Dia de Los Muertos Activities

After watching videos, reading books, making "calavera" masks, writing about our dead loved ones, making an altar to honor those people, offering pan de muerto, and eating pan dulce (sweet bread), I hope my students learned about a new cultural holiday that is not about goblins and witches, but about honoring our loved ones. Here are some pics!

Dia de los Muertos

This year I've decided to include the Mexican holiday Dia de Los Muertos because there is a high Mexican Immigrant population in my first grade class/level. So I'm just researching some resources right now.

This blog on Scholastic has great ideas (including pictures to go with it) and the actual worksheets to go with the activities! Check it Out!

Here are directions for a craft to make paper flowers!

Videos about Dia de los Muertos on this site!

Let's see how it goes!

Christopher Columbus Day/ Pumpkin Fun

No School Monday! Woohoo! Man I really need this one! Anyway here is a fun Columbus Day activity I found on Pinterest (although I was denied permission to the site  so I can't give credit!). It turned out pretty cute!

They're Columbus ships! I didn't tell the student what we were making as we were going along, and then they started catching on! Brainpop Jr. also has a great video that explains why we celebrate Columbus Day (apparently created by FDR...did not know that...).


 On to pumpkins! I LOVE OCTOBER! I think I've said that already. Anyway, today I told the kids the story about the witch looking for a house story. While you are telling the story you cut the paper. At the very end it comes out to be a jack-o-lantern. Have you heard the story? The kids BEG me to tell the story again and let them cut and make a jack-o-lantern themselves. I let them add some pizzazz and voila! I have a precious pumpkin patch with TONS of personality! LOVE IT! Here are some pics.

Did you see the Mustache?!?!?!?! OMG!!! HAHAHAHA I cracked up! Apparently the mustache craze is hitting the children's market. Oh they are so precious. Good Friday right before a 3 day weekend!

I LOVE October!

I just love October! I love cooking with pumpkin, I love learning about them, carving them, the smell of pumpkin, and doing crafts with them! Here are some of my fav Pumpkin stories and have you hard of Big Pumpkin by Erica Silverman?!?!?!?!?! OMG if you haven't you will be addicted and so will your kids! Here is the song that I've been looking for on CD or mp3 or ANYTHING for the past 2 years on youtube!

We sing it almost everyday! And the kids just LOVE singing along (so do I!). I saw some lesson plan ideas on The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin so I might do some activities on this book as well! Here is a video from youtube! Here are some other random videos I saw while searching around. A

nyway I'm getting carried away and need to do lesson plans! Enjoy!

Bach for the brain!

Well, everyday after lunch my kids get really energized from the food they have and time to talk. I was having trouble calming them down during their independent work and needed a solution! I'm getting back to playing the piano and recalled the study about Bach helping people concentrate better. So last night I downloaded a Bach for the brain playlist to try it on my kids. Well guess what! They were quiet for a whole 30 minutes during a G/T assessment I was giving and they worked the whole time! I have 7 babies that...have a hard time concentrating and following directions, and they were attentive for most of the time! Hopefully they will continue to work quietly while listening to Bach!

Bathroom, out of room procedures!

My teacher friend next door told me about this one and I saw how successful her class was so I decided to do the same! The kids have their names on magnets, put their name in the appropriate box for where they are going, and upon their return they put their name back!

Meet the Teacher

Today was meet the teacher and I am SO excited about my students! I will have a very diverse class and I'm looking forward to learning all cultures! I have a Muslim student, an Indian student (from India), Hispanic, African American, and Caucasian! We're covering several continents! It's going to be a great, ENERGETIC, year full of growth in all areas of life!

Video for Digital Citizenship

During our "Meet the Teacher" this Friday, I'm going to have our Netbooks open and online to show parents what technology their students will be using. While browsing, I'm going to require they watch this video with their children and discuss Digital Citizenship with their student through a Worksheet with questions. Here's the video! Take a look and think about sharing this with your parents!




This also brings up "Cyber-Bullying." This might be important for not only the student, but the parents may be involved in "Cyber-Bullying" too!

Touches on Plagiarism as well. Start it early!

Another DonorsChoose.org Inspiring Video

Donorschoose.org

 The music teacher in my school said she has had two projects funded already so far for recorders and keyboards. Another kinder teacher received a very large carpet for carpet time, and another third grade teacher received science materials. They all expressed how EASY it is to create and post a project. No money is required to post, just an extra effort by the teacher. So, I decided to join and create a project! And they were right, it was SO easy! Every year I probably spend $500-$700 (don't tell my husband) on my classroom. Having some help is much appreciated! Receiving hundreds of dollars of supplies, technology, etc for an hour of your time, a thank you note, and a few pictures seems to be nothing at all.

This year my main focus is to thoroughly implement Guided Reading and ACTUALLY teach science, well, like it's meant to be. I went to a science professional development early in the summer and it made me feel HORRIBLE for butchering my science lessons and motivate me to be an excellent science teacher.  I created a project that will fund science supplies to conduct hands-on labs in my classroom and to share with the other 6 first grade classrooms at my school. I am so excited to see if it gets funded! Maybe then I will be able to do another project to ask for iPads!!!!!  I'll be posting

Share it Maybe: BOY Rules Discussion Focus

 I saw this video on Dr. Lori's Blog, Lori's Latest Links while I was browsing for Promethean Board Activities. It's so cute!!!!! I'll probably be using it at the beginning of the year when we are discussing rules and how to act in a group. Good Focus for a lesson.

11 Tools: 11th Tool FINALLY!!!!!

Overall, I feel some tools were more beneficial than others. I am thankful for the lists of resources for web tools, apps, and uses for the technology. I've always loved incorporating technology in my classroom and I'm so excited to have iPods, netbooks, and an active board in my classroom! I will be posting about my experiences throughout the school year.

11 Tools: Tool #10: Digital Citizenship

Just going to say that it hadn't occurred to me how important it is to not only teach kids how to be a good citizen in daily life in our community, but also online in the digital world! Man! Kids today have so much more to learn, what happened to the simple life! Luckily I'll be teaching 1st grade this year which highlights the community and citizenship, so it will be a smooth add on to teach Digital Citizenship as well! For the most part, I feel it's common sense but everything has to be spelled out for the young kids. Three most important things I want my kids to know:
1) Give credit to those who deserve it.
2) Whatever you say or do online, it is saved somewhere FOREVER!!! So be judicious...
3) Keep personal information to yourself. NEVER reveal private information on public social networks.

How will I share Digital Citizenship with my parents..... a home project! Have parents work with their kids together to watch videos about digital citizenship and discuss what it is and why it's important. There probably will not be computers in many of the house holds, so on Meet the Teacher night and Open house, I will have the Netbooks open and available for the parents to do the project. If they still are unable to attend, maybe I can work something out with the librarian to have an "Open Computer Lab" Night.

11 Tools: Tool #9: Incorporating Technology in the Classroom

First of All, TECHNOLOGY IS NOT A BABYSITTER! Contrary to what some parents may use it as, in the classroom technology should be worth the students' time and help to master the objective and/or go broader and deeper for those who need it.  This Tool on the blog gives a great list of resources for stations and uses for iPods and Netbooks in the classroom. Also, it lists some great Apps that are worth while.

It's important to hold students accountable for what they do while using technology and for their own learning in general! They should WANT to use their time to learn and get better, but how to do that? While thinking and researching for an answer, using a buddy system and/or forms to fill out during or after use will have to do.

11 Tools: Tool #8: Technology "Toys" in the Classroom

Well, I've been blessed this year to have iPod Touches and Netbooks in my classroom! The Netbook has a camera for video/pictures. I am SUPER excited to use both in my classroom! I will most likely use the iPods for a listening station, to watch Brain Pop and take the quizzes, and math fact practice games. The Netbooks I'd like to Skype, have kids make videos of themselves (maybe from Readers' Theater or other projects?), to make comic strips of things they learned, and use them as a math technology station.

First and foremost, the students need to be taught how to handle and use these precious devices.  Kids don't treat items in the classroom with enough care most of the time, so MODEL MODEL MODEL. If you aren't getting the results from the kids you want, it might be because you haven't modeled it enough. Or they just can't behave and don't deserve to use them.

11 Tools: Tool #7: Online Digital Projects

For this tool, we are required to create an online digital project to potentially use this year. I have decided to do "Reading Buddies" through Skype. So just as there is EEKK reading in The Daily Five by the sisters, the "EEKK" partner reading will be through the computer. One partner can listen, or both can have the same book and take turns reading. They will each have a form to fill out after reading to ensure comprehension and participation. I will hopefully be Skyping with an old teacher friend to her 3rd grade classroom.

Objective: The student will be able to read fluently, listen, and discuss text while participating correctly with a partner.

11 Tools: Tool #6 Using Web 2.0 for Discussion

Online Discussion Boards and Social Networks are a great place to collaborate with fellow teachers. They're an even better place for students to have discussions too. Most students by the 5th grade have a twitter and/or Facebook account. And they're discussing things, it might as well be about information learned in the classroom! I feel that intermediate grades and above can utilize social networks more effectively than primary. However, teachers can have an account for the whole classroom and "socialize" with other classrooms. Obviously there are Facebook and Twitter, but to bring other classrooms into your own, Skype is a neat way to get students discussing. This past year, I had a student diagnosed with cancer, so he would Skype in to our lessons and feel included while out for treatments. It was great! This year, I would like to try and set up "Reading Buddies" on Skype with some students from my old school. We will see how it goes!

11 Tools: Tool #5 Web 2.0 Tools

This tool is the most beneficial to me I think. I'm excited to use these websites because they truly engage the kids! There are websites that you can create your own comics, books, presentations, videos, word clouds,  etc etc! If you know of any more to add to the list, please don't hesitate to let me know! When I taught 5th grade, I had the kids make comics and collages all of the time and they LOVED it!


I think I may use word clouds to introduce analogies to the kids. I'm going to put all related words in a cloud and have the kids come up with a sentence in how they are related. Then I'll introduce the Bridge map.
Here's one about Michael Phelps that someone created on the Tagxedo Facebook Page.

Another really awesome website in the classroom that's really fun and hilarious is Blabberize! You can choose a picture of your own or borrow one of theirs, then insert the text you want it to say and the picture talks! On the home page they have a talking llama, or you can do a historical figure such as Abraham Lincoln or Thomas Edison. It's really neat! Beware of ads though...I'm having issues with he audio on mine and awaiting a reply but here is a sample.
 

11 Tools: Tool #4 Google Apps

Google Apps is a great resource to use in classrooms and schools. I constantly share all documents, presentations, etc that I make for lessons with my colleagues easily without any hassle of attaching anything (which I often send the email without the attachment, argh!) In my district, all students have a google apps account that are deemed for classroom use only (with permission from the parents of course!).  I think in the older grades, Google Forms, SpreadSheet, and Documents can be a powerful tool during group work and research projects. In the younger grades, I think the teachers are able to collaborate with each other more easily and be able to have classroom accounts since the babies may be unable to be independent on a computer.

Since I'm very proactive about being fit and healthy, I might try creating forms, presentations, documents to share with the whole school to collect research and teach kids how to make the right choices about food and exercise. I'll start with my weekly Yoga class I host for my teachers. Interested? Yes/No? What day is best for you?

11 Tools: Tool #3 Online Video/Images

Well, if you are unaware of online video websites, I'm afraid you're in the minority. HOWEVER, just in case you haven't heard of ALL of the cool websites, here are some

TeacherTube
Youtube
Schooltube
Kidstube

Be careful about YouTube! There are inappropriate ads and videos that somehow make their way onto your search. However, this past year my students introduced me to some pretty awesome videos that have Lego men dancing which is hilarious!!!

Here is one: "Lab Safety" by Rhythm, Rhyme, Results


 Discovery Education is also another website I use often in my classroom. I'm lucky to have it this year in my new district, I sorely missed is last year! It has great videos for science and social studies! Every year for Earth Day I show the kids some Planet Earth episodes which they LOVE! (and so do I!)


Using images in the classroom is a great tool to engage students and get students asking questions. However, are you using them legally? Make sure to give credit to those who did the work! We as teachers need to plant the seed of anti-plagiarism early in our students heads! I met a professor from New York on a train in Thailand, and he said he's about to give up assigning books to read and papers to write in his classes because most papers are plagiarized from the same sources even! He said he can tell when a rare student comes along and actually reads the assignment he gives and the student actually has genuine thoughts. These kids are supposed to be the cream of the crop for us! The next leaders of America! Yikes! Does it make anyone else a little squeamish?

11 Tools: Tool #2 Developing a PLN

Oh, teaching and its acronyms... A new one I learned today is PLN. A PLN is a Professional Learning Network, which you can learn new ideas from, exchange lessons, interact with other teachers, etc. And what do you know! I've been doing this all along! Most of the blogs I follow are on the left hand side of my blog. I also use Google Reader to keep up with all of the posts! Another "Google Reader" type app is Diigo. I've never used it but, if you want to venture out and look into it, go for it!

I have really enjoyed blogging over the past two years, and now that I've found the Blogger app, it will be even easier! I think it's a great way to inform parents, colleagues, and fellow teachers about the awesome things going on in classrooms everyday.

Pinterest.com has also been an awesome PLN and source of ideas as well. If you aren't pinning like crazy, I suggest you start! Great ideas from teachers and home schooling moms as well!

11 Tools "Training": Tool #1

For school I have to do a technology training called "11 Tools" which introduces teachers to new websites and gadgets online to use in the classroom. So I will be posting the assignments on my blog to receive credit!

1st tool: Create a Blog. CHECK! Add a VOKI... I don't want to!!!!!! :( They creep me out.

Guided Reading Fountas & Pinnell: Thoughts/Ideas

I made it! It's summertime and I'm alive! I miss my kids, BUT I DO NOT miss driving an hour one way to get to school! Overall reflecting on the year, I've grown a lot as a teacher and learned a lot thanks to Spring ISD putting Professional Development as a priority!
 I have a lot of books to read this summer and I've chosen to read Fountas & Pinnell's Guided Reading: Good First Teaching for All Students. I went to a training last summer that was based on this book so check out my old posts to read my reaction/thoughts about the training.

After Reading Ch.1 (What is Guided Reading?), I was reminded about some ideas from the training I went to. I also took note of some important concepts as well (I might even make an anchor chart for myself!).

• Write notes about students on notecards, then store them in a plastic recipe box for easy browsing.
• Since the goal in GR is to expose students to as many texts as possible in meaningful ways, have a basket of books that have been previously read in small groups so students can reread them independently (not in small group) and practice for fluency.
• It is alright to SOMETIMES do word work or an extension activity (drama, art, etc). However, it should not take up the time meant for kids to read. A large portion of time during a GR Small Group lesson should be the students reading, not the teacher talking or doing activities.
• GR Small Group lessons are meant to be based on problem-solving to increase comprehension and encourage deeper questioning and thinking.
• Objectives of lessons in a Small Group should be kept to a minimum (1 to 2).
• dynamic grouping, Dynamic Grouping, DYNAMIC GROUPING!!!!!
• Use big books and poems ALL week long! Now that STAAR is including poetry on the reading test, it is IMPERATIVE that lower level teacher introduce and expose the kids to poetry VERY OFTEN.

Summer Professional Literature Reading Homework!

During the summer to keep busy, I enjoy reading professional literature that will benefit my classroom management, planning, and methods of teaching. So this summer my plan it to conquer 5 books! We'll see how much I get through, considering that I'm planning my wedding that is 6 weeks away (GASP!). Next year, I will be teaching FIRST GRADE AGAIN!!!!!! Woohoo! Can you tell I'm super excited?! So I'm turning my gaze back on Guided Reading and all that comes along with First Grade Fun! Here are the books I'm PLANNING on reading:

Hmmm now which to choose first? I'm thinking I'll put the PEAK book on hold until I'm ready to plan later this summer. I guess to get my brain back on track with the littles, I'll start with Guided Reading, then Word Matters (Oh Fountas and Pinnell, you guys are gifts from heaven!).

Spelling Activity!

Since I am a health nut, I'm always looking for ways to get the kids moving during my lessons and for activities. When I taught first grade, we did a lot of "air writing." So piggy-backing off that idea(and desperately trying to find something new to keep the kids engaged), I had them lay on their backs and air write with their feet! The kids were so excited to lay down and lift their feet high in the sky! Little did they know (hehehe), I was secretly helping them strengthen their core by engaging their transverse abdominus(the supportive muscles that help you cough). Poor things, by the time some of them finished they were red in the face, saying, "Man that made me tired Ms. Riddle!" Muahahaha. Mission accomplished!

Cloudy with a Chance of....Prefixes! PEAK

It's cloudy with a chance of affixes, cursive, and types of writing! On my language arts clouding board, I put up some new posters! Remember clouding is the use of posters/pictures to foreshadow the unit to come. During the unit, sprinkle and shower bye referring to the posters as the students learn more about the topic. Check it out!

A PEAK Way to do Vocabulary!

When I was introduced to PEAK, I was introduced to a cool new way to do vocabulary! It reminds me of Marzano, but it's a little bit different. On one side of the card, the student copies the definition or paraphrases the one given and draws a significant picture that reminds that student of what the word means. Every student might have a different picture since each student has a different life experience or thought that reminds them. First the student will write the word, then the paraphrased definition, and then draw the significant picture after learning more about the subject. Here are some examples of the front, note the vocabulary word in the hill!

On the back, the kids draw a T leaving a bit of space at the top. In the T on the Left, students will write examples, comparisons or synonyms, and on the right non-examples, contrasts, or antonyms. This would be the next step in the process of completing a vocabulary card. Lastly, the student will write a sentence using the word correctly in context in the space above the T. And THIS, my friends, is a vocabulary word studied the PEAK way! Here are some pics of the back of vocabulary cards.

Ecosystems: Rainforest

Here is the picture of our finished rainforest! The kids were so excited and most kids worked cooperatively in their groups!

Ecosystems

We've been studying ecosystems in science (Woohoo!!!!) and we're learning about different ecosystems. We recently finished rainforests, which I have a passion for. I've been to the Amazon in Ecuador and Peru, to the Dain Tree in Australia, Yucatan, and will be going to the rain forests in Thailand and Cambodia for my honeymoon! My students have been LOVING the unit! So, I decided we should create an ecosystem in each corner of my classroom. In rain forests, different plants and animals live at the different levels, so while we watched Planet Earth, the students wrote facts about them in circle maps, and correctly depicted them on trees made in groups! They turned out great! I will post a picture of it tomorrow. Next we are learning about Freshwater Habitats (mostly ponds) and focusing on Food Chains. I'll post a picture of the finished ecosystem in my room once we're finished!

Healthy Rewards!

To promote making healthy choices about food, I have started a rewards chart for each student to fill as they bring in a fruit or vegetable for snack. The first day I did it, the kids crossed theirs off the list, then I found a whole bunch of fruit in the trashcan with one bite taken out of it. To avoid this wasting, they now have to show me an empty banana peel, apple core, strawberry tops, orange peels, empty snack baggie, etc to be able to cross off the next box on the list. One of my student's mom's was super sweet and gave me Dr. Seuss Rewards Charts (from Michael's I think!) so I used those. At first some of my students told me they never eat fruits and vegetables!!!!! My jaw dropped to the floor! They said their parents won't by fruits and vegetables (how true that is, I don't know). Luckily there is no excuse NOT to have a healthy snack because we are blessed with free breakfast for every student, where a piece of fruit is an option to choose. The kids are really starting to enjoy eating healthy snacks, and their bodies are enjoying it too!!!

Also, every year I teach free yoga classes to my fellow teachers every Tuesday! Around springtime and Testing time, I have more and more participants because we ALL need to DESTRESS!!!!! I wish the whole staff would join! Maybe one day :) Here we are in pigeon pose!

PEAK: Lesson Design-Clouding

So, I created a bulletin board to put all of my "Clouding" posters on! I'm going to see if my kids notice it!

PEAK: Designing Lessons

Well, I've decided to start early on my planning for the last 6 weeks of school after STAAR! I wanted to try it the PEAK way so I started using some of the templates provided in the book, Teaching for Excellence by Spence Rogers. I decided to do a zoo theme for 3 weeks. So I've thought of some math concepts that would bridge 3rd and 4th grade together to expose the students (since there is NOTHING on the scope and sequence). Using the PEAK method, I've first decided on the clouding posters I will create (since those posters need to be up 2-3 weeks before the unit starts). As I'm looking over the template for ideas, I have no clue what half of the activities for Sprinkle and Shower are! I've come to the conclusion that my next chapter that I must read to complete my lesson planning is Chapter 9: Teaching and Learning Tools. I have been exposed to some throughout the year by my awesome team members, but there are several I am not aware of. I'm excited to learn some new, engaging activities to teach the content to my students. This little unit will be a trial for planning the PEAK way :).

"Thumbunny Loves You!" Easter Craft

"Thumbunny Loves you!!!" I saw this idea while researching easy Easter crafts and couldn't resist. I added my own touches and flair to it. I used a white stamp pad, precut card stock, pink and yellow doilies that I found at the Dollar Tree (OMG SUCH a good price!), little bows, googley eyes, and a pom pom for the nose. The kids are having a blast making theirs! They come out with such character!

PEAK: Designing Effective Units, cont'd

So I went to some other colleagues classrooms and took pictures of their posters for clouding, etc. for more examples of how to set it up! I think the clouding needs to be based on how it works for you teaching wise. Some teachers had it everywhere around the room, some had it on a certain bulletin board.

PEAK: Curriculum Alignment: Designing Effective Units

For Week 2 of my Book Study, I decided to read and learn more about lesson planning the PEAK way! I heard my coworkers talking about Cloud, Sprinkle, Shower, Soak, and Drips but I only heard the surface.  Since I have a long weekend, I was hoping to finish my lesson plans for the rest of the school year (6-weeks worth!) thus calling for the need to read this chapter.

OK, so let's get on with the explanation! The PEAKsters uses the metaphor of a rain shower to describe the theory and process of planning and teaching. Most teachers teach what is on the scope and sequence when it is scheduled to be taught for the district. However, PEAK masterminds believe people, especially children, can learn multiple things at one time. When a teacher present new information and only teaches a certain objective, they compare it to a Flash Flood! Flash Floods are dangerous, destructive, and distressing to the land. Just as FLOODs of information puts students in danger of becoming frustrated, give up, and maybe even quit altogether. So by filtering in information slowly, students are prepared and ready to learn new information.

The levels of planning/exposure are Cloud, Sprinkle, Shower, Soak, and drip, Drip, DRIP. I'll explain one level at a time.

Clouds: Posters, pictures, vocabulary words, etc. hung in a certain spot in a classroom to present the "Biggest Idea" of each upcoming unit. Normally hung 2-4 weeks prior to the actual unit, students are able to observe and dwell on the information. Don't bring special attention necessarily to them, just let the students be sponges and absorb any thoughts or information presented.

Sprinkle: Just as it begins to sprinkle before a good rain, a "sprinkle" of the Biggest Ideas present by the Clouds are briefly mentioned and discussed between students. These activities should last 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Very brief, food for thought type deal. Some examples of activities for sprinkling provided from the book are:
1. Work in groups to observe everything they notice about the "clouds."
2. Choral Repetition
3. Generate list of information of what the THINK they know about the topic.
4.What might this idea be used for?
5. Look at a Word Splash (I have no idea what this is, but it's in Chapter 9, may be my next  choice of study.

This week I'm going to focus and "Plan with the end in mind!" So I'll work on deciding what the objectives are for the last few weeks of school and creating posters for them.

PEAK: Questioning Do's and Don'ts

I am wishy-washy on my feelings about the Do's and Don'ts presented in the book. Mostly because I feel it goes against all of the years I spent in the education system and how I was trained. Remember, all of these are taken from the book Teach for Excellence by Spence Rogers. There are NOT my own words (thoughts...yes).

Do:
1. Start having students develop answers in groups.
2. Include everyone by asking deflected questions.
3. Ask open-ended questions.
4. Have students Share, Compare, and Repair answers using groups/support systems (I need to read more on the Share, Compare, and Repair...will blog about it later).
5. "I heard someone say...."
6. Ask questions after every important point.
7. Require Complete Sentence Answers!

Don't:
1. Ask a question, pause, then call on one student.
2. Call on a student then as a question.
3. Ask for volunteers to answer a question.
4. Ask another student to ADD to an answer.
5. Ask if anyone has another or a better answer.
6.  Draw a name or throw an object to determine who answers the question (THIS one threw me for a loop!)
7. Ask a question of a student that you KNOW is not paying attention (DARN! I'm totally guilty of this).
8. OVERALL, stop making students feel uncomfortable, potentially setting them up to fail, and maybe publicly announcing they are wrong.

My thoughts? HOW ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO QUICKLY SEE IF A STUDENT KNOWS THEIR STUFF?!?! Or has been paying attention? You can't call on people? WHAT!?!!?!? Does this make anyone else uncomfortable? Definitely makes me feel uncomfortable. Change is good though, right?

ANOTHER thought. Did we all not grow up for decades with this kind of questioning? We turned out alright...Is this kind of questioning creating a society of pansies where everyone is the winner and nobody is wrong? Just food for thought. I truly like the DOs section, the DON'Ts is what got me a little fired up! Your thoughts? It's Hump Day!!!!

PEAK Questioning Strategies Day 3

Well, I totally forgot to require the kids to answer in complete sentences today. We took a practice reading test which took up most of the day. The kids worked so hard! I'm so proud of them! Anyway, I'm still trying to wrap my brain around the TRQ (Total Response Questioning). I need to inquire one of my teacher mates to explain it to me in a little more detail. The gist I get from it is that all students say the correct answer in a complete sentence. Well, I set up a Solution Station (independent aid for students in need of a hint or help) with hints to figure out the correct answer on our Math practice test that we just took. That way TOMORROW when I have time to check it all together, all of the students can agree, say, and learn the correct answer for each question. We will see how it goes.

 For my Solution Station, students are not allowed to take their paper with them, or hang around too long. If I see it being overused, it's a sign that I need to meet with that student and reteach. The students moved silently up to the station and back to their desks without distracting the other students. I'm also proud of them for being patient while another friend is looking at the Solution Station. Here are some pics!

Vocabulary/Sight Word Swat Game

I'm sure this game is nothing new, however, I wanted to blog about it! Last year, I used this game with sight words (first grade). This year to make it more grade-appropriate, I use vocabulary words. All you need are two fly swatters and a dry erase board. Write a whole bunch of sight words or vocabulary words on the board. Break the class into two teams and have each team line up behind a leader.  Have two people go up to the board, call out a sight word or definition, and the first person to swat the word wins a point! I have a shy student keep track of the score using tally marks (we all have those special friends, right?) Anyway, if someone tries to help the people at the board by telling them where it is or what word it is, all points for that team are erased (too mean? never....hehe). If a team is extra good, they can earn bonus points for their team. The kids BEG me to play this game!!!! So simple and a great review! Check out some pictures I snapped!

PEAK Questioning Strategies Day 2

So today I gave my class a practice STAAR test, and only 8 passed (I'm going to scream in frustration!!!!!). Anywho, We had a pow-wow afterwards to discuss our effort, what happened, etc. SO, using the PEAK strategy of saying "What might have caused Ms. Andrews class to not do so hot on their test," the kids reflected and came up with some great answers! Of course most of them said, "They might have been distracted and unfocused," and "They might not have done their testing strategies." Several kiddos that do not normally participate in that kind of discussion spoke up! I think it really did help some of the kids speak up because the pressure was taken off of them. I'm starting to like this questioning strategy a whole bunch! Tomorrow my goal is to have the kids answer in Complete Sentences! I just need to remember that!

PEAK: "Questioning Strategies"

Magic 3: Magic 3 is choral repetition of complete sentence answers that not everyone knows and needs more practice. Have the kids repeat the sentence after you. Then two more times in different voices (whisper, monster, opera, high, low, quiet, loud, British, Australian, Mexican, French, Spanish, etc). I'm proud to say that I have already been doing this! Hooray!!

Mirror Questioning: Mirror questioning is perfect for your unfocused children to keep them engaged and "tuned in" to the lesson. So the teacher asks a question, and the students answer with a complete sentence. Then you repeat the question, and the students respond with the answer again. For example, "The black cat is the main character." "Who is the main character?" "The black cat is the main character." Pretty simple to incorporate! And once again, I have been doing this without even knowing it! Woohoo!

Total Response Questioning: Every student finds, records, learns, and says the complete, correct answer! So while answering questions, make sure every student has a writing utensil, paper or white board. Make sure every student has some kind of support that they can use in the classroom to help them come to the correct solution. "If a question is worth asking, then it is important for all learners to know their answers."

4 Critical Components of TRQ: (1) Students have writing utensils. (2) Teacher asks questions frequently, after each point made, or step completed. (3) Teacher deliberately provides correct answers in places students can go and learn them or uses students that can spread correct answer. (4) Every student records or chorally responds the CORRECT answers to important questions.

Prompts:
"How might knowing _________ be important to people?"
"How can knowing this be helpful or beneficial to you?"
"Say what I just said in a different way."
"How might ______ be best used?"

Most of the information I write is paraphrased or taken directly from Teaching for Excellence  by Spence Rogers.

Today my goal was to share with a neighbor before calling on a student. Went pretty well, however, I think I need to model/practice how to properly respond and listen.  My goal for tomorrow is to work on Complete Sentence Answer choices.

Clouds!

There were terrible storms last Tuesday at school, which caused a tree to fall on a power line, which thus cut off power to our school during a tornado drill for an hour and 10 minutes! Phew! That was the LONGEST tornado drill I EVER hope to encounter! What a day! Inspired by the day's events, the kids REALLY wanted to know about weather and storms! So, we watched the radar, learned a few tips to help understand it, and learned about clouds! I used some of the lesson I did last year with clouds, but added a bit more for the older kids. I read Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs to the kids, and we talked about the story elements and the kids who had watched the movie were dying to do a class double bubble comparing the movie and the book. It is such a classic book! We learned about the different altitudes of clouds by comparing the height to a giant. We also saw a Bill Nye about storms (I LOVE Bill Nye!). After all of this, we got to do an experiment making our own cumulonimbus! I got the idea from Pinterest and had to try it! You need a mason jar, water, shaving cream, and LIQUID food coloring. Fill the jar half way with water, cover most of the top of the water with shaving cream leaving some holes, then put several drops in and watch the cumulonimbus rain!!!! The kids loved it! During this experiment we went through the Scientific Process as well. Here are some of the rain clouds!!!!

Teaching for Excellence PEAK Book Study

Alright, all year long I have been learning bits and pieces of PEAK strategies and theories. If you are unfamiliar with PEAK, it stands for Performing Excellence for All Kids. Spence Rogers, the mastermind behind it all, has come up with several amazing teaching strategies for content, classroom management, and more to help teachers teach the generation of today! If you like classrooms that are student-centered, moving, buzzing with curiosity and excitement, then you need to research PEAK a bit more! I have been blessed to have a co-teacher lend me her huge PEAK manual of all manuals to do my book study.

So, for week 1 I'm focusing on Questioning Strategies. The main underlying theory is that you want everyone to be engaged and to feel "safe." So, Accountable Questioning guidelines are as follows:

1. Use open-ended questions.

2. Use deflected questions, such as, "How might Ms. _________ class  answer this question?"

3. Accept only complete sentence answers.

4. Make sure all students agree, say, and write the correct responses.

Some effective question keywords may include: Might, Could, Be, What, If, Someone Else, An Expert

Examples of questions/answers that you can use are:

"I heard someone say...."

"How might _______ be explained better?"

"What questions might someone need to have answered?"

"What questions will someone probably have about...?"

"Explain in a better way what I just tried to say or do."

REMEMBER! Always have students share with a partner first! That way everyone has either said, heard, or had more time to think of possible answers. For example, "When I say, 'go' (Launch Button will get to that another week), turn to your neighbor and tell them one interesting fact you learned during today's lesson." Kids chat excitedly, then teacher says, "May I have your help please? (Wait for everyone to stop talking, raise their hands, and look at you) Now that everyone has heard, said, or thought about an interesting fact, everyone should have an answer. Start your answer with, 'I heard someone say that an interesting fact was....' " Pull a stick or call on a student to answer. And Voila! Everyone has an answer, and everyone was engaged! Students may be hesitant to talk at first, but with proper modeling and plenty of opportunities, they will warm up and become excited to participate! One of my teacher friends said, "You know you didn't ask enough engaging questions when your voice is tired at the end of the day." So let your kids take control! Let them all be responsible for answering AND listening, since both skills are important. Here is a little sign I made to remind myself to ask engaging questions!!!

Next post will be about types of questioning strategies! Happy Monday!

Comprehension Interventions

I've been researching some interventions for comprehension and I found some from www.jimwrightonline.com that I felt would be effective for the needs of my students! This week I'm going to implement the "Click or Clunk" method.  Basically it is teaching the student how to self-monitor comprehension while reading. After every sentence the student reads, the student says "Click" if he understands or "Clunk" if he doesn't. I think I'm going to make a card that says "click" on one side and "Clunk" on the other. Or, because I LOVE stamping, I may stamp a heart on one side to represent "Click," and an "N" on the other side to represent "Clunk." I'll take pics of the finished products and post them soon! Anybody else have ideas for comprehension interventions, especially if they're research based??

Happy Mardi Gras, Third Grade!

Happy Mardi Gras! Hope you had a wonderful Fat Tuesday! We celebrated with King Cake, Beads, Zydeco Music, and all things Mardi Gras! The kids really enjoyed learning about the culture of Mardi Gras! We made an acrostic of the words Mardi Gras and we wrote an expository short essay explaining what Mardi Gras is and how someone can celebrate it. I had so many beads I was handing them out to all the teachers to get them in the spirit! Have a great Mardi Gras!