Posted by Teacher Ria in Arts and Crafts, Teacher's Corner, The Library, Tips and Tricks | 2 Comments

My Concept Wall

It’s been over a month since classes started and I realized I still have not posted what my classroom concept wall looks like. With no further ado, here it is!
The caterpillar is actually a recycled one from my Toddlers days but I love it so much I decided to keep it, even if my students don’t really need it. For the calendar, I decided to up the ante by having the kids master the concepts of yesterday, today and tomorrow.

My favorite feature, however, is the reading train. My co-teacher painted that over the summer There are a series of pockets which currently hold our various word lists. An alternative I was thinking of is tracking titles of books we read throughout the month. Fun idea, huh?

Join in and jump aboard the reading train!

Posted by Teacher Ria in Multimedia Center, Teacher's Corner, Teaching Resources, The Library | 2 Comments

Learning Position Words on P.E. Day

One of the highlights of this week in the Seniors Class was P.E. Day. However, rather than it being a typical P.E. day, I decided to integrate vocabulary building into the activity. Keeping in mind the song “Going on a Bear Hunt”, the kids and I played games that let us go over, under, through and around things!

The kids had a blast! I guess I can say I did too…even though I was dripping with sweat the whole time through since it was quite a warm day. I was huffing and puffing my way through it too, especially since I know I’m not very fit nowadays! The activity was quite a workout! Admittedly,  activities like these sure can beat even the best weight loss supplements in the market! Maybe I should do a little more of these and soon I’d see results…imagine that…teaching kids plus losing weight! Woot!

Anyway, for those not familiar with the song “Going on a Bear Hunt” , here’s how it goes (it comes in different ways, but here’s what I often use)

Going on A Bear Hunt
I’m going on a bear hunt
I’m not afraid!
What’s that?
Tall grass!
Can’t  go under it,
Can’t go over it.
I guess we will have to through it!
Whew!

I’m going on a bear hunt
I’m not afraid!
What’s that?
It’s a great big tree
Can’t  go under it,
Can’t go through it.
I guess we will have to climb over it!
Whew!

I’m going on a bear hunt
I’m not afraid!
What’s that?
It’s a bridge
Can’t  go under it,
Can’t go through it.
I guess we will have to walk over it!
Whew!

I’m going on a bear hunt.
I’m not afraid.
What’s that?
It’s a river!
Can’t go over it
Can’t go under it?
I guess we will have to swim through it!
Whew!

I’m going on a bear hunt.
I’m not afraid.
What’s that?
It’s a deep dark cave!
Can’t go over it
Can’t  go under it
I think we are going to have to go in it.
Shh!

I feel something furry!!
It has a big nose!!
What’s that??? (pause)

IT IS A BEAR!!!!

Run out of the cave
Swim back through the river
Climb back over the tree
Go into the house and slam the door. BAM!!
I wasn’t afraid. Were you?

Check out You Tube too, there are lots of fun versions of it. This is my favorite:

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Posted by Teacher Ria in The Library | 0 Comments

Giving credit where it’s due

In the past few days, I have been thinking about the constructs of being fair, integrity and justice. Strange as this may seem, it is through teaching kids that I am reminded of these. Because of their innocence and bright-eyed optimism, I am reminded to not be jaded and to be open minded about things around us.

That started out as a random thought that came to mind as I drove to school but later on today, I read a Plurk thread from a friend celebrating the quick service he got when getting his NBI clearance and other government issued cards. I jokingly replied: “it’s a PGMA legacy”, a sarcastic throwback at the television ads touting President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s legacy.

I will admit: every single time I see those ads, it riles me up. It makes me sick to my stomach thinking about how her people have the audacity to claim such things.

But then all emotions and disdain for a leader that I dislike aside, I realize that when credit is due, it must be given. Perhaps right now I don’t appreciate it, but maybe somewhere in her administration, she did something right.

While it is hard to see the benefits of the Arroyo administration, more so to appreciate it, it should be done. In the same manner, all the failures must not be overlooked. Although books on public policy and politics aren’t really up my alley, it would be interesting to check out Beating the Odds, a book that takes a look at the state of policy making, decision-making and action-taking in the last nine years under PGMA’s rule. The book gives readers a close-up analysis of several key issues surrounding the country and how the President responded to these challenges.

One of the biggest issues the Presidency faced is the growing budget deficit that continues to debilitate our economy. While issues of corruption and endless evidences of funds gone awry, such as the ZTE broadband deal and the infamous Le Cirque dinner will always haunt her legacy, the book will give readers a look into how she was able to make positive strides in the economic growth of the country.

Another issue tackled by the book is the Mindanao Peace Process and concerns surrounding it. Through her leadership, she was able to forge talks with Moro rebels that contributed to ceasefire agreements that still are in place today. She likewise tried to make strides towards the rehabilitation of war-torn Mindanao.

Other issues tackled in the book include terrorism, threats to her leadership by attempted coup d’etats, the SARS outbreak, and increasing drug threats.

The book promises to be an insightful look at what it is like to be the Chief Executive of a nation and how the Philippine beauracracy works. Readers of this book will likely see a new side of the presidency, governance and our country and perhaps be more aware of the nitty-gritty details of the job.

As for me, I will try not to smirk anymore at the legacy commercials, but I’m not really promising much. I will, however, recognize that when credit is due, to GMA or anyone else in her governance, it should be given.

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Posted by Teacher Ria in Teacher's Corner, Teaching Resources, The Library | 0 Comments

Books for the Preschool Classroom: The Very Hungry Caterpillar

One of my favorite kiddie books is Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar. It’s vibrant colors and cute drawings always bring a smile to my face. My kids love it too! It teaches a whole range of concepts from sequencing, days of the week, and in this case, even colors I made this poster a few school years’ ago and it’s still one of my favorite classroom decorations till now

There are a lot of video adaptations of the story on You Tube,  which my kids also love. We were lucky two years ago because right after discussing the story, we chanced upon a real live caterpillar in our school garden and we actually took care of it until it hatched into a butterfly! Talk about a hands-on learning experience! Read about it here.

Posted by Teacher Ria in The Library | 0 Comments

Books for the Classroom: William’s Doll

When I first started this blog, I wanted offer various resources and materials that would be helpful to teachers like me. I haven’t really had time to focus on that but starting today (especially since a new school year is starting, I will try to be more consistent with that! Hence, here is a new category that will fall under the library section of this blog, Books for the Classroom

The storybook William’s Doll by Charlotte Zolotow is a great book to use in class when talking about gender roles and breaking stereotypes attached to it, especially if you have kids who like playing with toys that appear to be gender inappropriate.

The story tells of a little boy named William who asks his mother to give him a doll. Given that he is a boy, his father tried to encourage him to play with trains and other toys for boys, but much as he liked these toys, he still asked for a doll. Finally his grandmother conceded and gave him a doll and when asked why he wanted a doll, William replied that it would be so he can practice being a father.

I’ve used this story several times in my teaching career, and I have even extended the use of this to my college classrooms where I teach social psychology. It is a good way of looking at socially accepted norms and allowing kids to feel accepted despite being “different”.

Posted by Teacher Ria in Teacher's Corner, The Library | 0 Comments

On Make-Believing and Pretend Play

As a child, I never once imagined I would become a teacher. If you had asked me what my ambition was, I would have answered it differently every single time, but not once do I recall saying I wanted to teach. I would play dress up and pretend I would be my future self: from my mom’s white blazers as lab coats to lugging around her leather briefcase in pretense that I was a lawyer, I did it all. I even wore tutu’s that were too small for me and imagined I would become a prima ballerina! Whatever it was, I was allowed to explore and try them out. Pretend play and make believe are important learning tools for children that should be harnessed and encouraged. Be it playing with a Barbie doll or wearing high heels, these should not be criticized, limited or ridiculed.

What if it’s a boy who wants to play with a doll, you might ask? Well, the typical response is an adamant “NO!”, right? However, check out the story WILLIAM’S DOLL by Charlotte Zolotow and you might have a new take on it

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Posted by Teacher Ria in The Library | 0 Comments

OMF Lit Bookshop opens in Quezon City

OMF Lit Bookshop opened it’s latest branch at the upper ground level of the Il Terrazo, Tomas Morato cor. Scout Madriñan, Quezon City last Saturday, May 15. Enjoy up to 20% savings on local and imported titles.

OMF Lit Bookshop can also be found in the following locations:

Posted by Teacher Ria in Teacher's Corner, Teaching Resources, The Library | 0 Comments

Giving books a new life

One of my favorite places to shop in are those Book Sale kiosks or stalls. I love how old books find new homes through these kinds of  stores, especially since brand new books are quite expensive. This is especially true for text books, more so when we are talking about college text books. I know that for the early grades, it’s a little more difficult to recycle text books because of the fact that there are answer sheets that have to be completed after each chapter.

My bookcase is filled with all sorts of old books. A lot of them are textbooks. From Physics to Statistics, Psychology and Biology, the list is endless. My brothers also have their share of old textbooks, and in fact, next week they will be getting a new set for the upcoming school year. There is a solution I can think of, however: Sell textbooks! By selling these old textbooks, I can free up space as well as make money out of something I am not using anymore. Perhaps, donating can also be an option.

Come to think of it, Book Sale also has a  lot of text books available at much lower prices. However, the hassle with Book Sale is the way books are organized in the shelves. It’s kind of hard to see the titles and a lot of times, you only get books by chance. I wish there was an online book center, such as the one here . By going online, it’s easier to find what you are looking for. This site actually gives you the opportunity to sell books too. For more details, check out the faq page.

Posted by Teacher Ria in Multimedia Center, Teaching Resources, The Library | 0 Comments

Notes from a Wimpy Kid’s Diary

Teaching self-esteem and social skills are probably two of the most difficult concepts to impart. I guess, even learning these two can be tricky at times, what more for a tween or a young adolescent, right?

The movie The Diary of a Wimpy Kid, based on the book with the same title by Jeff Kinney, is a fun and insightful look into a middleschoolers world. It highlights issues and concerns that children between ages 10-16 face, especially as they navigate the tumultuous world known as school.

The struggle for autonomy and establishing one’s identity are two crucial issues that occur at this period of life. Often times, this causes a lot of stress and pressure to a young child’s life. It causes one to question who they are and what they will be in the society they live in. As adults, we tend to think that they are resilient enough to make it through this period, especially if they too went through similar experiences.

Watching that period of life through Greg and Rowley’s eyes, the lead characters who are best friends, reminded me of struggles I went through as a fat kid in 6th grade. I remember how puberty started kicking in then and I was not a very pleasant sight to behold! I recall being the butt of jokes to many of my prettier and slimmer classmates, and though I took it in stride, I realized that this had a long term effect on my life, both in positive and negative ways.

Although I haven’t read the book yet, I believe both the film and the book can be valuable resources for your tweens who are entering that crucial place in their life to help them learn to recognize the value of being true to yourself and loving who you are.

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid opens on April 3, 2010 in local cinemas.

photo credit: Wikipedia entry on Diary of a Wimpy Kid (film)

Posted by Teacher Ria in Teaching Resources, The Library | 0 Comments

News Online, Anytime.

Every once in a while I chance upon an issue of the Wall Street Journal in the school I work for. Being a teacher, I don’t really get into the nitty gritty of business so I don’t really enjoy reading the paper since what it covers are things not that important to me. I prefer to read newspapers that have more lifestyle features and metro news. However, my friends who dabble in stocks and understand the Dow and Forex and those foreign-sounding words to me make it a point to check on what the Wall Street Journal has to say, whether in  print or online. I browsed a little bit about the newspaper and I found out that it has a worldwide circulation of almost a million online subscribers.

I love how most publications like the Wall Street Journal and even local newspapers have gone digital. For one, it’s so much more accessible to me. I also love how, since it is online, my friends and people who know me get to send me links of articles that they think I would be interested in. However, when it comes to magazines, I still prefer a hard copy. I love the smell the glossy pages give out and the feel of it on my hands. I keep telling myself to stop buying issues one at a time and get myself a Magazine Subscription because it comes out much cheaper from the cover price. Whether it be newspapers or magazines, I believe that these are important tools to learning. Be it for fun or for business, these are definitely great resources for anybody.

Posted by Teacher Ria in Multimedia Center, The Library | 2 Comments

Moving Storybooks

Yesterday I watched two movies, both based on books. I finally got to see New Moon with some of my friends in the evening, but late afternoon, to kill time, I decided to check out A Christmas Carol. Being a teacher, I am both glad that storybooks are being made accessible in film, but on the other hand, I tread carefully because lately, I notice less and less kids read books. Most just wait for the film. It seems that books take a back seat more and more as children get older. Many times, it only becomes a bedtime prop for infants and toddlers.  For example, when I was talking to one of the kids I work with, he did not know that A Christmas Carol is a classic tale. Because of that, I tried to find some of my favorite books to share with the class. Further, to encourage reading, instead of the usual kris kringle done on the holidays, I asked the kids to do a book exchange instead.

To be fair, it’s really nice to see how many of my favorite characters in books have taken on a life outside the pages of the storybook. Take for example The Rainbow Fish. There are many activity sets and play sets or games that are inspired by the story. For me, this takes reading to a higher level. Another big favorite is Guess How Much I Love You. I have seen nursery accessories, furniture, and even clothing inspired by the touching tale of the little Nutbrown Hare who asked his father if he knew how much he loved him.

I suppose in the end I can say having stories made into movies and more can be a good thing. If for anything, hopefully it inspires people to take on the printed form of the story too. It definitely did that for me when it came to the Twilight series!

Posted by Teacher Ria in Life Lessons, The Library | 15 Comments

Books to Liven Up Every Library

For PhotoHunt this week, the theme is books. Over the summer, my colleagues and I cleaned up the school library and decided to allot one slot for our “favorite” books. From Guess How Much I Love You to The Rainbow Fish, the shelf is definitely the most overused section of our library.

However, if I were to recommend books to liven up any kids library, it would definitely be those of Eric Carle.  These are but a few of his many fun and colorful books for children. My personal favorite is Brown Bear, Brown Bear because it provides a venue for active involvement with the kids I read it too. After the story, I extend the book to a class activity where I ask the kids to draw what they want to see then we make our own book about it. On a recent trip to FullyBooked bookstore here in the Philippines, I almost fainted at the wonderful Eric Carle selection they had!

Posted by Teacher Ria in The Library | 1 Comment

Lessons from the Rainbow Fish

Authors note: I am still amazed at the statement “reading books and novels are not educational“. To prove that statement wrong, I will be doing a series of book reviews to show how through these supposed non-educational materials, we can learn what is truly essential.

One of my favorite childrens books is Marcus Pfister’s Rainbow Fish. It is a very simple tale of a fish living in the ocean but it’s message runs deep. Often times kids are initially attracted to the beautiful colors and sparkly scales this little fish has on the cover of the book but once the story is read to them, they learn very important lessons ranging from being nice, to sharing, and even to loving once self in spite and despite of things around them.I love using this story whenever I talk about the themes “self” and “friendship” in my preschool classes. Believe it or not, even my toddlers (around two-and-a-half to three years old) remember the lessons rainbow shares very well.

The story revolves around a very beautiful and sparkly fish. Rainbow is undoubtedly the most beautiful fish in the ocean. However, because she is boastful and proud, she belittles and is mean to those who are not as pretty as her. She also refused to share her sparkly scales with a little fish who asks for one. Because of her attitude, she has no friends and is lonely. With the guidance of Mr. Octopus, Rainbow realizes that it doesn’t matter if you are the prettiest one of them all if you have no friends at all.

After I read this story to my kids, I overhear them telling each other things like “remember Rainbow said to share” or “Do you want to be like Rainbow and have no friends?”. Granted the toddlers may not use as well-crafted a sentence or two, the essence is there. For my older kids, the story shows them how beauty is more than just skin-deep and that inner beauty is what really counts.

Another bonus to having storybooks as springboards for lessons in the classroom is that it extends to so many different subject areas. For example, with the story of Rainbow Fish, I am able to teach math. How? As a follow-up, after the story I do an arts and crafts activity where the kids make their own rainbow fishes. They have free-range to place the scales of Rainbow. Then I use this to practice simple math equations like if Rainbow Fish has 10 scales and she gives away 3 to her friends, how many are left?. There are so many more variations to this depending on the characteristics of the scales we use in class. So tell me now that story books are not educational!

This book is definitely a must-have in any school or home library. I personally have 3 copies of it Click on the photo above to be redirected to Amazon.com and add this to your shopping cart!

Stay tuned for updates on my book review series.