November 12, 2013

A Veterans' Day Thank-You

A thank-you goes out to all veterans who have given so much for our country. A special thank-you for my husband, Jeff (Navy), and my brother, John (Marines), who served during the Vietnam engagement.



 

Below is a photo of Jeff''s father as Gen McArthur was "returning" to the Philippines at the end of WWII. McArthur was exiting the PT boat Jeff's father served on. He is the sailor on the boat with his shirt open.

 

 

My mind goes back to the stories about WWI that my grandfather told me. He was in the cavalry in France-the Argonne Forest. He said the men and horses were transported to Europe on wooden cargo ships.

 

 



It has been a busy week for Jeff. Two Veterans Day programs for his nieces, and one for our youngest granddaughter. So glad schools celebrate the contributions mad by service men and women.

 

I am bust working on Thanksgiving lessons! So many great ones on TPT!

August 17, 2013

Just in time for the new school year!

Just in time,  I have a new blog design! I was having a terrible time, so I contacted "The Cutest Blog in Town to help me out. They did a great job and were able to use some of my own illustrations!  "I haven't finished entering all my products and ideas in the proper category yet, but by the end of next week I should have it finished.

You would think I would  feel sad as the summer winds to a close. Instead, I  remember the feeling I always had as August approached... a feeling of excitement...planning for the new school  year...decorating my room...designing lessons. I know most of you feel the same way. 

My daughter, an Intervention Specialist, had a knee replacement during the summer. She  is working with a physical therapist who is helping her get into shape in the next two weeks. Her knee still hurts, especially when she can't raise her leg to rest very often. However, like any dedicated teacher, she is ready and looking forward to the challenge.

I want to tell you that Teachers Pay Teachers is having a huge two-day sale on the 18th and 19th of this month!  I have added some new, classroom tested,  products. Take a look at them.  If they would be a positive addition to your classroom, this is the time to make your purchases!

The first product I want to tell you about is  "Student Responsibilities and Procedures for Small Groups." The lesson is designed to keep students on task and cut down on disrupting behavior. It

presents a story about a small group meeting "gone bad." Your students will  recognize what went wrong and help set up procedures to follow for having successful meetings. Role-playing makes the lesson interesting and entertaining, as-well-as informative.

Student Responsibilities and Procedures for Working In Small Groups

The second product is one of which I am especially proud! It is my Writing Assessment Portfolio. I  have used and revised this portfolio system for over fifteen years. It is a complete system of assessment, scaffolding, organization, student self-assessment, goal setting, conferencing, and more. Working together, these components provide a structure that students of all ability levels ((inclusion students through gifted) will benefit from. If you want a complete Portfolio System that teaches, as-well-as assesses, I am sure you will want to use this in your classroom.

The Writing Assessment Portfolio

 As you approach that big day when your new students show up at your classroom door... The day when those big, bright trusting eyes look up at you for the first time...you will remember why you became a teacher.  I wish you a year of adventure and rewards...the best year ever!

Ginger

Happy Summer!

 

 

 

Hi Everyone!

    Hope you are enjoying your time to slow down and relax,

    During my long teaching career I taught in several types of classrooms: regular,  Self-Contained Special Education and Inclusion. Being a Title I Language Arts teacher was also a large part of my life. Each of these teaching situations were a challenge to my classroom management skills!
     I just received a FACEBOOK message from my sister in North Carolina. She told me that her daughter-in-law had quite her job because they had added two autistic children and three children with severe behavioral disorders to her class. Her objection was that she has had no training in teaching these children, and she has no aide in her room.
  Do you have any input on inclusion...and particularly this situation?
     

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   While searching for information about helping at-risk students, I ran across the following article from the March issue of The New York Times.
     The fact that "children of the rich perform better on standardized tests.
I don't think this is a surprise to anyone, but some of the insights are interesting.
The Great Divide: No Rich Child Left Behind

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     My sister-in-law told me about a book she had just finished. She has worked in the cafeteria of a large urban school for many years and found the information in this book to be true. It is about the food served to our students. (On the cover is a "spork!")
You might want to add it to your summer reading list!

FED UP WITH SCHOOL LUNCH: The School Lunch Project by Sarah Wu also known as Mrs. Q

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Almost every Sunday, my husband reads newspaper articles to me. These are things he thinks I might be able to use in teaching. Here is something  he read last Sunday...Half way through I asked him why we hadn't heard about it...Why wasn't it on T.V.?  He continued reading and I realized it wasn't current events...Interesting!

Seventy-two killed resisting gun confiscation in BostonBOSTON
National guard units seeking to confiscate a cache of recently banned assault weapons were ambushed on April 19th by elements of a Para-military extremist faction. Military and... law enforcement sources estimate that 72 were killed and more than 200 injured before government forces were compelled to withdraw.

... Speaking after the clash, Massachusetts Governor Thomas Gage declared that the extremist faction, which was made up of local citizens, has links to the radical right-wing tax protest movement. Gage blamed the extremists for recent incidents of vandalism directed against internal revenue offices. The governor, who described the group's organizers as "criminals," issued an executive order authorizing the summary arrest of any individual who has interfered with the government's efforts to secure law and order. The military raid on the extremist arsenal followed wide-spread refusal by the local citizenry to turn over recently outlawed assault weapons.

Gage issued a ban on military-style assault weapons and ammunition earlier in the week. This decision followed a meeting in early this month between government and military leaders at which the governor authorized the forcible confiscation of illegal arms.

One government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, pointed out that "none of these people would have been killed had the extremists obeyed the law and turned over their weapons voluntarily." Government troops initially succeeded in confiscating a large supply of outlawed weapons and ammunition. However, troops attempting to seize arms and ammunition in Lexington met with resistance from heavily-armed extremists who had been tipped off regarding the government's plans. During a tense standoff in Lexington 's town park, National Guard Colonel Francis Smith, commander of the government operation, ordered the armed group to surrender and return to their homes. The impasse was broken by a single shot, which was reportedly fired by one of the right-wing extremists. Eight civilians were killed in the ensuing exchange.

Ironically, the local citizenry blamed government forces rather than the extremists for the civilian deaths. Before order could be restored, armed citizens from surrounding areas had descended upon the guard units.

Colonel Smith, finding his forces over matched by the armed mob, ordered a retreat.

Governor Gage has called upon citizens to support the state/national joint task force in its effort to restore law and order. The governor also demanded the surrender of those responsible for planning and leading the attack against the government troops. Samuel Adams, Paul Revere, and John Hancock, who have been identified as "ringleaders" of the extremist faction, remain at large.

. . . And this, people, is how the American Revolution began .

April 20, 1775

Let us not forget!!!
Any Comments?

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Ginger's Kids

Testing Is Over-Now What?

      Every year about this time we spring into testing mode. As teachers, we want to give our students every particle of information and every strategy that will enable our charges to perform to the best of their ability on the approaching Achievement Tests.

       We all know children can see right through us... They can sense that  we are under pressure... and, try as we might to spare them...we have certainly put them under pressure.

       The day finally comes, testing is over! The sun shines, the air warms, the chirping of birds beckons from outside the open windows. Bees begin to make their occasional appearance inside the classroom sparking a general uproar. How can we compete? 

        There is still much to do...concepts and skills that need refined, reviewed and applied. How, we wonder, do we keep our students actively engaged in learning?

are two suggestions that have proven to keep my students actively engaged any time of the year.

The following are two suggestions that have kept my students interested and involved-suitable for any time of the year.

IDEA I:THE MYSTERIES OF HARRIS BURDICK

by Chris Van Allsburg

Great for Sensory Details

         Chris Van Allsburg is well know as author and illustrator of THE POLAR EXPRESS and JUMANJI. Another, not so famous book of his creation is THE MYSTERIES OF HARRIS BURDICK.

         The book contains fourteen black and white drawings. Each drawing has a title and a caption. A fictional editor’s note (well worth reading!) and more about the book can be found at:

www.goodreads.com › Childrens › Picture Books

I have used this book yearly with my students. They love it!

                     

Sample Pictures

           If the book isn’t in your school library, it can be purchased from AMAZON for as little as $14.34 new, $9.94 used. It is well worth having

　

IDEA II: STORY STARTER COLLAGE

Great for using sensory details in writing.

Materials: A variety of magazines, glue, scissors, sheets of white paper and a transparent paper sleeve ( So that the collage can be reused). 1 teacher-made 5 column chartper student (make ahead of time)

Process:

Option 1: Assemble the "storypages" ahead of time to be distributed -1 per student.

Option 2: Assign students to assemble their own pages with materials available

To assemble pages:

1. Cut out Pictures

•  1 of setting-living room, backyard, school, etc.
• 2 or more of characters-person, animal, toy, etc.
• 1 or more objects important to a story-pipe, watch, broken vase, etc

2. Assenble the collage by gluing pictures on white paper.
3. Ask students to look at the collage then list on their chart: what they can:
             
                see              feel            smell            hear            taste

4. Write a story about the items in the collage, using as many sensory details as possible ( I t is may be best to allow the students to write the story first, then as they revise-add sensory details.)

5. Edit then write Final Draft

   I hope you can use these two ideas. They have proved to keep my students actively engaged at any time of the year.

  Teaching Without the Textbook

     The last ten+ years of my teaching experience were at NEWTON D. BAKER SCHOOL OF ARTS in Cleveland, Ohio. I was officially a writing teacher, but all subjects were taught through the arts. As teachers we  worked closely with, and were mentored by The Ohio State University.  Baker was elected as one of few schools in the U.S. to receive  an Annenburg Grant for the Arts.
     It was impossible to teach through the arts strictly from a textbook, therefore,  we had to create our own lessons. I am adding many of my arts-based lessons, almost daily, to my TpT Store. I have lessons that integrate art with not only writing-but science, social studies and math. All lessons are standards-based and aligned with grade-level curriculum/content. I hope you will take a look.

Also look for numerous FREE items available for download.

 



                   

 

Until next month...HappyTeaching & Happy Testing!

Ginger

 

　



 

 

 

 



Hi everyone! Ginger here...
         It's been a while since I posted. I have been busy learning about blogs, Facebook and Pinterest. They are still somewhat of a challenge to me, but "I'm getting the hang of it."
         I wanted to tell you about a sale I am having-starting today! There has been a lot of interest lately in two Advertising/Propoganda products in my TpT store. I decided to offer these items at 20% off the original price from March 6th through next Thursday, March 14th. Both products are aligned with Common Core Standards and offer practice in life-skills and decision making.
        The first product I want to mention is "Advertising Strategies Revised." I revised this unit to update my blog URL. I also added a preview. You can find it in my Teachers Pay Teachers Store Advertising Startegies Revised. Too late, I noticed "strategies" is spelled incorrectly. I am in the process of making the correction.) This unit is not only filled with real-life information, but it is also visually appealing to students.



         My second product is called  Life Skills Packet-Magazine Ad Activites  It is filled with  activities that require students to order make-believe products such as the "PEN-zil"- a combination pencil and pen with a built-in pencil sharpener. The activities come with a Vocabulary List, Answer Keys and Inclusion Lessons. Students must calculate shipping and handling costs, discounts and fill out order forms using charge cards and bank accounts.
       

         
             I look forward hearing from fellow bloggers. Questions and com-ments are always welcome. Stop in at my store from time-to time. I am adding new products almost daily. And, if you like my materials, please "follow me."
             Till next time...Ginger
          

 

Hello, from Ginger's Kids!

 

This is my first Blog! Here I go...Any advice would be appreciated.

I'm new to TpT-haven't tried Pinterest yet, but I'm on my way...

 

     Why Ginger's Kids? Over time, my family and friends have learned not to ask me about "my kids." Once I start talking about them, I go on...and on...and on.

     Whether it's my own kids, my grandchildren, my Great Grandchildren, my dogs... OR my students. They are all MY KIDS!

      I thrive on the excitement and hustle-bustle of school...the curiosity and innocence of children... it's "where the action is!"

     

      Now, A little bit about me...I was raised on a farm-had polio at age six- and attended a little coutry school. It was my dream to grow up and teach at that school. Well, the fates were not with me... but... in the end, I was better off!  By going to a city to teach, I had so many opportunities that I ordinarily wouldn't have had.  As the song says, "You don't always get what you want, but if you try real hard, you get what you need!"

      My daughter, a Middle School Special Education Teacher, wrote this poem.I think it expresses the very being of what a teacher should be."

     

       I have taught every grade and every subject, but my expertise is in writing andVisual Arts.

• K-12-as a Reading Specialist- Inner City Schools
• 3-8- as a Classroom Teacher-Private School
• K-8-as an Art  Teacher-Inner City and Private Schools and
• 3-6 as a Special Education Teacher-Inner City School
• 3-6 Writing Teacher-Inner City School of ArtsSo-o-o, I have taught every subject but Writing and Visual Arts are my areas of expertise.

      I have been fortunate to have had some of my educational articles published-in both Writing andVisual Arts. The photo below shows my Principal  and I as my students were working on the culminating project of a Writing Directions Unit. (coming soon)
They had written directions for a game, now they were making the game. Some were board games, others were card games.

 

Recent Products:

 

      I just posted a new product in my store. Language Arts Activities for Reading Buddies-Revised. Nine pages, sixteen activities...and it's FREE!

                                                   

Here is an example page.  There are some great ideas!





 

      Another FREE product is "Animal Architects" which combines Writing with Visual Arts. It has a companion lesson that follows this one.

 

Don't forget...there is a lot of winter left, and what animal signifies winter? A penguin, of course! I have a unit for upper elementart and middle school students. (It can be adapted for inclusion students.) There are three instalments:

• "Penguins Are Citizens, Too" Focus: Social Studies-your role in the community, rights and resonsibilities, writing.
• "Penguins II" Focus: Map Skills- longitude/latitude, coordinates, reseach and a report

"Making a Life Size Penguin" Focus: Math/Visual Arts-Measurement-Standard and Metric

I hope you will visit my store to see all of the materials I have to offer,
and if you like my products,

Please follow me!

 

Until next time...

If someone asks you, 

" Why in the world you would want to teach? 

You know what to say,..

"Have you ever looked into the eyes of a child?"

 

Ginger

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Gingerskids