Mrs. Slaviero's Blog

I am team teaching about volcanoes, hurricanes, and earthquakes this quarter with my Language Support team. I am planning for next week's study of the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 and needed an activity. I have never taught this topic before but as I was researching I remembered there was a US Mint in San Francisco (I visited it when I was 9 years old)!  The US Mint is an incredible resource for educators and I have utilized their materials earlier this year when my LS students needed lessons on learning American money and how to make change. What a cool "full circle" moment to go back to the US Mint for this lesson! I located a video about the Mint's role in helping to rebuild the San Francisco economy, but needed a student activity to go with the video. My students will create a Thank You note for the San Francisco Mint of 1906! Writing Thank You notes is an activity I thought of years ago for my US History students while studying the American Re...

I am once again instituting Gratitude Month this November. Students in all of my classes will cultivate their gratitude in a Gratitude Journal I've housed in Schoology. (These entries won't be graded or read by me--this activity is entirely for my students.) Counselors at my school implemented Gratitude Month a few years ago and November, the month Americans celebrate Thanksgiving, seems to be an appropriate time to focus on all that we have. The holiday season is also approaching and this exercise will hopefully help us focus on what really matters in life, instead of the material aspects of the season. We are approaching a new year, as well--student reflections here could possibly grow into intentions for 2016. My hope is that students will increasingly find value in being thankful for all that they have. Recognizing the good in our lives can not only help us to be happier but also make us cognizant and mindful of acts of gratitude as they occur.   This e...