Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Bible Verses A-Z for You :-)

Hi, everyone!  Happy Tuesday!  My sister's little boy is in kindergarten in Savannah, GA.  Today she shared with me his memory verses to learn--through the Bible A-Z.  Thought they were adorable, and now my wheels are turning trying to think of ways to use these with my preschoolers in our SPARK Children's Church ministry.  I hope to share ideas as they come.  Hope you enjoy and can use in some way!  Shannon :-)
Bible Verses
A-  All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.  Romans 3:23

B-  Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.  Acts 16:31

C-  Children, obey your parents in the Lord:  for this is right.  Ephesians 6:1

D-  Depart from evil, and do good.  Psalm 34:14

E-  Even a child is known by his doings.  Proverbs 20:11

F-  Fear not:  for I am with thee.  Isaiah 43:5

G-  God is love.  I John 4:8

H-  Honor thy father and thy mother.  Exodus 20:12

I-  If ye shall ask any thing in My name, I will do it.  John 14:14

J-  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life:  no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.
    John 14:6

K-  Keep thy tongue from evil.  Psalm 34:13

L-  Look unto Me, and be ye saved.  Isaiah 45:22

M-  My son, give Me thine heart.  Proverbs 23:26

N-  No man can serve two masters.  Matthew 6:24

O-  O give thanks unto the Lord:  for it is good to sing praises unto our God. 
      Psalm 147:1

P-  Praise the Lord!  Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; for His loveingkindness is everlasting.  Psalm 106:1

Q-  Quit you like men, be strong.  I Corinthians 16:13

R-  Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.  Exodus 20:8

S-  Seek ye the Lord while He may be found.  Isaiah 55:6

T-  Thou God seest me.  Genesis 16:13

U-  Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks.  Psalm 75:1

V-  Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My name, He will give it you. 
     John 16:23

W-  What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee.  Psalm  56:3

X-  Exceeding great and precious promises are given unto us.  II Peter 1:4

Y-  Ye are the light of the world.  Matthew 5:14

Z-  Zion heard, and was glad.  Psalm 97:8

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Geography Through Literature...

Bonjour, Hola, Hello!  I am so excited about the added emphasis on geography in my classroom this year!  Each week my students are "visiting" various countries through literature and after each trip, they complete a writing assignment and receive a stamp in their "passport."  To facilitate this study, I am reading aloud stories from Around the World in 80 Tales.  So far we have traveled from the USA to Canada to Guatemala--next stop...Venezuela!  I would definitely recommend this book to expand your students' understanding of culture and folk tales.
These are also web sites I have also found especially useful in this study:
1) Nat Geo for Kids--visit countries on virtual field trips and view pictures and videos!
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/places/find/
2) Great Ideas and Hooks for Teaching the 7 Continents!
http://teachers.net/gazette/DEC02/continents.html

This is the version we sing in my class to help us remember the 7 continents (sung to the tune of He's Got the Whole World in His Hands):
We've got 7 continents, on our globe
We've got 7 continents, on our globe
We've got 7 continents, on our globe,
7 continents on our globe.

There's North and South America, on our globe
There's Europe, Asia, Africa, on our globe
There's Australia and Antarctica, on our globe
7 continents on our globe!


Saturday, August 20, 2011

New Geography Resource Available!

Hi, everyone!  Just a quick note that I have completed and uploaded my Let's Go: World Tour unit to TpT.  I have had a great response to my 50 States unit, and I just put the finishing touches on the Countries/Continents edition today.  Hope you enjoy and find it beneficial for your students!  In today's global society, informing our kids about the world around them is so pivotal!  Have a great weekend!  Shannon :-)

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

A few tidbits for you today...

Whew...it is definitely busy here in middle GA!  With school, scouts, soccer, and more, we are running at maximum speed in my family!  Combine that with learning to use my new SMARTboard, and I barely have a spare moment.  I did, however, want to share 2 quick tidbits with you...

I am reading the book The End of Molasses Classes by Ron Clark.  If you haven't read it, I would totally encourage you to.  These are just a few of my favorite take-aways so far from the book:
1) Teach children to believe in themselves and don't destroy the dream!
2) Push yourself to be innovative beyond your imagination!
3) Don't let opportunities pass you by, even if time, funding, and circumstances aren't completely right.  Don't give up...make it happen!
Through the pages of this book, I truly felt myself being re-energized and excited about things that lie ahead in the coming year!  This is an easy yet thought-provoking read, and I would recommend you reading it personally or with your teaching team!

Secondly, I wanted to thank all of you who have been praying for my teacher friend Amy's son, Aden, who suffered a massive brain bleed a few weeks ago.  He is truly a miracle.  Keep praying for him as they move him to a rehab facility for further treatment.

You know, life is short and time is precious!  There are so many ways we can get bogged down in the little, mundane parts of life and of teaching.  I want to challenge and encourage you this year--whether you are a teacher, administrator, or home school mom--to find the joy in every moment!  Memories are priceless, and this is the 1 life we get--let's make the most of it this school year!  Hope you have a great one!  Shannon :-)