Torrance Teachers Association

world-shaker: Free Classroom Posters: The 8 Parts of Speech …I...

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 16:53:35 -0500

Free Classroom Posters: The 8 Parts of Speech

…I have spent quite a bit of time brushing up my own knowledge on the 8 parts of common speech.

Nouns

Verbs

Pronouns

Adjectives

Prepositions

Conjunctions

Interjections

Adverbs

To remind me of this I have made 9 posters to share with anyone who wants them that outline the purpose, example words and sentences for each of the 8 areas.

Click here to download them and enjoy.

world-shaker: Popular Educational Twitter Hashtags

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 16:24:19 -0500

world-shaker:

Popular Educational Twitter Hashtags

Angus King: "I'll Caucus With The Democrats" | TPM LiveWire

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 16:22:40 -0500

Angus King: "I'll Caucus With The Democrats" | TPM LiveWire:

justinspoliticalcorner:

Maine’s Independent Senator-Elect Angus King will caucus with the Democrats, he announced Wednesday morning on Capitol Hill. King cited the 2012 election as a driver of his decision, that joining the Democratic majority in the Senate “makes the decision easier.”

h/t: Kyle Leighton at TPM

UPS quits funding Bigoted Scouts over anti-gay policy

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 16:16:49 -0500

UPS quits funding Bigoted Scouts over anti-gay policy:

gaywrites:

The United Parcel Service has announced that it will no longer be donating to the Boy Scouts of America, indirectly referencing the organization’s now famous anti-gay policies as a primary reason for the break.

In the past, UPS has given as much as $167,000 to the Boy Scouts in a single year. Activist Zach Wahls and others urged UPS to stop funding the Boy Scouts after the organization recently decided to uphold a policy barring LGBT people from participating.

The company was reviewing its corporate giving policy for months and announced the following last week: “The UPS Foundation seeks to support organizations that are in alignment with our focus areas, guidelines, and nondiscrimination policy. UPS and The UPS Foundation do not discriminate against any person or organization with regard to categories protected by applicable law, as well as other categories protected by UPS and The UPS Foundation in our own policies. These include, but are not limited to race, gender, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran or military status, pregnancy, age and religion.”

BOOM. Boy Scout donors are dropping like flies. Money talks.

I hope that the Scout Council will overturn this misguided rule, but I cannot overlook the good that Scouting does as well. I can only hope that they will live up to their creed of helping those among us who may be put down rather than allow this unfortunate and bigoted stance to stand. My own son is a scout, and I allowed him to make the choice to join. He personally has not witnessed this anti-gay rule in effect. Thankfully. Hopefully Scouts will be able to move beyond this mess.

"You deserve to tell your side of the story. Even if it’s only to me."

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 16:05:09 -0500

““You deserve to tell your side of the story. Even if it’s only to me.””

- out of context things I say to students (via girlwithalessonplan)

Studies Link Students’ Boredom to Stress A group of researchers...

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 16:39:28 -0500

Studies Link Students’ Boredom to Stress

A group of researchers has published a study in Perspectives on Psychological Science linking student boredom to feelings of stress. While it’s still important for teachers to create a stimulating and engaging environment, students might have some internal emotion or frustration causing their boredom.

Photo

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 16:39:00 -0500

justinspoliticalcorner: The map of states allowing corporal...

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 16:25:35 -0500

justinspoliticalcorner:

The map of states allowing corporal punishment in schools mirrors a map of the states that Mitt Romney won almost exactly. States that bar teachers and administrators from physically disciplining children — which are also the most educated states — all voted for President Obama.

Facts about school corporal punishment and the 2012 elections:
Obama won, corporal punishment in schools allowed: Colorado, Florida.
Obama won, corporal punishment in schools banned: All states except Colorado and Florida.

Romney won, corporal punishment in schools allowed: All states except Alaska, Utah, Nebraska, North Dakota, Montana, South Dakota, and West Virginia.
Romney won, corporal punishment in schools banned: Alaska, Utah, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and West Virginia.

Interesting correlation…would like to see if political attitudes truly are reflected by ideas on corporal punishment.

6 Simple Ways To Use Video In Education

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 16:23:45 -0500

6 Simple Ways To Use Video In Education:

world-shaker:

Here are two:

Show an experiment that cannot be done in class

Whether due to the cost of the materials needed or the danger of the experiment, there are some things that just cannot be demonstrated at school. For these occasions, video provides a way for students to experience the experiment without having to complete it themselves

-Possible uses: rocket launches, flame throwers, chemical reactions

Take students on a virtual field trip

It is not always practical to take an entire class, or school, to an off-campus location so that they can experience it. For students in rural areas, a trip to a museum may not be possible, for others, their teachers simply wants them to experience something that cannot reasonable be accomplished

-Possible uses: trips to a world-renown museum, trips to space, underwater adventures

FREE Internet Safety Posters

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 16:18:56 -0500

FREE Internet Safety Posters:

world-shaker:

You can click through for a preview of each one, or just download the PDF versions with the links below:

10 Internet SafetyTips for Students Poster November 2012

10 Internet Use Tips for Teachers Poster November 2012

10 Internet Safety Tips for Parents Poster November 2012

These are great! Thanks for sharing!!

I like this satiric comic, but it ignores the difference between...

Sun, 30 Sep 2012 02:22:52 -0400

I like this satiric comic, but it ignores the difference between a strike and a lockout. The refs were not striking, they were locked out by the owners—not allowed to come to work. The owners hoped it would force the refs to move in negotiations. Chicago teachers voted to strike, to take a job action in order force movement in negotiations as well. Both do essentially the same thing, but voting for a strike and everyone walking off the job simultaneously is different than management not letting you come to work and then paying a scab less money to do your job.

We've Got A Diem to Carpe: Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

Sun, 30 Sep 2012 02:17:16 -0400

We've Got A Diem to Carpe: Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?:

adiemtocarpe:

Last night, old high school friends and I were talking about our AP Lit teacher we affectionately called MoMo.

He was one of those teachers with the hard as nails reputation. No one wanted his class, but we all wanted AP. So, MoMo it was.

I still think we were the class that changed him….

13 Ways to Engage Reluctant Writers

Sun, 30 Sep 2012 02:16:08 -0400

13 Ways to Engage Reluctant Writers :

revolutionizeed:

Make it practical. There are some students who hate writing, because all they’ve ever written is stories and poems and they’ve never learned about the clarity of prose or the need to be concise in a functional text.

Al for Assembly: Vote Al Muratsuchi for AD 66

Sun, 30 Sep 2012 02:12:51 -0400

Al for Assembly: Vote Al Muratsuchi for AD 66

Join Torrance Teachers in Voting for Al Muratsuchi for Assembly District 66!

Sun, 30 Sep 2012 02:11:11 -0400

Join Torrance Teachers in Voting for Al Muratsuchi for Assembly District 66!

Other Lockouts Grind On

Sun, 30 Sep 2012 02:07:10 -0400

Other Lockouts Grind On:

We all need to learn more about the plight of labor…

"An OECD report sums up the situation of American teachers: Teachers in the U.S. earn substantially..."

Sun, 30 Sep 2012 01:44:59 -0400

““An OECD report sums up the situation of American teachers:

Teachers in the U.S. earn substantially less than their peers with similar educational backgrounds. Salary scales are typically also less steep than in other countries. A high school teacher in the U.S. with 15 years of experience can expect to receive only 65 percent of the earnings of a tertiary-educated individual working in another profession, a proportion substantially below that observed in other OECD countries (85 percent). The relatively low wages for teachers in primary, secondary, and upper secondary education compared with the earnings of people with similar educational backgrounds in other occupations suggests that salaries alone may not attract the most talented students to the education profession in the U.S.

Right now, the education reform movement wants teachers to behave like doctors or lawyers without enjoying anything like their income, status, or authority.””

- from “Rahm Wants to Fix Schools? Fix the Economy” by John Judis in The New Republic

http://www.tnr.com/blog/plank/107876/rahm-wants-fix-schools-fix-the-economy

teachingliteracy: lexxdigs: Luis Alberto Urrea and Bill Moyers...

Sun, 30 Sep 2012 01:40:59 -0400

teachingliteracy:

lexxdigs:

Luis Alberto Urrea and Bill Moyers discuss “boxed” books in Tucson, including many of Urrea’s works on Moyers & Company.

Women Hollering Creek by Sandra Cisneros and Always Running by Luis Rodriguez changed my world when I was 12 and the rest of these titles quickly followed. I vow to keep these books in the hands of young people…

In honor of the 30th anniversary of Banned Book Week. Celebrate the books of your life this week.

Love that Tumblr is supporting voter registration!

Sun, 30 Sep 2012 01:36:09 -0400

Love that Tumblr is supporting voter registration!:

There is still time to register to vote for the November 6th election! Even one voice can matter. Make it yours!

Rahm Wants Schools to Fix the Economic Divide

Sun, 30 Sep 2012 01:33:50 -0400

Rahm Wants Schools to Fix the Economic Divide:

An interesting article about the role of education reform efforts, highlighting Chicago.

An excerpt:

“Let me begin with the longstanding American tradition, and the assumptions that underlie it about the relationship between educational reform and the reform of the larger society. In 1837, Horace Mann put it very clearly:

Having found the present generation composed of materials almost unmalleable, I am about transferring my efforts to the next. Men are cast-iron; but children are wax. Strength expended upon the latter may be effectual, which would make no impression upon the former.”