Jump Start! What Teachers Need Now

Unpack a sentence to teach grammar and writing lessons! Hey everyone, welcome back. I am Kim Venegas, and I'm here to help you become a better teacher, faster!  Finding a mentor is like a needle in a haystack. Finding the time to read a book on teaching? You don't have the time. I'll share tips each time you listen in.  One idea you can use today.Pull a sentence from a story the students are reading.  Post it on the board.  Ask them: What do you notice?  Some answers might be--I see a period. I see someone's name.  I see a comma in the middle of the sentence.  This is interactive, a dialogue. “ Why is there a period? How do we know it's a name? Why is that comma in the middle? What does it do?  This works because the sentence is familiar. This works because it is multilevel and everyone can notice something.  It works because the students are engaged, as if solving a puzzle.  Hands waved all over the room wanting to notice something no one else did. My students became successful. Successful writers.  Not necessarily proficient in state testing.  No guarantees there! But they could write and they enjoyed it. Try it today!  Download the free resource on TPT at whamphonics.  Download and print.Online phonics diagnostic @whamphonics.comAdditional elementary resources @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whamphonics

 My Easy and Effective Writing Rubric is now listed as a FREE resource in my TPT store at WhamPhonics.  I'll talk through the details quickly.  I used one-half sheet for the year.  The type of writing didn't matter-biography, creative writing, informational, or a science report. It can be used at any level.  While we're talking about journals, I prefer composition-style books-even if I had to buy them.  The pages don't tear out easily.  They can use the left for following a mentor text lesson or sentence structure and use the right side for their own writing.  Spirals just make too much of a mess for me! Are you a first-year teacher? I hear you!  Use Donors Choose! Ask for what you need.  MANY people want to support education.  The rubric is not so cumbersome (of your time) and of parents' understanding.   Easy to snap a pic and share with families when students are showing great gains!Online phonics diagnostic @whamphonics.comAdditional elementary resources @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whamphonics

You are halfway through the school year.  Students seem taller and perhaps a bit more mature than when they left only two short weeks ago. Upper grades are likely to focus on testing strategies.  in my state, and maybe everywhere,  that often includes the RACE strategy for writing.  If you aren't familiar, Restate the question Answer the question, Cite evidence from the text, and Explain how the evidence from the text answers the question.  It isn't the writing you always dreamed of teaching, but students must learn how to construct text-dependent answers. For the test. .Good writing instruction becomes good student writing in any form.  Are certain formulas important? I believe so, especially in a testing grade.  Teaching students how to answer those text-dependent questions using a strategy your team and your principal encourage.  Students will feel more capable when faced with tough questions about their reading. But outside of the framework of answering questions, all kinds of possibilities await!  You can teach students to use precise language as Cynthia Rylant did in Missing May.  You can teach students different ways to begin a sentence as Codell did.  You can teach students to use strong verbs rather than ‘got' and 'did' ,  you can teach students to begin each sentence differently.  (Because OFTEN I've seen sentences begin with then…then… or so… so…You can teach students to use specific nouns-I always tell students I can't imagine stuff or things in a closet or backpack -describe and let me see what's in there!  Teach them to write compound and complex sentences. Online phonics diagnostic @whamphonics.comAdditional elementary resources @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whamphonics

In today's news-60 percent of Colorado's teachers are considering leaving the profession. Teachers are being hired during their practicum and student teaching.  If teachers or principals have noticed you are knowledgeable and up to the challenge, they may offer you this opportunity.Be ready! From day one, be a professional. Be on time.  Dress neatly.  Attend all meetings.  Keep your language civilized.  Jump into teaching as soon as you can.  Learn how to read the data.  How to plan for lessons.  Online phonics diagnostic @whamphonics.comAdditional elementary resources @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whamphonics

When teachers are trying to problem-solve a situation, we often find a tip or strategy and apply it to all students. I want to encourage you to think it through, think about YOUR class of kiddos.  Will it work with every student?Here's my example: Cold calling.  According to Doug Lemov of Teach Like a Champion and Paul Bambrick Santoyo of Get Better Faster-Cold calling is an action step designed to engage all students and to discourage students from  tuning out  Things to consider: Your relationship with each student.  Students are easily embarrassed among peers when they can't answer a question.  I've seen students as young as five, shrink down in their seats when they can't answer a question.  Children read the room from a young age.  They know where they fall in the range of high and low students.  Those frantically waving their hand, and those sitting quietly trying to understand what was asked.   A few too many questions given to re-engage a student who isn't able to answer can slow down relationship building.  Online phonics diagnostic @whamphonics.comAdditional elementary resources @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whamphonics

When I created Whamphonics as an online screener, I too, wondered about the reasoning of English learners learning to sound out nonsense words.  My thoughts were that they needed to make meaning AND learn how to sound out words.  It took me time, as it took the reading community to come around to the idea that YES, our English learners need to learn the sound symbol correlation to the English language- nonsense or real words.  Online phonics diagnostic @whamphonics.comAdditional elementary resources @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whamphonics

I've just finished a week full of observations for my practicum students.  In every observation, what I've seen is a burst of confidence in their teaching.  They are no longer nervous when I slip into the room, they are using their content knowledge of math, literacy, science, and social studies to teach elementary-aged students what they need to learn and why it matters. Our future teachers are asking students how they know, how they solved a problem, and where is the evidence.  What I believe has made the difference is the same as for our students.,  Time on task. Online phonics diagnostic @whamphonics.comAdditional elementary resources @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whamphonics

Hey everyone, welcome back to JumpStart. If you've been here before, you know I love watching documentaries, especially medical stories.  Nursing was my number two choice of a career, but I knew the hours would make my family life difficult to impossible.  I chose to teach.  Both occupations have their heartbreaks and moments of joy.   Lenox Hill is my favorite. Two incredible neurosurgeons solve people's health issues, usually cancer.  There's a phrase, that teaching children to read is rocket science, not quite, but we are as involved in changing their brains.  True, we can't unzip them and see where the wires are crossed, where the green wire has joined with blue or black, creating havoc as children struggle to learn.  While we aren't getting under their skin literally, we are changing the connections in their brain every day.  Online phonics diagnostic @whamphonics.comAdditional elementary resources @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whamphonics

I'm here every Monday (or sometimes Tuesday) to mentor you,  encourage you, and today, to tell you about a nurse's strike happening in several states. Nurses and teachers are the main support systems in the caring professions.   Nurses hold up the hospital walls while teachers bring education to everyone  Both are professions dedicated to caring for their clients, their patients, and our students.  I am not advocating that teachers strike!   My number one ask would be for behavior support. Why? I wanted all my students to learn.  To be engaged with the lessons I planned..  But if Naughty Norman is flipping his desk or Sassy Sally is calling out swear words, they are a much more interesting show to watch. No one learns when Naughty Norman and Sassy Sally remain in the classroom.Online phonics diagnostic @whamphonics.comAdditional elementary resources @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whamphonics

For younger children, it may be better to share the conference responsibilities rather than put all of the expectations on a 6 or 7-year-old.  They may be very able to share their best work and tell why they chose it, but beyond that…some of my practicum students sat in on early grade conferences, and teacher-led went much smoother and more within the time limits of meeting with 25 families. Of course, each conference can be looked at individually as what will work best for the teacher and the student no matter their age.  My students observed their MT soften the discussion when a student was struggling with grade-level content, without avoiding what needed to be said.  If there was difficult news, around behavior or academic growth, Mentor Teachers began with something positive, spoke the truth in the middle, and ended the conference with something good to share.  My granddaughter's second-grade teacher provided a few reports that could be easily understood by families. (Most family members are overwhelmed with the amount of data we show them!) But more importantly, she provided a Glow and a Grow both in academics as well as how she does socially, and her behavior, including helpfulness, kindness, and so on.  One of the report pages included photos of my granddaughter working in the classroom and playing with friends. Online phonics diagnostic @whamphonics.comAdditional elementary resources @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whamphonics

Watching a master teacher show 2nd graders how to separate words into syllables reminded me of the importance of going slow.  She was asking them to tell her the vowels, she marked the vowels, and they went on to divide the words between the consonants.  Sometimes between the twins, double consonants.  Sometimes between the two consonants, unless there are three consonants, and then we divide after the last consonant in the previous syllable.  And we ignore the silent e at the end of most words.  It is simply a helper.  Think of all the learning that had to come before.  Children needed to know which letters were the vowels, how they sounded, and their purpose i the word.  They need to know the other letters are consonants.  That's a big word in itself!  They also have sounds, and when they are next door to another consonant like th sh ch- they make a completely different sound.  They needed to know that each syllable must have a vowel-if we count the vowels, except for silent e, we know how many syllables there are in the word.  (At this time, in this class, students were not reviewing words with two vowels together such as oi, au, ow, ea, etc. )Learning to read takes time, humans are not hard wired to read!Online phonics diagnostic @whamphonics.comAdditional elementary resources @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whamphonics

Empathy can overwhelm and defeat us as teachers.  Teachers, along with nurses, are right there on the front lines of caring for others.  We drain our own resources trying to meet the emotional needs of our students.  Compassion allows us to see the emotions of others, and then try to jump in to fix it, or alleviate some of the suffering.  Compassion is action based. Doing for others, giving to others, creates positive emotions in the giver.  Remember the movie Pay It Forward? It seemed to spark customers at Starbucks and other places to pay for the customer behind them. Online phonics diagnostic @whamphonics.comAdditional elementary resources @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whamphonics

The title today, how does it fit with teaching?  Great question!  One of my online students gave me this definition of warm-blooded animals.  His father taught him this. This student has knowledge that I didn't have, and that I'd never considered.  He brought something new to our classroom.  All of our students will bring knowledge to the classroom.  I think it's important to acknowledge what they know.  Many of our students today are entering classrooms without book knowledge, without school procedures, and sometimes without knowledge of modern conveniences, like toilets and sinks that work on sensors.  Our country, our world, is dynamic, ever-changing.  Our students will continue to come from places beyond our borders, our own worldview. Online phonics diagnostic @whamphonics.comAdditional elementary resources @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whamphonics

This week I listened to a news report detailing a slower growth rate of children over the last year. You and I know all parts of a child grow more slowly when their body isn't growing, including their brain.  This is concerning.  While Lady Liberty welcomes all, the streets are NOT paved with gold as my GErman grandparents were told, they are paved with the sweat of hard work and low wages. And for families with student loans? Ouch. Those payments will return.  What can we do to advocate for better, and maybe more, food for our students?Ne er Enough--The author describes high achieving students ‘as 'at risk'.  Students are pressured to participate in community service projects.  Students enrolled in Advanced courses, perhaps through the community college.  Students travel miles on the weekends to play competitive sports.  The term ‘at risk' took me by surprise.  Seriously? What about the children living in poverty, who live with fewer resources than they need? What about students who witness violent acts or have insecure housing? If a child is in pain, the child is in pain.  Emptiness, anxiety, and depression-- add in sadness and hopelessness. Let's not forget the impact of social media.  Will I be enough?  According to the book, “students feel they only matter to the adults their lives, their peers, the larger community, if they are successful.”Online phonics diagnostic @whamphonics.comAdditional elementary resources @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whamphonics

We created Whamphonics during the Covid 19 summer of 2020.  Schools use paper pencil assessments to determine students' phonics gaps.  These are inefficient timewise, and ineffective because most often classroom teachers are not involved in the process.  I wanted something better.  Many of you know Dibels, but did you know it was once a paper/pencil assessment also?  Online phonics diagnostic @whamphonics.comAdditional elementary resources @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whamphonics

Let's begin!  These next 15 weeks are some of your greatest opportunities to o serve your mentor teacher, other teachers in the building, as well as beginning or continuing to interact with students.  Once you begi student teaching, your time for observing will be limited.  You will be focused on planning for each day's instruction.  If your mentor teacher is giving an assessment that doesn't require you to be in the roo, has your MT for suggestions.  Who teaches math well?  Who is excellent with classroom management?  Who does well with disruptive students?  Can I watch small groups with the special education teacher?  You will love and agree with some strategies, you will disagree and cringe sometimes.  Example:  I've heard experienced teachersmake derogatory remarks such as ‘his head is full of rocks, he doesn't have a clue, The elevator doesn't reach the top floor.  Just walk away.  Take it as something you will do better with.  All kiddos have strengths.  They may not be academic strengths, and I know. You'll feel the pressure to make every student achieve.  Sometimes a student's achievement means they don't need objects to count with anymore.  It may mean they are using the bathroom on their own.  It may mean they are learning to use a talking board.  Success looks different for each one of them.  Online phonics diagnostic @whamphonics.comAdditional elementary resources @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whamphonics

Perhaps this is week two of the school year. While week one was a whirlwind of activity and getting to know your students, week two is the time to tighten up those procedures and routines that aren't working well. Resetting can take place as often as you need BEFORE things feel out of control.  It is so valuable to reflect on how it's going and which problems are in the way.  In this episode, I'll offer you a few solutions for the first weeks of school.   Ways to begin or continue with good habits.  As the weeks turn into months, it is so easy to fall back into old habits and ways of doing things. Online phonics diagnostic @whamphonics.comAdditional elementary resources @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whamphonics

Welcome back! Students will be excited to see you. By the end of the day, they'll be dragging and so will you. Pace yourself through this week.  When your district asks for input this year, tell them THURSDAY is a much better starting day for the first week of school.  It will be exhausting for all of you. Plan for breaks, time outdoors, the most necessary routines, and getting to know your students.  Learn to pronounce their names correctly.  NEA offered this tip-when you mispronounce their name, THEY get a piece of candy. When YOU get it right, YOU get the candy. Names matter.  YOU matter.  THAN YOU for being a teacher today!Online phonics diagnostic @whamphonics.comAdditional elementary resources @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whamphonics

To begin with, social-emotional learning isn't new, it didn't begin with the pandemic.  Technology of many kinds has changed the ways we communicate with one another in all situations.  Not just phones, not just the internet. While I used to knock on my friend's door to see if she could play, many parents now schedule play dates.  My friends and I would negotiate which game to play or whose house to play at.  Most families have two parents working by necessity. Perhaps children aren't allowed outside while parents are working. The most recent curriculum adoptions in schools involve quite a bit more solitary work answering questions on a laptop, without opportunities for students to work together. But here's what I've noticed is lacking and what you can do to improve the relationships and climate in your classroom..  I promise, it's simple, especially at the beginning of the year as you are getting to know students.  I've noticed that the end of a lesson just falls flat, or it ends with a short video demonstrating the skill, or, I'm sorry, but worse still- a worksheet.  INSTEAD   Put students into small groups.  The materials don't matter.  They can work on writing a short story together, they can stack blocks, they can separate legos into colors and sizes, they can organize the classroom library.Online phonics diagnostic @whamphonics.comAdditional elementary resources @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whamphonics

Let's get to it.  Tomorrow is August 1. Buildings are opening for teachers to begin prepping for their new classes.  This time is limited!  Once you get into professional days, the amount of prep time dwindles to almost zero. Much will be created for you: class lists, grade-level schedules, and building procedures.  And it is ALL subject to change.  So let's focus on you.   Is this the very most important thing I should be doing with my time and resources right now?”  This question is from Essentialism.  You may want to post this question to remind yourself throughout the year! Teachers become world-class multi-taskers.  We need to get the right things done.  We CANNOT do it all.  Online phonics diagnostic @whamphonics.comAdditional elementary resources @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whamphonics

I've been reading Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman. You'll probably remember the story I'm going to share with you.  Researchers wanted to study the effects of teachers demonstrating high expectations with a group of students who had been “tested” and shown to be of higher than average intelligence.  Researchers encouraged the teachers to pay more attention to these students, encourage them more if they struggled, and of course, praise their efforts and achievement often.  It's called the Pygmalion effect.  And it isn't only for students.  Beware: The effects of low expectations are exactly what you'd expect.  This is called the Golem effect.  If we have low expectations of someone, we are going to distance ourselves from them, we are not going to smile at them. If we don't believe in what they can do, how can they believe it themselves?  Due to the ethics of this type of research on humans, there isn't much.  But it JUST MAKES SENSE.  Online phonics diagnostic @whamphonics.comAdditional elementary resources @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whamphonics

Often attributed to Desmond Tutu- There comes a point where we need to stop pulling people out of the river.  We need to go upstream and find out why they're falling in.  The problems teachers face are occurring upstream.  They are happening before students walk into the room, before the data is due, and before a child throws their desk over. Let's start doing things differently. WHEN we know more about each of our students, we can teach them better, we can support their classmates better, we can work with families more easily, we become more flexible in our planning, and WE LEARN TO ASK FOR WHAT WE NEED.  What if…when a new student is going to join our class, we have an opportunity to meet them and their family a day before they join the class?  Wouldn't this be best for the student and the parents? (and you and your class?)  ESPECIALLY if they arrive with an IEP. (the document outlining which  special education services they receive)  Online phonics diagnostic @whamphonics.comAdditional elementary resources @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whamphonics

 I recently read an article on Education Week spotlighting a new book.  I previewed the book and became discouraged by the litany of (likely) complaints within schools.  The article grabbed my attention. How dare researchers in universities say that problems in education are to be blamed on the teachers? No, we will not be scapegoats for the state of underfunded and undersupported education.  Is teaching stressful? All work can be stressful.   If we're trying to program a website, publish an article, or get the house roofed before storm-several events can delay and deter us and cause stress.  Teachers work with people.  Often with 25 or more kiddos in a room.  The moment-to-moment decisions number in the hundreds.  I would never disagree that there is stress in the classroom and often things feel out of control.  When it does, we must ask for and expect help.  We might need to keep track of when we've asked for help and it hasn't arrived.We need support-no more blame.Online phonics diagnostic @whamphonics.comAdditional elementary resources @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whamphonics

Hi everyone, and welcome back to JumpStart.  My name is Kim Venegas, and though I generally steer clear of the political issues that plague us, I do want to tell you the story of Larry. As we approach a presidential election cycle, one that may resemble the one from 2016, Larry's story is important.  Larry was a fourth grader in 2015. As the candidates debated and spoke to the people, Larry heard several comments directed toward t his family.  Larry was Mexican American, born in the United States after his family arrived.  His parents did not have citizenship papers.  Our children, our students, they hear the news...and it often worries them.  Online phonics diagnostic @whamphonics.comAdditional elementary resources @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whamphonics

This past week I attended the summer leadership conference for the Colorado Education Association in the mountains. The first meeting room had floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the rocky mountains, aspen trees, and pines.  What a beautiful backdrop to learning! If only we all had this view outside of our classrooms. We can dream, right?Solutions Based discussionsThe Story of Self-Us-NowJump Start What Teachers Need NowOnline phonics diagnostic @whamphonics.comAdditional elementary resources @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whamphonics

My original episode on time management was the most popular download.  I'm all about urgency and efficiency because our time in the classroom is limited and our students need so much.  This episode isn't so much about things to do (or not do) but about forming an awareness of time wasters and revising our perception of how much time we lose each day.  I found these ideas online from Megan Sumrell-she offers a free training called How to Plan and Manage Your Time to Stay Organized. I don't know anyone who needs this type of training more than teachers!  Online phonics diagnostic @whamphonics.comAdditional elementary resources @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whamphonics

By July 5th, all the red, white, and blue will be on sale. School supplies will be overflowing in bins. It's important to have enough for EVERY student! Stock up while they're priced low!Online phonics diagnostic @whamphonics.comAdditional elementary resources @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whamphonics

So, it's official. I'm now a retired teacher, no longer on salary, no longer subject to curriculum demands, no longer a possibility of subbing in the grade level, no more unjamming the copier, no more belly breaths while a child has a meltdown, no more checking out, no more emails, no more meetings. No more district PD.  Just. No. More.  There are no tears, I have no regrets. I am grateful for the career and people I've worked with. I'll still be creating a Monday Morning Podcast for you.  I'll be speaking with our state's association leaders in June to impress upon them the need to have all schools provide top-quality mentoring.  Teaching is hard.  Teachers need mentors to help them become master teachers faster.  Online phonics diagnostic @whamphonics.comAdditional elementary resources @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whamphonics

Several years ago, my team and I leaned against the stacks of desks and started to plan for the next school year.  The crazy part of this was the kids had just left for summer!  But as we stood there, and brainstormed some ideas to make the next year even better, we also reflected on how we had taught the current year.  We weren't quite able to pack our backpacks and head out the door. We also talked about how to best help our students with their behaviors. What solutions could we come up with NOW, and be ready to implement next year?  It's important to look back and see where you can make changes to make your teaching days easier and more productive.The lazy days of summer can blur the edges...Online phonics diagnostic @whamphonics.comAdditional elementary resources @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whamphonics

Have you been side by side with students most of the year? Then you've been a success in their lives!  Every bandaid, every smile, and every gentle touch-you are forever a part of their lives.  Celebrate your success! Teaching is hard, and the data only tells one part of the story of this year.  Online phonics diagnostic @whamphonics.comAdditional elementary resources @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whamphonics

Today I'll talk about poverty.  Everyone seems to have an opinion about public education these days. Test scores make headlines, and magazines debate public or charter schools. People write blogs, and reels appear on social media.  Without telling us what poverty IS, they say children living in poverty can't learn like ‘the rest of us. They don't succeed academically.  Their parents don't have any family values. The adults don't want to work. They are sucking the state coffers dry.  Teachers are not exempt from making assumptions.  “If only their parents would…blah, blah, blah…I could teach them. “ I disagree.  Online phonics diagnostic @whamphonics.comAdditional elementary resources @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whamphonics

Hey everyone, welcome back to Jump Start!  We're wearing short sleeves.  No more scarves, mittens, and raincoats.  We're dreaming of summer.  Slow coffee in the mornings, walks with the dog, lazy summer breakfasts instead of a protein bar and a banana. We're counting down the days with a chain of colorful papers, or we're proceeding with each day as a normal day (while doing a happy dance in your head).  I've done it both ways. Most often, students are excited that summer is approaching, some of them know they have travel plans, and some of them expect to return to swimming and soccer games.  But others-they may be sent to stay with relatives while parents work.  But something for all of you to do: We want to celebrate their hard work, and celebrate the season of spring. Get outside if you can.  Here are a few activities that are low-cost, but different from the normal day.  Some of them are even tied to math or science.  Great opportunities to make learning fun. Online phonics diagnostic @whamphonics.comAdditional elementary resources @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whamphonics

In today's episode, I'll share what I learned about learning loss due to covid.  I've got to say, I honestly thought we were past this topic!  We do seem to be through the most isolating days of the pandemic, but the effects of the virus will be with us for some time.Online phonics diagnostic @whamphonics.comAdditional elementary resources @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whamphonics

Most of us aren't informed enough to explain language sounds, spellings, and word meanings. It isn't because we don't want to be. Most likely, the college courses in your education program didn't prepare you. I've spoken with two colleagues who have master's degrees in reading instruction, and they remember, vaguely, being taught the names of parts of language, the morphemes, phonemes, syllables, and the spelling patterns of digraphs, blends, trigraphs--but they were not expected to master it. Louisa Moats agrees that most education programs aren't doing a good enough job of preparing teachers for early reading instruction. This leaves us feeling ineffective, and may contribute to teachers leaving the profession they've chosen. Online phonics diagnostic @whamphonics.comAdditional elementary resources @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whamphonics

College teachers mentioned Title 1 schools, classroom management,  curriculum, poor behavior, and support from the administration...but your true learning happens in your first year as a teacher.  Truly, teaching is something we learn on the job, in the classroom, year after year.  My conversation with a first-year teacher is not an interview, but I paraphrased from the highs and lows of her first year.  Take a listen!Online phonics diagnostic @whamphonics.comAdditional elementary resources @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whamphonics

I first saw Jeff's teaching during a summer Writing Project.  It changed my writing and grammar teaching!  And I want him to change yours.  A video link is included, and be sure to listen to his podcast, The POPcast!  Invitation to Notice.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vV7Wvuk61Vs Jeff writes: “In the classroom, I experimented to see how I could accelerate students' learning of editing and writer's craft from reading---  even with students who are not always natural or voracious readers.”  The idea that he does his own research with students in front of him makes him a teaching guru in my book.  Where better to test ideas than with your own students instead of “participants” in a large-scale project?Online phonics diagnostic @whamphonics.comAdditional elementary resources @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whamphonics

Learning to write well begins at the sentence level.  Our youngest students can learn to write strong sentences with explicit instruction. An example from kindergarten: The live oak tree needs a lot of water.    We could expand this sentence into a compound sentence: The live oak tree needs a lot of water, but it doesn't need a lot of sun.  Students learn that writing the word 'but' between two sentences means that the two ideas are in opposition to each other.  When we teach compound and complex sentences, we're helping students understand the content and the structure of non-fiction writing. Link to The Writing Revolution webpage-Lots of free resources!https://www.thewritingrevolution.org/resources/book-resources/Online phonics diagnostic @whamphonics.comAdditional elementary resources @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whamphonics

Natalie collaborated with Judith Hochman on The Writing Revolution-the most no-nonsense approach to teaching writing. Natalie's own book is called  The Knowledge Gap.  Last week I talked about how many of our kids don't have any BK or background knowledge.  Natalie shares how having background knowledge of a topic allows more struggling readers to make sense of the text. Online phonics diagnostic @whamphonics.comAdditional elementary resources @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whamphonics

"They've got no BK!" laments my team teacher.  There's been a drought of content teaching and learning while trying to improve math and reading scores.  But what if adding CONTENT would help them become better readers? What do you think?Online phonics diagnostic @whamphonics.comAdditional elementary resources @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whamphonics

Chatter is everywhere in schools- who is leaving, who is changing positions.  First-year teachers are nervous if they will be rehired for the next year. Tens of thousands of teaching positions need to be filled for the next school year.  Job fairs are the first step and they are happening now.  Are you ready for what's next?Online phonics diagnostic @whamphonics.comAdditional elementary resources @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whamphonics

The teacher called to give me the day and time of the meeting for the results of the special education testing.   When I attended the meeting, things went downhill quickly, until the school psychologist stood and asked, "Are we talking SLIC here?"I would learn that SLIC was a 'new' yet less negative sounding term for mental retardation.  Support your student's parents through this difficult time.  There is no excuse for leaving parents unaware and alone.  The alphabet soup of our profession is confusing and ever-changing.  Don't leave parents without your expertise and concern.  Online phonics diagnostic @whamphonics.comAdditional elementary resources @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whamphonics

Two important acronyms in education, but frequently misunderstood. With the switch to a preventative model of support in 2004, interventions are focused on the student's difficulty with a specific skill, instead of waiting on a diagnosis of disability. I suggest reading the blog post at solutiontree.com. The author included an analogy to sports performance-and since it IS Super Bowl weekend, I recommend you read the article. Essentially, with RTI, we are coaching students up.Online phonics diagnostic @whamphonics.comAdditional elementary resources @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whamphonics

The planning, prepping, grading, copying, and choosing how to teach the lesson….  It's all a part of teaching.  While we can't remove any of the pieces, we can delegate a few. Without a balance between our professional and personal lives, something will break down. Stress causes illness, both physical and mental.  We can't let ourselves become so stressed that we can't find the balance.  You will bring more energy to teaching if you've taken time to nourish yourself in your personal time. Online phonics diagnostic @whamphonics.comAdditional elementary resources @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whamphonics

 This book is loaded with bite-sized strategies that will raise the level of engagement and vocabulary in your classes. The title isn't specific to Multi-Lingual Learners.   What's good for language learners is good for ALL learners.  Enjoy!Online phonics diagnostic @whamphonics.comAdditional elementary resources @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whamphonics

 Most often, with Response to Intervention (RTI) or Multi-Tiered System of Supports ( MTSS), teachers must work through two cycles of interventions for a student, then meet again to discuss if the interventions were effective in moving the student forward. At its best, these protocols can identify the gap in a student's learning quickly, provide an intervention to move the student forward, and consider this a success. But too often, our observations and comments are vague, and our approaches try   to solve a big problem-"She can't read."  "He is behind his classmates in math."  "She doesn't like art and often acts out."Instead, Dr. Ross Greene asks us to define the difficulty precisely: Difficulty making 1-1 correspondence with objects to 20Difficulty naming beginning sounds.Difficulty tracing lines and shapes, letters and numbers.I suggest you do the same.  Ask for help from others to find the specific lagging skill and support that skill for your student.  The earlier the better. For both of you:)Online phonics diagnostic @whamphonics.comAdditional elementary resources @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whamphonics

Teachers shoulder a heavy responsibility for the well-being of their students, both academic and emotional.  However, contrary to the truth that teaching is never done, teachers have families and lives of their own that need attending to.  Support for putting in the time off and TAKING IT!  Mark those moments in your life and be there. Online phonics diagnostic @whamphonics.comAdditional elementary resources @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whamphonics

Blended learning is a mix of digital content and face-to-face learning.  Most schools now have one-to-one devices for students.  Many districts require students to use digital programs during the school day.  I'll share how to maximize blended learning for student growth.Online phonics diagnostic @whamphonics.comAdditional elementary resources @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whamphonics

VERY important! In this episode, I share Harold and the Purple Crayon and lessons learned from this childhood favorite.Creativity helps us to ask questions, suggest alternative answers to problems, innovate and invent.  Society-and this includes our current students-will have some very real problems to solve that will require thinking outside the box.  Online phonics diagnostic @whamphonics.comAdditional elementary resources @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whamphonics

An easy system to be sure students have pencils whenever they need them.  It's quiet,  it's efficient, and it helps students complete more work without wasting time finding a pencil to use.  Just for you-a four minute video on the history of the pencil. https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/10/11/492999969/origin-of-pencil-leadOnline phonics diagnostic @whamphonics.comAdditional elementary resources @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whamphonics

Ideas on why this occurs and what it means for teachers.  Our kids need to be seen. They need adults to pay attention to their goodness and value and help them to become good humans. Our influence matters more than you know.  Teachers matter!Online phonics diagnostic @whamphonics.comAdditional elementary resources @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whamphonics