December 2019 Teacher Talk

Posted by Deann Marin of Socrates Lantern

It's December and time for our holiday version of Teacher Talk. Getting ready for the holiday festivities or just looking for some great ideas. You don't want to miss what these creative educators are doing this month.

If you're interested in joining this unique group of teacher entrepreneurs, blogging buddies and/or our blog linky, sign up here....The Best of Teacher Entrepreneurs Marketing Cooperative. If you decide to join, be sure to mention one of our names.

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Holiday Edition: Virtual Progressive Dinner

By Kathie Yonemura of Tried and True Teaching Tools

 With all the hustle and bustle of December: school holiday shows, class holiday parties, staff holiday parties, volunteer opportunities, holiday gifts. . . All good things, but this time of year often leaves me feeling ragged and gasping for breath! But we're almost there: Winter Break!! **************************************

 Reducing Holiday Stress
By Retta London of Rainbow City Learning

Here I am - last one to this party! I missed our podcast session about celebrating the holidays with food, drink, friends, and books. I knew this wasn't going to be easy.  I'm the one who always asks at the beginning, "You know what's really hard?" and I missed one. What's really hard is missing that special time with three treasured friends when we talk about stuff and invite all of you in!

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Cocktail, Book and Entree

 By Deann Marin of Socrates Lantern

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a lover of science fiction, mysteries and thrillers. I must admit though, I don’t read as much as I’d like, too busy with other things I guess.#toobusy  Buuut when I do settle down on a snowy or rainy afternoon by our crackling fire, I love curling up on the couch with a great book. One of my all time favorites is the DaVinci Code by Dan Brown. It brings me back to my adventures in Italy when I was in my twenties.

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One Gift
By Gini Musmanno of Reading Spotlight 

 Make the holidays merrier for young children of poverty with this simple, free idea.

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 Cherish the Holiday Memories
By Charlene Tess of Charlene Tess

 Gifts are fun, but the sights, sounds, smells, and other sensory images will remain in your memory for years to come.

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 Finding Success on Challenging Teaching Days
By Marcy Howe of It's a Teacher Thing 

 Teaching after a vacation break can be challenging. Learn five tips for finding success on those difficult teaching days.

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  Teacher Talk's Featured Author - Charlene Tess
http://www.thebestofteacherentrepreneurs.net/2019/12/teacher-talks-featured-author-charlene.html

Charlene Tess was honored to be the Secondary Teacher of the Year for Ysleta Independent School District and one of the five finalists for Region XIX Texas Teacher of the Year.  Go to http://www.thebestofteacherentrepreneurs.net/2019/12/teacher-talks-featured-author-charlene.html for the link to her favorite free product, Step One from her Simple Steps to Sentence Sense program.  


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Be sure to read the rest of the posts from our awesome teachers.
 

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December Teacher Talk

Posted by Deann Marin of Socrates Lantern

It's December and time for our holiday version of Teacher Talk. Getting ready for Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanza and New Years, or just looking for some great ideas. You don't want to miss what these creative educators are doing this month.

If you're interested in joining this unique group of teacher entrepreneurs, blogging buddies and/or our blog linky, sign up here....The Best of Teacher Entrepreneurs Marketing Cooperative. If you decide to join, be sure to mention one of our names.
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The Quiltmaker's Gift: Anticipation, Generosity, Reading Lesson Ideas & A Freebie!
By Tracy Willis of Wild Child Designs

In this post, I use a picture book, "The Quiltmaker's Gift" to unpack our thinking about protagonists, antagonists, theme, conflict and persuasive talk and writing. This includes an idea for a motivating Generosity Challenge, too.
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Holiday Musings
By Deann Marin of Socrates Lantern

For some of us, this is a joyful time, but there are many who are alone, and unhappy.  Some have no money to buy gifts and others are out in the cold with no homes.  It breaks my heart realizing that some people feel alienated from their families which can lead to depression and in extreme cases, suicide. Our kiddos aren’t immune, they see what’s going on and may not know how to deal.  
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The Great Homework Debate Comes Home
By Retta London of Rainbow City Learning

Thoughts on the place homework has in real life. What makes homework authentic and a part of lifelong learning?
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Hour of Code is coming: My top 5 web sites/apps!
By Lisa Robles of LisaTeachR's Classroom

My top five programs/apps for coding!
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Identifying Learning Disabilities in English Learners
By Rebecca Olsen of 2livNearn

Distinguishing between the second language acquisition process and a learning disability can be tough, even for seasoned professionals. But it’s not impossible to tease apart the two in order to make appropriate educational decisions for students. Click to find out more!  
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How Many Ways Can I Use This Toy?
By Susan Berkowitz of Susan Berkowitz

If you're gearing up for holiday gift giving, here are some tips for ways to build language through play.
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Wiggly Kids: 5 Easy Ways to Improve Thinking & Remembering! 
By Thia Triggs of Print Path

Researchers have found evidence for the use of movement tools, but there are some children with whom these tools have the opposite effect.
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Geology Rocks!
By Kathie Yonemura of Tried and True Teaching Tools

Teaching Next Generation Science Standards is easy with the help of theater arts! Students explore the various aspects of earth science while reading, speaking, singing, and dancing about the concepts!
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Bring History To Life With Informational Texts
By Michelle Webb of Teaching Ideas For Those Who Love Teaching

Tips on how to use more informational texts with your students.
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Click on these links and they'll take you to each post. They're all part of our December Link Up....

An InLinkz Link-up

December Teacher Talk

Posted by Deann Marin of Socrates Lantern

It's December and time for our holiday version of Teacher Talk. Getting ready for Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanza and New Years, we have some great ideas for you. So hurry on over to see what these creative educators are doing this month.

If you're interested in joining this unique group of teacher entrepreneurs, blogging buddies and/or our blog linky, sign up here....The Best of Teacher Entrepreneurs Marketing Cooperative. If you decide to join, be sure to mention one of our names.
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A Celebration of Values
By Retta London of Rainbow City Learning

Reasons and ways to incorporate values into your lessons this holiday season.
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Election Musings in December
By Deann Marin of Socrates Lantern

I came across this letter, written by a father to his children after the election. He said what is probably on many of our minds.

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Make Math FUN this Christmas!

By Sara Snyder of Snyder Classroom

Engage your students with these Christmas Math riddles worksheets! I began creating math riddles to make math more fun in my own classroom. I love hearing my students giggle as they solve the riddle at the end of the worksheet. Students solve problems, each problem has a letter assigned to it and the letters help to solve the riddle. It is a great way to combine fun and learning! Make math FUN!

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AAC From A to Z: A is for Aided Language Input
By Susan Berkowitz of Susan Berkowitz

If you are supporting an AAC user, you'll want to watch this short video about using Aided Language Stimulation. This is the first step in implementing augmentative communication.
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Keeping Your Students Engaged After a Vacation Break
By Marcy Howe of It's a Teacher Thing

Learn tips for re-engaging students after a vacation break.
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MAKING SENSE OF NUMBERS – BEYOND COUNTING
By Thia Triggs of Print Path

Many children enter kindergarten being able to rote count. What comes next? There are 5 key elements of number sense within a kindergarten age group. 
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Forging Connections By Studying Family
By Michelle Webb of Teaching Ideas for Those Who Love Teaching

Why Studying Family with young children is so important.
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My Top Five Christmas Read Alouds
By Lisa Robles of LisaTeachR's Classroom

Here are my top five Christmas read alouds with some ideas fro activities.
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Four Quick Strategies to Check for Understanding
By Shametria Routt of the Routty Math Teacher

As teachers, we are constantly assessing our students and gathering formative assessment data to drive our instructional decisions. When we use student feedback and data to make decisions, we cut-down on the time spent teaching concepts and skills our students already know or aren't quite ready for yet. Check out four quick strategies you can use today to check for your students’ understanding.  
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3 Sure-Fire Ways to Keep Kids Moving for Math
By Kathie Yonemura of Tried and True Teaching Tools

Keep students on task and engaged! 3 math resources that get students up & moving, while practicing math skills.
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An Existential Tug-of-War: Making Thinking Visible with Tuck Everlasting
By Tracy Willis of Wild Child Designs

This post explores critical thinking routines using Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt. It shows the diversity of thinking that can occur in one novel study with upper elementary students. 


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Please hop on over to read these December blog posts.

An InLinkz Link-up