I do have some good news though. "Clarinda Cloud" has been relaunched and is better than ever. Same great text encouraging young children to identify and share their feelings with more professional looking illustrations. Do you know a young child who would benefit from this important building block to wellness? Buy at Create Space Buy at Amazon.com Buy on Kindle Buy at Barnesandnoble.com Thank you. |
Hello everyone. You may have noticed that I haven't been doing the other blogs on the site. I am trying new things to try to get quality work out to you in the most effective way possible. So, please bear with me while this transformation takes place. I may be a bit short on the blog posts. Although, when it is all said and done, I hope it will be worth it for all of us. Thank you!
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Hello everyone. It is getting close to the beginning of school. So, I created name tags. Clarinda Cloud has her name tag. She is ready for school. This is perfect for all the elementary teachers and guidance counselors out there as well as preschool teachers and daycare providers. However, this is not just a regular name tag. If you have read the book, "Clarinda Cloud," you can also ask children to point to the cloud that shows how they are feeling at any particular moment in the day. It is a great way for a student to be able to show you that he or she is happy, angry, scared, shy, sorry, sad…etc… through out the day in an inconspicuous way. Never heard of Clarinda Cloud or her books? That is okay. You can find out more information on her website at www.ClarindaCloud.com. Want to buy one or both of the Clarinda Cloud books? * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Okay, here is the good news! I will give you a sheet of eight blank name tags for you to download, copy, print, and use for you students as a thank you gift. All you have to do is buy a book, share this post, or help me promote these books, my author site, or DUO Education. Yes, just for sharing, you can get a sheet of eight 3"x2.5" blank Clarinda Cloud name tags. Or, all you have to do is subscribe to this blog by email above. Which ever action you choose to get your thank you gift is fine with me. Just email me, comment below, or contact me in some way to show me proof that you did it. It will be my pleasure to email to get you the free download. (Offer ends December 31, 2014.)
Hello everyone. At this time of year, I start to think about the goals I have made for this year...whether I accomplished them or not. If so, how well. If not, why not. So, today's post is all about goals. First, I tried to teach my students the importance of setting goals. I make sure that I say it in a way where the children felt comfortable with it. I included that everyone has something to work on or do. So, in order to work on it or do it, we often set goals. Even then young kindergarteners understood the concept. They enjoyed seeing their progress and achieving their goals. Not only that, but they felt like they had some say in what they were learning. I tried to promote setting and achieving goals throughout the year. However, usually after major assessments, I would talk with children about their skills. The level of the conversation was based on the level of the child's understanding. Sometimes it was in the form of a simple choice. "What do you want to work on for your goal, learning more letters or learning more numbers?" Sometimes it was a little more specific. "You have five more letters to learn, you have 2 more numbers, or 10 more sounds. Which one do you want to work on for your goal?" Sometimes it was an open-ended question. "What would you like to work on for your goal?" Often they weren't true goals with specific steps and a specific time frame, etc. But, it was definitely a start for kindergarten students. After the students chose their goals, I wrote them on a 3x5 index card similar to the one pictured. I named the goal and ideas of how to help the child achieve it. I also sent home a general note to parents explaining the goal setting, encouraging parents to help their children, and giving more ideas on how to practice each skill. This was in addition to their normal work and homework. It wasn't graded or anything. It only helped them and never took away from their regular work. It did take a few minutes away from class time. But could often be done in a few minutes as they came in the door or finished an activity early, etc. I thought it was well worth it! As stated earlier, this is the time of year when I think quite a bit about goals. It is true! I have been doing just that! I am considering my goals for next year. I have some ideas and am planning some things for 2014. Yet, I would like to hear your comments, questions, ideas, inputs, and feedback as well. What would you like to see happen at DUO Education? New blog ideas? New classes? New programs? New services? New pages? Blogging more than once a week? Different page layouts? More activities? More news? More teaching strategies? More educational products? More guest bloggers? Please comment or contact me with any ideas. And, the more specific you can get, the better. Thank you! This is the last post about the "Clarinda Cloud" giveaway contest for the year. This contest is in hopes of getting comments to help me with my goals by sharing your ideas for the site with me: Here is the last "Clarinda Cloud" contest of the year! This one, everyone can do! All you have to do is answer a couple of questions. You can answer the ones here, the ones atwww.ClarindaCloud.com on Clarinda Cloud's Feelings Blog, or atwww.AuthorJodiDesautels.weebly.com on my author blog. Of course, answering them at all three is good too! LOL! A winner will be chosen from all the entries at the end of the month. If nobody answers at least two of the questions, I will find a place to donate a copy. If you want to comment, but would rather donate a book to someone, feel free to do that as well. (Please, U.S. addresses only at this time.) Thank you! Here are your two questions for this site: 1. Please explore the site and blog. What is your favorite blog post and why? 2. Please explore the site. What else would you like to see on the site and why? A class? If so, what kind? Another type of activity? If so, what kind? Homework help? More guest bloggers? If so, what kind? More teaching aids? If so, what kind? What would you like to see out of this site? What else would you like to see me offer? *Also my ebooks, "Johnny's Adventure Makes Reading Fun" and "Clarinda Cloud" are free today on Kindle. I hope you will take advantage of this opportunity to get your copies. I would love to know what you think of them. Thank you! Next Wednesday is Christmas! I will not be posting on Wednesday, but will write a simple post on Tuesday wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. Hi everyone! How are you today? I thought I would include an activity that I used to do with my kindergarten class about this time of year. It is a great activity to practice beginning sound for kindergarten and preschool classes. Back then, I used a template that was drawn by someone else. This is a stocking that I drew. (LOL! I hope it looks like a stocking.) The activity is simple. You ask children to fill the stocking with things that start with "s." That means they will draw things that start with "s" all over the stocking. At this point in the year, my students were usually just starting to put letters and sounds together to write their own words. So, often I would have them try to label their drawings as well. For some of them, the labeling would just include making an "s" next to the object. For others, I would expect them to write down as many of the sounds in the word as they could. I usually made a big deal out of this activity. It came at a perfect time to use it for some informal assessments. I would have the students color the items they drew as well as the stockings. Then, we would all get in a circle on the floor in order to share our drawings. Yes, I did one too! I also displayed them all on the wall or bulletin board. I was able to assess things such as: the letter and sound correspondence, the ability to hear sounds in a word and write them down, fine motor skills, and speaking in a group. Depending on your setting (home, public school, private school, etc.) and your limitations. You could also use this activity as the beginning to a talk about the tradition of hanging stockings at Christmas time. Or, you could ask children if there is anything in their stocking that they would like for Christmas. Notes and Announcements Yes, first of all, I would like to say that I am gearing up for some exciting things in 2014. I would like to do what I can to bring more traffic to the site, get more interaction, and supply more educational information, services, activities, etc. My hope is to build a nice community or even "family" of educators and learners. If you have any ideas, I would love to hear them. Feel free to comment here or contact me. Secondly, my ebooks are going to be free on Kindle on December 17th and 18th. It would be a great time to check them out and perhaps even give a review! Please check out "Clarinda Cloud" and "Johnny's Adventure Makes Reading Fun" on Amazon.com. Taking advantage of an ebook giveaway is a great way to pick up new books, decide whether you would like to have a book in softcover, or write a review for an author. I am not a big fan of ebooks for children. However, they do make it easier to bring along your child's favorite books for vacations, trips to the movies, shopping trips, etc. If you have any questions or comments about my books, or ideas for me to use in future books, that you would like to share with me, please feel free to contact me. Speaking of book giveaways, I am going to be co-hosting (with author/illustrator Virginia Wright) and participating in a Facebook event called, "2nd Annual Author Christmas Giveaway," on December 17th. Various authors are going to be getting together online to give away their books either in ebook form or softcover form. If you are on Facebook, please feel free to stop by. You are all welcome! It is a great way to chat with authors online! Also, please remember that I am having a book giveaway contest for "Clarinda Cloud" for the month of December. Really, I am looking for feedback on my sites and interaction. However, I am happy to giveaway a book in the process. It is a win/win for both of us, right? Please follow the links for the blog posts on these sites for more information and to comment. I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you! *DUO Education Learning Blog *Clarinda Cloud's Feeling Blog *What is New with Jodi Desautels? Hi everyone! I saw this whimsical little cover come across my Facebook page. Aren't the snowmen adorable? I am FB friends with the author, so I inquired about it! "Snowman's 'Noggin and Neck' Award" by Joyce Mitchell is primarily a wordless book. The book is about Prancer and Blitzen (two of Santa's reindeer) go around the neighborhood looking at all the snowmen. The only words are an introduction, an ending, and labels for the home where the snowman was built. Wordless books like this one have great educational value. It leaves so much for the imagination of young children who can't read. Wordless books get children thinking about the story, by getting them to look at the picture and make up their own story. This leads to using the pictures as cues for figuring out the words as a strategy when they really start to read. In this particular book, where the images are similar... different looking snowmen in various yards. Venn diagrams can be done on two different images at a time. It is a great book for lessons on similarities and differences. And, the topic of cute little snowmen makes it that much more exciting for the children, especially in the winter months. "Snowman's 'Noggin and Neck' Award" is currently only available as an ebook at the moment. You can find it on Amazon.com by pressing the title text or the picture image. You can connect with Joyce on her Facebook page. She has other children's books listed there. I haven't read all of them, but hope you find one that you enjoy! Notes and Announcements:*First of all, you may have noticed, but Clarinda Cloud is getting a new cover! Instead of the plain cover that she has now, she is getting the one below. So, if you see it, know that it is the same great story with a different cover. She will be unavailable for a day or two during the switch. *Secondly, I am always looking for guest bloggers, friendly and inspiring educational sites to visit, etc. I also give shout outs at times...for innovative educational sites and ideas. If you would like to guest blog or if you have an educational site, article, or product you would like me to see... please feel free to contact me. Here is the last "Clarinda Cloud" contest of the year! This one, everyone can do! All you have to do is answer a couple of questions. You can answer the ones here, the ones at www.ClarindaCloud.com on Clarinda Cloud's Feelings Blog, or at www.AuthorJodiDesautels.weebly.com on my author blog. Of course, answering them at all three is good too! LOL! A winner will be chosen from all the entries at the end of the month. If nobody answers at least two of the questions, I will find a place to donate a copy. If you want to comment, but would rather donate a book to someone, feel free to do that as well. Thank you! Here are your two questions for this site: 1. Please explore the site and blog. What is your favorite blog post and why? 2. Please explore the site. What else would you like to see on the site and why? A class? If so, what kind? Another type of activity? If so, what kind? Homework help? More guest bloggers? If so, what kind? More teaching aids? If so, what kind? What would you like to see out of this site? What else would you like to see me offer? Hello everyone! Today, I have a guest blogger. Please give a warm welcome to children's author, Sandra Portman! She is here to tell us about her educational children's books! And...what caught my eye is that they are interactive! Sandra, please tell us a little about yourself and your books. Now that I am retired, I get to play and do things I couldn't do while I was raising a family and working. I guess it's not so much that I couldn't do them, but there never seemed to be enough time and I really wanted to concentrate on my children and my husband. I worked long hours and I spent most of my free time cooking and baking fresh food for the family. Now that I have "all the time in the world," I wanted to explore my childhood love of reading and writing. Back then, I spent a lot of time with friends making up stories and games for our never-ending list of clubs. I don't remember why this was so important to us, but we always had a new club for some new adventure or hobby. We even made invitations for the new club and went through the neighborhood inviting other kids to join. LOL! That sounds like fun! I wish I was in your neighborhood back then.LOL! Children love colorful, fun, and silly books. Funny rhymes, silly situations, and the stories that make them laugh need to be in a child's little reading library. With the emphasis on early learning and the fierce competition to succeed today, digital books are an excellent choice for parents who want to introduce concepts to their children. Children are curious and with the levels included in these books, many children will want to read further. Some will find the buttons and have fun with them, just to see the page move. Other children will be happy to look at the same pictures until they have matured to the cognitive level to learn more. I encourage parents to help their children to learn the joy of reading by interacting with the books they have. At the same time, their children will become curious to learn more, ask questions, and be open critical thinking as they grow and mature. My second venture into writing for children came with a new series for pre-school children. I wanted to explore the use of interactive functions within digital books. I could just imagine the fun kids would have choosing the correct answer and clicking on a button. All I needed was bright, colorful pictures ad buttons. Starting from birth, these books could start out with just the pictures from which the kids would learn subliminally. This would have been a nice series of books for each stage of learning up to kindergarten, but I thought it would be much more fun to have all the books in one volume. Each of my children had a favorite book during those years that they wanted to read all the time. As parents, we quickly become bored and tired of the favorite book, but they don't. To take advantage of this favorite reading habit of young children, all I did was extend the early concepts to take advantage of the levels of learning from birth to age four. This meant children would have their favorite book with all their favorite pictures that grows with them. There are two books in the series to learn the numbers and the alphabet. Each book has four levels of learning:
Developing the Books I don't use fancy software or tools when writing my books. All my books are written using Microsoft Word. In this series, the first two levels mainly use pictures and pointing to introduce children to the concept of numbers and the alphabet. In "Learn the Numbers," level 3 is used to teach children to point to each number in a collage of numbers and say the number. In level 4, children are introduced to counting. They are presented with multiple pictures on a page and given a multiple choice answer. To answer the question, they press the correct button that corresponds to the number of pictures. If the correct button is pressed to answer the question, they proceed to the next question. If the answer is not correct, they are given the opportunity to answer the question again. In my "Learn the Numbers" book, each multiple choice answer must lead the reader to a function; either the answer is correct or it is not. One answer will take the reader to a new section for the next question; the other two buttons will take the reader to the error message section. Interactive Fiction Books My new series, "Nathan, Family & Friends" are fiction stories around 2K words. In 2014 I am going to explore the use of interaction to have the reader decide where the story should go. For example, what happens to a character when different choices are made? This simulates real life and will help children learn to think before taking actions which could negatively affect their life. I have one quick question for you before we reveal your books and sites to people, Sandra. Do you remember what it was like to learn the alphabets and numbers when you were young? When I was in school, the process of learning the numbers and the alphabet was so tedious. There wasn't much time spent on these concepts before first grade. Once we started learning about them in school, it was very academic, repetitive, and I thought - very boring. I remember using flashcards; they were black and white and strictly used to test our ability to identify what was on the card. I also remember being very shy as a child and how embarrassing it was for me when I couldn't keep up with the flashcards. Yes, there were quite few flashcards around when I was growing up today. There are still some today and at times, I think they have their place. I think they are better for self-study than group study though. And, I think they are probably better for learners who are older than the little ones who are learning the alphabet and numbers for the first time. But... I agree, I believe that there are far more fun and exciting ways to learn things besides using flashcards! I am all about the fun in learning here! And, I think interactive books are a great way to make learning fun! Sandra's blog: www.sandralportman.com You can also find Sandra on her social media sites: Goodreads Here are Sandra's two educational books. Please push the book cover images for the direct links on Amazon: Notes and Announcements:*My character, Clarinda Cloud, has her own blog now! She will be blogging on Wednesdays, just like me. Her blog is mainly about feelings! Please feel free to explore her site at www.ClarindaCloud.com and also visit her "Clarinda Cloud's Feelings Blog."
*There is still time to win a free copy of the "Clarinda Cloud Activity Book." You can find out more information on the contest on this post. Also, there is a list of names of waterfalls that gives you a hint to the answer. And, Clarinda Cloud gives a couple of new hints in her blog post this week. Good luck! *I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Hanukkah this week! Hi everyone! Today I am featuring a word search. This one is a rhyming word search. There are many "make your own word search" programs out there. I did this one using Microsoft Word and Photoshop. I also put a prompt to write a sentence using one of the set of rhyming words at the bottom. I think word searches are fun teaching tools to help with reading and spelling. Word recognition and recognizing the correct spelling of a word are helpful reading skills. Feel free to use this one. Also, if you have any ideas or requests for any other word searches, please feel free to comment or contact me. Thank you! Giveaway Contest Everyone likes a chance for a free book, right? Do you know the name of the waterfall pictured here? Do you know where in the world is Clarinda Cloud? If so, comment your answer for a chance to win the book. I will give you a hint. It is in my home state of Vermont! If you don't know.... that is okay. Please comment your suggestion of an elementary school, library, daycare, or children's counselor where I should donate the book if nobody guesses the correct answer. (U.S. addresses only at this time, please.) A free "Clarinda Cloud Activity Book" will be given away at the beginning of next month either way. Thank you! Please Explore the Site I just want to remind everyone that it is a good idea to explore the site on a regular basis. I try to add things often. There is much more to this site than the blog. (Although, I try to make the DUO Education Learning Blog fun and informative as well.) Speaking of adding things regularly, I am thinking about making the picture to the left DUO Education's new logo. What do you think? Anyway, there are many helpful pages on DUO Education. Do you or do you know anyone who needs help in math, reading, writing, or study skills? DUO Education offers online tutoring services. It is affordable, individualized, and friendly. How about having an author or illustrator guest speak in your class or library with The Storyteller's Tale Webinar series via the internet? I also have pages with books, activities, and posters that I have created. And... don't forget the game room, where you can play non-violent, educational and strategic games. I constantly try to make DUO Education: new, fun, appealing, educational, insightful, inspiring, and different. I try to make it a community of learning. Please, let me be a resource for you... and if there is anything you want to share, promote, ask, or whatever... please feel free to contact me. Hi everyone! Last month I started a monthly giveaway from now until the end of the year. Nobody guessed where Clarinda Cloud was, so I will be donating a copy of "Clarinda Cloud" to a library. By the way, she was at Hartman's Farm Stand in Sheldon, Vermont. (Please stop in, if you are in the area. They have great produce. And, no, I am not related nor do I get paid in anyway for saying that.) Time for another book giveaway contest! As you can see the "Clarinda Cloud Activity Book" is Photoshopped into a picture of a waterfall. Which waterfall is it? Do you know? Where in the world is Clarinda Cloud? Please comment your answer for a chance to get a free copy and if you don't know, please just comment the name of the elementary school, daycare, library, or children's counselor in the U.S. where you would want me to donate it if nobody guesses. (U.S. addresses only at this time, please.) Good luck! Now, for the educational news of the day: LOL! (I can't say that... a chance to win a wonderful activity book focused on identifying and sharing feelings as well as other basic skills is fantastic educational news as well!) I have been creating educational materials and activities lately. Here is one on nouns. Many times children will enjoy learning if you make it fun or silly! I know I enjoy learning if it is fun... not always when it is silly, but sometimes. This activity is based upon the old "Madlibs" game. It just prompts the child to fill in a noun. The answer is correct if there is a noun on the line. But... you can challenge the student to fill in the silliest noun for the sentence. The great thing about a sheet like this is that you can use it for multiple purposes. It can be used simply as a language arts lesson. But.... you can also use it as a bunch of writing prompts for silly and imaginative stories. You can use it as a lesson in description. You can also have students draw a picture depicting each sentence. There are man possibilities! Please feel free to use me as a resource. If there is a particular activity or skill that you want addressed, feel free to comment below or contact me. Thank you! Hi everyone! Today I decided to recreate an activity page that I did for my brother years ago, when I was first teaching him how to read and spell. I was only like seven or eight at the time. This is a simple match the word to the picture activity. It can be used as part of a spelling or reading lesson. Here I drew simple pictures. And, I mixed up the labels for the pictures on the right hand side. Why did I choose to show you this activity? I did it for a few different reasons. First of all, I did it to give you some insight as to the type of activities I used to teach my brother reading and spelling when I was a young child. Apparently a teacher gave me similar activity at one time. I enjoyed it, so I thought my brother would enjoy it as well. What a wonderful way to tell that it is an effective tool... have a child spontaneously give the same activity to her brother in "playing school." Secondly, this activity is fairly easy to do. And, you don't have to be an artist in order to do it. When I was little, sometimes I would give blank squares and have my brother even draw the pictures. And, today, there is clipart that can be easily used at home. I did this in Photoshop, but back then I did it with pencil and paper. Sometimes, I would turn it into a coloring activity as well and have my brother color the pictures after he was done the matching. Finally, this activity in an example of something that can be done together with your child. I had a homeschooling mom tell me once that she wanted to wait until she could buy a curriculum until she taught her children. But... there are things you can do without a curriculum. Learning doesn't always need a curriculum. Learning can be a spontaneous, spur of the moment sort of thing. The point is... the most effective teaching is when you make the subject fun. It isn't the curriculum you choose. It isn't something that has to be complicated. Sometimes the motivation to learn is to spend some quality time with a loved one. You don't have to be perfect at teaching, just willing to try. Please remember that you still have a chance to get a copy of Clarinda Cloud donated to your favorite elementary school, library, daycare, or children's counselor. I have already given the hint that this photo was taken in Franklin County, Vermont. Yes, "Clarinda Cloud" is on a tractor. The tractor is at a place that sells many pumpkins. Any idea where it might be? That is okay... even if you don't, please comment with the name of the elementary school, library, daycare, or children's counselor you would like to receive the book. (Please, U.S. addresses only at this time.) I will donate one, even if nobody knows the answer. Good luck! Thank you! Hi everyone! Not too long ago, I shared a presentation on multiplication practice. I have decided to show how the same presentation format can be used as a multiplication quiz. This format would be great for in class quizzes, for a small group or whole group activity, for homework, and for schools as well as homeschoolers. There are 20 multiplication questions here. Each has a five second delay in order to give time for answering the question. The quiz has a frame instructing students to number their papers from one to twenty if it is to be a written quiz. You can pause the presentation to allow time to do that, if the given time is not long enough. I know that this technology could serve great purposes as learning tools. If you have a subject or skill you would like me in which you would like me to use for a presentation, please feel free to contact me. Reminder: There is still time to tell me where you think I should donate a copy of "Clarinda Cloud." Do you know where this photo was taken? It seems to be difficult. To be true, Vermonters may have an advantage. I will give you a hint. It was taken in Franklin County, Vermont. Do you know where? If you want a chance to win a copy of "Clarinda Cloud" for yourself, you can comment the name of the place on my author site. If you don't know, still leave a comment as to which elementary school, library, daycare, or children's counselor I should donate a copy. (If nobody guesses, I am still going to donate a copy. Please only U.S. addresses at this time.) Good luck! Thank you! |
Jodi DesautelsJodi Desautels is a wife and mother. She is a life-long learner, educator, author, illustrator, crafter, creator, and photographer. She lives by two rules: "The Golden Rule" and "Live. Laugh. Love." Archives
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