Found Some Treasures

• SITES THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR TEACHING...
• http://www.readwritethink.org
• http://www.hubbardscupboard.org
• http://www.learner.org
• http://www.kinderkorner.com
• http://www.kellyskindergarten.com/
• http://www.jmeacham.org
• http://www.littlegiraffes.com
• http://www.adsit.net
• http://www.prekinders.com

AND IF YOU HAVENT' DISCOVERED PINTEREST....IT IS A TEACHER'S 

DREAMLAND............

For the Teachers of Science!

Check out this cool website......I think you will like it!

Cool Poster...To help with Common Core

Source: helloliteracy.blogspot.co

Whatever Works...

                                                                                                          

Whatever works!!!

Worth the Read...

Ran across this and thought about all of you and what you do at the beginning of the year to connect with students. This letter was written by a mom and has a sweet insight worth remembering...

Click here for letter...

Clever way to control classroom noise....

Site Featuring Quick Ways to use Technology in UNDER 10 Minutes!

What a discovery....check this site ! I think you will like it....the most current post is on activinspire...

Happy surfing......

EAGER BEAVERS!

Teachers! Great first week...thank you for all you did to make it a super smooth start with our returning and new students.

I know everyone is really to begin AR, but I ran the report and we still have several students who have not taken the STAR Test. This does not include K or 1st. If we go slow to go fast the kids will do better. 

The AR committee will meet on Monday to finalize prizes, talk about the kickoff, and discuss the next steps. I talked with you about meeting with each child to allow them to determine what goal THEY wanted to reach. I promise that this will make a huge difference. It is like the doctor telling you to lose weight versus you saying, "Hey, I think I am going to drop some pounds!" It personalizes it. 

Although it appears that the students are "gung-ho" to begin, there are MANY who are scared they won't measure up, had past failures with AR, or simply don't care for reading. Kids don't particularly (and grownups, too) like to do things they feel they are not good at doing. 

I have made copies for you of your students' last year scores. If they transferred in I was not able to get this information, but perhaps they can share this info with you. Be sure and cover up the other students' results when meeting with them. The students will appreciate this one-on-one attention and the message will be clear. You and your reading success matter to me. I think you can do better or even better than last year. Our stronger readers may have their sights on the TOP 20 Board or even being TOP READER in their grade or for the school. Share the score of the last top Reader, Alayna Pody.

So I encourage you to go slow to go fast. Everyone needs to take the initial STAR Test. Teachers need to meet with each child individually and with the program pulled up, they need to let the child see them setting their goal. We will get you the "how to" instructions to go to this in the program. I would like for you to have the prize brochure (haven't made this yet, idea just popped in my head, kind of scary...I know). Allow them to look at it and decide what THEY will be able to accomplish this year. Of course, I know you will encourage them to go all the way. 

I can't wait to see how this "personal" approach to AR pans out. I have a good feeling....

p.s. It "SO" goes with our theme this year of respecting yourself, others, and the environment. Children need choices in life and in school. We are putting them directly in the driver's seat. 

50 Education Technology Tools

http://edudemic.com/2012/08/50-education-technology-tools-every-teacher-should-know-about/

50 Education Technology Tools Every Teacher Should Know About


Technology and education are pretty intertwined these days and nearly every teacher has a few favorite tech tools that make doing his or her job and connecting with students a little bit easier and more fun for all… check it out!

Reporting OR Tattling?

Great book to teach the difference between "reporting" and "tattling"
Available from Amazon.

How to Upload Powerpoints

Teachers, 
Do you have a powerpoint you want to share on your blog? Use www.slideshare.net to upload. You will have to create an account, but it is FREE! It will give you an embed link (just highlight all and copy). When you open up a new post, choose HTML rather than compose. This allows you to paste the embedded link into your post. After pasting, hit compose. You should see your powerpoint. Cool, huh? And it gives you more mileage to your efforts to communicate...

Institute Speaker 2012, Thoughts from the Principal

Although I have heard Brian Townsend many times, I always enjoy him. I especially love his "Judybabe" stories and references to a woman he obviously adores. He is easy to listen to and I found myself slowly relaxing from the stress of opening the school doors.

His spill was "People Make Good Things Happen". I felt like I could have jumped right up there beside him and put my two cents in. I live and breathe this topic, "PEOPLE MAKE GOOD THINGS HAPPEN" everyday at R. L. Young. I could have supplied him with a slideshow of all of you in action to spice up the presentation. Of course, I am not a well-known public speaker, he did not ask for a slideshow, and I was not on the agenda, so needless to say, I refrained. 

This talk focused on 4 simple words that would bring about success in any organization or person's life. Here are my reflections:

CARE-The people at our school really do care about the students and their families. This week everyone was working toward one goal...being ready for the kids. The school was clean, the rooms were arranged just so, the paperwork on desks, and the excitement was obvious. Not only do you care about the students, you care about each other. This has been a hard summer for many families connected to Young. I hope you have felt loved and supported through your hardship. It is a pleasure to work in a place where we really are happy to be back together! Our goal this summer was to increase the enrollment in hopes of earning another classroom unit. Through prayers and divine intervention the last count was 272! When school released in May we showed 237. I am amazed and delighted in our growth. Thank you for allowing me to be thrilled with the increase. Some of you have many more students that you had before. But I heard no complaining, just willingness to keep your classroom doors open. You care enough about the good of the school as a whole to accept more children in your classroom. Thank you! We will support each other through this growing phase!

PLAN- We plan all the time...for fun times, testing times, rewarding students and teacher times...and for troubling times. It is the tight network of communication that runs from one end of the school to the other that keeps us in the loop. Email, blogging, paper trails, signs, and audible communication hold our plans in place. This week the CIP committee met (THANKS CATHY, KELLY, RHONDA, and SELENA). We discussed the conversation that took place on the last day in May when we looked at the end of the year data and made tentative decisions about the new year. You thought and researched through the summer about ways we could improve the level of respect among our students. Sharing those ideas with me and others just strengthens everyone. I saw all of you at school long before this week of inservice. You all have families and outside obligations. You are involved in church activities and serve in leadership roles in the community. I appreciate you generously giving of your time and talents to make Young a good place to learn and grow. Thank you for CARING enough to plan for a great year. The committee will be sharing the CIP plan with everyone during the September faculty meeting. It's a good one and I AM EXCITED!

TEAM- Boy, do I have a super team. Custodians, teachers, lunchbunch, secretary, assistants, counselor, PTO, and librarian! Together everyone achieves more! Just look at our test scores!!!!!!!! Let's just beat OAK MOUNTAIN Elementary School. My hat's off to you. "Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much." Helen Keller really got that right, didn't she? Thank you for being a team player. Communicating with the grade above you and below you, talking about specific kids in our meetings, realizing that they all belong to us, whether you specifically taught them or not. We are one...

DUTY-R. L. Young is the poster child for DUTY. I do not worry that you don't have the best interest of the children in everything you say or do. We don't always get it right, geez, because we are human. BUT, your hearts are in the right place, NO DOUBT. Thank you for having that sense of obligation to do everything in your power to make magic happen in the classroom and all throughout the day. A principal is only as successful as his/her people. YOU GUYS/GALS make me look great. I am very grateful for my job, but more so for the wonderful folks I have the privilege of serving beside Monday through Fridays thirty-six weeks per year. May this be our best yet!

Well, I have poured my heart out and shared my thoughts. We will continue to be blessed I am sure...HAPPY NEW SCHOOL YEAR!

Curiosity Makes One Smarter...

Curious about R. L. Young's scores...and other schools? You can go here to check out all AYP reports.

http://www.alsde.edu/Accountability/Accountability.asp

PLEASE BRING to Faculty Meeting

For Monday's meeting in A.M.:
Copy of the 2010 Alabama Course of Study: Mathematics
(Link to download can be found on blog)
The Explorations Guide
Go Math Teachers Edition


For Monday's meeting in P.M.:
Bring a laptop and your educatealabama login and password.



For Tuesday Meeting with Nancy Clark: Bring grade level ARMT + Item Specs for reading (grades 3-6 will have these)

Dr. Bice and the Importance of Teacher Growth

http://alex.state.al.us/leadership/EA2012.html

Video clip from State Superintendent Dr. Tommy Bice about EDUCATEAlabama. Four minutes and very informative.

Promethean Board Ready....CHECK!

John Locklin received this in an email from our Promethean supplier and I thought I would pass it on:


We know that everyone is getting ready for this 2012-2013 school year and just wanted to remind you of a few things pertaining to your Promethean products as you prepare.

Make sure you have pens for your board. (Student/Teacher, or ActivPen version depending upon the board model you have. )

Make sure you have batteries for all of your learner response devices (expressions / votes)

These can be quite costly if you try to replace all of them yourself. You might want to put them on your parent supply list. Each device takes 3 batteries - Expressions AA and Votes AAA. I would expect to replace those annually especially if you are using them daily.

Test your system.

Sometimes maintenance crews over the summer inadvertently remove/unplug cables and various other components while working in classrooms. If everything powers up and works great, please check your projector hours. If you are nearing the 3000 hour mark, please notify your IT department. Especially if you have never had your bulb replaced in the past. This way they can be prepared if your bulb goes out and your system will not be down very long waiting on a replacement. (Note – the bulb life is 3000 hours or 5 years, whichever comes first. Special Note – There is no money for bulb replacement.)

Check for Updates on ActivInspire software

You can do this from the Inspire Dashboard under “Configure” or under the Help Menu from the ActivInspire Menu Bar.

Register your devices.

Even if your computer has not changed one year to the next, clear your hub and register all of your devices for this school year.


Check out Promethean Planet for new ideas.

Hang in there! Student Contact Info in Box!

Contact information on your students has been placed in your boxes. Please make note that as new students enroll, a revised copy will be given. I have been sending an email to your school email account when a change has occurred on your original roll.

Hang in there...we will make it!

"I am the one with the dark black. Which one are you?"

Arrangements for Mrs. Hodnett's Dad

Mrs. Hodnett's Dad's arrangements:
Viewing at Curtis & Son Funeral Home
North Chapel (on highway 21 as you go into Sylacauga) on Tuesday,
8/7/12 5 to 8 p.m.
Funeral on Wed., at 3 p.m. at Sycamore United Methodist Church

Go Math Training is Here!

GO MATH TRAINING AUG. 2


Make plans now to attend the GO MATH training slated for Aug. 2. K-2 will meet from 8 until 11 a.m. and 3-6 will have a session from 12 to 3 p.m. The location will be at Talladega High School!

There are still missing teacher materials, but we continue to have deliveries. Mr. Jemison is placing items in your classrooms as they arrive. Please count materials and let me know if you do not have enough.

You need to bring your Go Math teacher bundle to the Orange Commons in the computer lab at THS at the above time. If you have a laptop and prefer to bring it, this might be useful, especially if there are not enough computers for everyone to use.

IPAD Training Aug. 16 Salter Elementary

Janet Taylor, Unversity of Montevallo Inservice Center Guru, will teach iPads on the afternoon of August 16th from 1:00 to 3:00 at Salter Elementary in the library...

BYOi (Bring Your Own iPad) or borrow from IPAD cart. It is already in STIPD and you can begin signing up. :)

Google FORMS, Great Teacher Tool

Teachers, here is something to think about...using Google Forms in the classroom. Google will allow you to create a form (such as my discipline form) and will collect the information from each child, depending on how you set it up. You just supply the link to get to the form and WooHoo. Instant gathering of information. Check out this web page for cool teacher made forms...

Google Forms used by teachers

Inservice Schedule 2012-13

Raymond L. Young Inservice Schedule 2012-13

Monday, Aug. 13

8:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m. Faculty Meeting, ARMT+ Data Review and Celebration, Math COS/Vertical Teaming

(refreshments by 3rd grade teachers, P.Thomas, Lane)

11:30-1:00 a.m. Lunch

1:00 – 3:00 a.m. Edutrax training-bring a laptop to the auditorium


Tuesday, Aug. 14

8:30- 10:00 CIP committee will met in conference room to work on CIP 2012-13

(Nunn, Nelson, Thomas, Thornton, Davidson)

11:30 -1:00 p.m. Lunch

1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Nancy Clark- Addressing the lowest reading standards across grade levels K-6


Wednesday, Aug. 15

8:00-10:00 Institute at Harwell Auditorium

8:00-8:30…………………………....Sign – In, Refreshments

8:30-8:35……………………………Color Guard, Pledge

8:35-8:45……………………………Welcome and Introductions (Mr. Campbell)

8:45-9:00…………………………….Principals (Introductions – new employees)

9:00-9:10…………………………….Introduction of Speaker

9:10- 10:00…………………………..Speaker (Bryan Townsend)

10:00-11:00……………………......Closing Remarks (Mr. Campbell)

11:30-1:00 LUNCH

1:00-3:15 work



Thursday, Aug. 16

8:00-11:30 Work in classrooms

11:30-1:00 Lunch

1:00-3:15 Prepare for Meet and Greet Sessions

2:30 -3:00 Title I meeting/Accelerated Reader Data Information for parents lead by principal

3:00 -6:00 MEET and GREET (Grade Level meetings with parents)

OPTIONAL Aug. 16 (1:00-3:00) IPAD workshop by Janet Taylor at Salter Elementary in the library for any teacher interested in attending. BYOI – Bring your own IPAD or borrow from school’s cart! Sign up on PDWeb if you are attending.


*Meet and Greet Schedule

2:30 to 3:00 p.m. Mandatory Title One Meeting with Parents in auditorium

Remind parents to visit the lunchroom to take care of lunch money, purchase school shirt, and join PTO.

Kindergarten—5 to 6 p.m. library

First—3 to 3:30 p.m. library

Second—4:30 to 5 p.m. classrooms

Third—3 to 3:30 p.m. classrooms

Fourth—4:30 to 5 p.m. meet in lunchroom-may move to auditorium

Fifth/Sixth—4 to 4:30 p.m. meet in auditorium



Friday, Aug. 17

8 to 11:30 a.m. work in classroom

11:30-1:00 Lunch

1:00-3:15 p.m. Work in classroom

Interested in Blogging?

Are you toying with the idea of having a blog for your class or grade level? Click here to download a guide for using blogger. Save it to your desktop. It has tons of help inside, plus you will have something to refer to often when questions arise.

p.s. Thanks, Dr. Buck for sharing this with me.

Institute at Harwell Aug. 15 8:00 a.m.

TALLADEGA CITY SCHOOLS

INSTITUTE

Harwell Auditorium

August 15, 2012

8:00 A.M.

8:00 – 8:30 ……………………………………………………………. Sign – In

Refreshments



8:30 – 8:35 ………………………………………………………………… Color Guard

Pledge



8:30 – 8:45………………………………………………………………. Mr. Douglas Campbell

Welcome

Introductions



8:45 – 9:00 ……………………………………………………………….. Principals - Introductions

New Employees


9:00 – 9:10 ……………………………………………………………… Introduction of Speaker

Mr. Douglas Campbell


9:10 – 10:00 …………………………………………………………… Speaker

Mr. Brian Townsend



10:00 ………………………………………………………………………….Closing Remarks

Book to Kick Off a New School Year

The WAIT is OVER!

I am going to see just how clever my faculty is by posting this in code. You have been waiting since school let out to receive something very important to the beginning of the new school year. In fact it is probably the most important information I have to give you.

It is printed and placed in your boxes. Please keep in mind that until that first day of school nothing is "locked" in. Numbers and names could change, although it is unlikely. I am pleased to say we are up by 10. AWESOME! All information is confidential and should not be released until August 1 when I post it publicly.

If you come to the school, Mr. Jemison has waxed the new building hallways today. This completes the task of all carpets and floors. Everything is shaping up.

You may also notice that Maintenance (JJ) is rebuilding the arched doors beside the boys and girls main building restrooms. His talent is amazing and I am thrilled this is getting done. How blessed Talladega City is to have a crew such as we have!

Giant Resource Created JUST FOR TEACHERS by ALSDE

The State Department of Education has constructed this site that contains a wealth of the information on College and Career-Ready – Standards.  These include 2010 ACOS Math and Specifications Correlations; ARMT+ Item Specifications for Math; Scope and Sequence for Common Core State Standards; and much more. 

FlipBooks - This resource developed by the Kansas DOE is intended to help teachers understand what each standard means in terms of what students must know and be able to do. You will find research, "unpacked" standards from many states, instructional strategies, and examples for grade-level standards in this resource. Math Videos



ARMT+ Item Specifications for Mathematics

Grade 3

Grade 4

Grade 5

Grade 6

Grade 7

Grade 8



This page contains video clips that provide additional insight into how the College and Career Ready Standards change instruction and the implications of the Standards for the classroom.

Sample Scope and Sequence Documents

This Page contains sample scope and sequence documents developed by the Charles A. Dana Center at the University of Texas at Austin. Sample scope and sequence documents have been developed for each grade level, K-8, as well as for the traditional high school course sequence of Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II. These documents represent the current best thinking about how the concepts and skills described in the College and Career Ready Standards (Common Core State Standards for Mathematics) might be developed across the course of a school year.










--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Check it out by visiting this link:
http://alex.state.al.us/ccrs/node/41

You Know This is True!

Schedules Are Here!

Good Day, Teachers!  I have been posting schedules today as part of my many tasks to complete this summer. Please note the list to the right of this post. Several links contain multiple schedules within one document. The biggest resource for dates is the master "Calendar of Events". You will find all dates known at this time for the 2012-13 school year. These dates have also been posted on the master wall calendar located in Mrs. Hodnett's office.

Please feel free to add things to this calendar such as scheduled field trips, events pertinent to your grade level or class, etc. This gathering of events/dates helps me report to the Central Office when they ask, "What have you been doing for the last six months?"

This giant year long calendar also helps when we have to schedule a special assembly or event and need everyone to be on campus. Communication is a tool I love to provide to you. It keeps us united and informed.

Keep enjoying this wonderful summer....

GO MATH TRAINING AUG. 2

Make plans now to attend the GO MATH training slated for Aug. 2. K-2 will meet from 8 until 11 a.m. and 3-6 will have a session from 12 to 3 p.m. The location will be at Talladega High School!
Math teacher materials have arrived at the school and Mr. Jemison will be delivering them to your classrooms this week. The student books were placed in Dixon and Mr. Mitchell will be delivering those to each school soon.

If you would like, feel free to get your math teacher materials to browse through at home. It is imperative that you plan to attend the training for the new math program to ease the transition to our new math series.

This Needs to be at R. L. Young!

HOT OFF THE PRESS...GOOD STUFF!

Recently I attended the CLAS Conference for administrators and sat in on a session by Alabama's State Superintendent, Tommy Bice. He has many interesting things to share. One of the things revealed was a new resource for teachers. Of course you know we are moving to the common core this year. This site has many helpful tools that you may want to explore this summer. Below you will find the directions to access this exciting new resource.

Email from the state department:
A new resource available to assist you with implementation of the Alabama College- and Career- Ready mathematics standards is Alabama’s Standards Insight Tool. The Alabama Standards Insight was developed to help teachers "unpack" the mathematics College- and Career-Ready Standards (CCRS). The college-and career-ready standards for mathematics are “unpacked” or dissected by identifying specific knowledge, skills, vocabulary, understandings, and evidence of student attainment for each standard. The Alabama Standards Insight tool is a powerful and dynamic vehicle, hosted by Alabama’s Web Portal through the Alabama Learning Exchange (ALEX), which will help us move Alabama students to a higher level of learning, preparing them for jobs and college.



The time for implementation of the CCRS standards is so near, so the State Dept. has assigned temporary login information for each district to explore the possibilities of the tool. You may use this guest login to explore the tool and to assist you in your planning and pacing efforts as you work toward a successful transition to the new 2010 Alabama Course of Study: Mathematics in August 2012.

Login Directions for Alabama Insight


ALEX WEBSITE ACCESS

1. Enter http://alex.state.al.us in the location window of your web

browser.

2. Click the Course of Study button from the home page.

3. Click the Mathematics button.

4. On the Mathematics Course of Study Page, click the Alabama

Insight Logo.

5. Select your school district from the drop down menu.
TALLADEGA CITY   (short name TALLADEGACY)
Click Continue to log into the Alabama Insight Tool.

6. Enter your guest login and password
teacher user name : guest122
teacher first name: Guest
teacher last name: Guest
teacher password: guest 

Great Resources for Using IPADS

Here is the link to an awesome website chocked full of helpful information about using IPADS! 

New View for the Library Card

Strong Statements that Make a Difference

New Math Materials...In the House!

The wait is over...The new math materials have arrived and can be found in the auditorium. If you are "itching" to get them now, they have been stacked in the auditorium. Please make sure you look on the outside of the boxes for your grade level. There should be 2 boxes per teacher unless you do not teach math. 


Mr. Jemison will be off next week, but when he returns I will have him deliver them to your rooms. It does not appear that the student workbooks are included in this delivery. I think these boxes contain teacher manuals and materials. 

Love this Door!

An App Worth the Purchase

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/k12-timed-reading-practice/id374985358?mt=8
Tell me what you think!

Training Coming Soon!

Just a reminder....

R. L. Young teachers, remember she plans to meet with the group in library first. She will need to use the promethean boards in your classrooms. All carpets have been cleaned and you can access your room at any time.

Hope to see you at the boot camp!

Just form for "Volunteer Getting"!

Source: kentuckykindergartenkorner.blogspot.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

Life Just Got Better for YOUNG Teachers

Hey Everybody! Notice anything new about the teacher blog? I added a quick and easy DISCIPLINE REFERRAL BUTTON for you! It will take you to the super simple referral form that electronically records trouble in your classroom. 


I am adding after-school detention to a drop down box of choices on the form. I will have it once a week and arrangements for pickup will have to be made by me prior to the actual day of detention. This should be a step prior to suspension. You know how I feel about suspension. If they are not in school, we cannot teach them! But I agree there are times that they need to be removed from campus.


I do appreciate that you do not overuse my help in managing your classroom. Research shows that a classroom with well-established rules and procedures usually runs quite smoothly. But there are occasions when you need assistance so that teaching can continue. I want to help any way that I can so that you can do your MAGIC!


I will ask that you use this form, not a paper trail, sticky note, etc. this year. At the end of the year I can simply copy all of the referrals for the year. I really appreciate those that made it a routine to use the system. It is very important to have a paper trail for behavior that persists. The main reason I like it is that I don't have children sitting at the office waiting on me if I am not on campus or have another situation to handle. If it is an emergency or you feel the child must be removed immediately, please note this on the form. 


I get an email promptly when a referral has been made. I then access the spreadsheet and it shows me the information. It might even be helpful for the child to see you typing on the form and allowing them to squirm just a bit before they are called to the office. I never want you to humiliate a child in front of others, but yet a private conference at your computer might send a strong message. 


I am always looking for ways that I can clear the path for you to do what you do best...TEACH! 

7 Habits for Highly Effective Teachers!

7 Habits for Highly Effective Teachers!  Great article...just sharing.

Choose Respect Website

You can check out this website here! There is a short slideshow presentation and some ideas for us. I already have the definition to hang on the wall in the lunchroom laminated and ready. They give a shorter definition. I wanted to bring focus to self, others, and the environment. Just thinking outloud!

Hand in Hand

Teaching respect and helping with bullying go hand in hand. Read this article to learn more.

Cute Idea for Getting to Know Students!

Source: web.me.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

Another Great Article!

Just sharing another good article about respect. Enlightening thoughts, especially for those that have young children. Click here!

Mr. Chandler, Linda's Dad

Faculty and Staff, 
I have sent out a school cast call concerning the passing of Linda Haynes' dad yesterday. In case you do not receive the call, visitation will be on Monday, June 11 at 3 p.m. with the funeral following at 4 at Ursey Funeral Home. Please show your support, if possible.

Children and Respect

Here is a great article with some thought-provoking ideas for educators about respect.

Building Moral Intelligence

Respect activities to ponder over...click here from the book!

Books for Respect

BOOKLIST for Respect



For grades K-3

Children Just Like Me - Kindersley

Value of Respect: Abraham Lincoln - Johnson

The Wump World - Peet

Manners - Aliki

Martin Luther King Jr. - various biographies

Harriet Tubman - various biographies

Crow Boy - Yashima

Smoky Night - Bunting

The Mixed-up Chameleon - Carle

The Surprise Family - Reeser

The Biggest Bear - Ward

The Hundred Penny Box - Mathia

A Light in the Attic - Silverstein

Like Jake and Me - Jukes

Miss Rumphius - Cooney

Whoever You Are - Fox

Young Abe Lincoln - Harness

Abe Lincoln Goes to Washington - Harness

People - Spier

The Children's Book of Heroes - Bennett

Puppy Love - King-Smith

He Bear, She Bear - Berenstain

I Am Rosa Parks - Parks

Why Do You Love Me? - Schlessinger

The Butter Battle Book - Seuss

I Like Me - Carlson

Frederick's Fables - Lionni

The Story of Ferdinand - Leaf

Too Short Fred - Meddaugh

Berenstain Bears & Too Much Teasing - Berenstain

Frederick - Lionni

I Hate My Brother Harry - Dragonwagon

The Quarreling Book - Zolotow

Stellaluna - Cannon

Alexander and the Wind-up Mouse - Lionni

Are You My Mother - Eastman

Chester's Way - Henkes

Fish Is Fish - Lionni

Inch by Inch - Lionni

The Ugly Duckling - Anderson

The Big Orange Splot - Pinkwater

Rosie the Cool Cat - Wilkon

D.W.'s Guide to Perfect Manners - Brown

Herbie Jones and the Second Grade Slippers - Kline

Whoopi's Big Book of Manners - Goldberg


For Older Kids

Black Beauty - Sewell

The Black Stallion - Farley

The Book of Virtues - Bennett

Charlotte's Web - White

The Friendship - Taylor

It's Like This, Cat - Neville

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry - Taylor

Summer of the Swans - Byars

The Trumpet of the Swan - White

Annie and the Old One - Miles

Felicia the Critic - Conford

Ordinary Spendors - Knapp

Altogether, One at a Time - Konigsburg

The House of Wings - Byars

Sixth-Grade Sleepover - Bunting

The Twelfth of June - Gould

Pacing the Sun - Pitts

Holes - Sachar

Under the Blood Red Sun - Salisbury

Sideways Stories from Wayside School - Sachar

A View from Saturday - Konigsburg

Fables - Lobel

Aesop's Fables - Aesop

Maniac Magee - Spinelli

A Little Book of Manners - Barnes

Back to Values Education

Button!

LOOK what I found!!!

I am making each classroom in 2-6 the top poster and for k-1 they will receive the second poster. Love the R.E.S.P.E.C.T. acrostic.....Keep looking, thinking, and share what you find with ME!

More on RESPECT

This link will take you to a great teacher blog with a cool chart discussing respect.

Teaching Respect

teaching children a little r-e-s-p-e-c-t

It’s time once again for Heather Johnson from Family Volley to share with us someParenting Tips as part of her “Parenting Tips” here on The Idea Room. Here’s Heather in her own words…

–Amy

A few weeks ago I was teaching a group of about 40 women. We were talking about the changes they have seen over the course of their lives. They talked about milk men and ice boxes, outhouses and telephone operators. Amongst the comments there was one common theme. Every comment also included “kids have changed, they are so disrespectful these days”.

There is a pretty strong argument, from many people that kids now-a-days, are very disrespectful. Gone are the days of Beaver Cleaver with all of his “thank you’s” and “yes ma’ams”. Instead there seems to be a lack of respect and a sense of entitlement and expectation. 

As parents, it is our job to help our children learn Respect. We need to start young and not only teach them, but show them with OUR own actions. 

Here are 8 suggestions for helping our children develop lifelong respect for things and people and life in general. 

First, we have to start with ourselves and Be Good Role Models
Children will do what they see us do. We can’t be disrespectful. 
Instead…
We need to model the behavior we want to see in our children. Respect our belongings, be patient and open minded with others, and listen with full attention.

Expect Good Manners
Don’t let children think that manners are optional or temporary.

Instead…

Expect good manners in all situations. When children are young, remind them to say “please” and “thank you”. Help and teach children the importance of writing thank-you notes. When you are going somewhere, be sure you remind them what you expect in the upcoming situation and how they should act. It will take constant cues on your part, but soon, it will become natural and your childrenwill remember on their own. Make it clear that bad manners will not be tolerated and be sure you enforce the consequences. Even if it means leaving the restaurant or get-together. When good manners are demonstrated, make sure there is lots of praise. Not just “good job”. Explain to your children why the good manners are important and what their respect means to the people around them.  

Don’t Tolerate Rudeness
When we allow our children to be rude, talk back, or talk snotty, we lead them to believe it’s okay to disrespect us and other people too. As parents we need to respond to this behavior. We need to make it clear that no matter how frustrated or annoyed our children may be, it is never okay to speak to other people in those tones. 

Instead…
Encourage your kids to express their feelings, using statement that start with “I”. “I feel angry and frustrated”. “I feel mad”. Encourage them to put their feelings into words by asking them questions. When our son is making sarcastic comments, I find myself saying “you seem upset, let’s talk about it”. It will take time for your kids to learn to express their emotions instead of being rude, but it will work. When they slip up, teach them the importance of saying “I am sorry”.


Respect Belongings
Don’t let children disrespect belongings.
Instead…

As parents, and grandparents, we need to be cautious with the amount of toys and things we give our kids. Too many things and they will not appreciate what they have. 

When kids disrespect their toys, don’t rush out and replace them. It is okay to explain that they have one firetruck and they need to take care of it or they won’t have a fire truck anymore. Explain the worth of belongings. When our daughter went through a phase of ruining her older siblings pictures, it wasn’t more reprimanding that she needed. Instead I talked to her about the time that went into making the picture and that it was special. It hurts feelings when we ruin other’s special things. Talk to your children about how they would feel if someone ruined their picture. 

Make the rules clear. When my girls want to smell my perfumes, they know I have to get them out. They have to be sitting down to hold them, and they can’t push the buttons. It teaches them to respect my belongings. 

Teach Your Children to Listen
One of the most fundamental ways to show respect to other people is to listen to them. That means giving them our time and attention. Don’t let your kids watch television while you are trying to talk to them…or keep their head down in their books, coloring, or looking at the floor. 
Instead…

Remove distractions by turning off the T.V. and putting down what they are doing. Expect them to look you in the eye and give you their attention. This means we have to do the same when our children are talking to us. Another key concept to teach, wait your turn to talk and don’t interrupt others when they are talking. We are always working on this in our home. Especially when my husband and I are talking. We have had to work really hard to teach our kids to wait until we are done talking to each other, then it is their turn. 

Diversity Makes the World go Around

Children are very quick to point our differences. Every one of our children has turned me red faced at least once in a pubic place when they have pointed out someone who looks different. My first reaction is to quickly “shush” them. 

Instead….

We need to explain that we are all different and that is not a bad thing. It is a good thing. When you encounter new people, explain that there are differences AND similarities. We dont have to forgo our values. There are choices that other people make that are not acceptable in our home. That is fine, but that doesn’t mean that we are judgmental or rude. To raise children who accept diversity we have to expose our children to different cultures and traditions. Start by letting them try different foods and learning about different cultures.  

Encourage Your Children to be Open Minded
Treating others with respect means that we take some time to get to know them and understand them. This is a principle we have to teach our children. They might not like all the other kids, but they need to give them a chance. 
Instead…

Encourage your children to get to know someone new and find out what they have in common. If after time they conclude they have nothing in common, teach them that they still deserve to be treated with respect and kindness. We have had to do this with our daughter. She went through a phase in Kindergarten where she clung to one or two kids and had a tough time giving other classmates a chance. We gave her a challenge to play with a new person in her class every week. It made a huge difference. It has taught her to be much more open minded, respectful, and accepting to all people.

Lastly, Rules are important
Don’t allow children to do what ever they want.
Instead…Set boundaries. Believe it or not, children want rules and boundaries. This will helpchildren learn to respect authority and that the world doesn’t revolve around them. This is a skill they will need in everything they do. 


Remember….

.Set the rules

.Talk about why the rules matter

.Explain the consequences for breaking the rules.

.Be strong enough to follow through with the consequences. 

Helping our children develop RESPECT will not only help them in society, but our homes will be more pleasant too. 

• HOW DO YOU TEACH YOUR CHILDREN RESPECT?
• DO YOU THINK THAT KIDS HAVE LESS RESPECT THESE DAYS?
• ANYONE FEEL LIKE THEY SENT THEIR KIDS TO SCHOOL AT 5, W/RESPECT, AND THEY CAME HOME W/OUT RESPECT?