Math Boxes

I was excited to see the introduction of math boxes in kindergarten this week. As a substitute last year I was always impressed with how well the students did with their math boxes. They seemed to know exactly what to do with each item, they took care of the items, they cooperated with their partners, and most importantly they were excited to do math! When my mentor teacher told me she was going to introduce math boxes this week I was excited to see that process.

When the time came she started by making a big deal about a special new thing she was going to show them.  She gathered them in a circle on the carpet and dramatically pulled a box out from behind her back.  They waited with baited breath.  She told them is was a box full of fun activities they could do with partners or on their own.  She said they would be available to the students at certain times during the day and maybe they could earn them as special treats.  They were thrilled.

Once they were all eager to know more, she opened the box and started taking out each individual item, stopping on each one to tell the students what it was called and what they could do with it.

 The first thing she pulled out was a counting strip. She showed them how they could use it to count forwards and backwards. She also showed them a card they could slide the strip into an use it to look at just one number at a time. Then she pulled out a small deck of cards they could use to identify numbers and count symbols.  One student suggested they play Go Fish with the cards and the teacher agreed that would be a good use of them.  Next was a deck of Garbage Cards, a game the students already know how to play.  She pointed out that the backs of the cards were colored different colors in each box, so it would be easier to keep track of which cards belonged in which box.   Next came the Five Strips, which can be put in order from one to one hundred, and can also be used to count by fives or tens.   The box also has a string of one hundred beads that she gave very little introduction.  Finally she showed a bundle of craft sticks with dots of them and two dice, both of which that can be used for adding, subtracting and comparing. 

After she introduced each item she partnered up the students and set them lose with a math box to explore.  While they worked she and I went from partner to partner to guide them with the tools, observe, and offer new suggestions for things to do.  This is a great opportunity for individual assessment!  I was able quickly notice several children who can count to 100 easily and others who made it pretty far but got stuck in certain areas.  I also had many opportunities to ask "how do you know?"  One girl told me there were 100 beads and when I asked how she knew she told me she had counted the red beads, noticed the groups of white were the same size and therefore must have the same number, then counted by fives to get 100.  Pretty good reasoning!

After 15 minutes of free exploration the teacher brought the class back together in the circle.  She had them sit with their partners and then we went around the room and had each group share something they had done with their boxes.  Many had done something she suggested, but several had done their own thing.  Everyone was eager to share what they had done.  I'd like to say they were also eager to hear what their classmates had done, but mostly they just wanted to talk. :)

A few days later I pulled out the math boxes again when we had an unexpected ten minutes at the end of the day.  I partnered up the students, but had one pair who were very unhappy with the partnership.  I considered rearranging, but then decided that part of kindergarten is learning to work well with others, so I sat with them for a few minutes while they negotiated and figured out how to work together.  They finally settled on a game they both wanted to play and carried on happily together.  Math boxes are as much about the math as about the teamwork and partnership.   

Mindsets

Have you heard about the idea of mindsets? Namely "fixed" or "growth" mindsets? I first read about it in an article UVEI gave me last August, then I saw a TED talk about it at a teacher in-service day this fall. Last week at UVEI we had a guest speaker who talked about mindsets a lot as well. I think the idea is fascinating, so I finally bought the book.

Carol Dweck, the author, defines a fixed mindset as "believing your qualities are carved in stone." The idea that you are born one way and can't change. You are smart, or artistic, or athletic. You are great or you are not. However, the "growth mindset is based on the belief that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts." With a growth mindset you believe that "everyone can change and grow through application and experience."

I'm on page 39 and so far the book does thrill me, but the idea does. She's given tons of examples on fixed mindset versus growth mindset, and each example makes it sound like a fixed mindset is a horrible thing and that fixed mindset people are awful to be around. The book starts off as a grandiose self-help book, right from the subtitle of the book, "How we can learn to fulfill our potential." I hope it gets a little more substantial as it goes along, although it's not even until the very last chapter that she talks about how to change your mindset. She does promise it's possible.

When I first heard of the idea I thought, "of course I'm a growth mindset!" Obviously. I am confident that I can do anything I set my mind to, and the idea that we are capped mentally or physically and are completely unable to improve ourselves is ridiculous. It wasn't until David Grant, the speaker at my UVEI seminar, said that it's possible for a person to have different mindsets in different areas, or to be mostly one mindset, but sometimes the other that I started thinking, "hmmm..." Professionally I have no doubt that I have a growth mindset. I am confident that anything I strive for, I can achieve, and do well at. I have always done very well and been very highly regarded at every job I've had. Not to brag, but it's true. My biggest doubt usually is whether or not I'll be happy with the career I choose.

However, this weekend I got to thinking about the diet and exercise side of my brain. I see people who are more fit than I am and think, "I could look like that if I tried." But I don't try. "I could lose this weight (again!) if I just set my mind to it." But I don't set my mind to it. Instead I walk around in an fog and eat more cookies. I think I could lose weight and be more fit if I just decided to make it happen, but maybe there's a layer down in my subconscious that says otherwise. Maybe I do have a fixed mindset in this area. Maybe somewhere inside I'm thinking I'll probably just fail again and that would be embarrassing (ok, I've had that thought many times!) so why bother trying. As long as I'm busy with kids and work and life, then I have an excuse to not try.

I was talking to my son last weekend about mindsets and he immediately decided he was a growth mindset because he loved to learn new things. I didn't argue with him, but as I thought about it over the next few days I realized that he likes to try new things as long as they are within his comfort zone. New computer apps, new books, new Lego projects, bring it on! New food? Nope! New extracurricular activities? Rarely. Even at school he often gets stuck and frustrated when the teacher asks him to do things differently than how he already knows. Maybe this is because he has a fixed mindset, at least in some areas. He has always been smart and everyone tells him so. Alan and I have been working hard on praising his efforts, not his brains, but he's heard us bragging about him through the years. Everyone else does too. Even his classmates constantly tell him how smart he is. We found a note from a classmate back in first grade that said "Happy Valentine's Day. You really know math. You are really smart." That's the translation anyway, from first grade spelling. :) Even back in first grade his friends were complementing his intelligence. So now when his teacher asks him to look at something differently, to try something in a different way then how he's comfortable with, he balks and refuses.

Tonight we were playing Spit (a card game) and I asked if we could play one-handed, the way the game is supposed to be played. He loves playing Spit and always plays two-handed. He's pretty good at it, but when I suggested one-handed he shut down. We talked about mindsets a bit again and he said he didn't want to try one-handed because he wouldn't be any good at it. We talked about what would happen in that case, which of course is nothing. I said it would be challenging for both of us, we would take the game a little slower, and we would both improve our skills. He ended up in tears and refused to play the game. It made me hurt to see him so stuck.

Dweck says, in her article,

"we found that students with the two mindsets had radically different beliefs about effort. Those with a growth mindset had a very straightforward (and correct) idea of effort -- the idea that the harder you work, the more your ability will grow and that even geniuses have had to work hard for their accomplishments. In contrast, the students with the fixed mindset believed that if you worked hard it meant that you didn't have ability, and that things would just come naturally to you if you did. This means that every time something is hard for them and requires effort, it's both a threat and a bind. If they work hard at it that means they aren't good at it, but if they don't work hard they won't do well. Clearly, since just about every worthwhile pursuit involves effort over a long period of time, this is potentially crippling belief, not only in school but also in life."

This idea saddens me, but also encourages me to read all the way to chapter eight where Dweck talks about how to change mindsets. For now my husband and I are (and have been for some time) working on the idea of praising behaviors, not abilities. The same applies to discipline/criticism as well. Comment on the behavior, not the person. This idea is popular in the parenting world, unrelated to mindsets, but it aptly applies to both. When you notice and comment on the effort a person puts into a project, instead of just the outcome, you are rewarding them for trying hard, not for being smart. That is the goal, continued growth and effort for all of us!

I start full time in kindergarten tomorrow and I have this idea in my mind. What words and behaviors do students exhibit for fixed and growth mindsets? As a teacher and a diagnostician, what signs should I be looking for to tell which mindset my students have. David Grant said in his UVEI presentation that the percentage of people of fixed versus growth mindsets is equal, so I should expect that of the students in my kindergarten class about half will have a fixed mindset and the other half will have a growth mindset. How can we tell, and, more importantly, how do we teach differently towards both sets? I will be observing my students with this in mind and, of course continue reading Dweck's book, chapter seven is aimed at parents, teachers, and coaches!

First day in kindergarten

A drawing for me from one my new kindergarteners.

I had my first day in kindergarten today.  I met the teacher (again), the para, the principal, lots of other people, and, of course, the class!   One thing I love about young kids is how willing they are to welcome new people in.  They all wanted to sit by me and talk to me.  I also tied more shoes and opened more snack/lunch bags today then I did all semester in 5th grade.  There are pros and cons to that, of course.  There's nothing wrong with kids who can tie their own shoes! :)  

The school is in the same distract as my last placement, yet very different in terms of demographics, philosophies, and even physical structure.  This will offer me a very different experience and many more learning opportunities.  

Two more days at UVEI this week, then full-time in kindergarten next week!

Understanding By Design

This week at UVEI we are learning unit design, based on the Understanding By Design (UbD) methodology, by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe. The three step process involves:

1. Desired results:  What are your established goals, enduring understandings, essential questions, etc. 
2. Assessment:  How will you assess the learning?  What are your performance tasks and other evidence?
3. Learning Plan:  What activities will you do in class to achieve the desired results?  

For the past two days we've had David Grant, one of the original planners behind UbD, as a guest speaker.  We've talked a lot about how people learn, mindsets, facets of understanding, and much more.   In between the lecture components we are also working on designing our own units to, hopefully, be taught this term.  

I'm working on a social studies unit my mentor teacher called "people in the neighborhood."  It seemed pretty straightforward when she suggested it last week, but as I delve into the details I'm uncovering plenty of questions.  For starters, I quickly found myself using the word "community" instead of "neighborhood."  I'll have to discuss the difference with her tomorrow and see what she intended.  Also, "neighborhood" could be very tightly defined, such as the streets around my house, or more broadly defined, such as the general area we live in, or more generically defined, such as a typical neighborhood.  I'm not sure what she had in mind.  I've also heard a lot about "community helpers" and I'm wondering if that's what she had in mind.  Also, has she taught this lesson in the past or will it be a new lesson?  Many things on my mind.  Fortunately UVEI has given us tomorrow to go to our schools, meet the class, and discuss the unit plan with our new mentor teachers. 

I enjoyed Christmas vacation, but I'm excited to get back to it, to meet the kindergarteners I'll be spending the rest of the year with! 

A new year, a new school, a new grade

Happy 2014!

It's hard to believe I'm half way through the year. My time in 5th grade is over... for now. Tomorrow I start in kindergarten at a whole new school.

Over vacation I worked on writing assessments of my understandings of four of the ten competencies for UVEI. I chose to do Learner Development, Learning Environments, Content Knowledge, and Planning for Instruction. Most were straightforward enough, but the Content Knowledge was challenging for me. The assessments ask what I believed about the competency before starting the program, what I learned during the program and during my placement that supported or changed my beliefs, what evidence to I have to support my beliefs, and what are my plans for my next placement. Challenging questions, especially if you don't have strong beliefs in an area. However, I got them done and my faculty coach deemed me competent in each one. That was good to hear!

This upcoming week I'll be at UVEI, learning about unit design. My new mentor teacher suggested I plan a social studies unit on "people in the neighborhood." I'll have to check the relevant Common Core standards, which I'm sure will be an early step in the unit design at UVEI. I think it will be a fun topic and I've already found lots of inspiration on Pinterest! Reminding myself that the lesson goal has to come first, before the fun.

One of the biggest challenges in writing my assessments is trying to find expert quotes. I've read tons of books, articles, and blogs, but to be able to recall and find relevant quotes is difficult. Also, many of the books I've read have been library books, or books I owned but have since passed along. I have to write six more assessments by the end of the school year, so maybe I can come up with a system or something to make it easier the next time around.

So much for blogging

I really thought it would be great to maintain this blog, as the story of my journey. It turns out, however, that I have more than enough writing to do for UVEI assignments and lesson planning, and never enough time for any of it. Certainly no extra time for blogging. Sigh. It's hard to believe but I only have two days left in 5th grade. My fall placement has flown by! I'm eager to move on, learn more, experience a different classroom, teacher, and school. At the same time I'm really sad to be leaving where I am. I'm so comfortable at my school, my mentor is amazing, the class is awesome, and I'm going to miss everyone. Today we were reassigning reading groups for January and discussing room rearrangement, and I kept having to remind myself that I won't be around for any of that. My thoughts went, "Oh, it will be fun to have that kid in class...oh wait, I won't be here for that." I'm sure my spring placement will go by equally fast and I know it's important to get as much exposure and experience as I can. While I'm comfortable where I am, what I need right now is challenge, not comfort. So I will move one to bigger and better things... well, kindergarten. Definitely not "bigger," and "better" is to be determined. The differences are going to be amazing.

Solo week, coming right up

My solo week is coming up right after Thanksgiving vacation. What this means is that I'll be the primary teacher in the room for the entire week. My mentor teacher won't be around at all. I also have to do all of the lesson planning for the entire week, from morning meeting to end of day grading and everything in between.

I'm feeling pretty mixed about this. I have a fun project for the writing class and I'm excited about that. However, my mentor teacher and adviser keep asking me things like "what are the students going to learn on this day," and "what is your objective for that day," and I just want to have fun. Sigh. I guess fun isn't the primary goal of teaching.

As excited as I am for the writing class, I'm a little less confident in the rest of my lessons. I have them, loosely, but they still need work. Work that will have to be done over Thanksgiving vacation, while travelling.

I'm also mixed because I get excited when I finally firm up lesson plans, but then things never go as planned. A fact of life, I know. Five days is a long time to be "on" full-time. One misstep or off day and I'll have lost that class for the rest of the week. No pressure.

Plus I'll be observed and recorded off an on throughout the week. Then I have a mid-year assessment due the following week, based on the lessons from my solo week. Lessons that aren't yet finalized and apparently don't have any "hooks" or student learning in them.

I have to just keep reminding myself that I knew this would be a tough year. This will be a tough year, but time goes by. Whether you're ready for it or not. Time goes by. I have less than four weeks left in 5th grade!

Digital Storytelling

I went to a professional development seminar today on technology in the classroom. There were three session choices: blogging, iPad apps, and digital storytelling. I had to think long and hard to decide between the iPad session and the digital storytelling session, but I finally decided on the storytelling.

At the digital storytelling session the instructor introduced us to three products: VoiceThread, Meograph, and PowToon. Each looked interesting in their own ways, and each would be used for very different things. While he was showing us the products I tried to think of a situation where students could use them in the classroom.

VoiceThread:
VoiceThread lets you add voice narration over photographs. You can have just one photo or a slideshow of photos. It also makes it very easy for others with accounts to comment, via text or voice, on your VoiceThread. At first I wasn't sure what to do with this product, but then I thought for young kids it could be fun to take a picture of their artwork and then have them record a voice narration telling the story. Children often have very elaborate stories to accompany their artwork. I could also see VoiceThread being useful in an art class. Students could photograph their artwork and then record a voice narration to go along with it. Their classmates could then view the projects and leave critiques. It could be a way to include technology in art classes, and a way to teach positive critiquing skills.

Meograph: Meograph sounded pretty cool when he described it, but when I looked at the few samples he showed it seemed less cool. I'll have to go play with it myself for awhile and see what I can build. Essentially it is a tool that ties Google Earth with historical time lines. In his example he had students map earthquakes in time (timeline) and space (Google Earth). The final project is a presentation of sorts. I could see Meograph being useful for an ancestry project, or perhaps a historical project that involves different places over time, such as the Lewis and Clark expeditions.

PowToon: PowToon lets you quickly and easily create animated movies or presentations. I think you could use this for little videos about a topic or as a dynamic introduction to a lesson or unit.

After the instructor introduced each of the three products, we were set loose to create something on our own. We were actually instructed to come to class with a story in mind, but sadly I came with none, so when we were turned loose I chose to make a little animation with PowToon. Not too shabby for a first try. :) The meeting also counted as professional development. I wonder if that counts for anything at this point in my life.

Sometimes it all comes together

I'm doing a solo day tomorrow. It's my third, so you'd think I would be comfortable by now, but nope. Actually, in the classroom I'm perfectly comfortable, but I have been struggling with the lesson planning at home. I was complaining to discussing with my husband a few days ago and he suggested a writing lesson idea I really liked, but my mentor thought it wouldn't be great. :/ Last week my mentor had suggested a lesson on slang because a lot of the students write "gonna" and "cuz" in their work. I liked the idea, but struggled to find support or inspiration for it. All of my Google searches were turning up street slang or SMS shortcuts. I don't think "slang" is really the term I needed, it's more like lazy writing. I watched YouTube videos, read articles, browsed Pinterest (with just a touch of procrastination mixed in!) and just felt stuck.

Last night, while my husband got my son ready for bed, I continued to push through my block. Research, frustration. Then I took a break to lay down with my son and snuggle. Our nightly routine. While we cuddled he was so soft and so still. With my head on his pillow I listened to his breathing and felt his warm head pressed against my face. Now here I would like to say I was zen, at peace, completely present in such a wonderful moment... but that would be a bit of a lie. I was at peace, and calm, and suddenly my lesson solidified in my head. All on it's own. It just came together, a simple, straightforward lesson that my students would learn from and enjoy.

It felt like a weight was lifted. When I was done cuddling my son I came back downstairs and typed it up. I was hesitant to show my mentor, in case he disagreed with me, but I did and he loved it. He also agreed to let me do a bulletin board with the students projects from this lesson. It will be awesome. I can see it in my head already.

I went from tense and stressed about this solo day to feeling completely at ease and ready to rock tomorrow. I am going to have to do some serious reflecting (or something!) on why lesson planning is so challenging and stressful for me, but when it comes together in a moment of peace, it's a wonderful thing.

I'll post details of the lesson and a picture of my awesome (I'm sure!) bulletin board in a few days.

How to blow a bubble

We started our information text unit in writing this week and my mentor teacher had a great lesson lined up! We discussed the many different ways that exist to get information, including how-to videos. Then he had the kids break into pairs and create a how-to video on "How to blow a bubble." The kids LOVED it! Everyone got a big piece of bubble gum (they were sold on that alone!) and an iPad. They had a graphic organizer to help them create their script, then they went to work creating the videos. It was amazing to see all the different ways they did this simple task. Some had one person video while the other did the explanation and demonstration; others had one video and explain while the person on camera just demonstrated; still others propped the iPad up and had both people in front of the camera, one explaining and one demonstrating; and one lucky group of three created a very silly video with one running the camera, one explaining, and the third one demonstrating all the things NOT to do. I was also impressed with the variations of script, from very basic (put gum in mouth, chew, blow), to very detailed (use your tongue to push the gum out a little, then pull your tongue back in, creating a little crevice in the gum to blow air into), to everything in between. Everyone loved the project, students and teachers alike.

It reminded me of a lesson my sixth grade teacher did so many years ago, long before iPads existed! He had us write instructions on how to open a door, then he took each one and followed it, step-by-step, to the letter. The result was many smacks on the head by the door since almost all of us forgot to include the "step backwards" step before pulling open the door. It was hysterical... for us. He probably had a killer headache by the end of the day!

I hope someday I can create lessons that are as clever, engaging, and memorable as these are.

So much information

There is an amazing amount of information out there. From Google to blogs to Pinterest and Facebook. In some ways it's just amazing. Anything and everything you've ever wanted to know about is out there, just a quick click away. In other ways... totally overwhelming! You can spend HOURS lost in the Internet. I was recently told I need to incorporate technology more into my lessons, not just using technology, but also having the students create with technology. Ok, can do. My mentor teacher does really cool projects. Unfortunately my mind has been a blank. Actually, not a total blank. I have one cool idea but I'm saving it for my solo week next month, as it will take a few days to complete. For single lessons though, involving cool uses of technology, there's nothing up there. So I spent the evening on the interwebs, trying to find inspiration. I found everything else, it seems, but no inspiration. Then I started to realize that the more I browsed, the less inspired I felt. Instead of being inspired, I'm just overwhelmed. There's so much out there!

Chris Jernstedt, Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Dartmouth College, spoke at UVEI a few weeks ago. When asked about note taking and how that helps or hinders learning, as part of his response he said that the novice takes copious notes because they don't know what to filter out, they don't know what is important and what is not. That has stuck with me and as I browsed the web tonight I realized that as a novice teacher I really don't know what to filter out either. Everything looks interesting, but not exactly what I need, and I can't easily scan things as I imagine a long-time teacher probably can.

Or maybe the fact that it's 11:30pm has something to do with it. Perhaps all this inspiration/overwhelmed-ness will percolate overnight and a great idea will come to me in the shower tomorrow! :)

Observations

This week I've been observing other classes and other schools. It's part of an assignment for UVEI, but also just a really interesting activity. When it was first mentioned last month I had no interest whatsoever. There was still so much to learn in my own classroom that the idea of going somewhere else just seemed silly. Now, however, two full months into my placement, I'm finding it fascinating to observe other classes.

So far I've seen three classrooms: a 5th and a 3rd at another school in our district, and a 4th at my school. Later in the week I'll be observing a 5th and a 6th at another school in another district. I love seeing the different ways the classrooms are arranged, what's on the walls, what projects the students are working on, what cues the teacher uses to get the students' attention, and so much more. Each teacher I've visited has been so kind and generous in sharing their room and their knowledge. I really love that about my teaching experience so far. I've heard of less than generous teachers, but I have yet to meet any!

Another thing I'm enjoying about this process is meeting and observing teachers who have come highly regarded. I asked teachers I know and respect for advice on who I should observe, so the teachers I'm visiting now are those who are highly respected by those I respect. I like to see if I can find similar teaching styles or other similarities. Some I've found and some I haven't.

So far I have been taking notes along the way and for my UVEI assignment this week I have to make a written reflection on this experience. I haven't even begun that process yet. The writing part, I suppose, the reflecting part is always going on in my head.

So much to learn. What an fascinating experience this has been so far.

In-service

The kids had the day off today, but the teachers had a district in-service day.  The elementary teachers spent the morning learning about Standard 3 in the new math curriculum.  It's all about how students need to be able to verbalize their responses, justify their answers, and defend the process.  They also need to be able to assess their classmates' thinking and recognize validity or faults.  That sounds very challenging to me, though also quite necessary.  I had a student this week turn in a math challenge with nothing but "36" written on the paper.  When I asked how he got that answer he said a classmate told him.  Try again, my friend!  He was not pleased when I told him to go back and show his work.

I'm currently student teaching in one of three elementary schools in our district.  It's the school where my kids attend and therefore the school I was the most familiar with before I started teaching.  Looking around the room this morning at the elementary teacher from around the district, it occurred to me that in January when I switch placements I will be so lost!  I'll be in the same district, but at a different school.  One where I know nobody and have very little experience with.  That will be quite a change from my fall placement!  I'm sure it will be good for me, of course.

After the math presentation we broke up into grade-level groups and built mini-lessons that we could teach across the schools.  Although everyone is working from the same curriculum, it was interesting to hear the differences between the schools.  Some teachers were further ahead, other had gone in a different direction.  I can see how it's valuable to spend time with grade-level teachers and share ideas. 

We also watched this TEDx talk about fixed mindset and growth mindset.  I think this idea is fascinating and makes so much sense.  It's also not intuitive from a parent or teacher standpoint. 

Going forward I'm going to pay closer attention to my interactions with my own children and my students at school, listening for what words I use and how they impact the children's motivation.

Lesson planning

Much to my surprise, lesson planning has been the hardest part of this new endeavour.  My district does not have a clear ELA curriculum so I feel like we are largely guessing at what to do.  My mentor teacher, of course, has years of experience and therefore has a good grasp of what 5th graders are capable of, what they need to learn, and how to build the lessons and their knowledge (scaffolding?).  I, however, have none of that and am trying hard to create relevant, interesting, appropriate lessons for the students.

So far I've done two solo days, and several individual reading and science lessons.  While that doesn't seem like a lot, especially when you consider that real teachers have to plan for every lesson, every day, it still has taken me hours. Hours for each lesson!

I start with a general idea of what we are working on. Then try to choose a concept that will be relevant and related.  Sometimes I feel like it fits in smoothly, but other times I feel like it ends up being a one-off thing.

Both solo days have left me feeling defeated in the lesson planning department.  I've gone into the days with what I thought were strong lessons, but the students quickly prove me wrong.  The first writing lesson I did, on chronological storytelling, ended up being confusing to the class.  I used the mentor text Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day and we discussed both chronological storytelling and catch-phrases.  There was my mistake.  I based my lesson on one I found online, but I should have dropped the catch-phrase part.  My class was just confused.  By the third class I was seriously downplaying the catch-phrase part and focusing my efforts on the chronological aspect only. 

Today's writing lesson, for my second solo day, was on proper comma usage.  Again I based the lesson on something I found online and again it left my class confused.  Actually, this time they were more bored than confused.  I used a presentation to show the six main rules of comma usage, but as much as I tried to make it engaging it really was just boring.  I was worried about that before I even got to class.  It felt boring on one hand, yet it also felt like we moved through the lesson too quickly.  Once we got the end and the students broke up into pairs and punctuated sample sentences I had given them, their interest picked up.

My reading lessons and science lessons have been equally eye-opening.  No devastating failures, fortunately, but each lesson has left me with so much more to think about.  

I think I have to re-evaluate how I go about my lesson planning.  I wish my district had an overall outline though, a road map per se, so I could better place my lessons within the overall context of 5th grade learning.  However, since that is not the case, I will continue to work hard and practice.  It's wonderful that UVEI, my awesome placement school, and my amazing mentor teacher provide so much opportunity for me to practice these skills and learn from the pros!

So much to learn!

NECAPs

We have been doing NECAPS testing these past few weeks.  Some schools bunch the tests all up into a few days, but at our school we spread them out over a few weeks, taking just one or two a day a couple of days a week.  I like it this way because it's less intense for the students, however it is much more disruptive to the overall schedule.  We end up with nearly three weeks of unusual schedules.  NECAPs are pretty low-key at our schools. I've heard of other districts that make a really big deal of them, holding big assemblies and giving treats and prizes, at our school it's just a morning announcement to encourage those taking the tests and remind those who aren't to be extra quiet in the halls.  

We've been taking the 5th grade out for an extra recess at break and not doing our usual subject rotation, but otherwise no real big deal.  I've been administering the test to a 1-on-1 student who needs a scribe.  It's given me lots of time to study for my upcoming Praxis II exam!  My student feels pretty special about getting his own room and his own space.  He's so chatty and does a lot of pacing, so I'm glad he gets his own space as well. I think it would be very challenging for him to sit still and quiet in the main classroom.  

I like the low-key aspect of testing in our school.  This is the first year my son is taking the standardized tests as well and he is totally calm about it.  No pressure, no stress.  I wish I felt as calm about my Praxis!

Time

Wow, I really thought I'd have more time and energy to maintain a teaching blog.  I love blogging.  Writing is such a great way to process, document, and archive.  Yet, it also takes time.  I find I rarely have my computer on these days (relying instead on my phone and iPad) and when I do I have lesson plans to plan or UVEI homework to write.  I guess that about takes care of my writing time, none left for the blog. Sigh.

Here's a quick update on what's been going on:

• We did a cool project with iMotion in which the kids made little videos using paper characters to teach writing rules.  
• We started NECAP testing this week.  I remember it well (standardized testing anyway, not sure if it was the same one) when I was child.  Now I get to do it as a teacher.  Equally boring.  The kids handled it well though.  
• We are now a month into school and I'm starting to lose track of everything going on.  I need to get myself organized, physically and mentally.  It's amazing how much teachers have to know!  In terms of their subject matter, of course, but also in terms of keeping track of schedules and who has 504/IEPs, who is where, who is doing what at grade level and what needs to be done about it, etc.  There are meetings and observations and just so much to know.  Teachers work hard!
• I've done one solo day of teaching.  I've also taught a few lessons with my mentor teacher around and I've done some subbing for him.  All are excellent opportunities.  It has been interesting to see how the students respond to him teaching his lessons, versus me teaching his lessons, versus me teaching my lessons.  I clearly have some work to do on my lesson planning skills.  :)  

Overall it's going very well.  I would like to post more, and more often, if only for my own reference in the future.  For now I'll leave you with this interesting article: How Adults are Stealing Ambition from Kids. 

What did people do before the Internet?!?

Obviously they didn't do much blogging, of course! 

I finished my lesson plan for my solo day this week.  I was feeling a bit apprehensive about the whole thing, but now that the lesson plan is done (off to my mentor teacher for review), I'm feeling much more confident.  I have no doubt I can get through the day, a year of subbing has shown me that, but I want to be sure the students have fun and learn something as well.

I was feeling a bit lost as to where to begin, so I turned to the the trusty Google machine and did some exploring.  Did you know there are TONS of great resources out there?!  Of course you knew.  The Internet is a wonderful place.  I discovered WritingFix and Responsive Classroom and ReadWriteThink and so many other invaluable resources.

I decided to do a writing lesson on chronological narration and a reading lesson on using paraphrasing to better understand what you've read.  I think both should be fun.  I also found a few other activities for throughout the day, including Human Bingo (get to know your classmates!) and an experiment on left/right side dominance.

I have the lesson plan written and the necessary supporting materials created, and now I feel more eager than anxious.  A little preparation goes a long way!

Tour the states

We watched a really cool video today to kick off a fun "tour the states" project.  The whole classroom was abuzz!

Before the video the kids were given blank US maps and asked to fill in as many state names as possible.  Then we discussed who knows people in various states.  Then the fun part!  Each week a student is going to write a letter to someone we know in another state.  Either someone they know (aunt, uncle, family friend, etc.) or someone one of the teachers knows.  We'll write the letter in a journal and send it.  The recipient will write a little letter back, telling us about their state.  We are also asking them to send a blank post card to help us decorate the bulletin board. 

I love the idea of pen pals and have often thought that when I have a classroom of my own I'd love to do a pen pal project.  These days maybe it would be less "pen" and more email and Skype.  When my mentor teacher mentioned this project I was thrilled.  I think it will be an exciting and different way to learn a little more about the United States.

The other thing I love about this is the spontaneity.  This was not part of the long-term plan, or part of the Common Core Curriculum, just something my teacher thought of and decided to do.  That kind of creative flexibility is so exciting to me and I can't wait to share a variety of fun ideas with my own classroom someday.     

Planning for a solo day

Next week will be my first solo day.  I'm not only in charge of the class for the day (something I've done many times as a sub), but now I'm also in charge of actually educating them!

I've been working hard on lesson plans.  Due to the nature of our class rotations I only have to plan a morning meeting time, one writing lesson (to be repeated with several different classes), a science experiment, and a reading group lesson.  When I write it all out somehow my "only" from above seems less appropriate!  That is four separate blocks of time to plan well to ensure a quality education for my students.

I found a cool site called Writing Fix with a wide variety of writing lesson ideas.  They have fully developed lessons based around picture books, called "mentor texts."  I love picture books.  They make me feel at home.  I think my writing lesson will involve Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.  A cute story (that I happen to have in my own personal collection) and a good lesson on chronological story telling.  The lesson on the website is long and involved and could easily span several days, so I'll be tailoring it to just one lesson period.  We will read the book, discuss chronological storytelling and why an author might chose to write that way.  Then maybe I'll use a graphic organizer to have them write a brief chronological narrative.  I think the students will enjoy it.

I'm trying to find a balance of teaching fun, interesting, grade level (something I'm learning fast!) activities that will engage them and hopefully they might learn something along the way.  My mentor teacher is really fun and the kids all like him, so I want to make sure my plan for the day isn't too dull.    Fun, and interesting, and educational, of course.

On lesson planning

I've been thinking a lot about lesson planning lately.  I planned my first lesson last week.  I've taught several before, as a student teacher and as a substitute, but this is the first time I've planned a lesson.  The lesson went well enough, but I don't feel like I planned it properly.  I'm not sure if that's because I didn't (probably) or because I felt like it should have been something "more" or "more complex" than what it was.

My mentor sent me his lesson plan template, but it didn't work properly on my computer.  He has a template that has all of the Common Core elements listed in a drop-down box and many essential questions to choose from.  It looked easy-peasy on his computer, but didn't work on my Linux machine.   So instead I turned to the UVEI lesson template, but that didn't make a lot of sense to me either.

I ended up using my mentor's outline, without linking Common Core and just taking a guess at other elements.  My focus was on the step-by-step outline of the lesson because that is the part that made the most sense to me.  That was what I could wrap my head around and felt confident moving forward.

I drafted two versions, each going in slightly different directions, and sent them to my mentor.  He wrote back suggesting version A with a select few elements from version B as well.  We discussed and I moved forward to a "final draft."  I say that with quotes because I don't know if you ever have a truly final draft.  Does it count as final if the lesson changes a bit in progress?

My lesson was on a maps and was to be taught to one of the reading groups.  The lesson, as I had written it and as I had it in my head, was an introduction to maps and a discussion of the common elements found on a map.  When I discussed it with my mentor one final time, on the morning of the lesson, he made a comment about how the EQ should be along the lines of "How do maps help you to better understand what you're reading?"  That made sense, of course, since this is a reading group.  However, the EQ I had settled on, after working through my step-by-step lesson plan, was "What are the four key elements on a map?"  Not quite the same thing!

I taught the lesson, including the topics and activities I had planned, but modifying it on the fly to address how maps help you understand what you're reading, and then forgot the EQ at the end of the lesson anyway!  Oops!  My mentor jumped in at the end to wrap it up and bring it back to the essential question, "How to maps help you better understand what you're reading."

Overall I think the lesson was ok.  My mentor did a brief check-in at the next day's lesson, tying a map into his plan and asking the students how it helped them understand the text.  They seemed to get it.

However, a big lesson learned here is that it's important to start with that essential question!  It's important to keep in mind who you are teaching to and what you are teaching.  This was a reading lesson, after all, not a social studies lesson. 

Despite the hard work I put into this lesson plan, I still very much feel like I stumbled through it.  I'm looking forward to our upcoming UVEI session on lesson planning.  I have a few solo teaching days coming up and I'll need to do the lesson planning for them.  I hope to be a little more comfortable and confident in my planning abilities before then!