Groovy Educator Forum (Anything and Everything Education)

My daughter is napping and my fingers are clicking away at the keys on my laptop.  

I just opened a new forum for educators. 

 New topics will be gradually added.

Right now there are topics on:

• Back to School
• Best Reading Tips/Tools
• Great Books for Educators
• What Do you Like to Collect? (Just for Fun)

Please stop by my new forum and share, share, share with friends. 

Thank you so much for visiting!

VOWAC - Vowel Oriented Word Attack Course

VoWac is an incredible program for direct phonics instruction.

When I began teaching in Arizona (back in 2000), my school purchased the VoWac program and it was used across all the grade levels.  As a Reading Specialist, I feel strongly about the power of this program.  I used it for two years in Kindergarten and then for two years in Second Grade.  I was amazed at the growth in reading skills back then and I still reflect on it today.

When I moved to Florida, VoWac was not one of the programs that my school used.  I taught with fidelity the program that was adopted by my district but felt that there was still a need in strong phonics instruction.  I added little snippets to my lessons, the powerful snippets and my children responded.

Even though I was not at a VoWac school, I was able to use the blending shelf, phonics cards, and CLOVER method.  You have to check out the CLOVER method for syllabication rules.  It is AMAZING!!!

I strongly recommend you look through their catalog and consider some of their tools for your classroom.

If you are in administration, I strongly recommend you try piloting VoWac in your school.  It's free for two classrooms (you just have to pay shipping).

I know everyone says there is not enough time.  VoWac's lessons run about 30 minutes.  There needs to be time to use something like this to HELP KIDS READ.

By looking at how words are built the kids also learn how to SPELL.  It's WONDERFUL!

I wish I had a pushier nature because I would be knocking on the door of every school to really push the VoWac system.  I've experienced it.  It works better than any other program I have tried in the area of phonics instruction.  Whether you like it or not phonics is essential for reading instruction.  It is one area of the complex task of reading.  I like to think of it as the walls of in the house of reading. Phonemic awareness is the foundation but phonics is what holds the structure up.

But that's just my opinion.

Even if you homeschool this is worth looking into.

Please visit and share www.vowac.com

Right now they are improving their website so there is a phone number you can call.  You can also Google VoWac to learn even more about it.

If you do happen to look into VoWac and like what you see, please mention that you were referred by Andrea Lowery.  Thank you!

Eek! Where does the time go?

Time seems to be going faster and faster.  I am sorry for neglecting this blog.  Some people can have many hats and wear them all well.  I used to be that way but lately a few of those many hats are up in the closet.  Groovy Educator is near and dear to my heart but I am trying to grow my Lowery's Loft LLC home business selling mostly vintage and collectibles.  It is relatively a new business so I need to spend a lot of time trying to build a customer base and learning the ins and outs of a new career.  

Please keep checking back with Groovy Educator, I will periodically post teaching tips and new TpT products.  BUT for the time being I am taking a detour and pursuing a new adventure all in an attempt to be a stay at home mom.  

I know there are still moms out there that do it.  Right now I wonder how...because going from two incomes to one is daunting.  

I do want to make some back to school items for TpT.  I miss not going back to school this year.

PLEASE, please, please share any ideas for things you would like for me to create and put on TpT.  

My project for the next few weeks is a welcome/rules powerpoint and basic checklists for teachers to be organized.  I will also work on beginning of the year welcome activities.  I appreciate your insights and suggestions.  

Thank you for visiting Groovy Educator.  Please take a moment and visit www.LowerysLoft.com.

It has links to most of my ventures.  I will be adding my TpT link.  If you see anything you like on Groovy Educator or Lowery's Loft, please help me build traffic by sharing on social media.

Thank you so much!

Common Core Standard (CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.OA.A.2) First Grade Word Problems

Hello Blog World!

I've been lax on my posting, I'm sorry.

Tonight I was toying with the Common Core Math Standards for Grade 1 and created this activity.  I wanted to pick your brains and see if it is something I should produce for TpT or keep reworking the idea.

Here is the sample Word Problem Activity.  It is the first in what will hopefully be a series of activities that teachers can use as a teaching tool (projected on the big screen) or as center work.

Please give me feedback so I can ascertain what direction to take this project.

Thank you so much for your time!