Lessons Last Week

Our time has been very spontaneous around here!  They say, "I want to work."  And off we go!!  This may be my longest post this year!

The tots are loving matching these days.  This work is really for big sis (thus the appeal) for initial sounds, but we find a good purpose for picture to picture matching.  I love watching them work together.

I took this photo while playing I Spy with Bean.  She likes playing this in the car, too!  Makes the trip to ballet a little more purposeful!   Pictured here, we did this for the initial sounds /h/, /r/, and /m/.  Below is the lesson, from my album. 

I Spy With My Little Eye

Area

General~  Language

Specific~  Oral/Auditory Development

Materials

3 little objects

Container

Aims

Direct~  To enjoy the sounds of our language.  To become aware that words are composed of sounds.  To listen for the sounds in words.

Indirect~  To hear the component sounds of words

  

Preparation

Sounds games

 Age 

First year Montessori student

 Presentation of Lesson

Invite the child, and tell them the name of the game

Lay the three items out on the workspace horizontally

“I spy with my little eye, an object that begins with the sound ___”

Continue with all three

Invite the child to repeat

Return work to shelf

Work of the Teacher

Points of Emphasis

Saying I spy with my little eye an object that begins with ___

Pronounce sound correctly and clearly

 Language

Name of the game

Name of the objects

  

Points of Interest

Objects

I Spy Game

Work of the Child

Points of Conscious

Words begin with sounds

Words are made up of sounds

 Control of Error

Teacher

Another child

 Variations

Change objects

Extensions

Playing the game outside and inside the classroom with the environment

Ending sounds

Middle sounds

On black Friday, we stayed home.  It was wonderful, and we got a lot of work in.  I introduced the winter sets basket.  It certainly called to them!!!  

We also got our tree this weekend.  I gave Bean a lesson on how to water it.  She was concentrating so hard in this picture.  What a big job!

To learn the names of the letters in her name, I made this work from our movable alphabet.  I simply traced her name, colored it in, and kept the letters in this cute little bag.  Even her sisters tried it!

Peanut loves her knobbed cylinders.  They will most likely stay out year round because of their popularity and the fact that sensorial is the basis for so many other areas.

Some Edu-news to be Thankful For

With so much of my blogging lately being focused on cause for alarm, I want to focus today on some reasons to be encouraged:


1) In New York City, an advisory panel of eight members appointed by New York State Education Commissioner David Steiner voted yesterday against granting a waiver to publishing executive Cathie Black to become NYC Schools Chancellor. According to a Quinnipiac University poll, sixty-two percent of NYC public school parents didn't approve of Black's appointment. The battle is not over yet, but hooray for the panel's drawing the line and for successful activism.


2) This study done by the non-partisan Education Trust blasts the for-profit university sector. It seems like the politicians might actually listen and act on this one. Maybe they'll start to listen to and act on the alarms being sounded about the K-12 for-profit education industry.


3) Some school districts in states that won Race to the Top funding are giving the money back, either because it will cost more than it's worth to implement the changes or because they don't think the reforms are the right thing to do.




I applaud the courage and good work of the activists, researchers, and leaders who have made these positive developments happen. I am grateful to them for giving me some edu-things to be thankful for this holiday.




Happy Thanksgiving, all.

It's the DOE Policies that Stink, Not the DOE People

I'm still at work on some bigger pieces, particularly on TFA, charters, and teacher quality.


In the meantime, this Education Week article entitled "Friends to Teachers at the U.S. Department of Education" written by Jonathan Eckert and Jason Raymond caught my eye when it was published a couple of weeks ago. Eckert and Raymond were two of eight teachers working at the Department of Education in the Teaching Ambassador Fellowship Program. I remember thinking that since lately I'd had such negative associations with the Department of Education, to the point that I was considering jumping on board with George Wood's idea of eliminating it, it was good for me to read this, to get some sense of the folks working at the Department of Education and what their perspectives might be, so that I don't jump off the cliff into over-simplifying the education reform debate into "good" and "evil" sides.


I filed it away and forgot about it until today when I read Anthony Cody's post on his blog for Teacher Magazine. Anthony described a disappointing and thus far fruitless process he had gone through to collect feedback (in the form of letters) from teachers to present to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. Cody also offers a persuasive critique of teacher outreach materials and programs offered by the Department of Education under Duncan.


Cody's post apparently had been written in response to the post of another teaching Ambassador Fellow and fellow Teacher Magazine blogger, Patrick Ledesa, who had written in support of the people at the Department of Education and in support of the original article. Ledesa acknowledges the problems with some current policies and says that

"we as teachers have the right to be angry about the simplistic portrayal of the problems in public education" 

but that that anger must be channeled productively and in a more informed way. The main point of the authors of the original article seemed to be that in the bureaucracy of 4,300, they were surprised and heartened by the

"remarkable number of smart, passionate, hard-working people who were genuinely concerned about the needs of teachers and students." 

I don't think that any of us, including Cody, who are frustrated with N.C.L.B. and Race to the Top would deny that. There are always dedicated people with sound ideas who work for the government. My father was one of them. He worked at the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare before it was split up and he worked at the Department of Energy for many years after that. He was a dedicated civil servant who liked the people he worked with and who was genuinely concerned with the ramifications of his work, and so were many of his co-workers. But that doesn't mean he agreed with all of the policies coming down from the top or that he even had anything to do with some of them.


What Cody is targeting are the policies from the top that are wrong-headed and not the intelligence, intentions, civility, or dedication of the bureaucrats that administer and study certain programs that are in the fine print. The point isn't that Department of Education workers, including Secretary Duncan aren't dedicated and smart, it's that Duncan's vision and policies aren't smart and they won't work. Furthermore, I'm sure he's darn nice to career educators when he interacts with them and he says that teachers are valuable and that he respects them, but time and time again his other public statements, his policies, and his choice of advisers don't reflect that.

Displaying Children's Art

I have been reading a ton of Reggio books lately, and my favorite idea for my home is showing the child's art in a beautiful way.  It is helping with the refrigerator clutter, too!  The first photo's frames are from IKEA, and there is no glass!  The second photo shows an art hanger from Land of Nod.  They love their art gallery!!!

Amazing Etsy Find, Scoop and Rainbow Balls

I just love this. I'm always on the hunt for inexpensive, quality toys and materials. Teaching and mothering, I don't always have the time to make everything from scratch.  The girls all went right to this. This Etsy shop is Waldorf based, the items are lovely.  I asked for an extra bowl for Montessori Transferring. Here is the link; Blackbeary Mountain

Just for Fun

iPad + Velcro from Jesse Rosten on Vimeo.

Hand Turkeys

We are opting for some hokey holiday art!  Hey, we live in Massachusetts not far from where the Pilgrims had the first thanksgiving.  We HAVE to make hand turkeys, right?


The girls got a huge kick out of painting on their own hands, and it was so fun to get messy!  We worked right on the kitchen floor for easy clean up.  The photos tell the story....

Size, Shape, and Color Sorting

This is the remainder of the insets I purchased from Discount School Supply. I saw that they came in three sizes and put them together for this sorting work for sensorial. She is sorting the color, the shape, and the size. The labels read: Small, Medium, Large. Red, yellow, blue. More labels with the shape's name will come out later on. When laid out, it was so beautiful. She liked how long it was, showing that it was even longer than her body in this photo.



Here is the link to my original post with Metal Insets :)

Solid Watercolor (Almost forgot we have those!!!)

I had some alone time with my twin tots this weekend, and we had some serious fun!!  We must have 20 paintings while I was making dinner Saturday.  Here is what the set up looked like, and how Sarah created.

Alice in Wonderland on iPad

This is a great example of what books should be on the iPad. Every kid in the world would want to be reading if all books were this interactive.

The creators explain:

Tilt your iPad to make Alice grow big as a house, or shrink to just six inches tall. This is Alice in Wonderland digitally remastered for the iPad. Play with the White Rabbit’s pocket watch – it realistically swings and bounces. Help Alice swim through a Pool of Tears. Or hand out sweets that bounce and collide with the magical talking Dodo. This wonderful lite edition is the first instalment of Alice’s journey and includes an amazing selection of animated scenes. Watch as full screen physics modelling bring the classic illustrations to life.

alice for the ipad

Flipboard

This is a great app for the iPad. Flipboard allows you to set your twitter feeds straight back to your iPad. Flipboard then re-presents it in a magazine format. The tweets are laid out with images in the same format as an online mag. This is great for making online textbooks for specific classes or even further reading lists. Only the classes that you have given the specific twitter address have access. I think this makes tweets much more user friendly, especially to younger students who may not be as familiar with twitter.

http://www.flipboard.com/

iPad Easel

Compass is a stylish, compact folding stand that works as an easel and a typing stand. As an easel, Compass beautifully displays iPad in both portrait and landscape modes. To transform Compass into a typing stand, simply flip down the secondary leg and this super portable stand sits at a perfect angle for comfortable typing on iPad’s cool onscreen keyboard. 

http://twelvesouth.com/products/compass/

iPad Grip

The ColorWare Grip for iPad lets you carry your iPad securely and with style. All Grips are carefully manufactured using aircraft-grade aluminum to create a durable and perfectly fitted handle. With a flawless color and finish, the ColorWare Grip fits your on-the-go lifestyle while setting your iPad apart from all the rest.

      

   

http://www.colorwarepc.com/default.aspx

The Bloom Is Off The Rose

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's stewardship of his city's education system has taken a troubling turn. The resignation of New York Schools Chancellor Joel Klein precipitated an incredibly secretive process to name his replacement -- Cathleen Black, chairwoman of Hearst Magazines (you know, Cosmo, Esquire, Oprah) and former publisher of that beacon of journalism, USA Today. Black has absolutely no education experience nor has she ever sent her children to public schools or herself attended public schools. In fact, Black is so unqualified for the job (she does not have three years teaching experience and did not complete graduate work in education) that a waiver from David Steiner, the state education commissioner, will be required in order for her to actually work as NYC Schools Chancellor. (A Wednesday New York Times editorial calls on Steiner to "thoroughly vet" Black "to determine if she is up to the job.") Of course, Klein himself needed such a waiver, although he came to the job having been educated in the city's schools and having been a teacher for a short period of time.

To me, the clear message that Bloomberg has sent to New York City educators and veterans of the New York City Department of Education -- and other potentially qualified candidates across the nation -- is that a complete outsider with no experience in education and no record of public service is preferable to any candidate with experience as a teacher or school administrator. The more galling fact is that no search was undertaken to fill the Chancellor vacancy. The New York Times reports that no one else was "seriously vetted or considered -- and few of the usual suspects ... were even consulted." It appears that Black was tapped to run New York City schools primarily because of her business experience and because she travels in the same social circles as the Mayor. As Black herself said, the job offer "came out of left field."

I'm not some corn-pone, but I'm just left shaking my head here. Is this really the best process to select the leader of the nation's largest school system? Would Black have risen to the top if a true search had been conducted? Is this the type of executive management that voters had in mind when they elected Bloomberg mayor?

Is the selection of someone like Black good or bad for education? Klein argued on NPR that it doesn't matter because she will be surrounded by "extraordinary lifetime career educators.... The problem with public education is it's not operated effectively. It's operated as a political organization." I imagine that it may be freeing in some sense to not be tied down by prevailing orthodoxies, but it is troubling to me to think of a leader of such a complicated system and enterprise lacking any frame of reference whatsoever, let alone any detailed knowledge.

Here are some other takes:

• New York Times - Room for Debate - "Who's Qualified to Run New York City Schools?"
  
• Ta-Nehisi Coates - The Atlantic
  
• Valerie Strauss - The Answer Sheet
• Diane Ravitch - The New York Review of Books
• Dana Goldstein - The Washington Post
• Dan Collins - The Huffington Post
  

As New York City Public Schools Go, So Goes the World: Fight the Appointment of Cathie Black

I told myself yesterday that I would stop thinking about the whole NYCPS New Chancellor debacle, yet, here I am.


While I find the choice of Cathie Black deeply troubling (I don't live in New York, but it's the most or the second most populous school system in the country), I am buoyed by The New York Times surprisingly and sensibly critical coverage of this development, especially given my current grief over the death of quality journalism as I know it.


As The Washington Post provided near rubber stamp coverage and editorials (folks such as Bill Turque and Valerie Strauss excepted) of the Rhee/Fenty administration, so has The New York Times for Klein/Bloomberg and their mayoral and new education reform proteges.


The NYT coverage has expressed skepticism in the appointment of someone so inexperienced here. They've reported on the secret and undemocratic path that Bloomberg took in deciding to replace Klein with Black, and this piece implies cronyism in the choice. There's this article on all the challenges that would face Black. And then there's the coverage which depicts legitimate obstacles to Black's appointment. Finally, there's this "Room for Debate" forum which asks, "Who's Qualified to Run New York City Schools?" I was pleased by the thoughtfulness of many of the responses. Now, I haven't seen the New York Times editorials or columns yet. I'm dubious, though, because, for example, The Washington Post's education journalism has been far superior to the commentary.


New York University education historian Diane Ravitch wrote this illuminating blog post on the decision for The New York Review of Books. It's a scholarly look at the history of New York City Public Schools, specifically at their central administration, and while her tone is skeptical, she ends with the sentiment that New Yorkers should "give her [Black] a chance" and "wish her luck." A commenter says that her "graciousness and let's wait and see attitude should be emulated."


I agree, but only with half of this. Many Washingtonians greeted Adrian Fenty and Michelle Rhee with cautious optimism only to wish they hadn't. Even New Yorkers who supported Klein aren't happy with Black's impending appointment. I mean, haven't we given these business oligarchs enough of a chance to know their approach isn't appropriate for education (not to mention business--look at our economy!)? Haven't at least some of their reforms been tried previously and been shown not to work? Are the people of New York City now supposed to bend over while their public school system is being spanked into annihilation? Cathie Black has asked for "patience" while she "gets up to speed on the issues facing K-12 education." I thought that education reform was "urgent" and that we weren't supposed to waste our time "joining hands and singing 'Kumbaya'."


I say: Fight Black's appointment first. If that fails, then New York City will see if they are forced to be patient and to wish her luck.




UPDATE I: I am starting to wonder if maybe Cathie Black isn't being used as some theorize Harriet Miers was--as a sacrificial lamb so that Bush could appoint John Roberts without much protest. Bloomberg does have a history of appointing people from the business sector for public sector jobs, though, and I'm not sure who John Roberts' educational equivalent would be. Michelle Rhee? Howard Fuller?

Foodie Finds

Last week we covered the blue. This week we cover the red.

This week's Foodie Finds features restaurants in Red States (although not necessarily red cities). Bon appetit. Wait a minute. That's French. Can't say that in Red States. Ahem. Good eatin'.

Buz and Ned's Real Barbecue - The real deal - Richmond, Virginia

Hansen's Sno-Bliz - A magical combo of shaved ice and homemade syrup - New Orleans, Louisiana

House of Tricks - Contemporary American cooking in a charming atmosphere - Tempe, Arizona

McCrady's - Sean Brock won 2010 James Beard Best Chef Southeast - Charleston, South Carolina

Salt Lick Bar-B-Que - Authentic Texas BBQ - Austin, Texas

Control Of Error, Pouring

One of my favorite things within Montessori is the built in control of error.  For my little tots, it's most prevalent now in Practical Life.  They adore anything involving water, as all little ones do, so the pull towards water pouring is strong.  The control of error for water pouring is water on the tray (or in the picture here, on the floor, on the sleeves, on the table).  The key here is to teach the lesson carefully. Also, keep in mind that exploration happens and spills are okay and need to be handled with love, care, and kindness.  Teaching the child how to handle their own messes effectively is one of the main aims of practical life.

From my album..............NAME OF ACTIVITY:  WATER POURING

AREA
General:       Practical Life

Specific:        Physical Skills- Pouring

MATERIALS:

  Tray

  2 glass pitchers of equal size

  Colored water (on left, filled ¼ way)

  Little Towel

AIMS

Direct:            Coordination, Concentration, Independence, and Order

Indirect:         Mastering pouring from one pitcher to the next.  (one to one pouring)

Preparation: Tray carrying, dry pouring.

AGE:              First year Montessori student.

PRESENTATION OF LESSON: 

  Grasp pitcher on the left with the dominant hand.  

  Place subdominant hand under the spout.

  Looking into the center of the pitcher, pour slowly and steadily

  Wait for the very last drop to go in.

  Wipe the spout with cloth.

  Repeat several times, depending on the child/children to decide how many times.

  Tidy the work.  (Check for spills, and wipe.)

WORK OF THE TEACHER

Points of Emphasis:

  Placement of hand on pitcher, with fingers under the handle and thumb on top.

  Be sure to wait for the last drop.

  Pour with the spout.

  Wipe spout.

  Pour slowly and steadily.

  Lift pitcher above empty pitcher for pouring.

Language:

  Spout

  Idea of Full and Empty

  Idea of Slow and Steady

  Color of the water

POINTS OF INTEREST:  Attractive materials, sound of water.

WORK OF THE CHILD:

Points of Consciousness:  The arms, wrist, and hand control the pitcher.  The spout makes it easier to pour water.

CONTROL OF ERROR:  The amount of water the teacher prepares the work with is geared toward the success of the child.  Spilled water on the tray can be wiped up with the little towel or sponge. 

VARIATIONS:  Changing the tray, water colors, or pitcher.

EXTENSIONS:  Change pitcher size, or add more water.   Pouring can be done in cooking and snack preparation, garden care, and science experiments.  Pouring can be done between vessels varying in size and shape.  Adding more vessels can make pouring more challenging.

Notes:

Talk about the ground rules for the colored water, and also how the teacher created it.

What Happened to Joel Klein?

I've been thinking all day:


What is up with Joel Klein becoming Darth Vader? What happened to that guy? How does someone go from being a nice Jewish boy from Queens, a Supreme Court clerk, and a Department of Justice anti-trust lawyer to being the grim reaper of public education? 


Anyone? (Please comment.)

Goldman Sachs Gets Serious About (profiting from) Charter Schools

Well, well, well, if it isn't Goldman Sachs getting into the public, I mean private, I mean charter school business:


From a press release on Market Watch (I found this thanks to a post on Schools Matter):

"Providing financing for charter school facilities that benefit low- and moderate-income families is a critical component of the firm's commitment to comprehensive community development," said Alicia Glen, Managing Director and Head of the Urban Investment Group at Goldman Sachs. "To date, the Urban Investment Group has committed approximately $150 million for charter school facilities in New York and New Jersey, and we are thrilled to partner with LISC, who has been a leader in charter school finance."

Just a few weeks ago, Dana Goldstein reported on the Teach for America-Goldman Sachs Summer Internship Program. So much for encouraging those brand new teachers to learn and reflect about, say, quality teaching during the summer.


Too bad this, or now any, analogy won't show up on the SATs:


Goldman Sachs is to quality education for low and moderate income kids as BP is to a healthy eco-system in the Gulf of Mexico.

Will Fox News Soon Embrace Education Reform?

So, as I wrote yesterday,


Joel Klein resigned from his position as Chancellor of NYC public schools. Bloomberg intends to replace Mr. Klein with Cathie Black, a publishing executive with no education experience. Bloomberg's move is breathtaking in its stupidity, but given past appointments of his and his general approach, it's hardly surprising.


In this astute take on this series of events, education journalist Dana Goldstein asks, "Why on Earth" Bloomberg would appoint someone with Black's lack of qualification, and even lack of stated interest in education reform? Well, maybe because Bloomberg thinks the business model can successfully apply to running public institutions and that market-based solutions will bring success in education reform? I don't know, though, it could be that he is just an idiot. Goldstein points out the "irony" of Bloomberg appointing someone who will ostensibly help NYCPS graduates gain the skills they need to attain jobs when the industry from which Black hails is "hemorrhaging" jobs.


According to this, even parents who supported Klein are questioning this appointment. The founder of New York Charter Parents Association, Mona Davids, sounds skeptical here, as well (the expansion of charter schools was a huge part of the Klein/Bloomberg agenda): "She was surprised by Black’s appointment." As to the NYC charter school where Black sits on the board: "And, the board meetings are not public. Black sits on a board that is not accountable, that is not transparent, so for me it doesn’t bode well." 


Now, turning to Klein, he is taking a job as an executive vice-president at Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, you know, the same News Corp that owns Fox News. According to a blog at Education Week:

"He will join News Corp., the media company founded by Rupert Murdoch, as an executive vice president reporting directly to Murdoch. He also will join the company's board of directors. In a press release, the company said that Klein would advise on a number of issues, including development of business strategies for the 'emerging educational marketplace.' "

Somehow the "development of business strategies for the 'emerging educational marketplace'" at the home of Fox News doesn't sit well with me. Will the likes of Glen Beck and Sean Hannity of Fox News take a break from bashing climate change science to embrace teacher bashing and the market-based, privatizing education reforms advocated by the Obama administration, but more importantly by conservative ideologues like Broad and Walton, and libertarian-leaning (it seems to me) billionaire Gates?  But Fox News doesn't promote market-based, right-wing ideology, does it? Fox News doesn't promote reducing the government's role (though not government dollars, of course) in American institutions and life, does it? Fox News doesn't have any influence, does it? If we thought bleeding-heart hack Nicholas Kristof got education wrong, we'd better just wait and see.


I realize that I probably sound like a conspiracy theory-crazed lunatic. Believe me, in this case I'd much rather be crazy than right.




UPDATE 1: Here's Juan Gonzalez's (of the NY Daily News) take on Joel Klein's tenure and departure.




UPDATE 2: I've been thinking all day: What is up with Joel Klein becoming Darth Vader? What happened to that guy? How does someone go from being an anti-trust lawyer at the Justice Department to being the grim reaper of public education? Anyone? (If you have a theory, please comment on my next post dedicated to the topic.)

A Corporate Executive for Corporate-style Reforms

In case you haven't heard the news. . .


Name of the New York City Chancellor who resigned:  Joel Klein


Job he's going to take: Executive vice-president for News Corp


His replacement: Cathie Black, a publishing executive/ oligarch


Process by which she was chosen: A public search was conducted, in some public somewhere. Gotham Schools says they know nothing of this.


Black's experience with education: Zero, except her own children were educated at Connecticut boarding schools and she sits on the board of an NYC charter school.


My reaction: Sarah Palin is starting to look reeaaally qualified.


So much for Bloomberg's being subtle about what his real agenda is.


Wow.


UPDATE I: For Dana Goldstein's thoughts, go here.

Race to Remedial Classes

I've been hard at work on pieces and posts about TFA, corporate influence in public education, the Obamas' choice of school for their children, charter schools, and teacher quality. I've got credit recovery on the brain, as well.


In the meantime, this article in Richmond Magazine by Richmond-based education journalist Chris Dovi about the toxic impact of the S.O.L.s (Standards of Learning) on the quality of public education in Virginia is definitely worth a read. It is of particular interest to me given my past experience teaching in public schools in Virginia and current one of parenting two Virginia public schoolers, but no matter where you live or work, it's a must read. Dovi's central point is that the S.O.L.s are preparing the students for the test, but only the tests. Many students who perform well on these tests get to college unprepared for the rigors of the college curriculum. These aren't struggling students he's describing; they're good students who are going to colleges like V.C.U. (Virginia Commonwealth University).


When I was in ed school at George Washington University in the late 1990s, pre-N.C.L.B. (No Child Left Behind), we often discussed the impending arrival of high-stakes standardized testing. I can't think of one professor I had who wasn't against them. They weren't against standardized tests per se, but against using them as they are currently being used, i.e., for accountability purposes, or in layman's terms, as the primary evaluator of  student learning and teacher effectiveness. Because G.W. is in D.C., we looked closely at the S.O.L.s. What Dovi describes happening in this article with the S.O.L.s  under N.C.L.B. is exactly what my professors predicted would happen and what I saw happening when I was a VA teacher.


Virginia's public education system and the S.O.L.s are held up as a model for other states. Furthermore, with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan's push to renew E.S.E.A. (the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which became N.C.L.B.) and the narrow focus in his Race to the Top bribery scheme on using standardized tests as the ultimate tool to evaluate student learning and teacher performance, and then tying test scores to teacher pay (and I no longer care if they're value-added since that's also problematic), we can only expect more of what Dovi describes.


Well, what's the alternative? you might ask. How about evaluating student and teacher performance this way? Or this way? In the meantime, at the very least, Dovi reports that there's talk at the Virginia Department of Education of making the standards and curriculum more rigorous and moving away from using tests with multiple-choice questions.


I used to call N.C.L.B. No Child Left Untested. In honor of Chris Dovi's account, I think I'll call it: No Child Left Behind Until They Get to College and Have to Drop Out Because They're So Unprepared. With Obama and Duncan urging a renewal of N.C.L.B. and the standardized-test accountability measures in Race to the Top, I 'm starting to run out of hope that things will change.

Sandpaper Letters, extensions

We are still using our sandpaper letters, but to keep it interesting we are adding some extensions.  As a busy Mom of 3 and teacher of 40, it's easiest for me to post pictures.  The chalkboard is left over from a Handwriting Without Tears Training, she uses a small cut sponge to make the M disappear.  Sandpaper Letter (or Number) rubbing is a common extension on this material.  I simply peeled the paper off of a crayon and let her rub it over the letter.  Later, we brainstormed words with the M sound.  Please feel free to ask any questions, as sharing is what this is all about :)