Wait for it...

There is a post from over at NYC Schools Parents that is worth the read. The long and short of it is that many facts were used, and re-used in Waiting for Superman. Those facts weren't entirely vetted to ensure quality- or perhaps they were, but used anyway. The end result is a gross misrepresentation of public school teachers in reference to other professions (namely lawyers and doctors).

Don't get me wrong, there are many districts in need of help, support, and reform. Data is one way to show that. But, numbers can be used in a myriad of ways to prove the point you want to make. Even embedded in the post above is an extrapolation that says public school teaching is on par with the attrition rates of the other professions (which I'm not sure has been fully vetted). The point in all of this is that when we use data to draw conclusions, we best be sure our data is accurate. Even more important is the need for discussion about the data, and the reasons for it. Instead we've had a really vitriolic reaction on both sides with no end in sight (one angry about the system and saying blow it up while the other is equally angry for being villianized sans-debate).

Looking Back at Assessment

I spent 2 hours in my classroom today. I was filing some student work, hanging some things on my bulletin board, and downloading my social studies assessments. I've grouped a few of the chapters together, and have clear understandings I want my kids to have. The next logical question is, how are you going to assess your kids?

Last year I think I blindly looked at the assessments. I knew they existed, and used them in full or totally changed them to fit my teaching. Even more interesting is that I only casually looked at the assessment prior to my instruction. While it worked, it really wasn't my best practice. Saying that a question "is really dumb" after the fact doesn't really help you direct your instruction. Instead you craft an assessment to meet your instruction, which is ridiculously backwards not to mention short-sighted.

What am I doing now? Looking at the questions that the textbook has for assessment for the three chapters I am molding together. From there I am deciding what fits with our reading goals, as well as the big social studies understandings the kids need to walk away with. The questions that are simple recall of knowledge get dropped, and others are potentially crafted. More importantly I have the kids using the book during the assessment- using it as the text that kids will draw conclusions, evaluate information, etc (reading skills we are practicing). Huge change from a year ago- thankfully!

Imagine Nation

Merry Christmas!

If you go back to last year, I set out to do a little bit of work curriculum mapping. In truth, I did some work but probably not as much as I'd have hoped. I did a little bit on Thursday, and I was really productive. But I've also been doing a ton of reading (on book 4 of the break!)

In the spirit of giving I figured I'd pass along a fantastic book to read. If you read one book in the next month, read Jack Blank and the Imagine Nation. I was never much of a comic book fan, but the book (which centers around comics) is wonderful. Short synopsis: orphan boy gets kicked out of boarding school, and taken to a mysterious island (the Imagine Nation). Turns out he is infected with a robot (Rustov) virus that the nation fears, but they agree to test him (and two others) to join the prestigious School of Thought. He goes through testing, leading to an epic finale centered around good, evil, and the notion of destiny.

I really enjoyed the themes that were woven into the story. The ideas of good/evil are clearly evident, yet not overpowering. You also clearly see the idea of using your imagination, and believing in yourself. Obviously kids aren't always as aware of these themes (part of a teacher's job, and the idea of exposure), I feel like these themes clearly come through in the end. Total must read. Next up is Ring of Fire (#1).

Bend Don't Break

Winter Break started at 3:01pm on Friday. I, like many teachers this time of year, am in need of the break. I need a chance to rest, get some sleep, and do things outside of school. That being said, I'm likely heading into school tomorrow. I'll make the 20-25 minute commute post-rush hour and take care of some odds and ends. I need to file some student work in their returned work folders. I also need to take down a bulletin board, and put up a new one (something I absolutely detest doing during school time- file that under more important things!). Lastly, I hope to tackle my winter/spring curriculum map, taking another look at the standards and content we'll be working our way through.

I figure that doing some of the stuff tomorrow, and a little bit next week will allow the break to be stress free.

Trackers by Patrick Carman

I have a few things to do over this Winter Break. The most pressing on the list is getting more sleep. Weeks of 5-7 hours of sleep (I'm up early on Sat/Sun for runs) grinds away at you, so sleep is number one.

I'm also planning some curriculum mapping. I want to look at the next few months and check over what units/content pieces I am going to be using, and which standards I'll hit. But the last big thing is reading. I've sworn off adult books, and only read blogs, professional development books, or kids books.

Last night I purchased a ton of books (list on previous post). I plowed through Trackers by Patrick Carman, reading off and on for 5 hours. If you read it in one sitting (and aren't easily distractable) it should take about 2-3 hours. Really light, but very engaging.

Trackers is about a 14 year old named Adam Henderson who gets into computers at an early age. His dad owns a repair shop, and Adam is allowed to run free on the hardware/software, getting to a point where he becomes a hacker or digital entrepreneur. Ultimately he makes gadgets and software that are very advanced, and is most intrigued by surveillance. He meets one of the other trackers, Finn, by chance in downtown Seattle. After that he meets the other 2 (Emily and Lewis). Long story short, they do a field test of some hardware/software and find out they are being watched. The person who watched them wanted Adam to find out, leading them through this puzzle or maze of clues that put you on the edge of your seat. How do they know Adam? How have they been watching? What do they want?

What is probably most fascinating about this book is its use of technology. It is definitely centered around computers and gadgets, sucking you in (at least if you like computers etc... which I do). But it also has spots at the end of sections where you can go to the appendix to read a transcript of a video... or you can go to the Trackers Interface online to watch the video that the appendix transcribed. The videos were well done too, which adds to the allure of the book. I watched 2 of the videos, and skipped the rest as I wanted to keep reading.

This book was the first in a series, which I am sure will become well read in my classroom. It seemed to be really similar to the 39 Clues (or at least what I've heard about the 39 Clues!). Next up: The Jaguar Stones

New Books!

I was fortunate enough to receive some Barnes and Noble gift cards from the kiddos. They certainly are smart, as they know the books will make their way back into the classroom. I've essentially sworn off adult literature (although I am intrigued by Jonathan Franzen's newest Freedom). I would rather be up on the books that my kids are reading, and be able to recommend books to them. Tough to do when you aren't acquiring and reading new books.

Today I picked up a bunch of books, all new. A rare treat for me. I prefer Third Place Books for their used book selection, particularly as they are mixed in with the new books. It is a good way to get a mixture of books. I also rarely get hardcover, largely stemming from my college days working at Borders- a pain in the rear to tote around hardcover books! Heavier for sure!

So what did I get?

• Trackers by Patrick Carmen (started it right away, really good. I'll post on it in the next day or two).
• The Jaguar Stones by Voelkel (found via the ReadingZone). It is supposed to be similar to Rick Riordan's stuff, except this involves Mayans instead of Greeks, Romans, or Egyptians.
• IQ by Roland Smith
• Half Upon a Time
• Ring of Fire
• School of Fear

I tried to find a seek of some new series as well. Books like the Percy Jackson series, the Ranger's Apprentice, Mysterious Benedict Society, A Series of Unfortunate Events, and the Guardians of Ga'hoole have been huge. Kids enjoy getting into a character, and following that storyline. I'm hoping for good things with the books I just picked up. Should be great.

Spin, Spin, Spin

Picture this: You create a unit plan. It is filled with great lesson plans, and ideas for kids. You've looked at your state standards and you've got them covered- real depth with a few standards, or some breadth as you cover them over the course of the year. You start teaching and the first day or two goes great. Day three or four and you've lost your pacing (man that written response took a long time; gosh I forgot to build in time for those scaffolds so that they could ask effective questions while reading).

Soon enough you are looking at other content areas and going, "ummm how am I going to get to that?" You look ahead in your content area/time block and start to scratch your head. The same statement you were saying previously is running through your head again, particularly as you run the mental calculations regarding remaining time (total time, time per content area, time needed to effectively address units or standards...).

That definitely happens. At some point you need to exercise professional judgement regarding what needs to be covered in your standards (all of them- but some are more glaring with your kids than others), and where your kids are or what they are like. I just thought about that in light of issues regarding workload get voiced by peers and fellow teachers (in a myriad of districts). There really isn't any resolution to this post... just mere acknowledgement that it is there.

Using Wikis

We're in the midst of tying up some work in our 5th grade reading text. We're using the opening theme to practice some of the reading skills we'll be using throughout our literacy workshop, and to further engage in non-fiction (outside the Amer. Revolution). The theme is Nature's Fury, with the big picture takeaway being that nature can be really destructive. We've read a snippet of realistic fiction involving earthquakes. We've also read about storm chasers, particularly of tornadoes.

The final piece is about volcanoes. As a whole, the text is really high interest. Kids go "whoa" when they see black funnel clouds or volcanic eruptions, which helps kids keep going when the vocabulary gets a big dense. Part of today's extension was to find the Ten Largest Volcanic Eruptions (leaving it open ended), and to classify (or categorize?) by continent (skills we are using- organizing information in category/classes). About a quarter got to the research, and I put one group in charge of getting the information onto the wiki.

I left their task pretty open ended, even leaving off the classifying part. Above is a snippet of what they found, with the link being of their own doing. While it isn't ground breaking, it is a step in the right direction. We can do some research, post it, and link it. Eventually we'll do full fledged projects on here, posting arguments about things like the Stamp Act, Tea Act, and the revolution as a whole. That is #'s 2, 3, and 4 from the 50 Ways to Use Wikis link. There are a variety of other ideas in there, but the top 30 have some good nuggets to cull through. The overall hope being that we can share what we learned in a different format (and cut out some of the paper!).

Wiki Practice

I am excited to begin releasing control of our class wiki. Last year I jumped into it, and tossed kids into the deep end. For the most part, it was successful as judged by the content posted. This year I decided to release control a little differently. Previously I trained kids on an individual/small group basis. Those kids would later become trainers, and it worked fairly well.

This year I opted for login instructions. Kids would be able to log themselves in, then use the practice pages to get familiar with the text editor in PB Works. I made 11 copies of the directions, and had kids work in pairs to log in and complete one of the practice pages (they're all the same). The goal being that kids would all be able to log in and add text information to the wiki. As a whole that was really great, with the next step being learning how to add pictures to the site.

While it isn't perfect, I'm confident that kids will know the basis information needed to be turned loose on the wiki. That opens up a whole end of extension work which should be fantastic.

20 Book Challenge: Check-in

Back in October I kicked off our 20 Book Challenge. I was challenging each 5th Grader to read 20 chapter books over the course of their 5th grade year; 5 from a recommended list, 3 during novel study, 12 of their choice. The whole purpose was to push kids to seek out books that they might not ordinarily seek out, largely because the path of least resistant is... well, it is easier (hence least resistance)!

Where are we now? Well the kids that would eat it up are doing just that. I've got a few that have completed the challenge already, and are aiming for 50 (that is just the type of kids they are- book in hand all the time, excited to read, challenging themselves, getting it). I've got quite a few in the 10+ range (say 10-15). Many of those kids I would expect to be there, but not all of them. I've also got a variety in the 5-10 range, and a few in the 0-5 range for a myriad of reasons. The volume is fantastic, which really is half the battle. You become a better reader by reading more, and at an appropriate level. While they didn't start the year seeking out thicker, more challenging titles, they are often are now. They know that the expectation is to have a book with them at all times (throughout the school day- although beyond would be best). I couldn't be happier.

The next step is creating a book project that shows understanding of a book they read. We'll start that work this week. While we continue with some non-fiction reading, we'll add in the project with plenty of work time attached. Then we'll take time during the last week before Winter Break to present our books to our peers, post them on our wiki, and get feedback. It'll also be a great chance for the kids to experiment with posting on the wiki, something I have held off on thus far. Combining the 20 Book Challenge with our novel study will hopefully lead us in the right direction for narrative writing understanding.

Discuss Amongst Yourselves

One of the things I really want to do is get kids having a variety of discussions. Kids need to talk to each other, arguing their points of views at times. They aren't vessels to be filled with knowledge by me, as I'm certainly filled with a variety of faults of my own. Instead I want them to exercise far more abstract skills, like analysis, prediction, and evaluation. If you can take information and use it appropriately (leveraged if you will) for the purpose of your argument, then I am definitely doing my job.

A comment earlier mentioned how technology had largely been used for a test taking purpose. I have an Interactive Whiteboard. I could teach without it, but am fortunate to have it. One of the tools that come with my Activboard is an Activote. In short, it is a device that is shaped like an egg, and can transmit voting information to your IWB. You can use it to do an informal comprehension check. You can use it for more formal assessments. You can simply use it for opinions.

Last year in my first year, I was fortunate to observe in a few different classrooms. One in particular had been doing some novel study around the book "True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle." With that, she had a variety of opinion questions that students responded to. The whole group discussion was one of the more powerful things I've seen. Everyone participated in voting with each question. But the teacher then acted as moderator as kids debated responses, agreeing and disagreeing with each other. Kids were able to respectfully disagree with each other, pointing out ways that each other's arguments were flawed. It was a fantastic way to see kids interacting and learning together. There was incredible power in seeing kids talk together, and seeing a myriad of kids participating. I can't emphasize how useful the activote was in that discussion, as kids were inspired to act based on the results- seeing it as vindication (or a challenge) to/for their argument.

When It Goes Well

One of my goals for the year is to have students leading discussions analyzing text. Today was one of those days where I could see the goal coming to life. We were evaluating our own responses to literature, and deciding whether they were above, at, below, or well below standard. I started to reviewing our purpose for literature response (done largely through our Fact/Question/Response FQR sheets). We talked about the need to make clear connections, give examples and detail, while also having clear and complete sentences.

I took 5 different student responses, unedited, and typed them into my flipchart. I read them orally, with kids following along, and then had them use their Activotes to evaluate them (for those unfamiliar with Activotes, they are voting devices connected to the Interactive Whiteboard we have-Activboard). After letting kids see the results visually (30% say 3, 40% say 2, etc) I had students discuss what they chose with their table group (usually shoulder partner) and then I had students from one of the voting blocs start off why they voted that way. From there I asked for students who disagreed with that point of view, and we continued going back and forth for 3-5+ minutes before moving onward to another response.

The result was fantastic. The buzz in the room during the table group discussion was lively, even from reluctant readers/speakers. Kids were pointing at the board to talk about their responses, using language from our stated purpose. When we moved into whole group discussion a variety of kids participated, and they were talking to each other respectfully. Best of all was the content of their discussion, as kids used language like: "I disagree with you about there not being a connection. It says 'it reminds me' in the first sentence, which shows the connection they are making" or "...not having complete sentences made it hard for me to understand it."

Some days go really well... today was one of those days.

And We're Back

Tomorrow we're back at school for the first time in... an eternity?! We'll tie up out Thankful writing, and also do some work with the way pieces of writing are organized (contrasting fiction and non-fiction). I'm excited to get back rolling, and ready for the drive into holiday break.

A Week To Do What?

What a week! The Arctic air that rolled through caused havoc. It was snowing on the way to school Monday morning, and it continued throughout the day. The Northwest doesn't really get much snow (at least in the Seattle Metro area), but it struggles when it does. The combination of air temp, hills, floating bridges/elevated structures, and overall inability to drive in snow is flat out terrible.

We started doing some writing about someone/thing we are thankful for. It was a struggle to keep rolling because of the snow, a constant distraction, but it seemed to be going well. After school it was a mad dash (err, crawl) home. The commute that takes 40-50 minutes on a bad day was an hour and 45 minutes. But it was also filled with some white knuckle driving, sliding down a hill or two, and being really excited to get out of the car when I arrived home.

Two days off because of snow/ice, and Thanksgiving and here we are. What have I done? Very little. I am going to do some grading today, and look at my reading assessment for the district (guiding my instruction for December/early January). I know what skills I am working on, but need to take a closer look at the way the assessment is configured so that my teaching best aligns with it. There isn't much sense in teaching one way and then assessing in a totally different way. Hopefully I'll really knock out some planning for the month of December- making my weekend a little easier (grading instead of planning & grading).

Happy holidays to you!

Being Thankful

Monday (and possible Tuesday) I'll be focused on writing instruction. Since we just did our fall writing assessment, I have a few areas that I want to provide some explicit instruction. In particular, we're going to work on expanding the examples we give to support a main idea. Having details isn't really the problem for us as much as going deeper with each.

Part of me feels like it goes back to formulaic writing. You have a main idea, then add a supporting detail meshed in with a transition, maybe a transitional phrase/sentence, then add another detail. Eventually you've layered it so that it appears to be really detailed. Unfortunately the result is that you get a list, and not deep thinking about a particular detail (why it is meaningful to you, why you are writing about it, etc).

Monday we'll be talking about what we are thankful for. But instead of listing 50 different things we are thankful for, we will really look deeply at 1-2. I'm also shifting from the bubble map pre-write to an outline of sorts. Visually this will give kids a better feel for how their writing will flow, and whether each example has enough detail. We'll also focus on making personal connections to these examples, which should add more voice/style. It is tough to have style if you don't make a connection to it (i.e. vivid description, meaningful phrasing, etc). Good way to get us moving into the break.

Response!

In my limited time as a teacher, reading response seems to be a literacy skill that is lagging behind for my kiddos. For me, reading response is interacting with the text by writing connections you've made to particular pieces of text evidence. You might compare your own experience to a character and explain why. You might also discuss why you feel like you are similar/different compared to a character. I use it in my novel study FQR (fact/question/response) work, giving kids a menu of questions to choose from and respond to.

My kids can verbally make connections. Most kids can verbally make connections, most commonly done through a "one time I..." type of story. When it comes time to turn those stories into writing, I've seen them fall flat. To stem that tide, I used some student work as my basis for modeling responses. A few had made giant run-on sentences, while others responded to BOTH questions with simple one sentence responses. Neither were in the ballpark of what I was looking for, largely because it lacked any deep reflection or connection to the reading.

With my first two groups I opted to let them start on the response section with some support from me (and modeling). But as we went I pulled pieces under the document camera for the whole group to see, opting for that route instead of 18 mini-lessons or conferences in each group. This involved my own writing and connection- and the change was great. Most really got it as it was intended while a few others will need more support. The last group I went ahead and adjusted ahead, opting for my guided work and support throughout the process. Based on their writing previously, I determined that letting them float along wouldn't be prudent (particularly with the information gathered from my first two groups). The hope is that this pays dividends later when we start our novel study work.

Integration of Writing

I'm 2/3 the way through our fall writing assessment. As I read, I think about how I need to do more teaching of writing. I need to find ways to integrate it into my social studies/reading block on a more regular basis. While we do quite a bit of writing, I still feel like I need to be more intentional. I need to focus on particular areas: creative topic sentences, conclusions that connect to the topic sentence, transitions (particularly those that don't feel forced), and adding meaningful detail.

The push stems from the formulaic writing that I see. Don't get me wrong, formulaic writing is organized and has its uses. But I want to push my writers to add their collective voices to their writing. It makes me wonder if rubrics push kids towards trying to check another box off instead of creating meaningful and impactful writing.

This has made me rethink the end of my week. After starting into fiction this week, I think we'll do a short piece of writing. What piece? Not sure. That is what the weekend's for.

Fiction. Finally!

I've been itching to get rolling with fiction this year. Looking back to last year, it was about October that I pulled out our reading textbook to use. I used it in conjunction with our social studies text, but never really carved out a niche for either. The result was a bit muddled, and felt disjointed. I'm sure it wasn't as effective as I'd hoped.

This year I decided to stay with the social studies text a little longer. We rolled from a geography primer into a Native American primer (environments, migration, and cultural regions). We'll wrap that up tomorrow with an assessment, moving us onward to fiction. For me, that is a fantastic development.

Our reading block should be fun. We'll read a snippet (15-20 pages) from Earthquake Terror by Peg Kehret. We'll work on making predictions, as well as inferences (since they are so similar). We'll also work on structures of writing, as some are sequential while others are by main idea. We'll also get a chance to start using our FQR sheets to record important events, saving some work for when our novel study begins. Therein is the real rub. All of this starts to point to our novel study units to come, which the kids really enjoyed last year. We were able to analyze characters and have discussions about literature. To me, that is an exciting development.

Hooray for tomorrow!

Scavenger Hunt- American Indian Edition

This week we are wrapping up our study of American Indians. Our study has been far more general than specific, fitting with the state EALR/GLE (4.1.2 History). The specific name is: Understanding development of Indigenous Societies in North America. The reason for the lack of depth is twofold: 1) Native Americans are covered in greater depth in Grade 4, and 2) this sets the scene for the encounter part of this GLE where Europeans "manifest destiny" by driving them off the land. Without any prior knowledge of these people, and their ability to adapt, then you miss how devastating this encounter was.

Tomorrow we'll be doing a scavenger hunt. A treasure hunt if you will, where the treasure happens to be important pieces of information. Embedded in this treasure hunt is the skill of deconstructing questions to determine importance (i.e. what information is most important in this question). If you can't determine what information is important, you're left with a big pile of information that you really can't sift through. Beyond that they'll continue to practice comparing and contrasting. They'll do this 2-3 times on this hunt. Finally, they'll be asked two higher order questions. First they'll need to name one reading/writing skill we worked on that everyone should know... and create a question where you would use that skill. Since this has been a big target for us, I am not imagining a huge issue with this. Then they'll need to name 3 big ideas or key pieces of information they think all of their peers should need to know.

This will give us some good fuel for Tuesday's round of Jeopardy, and our Wednesday assessment. Since I am most concerned about reading/writing skills, we'll have this as an open book assessment. Am I more concerned with their being able to tell me the climate in the Great Plains, or whether they can locate the appropriate information in the text? The latter is a more useful skill in my eyes.

Monitor and Adjust

We do a ton of summary writing. Students have a chance to chose articles from a variety of news sources, identify main/supporting details, and then put it together in a short summary. I emphasize the word short, although it has been a struggle getting there. Condensing and filtering information is a difficult skill, and my kids have struggled striking the balance between too much and too little (at least at times).

What do you do? Last year I would have said that I would do some individual instruction, or whole group instruction. This year I've been going through their weekly current events, identifying gaps and issues, then pulling kids in small groups within their rotation. Instead of giving 6-7 kids the lesson again in an individual manner, I can do a small group or 2. Be direct in what is missing, and areas where they need to improve and then let them make necessary changes.

Since we revisited summary writing today, I'll be interested to see the quality of work that is turned in tomorrow. Just part of the process of monitoring student work, and adjusting instruction to help them grow.

Skills Upon Skills

My professional growth goal this year is centered around analysis of text as driven by student-led discussions. Analysis was an area where I felt like my kids could grow (as found through a few measures). They were comprehending text well enough, but weren't able to analyze it. We started doing some of the student-led discussion work last week.

While I have kids talking to each other throughout the day, I wasn't necessarily focused on analyzing work. In particular, I wasn't having them engaging in discourse together. They would talk to me, looking for approval, instead of talking to each other. That changed when we had to compare and contrast through an Activote session (quickly: activotes are ways for kids to vote in a response to a question that is recorded through the Interactive whiteboard for kids and I to see). Some of the questions were cut and dry. Other questions were clearly opinion questions, and the responses were divisive. But instead of trying to get approval through me, I was asking kids to argue for or against a response with each other. Additionally they had the chance to refute each other's response. The result was fantastic, although a wee bit clunky since the process was so foreign.

Where it is going is a continual spiral. We'll identify main ideas, then we'll compare and contrast, followed by continued analysis or evaluation. Ultimately the content becomes secondary, largely because the focus is on using the skills. But I think that the kids are understanding the content... which we'll find out more about later in the week.

Reading Trends

We are in the midst of conferences. Kids are out early, and we are there into the early evening (often). The Scholastic Book Fair is also here, which is great. Personally I don't purchase much there, if for no other reason than I prefer used books. While Book Fair gives our school a small percentage of the sales, I find that I spend more than my fair share over the course of the year. I tend to purchase books every other week or so, usually stopping by Ravenna's Third Place books to check their used selection (and taking advantage of my teacher discount).

What are kids reading? Let's find out (in light of said book fair)...

• The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan (I'm reading it too... 100 pages in, love it)
• The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan (I have 2 copies of each title in the series, all are checked out... the Lightning Thief is on my 20 Book Challenge)
• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins- I have my reservations about it, and intend to read it. I worry about the lack of schema, even if you can decode it!
• Simon Bloom the Gravity Keeper by Reisman- purchased via Amazon, on my list of "need to read soon"... this is a Battle of the Books title.
• Series of Unfortunate Events- oddly enough, the Lemony Snicket books that were wildly popular in the early half of the 2000's are all over the place in our 5th grade. Weird!
• Guardians of Ga'hoole- The Guardians series took off partially because of the movie that is out (or is coming out, and I don't follow movies much). There is another series by Kathryn Lasky that I put on my Book Fair wish list, and I am excited to check those out too (The Wolves of Beyond).

It is excited to see the multitude of books being read, and the reading culture that is building in our cohort. Very very excited!

Teaching It Twice

There are positives and negatives to our fifth grade system. The most obvious negative is that I don't get to teach every subject. I love math, but it isn't my primary content area. I also don't have as much time for literacy as I'd probably like, but I've grown to enjoy using our rotation blocks as mini-lesson times. Instead of 90 minutes of reading instruction, with some writing built in, I've got 60 minutes to do a short mini-lesson and have kids practicing it. For those that have used the Units of Study materials for writing, I'm essentially doing that in reading.

Probably the best part of rotations is teaching a lesson multiple times. Lessons don't always work out. You assume that kids have some background knowledge that they don't, or you don't phrase something particularly well, or any number of other missteps occur in your teaching. Aha! You teach it again, 20 minutes later and have the opportunity to get it right.

That was the case on Tuesday. We were trying to use questions to be strategic in our reading of non-fiction (plans changed from fiction to non-fiction on Sunday night). We were then going to use those questions to help us mine information from the text, and put it into a table. I made the assumption that they had all used a table before. Yep, each row is for a cultural group and the information going across coordinates with the column up top. Wait, what?! Columns, rows, cultural groups?! I was able to make some adjustments within the lesson to make it work, and kids were successful. But the next time I taught it, I knew where the misstep had occurred, and was far more deliberate in teaching what went into each box... and how we would use the questions to guide us to that information. Ah! Re-teaching because you can, and not because you have to repair meaning for someone. So great!

Reading Challenge

This week I am going to kick off our 20 Book Challenge. I found it via the Readingzone, and couldn't help but be excited. I have some kids who are voracious readers, as well as quite a few who are more than slightly ambivalent. The 20 Book Challenge will look something like this...

By the end of the school year, you are challenged to read 20 different books. Of those 20 books, 5 books will need to come from a predetermined list (1/4 of the books). There will be a list of approximately 40 books for the kids to chose from, with the list coming from National Book Award winners, ALA Notable Books, Newberry Winners and those nominated, Sasquatch Award books, Battle of the Books, and Global Reading Challenge books. They can read other books, they need to get those cleared through me.

Why am I doing this? Kids need to develop a love of reading, and reading often isn't their first choice of spare time activities. Additionally, many of the kids I have taught in my two years struggle to find a book that they like independently. That being said, I have had tremendous success with kids once I have steered them to a book, author, or series. Beyond my work in novel study, I want kids to have read a variety of books with a myriad of characters and storylines.

The math behind this looks something like this...

• 20 books at an average of 300 pages per book= 6,000 pages
• We have 34 weeks between now and the end of the school year, including school breaks but excluding the last half week in June... 6,000/34= 176 pages per week.
• You should be reading everyday of the week, so 176/7= 25 pages per night.
• Say you take one day off, and only read 6 days of the week... 176/6= 29 pages per day.
• 2 Comprehension Projects (one by the end of January, one by end of May)- book reviews, book jacket, book talk presentation, etc.

You might ask, what happens if they don't finish? My response is: We are going to read 20 books. There isn't anything punitive. But I don't want to lower the bar at all, because lowering the bar will give all my kids an escape route to not finish.

Non-Fiction to Fiction

The first 4 weeks of our rotations have been great so far. We've practiced using different reading strategies in our non-fiction text. We've gotten an understanding of non-fiction features, main ideas (and supporting details), questioning strategies, and making inferences. It is just the start of this whole process, so we aren't looking at proficiency across the board. Our kiddos are doing great work though, and the feedback they are receiving is being used to make their work better.

The current events homework that I have for them every week is a great example of this feedback loop. I don't enter current events into our online grading system. I have a good idea of what those scores would be, but I don't score it because I don't know who is doing the homework. Is that a student's work done independently, or is it work done with a parent helping guide them along? I give them written feedback, and put it in their returned work folder. Some will inevitably make mistakes week after week, which will prompt some small group instruction. Others will read it, and use it the following week. The change from week 1 to week 2, and then into week 3 has been dramatic. Topic sentences without article titles, and only loosely hitting main ideas have become more specific. Details fit well with the topic, and use transitions effectively. Conclusions that were missing were now being employed, and were quite creative. Why was that happening?

Part of it is getting used to a new teacher (last year to now having me). I also think it connected with some in-class work, and intentional instruction around putting main ideas and supporting details into an effective summary.

Looking ahead, we are going to kick it into gear with some fiction this week. We'll use our basal reader to get us started, as well as kicking off the 30 Week Challenge (30 books in 30 weeks, some choice, more directed). I'll post more about the 30 week challenge tomorrow. I'm excited about the transition. Here we go!

All Weeks Aren't Equal

Of all of the weeks that we've had this year, this one seemed to be the longest. I know, how can that be? Each one is 5 days, and has the same amount of instructional time, so what gives? I seemed to have an abundance of things on my plate this week.

We kicked it off with our grading system going live to parents on Monday. Our district is using a system where you enter events (i.e. Chp 1 Main Idea Assessment; Current Events #1) under particular academic areas so that parents can progress monitor along with you. In the end, this makes report cards easier because the information that you kept in Excel (at least that is/was me) goes directly into the grading sheet. I like it, for the most part. The downside is when a parent who is accustomed to seeing a 3 (at standard) or 4 (exceeding standard), seeing a variance in the scoring. The information going to parents at conferences, and other times, is that getting a 2, 3, or 4, doesn't necessarily equate to their grade for the semester. It is one instance, a snapshot if you will.

Beyond that, I had two observations this week. I hosted some administrators from the district on a learning walk on Tuesday, and then had my formal observation later in the week. In each instance I felt pretty good, but had a little case of nerves. Kids are one thing, adults who are evaluating your teaching (even though Tuesday wasn't truly an eval, it still felt like it) is another. So there was that!

Lastly, kids know what is happening when principals and other adults are in the room. Often there is a tendency to try to be perfect, or something like it. The focus required in those cases can be difficult to maintain, and it felt a little like they exhaled soon thereafter... and got a little wiggly. Alas, today's reading check-in assessment (main ideas, supporting details, summary) worked out well and it appears (from a casual glance) that we're turning the corner.

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

I have not been nearly as prolific in my reading since school started. Getting through kids books is going to be more difficult, if for no other reason than the amount of time that needs to be invested (intermediate chapter books compared to primary are two different stories). But this morning I happened to finish Laurie Halse Anderson's Chains.

Chains was a book of historical fiction about a slave seeking her freedom. It is set in New England, beginning with a scene where the main character Isabel finds out that her previous owner did not complete the documents to set her (and her sister) free. What makes this story more dynamic is that it is set at the start of the American Revolution. Being sold to a loyalist family sets the tone for what is to come.

This book weaves through the time period, keeping one eye on the greater story and another on the interpersonal relationships of Isabel and her owners (the Locktons). Anderson's ability to weave in the stories of patriots and loyalists was wonderful, creating a feeling of being in New York as the war was raging. I certainly enjoyed it, and am excited to read the second book "Forge." I'm considering reading it as a read aloud to each of my rotations when we move into the American Revolution, but I am also considering Fever 1793 (also by Anderson). We'll see. While I enjoyed it, the 300 page story might be difficult to get through with my groups (length has to be a consideration!). Again, we'll see.

Helping Roamers

Yesterday I mentioned my issue with off-task behavior in the Writing Workshop. In particular is how I have some kiddos that like to roam. They need to get up and walk around, which is fine and good if used appropriately. Appropriate walking around you say? The type where they don't bother others, and start up conversations about the upcoming recess.

Today brought about more intentional responses to those behaviors. First, I noticed that some of the behaviors came because the structure from previous days was gone (at least in social studies). We transitioned from reading/response to reading and narrative writing. The structure of reading and then trying to comprehend text with focused questions kept kids focused, and resulted in some good work being done. Without that structure, some kids felt unencumbered and too loose. Today we got back to our reading/response, and there was a definite change.

The next change was keeping some of my roamers with me. I have a small group table at the back of the room. I use it at times, while letting kids spread out to the table if they feel the need to get away from their table group. In this instance it was helpful to be able to question them, and talk with them about the reading skills we were using (inferring- a pre-assessment for me actually). While I would leave to circulate, I would head back to the table to check-in. The change in routine and their physical space resulted in a near absence of roaming. We'll see what comes tomorrow.

Writing Workshop

We've kicked off our writing workshop recently. In intermediate, the suggested unit to start with is "Launching the Writing Workshop." The work is to get students to learn different strategies to generate narrative writing. Additionally they begin to learn the routines that go along with the writing workshop- mini-lesson, writing time, conferencing as needed, and sharing at the end. Two weeks in, where are we?

As a whole, it is better than it was my first year. As I stated previously, I have a greater understanding of the trajectory in each unit being taught. I also think I am living the life of a writer more than I did last year. Some of my mini-lessons fell short last year because I was not actually writing enough alongside the kids. This year I am generating those stories along with them, or in advance so that students can see a demonstration. If I write prior to our writing time, we talk about the qualities we see in the writing that can be utilized in student writing.

But I need a greater commitment to some of our routines. In particular, I need to get back to ensuring our atmosphere fosters a commitment to writing. How so you say? Well I am inconsistent in my use of background music. When there is something playing, students are often calmer and write longer. I also am not being consistent when students are talking during our writing time. I find myself giving some students multiple reminders, a clear sign that they need some help. In recent days, instead of thinking about why students are off-task, I've focused on getting kids quiet and back to work. Bad practice! Ugh. Tomorrow we'll try to wrangle those few who are off-task, and potentially work in a small group. I might also leverage student role models to have them share work with those in need of support. We'll work on it tomorrow... not soon, but tomorrow!

Superman?

My focus is constantly divided. I'm always thinking about my classroom/school/district, and how successful they are (how successful they can be). But I am also looking at the bigger education picture, which currently seems to be dominated by the Waiting for Superman documentary. You can also toss in the Oprah show from this past week (I'm not home when Oprah is on, so I go based on the twitter-sphere) or the NBC "Education Nation" show that is kicked off by Sunday's Meet the Press.

As a point of full disclosure: I teach in a public school, but in a district that is more affluent (and successful) than other large "city" districts in the state. I also have a friend that is a principal for KIPP, a charter school outfit that gets lots of publicity. Lastly, I have never set foot inside of a charter school.

As I watch my DVR'd copy of Meet the Press, I find myself getting increasingly irritated. The conversation is essentially centered on the fact that public schools are "failures" and that the teacher's union is an impediment to student success. What is befuddling, but not surprising, is that they haven't defined success! Is a student's success defined by the winner take all standardized test? On this show, and in many arenas, the answer is yes. It is assumed by all of those on the show, that input equals output, and a student passing the standardized test should be the output. My problem is that it doesn't always work that way. I've seen really bright and hardworking kids not meet standard. Why? I couldn't tell you. Bad day? A family thing? Missed breakfast? Poor teaching? A combination? Who knows. There are kids who miss things everyday in my classroom (forgetting a topic sentences, miss reading a question, overcomplicating a question). They are not any less bright because of that. Perhaps they need to me more careful, but not any more/less intelligent.

As the show concludes before me, I find myself exceedingly angry. Not surprisingly the panel took aim at teachers and the union as an impediment, blocking the progress of millions of school children across the country. "I fire bad teachers, and the union files a grievance," Michelle Rhee states. Well because I would be willing to bet that not all of the 241 teachers that were terminated were "bad teachers." The unfortunately reality is that their kids didn't meet the growth relative to the standardized test.

Solutions? Dan Brown mentioned a few (which the Radical quotes in a post about the show). In my district I feel like there are some items that are worth replicating. Our New Teacher Support Program is highly effective, and inspires reflective practice. During my first year we had quarterly cohort meetings, weekly observed lessons (informal), and opportunities to observe inspiring teachers in the district. Additionally, we have an online portal where documents related to teaching and learning can be found. Wondering what district assessments should be used for fall? Check the portal and download it. Wondering what is at standard for fluency in the winter? Check the portal. Want to see the scope and sequence that the district proposes for particular curricular materials? The portal has it. The tools are available, and you are expected to use them and not be on an island.

The last two things are crucial. How about an hour and a half for planning every week (beyond your specialist time)? Love it. You mean I have time to look at student work, talk about it with my peers, and collaborate on how to scaffold for particular students? Whoa. It was striking at first, but some of the most important time we have. Lastly we have an evaluation system aimed at our growth. I set a goal for a particular domain of teaching (last year was classroom environment, this year is instruction) aimed at increasing student achievement. The achievement can be measured in many ways, but I do link it to our standardized test. We use them for our grade level and school goals, so it is best to be aligned. But I can see where I am, and speak to the evidence that shows I am proficient in a particular area.

Solutions exist. They are being done in schools across the country. Firing teachers in favor of the charter schools that educate 3% of our nation's kids is foolish without first exploring what innovative districts are already doing.

Integration in Year Two

First off, I am making a conscious effort to blog more. Hence the uptick in posts. Yesterday I mentioned how I was moving towards a narrative writing project with my kiddos as they've been reading about geographic features of the US. As I think ahead to tomorrow, and likely next week, I can't help but think about last year.

At this point last year I was keeping my head above water. While I felt highly capable, I was also trying to adjust to the way 5th graders work and new curricular materials. This year is an entirely different feel. Probably most striking is the fact that I am seeing the cross-curricular connections, and the integration is relatively seamless. As I look across the content area objectives, I am looking at how to teach it as a reading text. What reading standards will I hit, and what questions will help my kids get there? Additionally, I'm consistently thinking about how I can be less helpful. What I mean by that is I want to move the intellectual heavy lifting onto my kids' backs. Instead of asking kids content area questions with guideposts, I'll ask them questions like what is the main idea of a particular section and why is it important? Last year I would have led them along to the concept of importance, creating a less dynamic environment comparatively.

Back to tomorrow. We're going to integrate more explicit writing instruction into social studies. Last year it was more of an afterthought. They had a task to accomplish, and I was focused on the utilization of content. Instead we are actually going to focus on how to write a small moment, narrated as though we had experienced it. It will dovetail off of some of their favorite social studies experiences: 4th grade's Lewis and Clark work. Totally different feel in year two.

Progress Monitoring

One new wrinkle this year is that I have kids bringing their own notebooks. Last year we had social studies journals that were included with our new curricular materials. We had the option of getting them as consumables, and we were to provide input to our administrator about getting them again. I opted against it, seeing the journals at 2-4 dollars a piece being a massive outlay that was unnecessary.

Why was it unnecessary? While some of the pages were great, I opted to teach social studies as a study in reading. Instead of simply searching for content, questions like "What was the main idea of section 1.3?" end up being more effective. I still use some of the content area questions, but I help the kids less. Instead of "Label the landforms above," which corresponds to the EXACT SAME picture in the book, I ask them to "Name a landform related to land (not to be confused with those by water), and describe what it looks like." Kids then need to do one of two things:
1) examine the non-fiction feature carefully to determine what exactly makes a mountain different than a plain or basin...or
2) read the text carefully to determine what the actual definition is.

Either way kids are asked to do more with the reading they are doing. Combine that with instruction around main and supporting ideas (again, not included in social studies journal/consumable) and you've got a better forum for practicing non-fiction reading.

On Friday we'll actually start a 2+ day exploration into narrative writing by having kids think about the landforms of the US, and use their 4th grade experience with Lewis and Clark to write about how they would travel across the United States (1800's). There is a piece of writing in the social studies text they'll use as well. But it should be fun... a little foray into creative writing while applying content area knowledge.

Fluency

One of the things I am working on this year is doing some baseline fluency testing. Last year I did so informally, having students bring over books of their choice (or my choosing in some cases), and doing a running record (writing errors/notes in margins of notepad on their reading). That was helpful, but didn't really provide any data that I could use.

This year I wanted to be able to identify those that struggled with fluency, retelling and comprehension. I then want to test them again in December or January to see if their fluency/retelling/comprehension has improved as a result of instructional strategies being implemented. The end goal would be that I'd move them along the reading continuum a little quicker, and with more intentionality.

Why this year and not last? Fluency has never been something I've necessarily taught, but is something where I'll move kids into different books that are appropriate in order to get them to be more fluent. This year my professional growth is centered around reading comprehension and analysis of text, particularly student-led discussions in those areas. Where does fluency connect? Well it is definitely more difficult to participate in those discussions, or make meaning of text, when you are reading in 2-3 word chunks or don't use voice. Plus, not liking to read coupled with being a slow reader can be a deadly combination (I was one of them and it made me hate reading- it took forever!)

A Week or 10 Days?

The start of the school year seems incredibly hectic. Getting to know kids. Getting to know parents. Curriculum night. Pre-assessing kids. Establishing routine. Ugh!

Instead of dwelling on the length of the week, I'm going to focus on our focus in reading. Our Math-Science-Social Studies/Literacy rotations began this week. My focus was on understanding the different features that are unique to non-fiction, and how they can be used to comprehend text. I started in the kids' wheelhouse: what makes a piece of writing fiction? Simple question that befuddled some of my kiddos- "really, you don't know what fiction is? It is just fiction!" Sometimes seeing something over and over is the most difficult thing to explain (granted all my kids were able get with it, and respond to that question accurately).

From there we transitioned into: what is non-fiction, and what features make non-fiction special? Kids were comparing their chapter books to our social studies text, and creating a T-chart of their findings. From some it was really important to not only share out the feature to the whole group, but turn to the page where it was located so they could visualize what the feature was (hmm what is a diagram? what is a glossary?). Again, seems simple but can be really powerful (and a great reminder).

But it wasn't enough to just identify features, but now we need to use them! So I had 4 questions that kids needed to answer, but they needed to use the features in order to respond. All of that was getting at our content goal of understanding what in the world geography is! Really really great start to rotations!

Birthday Wishes!

When you work in the private sector, you get people saying happy birthday (usually in passing). Birthdays aren't a huge deal unless you or those close to you make them so. But it is different in a school. If kids find out that it is your birthday they tend to latch onto it. It is almost as though they are saying "You have birthday's too??? No way! I never knew!"

Today was my birthday. I said very little about it, as that tends to be the way I operate. But I'll admit that it made me smile when some of my kids were saying happy birthday to me on the way into the classroom today (they also wanted to sing happy birthday at the end of the day- but we ran late!). It was also fantastic to have former students come back and wish me a happy birthday. If nothing else it is a sign that they'll remember 5th grade. The hope is they got something out of it (which I believe they did).

This weekend we'll talk reading fluency and 5th grade. But now it is time to enjoy birthday cake!

Looking Ahead

The start of the school year is such an odd thing. You start with 3-4 days, you get the long weekend, and then you have another 4 days. By the end of this second week you start to get into a groove, which is good considering you go another 4+ weeks before you get a day off for professional development.

While our 5th grade rotates students through content areas (math, science, social studies/literacy), we won't be starting that quite yet. Instead we'll continue to build community and routine in our homeroom groups. We have some math pre-assessments that need to be completed. We'll also do some reading comprehension through some short passages on maps, with the culmination being a completed map (off a blank world map) including major lines of latitude and longitude, continents, and oceans (I might be missing something as I'm not looking at it). We'll continue reading Rules by Cynthia Lord too. I need to be far better about my read alouds during the year, making a conscious effort to continue pushing through them even when we appear strapped for time. City of Ember will likely be next, as the trio of books in the series are really well written. We're just going to keep pushing.

First Week Reflections

The past two weeks have been a whirlwind. I had two professional development days, and got a chance to re-bond with the school staff. I took two flights, one red eye and one at 6:00 AM (ouch is right!). I went to one rehearsal dinner, and one wedding, standing as a groomsman. I lost a temporary crown, and had it replaced (don't ask). Lastly, I finished my first day and first week of school.

The difference between year one and year two of having your own classroom is exponential. My overall comfort is well beyond last year's, which is funny considering how comfortable I felt last year. My nerves were there, as I hope they will be for each and every year until I retire. My planning running up to this school year has also been more efficient as well. While I knew what was coming last year, I always felt a step or two behind where I wanted to be. This year I might be behind where I am scheduled to be, but I am right where I should be (pacing/instruction-wise).

There are some great things coming. We're already reading Rules by Cynthia Lord for our read aloud. I felt like that would be a great way to bring out acceptance of different people (as the book surrounds an autistic boy and one who is mute). I'm also hoping to get the blog rolling this year, a new wrinkle or tool to use in my instruction. I also have some more specific work that the kids are going to be doing with our wiki, as opposed to creating pages to document the topics/subjects we are/were studying.

Good things in the works. Buckle your seat belts!

End of Summer

Summer officially ends in September, but for many teachers it ends on their first contracted day. For me, that day is tomorrow. I'll be in my building today doing a small amount of prep, but I won't stay long. My other strategy is to get in early, as I did all of last year. We aren't contracted until 8am, but I would arrive at 7:15 because I'd leave early enough to beat traffic. I'll continue that this year, including the first few contracted days. There is something to be said for peace and quiet in the building!

Poor Examples

One of the big things I found out this past year is that you need to provide multiple examples in your teaching. These examples need to adequately show what it is you are trying to teach. Examples certainly can be powerful and influential.

I say all of that because of an article I read in the NEA Go! (new teacher magazine). I have had it sitting on the kitchen counter for a while now, only flipping through it today as my coffee finished brewing. One of the articles was about Technology, and whether some of the "gadgets" were necessary in our current economic times. I certainly understand the question (Are expensive tech gadgets necessary?), and believe it should be asked in conjunction with the question, "how will it be used/integrated in (into) my practice?"

Where this particular article fails is in the examples it provides. Certainly a Smartboard/Activboard is an ineffective, and overpriced tool if you only use it to go around the Internet with your kindergartners. Instead, how about talking about the big book that is typed on your activeboard? Kids can then recite with you, they can search for words (or words with particular letters/sounds) and highlight them, or they can draw a picture in the margins to show what they visualize. What about shared writing where kids handwriting is turned from scribbles into print (yeah, it can do that).

There are a myriad of things you can do. I use mine to manipulate maps, play video prior to having kids to analyze text (and highlight/note in margins), create shared writing, demonstrate non-fiction reading strategies, and a variety of other things. Sure you can teach without technology, but I'm not sure that fully prepares students for the world they are going to be a part of.

Great Series

This afternoon I finished The Last Olympian, the final book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. At first I resisted the series. My prior experience working in a bookstore where parents got angry when the Harry Potter book wasn't released (not our fault, talk to JK Rowling!) made me resist. I was put off by popular series'. But now that I teach 5th grade, it isn't an option any more. I need to read what the kids are reading, being fluent and immersed in their world.

I will also admit that I strongly dislike hardcover books. I prefer tradepaper, finding it easier to tote around and a cheaper alternative. That wasn't an option in this case, as it isn't scheduled to be released in paper until January and I'd like to finish the series before school starts.

All that being said, whoa! I was engrossed in the final chapter of this series, thoroughly enjoying the wall to wall action throughout. I was also looking for answers to a myriad of questions. What would happen to Percy and the prophecy? Would Luke be destroyed by the Titan lord Kronos? How would Nico's situation with his father, and exile from camp be resolved? I had a myriad of other questions as well, as those are merely some of the larger questions at hand.

I was impressed. The Last Olympian was not entirely predictable (some predictability is needed in kids books, keeping them interested and pulling them along). It balanced predictable ends with turns that you didn't quite expect. Rick Riordan answered a fair number of questions, while also leaving the door open for a future half-blood series (in the notes it mentions the conclusion of the "first" camp half blood series). I also think it successfully showcased all of the characters and their growth (in the book, and series). It was well worth my time this summer.

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Going forward, I still have a few more books to tackle. I am in the midst of the Phantom Tollbooth, a book I haven't read but wish I had. I also would like to tackle City of Ember (DuPrau), and Hesse's Out of the Dust. By then I imagine our staff development days will have started, and my summer reading will have slowed to a crawl.

Changing the Way I Plan

I genuinely enjoy planning. It is a chance to decide how you'll get from A to Z, and what you'll see along the way. For me, planning has been about yellow legal pads where I can just write down whatever comes to my mind. The biggest problem with that is I often don't refer back to it, letting it sit and fade into the page.

Instead I am using OneNote to do my planning. I wasn't completely sold on the program at first, not really seeing how an electronic binder would help my instruction. But after a conversation with a colleague at my writing training last week, I decided to try planning using it. Why? I can refer back to my work (and not worry about which notebook it is in). I can make lists of what needs to be checked off and done, and I can embed my assessments directly into the document. So much easier! Below are two of the screenshots from my work thus far...

Towards the bottom I have the Writing GLE's so that I can open the document without having to search for them. Additionally I have placed images of the Writing Power Standards for our district, making it easier to view as I am planning (what standard does this relate to again?)

Above is an image from one of the units, particularly my launching the writing workshop section. I've taken the information from my Units of Study book and made it my own. Highlighted information is stuff I need to go back and fix as I go forward (what I am going to write about as I demo, etc).

Wax On, Wax Off

I made the trek to school today, a wonderful 25 minute jaunt because it wasn't rush hour. When I arrived I nearly had a heart attack. The floors were being waxed, common for this time of year in schools across the country. What in the world was I going to do? Thankfully my room opens to the outside, and the door was unlocked (courtesy of our janitor! so great!).

I was able to get quite a bit done today. When I left last week they were getting set to re-wax the tile area in my room, which needed to cure before I could move anything. That was all set, so I was able to scoot desks, tables and computers around. I moved our computers back to where they were, taping their Ethernet cords to the wall so that they are mildly inconspicuous. I unflipped the desks that were in a giant cluster, putting them into some approximation of what my classroom will look like. I was also able to return some of my instructional materials (teaching guides) that I won't need to look at in the next two weeks (at least not at home, as some of those are still in the home office). Novels were also moved on top of one of the bookcases, creating another shelf since a majority of them will sit there until used for my various novel studies.

What are the next steps? Getting the physical space looking good is a great start. Next is making notes about what content I will teach, and how I want to teach it. I also need to look at the sequence so that I am sure it makes sense. I'll make other adjustments once the year gets rolling, but you need to start somewhere.

I am using the tool which I am using for my novel study summaries, OneNote, for my curriculum planning. Instead of oodles of notebook paper that I won't refer back to, I have a document that I am excited to add and revise to. I am using a new OneNote document for each curricular area that I teach (Reading, Writing, Social Studies), with different tabs for expectations and units. Thus far I couldn't be happier.

Two Weeks, Really?

This has been my first summer off in many, many years. I realize how odd that sounds, as most people don't actually have summers off. That being said, I actually haven't taken much more than 2-3 days off (even during breaks, this year aside) since high school. While I have a planner, I really haven't opened it or looked at the calendar section (aside from planning my running/racing schedule).

Seeing two weeks of summer remaining is mortifying. Saying "I've got time" or "I'll do that tomorrow" is out the window, and it is replaced by "I should have done that yesterday." While I don't necessarily feel behind the eight-ball, I do sense the crush of the school year coming. The beginning of the school year work needs to get planned, and not simply the curricular work I have been focused on.

There is no time like the present.

Organize and Save

The image shows my personal experiment with OneNote. I have create a notebook with my novel study books. I knew that I wanted a place to write down summaries and questions that I could use in discussion groups or as reading response. I had previously thought about creating a Word document to store all of this information. The major problem with that is ensuring it isn't cumbersome. I want to be sure that I can go back and refer to my notes, even if I don't utilize the questions I have written down. My hope is that it will save a little bit of my planning time. You'll never guess the trouble of ensuring you've read all 4-5 books in your novel study, while also being sure you've got all of your other reading (instructional materials, social studies, current events) taken care of!

In the future I think I will include tabs for different book groups, grouped by genre or category. I've started a Genre tab, but it falls short in some of the sorting capabilities that Excel has. I have a different document in Excel that has all of my multiple copy books (or most... well, many). I can sort it by title, author, number of copies, or approximate reading level. It isn't perfect, but it definitely helps out with some of my planning.

The More You Write, the More It Grows

Over the next few days I have a ton of stuff to do. Essentially I have two weeks of freedom before professional development starts in my building. Having just been in two days of instructional materials (writing) training, I am a bit worn out. That being said, I am also excited about the possibility of further integration of writing into my Social Studies/Literacy block.

Kids do a ton of writing when they come through my room. They write down notes, and responses, to what we are reading in Social Studies. They also write down responses to literature we are reading. We do weekly current events summaries as homework. Our wiki gets used on a regular basis, and is a great chance for kids to communicate their understanding of the concepts we are learning.

All of that being said, my actual writing instruction during this block was far from optimal. Part of this lies in my mental concept of writing instruction: a writing block (writer's workshop) where kids are actively working on pieces of writing that may of may not be related to other curricular areas. I utilized the Units of Study materials, and enjoyed them (as a sidenote, I'm hoping to go to the Teacher's College next summer to do some of their PD). What I need to eliminate are the walls between writing and my social studies block. I plan to use the materials I was just trained to use to improve my kids' writing, seeing the materials as a concrete bridge to improved paragraphs, summaries, sentences, etc. Will I do away with my writer's workshop? No. I see room for both to fit in my instruction.

There is quite a bit to be done.

Inspire Me!

The big picture, pie in the sky, head in the clouds stuff is where I often live. The mechanics, or nuts and bolts, are not my specialty. As a teacher I think we swing on the pendulum between both of these. Often you swing between questions like "what is your vision for your kids?" and "how will you teach this lesson in writing?"

Today I sat through a writing training. I was immersed in the nuts and bolts of a particular set of writing materials. I was incredibly happy to hear the presenter say that the materials were another set of tools for our respective writing toolkits, as the standards are the curriculum we teach. To me, it couldn't be put any better. You need to use a variety of resources to reach your kids, and ensure that they are able to meet and exceed the state standards in different content areas.

As I said earlier, I'm a big picture person. I like inspiration, and need to consume it (see it, read it, hear it, etc) on a regular basis. Below are a few videos that I've been replaying in my head (or on screen) the past few days. When working in the classroom I put them up on the projector and had them in the background. I've returned to them quite a few times. Enjoy!

First is a big picture, where is education now video from TedxDenverEd by Keith Kruger called Mastering the Moment.


Next is a video I've posted before, featuring Brian Crosby speaking about his classroom and his integration of technology to meet the needs of his kids (again, TedxDenverEd)



Finally, I think watching Dan Meyer from the blog dy/dan is another source of inspiration. I believe the ways that he rethinks math instruction, and embeds multimedia, can be applied across content areas. (TedxNYEd)

Back on the Horse

This afternoon I walked into a local Starbucks in search of a little pick-me-up. I encountered a former co-worker (I was a barista while I was in my t-cert program), and we exchanged hellos, how are yous, and whatnots. He asked what I was doing today, to which I replied, "I spent the morning in my classroom, about 3 1/2 hours or so." He replied, with his face one of puzzlement, "What, are you teaching summer school or something?"

While I have certainly enjoyed a relaxing summer, I've started the process of getting back on the horse. I had a few simple tasks today:

• Take old, tattered, expired books off the shelves to make way for newer books.
• Check to see if school laptop worked better at school than home (startup issues)
• Move some charts and maps from the wall in my search for a better way to utilize wall space
• Look for assessment guide, in particular leveled passages to assess fluency & comprehension.

What I ended up doing, taking up more time than the above items, was documenting some of the books I've been reading this summer. This past year my school district used some of our technology stipend on learning Microsoft's OneNote. In a nutshell, OneNote is a digital binder. We use it for documenting our staff development, and team meetings. I've also used it to document my work with students in reading, using different tabs for each rotation of kids that I would see and placing pages in each tab with the date for my reading conferences. Kids would read while I was script on my laptop, typing notes about fluency or comprehension including areas of growth/struggle.

I decided to employ this for the books I've been reading. Ever read a book, dog ear a page, then wonder what the heck you did that for (when you look back days, weeks, months later?)? Well I haven't totally determined my organizational structure yet, but I have a few pages on different books. I included a brief 2-3 paragraph summary. After that I included page numbers with quotes and questions, things that I might use when I use these books again. While I might not use the questions that I've noted, at least I have a head start the next time I go back to use these books.

I was in my classroom today? Yes I was, and it was good to be back on the horse.

Good Reads

(image from sfkids.org) Today I am making the trek in to school. My wife is at an orientation for National Boards, so I am left with little to do but run and work. If I don't head to school, the likelihood that I use my creative energy is slim to none.

After reading the Red Pyramid (certainly recommended), I decided to read Al Capone Does My Shirts. I really enjoyed it, which is saying something for someone that doesn't typically like period literature. I prefer more modern stories, largely because of the ability to relate to the characters and story. But this was fantastic, and featured an ending that I was not expecting. The characters were believable and easy to identify with. Their problems seemed realistic, but didn't cripple the story. I'd like to use it for a novel study (character traits-growing up in particular, inferences/predictions) but I am a little bit nervous about that.

Why am I nervous? It is just a story, right? Part of the problem lays in how realistic the literature is, as Choldenko did a wonderful job authoring this story. Near the end there is a scene where the main character (Moose) and his father are talking about the struggle their family has had because of the strain Moose's sister has created. She is a young adult with special needs (autistic), and the family has struggled in balancing those needs and normalcy. In this late scene Moose's dad is tired, and he pours himself a beer before pouring a little bit into a glass for Moose. Moose acknowledges how odd this is, but also how important their conversation must be (partially because of his dad's action). He doesn't drink it, but the few lines about this make me a bit nervous. On one hand, you can feel the realism seeping out of the page, sensing the depth of their conversation. But on the other there is no possible way to condone or explain the action of Moose's father. We can talk, as educators (or society- what have you), about taking the kid gloves off and not censoring things that kids see around them. That is easy to say until you feel like you might be the first experience they have without that aforementioned censorship.

Learning From Baseball

I am a huge Red Sox fan. I have been since I was a little kid. While I live in Seattle, I still root for the Red Sox whenever they come to town (I nearly had a heart attack last Thursday when they were here). But I follow the Seattle Mariners, if for no other reason than to want to see the home team succeed. It isn't much fun, as a sports town, when the home team is getting pummelled on a nightly basis.

One of the blogs that I check out, casually at least, is the Seattle Times Mariners Blog. I stumbled upon something that hit home for me, as a teacher, when I read it...

You don't learn by studying the stuff you know. You learn by studying the stuff that you don't know. So, if you divide the world into (crap) that you know and (crap) that you don't know, and you study the stuff that you know, then you're not going to learn very much. All of the progress comes from studying the stuff that you don't know. So, that's really what's interesting. And that's where most of your focus should be. Studying stuff that you can't agree about.

Just a thought that I will carry with my for a little bit.

Greater Tech Usage

Ever since my time as a pre-service teacher, I was dreaming of integrating a variety of technological pieces into my instruction. As I moved forward, I used a little bit in my student teaching and continued to dream of a technologically literate classroom. Last year, my first year of teaching, I used tech on a regular basis. From the class wiki, to having kids highlight passages on the Activeboard, to having students create presentations in powerpoint, we were all over technology.

Now was it what I had been dreaming about? I suppose I could answer in two different ways. Relative to where I was in teaching, I felt fairly good about how I was able to integrate technology into my daily instruction without making it feel forced. Relative to others I am inspired by, I was itching to add more and make them integrate with more fluidity than before.

This coming year I have a few new wrinkles planned...

• A class blog: with the 70-80 kids I'll see, the goal will be to divide them into 3 groups and have an A, B, and C. One week, A will be blogging in response to a question, quote, statement. That same week group B will be responsible for commenting on the work on 1-2 of their peers (I'll tweak it based on ease of use, efficiency), and group C will be off. We'll rotate each week. This will likely be connected with social studies and/or our novel study, giving everyone something to connect to.
• Wiki Group Work: my past class of kiddos was great at creating powerpoints. While I sometimes struggled with the content they created (writing style, conventions), their technology knowledge was fantastic. Instead of 20 powerpoints on the Boston Tea Party that just get sent to me (they presented too, but it was really an audience of 1... me) we will create using the wiki. We'll be using some rubrics to assess our cooperation, our contributions, and the content. Plus we'll take out some of the flash that became uber-distracting with the powerpoints.
• Podcasting: I had hoped for a podcast this past year, but it just didn't happen. What I am considering doing is having a monthly podcast from each rotation group, with 3 students per rotation working on it. Essentially it will be "Social Studies in October...etc" They can cover concepts/content they liked, books they read, or something I haven't envisioned. They'll need to create an outline/script, and then use Audacity to record it (3-10 minutes). We may also podcast some of the other audio projects we're working on.

There are probably 1,000 other things that I could do to integrate more technology into my classroom. But those are the big 3 I am going to be focused on. Secretly I am hoping that wikis become the technology focus this coming year for my district (we have a yearly district focus with training around it). But, I'm also hoping it is something entirely new that I can wrap my head around.

Reading to Teach Reading

To the left is a picture of the camping trip my wife and I took to the Washington coast. While beautiful in its own way, the weather leaves a little to be desired. Instead of reading on the beach in the sun, we sat around the campfire in sweatshirts and jeans reading the day away. Not all bad, but a little cool for my liking.

I made my way through The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan on the trip. I then finished Gossamer by Lois Lowry (author of the Giver) since we returned home. Both of which were really great reads, and quick in their own respective ways. One was action packed, picking up where the Lightning Thief left off, and weaving Egyptian history throughout. I felt like I learned quite a bit from reading it, a great feeling when you finish a book. The other was more delicate, and really came together in the end. The themes of dreams and resilience resonated for me, and made me want to start using it with my kids at school.

With each book I found myself thinking of questions I could ask my kids. What are some of the strengths of Carter and Sadie Kane? How do the two characters complement each other? Why does Anibus make Sadie chose to save either her father or the world? Have you ever faced a difficult, or "impossible" decision? What can you infer about the characters from their names in Gossamer? Was your prediction about John and/or the end of Gossamer the same as it was written (and were you surprised)?

As I read more children's literature I see the standards in the writing. I see main ideas or themes woven throughout, inferences I make from information in the text, and predictions I started with based on some of that aforementioned information. I don't stop and say "let me infer here" but I am more conscious of it now. The challenge is to teach kids early in the year to recognize that they are already using these skills, to varying degrees, and that our task is to slow down the process a bit to ensure that we are on target. Otherwise we cruise through on autopilot, missing important details that help us come to a greater understanding of what we read.