melissa

@http://voicethread.com/?Hi, my real name is Melissa, but most people call me Mindy. It's a long story, but basically my grandparents decided to override my parent's decision to name me Melissa. I teach second grade at Greenacres. This will be my tenth year in Scarsdale. I started teaching special education here and then transitioned to general education.

I have one little girl named Avery who is just starting to get into her terrible twos where her favorite word is, "NO!"

I hope to learn more about using blogs and wikis to engage students in my class this coming year.

Notes on endangered species:


 * Check the URL
 * check to see if it's an .edu/educational site
 * Look for a credible source
 * Read thoroughly and don't get fooled by a well organized/eye catching site
 * Check the links
 * Use background knowledge
 * check sources
 * cross reference sites

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Every year, millions of people decide to pursue adoption for several different reasons. While there are issues that can arise with adoptive families, for many, it’s a positive life changing experience.

Here’s an example of a successful adoption story. Mindy Genovese was adopted when she was 6 months old from Pusan, Korea. She grew up with her adopted brother in a loving household in Concord, Massachusetts.

I’ve always been grateful for the opportunity that my adoptive parents have given me and I feel that this has really been the force behind my drive to succeed in life.

Mindy remains close to her parents and has recently started a family of her own. She hopes to one day bring her daughter Avery back to Korea to explore her culture.

=__**FINAL PROJECT:**__=

I scanned in pictures from the book, Math Talk. This book focuses on teaching concepts and skills through illustrations and stories. There are 20 pictures from this book as well as pages of questions to differentiate instruction. I decided to create a VoiceThread with the illustrations from this book so students can **** integrate mathematical language concepts and skills. Word problems can be very challenging for many students. Through pictures, they are able to have a better understanding of word problems and can learn how to **** express themselves using appropriate mathematical language. **
 * VoiceThread**


 * In the past, this activity was challenging to use in a whole class setting, as many couldn’t see details in various pictures and we couldn't use it with the Smart Board. With this voicethread, not only will students be able to see each picture clearly and show their work on the Smart Board, they will be able to listen and learn from each other.

After students practice creating problems using the pictures supplied, they will create their own picture and math story to add to our VoiceThread. **