Sparkle Learning

 I am going to start making pages instead of blog posts for the letters I think! But until then here you go: 

You can never have enough  phonics songs  on standby, and they are my favorite to use during transitions when some kids are done with an activity and others are still finishing up. Plus, some of these are SUPER enjoyable for the kids, and it is fun to hear them sing the songs later in the day. They have no idea they are actually learning more language skills. :)  Here are a few of the favorites (which are also calming), and I will add more as time goes on. 

Back in 2010, I used an excellent online tool (before apps were in existence) to create virtual layouts of my classroom before I started moving things around. I believe I discovered the tool while working on my master's degree.  The website was called Classroom Architect , and it used Adobe Flash Player (which is no longer supported). It made pictures like this:  Now I am on a mission to find something else that would serve the same purpose.  Do you know of any? I would prefer to have it online and not an app, I don't need another app on my phone.  

  Differentiated Instruction  - Resources  Hi! I am taking a class on differentiating instruction, and I figured I would save all the resources and links here.  I am just starting the class and will add more each day as I work on the next module.  After the class ends I will continue to add more as I find them too.  Do you know of any good resources I should check out?  Growth Mindset and Student Achievement and Success (athlosacademies.org) Fixed vs. Growth: The Two Basic Mindsets That Shape Our Lives – The Marginalian Differentiating Instruction: It’s Not as Hard as You Think - YouTube Understanding Differentiated Instruction - YouTube Podcast: A Look at Differentiated Instruction - Steve Barkley (barkleypd.com) 7 Reasons Why Differentiation Works Links to an external site. ” (Article, PDF) 5 Fallacies That Are Not Differentiated Instruction Links to an external site. ” (Article, PDF) Differentiation Flow Chart Links to an external site.  (PDF) ...

Hi! I am a special education teacher on leave for nine years (at the time of writing this post) after adopting my foster son. Last year, I started subbing for our local district. One thing I realized is that I lost all the fantastic learning resources that I had bookmarked. I am sad but at the same time excited because this means I can start fresh with fresh stuff. As a sub, I get the pleasure of being in many classrooms and learning about many new resources that didn't exist when I was full time. It also reminded me of all the excellent resources I loved and used in my previous classroom. I came up with the idea of starting a new webpage/blog, so I will begin collecting resources for one day when I return full-time. Until then, I enjoy subbing and meeting many staff members and students across the district. This blog/webpage is just getting started, and it might be super basic at first, but hopefully, it will grow into a valuable tool for myself and anyone else who wishes to use...