In the Zone!

Reading is a favorite of mine! Right now I'm mostly reading educational books with a few Harlan Coben and Nicholas Sparks books in the mix. How can I instill the love of reading in my students? How can I help them be passionate about reading? According to Nancie Atwell in The Reading Zone, I need to give my students opportunities to READ, just READ. Not only read, but read books they are interested in and books on their individual reading level. This is also addressed in The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller.

Enjoying his library book while relaxing in a "butterfly" chair!

That's what I do;  that's what I've been doing for several years now by adopting the Reading Workshop/Daily Five model in my classroom.  My students look forward to "Read to Self time"! When I instruct them to get their book boxes the first thing out of their mouths is, "are we going to "read to self" now?"  When instructed, students find their reading nook and just read for about 20 minutes. They don't take notes, they don't write on "post-it notes", they just read!  It is so quiet, you can hear a pin drop!!!  Just know it took practice, WEEKS of practice building stamina!  In fact, we had to go back and practice after our long winter break!

Enjoying "read to self" time relaxing in the "butterfly" chair!

I have designated 11 "reading nooks" throughout my classroom. They include a tall director's chair, short director's chair, pillows, "butterfly" chairs, etc.  We rotate daily, however students have the choice whether or not to sit in that "nook" or find another comfortable spot.  My students just LOVE to read under their desk!

Enjoying his book in our class library!

Enjoying her book while lying under her desk!

"Read to Self" is a favorite of mine because I then have the opportunity to read with a student!  This is a time where I can listen to a student read, provide feedback, and actually discuss the book. The information I gather is used to form groups and design lessons that target individual and/or group needs!  

Lying on the carpet in our class library!

What are the results you may wonder?  I have four students who already read over 1 million words (one student already read over 3 million words) and 19 out of 21 students show huge gains in their "Lexile" levels (about 50% of my students grew about 1 1/2 years to 2 years).  Do I have students who pretend to read?  Yes, not as many as previous years, but yes, I still have students who pretend to read. Reading with the students and discussing their books help cut down the number of students who pretend to read.  

Reading is important to me.  I tell the students the more they read, the better reader AND writer they will become!  My goal is to have a classroom full of passionate readers!

All About Your Mindset!

While in Tallahassee about a month ago, I was introduced to a book titled Mindset, The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D.   Within minutes, I ordered the book from Amazon and couldn't wait until spring break to read it! (As a teacher, it seems the only time I have to read is spring break, summer break, and winter break).  Just finished it yesterday!  I must say, this is one of the best books I've read and I highly recommend it!  My Assistant Principal and my grade group are reading this book!

Dr. Dweck talks about two mindsets; fixed and growth. Someone with a fixed mindset desires to look smart and avoids challenges because a fear of failing, gets defensive or gives up easily, see effort as fruitless, ignores negative feedback, and feels threatened by the success of others. On the other hand, someone with a growth mindset desires to learn.  He/she embraces challenges, persists when faced with setbacks, sees effort as a pathway to mastery, learns from criticism, and finds inspiration in the success of others.

I must admit when growing up, I would have to say I had somewhat of a fixed mindset.  I was fearful of failing therefore I stayed with what I knew.  At that time I took negative feedback as an attack on me as a person.  Now, I'm thrilled to admit, I have more of a growth mindset.  I welcome challenges, I take negative feedback as a means of learning and growth!

Although this is not solely an "educational" book, there are some techniques I can use in my classroom with my students.  One of the most important, yet easiest to implement, is how we "praise" students.  We can either praise students for their ability ("Wow, you got a 100% on that test, you must be very smart.") or for their effort ("Wow, you got a 100% on that test, you must have worked really hard.") 

According to Dr. Dweck praising students' ability actually lowered their IQs and praising their effort raised them! Another technique that Dr. Dweck discusses in her book is raising standards AND giving students the means in which to reach them.  Examples include Marva Collins having her grade school children reading Shakespeare and Rafe Esquith's fifth graders reading Of Mice and Men, Native Son, To Kill a Mockingbird, etc.

Finally, I have a son who is graduating high school in a short two months.  Yesterday we came back from one of his college auditions (he will be a music major).  After talking, he stated that two of his "Facebook" music friends will be attending the same school (it seems this school has one of the top jazz programs in the country).  He continued the conversation saying, "_____ was actually first chair at Florida Allstate Jazz, he sat right next to me.  I can't wait to learn from him.  We are going to push each other to be and play our best!"  I was beaming!  Before the words came out of my mouth, my son says, "I know mom, I have a growth mindset!" YES HE DOES!  A fixed mindset would have said, "I'm not going to that school, I'm going to ______ where I could be the best saxophonist." A growth mindset says, "This is going to challenge me to be the best saxophonist I can be.  I'm going to learn from this!"

So, what is your mindset?

Dig deeper to go further!

Tonight I made myself go out and run! It's so easy to come up with excuses, but not tonight! It's been a crazy two months, but I have to make myself get back to a routine of working out and running. My intent was to run about 2 miles, I just have to ease back into it, right? When I got to the 1 and half mile mark, my legs felt like rubber. Did I want to quit? Absolutely! However, I told myself, "Nardi, you have to dig deep and keep going! You can do it!" So I kept going! I hit the 2 mile mark! I kept going! I made myself dig deeper and go further! My goal of 2 miles turned into a 3 1/2 mile run! I felt great!

This caused me to think about teaching and my students! Don't we want this for our students, to dig deeper and go further? Of course we do! How do we ensure that? We, as teachers need to dig deeper to go further to take our STUDENTS further? Don't we want to be the best we can be so our students can be the best THEY can be?

While on my run, I was reminded of a situation that occurred with one of my students just this past week. This student is part of my tutoring group. With the FSAssessment next week, I had her take a computer "practice" FSAssessment. This particular student worked so hard, used all of the strategies I taught her during the year. She was nervous to click the "submit" button, but with her eyes tightly shut and her finger on the enter key, she pressed submit. She squealed with excitement as she read her score 90%!!!! YES!!! 90%!!! This is HUGE for this student! After the excitement, she sat down and stated, "My head hurt from all that thinking." I replied, "Yes, but look at the results!" Needless to say she was beaming, smiling from ear to ear!. That's what it is all about, teaching our students to dig deeper to go further!

This time of year I reflect on my teaching, what worked, what didn't work. I begin to search for (and research) other strategies, programs, books, workshops, etc. Consequently, I'm so excited to be part of our Aspiring Coaches Cohort next year which will begin with a four day training June 8th - 11th. This will give me the opportunity to enhance quality teacher instruction (including my own) at my school. Why do this? To dig deeper to go further in order to reach ALL of my students!

It's tough to learn new strategies and use them in the classroom with our students. We want to revert to what we know, what we feel comfortable with. Case in point, our fourth and fifth grade teachers implemented DBQs (Document Based Questioning). Let me tell you, it was TOUGH!!!! I wanted to close the book, put it away, and go back to what I know. But I didn't! We dug deep, pushed further than we ever have before! We didn't see the positive results until about the third unit! (Although we did see gradual improvement throughout the DBQ process). It took perseverance on the teacher's part AND the students' part. Now I have some students who can write a three page paper analyzing documents WITH citations! These are nine and ten year olds! I would like to say 100% are doing this, but I can't. However, I can say 100% of my students show growth in their reading and writing! How? By digging deeper to go further!

So, how do we dig deeper to go further? I can only share what I do and what has worked for me. First, I get to know my students! How do they learn? What excites them? The knowledge I gain about my students directs me to books, strategies, workshops, and trainings where I can discover new ideas that I can use with ALL of my students.

Yes, all of this takes time, but I have to dig deeper to go further in order to reach ALL of my students!

My Summer Reading List!

Reciprocal Teaching

Our goal as teachers is to release the "gathering" of information to the students. We want our students to "do all of the work".  One of my favorite strategies that allow this is Reciprocal Teaching!  This "high yield" strategy incorporates making predictions, asking questions, clarifying words or phrases, and summarizing.  I introduced this strategy to my students about the second or third week of school with many weeks of practice and modeling.  There are many ways reciprocal teaching can be implemented in a classroom.  The following is what works for my students.  

My students are already placed in heterogeneous groups of four. Each student is given a reading passage to read. Before students read, they create a sideways Classifying Map.  The title of the Map is the title of the reading passage.  The branches of the Classifying Map is: Prediction, Questions, Clarifications, and Summary. 

A placemat is placed in the middle of each team for reference.

Before reading, the students preview the passage and make a prediction.  Students must use evidence to support their prediction. For example, "I predict I will learn how St. Augustine was established because the picture shows ___________ and the subheadings state ____________". While reading, students can adjust their predictions.  After reading, the students must confirm or reject their prediction with evidence.  

While reading, students must record at least three questions about the reading (or questions they feel their team mates may have) and three words or phrases they need clarified. Finally when finished reading, students write a two sentence summary of what was read.  This is all done independently.  I circulate and help where needed.

(I allow 10 - 15 minutes, depending on the passage) 

After independent reading, the students participate in a discussion.  I randomly select a discussion facilitator for each group.  This student begins and facilitates the discussion beginning with predictions.  The facilitator begins with his/her prediction (including his/her confirmation or rejection) then asks each team member to share his/her predictions.

The facilitator continues with questions and clarifications. When students share their questions and clarifications, they must include a page number or paragraph number so his/her teammates can refer to the text.  Students answer the questions and use context clues or prior knowledge to determine meaning of words.  I circulate and listen to groups discussion and assist where needed.

Finally, each team member shares his/her summary. 
Students are then encouraged to revise their summaries with any new knowledge they gained.

Because each student contributes to the discussion, all students must make sure their classifying map is complete. This ensures 100% engagement.  

Bananas and Science!

Nothing excites me more than to watch my students discover learning while exploring the world around them!  One of my favorite fruits to eat is the banana!  I posed the question, I wonder, what percentage of a banana is edible?  We began the activity with an anticipation guide!  This consisted of four true and false questions.

1.  The banana is a berry?
2.  Bananas grow on trees?
3.  Pound for pound, bananas are the most widely sold fruit in the United States.
4.  Bananas are highly nutritious and easily digestible.

These questions made for a very friendly and respectful debate. Next, each group of three - four students received a passage on the banana.  Students then participated in "Reciprocal Teaching" to gather information about bananas.  Groups then organized their thinking in a thinking map to share with the class.  Students then "revised" their knowledge regarding the banana.

The next day, I posed the same question, "I wonder how much of the banana is edible".  Each group of two received a banana, balance scale, and "gram stackers".  First students estimated the percentage of the banana that is edible.  Several students said 50%. Students then discussed with their partner how they think they will find this information.  Students worked together and came up with a plan to find the percentage of the banana that is edible.  Their plan MATCHED mine!  Students first found the mass of the entire banana by placing it in the cup on one side of balance scale and gram stackers in the other cup on the other side of the balance scale.  Once the scale was balanced, students counted the gram stackers to calculate the mass of the entire banana.

Students then peeled the banana and found the mass of the peel and the "meat" of the banana.  Students recorded the data on a data sheet.  At this point we spoke about accuracy in our measurements.  

I demonstrated that if we take the mass of the peel and the mass of the "meat", it should equal the mass of the entire banana!  Some groups were exact while some were not.  We then discussed why some of the measurements were not exact.  

Next we found the percentage of the banana that is edible by taking the mass of the edible part of the banana and divided it by the total mass of the banana!  

This led to a conversation about purchasing bananas.  I posed the question, is it better to buy bananas that are a little green and not yet ripe (where the peel is thicker) or should we wait until the bananas are a bit more ripe?  Most of my nine and ten year olds figured out that if we purchase bananas that are not quite ripe, we would be wasting money because the percentage of the edible portion is lower!  

Now, I wish I could say this activity is all my idea, but I can't!  This activity comes from Aimes Education Foundation.  Here is a link to the activity!  Hope you can use this in your classroom! 

Reflection

WOW!  Two posts in a week!  Running is one of my favorite things to do!  While running, my mind just keeps going!  While running this evening my mind went to a conversation I had Friday.   I was honored to be asked to be part of our Night of the Stars (St. Lucie County's night where we honor each school's Teacher of the Year, Minority Educator of the Year, School Related Employee of the Year, and First Year Teacher of the Year.   The Excitement of the night is realized when the SLC Teacher of the Year is announced).  

The intent of this invitation is to recognize me for being awarded the Milken Educator Award.  As much as I would love to be part of this night, I had to decline due to a prior commitment (my son will be performing with the Honors Performance Band at Carnegie Hall in New York that same weekend, of course that's where I'll be). While running, I was thinking of what I would say IF I were to be part of this special night.  I felt it is important enough to pen down for others to read.  

I would begin with cordially thanking Superintendent Yost, board members, and other distinguished guests.  Then I would continue with these words:  

I am honored, blessed, and humbled to be awarded the 2014-2015 Milken Educator Award for the State of Florida. There are so many outstanding and amazing teachers and educators in St. Lucie County who could represent our district with this award.  I am blessed with a God-given passion, desire, and ability to work with children.  I couldn't imagine doing anything else.   Recently someone asked me "How can you be so enthusiastic all of the time?"  I thought long and hard about that question. I'm enthusiastic because I have 22 students watching me. What do they see?  I want to be that teacher, that person who inspires children, with my words and with my actions.  I was blessed to attend a Ruby Payne "train the trainer" workshop in Santa Fe New Mexico several years ago.  Rita Pearson was, and still is, an inspiration to me!  She said "Every child deserves a champion: an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists they become the best they can possibly be."  I strive to be that adult, that teacher!  When I see a student, I see someone with potential.  Even that hard to reach child, my job is to find the key that's going to unlock that potential.  This past summer, while at the mall, I heard, "Mrs. Routten, Mrs. Routten!"  Before I could utter a word, a former student approached me with a great big hug "I was so hoping to see you.  I'm leaving for school in about two weeks!" (She's finishing up her last year of college).  A few days later I received a text from her.  This text was so special I printed it, and now I keep it with me.  When I'm having "one of those days" I pull it out and read it.  She wrote, "Mrs. Routten never underestimate the power of being a teacher.  You are the best teacher I ever had. You believed in me that I was something special when no one else at the school did.  You still kept me in line when I spoke out of turn but still loved just the same.  You were the only teacher that I got student of the month from.  You gave me a chance to be someone great, you gave me a little more time and love, it changed me.  I WILL be something great, you will reap the seed you sowed in me years ago, I promise you that!" 

So, you see, we are an influence to our students, positive or negative.  Receiving this award forced me to reflect on what I do! The ability to unlock a student's potential is why I'm enthusiastic all of the time!  So, what kind of influence will you be to a child? Thank you!

Because I will not have the opportunity to speak these words, I felt it was important to share them here.  Even if it causes only ONE teacher to think and reflect!

Learning New Things!

I just LOVE learning new things!  My grade group and I were sitting in a training last week when we heard about a strategy used by another teacher at another school.  It sounded interesting and beneficial for our fourth graders.  So, we put our heads together and came up with something that would better meet the needs of our students.  I couldn't wait to try it with my students.  

First, we "designed" a placemat to put in the middle of each group (we have groups of 4).  We actually took a placemat and "revised" it.  Each student has a role and roles rotate with each question.

I am not an expert, but I see the benefits of using this with my students (we only practiced three times)!  100% of my students are engaged!  That includes ALL students!  All students have to listen because all students are accountable for the answer.  

First, my students "Close Read" a short fable (see my Blog below on "Reading Like a Detective").  After the 3rd read, I distributed the mats and questions.  Student #1 is the facilitator.  This student reads the question, restates the question, and makes sure everyone understands the question.  Student #2 Answers the question using words from the question.  This student also makes sure everyone is listening.  Student #3 agrees or disagrees (with evidence).  This student also makes sure everyone is listening. Student #4 summarizes or paraphrases the answer to the question.  

I call this  strategy a revised version of "Numbered Heads Together" (a Kagan structure) because I then choose a student and a group to answer the question.  

I then distribute another question and students rotate the placemat and repeat the activity.

Here is a video of my students using this strategy with a fable.  The question posed; "What is the theme of the passage, provide the evidence".

This strategy can be used with any question(s).  I also used it to review science concepts.  I took the higher level questions from one of our science units and typed them on cards.  

This is a new strategy (activity) I just started using these past two weeks! I'm open to feedback!