We’re thrilled to be able to provide Reading Series to every Fast ForWord site. Last year, three of our sites piloted this series with some students who completed Fast ForWord processing exercises. The positive responses from both students and teachers have moved us forward in this opportunity. Reading Levels takes the same approach as Fast ForWord…
Category: How To's
Visual Bookmarks
Bookmarking is probably the one of the most useful methods for gathering and storing a huge range of information. Of course, the key is retrieving that content when needed. More importantly in a classroom, you know your bookmarks have been vetted – a starting point for research and deep questions. I’ve been playing with multiple…
And Away We Go …
So much happens in the Fall term: anticipation and plans for the year, crackle of leaves, weather gets a bit more blustery and there’s a definite “autumn feel”. We had a fabulous 2 days of Learning – Intro to Fast ForWord last week. I was thrilled to be part of the journey as we…
A New Look for 2011-2012
You might have already taken a peek at your Fast ForWord stations and discovered a new look to the Gateway icon and program. All sites have been upgraded to version 5, which offers not only a sleeker view but some differences in the way the program launches. Click here for instructions about launching the new Demo….
Happy New School Year
Welcome back to another year of fabulous discoveries, happenings and journeys. My summer was packed as usual with family things and events, connecting with old friends and making new friends in new places. Oh and lots of food, great food! We grew at the end of June! We’re very excited that Stoney Creek has joined our…
Visual Supports
For those of you on the constant search for visual supports for your students, here are a couple of good sites. ConnectABILITY allows you to create your visual supports via multiple ways. It pulls from Boardmaker images or include your own images. Here’s an opportunity for you to bring out the photographer in you! The…
Cleaning up student data (move, change, delete)
Hi Everyone, For those of you on version 5, needing process for changing, moving, deleting student data (clean up) see HOW TOs – Student Data.
Prevention is easier than Intervention
Imagine a week where no red flags appear in Progress Tracker – those crazy hints that you may have to readjust your teaching. This is one of the reasons that it is important to work through the exercises yourself so that you get a feel for any problems that may crop up for your students. …
Words Their Way – Shedding Light on Process
Words Their Way is a program that offers a developmental curriculum for phonics/spelling instruction, reading fluency and vocabulary development. The hands-on activities engage students as they actively categorize their ‘word sorts’ and the assessment inventory provides a clear indicator of where each student is in the process. We’ve been working with a new group of…
Why No Progress! Intervention layers…
A small group recently got together to tackle Progress Tracker – the reporting engine that provides an incredible amount of data to sift through. Here are some of the highlights of what was gleaned at our Interventions learning session (January 18, 2011): Prior to an intervention process, assess the situation: direct observation of student (what…
It’s All About Reading – Learning Session
Our learning session on the new Reading Series is on Tuesday January 11 (3:30-5:30) at Schou – TLC. Our connecting questions: How does the new Reading exercises help to bridge students to gaining reading skills? What practices provided in the exercises can be shared in larger groups with classroom teachers? What students can best benefit…
January 2011 – Learning on the Calendar
Welcome to 2011. It’s the start of a new year and just the time to check what’s happening in the calendar. Since we moved our Learning Session Registrations online, we’ve had many people say how easy it is to check for events and to register. However, because it is so dynamic, sometimes in our busyness…
Social Bookmarks Dilemma
Many of you have heard the recent flood of comments over the e-waves about delicious.com and its demise. While the company isn’t exactly saying what’s happening to this tool, I can just imagine how people are feeling about the news. I use it myself to organize my bookmarks to share with you. But knowing that…
New Reading Products Info and Support
For those sites who are having the Reading Products installed, instruction manuals are located in the tab above > HOW TO’s. Date for learning: Tuesday January 11, 2011. (3:30-5:30pm) Schou – TLC Session will focus on introduction, focus of exercises, assessment, connections to reading and administrative setup with hands-on practice.
Power in Interventions
Wow! We just finished our Interventions Day with Tom Chapin and what an amazing day. For some it was an introduction to Progress Tracker and the implications of what the data was showing us. For others it was a new twist on what we knew. Everyone took away a new found appreciation for both using…