I saw a post on Facebook this week about “Common Core Math.” The idea of the post was if you add 4 apples and 5 oranges you will get an orange haired monkey. Sigh! There is not a perfect curriculum and I don’t believe we will ever know the motivation behind the standards, but they are […]
Lori H Rice
Lori Rice is a fourth-grade teacher at West Elementary in Wamego, Kansas, who has taught K-2 reading as well as kindergarten, first grade and fourth grade since 1996. She has a passion for creativity, learning, questioning and the whole child. Her classroom is a place of acceptance and celebrating differences.
Posted inClassroom Management, Elementary School
Artsy Smartsy
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] Monkey, my three-year-old, “wrote” a dinosaur song a couple of weeks ago. He drew shapes and letters and has it sitting on the piano. He will play and sing his song, […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Opinion
It's Not a Rotten Education: Response to TIME Magazine
I have taught in elementary classrooms for 19 years. Every day, every hour, ever minute, every second, decisions are made that impact someone’s future. This job is difficult, strenuous, stressful and the best job in the world. Teachers across the nation give their times, talents, money and whole selves to their students and families. It […]
Posted inElementary School, Featured, How to Fix Education, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy
Teaching to New Rules:Phonics for Upper Elementary
From the day children are born, the race is on here in America. Boy or girl? Weight? Length? And so it begins; how does your child measure up with “average” child their age? We watch for those important milestones. Rolls over, check! Sits up, check! Babbles, check! Crawls, check! Walks, check! The list goes on […]
Posted inElementary School, Instruction & Curriculum
Experience Life in Your Classroom
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] Tonight Monkey (my three-year-old) and I made muffins and brownies. We sang and laughed and he was so excited when I decided to put “cookies” in the banana muffins. I was […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Elementary School, How to Fix Education
Reflecting on What Works: Elementary Classroom Management
As fall creeps in and temperatures drop schools across the nation are fully into the swing of things. The honeymoon period is over and students’ comfort levels allow for a testing of behavior and expectations. As the first quarter of this year comes to an end, it is the perfect time to reflect. Identify the […]
Posted inElementary School, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Literacy, Science
The Beauty of Science and Art
This year our district has been focusing on integrating science with ELA. This is not a new idea, but one that has been a joy to implement. We spent three days over the summer looking at our standards, resources and designing lessons for students. Focusing on keeping science alive with inquiry and hands on exploration while adding a […]
Posted inElementary School, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum, Mathematics
Getting Your Hands On Math: Multiplication
I watched my three year-old, Monkey, coloring with colored pencils this morning. He was testing out the white pencil even though it was on white paper. I knew what was going to happen and I had to resist the urge to tell him not to do it. But I bit my tongue and watched him […]