 Hi friends,
How are you this week? I thought I would take a moment to give a special shout out to our teachers. Teachers often wear many hats and often go above and beyond in teaching and raising our children. Many of us don’t take the time to appreciate just how much many teachers do. There may be a mistaken notion that teachers merely work during the school day. However, that is not so. When I was teaching, I worked many hours above and beyond the school day. I planned lessons, corrected papers, created activities and displays, shopped for classroom supplies, attended meetings and professional development classes, as well as thought and prayed about my students. I also bought things like snacks, stickers, and other little rewards for the students. Most teachers are not just there for a job, but are there because they enjoy teaching and like making a difference in the lives of their students. Teaching is often a rewarding vocation, but often a thankless job as well. We thank our veterans for their service, as well we should. Service members spend countless hours sacrificing time away from family and friends to keep us safe and free. Yet, we under appreciate our teachers. Teachers, although often they do not put their life on the line, do spend countless hours teaching, caring, and raising our children into knowledgeable citizens. Often times, teachers spend more waking hours with our children than even parents are able to do. This is huge! This time, guidance, and care for our children deserves respect and appreciation as well. So, today, DUO Inspirations gives a big shout out to teachers. I appreciate what you do. I have taught and know the time and care that goes into teaching, not only while you are in the classroom with students, but in the prep work, learning, and other times as well. I am not in the classroom anymore, however, I am committed, through DUO Inspirations, to create educational resources that make it easier for teachers to teach and students to learn. Just tell me what I can do. If I can pray about it or create it, if I can help, I will. Teachers, I am here for you. I appreciate all you do for your students. Thank you. So, if you see a teacher, tell him or her that you appreciate their work. If you are a teacher, know that I appreciate you. I know that teachers spend valuable time with our children. For that, you will always be appreciated in my mind. Thank you. Now, it is your turn. Tell me how you feel. I would like to hear your views. Also, if you are a teacher, please let me know if you need anything. What resources or activities would be helpful for you? Feel free to contact me. Thank you. If you find value in what I write, feel free to share it with friends and family. Also, please consider signing up to receive the Education Blog by DUO Inspirations and other educational content in your inbox. Thank you.
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Hi friends,
How are you? I am going to try to give writing prompts or write about writing at least once a month. This week, I decided to provide our second writing prompt. Writing prompts may not always be necessary. We may know what we want to write. If that is the case with you, great! However, there are times when we need a writing prompt. We may not know what we want to write and may need an idea. Sometimes, teachers will give students writer prompts to guide them to write about a specific person, event, topic or maybe to write in a specific genre. Teachers may also want to use writing prompts to check the overall writing skills of their students. Often, the best writing is about things which interest you or about which you are passionate. So, this week’s writing prompt includes just that: Choose a topic, hobby, or cause that interests you. Write a letter to a friend or family member telling him or her all about your interest in this topic, hobby, or cause. Don’t forget to tell him or her why you are interested in this topic, hobby, or cause. Things you might want to include in your letter are: the interest; your knowledge about the interest; any who, what, when, where, why, or how information about the interest; when and how you first discovered it; any involvement you have with the interest now; and any involvement you might want with the interest in the future. You may also want to write how you would like your friend or family member how you might want him or her to get involved as well. Include anything else that is relevant that you want. Most of all, enjoy writing it, and show your passion or interest for the subject in your writing. Have fun! Now, it is your turn. Friends, I hope you enjoy this writing prompt. If you use it, please feel free to tell me and also to include a short excerpt from your work, if you want. Feel free to leave a comment about that or your thoughts below or contact me. Also, if you are finding value in what I write, please share with friends and family. If you haven't already, you may also want to consider signing up to receive the Education Blog by DUO Inspirations in your inbox as well as other education content. Thank you. P.s. - Did you know that DUO Inspirations now creates and sell educational products and resources? Please, check back often, because more things will be listed over time. I also welcome your requests and ideas for resources. Thank you. 
Hi friends, How are you today? When I taught kindergarten, I provided a word rich environment for my students. I put word labels on objects throughout the classroom, so that the students could relate the words to the objects. Of course, most students didn’t get the connection right away, but it was more and more helpful over time. When students first come into kindergarten, most do not know letters or label words for common environmental objects. Yet, after seeing these labels every day, they pick up things. For example, after learning the letter “p”, students may realize that the label on the pencil box starts with the letter “p”. After a while, they may even be able to spell the word pencils. Even if they may not learn to spell the word pencils in their kindergarten year, they may use to go to the pencil box and look at the label to get the correct spelling for the word pencils. It may get tedious to label every single thing. I mean, if a room has thousands of objects in it, you may not want to label everything. Also, make sure that it is obvious what the label is for. It may be confusing to use the label to use the word “box” on a container that you use for pencils, even if it is a pencil box, especially if you have a better representation of a box that isn’t as confusing. For example, if that is where the pencils are stored, the label “pencils” is a better fit. If you have an empty box hanging around, that is a better fit for the word “box”. It is a good idea to introduce the label words early in the year. You can either have them labeled already or use the labeling as an activity and have the students help you with the labeling. Another great tip is to use the label words as often as possible as part of your lessons. For example, if you are introducing the letter “p”, you may show the students a letter “p” and ask if anyone knows the letter. You may also ask, if anyone has noticed that letter in any of the label words. If nobody can remember seeing it, you may even want the students to take a minute or two to look around the room and then come back to share their findings. If someone says, that they saw it on the pencil box, you can say something like, “Yes. The word on the pencil box is ‘pencils’. You can see that the word pencils starts with the letter ‘p’. The letter ‘p’ makes a /p/ sound and you can hear that /p/ sound at the beginning of the word, when you say the word pencils.” Sample words to use as label words may be: folders, pencils, desk, table, chair, crayons, door, wall, books, and paper. They are ordinary objects that are often seen in a classroom. I have included this sample list of label words with this post. Feel free to use them. 
Now, it is your turn.
What other words would you like to see? How do you provide a word rich environment? What other products or topics would you like to see? Also, If you are finding value with my posts, please share them with friends and family. If you haven't signed up to get the Education Blog in your inbox yet, please consider doing so. Thank you. 
Hi friends,
How are you? Today, I would like to share with you a math resource I find to be very useful in teaching things like multiplication, division, multiples, factors, prime numbers, and composite numbers. It is a great reference for allowing students to explore and notice numerical values and associations. It is wonderful when students can look at a reference sheet and notice the similarities and differences in numbers. Students learn more when they can make their own discoveries and associations. A factor list is a great way to encourage students to make those important discoveries and associations. I have created a “Factors List for Numbers 1-100”. It allows you to see the factors of numbers from one to one hundred all on one page. You can easily ask students questions to guide their discoveries in such skills as multiplication, division, multiples, factors, prime numbers, and composite numbers. For example, you can ask students, “Which numbers have five as a factor?” You can ask students to notice the ending digit in each of those numbers. They will notice the numbers that are multiples of five have an ending digit of either a five or a zero. These observations will come in handy, especially in the more difficult numbers. Some people may not know that you can learn multiplication and division from a factors list. However, it is true. It may not be in the traditional way, but you can practice multiplication and division skills with a factors list. Take this list of factors for the number 50 as an example. 50- 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, 50 From this list of factors, you can practice the multiplication facts of 1x50=50, 2x25=50, and 5x10=50. And, you can use the skill of fact families to create the other appropriate multiplication and division equations. The study of prime and composite numbers is easy with a factors list. You can ask students to point out the numbers that have only two factors, which are the number one and the numbers themselves. You can tell students that these are prime numbers. It may even be helpful to have students put a square around the prime numbers and a circle around the composite numbers for quick reference. Another teaching tip is that you can ask students to color code the numbers of a factors list to highlight various factors, ideas, or skills. This can be done on one factors list or may be easier to use more than one for different observations and skills. I hope by now you see the usefulness of the “Factors List for Numbers 1-100”. If you would like to purchase the list, you can get it here. I am sure that you will be happy you did. Now, it is your turn. If you have any feedback, ideas, suggestions or requests, please leave me a comment or contact me. I would enjoy reading your thoughts. Also, if you haven't already, you may want to consider signing up to receive educational content in your inbox. Thank you. |
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