An Earth Day Product Showcase

Hi there! My new role as mommy has been something! It's been the most awesome, tiring, beautiful, trying, yet perfectly beautiful 4 weeks one could ask for. I'm looking forward to loving on my precious baby girl. Here is a picture of my little bambino. Look at those chubby little cheeks! She has my whole heart.

I'd love to help you tackle some of your April planning. It's the Speducation Connection can help you with your Earth Day literacy and math centers. The centers range from minimal to no prep and are sure to provide engaging and fun learning opportunities for your students. That's what we're all looking for, am I right? Today I'd like to showcase my Earth Day Syllable Fun product. It's available for purchase over at my teachers pay teachers store.

My students love tackling their "Syllable Fun" work in word work and vocabulary centers. This product has 64 image and vocabulary cards to sort among 1 to 4 syllable headers. That's 4 sets of learning fun! Students in my lower skills group use the image cards as we discuss what the object is, identify the function of the object, and complete the matching template. Students in my higher skill group use the vocabulary cards and take an extra step by making connections to tell me what they know about the object. They love sharing their experiences, and when they are actually on topic, this little teacher's heart smiles! With all 64 cards and 4 templates, you can complete this activity over the course of a week, or in one session! Here are some of the cards and the headers below.

To make it hands on for those who need that kinesthetic touch, I use manipulatives to make the learning concrete. Saying the word, clapping,coloring, and remembering each step can be a bit much for some students. For my kidos who really struggle I provide them counters or cubes to say the word and pull down a cube each time they say a syllable. Once they finish, they have a visual of how many boxes to color under the correct words on the recording form!

Once my differentiated groups have completed their activities, we all come together and play a matching game with the image and vocabulary cards in this product. This is a great way to promote group collaboration and student led learning. My students take turns playing "teacher," while the others respectfully agree or disagree throughout individual and group turns. We're also pairing an image with each word which really helps those students with limited vocabulary.

Well, there you have it! I hope you enjoyed this product showcase and that you'll stop back by the blog soon for more! If you liked this post and would like to become a member of the It's the Speducation Connection blog, please feel free to become a member. I'd love to collaborate with you here in this little corner of the web. Let's get the discussion going! Please feel free to comment below. xoxo: Micala @ it's the speducation connection

Intervention Anyone?

Reading comprehension and mathematics are closely knitted in the web of academics. If your daily experiences are like mine, you’ll find that many students who struggle with reading and literacy find it quite difficult to solve word problems. A student’s inability to read and comprehend text impacts his or her ability to read and solve word problems independently. Talk about major frustration for young learners.

Pairing literacy activities within the math lesson can help students recognize the interconnectedness of Reading and Math. I pair a close read graphic organizer with math word problems to help my students organize information, and think like mathematicians. Students must learn to identify key information, important numerals, think strategy, and write equations.It also helps to get them talking about math!

My leveled Math Basics: Word Problems Intervention Editions are designed with busy teachers in mind. They are available for sell now over at the speducation connection on Teachers Pay Teachers. This resource is great for general education teachers who are looking for a solid research based intervention to add to existing Response to Intervention (RTI) data. It is also great for the SPED teacher who needs something challenging yet straightforward and systematic for learners with learning disabilities and skill deficits. There are 22 tasks (my students feel like such big kids hearing that word), to complete within the time frame you choose. These products also come with progress monitoring forms. As you complete these forms over time, you’ll be able to note learning trends to help you plan and inform further instruction. It’s also great evidence of differentiation and research-based teaching in your classroom! In this post I’m showing images from the Level 2: Spring Edition.

You can get Task 1 by visiting the grab a freebie section here on this blog. If you'd like to have this resource in your classroom, visit the speducation connection store. What ways do you support your students who struggle with completing math word problems due to reading deficits? I’d love to hear from you.

March Product Buzz

Hello! Can you believe it, the speducation connection has a blog! I would like to send a huge thank you to Kassie Garlock over at DK Designs for making this beautiful blog. Welcome guys! Many things have been happening in this little blogger's world! Most recently, I became a mom! That's right you guys, I'm a mom now! My husband and I are so excited to have our little miracle Aspen Skye Fisher here with us. She is truly a joy!

I'm excited to share that I've added the final touches to products that are available for sale now over at the speducation connection store on Teachers Pay Teachers. I hope you'll find these products useful as you plan your centers throughout this month and look ahead to April. Each product contains vibrant graphics, differentiated recording forms, and require minimal prep. All Earth Day products will be offered as a discount bundle to increase your savings for a limited time!

I love hearing from you. Your comments are welcome!