tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9050188086659426672024-03-20T23:30:03.794-05:00FACS Classroom IdeasFACS teachers have a lot of work to do when it comes to organizing their classrooms! In this blog I'll share the ideas I've created (or stolen) to make my classroom a little easier to live in.Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963398099747010439noreply@blogger.comBlogger255125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905018808665942667.post-66932599516833495502019-10-20T05:00:00.000-05:002019-10-20T05:00:00.286-05:00Pinned Post - If You're New to This Blog...Welcome! This blog was created to share practical organization tips for FACS teachers. If this is your first time here, you may want to start by clicking on the "Organization" label in the right sidebar. Thank you for reading!<br />
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For more of an introduction, here is my first post from March 2012:<br />
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All FACS teachers know that we have a crazy amount of tools, materials, and resources that need to be well-organized and maintained in order to create a successful classroom environment. While I have scored a few good ideas from the Internet, I find the online world seriously lacking in truly practical tips to help teachers establish an orderly classroom specifically for "Home Ec". Through trial and error, creative thinking, and (I’m not ashamed to admit it) outright theft, I’ve implemented several successful ideas in my classroom over the years. The purpose of this blog is to share my ideas with others looking for the same thing, and hopefully to have other teachers share their ideas with me!<br />
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<br />Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963398099747010439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905018808665942667.post-1133807364659503682019-10-19T08:31:00.000-05:002019-10-19T08:31:28.833-05:00Every Teacher Should Take Four Years OffAs readers of this blog from yesteryear know, in the spring of 2014 I left the classroom and took a position in faculty development at the local community college. At the time I thought I would never go back to teaching K12.<br />
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Not so much, it turns out! After four years I was ready to get back into the action, and I am now in my second year back. And it is SO DIFFERENT this time. Not because of the school I'm at or the students I teach or the admin I work with, but because of the benefits gained from the gap.<br />
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EVERY TEACHER SHOULD TAKE FOUR YEARS OFF!<br />
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Okay, so that's probably not realistic, but it has made a huge difference to return with a fresh perspective. I have the enthusiasm of a new teacher with the experience of a seasoned one, and that is a very powerful, and very HEALTHY, position.<br />
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I wasn't sure about returning to blogging so I've waited a little over a year, but I think I have some good things to share about that new perspective that may be helpful to others.<br />
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And, of course, being at a new school I have all sorts of new organization tips! Stay tuned!<br />
<br />Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963398099747010439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905018808665942667.post-90245877456982453512017-12-13T13:30:00.000-06:002017-12-13T13:30:57.944-06:00Quick Inspiration: The "How"s of 2017This 2 minute video is worth every second.<br />
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<a href="https://youtu.be/vI4LHl4yFuo">Google - Year in Search 2017</a><br />
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<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vI4LHl4yFuo?rel=0" width="560"></iframe>Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963398099747010439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905018808665942667.post-37910906359136201822017-09-22T15:51:00.001-05:002017-09-22T15:51:30.669-05:00Why We Need Home Ec, Part 5Stephen Moore: "People want insurance for their own families, not for other people's families."<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">THAT'S NOT HOW INSURANCE WORKS. </span></b><br />
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<i>Quote at 2:43 below:</i><br />
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For past editions, visit:<br />
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<a href="http://www.facsclassroomideas.com/2013/07/why-we-need-home-ec.html">Why We Need Home Ec, Part 1</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.facsclassroomideas.com/2013/09/why-we-need-home-ec-part-2_3.html">Why We Need Home Ec, Part 2</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.facsclassroomideas.com/2014/10/gah-why-we-need-home-ec-part-3.html">Why We Need Home Ec, Part 3</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.facsclassroomideas.com/2015/07/why-we-need-home-ec-part-4.html">Why We Need Home Ec, Part 4</a><br />
<br />Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963398099747010439noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905018808665942667.post-30093341550655767452017-09-07T12:00:00.000-05:002017-09-07T12:00:28.683-05:00Never Cook the First Day of the WeekOne of my hard and fast rules for Foods classes is we never cook the first day of the week. Here's my rationale:<br />
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<li>As we all know students tend to suffer a massive though usually temporary memory loss over the weekend related to classroom procedures, rules, and generally how to act in school :) Throw in what they've forgotten about the recipe you're working on, and it's utter chaos.<br /></li>
<li>You have enough to do over the weekend without piling on school grocery shopping. Amiright?<br /></li>
<li>This buys you one more day to do laundry if you're behind on the towels. Nothing worse than not having enough clean towels.<br /></li>
<li>After the first few weeks, there's always one day of the week when you won't be asked "Are we cooking today?" (as if there are ever, <i>ever</i> surprise cooking days). On the occasions when students forget what day it is and ask, the other students are usually all to happy to answer the question for you - no, it's the first day of the week!</li>
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Anyone else share this rule? Do you have others about when labs are scheduled?</div>
Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963398099747010439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905018808665942667.post-68991337331271436882017-07-03T17:00:00.000-05:002017-07-03T17:00:24.319-05:00A Different Kind of Love Letter - Amelia Earhart styleCame across this tweet and thought it would be a great artifact for any kind of family studies course. Sharing here for your enjoyment and possible practical use!<br />
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Amelia Earhart’s highly unsentimental prenuptial letter to fiance George Putnam, 1931: <a href="https://t.co/gSH3y4SI2w">pic.twitter.com/gSH3y4SI2w</a></div>
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— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/BeschlossDC/status/881546630054289408">July 2, 2017</a></div>
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<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963398099747010439noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905018808665942667.post-42804390707518710052017-05-11T12:00:00.000-05:002017-05-11T10:39:07.953-05:00Seniors...<span style="font-family: inherit;">Thought I'd re-post a few past entries about end of year activities for the newbies to the blog who haven't been through the archives. Here's one from FIVE years ago - how is that possible??</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">At my school, seniors graduate a week before school is out (usually it winds up being longer than that for make-up days, but it was a no-Snow Day year). And, of course, our school asks that senior final grades be posted a week before that so that they can notify non-graduates. As such, seniors can be difficult to work with their last week because they know that their grades are already in. Luckily, my one class that is primarily seniors only meets twice this week because of miscellaneous senior activities, but what to do those two days? One day is "<a href="http://facsclassroomideas.blogspot.com/2012/04/survey-monkey.html" target="_blank">course reflection</a>" day, where they complete their Surveymonkey.com survey and write a letter to me evaluating the class. The other day I give out a "Graduation" quiz of general knowledge they should now have as almost-high school graduates. There are about 70 questions on it - here's a sampling:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>What number comes after 22?</i></span><br />
<i>Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?</i><br />
<i>During what month of pregnancy is it safe for a pregnant woman to drink alcohol?</i><br />
<i>What is the square root of 64?</i><br />
<i>Who was the first explorer to circumnavigate the globe?</i><br />
<i>Name any two parts of a plant.</i><br />
<i>How many states are there in the US? (SCARY answers for this one, usually)</i><br />
<i>What quantity of alcohol is safe to drink before driving? (I love it when they ask me "For someone over 21 or under 21?)</i><br />
<i>What is the date of St. Patrick's Day?</i><br />
<i>How many bones do you have once you reach adulthood?</i><br />
<i>In which ocean is Hawaii?</i><br />
<i>Where did each of the four planes crash on 9/11?</i><br />
<i>What are the first three digits of Pi?</i><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Once they realize what kind of a quiz it is and stop moaning they really get into it. When everyone is finished, we then go over the answers. Some of the scores are pretty frightening. The kids tend to really enjoy this, and we wind up with great discussions about what they've learned, what they wish they learned, and what they think they will use the most in post-high school life. Typically this uses the entire hour, but if there's time leftover I have them try to write down as many of the US states as they can remember. Also a little frightening. It's a great way to use one of those post-grades/pre-graduation days.</span></div>
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<br />Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963398099747010439noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905018808665942667.post-38727324966134685692017-02-09T16:00:00.000-06:002017-02-09T16:00:29.088-06:00This MattersHi everyone! I'm slowly working my way through backlogged emails, sorry if you've been waiting for a response from me. Hopefully I'm back in business now.<br />
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And to mark my momentous return, here's something important to watch. #thismatters<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="315" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fthismatters%2Fvideos%2F714035155442346%2F&show_text=0&width=560" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" width="560"></iframe>Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963398099747010439noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905018808665942667.post-56935630753197074032016-11-29T15:00:00.000-06:002016-11-29T14:27:52.800-06:00Gingerbread Houses!<i>Here's a throwback post describing a fun end-of-the-(calendar)year project, gingerbread houses! Enjoy! </i><br />
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Second quarter of my Foods I class is dedicated exclusively to baking, and the culminating project I like to finish out with is the creation of gingerbread houses. This was my sixth year implementing this lab, and I think that I've <i>almost</i> got it down pat - close enough to share, anyway. So, here we go!<br />
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OVERVIEW<br />
Each cooking group creates a gingerbread house (or another imaginative structure that will fit within the given dimensions for the project). Completed gingerbread houses are displayed at the district Christmas get-together (an after school event), where ballots are available for all faculty and staff to vote for their favorite.<br />
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TIMELINE<br />
I begin seven school days before the Christmas party (including the day of the party). This year the party was on Dec 18th. Here's how I worked out the schedule:<br />
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Dec 10th - Make the gingerbread dough. Chill over night.<br />
Dec 11th - Cut out and bake pieces.<br />
Dec 12th - Make the icing. Glue pieces together. Let dry over night.<br />
Dec 13th - Begin decorating.<br />
<i>weekend</i><br />
Dec 16th - Finish decorating.<br />
Dec 17th - Super clean the kitchens.<br />
Dec 18th - Party!<br />
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<span style="color: red;">Learning Experience #1: The first couple of years I did this, I tried to go too fast. I wanted them to bake and make icing the same day; only gave one day for decorating; my first year I think I even tried to have them glue and decorate on the same day. Crazy. GO SLOW TO GO FAST!</span><br />
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<span style="color: red;">LE #2: Leave at least one if not two class periods in between when you plan to end the lab and the day of the presentation. The first year I timed this so that they would finish the last day of the semester before Christmas Break. Yup, wound up being a snow day. Crap. Also, allow time for REALLY GOOD CLEANING. The icing can be really hard to see and gets everywhere, so they will need to re-clean the kitchens at least once after their final preparation day.</span><br />
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DOUGH RECIPE<br />
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This recipe will actually make enough dough for nearly two houses of the size I have the kids make. It's a good amount, because a) you'll have extra dough handy in case disaster strikes, b) kids can make little extras to decorate their houses with, and c) it's still a small enough amount that it will all fit in a cereal bowl, so will not take up astronomical amounts of room in the fridge.<br />
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<span style="color: red;">LE #3: My first year I wanted to make sure they had enough dough for do-overs and such, and had them make a recipe that was twice this much. Big mistake! This is more than enough!</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><i>Note: It's fairly likely that the shapes will not finish baking by the end of the period, unless you are on a block schedule or have super efficient kids. This isn't a terrible nuisance; since these won't be eaten, you don't need to worry about keeping them fresh. In fact, once both classes finished baking and the ovens cooled, I just put all of the cookie sheets back in the ovens overnight. If this won't work with your schedule, consider adding another day to the timeline: roll/cut and bake on separate days.</i></span><br />
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PATTERN<br />
The pattern I use comes from the website <i><a href="http://gingerbreadhouselane.com/2013/02/small-gingerbread-house-pattern/" target="_blank">Gingerbread House Lane</a>. </i>If you follow the link, you can download a free PDF. I created <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aA0THNt7h74&feature=youtu.be" target="_blank">this short video</a> to demonstrate rolling out and cutting the dough pieces - I show it in class right before it is their turn to roll out and cut.<br />
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<span style="color: red;">LE #4: Again my first year, I let the groups design their own house and make it as big as they wanted as long as it fit on the board I gave them. Oh, youth! This turned out to be a just plain stupid idea. I do give them the option of altering the pattern or getting other ideas approved, but they cannot exceed the dimensions of the above. The photo of the first year houses below portrays the ugliness but (thankfully) hides most of the insane mess created!</span><br />
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<span style="color: red;">LE #5: Due to storage issues, next year I will slightly reduce the size of the pattern from above. The explanation is in the next section.</span><br />
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STORAGE<br />
Obviously you're going to need a reliable place to store these while in progress, as they're going to be around for a week and you don't want to attract critters. In the past I've only had one class at a time doing these, so once I reduced the dimensions after the first year (seriously, what was I thinking?) storage was pretty easy: I simply kept them in the ovens and/or microwaves. Worked like a charm. This year I had two classes making them, so that wasn't going to work. I realized that they would fit in cake carriers - brilliant! Airtight and easily portable!<br />
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A few weeks before beginning this project, I started asking my kids to check if they had one of these at home and if they could get permission to bring it in. Several kids came back saying they could bring one. Perfect!<br />
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<span style="color: red;">LE #6: Two kids actually followed through and brought them in. Sensing this impending disaster, I sent out a plea to my co-workers. Three came through for me on such short notice, which was really awesome. Next year, I will ask the staff for loaners earlier, and possibly purchase some for the classroom. They're only $5-$6 at WalMart, after all.</span><br />
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<span style="color: red;">LE #7: Oh, brilliant plans gone awry! The assembled houses fit PERFECTLY in these. Until the kids put rows of Hershey's kisses or gumdrops along the top of the roof. Hence, next year I will slightly reduce the pattern to allow clearance for roof decorations.</span><br />
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ICING<br />
For the icing, I use the <a href="http://www.wilton.com/recipe/Royal-Icing" target="_blank">Wilton royal icing recipe with meringue powder</a>. It works extremely well and does not involve separating egg whites!<br />
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<span style="color: red;">LE #8: Cut this recipe in half to start. Several groups will only need one batch. For those who need more, after they've made it once the second time they can put it together really quickly.</span><br />
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I use Wilton disposable decorating bags; these work fabulously, and you get 100 for $15. No need to invest in anything fancy.<br />
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<span style="color: red;">LE #9: The first year I refrigerated the icing. This turned out to be an enormous pain, because of course it hardened and needed to be thinned out and all in all was a terrible idea. I now seal the individual pastry bags in gallon-sized freezer bags and toss them in a box with a lid for the next day(s).</span><br />
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<span style="color: red;">LE #10: I used to give them decorating tips to use with the bags. This was a big ol' mess. Unless you've got a more advanced class or you have taught them to use these ahead of time, you will also wind up with a big ol' mess. They can fancy it up with other decorations. Just have them clip the points of the plastic bags and go.</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><i>Untested tip: One of the ladies that lent me a cake carrier said that she melts marshmallow fluff to use for "snow." She says it creates the perfect effect and will harden just like icing. Gotta try this one out!</i></span><br />
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<span style="color: red;">LE #11: Be prepared for meltdowns on gluing day, both physically from a house or two and emotionally across the room. Keep a special eye on your perfectionists and the students who are used to being good at everything; this is challenging and at least a couple kids will get pretty upset. Before beginning this step I show them photo examples of houses that have "gone wrong" in the past and how those students came up with creative solutions (for such an example, see "The Bowl" below).</span><br />
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DECORATIONS<br />
Typically, there are three items I buy for the decorating, all of them generic brand cereals in the really big bags: generic "Golden Grahams," generic "Fruit Loops," and generic "Fruity Pebbles." Those three bags provided enough decor for nine groups this year, and I had about half of each leftover for next year. I tell the kids in advance what I'm going to provide, and tell them that they are allowed to bring in any <i>non-perishable</i> items that they would like to add. Usually they wind up bringing in quite a bit of stuff, and surprisingly they're almost always really good about sharing with other groups - even when the other groups have nothing to "exchange." So nice to see kids being nice to each other!<br />
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EXTRA DOUGH<br />
On the first day of decorating, I provide a limited number of cookie cutters for the kids to bake shapes out of their leftover dough (gingerbread men/women, Christmas trees, stars, that kind of thing).<br />
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<span style="color: red;">LE #12: If ever you have letter cookie cutters out for some reason, explain the expectation that nothing inappropriate should be spelled out with them, and never leave the cutters unattended. My second year of teaching I left a pile of letter cookie cutters on a table when I left for lunch duty (my classroom door didn't close due to the fire escape in the room). When I returned I found some really nasty words spelled out on my table. Super. Luckily they weren't viewed by the wrong eyes before I could destroy them. Morons.</span><br />
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FINAL STEPS<br />
Each group needs to come up with a title for their house, and produce a short story introducing it (just a paragraph will do, nothing extravagant). This will be part of the final display. I also take a picture of each group holding their gingerbread house. I then make a page for each house with a border, their photo, their title, and their story.<br />
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<span style="color: red;">LE #13: While it would of course be better to have them do this themselves, computer lab time is EXTREMELY limited during this time period. Next year I will sign up extra early, and create a template for them to use to make their own display signs. That way they do the actual work, but all of the signs have a uniform look.</span><br />
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DISPLAY<br />
I purchased two cheap Christmas-y tablecloths to cover the tables in the library that I used for the displays. A few students helped me set the houses around the tables, and their story pages in front of the houses. For the ballots, I simply printed out slips of paper with the titles of the houses, and asked the adults to circle their favorite, based on whatever criteria they chose. I set out a green tin and a red tin - one filled with red and green colored pencils to fill out the ballots, and one to hold completed ballots. To make sure this idea caught on, I folded up a blank ballot and put it in the empty tin, so that others would know what to do.<br />
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<span style="color: red;">LE #14: Next year I am going to create categories to vote for: best construction, best story, most creative, etc. </span><br />
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Next year they'll all be displayed on round cake carrier bases!<br />
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SAVING SUPPLIES<br />
As I mentioned before, I had quite a bit of the Malt-o-Meal decorations left over, so I put them away for next year. First they went into Rubbermaid containers. I also put leftover decorations that the students brought in and donated (mostly because they didn't feel like taking them back home) in Ziploc baggies. All of the sealed decorations along with the tablecloths went into a copy paper box ( I LOVE copy paper boxes!) lined with a heavy duty trash bag (notice the many layers of defense to protect against attracting unwanted critters!). I labeled the box, and put it with its other box friends. All ready to go for next year!<br />
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<span style="color: red;">LE #15: When reusing supplies from the previous year, be sure to unpack the box in front of the kids so that they know you're serious when you tell them that the decorations are a year old and they shouldn't taste test them. Soooo many kids learned to believe me the hard way. It really won't hurt them to eat year-old Frankenfood, but it will be quite stale and disgusting-tasting. And a couple of them will probably act like they're dying, drama queens.</span><br />
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RESULTS<br />
And finally, here are the nine gingerbread houses and accompanying stories from this year's classes! Aren't they wonderful?<br />
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CONCLUDING REMARKS<br />
This is a big, time-consuming project that takes a considerable amount of work, organization, and tight adherence to cleaning rules. BUT, the kids (girls and boys alike) are always highly enthusiastic and work really hard on them. The staff (and school board members, ahem) really enjoy the display at the party, so it is a good PR bump for your program. In the end it's pretty awesome to see their creativity at work. And, it's a terrific way to end the term right before the holidays. For me, it's a keeper!<br />
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<br />Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963398099747010439noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905018808665942667.post-90283566770481163922016-11-18T08:00:00.000-06:002016-11-18T08:00:06.700-06:00Paper Plate Turkeys!One of my objectives in Child Development is to get my students to realize that early childhood is not always the blissful, easy experience that they now remember it as - childhood is hard work! To address this, I pepper the semester with various activities to help them develop empathy for their younger selves.<br />
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One method is to make them complete "simple" tasks with their non-dominant hands, like coloring. They get so excited when I pull out coloring pages and crayons, until they find out they have to use their "other" hands (by the way, I'm very careful to determine everyone's dominant hand well before any of these activities, so I won't have any cheaters).</div>
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From coloring I move on to more difficult tasks, such as <a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B7RV4nYhUH_mQnhYUlNKRklQeEU">creating a paper plate turkey</a>! This involves not only coloring, but also cutting, gluing, and stapling. Fun, but very difficult to do with your opposite hand.</div>
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To make the project go smoother, I assemble their supplies beforehand (yep, there are those <a href="http://www.facsclassroomideas.com/2012/03/desk-trashcans-sewing.html" target="_blank">formula cans</a> and <a href="http://www.facsclassroomideas.com/2013/12/copy-paper-box-lids.html" target="_blank">copy paper box lids</a> again!). In the cans (which double as their personal trash cans while working on this project) I place a little baggie of crayons, a glue stick, and safety scissors. Then in gallon-sized Ziploc bags, I place 2 paper plates, a small square of yellow construction paper, a small square of red construction paper, and two googly eyes. Then the cans and the baggies are placed in box lids, making them easy to store until I need them, and easy to pass out when we begin.</div>
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For the instructions, I play the <a href="http://youtu.be/9J2OTAGkY5k" target="_blank">video demonstration I created</a>. This frees me up to help frustrated students - and also to catch the cheaters who are using their dominant hands!</div>
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When we are finished, I have a volunteer walk the big trash can around so students can empty their mini trash cans. Then someone else collects the now empty baggies, and a third student collects the cans with the scissors, glue stick, and crayons. Having only three students taking care of trash and collecting supplies is WAY LESS chaotic than having twenty-something high schoolers running around returning items.</div>
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And of course, there is also <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5QkK8sMpgX4dXBFN1lFZmtUVE0/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">written component</a> to the project, in which among other things students need to describe the physical, intellectual, social, and emotional benefits a child would experience from this activity. Feel free to use any and all of these resources!</div>
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Gobble Gobble!</div>
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Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963398099747010439noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905018808665942667.post-24325602423817696062016-11-15T15:00:00.001-06:002021-07-02T12:55:44.532-05:00To Continue the Thanksgiving Theme... Thank YOU!A big, heartfelt thank you to all of those who have donated to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society through my FACS fundraiser over the past year and a half!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVqeXQjv42MFxF-HNNu3QKpC5EQUVERolKb27pMHf5S1Zhcg8qGjgEy2q9Iq4s6BgqRLCWW-GY4ZuTx0VZLTpxxv6b0AwzXjRLLJmdfCjZgZFOAc2TUIVNnlhdU_t-cD_VESrAvZlFc8x2/s1600/2016.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVqeXQjv42MFxF-HNNu3QKpC5EQUVERolKb27pMHf5S1Zhcg8qGjgEy2q9Iq4s6BgqRLCWW-GY4ZuTx0VZLTpxxv6b0AwzXjRLLJmdfCjZgZFOAc2TUIVNnlhdU_t-cD_VESrAvZlFc8x2/s1600/2016.png" /></a></div>
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This year's donors live all across the country - take a look!</div>
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And if you think this was impressive, here's the previous year:</div>
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Even Canada pitched in!</div>
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It's been a really tough month, and I know an awful lot of us are worried about the future and where our country is headed, but this just goes to show that people who care and work together CAN make a difference!</div>
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<i>"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead</i></h3>
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Thank you for being a part of my small group of thoughtful, committed citizens working to change the world!</div>
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Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963398099747010439noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905018808665942667.post-5616865470666839032016-11-11T07:00:00.000-06:002016-11-11T07:00:06.894-06:00Another Thanksgiving ActivityWhile discussing all things Thanksgiving in class, I always mention the <a href="http://www.butterball.com/turkey-talk-line">Butterball hotline</a> (also known as the <a href="http://www.butterball.com/turkey-talk-line">Turkey Talk-Line®</a>). If you're unfamiliar, you can call 1-800-BUTTERBALL any time in November and December and receive live assistance with your turkey questions.<br />
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To jazz up the Thanksgiving talk a bit I started calling the hotline on speaker phone during class. The kids have always LOVED this! It's a short, fun activity that demonstrates how to use your resources (as well as appropriate telephone etiquette).<br />
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For your viewing enjoyment, here's a clip from when President Bartlet called the hotline on <i>The West Wing.</i><br />
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Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963398099747010439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905018808665942667.post-77925839333181281152016-11-10T12:30:00.000-06:002016-11-17T11:12:09.849-06:00A Thanksgiving Project - StoryCorps: The Great Thanksgiving ListenEver hear of <a href="https://storycorps.org/">StoryCorps</a>? It's a fantastic repository of recordings of ordinary people interviewing each other about ordinary to extraordinary events in their lives. Via the Story Corps website you can search by topic, then link to or embed them. There's even a <a href="https://storycorps.org/podcast/">StoryCorps podcast</a>!<br />
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In addition to providing great supplementary content to your lesson planning, you can even have your students participate in this project. They have a <a href="https://storycorps.me/">StoryCorp app</a> that can be used to record interviews and upload them directly to the StoryCorps repository. </div>
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How is this related to Thanksgiving? StoryCorps has an initiative named <a href="https://storycorps.me/about/the-great-thanksgiving-listen/">The Great Thanksgiving Listen</a>, encouraging teachers across the nation to assign their students to interview a relative over the holiday to capture an entire generation's worth of stories (<a href="https://storycorpsme.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2015/08/StoryCorps-TGTL-Teacher-Toolkit-1.pdf">free Teacher Toolkit available!</a>). Is this a FACS project or what?? (Or history, English, speech, math, science... You could work it in for any subject!)</div>
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Here's a short intro to the initiative, followed by a couple of examples from the last year's Great Thanksgiving Listen. I think you'll immediately be hooked, just like I was!<br />
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Drive-In Proposal</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl9I1X5uNvBJGb9Lkr3ZGM8A9BQA_QGwneUARrfXGV-meaHJBqs30t9qGdI9Qyp7HkD6dsKGEj6O2WYLj8C7OWIh6FkWbIve7iovzpD_NWMVESCjWRlIxsqxa71tD34q7TC2wgPqn4LMNg/s1600/Drive-In+Proposal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl9I1X5uNvBJGb9Lkr3ZGM8A9BQA_QGwneUARrfXGV-meaHJBqs30t9qGdI9Qyp7HkD6dsKGEj6O2WYLj8C7OWIh6FkWbIve7iovzpD_NWMVESCjWRlIxsqxa71tD34q7TC2wgPqn4LMNg/s200/Drive-In+Proposal.jpg" width="197" /></a></div>
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Bucky the Mailman</h3>
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Governor Clark & Mother</h3>
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Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963398099747010439noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905018808665942667.post-85916176075782574392016-10-04T07:56:00.000-05:002016-10-04T07:56:50.536-05:00What I Wish My Teacher Knew & Mandated ReportingBy now most of you who have even the most fleeting of relationships with social media have probably seen the "Finish this sentence: What I wish my teacher knew..." assignment that went viral a while back.<br />
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First let me put aside the book controversy: the teacher who created the assignment is publishing a book of the finished sentences. That doesn't feel right to me, but I don't know enough about i (permissions received, etc) to broadcast a real opinion yet.<br />
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I'm curious about the groundwork laid before this assignment, and if other people really thought this through and laid their own groundwork before giving it out thinking "Oh this is great I'm using it tomorrow!" Because that question is a land mine. The value of it is immense, no doubt. But you are going to learn things that you are going to have to, going to be required by law to, deal with.<br />
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So the questions I have for people who have used this assignment: Were you ready for that? Did you prepare your students for that? Because if you just had them fill it out and hand it in with no disclaimer, you are seriously putting their trust in you at risk. You are opening the door to their most painful secret, and potentially will be forced to share it beyond the walls of your classroom. Do they know that before they begin writing?<br />
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I start addressing the issue of mandated reporting from Day 1 of the semester. I give out this getting to know you sheet:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXNK2aWNpTQAODRgqhfNJb8FZ0MT2QgEgxqovzE7KtKxAXtMflGmcO91G09kovQIiB1Y7_YEjGrMHpoUBsY8XnXUvD1aeIbZiFvSemh97mGVECIa23vifdGsUfarjT4ADSOy6Fyqgda9Ls/s1600/Student+Inro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXNK2aWNpTQAODRgqhfNJb8FZ0MT2QgEgxqovzE7KtKxAXtMflGmcO91G09kovQIiB1Y7_YEjGrMHpoUBsY8XnXUvD1aeIbZiFvSemh97mGVECIa23vifdGsUfarjT4ADSOy6Fyqgda9Ls/s640/Student+Inro.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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And then my patter and explanation while they are working on it opens the discussion. For instance, when we get to "One thing you should know about me," I tell them "Now don't tell me that your parents lock you in a basement all summer chained to the wall, because then I have to deal with that." They laugh, then ask "Really?", and I go into my spiel about how it would be against the law for me to keep it to myself, and give a few other examples. When they get to "My favorite (legal) things to do in my free time," they all laugh. I laugh too, but then say "But seriously, if you tell me that you like to sell drugs to elementary kids and beat them up when they don't have enough money, I have to do something about that." And so on and so forth. And then I work in little reminders on the topic throughout the year.<br />
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I do not do this to discourage them from talking to me - in fact, I do this because I <i>encourage</i> them to come to me when they need someone to talk to, and because <i>so many of them</i> take me up on it. I just want them to know from the outset that there are certain topics of conversation that will absolutely not be kept confidential.<br />
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Not only that, I think it actually increases the number of students who privately approach me for help. One, that bit of honesty I give them up front builds trust. Two, some of them desperately need real help and just don't know how to get to it - when I tell them that if they tell me certain things I have to get other people involved, they come to me when they need other people involved. I can't begin to count the number of students who have come to me and confessed they've been thinking about or have attempted suicide - that is an <i>immediate</i> hand-off. I know that, they know that, they are coming to me to make that happen.<br />
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My advice: if you invite this kind of information, please, do know what you may be getting yourself into. And do take care to make sure your students know what they may be getting themselves into.<br />
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I've shared one of the ways I do it - how do the rest of you address the issue of mandated reporting with your students?<br />
<br />Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963398099747010439noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905018808665942667.post-91735515900383452302016-07-14T17:00:00.000-05:002016-07-14T17:00:04.072-05:00Cell Phone Polling There are oodles of web-based Audience Response apps available that students can use their mobile devices to respond to ("oodles" is in fact a scientific quantity). In this post we'll take a look at <a href="https://www.polleverywhere.com/">Poll Everywhere</a> (yes, it's free!).<br />
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Poll Everywhere allows you to create polls or surveys, then provide your students with an access link. The polls can also be embedded within Powerpoint or Google Slides, a nice touch to any presentation. Here's a short survey example so you can get an idea of the different types of questions available:<br />
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<iframe height="500" src="https://PollEv.com/surveys/EYlbAIJUg/web" width="98%"></iframe><br />
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Trouble accessing this poll? Try accessing it at <a href="http://pollev.com/denisec573">pollev.com/denisec573</a>, then think of the possibilities!<br />
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<br />Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963398099747010439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905018808665942667.post-57004773260835031992016-07-08T10:00:00.000-05:002016-07-08T10:00:34.364-05:00Another Cell Phone IdeaContinuing with the idea of using cell phones in class for good and not evil, how about a backchannel? <a href="https://todaysmeet.com/">Today's Meet</a> is an easy to use (and free!) service that allows users to post to a feed remotely, using desktop or mobile devices. You create a free account, set up a "room," provide the link to your students, and they can add their thoughts, questions, or responses to the feed. There's a nice projector view you can use if you'd like that option, and you again have moderator control (you can even mute specific students without them knowing they're being muted).<br />
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You can give it a try right here! Just enter a name (or alias) where it says Nickname, click Join, then type in your thoughts. How about something you're reading this summer?<br />
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<iframe height="400" src="https://todaysmeet.com/room/2452029/embed?type=live&hide_ui=0" width="100%"></iframe><br />
<br />Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963398099747010439noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905018808665942667.post-68729779945637981892016-07-07T10:00:00.000-05:002016-07-07T10:00:06.860-05:00Using Cell Phones for Good Instead of Evil - PadletCell phones. They are permanently attached to our high school students' hands (although a lot of adults aren't much better!). Dealing with mobile distractions during class is now a routine part of the job, so how about some routine ways of using them for learning?<br />
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Over the next couple of posts I'll share a few fun ways to incorporate cell phones into lessons. The first is <a href="https://padlet.com/">Padlet </a>- think of it as an electronic Post-It note board. After signing up for a free account, you can create customized boards then share the link with your students. When students pull up the board, they double click and a "sticky note" appears. They can enter text, images, hyperlinks... all sorts of fun stuff!<br />
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As the owner of the board you have the option to moderate the posts, so that something doesn't appear to everyone that shouldn't. You know what I'm talking about.<br />
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You can use this for all sorts of activities: brainstorming, asking questions, sharing resources, adding feedback. You could revamp activities you did <a href="http://www.facsclassroomideas.com/2014/02/post-it-comments.html">using physical Post-Its like this one</a>.<br />
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Give it a try here! You can <a href="https://padlet.com/facsclassroomideas/facsnotes">visit the full-screen board</a> to participate, or double-click on the smaller embedded one below. How about sharing something fun you're doing for yourself this summer? And yep, I'll have to approve your post before it's visible to others - gotta look out for the spammers!<br />
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Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963398099747010439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905018808665942667.post-23205583494527571302016-06-20T17:00:00.000-05:002016-06-20T17:00:28.692-05:00Don't You Miss Having Summers Off? Part 2It's now been two full years since I left high school teaching and transitioned to the community college. And still the question I am asked most often by far: "Don't you miss having summers off?" And still my answer is an emphatic NO. Because,<br />
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TEACHERS DO NOT HAVE SUMMERS OFF.<br />
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For the full explanation of this, see <a href="http://www.facsclassroomideas.com/2015/06/dont-you-miss-having-summers-off.html">Don't You Miss Having Summers Off? Part 1</a>. But simply put, teachers have a lot of work to do over the summer. To replace 1,000 words with a picture, here is what my hubby and I were reading on the flight to our summer vacation in August a few years ago:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiueKlkp9oe-xBM-OUP4zx7NbKD9pt9E6hytfRRjBJxsFgKJCT061bBgTezuFLo232BKKKxYzDRamSYxkj40XFT5cU_3ORXtKTFX5FAomXFM7FeyJIEoNUVBeb9_4Yyc5W89jxtfwkIa8Um/s1600/Boston+29July13-2Aug13+%25289%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiueKlkp9oe-xBM-OUP4zx7NbKD9pt9E6hytfRRjBJxsFgKJCT061bBgTezuFLo232BKKKxYzDRamSYxkj40XFT5cU_3ORXtKTFX5FAomXFM7FeyJIEoNUVBeb9_4Yyc5W89jxtfwkIa8Um/s640/Boston+29July13-2Aug13+%25289%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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How wild and crazy can you get?</div>
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<br />Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963398099747010439noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905018808665942667.post-480089422816960202016-05-04T16:00:00.000-05:002016-05-04T16:00:14.102-05:00Next Year: Past YearsYesterday I wrote about thinking ahead to changes in procedures and routines you'd like to make for next year, and I gave a couple of examples of bigger issues I tackled in this arena. Because some of you asked, here are three of my favorite "next year I will" promises I made to myself that made a big difference when I implemented the changes.<br />
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<li><b>I removed all pencil sharpeners from the room and just left out a box of sharpened pencils by the door. </b>We've all dealt with the pencil fight. Students <i>should</i> bring their own pencils. They do not. We want them to learn responsibility. I get that. But one year there were three staff meetings in a row that I had to lend a writing utensil to a co-worker. You know what? Even in the "real world," a great many people don't take responsibility for their own pencils, and I am not going to fix that problem with my own personal classroom war. Also, I hate pencil sharpeners. 99% of them are total garbage. And they're an excuse for students to walk around, talk to their friends, create a distraction, etc. Just accept that part of your salary will always go to pencils and move on with life.</li>
<li><b>I refused to accept any individual assignments.</b> Students love to throw assignments on your desk, in the wrong tray, in your hands, in their friends' hands hoping they will somehow get into your hands... enough. I had students keep all of their work in their folders, and only graded what was in their folders. That way it was completely on them to keep track of their papers, and completely the end of "you must have lost it," which was never true anyway. (More about <a href="http://www.facsclassroomideas.com/2014/01/folders-again.html">my folder system here</a> - I. LOVE. IT.)</li>
<li><b>Students received two hall passes per quarter, no questions asked, but no more than that.</b> It really ticked me off when a kid would decide that my class was their bathroom class. Or when one kid asking to go somewhere set off a chain. So, at the beginning of each quarter I stapled two passes into their folder (again, love the folder system). They could use them for whatever and almost whenever they wanted, but once they were gone, they were gone, and if they had an "emergency" they would owe me a detention. At the end of the term unused passes could be redeemed for some teeny tiny reward. Excluding medical conditions, no one should need more than four passes a semester, and in fact after implementing this most kids didn't even use one. Problem solved!</li>
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What "Next year I will" promises have been big successes for you? I'm sure others would love some suggestions! </div>
Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963398099747010439noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905018808665942667.post-8400616337908858962016-05-03T16:00:00.000-05:002016-05-03T16:00:38.809-05:00Next Year: I Will...Continuing on with the what you can do at the end of the year for the beginning of the year ideas...<br />
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What Didn't Work This Year</h2>
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As you work on your classroom <a href="http://www.facsclassroomideas.com/2016/04/next-year.html">cleaning and organization</a>, this is a good time to think over what didn't work this year. Specifically, what do you wish you had done/hadn't done/had done differently the first week or two of class. So many of our procedures and routines become so entrenched by the end of those first two weeks (whether intentional or not) that it's really difficult to hit the reset button and start over. </div>
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<br />Many of the ones that come to mind for me were lessons I learned starting in a new district. About two weeks into my third teaching assignment I desperately wished I had instituted a purse policy. This had never occurred to me because at my previous two schools hardly anyone carried a purse and for those who did it was just not an issue. At this school, however, not only did most girls carry purses but they carried ENORMOUS purses. This caused endless headaches. Purses on desks took up all the writing space, while purses on the floor blocked walking paths. Girls would spend half of class digging through these cavernous items trying to locate a writing utensil, and the other half "covertly" texting inside the purses. Fast forward to my second year: purses were to be placed on the back counter (in full sight of everyone in the classroom), and if you didn't take out everything you needed at the beginning of class too bad, you weren't going to the counter to retrieve something. Might sound harsh, but that alleviated everyone's fears of theft, eliminated constant disruption, and prevented texting trips. <i>(BTW, same rules applied to backpacks - gender neutral policy!)</i></div>
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Starting at my fourth school, I noticed there were hand sanitizer dispensers by every classroom door but thought nothing of it. Mistake. Should have had a sanitizer procedure in place from day one. Especially because at some point the school stopped purchasing sanitizer and just put foaming soap in it instead (and this was a junior high - come on people, think these decisions through first!), so kids would get giant handfuls of foam when walking into the room and well, you can guess what happened.</div>
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Beyond bizarre examples like these, there are probably some daily annoyances you have to deal with that you could knock out by establishing a procedure right off the bat. </div>
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<ul>
<li>Are there areas of your classroom that experience too much congestion at the beginning or end of class, when assignments are handed in, or when students are collecting supplies? </li>
<li>Does a lot of time get wasted by dealing with minor needs (pencils, tissues, trash can)?</li>
<li>Do the same kids always ask to go to the bathroom, their locker, etc?</li>
<li>Does your desk fill up with random crap students toss onto it?</li>
<li>Is the end of a class/lab/lecture/video/activity complete chaos?</li>
<li>Is taking attendance/lunch count/whatever a headache? </li>
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Those are just a few prompts to get your mind going. What isn't working for you? What could you fix with a little training or change in routine? Think about it now, while you're still in the trenches and aware of the aggravations. By August you may think "That wasn't really such a big deal," and you'll probably be sorry by September that your judgement was clouded by New Year Goggles!</div>
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Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963398099747010439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905018808665942667.post-14177786020151781742016-04-29T17:00:00.000-05:002016-04-29T17:00:00.153-05:00Next Year...While stressful, the end of April is also a wonderful time for teachers as you begin to develop hope and interest in the possibilities of "Next Year..." Over the next few posts I'll go over a few "Thinking about next year" tasks that I found to be indispensable. We'll begin with:<div>
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Clean and Organize!</h2>
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I know that amid all of the grading, flurry of special activities and schedules, prom, and other hurdles along the track toward the finish line, cleaning and organizing is not high on the priority list. It's definitely one of those "in a few weeks I'll have all the time in the world..." for to-do list items. Here's why it's important to jump on it now:</div>
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<ul>
<li>No matter how good your intentions, by the time the last day comes around you will be <i>completely drained</i>. </li>
<li>And completely drained means that your end of the year cleaning is going to consist of cramming items into any cabinet, drawer, etc that gets the job done with the promise that not only "I'll take care of it in early August" but also the perennial classic "I'll definitely remember where I put everything in August." <i>Riiiiiiiiight...</i></li>
<li>Just a little bit at a time will make the end of this year - and beginning of next - <i>so much nicer</i>. </li>
<li>This is the perfect time to purge! You know you're storing a bunch of stuff that you're never going to use, and the clutter it causes and space it takes up is a big stressor. <i>Sneaky tip: have the tossables all ready to go by locker clean-up day, so when they roll the big trash cans into the hallway you can quickly and easily dispose of them!</i></li>
<li>Clearing out all that stuff you don't want will make storing everything else for the summer so much easier.</li>
<li>Purging and organizing will help you see what you really need for next year. </li>
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Do not forget to enlist help! </div>
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<ul>
<li>You know those kids who are always eager to help? Give them something to help with! They'll be delighted!</li>
<li>The bored kids who have "nothing to do" in study hall, after tests, etc. These kids are almost always super grateful to be given something to pass the time.</li>
<li>The kids that you have to win over time and again. Ever notice that when you ask a kid to help you with something they seem to start to like you better? That's a real thing, it's called the Ben Franklin effect. Google it. Then start building relationships by asking kids to do things for you. Bonus if you can involve kids you don't currently have in class but know that you will next year. Don't forget the positive reinforcement. (NOT reward, positive reinforcement. They are different. I'm looking at you, PBIS.)</li>
<li>Steal kids who are in detention, nab kids who are killing time after school before extra-curriculars, borrow kids of co-workers who are waiting for their parents to finish grading something so they can go home. Seriously, they're everywhere, help them be productive!</li>
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Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963398099747010439noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905018808665942667.post-20261094005686347592016-03-20T14:29:00.000-05:002017-09-06T09:34:15.706-05:00Cookie Monster and FACSFACS teacher friends, this commercial was made for us! I don't know about you, but I have seen my kids do everything in this video (well, I haven't seen anyone actually <i>swallow</i> a wooden spoon, but definitely some gnawing). Enjoy!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MF6OYq_2Ooc?rel=0" width="560"></iframe></div>
Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963398099747010439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905018808665942667.post-66788970200589251862016-03-04T17:00:00.000-06:002016-03-04T17:00:02.665-06:00A List: Places I Want To GoOh goodness, what a long list this could be! I'll try to focus on my most-wanteds.<br />
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<ul>
<li>Italy</li>
<li>Paris</li>
<li>London</li>
<li>the Grand Canyon</li>
<li>all Major League ballparks (a journey in progress!)</li>
<li>Philadelphia (been many times, but haven't been in a long time and there's family there I miss!)</li>
<li>New England in the fall</li>
</ul>
Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963398099747010439noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905018808665942667.post-40029203817813392862016-02-25T17:00:00.000-06:002016-02-25T17:00:01.487-06:00A List: My Favorite AlbumsThis was a hard one - I can't remember the last time I purchased a whole album! As such these are pretty dated, but they're the ones that come to mind!<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgALELdoqrIaL4PfoI3pV6VGS6EecpHoiSbqUH3Z3oPgFG6K5m6mlpIckUsPlpQXptX-Ml3iNLwNP1Z8XYIDj8VBtlMx7tX4PzD1LhuVMoOFhKcNI1FbArthzfZ9cgADvaoo8R7RU3abjvV/s1600/billy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgALELdoqrIaL4PfoI3pV6VGS6EecpHoiSbqUH3Z3oPgFG6K5m6mlpIckUsPlpQXptX-Ml3iNLwNP1Z8XYIDj8VBtlMx7tX4PzD1LhuVMoOFhKcNI1FbArthzfZ9cgADvaoo8R7RU3abjvV/s200/billy.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;">Billy Joel: Greatest Hits Volumes I & II</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi51iLep9pZtmXPoHaf0gNhaaZmf_Wz0V4cxCjGqbhY6R8z8zERD4uqobasA7jEXyzJHpYMk6icfZTsF8cPJ6up3un1jEHfNu1qfQ2w-a-ONhvLUcYdtAKhRlmAG6U8KN4uq69Q3jgFSPIJ/s1600/beauty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi51iLep9pZtmXPoHaf0gNhaaZmf_Wz0V4cxCjGqbhY6R8z8zERD4uqobasA7jEXyzJHpYMk6icfZTsF8cPJ6up3un1jEHfNu1qfQ2w-a-ONhvLUcYdtAKhRlmAG6U8KN4uq69Q3jgFSPIJ/s200/beauty.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Soundtrack: Walt Disney's Beauty & the Beast</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRw7OWGz_AoZAQqeaNqnEtVboKwxxWIx00hMHVTjRXR86dcIftIDdzE3qRXe6EOpiN96xnPzw3z9bDAazpmrA3qekb3d9-IIgrHdFVq_MXtgY6Et-zSS0_64QH8GtkY0hUyGqwnunFHIot/s1600/Original_Soundtrack_West_Side_Story.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRw7OWGz_AoZAQqeaNqnEtVboKwxxWIx00hMHVTjRXR86dcIftIDdzE3qRXe6EOpiN96xnPzw3z9bDAazpmrA3qekb3d9-IIgrHdFVq_MXtgY6Et-zSS0_64QH8GtkY0hUyGqwnunFHIot/s200/Original_Soundtrack_West_Side_Story.jpg" width="198" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Soundtrack: West Side Story, Original Broadway Cast</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9a-LnSM5xonhAEkdYRwEn910DGhroa2wAg_tt3hdnqSvMzhNTtx8TXvV_tcsPdYOK4L94tTPq65Qurq_RkkjsoViiYPfSVpEgq46NiSCX9Cs8oyTQghm7JehbCUvFoY_7lnfRQziI5Y0A/s1600/cbxmas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9a-LnSM5xonhAEkdYRwEn910DGhroa2wAg_tt3hdnqSvMzhNTtx8TXvV_tcsPdYOK4L94tTPq65Qurq_RkkjsoViiYPfSVpEgq46NiSCX9Cs8oyTQghm7JehbCUvFoY_7lnfRQziI5Y0A/s200/cbxmas.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Soundtrack: A Charlie Brown Christmas</span></td></tr>
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And here's the album that plagued my classroom for months on end:<div>
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We never got past three. And that time included Memorial Day weekend. >Sigh<</div>
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Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963398099747010439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905018808665942667.post-60830062910749131462016-02-19T17:00:00.000-06:002016-02-19T17:00:26.481-06:00A List: Things That Make Me Feel HealthyAnother weekly list! (I promise I'll get back to the marathon recap soon, for those who have been asking!)<br />
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<ul>
<li>running</li>
<li>sleep</li>
<li>dates with my hubby</li>
<li>girlfriend time</li>
<li>good habits</li>
<li>helping students get excited about fruit salad!</li>
</ul>
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Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963398099747010439noreply@blogger.com0