FREE Resources (For Parents AND Teachers!!!)

Hey, guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hope your summer has been great.  I just wanted to share a couple of FREE resources ("Free?  Did she say 'free'?"  Why yes, yes I did!) for both parents and teachers alike.  I know "worksheets" are frowned upon, BUT there IS some good ol'-fashioned educational greatness in these sites.

First site:   http://www.math-drills.com/

This site is GREAT for a couple of reasons: 
1.) Review:  If you truly teach math the way it is to be taught, there's some "spiraling" that's involved.  For those who may not be familiar with the term, spiraling is basically dipping back into previously taught/learned skills so that they stay fresh in the kids' minds.

 2.) Differentiation: Yes, I said it....the "d" word. LOL!!!! For each skill, there are several subsets that can be used to challenge students, strengthen skills and to pull back and reteach if need be. 

3.) Convenience:  Ya know when parents ask ya for extra work for their kids? BAM!!!!!!!! Not only are these easy to print (or you can just give 'em the website), but they come with answer keys!!!!!!!!!!!! SCORE!!!!  Parents....can we say ROAD TRIP ACTIVITIES???? Print off some, buy a dollar clipboard from Walmart or your local dollar store and.....you can thank me later. LOL!!!! Aaaaaand teachers, if you have one of those mounted projectors with a feed from your desktop in your classroom, pop a skill up there, let the kids work on it in their math journals, and allow for self-checking! *cue happy dance*

Second site: http://www.worksheetworks.com

Now, this site says "beta" on it, but PLEASE DON'T let that deter you from checking it out!  It has a hodge-podge of skills that can be used for extra practice. 

*For the little ones, there's a scissors skills section:  Just click the level of difficulty and print out different shapes to help your kids develop the fine motor skills needed for cutting. (Hey....get the kids some kid-friendly scissors.  Try the kind by Westcott, that fit both left and right-handed babies. They're at Walmart, they're reasonably-priced, and read carefully: There's a kind made out of nylon that'll only cut paper--no carpet, hair, electrical wiring, that new purse....nada. Solo papel!)

*There's a handwriting section for both manuscript and cursive.  You can even type in what you want kids to copy and practice writing.  Think about it....go with me, here: Choose any subject area and type in what you want the kids to write.  Not only does this reinforce skills in social studies, science, etc, BUT it buys you a bit of time.  Raise your hand if you've got enough time carved out of your day to practice handwriting with the babies........Y'all might; I don't. *chuckle*

*There's a math section.  It's ok, but I really like the calculator skills portion.  Even in 4th and 5th grade, I noticed that the babies had trouble with correctly entering in the information into their calculators. (I hear my Daddy in my head "It's not the calculator that's wrong, Jennifer, it's the one using the thing.  The calculator is just a tool!" LOL Yes, Daddy.) Check out the math portion...it's cool.

*The English Language section is pretty nifty.  There are skills with homophones (scene, seen...their, there, they're), vocabulary and alphabetizing.

*The Geography section has the coolest puzzle EVER!  It's a states and capitals grid puzzle.  Honestly, I wanna (and I just might) print one out and work on it mySELF!!!! (But, once again, I'm a dork. *shrug*)

*There are sections for both puzzles (brain teasers, Sudoku, Pentominoes, etc) and miscellaneous items.

Welp, I'm done......................for now. :-)  There's more to come--we've got ALL YEAR!!!!

Until next time,

Ms. Jenn

The Teachers That Know They Can

*thumbs in belt loops* Heeeeey, y'all!

So back in February, I had a guest speaker that the kids know as "Mr. Awesome Eric". LOL!  Well, while he was in the middle of talking about goals, success, and dreams in kid-friendly terms, he quoted this poem:

The Man Who Thinks He Can

By Walter D. Wintle
If you think you are beaten, you are,
If you think you dare not, you don’t,
If you like to win, but think you can’t,
It’s almost certain you won’t.
If you think you’ll lose, you’re lost,
For out of the world we find,
Success begins with a person’s will-
It’s all in a state of mind.
If you think you are outclassed, you are,
You’ve got to think high to rise.
You’ve got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.
Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger or faster man
But sooner or later the man who wins
Is the man who thinks he can!

The kids were amazed.  They applauded right then and there, and he wasn't even through talking to them yet!

Months later, in May, the kids were playing games because, well, it was after standardized testing, there was maybe a week and a half of school left and.........welp....... they deserved the free time! (Dear administrators: Don't freak out! Respectfully, Jenn) Haahaa! 

During one of the games, B hollered "I'm gonna win, cuz I'm a man that thinks he can.  Remember Mr. Awesome Eric said it?" My teacher senses tingled.  After he did, indeed, win the game, I asked him to come over and recorded him reading the poem.  MY GOSH!!!! This child hates to read with a passion, but he jumped at the chance to read "Mr. Awesome Eric's Poem."

I got inspired.

Let's see if I can "remix" the poem in teacher-friendly terms:

The Teachers Who Know They Can

If you think you can't teach, you can't.
Take down your bulletin boards and leave.
There's no sense in making your classroom great
If you don't think our kids can achieve.

If you think they're too stupid, that's a shame
That falsehood contains nothing true
The kids WILL learn, but the worst part is,
They'll learn it all without YOU.

Classroom difficulties are likened to war,
We're in the trenches each day--
Fighting to be certain that our kids can solve
Each problem that comes their way.

State testing is a painstaking must
If you think they'll get harder, they will
Non-teachers are holed up in boardrooms NOW
Passing even MORE education bills

But fellow teachers, bow not your heads
Fight the good fight again
For every morning brings learning anew--
THIS IS A FIGHT WE'LL WIN!

Determination is what's needed
In your schools, please take a stand.
For there's NOTHING that is MORE POWERFUL
Than the teachers that KNOW they CAN.


Do you believe that you can TEACH again for 2012-2013? Yes? Then come on; we're in this together. :-)

*waves*

~~Ms. Jenn