#DitchThatTextbook Chapters 1-3

When I got this book in the mail I read the entire thing in one days. The ideas were spinning and I was thinking of all the things I could do differently in my classroom. I don't rely on the textbook much in my room already so ditching the book wouldn't be that much of a stretch for me.

So I thought I'd go back and reread the book and post my thoughts and ideas here.

Section 1 Why Go Digital? Chapters 1-3

This section was excited for me because I am the technology integration mentor for my school. I'm the first one to try new technology with my students and I love sharing my experiences with others. I've done some backchanneling with students before but after reading this section I'm excited to try it a little more. Do you know what backchanneling is? It is like a chat room for your students to discuss material as you go through it in class. I've always used Today's Meet for that, but like I said I haven't done it a lot. My takeaway from this was the following quote:

In school, I was that student who didn't really speak out a lot. I have changed a lot as an adult but still don't say a lot in big crowds of people that I don't know. Backchanneling is a fabulous way for you to encourage those students to share their thoughts with everyone.

Because of our limited technology in the classroom we have always used the backchannel in groups. So I would allow group to discuss ideas and then share their take away in the chat group. Our elementary school should be getting a BYOT network this coming year so my students will be able to bring their technology from home. This would allow every student to be able to directly contribute something to the conversation.

Are you reading the book? I'd love to hear your thoughts on it as you read. If you want to link up check out the linkup below. Can't wait to hear what you guys think of the book.

An InLinkz Link-up

#LearnLAP Chapter 2- Concerns!

Chapter 2 is all about concerns teachers may have as they begin to start to develop a student-led classroom. 

My thought about this is that if you're reading this book you are more that willing to give this student-led thing a try! This is the chapter of excuses. These are relevant concerns but as lifelong learners and teachers, we are always looking for new things to try in our classrooms and new ways to do things. I have never had a completely student-led classroom but I was well on my way last year without really even knowing it. 

We are a Leader in Me Lighthouse School and as part of that we looked for ways to give our students leadership roles. My kids had things in the classroom that they were responsible for (answering the phone, taking attendance, doing the lunch count, etc.) and I know now that this was the beginning of my student-led classroom. 

Concern #2- "I can't do this. I'm definitely going to make a lot of mistakes and fail." 

Of course there will be lots of mistakes made but isn't there always when you're trying something new with your students? I say give it a try, learn from those mistakes, and keep on trying. It is great for my students to see me make mistakes. We use it as a discussion for how everyone makes mistakes, which is part of learning. I always tell my students if they think they can't then they can't. It is all about attitude and giving it a try.

Concern #5- "I'm overwhelmed, I don't know where to begin!"

To that I say, just pick a point and give it a try! The worst thing that could happen is that it won't work for you and you'll make those quick changes we make every day as teachers and find something that will work for you. 

Concern #6- "But, won't my room get loud?"

This one is laughable for me because I'm always that teacher with the loud class. I've found that students can often help each other understand things better than I can. I encourage relevant discussion between my students and we celebrate the fact that they are helping each other. After reading this book, I see other ways I can continue to encourage this with my students and I'm so excited to start next year!

Concern #9- "My students can't do this."

This goes back to my point with concern #2. If you say they can't then they won't. But if you have high expectations (and I'm sure you all do) then they will live up to those expectations. Sure there will be mistakes along the way but that's just part of the learning process for us all.

There are several other concerns but those are the ones that jumped out at me while reading this chapter.

I've seen the benefits of small groups working together to solve problems in my classroom. We always say two heads are better than one. My goal is to find a way for my students to collaborate more often and find ways for them to participate in problem solving where each may bring a different strength to the table. That's the way I work as an adult, if I don't know how to do something I ask someone I know, tweet out a question, search the Internet, or just sit down and talk with friends/co-workers to brainstorm ideas. Shouldn't our students be doing this as well?

I am ready to jump in with a student-led classroom but it will take time. I'm still working on my plan for the school year but that's the idea. It is a working plan and I know some things won't work right. I'm excited to give it a try and see what happens with my students!

An InLinkz Link-up

#LearnLAP Book Study- Chapter 1

I saw Primary Gal's book study for Learn Like a Pirate and I had to jump in and share my thoughts. When this book arrived last week I read it all in one day. There were so many ideas that were generated and also a lot of questions. Paul Solarz (@PaulSolarz) did an amazing job of sharing what he does in his student-led classroom.

Chapter 1 focuses on what a student-led classroom is.

"A student-led classroom is one in which students make decisions and choices throughout the day without consulting the teacher."

This is the classroom I strive for but have fallen short each year. I learn from mistakes and we make adjustments as we go. However, I'm still the one making most of the decisions. It was great to hear that student-led classrooms don't happen overnight because I've been working towards that goal for years. I guess I'm taking the "baby step" approach but I'm now ready to jump in with both feet! I've always used small groups for students to collaborate and share what they are doing, and I'd like to think that's a step in the right direction for student-led.

Solarz also mentions that students must feel "safe, appreciated, and connected to their teacher" in order for this to work. In my classroom we spend a lot of time talking about how we are a family. We share stories about how family members sometimes have disagreements but in the end we still love them because we are family. My students know I expect the same thing in our classroom. I know this is a message that gets across to my students because this year we did the Together We Soared Awards that they wrote for each other. Here's one that talks about being family.

I'm ready to go in all the way with the student-led classroom but I still have questions. I'm planning to continue to participate in this book study. Also, Paul Solarz is hosting a book study via Twitter Chat #LearnLAP on Monday night 7-8pm CST. Paul has been ready and willing to share ideas and answer questions that I've tweeted so I encourage you to join this Twitter book study as well.

Thanks to the Primary Gal for allowing me to link up for your book study!

An InLinkz Link-up

Your Favorite Chapter Book (5th grade)

Take a minute and add your favorite book to our list! I'm looking to help my students choose some books to read over the summer. Add your favorite to the list and tell us why you like it!

Padlet- Favorite Books to Read

Week 36 & 37- End of 2014-2015 School Year

The last 2 weeks of school have rushed by in a hurry! Last week we did a little dissecting. We started with sheep hearts.

The following day we dissected cow eyeballs. This one is my favorite because you can remove the lens and take a look through it. 

The kids loved it and we were able to look at some of the things they had learned about this year in science. 

I also had the students write on 2 different posters. We made one that said "What we learn in math" and the other said "What we learn in science."

I'll be using these at the beginning of the school year next year for my hallway display. That way all the parents and students in my upcoming class can see what they will learn. 

This week we did the index card engineering challenge. The students were given a pack of index cards and 12 inches of tape. They had to make a structure that was at least 2 feet tall and it had to hold my little stuffed Hello Kitty.

The one below is the only one that held the animal. Great job guys!

We also had a retirement party for our principal, Dr. Davis. She is going to retire the end of June and we will all miss her dearly. She is the only principal I've ever worked for. I am going to miss her!

Tuesday was graduation for my 5th graders. After the ceremony we had our final walk. 

All the 5th grade kids line up and walk the hallways through the school. 

All the teachers and younger students stand in the hallway and cheer for the 5th graders. They will not be returning to the elementary school since 6th grade is in the middle school. We play music over the intercom and there are lots of tears shed. 

We wrapped up the end of the year with a school dance for 4th and 5th graders. This year we had a disco theme and (as you can see) even the teachers had a great time. 

I can't believe the 2014-2015 school year has come to a close. I plan to blog some this summer about what I'm planning for next year. 

I have a few topics I'd like to learn more about:

STEM/STEAM

Interactive Notebooks for Grammar

Real-World Math Practice

Teacher followers- if you have any suggestions for professional learning books I'd love to hear about them. I'm trying to decide which books to order so I can read and learn this summer. 

Week 35- Skittles Math, Soared Awards, MMS, & Field Day Celebration

Wow! This was a busy week! In math, we learned about mean, median, mode, and range. We made cootie catches but I forgot to take a picture. We wrote mean, median, mode and range on the outside. Then the kids rolled dice to create a set of data inside each.

Then we did a fun activity with Skittles. I purchased the Mean, Median, Mode, & Range bundle from Teaching with a Mountain View.  The kids loved the skittles activity. I gave each of them a cup of Skittles and they calculated the numbers based on their cup.

Then they partnered with someone else and did the same thing. Finally, they combined those groups to make a larger group and did it again. 

I loved this because it was lots of practice without just doing a worksheet! My new hashtag is #morefunthanaworksheet. 

We also had some of our atom art on display for the STEAM show at our school this week before the PTA meeting. 

Have you see the Together We Soared Awards by Deb Hanson? When I saw this I loved it and couldn't wait to use it with my class. 

I randomly assigned each student a classmate to write about. They were able to choose the type of award they were giving and then they had to write a paragraph to tell about what the award is and why they are giving it to that person. 

Next week I plan to let the kids share the awards they gave to their classmates. As I read through these I almost started to cry. I am so glad to see that my speeches about us being a family have really connected with my students. 

Each one of these is so thought out and I'm so proud!

We also took a trip to the middle school for my students to see what they are going to be a part of next year. 

I always love going because I get to see my former students! I sure do miss these sweet kids!

The end of our week was wrapped up with a celebration and field day. 

We celebrated the fact that our school was awarded the Blue Ribbon School of Excellence Lighthouse Award and the Leader in Me Lighthouse Award. 

Field day was full of fun relay races and water fun. 

STUDENTS: We had a lot going on this week! What was your favorite part of the week? Start making a list of everything we have learned this year in math and science. I have a plan for next week! Have a great weekend. 

Week 34- Civil War, Integer Battle, & Mixtures

This week we started studying about the Civil War. Each student has been assigned a different historical figure to research and present to the class. We used a little class time to get started on this assignment.

We also learned how to add integers this week. I had several games lined up for us to play but the students loved this one so much they begged to play Integer Battle every day. We divided into teams and started with the X. One team moved up & down from the selected number and the other team moved left & right from the selected number. We decided if the highest or lowest score would win the game. Then they added integers to earn their points for the team. 

There was so much discussion between teammates about strategy and planning what the other team would pick. It only took one round for them to start developing a strategy to help their team win!

Our class had our Box Top celebration party this week. We collected the most Box Tops in the school so we were rewarded with a snow cone and popcorn party. It was a beautiful day so we took advantage of it. 

We concluded our lesson about mixtures and solutions by creating our own mixtures (iron filings, salt, sand, and beads). The students had to observe the properties of each material and then mix them together. We used this TpT file- Mixtures and Solutions Interactive Notebook Bundle- to add pages in our interactive notebook (see one page pictured)

Each group developed a plan for separating the mixtures and started to work. It was great to watch them all talk about the different ideas and come together to make the plan happen.  

Have you used the Lab Team Roles by The Science Penguin? I love using these cards when students work in groups for science labs. Each card has a different role and their responsibilities. It helps with group work and makes sure everyone does their part. You should check them out!

STUDENTS: It is so hard to believe the school year is coming to a close. What is the one end-of-year activity you're looking forward to? Why?