What I'm Reading Wednesday is Coming!

I'll be the first to admit that I am a nerd.  Yes, I would rather read a book that hang out in a trendy restaurant or go to a party.  I'm more of a wine on the patio kind of girl.  One of my passions is reading professional development books.  Don't groan.  Without people like me, no one would know what to do for required PD or book clubs.  Like I said, I'm a nerd.

Each Wednesday this summer (and maybe longer if I buy more books!), I will be reviewing PD titles that may just spark your interest.  To be clear, I am not being paid by any of the authors or publishing companies.  I just wanted to share the books that are guiding me and my teaching partners in our practice.

Come back tomorrow to find out about Kathy Wood Ray's About the Authors.

TPT Sale & Product Enhancements

Yeah!  It's time for another sale!  I have a Teachers Pay Teachers Wish List FULL of items that I've been eye-ing this spring for next fall.  Join us for our sale and get up to 28% off awesome products from your favorite teacher-sellers.

Click here for my store!

 

I had a request/suggestion from a teacher and thought it was great!  She reminded me that not all schools level their books using Fountas & Pinnell's letter system.  So, I've added files of my Goals for Readers packs to reflect DRA2 levels (numbers).  I hope this helps you and your students!

 

 

 

 

 Happy shopping!

 

My Big Fat Technology Rant

Okay, that title is a bit misleading.... I won't rant here.  I save my rants for staff meetings, sprinkled with humor, so I don't get punched after school in the parking lot by my fellow teachers.  My point is, I LOVE technology and do not currently have what I want for my students in the classroom.  My quest for an LCD projector (interactive) has been a hot topic at meetings and I think I'm wearing them down :) 

We have been hit hard in Michigan financially, as many other areas have been in the last 5 years.  However, now more than ever, our students have more access to technology outside of the classroom rather than in their primary place for education.  So what's a teacher to do?  I went to the community and DonorsChoose.org.  Much of what I have in my classroom has been through district grants, local grants, our awesome PTO, as well as my DonorsChoose.org donors.  I now have 2 iPads in my classroom to go with my ancient Mac desktops for student use.  I will also confess that my own family has spent roughly $4000 on my classroom in just under 5 years.  I've spent very little money this school year.  I had to put my own little family first financially.  Technology is just something that I cannot afford for my own kids, let alone for my classroom at this time.

I saw this on another blog (thanks Fun in 1st Grade) and knew that I had to share the importance of technology in classrooms by Online Universities.com:

 

So here are my questions.... What technology do you have in your classroom?  What can you access (shared resources) in your building?

Blessings,

Stay-cation and April Currently

Today is the first day of spring break.  Although students were not in school on Friday, teachers were there (insert sad violin music here).  It was good to have grade-level time, but my mind was on vacation already- not that we are going any where!

We are having our family room gutted and redone next week, so a vacation was out of the question.  So, my boys and I made a list of things to do around the Detroit-Metro area.  If you're ever in our neighborhood, check out these ideas!

Visit the Detroit Institute of Arts
Residents of the surrounding counties get in free.  Valet parking is extra, but it's worth it when it's chilly out.  There is plenty of parking around the city when the weather is warmer.  The collection is exceptional (among the top 6 in the US).  I have a BA in Art History, so my love of the DIA is a bit biased :)


DIA website

Cranbrook Institute of Science
We are also members of Cranbrook (thanks to a great deal from Living Social), so our visits are free.  It is a natural history museum, with an amazing collection of rock samples and area artifacts.  There is also a private school on the grounds.  This week we are staying up late one night to go to the planetarium.  My boys are excited because it's been a while for them!

Cranbrook website

Detroit Tigers Baseball
Although it's not technically during this week, my hubby is taking the boys to an afternoon Tigers' game next week.  You can get great seats at the start of the season.  Towards the end- not so much.  We are trying again for the World Series.  Third time is the charm, right?  Yes, I realize that the teacher is on board with them missing a 1/2 day of school for baseball.....

Detroit Tigers' website

If the weather warms up, we will also be doing some biking around town (no picture of me on my pink bike available!).

Now that I actually have time to breathe, I caught up on my bloggy friends and am participating in Farley's Currently:

Catch up with more friends over at:

  Happy April!

Reptile Book Template

Science isn't my strongest field.... Nature Girl will loudly agree with that statement!  In an effort to make it more geared towards the direction we are heading with exploratory methods and teaching models (and to also get in more nonfiction writing opportunities!), I made a template for writing about reptiles.  I know it's not beautiful with theme-y clip art.  However, scientists rarely troll the Scrappin' Doodles and Thistle Girl sites like teachers do!   I do love me a good piece of cuteness, but I wanted to keep all illustrations and graphics focused on the student work. 

Here is a bare-bones writing template I am using this week with my class....

Pages are titled with different formats on each.  Click HERE to see in in my TPT store.

The first 5 people to comment get it free :)

Dude, Where's My Book?

I'm not even kidding you.... this was the actual title of my classroom newsletter this past week.  I don't know about you, but it seems like routines and expectations from the beginning of the year drop-off for some families around this time every year (I know MY family has to refocus our efforts on a monthly basis). 

At the start of the year, each student gets a take-home binder that hold all of the important communication items. Think FROG, BEE, MOOSE, and a bunch of other acronyms that mean: this stuff needs to come back and forth EVERY day. In one of the plastic pouches, I allow students to borrow a "just right" leveled book to read at home. Many families do not have leveled books in their home or access to a public library that has lower levels. As the multiple labels in the binder, books, and notes indicate..... books are to come back to school every day. Ummm.... not so much any more. Many have been lost, left and are otherwise un-located. This drives me nuts. Not just a little, but down-right chapped! I get it. Things happen. Even my own son has needed to pay the school for a lost library book. (Notice I made my son pay for it, as I was not the one reading it on the way to baseball.)

This was my note (I was very careful to be nice and encouraging):

Each day, your child has the opportunity to borrow a classroom book to practice reading at home.  However, many of our books are missing and/or not being returned to our classroom in the FROG binder.  Although I believe in sending books home with students at their level, I also must be a good steward of our school (and my personal) resources.  Each book costs about $5 each.  A majority of them are only available to be purchased through school supply manufacturers.  If each child in our room lost (or failed to return) just one book, that would be a loss of over $100 in books this year.  Currently, I only allow students to get an new book if they bring one back that day.  This isn’t working, as I’ve noticed that many students just are not bringing them back.  I encourage you to help your child find any missing books and return them to school EVERY DAY so we can continue this program.  Thank you for you support!

Not too bad, right?  That was until only 10 out of my 21 students brought back a book the next day.  Ouch!  I resent my message in an email and retrieved 3 more.  (Insert sad face here!).  I collected all of the books and explained to my students the issue.  They were generally saddened by these developments.  I decided that a formal check-out process was needed, so I went to the Apple App Store and found this:




Apple Store

I wanted to like this.... I DID!  It is so cool- in theory.  However, after spending all of my lunch and prep time Tuesday entering in books, I noticed that they only had about half of my library on file and I only got through about 100 of them (you can scan the bar codes and it will pull up the selection).  If the book is not in their system, you will need to manually enter it in.  They are adding to it every day, but it was just too time consuming for me.  I'd rather have the few parent helpers that I have working with students, not organizing and cataloging books.

My next plan is to go old-school on my sweeties.  That's right... library pockets with cards inside.  When a child takes the book, the will place the book's card into the designated pocket (with their name on it).  When/if it returns, the card goes back in the book.  This clearly isn't earth-shattering or new.  My teaching partner does it this way and even our staff uses this method for the leveled book room.

I ordered the book pockets from Amazon because they were less expensive (than the cute teacher- supply style). 


500 pockets for $21.95 at Amazon.com

   I will just use regular 3X5 cards with the book title on it for the card.

Here are some photos of my new set-up:

I really think with more accountability, books will not grow legs as often.  I'm always open to suggestions.  What works for you?  Do your students borrow books from you?  Leave me a comment and let me know.  I may just use your suggestion next year :)

Team Teaching Tuesday (on a Wednesday!)

I'm home today with a sick little boy (who, unfortunately, isn't so little any more...).  I'm using my time to catch up on my bloggy friends and do some work towards getting materials for my classroom.

I am a HUGE fan of DonorsChoose.org.  You can read all about it right HERE and see why I treasure this organization.  I can add in an update.... since that posting, my class was also gifted an iPad just before Christmas, along with a few smaller projects.  My classroom has been enhanced by very generous donors and DonorsChoose matching opportunities.  We've received over $4500 in items in just 4 years!

My current project is close to my heart.  my district has been struggling to keep up with technology and having to make huge budget cuts.  Our student computers are close to 10 years old and are finicky, at best.  Our amazing PTO purchased one iPad per classroom, then I was able to get another from DonorsChoose.  I want to make the technology more accessible to the whole group and integrate more technology opportunities to the class.  I am asking for an Epson LCD projector that I will be able to connect to my desk top or an iPad.  This interactive board can change the whole flow of our day.  However, it's also pricey.

Here is a link to my project, which expires next month: Mrs. Smyth First Grade.

 



I'm linking up with Becca from Falling to First in honor of Team Teaching Tuesday.  Check ou the linky party for more great ideas and information about how DonorsChoose is changing students' lives in public schools!

 

 Falling Into First

 

 Have a great day!

 

New Reading Supports at TPT Store

I've been deep into literacy lately, figuring out the best way to support my students as the grow and develop.  We must partner with parents in order to do this, however most parents don't know where to start or how we teach reading today.  It's so different than how we we taught! 

Last week, snow/ ice days took over Michigan and gave me a bit of time (while watching tween television on Disney with my boys!).  I put together bookmarks, by level, for parents to help their child at home.  it reflects the instruction that we are giving in the classroom.  The content is based on the work of Fountas & Pinnell.  I've gained such knowledge from their book (definitely a must for all teachers!):

Amazon link

Here are my creations... check them out at my Teachers pay Teachers store.

Just click on the link along the side of this page.  Have a great weekend!

Expanding Your Reading Genres and Other Mistakes I Made This Week

I'm not a fan of biographies or autobiographies.  I find that autobiographies and memoirs are self-indulgent and generally boring, unless you were there (only read to confirm that the author is "so wrong").  I think biographies are about the same.... the history of a person, as seen through the lens of another.  Many times, there is a bit of scandal tossed in to spice it up.  But, mostly.... one person's opinion of how another lived his/her life.

My friend, Kate (who you also know as our Literacy Consultant/ Coach/ ELA Guru) raved about how fascinating this book was and how she stayed up late to read it.  Those who know her also know that she stays up late to read books about argumentative essay writing.  (I'm not joking- she just did the other day.)  So, based on her review, I stepped out of my cynical box last week and picked up the book on Steve Jobs at the library- I was not actually paying for a 500+ page book about tech genius.  This was the authorized biography, where the author was given full access and Jobs never asked to read it.  Weird, for a control freak.  Any way, I slept great last week!  Each night, I got through about 5 pages and dozed right off.  Clearly- this was my problem..... I've been choosing GOOD books to read before bed.  I should have been reading about how bad Steve Jobs smelled and how he thought he was better than everyone else (which he probably was). 

After about 150 pages, I gave up (NOT a mistake!).  I shared with my students the next day in readers workshop my dilemma.  I was teaching them how readers do not let the connection (text to self, text to text, text to media, etc.) get in the way or distract from the book you are reading.  I allowed my connection to technology and personal opinions about overly confident people get in the way of what may have been a great story.  They were shocked.  Here lies my mistake:  I don't think I ever told them that it's okay to abandon a book when you are just not making a positive connection or enjoying the experience.  I REALLY hope I didn't just shoot myself in the foot here.  I've also told them to keep books in their reading bag for about a week :)

The purpose of reading is to understand.  Whether it is to learn or feel emotions through a character.  The joy of reading is to become fully immersed in your text and allow it to change you or your thinking.  Just like visual art, literary art is to be enjoyed and to provide an escape from our every day lives.  As an educator, I see it as a tool for people to learn about our world.  As a reader, it is a tool to learn about myself.

P.S.  I'm reading Tina Fey's book at 5:30am (snow day) and laughing like a crazy person.  My 12 year old was not amused when I woke him up on accident.  I highly recommend it.  I may just change my views if I find more authors like her!

Assessment.... Agony or awesome?

Yes. I said the A word.  Last week, I spent the day assessing the first graders with AimsWeb. I actually make the schedule for the whole building, but stay in my nice little hallway on the actual day. In years past, we tried to do kindergarten the same day too, but we got an awesome interventionist for kinders who has it under control. Hurray! The biggest difference this year is the use of iPads during testing. Time-Say-Ver.

I readily admit that there was a time when I fought standardized, universal screenings. I'm over it. I've accepted them for what they are and their place in education. Many of us (myself included) didn't fully understand the purpose of many of the testing structures. In an effort to share some info that I wish I had at the start of my career, I'll share.....

There are many different kinds of assessment, with very different purposes.

Screening Tools:  AimsWeb, DIBELS, MBSP (math, etc.

• Measures: essential skills that predict future academic success
• Answers: Are students meeting benchmarks?  Are students at risk for developing academic difficulties?
• Frequency: usually about 2 times per year (depends on district)
• Time: quick measures, generally about a minute each
• Format: group and/or individual
• Benefits:
• Screens large number of students in a short amount of time.
• Identifies who may be at risk (or groups of students).
• Limitations: Must be kept in context, as there is not enough information to diagnose.  This must be supplemented with additional testing for at-risk students.

Diagnostic Testing: PAT, DRA2, MLPP (in Michigan), TAPS, GORT, IQ tests, etc.

• Measures: cognitive ability and skills
• Answers: What is the skill deficit and how can we address it through instruction?
• Frequency: One-two times per year (same test, DRA2 tests can be given many times as they are at higher levels each time)
• Time: 15 minutes to an hour, based on level
• Format: individual
• Benefits:
• Very specific, with a high reliability and validity.
• Helps inform instruction.
• When best practices and differentiation is being used, it can indicate specific difficulties (which require deeper testing).
• Limitations: These are more subjective and can be unreliable, depending on the assessor.  Must be supplemented with additional data.

Progress Monitoring: Read Naturally- fluency, DIBELS, AimsWeb, Dolch Lists,  MBSP (math), etc.

• Measures: the progress on essential skills that predict academic success.
• Answers: Are students making progress with current instruction?  Is the student making progress toward the benchmark goal?
• Frequency: can range from several times a week to once per week.
• Time: quick, less than 5 minutes
• Format: individual or group, uses an alternative to the actual screening (modified version)
• Benefits:
• Allows frequent measures of progress.
• Changes can be made quickly if intervention is not working.
• Demonstrates if an intervention is working (data collection).
• Limitations: Must be supplemented with additional data and must be given regularly.

Outcome-based Assessments: unit tests, yearly state tests, etc.

• Measures: mastery of benchmark skills and knowledge.
• Answers: Is the student currently meeting grade level expectations?
• Frequency: typically yearly or at the end of a unit of study
• Time: generally un-timed
• Format:group
• Benefits: easy to compare to national, state, county, school standards.
• Limitations:
• Given infrequently, so it is difficult to use the results to guide instruction during the school year or monitor progress.
• Can show that students are on track, but not their long-term understanding.
• Must be supplemented with other data.

Informal Assessment: ongoing anecdotal notes or "noticings" done by a teacher that modify instruction immediately.

• Measures: anything a teacher needs to track in order to adjust or guide instruction
• Answers: Is the student understanding the curriculum as presented or making growth?
• Frequency: any time, as often as needed.
• Time: varies with need and teacher.
• Format: usually in written form or by using a check-bric (prose)
• Benefits:
• Instruction can be immediately changed if needed.
• There is no limitation to information being gathered.
• Open-ended in format and content.
• Limitations:
• Subjective, based on the teacher's impression.
• Danger of being to emotion-based, teacher should use clinical format when possible.
• Additional data must be collected (such as behavior-related charting).

Well, this may not have been my most entertaining post, but I hope it helps wade through the mass of assessment and data-collection that teachers must conduct and use each day.  A special thanks to the Lake Orion RTi Team for training me on the true need for assessment!



*Information in this post was adapted from presentation notes taken and presentations provided by Lake Orion Community Schools.