Sam and Zach just pointed me in the direction of a great website that has a ton of Educational Videos on it. The site is called explore.org and is worthwhile checking out. They have a ton of videos, including a section dedicated to Africa Videos, Costa Rica Videos and more!
Check it out. Here is a video about Gorillas from the explore.org site:
→ No CommentsTags: Africa Videos·Educational Videos·explore.org
My First Year as a Teacher by Pearl Rock Kane (Editor)
My First Year as a Teacher is a great compilation of twenty-five teacher’s stories about different things that happened during their first-year of teaching. These stories reveal all the wonderful and difficult things that happen to teachers when dealing with a variety of different types of students.
As a new teacher I found this book to be an invaluable one to read before I begin my first teaching job. It reminded and reassured me that I am not alone as I embark on this new experience. Many have come before me and many will come after, but it’s hearing other amazing teachers stories that invigorates us to be the best teachers we can be for our students.
I found this really cute activity for the first day of school and I wanted to share it here. I did not come up with this idea but have seen it a few places and think it’s adorable.
The activity starts out with a read aloud of the book, The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn. The Kissing Hand is about a young raccoon named Chester who does not want to go to school but would rather stay at home with his mother. His mother tells her son that she has a wonderful secret that will make his time at school “warm and cozy” just like his days at home. The secret involves Chester’s mother kissing his palm and telling him to press his hand to his cheek whenever he is sad or lonely and Chester quickly learns the power of that kiss. This wonderful story can help sooth the nerves of our young students during their first day of school.
After reading the book you can have a discussion with the class about being nervous for the first day of school… this is a good time to let them in on a little secret which is that teachers are nervous too!
After the class discussion there are fun art activities you can do as well. I’ve seen a few ideas but the one I like best is having the children make a handprint in red and then on another piece of paper draw a picture of their family. Then you staple to the two together and have them glue a heart in the middle of the hand. This is a great present for their families after the first day of school. Another cute idea is to have hand shaped cookies made and let students put Hershey’s kisses in the palm. Of course please make sure your school allows you to serve students food and make sure there are no allergies!
→ No CommentsTags: First Day of School Activities·Kindergarten·The Kissing Hand
I’ve been doing a lot of preparation for the first day of school and I’ve come across some really great books that you can read aloud to your students on the first day. Here is what I’ve come across so far!
Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten by Joseph Slate
An adorable tale that follows Miss Bindergarten as she prepares for the first day of kindergarten and the arrival of her 26 new students (one for every letter in the alphabet) who are preparing for the first day as well.
Miss Bindergarten has a whole series of books that would be a great addition to any class including a book about going on a field trip, the 100th day of school, and the last day of kindergarten. There is also a cute Miss Bindergarten doll to go along with the stories.
Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come by Nancy Carlson
A fun tale about little Henry who is so excited about kindergarten he forgets to do all the important things we need to do in the morning like get dressed, brush your teeth, and eat breakfast! Henry becomes a little overwhelmed when he finally makes it to school and realizes it’s a little bigger then he expected, with the help of a new friend he quickly realizes that kindergarten is fun! (Also available in a Spanish edition)
First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg
A twist on the traditional tales about the first day of school jitters. The book takes us through the tale of Sarah who is nervous and anxious about the first day of school. All along the reading is thinking it’s the student who is worried about how school will be; we find out in the end that it is actually the teacher. This is a great story to read to students who might have concerns about the first day; it shows them that even the teacher can be nervous too!
→ No CommentsTags: Books·First Day Jitters·First Day of School·Here I Come·Kindergarten·Look Out Kindergarten·Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten
Check out the link below… Scholastic has a customer appreciation warehouse sales happening in August for teachers. Click on the link and then select your state to see if there will be one near you! They are advertising 50%-80% of prices and when you register online you also get a special coupon for added savings.
I’m going to check out the one in Anaheim, CA the first weekend in August so I will report back on how it is… I’m excited though!
→ No CommentsTags: Children's Books·Scholastic·Warehouse Sale
The CBEST stand for the California Basic Educational Skills Test and is one of the tests you need to take to become a teacher in the state of California.
The CBEST consists of three sections: reading, mathematics, and writing.
The Reading Section contains 50 multiple choice questions and is assessing your ability to understand information that is presented to you in written passages, tables, and graphs. There is no outside knowledge required for this portion of the test, all of the questions are based of the passages and can be answered with the information read.
The Mathematics Section contains 50 multiple choice questions as well. Most questions are presented as word problems and they come from three major skill areas: estimation, measurement, and statistical principals.
The Writing Section contains two essay topics and assesses your ability to write effectively. You are expected to answer both questions.
Here is the link the CBEST website for more specific questions.
http://www.cbest.nesinc.com/index.asp
In my personal opinion this test is fairly simple. I did get a study guide and found it helpful in order to effectively review the material that would appear on the test. Below are two study guides that I think are the best to help prepare for the CBEST. Hope this helps!
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As I find books that I think will be interesting or useful for new or veteran teachers I will share them here. I am always on the look out for good books that will help me along the way as I become a new teacher so if anyone else has any great books please share with us!
First Book Recommendation…
Inside Mrs. B.’s Classroom : Courage, Hope, and Learning on Chicago’s South Side by Leslie Baldacci.
This true story follows the tales of Mrs. B as she makes a huge career change and leaves her job at the Chicago Sun-Times to join a “Teach for America” like program in urban Chicago. Mrs. Baldacci is given a teaching position at a challenging public school and is given little to no training before entering the classroom.
The book documents her first two years of teaching and the trials, tribulations, and triumphs she experiences in the classroom. As a new teacher who will soon be working at a low-income urban school that probably faces some of the same challenges as the school described in the book I was inspired by her tales and her courageous outlook on teaching. I highly recommend this book to a new teacher, a veteran teacher or anyone interested in the teaching profession!
As I find books that I think will be interesting or useful for new or veteran teachers I will share them here. I am always on the look out for good books that will help me along the way as I become a new teacher so if anyone else has any great books please share with us!
→ No CommentsTags: Books for Teachers·Inside Mrs. B's Classroom·Teach for America
So the other day I was kind of bored and I decided to check out Big Lots to see if they had anything that might be good for my future classroom. I had never been before and figured it could be a good place to pick up some inexpensive items… I was right!
I had a great time getting some art supplies for my class and I only spent about $60 total on all the stuff I got (detailed below). Now, they are generic brands but kids don’t know if the crayons are Crayola or not so I figured what the heck, as long as they color it works for me.
I took a picture of everything I got, I guess it doesn’t look like as much once I crammed it all into the storage container (also from Big Lots) but after looking up prices of similar name brand items I definitely think I got a great deal!
20 pairs of scissors
20 boxes of crayons (24 pack)
10 packs of colored pencils
20 water color packs
10 bottles of regular glue
15 glue sticks
2 containers of colored chalk
1 plastic storage container
It's actually really fun to shop for school supplies again!
→ No CommentsTags: Art Supplies·Back to School Shopping·Big Lots
APLE is a teacher incentive program created to encourage people to become teachers in California (yes, unfortunately this program is only for people who want to teach in California). This program specifically helps teachers who work in subject areas where there is a critical teacher shortage or a school that meets certain criteria establish by the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
If you want to be eligible to receive money from APLE you must agree to teach in one of the following teacher shortage areas for FOUR years:
Mathematics (Grades 7-12)
Science (Life/Physical) (Grade 7-12)
Foreign Language
Education Specialist Instruction
Business (Grades 7-12)
Agriculture (Grade 7-12)
Reading
Low Income Area Schools
Schools Serving Rural Area
State Special School
School with a High Percentage of Emergency Permit Teachers
Low Performing School
Music
There are of course other requirements and logistical information in order to be accepted into the APLE program and receive loan reimbursements. It is a great program and I do know people who are currently in the program and receiving money towards their student loans.
Here is the link to their website where you can find out more information on specifics. If you are currently in a credentialing program you should also talk with your school advisor who can help you figure out the steps you need to take to apply to the program.
→ No CommentsTags: APLE·Assumption Program of Loans for Education·Credentialing Program·High Needs Schools·Low Income Area Schools·Teacher Incentive Program
So I still don’t know what grade I will be teaching next year although I’m pretty sure it will be either kindergarten or first grade. The suspense is terrible and the worst part is that I really can’t do much shopping yet for my classroom. As any new teacher has quickly learned you will end up spending a lot of your own money on your classrooms. Unfortunately schools seem to have less and less money which leads to teachers spending more and more of their own money on supplies for their students. This is a problem in the best of schools but is even more of an issue in schools in low income areas, such as the one I will be working at. So I will slowly start purchasing materials for my classroom. I am always looking for good deals and I will share any good finds that I come across. Likewise if anyone comes across any great deals or amazing sales on items for the classroom please share with us!
