S.M.A.R.T. News
March/April 2007

Better Tools

Dear Readers

Why S.M.A.R.T.? by Kathy Orth

Benefits of S.M.A.R.T. by Cheryl Smythe

Better Training

The Many Ways of S.M.A.R.T. by Launa Ellison

Better Results

2nd Graders Mastering High Frequency Words

 

When did you attend your first S.M.A.R.T. workshop?

If it has been several years...you should see all of the changes we have made! Teachers who have attended a workshop, implemented S.M.A.R.T. for a year or more and then repeated the workshop comment on how meaningful it is to come back for another round.

Here is what one repeating participant had to say after she attended this past February:

"This workshop has come a long way since 2001. It was great refresher!! I truly found it to be a great experience; it captured my attention throughout the whole training. It was nice to capture all the elements, from the theory to the application, and not get lost or bored.   The compliments and the discussions from other staff were very positive as well. Great Job!"

So whether it has been a year or five years, consider coming back to a S.M.A.R.T. workshop this summer!

We feel so strongly about having participants repeat that we offer a special fee.

Repeaters pay only $245 for the four-day workshop...the standard price is $635.

That is a reduction of $390!!!

Register early, as we must limit the number of repeaters per workshop.

 

Change comes slowly.

Don't quit five minutes before the miracle happens.

 
 

Upcoming MLRC Workshops

S.M.A.R.T.

Huron, SD
Tuesday, June 12 - Friday, June 15, 2007

Minneapolis, MN
Tuesday, July 17 - Friday, July 20, 2007
Tuesday, August 7 - Friday, August 10, 2007

Check our website for soon to be announced additional summer workshops!

CONTENT
Dear Readers –  Legislative support helped to establish the Minnesota Learning Resource Center in 1999 and has allowed us to offer special S.M.A.R.T. workshop rates and follow-up, on-site mentoring at no charge to schools across the state.  A big thank you to those who came to the capitol last month and testified with us before committees to request continued funding!  Receiving feed-back from those who benefit from the MLRC training and mentoring....educators and children......is critically important as state budget decisions get made in the weeks ahead.  We may call upon you for your input to legislators in the near future.  Please respond with an email or phone call!  Thank you.


Nancy Farnham
Why S.M.A.R.T.? by Kathy Orth

Contrary to conventional wisdom, children are not born with brains that are ready to learn. A brain must be stimulated. As a S.M.A.R.T. educator, you are aware that for various reasons, including the expanded use of safety devices like car seats and stationary swings, sedentary life styles, restricted play areas, absent caregivers and a host of issues related to poverty, many children do not receive sufficient stimulation to develop the automatic basic functions of their brains.
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Benefits of S.M.A.R.T. by Cheryl Smythe

Many of the S.M.A.R.T. program activities may appear to be typical of those found in other schools and childcare centers. S.M.A.R.T. developers drew from the latest brain research and a variety of developmental programs and activities in order to create a purposeful, enriching environment.   The organized and structured program provides a frequency and intensity of stimulation greater than what occurs routinely in normal child development.
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The Many Ways of S.M.A.R.T. by Launa Ellison

Teaching about multiple intelligence is very important in establishing a classroom respect for diversity and fostering smartness in every child. Start by brainstorming the types of occupations that make our lives so rich. We have doctors and surgeons, lawyers and writers, firefighters and sport teams, Oprah and Dr. Phil, Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr., musicians and museums. There are so many ways to contribute to the richness of life.
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2nd Graders Mastering High Frequency Words

"Thanks to S.M.A.R.T. activities (Creep Track, Word Family Ladders) most of my 2nd grade students have already mastered our Reading series Theme 5 high frequency words when we are only on Theme 3. We only have 6 themes, so I am putting together harder word lists of my own to challenge my students!"

Thanks,

Kathy Leary
2nd Grade
Hilltop Elementary School in Henderson, MN

 

 
 
 
 


Minnesota Learning Resource Center
1800 2nd Street NE
Minneapolis, MN 55418
www.themlrc.org