Jacquie's Blog

Saturday, January 17, 2015

Sharing Resources: Queen Vernita's Educational Series

Dawn Menge has won nineteen national awards as a self-published author of the Queen Vernita's Educational Series. Dawn weaves her real-life experience as a teacher, parent, grandparent and world traveler into each adventure.

It is often difficult to find reading material, with a geographical bent, that both informs and entertains young people. Dawn has hit the mark with this carefully crafted series.

Queen Vernita Meets SIR HEATHYBEAN

Sir HeathyBean spends twelve informative months in Queen Vernitas castle in the land of Oceaneers. His visit along with Cora the Teacher is centered on learning everything they can about the solar system.

Amazon: Queen Vernita meets Sir Heathy Bean

Resources: Walmart: 20 Questions from Kids on Astronomy

Walmart: Stargazing Basics Walmart: The 50 Best Sights in Astronomy

Queen Vernita Visits the Blue Ice Mountains

Queen Vernita visits with her friends at the Blue Ice Mountains.
While visiting the mountains she learns about the local flora and fauna.
Amazon: Queen Vernita Visits the Blue Ice Mountains

Queen Vernita's Visitors

Queen Vernita invites twelve wonderful friends to visit with her during each month of the year. Queen Vernita and her friends enjoy fun activities throughout the Oceaneers Kingdom. Parents and teachers will love teaching the monthly calendar, days of the weeks and seasons through the storytelling adventures of Queen Vernita and her friends.

Amazon: Queen Vernita's Visitors

Queen Vernita Visits Gator Country

Have you ever seen a white alligator or held a baby alligator in your hand? Queen Vernita continues her adventures in the deep south. She learns all about the plantations, how the slaves lived, jazz, the Bayou and even holds a baby alligator

Queen Vernita Visits Gator Country

Resources: Walmart: Alligators and Crocodiles Walmart: Go Gater Activity Book & App

Queen Vernita Visits Baja Quail

Baja Quail may be the most exciting installment of Dawn Menge's award-winning series. The journey begins with her friend Julianna. She and Vernita spend the month of January learning about dolphins ...where they live, how they eat and play, even the origins of the word. Vernita gets to swim with these gentle creatures and experience firsthand their gracefulness and intelligence. The following months offer the reader additional exciting adventures

Amazon: Queen Vernita Visits Baja Quail

You can learn more about Queen Vernita and her adventures on Amazon. Dawn Menge

Sharing Resources: Miss Lando's Math Tutoring

If you live in the bay area (Northern CA) you have an excellent math resource at your fingertips. Miss Lando's Math Tutoring

Miss Lando's TPT Lessons

Working to make teaching and evaluating mathematics a little easier for 2nd grade through high-school, and beyond.

Resources:

Amazon: 10 Piece Study & Compass Set

Amazon: Learning Resources Fraction Tower

Amazon: Giant Magnetic Base Ten Amazon: Big Time Clock

Amazon: 48 Count Washable Sidewalk Chalk

Amazon: Tub of Animal Counters

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Revisiting Success: Madeline Hunter

Preface:

As recently as 20 years ago, the United States was ranked No.1 in high school and college education. In 2009, the United States was ranked 18th out of 36 industrialized nations. http://www.historynet.com/was-the-usa-ever-no-1-in-education.htm While discussions continue attributing this reason or that for the 20-year decline of student performance, one truth remains, educators are jumping from one fad to the next leaving our students and teachers in the dust of decline.

Melissa Mitchell defines the problem so well when she said “ I find it ironic that many of the experts who are proposing these new ideas and consider themselves highly educated and knowledgeable were educated by the very methods they seek to destroy.” http://www.carolinajournal.com/articles/display_story.html?id=7792 The concepts stated in Ms. Mitchell’s article have inspired this blog author to write about a series on Successful programs that have withstood the test of time.

Madeline Hunter, Part 1, is the first in the Revisiting Success series. As a teacher, tutor, homeschooler, college instructor, and teacher supervisor, I know, this approach leads to successful classroom teaching, tutoring and homeschooling.

Revisiting Success Part 1: Madeline Hunter

Madeline Hunter is listed as one of the 20 most influential women in the 20^th century. She developed a direct instruction lesson plan model that differentiated Knowledge of Effective Teaching and Knowledge of Teacher Effectiveness. It was her belief that if a teacher applied the tools of effective teaching, he or she would become an effective teacher. For more information abut Madeline Hunter please go to http://gatheringgardiners.blogspot.com/2013/06/madeline-hunter-1916-1994.html

Madeline Hunter’s 7 step lesson plan consisted of:

Madeline Hunter at UCLA

Developing the objective
Provide an anticipatory set
State the objective to the student
Provide input on the content
Check for understanding
Provided guided practice
Assign independent practice

I have included a few links that reference current practice. You Tube and the internet are sources for hundreds of ideas a teacher or parent can use today.

These two links describe the 7 steps in detail:

http://prezi.com/ekn3qra4gy3u/the-madeline-hunter-lesson-plan/#_=_

http://www.hope.edu/academic/education/wessman/2block/unit4/hunter2.htm

YouTube samples further explain the 7 Step Lesson Plan:

Writing Guided Practice
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uE_KTMRwbJs

Writing a Complete Paragraph Using the Hamburger Model
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-2CmqfQD4k&feature=youtu.be

Kindergarten Dance Guided Practice

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qhza2vvBXg

Sample Anticipatory set