Sunday, December 6, 2009

Poem: Father

This is a first draft of a poem I'm thinking of sending to Chicken Soup for the Soul. It's free verse. Do you think I should rhyme it? Do you get the meaning? Do you think that fathers will relate to it? I'd appreciate any comments you could give to me. Thanks for your help.

Father
by Kathy Stemke

His sanctuary’s found at sea
With nature he is one

He sails with the wind on silent waves
And his spirit is free

Eyes bluer than the bluest ocean
Gaze, lost in thought

Wistfully, he ponders unfulfilled dreams
And questions the success of his life

If only he knew....
How I feel

Shakespeare, Einstein, Da Vinci, Bach,
To name just a few great men

Father,
Their merits are meaningless and trite
when compared to you.

Moving Through all Seven Days link:http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/moving-through-all-seven-days/7386965#http://www.helium.com/users/406242.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/237923/Kathy_stemke_dancekam.html
http://kathystemke.weebly.com
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Tuesday, December 1, 2009

MEET MARTHA SWIRZINSKI


The holder of a Bachelor’s degree in therapeutic recreation from Clemson University and a master’s from the University of Maryland in Kinesiology, Ms. Martha Swirzinski has more than 15 years of experience working in the field of movement with children. She is also a certified personal fitness trainer. She currently lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia with her husband and two daughters.

“More and more research is being developed about the rise of obesity in children,” notes Ms. Swirzinski, who teaches movement education in a local pre-school and offers teacher training workshops and customized consultations. At the same time, numerous studies continue to link increased brain function and movement, she explains. “Being active grows new brain cells!”

It is along this vein that Ms. Swirzinski has published three children’s books focused on movement. Using entertaining rhymes and charming pictures, these developmentally based books offer fun and creative ways for children to move while also providing mind stimulating activities on each page. Here's an excerpt from Leap...Laugh...Plop.



Physical fitness is the key to success.

Moving and stretching keep you at your best.

So get up and move, stretch and play.

Your body and brain will thank you all day.


By following the suggested activities, children can engage in 30-60 minutes of their recommended structured daily movement, as well as enhancing other mind/body skills. Designed to be enjoyed again and again, the pages of these books are filled with laughter, learning, movement and more.

Leap...Laugh...Plop concentrates on locomotor movements. Here's another excerpt.

Jumping is something you do with two feet.

You bend your knees and push up high from the street.


Ms. Swirzinski also challenges kids to think. Take a look at this excerpt.

Walk up high, now down low.

How about fast. How about slow.


Name some animals that walk high. How about low?

Can you pretend to be those animals?

Tell me your favorite animal and why.






Martha’s books are:
Leap…Laugh…Plop works on all of the locomotor skills
Guess…Giggle…Wiggle… has the children doing creative movement
Kick…Catch…Buzzzz.. addresses the manipulative skills
Her website is WWW.WholeChildPublishing.com


Kathy Stemke's websites:
Moving Through all Seven Days link:http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/moving-through-all-seven-days/7386965#http://www.helium.com/users/406242.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/237923/Kathy_stemke_dancekam.html
http://kathystemke.weebly.com
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Monday, November 30, 2009

25 Places to Find Science Projects On-line

Here's an excerpt from a great article about finding science projects on-line.

Science Kids at Home : The fun projects on Science Kids at Home blend creativity with science to create their own stretchy clays and polymers, build robots and sundials, and discover how sound works with a simple lyre made from a cardboard box and rubber bands. Beyond the artistic aspect, there are also experiments involving air pressure, temperature, and even observing the beautiful transition between caterpillar and butterfly. They offer 22 projects in total, touching upon some of the most basic elements of a broad variety of disciplines.

Click on this link to read the entire article:
http://onlinesciencedegrees.net/25-places-for-kids-to-find-science-projects-online/

Kathy Stemke's websites:
Moving Through all Seven Days link:http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/moving-through-all-seven-days/7386965#http://www.helium.com/users/406242.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/237923/Kathy_stemke_dancekam.html
http://kathystemke.weebly.com
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Saturday, November 28, 2009

SUPER POWERPOINT GAMES CAN BE ADAPTED TO YOUR NEEDS!

This is an easy site to use. Adapt your subject and grade level questions and answers to Jeapardy like games! Kids will want to play these games for hours. You can change the questions as often as you want. Have fun.

http://www.lexington1.net/technology/?page=instruct/powerpoint.htm#games

Kathy Stemke's websites:
Moving Through all Seven Days link:http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/moving-through-all-seven-days/7386965#http://www.helium.com/users/406242.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/237923/Kathy_stemke_dancekam.html
http://kathystemke.weebly.com
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Thursday, November 26, 2009

BLACK FRIDAY SALES AT LULU!

Although we can’t give away too many details on our Back Friday sale until the big day, I can tell you that, with a wide variety of savings on a number of different published products, there is something for just about everyone. In addition, a few lucky users who are the first to use their codes will be eligible to take advantage of savings of up to 70% off a select purchase.

Again, as is typical of Black Friday sales, discount codes are limited and on a few come, first use basis. So come back to the Lulu blog this Friday morning at 8am (EST) sharp and be the first to get one of our limited door-buster discounts.

Moving Through All Seven Days is finally available for purchase on Lulu for just $3.00! Just click on this link:

http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/moving-through-all-seven-days/7386965#

KATHY'S WEBSITES:
Moving Through all Seven Days link:http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/moving-through-all-seven-days/7386965#http://www.helium.com/users/406242.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/237923/Kathy_stemke_dancekam.html
http://kathystemke.weebly.com
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Sunday, November 22, 2009

PLEASE CHECK OUT MY FIRST BOOK TRAILER!

I actually put this trailer together myself. It was so much fun. Please let me know what you think. Does it tell you what the book's about? Is there anything missing? Did you enjoy seeing it? Thanks so much for your help. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!



Moving Through All Seven Days is finally available for purchase on Lulu for just $3.00! Just click on this link:
http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/moving-through-all-seven-days/7386965#
This book inspires movement as children learn about the days of the week. The lyrical rhymes also teach them how to spell each day! The activities at the end of the book are designed to reinforce the concepts as well as give impetus to movement exploration.
Kathy Stemke's websites:
Moving Through all Seven Days link:http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/moving-through-all-seven-days/7386965#http://www.helium.com/users/406242.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/237923/Kathy_stemke_dancekam.html
http://kathystemke.weebly.com
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Saturday, November 21, 2009

Tips for Teaching English Language Learners Successfully



Let's hear from Dorit Sasson, my guest blogger. As a teacher of ELLs, I know how challenging it is to keep the learning continuum at a high and discipline problems at a low. But still how is this all possible if students can’t read and understand the lesson? Or how is possible to meet each student’s needs when they are not catching up with their native English speaking peers? Just how is it possible to correctly assess students’ needs so that lessons match their learning styles and needs?

This work begins with the 97 tips which you’ll find in my electronic booklet or ebooklet, “Yes! You Can Teach K-12 English language learners Successfully” on how to teach ELLs more effectively. Here, you’ll find bite-sized tips for a bite-sized price on differentiated instruction, teaching vocabulary, improving reading comprehension and lessons and oral instruction among others. click here to purchase the book: http://www.tipsbooklets.com/index.php?page=prodlist.php&p=609&c=54 Following you'll find just 10 of the many tips you can find in my book.

1. Provide ELLs with opportunities to work
individually that allow them to progress at
their own pace. In a regular day to day lesson,
you can say to your class: “Do as much of question
5 as you can in 10 minutes,” or “Choose
which question you want to start with.”


2. Help English language learners master
the spelling and the vocabulary of different
lexical items by grouping words according
to their learning abilities (i.e., lower, middle, and
higher performing groups). You might also give
ELLs two lists of words: one required and one
optional.


3. Consider the needs of primary school
children when planning differentiated
lessons. Use small groups for short, focused instruction
when there is a small group of students
who struggle with an alphabet letter or sound.


4. Group children based on a book choice
that supports a theme. If the theme is survival,
for instance, each group of children would
read a different book that shares this theme.

5. Plan every lesson to include three parts:
a great beginning, an engaging middle,
and a satisfying ending. Planning reading lessons
strategically engages ELLs right away and, as a
result, fewer discipline problems occur.

6. Provide students with real-life learning
experiences that are connected to learning
both in and out of the classroom. Turn a dull
textbook subject into an active learning experience
that also relates to a real-life situation. Students
love the subject of “money.”

7. Pre-teach vocabulary using the student’s
native language if possible. Using an
ELL’s mother tongue is one way to integrate ELLs
in the general education classroom.

8. Check work regularly. Build on students’
lack of understanding to re-explain and
re-teach certain learning concepts.

9. Break complex content into manageable
portions or steps. Keep it simple with
small amounts of information and directions presented
at a reasonable pace to succeed.

10. Create simple systems like a “buddy system”
where an ELL is paired with a native
English speaking student. This eases isolation
and helps an English language learner adjust to
his/her new classroom.

To get more great tips from Dorit visit her websites:
www.newteacherresourcecenter.com
www.newteachersignup.com
sassondorit@gmail.com

Kathy's websites:
Moving Through all Seven Days link:http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/moving-through-all-seven-days/7386965#http://www.helium.com/users/406242.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/237923/Kathy_stemke_dancekam.html
http://kathystemke.weebly.com
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