After having success in my own classroom with the reading vocabulary word power point, I put it on our shared folder and emailed that the first four weeks have been done. Another teacher added sound to it, and changed the timing. I felt badly at first. I think I wanted it to be good enough for others to feel that they could just take and use it, and not have to improve upon. Then I realized that it was already very usable, but if a coworker wants to tweak it and make it better, then we all benefit. My first impression is that the sound is kind of annoying, but I think it might be a fun way to practice the vocabulary words by the end of the week.
I have had conversations with two coworkers and they both like the changes I made to the first math unit. Basically, I just added pages to the promethean for vocabulary review and homework pages. Why it's been on my mind is that we will soon begin the second math unit. The technology department gave me a pin so I can use the middle school's scanner. I will take the pages and get them scanned this week. Why I bring this up is that I was feeling stressed over being the teacher who now needs to update the rest of the math units, and create the rest of our reading vocabulary power points. It is not difficult work; it is very time-consuming. My plan is to ask our grade level to share these responsibilities. I know they will pitch in. That will help me out significantly with this busy time.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Day 13
Our little classroom community is coming along. We played a game at morning meeting called "Elf". The class liked this game. We have taken body breaks in the afternoon and they have been helpful. Today we did not, and I was reminded that we still need to "go slow to go fast". Tomorrow I will review what it looks like and sounds like for the students while I am teaching small reading groups.
Professional sharing is so good! I used a first grade teacher's idea to make a powerpoint of reading vocabulary. I put on the slide show today while the students were transitioning from silent reading to whole group instruction. They readily joined in reciting. It was a good use of this transition time.
I made posters of ideas from Ubuntu!, and put them on the wall beside our classroom rules. They are quotes about community. I look forward to sharing these with the students and seeing if they will be motivated by the ideas there. For the most part, my students are supportive and kind to each other. There is still work to do. My next idea is to find an African recipe, make it, and share it with my students!
Professional sharing is so good! I used a first grade teacher's idea to make a powerpoint of reading vocabulary. I put on the slide show today while the students were transitioning from silent reading to whole group instruction. They readily joined in reciting. It was a good use of this transition time.
I made posters of ideas from Ubuntu!, and put them on the wall beside our classroom rules. They are quotes about community. I look forward to sharing these with the students and seeing if they will be motivated by the ideas there. For the most part, my students are supportive and kind to each other. There is still work to do. My next idea is to find an African recipe, make it, and share it with my students!
Monday, September 12, 2011
Day 7 - A New Week
I read an article last night about effective teachers. There were many qualities of successful teachers that I would like to build upon. 1. Set Big Goals - With only nineteen students right now, I am beginning interventions and testing students in reading. I set goals of MAP Score growth I would like to see for my class in reading and math. 2. Convince students that their personal investment does make a difference. - I am using Daily Five language about having a sense of urgency, that one moment can't be lost, and we should be giving our best during instruction and learning time. 3. Continually Improve - This includes reflecting, and that the most effective teachers talk about their failures. Unfortunately, I am having trouble putting work away at night. It seems everything we are talking about in our master's class relates to our building and district goals. Build a learning community and formative assessments are two of them.
Math homework continues to be a success. Last Friday I reviewed their work, and this morning I challenged the students with the answers they gave me. It was evident that some students saw connections that other students did not, and I was able to present this thinking to the entire class. I used time effectively. It seems that I must also stay in the mode of urgency. This enabled me to think on my feet and squeeze in more learning. Students were standing in line from the bathroom and I shot multiplication questions at them. As they were standing in line for Spanish, I asked for examples of square numbers and prime numbers. There were a few misconceptions that 5X5 was square, or 1 X 19 was prime. It felt good to address these ideas and continue the learning outside of the math block. I must keep my sense of urgency throughout the day.
Responsive Classroom - Last week I had students calling out of turn. On Friday, I gave them both three sticky green squares of paper, and told them that if they lost them I would have to take recess time away, because Take a Break wasn't working. Today, neither student lost even one sticky! This was excellent improvement in student self control. I will have to remind them tomorrow that I noticed the improvement!
I was able to put student pictures on my teacher webpage. Two pictures are on my homepage, and the same two pictures I made into puzzles. I also added two wordsearches: Subjects and Math. The students investigated these today in the computer lab. I was surprised by the number of students who had never visited our reading series epractice online. It's a great place to listen to the stories, watch the virtual fieldtrip, and practice new vocabulary words each week.
I forgot to use my chimes today. We did take body breaks, though, and the students liked the games and came back to group more energized. The year is off to a great start!
Math homework continues to be a success. Last Friday I reviewed their work, and this morning I challenged the students with the answers they gave me. It was evident that some students saw connections that other students did not, and I was able to present this thinking to the entire class. I used time effectively. It seems that I must also stay in the mode of urgency. This enabled me to think on my feet and squeeze in more learning. Students were standing in line from the bathroom and I shot multiplication questions at them. As they were standing in line for Spanish, I asked for examples of square numbers and prime numbers. There were a few misconceptions that 5X5 was square, or 1 X 19 was prime. It felt good to address these ideas and continue the learning outside of the math block. I must keep my sense of urgency throughout the day.
Responsive Classroom - Last week I had students calling out of turn. On Friday, I gave them both three sticky green squares of paper, and told them that if they lost them I would have to take recess time away, because Take a Break wasn't working. Today, neither student lost even one sticky! This was excellent improvement in student self control. I will have to remind them tomorrow that I noticed the improvement!
I was able to put student pictures on my teacher webpage. Two pictures are on my homepage, and the same two pictures I made into puzzles. I also added two wordsearches: Subjects and Math. The students investigated these today in the computer lab. I was surprised by the number of students who had never visited our reading series epractice online. It's a great place to listen to the stories, watch the virtual fieldtrip, and practice new vocabulary words each week.
I forgot to use my chimes today. We did take body breaks, though, and the students liked the games and came back to group more energized. The year is off to a great start!
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Day Four With Students
The first days of school are wearing me out! There are so many routines to talk about with the students. Even when I go off the list that I think is complete, other things get added to the list. I love the potential of this group, though. Right now I have 19 fourth graders! It's a dream to have this much floor space in the room. I keep thinking that we should be able to accomplish so much, and I should be able to help students more in small groups and individually. I hope this proves true.
One of my goals this year was to review Math homework from the night before and discuss in class. We have had one day of math homework, and it worked well. All students but one had their work done. I liked Abby's idea of an inner circle and an outer circle, and having students discuss their work with other students before discussing whole group. I will try this later in the year.
Other new initiatives this year are using the Daily 5, CAFE, and implementing more of Responsive Classroom. I have been using 'Take a Break' for the small interruptions in the classroom, and that has worked well. The students love the chime, and quiet down well. We have taken body breaks in the long afternoons. I am working on my teacher language. I took pictures of students with my camera, and hope to get them on my teacher webpage. There's always something new to learn and do. The year has possibilities.
One of my goals this year was to review Math homework from the night before and discuss in class. We have had one day of math homework, and it worked well. All students but one had their work done. I liked Abby's idea of an inner circle and an outer circle, and having students discuss their work with other students before discussing whole group. I will try this later in the year.
Other new initiatives this year are using the Daily 5, CAFE, and implementing more of Responsive Classroom. I have been using 'Take a Break' for the small interruptions in the classroom, and that has worked well. The students love the chime, and quiet down well. We have taken body breaks in the long afternoons. I am working on my teacher language. I took pictures of students with my camera, and hope to get them on my teacher webpage. There's always something new to learn and do. The year has possibilities.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Sunday, August 28 Preparation for the school year.
I have been in the classroom working quite a bit this month. My daughter and I cleaned a cupboard and my desk, organized, pulled out books, arranged the room, put up bulletin boards, ripped out nine math units for math, and more. I spent time reading and creating displays for The Daily Five and Cafe; I will use these to introduce reading skills, our classroom routines, and academic choice the first six days of school. I purchased and have read quite a few picture books to use with Cafe.
"Joy" will be a priority this year, and there are certain elements in my room like "Everybody Books", poetry folders, and a nice chunk of time for my read aloud that will support this goal. I have organized and reviewed the Responsive Classroom elements, and now just need to weave these into my lesson plans. Lesson planning is the next big thing on my list. Organization will be the key to getting this year off to a good start. We are officially back to work tomorrow. There's always more to do, but I think I have a lot in place.
"Joy" will be a priority this year, and there are certain elements in my room like "Everybody Books", poetry folders, and a nice chunk of time for my read aloud that will support this goal. I have organized and reviewed the Responsive Classroom elements, and now just need to weave these into my lesson plans. Lesson planning is the next big thing on my list. Organization will be the key to getting this year off to a good start. We are officially back to work tomorrow. There's always more to do, but I think I have a lot in place.
Friday, August 5, 2011
Promethean Work, July 2011
July was a hot month to be out working in my flower garden, so I spent time organizing my jump drives. Last year six 4th grade teachers created promethean flipcharts for reading, writing, language skills, and spelling. It was a lot of work! I brought them all home, more accurately renamed them, and reworked the first four weeks of Unit 1. I also pulled out the language skills from the writing lessons and renamed them; they will be much easier to locate now. My jumpdrives are organized and ready to go!
I spent time working on my Math prometheans, too. I added vocabulary to each lesson, and pages to review homework each day. Reflection has taught me that I don't have to correct each day's homework. But, we do need to go over it each day in class before beginning the next lesson. The practice of homework will remain just that ~ practice. It will be more beneficial for students to review and clarify skills, and will save me a hunk of time each night. I still need to add the workbook pages to the flipcharts when my work computer is ready; my other option is to use the document camera to project student work.
I spent time working on my Math prometheans, too. I added vocabulary to each lesson, and pages to review homework each day. Reflection has taught me that I don't have to correct each day's homework. But, we do need to go over it each day in class before beginning the next lesson. The practice of homework will remain just that ~ practice. It will be more beneficial for students to review and clarify skills, and will save me a hunk of time each night. I still need to add the workbook pages to the flipcharts when my work computer is ready; my other option is to use the document camera to project student work.
June Workshops ~ 2011
It's been a busy summer. I attended many workshops in June.
Math Academy - I spent two afternoons with the curriculum director and math teachers in our district. I printed the CABS from the Milwaukee Math project with Grades 1 through 8 before the workshop, and shared these with grade levels. I made a promethean of the CABS for 4th grade to share and use at our grade level. Four of our six teachers were present, and we decided to implement a constructed response with each unit test. We are hoping that as our students practice and participate in constructed responses, they will become better problem solvers and write better explanations for their thinking. It felt good to move math forward at our grade level and in our district!
Instructional Coaching - I spent one afternoon with other instructional coaches, sharing and reviewing skills, and discussing ways to develop a learning community within our building. I know our teachers have much to offer each other in teaching strategies and math knowledge. I look forward to working with teachers in developing an open door policy where anyone can feel free to walk into another's room to see what great things are going on there! We have a meeting August 23 to finish our planning for this year.
Writing Academy - For two afternoons in June I attended a writing academy. We became more familiar with Common Core Standards, decided our three on-demand writing topics, and chose which writing topics will get our attention each unit. We will limit our process writing to fewer than last year, but need to find time to conference with students, (that's where improvement will show itself) and we will bring back "Life Books". Life books will work wonderfully as a piece in our Daily 5 "Work on Writing".
Reading Academy - Three afternoons in June were to work on reading. We reviewed WKCE scores, The Daily 5, CAFE, and made plans for the Inquiry Projects. One year with Fountas & Pinnell progress monitoring and LEAD21 and we saw wonderful improvement in reading abilities! Excellent ideas were shared; we have so much to be gained by sharing and being given time to share! I will be implementing The Daily 5, and all of the skills in CAFE. We will have the first six days of school to set our routines in order before beginning our reading curriculum. I purchased many books to support the skill introductions for comprehension, accuracy, fluency, and expanding vocabulary. I feel like this introduction to my reading program will help the students learn how to monitor the skills they need to work on. I am not going to try to do these programs perfectly the first year; I just want to improve my teaching and help my students see their strengths and enable them to work toward reasonable goals.
Compass Learning - I attended two afternoons of training for Compass Learning, our new computer math program. This program will support student skill levels as shown on their MAP testing. We discussed setting up lessons in areas where students may need support, such as elapsed time and place value. More training will come in August.
Math Academy - I spent two afternoons with the curriculum director and math teachers in our district. I printed the CABS from the Milwaukee Math project with Grades 1 through 8 before the workshop, and shared these with grade levels. I made a promethean of the CABS for 4th grade to share and use at our grade level. Four of our six teachers were present, and we decided to implement a constructed response with each unit test. We are hoping that as our students practice and participate in constructed responses, they will become better problem solvers and write better explanations for their thinking. It felt good to move math forward at our grade level and in our district!
Instructional Coaching - I spent one afternoon with other instructional coaches, sharing and reviewing skills, and discussing ways to develop a learning community within our building. I know our teachers have much to offer each other in teaching strategies and math knowledge. I look forward to working with teachers in developing an open door policy where anyone can feel free to walk into another's room to see what great things are going on there! We have a meeting August 23 to finish our planning for this year.
Writing Academy - For two afternoons in June I attended a writing academy. We became more familiar with Common Core Standards, decided our three on-demand writing topics, and chose which writing topics will get our attention each unit. We will limit our process writing to fewer than last year, but need to find time to conference with students, (that's where improvement will show itself) and we will bring back "Life Books". Life books will work wonderfully as a piece in our Daily 5 "Work on Writing".
Reading Academy - Three afternoons in June were to work on reading. We reviewed WKCE scores, The Daily 5, CAFE, and made plans for the Inquiry Projects. One year with Fountas & Pinnell progress monitoring and LEAD21 and we saw wonderful improvement in reading abilities! Excellent ideas were shared; we have so much to be gained by sharing and being given time to share! I will be implementing The Daily 5, and all of the skills in CAFE. We will have the first six days of school to set our routines in order before beginning our reading curriculum. I purchased many books to support the skill introductions for comprehension, accuracy, fluency, and expanding vocabulary. I feel like this introduction to my reading program will help the students learn how to monitor the skills they need to work on. I am not going to try to do these programs perfectly the first year; I just want to improve my teaching and help my students see their strengths and enable them to work toward reasonable goals.
Compass Learning - I attended two afternoons of training for Compass Learning, our new computer math program. This program will support student skill levels as shown on their MAP testing. We discussed setting up lessons in areas where students may need support, such as elapsed time and place value. More training will come in August.
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