Laugh of the Day Activity- Common Core

In our 6^th Grade Reading Class we will share in a minute or two of laughter with a “ Laugh of the Day”.  Every child will have the opportunity to read or share their weekly jokes to the class.  The same child is responsible for being the “Comdedian” all week.  We will have a rotating schedule to help keep us on track.  5 jokes should be submitted by the student 1 week before their spot in the rotation and approved by the teacher.  Jokes must be pure, age appropriate and non -discriminatory towards individuals.

We will keep these jokes and publish them at the end of the year.  Joke books and websites will be available for students as resources.

6^th grade Common Core Standards: RI.6.5 & 7, W.6.4,8,10

Team Teaching improves learning?

Does Team Teaching really improve learning?  You bet it does.  Not only is Team Teaching a proven teaching strategy it also helps teachers to learn to work together for a common purpose.  It goes without saying that a team can be hard to be apart of if there is a kink in the process.  Excellent collegue leadership and in-tuned Administration are a plus. 

While reading Leaders of Learning by Richard DuFour I found the 4 P's of success in people working together for student and school achievement.

" Success doesn't just happen.  It's the result of 4 P's, Planning, Preparation, Performance and Perseverence."

 Food for thought.

5 Princples of RtI

When planning and preparing for your year of RtI requirements there are five ideas to keep in mind.

• "All children can learn!"  Even if it's the simplest concept no matter what age they are.
• "Quality assessment informs instructional practices."  Purposeful assessment(s) should be the compass of your instruction. 
• "Quality teaching makes a difference. " It's a no-brainer that children need to have teachers and leaders who are knowledgeable about pedagogy and how to best teach/reach students.  For a few years I have said that a "warm body and a teaching certificate doesn't qualify them to teach children in our classrooms".  I have been a witness to teachers who got their jobs for who they are in a community rather than their abilities.  Sometimes the teacher employment process can be an unfair one... grr, I digress!  Please see some of my other posts for further opinionations on "quality teachers".  :)
• "Positive relationships within the classroom maximize learning."
• "Educators must work as a team." 

These principles are from a book I read this summer.

RTI SUCCESS, Proven Tools and Strategies for Schools and Classrooms. Written by Patricia Whitten, Kelli Esteves and Alice Woodrow, ISBN: 13-978-1-57542-320-3.