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FEATURES FOR TEACHERS |
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Ideas and
Features For New Teachers |
Volume 3, Issue 2 January 2007 |
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Concrete
examples and hands-on activities must be part of the economics
curriculum. Vocabulary also must be learned in terms of a middle school
students’ world. And, give our young consumers credit. They know quite
a lot about money, choices and the way a free market system works. They
just don’t know they know it because of the vocabulary! That’s our
job as educators to take what they recognize, help them translate it
into accepted econ vocab and principles, and apply it to economics to
situations they observe or experience in society. Now that TRULY sounds
like a daunting task!!
The
word bank eventually evolved into flashcards. Now it’s an activity
kids really like. We stay each other, review or quiz each other, all the
while sorting flashcards from the “don’t know” to the “know
that” piles. Flash card review is an activity before a test, when they
finish something and are waiting for everyone else to get done, or as a
fun game to end the class period. Using the vocab word in their own
sentence checks for understanding. Can they use their sentence, deleting
the econ vocab word, and have their partner figure out the word? Can
they give an example for each word? Practice as a single proprietor, in
a partnership, or in a (class-size) corporation. Using
the vocabulary of economics in as important. When a student comes to
class and needs a pencil, stop class for a couple of minutes and do a
needs (demand) supply demonstration. Throw in a little advertising (my
pencil writes the BEST answers), stir up some some competition (who else
has a pencil to lend), set up a price (2 shoe deposit) and watch for
supply and demand. Kids love it; it makes what they’re learning real.
They recognize a surplus brings price down; a shortage could drive
prices up, and supply or demand everywhere. Advertising
is another great vocab word to demonstrate. Choose a product, and have
partners do an ad. How will they convince customers their vision is
best? Point out responsibility of the consumers from fraudulent
advertising or unsafe products. How was the ad firm a consumer itself as
well as a producer of a service? What is the difference between goods
and services? Can advertising be proprietor, partner, or corporation? Proprietors,
or better yet, partnerships could randomly select a flashcard and
develop their own demonstration of its meaning. What a great opening set
for today’s lesson if a couple of students shared the vocab definition
by acting it out. Try partners determining profit, or a corporation
giving dividends to first preferred stockholders, then general
stockholders. Demonstrate limited vs. unlimited liability. Let everyone
have an opportunity to act out vocab words. What a difference it makes when your students focus on the concepts and not puzzle over your words when you explain Economics. Start with vocab and help students make it their own!
When preparing for
lesson planning for young learners, there are a few considerations to
keep in mind. These are gleaned from sites at the U. S. Dept. of
Education and recommendations from The National Council of Teachers of
Mathematics (that has recently published new principles and standards
that begins with pre-kindergarten.), and various research articles. (1) 1.
number and operations 2.
geometry 3.
measurement 4.
data analysis and
probability 5.
algebra
1.
activating prior knowledge
1. Children
begin learning a new concept with their personal set of 2. Children must understand the relevance of the concept to their lives. 3. Their
solutions must be respected just as readily as the teacher’s way 4. Students must have access to real materials to apply concepts. 5. Students
must have time to collaborate together and discuss solving The Ministry of
Education in These sites will be
listed at the end of the article and I would suggest that the
1. Collaborate with colleagues to design an instructional framework to incorporate all the state standards within the year’s instruction. Allow plenty of time for learning and mastery, as well as, checkpoints during the year to keep these skills active. 2. Design a
mastery assessment for major concepts and a plan for learners who need
more time to catch on, or for relearning the concept- consider reteaching,
peer teaching, small group
instruction, possibly changing teachers to group students for teaching
different concepts. 3. Assess your materials –physical manipulatives-prior to the year’s start and order needed materials for that instructional unit. Failing being able to do that, keep a list of what is needed, or what would have been helpful for next year and ask your administrator, the PTA, or your math science coordinator to help you find these materials to teach with. If your district has a learning center/media center, they might be able to help you acquire or borrow some materials. If your cohorts will share, compiling boxes with shared materials for each unit helps a great deal. 4. Design your teaching plan to include math throughout the day as a discussion topic, day, date, time, season, schedules, - help students realize that math is all around them and essential for everyday functioning. 5. Plan a dedicated instructional time to mathematics every day. Consider it vital and do not skip it. Allow for formal instructional time, guided practice time and independent time. 6. Plan for collaborative problems-solving and teach students to work together and help each other find solutions. 7. Conclude your lessons with what “students learned today”- make them back it up with statements that substantiate the learning- not “I had fun. I learned about numbers.” Individual journaling in a math journal helps document what each student has learned. I would preface this with a general class discussion and ask for a standard. If they can’t write yet, the teacher can scribe on poster paper, and post it in the room. A wall filled with learning posters is inspiring. i.e. List three new ideas for you about geometry. Tell me how this new learning helps you see geometric shapes in an environment: home, school, community, 8. I have found that
the more real and physical the materials for learning 9.
Most
students bring their parents’ attitudes about math to school and 10. Plan
for success. This does not have to mean that the tasks are so easy 1.
“Mathematics Standards for Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 2”
4.
“Teaching Mathematics Requires Special Set of Skills” by
Debra Viadero
Click on math
The custodial and maintenance staff isn’t just around to sweep the floors, empty the wastebaskets, and clean up messes. They play an important role in the school environment. These people are not only essential to keeping the building and grounds in top shape and presentable to the public, but also keep the various physical systems in the school in working order. These may include heating & cooling, water, plumbing, and electrical systems, and sometimes even technology. They may also put up walls, plow the snow, line the football field, repair the drinking fountains, and put together classroom furniture. Your custodial and maintenance workers can help you in a number of ways. They certainly can keep your room and hallway in tip-top shape. Many times, custodians will pick up and collect pencils and pens from the halls, and will drop them off in your room if they know you need them. And they will often help you out if you have requests. In many schools, their contracts and union will dictate what physical jobs can be done by school personnel other than maintenance/custodial workers. So if you’re having trouble with your room heating unit, your clock is not synchronized with those around the school, or your door is squeaky, you can usually get prompt service if they know you and know you appreciate their time and efforts. If you are well liked by the maintenance staff, your requests may often move up the priority list. And if you want those extra ‘little touches’, such as a shelf put up in your room, or document frames mounted on your walls, such favors are often the reward of your time spent building positive relationships. Appreciation for their work can be as simple as an honest and genuine ‘thank you’. Often times, including the custodial and maintenance staff in get-togethers and school celebrations goes a long way. Some groups will purchase donuts or treats for the custodians during the year. Other groups put on dinners or cook-outs. If your students bring in any extra treats, be sure to send some down to the maintenance staff. If you take the time to get to know these hard-working people, and build positive relationships with them, you will definitely reap the rewards. Not only will you have handy people willing to help you out when you need it, but you may even find pleasant, friendly faces in and around your school.
This is a must for your resource tool box at home and at school. The 6+1 Traits model, developed by Ruth Culham, offers easy to follow tips, activities, and the basic qualities of good writing. Used by teachers and schools all over the country, Culham's book displays how to follow the writing process, how to immerse your students in voice and fluency, and how to edit and revise effectively. It is the handbook for teaching writing at any level and in any classroom.
Have you read 6 + 1 Traits of Writing? Do you have comments you’d like to share with our readers about this book? Email your responses to editor@starteaching.com. Please type in BOOK CLUB READER RESPONSE in the subject line. Responses will be posted on our website with the StarTeaching Book of the Month Club. All responses will be proofread, and may be edited for content and space before publication.
An interesting system has been used for capturing monkeys in the jungles of Africa. The goal is to take the monkeys alive and unharmed for shipment to zoos of America. In an extremely humane way, the captors use heavy bottles, with long narrow necks, into which they deposit a handful of sweet-smelling nuts. The bottles are dropped on the jungle floor, and the captors return the next morning to find a monkey trapped next to each bottle. How is it accomplished? The monkey, attracted by the aromatic scent of the nuts, comes to investigate the bottle, the nuts, and is trapped. The monkey can't take its hand out of the bottle as long it's holding the nuts, but it is unwilling to open its hand and let them go. The bottle is too heavy to carry away, so the monkey is trapped. We may smile at the foolish monkeys, but how often we hold to our problems so tenaciously as the monkeys hold to the nuts in the bottle. And so, figuratively we carry our bottle around with us, feeling very sorry for ourselves, and begging for sympathy from others, even from God. See more of our Freebies as well as Special Reports on our website by clicking the quick link below: http://www.starteaching.com/free.htm Make sure to BOOKMARK our website so you can keep up with more changes and additions through the year. And feel free to share our site by EMAILING it to a friend.
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In This Week's Issue Teaching
Economics at the Elementary
Features: New
Teacher's Niche: Themes
on Life:
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