Saved by the Bell!

I think we have a love/hate relationship with bells.  They serve as a necessary evil.  Alarm clock (a bell) just ugh!  The doorbell basically alerts us to hide from solicitors.  As a teacher, the bell that was my "necessary evil" was bellwork.  I could never quite figure out how to do it effectually.  I would do great for a while but I never had a good accountability system with grading or students reminding me that I missed a day.  That was true until last year when it all changed.  An instructor from AP Institute at TCU told us about "Question of the Day."  I loved it and it changed my classroom.

For the very first time I saw how bellwork should function properly.  It is the FIRST opportunity to engage your kids in your class.   The questions would tie in with whatever we were studying for the day and were risk free.  They were random pieces of information from which the students were likely have no idea from general background knowledge.  The point was not for them to get the right answer the point was to have them THINK!  Since it was risk free I had ESL students, struggling students, SPED students and gifted students all thinking about the answer.  That is the point of bellwork.  I can easily give them  the answer.  The students are the only ones that can think for themselves.   Consider this when creating your bellwork.  Does your work engage students?  Does it excite them about your class?  Would they notice if you failed to put it up one day?  Remember you only get one chance for a first impression.  Make it count ;)

If you are interesting in learning more about how I did my "Question of the Day" please let me know and I will be happy to share with you.

Until next week & Happy Halloween!
KJ

The ship is sailing away...Do YOU have it anchored?

As a former high school teacher, I thought anchor charts were cute little things that elementary school teachers created.  Ahhhhhhhhhhhh (insert sarcasm).  They certainly were not for upper grades.  However, this year Diva's teacher let's call her Ms. Moose uses them in her class.  When I asked what Diva has done in class she can tell me, in detail, what she is learning. She can not only tell me but can apply it using examples.   As a mom, I was thrilled.  As an educator, I was curious.  What changed from first to second grade that prompted her to retain her learning.  So I asked her to show me how Ms. Moose taught.  Diva said she writes on this big paper and we can look at it when we have work to do or test.  It appears this magic big paper is an anchor chart.  Needless to say I was sold!

If the purpose of an anchor chart is to guide student learning why do we normally stop doing them in secondary classrooms?   Creating those charts helps struggling students, ESL students and those students who just learn best seeing the content.   Anchor charts are more than cutesy pictures.  There are so many excellent ways to utilize the strategy and still be grade level appropriate.  Below is a link for some great ways and example to begin using anchor charts in your room.  Enjoy.

Click Here for Great Anchor Chart Ideas.

Until Next Week...Anchors Away

That's NOT the way my momma does it!

We all live in a bubble to some degree.  I tend to think the way I raise my child is brilliant.  However, you likely also think the way you parent is brilliant.  How can we both we right?  This week I have given this a lot of thought in regard to parental involvement at school.  As teachers we tend to want parent to be involved if they agree with us or back us up.  Otherwise, "we got this."   Of course, with my own child I want to have answers and grades posted.  Essentially, I want to be involved in the way I see fit.   Honestly we should not want something different for another child than what we want for our own.

The biggest lesson I learned in this regard was when a parent basically told me "you will not reach my child with your current method."  Well, excuuuuuuuuuuuuuuse me!  Of course, after I put my feathers back in place I realized, um, maybe just maybe she knows her kid better than I.  I stepped back and realized my way was not the best and although her involvement was not initially what I wanted--she was right.  When I approached her child differently I had success.  

We, as educators, could benefit from remembering that parents want the best for their kids.  They may go about it differently than you but that does not make it wrong.  Their not returning calls does not automatically mean they are being unsupportive or that the situation went not discussed at home.  It simply might mean they forgot or their schedule is not conductive to a phone call during school hours.  Regardless, teachers need to continually give parents the opportunity to be involved and informed.  This week, I challenge you to think how am I conveying my classroom to parents?  Ask yourself would I feel welcome if my child's teacher did this?  If the answer is no--then I encourage you to change your method.

Until next week....

Just the Facts, Madam

I recently went to a training on teaching United States History.  Wow, how lucky you say.  Hush!  It was great and I enjoyed every minute.  There were several really eye opening activities in which we participated throughout the day.    Teachers feel like we know exactly what should be covered in our classes.  After all, we are the ONES TEACHING IT.   Our feeling is normally we are the authorities in our classrooms.  I agree up to a point.  Back when I was in the classroom (you know 4 months ago ;) I knew what needed to be covered and what was important.  When I stepped back, though, if I am being honest that assurance was largely based on my opinion and not the TEKS.

You are thinking "Oh great, a blog on the importance of the TEKS."  A real page turner.  No, this blog is not on the importance of the TEKS.  It is on the importance of knowing the difference between what you WANT your kids to know and what the TEKS say they MUST know.  You can accomplish both and drive home those concepts you want students to remember in twenty years.   The activity used a diagram where you listed (without using the standards) what your students NEED to KNOW, what was NICE to KNOW and WHAT TO REMEMBER IN TWENTY YEARS.   You then go back and use the standard to see what you missed or categorized incorrectly.  It was interesting because things were missed or things were said to be a MUST that were really just nice to know.   When we do not use the standards to drive instruction we are doing a disservice to the children in our classes.  That is not to say they are missing out on great lessons or to infer learning is not taking place.  However, when they test they will miss questions due to our lack of detailed attention to the state standards.  Regardless of your opinions, it is the yardstick by which they are measured.  I encourage you to use this framework when planning for your upcoming classes.  Perhaps it will provide a new focus and intention that proves successful in your classroom.

Until next week....

Practice Makes Perfect

Practice makes perfect--a phrase your parents probably bored you with as a child.  Of course, in hindsight, like many of the things our parents said to us.  This statement becomes remarkably  more sane as we mature and grow up ourselves.  This week I was in training and the trainer said "If an assessment asks for it-then instruction needs to provide practice."

How can something so obvious go so undone?  We lecture, we give projects, we assign homework but we do not give questions similar to what their test will show and are bewildered at their low grade?  We hand them a 18th century document and wonder why they are unable to determine its meaning.  Those are not natural skills for our students.  We have to model for our students what we want them to do.  Teachers are far more likely to do this with behavior but then skip it with content.  As you plan for your upcoming lessons ask yourself what am I doing to show my students what I want in return.  This can be done easily with projecting examples, working through problems or marking up a primary source.  Try it out and see if your students are better understanding your expectations and becoming more successful at reaching them.  It may take time but remember practice makes perfect....

Until Next Week
KJ