Sep
29

Teaching Nouns: Teacher in the Trash?

Filed Under (Differentiated Instruction) by sfitzell on 29-09-2008

Teaching Nouns with Humor


When I teach nouns to my resource students, I always begin with this concrete strategy. With a regular trash can in the front of my room I drop a pencil, book, eraser, etc into the can. I then tell them these are all “things”, and all “things” are nouns! I then step into the can and let them know that a teacher is a “person” and a “person” is a noun. They laugh and laugh and Read the rest of this entry »
Sep
28

Teaching Tips from my Audience!

Filed Under (Differentiated Instruction) by sfitzell on 28-09-2008

 

Fearless Fractions


Fearless fractions: grades 4-9. Teaches teachers how to use color to introduce the addition and subtraction of fractions and mixed numbers. Each fraction has its own color as in Rainbow Fraction® Teaching System. Fractions cannot be added or subtracted until they become the same color (common denominators). Ratios, probability, percents, proportions, and making predictions Read the rest of this entry »
Sep
27

Thank you Northeast Regional Education Coop (Rec 4) from Las Vegas, NM

Filed Under (Differentiated Instruction) by sfitzell on 27-09-2008

Presented Differentiated Instruction Strategies

Tuesday, I presented “A Differentiated Instruction Strategy Blast” at a conference held by the Northeast Regional Education Coop (Rec 4) from Las Vegas, NM. We had a great day discussing strategies for differentiating curricula and how it can raise student test scores and encourage success for both students and teachers. They were a fabulous group with … Read the rest of this entry »
Sep
26

Source for Blue Lighting in the Classroom

Filed Under (Differentiated Instruction) by sfitzell on 26-09-2008

Fluorescent Light Tube Protectors

If you’ve attended my seminar, “Special Needs in the General Classroom: Strategies that Make it Work“, or “Successful Inclusion Strategies and Techniques for Differentiating Curricula” then you’ve heard me talk about the benefits of blue lighting. The link in the back of my book, “Special Needs in the General Classroom: Strategies that Make it Work” for Bulbco.com appears to be defunct. So, if you are looking for that lighting, here’s a link to get your started: http://tinyurl.com/499wjw

If you’d like to read the research that I’ve collected on lighting, go to my Inclusion/Differentiating Instruction page and click on the tab for Lighting Resources.

Sep
20

Differentiated Instruction Strategy Blast in Santa Fe, NM!

Filed Under (Differentiated Instruction) by sfitzell on 20-09-2008

Presenting Differentiated Instruction Strategies

I’m preparing and packing today to go to Albuquerque tomorrow morning. I’ll head up to Santa Fe tomorrow night and plan to spend some time enjoying Santa Fe on Monday. Tuesday, I will present “A Differentiated Instruction Strategy Blast” at a conference held by the Northeast Regional Education Coop (Rec 4) from Las Vegas, NM. I worked with this group of educators a couple years ago and thoroughly enjoyed the audience so ….read more Read the rest of this entry »
Sep
16

What does Co-teaching, Personality Styles and Flexible Grouping have in common?

Filed Under (Co-Teaching, Differentiated Instruction) by sfitzell on 16-09-2008

Peaceable Strategies for Grouping Students in the Inclusion Classroom BY Susan Heath, Kellie Wolfe, Linda Smith & Judy Burkett

Co-teaching, Personality Styles and Flexible Grouping were topics for seminars at Woodington Middle School

The teachers at Woodington Middle School in Kinston, NC. For the past two days, I’ve had the pleasure of working with dedicated teachers at Woodington Middle School. Their Principal, Diane Heath, is doing her best to support the teachers through their Inclusion and Co-teaching initiative.Yesterday, we covered co-teaching strategies and personality styles. Everyone dug right in and worked with the material finding ways to use the information in their classrooms. I love it when I have the opportunity to work with motivated teachers!Woodington Teachers devised a mnemonic to highlight the key components of managing behavior when working with small groups and flexible grouping. Donna Mills, Katherine Beamon, Karen McGlamery, Marianne Evangelista

Today, teachers got in three small groups to do an adapted jig saw about how to manage small groups and flexible groups in the classroom as well as how to develop and run Acceleration Centers TM to support varied levels of learners in the Inclusion classroom. It was so exciting to watch how the groups developed their teaching strategies and mind maps to teach the other groups about their section. See the pictures from the group!
 
 

 

 Acceleration Centers TM - Tips For Success by Deb Johnston, Jessica Jones, Barb Tribula, & Dianne With

 

 

 

Sep
14

Co-Teaching Workshop With Video!…and Murphy’s Law

Filed Under (Differentiated Instruction, Random Topics) by sfitzell on 14-09-2008

Co-Teaching Workshop at Community HS District 155

Last week I presented a co-teaching workshop at Community HS. Murphy’s law was in effect. Did you ever have one of those mornings in the classroom where the technology did not work?

GPS Has Me Going in Circles!

Well, my GPS got confused on the way to the school. For some reason unbeknownst to me, it had me going in circles back to the hotel. I checked the address three times and all three times the address was correct, yet, it had me going in circles. Finally, I looked for my paper copy of the directions.

The paper directions were from the wrong hotel to the school! Ok, lets go to the basics. Check the map the old fashioned way. My folder only had a map of Chicago. I was an hour out of Chicago. Ok, let’s try the GPS again and voila! It had me moving beyond the circle.
So we are on our way, a ten minute drive is now at half an hour. There’s construction! I sat another 10 minutes in traffic! Finally, I arrive at the school and all appears to be going smoothly. It’s the second time I plan to use video in a presentation.  I tested it and everything played as it should. All appeared to be working, including the co-teaching video, until ten minutes before start time. I look over at my computer and I have the blue screen of death! Nothing would revive my laptop…. and more… Read the rest of this entry »
Sep
13

Get Your Teacher Website Noticed!

Filed Under (Co-Teaching, Differentiated Instruction, Random Topics, Response To Intervention) by sfitzell on 13-09-2008

I spent today at the National Speaker’s Association of New England program in Natick, MA. Steve Mertz, SEO Speaker, presented my kind of seminar: It was loaded with strategies to get my teacher resource website noticed! I’ve been trying to find ways to get my website noticed by teachers looking for co-teaching, inclusion, differentiated instruction, RTI, etc. strategies. My site offers many web resources and down-loadable tools. Today, it was affirmed for me that blogging is a great way to get the word out about websites.  For more… Read the rest of this entry »

Sep
11

Did you know that I teach kung fu?

Filed Under (Caring Community, Random Topics) by sfitzell on 11-09-2008

Kung Fu & Self Defense with Susan Fitzell

A program developed specifically for youths ages 6 to 15.  Classes are based on traditional Kung Fu and will focus on physical self defense.  Verbal skills will be taught for dealing with bullying and conflict.  Students will learn self-discipline, leadership skills and conflict management strategies.  Students will also develop fundamental athletic skills.

http://www.executivehealthclub.com/Group_Exercise_Classes/Index.asp?ID=74