New Teacher Shower

The Back to School sales are in full force. Children are starting to emerge from long summer days tanned and taller. These are the sure signs of our favorite time of year, back to school!

We've been fortunate this summer to meet teachers from all over the world. Some are in the twilight years of their career, others are mid-way, and many are just beginning this difficult but rewarding teaching life. We love to watch teachers with diverse experiences working together. We can often tell who the new teachers are by the unbridled exuberance on their faces along with flashes of a deer in headlights expressions.

Our friend Trish told us about a wonderful idea for these brand new teachers -- a Teacher Shower. She wrote about a young teacher she knows that is just beginning her career, "We're all pitching in to get things for her classroom. Of course, I'm getting her something valuable that she can use forever...books!"

Do you have a new teacher on your staff, in your neighborhood or even the son or daughter of a friend who is just beginning their career? We sure do! As we begin our summer pilgrimage through books stores, school supply sections and teacher stores, we are going to pick up a few things for this teacher and throw a Teacher Shower for her. What a lovely way to welcome them to what we consider the very best profession there is! Thanks for the great idea, Trish.

FAQ

Q: The sticky notes keep falling off the CAFE board. Any other ideas for students declaring their goals?

A: Well, the quick and easy fix is to use the Super Sticky Post-it Notes that are available. They have better sticking power. However, you might like this fun idea which comes from Angel Graham Debertin from Centreville, New Brunswick, Canada. Here's what she has to say:

"The sticky notes that students added to the CAFE board when declaring their goals were constantly falling off. So after a week, I tried a new idea...

http://www.TheDailyCafe.com/public/1033.cfm

Creating a 3D Pop-Up Book (Website)

ZooBurst is a digital storytelling tool that is designed to let you easily create your own customized virtual pop-up book. It is pretty amazing! Watch the demo to see what we mean, then explore the site to try one of your own. There is tremendous potential for student use. Signing up is free, but you'll need to fill out a simple request form before you begin.

http://www.TheDailyCafe.com/public/1034.cfm

Registration Information for 2010 Summer and Fall Workshops

Join us this fall in Arizona, Maine, or Florida; beautiful places to learn together.

http://www.thedailycafe.com/public/754.cfm

New This Week For Members

Interested in becoming a member of The Daily Cafe? Click here for more information.

CAFE - Inferring Lesson Plan with Fly Away Home by Eve Bunting

Lesson by Alisha Darby

Fly Away Home is about a little boy and his dad who live in an airport. Alisha tells us how she uses this beautifully written book to help her students make inferences that will take them even deeper into the text.

http://www.TheDailyCafe.com/members/1026.cfm

Parent Pipeline ~ Use text features (titles, headings, captions, graphic features)

by: Allison Behne

Utilizing text features is critical when reading non-fiction text. Allison helps parents partner with her by providing this document which helps them reinforce with their child what is being modeled and taught at school.

http://www.TheDailyCafe.com/members/1035.cfm

CAFE - Shortcuts, Short Hand, Short Notes

by Trish Prentice

As Trish reflects on the challenges and successes of the past year, she sets an important goal for herself....to refine her ability to conduct meaningful individual conferences with students.

http://www.TheDailyCafe.com/members/1037.cfm

Video Updates

With the addition of our new video players with higher resolution and full-screen options, we are reposting many videos in this new format. As we make these improvements, we'll announce them in the newsletter. Here is an updated video you may want to revisit. This video describes a strategy you might like to try next time you hunker with a student who falters through a book they are interested in, but either can't read accurately or understand most of. Good fits are key if they are going to grow as readers.

http://www.TheDailyCafe.com/members/1055.cfm

Until Next Week!