Free Teacher Motivational Quote - "Talents"

When I stand before God at the end of my life,
I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say,
"I used everything you gave me".

Quote by: Erma Bombeck

Free Teacher Joke - "Saying Prayers"

Teacher: Now, Johnnie, tell me frankly do you say prayers before eating?

Johnnie: No mam, I don't have to, my mom is a good cook.

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Well, here we are facing April already! Time to make that last pot of chilli or perhaps a nice pot roast to last the weekend. If you need any school supplies before the end of this school year, or perhaps looking forward to next year, please visit Schoodoodle.com. It's a great place to browse! Enjoy!

"Iamb" -- A Poet

Subject: Language Arts
Grades: 4-6

Overview
Idiomatic expressions are a great way to introduce students to rhyming couplets. In this lesson plan, students are introduced to both rhyming couplets and idioms, and then write original couplets, using idiomatic expressions they have learned.

Objectives
Students will:
· Learn the definition of “idiom”
· Learn the meaning of “couplet” and “iambic pentameter”
· Compose a couplet using an idiomatic expression

IRA/NCTE Standards for the English Language Arts
Standard 4: Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
Standard 6: Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts.

Materials Needed
· (Optional) WordTeasers: Idioms

Getting Started
Write the following rhyming couplet on the chalkboard:

My mom says that my room’s a mess.
But I just shrug; I couldn’t care less.

Call upon a volunteer to read the couplet out loud. Ask students what they notice about these two lines. (The last word in the first sentence rhymes with the last word in the second sentence.) Explain to students that these two lines are called a couplet. A couplet is a type of poem with two rhyming lines. The two lines go together to make a complete thought. What does this couplet tell us about the author?

Development
Next, write the following line on the chalkboard, using the idiomatic expressing “barking up a wrong tree”:

You’re barking up a wrong tree.

Ask students if they know what the expression “barking up a wrong tree” means. (Make a wrong guess about something.) Explain to students that barking up a wrong tree is an idiomatic expression or idiom. An idiom is a phrase in English that doesn’t mean exactly what the individual words might suggest. Tell students they can think of idioms as expressions that have hidden meanings.

As a class, write a second line to form a couplet, using the sentence (and idiomatic expression), “You’re barking up a wrong tree.” For example:

You’re barking up a wrong tree.
If you think you can borrow any money from me.

Then give students time to write their own rhyming couplet, using the idiom “barking up a wrong tree.” Then, have volunteers read their couplets. Call on others to explain the meaning of each rhyme.

Activity
Distribute the WordTeasers: Idioms Challenge Cards to students (or write a list of idioms on the chalkboard). Tell students they are going to write a couplet, using an idiomatic expression. Give students time to complete the assignment. Then have each student read his or her couplet. Ask students if they can pick out the idiomatic expression in each couplet.

Extension
Tell students that there is another kind of couplet called a heroic couplet. The heroic couplet is written in a poetic form called iambic pentameter. Iambic pentameter describes a particular type of rhythm in a line of poetry. It sounds like this:

dee DUM dee DUM dee DUM dee DUM dee DUM

Or this:
good-bye good-bye good-bye good-bye good-bye

Explain that an iamb consists of two syllables, the first one short, the second one long, such as in dee DUM or in the word “good-bye” or in the phrase “I am.” Also, explain that pentameter means there are five feet or clusters of two syllables in the each line of poem. Write the following sentences on the chalkboard. Which one is an example of iambic pentameter? (My friends all say I have the gift of gab.)

It’s raining cats and dogs today.
My friends all say I have the gift of gab.
It’s time for me to hit the hay.

Can students write a second line to conclude this couplet?

Next Week: Get Ready for the SATs with WordTeasers: College Prep

Source: WordTeasers: Idioms — an educational game designed to get kids talking, laughing, thinking, writing…and improving language arts skills. Ages 9+ . Available at SchooDoodle.com.

Free Parent Involvement Activity - "Does It Make Sense?" - Grades K-2nd

Phonics, Word Recognition, Vocabulary

Write down word-beginnings on individual slips of paper and place them in a bag. In a separate bag, place slips of paper with word-endings written on them.

Some examples of word-beginnings could be individual consonants (B, C, D, F, G, etc.) or letter blends (BL, BR, CL, DR, FL, GL, GR, PL, QU, SC, SCR, SH, SK, SL, SN, SP, SPL, ST, STR, TH, TR, and WH).

Examples of word-endings include ACK, AD, AM, AN, AP, AT, ED, ICK, IM, IN, ING, INK, IP, OB, OCK, OG, OP, OT, OUT, UB, UD, UG, and UM.

Take turns with your child drawing one slip of paper from each bag. If the word created makes sense, the player gets one point. After each turn, the player returns each slip to its respective bag. The first player to reach twenty points wins that round.

NOTE: Have a dictionary on hand to help players confirm that the words being created in the game are real.

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Source: Bright and Beyond, Smart & Simple Reading Activities to do with your Child, Grades Kindergarten to 3rd, Ages 5 to 9. Available at Schoodoodle.com.

Free Parent Involvement Activity - "Sticky Tapes" - Age 1

Sensory Awareness, Observation & Discovery, Language Skills

Gather assorted types of adhesive tapes from around your house, such as, masking tape, transparent tape, first aid tape, electrical tape, etc.

Offer your child a strip of one of these adhesive tapes and let him hold and experience it. Take a piece yourself and demonstrate how it can be stuck to, and removed from, his play table or your hand, or simply crumpled into a sticky ball. show how it can also be used to stick two things together, such as two of his toys, or two pieces of paper. Let him experience the other tapes and talk with him about how they compare, and their possible uses.

CAUTION: Monitor your child closely during this activity. Always use non-toxic materials.

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Source: Bright and Beyond, Smart & Simple Age 1 Activities to do with your Child, Age 12 to 24 months. Available at Schoodoodle.com.

Free Teacher Motivational Quote - "Gathering Fruit"

You've got to go out on a limb sometimes

because that's where the fruit is.

Quote by: Will Rogers

Free Teacher Joke - "Signing in the Dark"

LINDA: Dad, can you write in the dark?

FATHER: I think so. What do you want me to write?

LINDA: Your name on this report card.

xoxoxoxxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxxooxoxoxoxxooxoxxoxoxooxoxxxxxoxoxoxoxxooxoxoxoxoxoxox

Hope you have a safe and happy weekend. For those of you going out to an Easter Egg Hunt, happy hunting! If you're near your computer all weekend, why not drop by Schoodoodle.com and see what's new and available for your classroom?

Gilligan's and Other Islands

Subject: Geography

Grade(s): 4-6

Overview
Coney Island, Treasure Island, Gilligan’s Island: While these may be some of the most imaginative islands ever created in the world, there are also hundreds of fascinating real islands in the world — from the island continent of Australia to the island nation of Great Britain to the island state of Hawaii. In this lesson, students are introduced to the subject of islands around the world and discover two main ways in which islands developed over millions of years. They then create a presentation about six specific islands of the world.

Objectives
Students will:
· Understand the definition of an island.
· Learn at least two different ways in which islands are formed.
· Understand an archipelago
· Discover how plant and animal species develop on an island.

National Geography Standards
Standard 4: The physical and human characteristics of places.
Standard 7: The physical processes that shape the patterns of earth’s surfaces.

Materials Needed
· Gillian’s and Other Islands Challenge Cards from WorldTeasers: World Culture & Geography
· Map of Great Britain, Europe, and Ireland
· Map of southeastern coast of Africa

Getting Started
Begin by asking students if they can think of one thing that Australia, Great Britain, and Hawaii all have common geographically. (They are all three completely surrounded by water.) Ask students what we call an area of land, such as Australia or Hawaii, that is completely surrounded by water. (An island.) Ask students if they can name any other islands (e.g., Martha’s Vineyard, Puerto Rico, Greenland). Has anyone ever visited an island? If so, what was it like? Give students a chance to tell what they know about islands. Then, tell students that in this lesson they will learn about some of the many different islands of the world and will also learn two different ways in which islands are formed.

Development
Show students a map of Great Britain and Europe. Ask a volunteer to locate and point out the country of Great Britain. Is Great Britain an island? (Yes.) Where is it located? (Between the country of Ireland and mainland Europe.)

Tell students that at one time — thousands of years ago — Great Britain was joined to both Ireland and what is now northeastern France in Europe. Then ask student what they think might have happened. How do they think Great Britain became an island? Write their answers on the chalkboard. Tell students that the island of Great Britain was formed when sea levels rose, separating a section of land (now known as known as Great Britain) from the mainland. This happened when the heavy weight of glacial ice caused part of the earth’s crust to sink. Geologists call this isostatic depression.

Isostatic depression is one way in which islands have been created over millions of years. Can students think of another way? Show students a map of African and Madagascar. Ask a volunteer to point to the island nation of Madagascar. Tell students that Madagascar is the 4th largest island in the world. It used to be connected to the continent of Africa. Explain that over the years, erosion caused one part of the land to break off from the continent of Africa, forming the island of Madagascar.

Tell students that Great Britain and Madagascar are two examples of continental islands. Can they think of other island nations that are examples of continental islands? (Sicily off Europe; Greenland off North America; Barbados and Trinidad off South America.)

A second type of islands is called oceanic islands or volcanic islands. These islands develop as a result of the activity of undersea volcanoes. For example, an undersea volcano erupts and over time layers of lava eventually emerge above the surface of the ocean. Iceland is the largest volcanic island in the world. Can students think of other volcanic islands? (The Hawaiian Islands) Tell students that the Hawaiian Islands is also an example of an archipelago — a chain or cluster of islands.

Activity
Divide the class into six groups to research and report back to the class on one particular island of the world and how it was formed. For their reports, be sure each group includes: Name of Island, Location, Size, Type of Island, How It Was Formed. A list of islands of the world grouped by oceans and continents can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_islands.
(Or distribute at random one of the six WorldTeaser Challenge Cards titled Gilligan’s and Other Islands, which challenge students with a fascinating fact about each of six different islands: Bermuda, Aruba, Cyprus, Howland Island, Jersey, and Puerto Rico. Have student groups research the formation of these six islands.)

Follow-up
Based on what they have learned, ask students if they think new islands will be formed on earth in the future? Why or why not? Tell students that, in fact, the newest island to form on earth actually developed only about 45 years ago. The island is called Surtsey. Assign a group of students to research Surtsey, including type of island (oceanic island), when it first emerged (1963), and when plants and animals first appeared on the island.

Extension: Island Vocabulary
Have students write a brief definition of each of thee words associated with islands.
atoll
coral reef,
continent
plate tectonics
island
lithosphere
sea level
species
volcano

Discussion Questions
What are some of the ways that plants and animals may have gotten to new islands? Are those ways different for oceanic or volcanic islands as opposed to continental islands? (Yes, generally species on continentals were already there when the island separated from the mainland. Species on oceanic islands got there through wind or rain or the ocean’s currents.) Suppose that a piece of the state of Washington broke off and became an island. What kind of plants and animals might you expect to find on that island? What if a piece of Maine broke off and became an island. What kind of plants and animals do you think you would find there?

Next Week: Idioms

Source: WorldTeasers: World Culture and Geography — An educational game designed to help upper elementary grade students supersize their global knowledge with fascinating, intriguing, and amusing trivia about countries and their culture. Grades 4 +. Available at SchooDoodle.com.

Free Parent Involvement Activity - "Checker Switcheroo" - Ages 7+

What switcheroo does a Furcifer Pardalis perform?

Place two red and two black checkers in a line on a five-square strip, leaving a space between the pairs.

### ### BLANK 0000 0000

### ### BLANK 0000 0000

The object of this game is to swap the position of the checkers to:

0000 0000 BLANK ### ###

0000 0000 BLANK ### ###

The rules of the game are as follows:

* A checker can either move one space sideways, or jump over a single checker to an empty space.

* Red checkers can only move to the right and black checkers can only move to the left.

Once she has mastered the above exercise, she can try swapping these positions!

0000 0000 0000 BLANK ### ### ###

0000 0000 0000 BLANK ### ### ###

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Source: Bright and Beyond, Smart & Simple Thinking Activities to do with your Child, Ages 7 & up. Available at Schoodoodle.com

Free Parent Involvement Activity - "Clothespin Learning Wheels" - Preschool

Color Recognition, Math Skills, Small Motor Skills

First, cut a piece of light-colored cardboard into a disk about eight to twelve inches in diameter (or use a paper plate).

Color Wheel: On one side of the disk, use crayons or markers to make differently colored pie-shaped sections. Then use the crayons or markers to color individual clothespins (one color for each clothespin). Encourage your child to match up and clip the colored clothespin to the corresponding colored section on the cardboard disk.

Number Wheel: On the other side of the disk, write the numbers from one to twelve, positioned like the numbers on a clock. On separate clothespins make dots like you would see on a pair of dice (one dot on the first clothespin, two on the second, etc.). Encourage your child to match up and clip the clothespins with dots to their corresponding numbers on the cardboard wheel. (She can also simply clip the clothespins to the numbers on a ruler.)

XOXOXOXOXXOXOXOXXOXOXXO

Source: Bright and Beyond, Smart & Simple Preschool Activities to do with your Child, Ages 3-5. Available at: Schoodoodle.com.

Smaller Classes Might Not Be Enough to Close Achievement Gap

A Northwestern University study investigating the effects of class size on the achievement gap between high and low academic achievers suggests that high achievers benefit more from small classes than low achievers, especially at the kindergarten and first grade levels.Spyros Konstantopoulos’ study, which appears in the March issue of Elementary School Journal, questions commonly held assumptions about class size and the academic achievement gap -- one of the most debated and perplexing issues in education today.

The Northwestern professor worked with data from Project STAR (Student/Teacher Achievement Ratio), a landmark longitudinal study launched in 1985 by the State of Tennessee to determine whether small classes positively impacted the academic achievement of students.

Konstantopoulos worked with data on mathematics and reading encompassing over 11,000 K-3 students in 79 schools. The project found, not surprisingly, that smaller class size is a better situation for the children at all achievement levels, and previous analyses saw rising achievement on average.

For most advocates, parents, and policy makers, this was enough. But when Konstantopoulos dug deeper, he found that the children who are already high achievers benefited the most from the extra attention afforded by smaller classes.

Low achievers also benefited from being in small classes (compared to low achievers in regular size classes), but they did not benefit not as much as high achievers. Unfortunately, he also found that the smaller classes produced higher variability in achievement which indicates that the achievement gap between low and high achievers is larger in small classes than in regular size classes, especially in kindergarten and first grade.

Considered one of the most important investigations in education, STAR made it abundantly clear that on average small classes had a positive impact on the academic performance of all students. “It is likely that high achievers are more engaged in learning opportunities and take advantage of the teaching practices that take place in smaller classes, or that they create opportunities for their own learning in smaller classes,” said Konstantopoulos.

The Northwestern study findings suggest that small classes produce significantly higher variability in achievement than regular classes in kindergarten mathematics and in first grade reading. Overall the results indicate that class size reduction increases not only achievement for all students on average, but the variability in student achievement as well.

To view the entire study, click here.

Sources: Northwestern University and Medical News Today

Law Opens Opportunities for Disabled

As Montgomery County, MD ninth-grader Stephen Sabia reads "Romeo and Juliet" and studies the Holocaust and World War II for honors history and English, his mother credits an important ally in her years-long drive to secure the best education possible for her son with Down syndrome: the federal No Child Left Behind law.

The six-year-old law's requirement to raise student achievement across the board has forced schools to pay attention as never before to special-needs children who too often had been written off as incapable of handling the same lessons as peers in mainstream classrooms.

Students with disabilities have made some strides in math and reading on state and national tests in recent years, although experts debate whether the law is responsible.

Ricki Sabia, Stephen's mother, said the law "really pushed the envelope for expectations for Stephen. There is no more question of whether he should be learning the same material as other kids.

He's been exposed to literature and other academics at a level I don't think he would have without No Child Left Behind." With such success stories, many parents of disabled students offer compelling testimony for the landmark education law amid signs that Congress could soon revive stalled efforts to renew it.

Under the law, public schools must advance every year toward the goal of proficiency for all students in reading and math by 2014. Schools must make gains on tests given in grades 3 through 8 and once in high school, and so must subsets of students, including ethnic minorities, those from poor families and those with disabilities. If any group falls short, schools face potential sanctions.

To view the complete article, click here.
(The Washington Post 03.17.08)

Free Teacher Motivational Quote - "What Makes A Success"

Develop success from failures.
Discouragement and failure
are two of the
surest stepping stones to success.

Quote by: Dale Carnegie

Free Teacher Joke - "Discovery"

TEACHER: Michael, go to the map and find North America.

MICHAEL: Here it is!

TEACHER: Correct. Now, class, who discovered America?

CLASS: Michael!

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Have a great weekend! Go out and discover your passion! Or, stay home and visit our school supply website! Visit Schoodoodle.com for spring ideas for your classroom! Either way, enjoy!

Free Parent Involvement Activity - "Calendar Journal" - Grades K-3

Handwriting, Journaling

Have your child select a hanging calendar with large spaces for each date, and help her write important events on the calendar (family birthdays, holidays, your upcoming vacation to Grandma's, etc.). Next, jot down activities from her social calendar (piano class, play dates, school concerts, etc.).

Make the calendar a part of everyday discussion. Before your child goes to bed at night, talk about what happened that day. Encourage her to make a note on the calendar of what things she did, or thought were important. Let younger children dictate their daily contributions to you.

As the dates fill in, the calendar then becomes a "keepsake journal" for your child to look back on.

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Source: Bright and Beyond, Smart & Simple Writing Activities to do with your Child, Grades Kindergarten to 3rd, Ages 5-9. Available at Schoodoodle.com.

Free Parent Involvement Activity - "Time Capsule" - Baby 0-12 Months

Self-esteem

During the first year of your baby's life, collect items that tell something about his first twelve months and what was happening in the world at that time. Include such items as a newspaper from the day he was born, a fashion or sports magazine, photos of family, pets, house, car, etc. Place these items in a medium-sized cardboard box with a lid.

Add items throughout the year, such as interesting news clippings, or memorabilia from places you visited with him. You may also want to include favorite toys, a special outfit, and his first shoes. If you wish, include a letter to your child about his first year; and the special meaning of some of the items in the box.

As your child gets older, go through the box with him and talk about its contents. This will also make a fun and sentimental gift later in your child's life.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Source: Bright and Beyond, Smart & Simple Baby Activities to do with your Child, Age 0-12 Months. Available at Schoodoodle.com.

Free Teacher Motivational Quote - "The Early Bird"

Work hard,
stay positive,
and get up early.
It's the best part of the day.

Famous quote by: George Allen

Take the WordTeaser Challenge

Subject: English/Vocabulary
Grade(s): 7 and up

Overview
Put new vocabulary words into relevant context with this easy-to-play vocabulary game that is fun and challenging for students of all ages.

Objectives
Students will:
* Write creative definitions for unknown words and use those words in creative sentences.

* Determine the real definition of unknown words through context clues.

IRA/NCTE Standards for the English Language Arts
Standard 3: Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).

Materials Needed
· WordTeasers: College Prep

Background
Researchers have shown conclusively that a strong vocabulary is crucial to academic development at all ages. Now, with the addition of the essay on the SAT college entrance test, a strong vocabulary is more critical than ever. As the College Board notes, to score a 6 (the highest possible essay score on the SAT essay), it is necessary to exhibit “…skillful use of language using a varied, accurate, and apt vocabulary.” WordTeasers: College Prep gives students a fun way to increase and improve their vocabulary by putting new vocabulary words into real-life context.

Activity
Divide students into groups of three to five students for each group. Then, give each group a WordTeaser Challenge Card (or let a volunteer from each group select a card from the WordTeasers: College Prep box.) Each student in the group writes down a made-up definition for the word they have selected. Tell students to be sure to include the word function (noun, verb, adjective, for example) and definition. One member of the group writes down the real definition, as found on the back of the WordTeaser Challenge Card. Call on each group, one group at a time, to read their WordTeaser word aloud to the class and then read their definitions. Then, take a class vote to see which definition the class thinks is the real definition. After students have voted for what they think is the real definition, have one student from the group read the WordTeaser challenge using that word to the class. Then, take a vote again. Does everyone agree that the definition selected in the first vote is still the correct definition? Why or why not?

Next Week: Gilligan’s and Other Islands: A geography lesson plan
Source: WordTeasers: College Prep — An educational game designed to help high school students improve vocabulary and have fun at the same time. Grades 7 + . Available at SchooDoodle.com.

Free Parent Involvement Activity - "Coin Solutions" - Grades 1-3

Currency, Mental Calculation

Give your child an assortment of coins (e.g. four dimes and four pennies), and pose some coin problems to him.

"Show me three coins that add up to twenty-one cents."

"Show me two coins that add up to twenty cents."

"Show me four coins that add up to forty cents."

"Show me five coins that add up to fourteen cents."

"Show me three coins that add up to thirty cents."

"Show me five coins that add up to thirty-two cents."

"Show me seven coins that add up to forty-three cents."

As your child becomes more skilled, give him additional coins (nickles, quarters, etc.) to work with.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Source: Bright and Beyond, Smart & Simple Math Activities to do with your Child, Grades Kindergarten to 3rd, Ages 5-9. Available at Schoodoodle.com.

Free Parent Involvement Activity - "Breaking News" - Age 2

Large Motor Skills

Place a 2-inch tear at the fold of a two-page spread of newspaper, at both the top and the bottom. Hold up the newspaper by the corners so that it creates a "wall" for your child to run through. Encourage him to run toward the paper and burst through it. The small tears at the top and bottom will help the paper split in two as he runs through it.

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Source: Bright and Beyond, Smart & Simple Age 2 Activities to do with your Child, 24-36 months. Available at Schoodoodle.com.

Free Teacher Motivational Quote "Sacrificing"

Sacrificing your future for a slightly more comfortable
present is not worth it. If you keep building, you can
come back strong.

Quote by: Ram Charan

Free Teacher Joke "I Didn't Do It"

Jack came home from school and complained to his mother saying, "Mom, today I was punished at school for something I didn't do!"

His mom said, "Jack that's terrible! Do you want me to call your teacher to complain?"

Jack said, "I don't think that will help!"

Mom said, "That's ridiculous! What was it that you didn't do?"

Jack replied, "My homework."

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Have a great weekend! It's March already, time to change your bulletin board from winter to spring decorations. Check out our great papers, trims and bulletin board sets for spring! You'll love what we have to offer! Enjoy!