
Class Couple - Historical Argumentation |
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Hi everyone! Greg and I are going to share the Five For Friday post this week and give you a peek into what we've been up to! Urban got his second set of ear tubes on President's Day. I was pleasantly surprised at how much better he did this time! The procedure was very quick, and by 9AM he was ready to eat a donut! We spent the rest of the day cuddling on the couch watching Caillou, since he had become pretty moody from the anesthesia and developed a fever. By the next morning he was back to his old self again! Greg here. I’ve been making a big push away from content and towards skills-based instruction. Whether it be assessments or thinking activities, content has been backseat to how I’m asking students to develop ideas and thoughts. I ask students to create original arguments about the content, but always have a difficult time showing them what that looks like. The above idea came to me early one morning this week (you know, those mornings where you wake up with ideas already sprinting through your head), so I pulled it together rather quick. Please feel free to download and use it with your own students. Let me know if you think modifications would help. ![]()
I ask students to analyze information in a wide variety of ways, so they looked at me funny when I assigned sketchnotes this week. For those of you that haven’t heard of sketchnotes, it’s an interesting way that students visually connect pieces of content to (hopefully) demonstrate a deeper understanding. The students were a bit hesitant, but the end results turned out quite well! I was given the opportunity to be a guest blogger for GoNoodle this week! I wrote about an opinion writing challenge we did using GoNoodle brain breaks! My first graders loved it! You can check out my post here, and you can get the freebie here! Fellow blogger Kristin from My Carolina Classroom is celebrating her Blogiversary! Be sure to check out her blog and enter to win one of these awesome bundles packed full of fantastic products! Our Primary Sources Football Edition is part of the 3-5 Bundle!
Thanks for stopping by, and be sure to check out what everyone else was up to this week!
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Hi everyone! It's Becky! Greg and I were very excited to be invited to be a part of Created for Learning's "Meet The Teacher Team Linky!" Jonathan & Lisa have come up with a couple of fun questions for you to get to know us a little more! Where Did You Meet? Greg and I met in our education classes my first semester at Elizabethtown College. As a junior, Greg had just made the switch from pre-law to social studies education/political science concentration. So he was taking the introductory education classes at the same time that I was entering the program. We had two classes together and he sat in back of me, incessantly tapping on my chair, in both of them! One day, he asked me for my IM screenname (if anyone remembers those days!) and we began talking all the time. We were friends throughout my whole freshman year before we began dating. Etown holds a special place in our heart not just for the fantastic education program, but because it was the start of "us." We visit often and always have to get a picture with our favorite statue, "The Man!" (Jacob G. Francis, founding father of Elizabethtown College) Who Does what? Greg does the cooking, and I do the clean up! Oh wait, that may not be what they meant from this question! I create all of the first grade math & ELA resources, and Greg and I collaborate on the new social studies units we have been creating. He does such a great job of coming up with authentic primary source ideas for young learners, and I help create the age appropriate actives to engage the students. Greg is also amazing with a Mac and can give anything a clean and polished look. He deserves all of the credit for the visual appeal of the blog! What Do You Enjoy Most About Your Partnership? We are best friends, and we love to laugh and have a good time together. There is no one else I'd rather spend my time with. When Grayson was young, he somehow came up with the idea that Mommy and Daddy were "Teamers," and that is truly how we approach everything that comes our way! Do you Have Nicknames For EAch other? No, not really... What Is Your Teaching Theme Song?
If you could dress-up to go somewhere, what would you wear and where would you go?
Which do you prefer, cookies, brownies, or neither?
Name something you've created that you love using in your classroom? Becky-I don't know where I'd be without my "First Grade Making Words, All Year Long!" bundle. We focus on phonics A LOT in first grade, and I love how the students can easily manipulate the letter cards to make words. But my favorite part is that the words list possibilities are right there for you! No more trying to figure out if you have all the letters to make a word. My substitutes have found this to be super helpful! I also have a similar unit specifically for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt's first grade Journeys reading series. The phonics skills correlate with specific lessons in the series. Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to check out some of the other teams in this fun link-up!
~Becky Greg here! We're excited to join the Teacher Blogger linky hosted by Falling Into First! Welcome to everyone who stumbled upon our blog. We hope you enjoy! For those of you who haven't ready our blog yet, we're bringing an interesting perspective/reflection to our classroom experiences. I teach 10th & 11th grade social studies and Becky is with 1st graders. (Read our about section to find out more about our personal lives.) She and I will be sprinkling in the more unique aspects of our teaching lives, and we also collaborating on a few projects that will be coming up in the future! Okay, here are the answers to Stephanie's Q&A. In the words of our 4 year old, "Let's Roll!" A few of my favorite things...
If you weren't a teacher, what would you want to be?
three little words that describe you.
Finish this sentence, “___________________, said no teacher EVER!!” Becky & Greg "More meetings, please, said no teacher ever!!" It’s your birthday and you can invite anyone {dead or alive} to the party. Who are you inviting? Becky & Greg Dave Matthews (and the band - of course!). When you listen to a band/musician for so long, you feel like they're a part of your family. He is family. If someone wrote a book about your life, what |
Becky My super power would be making every hour of sleep equal two hours. Just think of all that we could get done, and still feel well rested! | Greg Teleportation is seriously an amazing concept. If I could instantly travel to any destination - the possibilities would be endless! |
Becky I would sing "Love Story" (Taylor Swift). I do love her, and still love to belt out this song when I'm in the car! | Greg Any Clay Aiken song would do! (Hint, see words describing me above.) |
Becky A night owl-Monday morning is going to be a rude awakening. I do not do well at 5AM! | Greg No doubt - a morning person. If it weren't for me, Becky would sleep in until 11AM daily. |
We are Becky and Greg from York, PA. Becky just started her 13th year of teaching first grade. Greg is a high school social studies teacher. We love teaching and this blog is a peek into our world.
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