Did they learn anything?
Here are five simple assessments that can be easily used in any class compliments of GCU.
http://prezi.com/xt0qqg7rm9pe/five-simple-classroom-assessment-techniques/
Living an Intentional Life
Did they learn anything?
Here are five simple assessments that can be easily used in any class compliments of GCU.
http://prezi.com/xt0qqg7rm9pe/five-simple-classroom-assessment-techniques/
I have begged, borrowed and stolen many rules from many sources in order to teach COMMAS!? They are overused, underused and misused. Do you like all of my series?
So, here is a quick summary of a few of the MANY MANY MANY RULES!…Let’s dive in! 🙂
EXAMPLE: He’s bundled in a wool coat, mitts, hat, scarf and snow-boots because it’s so cold.
You try: Katherine did the shopping cleaned the house and finished the laundry.
ALSO: If you’re repeating words for emphasis, a comma will separate the repeated words so it’s clear you haven’t made a typo.
EXAMPLE: I really, really like chocolate.
You try: Maggie has been a naughty naughty dog.
EXAMPLE: She told her students, “I would add the comma before the quote.”
Or
“I could add the comma at the end of the quote,” this amazing person said.
You try: “I just have to get a new car “ she said as she stood in the garage. She then continued “I know I can find a good deal!”
Interrupters are little thoughts in the middle of a thought, added to show emotion, tone or emphasis. When we use an interrupter in the middle of the sentence, it should be emphasized with commas. Without the use of commas, the flow of the sentence may be awkward for the reader. Interrupters are easily identified by saying the sentence out loud; you’ll naturally pause where the commas should be.
EXAMPLE: Queen Victoria was, as they say, a formidable woman.
The interrupter as they say needs a comma before and after it to emphasize its separation from the rest of the sentence.
You try: Having demonstrated a decided lack of ethics, the CEO was needless to say dismissed from the company.
You try: It does indeed look like rain.
Names can also be interrupters.
EXAMPLE: What, Susan, do you think?
You try: Where do you suppose Davey your shoes might have gone this time?
Here are some more common interrupters: in fact, to say the least, however, generally speaking, sadly, happily, and unfortunately.
An introductory phrase is like a clause, but it doesn’t have its own subject and verb; it relies on the subject and verb in the main clause.
EXAMPLE: Fighting against reason, Martha decided to pull an all-nighter in hopes of passing the exam.
First, what kind of phrase is this?
REMEMBER?? A participial phrase: (acts like an ADJECTIVE! And starts with a what?? A participle: remember, a participle is a VERB that became an adjective: Splash and built now are adjectives. Despite the type of verb, these phrases modify the noun that immediately follows them.)
EXAMPLE: Splashing through the puddles, the girls looked like they were having a blast.
EXAMPLE: Built in the 1920s, the house had a stronger foundation than originally thought.
(remember, a participle is a VERB that became an adjective: Splash and built now are adjectives)
You try:
Finding a good book she decided to take a break and read!
Remembering what is a participle he finished his grammar homework quickly.
What about this example?
In the heat of the moment, many people make rash decisions.
REMEMBER?? A prepositional phrase (starts with a what??? A preposition!)
You try:
Without understanding why, Annie woke from a deep sleep with an urge to check on her children.
Between March and April the little boy grew three inches.
By flashlight in the woods we made our way along the path.
What about this example?
To experience the delights of high-altitude meadows, we drove a Jeep through mountain roads.
REMEMBER? An infinitive phrase (starts with a what??? An infinitive!)
You try:
To dance all night she must have maintained tip-top physical conditioning.
Remember: A clause is a group of words containing a subject and a verb. A clause that can function as a sentence on its own is called an independent clause: e.g., My sister eats a lot of ice cream.
Dependent (subordinate): Cannot stand on its own
Independent: Can stand on its own
Introductory clauses are dependent clauses which are found at the beginning of the sentence (although they can be moved to the end of the sentence, too, without confusing the meaning of the sentence). After a dependent introductory clause, we use a comma to separate the introductory clause from the independent clause. The dependent introductory clause may start with an adverb or conjunction like although, if, or when.
EXAMPLE: As the man was walking into the store, he came face-to-face with his childhood sweetheart.
EXAMPLE: Because the rain was torrential, the day’s Little League games were postponed.
You try:
Although temperatures were freezing we stayed warm in front of the fireplace.
Before the ambulance arrived I performed CPR on the unconscious victim.
(The clause starts with either a subordinate conjunction, such as after, while, if, etc…. The clauses cannot stand on their own because they are incomplete thoughts)
You try:
If you are not ready to commit you are unlikely to experience success while trying to lose weight (“if” is a subordinate conjunction).
Introductory clauses frequently begin with a conjunction (although, since, when, if, etc.) There should be no comma after the conjunction in the introductory clause.
EXAMPLE: Because, it was going to rain, we cancelled the picnic.
(The comma after because should be removed; the comma after rain is properly used as it separates the introductory clause from the independent clause.)
What’s wrong with these sentences? FIX THEM:
After, flunking her Victorian Literature class, Martha decided to do the assigned reading.
When and if, it gets delivered, please bring the package into my office immediately.
So, that the water didn’t get in, we attached rubber seals around the windows.
Dependent introductory clauses which include a date should be offset by a comma. The date can be a year or the date of the month.
EXAMPLE: In 1989, he graduated from high school.
By the 1960s, most households had a television set.
You try:
During the 1800s canned foods were becoming popular.
Since November 15th we’ve raised more than a thousand dollars for charity.
“Life is a series of experiences, each of which makes us bigger, even though it is hard to realize this. For the world was built to develop character, and we must learn that the setbacks and griefs which we endure help us in our marching onward.” –Henry Ford. Seven months of living with a topic of their choosing, the 8th graders overcame many new challenges and achieved a milestone in their maturity.
Here’s my objective:Package an independent research project into a curriculum meeting many core standards while applying service learning and project based learning.
This project engages the HEART (a student’s passion);Â HEAD (research skills); HANDS: (apply into a service learning project); and MOUTH (students present their complete project to a large audience, challenging them to take action)
The 2013 8th grade IRP (Independent Research Project) started in September of 2012 and will commence the week of May 21st. Each presentation will be condensed into a 10-minute overview of all the parts of their project. There was an added component last year to make it become real: ACTION! Starting in the fall, 8th graders are perusing their brain files and scanning their hearts for what argumentative topic they want to adopt. They write a thesis statement and jump in with both feet. Vast research along with expert interviews occur, as well as in-depth understandings of academic MLA writing. Once they have completed their seven page paper, they need to take ACTION. How can they go out now and affect others with their newfound understandings? They are to do a service project since they now have such passion for their topics.
For example, last year, one student not only educated us on this growing epidemic of Autism, but then worked one on one with autistic kids, learning how they respond to behavioral therapies.  Another student was passionate about stopping animal testing and put up a web page informing the public and petitioning to stop this. Cyberbullying and other bullying topics were chosen, and one student made presentations to younger audiences about how to confront the problem and avoid it.  In fact, one student wrote a thirty-four chapter novel and posted it to a well populated literary website. She had readers from all over the world affected by her book, learning about how to overcome this growing problem.
Their entire presentation will include ended an art piece/brochure depicting a visual image of their IRP topic. In their conclusions, they challenged the audience with pleas to make a difference in their own communities.
Currently, I am grading the 8th grade IRP for 2013. Tatum is helping me out!
So far, I am very impressed and so is she!
Here are the 8th graders Theses:
Topic/Thesis (not formally written) |
Awareness and intervention for suicide |
Provide gov’t funding for space exploration and encourage private funding…if continued solve problems for earth |
Testing cosmetics on animals should be stopped immediately because there are alternatives that are more accurate |
The rise in obesity among children and teens and needs to be addressed |
Head trauma in youth hockey is very controversial topic…two sides about how to enforce contact and at what age allowed. |
Women in the ME are being the basic right of education |
The American gov’t vows to serve and protect all citizens but the LGBT community feels unsafe in their own home |
Veterans need help getting into a normal routine and achieving the quality of life they deserve |
How has “Don’t ask don’t tell” effected America |
Artists need to be more careful about reading and understanding what they are signing to avoid exploitation by record companies |
The BP Oil company poses a serious threat to fishermen’s livelihoods, marine wildlife, beaches, habitats, and human health |
Hunger a complex and widespread problem that people need to completely understand |
Neuroscientists have just begun to conduct studies asking the question of video game effects on the brain. They seem to have long term effects in a negative and a positive way. |
Celebrities are becoming more and more involved in our lives |
There is much controversy about AZ SB1070 and racial profiling …getting to the bottom of it is important. It’s damaging our state and needs to be revised |
We need to revise the way we think about immigration in this country and what we can do to improve our policies in order to benefit our country and immigrants |
Outsourcing is a concept which many people and business thrive, yet many are living harder lives without jobs since the jobs were sent away to other countries. |
There is much that can be done to emotionally help the families and friend of someone that has been victimized by breast cancer. |
Excessive screen time is affecting children in a negative way |
There is a solution to the fear of flying that can be right in front of people’s eyes |
Concussions drastically change NFL players lives |
Current AZ gun laws are putting many lives in danger and they should be stricter |
There are many questions behind where the money is going for cancer research that needs to be answered |
We should be more careful for ADHD with medications |
Same sex marriage should be legal in order to fulfill everyone’s rights. |
Cancer has been disrupting families for many years, but there are ways you can help your mom, dad or maybe friend that has cancer |
Poverty causes many problems such as immigration issues, death, corruption, worldwide economic problems, hunger and more. Debt cancellation which is believed to be the only solution, should be completed to end poverty worldwide… |
America needs a new tax plan so people so that the amount that people pay is fairly distributed |
Syria |
We are an oil dependent society but many people feel that we should us other types of energy |
People in all walks of life rich or poor educated or blue-collar young and old can be animal abusers. |
Verbal bullying affects people in horrible ways and can even lead death. |
The same animal protection that keeps domestic animals safe should be used in factory farms. Our society should not tolerate the abuse and suffering inflicted upon these animals. |
While the US Space program faulters, other countries gain on the US |
This week, I realized how much I need a Sherpa (and thank God I have one!) What is a Sherpa? According to Wikipedia (if I may use such a source!)
“Sherpas are highly regarded as elite mountaineers and experts in their local terrain. They were immeasurably valuable to early explorers of the Himalayan region, serving as guides at the extreme altitudes of the peaks and passes in the region, particularly for expeditions to climb Mt. Everest…They are known for their hardiness, expertise, and experience at high altitudes.”ÂI headed back to work (just to help out the sub and work with the kids on some projects) this week with much excitement and yet trepidation. The iffy part had to do with two things: Leaving Tatum and having so very little mobility. The excitement of being around my kids and working with my colleagues made it all worth it. However, I did not have enough internal fortitude to keep it ALL together ALL of the time. Who does? Well, this is when I needed to have God as my Sherpa (ALL THE TIME).Â
My “terrain” becomes His terrain when I invite Him into my day. The minute my feet hit the floor, I invite HIM into my walk (no pun intended). “His grace is sufficient for me.” (2 Cor 12:9) Â I am going to make mistakes and fall flat on my face (literally!), but with Him guiding my every step (actually allowing him to do so), I can handle it. Peaks, valleys, passes, heights, depths…His love for me and the gratitude I CHOOSE to see in my life, makes each step doable. He has the expertise. He has the experience (through Christ). I depend on Him (my Sherpa). And gosh…I am so dependent, I admit fully. Until I relinquished full control and submitted to His will, I am doomed to my mistakes; my scars, my scabs. I still may get them (they are inevitable), but each one gives me a chance to fall forward into His arms, learning and growing each time.
So, it was a HARD week, but I know I grew and so did Tatum. “She has the sweetest temperament, the cutest laugh, and seems extremely comfortable.” Hearing these words made my heart sing. Also, having her light up when she sees me, brings joy to my world.
May she embrace the newness of her schedule. May I adapt to entering work (eventually!) with less mobility simultaneously being effective and yet positive. May I STOP and enjoy the moment; each and every moment.
Today, I worked at my school, even though I’m not supposed to be there quite yet. Being on one foot definitely is so much more difficult when trying to work. It is amazing how little I can actually do, so it is good I am not full time quite yet. This is going to be harder than I thought, but I have to have grace with myself.
The kids loved my bright pink cast!
There are so many projects for which I must handle that I need to be there for a bit. This means taking Tatum to daycare, and this is when I truly struggle. On one hand, it’s so nice to have that time where you can just focus and not worry that her needs are not being met. Then the other side of me, the pride side, says, she is going to forget me. Hogwash right?
At least when I was crutching around campus, the 8th grade students were headed out to a field trip. All were seated in the courtyard, and they all noticed me at once. The sea of faces was right in front of me, and I teared up. I really have missed being there. I have missed learning with them and teaching them. So, the argument in my  head begins. Do I have guilt over not giving enough time to my daughter, or do I fret over not being a present educator? ….at least now. This seems to be the battle for which many face.
These next few weeks, I must make the most of my time while I am at school, and then at home, I capture every second with Tater (and Coti!). The Lord is my strength. He is in charge. I do the best I can do and leave the results to Him. He knows my heart, and I pray Tater will too.
At least she seems to be enjoying her time at daycare.
In my laid-up/leg-up position, I’ve been made me keenly aware of the world of blogging. Not only that, but I’m just hungry for  information, ideas, inspirations, ideals and interconnectedness:
Tim Challies Blog:Â http://www.challies.com/about
Personal Finances: http://christianpf.com
Desiring God: John Piper:Â http://www.desiringgod.org/blog
Albert Mohler:Â http://www.albertmohler.com
Good Commentaries:Â http://www.easyenglish.info
Serious lifting advice! http://www.leangains.comÂ
Overall health and fitness:Â http://fitbottomedgirls.com
Overall and just fun recipes too:Â http://www.pbfingers.com
Well done and beautiful:Â http://101cookbooks.com
Beautiful site + a Christian with great recipes:Â http://www.eatliverun.com
Just like the magazine:Â http://www.eatingwell.com
Gluten Free and healthy:Â http://www.elanaspantry.com
Although I’m not Paleo, this is great:Â http://nomnompaleo.com
Local! http://www.scottsdalemomsblog.com/about/
Lisa Belkin/Motherlode:Â http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com
Parenting Mag:Â http://www.parenting.com
Cup o Jo…She is just a great read..everything:Â http://joannagoddard.blogspot.com
Getting Things Done! http://lifehacker.comÂ
General:Â http://www.edutopia.org
General for ENGLISH:Â http://www.ncte.org/middle
http://www.edweek.org/ew/index.html
Independent School blog Peter Gow http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/independent_schools/
WRITING!:Â http://twowritingteachers.wordpress.com
More Writing/Program:http://www.bravewriter.com/program/home-study-courses/the-writers-jungle/introduction
It’s around the corner! I can’t believe I’ll be going back to work in three weeks. I signed Tatum up today at Temple Chai and found myself weeping. “We’ll send many pictures,” was what they promise but for some reason this is no consolation. How is this helping me bond with my child? “We’ll have a picture of you on the wall so Tatum can see you.” Again…not helping! “Oh this is normal…all new moms go through this.” Sheesh..stop! I am not assured that leaving my child in the hands of other people is endearing my child to ME!
Now, she will get cuddled, fed, changed, and rested…all in the hands of someone else. This is definitely reassuring. However, I’m finding that my priorities are changing and my ambition level is cooling off. Ironically, I miss work tremendously, and moreover, I miss being productive! BUT…I’m finding a disconnect in that I want both/and. Funny, are we ever just OK with the way things are? This is when I know that HE created this God shaped vacuum in my heart that NOTHING can fill but His Spirit in me. I can be a FT mom or a FT teacher…or PT both, and still, I’ll feel inadequate and guilty that I’m not doing enough.
Father, help me to not be filled with “guilt” or “fear” as I move to the next phase of motherhood and career-woman. Help me to take one day at a time and make the MOST of that day. Thank you for the blessing of little Tater Tot.