Saturday 10 November 2012

New Discovery: Teacher Support Force

Thanks to Pinterest and my friend Melissa McCormick Roysdon, a Tennessee ESL teacher in DeKalb County, I have a wonderful new discovery to share with you!

Pat Jones, a teacher for almost 30 years in Georgia & North Carolina, writes a blog that is part of an amazing website called Teacher Support Force.

LET THE FORCE BE WITH YOU

The site is divided into sections: 
  • Aesthetics, which includes strategies using drama, art, dance, and music
  • Learning Environment, including cooperative learning, creative grouping, motivation, time management, and lowering stress
  • Reading, with coordination, vocabulary, Dolch sight words, reading fluency, and comprehension sections
  • Math, addressing the language of math, math word walls and centers, math and art, engaging the senses, and integer rules
  • Games & Strategies, including word walls, focus games, memory activities, and free games
  • The Early Years, featuring early childhood, parents, car games, benefits of play, reading together, and focus problems
The "pin" that grabbed my attention and took me to Pat's site was this one:

Citing the brain research of Dr. Fritz Mengert, she explains using a red dot in the center of a word to help kids focus on the middle of a word and not just the beginning (to stop guessing), as well as Using a Red Dot to Improve Fluency

I'll be letting Pat know that I linked to her site today; I can't wait to share it with the teachers at the school where I'm working as an Academic Specialist. I hope you'll find the site useful and that you'll let her know if you do!