Life's Special Moments

Today's post is going to come from the heart.  The teaching lessons are going to be life lessons. They're going to be about the important job we have as early childhood teachers and the impact we can have on our children.  And it's not about test scores.  Today, I am sharing a very personal glimpse into my life.

In 1992, my daughter Tessa was born.  And within 10 minutes of her being born, we learned she had Down Syndrome. The only experience I had of being around people with Down Syndrome was when my mother worked at an institution for children and adults with special needs.  I basically went into shock for about 48 hours not knowing what life had in store for my family. And frankly, I just didn't have a clue about raising a child with special needs.  But ultimately, I had one main goal for her.  I wanted her included in life in every aspect possible, and I wanted her to have great social skills.   At the time, I was going back to college to become a teacher. I wanted to be a teacher so badly, and I thought this event was going to keep me from reaching that goal.  Little did I know that my little package of joy would be my best teacher.

I could go on and on about what all that entails in setting expectations and holding the bar high in raising a child with special needs.  But I will save that for another time.  This mom is extremely proud of the young lady she became last night when she informed me that she had practiced a speech to say at my oldest daughter's wedding.  I was teary-eyed on the couch as she practiced it for me.  I asked her, "How did you think of this idea?"  And she replied, "I've been practicing watching wedding movies."  If you know my daughter, she can be very shy until she gets to know you.  But last night, she stood up in front of 200 people at the front of the room and gave her speech.

The quality of the video is not good as it was captured by my quick thinking niece (Thank you Kara).  And the sound is the same.  Here is her speech:

"My name is Tessa Griffin.  And I wanted to say that I love you.  And I want to say I love you. And I love you Brandi.  And I love you Shane, my brother.  Thank you."

So for all of you teachers who work with children with special needs, whether it be all day in your classroom, or for just part of the day.  Academics are important.  But to parents of children with special needs, social skills are what get you through life and lead to moments like this. Moments that are so special that words cannot come close to express how I feel. Learning social skills empowered my daughter, who has faced many challenges in life, to get up in front of a crowd and appropriately and effectively declare her love to her sister and new brother. And to politely say, "Thank you, " at the end of her speech.  No help from mom - no help from family - just something she felt was right.

Thank you for letting me share a part of my world with you.  As I watched one daughter become a beautiful bride, I watched another one take a step forward to independence too. Have a great week.  This mom is going to sit back and enjoy this special moment today.  And here is a special thank you to all of her former teachers who believed in her too.

Stop by again soon.

Fun Fall Apple Bingo Books

Are you getting ready to study apples, autumn, or Johnny Appleseed Day?  I made a FREE book for your classroom to the familiar tune of Bingo :)  Use the 8 1/2 x 11 book for whole group reading or place in your reading corner for independent practice.  Make copies of the 1/2 size black and white book for your students to color and use during guided reading, independent reading for just right books, or as homework practice.  Also, remember you can show the pdf file on your interactive white board or digital projector for the really big book approach.

Reinforce the short "a" sound along with practicing one-to-one correspondence for clapping by numbers.

These are both Common Core standards that we practice all the time.  HAVE FUN!!!

"IF THEY CAN SING IT, THEY CAN BE SUPPORTED IN READING IT."  Kathy Griffin

Follow my blog on the right side along with my TpT store to be notified of more fun materials to use in your classroom.

Click HERE to download your free books.

Thanks for stopping by!

Early Childhood Advice on Teaching the Common Core State Standards

As school has started over much of the United States  or is in full swing with teaching procedures, two words seem to be causing stress for many early childhood teachers.  The "Common Core" State Standards are infiltrating our vocabulary, our planning, our assessments, and our instruction.

Don't get me wrong.  I am a BIG fan of the Common Core.  But we have to remain focused as early childhood teachers and remember that we teach young children.  Just because a worksheet says, "will help the students learn the "Common Core" or a book cover states, "will teach the "Common Core" doesn't mean it is effective.  Teachers are implementers of this instruction and need to remember what is developmentally appropriate and impacts student learning along with the method needed to teach it.

My youngest daughter has Down Syndrome, Diabetes, Celiac Disease, and a thyroid disorder.  I'm going to make an analogy of what I see happening to many teachers across the United States to Tessa having Celiac Disease.   When you have Celiac Disease, you cannot eat wheat, oats, or barley as it damages the intestine and causes a multitude of medical problems.  1 in 133 people in the United States have it and don't know it.  If you want to know more about Celiac Disease click HERE.

My daughter has to be on a gluten-free diet.  This was very difficult to do when she was first diagnosed in 2001.  Celiac Disease had been under-diagnosed for many years, but started receiving more attention around the time of my daughter's diagnosis.  She had to go completely gluten free.  One crumb could damage her intestines causing auto-immune diseases.  So off we went to the health store to try and find all of the gluten free items we could.  After all we were good parents, and we wanted to ensure that our daughter had what she needed. It was an expensive trip.  We thought we needed everything at once. And what we discovered was that many of the products were not edible - they tasted horrible.  We also discovered that fruits and vegetables were gluten free, Tessa loved them, and we already had them. We wasted a lot of money.  It took time to figure out what Tessa liked, tasted good, and was nutritious too.

Fast forward to 2012 and I feel that is where we are headed as teachers with the Common Core.  Let's step back and really internalize these standards and see what we are already doing that aligns and what needs to be added to meet the rest.  As a national presenter, I was very interested in the Common Core when it was released.  I wanted to see how my classroom teaching and sessions held up to the standards.  I found that I was already doing many of those things required in the standards and saw areas that I could enrich and take up to the next level.  But I really noticed that I had already been differentiating my classroom instruction to meet the needs of my students, so I had activities, songs, technology, and games ready to meet those standards.  I had embraced the move towards nonfiction text being a crucial part of teaching reading.

That's where we need to remain focused as educators.  We need to read the standards.  We need to use it as a lens to look at our teaching.  And then we need to make informed choices that look at the needs of our students and their learning styles.  They still need movement.  They still need choices.  They still need FUN!  Happy, motivated children learn more.  That's research-based.  Our classroom environments need to promote inquiry brain-based learning that allows for creativity and enrichment.  It needs to be open-ended with areas that require critical thinking. Worksheets do not accomplish this.  Hands on activities that require cooperative learning such as games, along with movement, dramatic play, and singing that are focused toward instruction, make a huge impact on student learning.  Students who are given time to read - read better.  Students who are given time to write stories  - write more effectively.  Students who are engaged in math activities that require critical thinking, problem-solving and promote showing their reasoning create mathematicians.

Nonfiction is HUGE and exposes our children to rich vocabulary.  But as we teach this vocabulary, which makes more sense . . . having our children act out the vocabulary during group time as we come to these rich words . . . apply them to different situations in our lives . . . find a word to connect this new learning?  Or sit down and do a worksheet where you draw a line to match the word to the meaning.  Which one would help you remember as a teacher if I was teaching new vocabulary during a professional development session?  Happy engaged teachers learn more :-)  They become empowered.  They become creative.  They connect it to their prior experiences. They go back to their classrooms and impact student learning.

I have many entries on the Common Core on my blog and will continue to bring ideas on how to meet the needs of your students while providing "hands-on" engaging activities to meet the "Common Core" standards.  As you search across Pinterest and other sites, use your early childhood lens that has now been adjusted to include the Common Core and choose your activities wisely.  And yes, I do sell products that are designed to teach the Common Core Standards along with many other wonderful teachers out there.   Just remember my first gluten-free shopping trip for my daughter Tessa.  I bought everything I could find that was available.  I had researched some of it but not enough.  I hadn't discussed it with other parents who had experience using these products.  And I ended up throwing much of it away.  

Here is an example of one of my products that I made that is "frequently purchased" on Teachers Pay Teachers and meets the Common Core State Standards for Reading Foundational Skills for Kindergarten and 1st Grade.  Let's look at it through the early childhood lens that has now been adjusted with the Common Core State Standards. I have the song and/or multimedia file "Five Word Families."  I've created it to produce a memory connection along with motions to make it auditory, visual, and kinesthetic.  I included technology.  I created a game/activity pack with word sorts, games, and activities to reinforce this skill during whole group, guided reading, and literacy centers.  I've created books with the pictures and words from the song to support early readers. I've given the students a "hook" to remember word families that end with the same sound/pattern along with a song/actions to support their learning of short vowel sounds and familiar word patterns. I've modeled (on a YouTube video) how to take this song and differentiate it to meet the needs of students who need a wide range of phonological awareness activities whether it be rhyming, letter/sounds, along with substituting the first sound in a word.  And my students and many other students LOVE it.  Of course, I am partial to it because my now 10 month old grandson loves it too :-)

So what I want everyone to take away with them tonight is that WE CAN do this.  I am your biggest cheerleader. We are doing a lot of it already.  Let's regroup, study, and reflect on our current teaching.  What can we do to impact student learning along with implementing the Common Core State Standards this year?  And how can we make that learning engaging for our youngest learners.  They deserve our best and we have it in us to teach.

Thanks for stopping by.  My favorite quote from the Cat in the Hat applies not only to our students but to teachers as well.  "It's fun to have fun but you have to know how."  We can have fun, create memories, and impact student learning too.  We just have to know how. Follow my blog as we explore these new standards together and keep the smile and laughter in our students' lives too.

Here is a short clip of my Five Word Families multimedia file along with the activity game pack if you want to learn more about it.  You can also look at the book set and mp3 song to put in your listening center or "just right" book boxes on my TpT store.  If they can sing it, they can be supported in reading it.  

Click HERE to view this on Teachers Pay Teachers.

Click HERE to view this on Teachers Pay Teachers.

1st Grade Research Making Connections and the Common Core

I spent 2 days volunteering this week showing how to teach research skills to 1st grade students.  Research can be developmentally appropriate and connected to a young child's egocentric sense of self.  Actually it can be fun!

I'm volunteering at a beautiful new school that was completed last December, so the children made the move after the winter break.  Here is some history on the school.  I actually attended this school when I was in 3rd grade (long ago:) as did all 3 of my children (now 20, 26, & 28).  So I have history with the school climate, but am experiencing it in a new facility.  Wow, it is so beautiful and much deserved.  They work on integrating the arts throughout their curriculum and the building itself lends nicely to this endeavor.  I only took a few pictures that didn't have students in them, but these might help you get the feel of the physical environment.

Art Work on Walls

Actual Flat Screen Televisions with a Real View of this Aquarium

Performance Theater in the Media Center for Classrooms to do Reader's Theater or other Dramatic Arts' Performances

Each Grade Level Pod is a Type of Tree with Art Work to Match

Close Up Details on the Paintings that Line the Hallways

Entrance into a Grade Level Pod

Our first research project was to learn about our school.  Now I know what you are thinking.  We all do that "annual" "first of the year" building tour where we learn where everything is.  It usually takes place the first or second day of school.  Yes, we did that tour.  It served its purpose of locating "where we need to go" for all the different parts of the day.

Since the Common Core has really bumped up the writing for K-2 (early childhood), we need to think of ways to help our children connect to their writing.  We do this by providing them with experiences to write about.  So that's how this first research project started.  It was to lay the foundation of what is to come over the next year in this first grade class.

PROCEDURES, PROCEDURES, PROCEDURES

Yes, I put that in bold and in all caps.  Sometimes we forget to put the procedures into place to do a project and then it is not successful.  We tend to throw some valuable educational experiences "out the window" because they failed, or the children didn't follow through the way we intended.  Instead of "throwing out the idea" why not step back and see what needs to be taught first in order to "do the activity."

A walking field trip in the hallways of a building they are familiar with sounds easy right?  Not really.  Throw in notebooks, pencils, and movement . . . Now you are getting the visual.  Those procedures need to be taught in a small environment before we open up the "doors" to larger places.  So we practiced by taking a walking field trip in our class.   We talked about what it would look like, sound like, feel like.  We modeled that sometimes we draw pictures, sometimes we write words, and sometimes we do both when recording information.  All of these are critical components of beginning research. We did a "turn and talk" to your friends about what they noticed in our classroom to get the vocabulary and thinking flowing.  And then we did the most important part . . . we called up a few children at a time to actually take their spiral notebooks and pencils to start recording what they saw in the classroom.  The rest of the class observed what it looked like, sounded like, and felt like.  That's crucial.  You have talked about it before, you let the class see a few doing it, and then you release more children (about 4-5 at a time) to join in until the whole class is walking around the room on their "walking field trip."  We made notice of students who were researching their classroom appropriately.  I took pictures with my iPhone to show them instantly what they looked like when they were working.  Young children need to "see" what it looks like when they are doing it right.  

After about 5 minutes of the whole group participating, we called them back to the floor to share what they recorded.  It wasn't a long process.  Just basically making a quick auditory list of what we found.  Then we lined up (those procedures were already in place), but once again talked about what it looked like, sounded like, and felt like to line up with something in our hands.  And again, we chanted, (teacher) "Who's job is it to keep you safe?"  (students) "You and me."  You can see my previous post on classroom routines for more information on this.  

So now we were ready.  We opened the door slowly, and began our walking field trip through the school.  And guess what?  They did it!   And they were great at it.  Why?  Because we laid the foundation, modeled it, practiced it, and discussed it in a smaller setting before the actual release.  Did we have to remind or regroup?  Absolutely!  But it was easy because they had the terminology and the experience to do it successfully.

Each child documented what they saw in the building that was important to them.  This was their first writing attempt of documenting evidence and it was interesting to see the different levels of writing. Some attempted to draw pictures or representations of what they saw, some drew the actual pictures, some drew pictures with inventive spelling, and some wrote lists with just words.  That is very important.  We allowed them to use the format that makes them successful writers.  Young children progress through different phases in literacy at different paces.  We need to provide them with opportunities and support to become writers.  And you need a purpose to your research.  The ultimate goal that started it all was to connect it to adding our own art to the building.  The students finished their project by painting the different parts of the school.  Yes, it would have been easier to say, "Stacee you paint this, Kathy you paint that, Dalton you paint this."  But where is the learning in that?  Where is the student "ownership?" We were able to go deeper and make connections which is what the Common Core and Language Arts is all about :

Going deeper and making connections to learning

Building vocabulary that is rich and varied

Exposing children to research and creative thinking

And they CAN do it with supports in place.  This post is for Sam from Mrs. Kelly's Klass.  She is a new teacher this year and was wanting advice for the first of school.  She asked that other teachers start posting their procedures on their blogs.  So Sam . . . This one's for you:) I am a quote person and a teacher who likes to make up chants for learning.  So here is a my new quote or mantra for all early childhood teachers to think about when planning any activity.  "The end result is what you prepare for.  Kathy Griffin"  I know that sounds so simple, but true.  Try making a list of what you want your students to accomplish.  Then think of all of the steps required to get there.  And this is for every activity.  See how you can build successful steps for your students to complete the activity.  Start small for success then build their stamina for more. What should it look like?  What should it sound like?  What should it feel like?  Pretty soon you will be a "pro" at classroom management and procedures.

Here is the end result of their research.  What a wonderful way to add to the beautiful artwork in a school that focuses on the "arts." And these students feel even more connected to their learning environment.

Thanks for stopping by.  

Back to School Procedures

I spent today with a friend on her first day of school teaching first grade.  She has been out of the classroom for a few years and use to teach 5th grade. So I spent last week helping her get her room ready for today - the first day of school.

And what did we do all day long?  Procedures, procedures, procedures.  It was fun for me to be able to tag team with her, and it made me realize that I am very much a procedure chanting teacher.  You see, I strongly believe, that young children need lots of repetition involving movement activities, along with visual, and auditory connections.  So today I thought I would share the "Griffin's Top 4 Tips" for making your classroom run more smoothly.

#1  Provide movement activities for your students as soon they enter.  Music and movement can engage children and set a positive climate for learning.   What songs do I use?  Jack Hartmann's, CJ,  and MINE :)  It's been really fun to use my songs and movement activities over the last few years with my students.  But it was even more fun to work alongside another teacher and show how much music can help them settle into the new year's routines.

#2 My favorite teaching quote from The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss:  "It's fun to have fun, but you have to know how."  This is my "mantra" for teaching all parts of our day.  We talk about in order to do fun things during the school day, we have to first learn the procedures for doing those fun activities.  I make it a chant

Teacher:  It's fun to have fun . . .
Students:  But you have to know how!

We practiced this all day today, when transitioning or learning a new part of our day.  I can't wait to show you the activity/bulletin board we are creating to reinforce this concept.  Check back or follow my blog so you don't miss it.

Of course you have to throw in some fun activities to reinforce it.  Check out this post for one of the listening activities we did today using our grabbers.  Right now we are just doing 2-3 step directions to learn the procedures.  When we can do this successfully, we will start adding academics to the games.  Sometimes we speed along too fast and don't take time to teach children how to follow directions.

#3 Another quote that just slips right out while I am teaching procedures:

Teacher:  Whose job is it to keep you safe?
Students:  You and me (They point to the teacher and then to themselves).

How does this help?  It makes you a collaborative team in following the rules.  Rules are not just some arbitrary random judgement calls that infringe on their FUN!  They have to know the "why" behind the rule. For example:  We keep our legs criss-crossed in group time because if you stretch your legs out and someone walks by, they might trip over your legs and fall on you.  Is that keeping you safe?  And of course they say, NO!  Have them share the responsibility of keeping them safe.

#4 Listening Strategies

I recently wrote a post about these strategies and how they help my students get rid of their "wiggles."  I just released my new "Listening Strategies" packet on Teacher Pay Teachers and it is getting great feedback from others.  If I had to ask my friend Stacee what helped her the most today, she would say "The Listening Strategies."  We used the big cards from the pack and put them up on a magnetic dry erase bulletin board.  This peaked the students curiosity in what movement activity we did for each strategy.  It became a visual, kinesthetic, and auditory way of learning strategies to become better listeners.   Stacee would call on different students throughout the day during each group time to choose another large card off the bulletin board.  They were able to bring it to group time as we learned the strategy.  Then throughout the day, we did "listening strategies" quick checks to see if they could remember the different ones.  It's amazing how some children were already figuring out which one works for them.  Here is an important key concept that is written in the directions in the packet and one that I say when presenting at conferences.

"A strategy is only a strategy if it helps you.  If it disturbs your friends, it is not a strategy."

Yes, I am a chanting teacher.  Chants, rhythms, and repeat - echo games help keep your students engaged.  Click HERE to take you to my Listening Strategies for the Early Childhood Classroom which includes 4 new songs.  We did the Wiggle Line Up March today.

And if you need some fun activities that engage your students while providing motivation and learning, check out my multimedia files.  You can use them with your digital projector, interactive whiteboard, or Smart Board.  What did we do today?  "Won't Forget No More" which focuses on letter sounds and "Five Word Families."  I love to do "Five Word Families" with all ages because it teaches and reinforces those short vowel sounds in a fun way.

This is "Won't Forget No More" with an example of how I use it in the classroom.

This is a short clip from "Five Word Families."

Click HERE for the link to purchase "Won't Forget No More." Click HERE for the link to purchase "Five Word Families." Each multimedia file is $4.00.  It's an effective way to bring kinesthetic movement, visual, and auditory learning to meet the needs of all your students.  And while they are having fun, you can work on the Common Core Standards for Language Arts - Reading Foundational Skills K-1st in the areas of Phonological Awareness, Phonics and Word Recognition. If you are a visual learner, check out my YouTube Channel: Kathy Griffin's Teacher Channel  To see how I use these multimedia files in my classroom.
Thanks for stopping by!  I hope everyone is taking their vitamins, drinking lots of water, and getting some sleep.  Well, 2 out of 3 will help.  I know extra sleep or even 7 hours is hard to fit in when we have all of the "First of the School Year" activities to complete.

Listening Strategies for the Wiggles

This post is very special to me because it is the result of my experience teaching young children for 15 years.  Do you have students that get wiggly at group time?  OF COURSE!  They are young children, and their attention spans are short.  They tie and untie their shoes.  They twist and turn. Sometimes when you glance up at them while reading them a book, they look like little ants crawling everywhere.

As adults we learn strategies that help us pay attention and to sit appropriately during long meetings (LOL! I know teachers can sometimes be the worst at sitting still during professional development.).  So here is a collection of strategies that I have used with my students over the last few years. Make them an integral part of your classroom procedures, and you will empower them to figure out what helps them focus better. And to make it even more fun and engaging, I recorded 4 new songs to go with it.  You can listen to a sample of the songs by clicking on the video below.

Click HERE to see it on Teacher Pay Teachers

Everything is ready to print to help your children get rid of  their "WIGGLES!" Yay! And tomorrow starts the Back to School Sale on TpT.  All of my products are 20% off August 12-13.  Enter the TpT Sale Code and receive another 10% off of the sale price.  So place it in your shopping cart tonight and be ready for the sale tomorrow.

I got the idea to do this packet when one of my anchor charts that I posted on Pinterest was pinned like crazy.  I thought - Hey we are all in the same position trying to help children retain all of the information that we need to teach.  So I decided to create this packet to help early childhood teachers.  Here is the anchor chart that started it all. I start by teaching the first 2 strategies on the first day of school.  I increase their choices for what to do with their hands over the next few weeks depending on how old they are.  Pre-K and Kindergarten students should learn them slowly and internalize their options.  1st grade and 2nd grade can move at a faster pace. But always remember, if you look up from reading that wonderful book and all of your students are using a strategy, you have been sitting too long :-)  Have a great school year and have fun teaching the strategies.

Superheroes to the Writing Rescue

I am really excited to announce a new packet that I have made for young writers.  I know the challenges teachers face when motivating young writers and reluctant writers to write stories.  And with all of the Common Core Standards being implemented into the early childhood classrooms (K-2), we need tools to help our children be successful and to motivate them. While watching one of the many "Superhero" movies that my husband loves so dearly, I thought, "We need SUPERHEROES in our classrooms too!"  Amazing how ideas just pop into teachers' heads!


What's more fun than being a superhero?  Being a Superhero Who Writes!  This packet contains the following:

9 "Everyday" Character Cards
2 Student Samples for Making Their Own Character Cards
7 Superhero Speech Bubble Rescue Cards Bright Blue
7 Superhero Speech Bubble Rescue Cards Star Border
7 Small Blue Pocket Chart Superhero Speech Bubble Rescue Cards
7 Small Pocket Chart Superhero Speech Bubble Rescue Cards
Without Border
5 Different Versions of Superheroes Training Camp and Checklist Conferencing Cards
1 Anchor Chart Superheroes Use Capital Letters
1 Anchor Chart Superheroes Use Punctuation
Directions for Making Reminder Conferencing Sticks
WOW and BAM Conferencing Sticks
Everyday - Superhero Switch Conference Sticks
Extra Blank Chart for Other Use

Click HERE to view it on my Teachers Pay Teachers store. 

My friend Stacee introduced me to a blog that shows how to make DIY Superhero Capes out of t-shirts and scissors. No sewing is required! Click HERE to get to the blog. Follow the directions for making very CUTE Superhero Capes. My suggestion is to use an old t-shirt as a practice run.  Lessons learned - I got so excited, I didn't read all of the directions.  After the first failed attempt, I made 5 in less than 30 minutes.  I am going to let the students wear the capes when it is time for "their writing conference with the teacher."  By School Day - Everyday Kiddos - with the Superhero Capes - Superhero Writers.

Thanks for stopping by!  Check back over the next few days.  I have 2 more packets that I am getting ready to post on Teachers Pay Teachers.  I am just waiting on the songs to be ready from the recording studio.  And hint, hint . . . one packet is for Listening Strategies to help children get "their wiggles out." The other one is a surprise.  Follow me on Teachers Pay Teachers and this blog so you don't miss out.