Survey Says: Few people can spell "definitely"

According to survey results released earlier this week, "definitely" is the most commonly misspelled word in the English language. "Definately" is a fairly common misspelling of it, but "defiantly" also draws high marks. What words filled out the rest of the top-ten list? Check them out:

1. Definitely (Definately)
2. Sacrilegious (Sacreligious)
3. Indict (Indite)
4. Manoeuvre (Maneouvre) [British spelling]
5. Bureaucracy (Beaurocracy)
6. Broccoli (Brocolli)
7. Phlegm (Phleghm)
8. Prejudice (Predjudice)
9. Consensus (Conscensus)
10.Unnecessary (Unecessary)

Many children and adults struggle with spelling -- that's why it's so imperative to teach students spelling rules and variations early. Maupin House authors have researched and developed excellent lessons and tips to do just that.

Check out Teach Spelling So It Sticks! by Jane Bell Kiester, as well as our award-winning Writing Wheels!

Literacy and parent involvement

Listen to "The Literacy Ambassador," Cathy Puett Miller, in this interview with Allen Cardoza on LA Talk Radio show "Answers 4 the Family," and learn how parents can help improve their children's literacy skills from an early age.

Review: Performance Literacy Through Storytelling

From Meryl Ironson, 5th-grade language arts teacher, Chester, NJ

As educators, our responsibility is to help children learn to interpret information and to express themselves in this world. It is about challenging and motivating. It is about inspiring our listeners. It is about sharing the passion we feel.
- "Teaching Storytelling" by Meryl Ironson

Performance Literacy Through Storytelling, by Nile Stanley and Brett Dillingham, offers the foundation of the teaching of tale telling in a sequential, logical, and classroom-usable format. Storytelling across the curriculum promotes a skill set that can be developed within any grade level. Skills such as reading with strategic purpose, the organization of thought, writing in sequence and with creativity, the heightening of listening ability and stamina, and oral presentation enhancement are honed through the teaching of performance storytelling. For those who teach the art of language and the love of literature, Performance Literacy outlines key ways to promote communicative strengths among students by actually having them experience a story, reflect upon a story, and then apply what they have learned to the creation and performance of a story. Stanley and Dillingham provide detailed mini-lessons and a plethora of resources that should be considered a gift for all teachers, first-year to veteran. The accompanying audio CD completes the package so that teachers and students can listen to model performances of stories and songs by known storytellers. This book is a year-round, cross-curriculum jewel that breathes new life into the phrase: “Tell me a story!”

Be sure to check out Meryl's articles on reading: "Teaching Storytelling" from Reading Today and "The Teacher Reads Aloud" from Education Week.

Learning Through Writing Series wins Association of Educational Publishers' Distinguished Achievement Award

The Learning Through Writing Series by Kathleen Kopp won the Association of Educational Publishers' Distinguished Achievement Award! The series earned top honors in the professional development category for differentiated instruction.

The Association of Educational Publishers’ Distinguished Achievement Awards recognize the year's most outstanding materials in the field of teaching and learning. These awards honor the top products within the categories of curriculum, periodicals, and professional development.

About Learning Through Writing
The Learning Through Writing Series includes fun, authentic writing activities for language arts, math, science, social studies, and health/nutrition. It takes students in grades three to five through the entire writing process, from brainstorming to publishing, while letting imaginations soar.

Each ready-to go activity can be easily differentiated and includes lesson plans, extensions, rubrics, student worksheets, and examples. Each book contains publishing ideas, bibliographies, student checklists, and correlations to commonly taught writing standards and craft skills. It also offers Tier 2 RTI support.

Grade 3
ISBN-13: 978-1-934338-30-8
MH# 200
$19.95

Grade 4
ISBN-13: 978-1-934338-31-5
MH# 201
$19.95

Grade 5
ISBN-13: 978-1-934338-32-2
MH# 202
$19.95

Buy all three for $50.00
MH# 122

About the Author
Kathleen Kopp is an elementary school curriculum specialist in Citrus County, Florida. She has nearly 20 years of teaching experience for first through fifth grades and has written several professional books on content-area learning and technology.

Wordnik

Wordnik is an online dictionary that expands and changes as the English language does. But it's more than just a dictionary: Wordnik will show you real-time search results for words on Flickr and Twitter and even let you know how many Scrabble points a word is worth! Watch the video interview with Wordnik creator Erin McKean below from TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design).

One millions words

From CNN:

English contains more words than any other language on the planet and will add its millionth word early Wednesday, according to the Global Language Monitor, a Web site that uses a math formula to estimate how often words are created.

The site estimates the millionth word will be added Wednesday at 5:22 a.m. Its live ticker counted 999,985 English words as of early Tuesday evening.

For more fun with the English language, check out Active Word Play and Exploring Idioms.

Kids are quick

An email forward but definitely good for a laugh today!
_______________________________________________________
TEACHER: Maria, go to the map and find North America ...
MARIA: Here it is.
TEACHER: Correct. Now class, who discovered America?
CLASS: Maria.
_______________________________________________________
TEACHER: John, why are you doing your math multiplication on the floor?
JOHN: You told me to do it without using tables.
_______________________________________________________
TEACHER: Glenn, how do you spell 'crocodile?'
GLENN: K-R-O-K-O-D-I-A-L
TEACHER: No, that's wrong
GLENN: Maybe it is wrong, but you asked me how I spell it.
(I Love this kid)
_______________________________________________________
TEACHER: Donald, what is the chemical formula for water?
DONALD: H I J K L M N O.
TEACHER: What are you talking about?
DONALD: Yesterday you said it's H to O.
_______________________________________________________
TEACHER: Winnie, name one important thing we have today that we
didn't have ten years ago.
WINNIE: Me!
__________________________________________
TEACHER: Glen, why do you always get so dirty?
GLEN: Well, I'm a lot closer to the ground than you are.
_______________________________________________________
TEACHER: Millie, give me a sentence starting with ' I. '
MILLIE: I is..
TEACHER: No, Millie..... Always say, 'I am.'
MILLIE: All right... 'I am the ninth letter of the alphabet.'
_______________________________________________________
TEACHER: George Washington not only chopped down his father's
cherry tree, but also admitted it.
Now, Louie, do you know why his father didn't punish him?
LOUIS: Because George still had the axe in his hand....
_______________________________________________________
TEACHER: Now, Simon, tell me frankly, do you say prayers before eating?
SIMON: No sir, I don't have to, my Mom is a good cook.
_______________________________________________________
TEACHER: Clyde, your composition on 'My Dog' is exactly the same
as your brother's. Did you copy his?
CLYDE : No, sir. It's the same dog.
_______________________________________________________
TEACHER: Harold, what do you call a person who keeps on talking
when people are no longer interested?
HAROLD: A teacher

LEGO Smart Creativity Contest

LEGO Education is hosting a very cool opportunity for teachers and educators of all grades and subject areas! The LEGO Smart Creativity Contest challenges you to "create an activity using only the bricks included in a LEGO Smart Kit," which LEGO provides to you upon request.

Monthly winners will win LEGO Education products and gift certificates. The contest runs through August 2009, so get your entry in today! You can even check out the contest's blog to see what the competition is doing and to make sure you don't replicate their ideas.

Let Maupin House know if you win or another educator you know wins! Good luck!

End-of-the-Year Teacher Gifts

It's nearing the end of the school year in most areas, so many of you parents might be conjuring up gift ideas to show your children's teachers how important they are to you! As for teachers reading this, maybe you have kids still in school yourself or want to make your fellow teaching professionals feel appreciated! Some teachers love apple-related gifts, but some might be overwhelmed by them because they are so popular. Try to get original this year!


Here's a quick list of ideas to do just that:

-Rainbows, Head Lice, and Pea-Green Tile by Brod Bagert - This is a hilarious book of poetry all about the profession that any teacher will hold dear! Provide your child's teacher with unforgettable laughs to which he or she can surely relate.

-Hormone Jungle by Brod Bagert - This is the perfect gift for middle school teachers who love to read to their students. It's all about coming of age in those impressionable years!

-Zazzle.com offers great, unique teacher apparel and gifts! Create your own item or browse the clever, pre-created items the site has to offer. At Zazzle, you can find excellent gifts for not only your child's teacher, but also for bus drivers, principals, secretaries, and others!

-Nominate your child's teacher for our blog series about exceptional educators who make a difference! If we select your teacher, he or she will receive a special reward for being outstanding!

Educators who make a difference

Maupin House is excited to introduce a new series to our blog: "Educators who make a difference." We'll focus on educators who have overcome obstacles, helped others achieve their goals, and shown true dedication to their friends, family, and field. It shouldn't be hard to find these standout citizens--since we all know the difference educators make--but we welcome submissions from our readers. Just contact us through the blog. If we choose to profile the educator you've suggested, we'll send that person a special reward letting him or her know just how much he or she is appreciated. Now read on for our first installment, and thanks in advance for sending lots of positive stories our way!

An article in our local paper, The Gainesville Sun, shared the story of Debby Harris, a former school psychologist and head of the gifted program at P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School here in town. Just a couple months ago, Debby was diagnosed with progressive bulbar palsy, a disease that has weakened her jaw, facial, and tongue muscles, making speaking and eating extremely difficult. Despite losing much of her ability to speak, Debby has found new ways to communicate and, along with her husband and daughter, a new positive attitude on life. Debby's husband, John Schert, praised his wife's contributions and dedication to the community, and it's clear that their family has only been strengthened by the challenge. Here are some inspiring words from Debby Harris:

"I am still here and plan on being here for a very long time," Harris quickly wrote across the page. "I love life, love my friends, family and church and realize more than ever the power of the human spirit and what really matters - not stuff, but the simple things."

For more information on Debby, visit her website. Thanks to Gainesville Sun writer Lashonda Stinson Curry for profiling Debby and to Debby for being an educator who makes a difference.