Hanging Algebra Out to Dry........

Mrs. Jessie discovered a creative way to get her algebra students up and moving while working difficult algebra problems at the same time!

Look at all the student work on her classroom clotheslines!

Setting a Senior-Class Goal and Inspiring Seniors to Achieve It!

West Carter High School has set the bar high!

100% of their senior class has been challenged to apply for college in the fall!

In order to inspire the students and inform them of options available in the area, teachers have decorated their doors with college information from across the state.

Here are several of the doors students can study while walking down the halls of WCHS.

  

Temporal Transition Words

Common Transition Words and Phrases 

Transitions clarify the logic of your argument by orienting your reader as you develop ideas between sentences and paragraphs.  These tools should alert readers to shifts in your argument while and also maintain the smoothness and clarity of your prose.  Below, you’ll find some of the most commonly used transition categories and examples of each.

Depending on the example, these suggestions may be within sentences or at the beginning of sentences.  

1. Addition: use when presenting multiple ideas that flow in the same direction, under the same heading/ idea 

*also, another, finally, first, first of all, for one thing, furthermore, in addition, last of all, likewise, moreover, next, and, second, the third reason

2. Sequence/ Order: use to suggest a temporal relationship between ideas; places evidence in sequence

first, second (etc.), next, last, finally, first of all, concurrently, immediately, prior to, then, at that time, at this point, previously, subsequently, and then, at this time, thereafter, previously, soon, before, after, followed by, after that, next, before, after, meanwhile, formerly, finally, during

3. Contrast: use to demonstrate differences between ideas or change in argument direction

but, however, in contrast, on the other hand, on the contrary, yet, differ, difference, balanced against, differing from, variation, still, on the contrary, unlike, conversely, otherwise, on the other hand, however

4. Exception: use to introduce an opposing idea

however, whereas, on the other hand, while, instead, in spite of, yet, despite, still, nevertheless, even though, in contrast, but, but one could also say…

5. Comparison: use to demonstrate similarities between ideas that may not be under the same subject heading or within the same paragraph

like, likewise, just, in a different way / sense, whereas, like, equally, in like manner, by comparison, similar to, in the same way, alike, similarity, similarly, just as, as in a similar fashion, conversely

6. Illustration: use to develop or clarify an idea, to introduce examples, or to show that the second idea is subordinate to the first

for example, to illustrate, on this occasion, this can be seen, in this case, specifically, once, to illustrate, when/where, for instance, such as, to demonstrate, take the case of, in this case

7. Location: use to show spatial relations

next to, above, below, beneath, left, right, behind, in front, on top, within

8. Cause and Effect: use to show that one idea causes, or results from, the idea that follows or precedes it.

because, therefore, so that, cause, reason, effect, thus, consequently, since, as a result, if…then, result in

9. Emphasis: use to suggest that an idea is particularly important to your argument

important to note, most of all, a significant factor, a primary concern, a key feature, remember that, pay particular attention to, a central issue, the most substantial issue, the main value, a major event, the chief factor, a distinctive quality, especially valuable, the chief outcome, a vital force, especially relevant, most noteworthy, the principal item, above all, should be noted

10. Summary or Conclusion: use to signal that what follows is summarizing or concluding the previous ideas; in humanities papers, use these phrases sparingly.

to summarize, in short, in brief, in sum, in summary, to sum up, in conclusion, to conclude, finally

http://www.vanderbilt.edu/writing/resources/Common%20Transition%20Words%20and%20Phrases.pdf

Some material adapted from Cal Poly Pomona College Reading Skills Program: www.csupomona.edu/lrc/crsp/handouts/recognizing_words.html and  

“Power Tools for Technical Communication.” www.io.com/~hcexres/power_tools/transitions.html 

Making Math Fun.........................

This class activity took the concepts of math from a worksheet and turned them into a group discussion. 

Students work with teams to figure out the answer and match the cards appropriately.

Rigor,

active engagement,

and

lots of opportunities for formative assessment were included in this great lesson!

WHAT A WAY TO WELCOME STUDENTS!

We can't wait to see what's coming for the holiday season and winter on these teachers' doors!!

Creative Ideas for Your Elementary Classroom

Students place the clothespin labeled with their name on the appropriate cow to show the teacher quickly and visually if they would like to order white or chocolate milk that day for snack time.  This saves time for teacher and creates a fun little class-entry activity for the students.

Students move the sand around in order to find each letter of the alphabet hidden in the sand.

They then color the corresponding letter on their "alphabet sheet"

 the same color as the one they found in the sand.

Students turn the wheel to review how silent "e" changes the sound of the middle consonant. 

Students take turns drawing numbers and then counting out the number of beans or counters as the number card that was drawn.

Students then place the beans in the appropriately-labeled eggs and 

organize them in order from smallest to largest.

Finally, students clip their drawn cards on the clothespin number line in order from smallest to largest to reinforce counting skills.  

Centers In Action!

Using playing cards, students create two-digit multiplication problems and then work the problems on a dry erase board and check them using a calculator.

"I can" statements at each center give students a goal as they begin the center tasks.

Having centers identified helps students know where to go next and

 what they will be doing in the next center.

This is a great way to organize center supplies.

Teacher says a vocabulary word and then students race to "swat" the appropriate word.  The student with his/her flyswatter on the bottom of the fly-swatter stack after each round earns a point.

Word Scramble Center

This center works great for vocabulary review.

If you create several sets of the alphabet and laminate them, this center can be used over and over again with new vocabulary words.

Students take turns drawing a vocabulary word from a given set of word cards and then read the word aloud or create a synonym for the word and/or give the definition of the word.

The rest of the students in the center then race to build the answer using the letters in the middle of the table.