Kindergarten Archives

10 Back-To-School Teacher Tips for a Successful School Year

February 14, 2016 Brad Hoffman Leave a Comment

As an experienced educator who has been through more than two dozen back-to-school seasons, I have my own ideas about how to get a new school year off to a good start and keep it moving forward. Here are some quick tips for teachers at any grade level and in any location.

Get your personal life in order. Reduce your stress level by preparing for pre-service week by getting caught up with bills, mail, household projects and lingering issues. I have found it best to begin a new school year with an empty personal to-do list. That way, you can focus on the setup of your classroom or space.
Pre-order or shop early for materials. Avoid the crowds by purchasing any materials that you need for the start of school beforehand. During the summer time there are more bargains to be found at the teachers’ store and in educational catalogs, therefore it is wise to shop and save in July and August. I hate crowded stores and long lines so you won’t find me buying school and teaching supplies the first week back!
Be inspired by someone.Find a mentor, an instructional coach or author who moves you to expand and enrich your own practice. Talk, read. and or view DVDs or video clips to learn more about their ideas. Bring those ideas to life in your own classroom. Don’t be afraid to put your own twist on their thoughts.
Communicate early.Whenever possible make contact with students and families early on, even before school begins. Send a card, letter or e-mail if possible. A warm welcome goes a long way in building strong relationships where families feel valued, included and respected. Continue to provide multiple ways for you and your families to access each other so that sharing is ongoing.
Tidy up and get organized.No one likes to come back to a mess or piles of stuff. Organize your files and materials. Don’t be afraid to pitch old papers, books and resources that are dated and are no longer useful. It is a luxury to have empty space at the beginning of a school year…no doubt it will get filled up shortly. Also, develop systems for keeping track of data and documenting student progress.
Establish a positive classroom climate and learning environment. I like to say that I have a “no secrets policy” in my classroom. I continually and clearly communicate expectations to my students about their learning and behavior. Using rubrics and checklists ahead of time allows students to understand what you expect from them. If students know what you expect, they are better able to meet or exceed your expectations. By providing and maintaining a positive classroom climate, students are better able to take risks, feel safe and improve academically.
Try something new. Each year I like to expand my skill set or repertoire by adding at least one new program, routine, strategy or material to my current practice. This helps me to stay excited about teaching and learning. For example, last year I was focused on using more technology and used programs such as Wordle and Kidspiration to engage my students. This year I am planning to incorporate more suggestions from Words Their Way into my word study program as well as use an electronic grade book to document my students’ progress.
Get connected.Make a positive first impression with students and parents. Right from the beginning make sure your students and parents know that you are committed to their learning and that you care about them as individuals. Let them know that the work that occurs in your classroom is important and that you believe that everyone can succeed. Share with them that if a student needs help you will be there for them.
Build relationships.Get to know the people in your building, especially your teammates and colleagues. Work to develop professional learning communities where teachers and administrators can work together to break down obstacles that interfere with learning. Also be kind and appreciative to the secretaries and custodians in your building. They are invaluable resources, and you will likely need their assistance in the future.
Be reflective.Continually think about the work that you do with your students. The best instruction is deliberate and purposeful. Evaluate what is working and what needs change or enhancement. Make adjustments as needed and keep moving full steam ahead. Your students will benefit from your thoughtfulness and continuous expertise.

By Amy Shapiro, Reading Specialist and National Board Certified Teacher

What Is A Social Story?

September 4, 2015 Brad Hoffman Leave a Comment

Social Stories were developed by Carol Gray in 1990. A Social Story can be a written or visual guide describing various social interactions, situations, behaviors, skills or concepts. According to Gray (2010) ‘a Social Story describes a situation, skill, or concept in terms of relevant social cues, perspectives, and common responses in a specifically defined style and format. The goal of a Social Story is to share accurate social information in a patient and reassuring manner that is easily understood by its audience.’

Although social stories were created to support individuals with autism, they also may help children without a developmental variation. As these stories help children understand different scenarios, such as what faces may look like when they are experiencing different emotions, being okay that your shirt got wet at the sink, or how to unpack your backpack when arriving at school, they are easily adaptable for all children and the different difficulties they may encounter throughout the day. Social stories are written in the first person, short and to the point, and typically are created specifically for a child or a group of children who are having a specific difficulty. Using pictures that the child helps take or are in, helps the child relate to the story quickly.

Social Story: sentence structures

Social story has three types of sentence structures: descriptive, perspective, and directive.

Descriptive sentences: objectively define anticipated events where a situation occurs, who is involved, what they are doing, and why. (e.g., When people are inside, they walk.)
Perspective sentences: describe the internal status of the person or persons involved, their thoughts, feelings, or moods. (e.g., Running inside could hurt me or other people.)
Directive sentences: are individualized statements of desired responses stated in a positive manner. They may begin “I can try…” or “I will work on…” Try to avoid sentences starting with “do not” or definitive statements. (e.g., I will try to walk inside.)

A social story should have 3 to 5 descriptive and perspective sentences for each directive sentence. Avoid using too many directive sentences, or they will be lost without adequate contextualization. Click to read more social story tips (pdf).

As I have been teaching in an inclusive nursery school for the past three years, I have used a variety of social stories in my teaching, often helping students who do not have a developmental variation. Just this past year, many of my students were sensory avoidant, meaning they did not like to touch things that were wet, slimy, sticky, or messy. Later I realized that one of my students, Ella, was not actually sensory avoidance, she actually did love to play in the water table, but she hated the feeling of even just a drop of water on her shirt after playing at the table.

Creating a book called, “It Is Okay to Get A Little Wet or Dirty” with Ella, and then reading it to her, helped her to feel that it was okay to get a little wet or dirty and how to react after she became a little wet or dirty. Before reading the social story, Ella would get a drop of water on her shirt and cry and want to change immediately, but after reading the story a few times, telling her that it is okay to get a little wet and that it will dry, her reactions quickly changed. She then begin saying, “It is okay to get a little wet or dirty! My shirt will dry!” every time she got a little wet or dirty.

In the social story, the steps of how to react are clearly outlined so that Ella understood that a small spill on her shirt will quickly dry, but after a large spill and a really wet shirt, we can change her shirt.

It is always exciting to see how typing up a simple story, taking a few pictures, and stapling them together to create a book can quickly and effectively change a child’s behaviors.

At home a few social story ideas are:

How to behave at the supermarket
What to do at bed time
Sharing
Taking turns
What to expect with a new baby at home

For more information about social stories, please review these resources:

Gray, C. (2010). What are Social Stories?. In The Gray Centre. Retrieved October 15th 2010, from http://carolgraysocialstories.com/social-stories/
Broek, E., Cain, S.L., Dutkiewicz, M., Fleck, L., Grey, B., Grey, C., et al. (1994). The Original Social Story Book. Arlington, TX: Future Education.

By Felicia Shulman, Learning Specialist

Hebrew School Can Be Fun!

August 15, 2015 Brad Hoffman Leave a Comment

Religious school education is not just about learning how to read the Alef-Bet, or memorizing prayers, or even learning about holidays. Religious school education is about a hands-on opportunity for children to learn more about their identity. Hebrew school tutoring offers students an intimate opportunity to ask thoughtful and insightful questions, to learn practical skills as well as the history, language, and practices of the Jewish people.

Here at My Learning Springboard we work with a variety of students, ranging in ages and background, Hebrew school education, and family practices. Our younger students get intensive and hands on experience in a wide curriculum, ranging in Torah study, holiday practices, Jewish/cultural foods, Israeli history and current events, conversational Hebrew, Biblical Hebrew, prayers, and more. Our older students receive this same training, but additionally receive training for their Bar or Bat Mitzvah, which includes studying their Torah and Haftarah portion and understanding how it relates to their life. A typical hour long tutoring session for any student includes a half hour of Hebrew language study, both Biblical and conversational so they may use their skills when they go to Israel, and a half hour of Judaic study, which varies based on the interests of the student.

Each lesson is filled with new and exciting learning opportunities. Sometimes we use technology to enhance our lessons, music, you tube videos, etc. Other times we look at Jewish texts. And still other times the student has the opportunity to prepare something to teach me about a particular topic. Hebrew language study always includes some dialogue using new and old words, in addition to word games.

Hebrew school tutoring offers children an incredible opportunity to supplement the training they receive in school and at home. It helps to build language and thought processing skills while also engaging the student and helping the student to connect with his or her Jewish identity.

By Faryn Kates, Private Tutor

Writing Coaching

August 1, 2015 1 Comment

My Learning Springboard and its faculty offers a full spectrum of writing support, including application essay coaching, “Just-in-Time” editing and writing coaching, and creative writing enrichment teaching.

Our writing coaches hail from top-tier publishers and educational institutions worldwide, and from nearly every writing discipline imaginable. They include Ivy League professors, bestselling novelists, critically-acclaimed playwrights and award-winning authors of children’s, young adult and literary fiction and non-fiction. Our seasoned nonfiction writers have contributed to publications such as The New Yorker, Vogue, Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone, The Atlantic Monthly, Real Simple Magazine, and have additionally worked in film, television, radio and online.

This multi-talented and dedicated writing team coaches developing writers of all ages, levels and backgrounds, from primary school students to college undergraduates, dissertation writers to aspiring authors, job-seekers to C-suite executives. We also support all facets of the writing process—be it short-term editing, ongoing writing coaching, idea generation or project outlining and research—and our editorial expertise includes cover letters, resumes, corporate reports, research papers, dissertations, journal publications, advertising copy, blog posts, novels, plays and even poetry. In addition, we have guided hundreds of high school seniors through the potentially overwhelming gauntlet of common application and supplemental essays required by today’s unprecedentedly competitive college application process. We offer just the right balance of brainstorming, encouragement and editorial feedback to ensure that every essay not only answers its relevant prompt but showcases the applicant’s strengths, talents and individuality. The end result: an exceptionally high percentage of our clients are accepted into their first-choice institutions.

Finally, we offer flexibility: our writing coaches are available to work with you in person or remotely, on site or online, for regular sessions, extended “up-against-the-deadline” work sessions, quick professional polishes or complete editorial overhauls.

The Role of a Language Tutor: What’s Behind a Word

July 23, 2015 Brad Hoffman Leave a Comment

Language acquisition

Over the course of the last two decades technology has dramatically changed the way a language is taught and is learned both in the classroom and in the private or semi-private setting. I remember that in the early 1990s I would take my students on field trips to an Internet café, the first one opened downtown, to expose them to the wonders of the Italian language on-line. And that was just the beginning. Amazing as it seemed then to be able to read the day’s newspapers on a computer, the experience pales if compared to the myriad of ways the net can be used today to enhance language acquisition.

The term “teacher”

In the revolution that has taken and still is taking place, my role as a teacher has not changed much: the tools I use are different, but the way I take advantage of them in relation to my students remains the same. What has changed is the definition given to what I do. And what is it exactly that I do? The term ‘teacher’, derived from the Indo-European root meaning to “point out” is usually used to describe my role in the classroom, while in the more intimate setting of private or semi-private lessons the terms used to describe the part I play have varied over the course of my career and have reflected somewhat the change in society and technology. I mainly have been called “language instructor,” a term I never liked much because reflects the Latin origin of piling all the knowledge I possess on someone and then moving along.

Other times I was called the “language coach” or, etymologically speaking, someone that transfers the students and hopefully delivers them to the destination they expected to reach. I have been also referred to as the “language trainer”, from the Latin root “trahere”, someone that would pull the students along an established path and help them reach the shape they longed for. The fact is, I have never felt that my role was only to pull, shape, transfer or pile up. When I teach, I wonder. I “point out” and then I watch the miracle happen before my eyes. That is why the term I really like is one of the oldest, and has recently been resurrected by the net from its academic medieval use: tutor. From the Latin root “tueri,” used with the double meaning of “behold” and “preserve,” the term precisely describes what I do. I not only watch over the students’ progress as they become acquainted with my language and help them preserve what they have learned by making sure they feel confident using it with other Italian speakers, but I also watch and preserve my own language, and my knowledge of it, as I witness its evolution and point it out to others.

My role as an Italian tutor/teacher, and the role of all foreign language teachers, as I see it, is therefore performing as agents of socialization, individuals who, during a lifetime, inherit and pass on the social, linguistic, and cultural characteristics of a society evolving before their eyes. Technologies are, fortunately or unfortunately, not making what I do obsolete; they just make it more or less difficult depending upon the age and point of view of the tutors and the students. Or, since “student” comes from the Latin meaning “the one who engages in painstaking application,” should I refer to them as tutees?

By Alba Dwass, Italian Tutor

10 Back-To-School Teacher Tips for a Successful School Year

What Is A Social Story?

Social Story: sentence structures

Hebrew School Can Be Fun!

Writing Coaching

The Role of a Language Tutor: What’s Behind a Word

Language acquisition

The term “teacher”

Company Overview

School Planning

Private Tutoring

Test Preparation