Sherri LoCurto's Teaching Corner

BULLYING

2011-03-31T20:11:00.000-07:00

It's a big topic in the news, and rightfully so. I always start the school year with "team building" exercises and planting the importance of feeling and being safe at school. Some lucky tykes get off the bus to a warm, loving family ready to talk about the day and assist with homework. Others, are not so lucky. I fear I've taken the approach of "how not to be a bully" more head on then "what to do if you are bullied". I also fear that these lessons are not frequent enough. Sigh...
It's never too late. My amazing second grade students started opening wounds of bullying today that was just the beginning of an ongoing lesson. Possibly a daily lesson. As I watch the news at night, or hear myself say during the day, "that's not very friendly, please say you're sorry", I recognize the importance to time devoted to a topic that will follow them throughout their lives. Pictures and updates to come.
For now, an incredible resource for elementary educators to access when planning lessons dealing with a topic that's tough...but necessary!!!

Word Sorting

2011-03-25T16:37:00.000-07:00

Word sorting with patterns /oi/ and /oy/. They love it!

Sharing Art with the Community

2011-03-19T22:35:00.000-07:00

Children's Art Walk
We signed up! I'm proud to announce that my brilliant second grade students will be involved with the Allied Arts children art event this year! I'm so excited to get started on their projects and perfect them before the big opening day. Art, what a great way to start May...

Happy St. Patricks Day

2011-03-17T22:06:00.000-07:00

I should have done my homework! And by homework, I mean eat lucky charms and distinguish each marshmallow for it's name and design. My school participated in a Nationwide Lucky Charms math lesson with counting, graphing and sorting the eight different marshmallow shapes that are mixed in the cereal box. However, this teacher didn't do her homework and the data was actually inaccurate up until lunch. I had my class graph the wrong marshmallows because I didn't have the ability to decipher which was which. It wasn't until eating lunch with a staff member that I found out the correct names of the marshmallows. Sigh... It only took a few minutes to fix the small error, but my students got it right, and we were able to enter our information on time! Our prediction was that the pots of gold marshmallow would have the greatest number, and rainbows would have the least.

It's time to Garden!

2011-03-12T18:32:00.000-08:00

Happy Spring also means Happy Gardening! Our school is fortunate enough to have a school garden which I am lucky enough to be on the committee. My students love it! We just started measuring the bulbs we planted a few months back, and now it's getting to the time where we get to plant again:) Here are some pictures of our garden in progress...

Teacher Talk on the Street

2011-03-12T12:01:00.001-08:00

David Matteson. He's the latest teacher talk on the street and he just happened to come to my school to give a training. When my literacy coach told me that David would be giving a lesson in my classroom and all the teachers would watch, I was more than excited! There's nothing more that I enjoy than showing off how smart and wonderful my students are.

Training day. I put on my most adorable teaching outfit and mentally prepared myself for day. It all happened so fast. Coffee in the morning. Chit chatting before the meeting began. The teachers from other schools were pouring into our school library with clipboards ready to take notes. I was getting more and more nervous as the time was getting closer.

Before the big day, I of course cleaned and organized my room, but it's not easy for a large group of people to go into your classroom, look around, and judge.

David was the person presenting the lesson. He sat my students on the carpet, surrounding them were about 20 teachers, a camera crew, superintendent, principals, and me...their proud teacher.

I cross my fingers and the lesson begins. It doesn't come to any surprise to me...but they did awesome! Raising their hands with comments like...

"you need to take out the e if your going to add an ing"

"don't erase, that takes too much time"

"you need to put an e at the end because the vowels says it's own name"

"igh makes the i sound"

"my teacher tells us that we're smart cookies"

The list goes on, but it was great! It's going to on video on his website and I hope to have access and share it with others. It feels so good when my students shine in front of others and reminds me that my job is important and giving it 110% is worth it in the end.

My classroom survived David Matteson. Not all teachers can say that.

"That Teacher"

2011-03-12T11:59:00.001-08:00

I admit it, I'm "that teacher" who brags about her students and their perfection. The teacher who raises her hand at staff meetings to share how awesome her students are. Yes, I'm that annoying teacher. Other teachers tend to roll their eyes and force a smile towards my comments. Today was different. Today was amazing! After my routine grading this morning, I realized my entire reading group with the exception of one passed their theme test with 80% or higher. The one child who didn't pass was only one quesiton off with a 78%. I was sooo proud of them today that I decided to have a little celebration. Not knowing that the grading would be superior, I had nothing planned (no cookies, treats, or games planned). So I improvised. After celebrating the scores, I told them that I wasn't going to teach a lesson today and they could have 30 minutes of free reading! The room burst into cheer! I spiced it up a bit letting them sit where they want, and even partner read! They were so excited and happy with their earned celebration. Wow. That's something to brag about. It was such an exciting teaching day for me today, and I bragged to everyone I saw! Here are some pictures I took during our little "passing reading celebration"

Other teachers thought I was crazy for using reading as a reward at the end of the day for those who earned the extra time. I've stuck with it, and now I have a room full of readers who love to read! That's something to celebrate:)

Professional Learning Community Summit

2011-02-27T19:03:00.000-08:00

Solution Tree put on a Professional Learning Community (PLC) Summit in Phoenix, AZ this past week. It was because of the grant that I helped write that allows groups of teachers to be flown around the globe to attend these summits. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Lummi Nation School is already implemented the PLC model, so I felt a bit ahead of the game which made me feel good. I still learned a lot and my questions regarding interventions were cleared up. I'm excited to get back to work and share the new knowledge from the past week.

Breaking into 2nd Grade

2010-09-09T21:29:00.000-07:00

As a first day ice breaker, I highly suggest "Chrysanthemum" by Kevin Henkes. It's a cute story about a young girl starting school and getting picked on for her awesome name. In the end, the character felt good about having a different name, and her peers were actually jealous. After reading the story and talking about the importance of names, my students used oil pastels to draw flowers surrounding their names. Today was only the second day, and I referenced that story at least three times in the past two days. It also gave me the idea to do some friendship building today. I declared today, (the second day of school) "friend day" and my kiddos loved it! I read a great book about how to be a good friend and then we created a poster titled, "tips on how to be a good friend". They were pretty creative with this activity and the poster turned out to be something we can hang in our room all year. Supporting a positive learning environment where the kids work together as teams is something that I strive for in my classroom. These two activities actually helped a bit.

The Beginning of Second Grade

2010-08-30T19:53:00.000-07:00

I think I'll start a teaching blog. Maybe the thought of another blog sounds brilliant because it's the end of summer and I could possibly be a bit bored and out of ideas to keep myself busy. I'll keep it to myself for now and see where it goes. I do have a lot of great teaching ideas, so why not take the time to write about them and share some photos. I can take some shots of my classroom in shambles as I get through the beginning of the year meetings with little time to spend in my actual classroom, and then after shots of when the room is ready for students. Let the creativity begin...

Goodbye first grade, I do love you.

2010-07-11T12:04:00.000-07:00

What a perfect year to dip my feet into general education and step away from the computer and stress of special ed. I couldn't have asked for a better group of students and first grade is pretty much the best years of life in my recently biased opinion. I liked it. I loved it. And now, I've been asked to teach second grade next year and I'm slowing digesting the idea as quickly researching trends in second grade. It scares me to learn a new grade, but I killed first grade, so why would second be any different? It'll be great, and most importantly, I have a job:)

Today was our last day and I did my best to put stress aside and have a perfect sunny day with my kids. We played duck, duck, goose, musical chairs, yearbook signatures, pictures with friends, all things wonderful required on the last day of school. I wasn't sad to say goodbye to them at the end of the day, and I think they were pretty excited to leave for the summer. I'm not teaching summer school because of dates and travel, so I have to wait for a few months to see their little faces again. I didn't dare tell my kiddos that they may have me as their second grade teacher. I figure a summer away from each other and a fresh start in the fall may just be the way to let them know they have me for another year:) As of now, I've got 17 students on my list for the fall. Sounds hefty compared to my 12 this year in first.

Honestly, I'm happy I have a job for next year and that I'm staying at the Tribal School. It really has been a wonderful year and I think I'll warm up to second grade after a few months. But for now, stress free summer full of travel and moving houses. Happy house hunting to us and happy summer to all...

WRITING RULES

2010-06-12T18:31:00.000-07:00

Author Study

2010-06-01T18:22:00.000-07:00

We did an author study this month and the kids really enjoyed it! We focused on characters, setting, problem and solution. It was an interesting approach to deepening their comprehension, but overall, success!

Robust Vocabulary Web

2010-05-12T18:20:00.000-07:00

Spring is Here!

2010-03-22T18:16:00.000-07:00

It's that beautiful time of year where flowers are starting to bloom and the sun is poking back out. I love Spring! Why not bring a little Spring into the classroom.

Healthy Eating

2010-03-12T18:06:00.000-08:00

Food Sense is an amazing organization in Whatcom County that will come out to schools and educate proper nutrition. My students love it! They learn, try new foods, ask questions...all around fantastic program!

Elephant Education

2010-02-11T18:25:00.000-08:00

My friend Gretchen Rumsey is an Elephant Guru, so she came into the classroom to provide some interesting education. The classroom was silent during her presentation, and the kids were in ah. She had brought some paintings back from Thailand and shared them with the students. Being inspired, everyone LOVED the painting exercise where they were allowed to use their mouths to paint. It was a great experience!

Antigua, Guatemala. 2006

2008-04-22T21:31:00.000-07:00

Some adorable students willing to let me take a snap. I volunteered for 3 days at a preschool in Antigua, Guatemala.

Surf Camp for Students with Autism

2008-04-22T21:25:00.000-07:00

San Diego, California, Summer 2006. Resources for Students with Autism hosts a surf camp each summer located at Mission Beach. The kids had a fantastic time and really enjoyed spending time in the ocean.

Kindergarten Bulletin Board (Life Cycle of a Butterfly)

2008-04-22T20:56:00.000-07:00

Grade: Kindergarten/ First
Stage one: for the egg, I just had students cut out the milkweed leaf and small yellow circles, and they glued them together.
Stage two: the caterpillar stage was more cutting for the students. I had drawn circles on various colored construction paper and they glued on goggly eyes and pipe cleaners for antenna.
Stage three: brown paper bags were stuffed with a picture of a caterpillar and then painted brown with a twist for image of a cocoon.
Stage four: was the most fun of all! We started with painting their feet black and stamping them on the paper. The little hands were painted and stamped for the butterfly wings. They loved this activity and it looks pretty cute too!

Behavior Management in an Autistic Classroom

2008-04-22T20:27:00.000-07:00

The students need to know and understand the teachers expectations. Adding pictures is supporting students who are not able to read yet. The class should review the chart each day before the chance to earn a ticket.

Again, students' need to be fully aware of expectations and consequences. When the student misbehaves, I had them touch the picture of their mistake and drop a ticket in a box. Each class will have different target behaviors that will need to be listed. If the child exhibits a behavior that is not on the list, they are not asked to give back a ticket.

Tickets are counted and turned into dots on a daily basis. The students should be the one counting the tickets and responsible for placing the dots on their personal chart. This activity is also a strong math lesson regarding one to one counting.

Depending on the teachers reward system, it should be clearly posted, well understood and reviewed often.

This behavior program was used to assist in a kindergarten/ first grade non-severe special day class. The majority of the students were diagnosed with Autism, therefor the benefits of picture support. Using tangible items places responsibility on the student for self-monitoring their own behavior. Each classroom will have different target behaviors so the charts should be designed for behaviors that need to be supported in the environment.

Slide into Teaching

2008-04-22T20:23:00.000-07:00

Introduction

2008-04-21T19:10:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my teaching site. My name is Sherri LoCurto and I am currently seeking a primary teaching position in the Pacific Northwest. I hold a valid teaching license in Washington State and California with endorsements of; Special Education, Multiple Subjects K-12, and English as a Second Language. I attended the College of Saint Catherine, Minnesota, receiving a Bachelor's of Science in Elementary Education. Continuing my education, I attended National University, California where I completed a Master's of Science in Special Education. Fortunately, I have experience in both teaching fields with a range of kindergarten through sixth grade.