Is it September already?
So much for using the blog more regularly :) It has been an amazing month and a bit since we arrived in Korea. The weather is hot and humid but our apartment has two air con units and my classroom has...
View ArticleCircles, Castles and Parent Teacher Conferences… Oh My!
This year is just flying by - we are nearly half way through November and our second Unit of Inquiry is unfortunately going to go over time - but only by two days and I will still finish all three by...
View ArticleBudget Requests on Pinterest
Decided to put together a list of desirable resources together for my budget next year - what I will be able to get and what I have may be a slightly different list but I was nice just looking through...
View ArticleStudent-initiated Action
When our Librarian gave me this book it was just one of many in a pile of resources; books about caring for little sisters, being kind to friends at school, and helping older people... All important...
View ArticleWhat do you already know?
At the beginning of a unit we pre-assess students of content knowledge. In our new unit based on the transdisciplinary theme of "Sharing the Planet", I got the students to watch this short clip of many...
View ArticleLEAD goals and the Reggio Emilia
My first go at documenting student thinking: The Great Suitcase Mystery.We have a new teacher system at our school called LEAD goals - as I have been focussing on the content of these goals I haven't...
View ArticleIB Learner Profile, Attitudes, and Key Concepts
Click here to download IB Learner Profile Poster Template (Pages format).Using this template we create our own Learner Profile definitions. Below are PNG image files of the PYP Attributes and Key...
View ArticleMontessori Grammar – Research and Resources
This is a working post on what I am doing for Grammar in Grade 1. I have both level 1 English language learners and very capable students functioning two grade levels above so the resource can be used...
View ArticleInquiry Cycles
We are discussing inquiry cycles at school at the moment. We have adopted the Big6 and Super3 school wide for our student Information Seeking Process (ISP) but I think inquiry needs more... more...
View ArticleResearch into Montessori
I do not believe that there is any 'right way' to learn. Howard Gardner points to different intelligences, Loris Malaguzzi describes 100 languages, Mark Wahl sees animal temperaments... Thus, in a...
View ArticleAcademic Honesty and Creative Commons
A few years ago in connection to a presentation Samuel was giving, we made a digital booklet of how to find media teachers/students can use without infringing copyright. As I have started working with...
View ArticleStudent-created animal documentary
"I don't really like writing," said one of my particularly uninhibited students towards the end of last year, "no one ever sees it... it doesn't seem very important." At the ripe old age of 6 this...
View ArticleHands On Maths – painting too!
As you might be able to tell I have a new fascination with all things Montessori and rather than reading what other people say about it, I've gone to the original books by Maria Montessori herself...
View ArticleElementary Schoology: a bit of background…
I am so very excited to be piloting Schoology portfolios for the elementary department of TCIS. I am documenting this experience and the thinking behind each step so that I can make informed...
View ArticleElementary Schoology: ePortfolios
Last post I wrote about how we are using Groups Courses to share our learning with the school community, including parents. This post I want to write about portfolios.We are a PYP school so portfolios...
View ArticleSchoology Portfolios: Entry/Assessment Planning
What goes into the PYP portfolio? This is very closely aligned to assessments.Research:#PYPchat Twitter hashtag conversation from March 2013Here are a few annotated examples of great PYP...
View ArticleOnline presence?
The more I think about Schoology the more I am feeling... limited... by the platform and privacy restrictions. The global audience is the motivating element behind digital publication and when it is...
View ArticleCreating Math Tutorials
One of the best ways to show you know how to do something is to teach that skill to another. In Grade 1 we like to record our learning and exhibit our understanding by making short video tutorials. In...
View ArticleiPads, Schoology, and BookCreator, Oh My!
Toward the end of last year my husband and I took the somewhat crazy step and bought iPads for my classroom... I know, I know... what? As a dear friend once told me, "I know what I want, and I want it...
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