Who Cares? Part 2-Words

We had a chapel talk at our school the other morning. Four people shared some stories of their elementary and middle school years, specifically the things that hurt them. Those sharing included a mom of elementary kids, a high school senior, a teacher, and our principal. They all told stories of being involved in either receiving, dishing out, or seeing forms of bullying.

As I thought back to my own history as a middle school kid, I remember the words that helped me, but I even more vividly remember the words that hurt me.

My English teacher told me I was good at using semicolons in my writing; I've remembered it to this day.

My History teacher teased me for missing my shots in my basketball game. I remember slinking down in my seat as he continued on for what seemed like forever. He turned out to be one of my favorite coaches of all time, so I forgave him quite quickly after that.

As far as classmates from the past go, I don't remember many of the positives they shared, but I do remember the negatives. Just like anybody, I have a tough time getting past the criticisms I hear, even to this day.

Before we relate this to the classroom, this is one of my favorite videos to show kids at the beginning of the year.

As shared in my first "Who Cares?" post, I mentioned physical touch as a love language of children but warned of the social constraints of using this in the classroom. A second love language of kids, according to the book The Five Love Languages of Children, is words of affirmation. Please just think back to your own life and the words you heard about you, spoken to you, the words you said about others, to others. What message are you sending to your students with your words, with your tone?

I am not a proponent of the self-esteem movement because I think it's important to be real with the students, but I do believe that everybody needs to hear something genuinely encouraging about themselves from time to time. In order to reach students on a deeper level, we as teachers need to get to know them. And when we truly know them, we can find a positive aspect of our shared experience to send from teacher to student. We can find words that will lift up rather than break down.

Here are some things I try to do in my classes.

• If a student has been struggling with turning in homework, I will simply say great job when they do get the work in. (High Fives also work.)
• I like to tell a student 5 minutes before the end of class to come see me after class. As they spend a bit of time worrying that they're in trouble, the compliment I give them when they approach after everyone has left makes their day 10 times brighter.
• Be accepting when a student catches your mistake and make sure you thank them publicly.
• Keep a tally of students (even 1 per day) that you compliment from time to time. Intentionally plan to focus on one student at a time and make sure you affirm that student. You will be surprised how positive your classes become. You'll likely need to affirm multiple students...because it's contagious.
• Blog with your students and require commenting. Encourage students to keep the comments positive and to focus on their classmates who don't have a lot of comments yet. On Kidblog you can set it so the teacher must approve the comments before they're published. This way you can monitor the conversations.
• When making groups, designate group leaders whose sole job it is to keep the conversation positive. Make sure all people in the group know that this role is of utmost importance.
• When correcting students' writing, begin your comment with a specific positive, then instruct on weaknesses, and end with another positive. This takes a lot of teacher time, especially with those who struggle, but it's worth it

What else can we do to make sure our words are uplifting rather than degrading? You tell me.

Stay Safe Ripon Christian!

I don't know about your school, but it seems that elementary students take a lot of risks on the playground. I know it's difficult for a student not to run through the hallway. There are students who get confused about their play areas, and arguments follow. And it's not super fun to use playground equipment exactly how it's designed. Shucks, when I was a kid, I sure caught a lot of air jumping off the swings when the teacher wasn't watching. The elementary teachers at our school decided enough was enough, and they tasked my middle school media students and me to put together a "safety video" for kindergarten through fifth grade.

Last spring, my sixth and eight grade media classes spent 4-5 class periods with iPads planning, directing, filming, and acting in safety topics ranging from keeping the game of tag OUT of the bathrooms to only going DOWN the slide to staying OFF your school desk. Some videos were great, and some videos were, well...good. I figured I, as the teacher, would have all summer to edit the 52 short videos down and create something awesome for teachers to show on the first day of school, which happens to be in less than a week.

I can tell you right away that I did NOT spend my summer creating a safety video. I was able, however, to complete it just today using iMovie on my Mac. Let me share, though, that I labored over it to get it just right. Anyway, I think it's a great idea for a school to do, and if you can get some of your junior high/middle school students to take some ownership over it by deciding on the scenes, and even the topics, true learning occurs. Take a look at mine...if you have time. At least watch the first minute and a half. Leave a comment if you can tell which movie opening I've borrowed inspiration from. Enjoy!

8 Techs to Organize the School Year

I taught strictly 6th grade for years. While I used to identify myself as a 6th grade teacher when asked what I do, these days I just say I teach in the middle school. However, I'm still holding onto 6th grade English Language Arts, and I'm working to organize the upcoming school year for student growth. To that end, I plan to establish 8 techs that will encompass my 6th grade ELA classroom.


Smore.com

Last year Shannon Miller inspired me (unintentionally on twitter, mind you) to try out this free flyer site. She called it a mini-website, and it has transformed the way I think about communicating with parents. It is organized from top to bottom, so scrolling down is a necessity, and it allows for a good array of design, background, font, and color options. I use it to link to anything I want, be it a Google Calendar, videos, forms, etc. Check out these options:

I've used smore.com to organize resources for presentations, to set up a thematic unit on coding with kids, and as a website for my soccer team. Now I plan to use it as a class website. It's quick, easy, informative, and pleasing to the eye. It replaces my Google Site, which I had previously made way too complicated.


Remind

I started using this last year with the high school soccer team I coach. Previously called Remind101, it is a "text out only" service--no return texts. I had my players sign up via text so that I could send out text reminders to them about upcoming practice or game times or other general announcements about the season. This year I plan to give my 6th ELA parents the option to sign up for my "class" via Remind. All you have to do is set up an account, create a class, and you receive a unique phone number and code. Parents (and/or students) can text that number with the class code and voila! they are linked to your Remind account. I plan to use this when I've updated grades on our school's grading system, added something new to my smore.com site, or for other general announcements for the whole group. I'm quite curious to see how many parents take this bait at our annual "Back to School Night".


Google Docs

I've you haven't had students use Google Docs, then you haven't lived. Once all the confusing tech requirements get cleared up, students thrive when accessing their document from anywhere they have an internet connection. Beginning with the power of Google Drive (not to mention Slides, Sheets, Forms, and Drawings), students have the power to turn in paperless assignments by sharing them with the teacher or fellow students for editing purposes. Unlocking the collaborative nature of Google Docs is where the real magic happens. All you need is a Google account to get started, but your students each need one, too, which is a great reason to have your school or district on Google Apps for Education. I don't mind having students work with pencil and paper, but drafting and publishing is taken to another level with Google Docs.


Kidblog

As I've blogged about before, Kidblog has opened up opportunities for my 6th grade ELA students. We were able to connect with some Australian buddies from Canberra, and a whole different level of motivation for student writing was unleashed. You, of course, can choose another blogging platform, but what I love about Kidblog is that the teacher chooses the privacy settings. It can be as private or as public as you decide is right for your class. For us, we shared our blogs with only one class abroad. This year I hope to expand and add in a few more classes around the country or globe. Much of what we will do is create drafts in Google Docs and import or copy our writing into Kidblog as our main publishing tool. I typically grade the students on their revised and edited Google Doc, provide feedback, and then have students post their writing on Kidblog to begin their conversations with each other.


Evernote

I have used Evernote personally as a note-taking tool off and on for the last year or two, but this school year I want to take another leap with my 6th grade ELA students (and likely my other middle school classes too) in creating ePortfolios with Evernote. While Google Drive would be an effective way to organize all the students' writing, I want to have a central location for anything they might do in class, even other than writing. I plan to set up students with their own Evernote accounts using their GAfE emails. I can then teach them how to document their own work throughout the year or the semester. In Evernote, students will set up their own "notebooks", calling one of them ELA6. From there, students will create a "new note" within the "notebook" for each project or assignment we decide is worth documenting. With a free account, students will have enough space to link to their Google Docs, write reflections, and take and store pictures of their work, even annotating on top of the image if they desire. Tagging their notes allows for easy organization and retrieval. Video and audio takes up a lot of storage, so there will be little room for that. By the end of the year, they will have their own record of how they progressed. They could even add on to this the following year if they so desire, or if other teachers decide it is worth it for them. It's my first year attempting this, so we'll see how it goes!


ThreeRing

While I could use Evernote to organize student work for myself, I am fascinated with the possibilities ThreeRing offers. I first heard about ThreeRing from Drew Minock and Brad Waid while watching The Two Guys Show. ThreeRing allows a teacher to set up multiple classes, create a class roster and proper tags, and then choose a student, group, or whole class to share posts with. The main idea here is to easily document student work using an iPad. With ThreeRing I can snap a picture, add a note, record audio or video and post it under a student's name. It stays private, and I now have a record of student progress for myself, the teacher. I can use it to assess, to lead a parent-teacher conference, or simply for future reference. I think the power of this platform, however, is in the possibility of parent communication. I can set it up so that every time I post something new for a particular student, that student's parent who has a ThreeRing account receives an email stating that their child's ThreeRing has been updated. Click on the link, and there's the instant feedback that a parent often desires. They can communicate back if they want. It's that easy. Read more about it here.


Planbookedu.com

While the above platforms are free to use, I have to share just one paid service. Last year I purchased planbookedu.com, and it worked like a dream. I typed out my plans for the week, specifying steps for the lessons, as you would do in any planbook, color coded them by class, and then I printed them out for the week. You could bump your plans forward a day if you fell behind, and you could even insert links as necessary, which I opened in a new tab and projected from my computer onto the screen. And for you Common Core enthusiasts, you can even turn on the standards to show what you're covering. I will pay for this year after year until I find something as good for cheaper or for free.


Blendspace

Finally, something I just heard about this week from Richard Byrne on his Free Technology for Teachers blog is Blendspace. Formerly known as EdCanvas, its premium features have now gone free. I am still unsure of how it all will work for me, but it is marketed for face to face, blended, or online models of teaching. It looks promising for those of you who would like to try flipping your classroom from time to time. It sets up in a box-like pattern on your computer screen, and you use the video or upload functions (along with many others like research or quiz) to drag material into each box. Using it as a lesson plan, the class period is sequenced out ahead of time. I would use my iPad linked to my class computer and projector to open up box 1 to share whatever video, link, presentation, or text I want to show the students first. When that's finished, I would click on box 2, then box 3, and so on, until the lesson is finished. It looks quite promising and is worth a peek.

So there you have it. These are some of the encompassing techs I needed to flesh out so that I could organize my life as I enter a new school year. Of course, I have plans for using many different apps and websites for day to day use throughout the year...QuickKey for assessment tracking, Padlet for class brainstorming, Kahoot for fun whole class voting, and many more. Prepping for this tech so that students can have a smooth transition into the year is important for me, and now I can feel equipped to make my long term plans that will then give birth to my day to day lessons. Happy planning!

Who Cares? Part 1

Above all else, a student needs to know you care.

In teaching, we have chosen to mingle our destinies with those of the students. We rejoice with those who rejoice, we mourn with those who mourn. My feelings are often affected by students' actions and reactions. After all, teachers call their students their "kids". Of course we care for our students.

But how can you show it? As a male teacher in the 6th grade, I've been told (understandably) to never touch the students. Leave the hugs to the female teachers, especially at the primary levels.

I choose to break that rule sometimes.

My wife has been reading a great book, and I plan to read it over the summer. It's titled The Five Love Languages of Children, and it lists the ways children show and prefer to receive love. As teachers, we know kids are complex creatures, so it stands to reason that a child will latch onto a couple different "love languages". The book lists the five love languages of children this way: 1) physical touch, 2) words of affirmation, 3) quality time, 4) gifts, and 5) acts of service. I plan to write about each one of these individually at some point, but right now I'd like to quickly share my thoughts on the first one listed...physical touch.

In addition to teaching 6th graders at Ripon Christian, I have coached the boys varsity soccer team at the high school for 13 years, and I run a soccer camp for grades 1-8 every summer. I also have two of my own boys, one in 3rd grade and one in 5th grade. I am not necessarily a "touchy-feely" kind of guy (not a "hugger"), but I've learned through many of my own experiences with my students, players, and children that boys feel valued when they have that physical touch.

Just look at what boys will do to each other if left unattended. In the middle school, we're constantly on the lookout for "tackle" football at recess and "dog-piling" on each other for whatever purpose. I often have to tell boys in class to keep their hands to themselves.

On the flip side, I choose to encourage the boys I encounter in class, on my team, and even my own boys at home with my physical touch of choice: a clap on the shoulder. From above or from the side, it can accompany a verbal "good job" or a "we'll get 'em next time". It could mean "it's okay" or "I'm proud of you". Even without words, it could stand for "that was awesome" or "I feel your pain". You could easily add to this list, I imagine. As a guy who teaches, coaches, and raises guys, it's in my nature (or my love language) to whack the kid's shoulder.

Disclaimer #1: not to injure or intimidate...but to encourage. To show you care.

Disclaimer #2: not every boy appreciates the physical touch, so be wise.

Form that teacher-student relationship, and then build it up. Make sure there are boundaries, of course, but above all else, find a way to show the students you care. If a student knows you care, the rest of the day, or the year, or even his entire school experience may become more positive.

How Many Swings Does It Take?

How many sentences does it take to form a paragraph?

I have a philosophical issue with the question, "How many sentences does my paragraph have to be?"

I have taught mainly 5th grade and 6th grade throughout my career so far, and I understand these are prime years for learning proper paragraphing. I used to answer the question this way: "You're in 5th grade, so your paragraph should be about 5 sentences." Or, "You're in 6th grade, so roughly 6 sentences."

My answer to the question these days is, "It depends."

As we should know, a paragraph begins with a topic sentence which shares the main idea (hopefully in an interesting way!). Then come the supporting details with any variation of subcategories. Finally, the end of the paragraph should close down the main idea and transition into the next paragraph. This is the structure I teach.

So when the question pops up, "How many sentences?" I have to respond with a nebulous answer. It depends on your main idea and how much support you need to put into the paragraph to make it whole.

It depends when you're ready to close down the paragraph.

I had an idea the other day. A 6th grade boy walked up to my desk and asked me this forbidden question. I looked at him as he smiled at me. I smiled back at him, and then I banged my forehead on my desk. (I've tried to answer this so clearly.) Why does this question keep coming up? I think it's because students are afraid to take risks, or they're afraid to get something wrong. Or they have not been taught to think for themselves and make their own decisions. Maybe they just don't know after all the years of paragraph instruction how to do it.

So this boy who asked the question is on my son's baseball team--they love their baseball. I answered the boy this way:

"When you step up to the on deck circle, how many swings do you take to get ready for your at bat?"

He answered me, "I don't know. I swing until I feel ready to bat."

That was, of course, the answer I wanted to hear. I love using analogies with the students. Connecting a concept to an existing experience is my bread and butter, and I think it's the best way to help students learn.

If we can connect the dots here, we swing until we're ready, and then we step into the batter's box. In determining proper paragraphing, we write as many sentences as it takes to feel like we've completed the main idea. Of course, the student's idea of complete is oftentimes quite different from my idea of complete, but that's a topic for a different time.

What was cool about talking to the boy at my desk was that I got to see the light bulb ding above his head. The explanation was tailored to his strength, and that made all the difference.

Hopefully now when students attempt to determine how many sentences it takes to form a paragraph, they can understand that it could be different every time. They've got to write until it's complete. They've got to swing until they're ready.

Make Your Writing Hospitable

We put our house on the market this last week. To prepare the house, my wife and I (and our kids) did a thorough deep clean both inside and out, not to mention the remodeling and love we put into our house over the last 11 years. We also decluttered and organized the house better than we ever have.

The response I think I enjoy most from people who have walked through is simply, "It's very clean." I take that to mean that our home is free of dirt and grime, but I also believe people are saying that it's well-organized. And I hope they've noticed that we've tried to make it hospitable.

As a sixth grade writing teacher, I want my students to make their writing hospitable. Let me explain.

If you've ever walked through a house or apartment to consider renting or buying it, first impressions matter. When things are in good condition or look new, when the place is neat and tidy, and when floors are vacuumed and dust is minimal, a person can stay positive and feel at home. On the other hand, if it's a mess, or if there's clutter all around, it's difficult to remain interested.

I tell the students something similar with their writing. It begins with the introduction of their paper, and sometimes the first line of their entire essay or story can make or break it. First impressions matter. If I see that the student has taken great care in constructing a thesis or an interesting lead, I am inclined to desire to read more, and I'll keep an open, positive mind as a teacher throughout the writing assignment. However, if I see multiple errors or a lack of following directions from the start, I will likely notice similar errors throughout the paper, and my attitude will deteriorate.

So students: welcome me into your paper. Make your writing hospitable. When you do this, I feel good. And when I feel good, I like to give you the benefit of the doubt. If the beginning of the paper is not done carefully, I cannot guarantee that I will be able to do that. So as you revise and edit your first draft, make sure to tidy it up and do a deep cleaning that's noticeable right from the start...or else it feels like this.

Testing for Leaks with Formative Assessment

Have you ever worked on the pipes under the sink? I think the plumbing process is very similar to a teacher's assessment practices.

I had a weekend project. Once our new counter tops and sink were in, I had the pleasure of installing new drains and a faucet. I figured I could then reattach the pipes underneath with minimal effort.

I don't know why I thought it was going to be easy...because it never has been before. In a word: frustration. Okay, a better word probably: anger. In fact, if nothing else will bring me to tears, plumbing will.

In teaching, we work to check the students' progress as we introduce and teach new concepts. Formative assessment is the way to go, in my opinion. Sure, I have summative assessment in my 6th grade ELA class, but whenever I get the chance, I like to check on the students in what I think is a more meaningful way. I have a ways to go in mastering how to assess students formatively, but just making an attempt at the process is of extreme importance.

Hence my reflections on plumbing this last weekend. To make a long story short, we were way overdue for new counter tops and a sink. The professionals installed everything by mid-Saturday afternoon, which left me with Saturday night to do the faucet, drains, and pipes. With a late night visit from my brother-in-law, who's a contractor, an early Sunday morning trip to the hardware store, a break for church in the morning, a skipped lunch, and another visit from my brother-in-law, I was able to (sort of) finish the job.

The much abbreviated steps I took looked like this:
1. Attach faucet and drains; restructure pipe fittings and attach.
*Now for the hard part
2. Turn on water and check for leaks.
3. Find a leak.
4. Twist the cap on the flange, check for leaks.
5. Find a leak.
6. Screw in the nut on the valve, check for leaks.
7. Find a leak.
8. Unscrew the pipe, apply pressure, twist back into place, check for leaks.
9. Repeat steps 3-8 as necessary.

This structure works when we introduce and teach new concepts to the students:
1. Introduce new concept or skill.
*And again, the hard part.
2. Answer students' questions, give practice.
3. Find a leak (in understanding).
4. Put it into different words, give practice.
5. Find a leak.
6. Complete the assignment, note the results.
7. Find a leak.
8. Give extra practice for those who need it...
9. Repeat steps 3-8 as necessary.

Educational technology has been growing, and teachers have seen the need for quick and easy ways to track student progress (or the lack of it). I'll name a few formative assessment tools that have popped up in the educational arena that seem to work wonders for many people, myself included.

Plickers
Plickers stands for "paper clickers". Students have their own printed barcodes on paper, no devices necessary. The teacher uses a webcam or smartphone after asking to record students who hold up the papers after asking questions. Students hold up their "plickers" to respond and their responses appear as a bar graph for the teacher to note the results. Quick, instant feedback--a great formative assessment tool.

Socrative
Socrative works in a very similar way to Plickers, but the students use a device to participate. The teacher logs in to the teacher side while the students join the teacher's "room" from the student side using the "room code". And it only works if the teacher is on Socrative at the time. Polls and other educational games and exercises can be performed, which give the teacher a great way to see where the students are at in their understandng.

QuickKey
QuickKey is an app for your smartphone that allows you to use the camera to quickly scan as if you had a full-on scantron device. Just print the bubbled template, set up your class, and each student will be assigned a unique number to bubble in for identification. Input your multiple choice answers, and shazam, you have a ready-made quiz that you use as either formative or summative assessment.

There are many more, but these have been my go-to tools to check student understanding.

I still had a slow drip from the drain in my kitchen sink, very slow, but I could see it if I took a minute to look. Sometimes we have to look very carefully to see what leaks might be popping up in the classroom. One final tightening and the pipes were good to go. I encourage you to look at the three services above to help you identify leaks so that you can stop them up as quickly as possible.