Slice of Life: Happy with my Choices (OLW)

I will be completing my first three full weeks  this Friday.  It has been really exciting to back full time in Room 228. We're learning together about Google, and I have to tell you I was hesitant and now I am all in.  I can't begin to tell you how exciting it is to to "talk" to your students during the evenings.  There have been several times when I know my students would have been stuck if they couldn't have asked a question. But the best part, I didn't always have to solve the problem. Most of time to be honest another student already had helped through the comments.  I was not expecting this type of collaboration. I started small which has always been my technology mantra.  Within two weeks, we started with a weekend conversation, built toward a homework conversation, introduced my first rubric (for Thinglink) and finally today we will do collaborative writing during Wonder Wednesday at Wonderopolis.  

Our Spring break starts this Friday.  After being back for three weeks, I have to admit that I am exhausted.  I was a little surprised how working full time and wanting to continue to be a full time mom is tiring. But it is the BEST tired in the world.  I am excited that we are headed to visit Anna in Charleston, SC this Friday.  We plan on staying for a week and creating more family memories.  The best part will be taking our family picture on beach with all four of us standing there with the sunshine on our faces. Time to make my choice (OLW) for family time. 

Can't wait to get back to the beach.

Changing Up Nonfiction Part 2

I posted here about how I was going to introduce our research projects differently this year along connecting to our Wonder Wednesday at Wonderopolis. Research is reaching new heights and really exploding with fun this year. 

1) Students created their visual in their writer's notebook and started to think about how their new research fits into their their notebook. In the picture above, the green spiral is an example on the left is their BK (background knowledge) and on the right is their new research.  I am really pushing them to focus on new knowledge about their topic. Often in the past, I believe students used their own knowledge as "research."

2) The students each placed 4 sticky notes around their writer's notebook and wonder book. The students rotated around the room reading their friends notes and leaving questions that they had about their topic.  We discussed the three level of questions: literal, inferential and explanatory. 

3)  When the students got back to their desk, they glued in their four sticky notes in order from most difficult to answer to easiest.  Their homework was to research their one of their friend's question.

4) Finally the students shared their research by answering their friend's question.  The power is seeing your question on the Smartboard with the new research was really important. They seemed more invested in each others topics.  Ian shared his thinking above about his topic: atoms along with how he organized his notes: new facts, vocabulary and WOW moments.  Love gathering authentic mentor text from my students.  

Sailing in Uncharted Waters with Google

Setting sail in uncharted waters isn’t my favorite part of teaching. Our district is becoming a Google district, and we have had 2/3 of our teacher training. Honestly I am quite excited about this opportunity because several colleagues I know use Google, and I don’t. When I have done presentations with friends outside of Ohio, we have used Google, and I have taught myself although not well. 

I met with our tech support team twice to discuss how to implement Google in 5^th grade. I am sure all of you have been involved in conversations that you just listen and shake your head in compliance. I however tend to write continuously in those situations. I listened and spoke about how I envisioned using Google. I was told “Your class will be fine with Google – they will know it – just give them the chance.”  On a side note, 5 out of 23 students were familiar with Google and had any previous experiences.  I heard frequently – switching the instructional approach is the key for “flip learning.”  At that point, I was drowning, but I had a life raft in a friend sitting across the table who kept smiling at me. Those conversations ended, and again I remembered my OLW (choice) my classroom = my choice for instruction.

I finally jumped into the pool (not quite ready for the wide open ocean) on Friday.  I explained to my students that we’re going to have a unique opportunity be able to connect out of school. We’re going to have 24/7 conversations, and they were ecstatic. I couldn’t have asked for better responses. “You mean we can talk to you on Saturday?” “Can I send you the words I am collecting from my JR books?”  Of course with a huge smile and a bit of relief I said, “Yes!”

Mary  sent these to let me know that she was adding them to her word notebook

There is a difference especially when you are swimming in waters that typically are a bit rocky and could occasionally come crashing down.  (Ask my friend, Bill, about the fans on the roof or my teaching partner, Sarah about how many times we loose our Internet connection) Again I held strong to what I was comfortable with –- starting small which has always been my best choice.  All students have their Google addresses, and I asked them to send me an email this weekend so we could talk.  They were super excited and as this posts I have already heard from ½ my class, which was my #1 goal for me to start sailing in unknown waters.  

And then you get this from one of your students - wow!

World Read Aloud Day - Celebrating Nonfiction

Day 1: My students were struggling with the difference between table of contents, glossary and index. I cleaned up glossary quickly with the connection to a dictionary, but I still had several confused looks as I asked about an index? I had already pulled five books that I wanted to get into my students’ hands. I had noticed that not many of them were picking these books up to read. Prior to the lesson, I copied the index from each book and asked the students to work in pairs and choose one index. Finally there was a buzz about how an index helps find ideas “in” the text = priceless. 

Day 2:  Building on background knowledge-why Mrs. Caplin?  I am curious to know why students don’t want to build on their BK when reading?  Is it they don’t want to take the time?  Do they just want to read to find out new information?  Do they not see the connections with the text?  After our opening conversation, I have decided that is all three. I asked them to take out their index from yesterday and choose 3 words and write around it answering the question:  What do you already know about that word?  Then they found the corresponding book and read about one word from the index and recorded several new facts.  I was excited to listen to their conversations.  Two ideas came alive for me.  First students need to be taught how to confirm or extend their background knowledge. Second that most fifth graders think they “know it all.”  It was thrilling to hear, “I didn’t know that, did you know that?” = priceless.

Next time I need to think a little more about my artwork-ugh

Day 3:  Lessons learned from the chart above.  First of all I read Franki's blog at A Year of Reading about Smarter Charts K-2 and I started thinking about anchor charts in our room.  Next I started following Chartchums blog which helped me with my thinking.  I have never been one to know ahead of time what the chart will look like.  I allow my students to build the chart through our conversations, but this chart took me on a totally different path for instruction.  I have been trying (OK pounding) into my students that background knowledge really can help them with their comprehension.  
The left side of the T are their reasons why BK is important, but the right side is how using BK can change their thinking.  Finally we had a break through moment with the idea of text to self connections and how they need to be authentic.  I am not sure who said it in a workshop or book, but my students have been making ping pong connections.  No meaning and bounce right back.  Honestly I had almost banned them in my class, but now we have a stronger foundation so they are coming back to Room 228.  Another exciting moment was when J.  realized that BK helps because he might have new questions which lead to new research then to new learning = priceless.

Slice of Life: Time to be Quiet

It’s Sunday morning, and  I woke up early as I look out the window the snow is falling softly for now and I realize for the first time in the past two months I am quiet.  I continue with my morning by starting the laundry, checking my email, playing words with friends, reading several slice of life blog posts, and I immediately begin to think about returning to school for my first full week in 2014.  A bit of apprehension sets in and I decided to fix myself a cup of tea.  I am not quite ready to start thinking about fractions, decimals and percents not quite yet.  As I sit down at the kitchen table wrapped in my favorite blanket with my tea, I pause to realize that often when life happens you have to step back for a moment. My #OLW floats in and out of my life lately.  This past month I have tended to run on remote control as I started back to school ½ days in the afternoon for Language Arts.  I am fortunate my remote control works so well.  I often wonder if it is a remote control or is it really a circular effect of all my thinking and learning about language arts that is falling into place?  I tend to think it is the latter.  March 1 feels like January 1 to me.  I feel like I am ready to finally jump into a new year with a new appreciation for life, and the opportunities that I will have this week.  I will have several choices including which mini lesson to teach Tuesday for my second (OTES) teacher evaluation.  I am excited to share my reading classroom with my principal as she visits to listen to our learning.  I think I just made my first choice: I will start with my reading workshop thinking which makes me excited about my #OLW.   I guess fractions, decimals and percents will have to hold on until this afternoon.