Busy Bees

Now that I am a Resource Specialist rather than a classroom teacher it is more difficult to access or recognize my 'style' of teaching and therefor to write on this blog. Ideas do still pop up, as do remembrances of  what worked when I taught. Yesterday an 8th grade ELA teacher brought in a cart of lap top computers for the students to use. They were to construct an introduction paragraph for their research paper in conjunction with their science class. The students swarmed the computer cart like bees. Twenty minutes of chaos ensued as they squabbled over the computers and asked for help signing on and snuck onto game sites and tried to plug In to Pandora.   A number of students never did get signed on, another teacher was called in to help get the students online, and the class ran over as the teachers attempted to get the computers shut down and turned back in. about half of the class completed their assignment.

When the 7th grade class came in the next hour I asked if I could be in charge of the cart. After the teacher gave the directions for the paragraph I reminded the class their priority was a paragraph of 4 or 5 sentences, and the access to a computer was secondary. I handed out lined paper and said I would issue lap tops to students that were seated, quiet, and on task with their writing. There was much less speaking out and disruption. Slightly more than half the class received computers but nearly all of the students turned in a paragraph, as assigned. Sometimes it's just a little tweak in the management of a class that make the difference.

Happy to be here - NOT. A poem.

Why We Need School

Please explain,
Why we need school.
Sitting in those desks,
is painful and cruel.

Teachers are there to,
instruct and teach.
Give me an iPad,
and I'll learn at the beach.

Why pay teachers,
let's be frugal.
I'll get my info,
straight from Google.

I just have one more,
challenging request.
Let's get rid of,
exams and that test.

We're curious kids,
knowledge we seek.
Our education system,
we should definitely tweak.

That's my argument,
why we DON'T need school.
Let's make it a law,
or simply a rule.

by anitapoems.com

Mind Over Math

Mind Over Math

Each morning my classroom starts the day with math exercises. Over the years I have developed a way to deliver broad range activities that cover what I consider to be practical math applications. Time, money, weight and calendar questions are covered on a daily basis. The way the lessons are constructed leaves room for adapting and modifying for different learning modalities and ability levels. The materials needed are minimal and easily gathered. The instruction delivery is a combination of teacher-led, whole class participation, partner or table group work and individual application. And the whole program is portable, too!

As the students enter the classroom, they are issued a template for their first daily math work. Cues for their lessons are displayed (either on a smart/interactive board, white board or a paper display board. The first order of the day is to write their name and the date. The date needs to be noted two ways (e.g. November 3, 2013, 11/03/13).There is a large posted calendar for reference. Next, the time is filled in, first by illustrating a blank clock face, then noting the analog and digital form. As the students work individually and silently, I move through the room and issue small amounts of plastic coins (available online or at teacher supply stores). The students then sort and name the coins (how many pennies, dimes, etc.) and get a coin total. Then they add the value of the coins and note that total two ways (65 cents, or .65 for example).

All this is done independently and without talking. It should take only 5 to 10 minutes. All students can accomplish these tasks with practice, and I can modify the lesson by handing out smaller or greater amounts of coins, according to student ability. When most of the class is nearing completion of these initial activities, I go to the front of the room and welcome the class. I ask for the date, and write it on the board. I ask for the time, and write what the majority agreed was the beginning time. This is an opportunity for students to ‘self-correct’ what they have on their templates. I then write out two word problems, reading out loud as I go. The first will have to do with time or date, such as: What time was it one hour and ten minutes ago? Or: What will the date be in five days? The next will have to do with money, such as, “I you were given two more dimes, how much money would you have? I give the class a few minutes to answer the word problems and complete their beginning activities.

On display I have a skip count ‘rule’ posted (odd numbers starting with 33, for instance) and the next step on the template is to fill in the count on a number line. This is a good last step activity for students who are quick to solve the time/money word problems. For students who are taking longer, they will be given opportunities later in the day to complete their number counting line.

The initial exercises are set aside after 15 or 20 minutes, and we move into table or team activities. The quiet and methodical activities of daily math seem to set a positive tone at the day’s outset. Often I will play classical music during this morning math work.  The students get right to the tasks at hand, and I have time to take roll.

http://www.math-aids.com/

Pumpkin Pi

Math with Produce!

Fall is a fun time to do some hands on math activities. If you are fortunate enough to work close to a farm or produce stand and you can wrangle a field trip - great! Students can choose their own pumkins for math activities. Here's where you can find some ideas:

http://themes.atozteacherstuff.com/230/pumpkins-lesson-plans-activities-printables-and-teaching-ideas/
http://teachingheart.net/apumpkinunit.html
http://math.about.com/od/themeworksheets/ss/pumpkin.htm

There's even homework assignments for pumpkins! http://www.pbs.org/parents/education/math/activities/first-second-grade/pumpkin-math/

Funny Farms

Fall Field Trips!

Go to a farm. Buy pumpkins. Look up pumpkin math activities (http://mathwire.com/themes/themepumpkin.html) or art activities http://www.theimaginationtree.com/2012/10/pumpkin-activities-for-kids-from-its.html
or everything activities http://urbanext.illinois.edu/pumpkins/education.cfm.
Students don't need spending money on a farm, or nice clothes, or good 'sit-still' skills. They can walk and rund run and touch stuff. They can see where food comes from. They can get a little bit dirty and a lot happy. There's always a way to make a farm field trip fit into the standards, so you can relax :)

If you can't get to a farm, make one. Straw bales cost about $6.00. Stores might donate funny looking squash and gourds to your cause. Have the students run around outside picking up leaves. Create a fall backdrop for seasonal lessons. So many students are hungry for nature, for hands on learning, for lessons hidden in play. Let the kids be kids for even 15 minutes a day. I promise the class will run more smoothly with the inclusion of some organic materials in the curriculum! Happy Fall!!

Perspective

Fall is a great time to incorporate art into the curriculum. One activity I introduce in the fall is still life drawing. As a class we collect an assortment of leaves, branches, seeds and seasonal veggies. These I arrange on a high table or stool in the center of the room. I then issue paper and pens or pencils to the class and instruct them to draw what they see from where they are seated. (I think pens are better than pencils for this, because kids will spend too much time erasing otherwise.) They must fill up the WHOLE PAGE with their drawing. (So many students are ingrained to respect borders on paper - it cramps their style!)  When the sketches are done we all compare pictures and talk about the way we all see EVERYTHING from our own perspective. Same still life - different views.

Online

Most of the schools I have taught at in the last decade have computer labs that enable the whole class to be online at the same time. My students REALLY look forward to computer time; it's the highlight of the week! I allow the kids time to just play. They know great sites for games, such as Fun Brain, Math Games, Yahoo Kids, Safe Kid Games and Club Penguin. There are dozens more. I of course monitor the students to make sure they don't stray into inappropriate territory, but I try to interfere little with their gaming, as it engages, entertains and relaxes them.

In order to play (there's always a catch, right?) they must accomplish some tasks first. At the beginning of the year simply signing on is difficult for a number of my learning disabled students. Once that can be done with ease I give keyboarding challenges to each individual student. For some it might be to type their name and phone number into a word document. For others it might be name, number and address. For more advanced, name number, address and description of their housing. Spelling practice, for words and sentences, is great practice. Later in the year there are research projects centered on the science fair, book reports, personal naratives and fictional writing assignments that are modified for each students learning abilities.

If there is no lab, students can rotate time at the comuters in class. I always have each child do the 'hard' work first (for no more than 15 minutes) and then they get to play. If the children know the parameters of their assignments ahead of Computer Class and feel prepared, there isn't much sulking or balking. The class dynamic helps those who may be struggling, as do mentor students (great activity for Big Buddy class helpers!).

Stretch It.

Dogs bite.

Birds sing.

We write.

These are complete two word sentences, with subjects and predicates. In order to help my students develop their writing skills, I present the class with a sample two, three or four word sentence, and then challenge them to add on descriptors to make the sentence more interesting.

Some dogs bite a lot.

Birds sing pretty songs in the morning.

We write longer and longer sentences in class and add adverbs and adjectives in order to develop an interesting mental picture with our words for our readers.

This model has served me well. It is like a game, and has been well received by various age and ability groups. I can construct a list of choices (such as articles and pronouns) to jump start the writing. Or the class might brainstorm verbs together - even acting them out before writing them on the board. We might draw pictures of places or events in order to lead the descriptive writing. Students can work individually, and using a Thesaurus can help. Pairing students or allowing table groups to work on sentences together is fun. There are numbers of ways to build on this writing task so that it is accessible to all and refreshing each time we tackle the Sentence Stretch Challenge.

This works.

Try it.

Holi-Daze

Holidays. A loaded word.

I have worked on campuses that do celebrate holidays and campuses that don't celebrate holidays. I have put Christmas trees in the classroom, held Easter Egg hunts on the playground, and directed Thanksgiving plays on the auditorium stage - all bound to traditional Christian beliefs. Then again, I have participated in harvest celebrations and run booths for spring flings and decorated for winter festivals that were non-secular and strictly seasonal get-togethers for the school.

I have to say the latter works better for me and my personal beliefs. I enjoy hosting and participating in events that encourage families to meet on campus for the pure purpose of meeting and mingling. There is no emphasis on gifts, religions, belief systems or past practices. Just kids and their parents and families, coming to classrooms, enjoying the students' class projects or art work, maybe some music, and the staff's cooking. Kids still are involved in decorating, baking or dressing up, but there's less chance of offending or alienating families. Having worked my entire career at schools that served a low-income population, I feel it is less stress on the families. And less stress for me, if truth be told. There, I said it. Holidays are too hard to coordinate into curriculum, and teaching is my main focus - way above the bunnies and the skeletons. You may call me 'Ms. Scrooge'.

Scrappy Stuff

Collages are a great and inexpensive way to help students communicate and express their thoughts. I use collage projects across the board of subjects -  for math, science, social studies and language lessons. Materials are accessible and cheap, skill sets required are minimal, and results are tangible and creative.

Recent projects in my class include collages of domesticated vs. wild animals and arid vs. riparian land for science lessons, and historic vs. present state images for social studies. Students also create collages for non-fiction book reports. Last year for a math project the students made collages of a favorite meal, then accessed newspaper ads to price the meals and set a budget, before going to the neighborhood grocery store to 'shop' the meal on  field trip.

Collages are a great way for students who struggle with writing to express themselves. My students make a collage of their inner-life at the beginning of the year, cutting out pictures of what they deem as important goals and values. They can share this as a means of getting to know one another.

For many of my students collages offer an opportunity to interpret and analyze lessons while they hone fine motor skills in the process of selecting and cutting out pictures. I provide a diverse selection of magazines from local public libraries, which range in price from a quarter to FREE! I set time limits, because the class can get so engrossed going through the magazines HOURS can pass! When the pictures are chosen, trimmed, glued on construction paper and labeled, great class discussions can follow, further helping the class synthetize and evaluate their work.

First Day Jitters

First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg is a delightful children's book. I start out each school year with this read-aloud story, no matter what grade I teach. It reminds students of all ages that they are NOT the only one to be nervous about starting school. Whether it's a new class or a whole new school, EVERYONE is likely to feel fear, dread, trepidation - and to get a case of the 'jitters'.

My dad had reoccurring nightmares, even into his 70's, about arriving on campus confused as to where his classes were, stumped by locker combos, and hopelessly underdressed (as in no pants!). To the best of my knowledge these were real memories (with the exception of sans-pants) replayed over and over again due to their intense nature. Horrid to think we can be so scarred by something as common place as 'School: Day One'. But there you have it. I imagine that all of us have similar recollections of stresses and struggles assimilating to a new campus, teacher, grade or classroom.

How to alleviate such nerve-wracking emotions at the beginning of the year has been a goal of mine since I began teaching. When I read Julie Danneberg's story to the class they are reminded that even teachers are nervous on the first day. It's a natural feeling, and it can be quickly calmed.

I meet the kids at the bus drop off on Day One. I put a big sign around my neck with my name on it. I go to the cafeteria, too, and hang out while they eat and mingle. I take everyone on a tour of the campus that morning, and we play a scavenger hunt game in the class to familiarize ourselves with the lay-out. We do a myriad of ice-breakers. Also, as soon as possible during the first week, we meet with our 'Little Buddy' class, so my intermediate aged students become mentors to early ed. students. Nothing seems to bring more empowerment to the 4th - 6th graders than being a Big Buddy to a little first grade student. My students help the younger kids at lunch and recess. They love being responsible and respected!

My goal on Day One is to have each child be able to report back to parents, when asked "How was school today, this quote:  "Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one.”  Dr. Suess

Make 'em Laugh!

I love humor. I enjoy silliness. I need laughter - especially at work. I know teaching is serious business. But geez, it helps me AND the students to employ some fun throughout the day!

Things that are fun and funny in my classroom include: Groucho glasses w/ moustaches, red clown noses, tiaras and crowns, Sponge Bob cartoons, you tube animal videos, Garfield and Peanuts comics, Wimpy Kid and Captain Underpants books, games (Twister is a favorite), hula hoops, squeaky pet toys, whistles, magic wands, and dance music. I try to tap into these supplies on a daily basis. It relieves pressure, re-energizes spirit and lifts moods.

Some of the best times to interject humor are during the stress times. Testing is tough for any student, and in special ed., even tougher. It helps to ease the classroom climate when the children can take a stretch break, grab a comic book, crash on some pillows, snack and giggle. Everybody feels better. I find this prevents many outbursts and melt-downs during standardized testing weeks.

Food For Thought

Many of the students I teach are transported to school. They take the 'short bus', which is a term for special education busing. A majority live far from the school that provides services, as many neighborhood school don't have special education teachers, speech therapists, O.T.s or school psychologists on site. The routes can take considerable time, and might necessitate a child to be picked up quite early in the morning. If school starts at 8 a.m., a student might have to leave home by 6:30 a.m. in order to attend. This means there are some mighty hungry kids at my door when the bell rings.

I started providing snacks for students early on in my career. I don't get reimbursed for the expenditure, but it is SO worth it. If I don't give the kids something to eat during the day their energy flags, they grow listless and inattentive or irritable and even irrational. Well placed mini-meals throughout the day make a big difference in classroom behaviors. I also use snacks as enticements (okay - bribes) for testing. Special ed. kids HATE standardized tests! The tests are mandated to be at grade level, even though the students’ ability levels are two to four years below level in my learning handicapped class. This keeps them at a level of frustration and discomfort for all the days of testing. Well timed snacks help bring some comfort and self-care to the children.

Never assume the students have enough to eat at home, or that the cafeteria will take care of their hunger. The days are long and arduous for all students. Kids deserve treats - and it helps their brains as well as their attitudes.

Show Me The Money!

When I first started teaching, I was shocked to discover many of my students didn't know the worth of coins, or the number of coins it took to make a dollar. Years later, I find the students still don’t come to school with this info. It doesn’t seem to be a focus at school, or a habit at home. It still shocks me, but now I'm doing something about it. Every morning I give my class 'Money Math' activities to do. I hand out handfuls of plastic coins and have them sort and count them. Then they add the coins together to get the total amount. The first month or two of school this requires a great deal of teacher assistance, but the students love it when they learn it. Some individuals need desk top coin charts to remind them a quarter is 25 cents, a dime is ten, etc., and I keep posters in place throughout the year with the coin faces, values and a break-down of coins per dollar (4 quarters = one dollars, 10 dimes = one dollar, and so on). This is a bell-work or morning warm-up activity that the class can, after some time, so independently. I also put time problems for them to solve ("What time would it be 40 minutes from now?") and there are plastic clocks available for assistance. The students answer the time problems in analog and digital fashion. The class learns how many minutes are in an hour and how many hours are in a day. I require the class to learn the days of the week, months of the year, the years in a decade, as well. Wall calendars, personal agendas with calendars and posted reminders help keep this information accessible. No matter what grade the students are in, I find these activities to be relevant, and necessary to know, so each child can function with ease in society at large. Plus, they find it fun.

Work Smarter, Not Harder.

Work Smarter, Not Harder

I did my time. I carted home bags and boxes of reports to read. I covered my dining table with papers to grade. I spent my lunch breaks marking homework pages. I cancelled plans on Sundays so I could prep for the upcoming week in class.

One afternoon my daughter came by to tell me about her pay raise at the job she had for a fast food chain. She asked me how much money I made per hour. I had never tried to compute that before, so I sat down and took an honest look at how many hours I was not only AT school (including staff trainings, bus duties, open houses, IEP meetings, etc.), but also all the hours I spent AWAY from campus doing school work. I did the math - and discovered my young high school grad assistant manager girl was earning MORE PER HOUR than I was!!

Well, things changed. Of course I kept the meetings, duties, training and after-school events. But after that eye-opening calculator total glowed in my vision, I no longer took work home. I kept my job at my job. That meant going into work half an hour earlier, and staying a couple hours later - but it freed my nights and weekends. I became more organized, more focused. I was a better planner and a quicker executer of plans. I didn't delay or procrastinate (as much). And I was happier, more relaxed, and sane.

Try it. It is freeing, and I promise, the students will not suffer for it. A balanced teacher is a good teacher.

TV OR NOT TV II

My career in broadcasting ended when I became a certified educator. After I became an elementary school teacher, I continued to utilize media in my instruction, although I struggle still to convince most principals and administrators of the merits of television in the classroom. An example would be the 2009 inauguration of Barack Obama, which was televised on January 9th. I was the only teacher who allowed the students to watch this live, ground-breaking event during class, and I admit I did this covertly. There is such a push to stick to the pacing schedule of mandated curriculum, any divergence away from the routine is a hard sell. But I could not let this pivotal moment in history go by without being witnessed by my small citizens. Plus, I wanted to see it, too! The class loved the coverage, and discussed the whole proceedings with interest. (The favorite single aspect of the whole broadcast, according to my class, was the size of Aretha Franklin's hat! Kids will be kids.) As we analyzed the coverage afterward the students had great questions,  which lead to further research and fact finding on the internet during computer time during the week. 

I have also tuned into pertinent newscasts, recaps of Olympics games, and recorded  videos that related to subjects we were studying. (When I read Make Way For Ducklings to my primary students, I showed the clip from July, 2009 "Washington Banker Saves a Dozen Ducklings".) I believe the difference between education with television media and mind-numbing television viewing is demonstrated in the pause. If I am familiar with the clips I show, and I have intent and direction with the lesson I am teaching, the t.v. is a great resource.  

In the days of VHS tapes, I learned the "Power of Pause". I discovered that by simply pausing the tape, I could produce a number of responses and interactions with the class. The first response is always, "No! Don't stop!", which is a good sign they are engaged. Then there can be questions and conversations, such as "What happened?", "Why do you think that happened?", and "What will happen next?". This deepens the experience of whatever movie or show is being presented. It taps into Bloom's taxonomy of cognition in a subtle, accessible way. And it keeps the process of watching television controlled and purposeful.

T.V., or Not T.V. ? That Is The Question.

Television in the classroom, part one. 


The long standing debate about the merits and curse of using television in schools has been of personal interest for decades. My background and my professional focus, prior to teaching, was communications and media. It was my major in college during the '70's. My interest in this field lead to numerous radio station jobs as a D.J. for jazz, rock and easy-listening music, and there was a period of time I enjoyed hosting a radio talk show focused on Women's Rights. I also was employed as a news reporter, for both radio and television, where I was allowed to 'pull' my news reports*. I especially relished my years on a small independent t.v. network as a talk-of-the-town host. The small staff and limited funding pushed me to try camera work, editing, sound mixing, production and marketing.  I was given free range to book my choice of talent for every show, and the format / message was mine to determine. All this experience gave me deep respect for the power of media.


When I started working in education I wanted to bring my media background into the classroom. While still enrolled in coursework for my teaching certification, I began working as a classified aide in a rural school. The campus had just received a grant for technology, and the principal was inspired to develop an on site television station. I became the school's media director. We had t.v. monitors installed in every class that linked to the main hub of cameras, desks, computers and editing technology purchased. What a blast it was to begin a project and get to see it take hold! The staff was accepting and the students were thrilled to have the morning announcements televised each day, starring classmates and guest speakers. Field trips, science fairs, assemblies and special presentations were taped and archived. Spelling bees were held in the studio and televised to the classrooms, which kept the nerves of the participants less jangled and allowed the viewers free range to cheer and 'assist' without shushing. Every student had their time on camera, as staff became accustomed to incorporating media into their lessons. One memorable film was a 2nd grade class production of "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" (Laura Joffe Numeroff), starring several students and the class pet rat! Every family was encouraged to bring in a blank VHS tape, and it was then my job to produce a record of every student's filmed history as a kind of Video Year Book. It was a big commitment, and a daunting learning curve for all of us, but it paid off. Thanks to the vision from a forward thinking principal, the school was recognized state wide as innovative and successful for the media work we accomplished, and I was able to blend my long time love of media with my new inspiration to work with children in education.

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*This was back in the day when news information was sent to stations via teletype to a staff announcer, who would “rip and read” reports offered by the news service Associated Press.

What I Did Last Summer....

I have a number of practices for the beginning of each new school year. Before a new class comes into the room, I cover their work areas* with large sheets of paper, and put out buckets of markers. When the kids come in, Day One, they are given time to draw pictures of 3 or 4 highlights of their summer break. This is a calming activity, as there is no need to talk, nor is there a right or wrong way to do the work. The kids settle in, relax, and by drawing, display their personality, while at the same time they make themselves 'at home' in the class. Their drawing = their space.

There is additional time given throughout the first week to add more memories of add detail to the events they chose. At the close of week one, we tour the room and the artists describe their summer break. It is a great way for ALL of us to learn what interests the individual child, as well as some of their family structure, members and dynamics, and their general background. It is also another way to get the students accustomed to 'public' speaking. I believe the ability to talk in front of groups is an important social skill, and I weave opportunities for public addresses into my classwork as often as possible.

*I tend to teach with students seated at tables, not desks. Large work tables that seat at least four children per grouping work best. I think the tables afford greater work space and better practice with group interaction. Sharing, conversing, assisting, and creating happen in table groups with a more natural ease. It is a quick way to form hetero or homogenous groupings for lessons. Plus, it keeps kids from hoarding and clinging to 'their' stuff and space. It is communal and effective, in my experience. Oh, and it's much easier to keep clean and tidy!

Here's Looking At You, Kid.

During the first week of school I have the students create a number of art projects and renderings. One of the first tasks is a portrait of a neighbor. I pair up the students with someone they don't know, when possible. I give each student a pen (no pencils - they spend too much time erasing), and some crayons. I demonstrate the sketch on the white board, drawing an oval (no Charlie Brown heads!) and dividing that in quadrants to show placement of features. I talk them through a rough drawing, and then give them time to color and add details. These 'buddy portraits are a great ice breaker, in and of themselves, but I follow it up with a 'carpet time' talk, giving each student an opportunity to show off their work and introduce their 'subject'. We keep the portraits posted until our first Open House. A very fun activity, with benefits of connecting with and accepting peers for the year.

D.E.A.R.

Drop Everything And Read.

D.E.A.R. stands for Drop Everything and Read. National D.E.A.R. Day is a special reading celebration to remind and encourage families to make reading together on a daily basis a family priority. Harper Collins Publishing helps sponsor this event every April, in conjunction with Beverly Cleary’s birthday. Check it out:

http://dropeverythingandread.com/NationalDEARday.html

In my class, I schedule DEAR time a couple of days every week. The students are provided ability level books from the school or public library. I also purchase books at the Scholastic warehouse, usually in pairs so they can have a reading buddy. For 15 or 20 minutes, the class gets to grab some pillows, stretch out on the floor, and read semi-silently for FUN! While I attempt to keep a log of books and page counts, I don't require book reports. I learned over time reporting squashes the pleasure of reading for my class. And I want reading to be a positive, relaxing and entertaining time!