Hidden Treasures - Sharing Resources

"If you have knowledge, let others light their candles in it."  Margaret Fuller

There are SO many resources out there, it would be impossible to know about them all.  Enter...the benefits of COLLABORATION! :-)

Maybe you have an app you can't live without, a "go-to" website you use any time you need an idea, or even a reference book that is so worn the pages are falling out.  We all have them.  And now it's time to share the love!  

Of course, we'll share some of our favorites (we probably got them from you, anyway!) and you can light the candles of others by responding to this post and sharing your favorites with the WORLD!

#1 - iGrader Pocket Grade Calculator FREE app (shared by Jenny Darnton)

Say good-bye to your old cardboard grade slider scale! 

Click on the icon for more details... 

#2 - ReadWorks.org website
This website was created to help teachers advance reading comprehension.  We love the nonfiction passages and that their resources are FREE!!!
http://www.readworks.org/

 

#3 - "Around the Reading Workshop in 180 Days" by Frank Serafini is one of our current faves.  Having month-by-month strategies for running a reading workshop for an entire school year is helpful for beginners as well as veterans looking for validation and some new ideas.

Learn more about Dr. Frank Serafini HERE

 

#4 - Yes, we follow more blogs!  One of our all-time favorite bloggers is Dr. Nicki Newton from "Dr. Nicki's Guided Math Blog".  It is chock-full of amazing math resources.  Trust us...you could spend your whole weekend here. :-)

http://guidedmath.wordpress.com/

OK, Nixa teachers....let's light 'em up!  Respond to the post and share your FAVORITES with us!

Higher-Order Questioning

Check out how one teacher encourages sophisticated conversations by using higher-order questions and teaching students to think deeper, creating viable arguments and critiquing the reasoning of others.




Then, take a peek at how this teacher helps her students formulate their own higher-order questions.

Subscribe to the blog!

We have added a new feature, thanks to a request from JTSD's Layne Eckhardt! :-)  Thanks, Layne!
Now you can subscribe to the CIA Matters blog and the LNW blog and get an email each time something new has been added.  You won't miss a thing!

Simply visit the blog and enter your email address under "Follow By Email".  Now that's easy!

Parents Love Teachers!

TweenTribune reported that a national survey conducted by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that PARENTS LOVE TEACHERS!  Click HERE to read the entire article.

With the outpouring of support the Nixa School District receives from its parents and community members, the results of the survey are not a big surprise.  Check out just a couple of things our parents have done for us this year!

 A beautiful "make over" for the teacher workroom!

 A little color and some humor go a long way!

"Wish on a Star" board at Parent Orientation.

Parents can take a star to provide the classroom with

extra supplies they need!

Another idea to let parents know

what supplies they could donate for the class:

"Could You Lend a Helping Hand?"

Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium Resources

The State of Missouri has become a member of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, which is a state-led consortium developing assessments aligned to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts/Literacy and math.The K-12 State Lead for Missouri is Michael Muenks, Coordinator of Assessment.  Rusty Monhollon, Assistant Commissioner of Academic Affairs for the Missouri Department of Higher Education, is the Higher Education Lead.

Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium has released resources that teachers can use as they move toward full implementation of CCSS.  Click on the icon below to see these resources.

*Please keep in mind that students will take the MAP test during the 2013-2014 school year and will need to focus on GLEs.  The resources are shared as an example of what the Smarter Balanced assessment will look like.*

Nixerest

Classroom Management Ideas

 Managing Classroom Noise

  

Start each day with magnetic letters that spell NOISE.  If students get too loud, remove the E.  If students are talking when they should be working independently, remove the S.  If students are working in groups and their conversation is off task, remove the I.  When students get down to the word NO, it becomes a quiet work time.

Managing Notes from Parents

Post a small bulletin board near your classroom door.  Post parent notes on the board.  At the end of the day, check the board to remind students of end of the day changes.

Managing Paperwork

Are you tired of piles of papers on your desk?  Check out this management tip for papers that need to be copied, graded, or filed in student mailboxes.

Managing Lunch Count

 

   

 

 

Here are some great ideas for managing  lunch count from around the district.

Managing Materials

 

Classroom materials are  labeled.  This helps students know where to find the materials.  And, the labels remind students where to put classroom materials when they are finished.

 

 Everything has a place.