Wednesday Word Work: Power of Virtual PD

This past Saturday I had the chance to spend the day with The Educator Collaborative Gathering. This is an unique learning experience because I was able to choose from a menu of presentations. The power of of the Google Hangouts and You Tube videos made this multi-dimensional learning experience.  All the sessions were archived so when I couldn't decide between two or three of them I can refer back to the link above and continue learning.

Opening Session with Sara Ahmed and Harvey Daniels

• it's important to lean into the learning  (I'm working on this by not going into conferences with preconceived ideas or questions. Allowing the students to guide the conference.)
• diversity is different for everyone (this was huge for me - I know my experiences impact my teaching but thinking about how each student comes into my classroom everyday with a different perspective is crucial.)
• students come to school curious (although the graph they showed scared me to death that by fifth grades students' curiosity drops considerably)

• if the work that students are doing in my classroom involves curiosity and inquiry then I don't need grit because the grit is built in (I don't get hung up on grit, but I am thinking about inquiry in all my lessons more than I have in the past)

I attended three other sessions and they were just as powerful I spent the day comfortable, part of the time in my pajamas, and learning. It's a gift to be able to learn along with so many smart educators, and I truly appreciate this amazing opportunity.  Follow them on twitter it's a wealth of information. And the icing on the cake, I've already calendared in the next #TheEdCollabCollabGathering

Wednesday Word Work: Tale of Two Conversations

A few conversations this past week started me thinking about the role of a teacher as a learner. The first conversation was with a teacher who was struggling with word study.  She felt like her lessons were not flowing, and the lessons were more like a check off list.  As we talked,  I suggested several activities and she made al list of "possibilities."  I saw her get overwhelmed as we continued talking.  I realized I was talking way too fast for her.  Together we looked at the list of "possibilities" and helped her to choose a few from the list. These are the ones she chose to tackle for the next week.

• collecting words (from the read aloud or picture books) new skill
• word observations (she had already taught this skill earlier in the year) review skill
• playing with words (sharing magnetic letters, dry erase boards) helping with spelling

The second conversation was with a friend who is an amazing math teacher discussing the importance of "talk" in the workshop.  She shared a video of her class during math workshop and as I listened to the talk of the students I noticed that the teacher was in background.  I was on overload with so many ideas running through my mind.  I couldn't comprehend more than one idea.  I asked her for one strategy to help me with talk in my workshop because I felt overwhelmed.  Her suggestion was about how to help students have a conversation without raising their hands every time.  If a student wanted to change the topic of the conversation, they he/she would raise their hand which signaled a shift in thinking otherwise the students would talk math. Brilliant light bulb moment for me. 

Compliments of Google Images

As I think about tale of two conversations, I was on both sides of the track.  Both of these opportunities to learn more about myself are important. One is not better than the other.  In the first conversation, I was leading the conversation and helping support the teacher.  In the second, I was the learner and grasping for one strategy to modify the talk in my math workshop.  One strategy was all that I could hear and begin to think about for talk in math. How many times do our students feel that way in our classroom? Both experiences helped me to remember the importance of teachers as learners.

Slice of Life: OWL - Choice

I am excited to join Two Writing Teachers for Tuesday Slice of Life writing community. I love the summer when I have time to slow down and read the different slices.  The power of comments mean so much to me, and I try and to pay it forward during summer.

Today’s Slice of Life is about my OLW – choice!  I have been explaining my choices to my family a lot lately.  Several times not complaining just inquiring “Mom why are you reading that book?”  “Which twitter chat are you doing now?”  “When does you summer vacation start?”  "Tell me again when are you leaving?"

My choices are centered on what I enjoy in the summer.  Long early morning walks, gardening, slow paced breakfast, and almost always time to check on newly posted blog posts. I explain numerous times that I enjoy reading professional books and taking notes.  It is fun to read blog posts and learn along with colleagues from around the country. This is the time when my Goodreads becomes my best friend, and I totally love reading  books to be ready to book talk in the fall.   

My summer professional life kicks into high gear starting this week and will continue for the next several. I am super excited about my choices for my upcoming professional development.

• Google training and sharing about my 5th grade classroom with Dublin Colleagues  this week check out #dubchat

•  #Allwrite14 starts tomorrow evening and goes through Friday (watch twitter for my learning along with several super smart colleagues)

•  Choice Literacy Writing Retreat is the following week: a highlight with rich conversations about how to grow as a writer and the best part –time to write.

• nERDcamp MI:  second week of July which is my first nERDcamp, and I am going with MS friends thanks to Gretchen for including me.

As you can see, I am going to be super busy by choice and continue my professional learning.  After that we have a short family vacation planned, so my blogging will be pretty sporadic for the next three to four weeks. I am extremely grateful for an amazing family that supports me and my OLW.

The Comprehension Experience: Chapter 2

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Chapter 2:  The Power of Story Supporting Students’ Reading of Narrative Texts

“Students increase their capacity for comprehension more readily when they are focused on the story, not on learning or practicing a so-called reading skill or comprehension strategy.” 


KEY POINTS: 

·      FOCUS question for students: When you are finished reading, consider whether or not the new information changes your thinking? and What interesting words or phrases helped you with understanding the story?

·      PLANNING: includes careful orchestrated experiences

·      PREDICTIONS: generate curiosity, curiosity generates motivation. It is important to notice how students change their initial prediction as they obtain new information from the text.

·      More IMPORTANT than skill building are regular experiences with complex text, each with its own challenges and opportunities.

Again this chapter helped me to think about my presentation of narrative text. Like the first chapter, I am borrowing several ideas about asking deeper questions and allowing my students time to learn deeper.  I appreciate the reinforcement of curiosity because I believe that choice along with curiosity encourages students to be active learners. Finally, the opening quote is one that I agree with but occasionally get caught up with because of "needing" grades.  I need to remember this as the year begins.

The Comprehension Experience

 At the end of the school year, I started hearing about The Comprehension Experience. Several coaches had been given it as one of their summer PD books to read. I didn't know much about the book except I like the title. I want to think deeper about how to instruct my students to think beyond what they already know.  This was my mantra the last trimester of school.  I tackled the issue, but my tool box is shallow and needs reinforced.  Enter The Comprehension Experience Chapter 1:

·      READING is active, meaning-seeking process, equates reading with thinking and points out that meaning cues helps readers recognize and process words.

·      READERS must give more attention to certain words and less attention to others.

·      TEXT provides information; the readers, interacting with the text, generate meaning.

·     STUDENTS use background knowledge + vocabulary + purpose

·      PREDICT with narrative text and HYPOTHESIE with fictional text

·      COLLABORATIVE construction of understanding

·      EXPECTATIONS are critical

·      LEARNERS’ purpose and expectation are critical elements of comprehension which are influenced by intentions and mind-sets

Chapter 1 is about the history of comprehension. I am pretty sure I would have skipped this chapter in the past as recent as a few years ago; however I am now intrigued about how and why students learn.  In 26 years of teaching, I have observed huge changes in the way my students learn. The idea of being entertained, some having the lack of desire to push through hard learning, and finally very busy lives. 

 This first chapter made me realize that I am a part of the problem.  I tend to give too much away at the beginning of my mini lesson. I ask for background knowledge and even if it isn't relevant to the lesson, we discuss it.  The key points above are so important for me as I begin teaching deeper about ways to reinforce my comprehension toolbox.

 

Summer Road Map for Common Core

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I love gardening and this little purple flower reminds me of all the learning I look forward to this summer.

One goal for this summer is to wrap my understanding around Grade 5 Standards. I have worked with them for the past three years through my involvement in Language Arts Council. I worked with K-1 and 2-3 implementation but now it is my turn to dig deep into Grade 5. 

I saved several articles and this past Sunday it was cold and rainy so a perfect time to start digesting the big ideas.  The three articles I focused on included:

    On Rigor, Grit and Productive Struggle and What Our Word Choice Means

    "Closing in on" by Nancy Boyles (Educational Leadership Dec. 2012)

    "What Students Can Do When the Reading Gets Rough" by Sunday Cummins

             

My goal was to define what Close Reading means for me in my classroom.  I took notes on several key points and developed questions that I now will focus on:

·      Careful systematic analysis of text (What are my students’ systems that they bring to fifth grade and how will I continue to enhance the system?)

·      Students must self-monitor their own reading (What do they do when they understand and don’t understand?)

·      Helping my students to uncover the layers of meaning in the text that requires several readings of it.

·      How will I teach my students to sustain their thinking for excerpts and continue to think critically in longer text?

·      Continue to teach my students to ask questions as they read but close reading occurs with the transfer of their new knowledge to the next text.

This last bullet point was a light bulb moment for me.  Connecting texts not on what is similar, but what was the new learning that the students can take to the next text. My take away from this final point is that it is not about text-to-text connections, but text-to-text learning.  I finally have a handle on how to scaffold my summer thinking.

Summer Learning - Teacher Nerdy Style

I admit I'm one of those teachers who get ecstatic to begin my summer learning. At last count, I have 38 articles printed from the school year that I read quickly but wanted more time to process them over the summer. My to be read pile is not a stack -- it is an inviting mountain calling my name. I have four books on reserve at the library, but first I made myself stop. Breathe. Walk outside around our pond. Weed our six gardens. Ok long enough time to jump into summer learning.  Off to the library to pick up my first two books:  Hope is a Ferris Wheel by Robin Herrera and Upside Down in the Middle ofNowhere by Julie T. Lamana. 

During the school year, I was lucky enough to join a group of third grade teachers for a monthly PD as they discussed their first year in Common Core.  Conversations were powerful and a special thanks to Kelly, Franki, and Lynsey for including me.

We were able to skype with @KristinZiemke and I had four light bulb moments that I am already thinking about for my classroom next year.

A) "It's not the technology - it is the thinking" I could have stopped right there.  This is a constant reminder for me, and I need to be more purposeful with integration throughout the school day.

B)  "Take a screenshot and email it to me" so many times I have wanted to share pieces of student work, and our airport weren’t working, or we were on laptops. So simple but never considered it and now that we are using Google it is simple to drop a picture into a document.

C) "Tech team Mondays" is an organizational tool that she uses to help organize her class.  The students work with same partner for a set time frame and know who to go to for help prior to asking the teacher. Easy and solves problems for me.

D)  "Interactive anchor charts" once a mini lesson is over take some video of students practicing, create a QR code and paste it on the chart. Brilliant!!

Summer learning is the BEST!  Already I am shifting practices and thinking about how to incorporate Common Core as I implement it next year for the first time.  I’ve only been out for two days, and I haven’t even been to Google Training, Allwrite14, Choice Literacy Retreat or Nerd Camp. It’s going to be a productive and fun summer.

Opening Minds Ch. 4-6

As I continue my virtual learning journey with Peter Johnston's book:  Opening Minds. I read through the next three chapters and again noticed the same pattern for me.  It is not what we say as teachers it is how we say it.  I am continuing to highlight and circle the page (my personal text connections) if there is a phrase that I want to add to my index card so that next school year I can begin to alter my choice of words.  I need help with the key phrases, so I will put the card on my clip board until the phrases become my own.

As I previewed the table of contents when I started the book, I automatically wanted to read Chapter 5: Any Other Ways to Think about That?  Inquiry, Dialogue, Uncertainty and Difference. Those four focus words caught my attention, but I waited until I finally got to chapter 5.

Inquiry:  Automatically in my mind I think of Wonderopolis and building wonder in my classroom.  Inquiry is the basis of questioning and learning. Johnston connects "Uncertainty is the foundation of inquiry and research." I envision this statement like a chain locked fence and all three together build a higher level foundation in my classroom.  I also was reinforced as he discussed the importance of teachers allowing students to see them be uncertain, to ask questions, to admit that they might not know the answer.  I am all about that in my class already! Another powerful tool he suggests is sticky notes, to allow students the chance to wonder.  Leaving a picture book open to an illustration and have students leave their thinking on the note and then come back later to continue reading the book.  I loved how that gives every student a voice in my classroom.  Finally I think I have my first bulletin board heading:  What does a conversation sound like if there is confusion?  Reinforcing the idea that confusion builds learning and inquiry.

Dialogue:  "A classroom is one in which there are lots of open questions and extended exchanges among the students." This opening sentence made me stop to pause and reflect.  The key for me goes back to my opening paragraph and key phrases that allow for open questions.  With the extended discussions, students are able to comprehend more difficult texts (ie: van den Branden)  which connects with Common Core.  The students would be focused on meaning and taking responsibility for their own learning through extended dialogue conversations.  For those students who are not connecting, I am thinking about using the sticky notes differently this year so all students have a voice in conversations.   For example, post an opening day question allow students to reflect, post and then begin the conversations later in the day.  Finally another bulletin board idea might be:  What are the tools for growing minds?  Something else for me to reflect on as I read the next three chapters.

This week's #CyberPD is hosted by Jill Fisch at My Primary Passion.  Thank you for hosting this week. I am very excited to read the other blog posts and continue my learning.

Pathways to Common Core

Pathways to Common Core has been on many of the summer PD reading lists, and I had already ordered it so I was pleased to see it getting so much attention on twitter also. Last school year, I spent time reading the CCSS (Common Core State Standards). I have been printing different articles and saving them for this summer to study in more detail.  So my summer PD begins…As I read Chapter 1: An Introduction to CCSS it really helped me understand the background as well as some great strategies about starting to unpack the standards.

*CCSS represent the most sweeping reform in K-12 curriculum in the history of American education.  "Teachers are free to provide students with whatever tools and knowledge…that is most helpful for meeting the goals of the standards."  I felt better after reading this because I can continue the best practices in my classroom and align them to CCSS. I don't have to change everything I just will have to choose which practices support the new CC.

*"There is a shift in our country. There is an urgent call for learning to shift because twenty-five years ago 95% of jobs required low skills. Today low skill jobs are only 10%. With this major shift, we need to provide all students with a thinking curriculum with workshops, book clubs, research, debates, and think tanks."  Again I agree with these practices, and I am already incorporating many of them. 

*Emphasis on higher-level comprehension with students analyzing text and different levels noting similarities and differences including different points of view. "Students need to move away from simply reading for information, toward reading for much more of an analytical stance." This concept was important for me to read because I don't typically go deep enough in this area, and I will need to focus more on strengthening higher-level comprehension. (on a side note this connects wonderfully with #cyberPD ).

*Finally I was very excited to see how much reading and writing are intertwined throughout the CCSS. "It is suggested that students become fluent, fast, structured and proficient writers. Supporting the writing across the curriculum may be one of the most potent ways to help all teachers in a school." This was huge for me because I will continue to link writing in all areas but if you only teach science then CCSS must be integrated into your lesson planning. I would hope that Common Core could pull ALL teachers together for strong conversations about weaving CCSS into all curriculum areas.

Lessons Learned from Technology Class

Yesterday I attended part 2 of a workshop on Blended Learning in my district.  Allow me to preface this blog post that I know and appreciate all of the opportunities that teachers have in my district during the summer to grow professionally. Remember I am not really a tech. wizard but a teacher that wants to continue to build her knowledge about digital learning on how to extend my classroom learning to the 21st Century.  

It is important for this blog post that you know that I missed the first session because I was in South Carolina, so I was a little nervous going to session 2.  (Now that I am home I understand how my students feel when they miss a day of school and come back and missed the introductory lesson) There was an overview of session 1, and I listened carefully but I already had questions before my session even started (I wonder how many students have questions when they come back and are afraid to ask? Now I am thinking about how I could spend 5-10 min. in morning catching up those students with a quick overview of the previous day's learning?)  

Session 2 was focused on digital learning object (DLO) and how to deliver a lesson to students through online delivery of content in which students control the time, place, pace and path.  My job was to learn how to create the path.  There are five parts to creating a DLO. 

Part 1:  Create a folder with the text (in PDF form), pictures, video links etc. so I can begin the first path which could be a diagram, picture or text in a different format than I presented in class.  (No problem - check I got it)

Part 2:  Open Preview and learn about 3 tools (color, size, and select) During this time I was taking notes, working on a document practicing and trying to listen. (I am pretty lost at this point and just hoping I am taking good notes. But what about my students who are confused and needed time to practice and are not keeping up with their note taking? Do they need me to stop teaching for 10 minutes?  Do I allow that time in my classroom?)

Part 3:  Open Google docs and locate the presentation tool.  At this point, take the folder information (part 1) and create a review presentation for the students.  (Totally lost at this point, I have not used Google docs and never seen presentation.  What about my students when I am introducing a new focus skill to 5th grade?  What do they do when they are unsure? Do I allow time to ask questions? Do I allow them time to turn and talk to process the new information?) Thanks Mike and Trish for helping me process my questions. I am excited for our next session to learn more.

Part 4 & 5  By this time, I am rapidly taking notes, have given up trying to practice in Google and just trying to focus on the last two parts adding videos.  I did learn about a new website xtranormal.com and the importance of quicktime.  The last step involves creating an online quiz in Google for the students to check their understanding, and I am excited about learning about that aspect, but I will have to review my notes.

This was the quickest 2 hours, and I am so happy that I went to begin my own foundation for blended learning.  But the most important lesson I learned was how it felt being on the other side of the desk---being the student and not the teacher.

 

Reflecting OLW on My LIteracy Instruction

I love summer for so many reasons but professionally I enjoy the time to process my school year.  I am a ponderer always thinking if I could have taught that differently? Could I have improved that lesson with a better hook for the students?  Did I choose the correct picture book to introduce the class to a reading mini lesson?  I honestly think a part of my brain stores all these questions for summer and then I have time to process. For that gift of summer, I am thankful.  I have the above picture on my desk at school. It is my reminder, can I see the forest through the trees or in my case, can I see the ducks among the reeds? As I begin to reflect about my school year, there were so many changes.  After teaching 23 years, I would think that parts of my profession I love would stay the same, but education is ever evolving and at a rapid pace the last few years. I wonder if I am changing quickly enough, and am I changing because I had to? This past year, I had to restructure my reading block which changed my writing block. This was not a comfortable change for me. I do believe my instruction for lowers readers was stronger; however, I lost my higher readers and that is one area that I am not pleased with from this year.  I held on to my word study block by my fingertips, but I still cut some parts out that I know in the past my students loved or found valuable in their instruction. Just as a slip of doubt came to me, I opened my email and read this letter from Sara. She will never know how much I needed to read this. Thanks Sara, your teacher is smiling from ear to ear and Yes I wrote write back to her quickly :)

Dear Mrs. Caplin,

    Hi! Are you enjoying your summer? I am SO excited because my brother, my friend Mazie, and I are having a lemonade and dessert stand in our neighborhood. All the money we earn will be donated to Relay For Life. It reminds me about Alex and the Lemonade Stand that we read in class. Speaking about reading, I have already read 2 books meaning that I only have to read 48 more to complete my summer reading goal of reading 50 books. I am having a great summer and I can't wait until Thursday. I miss you so much and I wish school wasn't over because I had such a fun time in your class. Please write back soon!

Your Former Student,

Sara

Summer Professional Reading - Vritual PD

An overview of our morning conversation:

Tom:  What are you doing?
Maria:  Writing first blog of the summer
Tom:  Don't you need a break from school?
Maria:  This isn't school - this is summer learning
Tom:  Don't you need a break?
Maria:  No I'm excited to start my summer virtual PD
Tom:  Really?

My husband believes that I am a little possessed with my blogging, twittering and reading.  I am OK with that because in all honesty I am.  I look forward every summer starting my new learning journey.  I begin ordering my professional books about February and gathering my other books that I want to read again.  Last week on different blogs, I read other summer PD reading lists.

Cathy @ Reflect and Refine: Building a Learning community
Laura @ Our Camp Read-A-Lot 
Jill @ My Primary Passion
Franki @ A Year of Reading

Laura, Jill, and Cathy will soon be sharing more information about this year's #cyberPD learning opportunity. I am anxiously waiting to find out what book they choose for this summer.  Last summer,  they focused on Patrick Allen's Conferring book and I followed twitter silently, but this year I am joining in the conversation.  I was so excited as I saw their summer piles of books because I already have many of them in my own pile - just waiting for me.

Pathways to the Common Core, Calkins, Ehrenworth & Lehman
Write Like This, Kelly Gallagher
Mechanically Inclined, Jeff Anderson
35 Strategies for Guiding Readers through Informational Text, Barbara Moss
Notebook Know How, Aimee Buckner
Revision Toolbox, Georgia Heard
10 Things Every Writer Needs to Know , Jeff Anderson
Choice Words, Peter Johnston

As you can see, many of my books are already tabbed and well loved from this school year.  But I need to revisit these and think about how I can begin to connect to Common Core as well as change some things in my reading & writing workshop.  I am excited for the virtual #cyberPD.  Leave me a comment if you're traveling the same path with me this summer.