What's Cooking Good Looking?

Asian Chicken Salad Wraps

These are super healthy, gluten free and last for days in a sealed container in the fridge.

I am always forever on the hunt for school lunch items which are quick and easy to make, can be shared with my daughter for her school lunch, and will make enough to last us both for several days.  Asian style chicken salad wraps hit the mark in my household.

You will need:

• 1 large rotisserie chicken
• Rice paper wrappers
• Rice vermicelli noodles (thin)
• Julienned carrot pieces
• Julienned cucumber pieces
• Washed red lettuce leaves
• Cilantro 
• Asian Sesame Dressing (I like Kraft)
• Sesame Seeds (optional)

I like using Costco rotisserie chicken.

These are the wraps I use.

Any think rice vermicelli noodle will do.

Prepare the rice vermicelli noodles according to the directions on the package.  Drain them and let cool.  I then mix the noodles with about 1/2 TBSP of Asian sesame dressing.  Wash your lettuce leaves well and blot dry with paper towel.  Shred chicken with your fingers.  Slice cucumber and carrot into thin, julienned strips. Wash cilantro and blot dry on a paper towel.  Have all ingredients organized and ready to be assembled for when the rice paper wrappers are ready.

Now prep your working surface.  Take a clean, dry dish towel and get it really DAMP.  Wring it out well, and lay it flat on your preparation surface.  

Next fill a pie plate with hot water, it does not have to be boiling but I usually use water from the kettle.  Place rice paper wrappers ONE at a time in the pie plate filled with hot water.  Leave submerged for 20-60 seconds.  (It's best to follow the directions on the package but I have found I have to experiment to find the right amount of time so the wrappers are not too stiff but also not too pliable.)  Don't leave the rice paper in the water for over 60 seconds or it can rip and disintegrate and you will have to start again.

Remove rice paper from water, lay flat on damp dish towel.  Place one clean lettuce leaf in middle of rice wrapper.  Next layer with chicken, noodles, carrots, cucumber, cilantro and top with sesame seeds if you like.  I often add an extra quick squirt of Asian sesame dressing at this point.  

Roll from bottom.  Lift bottom edge of rice wrapper to cover ingredients in the middle.  Fold sides in.  Continue to roll tightly until the filling feels snug inside the wrapper.  Place "seam" side up in a storage container or on a plate.

Continue to roll wraps one at a time.  I can usually make 8-10 with 1 large chicken breast (my hubby eats the dark meat for his meal).  I like to put a little Asian sesame dressing in a portable container and use it for dipping, but these wraps taste great just as they are!  I can take 4 to school in a sealed container and they will last me two days, properly refrigerated.

For dessert I like to have some fresh cut papaya with some lime juice squeezed over it!  It's really a refreshing meal!

Above and Beyond~ Gifted Students and the 4 C's

It is so hard to believe that I have been blogging for a year now!  This weekend marks my one year blogiversary!  I started blogging because I was inspired by all the teacher blogs I was seeing on Pinterest.  I wanted to be part of the community of teachers who wrote and shared about what they were doing in their classrooms each day.  Initially I thought I would blog only about teaching gifted students, but I have come to realize that I blog about what is happening in my life, my classroom, the world, and it doesn't matter if it is directly related to gifted teaching or not.  It's all good:)  I hope you enjoy this post in honour of my one year milestone.  As most of my posts, it doesn't apply just to gifted students, it applies to all of us.

Click HERE to download your own poster for FREE

I went to a meeting last fall where they showed the video "Above and Beyond".  This is how teachers often describe gifted learners, those who are able to go "above and beyond" what is expected of them.  Often times, this "above and beyond" is measured in academic terms.  These are the students we think will always get good grades, study, turn in their work on time etc.  From my experiences teaching students who have been identified as gifted, I know that often these traits are those of a "good student" rather than those of a "gifted" student.  Some students ARE gifted thinkers and good students...but many others who have been identified as gifted, are not your typical good student.  

If you have read my earlier post "You might be gifted if..." you know that I feel there exists a wide spectrum of gifted behaviours.  I am an adherent that everyone is gifted in some way.  Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences very much appeals to my way of teaching students and addressing their unique gifts.    "According to Howard Gardner, human beings have nine different kinds of intelligence that reflect different ways of interacting with the world. Each person has a unique combination, or profile. Although we each have all nine intelligences, no two individuals have them in the same exact configuration -- similar to our fingerprints."
(http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/education/ed_mi_overview.html)

   

I like that this video stresses thinking "outside the box" as well as critical thinking skills, communication, collaboration, and creativity.  To me it represents what we want for ALL students, be it in a gifted program or not.  All students need opportunities to explore their gifts, to work with others, to problem solve, to think critically, to fail and to try again.  

Pay It Forward Day

Today is International Pay It Forward Day. I love this idea. I think it's too bad we actually need a day to recognize it, but perhaps that also is a good thing, as it will raise awareness. 

"In 2000, Catherine Ryan Hyde's novel Pay It Forward was published and adapted into a Warner Brothers film, Pay It Forward. In Ryan Hyde's book and movie it is described as an obligation to do three good deeds for others in response to a good deed that one receives. Such good deeds should accomplish things that the other person cannot accomplish on their own. In this way, the practice of helping one another can spread geometrically through society, at a ratio of three to one, creating a social movement with an impact of making the world a better place." (source: Wikipedia.org)

I discussed the concept of Pay It Forward with my class yesterday and gave them a copy of Laura Candler's Pay It Forward Day handout to record their good deeds on today.  

Click on the image above to download a copy of Laura's handout from her Seasonal Activities page.

I hope that everyday can become a Pay It Forward Day for all my students, my friends, colleagues and followers.  Who doesn't want to make the world a better place for everyone?

In light of recent events, Joanne at Head Over Heels for Teaching, Amanda and Stacia at Collaboration Cuties, and Ideas by Jivey are hosting this uplifting linky!  Click on the image above or any of the blog names to link up yourself, or to check out what other teachers are doing!

What's Cooking Good Looking?

Today is NOT a recipe day. Today I am going to write about something I do "eat" everyday though, Sweetleaf 100% Natural Stevia Sweetener.   This is not a paid endorsement.  I am telling you about this product because it has changed my relationship with food cravings.

I LOVE this stuff! I am proud to say that I finally kicked the artificial sweetener habit. Recently I have read so many negative things about aspartame and sucralose (Splenda) that I finally decided that I had to give it up.  (If you are a consumer of artificial sweeteners then I suggest that you do your own research and reach  your own conclusions.)  I have been avoiding sugar for the past 6 years since I lost over 100 pounds.  I needed to stay away from sugar so I blindly switched to artificial sweeteners.  I was drinking nearly 2 L of diet pop a day, but I said to myself "Who cares?  There are NO calories!"  I was not making the connection between consuming all of these artificial sweeteners (most diet pop contains several types of artificial sweeteners) and my intense cravings for MORE sweet things AFTER I had consumed the diet pop.

After doing some research, I decided to try Stevia which is a natural sweetener.  I discovered through more research that many brands of Stevia are processed with harmful chemicals.  Enter SweetLeaf. A teacher at school gave me a box, and I have been buying it ever since. It does not taste as sweet as the other sweeteners, but it also doesn't set off the "craving cascade" I experienced with sucralose and aspartame. You can buy it in Toronto at Loblaws Superstores in the Health food section. I buy the packets and the drops. I use the crystals in my coffee, and the drops in my plain greek yogurt, mixed with some real vanilla. YUMMY! If you are concerned about controlling your calories and your glycemic index (does not affect your blood sugar levels) then you  might consider Sweetleaf.   Right now they are holding a contest, so why not enter and you could try it for FREE.  http://on.fb.me/10CvJ7D

Grammargories are great!

It's getting to be that time of year again...you know what I mean. Spring break is behind us, the days are getting milder, test prep is in full swing (if you are NOT in full on TEST MODE), and your students are getting...well, antsy!

I have finished my year of Daily Math and Grammar Minutes.  For Daily Math I am starting to use the grade 7/8 edition to give my students some exposure to concepts they will encounter in middle school.  I was at a loss as what to do with the 5 minutes or so right after lunch when I normally do Grammar Minute.  I came across Kristen at Aspire to Inspire on TpT and found a product which I thought looked fun. 

To download click HERE OR on the image below.

Kristen suggests that "Grammargories should be used after students are familiar with all parts of speech. You may want to allow students to keep a “cheat sheet” of the parts of speech with them while they complete the activity. Make enough copies of each list so that every student has his or her own. Cut each copy in half so that you can use one list at a time."

Included in the download file are the following items: 

•Suggested uses and directions 

•26 alphabet pieces 

•6 category lists (2 per page) 

How to Play: 

1. Distribute a copy of the list you are using to each student. 

2. Explain that students will have ___ minutes (choose between 3-5, depending on skill level) to complete the list using words and phrases that begin the letter you choose. Example: If the letter chosen is D, and the list asks for a noun related to the theme On Vacation, they could write driving. 

3. Set a timer for 3-5 minutes. 

4. Randomly select a letter from the alphabet pieces. 

5. When students are ready, announce the letter and start the timer. 

6.  As soon as the time is up, students must put down their pencils. 

Reminders to students: 

•Begin all answers with the chosen letter. 

•Skip the ones you’re not sure of and come back to them. 

•Think creatively since points are awarded on originality. 

•Don’t use the same answer more than once on a list. 

Kristen gives some suggestions for scoring the answers, but I have let the students give answers in a round robin, popcorn format.  Each student who has a "different" answer gets an opportunity to give their word.  If a student doesn't have a word to share, or has a repeat, they say "pass".  This has worked really well with my class and it allows everyone a chance to share, without everyone putting up their hands at the same time.

My class of grade 6 gifted students are OBSESSED with Grammargories. One student even said "Why didn't we get to do these ALL year, instead of grammar minutes?"  I knew I was onto something when the students gave me 64 more suggestions for grammargories "categories".  They love that I will be using their ideas in the weeks to come.

Another modification I made to Kristen's idea, is that rather than using the letter cut outs she so kindly provided, I wrote the letters of the alphabet on popsicle sticks and keep them in a baggie with my timer.  I also draw the name of the lucky student who gets to draw the letter of the day from my can of student name popsicle sticks.  Yes, I like to use popsicle sticks!  This keeps the students even more engaged. I have the sheets photocopied and cut in half, the baggie with the letters and the timer all kept in a bin.  One of my students passes out Grammargories before lunch.  The whole system works beautifully.  

What I love about Grammargories is that I participate each day at the same time as my students.  It is impossible to provide answer sheets, so I have to try to come up with possible answers of my own.  I have learned a lot of conjunctions, prepositions and interjections in the last few weeks!

If you are looking for a fun way to review for the end of the year, or just want to change things up for next September, I highly suggest you try Grammargories. They are student endorsed, and that goes a long way in my book!

 

What's Cooking Good Looking?

This is a quick and healthy alternative to store bought smoothies and it contains LOTS of protein too!  When I want something sweet but healthy I often make this for the family.

You need:

• 1/2 cup pineapple juice (fresh is best)
• 3/4 cup greek yogurt (18 gram protein)
• 1 frozen banana
• 1 1/2 cups of chunked frozen or fresh (not canned) pineapple
• ice 

Mix all ingredients in a blender.  

This is slushy, yummy and just darned delicious.  Try it, you'll love it!

Just a reminder that the 

TEST PREP LINKY PARTY 

is still going strong!  There are

over 200 links!

Click on the image below to go to 

the party.

Test Prep Linky Party

It seems to me it's testing time all over North America.  I am in Test Prep mode here in Ontario as the EQAO Math and Language Assessments for grades 3 and 6 are rapidly approaching.  I made some Test Prep items and posted them on my blog and stores.   Other blogger buddies have made and posted test prep items too.  BUT... I really wanted a place to bring all of them all together, so I decided it's time to host a new linky party.  

Welcome to the Test Prep Linky Party!
After you link up please GRAB the BUTTON and place it on your blog post too!  
If you are not a current blog follower, please consider following my blog...I would love to reach 200 followers by my Blog Birthday on April 29th!
Let's make this the best testing season ever!

<div align="center"> <a href="http://teachingisagift.blogspot.ca/2013/04/test-prep-linky-party.html" title="TEST PREP LINKY PARTY"><img src="http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/b488/smckay2/dd351cb8-3b83-48cd-ae2f-d1866cc92436_zps43e5aa7e.jpg" alt="TEST PREP LINKY PARTY" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Saw it on Pinterest...Bought it at Dollar Tree...Made it at Home...MOON PHASE FLIP BOOK FREEBIE

As most of you already know, I am a wee bit of a Pinterest addict. In fact, Pinterest is what started me blogging, and tweeting and FBing...so it's all Pinterests' fault!  Right now I am teaching a unit on Space.  I love teaching this unit, but sometimes find the concepts a little abstract for my grade six students.  Here in Ontario students will cover Space and Astronomy again in grade 9, but I still like to do a good job teaching the expectations from the grade six curriculum.

By Moon_phases_en.jpg: Orion 8 derivative work: Arnaugir (This file was derived from:  Moon_phases_en.jpg) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

I saw a picture on the blog Science Teaching Junkie of a project that really struck me.  It was a hands-on way to demonstrate the phases of the moon.  I love teaching using hands-on materials!  The kids love it too.  I decided I had to make it...or rather I had to get my hubby to make it for me.  Here's what he made me (and my students) last week.

Where does Dollar Tree fit in?  I bought everything I needed there!  If you want to make your own Phases of the Moon viewer you will need:

• 1 piece of black foam core
• 8 mid sized foam balls
• 1 larger sized foam ball
• glue gun
• markers

My hubby traced a circle in the middle of the foam core and cut it out with a box cutter.  He coloured half of each mid sized foam ball with a black permanent marker.  He also coloured the larger foam ball to look like a Sun.  I am sure you could paint the foam balls too, but the markers were fast and easy.  Next, he used the glue gun to mount the foam balls at evenly spaced intervals around the hole in the middle of the board and then mounted the Sun on one side.  This was students will get the view you see below, with the Sun always facing one side of the moon.

I was still skeptical about whether or not this would work until I stuck my head through the opening.  I was amazed as I rotated the board around! I was looking at each phase of the moon.  My head acted as the EARTH and I could see the Sun in some of the phases and not in others (like the diagram above).  This was awesome!  

I called my daughter and told her to put it over her head too. After an eye roll and strange look she tried it.   I had to talk her through the phases as she didn't remember any of them.  See what I mean about the concepts "not sticking" when you can't experience them in a hands-on manner?  She had studied Space last year, but had only learned about the phases by watching a video.  

You could label the phases on the board if you want to...but I think I am going to use it as a  pre and post assessment for my students.    

I love using the Moon Book by Gail Gibbons when I am teaching the phases of the moon.  Although this book is written for primary students, I use it to reinforce the phases of the moon with full-color illustrations and basic information. Using beautiful, spacious layouts, in addition to learning about lunar phases, students also learn about eclipses, lunar exploration, and the moon's effect on the earth. The detailed illustrations help readers visualize the movement of the moon in relation to the earth and sun, and moon exploration is explained simply, without too much overwhelming detail. Gibbons' direct style makes this book an excellent teaching tool for a first look at the moon, the earth's natural satellite. (adapted from Scholastic.com)


Each year the students make a Phases of the Moon Flip Book.  Each night students go outside and observe the moon.  They are to record the time, the weather and any other observations.  Students then sketch what they see when they look at the moon.  If they moon is not visible due to weather factors or time of night, they may use an on line source such as the one you can view HERE to find the phase and record it that way.  Once they have done the recording for 28 days, they carefully cut out all the dates, put them in chronological order, staple the corner and Presto!  they have created their own animated flip book.  Students will be amazed when the flip through the pages and see the phases of the moon come to life in an animated fashion.

Click on the image below to download this FREEBIE.

While you are on TpT check out the 

HANDS-ON, MINDS-ON SCIENCE CENTRES 

created to help teach the expectations for this topic!  

On January 7, 2018, Linda S. said:

"These centres can't be beat in terms of covering all of the learning expectations and engaging students' interest. My class loves them."

Currently April...and a FREEBIE!

It's that time again....to link up with Farley at O'Boy 4th Grade..

Listening:  I gave my daughter a HUGE bunny for Easter.  I looked for over a month to find just the right "stuffy".  She has carried it everywhere with her (even in the car to get coffee) since she found it yesterday morning.  Cute isn't it?  She's thirteen!  That makes it even cuter to me:)

Loving:  The four day weekend.  Teachers here got Good Friday off and we get Easter Monday off too.  I managed to mark 28 novel studies (4 chapters X 6 questions + 4 writing activities + 2 integrated art activities + media literacy activities = what the heck was I thinking?).  I also cooked a full turkey dinner with all the trimmings, and hung out with my family.  Did my own manicure and took my daughter for a facial.  Today we are going to the mall.  Also, now I have a four day week when I go back! LOVING IT!

Thinking:  I have been putting off doing my taxes for over a month.  I have NO excuse...I don't even owe money.  I could really use my refund.  Maybe I'll start it tomorrow:)

Wanting: I have been blogging for almost a year now.  I would LOVE to reach 200 followers by my blogoversary on April 29th. I don't know why that number means so much to me...but it does.

Needing:  It's funny, I want a lot of things, but really when I think about my life, I don't really need anything. I have everything I need.  I am blessed in many ways, and I guess I need to remind myself of that everyday.

Advice:  My very first principal (the lovely Doreen Hall) told me "You could work 24 hours a day and still have 10% of your work left undone...so get over it now and let it go."  I think nowadays the amount left undone would be a LOT more than 10%, but the sentiment is still the same, "you can't do it ALL".  I choose to focus on what I can do well and the rest of it, I have to let it go.

And now for the FREEBIE...I know you are waiting...
It's testing time all over blogland so I have created a colourful test taking tips poster for you to print and share with your students!  Hope you like it!  

CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO DOWNLOAD FROM MY TEACHERNOTEBOOK STORE.

Math Journal Prompts

Even though I spent the weekend marking novel studies, and I realize my students still need work in responding to extended answer reading questions, my FREEBIE for today is another math creation.  Along with interactive math notebooks, I have started using math journal prompts in my classroom.  Many gifted students I have taught are able to compute quickly and are numerically competent BUT they are unable to express how they know something is correct, they have trouble "showing what they know".  

I use math journals because I want my students to demonstrate their metacognitive skills.  "Metacognition is defined by most as “thinking about thinking” or “knowing about knowing.” The term refers to the ways we reflect on how we know what we know, how we learned it, and how we can apply it to learning new things. Metacognition is essential to becoming an effective, independent learner. Writing about our learning is a powerful metacognitive strategy." (MTA Instructional Technology: http://bit.ly/10h44vh)

Not all my students have embraced writing this way. They tell me they "just know" the answers.  I can understand where they are coming from but at the same time it is essential for them to practice and become better at writing about their learning.  It has  also been my experience that reading student math journals gives me a better picture of the whole student when I am assessing them. "Journals also serve as invaluable assessment resources that can inform classroom instruction. Reviewing a student’s math journal provides a useful insight into what a child understands, how s/he approaches ideas and what misconceptions s/he has."(K-5 math teaching resources: http://bit.ly/ZWpePj)

To download your own FREE copy of Math Journal Prompts just click on the image below to go to my TpT store.

Do you use math journals?  What have the reactions of your students been?