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The Writing CLAW

1/26/2013

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    This week I had the opportunity to present at the Courage to Risk Conference in Colorado Springs and attend some wonderful sessions. At lunch I wandered the exhibit hall and found the little item in the photo. I had to ask what it was for, but once it was explained to me, it made so much sense! It is called a CLAW. The student slides a pencil through the center hole, and then places thumb and two fingers into the rubber tips. This positions the hand (right or left) for the perfect pencil grip! What a clever tool! I have a student in mind already who might benefit from using this. 

I found this tool at a booth run by the Autism Community Store,  located in Denver and on the web. The store is a parent-owned autism and special needs resource, a special little shop helping families, teachers and therapists get hard-to-find products for kids. The CLAW sells for $1.79 and comes in two sizes

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Math Duel for Differentiation

1/24/2013

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   Math Duel is an iPad app that lets two students compete against each other for faster time in solving basic facts. The wonderful feature is that each side of the split screen can be set at a different level of difficulty and different operations. (See photo below for settings options) This means that I can have two students use it together, both working at their own level. Great example of an app that supports differentiated instruction.  Currently available for $4.99.


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Analogies

1/11/2013

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"A picture is worth a thousand words, but the right metaphor is worth  a thousand pictures."   Daniel Pink


Metaphors and analogies are powerful tools for aiding comprehension of unfamiliar concepts. Rick Wormeli, in his wonderful book "Metaphors and Analogies" declares "It;s time to bust metaphors out of solitary confinement in English classes."


Yesterday I asked students to develop metaphors to show their understanding of how paragraphs work together to become an essay. I provided an example:


                                              Paragraph is to Essay as Stair is to Staircase


and then asked them to provide me additional examples. It was slow going at first, but then the idea seemed to catch on and students were rapidly sharing their thoughts. A few of my favorites were


                                                Paragraph is to Essay as 1 is to 1-10

                                                Paragraph is to Essay as Book is to Series

                                                Paragraph is to Essay as Egg is to Egg Carton

                                                Paragraph is to Essay as House is to Neighborhood

                                                Paragraph is to Essay as Finger is to Hand



The great news is that working analogies into your teaching is easy. Consider two related ideas from your content, write them on the board in analogy format, and then ask students to get creative!


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    Anne M. Beninghof

    Anne's mission is to improve instruction through collaboration and the sharing of creative, practical ideas for educators.

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