Jeanne Guthrie
156 Followers
Overland Park, Kansas, United States
About the store
Like most of you reading this profile, I am a lover of children, a care-giver, and a dedicated teacher. I spent 32 years in the classroom before retiring several years ago. During my tenure as a teacher in the elementary grades, I was on a myriad of writing committees, including those that developed the benchmarks for the district. As a literacy coach, I was able to present at both local and state levels at both the Reading and Math conferences. I co-authored a book, Beyond Book Buddies, by Corwin Press. I have also written for the internet and been a critical reader for both Scott Foresman and Corwin Press. As a teacher I wrote and received many grants at both the state and local level. During these last years, I have been writing units of study for my daughter who teaches in Texas. She has been able to use and adapt them for her Special Ed students of high school age, a task for all teachers using units and lessons of study written by others. The method of teaching should be the decision of the teacher and should meet the needs of the students he/she teaches.
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Unit Writing Activities About Navajo Code Talkers of WWII
This is a multi-task unit using the Navajo Code Talkers of WWII as the source of information. Students learn the history of these brave, but slowly disappearing, soldiers of WWII while learning literacy tasks as varied as writing poetry. using cause/effect, creating posters, or any other of the 20 tasks listed in the Teacher's Guide.
Graphic organizers for the unit are the following:
Task
Letter Form
Fact Sheet
Vocabulary Thinking
Vocabulary Words
Vocabulary Application
Main Idea/Detail
Headl
5th - 9th
English Language Arts
Less Is More: A Unit to Teach Students to Take Notes
Overview: Note-taking, or paraphrasing, is defined as taking the words of another and putting those words or ideas into your own words. Paraphrasing for comprehension is writing those ideas to learn material presented. Using all the modes of communication - reading, writing, listening, and speaking - students better understand and learn the context of both the written and oral word. This unit will teach students to focus on main idea and details, find important concepts, and identify the auth
3rd - 10th
English Language Arts
Learning to Write a Research Paper
Learning to probe for more in-depth study prepares students for the many research papers they will be asked to write in their future years of education. Beginning researchers must learn to narrow a topic from a general topic to a more specific one. They must learn to formulate a thesis beyond that of making a factual statement or an observation. Writing must be in logical order, and the concluding paragraph should end the paper in a memorable way; a question, a comparison, a call to action, o
3rd - 9th
For All Subjects
Sub Folder for Literature Activities
I'm sure you've experienced the following situations: It's late in the afternoon, you're tired, and ready to go home. All of a sudden, your principal calls you in to tell you that he's "chosen" you to go to an all day meeting at the district office. How lovely! Or, perhaps you feel like you're getting sick and know that you'll be out tomorrow! What in the world will you plan for your students?! You know that you can't continue those projects you've started (No sub would have a clue!) and
3rd - 8th
Creative Writing, English Language Arts, Reading
Science Experiments to Do at Home
Science screams experiments, and all boys and girls love to jump into an experiment! What better way to involve parents than to ask them to participate with their child in a performance-based activity using the Scientific Method. The experiments take a bit of time to set up, but all are easy enough with a bit of parental guidance.
Only five projects are included: Wind, Water Conservation, The Skin of the Human Body, Classifying with Venn Diagrams, and Surface Tension. It is hoped that you wil
3rd - 6th
Basic Principles, General Science
Realizing the Importance of the Declaration of Independence
Overview: There are many copies of the Declaration of Independence for students to read; however, with the language in which it is written and the use of "f" for "s", it is often confusing and difficult to comprehend. With a copy written in more modern language, students can easily see the grievances of the colonists. As students discover these, write them down, and continue research and study, they see the causes and the resulting changes that occurred with the Revolutionary War. Graphic or
5th - 8th
Creative Writing, Social Studies
Teaching Tolerance
Abstract: This is a lesson to help students understand themselves and others. They will discuss stereotypes, tolerance, fairness, culture, racism, etc. Role-play will allow students to put themselves into situations where they might be misunderstood or prejudged and to discuss their reactions with their classmates. Hopefully, students will become more aware of prejudices and stereotyping and learn to accept and respect themselves and others for their differences, not because of them.
Graph
3rd - 8th
Step Up to the Plate Poetry
While most students know and love the game of baseball, many do not realize that the great African American players in the major leagues today would not have been allowed to play in the first half of the 20th Century. Segregation existed in the country and in baseball. Using computer resources to study the Negro Baseball Leagues, students will learn about the players, teams, and social conditions that existed from the 1900's until 1946. They will culminate their study by using poetry forms to
3rd - 8th
U.S. History
Letter Writing: The Lost Art
Abstract: So much history has been learned from the letters and diaries that were so carefully and thoughtfully written in the past. Today, letter writing is a lost art, replaced by the cell phone and email. Lives are busy with little time to sit down and write a letter, and yet what can replace the thrill of a thick envelope filled with news from a friend or relative. This unit will explore friendly letters and business letters with the hope that students will take the time to share, in wri
3rd - 6th
English Language Arts
Our Country, Our Constitution
Overview: The importance of understanding the basis of our government is important to every citizen of the United States. This unit provides a condensed and understandable interpretation of the Constitution using terms that young people can comprehend. It provides a task for creating a brochure on the government; graphic organizers to record data, web sites, a rubric, and a teacher guide all following the Standards for the English Arts, endorsed by both the NCTE and the IRA. Students discove
5th - 8th
Government
Performance Based Activities When You Need a Break
Have you and your students ever been so exhausted from practicing for those state assessments that your tongues are hanging out and you just crave something that will be fun? Well, here's the answer: Some performance based activities that will be so engaging that students won't even realize that they are really learning. Rubrics accompany each activity; they can be used or ignored. Using them will make the students take the activities more seriously, but then it's up to you because you know y
5th - 8th
English Language Arts, General Science, Math
Learning to Collect Data With Graphic Organizers
Abstract: With the Know Child Left Behind Act, testing has become high-stakes for students, teachers, schools, and school districts; much rests on the results! While in the early years students learn the fundamentals of reading through phonics and fictional stories, the trouble seems to come when students are asked to read for information and comprehension, such as that which is found in social studies or science texts, or state mandated tests. This unit will teach students to create graphic
3rd - 8th
English Language Arts
Power Reading and Writing
Power Writing is a way to teach students to read and write for information. It teaches children to write without copying word for word when they take notes or write a report. Its lessons help students to see the correct organization of a paragraph, understand main idea and detail, discover how to web and outline, and learn to paraphrase information in their own words.
By the time students reach the fourth or fifth grade it is assumed that they can read for information, but many cannot. Not o
3rd - 5th
English Language Arts, Reading, Writing-Expository
Global Warming or Climate Change
Abstract: While most scientists agree that the Earth's temperature is rising, not all agree that man has contributed to that warming. Rather, some think that the Earth is experiencing a climate change much like those created during the Ice Age. Others feel the situation is so dire that if steps are not taken quickly, within ten years it will be too late to change the course of the warming. This unit does not choose a side, but rather presents the facts to students who will soon be voting on
4th - 8th
Environment
How to Find Information in the Library
Overview: This unit of study will ask students to become familiar with the Dewey Decimal System, the many different sources of information available in libraries, and how technology can be used in the research process. It will utilize web links to teach the way information is organized in a library and how students can find the data that they need for reports or just to satisfy a curiosity.
Graphic organizers to use with the unit are the following:
·Research Task
·The Dewey Decimal Syste
3rd - 6th
English Language Arts
HOW TO TEACH EDITING TO STUDENTS
I truly believe that all children can write! If you don't believe it, just watch any child text message a friend over a cell phone!
Having said that however, writing really has two meanings as it applies in the classroom. There is writing that is the expressing of ideas, using voice, and saying what is in the student's head, (which I feel all students can do), and there is writing that is correct mechanics. Haven't we all had parents say, "My child just cannot write!" when they are really
1st - 9th
Balanced Literacy
A Day at the Library
With the use of media today, information is only a click away. That said, however, it is important for students to understand the workings of the library system. Hopefully, books and libraries will be a part of generations to come, and being able to traverse them will lead to quicker and more satisfactory uses of them.
In this lesson, really a field trip to the local library, students will learn that the library is divided into sections: Easy books for young children, Intermediate books for t
3rd - 7th
Library Skills
2,000-Year-Old Stories: A Study of Mythology
Myths are some of the oldest stories in the world. For over 2,000 years they have been handed down from on generation to another. In mythology gods and goddesses have magical powers, heroes are strong and brave, and nature is explained. This lesson will provide teachers and students with varied activities from which to demonstrate their new knowledge of the people, places, creatures of mythology.
Graphic Organizers to be used with the unit are the following:
Myth Frame (For students needing
7th - 12th
Other (Social Studies)
Pearls of Wisdom for New Teachers
Each year new teachers come into the building and each year student teachers are brought into the classroom looking for all the wisdom that teachers can share. We all have some, mostly humorous, but packed with a punch of truth! This collection of sayings were made for a student teacher leaving to start her journey into teaching. Later it was used to welcome new teachers into the building. It can be modified, added to, or just enjoyed.
An example of the good advice is the following:
Don't
PreK - 12th
English Language Arts
Mysteries of Megaliths
Overview: Megaliths, or large stone structures like those found in Stonehenge, have always interested modern man. Only in recent years have we discovered that they are really very complex geometric structures that not only served as tombs and for rituals, but also are accurate astronomical calendars that can predict the seasons and even the eclipses of the sun and moon. This unit will allow students to conduct historical research and then use their data to create travel brochures or postcard
3rd - 6th
English Language Arts
Showing 1-20 of 35 results
About the store
Experience
Like most of you reading this profile, I am a lover of children, a care-giver, and a dedicated teacher. I spent 32 years in the classroom before retiring several years ago. During my tenure as a teacher in the elementary grades, I was on a myriad of writing committees, including those that developed the benchmarks for the district. As a literacy coach, I was able to present at both local and state levels at both the Reading and Math conferences. I co-authored a book, Beyond Book Buddies, by Corwin Press. I have also written for the internet and been a critical reader for both Scott Foresman and Corwin Press. As a teacher I wrote and received many grants at both the state and local level. During these last years, I have been writing units of study for my daughter who teaches in Texas. She has been able to use and adapt them for her Special Ed students of high school age, a task for all teachers using units and lessons of study written by others. The method of teaching should be the decision of the teacher and should meet the needs of the students he/she teaches.
Teaching style
My teaching style was eclectic, but I did everything I could to involve students in their learning. I believed in being a facilitator rather than a lecturer. I hated dittos and used textbooks as a reference tool. Because of my product oriented philosophy, I started writing my own units of study during my first years of teaching, not finding them in the references that I had. I developed studies that went across the curriculum and involved differentiated instruction. I have used Easy Books as introduction and patterned units after them. My preference is to write through social studies and bring in all of the literature standards that I are applicable. I have team taught, taught only one or two subjects and all the students in the grade level, and looped. My favorite through the years has been to teach all of the subjects to all of my classroom.
Awards & shining teacher moments
Again, like most of you, my honors and rewards have come in my classroom as I have seen the spark of understanding that comes with comprehension. I have been proudest of the hugs that I have shared with my students, and the tears that come with the end of the school year. That said, I have also been honored to be nominated for Teacher of the Year three times in two different districts and became a finalist one year. The rest of my honors are the same as most of yours. I have been recognized for writing my book, I have been asked to serve on committees, and I have written grants and given presentations.
It still thrills me to hear from some of my students of past years, several of whom I have corresponded with even into adulthood.
My own education history
During my teaching tenure, I have earned a BS in Ed, a MEd, and about 70+ hours in various methods and subjects. I received my Bachelor's from the University of Texas in Austin and my Masters from the University of Missouri in St. Louis, MO. The other hours have come through colleges and universities in Missouri and Colorado.
Additional biographical information
By writing for the internet, I hope to share my experiences and my knowledge with teachers. Like many of you, I was constantly told to just "get together with my teammates" to create units of study. The only problem was that I could never find the time, and neither could they! In presenting my units, I hope to give teachers ideas, based on standards and research, that they can take into their own classrooms and use as a starting point for their own lessons, ones that fit their teaching styles and their students' needs.
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