Category Archives: Blog

My Brain Is Breaking! {20 Day Blogging Challenge}

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 brainbreak

As a middle school teacher I stopped short when I saw the blog post about brain breaks/indoor recess.  I’m thinking, we only have 60 minutes….we don’t have time for brain breaks!  But I did a little research and I’ve actually seen some things that are applicable to me.  As I was looking I thought, “This is a great way to keep students motivated, so I’m linking this post with my friend Joanne over a Head Over Heels for Teaching for her “Spark Student Motivation Saturday” party!

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During standardized testing, we take brain breaks about every thirty minutes….we stretch, wiggle, roll our necks, etc.

The Happy Teacher has a great blog post about it.   Students pull these ultra cute craft sticks from a mug when it’s time for a brain break.  If you’re interested, click here to read more about it. 

Courtesy of The Happy Teacher

Courtesy of The Happy Teacher

In 60 minutes we have about 3 different changes.  I’m going to implement a brain break during those transitions.  I love to dance, so I think my brain breaks will involve a couple of line dancing songs…..Cha Cha Slide, Wobble, Cupid Shuffle, etc.

 I’ll let you know how it goes…..

Until the next time,

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If They Love You….They Will Work! {20 Day Blogging Challenge}

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Today’s post has me focusing on a professional read that has had an impact on me.  I have read so many professional books, but this one struck deep to the heart of me.

Opening Minds

 

This book stresses how by focusing on the heart of a child you can affect the head.  In Opening Minds: Using Language to Change Lives, Peter Johnston shows how the words teachers choose affect the worlds students inhabit in the classroom, and ultimately their futures. 

This book, recommended to me by our Title One Coordinator, solidified everything that I’ve believed in from the beginning.  If you show a child, a parent, a community that you care – you can change the world.  .  Students will work their hardest for you if they know you care about them.  Parents will support you no matter what, if they believe that you care for their child.  A parent may not be able to help their child with algebraic problems, scientific notation or euphemisms – but they can tell their child, “You will not misbehave in that teacher’s classroom, because I know they care about you and they want what’s best for you.”  And that is the best gift they could ever give me – their trust. 

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Until the next time,

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Jefferson’s Bucks…A No Cost Money System {20 Day Blogging Challenge}

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Jefferson’s Jam!

It is my belief that children desire a well structured environment.  A well managed classroom is imperative in children being successful in your classroom.  You can be a wealth of information, have creative ideas, and amazing lesson plans – but none of those things will benefit anyone if the children are running around the classroom like wild animals.  And although we all think that the rewards for learning is a smarter brain – that just doesn’t cut it for all of our students.  Enter Jefferson’s Bucks!

Check Register

With Jefferson’s Bucks my classroom runs smoothly, my children are well behaved, and they know the “cost” for being unprepared.  Students that are on task and follow instructions are awarded incentive money.   I don’t have students take out money for inappropriate behaviors, but I do charge students for needed materials.

Say a child doesn’t have a pencil or paper or forgot their homework in their locker….you know what I’m talking about, right?  Instead of going on a tirade about how this is school, their job, and they should come to their job prepared…..blah…blah…blah…. I just hand them a pencil/paper/eraser/etc. and tell them to take money out of their account.

I hear you asking, “Isn’t that costly?  Spending your money to buy materials that parents should buy?”  Nope!  Parents donate these items and their children are paid for their donation in Jefferson’s Bucks.

At the end of the quarter I host a Jefferson’s Jam – the coolest party on the planet that has food, music, and games.  Plus, students get a chance to miss a class to participate!  And that costs me nothing either!  Parents donate items for the party and their child is compensated.

It’s a Win/Win situation!  And it makes for stress free days! 🙂

Until the next time,

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A Peek At My Week {January 13th}

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It’s Sunday already? Well, if it’s Sunday, that means it’s time to hook up with Mrs. Laffin’s Laughings “A Peek At My Week”!

Peek at My Week

We’re continuing with writing this week, with a brief interruption for benchmark testing.  Last week, students wrote on a persuasive writing prompt and I did a lesson using the Backwards Design Model.  In the Backwards Design Model, students write first then complete their graphic organizer based on their writing.  They really get a chance to see how “skimpy” their writing is without pre-planning first. If you want to know more about the Backwards Design Model, click here.

This week, I’ll meet with students in groups for writing conferences.  In order to group them according to similar needs, students will complete a conference planning sheet in a Google Form.

Conference Planning Sheet

 

It is my hope that since we’re meeting in groups, we can practice peer editing skills where they can give each other ideas as a way to beef up their writing.

Final drafts will be posted on their blog on Friday!

Until the next time,

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Thumbs Up….Turn & Talk! {Spark Student Motivation Saturday}

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Today, I’m linking up with Joanne over at Head Over Heels for Teaching for her Spark Student Motivation Saturday!

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By the time my kids get to me, they know how to play the game to stay unnoticed.  The ones who know are extremely vocal about knowing…and the ones who don’t just stay quiet and disappear.  

With the EDI model we’re encouraged to randomly call on students. But who would want to embarrass a child who has no idea what the answer is?  So, I use the “Thumps Up” model quickly followed by “Turn and Talk”.

thumbs up

When I ask a questions during guided practice, I tell students to put their thumbs up when they have their answer.  Thumbs up right in front of them, so only I can see.  This gives the students who needs a bit more time just that – time!  Once I see all thumbs up I tell them to turn and talk to their partner and what the answer is and why.  And I’m not talking about them yelling out one letter, word or phrase.  They have to say, “I think the answer is __________ because_____________”.  Then and only then do we check whole group for the answer and I chose students to comment.  That way everyone has had a chance to participate even if they’re not the one to share out. And it gives my struggling students a chance to hear good thinking and emulate it which increases their confidence.  

You should head on over the Joanne’s blog and share you great idea. Plus, she and Fourth Grade Flipper have an amazing giveaway going on!  Stop by and get the chance to earn some goodies.

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Until the next time,

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The Backwards Writing Design {20 Day Blogging Challenge}

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teachingwriting

I think I’m a pretty good writer.  I don’t love to write – but I can and will.  I absolutely despite teaching writing.  I think it’s unfair to expect me to teach reading AND writing in a 60 minute block.

I’ve noticed that despite the fact that I’m sure all teachers have preached “prewriting….prewriting….prewriting….” not much of that gets done.  This week as we began our persuasive writing I only had one student out of ninety-seven begin their writing with a graphic organizer…..ONE!  I knew that would happen, so this week I planned for us to use the Backwards Writing Design model to show my students the importance of prewriting.

After they’d written their rough draft, I shared with them an exemplary paper.

Facility Exemplar Writing

We then used colored pencil to highlight the key components of this paper:  Hook, thesis statement, topic sentences of body paragraphs and supporting details.  When you teach four classes, sometimes your last class gets the best of you, or they get the worst of you, if you know what I mean.  This time, my last class got the best of me.  I was able to tweak my lesson each period so that by the time 6th period ran around it was definitely a well oiled machine!

After we highlighted those key elements in each paragraph, we used my writing graphic organizer to see what this person’s pre-planning looked like.

Writing Graphic Organizer

They then had to take their writing and complete blank graphic organizer.  I heard so many “Oh man, I have a lot of work to do!” and “My graphic organizer is blank! I don’t have enough details!” and “I forgot to add my ___________ (insert word here)!”

I’m really excited with what I’m hearing. Come back tomorrow to see how what I have planned to finish it up!

Until the next time,

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I’m Going to Stop Procrastinating…..Tomorrow {20 Day Blogging Challenge}

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Today’s challenge topic is to share ONE thing I wish I were better at.  That would definitely be my difficulty in staying focused on a task – or rather not even getting started on work that needs to be done until the last minute.

For example, here I am working on blog post #5 for this challenge when I have a crate full of papers that need to be graded. The upcoming week will be the last week of the second quarter and grades will be due. Ugghhh.  I just don’t want to do it!

I went out to school Thursday and Friday and I was able to clean up my classroom, get lesson plans done, and make copies for the week.  I’ve carted that crate to and from work both days without even touching it!

This picture describes me perfectly……

PROCRASTINATION CHART

Courtesy of Tumblr

If I could kick this procrastination habit there’s so much I could do!  Consistently blog!  Upload numerous items to my TpT store! Kick some of this stress!

I know I can do it!  I’ll get it together…..tomorrow!

Until the next time,

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Making The Pieces Fit {20 Day Blogging Challenge}

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assessment

 

Today’s blogging challenge asked me to give a tip about assessments.  The best tip that I can give is that they be frequent and give feedback as soon as possible.  Remember, an assessment is not always a test.  We can break assessments down into three major categories:  Formative, Interim, and Summative.  Check out the image below from Scholastic.

typeof assessments

I assess my students in a variety of ways.  During direct instruction I give students information in chunks and then immediately check for feedback.  That’s why I love our Promethean devices so much.  With ActivInspire and our ActivExpression devices, students can put in answers to questions and we receive feedback as soon as the last person answers.  That way I know right away whether they’re getting it or not.  Whether we’re moving on….or I’m reteaching.

results

For all paper multiple choice assessments (formal or informal), I use Edmodo.  That way students know their score immediately as well as what questions the missed (there is a way to turn the immediate feedback option off).  Plus with Edmodo, I know at a glance the class percentage of each question and can immediately do a data analysis.  I make sure that the appropriate indicator is attached to each question.

Students also take a quarterly benchmark 3x’s a year and we do MAP testing 3x’s a year.  After each benchmark we look at how each class compares against the other and focus on questions that less than 60% of the students got correct.

benchmark

Before we take MAP, students and I conference and look at where they were the last time and where they need to be this time.  Students fill out a MAP data sheet after they finish with their data and a reflection.

Frequent and immediate feedback.  There’s no use discussing the information if it’s been 3 months since they’ve last seen it.  And it’s not enough for us to look at and then put in a folder to never discuss again.  Although I don’t think standardized tests are the end all/be all, they’re here.  And probably never going away.  So it’s my goal to dual prepare my students.  They must be prepared for the end of the year standard that they will be judged by – but they must also be prepared for what the real world will expect of them.  Students who are readers and critical thinkers.

And believe you me, it’s a donkey of a job doing both.

Until the next time,

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I <3 Google! {20 Day Blogging Challenge}

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It’s unbelievable all of the resources that are available through Google!  I’ve had a Dropbox account for at least four years now and I used that primarily for online storage.  I mean, who doesn’t love the fact that you can sync across any platform you want?  I’d leave my computer at school, work on whatever I needed to at home, save it to my Dropbox, and viola!  It would be there when I got to school in the morning.  I could share files with my teammates making emailing documents a thing of the past.  What more could a girl ask for?  Well, I’ll tell you!

Google

With a Google account, you get much more than just storage space.  There’s Gmail, Goole Calendar, Google Drive, Google+,  and YouTube!  

First of all, within your Google Drive space you can continue to share documents….and you and your team can work on them at the SAME TIME!!  No more is there a necessity to have to sit down face to face to work on everything.  Or you having to repeat yourself multiple times so that the “recorder” can get the information written correctly.  Plus you can access your files anywhere, especially now that they’ve added the Google folder for your computer. YES!

No more creating a survey through some pre-made survey program.  You can create a Google Form that has whatever YOU need.  We assign our students lunch detention for inappropriate behaviors.  In the past, each teacher would assign a child lunch detention and email it to our Data Clerk.  She would then have to print out each email, type it into an Excel document, make sure that the duplicates were moved over to another day, and then email it out to us.  About 10 minutes before lunch began, she would have to call out the names over the intercom – interrupting instruction time. And if she were absent…..it put us a day behind. This year, I created a Google Form to handle all of that.  The responses go into a spreadsheet that we each have access and we call out the names right after the bell rings.<3 it!

Lunch Detention

 

My students all have Google accounts through Google for Education and it is the best way to share information between us!  With my principal’s approval, I purchased a domain at GoDaddy for $2.00 and used it to create our accounts.  It was very simple.  Before we left for Christmas break, students created a nonfiction book report video.  Once they finished they just uploaded it to our shared Google Drive folder and I had it immediately!  I use Evernote to grade projects and once I finish, I just email them a copy of their graded rubrics.

You can even create quizzes for classes through Google Forms as well – which you can set up a formula for it to grade itself….HELLO!

No need for Skype with Google Hangouts….I mean how can you not love this…..everything you need is right at your fingertips.  

I was even able to create a YouTube channel where I upload work that student’s have done, as well as videos of them working and playing.  

Click here for more idea of how to use Google Drive.

If you’re a fan of SATC like I am you’ll understand me when I say…”And just like that Google kicked my Dropbox’s sweet little a**!”

Until the next time,

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Give Me 1….2…..3! {20 Day Blogging Challenge}

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student hand

Picture this:  You’re in the middle of a direct instruction lesson.  As you’re teaching your heart out…..working you’re butt off you look to see a student raise their hand in the air.  You think, “Yes!  An inquisitive student wants to expound more on what I’m saying!”…..only to have the student ask, “Can I got to the bathroom?” *spfizzzz* (That’s the sound of the balloon in your chest deflating…..)

In order to save myself from that heart breaking experience ever again, I found the perfect management tool.  Students raise a certain finger to ask a certain question.  That way at a glance I can address it – sometimes without even speaking!

Now of course you know that nothing is ever “brand new” anymore, I found this as I was perusing my favorite playground….the internet.  But I’ve tweaked it to make it my own for my classroom.

1 finger – Pencil Issues (need one, sharpen, eraser)

2 fingers – Classroom movement (Get a book, blow my nose, hand sanitizer)

2 fingers crossed – Bathroom (Don’t you think that’s cute?  Like you cross your legs when you have to go really bad.

3 fingers – I need help with my work.

I have the signs posted onto the wall in the front, and students also have a copy glued into their ISN.

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Like I said, no more heart break for me! What management tool do you use to find out what your students need?

Until the next time,BCbutton

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