11.18.2012

Handwriting Help!

To help some of my kiddos who are struggling with
correct letter formation and handwriting,
I created these activities to give some hands-on
and FUN practice!
{and my 3 1/2 year old is loving them too!!!}

Here's a preview of the pack and then some pictures
of them in action!













 You can check out my Handwriting Strategies pack in my
TpT shop here!

One lucky reader will win a free copy of this pack by leaving
a comment telling me any tips you have on having a student
teacher. I'm SO excited to have my first student teacher
next semester...so I'd love to hear any advice y'all got for me. :)
I'll randomly pick one commenter and the winner will be revealed
in my next post!
{which I plan on being my next teaching with style linky}
Photobucket

10 comments :

  1. When I was a student teacher something that I loved was that my teacher gave me a calendar of the time I was going to be their outlined every week of what I would be teaching, and the time of days. It was super nice because I was able to feel very prepared before that time came.

    Meg
    meagan.newbold@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. My tip would be to have her create a binder of all the lessons, activities, and patterns, so that when she teaches full-time (hopefully it will be the same grade), she is well prepared and ready!

    rmariemuniz@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. My teacher mentor included me in planning meetings with her team. This allowed me to see other teachers' approaches to addressing the same objective.

    I also would encourage her to keep a notebook and take plenty of pics of the cute things you guys create together.

    Constance
    crhdouglas@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Leanne! I just came over from your link! I had my first student teacher last spring. I had a really hard time "letting go" because she was so quiet and my class was just oh-so-loud. She did well and ended up getting a job at my school this year. The best thing I did was gave her my keys (shhhh- don't tell) and let her get ready for her solo week ALL by herself. She really thrived when I took a step back! LOVE your play-doh mats by the way. I will have to check these out for my 4 yr old and 3 yr old!

    Katie

    ReplyDelete
  5. As a very freshly former-student teacher (I student taught last spring and now have my own classroom), I can say that what I would have appreciated most as a student teacher was the opportunity to fail. Not every day, not frequently, but to fail at least once.

    As a first year teacher, I've learned the most from my failures. And because I was over-supported as a student teacher, I made some mistakes that I didn't have to make, and it made the learning curve of my first year steeper.

    I think we all have a tendency as teachers to want to support our colleagues as much as possible, but we sometimes forget failures are constructive learning experiences vital to improving our craft as teachers. Don't be afraid to let your student teacher fail; be there to support him or her in reflecting on and growing from the experience, and reassure him or her that we learn from our failures more than our successes.

    Sarah
    There's No Place Like Second Grade
    noplacelikesecond @ gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. I had my first student teacher this year as well and it was such a rewarding experience (and reminded me SO much of me as a student teacher only a few years ago!).

    My best advice, particularly for a student teacher who might be a bit apprehensive, is to dive in from the very first day. Reading to the class every day to develop confidence with the whole class. Time to work with the same students consistently while covering a topic allows them to see the development of student's understanding.

    Encouraging them to take photos of work samples and the classroom layout, and collecting copies of task sheets, planners, school guidelines, etc to give them something to take away and reflect on even after they've left.

    Good luck! I'm sure you'll have a ball!

    Stef
    Miss Galvin Learns
    stefanie.galvin@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  7. The best advice I can offer when you have a student teacher is making sure that she has her own space to work in and really feels like a part of the classroom. If you treat her like a co-teacher (in planning and teaching) right from the start she will quickly develop confidence! I would have her share the teaching in as many lessons as possible before she is completely responsible for the lessons on her own. Ask for her opinions while sharing yours. I'm sure you will both learn so much from each other! :o)

    Karyn
    Kideducator@comcast.net

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi Leanne,
    The best thing my master teacher did for me when I was a student teacher was be absent. I know that sounds strange, but I was actually a sub in the district at the time so when she was absent I was the sub/student teacher and that is when I could really be my self. You learn a lot when you are 100% in charge. Anyway, I was just stopping by to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving!

    Shawna
    The Picture Book Teacher's Edition

    ReplyDelete
  9. The best advice I have is from being a student teacher, not having one. I loved knowing exactly what my associate teacher wanted and expected from me. She was explicit in her instuctions and feedback. I knew where her personal space was (her desk) and I knew where mine was too. Bryn :-)

    ReplyDelete
  10. We had TWO student teachers for a month last September and the students LOVE them! We involved the student teachers in the entire teaching process during class hours and they came in handy as extra pair of hands during art and craft time. We also asked them to take photos of the kids while doing activities so that these could be posted in the class website to share with the parents. The kids were sad to see the student teachers leave but they do drop by every now and then to say hello to the kids!

    ReplyDelete