Transitioning from Classroom Teacher to Instructional Partner

About this same time last year, I was mentally preparing to transition from the position of 5th grade classroom teacher to instructional partner at two different elementary schools. I scoured the Internet, searching for advice on how to prepare my students for such a transition and honestly couldn't find much. Hence, this post. I can't help but believe there are others like me out there who struggle with the same things I did...leaving a group of kids mid-year, turning over their education to another, trusting someone else to finish what I'd started. Here are some things that helped ease the transition for my students and myself. 

My principal chose someone as my successor with whom my students were already familiar. Not only was she a great teacher, but she often subbed at our school and already knew my students by name. They were used to her teaching style and had previously built a relationship with her. 

The new teacher and I spent several hours together discussing student needs, classroom routines, lesson plans, and other information to help her and the students transition smoothly. She even volunteered to spend about two weeks with me in the classroom to observe and learn how our classroom worked. She did not have to do this, but I was so grateful that she did! It made things much easier for everyone involved when the day did come. I spent these days gradually releasing responsibility of the classroom to her. During this time, my students did not realize that she would be taking over soon. We told them that she was learning more about this grade because she was going to have her own 5th grade classroom very soon. 

We prepared the parents. As soon as it was legal to do so, the school principal and I met with my parents to explain the transition that would soon happen. 

I waited until the last day to tell my students. You may be thinking that's a bad idea, but it actually worked out for the very best. I didn't want to prolong any sadness my students would feel. When I told them, I focused on the fact that they were strong and prepared and would be better people for learning how to make a transition like this. I also told made sure they knew I fully supported the new teacher and assured them they were in good hands.

The last few minutes of the last day were a celebration of our good times together. The focus was not on how much we would miss each other, or the changes that would take place. Instead it was a very positive time. We focused on every good thing we'd done together. I made two posters that listed what I believed to be positive attributes about the group and individuals. The students added to them, as well, and they stayed in the classroom as reminders after I left. 

I also gave each student some keepsakes I had previously made for them. I created a Wordle for each student like the one below and also a card with our class pictures on it:

Finally, I kept in contact with the new teacher and made occasional visits on special days. For example, I brought them a treat on Valentine's Day and came to Awards Day. I made myself available to the new teacher for questions, and we emailed one another. This part was a bit tricky, because I had to be careful not to overstep boundaries. They were not my class anymore, and even though it was difficult to let go I had to trust that they were in great hands and give the new teacher room to do her job without interference. 

Leaving a classroom mid-year is something I never dreamed I would do, but I believe the way in which it was handled helped everyone involved to have a positive experience. 

How about you? I would love to hear about your experience with this issue.

Searching for a New Niche

What do you write about when most of your job involves confidentiality? Last January I began a new position: Instructional Partner. Up until then, my blog had become a place to post classroom antics, lesson ideas, and log much of the learning I was doing with my students. Suddenly, I found that I could no longer write about those things. I wasn't in a regular classroom every day, and when I was visiting a colleague's room I needed to build a trusting relationship. I certainly couldn't and wouldn't write about the things I'd seen. They weren't mine to share, and I could never break my colleague's trust that way. I couldn't write about my own professional learning because it was confidential. In short, in order to be successful as instructional partner I couldn't share anything about what I was doing.

Based on the slim number of Instructional Partner blogs out there, I'm guessing that many of my fellow partners (coaches, etc...) feel the same way I do and are just as cautious about blogging. So I've posted sparingly. I've struggled to find ideas worthy of sharing with my colleagues. I've searched for a new niche, and honestly haven't quite found it yet.

That's the reason for the low number of my posts this year. Up until last January, my posts all involved things I was learning and doing in my profession and questions I had. As an instructional partner, I just can't share those things anymore. I'm hoping to be able to contribute in a meaningful way to my online PLN soon.

From Edu-Hoarder to Edu-Minimalist in 3 Steps

Let's face it. Most of us teachers are really hoarders in disguise. Sure, we may only hoard school stuff, but still...And it makes sense. Most of us walk in to completely empty classrooms and there are many years with no instructional supply money. The result is that we gladly take anything that just about anyone will give us and hold on tightly to it. After all, we never know when it might come in handy. It is nice to have on hand the things you need to work with students every day, which is why we constantly collect. (Most people would be appalled if they knew how much teachers put into their classrooms from their own budgets).

It wasn't too surprising that I had a very hard time parting with all my accumulated stuff when I left the classroom for my new position as Instructional Partner. Logically, I knew I didn't need all of my stuff, but I had worked for such a long time to get it all that it was a huge step to let it go. Seriously, who really needs seven different sizes of pocket charts? But there we were: my husband, son and myself hauling all of my classroom stuff out and moving it yet again.

So, how did I go from hoarder to minimalist?

1. I realized that my "stuff" was hindering my work: In my new position, I had no use for most of my old items, and finding places to store them was extremely stressful. I was having a difficult time planning, organizing, and generally getting started on any of it because the task was simply too overwhelming. Getting rid of a lot of it was a major relief!
2. I took honest stock of every item. The key here was to answer myself truthfully. I sifted through them with two main questions: Will I use this in my work with teachers and students? Will teachers come and borrow this to use in their classrooms? If the answer was no, out it went!
3. I got rid of it: This one seems like a no-brainer, but actually getting it out of my possession was the final ending. I gave away most everything and sold my massive collection of books (aside from a few personal faves I knew I'd use). 

I feel like now I'll be able to really make a fresh start as instructional partner--a blank slate, so to speak. How about you? Have you done something similar? Which side of the spectrum are you on? 

It Starts with a Dream...An #Edcampconnect Success Story

Farrah (me) and Cara explaining how an edcamp works

About two years ago I attended my first ever Edcamp with my good friend, Cara, and we were completely blown away! Having never even heard of an UNconference, we didn't really know what to expect but our experience was completely amazing. The next year we visited another edcamp and thoroughly enjoyed it as well. It is so amazing to go to a professional development day that has a schedule literally planned by the participants. The networking, the collaborative nature of the sessions, and the fun atmosphere of it all really drew us in. We even led an impromptu session!

It was on the ride home that we agreed we MUST do something like this in our own area. In our county there are three school systems. In addition to having participants from all around join in, Cara and I envisioned our three local school systems coming together to share ideas and collaborate on our first ever edcamp, which the team decided to call Edcamp Connect. 

That's what's so amazing about Edcamp Connect. It turned out to be a great success, but it all started out as a dream to do something for the educators in our community. I began sending emails to our central office staff, and they agreed to be a part of the team. They pulled in team members from the other systems, and before we knew it we were having monthly planning meetings, soliciting sponsors, and designing our website!

EdcampConnect Planning Team

I feel extremely blessed to be a part of a system and have neighboring systems that not only support the type of learning that takes place at an unconference, but are part of the organization team. Two systems' superintendents were even present yesterday! I've learned so much and enjoyed working with the members of the other systems. Each team member contributed and was a valuable part of the team. To me, the partnerships we've forged have been the most meaningful thing to come from our edcamp experience. It feels a little like my twitter PLN, but having them close by is a bonus. 

Going in to this my biggest worry was that people would not show up. Then I worried that if they showed up, we would not have a full schedule board. Thankfully, neither of those things happened! We had over 150 participants from numerous school systems, and about 7-8 sessions per time period. We had plenty of food and drinks, and the feedback so far has been positive. I can't wait to get started planning next year's edcamp!

I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who helped organize, facilitate, donate, pray (yep, Edcamp Connect was on my church's prayer list), participate, tweet, sponsor, or work in any way to make Edcamp Connect a success. There are too many of you to try and list here on this blog (cue the Academy Awards music), but please know that I am grateful to all of you. Edcamp Connect may have started with a conversation in the car, but the final product was due to lots of collaboration and hard work on the part of many dedicated individuals. 

Check out a few of our highlights:

If you were there, I'd love to hear any feedback you're willing to leave. 

At Least Use the Correct Terminology

Warning...Political rant to follow:

Appalling and sad. That's all I can manage to think right now after reading Sen. Scott Beason's bill, SB443. I take issue with many things in the bill, but will only tackle one in this post. The terms 'curriculum' and 'standards' are not interchangeable. In my opinion, this incorrect use of terminology is meant to confuse the issue. In SB443 he proposes local school systems be able to "...opt out of the Common Core curriculum..." (emphasis added) Common Core is not curriculum. Common Core is a set of standards. Here is the difference:

Standards-- goals that students are supposed to meet. Things that students should be able to do and understand.

• Example: Fluently multiply multi-digit whole numbers using the standard algorithm. [5-NBT5] This is a fifth grade math standard. It and any other Alabama standards are available to the public here. 

Curriculum-- the method and resources used to help students achieve required standards. Curriculum refers to teaching materials such as text books, the sequence of instruction, and the delivery of instruction. 

• Local school districts already have control over the curriculum. With input from teachers, parents, and other stakeholders, the districts review curriculum materials and decide together on which ones to purchase. 

Think of the standards as the finish line of a run and curriculum as the actual running route. I may set a goal (my standard) to run five miles. There are multiple starting points and routes that I could take to reach my goal. My running buddies and I usually decide together which route we will take, and sometimes we even change our minds mid-run. The route I take may be different from someone else's route. We may even run at different speeds or stop to walk. That's okay as long as we reach our standard (goal) of five miles. 

These terms are two completely different things. If we are to have a conversation about a subject, we need to have a shared vocabulary and understand what the terms we speak and write mean. Common standards ensure that Alabama's children will be prepared to compete  locally, nationally, and globally for jobs. Our graduates will be as ready for college and a career as students from any other state. 

Senator Beason, I'm asking you to please use the educational terminology correctly. I invite you to visit classrooms and see what our students are doing (curriculum) each day. Our local systems are already deciding how best to educate our students to meet the goals (standards) our state has set.

Readers, currently this bill is still pending committee action. I'm asking you to contact your senators and ask them to stop this bill while it is still in committee before it gets to the floor. We can't allow this for our students. 

Seuss-Tastic Writing and a Freebie

What would it be like if Thing One and Thing Two came to visit a classroom of second graders? The 7-8 year olds I taught today had some very interesting things to suggest! After talking to their teacher last week, I designed a writing lesson to go along with Read Across America week and taught in her classroom today. It was so much fun getting to see the students share ideas, talk to one another, and make connections from the story The Cat in the Hat to their own writing.

Here's how it went:
The goal was to teach students that we can look at the way an author organizes his/her text and use that same structure in our own writing. We were focusing on sequence (CC.W.2.3) for our text structure and used The Cat in the Hat as our anchor text. As we read and looked at the pictures we talked about what the author did (not just what he said). He introduced characters, told us where they were, and set up a problem and solution.  I jotted these ideas on the Promethean flipchart I made:

 Next, we talked about the story elements and the sequence of events in our model text:

Then I gave students a copy of this organizer and we looked at our prompt. Students did lots of talking to partners and with table groups about possibilities for the story. We worked on the planning process together.

I gave students the writing paper and we wrote the beginning of the piece together. (Note to self: Second graders don't write as fast as I do. It's okay to slow down.) We focused on looking back at how our mentor text began and we used that as an example for writing our own beginning. I also modeled looking back at my organizer when it came time to write the middle and ending. And of course, we had to color the Things and add pictures to the stories when they finished writing!

Overall, I thought it was a really great experience! Students wrote in sequence and noticed the author's structure and applied it to their own writing. If I had it to do again I think I would do this over a series of days. It took us about an hour, but it really didn't seem to take that long because there were so many elements that were involved...reading, writing, listening, speaking, partner talk, group talk, jotting then sharing...

And here you have it--your reward for reading all the way to the end (or just scrolling). Either way, here are the materials I made to go with the lesson. Enjoy!

A New Journey Begins

A little over a month ago I did something I never dreamed I would do. I left my classroom mid-year to become something called an "Instructional Partner." (In other parts of the country this position may be called Instructional Coach or Reading Coach). I thought that perhaps one day in the distant future I might consider doing this job, but never imagined it would come so quickly.

So what makes a person who has a wonderful class in an amazing school with fabulous coworkers decide to leave? For me, it was the leading of the Holy Spirit. I always pray for direction in life, and felt led to make this move. For several years I've enjoyed working with teachers and providing professional development for them. I get so much joy from being able to help teachers. It's my way of giving back to all of those wonderful educators who have helped me along the way. Plus, I know that by helping out a teacher, I'm impacting countless students!

One thing led to another, and within about a month's time I was the new Instructional Partner at two elementary schools in my system. (This is why my posts have been sporadic lately--I'm still learning my way). One day I was teaching fifth grade. The next day I was the Instructional Partner. And so my journey began. So far I have delivered and attended professional developments, worked the presentation booth for a major school program, greeted sweet little faces in the mornings at car rider duty, set up testing sessions, planned lessons, created instructional materials, and about a hundred other things. I'm learning as I go, and loving it! But what I've enjoyed most is the time I've spent with the teachers and students at my new schools. I hope I will be able to impact them as positively as they are impacting me.

The Book Report Game: Can You Relate?

I recently took my students to see the play Charlie Brown Christmas performed by a local group in our area and was in stitches when they performed this scene:

I found myself making so many connections while I watched, especially with Lucy and her word counting strategy. Oh, how I hated the dreaded book report! I loved to read, but the book report was a necessary evil that I sometimes had to bear. 

I also started thinking about my own students and even my son. I looked around and noticed they didn't quite get it in the same way I did, and it's because they never write book reports. We use AR instead. So I began wondering how this particular scene would have gone if AR tests were substituted instead of a 100 word book report. 

DISCLAIMER: Before you read any further, please note that I am NOT against the Accelerated Reader program, or even the occasional book report. I'm not someone trying to ban any reward program from schools or classrooms. I believe that both can be used successfully in the hands of a skillful, thoughtful, and careful teacher/administrator. I'm just someone who really wonders what IS the best way to motivate readers, while still holding them to a level of accountability? I'm also not trying to overgeneralize. Many of my students love to read and actually love AR and challenge themselves with their own goals. I'm talking primarily about the hard-to-reach readers. 

With that said, I started thinking of all the ways that some students play the AR game (much like the Peanuts gang and our generation did with book reports). 

I imagine they might think or say something like this:

Lucy: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, more half point books until I reach my AR goal. Oops I made an 80, now I'll have to read three more to get my average back up!

Charlie Brown: I'm reading all my books, but never seem to have the time to take the tests. I work better under pressure, so maybe I'll just take all my tests at once.

Linus: Oh no! That book I read was way below my level! There aren't any books in the library on my level. Can I take a test on it anyway? 

Schroeder: I read a book by the same author (or watched the movie), so maybe I can try an AR test on this book and see how I do.

If someone rewrote the scene to include some of those lines, I think many students would make more connections. And that makes me sad because I haven't quite got the answer to the question at the heart of the issue:

How do you instill a love of reading, and yet ensure that students actually ARE reading? Can inspiration and accountability co-exist? I think the answer is yes, but I'm not 100% sure I know how to do it effectively with every child. 

Perhaps it's time to pull out The Book Whisperer again and reread it!

Comments? Connections? Suggestions? 

Settling In--Favorite Routines

Day 7 of school is completed, and let me tell you...it has been a whirlwind! We're all settling in to a new grade level (myself included), and I have to say I LOVE fifth grade! It's been such a great experience to see how my kiddos have grown and matured over the summer, and I also enjoy learning new curriculum. (Yes, really).

I know many of you haven't yet started school so I wanted to share some of my favorite routines with you...Many of these are old favorites, but some of these I literally didn't learn until two nights before school started and I've implemented them easily. I knew I wanted to integrate more signals and group responses into my teaching and went searching. Here's my list of favorites:

Attention Signals:

• Class/Yes (Teacher says "Class?" and students stop what they're doing, turn to teacher and reply "Yes?") I try and vary the way I say it.
• Did you know there's a student response to the old "1, 2, 3, eyes on me?" I didn't until I watched a video the other day. Who knew? The students stop, turn, and look at the teacher and reply "1, 2, eyes on you!" I love it!
• Super Scholar Style: I think this came from one of the videos below. When I say "Super Scholar Style" students sit up straight, clap twice, turn to look, and rest their hands on their desks or in their laps.

Hallway: "1, 2, 0" One line, Second tile, Zero talking. This is actually from a good teacher friend of mine from another school. There was a school rule there that required students to walk in a straight line on the third tile from the wall. The rule there was 1, 3, 0. At my new school, the hallways are a little more narrow so I changed it to "1, 2, 0." I love this procedure because it gives the students specific guidelines and visual reminders.

Restroom Sign-Outs: I used to use silent signals for restroom and water, but a few years ago I implemented a sign-out sheet. It's just a three-column chart labeled "Time Out, Name, Time In." Students are taught that they may sign the sheet and leave the room to go to the restroom as needed as long as I'm not directly teaching them. (For emergencies they just go!) They're expected to use our regular class restroom breaks, and use the sign out sheet sparingly. I've never had to say anything to them about overuse because they know it is a privilege. Our class restroom breaks are any time we are outside the room as a group: To and from PE, to and from lunch, to and from computer lab.We don't necessarily all line up and wait at the restroom during all of those times. If a child needs to go, they just get out of our line, go to the restroom, and join us when they're finished.

Hand Signals: This is one I've done for years for oral group responses. I say the question, hold my finger next to my temple (think time), then bring it down palm-up in front of me. When the hand comes down all children respond orally. Here are a few new ones I've incorporated this year. I absolutely love these signals! We've incorporated every one except for the "complete sentences" signal because I haven't had a need for that reminder yet and the "unsure" signal. This video is pretty amazing and details silent hand signals:

Whole Brain Teaching: Okay, this is not new for me, but I HAD to add it to the list because I use at least the Class/Yes routine and the scoreboard every year. This year, I'm hoping to add the multiplication practice portion.

Morning Meeting: Here's another favorite I've been doing for years, but the way I'm doing it this year has changed thanks another fabulous video from Mrs. Noonan:

Do you have a favorite? Maybe one of these above is a favorite of yous? 

Honor and Gratitude

I've waited for several months to post this piece because I've been trying to sort my thoughts and words in a way that conveys exactly what I'm trying to say. Several months ago, I was honored to be named my school's Teacher of the Year. After that, I was named Teacher of the Year for my school system, then became part of Alabama's "Sweet Sixteen" when I was named the district 8 Teacher of the Year.  (We have 8 districts consisting of several school systems each in my state, and an elementary and high school teacher were named in each district).

I write this not to receive congratulatory comments, although I am very appreciative of all of the sweet words my friends have spoken to me, but rather to express my thanks and gratitude to my personal learning network. I received a great honor. But I feel that it belongs not just to me, but to all of those educators who have nurtured me, taught me, talked me through issues in the hallway and at lunch, sat next to me in workshops, etc...I am the teacher I am today not only because of my training and passion and desire to be better, but because of all the teachers who are a part of my circle.

From my own teachers in school who were beacons of hope and encouragement, who showed me how a great teacher interacts with students and colleagues. I often think back on them and recall their quiet smiles or snippets from their classrooms. To my Home Ec teacher in high school who let me be her aide and do bulletin boards and help me with scholarship applications and part time jobs. She is such a great influence. To my cooperating teacher during my student teaching all those years ago...I would be hard pressed to find a more caring, encouraging, compassionate person on this earth. Sometimes I still ask, "What would Nancy do in this situation?" To my coworkers...too many to name, but I will name a few anyway. Robin, who taught me how to be super-duper organized and was always a step ahead of me. Super helpful, she would bring me things that I didn't even know I need yet...but she knew. Thank goodness for her! Dana, who was my sounding board and partner during Masters classes and beyond. Creative, artsy, and just plain fun! Connie, who is about fifty times smarter than me (although she would never think that), who trained me as a Reading Recovery teacher and became a great friend in the process. To Melissa, who is super encouraging, smart, and a fabulous mentor. To Cara, who I share a brain and almost a name with. We've worked closely together for years and I don't know where I'd be without her! And there are so, so, so many more. If I wrote this in a novel (which I nearly have) I couldn't list everyone. Please know that if I know you personally or have corresponded with you online, you are on the list!

My point is this: I wish I could share this honor. Because I didn't get here on my own. Each time someone says, "Congratulations," I am reminded of all the people on my list who helped me on my journey. I am the teacher I am today because of the influences in my life, and I am thankful to God for them.

An Ending

The close of the school year is upon us, and it is definitely bittersweet. I'm so excited to get to spend time with my family this summer, and I'm looking forward to teaching and attending professional development conferences. But at the same time, I'm sad to see the end of such a great year.

I will really miss the daily conversations, activities, and laughs that were so common this year with my group. I will miss seeing their curious faces and the excited looks on their faces when we'd learn something particularly fun. I will miss their work ethic and determination, and their encouragement.

With this sadness comes excitement, though, at knowing that next year brings a fresh start for us. That's one of the great things about teaching. We get to start over each August!

As I write this post I'm reminded of a line from my favorite book series, The Wheel of Time, by Robert Jordan. "There are no endings, and will never be endings, to the turning of the Wheel of Time. But it was AN ending."

This is my favorite line in the series. It reminds me that with each ending brings about a new beginning.

They're Watching

During the past few weeks I've been really striving to live a healthy, balanced lifestyle in order to honor God with my physical body. I've stopped drinking coffee at school. They noticed. I've been bringing a healthy lunch everyday. "What are you eating, Mrs. Kilgo? Smells delicious!" they say. They've seen me politely turn down offers of special birthday treats, and on occasion have even seen me in my work out clothes jogging after school.

Although I didn't have my students in mind when I began making these changes, I can see that it is effecting them. We're talking about exercise, building stamina in sports, healthy eating, and training for 5Ks. They're asking questions. But what really got me thinking about how much they're actually watching was a statement written by one of my kiddos.

They were asked to compare a character in a selected text to someone they knew and one child wrote, "Dr. Shannon is like Mrs. Kilgo because they both work really hard to be healthy and stay in shape..."

Wow! Yet another eye opener of how much they are watching and how much influence we have over our kiddos. Knowing I'm far from perfect, I pray that most of my impact on them will be positive.

In Support of Common Core Standards

A few days ago, my students and I had a golden moment during math. A child asked about a question on the homework page, and before I could even read it myself, several hands shot up--not to shout out the correct answer as would have been the case as recently as last year, but to offer explanations for how to get to the answer. Pride swelled within me as the class and I listened to five different ways of solving the same problem. I just stopped and said, "I'm so proud of you all. Think of how far we've come this year...We all struggled with our new math in the beginning, including me, but now look at you! A few months ago, would you have thought about more than one way to solve a problem?" I could see it in their faces. One by one, they began to grasp the vast distance they'd spanned over just a few short months, and little smiles began to appear. Looks of pride and faces that shone with a sense of accomplishment glowed all around the room.

That golden moment marked a clear milestone for us. We had all started with somewhat of a traditional mindset when it came to learning mathematics. Students and teacher alike were accustomed to a directed teaching approach: I showed how to solve the problems and students did what I showed them. The end. There was no real understanding of number sense, and mathematics was mainly a set of rules or steps to be followed. In my heart of hearts I knew there was more to it, and there had to be a better way, but I wasn't equipped with the knowledge or tools to be a better math teacher.

Enter the Common Core, or as we call them in Alabama, the College and Career Ready Standards (CCRS). With the new standards came a new math program written around our standards. I'll be honest. Even though I firmly stood behind our new standards and had hope for what the implementation would look like, at first it was very difficult. My kiddos and I were used to our school game. CCRS didn't  play by our rules. No longer was it acceptable to just learn a few steps. No longer was math simply about numbers without meaning. CCRS forced us to articulate our thinking and actually write it down! CCRS forced us to apply our learning in rigorous ways that we had never even considered before. Reasoning, explaining, illustrating, distinguishing, and making connections were now just as important as actually solving the math problems.

We are less than 3/4 of the way through the school year now, but it is clear that the implementation of the CCRS in math has transformed the thinking and learning in my classroom. I see evidence of students using various strategies, choosing appropriate ones for particular tasks. Conceptual knowledge and number sense are growing in my students, and they're becoming well-rounding mathematicians and really great thinkers. They're excited and eager, and the thinking strategies they're using are overlapping into other areas of the curriculum.

Finally, I feel like I'm doing what's right for students when it comes to teaching math. Finally, my students are learning real world problem solving techniques that they'll carry into the work force one day. Finally, I'm teaching critical thinking skills in a way that works. The CCRS are not evil, or an assessment, or some secret set of standards (you can find AL's here). They are the tools that ensure Alabama students will receive the education they need to compete with students from other states and globally.

Reading Buddies and QR Codes

If you really want to see your kids be leaders and get excited, partner them with some younger children. We had the best time today reading with our 2nd grade friends. Two weeks ago, my kiddos worked to create QR codes to go along with the biography about George Washington Carver in the 2nd grade readers.  We put all our work in this Google Doc:

 

Then, I reformatted it to make it easier to print onto one page. The kiddos cut out the codes and taped them to the agreed-upon pages in the books. Then we borrowed as many iPads and iPhones as we could get our hands on and headed down to 2nd grade!

My class was so excited, and I was really impressed with them. They took charge of their groups, and worked well with the younger children. I heard them saying things like:

"Who would like to read first? Okay, you can start on this page..."

"Here's how you scan a QR code. You want to try it?"

"See this picture...?" 

"Good job reading that!"

"Let's focus on our story."

"Did you know...?"

And you know how you always wonder to yourself if your class really remembers what you're teaching? Well, I'm here to tell you, mine did! I was amazed to hear snippets from my kiddos that they'd learned in Alabama History as they explained things to the younger children. Segregation, Tuskegee University, boll weevils destroying the cotton crop, etc...It was so exciting to hear them explain these concepts! 

Probably the best moments of all for me were seeing my kids so engaged in literacy learning/teaching, and the comments they made when we came back to the classroom. 

"I love how they all looked up to us like we were the adults!"

"All the kids in my group were so interested in what we were doing!"

"My group took turns really well."

"Can we do this for the other 2nd grade?"

This was a fabulous learning activity that we'll be doing it again for the other second grade classroom very soon. 

Science AND History? A Necessary Decision...

Call me "old school" if you want, but I've always felt strongly about trying to teach both content areas each day. I just feel like 1). By 4th grade, the kiddos need to be exposed to both, especially since they'll have them both in 5th grade. 2). For some kids science or social studies is the highlight of their day. Back and forth I've gone, trying to decide if its best to teach both subjects each day or simply rotate every few weeks. I've even blogged about it before here.

However...

Our new math program takes about an hour and a half. I have to find another time to do my own reading and math intervention groups. We have 45 minutes of PE and 30 minutes of computer lab everyday (for which I'm very grateful). Language arts encompasses so many skills and strategies that we could literally spend all day doing it. Something had to give!

So, I decided to try swinging to the side of some colleagues and teaching only science OR social studies each day. My coworker and I decided to do a chapter of one, then do a chapter of another, and flip-flop. Although I've agonized over this, after only two days I've found that there are some really great advantages to this set up:

• Focus: This one is for me and the kiddos! I can do a much better job planning and teaching for just one, and I think the kiddos can absorb more this way. 
• Quality: This sort of goes with focus, but now I have more time to plan more engaging lessons.
• Less Pressure: Teaching one subject at a time frees the students and myself from yet another "thing" to cover each day. 

I think I'm really going to like this new set-up, but I'd love to hear what's working for you and your class. Have you been in my position? What do you do in your room? 

A Game, A Song, and an Epic Fail

What a roller coaster of a day! That's one of the things that is so great about teaching. It's different every day, and you have multiple opportunities to do fabulous (and sometimes not-so-fabulous) things. So it was today...
The GAME:

If you've not tried this equivalent fraction race, you have got to go right now and download it (Freebie from Holly Olberding). I was really nervous about this skill (naming equivalent fractions) until we took a review day today and played this awesome game. My kiddos can all name equivalent fractions now and we had a blast practicing!

The SONG:

We were actually using a different song for reviewing the continents and oceans, when we came across a group of students singing this one. So we thought, "Hey, why not us?" It wasn't on the lesson plan (Shhh) but aren't the best things sometimes impromptu? Check it out:

And finally, the EPIC FAIL:
I *thought* I had the most fabulous lesson ready to review setting with my kiddos during our literature circles today. I had the really cool graphic organizer. I had a high interest book (our read aloud). I modeled what I wanted them to do. One group at a time, they set out to read their books and apply what I'd just taught them. What a bummer. I quickly realized my little darlings were lost as geese! It was clear that I needed to back up and regroup and offer lots more support. Knowing there was no way to salvage this failure of a lesson in our allotted time, I decided to just let them read and discuss their stories with them. And re-plan this lesson for tomorrow. I've got some more tricks up my sleeve and tomorrow or Friday I'll be sharing a hopefully much more successful lesson with you.

What a day :)

Go Math! Implementation: Month 4

We're in our fourth month of implementing our new math program, and I must say that my kiddos and I are really making some great strides. We've learned a lot through these last few months, and are able to complete a lesson in a day's time. There are still many things I know that can be better, but we're all on the right track. Here are my top 53 "Aha!" moments:

1. Do math first. "I do better in math when we have it first thing in the morning." This statement was echoed over and over by my kiddos after I did some schedule swapping one week. I suspected this, but wanted to hear it straight from the horses' mouths before I made the permanent change in our schedule. Our original schedule called for math in the afternoon, but we much prefer to have a read aloud and time to read to self at the end of the day. It's a better ending to a rigorous school day.
2. Focus on the Essential Question: I sort of skipped over this until I was part of a demonstration lesson in which the trainer focused on the essential question. I realized that the question helps focus students' minds on what they are supposed to be learning. Now, I always begin by reading it and explaining what they will be able to do by the end of the lesson. "Today, we will be exploring how to use a model to find factors of a given number..." We revisit the question during the lesson, "Are we using models to find factors of numbers? How?" and at the end of the lesson as a review, "How did we use models to find factors of a number?" Sometimes they answer orally and sometimes in their journals. 
3. Anticipate issues with manipulatives: Upper grades have never had sets of manipulatives to use with their students until this year, so our students simply weren't used to using them. Many of my students had never even touched a base ten block before this year! As a result, I had to let them build houses with the base ten blocks, make patterns with tiles, and build towers with counters before they could be really utilized. Because it was all so new, sometimes the manipulatives were more of a hindrance than a help. For example, when using counters to model division with remainders, many of my kiddos didn't count out the correct number---multiple times! I've learned to think carefully about how to anticipate issues and solve problems before they can happen. 

Overall, I'm really excited to be teaching the new Common Core standards, and I love learning new ways to solve problems and new strategies to teach my kiddos.

Nouns, Anyone..? Anyone..?

Anyone...? Anyone...?

              Source

Yep, that's me. Okay, I look slightly different, but imagine me with that look on my face. It's the look that says, "Really? Are you serious? Please tell me your joking?" Why would a positive person such as myself have this type of reaction, you might ask? Well.....

Picture it: Monday morning. Nouns unit about to begin. Did I mention that's usually the EASIEST grammar unit of the year? I'm thrilled because we're finally finished with the sentence unit! According to my carefully thought out plans, my lovelies were to create a web and jot down everything they knew about nouns, thereby activating their schema. I would then build upon their previous knowledge and add lots of great, new ideas... Eighteen students sat with pencils and writer's notebooks poised to begin when I said, "Draw a web and list what you know about nouns." That's when it happened. Crickets...

I glance hopefully around the room. Students are looking a little confused and slightly apprehensive. "Are you kidding me?" I managed to just barely say in my head instead of out loud. Not one of my babies could list a single thing they knew about nouns! (On a positive note, at least I found that out, so I'd know where to start teaching). After a little prodding, one of them asked tentatively, "Person, place, or thing?" Of course, that is where we started, and we're moving right along, but I'm concerned and confused.

How does an entire class know NOTHING about something that they've been taught for 3 years in a row prior to reaching 4th grade? 

Is this an issue of kids learning it just for the test each year, then forgetting?

Does the curriculum not address it appropriately in the lower grades, or perhaps use a different terminology?

I'm not complaining or trying to blame previous teachers---I know they're doing a great job! I'm just simply on a search for answers. Has this happened to any of you? Did you discover the reason why? Were you able to do anything about it?

Reviving Four Blocks: Where Does Grammar Fit?

I recently received this question from a reader who was reading my posts about the Four Blocks Framework (which I LOVE). I must admit that grammar was always one of those things that was sort of up in the air as to where it fit...Word work? (nouns, adjectives, etc...) Writing? (conventions...) I just wasn't really sure, so I started questioning and researching it, especially during the years that I taught writing. After lots of research here's what I came up with. I certainly don't have all the answers yet, but here's what makes sense to me at this point in my teaching journey (Year 13).

• Should it be taught every day?
• Yes. I equate grammar and conventions in language arts to facts practice in mathematics. It may not be an actual part of the basal, but you just about have to practice daily to keep it fresh, make connections, and remind children of what they know. 
• If so, in isolation or integrated in writing or reading? Which block?
• I prefer to teach grammar and conventions within the writing block, although it is important during reading and speaking as well (more on that later). I always try to connect what they're learning to the other areas of Language Arts.
• What is the purpose of knowing sentence parts, labels, etc?
• Knowing the labels gives us all a common vocabulary for which to speak and learn about our language. The names are tools that allow students and teachers to converse about making improvements to writing, or noticing things in reading/speaking.
• Why do kids "learn" grammar but not speak it or write it correctly?
• Students will do what they are held accountable for doing. I have learned over the years to hold them accountable for what they know. My students know that if they speak incorrectly, I will correct them and expect them to repeat the correct version. I also hold them accountable in their writing. If they know to put capital letters and periods at the ends of sentences and chose not to do so, they will not receive full credit for work. This may seem harsh, but we talk about how they should be using what they learn, and my students understand that I expect them to do this.  

So...Where does grammar fit? As long as you connect it, anywhere that makes sense to you and works for your students. I teach it during my writing block because it is easy for me as a former writing teacher to help children see the connections between grammar and writing. Connections are the key. Without them, grammar and mechanics are just a bunch of isolated facts that may or may not be useful to kids. I'll post more specifically this week about how I integrate my grammar and writing instruction, but here are a few phrases I often use:

"Remember that good writers use a variety of sentences types. Be sure and use at least one declarative and one interrogative sentence in your writing today."
"Look back at the web you made about sentences. What does a sentence have to have? Remember to include those things in your writing today."
"Check back over your writing. Did you include...?"
"Today you learned that pronouns take the place of nouns. Be careful in your writing to use pronouns sparingly so your reader doesn't get confused."
"Can you find some proper nouns in a story you've written?"
"Circle some adjectives in your story. Can you think of some sparkle words that you could use to replace them?"

How about you? This is one of those topics that I can never seem to learn enough about! What experience can you share? When/how do you teach grammar and conventions? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Go Math! and Guided Math

As this post is published, my fourth week of math workshop with Go Math will begin. I have to say I'm really enjoying using our new math program. It isn't perfect, and I'm not teaching it perfectly, but my kids are learning and my math instruction has changed dramatically!

Things I LOVE:

• If the lesson is on subtraction, the practice is on subtraction as well...not 29 different types of problems as with our previous program. 
• Upper grades teachers now have manipulatives!!!
• Animated Math Models: I haven't used them yet, but look forward to introducing a concept with them. They're like interactive videos and they seem very engaging.
• Workshop format is the perfect structure for this program: Minilesson, small group/independent work, centers, then back to whole group. Okay, so I've still not been able to fit in the last whole group time, but I'm working towards it. 
• Lessons are built on using number sense to solve problems, not shortcuts. 

Things I'm still working on:

• Fact practice: It isn't included in our program, but I just kept right on doing it the way I always have. I think they need fluency with facts, and it only takes about 5 minutes. 
• Calendar: We didn't purchase the companion Every Day Counts Calendar, but I've put together something that I think is working.
• Math Journals: We've used them for learning and practicing concepts, but I need to work in more time for actually responding to prompts during independent work time. Right now though, it is taking almost all of their independent work time to finish the lesson problems. 

Things I DON'T love:

• The Promethean flipcharts (which were a huge selling point for us) are horrible. On the surface, they looked very professional and well put together, however some of the problems are missing. Some of the "independent" problems are on there as guided practice. The formative assessment with Activotes/ActivExpressions only includes one question and it doesn't assess the lesson. It is simply the test prep question at the end of each lesson. Also, the page notes with instructions aren't organized in a user-friendly manner. I've had to make notations all over mine. Basically, you can't use the flipcharts WITH the student book because there are too many discrepancies. 
• Sometimes you aren't sure what the questions in the SE want. 
• For example, "24 hundreds =______" I had to look in the TE to figure out that the standard form of the number goes in the blank (2,400). 
• Sometimes the problems being broken down into tiny little steps is a hurdle. The program describes the 'in the head' processes that students should use...this is not a bad thing. In fact, it is great if your kids are used to it! For now, it can be a stumbling block as my students learn to slow down and think through the problems. I know this will get better and is better for them in the long run though.