Guest Blogger Ann

While I am sunning myself on the beautiful Gold Coast in Queensland, Ann will be blogging for me today. Although she doesn't have a blog, she has a TPT store which you should stop by and visit!

Hello,  I am Brooke’s guest blogger for today.  She is on vacation.  I live in Florida in the US. Gosh, I cannot believe vacation is over for me.  Well, it is back to reality. 

As teachers, this is the time that we set up our class community and have such hope for our students’ success.  My principal started off the year reading, Running Shoes by Frederick Lipp and there was not a dry eye in the room.  We know why we are here.  If you have heard of this book, you know what I am talking about.  If you haven’t read it, it’s about a young girl who lives in a poor village in Cambodia .  She desires to go to school.  One man makes that difference in her life by giving her a pair of running shoes so she can get to school.  This one act changes her life forever. 

I know we as teachers, are all determined to make that difference.  Many students around the world live in poverty like the girl from the story. They can have a lack of good positive experiences and depending on their experiences, their vocabulary can be lower which can make their academics harder.  Since vocabulary is so important,  I have been learning new techniques  as well as using my old techniques such as using bingo games.  Students love bingo games.  I use cereal as markers so that every student gets some type of reward.  The winners receive a wild coupon from me to purchase things in my class store.  Playing a simple bingo game can be such a great review for your students.  Bringing in things like this word has a short vowel as one of my clues during science or another subject is a great way to cross the curriculum.  Sometimes, our students get answers wrong in math and science because they could not read the academic language of math and science.

Bringing science to life is so much fun.   I remember when I was in school, we just learned science from the textbook.  So, I learned that blubber was this fat and that it kept some animals in the Arctic warm.  As a teacher, I know that students need to experience it.  So, getting out Crisco and a glove to try out is essential. 

I wish everyone a great year and many “teachable moments”. If you have time to stop by my Teachers Pay Teachers store, I have put up two bingo games.  One is for math vocabulary with the teen words(like nineteen)and the big tens(like fifty), and one is a science bingo, word search, and word scramble  on science tools.  I also have a science game (that crosses math and science) on rocks.  One of the common core standards is to know odd/even numbers.  The  Odd/Even Boo Game is great practice and it is free!  My store is at www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/A-Shep .

Thanks for stopping by my Hippity Hop store.  Special thanks to Brooke for having me guest blog today! 

Ann

Thanks Ann for 'hopping' by lol.