"Stir the Team"

This week I tried another new instructional strategy called "Stir the Team." We're currently reading Charlotte's Web and there are many opportunities for students to develop their own visualizations, predictions and conclusions and then share them with others. After reading the chapter "Uncle," in which the characters find themselves with their senses heightened at the county fair, I gave each of the students a card with one of five character names on it: Fern, Avery, Wilbur, Charlotte or Templeton. They had to meet with their character group and brainstorm using the visualzation strategy of "make a movie in your brain." They each recorded things their character saw, smelled, heard, tasted and felt. After about 5 minutes of some pretty great conversations they then referred back to their card where they found a number. They then rotated to their number group which consisted of the 5 different characters (one "expert" for each character per group). They discussed what they saw, tasted, etc. and then made their own venn diagram based on two characters of their choice.
I was very impressed with how well this went! Not only were students discussing with their peers (which they love to do...especially this time of year) but they were able to hear ideas from others that they may not have considered. They were also able to get up and move as they rotated around. Finally, I think having choice as they compared two characters helped them develop a quality venn diagram to compare and contrast. This is definitely a strategy I could see using in many other areas of our day and will use again!

My Cliff/Cliffette

Summer should be a time of pure bliss for students. Freedom, lots of playing, no homework or early mornings, and more time to spend just being a KID! However, for many of my students, my cliff and cliffette in particular, summer is a time of uncertainty. Not knowing what each day consists of, how many kids they'll be in charge of watching, or what they'll have for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Unfortunately, there's not a whole lot I can do to personally change or affect the type of summer my students each have. However, I can give them all that I have up until that very last day of the school year (and sneak a couple visits to the Boys and Girls Club in over the summer :). See what I'm doing to try and give that extra degree here in my most recent (May 9th) KidBlog reflection. Also, I showed this video "I'm Here" to my students and simply posed the question "How does this apply to us each day?" and was very pleased with the discussion that followed. It's worth showing to any age!

Adding a new strategy to that bag of tricks

As I continue to fill that bag I decided to try a new instructional strategy. This strategy, "Air Drawing," is one that I guess I've done in some form or another over the past few years just not as deliberate or refined. It consists of students drawing or motioning in the air to demonstrate how they will carry out a procedure before they actually do so. I chose to use this with a flapbook test-taking review activity we did. My group has struggled with making these flap-books in the past (not understanding how to fold, where to cut, etc.) so I figured this was the perfect activity to try this with. First I modeled how to "air draw" this procedure. It felt sort of mime-like but when I asked a few model students to try it out they did wonderfully! I then had the whole class act out each of the steps. When it came time for them to complete the task on their own I had 100% understanding!! I feel this was a very effective strategy as it tapped into Marzano's Nonlinguistic Representation and the physical movement seemed to help them store the steps in their "muscle memory." This is definitely a strategy I'll use again!

Filling the "bag of tricks"

As a teacher our bag of tricks should be bottomless. When we first step foot into the classroom, whether it be as a volunteer or a young, hopeful student teacher, our bag is rather empty. However, the minute that first experience begins, our bag begins to full. It's just our nature to try a variety of things and hang on to the ones that work for a later day. Since that first experience I've tried to fill my bag as full as I can.
After examining Marzano's 9 High Yield strategies, I chose a few of my own instructional strategies to evaluate.
-One of my go-to strategies is that of Similarities and Differences. This is something my students and I do multiple times throughout the day in a variety of forms. Sometimes it's tied to a graphic organizer or anchor chart, other times it's simply through a discussion. I feel this is an effective strategy as they're able to easily attribute likenesses and differences between a variety of topics but they're also able to apply their own schema to what we're comparing. Keeping it open-ended allows the discussion to dive deeper and take on meaning for each individual student.
-Cooperative strategies: I use this in a variety of ways during multiple facets of our day. We begin during Morning Meeting when their greeting or activity involves some sort of think-pair-share strategy or teamwork in order to play a game or solve a brainteaser. We continue as many of their activities revolve around either working directly with a partner or group to complete a task, or working with someone to check their work or problem solve any questions they may have. I feel this is a crucial part of instruction as it allows students to learn in a variety of ways and bounce ideas off each other. It also increases motivation and engagement as they have someone to encourage them and hold them accountable for their work.
-The third strategy I chose to evaluate is my homework procedure. I send differentiated homework home every Friday. This homework consists of one review math section, one new math concept (being introduced the following week), a story or passage that was practiced in their book group that week, comprehension practice with it, and new spelling words. The students then have one week to complete the homework. So far this strategy has worked very well for me. It's taught my students time-management and responsibility. It's also given them the opportunity to bring the homework to school, on a Tuesday or Wednesday, and discuss any confusion or questions. I'm seen a very high turn-in rate and the quality of completion is very high as well.

Summer Extension

Not that I'm counting...but there's only 25 days left of this school year!
(Can't you just feel the sunburned cheeks already!??!)

Buuuut, before I get too carried away I've been really digging in and doing whatever I can to help my students make as many connections to their learning as possible! My hope is on testing day it'll alllll come flooding back to them :) Of course I don't just want them to test and forget...especially since I recently found out there's a very good chance I'll be looping with this crew up into 3rd grade!

After stumbling across a post on one of my favorite blogs (2nd Grade Shenanigans) I've been bittin by the summer extension bug. In this post she provides a wonderful way for students to prepare a summer "bucket" of sorts full of extension activities to practice while they're away! Because the students participate in the preparation of the bucket they are more likely to use it! Also, because I'll be seeing them again in the fall, it'll be easy for me to check-in on those who have kept up the work...and maybe....just maybe...offer a reward? (Shhh. Don't tell my grad school facilitators I said the "r word.")
Now I just need to decide if I'd like to buy her product, another one like it, or spend some time creating my own!
Has anyone done anything like this in the past? If so, what have you used?
(P.S. Let the countdown begin... :) )

Putting the Big Rocks First!

Family, friends/a social life, exercise, me time, vacation, our new house, SLEEP, grad school, work/improving myself as a teacher.

These are my "big rocks." My priorities in life.

However, why is it that I put those in my "bucket" AFTER I've tried to cram a million little rocks in there? If those truly are my priority why wouldn't I be sure they made it in first...and then whatever space and time is left over would be filled with the little things?

My mom has always told me "Natalie Jean, do NOT sweat the small stuff."

I sweat it.

Lately, I feel like I'm up to my neck in the small stuff.

When being presented with this idea of the "big rocks" and how crucial it is to prioritize those first in life it couldn't have come at a better time. I currently find myself being so encompassed by the little things that happen throughout a day in my life as a teacher, student and wife that I had very little room for the things that truly matter. Since that realization I've been trying, very hard, to put as many big rocks in my life bucket as I can and, only when those rocks have been tended to, do allow the little rocks to spill in.

I think this concept is essential to focus on because it's your big rocks in life that really matter...and life is way too short to focus on anything that doesn't really matter.

So, what are your big rocks and how do you fit them all in?

It's all backwards!

As a fourth year teacher I've become accustomed to planning my own units when I feel that what our curriculum has provided me just doesn't cover what I hope my students will come to understand...that is if I have a curriculum to use! However, the way in which I've "planned" these units has, until recently, been designed around "fun" activities I found via other blogs, Pinterest, or coworkers. "What's wrong with that??" I thought. "My students are SO lucky to have a teacher that just wants them to have fun and really be engaged in our activities." Pat on the back.

However, when being presented with the concept of Backwards Design...my little unit-planning world came to a screeching halt! At first it seemed like a very overwhelming concept. I thought I'd have to start alllll over again and essentially from scratch. To my delightful surprise, I was wrong.

When planning a unit, subconsciously I've always thought about why my students should know the information. I didn't want to produce students who constantly wondered "how in the world am I ever going to use this?" Now, I know I'll be more deliberate about beginning with those big ideas and essential questions and I've actually found, when reading through our state standards and benchmarks, that they are stated in a way that is easy to format into a bigger understanding and question.

As I move into the assessment and instruction piece I'm coming to see that I simply need to be more intentional with my formative assessments. I need to use a variety of them in a way that will gather helpful data to curve my instruction for the days to follow. Also, there are many things that I am already doing with our 1:1 iPad initiative that can easily be used for these assessments!

Overall, I'm no longer feeling as overwhelmed as I anticipated being. I'm taking deep breaths and settling in with the fact that this first unit won't be published in a Backwards Design handbook...and I'm okay with that :)