March 6, 2012 Update

Goal Setting Update  3/5                             Best Practice

After two weeks of goal setting, I asked the students how this was going.  I am trying make this easy management for me, and also beneficial for them.  Some students didn’t see the need for the goal.  Others felt it was helpful.  One student who recently improved in math was in favor of having the goal.  Another student who is working on accurate, fluent reading was also in favor of the goal.  Both have improved.  The reader had the top reading test score in the class.  I can tell both students have been working on their goals.  To be a little more helpful, if students do not have goals this week, I will brainstorm with them a goal they can work on.  This seems to be a good practice for those who have named a doable goal.

Cloud Update  3/5                     Technology, Teacher Leadership

I have no more data storage space left on our district site.  This shows how much I have contributed to the team this year!  So, over the weekend, I uploaded the last three math units to the cloud.  None of us teachers in fourth grade feel that comfortable with accessing and using information out there.  So, I’ve given everyone about three weeks to begin figuring it out.  That’s when they will need access to the files out there!

Math Prometheans      3/5                      Technology, Teacher Leadership, Best Practice

Last weekend I finished adding the student worksheets to the last three math units.  This was a goal of mine this year, and it is finished!  I am so glad that I have done this!  I find it very beneficial to go over the homework assignments in class together.  I can still find those students who did not finish it, and ask them to stay at recess to show me they understand the concepts.  It continues to free my evening time; I correct very few math pages.  Yet, I feel that I can point out any students who need support with math this year, probably better than any other year.  In fact, instead of spending my time correcting homework, I have more time to prepare for the next lesson.   I am using data from unit tests and checking in on questionable skills during Response to Intervention time.  With the adoption of Common Core this fall in math, we will go through some training this summer.  Guess what I will be doing?  Updating all nine units of math with the instructional lessons and new student worksheets!  I already know one way I can lead within my grade level for next year!  This job is not done yet.

Lumberjack Day     3/5                          Teacher Leadership

Together the fourth grade team has put together a Lumberjack Day for our students.  I ordered a lumber kit from CESA #11 so students can look at artifacts ( pictures and tools) from the early 1800’s.  I have gathered tools and logs to cut and roll.  We have passed the shredder to all classrooms so all students can shred paper, soak it, and make slurry.  On Friday all students will dress like lumberjacks, eat like a lumberjack, and participate in a lumberjack poem, reader’s theater, make paper, and do other activities.  This will be a fun and educational event.

February 26 Update

Organizing for SOC Meetings 2/24/2012 Best Practice, Teacher Leadership

When we began SOC (Students of Concern) Meetings our grade level wrote protocol for behavior. One of our agreements was to come to each meeting prepared with any data we need. I have succeeded, but always feel like I am gathering those documents that I need throughout the day. I labeled a folder “SOC Meetings” and put in my class data in math and reading, and results of our recent math test, along with its data analysis that is on the agenda for our meeting this week. I will be more organized.

Do The Math Intervention 2/24/2012 Best Practice

A fourth grade teacher has finished implementing a 30-day multiplication intervention for about 6 fourth graders. I was able to share through email the growth that 2 of my 3 students have shown in recent unit test scores and in multiplication rocket math, and positive attitude change toward math. Sharing students is a new practice that I hope we will continue after seeing results like this.

Goal Setting       2/13, 2/20, 2/27                                                Best Practice

Students have been setting goals each Monday morning.  If it is a goal they have not reached yet, they can keep the same goal into the next week.  They wrote their goals and taped them onto the top of their desk.    We will continue to work on this for a month and then evaluate its worth.

Student Led Conferences 2/13, 2/15 Best Practice

Nineteen fourth graders spent 25-30 minutes after school sharing their growth with their parents during student led conferences. This practice began when a coworker was in her master’s program and made this topic her action research. All fourth grade teachers and many third and fifth grade teachers continue to prepare students and guide this practice. It continues to be a success for all involved.

Using the Cloud 2/13/2012 Technology, Teacher Leadership

Our grade level is keeping our agenda for our SOC Meetings on the cloud. Any one of us can update the agenda. Meetings will be saved and archived. One of our teachers stepped up to set this up, and it is great to see more teachers sharing leadership.

February 12, 2012

January/February Data Collection (continued from January 1)                     Best Practice   

I wrote on January 1^st that walking and talking to the speech clinician helped me to get a grip on collecting data on two of my students.  I have been using the form I developed to document the student behaviors of one of my students each day for the past month.  I am emailing her mom each day, so I copy and paste into this document.   I now have a history of behaviors and parent contact.  I have met with the guidance counselor, school psychologist, and last year’s teacher.   I think this documentation will be beneficial as we head for a needed behavioral referral.

Lumbering                Planning for Lumberjack Day in March                    Teacher Leadership   

For the past ten years or so we have had a State Park Interpreter come into our school and talk to fourth graders about  lumbering (bringing a photo slideshow, song, and tools for students to try).  This used to be free, but now we need to charge each student $2.00.  We are brainstorming how we could do this event ourselves.  I ordered some lumberjack resources (a video and a kit) from CESA #11.  I have gotten the supplies ready the last few years for students to make paper.  I also have access to a cant hook, a pike pole, a cross-cut saw, and wood chunks for sawing.  Along with another teacher’s concentration game and a Wisconsin Makes Paper Great video, I think we can make this fun and educational.  We also have the students dress up like lumberjacks, and provide a lumberjack breakfast (budgeted for this year).    I am going to work on the schedule for the morning, and hopefully lead this event for my group.  It is not my forte to work out all of the kinks in rotations and supplies, but I am willing to try.  I will value other teacher input as I present this to my team.

Data Day – February 10                Best Practice                                                                                                    Fourth grade teachers met for two hours with reading support, special education, curriculum coordinator and guidance counselor to review our math and reading data for January.  We highlighted scores 95% or higher, and looked to see that everyone below grade level was being supported.  It was a true testimony to how far we have come in the few years.  We actually saw that students who were in the lowest 20% and those between 20-30% were provided services to support their needs.  To me, this was data and teaching at their best.  We are using the scores and being responsive with instruction, re-teaching, and/or interventions.  I am proud to be contributing to my students and our school in this valuable way.

Roller Skating in Phy Ed Class        February  1 - 13    Social Justice       Responsive Classroom              My fourth graders are now finishing a roller skating unit in gym class.  After the first class students came back and complained how rude some of the students were as they were skating.  In response we made a chart for gym class to determine what gym class should look like and sound like.  Students had great ideas; most used the word “positive”.  We carried it to the gym at our next class and posted it on the wall as a reminder.  That class went great.  The next class period, we forgot to review the poster and left it in the classroom.  There were new complaints.  I have a student who struggles with motor activities.  We discussed that gym class is for everyone, at every skill level.  We problem solved on how to help this student.  If they wanted to pass him, they needed to let him know from behind by calling out “Passing”, so he would not fall down.  We reviewed the chart, hung it in the gym during roller skating, and again had a terrific class.  This experience reminds me that I need to help the students in every aspect of the school day to learn to behave respectfully to their peers, and I cannot just expect it to happen on its own.   I am believing that as a class we may need to make another poster for another troublesome area outside of our classroom, namely, the lunch room. 

January SOC (Students of Concern) Meetings     Learning Community, Teacher Leadership,        Curriculum  Development , Best Practice                                                                                              

Our guidance counselor came back from an inservice and taught our building how to make data boards.  It has four levels, although I cannot remember the programs names for them.  I would call them above grade level, at grade level, one year behind, and two years behind grade level, based on MAP scores in reading.  We worked together to label our students with attendance issues, MAP scores, special education, behavior, other health impaired, 504, etc.  It was interesting to get this visual of these students.  I think activities like these unify us and remind us that we are working together to raise achievement for all students.  We are learning how third grade is sharing students during RtI to lighten each individual teacher’s workload.  Our differing schedule hasn’t allowed us to do this to the extent of third grade,  although two of us have stepped forward to serve those in need across the grade level.  One teacher is doing a 30-day intervention called Do The Math – Multiplication for those behind in rocket math.  She is doing this during her prep time.    I am currently spending about 8 days reworking area, perimeter, angles, and naming polygons for those students who struggled with these concepts on the last math test.  I am doing this during our Response to Intervention time.   I see sharing students as the next step to being effective teachers, and am looking forward when we are all more vested in this practice.

A Professional Learning Community Begins

January 16, 2012

I had a coaching opportunity to observe two math classes in third and fourth grade.  I saw some very good teaching and got a couple ideas to bring back to my own classroom.  As one teacher stated, reflection and preparation make for a great lesson.

January 20, 2012

I was able to chat with the fourth grade teacher and give her a couple ideas.    I think what she needed to conclude on her own was that preparation makes for a great lesson.  I shared how observing the same lesson I just taught had sparked a couple ideas for making it better and for helping students think deeper.

January 25, 2012

I found it pretty easy to conference with the third grade teacher.  He is so open to trying new things to help manage his very busy class.  I gave him some listening activities, a chime, the call and response ideas I got in La Crosse a year ago, and a few quick math focus activities.  I will also look into CESA 11 resources and see if I can find a Me Moves video.  A couple other teachers are using them for about five minutes a day to help calm and focus students.  

January, 2012

1/2/2012  Student of Concern Meeting

I am grateful that we are collaborating at our weekly grade level meetings.  Attending with us is a special education teacher, school counselor, reading support teacher, and speech teacher.  The special education teacher suggested taking a student with behaviors to the next step.  I am glad that she has been at each meeting this student’s name has come up.  She sees a need for a behavioral referral.  As I was completing the form, I realized that some of her behaviors are probably happening because the reading material is too difficult for her.  Reflection pulls the curtains back from the window so I can see clearer.

1/2/2012 Update on Collaboration and Reflection

After our Students of Concern meeting today I went walking with our speech pathologist.  We processed a student we shared, and she helped me brainstorm ideas to help the student succeed in homework.   I was able to call the parent and share these ideas.  My call was received positively, and I got to experience the positive effects of collaboration.  It benefited me and my student, and it encouraged me to make home contact. 

Walking with the speech pathologist also helped me learn more about data collection. She keeps data every day with every student, and talking to her was very helpful.   I hadn’t been able to come up with a great way to keep track of student behaviors.   My Response to Intervention (RtI) folder is in the back of the room, and I use it at Team Time for academics, but during the rest of my day, I am nearer to my desk in the front of the room.  A supervisor had suggested to write behaviors down in the same RtI folder.  But it is not convenient.   Keeping track at my desk has not worked well.  At the end of the day I find some notes in my notebook, on a scrap of paper, or I cannot find my form that I started at an earlier date.  Through our talk, I developed a form on the computer that is easy to update from a form I have on my desk.  Since I have two students to monitor behaviors for, one has a blue tag (boy) and the other has a pink tag (girl).  Each form has room for a week.  I handwrite on these at the time of the incident, and then update at the end of the week on my computer.  When I completed a problem solving referral over the weekend, I was able to attach the computer form without having to worry about sloppy handwriting or incomplete thoughts.  I am hopeful that this new procedure will continue to be easy, effective, and efficient for me. 

1/10/2012 Participation in the Classroom

I am working on being fair when calling on students in the classroom.  I believe that participation increases opportunities to learn.  Lately I have been using name sticks so everyone gets a chance to be called upon.  It is holding me and my students accountable.  I am also having the students turn and talk and interact more during class discussions.  This also increases participation and learning.   I think having a Best Practices Go-To Sheet will be a good thing!

12.23.2011 Update

I'm beginning to see why documentation is so important.  With documentation and reflection, conclusions or theories can be made.  The student I am doing a RtI with fell apart with behavior this month.  Then, as suddenly as it started, it was over.  I realized that behavior interfered with her ability to attend reading support and her 1:1 time with me.  When I corrected her unit reading test and looked at her score, I knew it was from lack of curriculum contact time.  But, where was my data in the loss of contact time?  I'm contemplating using a calendar grid for each student, and then I can document absences or behavior/academic status.  I am wondering if it is worth the time and effort.  It could be the beginning of a more organized daily reflection of my students.  I think I will try it for the month of January and see if it is beneficial.  I will ask a coworker if she has a form to use.  Maybe a calendar for each student would work.

A student of mine is moving over the holiday break.  We will all miss him.  On the Monday we return, I will gain a new student.  I have prepped the classroom, his desk, his locker, and my students so he will feel invited and welcome.  I want to be able to offer security and predictability in classroom routines to get him off to a good start.  After the holiday will be a good time to review class rules, recess rules, and the responsive classroom motto "go slow to go fast" to make sure we are all ready to learn in 2012.

Update - December 7, 2011

Research Project - I am working on the second half of my inquiry research project.  I don't have all of the answers for myself and for other teachers on how to do this perfectly.  But, by doing this research project, I have given my students the opportunity to participate in research.  I know other teachers who are not doing the inquiry; it is difficult to find the time and to know how to navigate the messy and muddy waters of research.  I am thrilled to be able to work with our librarian.  She has helped us strategize, pick key words, and find books and web sites.  The curriculum has sites that are helping my students on the second round.  I am learning that I need to use what is available, instead of feeling like I need to personally find all of the resourcesfor my students.

With the second round, my students chose their partners and their topic of research.  I wish I had not told them they would have choice of partners.  I sensed that students were choosing topics just so they would be with their friend.  That is water over the bridge, though.  I think once they get a little farther, some groups will continue to be high maintenance, while others will be fairly independent.  Students seemed to choose partners who are at their same ability level in reading.  I will be helping the lower students with more reading.  On the other hand, it will be interesting to see if they learn more, because they will be totally responsible for the project (instead of giving up control to more academically advanced peers). 

Master's Reflection - I am amazed that I am almost three-quarters of the way into this program.  At the start, I didn't think I would make it.  The program has put demands on me in many ways.  It has challenged me to grow, think, collaborate, lead, research, read, reflect, and define who I am as a teacher.  It has been the catalyst that will make me a successful teacher for the rest of my career.

I remember a very awesome third grade teacher, Mrs. Jenkins, who retired about seven years ago.  She once told me that she tried to put a new idea (or two) into each her lesson plans each week.  Now I think I get that.  If I am reading, researching, and continuing to learn, I will have ideas to try and share each week.  That is the kind of teacher I want to be.