Summarize the following:
It is recommended that students are allowed at least one hour for writing each day. This hour can be split up in other content area classes too (science and social studies), but much of the time will be in language arts class. Stress the importance of writing by giving students time every day to write.  Time for writing can range from short journal prompts in the beginning of class, to time in class to work on longer assignments and projects. Time for writing can include free writing, or can be targeted for learning specific skills (handwriting, spelling, grammar). The most important part is that students are writing every day. Especially for longer assignments or projects, offer students choices for prompts. If the class is writing about a certain book, provide a number of prompts about different characters or plot points for them to choose from, or allow them to modify one of your prompts. Students will be more engaged with their writing and will want to produce good writing if they care about their topic. One of the best ways to teach spelling and grammar is to use student writing as examples. After students turn in a piece of writing, make notes to yourself about the most common mistakes that you see. Create a lesson based on correcting this type of mistake, and use the student writing as the examples in your direct instruction (students should remain anonymous of course; you can type the incorrect sentences out on your own document, pulling from several students’ examples). Share the examples and correct the mistakes together on the board or projector, discussing why the mistakes are mistakes. Modeling writing is a great way to increase student confidence in their own writing. You can draft shorter pieces of writing out loud in front of them, or write a longer piece similar to something they are working on and then share it with them. Students will enjoy hearing you share your writing and discussing it afterward. Students want to know about what others think of their writing. They need to know whether their writing is accurately and appropriately conveying its message. Teachers should provide oral and written feedback through comments and rubrics because this is an important part of the writing process for students. Students should also have the chance to peer review their classmates’ work. Creating a peer review sheet for students to fill out as they read a classmate’s work is a good way to keep them focused on what to look for during peer review sessions.

summary: Make daily time for writing. Create interesting, varied assignments. Teach authentic spelling and grammar lessons. Share your own writing. Provide opportunity to give and receive feedback.


Summarize the following:
Lots of beginners who are trying to build strength in their forearms over-use wrist-straps, which is counter-productive. Your wrists won’t get stronger if you’re relying on wrist-straps to bear some of the burden of the weight. If you feel like you need wrist-straps, lower the weight you’re lifting.

summary: Avoid the use of wrist straps.


Summarize the following:
This is the card that will be the foundation of your project. The color you choose will be featured prominently in your finished product, so keep that in mind when choosing your base card.  Craft stores sell blank, plain cards for this purpose. These are already folded and creased, making them easiest and fastest to use. The blank cards come in boundless varieties. If you really love making handmade cards, definitely pick up a pack of blank cards (or cardstock) next time you’re at the craft store. That way it’s on hand and ready for you at a moment’s notice! You can use any kind of paper you want, but the best choice is a durable paper that has some weight to it. The most popular choice is cardstock, which is a nice heavy paper made specifically for card making. All craft stores carry cardstock and the variety is usually vast. Your base card choice can be as simple as plain white paper! Paper that is any color of the rainbow and patterned paper are both great options as well. If applicable, consider upcycling your child's artwork for the base card, or even your own artwork! This is an even better idea if you need to make the card at the last minute and don't have a lot of craft supplies on hand at the time. If you’re using a full piece of paper rather than a pre-folded card, you’ll need to go ahead and fold the paper so that it will be in card form. The best looking cards have a nice, crisp crease. This is something you can do very easily with items you already have at home.  With your paper horizontal in front of you, take a ruler and measure the horizontal center of the card in two places – near the top and near the bottom. Mark the center lightly with a pencil dot in both places, and then use the ruler to connect those dots with a straight line, from the bottom to the top of the page. Use the pencil with a very light touch. If you are crafty and already have a bone folder, this is the tool you will use to score the card. However, you can use a dull butter knife and get the same results. Scoring the card will ensure a nice, crisp fold.  Line your ruler up next to the center line you’ve just drawn and take the butter knife to score the card along that line. Scoring means to push firmly into the paper so that a visible indention occurs. Be sure not to push too hard! Once scored along the drawn line, lightly erase your pencil marks. Do this by carefully folding the paper along the scored line. Once folded, use the bone folder or some other flat tool to flatten the fold very crisply.  Using the spine of a book would be a simple solution if you don’t have a bone folder. You should now have a crisply folded piece of paper that looks almost exactly like a store bought card!
summary: Choose a base card. Prep the paper for folding. Score the card. Fold the card.