Science and writing in a 4th grade class

Classroom arrangement:
In 4th grade, I think they do Washington state history and geography, and to help with that, she had a section of her wall with a map of WA on it and pictures surrounding the map from different places in WA. Some were geographically unique photos, some were significant history things, and from each photo, she had a piece of yarn that went to the location that photo was from on the map of WA.

She also had North and South written big and posted high on her walls in the room, and when she was passing papers, she would ask students to pass out papers to all the students on the North/South or East/West side of the room. What a great and simple way to help kids with geography and map reading. Talk about ingraining the vocabulary and what it means into their brains.

Cool classroom activity:
The teacher was teaching a writing lesson, and it was about verbs. The learning target, written on the board, was Interesting Verbs, and the point was to get students to use more descriptive verbs. To teach this idea, she used the verb came. Mrs. Smith came into the room was her sentence, and she put came in a "word jail" on the board. She just wrote it/drew it, but she did it with over verbs too, like said and did. To get her students to understand what interesting verbs were, she had them, as a whole group, come up with other verbs to put in the sentence, "Mrs. Smith came into the room." But first, she demonstrated what the sentence meant by coming into the room. As students came up with more interesting verbs, including dashed, stumbled, and others, she would physically dash or stumble or whatever after saying the sentence out loud. The kids were engaged because their teacher looked silly, and they came up with some great interesting verbs.

Classroom management stuff:
The teacher would say, if you can hear me, do a certain action (rub your tummy, pat your head, etc) and she would do a different action than the one she was telling them to do to see if they were really listening. She would say, "If you are listening rub your tummy." And she would pat her head instead of rubbing her tummy.

Another way she tried to get their attention was by saying something that didn't make any sense, like, "You will go get the supplies and put them on my toe," and if kids got up to go get supplies then she knew they were not listening. She also used proximity a lot.

Another thing she was doing which I could not decipher her system, was writing points, not tallies, but numbers, on the board under each table group and they were in different colors so maybe they were color-coded, I don't know. It had something to do with managing behavior and monitoring participation.

During the science lesson, she said at the beginning that if kids are goofing off with supplies, they get one warning, that's it, and then they are a spectator and cannot participate in the science experiment.

Randomly during the middle of the writing lesson, the teacher broke out in song "there's a hole in the bottom of the seat (clap clap) there's a whole in the bottom of the seat (clap clap) there's a hole, there's a hole, there's a hole in the bottom of the seat (clap clap) and then asked students what's on the hole (a log and would sing that), then ask a student what's on the log (and sing that)" and so on and so on. I am guessing it was some sort of break for the students, but I am not sure. The song didn't really make any sense, but the kids really enjoyed it.

During the science experiment, students are assigned one of 4 letters (A,B,C, or D) and each letter student has a certain job that day during the experiment, and these jobs are written on the board and she explained the jobs, and also told the kids not only were they supposed to do their job, but they were also supposed to remind other people to do their jobs too. It's a great simple way to assign jobs, but the jobs in a science experiment are not going to be the same for every experiment, and so it's a glorious way to not waste paper or time reorganizing groups all the time. Kids know their group number and their individual letter (they write it on their science notebooks in case they forget) and teacher does not have to do as much work.

Throughout class, if a student had the same thought as one that spoke out, they waved their hand silently at their side so the teacher could do some formative assessment and get the kids more engaged in direct instruction.


Assessment:
Before the writing lesson, she points out the learning target on the board, and at the end of the writing lesson, she asks each student to give themselves a 1,2, or 3 for where they are on the learning target. A 3 is "I got it, I'm golden, I can do this independently" and a 1 is "I need some time to digest this new idea and I don't quite get it." Great simple way to do some formative assessment about the learning targets.

Observations of a highly capable 2/3 class

Cool classroom activities:
Literature conferences with each grade separately. A very casual and engaging conversation about the book each grade is reading (2 separate books) with some guiding questions and almost 100% participation. Probably is easier to do with a group of kids who all love to read, but still, it was nice to see. The teacher exhibited excitement about the book and what was going on and the questions and so did the students.



Teaching cursive: the kids were working on cursive ts, and in order to help them know the right way to write them, she showed 3 or 4 bad ts on the board and talked to the class about why they were bad. Seemed like it would be pretty effective.


Fixing bad writing habits:
The teacher used the document camera to talk to the students about best way to grip their pencils when they are writing. She did this before the cursive lesson, and she took her time and showed students some common bad handholds and she gave them a good trick to make sure they grip the pencil right every time. She directed the students to pick up the pencil as if they were pinching it between their thumb and their first two fingers like a bird would grip onto something. Then, she had them flip the pencil 180 degrees, and then they all had the correct pencil grip. Hard to explain in words, I can show you if you want.


Corrective statements (part of classroom management):
She used proximity a lot, where you just walk and get close to the kid who is not paying attention. She always used a very calm voice, all the time, in her behavior corrections and her whole group attention getting signals. She said "I'll wait till you're ready," and the kids quieted down on their own.

The Elementary-Secondary Math Disconnect

I observed in two middle school math classes, grade 7, today. Something that I found very interesting is that the focus of the lesson was on remembering/reciting math facts quickly in order to be able to use them to solve arithmetic problems, and it was part of the curriculum, not an add-on.

From my observations in elementary school and from talking to elementary teachers, many curricula used in the elementary grades are based on problem solving and getting excited and engaged about math; sort of like they are trying to convince the students that math really is important, practical, and really fun. Math facts are not part of the curriculum, and in some schools, drill and skill is discouraged.

A professor earlier in the program bluntly told us that most math curricula adopted by school districts for the elementary level do not sufficiently prepare students for middle and high school math or practical life math. He said though there is value in those curricula, it is a teacher's responsibility to make sure students are getting their math facts down as well, because they need to know them. He said there is a place for drill and skill and memorizing multiplication tables and other basic arithmetic, and that teachers are obligated to add that into their math lessons even if they are not part of the district curriculum.

I asked one of the teachers I observed today, "Do most of these kids come into middle school not knowing how to do basic arithmetic?" She said yes, few know their math facts by heart and thus when they arrive at middle school and are supposed to be able to retrieve them fast in order to take the tests, they are shocked and you have to teach the math facts and basic principles of adding/subtracting/multiplying/dividing integers for a few weeks at the beginning.

So, for a few weeks every year at the beginning of the year in 7th grade math, even the challenge (Honors) classes, teachers do integer review. And though I did not observe a 6th grade math class, I am guessing they dedicate an awful lot of time to core arithmetic and math facts, because if they don't, the new middle schoolers can't handle the middle/high school curricula.

There is a place for both problem-solving and arithmetic in math, I think, just like most debates in education. There is a place for both phonics and whole language reading. There is a place for lecture as well as hands-on and cooperative group learning. There is a place for both drill and skill and cool exciting projects. There is a place for both mainstreaming of special ed students and seclusion of special ed students.

Nerves, Nerves, Nerves: The day before the first day of school

Well, what a day.  Last day preparations and another schedule change (3rd one) and open house for students and parents.  Whew!  


There was so much to do, and really not enough time, definitely not enough energy, to do it all.  So, the first day will happen, and it won't be chaos, but it will be different than the schedule we made up.  


There are so many details that teachers have to think about--organizational details.  You don't even think much about the curriculum and lesson plans for the first few days, because your primary goal is to get the routines in place.  Plus, my team has a couple start of year activities that they do every year, so they don't have to think about things as much.  The activities are valuable, they are just very similar every year and all my team needs to know what the lesson is is a two or three-sentence description and poof, it's there, they know the materials they need, and done.  


I met some parents and students tonight.  It was kind of weird, because I didn't really know if I should go up and introduce myself to the parents or not, I kinda just hung out and observed, I clarified some things that people seemed confused on, but I didn't go up to parents actively.  Is that my role?  My master teacher stressed this word for my activities during September experience: observe, observe, observe.  I was not sure if that applied tonight or not, probably, but not too sure.  

I did get assigned by the principal and a Title I teacher to direct students to their teachers' classrooms, though.  During the BBQ part of the Open House BBQ, I was stationed at a table with school maps and class lists for all the grades, and parents and students came up to me to find out who their child's teacher was and where their classroom was.  Which is fine, but I don't know the geography of the school yet, so I had to just search for the teacher names and use the map to direct parents and kids.  Also, I don't know how to pronounce everyone's name and I don't know who is a Mr. or Mrs. or Ms. yet, either.  Good thing there was a staff member posted nearby to help me with that part.  It was fine.  

One challenge was that many of the students are ELL or their parents' native language is not English, so I didn't always know who to address my questions and explanations to: the parents or the kids.  Because you don't want to disrespect the parents, but you want the message to get communicated, so sometimes it's better to address the kid who does speak English pretty well rather than the parent.  Oh, one more difficulty with being stationed at a help table is that if you're there, parents ask you questions, questions I don't know the answer to, like these three:

1.  Can I get a class list of my kid's classmates?  I want to know who else is in his/her class.  (I said no, I cannot give you one, I am not authorized to do so.  Talk to the classroom teacher, maybe you can get it there.  I later found out that there is no handing out of class lists to parents because it just causes huffs and puffs that really don't need to happen)

2.  How/where do we sign up for school lunches?  (I answered talk to the people in the office.  The right answer, I later found out)

3.  Is there any way we can switch classes around, because these two boys are really good friends and might raise cain in the classroom if they are in the same class? (No idea how to answer that one.  I said you can discuss it with your children's teacher.)


4.  If my kid is walking for the first two weeks because he is doing crossing guard duty, what do I need to do? (No idea about the whole transportation management system.  I referred to my master teacher.)


Anyways, it was a busy busy day with lots of panic and nervous energy starting at about 2:30 since the BBQ started at 4:45.  Time for day 1 with kids.  We shall see how it goes. 

First day of school Tips

1. Just keep breathing
2. Be flexible
3. Drink water, lots of it
4. Plan more than you need but know and accept that you won't get to all of it
5. Go with the flow
6. Be ready to nip kid misbehavior in the bud because they are testing your boundaries from the very beginning
7. Be organized and ready to go with materials that you need laid out and easy to grab
8. Have your first few days schedule written out to nearly the exact minute with time spent on each activity clearly designated
9. Plan activities that keep kids busy and out of trouble while you take care of first day paperwork like really long attendance sheets and the lists of who is walking, who is bussing, and a myriad of other forms you have to deal with at the beginning.
10. Plan less-threatening activities, like don't require kids to do a lot of sharing, because they are nervous about their first day
11. Any materials you are not going to use, put them away out of sight so you don't feel overwhelmed
12. Even if you don't know how or what or why of things, act like you do
13. Give the kids a fresh start every year. It is helpful to know the red flag behavior problems and what other teachers have done to manage them, but that is it. And tell the kids it is a fresh start for them. Don't ask them about last year, ask them to think about what kind of student they want to be this year and start there, with what they want to achieve themselves in the 5th grade.

Teacher Interview, Part 2: Classroom arrangement

Throughout the school year, students are in cooperative groups with assigned jobs to group members and groups change periodically over the year, as does the exact table arrangement of the groups. There are a couple main reasons for this: one, all the learning in my team is inquiry-based, and true inquiry requires teams of students; two, arranging tables in groups allows for more floor space that the teacher, even in 5th grade, uses all the time. My master teacher likes to move her kids a lot in her class, just get them moving, because it is more fun for her and for them and it is a more effective way to learn for some of them and it is a GLAD strategy. GLAD strategies are a collection of strategies used to reach all learners, regardless of ability level or language proficiency or learning style.


Despite the nearly year-round groups, the teacher starts the school year with students in rows. Students remain in rows for the first week and half or two weeks of school, then the desks are put in groups. The reasons she starts out with rows include the following: one, it helps her to get to know the kids and who works well with whom; two, the teacher really needs all of her students' attention at the beginning of the year so she can get the routines and expectations clearly understood and established; three, being in rows is a safety zone for the new kids, the kids who just moved to this school from somewhere else--they are less likely to be singled out when students are in rows; four, having rows that all face the teacher sets the tone that the teacher is the boss of the class; five, students get to know the teacher first--they don't have to make efforts to get to know many others in the beginning, they just have to get to know the teacher--she thinks this makes it less overwhelming for the kids.


Pictures will be added later. Classroom is still a mess of planning.

Teacher Interview, Part 1: Classroom management

The classroom management plan at my 5th-grade placement is somewhat school-wide with some grade-specific adaptations. School-wide, behavior and academic management is based on a book called Inch and Miles: The Journey to Success by John Wooden. The Journey's ultimate goal is to achieve competitive greatness. The foundations of this pyramid are: industriousness, friendship, loyalty, cooperation, and integrity. Up the pyramid you have the attributes of self-control, alertness, initiative, and intentness; then you move up to achieving condition, skill, and team spirit, followed by poise and confidence, and then ultimately competitive greatness. Inch and Miles are a schoolwide program, and throughout the first part of the year, teachers are to focus on teaching two or three attributes or skills in the pyramid.

Also schoolwide is the code of conduct, and this code of conduct is maintained by daily monitoring of progress that students reflect on each day and parents are informed about. Different grades have different things that constitute warnings and how many warnings kids get before they have to do a refocus sheet in a refocus room (a buddy room--another teacher's room) and what behaviors constitute an immediate refocus or visit to the principal's office. In 5th grade, one missed homework assignment equals a warning, and once a kid has three warnings they have to do a refocus sheet. Each day at the end of the day, the 5th-graders reflect on what kind of day they had and they give themselves a color rating (green, yellow, or red) in their agenda/planner. Teachers walk around and discuss the rating, checking the management binder that travels with students to every class they go to, including specialists, and have a conversation with the student about what they did well or poorly that day. This planner goes home every night to be signed by parents, and if parents do not sign the planner, I think that constitutes a warning as well. Once a kid gets 2 or 3 warnings, they automatically have a yellow day, I think. I am still trying to figure out the subtleties, but that is kind of the essence of it.

Anyways, within the classroom(s) of 5th grade, all 5th grade teachers participate in Star Team, which is an extra motivator to the kids. If you are on Star Team, that means you are doing really well. You have to have a whole week of green days before you can be on Star Team, and if you have a single non-green day, you are off Star Team and start over. Star Team members also have the more powerful/cooler class jobs (class president, bell ringer, etc) and if you are not on Star Team, you won't have the "good" jobs. Also, after a kid has been on Star Team for 4 consecutive weeks, then they have the option of being the Star Student that week, meaning they get their pictures on a poster and get to bring in stuff to share about themselves. The teacher chooses the Star Student by drawing names from a hat of kids that have been on Star Team long enough to qualify.

The four core rules of the school and the classroom are: Be responsible, be respectful, be safe, and do your best (do your best is only the rule in 5th grade, it's an add-on to the three core schoolwide rules).

The rationale behind this complex management plan is that it works. It works because it requires student accountability, and many articles we have read in classes at UWB have shown that when students have greater ownership of their learning and behavior, they excel more. The plan also works because it builds confidence, it lets the kids that really deserve it shine, it does not single kids out because it is all done semi-privately, it makes them more aware and self-reflective about their own learning, and there is a positive twist to everything, and humans respond to positive better than negative, according to research.