Strength in Relationships

From the desk of Leigh Ann… “The strength of our student relationships makes the difference in translating our passion for teaching into their passion for learning.”  – Beth Morrow The Gallup Organization’s research shows that the most effective people are those who understand their strengths and behaviors.  This week I was encouraged to take a…

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Curriculum First

From the desk of Carol C. . . There was something about setting up my classroom that I just loved…putting out the writing center supplies and the math manipulatives, setting up the reading nook, finding objects for the science table, and locating a current map for social studies.  There were so many things like this…

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The Tribe

This:  “Four Lessons for Life, Leadership, and Learning: A Tribute to the Late Grant Wiggins” by Stephanie Malia Krauss In 2015, we mourned the loss of Grant Wiggins (blog).  Over ten years ago, we were introduced to the writing and thinking of Grant Wiggins before Education Resource Group was ever dreamed about.  Whenever we saw…

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Decluttering

From the desk of Carol C. . . “As far as I know, no one has ever had ‘I wish I had bought more stuff’ inscribed on their tombstone. What you own can easily blind you to who you are and what you can be.” ― Peter Walsh Peter Walsh is an author, speaker, and…

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Here's to a Healthier Generation

From the desk of Leigh Ann . . . “To keep the body in good health is a duty, otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.”  – Buddha Each day we enter our classrooms and strive to prepare our students to be responsible and capable citizens who are ready for…

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It’s All About That “Why”

“As you read today, I want you to list three facts and one opinion in your comprehension journal. Remember, a fact is an indisputable true statement and an opinion is a view or judgement formed not necessarily based on factor knowledge. We are going to transfer these to index cards later and play a game…

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Pep Talk

From the desk of Leigh Ann . . . The finish line is in sight, and students and teachers are striving to complete the race.  You are weary, children have learned what buttons to push to create conflict and get reactions, and you simply want to keep a healthy classroom environment that is filled with…

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Meaningful Math

From the desk of Leigh Ann . . . “The essence of mathematics is not to make simple things complicated, but to make complicated things simple.”  – Stanley Gudder Math can be a pretty complicated subject, so I am a great believer in math talk in the classroom.  Having a meaningful dialogue about reasoning and…

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Choice Can Make a Difference

From the desk of Carol C. . . A few weeks ago my friend, Jan, asked me to come into her classroom and videotape her students working on math projects they had designed.  All of the projects centered around what her students had learned about geometry; however, each project was different.  One group chose to…

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All Means All

From the desk of Hope… Several weeks ago as I checked in with my social network accounts I noticed the hash tag #ALLmeansall. This phrase caught my attention and I paused to think about the meaning of – “ALL means all”. All, as in all children?, All of what? I asked myself as I tried…

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