31T21:49:00.000-07:00

I was thinking what I would post on tonight and thought about a great activity I was in charge of at my last school in California. I called the night Star Lab and I invited the students at the school to bring their families in the evening to learn about space. Here are the stations that took place:

1-Star Lab-it was a dome that inflated. (Picture above) There was a projector in the middle that projected a simulated night sky onto the ceiling. People crawled through a tunnel and I told them about the different constellations and some Greek mythology that went with them. This took about 20 minutes per group. I could only get about 20 people into the dome at one time so I sent home sign ups the week before. This was the favorite station of the night. Here is the website:

http://www.starlab.com/

2-I had the computer lab set up on the NASA website for students and parents to explore. I had a teacher in the lab to help with questions or technical difficulties. H ere is the website:

http://www.nasa.gov/home/index.html

3-The local astronomy club came and set up their telescopes for the students to look through. Saturn was visible and the students loved this.

4-I had books for the families to look through while they waited for the other stations.

5-I had toliet paper rolls and paper out and the students punched out constellation patterns into the paper. They were able to look through the paper and see a small pattern.

6-Students figured out distances onto a paper-cash register tape (how big the solar system is in relative terms).

7-Students made paper space ships (NASA had this activity all prepared). The students really liked this.

I found a website that is offering to give teachers up to 5 telescopes free. You only have to pay the shipping. It seems like a great buy. I am posting the website for you to look at

https://www.galileoscope.org/gs/

This was one of my favorite things I have done while being a teacher. I would love to do it for the school in Utah but they don't have a Star Lab-they are very pricey.

Establishing Routines

2010-07-28T20:34:00.000-07:00

With the beginning of the school year right around the corner, I thought it would be great to talk about how important it is to establish your classroom routines with your students.

Students need to know what is expected of them in your classroom. To ensure that you have smooth transitions throughout the day, think carefully about the routines for which you must plan. Clarify them in your mind. It may be helpful to make a list of transitional times throughout the day (see the list below to help you get started!). Other teachers or your mentor can serve as resources by sharing their own classroom procedures and routines.

Before establishing specific procedures or routines, it is necessary to have a discussion with students about their importance. During this discussion, you should be able to talk about the rationale behind various routines. When possible, invite students to create procedures with you. This process can nurture a sense of ownership and community in your classroom.

In establishing procedures or routines, it is important to:

Ensure that students understand the reason for the routine.
Clarify the procedure through modeling.
Allow students opportunities to practice the routine through rehearsal.
Try not to overwhelm students by teaching too many routines at once. The process of establishing routines and procedures may take several days.
Remember that it will probably be necessary to revisit this process as you see the need.

The following list may help you get started in thinking about times during the day for which you may want to establish procedures and routines:

Entering and exiting the classroom
Labeling papers
Beginning the day
Collection and distribution of papers
Signaling for quiet and attention
Appropriate times for moving around the room
Emergency drills and procedures
Going to the restroom
Moving throughout the school
Late arrival
Grading and homework policies (including make-up work)
Asking questions
Finishing an assignment early
Dismissal

I am excited to start the new school year. I know that routines are a lot of work to establish but well worth the effort. It will save you a lot of time in the long run.

Fun Rainy Day Activities for the Classroom

2010-07-27T21:21:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be fun to gather some great rainy day activities to share with everyone. I love having activities on hand that I can use for indoor recesses or days when the lesson goes faster than planned. Enjoy and share with your co-workers:

Palindrome Challenge

Directions:

Palindromes are words or phrases that read the same backward and forward. Some palindromes are both complicated and silly (for instance, "Able was I ere I saw Elba," or "A man, a plan, a canal, Panama!"). There are also plenty of simple words young children can spell that are palindromes.

Have your kids think of as many palindromic words as possible. Some they are likely to know are "mom," "pop," "dad," "tot," "toot," and "noon." Your children can also include names, like Anna, Hannah, and Bob.

As your kids think of palindromes, they can incorporate them into a story (weaving them together with non-palindromes so that the plot makes sense). Try this tale, which begins with two classic palindromes, for starters: "Madam, I'm Adam. Was it a cat I saw? Mom called at noon. She wanted to find dad so they could pop over to the tot lot and toot their horn."

Beanbag Race

Materials

Tape or string
One beanbag per player

Directions

Mark two lines ten feet apart on the floor with tape or string.
Give each player a beanbag and have the players stand at the starting line.
Announce, "Ready, set, go!" and have the players race toward the finish line in one of the following ways:
A player is disqualified if his beanbag falls before he reaches the finish line.
A child playing alone can race against the clock and try to cross the finish line within a designated time. He'll have fun trying to better his time with each try.

Doll House

Milk Jar Doll House
Need: Plastic milk jar (jug), craft knife, construction paper, paint.

Cut out 3 1/2 inch square door in one of the containers sides (Teacher). Cut out windows if desired.

Glue construction paper roof shingles around the top of the jug. For a chimney, use black marker to draw rows of bricks on a strip of red construction paper. Wrap paper or paint around the door opening. Tuff a puff of cotton "smoke" into the sprout.

Add paper window boxes with cut out flowers from the construction paper. Color or add material to cover floor. Then let the children use their imaginations with dolls, furniture, magazine cut outs and much more.

This is a good rainy day activity. Have fun.
Contributed By: Ardina
Note: If you covered the milk jug in brown construction paper and made the top of the door curved it would look like a hobbit house.

A Surprise Inside

Fill one lunch bag for every child with various items from your art cupboard. This is a good way to use up those odds and ends. Here are some examples of things to include in your surprise bag: googly eyes scraps of material gummed paper stickers pipe cleaner cotton balls
Just check out your cupboards and see what you got. Provide the children with glue, scissors and crayons, you'll be amazed at what they can make.

Sticker Fun
Need: flavored gelatin, water, magazines.

1 teaspoon flavored gelatin
2 teaspoons boiling water

With this solution, you can turn magazine pictures, wrapping paper, or comic book cutouts into customized stickers.

Place gelatin and boiling water in a small bowl. Stir until the gelatin is dissolved. Let the mixture cool. About one minute. Brush a thin coat of warm sticker solution on the back of each picture cut out. Use a small brush. When dry you can lick the stickers and stick them on paper or glass. Works just like a real stamp!

Rolled Paper Beads
Need: Decorative paper or colored newspaper comics, pencil, ruler, scissors, glue, yarn.

For each bead cut a strip of paper measuring 1/2 x 12in(4x30cm). The paper needs to be wider at one end. Cut the paper strips into long skinny triangle shapes. With one end measuring 1/4 in (1cm) and the other end measuring 11/2 in (4cm).

Take a pencil. Wrap the wider end of a paper strip around it. Dab a little glue on the end of the strip and carefully roll the paper around the pencil to make a tubular bead. Glue the narrow end of the strip around the bead. Allow to dry, and slip it off the pencil. After gluing you may want to carefully slip the paper bead off the pencil to dry. Children use lots of glue and the bead could get glued to the pencil.

Repeat the process with the remaining strips to form more beads and when you have enough, string them onto a length of yarn to make a bracelet or a necklace.

Splatter Platter
Need: Food coloring or paint, paper plate or construction paper, rainy day.

Put drops of paint or food coloring on paper (don't mix). Put outside and let the rain do the rest. It might not take very long so watch it carefully. Then bring it inside to dry.

*Games

Funny Face

Children sit in a circle with a solemn expression. One child is "it" and suddenly bursts out laughing. He stops, wipes the smile off his face and tosses it to another, calling that person by name, who in turn bursts out laughing. Any player who laughs when he/she is not "it" drops out of the game. The play continues until only one person is left; he/she is the winner!

Marshmallow Olympics
Supplied with a marshmallow, each group of children will use a variety of objects to move a marshmallow through an obstacle course .

Need: One large marshmallow for each group ( the remainder of the bag may be used as prizes). Each group will also need 1 teaspoon, 1 straw, 1 toothpick, 1 kleenex tissue, a pencil, 12 inches of string, 1 piece of 6" x 6" paper, 1 ruler, and a can with the top off.

The children assemble into different groups. One person from each group gets the groups supplies.
Now, given time to think, each member of the group is to choose one item that will help only them move the marshmallow.
Each time the marshmallow is moved, it must be moved by a different member. If there are not enough members, then some children may have two turns.
For each obstacle they are successful at they will receive two free marshmallows! If they drop the marshmallow, that movement is unsuccessful.
The marshmallow itself must never be touched by hand.
They will have 20 minutes.

The movements for the marshmallow are these:
1. from the supply table to the groups work area.
2. into a can.
3. out of the can onto their work area.
4. over a 12 inch space.
5. from desktop to floor.
6. from floor to desktop.
7. delivered back to the supply table.

Praise their imaginations and efforts.

Learning About Data

2010-07-20T22:03:00.000-07:00

I have been learning about data in my classes this summer at SUU. It is interesting how much thought goes into what we do at school. There are people who analyze the testing information and tell us what needs to be done for the school year. I think that teachers take this for granted. I am appreciative for all the long hours people spend on data collection and making the data mean something for the rest of us. So for all those data analyst our there for our schools-THANK YOU for what you do!

Best Books for Children

2010-06-25T22:57:00.000-07:00

(This is from my family's Green Eggs and Ham breakfast)
I thought I would find the best books for your students to be reading. I found a great Web site by NEA. There are two different lists. Maybe you could check some on these out this summer and develop some great new lesson plans. That is what teaching is all about. Happy reading!

Here is the list that is divided by age groups:

Books for All Ages

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
Where the Sidewalk Ends: the Poems and Drawing of Shel Silverstein by Shel Silverstein
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
Heidi by Johanna Spyri

Books for Preschoolers - More Preschool Titles from TeachersFirst / TeachersAndFamilies

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see? by Bill Martin, Jr.
The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister
Corduroy by Don Freeman
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise
Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney

Books for Children Ages 4-8 - More Primary Reading from TeachersFirst / TeachersAndFamilies

The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss
The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Love You Forever by Robert N. Munsch
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
The Mitten by Jan Brett
Stellaluna by Janell Cannon
Oh, The Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss
Strega Nona by Tomie De Paola
The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by John Archambault
The Complete Tales of Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff
The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman
Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg
Math Curse by Jon Scieszka
Are You My Mother? by Philip D. Eastman
The Napping House by Audrey Wood
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig
The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss
Basil of Baker Street by Eve Titus
The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper
Curious George by Hans Augusto Rey
Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge by Mem Fox
Arthur series by Marc Tolon Brown
Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes
The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton
Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish
The Art Lesson by Tomie De Paola
Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
Clifford, the Big Red Dog by Norman Bridwell
The Paper Bag Princess by Robert N. Munsch

Books for Children Ages 9-12 - More Books by Grade Level from TeachersFirst

Charlotte's Web by E. B. White
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Little House on the Prarie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner
Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
The BFG by Roald Dahl
The Giver by Lois Lowry
James and the Giant Peach: A Children's Story by Roald Dahl
Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh by Robert C. O'Brien
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson
Matilda by Roald Dahl
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume
Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary
The Trumpet of the Swan by E. B. White
The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder - Laura Ingalls Wilder Webquest
Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar
Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard Atwater
My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett
Stuart Little by E. B. White
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis

Books for Young Adults - More Books by Grade Level from TeachersFirst

Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien
Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls
The Cay by Theodore Taylor
The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare

Here is the list that is for all students:
Teacher's Top 100 Books for Children

Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss

Good Night Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

I Love You Forever by Robert N. Munsch

Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

Oh! The Places You Will Go by Dr. Seuss

The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton

The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg

Skippyjon Jones by Judy Schachner

Thank You Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco

The Cat In The Hat by Dr. Seuss

The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo

The Mitten by Jan Brett

Crunching Carrots, Not Candy by Judy Slack

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willlems

Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst

Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman

Corduroy by Don Freeman

Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes

Stellaluna by Janell Cannon

Tacky the Penquin by Helen Lester

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr.

Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin

Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson

Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss

Junie B. Jones by Barbara Park

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Make Way For Ducklings by Robert McCloskey

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

Piggie Pie by Margie Palatini

The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper

The Monster at the End of this Book by Jon Stone

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett

From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli

Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann

Olivia by Ian Falconer

The BFG by Roald Dahl

The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

The Sneetches by Dr. Seuss

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Tikki Tikki Tembo by Arlene Mosel

A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Bark, George by Jules Feiffer

Bunnicula by James Howe

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

Charlie the Caterpillar by Dom DeLuise

Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes

Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary

Frederick by Leo Lionni

Frindle by Andrew Clements

Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel

Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney

Harris and Me by Gary Paulsen

Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion

Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss

How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss

I Love You, Stinky Face by Lisa McCourt

Is Your Mama A Llama? by Deborah Guarino

Jan Brett’s books

Knots on a Counting Rope by Bill Martin Jr.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton

Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney

My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett

My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss

My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George

No David! by David Shannon

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

Stephanie's Ponytail by Robert Munsch

Swimmy by Leo Lionni

The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes

The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Warner

The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper

The Empty Pot by Demi

The Five Chinese Brothers by Claire Huchet Bishop

The Giver by Lois Lowr

The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown

The Last Holiday Concert by Andrew Clements

The Napping House by Audrey Wood

The Quiltmaker's Gift by Jeff Brumbeau

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

The Story About Ping by Marjorie Flack

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

The Wide-Mouthed Frog: A Pop-Up Book by Keith Faulkner

RTI Program at Cedar Middle School

2010-06-11T15:46:00.000-07:00

I thought I would blog about how the RTI program works at the school where I work. First of all, RTI stands for Response to Intervention. According to the National Center on Response to Intervention, Response to intervention integrates assessment and intervention within a multi-level prevention system to maximize student achievement and to reduce behavior problems. With RTI, schools identify students at risk for poor learning outcomes, monitor student progress, provide evidence-based interventions and adjust the intensity and nature of those interventions depending on a student’s responsiveness, and identify students with learning disabilities or other disabilities.

Our school first decided to attempt the RTI model three years ago. We decided that the middle school age group was suffering because not enough reading intervention was provided once students were out of elementary school. We decided to give all students in our school the Qualitative Reading Inventory (QRI) and measure what reading level every student was on. This was no small task. We have 900 students in the middle school. It took three weeks and every spare hand we could grab. Teachers were testing on prep times and instructional assistants were watching classrooms so that teachers could help test. This QRI tests is a one-on-one reading test. We gave this test twice that first year. The students who were reading below third grade instructional were assigned to a reading intervention class. This is the TIER 3 level. This was available to all students, not just special education students. It was amazing to see the progress in these students. They were receiving reading instruction daily for 45 minutes and making a lot of progress. Students who were measured at reading on the 3rd, 4th and 5th grade levels were assigned to reading instruction groups for 45 minutes two times a week. This is the TIER 2 level. We teach the Anita Archer reading program, REWARDS, during this time. The students who were reading above fifth grade instructional level were assigned to the TIER 1 level. Classroom teachers are responsible to provide intervention that is needed at this level.

We just finished up the third year of RTI groups and still see growth in the students. For example, at the beginning of the year, we had 148 students in the TIER 2 group. We just ended the year with 109 students. That means 39 students made enough reading growth to exit the intervention groups. I see this as a huge accomplishment. Reading affects students throughout their entire lives. We have used the GRADE reading assessment this year and have found it more time efficient. The test scores are consistent with the QRI and the teachers are more willing to help with testing because it doesn't take as long as the QRI. If you are interested in learning more about the RTI system here is a great website http://www.rti4success.org/

Meet my cute SUU fans!

2010-06-11T15:41:00.000-07:00

My first post has to be dedicated to my number one fans! These kids are patient and love SUU as much as their parents. Both my husband and I graduated with our BS degrees from SUU. My husband works at SUU now and I am a student again. As my son said just yesterday, "You're in school? I thought you had been there and done that?" Go T-birds!