Happy Earth Day 2013!

I coach the Debate Club for 4th & 5th graders after school every week. Today, in honor of Earth Day we debated the following claim: 

Should the Federal Government enforce "green" laws? 

The kids spent all week researching and finding information for their arguments & we had a very successful debate this afternoon!  

I thought I would share some of our resources with you!

1. All About Earth Day 

2. I created a weebly for our debate club that features an enormous selection of informational links and media to help build student's background knowledge and understanding of various debate topics! 

You can check it out here: 

www.watsondebateclub.weebly.com 

3. Here are some of my favorite save water infographics!  Kids really love these as they are a fun and unique way to present factual information about a very important topic! 

Link to their site

World Water Day 2013 infographic

Here are two on going green & recycling!

How Much Do We Really Recycle? infographic

Which Cities are Embracing the Green Revolution? infographic

3. Videos: All about going green & saving our planet! 

My Favorite ...."Connected"

A personal film with universal relevance, "Connected" explores how, after centuries of declaring our independence, it may be time for us to declare our interdependence instead.

4. News, Media, Texts, & Articles

The Washington Post: 2013 Earth Day 

Earth Day Focus on Climate Change 

5. Some favorite Earth Day images / photos

Please promote this environmental awareness & 

green mentality in your classrooms!  

Happy Earth Day 2013! 

Thanks for reading!

Metacognition! Think About Your Thinking!

Metacognition! - Ms. Coveney's Website 2012-2013:

ALL ABOUT THE BRAIN ... 

everything you ever wanted or needed to know! 

Learning
Coping
Habbits
Memories
Ideas
Subconscious 
Thinking
Anatomy
Etc.. 

                           

Enjoy!

'via Blog this'

VocabAhead - New App for Teachers & Students!

Reading and writing in the content areas require our students to have high-level literacy skills such as the capacity to make inferences from texts, synthesize information from a variety of sources, follow complex directions, question authenticity and possibly most importantly,  understand content-specific and technical vocabulary!

I am curious to find out if an app like this is effective. So, if you are a teacher and use this app, please let me know your thoughts! 

  

The website claims the following: 

Learn words faster and deeper through our innovative vocabulary building method. Study words, take quizzes, play crossword puzzle, track performance, create word lists, share them or import lists from other users.

Try it out & share your thoughts! 

Try it out & share your thoughts! 

Poetry by Annette Breaux: Dress Like a Professional Eye On Education

Poetry by Annette Breaux: Dress Like a Professional Eye On Education

It has been a while since I last posted, but I have been a very busy lady! 

Later tonight, I will have a few new thoughts to share with you, but for now, I leave you with two interesting items: one, a poem that I came across that captures my view on how teachers should present themselvs...

Dress Like a Professional
Students judge you, 
partly, by your dress
When you don't
look like a professional,
they respect you less..

Secondly, a video for students (and adults) that adresses the importance of "learning to fail"

A favorite mantra of mine... 

Thanks for reading! 

Common Core = Common Sense

" The organization and scheduling of the traditional school are incompatible with the kind of teaching and learning required by the new standards. Time is still the constant, and learning is the variable."~ Common Core vs. Common Sense By Ronald A. Wolk

Finally! Thank you Ron Wolk - you have successfully put into words the contradictory methods & mandates of today's public education system - why all the fuss over the Common Core Standards?  Literacy ... why did it take this long for teachers to be held accountable for their student's ability to read, write, listen, and speak?  

Admittedly, I can be considered "green" in the world of education & reform; however,  my enthusiasm and committment to constant development as an educator fuels my diligent inquiry of current educational research and best practices - that being said, I am baffled by the negative reaction from some teachers regarding CCSS... it seems to me to be the only way to effecticely teach our students while meeting their individual needs and preparing them for the ever-changing world of the 21st Centiry...

"What Teachers Really Think About CCSS"

Strong titles draw me in and as a Common Core supporter, the article,  "Common Core vs. Common Sense" screamed "MUST READ"even though I initially felt that I would disagree with  Mr. Wolk's ideas.  Upon actually reading the article on EDWeek, not only did Wolk make sense, but his ideas and reformations echoed the many grievances that I have developed as a Teacher -  and until this point, have been unable organize into cohesive thoughts.   

Day after day, article after article, I struggle to find credible writers who express their educational-reform-like-ideas in a practical and relevant way - without letting their opinions fog their words.  Today, I am happy to announce that I found someone who was able to capture and celebrate the true genius of the Common Core State Standards while clearly defining its major pitfalls in a comprehensive yet succinct manner.  

As previously mentioned, the organization and scheduling system of our nation's public schools must change for the standards to succeed; but Ron also touches upon several issues that seem to hog the educational lime-light in today's reform-crazed headlines.  Among the other topics mentioned, standardized testing (my ideas on which I will save for another post, but I will leave you with the words of Goodhart’s Law: when measure becomes the goal, it ceases to be an effective measure),  the inequality of schools in low-income areas, and teacher preparation programs.  Successfully, Wolk reports on the various components of Education - areas in which we MUST see change in order for students to meet the high expectations set by the CCSS.  

As an avid reader and dedicated educator, I pride myself on remaining "current" on educational-related research, news,  and current events (hence why I was reading EDWeek in the first place).  The amount of information circulating the web is overwhelming - countless educators, leaders, politicians, and self-proclaimed experts have argued for and against the Common Core, but in my opinion,  Ronald Wolk has done an excellent job as he takes an appreciated "Comon-Sense" approach to a complex and often misunderstood topic. 

As I continue to ponder many of these ideas on education and consider the ways in which I can be effective in making a difference as a teacher, I am relentless in my search for supportive evidence that is worthy of thought - brilliant ideas that will help uncover a solution to what I call our "21st Century Cognition- Conundrum"....

More articles worth reading: 

Please note that I do not support all of the ideas presented in these articles or on the following sites.  The links shared are merely a collection of opinions and scholarly ideas presented on relevant educational topics. 

Teachers NOW

Universal Public Education Is Dead

The CCSS Stampede: Trampling Why, What, How We Teach 

Diving Into How Students Learn Best

Thank you for reading! 

Cootie Catcher Learning Tools

Once upon a time, when I was in 2nd grade, my friend Alex taught me how to take a square piece of construction paper and fold it into, what I considered to be the coolest and most exciting thing on earth! It was my first "Fortune Teller"!  The ultimate toy-game-craft; a perfect blend of fun, skill, and creativity folded into one magical fortune-telling machine! 

Recently, due to my Pinterest and TeachersPayTeachers addiction, I noticed that these mystical contraptions are making a comeback! Today, however, it seems that my beloved "toy-game-craft" has been renamed and dubbed "Cootie Catchers"... not sure I agree with this title change, but I love them all the same!

Given the dynamic nature of these little novelties, it seems they also double as effective and fun learning tools for students!  On several occasions, I have successfully implemented these fun crafty games into the classroom and tutoring sessions - focusing on spelling, word families, facts, and math!! 

Obviously, I am hooked and in researching these ingenious gadgets and I was thrilled to discover that other teachers have also used them in a variety ways that are brilliantly creative - making learning fun and inconspicuous for students of all ages and in all content areas! 

In addition to helping students study facts and rote material, the mere folding of the Cootie Catcher introduces kids the art of Origami, reinforces high level thinking, and various mathematical concepts.  

Furthermore, in my experience, students take pride in creating their own "cootie catcher"and are eager to share and use their creations with classmates and parents - again, inadvertently instilling a passion and love of learning with a simple fold of paper. 

Truth-be-told, I believe that the good-ol' Fortune Teller epitomizes both the ideal learning process and tool: individualized, creative, fun, hand-made, tactile, and versatile in content and design!  

Below are samples that are truly unique and worth stashing in your Teaching Toolbox.  Please note that all credit for these designs goes to the original artists, teachers,  and crafty persons who originally shared their genius! Thank you to all of them for their innovation and revival of this old-school tradition!  

New & Improved Fortune Teller 

(different folding technique!)

Cootie Catcher for Geography: NJ

(scroll down & click on the link to download)

Party Cootie Catcher Ideas!

Cootie Catchers for Math

Cootie Catchers for Math 2

More Cootie Catcher Ideas... 

Thank you for reading!!

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