Literacy Speaks Volumes

Learners in our classrooms share the following characteristics: Students come to the classroom with prior knowledge and experiences. It is the teacher who must activate this prior understanding by building upon students' background knowledge in order to promote new learning. Students create deeper understandings by applying a strong factual and conceptual knowledge base to real-world contexts. Teachers must guide students to make meaningful connections by modeling their own thinking as well as by asking questions to guide higher-level thinking. Students are aware of how they learn best and how to monitor and reflect on their learning. Teachers must provide opportunities for students to regulate their own learning, and they must dedicate time to giding students to create optimal learning habits. One way to accomplish this goal is by presenting information through multiple representations--visual, auditory, as well as through cooperative-learning activities. Teache...

You will need the following: one pound of shrimp one-quarter cup of lime juice one-quarter cup of water one teaspoon of salt two tablespoons of olive oil three-quarter cup of minced celery one tablespoon of chopped chives two teaspoons of curry powder two peeled and chopped tomatoes one-quarter cup of flour one cup of fish stock four cups of hot cooked rice In a bowl, combine lime juice, water, and salt. Add shrimp and marinate for twenty minutes. Then drain and reserve liquid. Heat the olive oil in a skillet; add the onion, celery, chives, and curry powder. Cook for five minutes.  Add the tomatoes and cook for one more minute. Add the flour and stir to mix.  Gradually add the fish stock and the reserved shrimp liquid, stirring until it is a thick liquid. Add the shrimp to the mixture and cook just a few minutes until the shrimp is pink and done. Remove from the heat and serve warm over rice. 

The poet E. E. Cummings wrote that "the earth laughs in flowers." Would you agree with Cummings? What are some other ways that the earth might laugh and why? How does the earth laughing differ from the way humans laugh and why? Your Laughter by Pablo Neruda Take bread away from me, if you wish, take air away, but do not take from me your laughter. Do not take away the rose, the lance flower that you pluck, the water that suddenly bursts forth in joy, the sudden wave  of silver born in you. My struggle is harsh and I come back with eyes tired at times from having seen the unchanging earth, but when your laughter enters it rises to the sky seeking me and it opens for me all the doors of life. My love, in the darkest hour your laughter opens, and if suddenly you see my blood staining the stones of the street, laugh, because your laughter will be for my hands  like a fresh sword.

Write each of the following questions on an index card: Where did you grow up? Do you have any pets? Do you have any siblings? Do you know what your name means? What did you do this past weekend? What are your plans for this weekend? What do you like to do in your spare time? What is the first thing you do when you wake up? What is the last thing you do before you go to sleep? What is your middle name? What was the last thing you purchased? What is your favorite holiday? What is your favorite day of the week? If you could meet anyone in history, who would it be? What do you like ot do to relax? Are you a saver or a spender? Do you play any instruments? Have each student choose one card and stand up and answer it in front of the class.

8 ounces of softened goat cheese 3 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled 2 tablespoons of honey Place the goat cheese on a small serving platter. Drizzle the honey over the goat cheese. Sprinkle the bacon crumbles over the goat cheese. Serve with crackers.

The RTI framework is easily aligned to the intentional teaching that is necessary to differentiated instruction. RTI does require more frequent assessments or probes through progress monitoring Define the instructional focus. What is the student's specific learning problem? What are my academic goals for this student? What examples of his work do I have that proves that he's struggling with this specific problem? Develop an action plan. Which research-based strategies would be helpful for this student? How might I differentiate instruction for this student? How long will I implement this intervention before assessing the student's progress? Implement the action plan. Check for fidelity of instruction: Is the instruction being implemented appropriately, consistently, and completely? Do the student's performance and work samples indicate that the intervention is effective? Collect the student's work samples as evidence ...

"Be yourself; everyone else is already taken." ~Oscar Wilde "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind." ~Bernard M. Baruch "To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson "Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring." ~Marilyn Monroe "You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them." ~Maya Angelou