I love getting the most out of what I teach students. I’m all about working smarter, not harder! When I learned a strategy on how to teach suffixes in a more strategic way, I actually got so excited! Does this make me a nerd? 🙂 Check out today’s video on how you can improve decoding, comprehension and spelling by teaching suffixes! Take a look! I can’t wait to hear how […]
Read more
20
Oct
2019
14 Reasons Why You Should Teach Cursive!
I have a question for you. Is cursive writing gone? What are your thoughts on this? For me, there’s nothing more delightful than gorgeous penmanship. You’ve been hearing about the amazing training I went through this past summer when I learned how to implement the Orton-Gillingham approach to reading. Something else I learned from Janet George was the 12 reasons why we should be teaching cursive writing. It all made […]
Read moreSometimes strategies come along and you wonder why you didn’t think of that! The strategy I’m showing you today is one of those! Actually this video takes 2 minutes from start to finish, which may be a record for Behavior Communicates! Take a look! I told you it was fast and simple! If you have a better, quicker way to get the same thing done, please share! Enjoy this one! […]
Read moreI know that you know just how hard it is to get a student with ASD to write! Meltdowns or refusals are quite common. Anyway that we can make things easier for our kids to navigate this torture chamber activity is a GOOD thing! For one, I’d love to see homework go by the wayside. If you read the body of research done by Hattie, you already know that he found homework […]
Read moreI hate making a mistake. I don’t like being wrong, but I can tell you that it’s the mistakes we make that help us to do it right the next time, be a better person the next time, figure something out quicker the next time. So mistakes are GOOD! We all hate getting something wrong, but our students hate it the most I think. They unfortunately get the message early […]
Read moreWelcome Back!!! It feels great to be back posting ideas and strategies for you! Jerry and I had a wonderful time with all 4 kids and all 4 significant others in sunny Oviedo, Fl!!! We got to engage in some friendly competition doing Whirly Ball, had gingerbread house competition and just enjoyed being together! I hope you got to do the same with your family and friends. Now back to business! […]
Read moreI am very aware that once students get into high school, the stakes are high. Traditionally, the focus is on passing classes with graduation as the end goal. All efforts go into helping students meet course requirements, which includes getting homework done, studying for the tests and quizzes. Little time if any is left over for any continuation of closing the gap on any lagging reading skills. I have and will forever […]
Read moreWe’ve been revamping our Early Childhood Classrooms in terms of how we evaluate and monitor our students’ growth like using the Early Start Denver Checklist and the STAR Program that I’ve highlighted before. To continue with that tweaking process, we’ve added some more structure to our classrooms so that students could better understand what they need to do in each of the spaces or centers. I have with me today, my friend and educational […]
Read more
14
Aug
2018
The Wrong Colors and Visual Clutter Can Create Problems You Don’t Need in Your Classroom!
It’s that time of year to really be purposeful when you think about the learning spacefor your students. Physical structure will work for you or against you. The wrong lighting can set students off as can the wrong colors and visual clutter. Don’t set yourself up for more stress than you need to. You want to set your students up for success. Think more about your teaching space than where all […]
Read moreMany of our students have anxietyabout things in their environment. That anxiety can come from many different things. Sometimes the list of possibilities seems endless but here are a few that seem to pop up on a regular basis: Social Situations Lack of success with an academic subject A routine that has changed A need for sensory input A need to reduce sensory input The understanding of communication from others […]
Read more
