Are you a STAAR?

The season of STAAR is upon us. (DUN DUN DUUUN!)

Over the past few weeks we have begun to see Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube blow up with videos of teachers and principals encouraging their students to "Pass the STAAR."

Haven't seen it? Ok, open a new tab. Go to Youtube and search the word "STAAR." Now, scroll down. ...But don't get too lost in the videos, be sure to come back and finish reading.
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               ...Welcome back!

Long ago I learned that it's always best to start by saying something positive so here it is...
The wonderful thing about these videos is that they show principals and teachers out of their normal "professional" role. Students that watch these videos are sure to laugh along with their educators. They see that we too can act like goofballs. Showing students your silly side is something I am 100% on board with.

Now to my concern.

These videos are made to encourage students to PASS the STAAR test. The message that is being sent to both teachers and students is that PASSing is the most important thing. Think about it as a student... the principal takes time out to make a silly video for the school to tell you that you must PASS this long and difficult test.

I don't know about you but if I were a student watching these videos I am sure that I would feel an unbelievable amount of pressure. Even as a teacher, to see the principal putting that much effort into delivering this message to the students, the pressure on the teacher increases as well. We all know what happens when a teacher feels pressure for her students to perform well... the teacher unintentionally places that pressure on the students.

Let's reflect for a minute... Will singing and dancing to tell kids that they must PASS an upcoming test really make a difference in their test scores? 

Kids naturally want to PASS the test. Kids want to succeed. They strive to make their teachers and parents proud. Some of my hardest working students of all time are ones that were struggling learners who could never in a million years pass that test. The message sent by these videos tells struggling hard working kiddos that their success is measured by a test score instead of their effort. The kids that pass easily are left feeling like they accomplished something incredible... when in actuality maybe the test didn't challenge them much at all.

Ask yourself... What could be the effect of sending messages like this to students year after year?

When did passing a test become more important than effort? What if we avoided ever telling students they had to PASS and instead told them that the test is a snap shot of what they know on one day. It's a chance to show off their skills and use their learned strategies when things get tricky. 

WHAT IF the song we made before the STAAR test didn't tell kids to PASS at all... but instead told them to focus on the things that are really important?

It's not about the test. It's about fostering a society of learners that are able to solve problems and ask questions. It's about the effort one puts forth when faced with a challenge. It's about applying learning. Most of all, it's about fostering the self worth of a child.

We don't need to pressure kids to PASS, they put enough pressure on themselves. We need to make sure that they know they are important. They matter. The outcome of the test does not define their success. We must help to build students up and celebrate successes of those that pass while being very careful to not diminish the effort put forth by students that fail.

At the end of the day, the self worth of a child matters way more than the score on a test.

Go on, make those silly videos... encourage students to do their best... but please don't send the message that student must pass. Adjust the lyrics a bit and you will have an incredibly motivational song about the things that really do matter.

It's NOT "All About The Test"....it's all about the effort. It's about preserving the esteem of our students.

February FLIES... an update on learning

February's full of fun and flying by! (say that 5 times fast) 

#CubRAD…

Tomorrow we will host #CubRAD and will be highlighting the sweet story Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch. We had a little too much fun creating the book trailer for this event!

We will be reading the story and participating in a twitter chat using #CubRAD at 8, 9, & 10:00 tomorrow. Classes will be able to make connections, comment, and ask questions. We will then broadcast live at the end of the Friendship Parties to present the Tweeter award to the winning class.

Presenting awards and using Twitter is so much fun for the students. The main goal in preparing RAD for our students is to get them to think and talk about text across classes and grade levels. The teachers have been given Comprehension Questions to guide their class discussions. I have also provided some Technology Integration ideas for the teachers that want to find ways to integrate technology and literature.

In 3rd grade...

Students concluded their reading of the classic story Charlotte’s Web. They each chose a central character to complete a character analysis. They created FAKEBOOK pages for each character. They gave character descriptions, described relationships between characters, and posted status updates from the character’s perspective in each chapter of the story.

             

The students wanted to make a book trailer to get other Christie students interested in reading Charlotte’s Web. First, they createed a basic outline of the things they wanted to show in the trailer. They went to work inputting the outline into iMovie. The conversations about the plot line and debate about which events needed to be included gave me a clear picture of their understanding of the text. There were times we went back to re-read a section to fully understand cause and effect relationships. The students are eager to begin shooting the video clips for their trailer next week!

In 2nd grade...

Visualization Quick Draw

Students have been working on visualizing a story with no ending. They responded with a quick draw of the events leading up to a cliff hanger. The students then wrote their own satisfying endings. We summed up the experience by creating ChatterPix selfies and recording their endings. The kids LOVED using the ipads to respond to text and were eager to share their creations with their parents.

Students have been busy using multiple comprehension strategies to respond to text and make connections. They have recently been given opportunities to self-select comprehension responses by competing in a game of tic-tac-toe. 

Comprehension Tic-Tac-Toe

We have also focused on fluency, specifically on reading with expression, using reader's theater and classic stories like The Three Pigs. 

5^th Grade…

One of my reluctant readers came in yesterday and asked if she could read the daily passage aloud. This was a huge moment of celebration and we praise her willingness to try and the effort she put forth. The other students were smiling as big as I was as she slowly read each word. What she was reading didn't matter at that moment; the fact is ...she was choosing to read!

Two of my 5^th grade groups researched chocolate and discussed supply and demand. We explored vocabulary and read about chocolate in Europe in the 17^th century. The students discovered that pure cocoa and the chocolate they are used to consuming do not taste the same! …I personally enjoyed this moment the most.

Cacao vs Milk Chocolate

Then, they chose a book they had previously read in class. They each chose a character from the book and I had them act out a scene revolving around chocolate. The biggest challenge was to remain in character. At first they thought this to be an easy and laughable task, but soon got serious about how each character would play a role in the scene.

PLAYTIME:

I am forever a learner and have enjoyed spending my lunch breaks exploring some of the gadgets in our Learning Commons. We even created a GoSphero Maze for teachers and students to utilize. Judging by the looks of this video, I think I need to practice quite a bit before I will make the leader board!

February has already felt like it is flying by... 

it's going FAST and is full of  FUN! 

Honest Thoughts... A letter to the Classroom Teacher

On many occasions this year teachers have requested a meeting to discuss an aspect of teaching that they feel they need to improve. Every time it's the same story...

Teacher approaches with nervous look on her face and half mumbles, while looking at the floor, that they want to discuss strategies for (insert area for growth).  Then, unsure teacher stumbles to find an excuse or reason they feel they need help. Some have even added an apology with their request. Something along the lines of... "I know I should already have this down, I am sorry for taking your time." To those teachers that have come asking for guidance, this letter is for you. 

A Coach's Letter to Classroom Teachers

Classroom Teachers, 

You work through the day with hardly enough time to use the restroom. You take care of the social and emotional needs of each student while also working tirelessly to fill young brains with knowledge. You work your tail off and hope that each student absorbs as much under your care as possible. Sometimes you have success. Sometimes you have failure. There are some areas of teaching that come naturally and other aspects that remain a struggle. As a teacher, you tend to hyper focus on that area for growth. Here is what you need to know... everyone has an area for growth. Everyone has something they could improve.  The ones that ask for help are the ones that end up making an impact. Hold your head high. Smile and be proud.

We go into teaching to make a difference. Think about how much more of an impact we could make by helping a teacher (you) improve instruction or management. Instead of helping one small group of students requiring intervention, we are now talking about multiple groups of students being met with high quality instruction daily... thus preventing widening gaps and beginning to fill holes. Hopefully, eliminating the need for intervention in the upper grades all together. 

When I enter your room, I am not focused on the one student that is off task or the fact that you misspelled a word on the board. What I see when I walk in your room is so much more. I see a teacher that truly cares. I am in awe of what you do in your classrooms daily. It takes guts and courage to ask for help.  There is no judgement on my part. Putting pride aside for the betterment of your students is admirable. 

The secret that I know and you don't.... it's always the good teachers that come asking for help. The ones that want the best for their students. Hats off to you, brave and amazing teachers. ...And, YES I would LOVE to help!

With respect and admiration, 

Your Literacy Coach

Wobble into the New Year

Our Wobble chairs from Donorschoose have arrived! I am not sure if the kids or teachers were more excited to try them out. Thanks to a donation by State Farm, my students were granted the gift of wiggling while they work.

  

The teachers enjoyed the experience of trying out the new chairs as much as the students. I think they may need a lesson in sitting properly. 

Happy New Year

Welcome back! As we begin a new year, I wanted to take some time to reflect on all of the amazing positive changes and gains made over 2014. If you think about how far we have come from August until now, it really is remarkable.

We ended the year with a BANG at our Polar Express spirit assemblies. The students and teachers both showed off their dancing talents and we played a lot of fun games.

Upon arriving back at school this year, I received an email from Donors Choose saying my project was fully funded. I should expect to receive a shipment of wobble chairs sometime in January! This should really be a wonderful tool for my kiddos.

When I dropped my daughter off at daycare on Monday morning, I was saddened for our wonderful break together to end. It made me thankful to all of the parents of our Christie Cubs for sending their children here daily for us to enjoy. We see our students more during the week than their parents... we need to remember that we are not just teaching math and reading! We are caregivers and we MUST provide an environment where these kids feel safe, secure, loved, and free to stretch beyond their current capabilities.

Parents, thank you for trusting us with your children.
Teachers, thank you for creating classroom environments where ALL student needs are met daily.

I will leave you with this:

Christie Community Coding

This week our students have gone through a variety of coding activities in their classrooms and in the learning commons. The ultimate highlight of the week has been watching student discovery.

One of my favorite events from the week was the videoconferencing with real life coding specialists.  The students got to see real people whose occupations center around their use of coding. We heard from people that create video games, websites, and library media pages. Students had time to ask questions and were exposed to a plethora of new vocabulary. Though I must admit, the one question ALL kids wanted to ask was if the people had worked on creating Minecraft. Unfortunately, we didn't have that hook up... maybe next year? These people all volunteered their time and the response was amazing! I heard a second grader commenting that the job sounded like "...so much fun. I want that job when I grow up!" One 4th grader said that coding sounds like her "dream job."


On Wednesday, we decided it would be a good idea to rotate EVERY class in the school through coding rotations in the Learning Commons and Math Lab. One was an unplugged Lego activity with a partner and the other was coding a holiday tree on the computer. Getting to every class in one day sounded like a great plan... in hindsight we probably should have spread this out over 2 days. We taught a total of 38 classes, 2 stations for each class. That ended up being 24 different,  15 minute lessons for each of us. We scheduled a 20 minute lunch break mid- day but otherwise didn't come up for air from 8:00-2:40.  The amazing thing was that each and every group that came in was fully engaged. We had zero behavior problems the entire day. Kids were not asking to leave to go to the bathroom and when told to switch or that time was up, the response was always a loud groan of disapproval. There were multiple times that I caught kids fully engaged & doing the potty dance. We had to instruct students to take a bathroom breaks to avoid an accidents. We may have been worn out, but the student engagement was priceless!

The students were given a tic-tac-toe board on Monday full of coding activities. Many students have already completed three activities and are currently working on a blackout. The kids are having so much fun coding that parents are asking for lists of websites and apps for them to use at home. Teachers were also provided with unplugged activities to share with their class. The students have played games that teach them about giving clear directions much like we give to a computer when we code.  Some classes have these activities displayed around their rooms. When asked, the students go into long explanations about the activities and what they learned.

Thursday was full of collaboration as we connected via videoconferencing with other schools around Plano! The students discussed their coding experiences from the week and asked further questions. The kids couldn't believe, "That's really a different class at a different school?!?!"







Here we are, at the end of the week... and at 1:30 today we have invited the entire community to join us at Christie Elementary for our Hour of Code event. We are hoping that we will use all of our available devices because of the large number of parents and community members that will be in a our school coding together. Our teachers will be tweeting about their students coding progress using #CubsCode.

We have already come a long way in bridging the gap between our current educational system and the rest of the world. Technology is here. We have now embraced it!

I cannot wait to see where we go with our students next semester and next year!

Coaching Training

Let me start by announcing that my project on DonorsChoose has been fully funded by State Farm! The order will be placed after the holidays and delivered to my kiddos by February.  I can't wait to see my kids wobble while we learn!

Today I am attending the second coaching session by Mark Welborn. Below are some of my take aways from the training. I am looking forward to the upcoming semester and next couple of years when we implement coaching startegies.

-Coaching is not a dictatorship role, it's a partnership role.

-Partnership is a process and a moment.

-Learning is a process, not a product. Leaning involves change. Learning is not something "done" to others.

-Pieces of the coaching model: coaching standards and process, training in coaching adults, targeted areas of emphisis, detailed strategy benchmarks

Coach:
-equality
-choice
-voice
-dialouge
-reflection
-praxis
-reciprocity

-Reflection is worth attention. Reflection is critical to improve practice.

-Praxis: "practice" to change practice you need the opportnity to go through the practice and get feedback.

-People learn best in the midst of doing.

-Reciprocity: Instructional coaches should expect to get as much as they give.

-You can't have a YES until Ts are comfortable enough to say NO.

-You may not see it because you aren't there when it is implemented, but you make a difference.

-Choice and Voice gets teacher buy-in. Praxis and Reflection gives Ts ownership.

-The best way to learn is by doing with a coach, not on paper. Proof in the picture:


-The key is transference. Checklists help accomplish this.

-We are not about other people's failure. We are about other people's success.

-SMART goals: Specific, Measureble, Agreed upon, Realistic, Time-based

-Resources:
www.theteachertoolkit.com  checklists, activities, resources
instructionalcoaching.com

-ONLY speak about what the agreed upon goal was, do not address other issues observed unless it is in regards to students safety.