It is finally Winter Break. And, to all of my teacher friends, we made it. Those of you that aren't first year teachers, you know how difficult that first semester is.
This semester was filled with challenges that I couldn't have gotten through without the help of my friends and family.
My Parents - for getting constant help and support, every day.
My Sister - for always ending up on my side.
Meg - for our dinner dates and vent sessions every time they were needed.
Veronica - for letting me come visit, just to get out of the house, even if I didn't stay long.
Courtney - for our lunch/dinner dates when we could squeeze them in.
Taylor - for our dinner dates and best friend chats catching up on life outside the classroom.
Vickie - for always knowing when it was time for a break and making sure I was staying above water.
Sterling - for allowing me to be at 5th Q. But way more importantly, the Grader, what a lifesaver!
Madison - for starting our career together, and helping each other make sure we have it all under control!
Sam - for little bits of encouragement just when I needed it.
My Co-workers - for all of the support in my first semester. I wouldn't want to have gone through it without the daily support and help from you!
My Ohio Family - for the best Thanksgiving Break yet. It was the perfect break before winter. I'm glad I got to see everyone and we had a blast at the wedding reception.
This list should be much longer, to everyone that has helped me through my first semester teaching, thank you. Please know that your help doesn't go unnoticed.
I'm looking forward to an even busier second semester as I start my Master's Degree and coach Club Volleyball!
- Shelby
12.23.2013
12.05.2013
Smarter, not Harder
This will be quick, I just have to share!
Yesterday, I decided it was time to give my kids a formative (quiz) in each of my classes. I don't enjoy giving formatives, because of the paper trail they create. They are "data" so they should go in the students' folders, but they aren't always assessing multiple objectives...so should they be tied to a standard score in PowerSchool? (I know some of you don't know exactly what this means... it is okay!)
In Algebra, the students were asked to graph an equation using a table of values. The equation given to them needed to be re-arranged to get y by itself so that it would be easier in the table to solve. Once they had the x and y values, they had to graph the points and draw the line connecting the points on the line. As the students were working first hour, I decided that the students needed to know right away if they got it correctly or not. I was walking around and grabbed a roster for that class and gave each student a checkmark or a zero on my roster. (They either got the whole thing, or they didn't.) Once everyone was done, we discussed what the expected answers were on each part. When I gave the formative in second hour, I then input the scores from first hour. Same thing third hour for the scores in second hour and the third hour scores I entered on my planning period.
In Geometry, I gave a 9 question quiz for bellwork. It only assessed one Level 3 objective. I didn't feel like this should go in as a score out of 3, even though there was level 2 information on it. As soon as the kids were done working, I had them trade papers with someone they would be okay with checking their answers. We checked over the formative and I had them write their scores out of 9 at the top of the paper. I then passed out notes and we started taking notes. As the students were recalling previous vocabulary and answering questions about topics that were previously learned, I walked around and wrote down the students' scores. At the beginning of 7th Hour, I was able to type these in to PowerSchool while they were taking the formative.
So, here's the "Ah, ha!" moment...I have an iPad, with PowerTeacher on it. I pulled up PowerTeacher on my iPad and while we were recalling previous concepts in 7th hour, I was able to walk around the room and type in each student's score right then. I did the same thing in 8th hour and about 3 minutes after I passed out notes, all of the formative scores had been entered for the day.
The best part, the students kept the formative (most of them recycled it, but that was their choice). I don't have stacks of formatives to enter in PowerSchool. And, I don't have stacks of papers to hand back to the kids.
I hope this makes your life as easy as it made mine yesterday!
-Shelby
Yesterday, I decided it was time to give my kids a formative (quiz) in each of my classes. I don't enjoy giving formatives, because of the paper trail they create. They are "data" so they should go in the students' folders, but they aren't always assessing multiple objectives...so should they be tied to a standard score in PowerSchool? (I know some of you don't know exactly what this means... it is okay!)
In Algebra, the students were asked to graph an equation using a table of values. The equation given to them needed to be re-arranged to get y by itself so that it would be easier in the table to solve. Once they had the x and y values, they had to graph the points and draw the line connecting the points on the line. As the students were working first hour, I decided that the students needed to know right away if they got it correctly or not. I was walking around and grabbed a roster for that class and gave each student a checkmark or a zero on my roster. (They either got the whole thing, or they didn't.) Once everyone was done, we discussed what the expected answers were on each part. When I gave the formative in second hour, I then input the scores from first hour. Same thing third hour for the scores in second hour and the third hour scores I entered on my planning period.
In Geometry, I gave a 9 question quiz for bellwork. It only assessed one Level 3 objective. I didn't feel like this should go in as a score out of 3, even though there was level 2 information on it. As soon as the kids were done working, I had them trade papers with someone they would be okay with checking their answers. We checked over the formative and I had them write their scores out of 9 at the top of the paper. I then passed out notes and we started taking notes. As the students were recalling previous vocabulary and answering questions about topics that were previously learned, I walked around and wrote down the students' scores. At the beginning of 7th Hour, I was able to type these in to PowerSchool while they were taking the formative.
So, here's the "Ah, ha!" moment...I have an iPad, with PowerTeacher on it. I pulled up PowerTeacher on my iPad and while we were recalling previous concepts in 7th hour, I was able to walk around the room and type in each student's score right then. I did the same thing in 8th hour and about 3 minutes after I passed out notes, all of the formative scores had been entered for the day.
The best part, the students kept the formative (most of them recycled it, but that was their choice). I don't have stacks of formatives to enter in PowerSchool. And, I don't have stacks of papers to hand back to the kids.
I hope this makes your life as easy as it made mine yesterday!
-Shelby
10.02.2013
"After Math"
It's been way too long since I've written, I apologize. It's just been one of those weeks (or months), unfortunately it is only Wednesday. There is so much going on at school, I'm a pretty busy person between teaching, coaching, and being a club sponsor!
This spoke volumes to me yesterday. I had a student that always wants out of whatever we are working on ask me, "Can I read this newspaper?" My response, "After math!"
I feel like everything I do there is a mess to clean up, much like the aftermath of a natural disaster. It's crazy.
Disaster #1: (This is how I start my day...every day!)
As teachers, we accept the fact that we will have unmotivated students in each class. Right now, I'm holding on to the fact that less than half of my students in my class of 13 that have been motivated to learn Algebra. It is my goal to look past the students that aren't easily motivated and keep pushing this small group forward. It is HARD. How do you tell a student that they shouldn't sit with someone because they are "holding them back?" It's only October and I already am thinking about completely re-organizing the start of my day. It would be completely self-paced. Students would come in and get to work using the iPads. They would practice at their own pace and I would do my best to keep them on schedule to take the formatives and summatives. My small group of kids that catch on easily could probably get through a 2-week unit in 7 days...tests included. What do I do with them for the next 3 days? How do I get the "unmotivated" students to be motivated? These students can't focus if they have technology in front of them.
Disaster #2: "KOBE!"
What is the thrill of standing up and literally throwing a water bottle 20 feet across the room? I will NEVER understand this. It's not just water bottles, it's paper, it's a pen that no longer works, it's a pencil with no eraser. Please don't mistake this for bad classroom management. I have a group of boys that can't and won't sit still. They go out of their way to stand up and have to "take" something to the trash can...daily! (by take, I mean get within range of where they think they can make it into the trashcan) Today, I finally snapped. You don't need to be throwing any object in my room. I made it very clear I never want to see it again. If you want to play basketball, I will be happy to get you a conditioning schedule for the team so that you can attend all practices and have ample opportunities to make baskets.
Disaster #3: Technology
I don't even know where to begin. I'm frustrated with Apple. Do I think it is great that students can have a very functional scientific calculator in the palm of their hands 24/7? Yes. Is that really why they are on their phones? NO! I may have already said this in a previous post, but I was WAY too lenient with technology at the beginning of the year and I fight it every day. I can't get students to just put the technology away until work time. It was made clear that cell phones could be out when students were working independently because it is disrespectful to be on a phone while you are working with other students, or while I am talking. Apparently, that's really not a big deal. I'm patiently waiting to try a new thing with technology. I can't wait to see how it works, but I have to get my calculator holder (shoe holder) put up in my classroom.
Disaster #4: Microbursts.
All of the little things that go wrong in a day can be very difficult to deal with.
I've recently been told that I'm very good at walking around the room and knowing exactly what students are working on, or just in general being aware of what is going on in the room. Not long after that conversation I was told that I need to work on keeping students engaged. As math teachers it can get difficult to convince students to work on problems when we know they don't understand. How can we convince students that they need to practice? How do you get kids engaged in practice?
In one of my classes I had three students that needed to go to the nurse today. Two were legitimate, one was not so much. I get so annoyed with "Can I go _(insert any where but my classroom here)_?" If kids aren't in my room, then they aren't learning. If they aren't comfortable, they aren't going to learn anyway. Earlier this week, I had three students that needed to be able to prop up their leg due to foot or leg injuries. Seriously, how does this happen?
There is so much more going on, and unfortunately I haven't really written about any of the good things that are happening right now. I will do my best to write again soon. Next week is Homecoming, so perhaps this weekend.
This spoke volumes to me yesterday. I had a student that always wants out of whatever we are working on ask me, "Can I read this newspaper?" My response, "After math!"
I feel like everything I do there is a mess to clean up, much like the aftermath of a natural disaster. It's crazy.
Disaster #1: (This is how I start my day...every day!)
As teachers, we accept the fact that we will have unmotivated students in each class. Right now, I'm holding on to the fact that less than half of my students in my class of 13 that have been motivated to learn Algebra. It is my goal to look past the students that aren't easily motivated and keep pushing this small group forward. It is HARD. How do you tell a student that they shouldn't sit with someone because they are "holding them back?" It's only October and I already am thinking about completely re-organizing the start of my day. It would be completely self-paced. Students would come in and get to work using the iPads. They would practice at their own pace and I would do my best to keep them on schedule to take the formatives and summatives. My small group of kids that catch on easily could probably get through a 2-week unit in 7 days...tests included. What do I do with them for the next 3 days? How do I get the "unmotivated" students to be motivated? These students can't focus if they have technology in front of them.
Disaster #2: "KOBE!"
What is the thrill of standing up and literally throwing a water bottle 20 feet across the room? I will NEVER understand this. It's not just water bottles, it's paper, it's a pen that no longer works, it's a pencil with no eraser. Please don't mistake this for bad classroom management. I have a group of boys that can't and won't sit still. They go out of their way to stand up and have to "take" something to the trash can...daily! (by take, I mean get within range of where they think they can make it into the trashcan) Today, I finally snapped. You don't need to be throwing any object in my room. I made it very clear I never want to see it again. If you want to play basketball, I will be happy to get you a conditioning schedule for the team so that you can attend all practices and have ample opportunities to make baskets.
Disaster #3: Technology
I don't even know where to begin. I'm frustrated with Apple. Do I think it is great that students can have a very functional scientific calculator in the palm of their hands 24/7? Yes. Is that really why they are on their phones? NO! I may have already said this in a previous post, but I was WAY too lenient with technology at the beginning of the year and I fight it every day. I can't get students to just put the technology away until work time. It was made clear that cell phones could be out when students were working independently because it is disrespectful to be on a phone while you are working with other students, or while I am talking. Apparently, that's really not a big deal. I'm patiently waiting to try a new thing with technology. I can't wait to see how it works, but I have to get my calculator holder (shoe holder) put up in my classroom.
Disaster #4: Microbursts.
All of the little things that go wrong in a day can be very difficult to deal with.
I've recently been told that I'm very good at walking around the room and knowing exactly what students are working on, or just in general being aware of what is going on in the room. Not long after that conversation I was told that I need to work on keeping students engaged. As math teachers it can get difficult to convince students to work on problems when we know they don't understand. How can we convince students that they need to practice? How do you get kids engaged in practice?
In one of my classes I had three students that needed to go to the nurse today. Two were legitimate, one was not so much. I get so annoyed with "Can I go _(insert any where but my classroom here)_?" If kids aren't in my room, then they aren't learning. If they aren't comfortable, they aren't going to learn anyway. Earlier this week, I had three students that needed to be able to prop up their leg due to foot or leg injuries. Seriously, how does this happen?
There is so much more going on, and unfortunately I haven't really written about any of the good things that are happening right now. I will do my best to write again soon. Next week is Homecoming, so perhaps this weekend.
8.20.2013
Personal Victories
Sorry it has been so long...it has been a crazy couple of weeks!
You should know, I survived my first day and first week (2 days, really.) of school! I'm not almost halfway through the first full week!
Here are a couple of things that I've realized so far...
...If you say, one more thing...please, just make it one more thing. I completely understand that certain information triggers new concepts that need to be addressed, but get to a stopping point to let students process for a quick second.
..."Can I have your attention please..." - This is just fun to say in an Eminem voice. The kids really seem to enjoy it. Don't misunderstand me here...I normally have their attention, they just might be conversing with other students and I need them to pause so that I can address certain topics, then I quickly send them back to discovering.
...When you think you have technology under control the first day of school, you don't. The kids are just being good because it is the first day. In my building, we have an open technology policy. This means that the students can have technology as long as the teacher specifies when it is okay. The expectation that I set was that if I'm talking, I don't want to see your headphones. You may have your phone on your desk, as long as it is on silent (no vibrate) and it is not distracting you from what I am doing, or what the people in your group are doing. I've made this more clear by saying, if you feel the need to have it on your desk, put it face down. When it is work time, you may take care of business on your phone if it is an emergency. If you are working on your own, you may have headphones. I don't want to hear your music, the people around you shouldn't either. If I hear music, headphones will become mine for the remainder of the hour.
...I have mixed feelings about this next one, but I will explain...Always create a seating chart for the first day. I really like letting the kids come in and choose where they would like to sit. This allows me to see who wants to sit in the front of the room, who sits on the side, who sits by themselves. (In my room, originally all of the desks were in groups of threes or fours...they are now in twos and threes.) This is all fairly important for me to find out in the first couple of days. BUT, I have been dealing with side conversations consistently. I rearranged the chairs today (because I got a 29th student in a class and needed another chair in the mix...) and the kids FREAKED out when they walked in the room. I had to make it very clear that they needed to pick a new seat, and that they couldn't move the chairs. It was a little rough, we will see how it goes tomorrow! Creating a seating chart would have definitely set the tone more effectively, but there is so much I wouldn't know about the personalities of my students.
...I couldn't have asked for a better first day activity! Thankfully, I found this Who I Am activity for my students to do! After I went over the syllabus, classroom procedures and classroom expectations, the students were given the rest of the hour to fill in the sheet. The "My Family" box came with a lot of questions...they weren't sure what to write. I told them to write down anything that they were comfortable with me knowing...who they lived with, how many siblings they have, any other important people in their family. There are a good number of students that have moved quite a bit, and I was able to see what places they have lived in the past. With about 5 minutes left in class, I went through my responses. These were things I like today, my favorites in high school...pretty much what ever I thought they could know about me.
...Learn the names of your students, ASAP. I did! I had everyone's name before they left my room the first day of school. I was able to take attendance (with no "seating chart") on the second day! Don't get me wrong, I used the process of elimination some, but I knew everyone's name when they came in my room Monday without a list in front of me. The activity we did on the first day really helped me with this. I was walking around the room making connections with what the students had written on their papers and most importantly, THEIR NAMES. I could find out their name without having to ask...they were impressed that I knew their names and I only ever asked for it once!
So now for the title...personal victories...there were multiple times today that I was reassured I am supposed to be a teacher...more importantly and information presenter and a person to help organize and connect thoughts and ideas...I couldn't be more thankful!
In my Algebra 1 class, we were talking about classifying numbers (rational and irrational), ordering numbers from least to greatest, and graphing them on a number line. [I have given my students guided notes so far...thanks to a great template from my student teaching! It save SO much time on students not having to write EVERY word down on their paper. I write all of the little details and information for examples and they have room to write definitions or space to work.] We had gotten through all of the 'boring' stuff, like definitions and were on to ordering numbers. When we flipped the page, where all of the examples were, I said, "You need to do the first example...play around with the numbers. Figure out how we can order the numbers from least to greatest." The first example had decimals and mixed numbers. (This wasn't easy for some students, but I wanted to know what they knew!) When I turned them loose, I got to see exactly who knew what they were doing, who was asking people around them for help, who immediately raised their hands, and who was just trying to figure out how to put a fraction in the calculator. THIS WAS GREAT! I was able to help the students that raised their hands...but I made sure to only ask them questions...I never actually answered their question directly...I just asked more questions! As one of the groups was working, they had all of the numbers converted to decimals, they were trying to put them in order...I heard a student say..."but if we have $5 and fifty cents, that's more than $5 and five cents." ...they were comparing 5.5 and 5.05. The student they were explaining to thought that 5.05 was bigger because it had more digits. I could literally see the light bulb click for this student, and I know I had the biggest smile on my face.
Now for more smiles...I've never seen as many blank stares from students as I did yesterday in my Geometry classes. We were talking about points, lines, and planes and their relationships. I only got finished with the notes in one of the three classes. Thankfully, today was Topic Tuesday for bellwork. I put up a "diagram" of a plane, with points on it and a line going through it. The task for bellwork was to come up with as many relationships as possible using the words: points, lines, planes, co-linear, co-planar. Some students jumped right in, some were VERY hesitant. When it was time to "go-over" the bellwork, I started with the last word, coplanar. There were the most possible connections to be made about the points on the plane being coplanar, so it was an easy starting place. I was able to show how the line goes through the plane, and the point where the line meets the plane...really is a location on both the line and the plane. We talked about which points were colinear and the different ways to write the name of a line and a plane, using capital letters, italicized letters, and lowercase letters. Everyone had a different understanding at this point. With "Fist of Five" I had the students show me where they were...0 being that this was a foreign language, and a 5 that they could teach someone so that they were at a 5 as well. I LOVE THIS method. I probably asked each class 5 times so that I could see how well we were progressing...AND WE WERE! So the "bellwork" took about 15 minutes, which was fine, because the day was set to still talk about points, lines, and planes.
I then gave every class the option to finish the notes sheet from yesterday, fill out a new graphic organizer, or do an activity trying to match pictures with statements. I didn't call the graphing organizer a "foldable" because they aren't familiar with this terminology and I knew we didn't have a whole lot of time to cut them out.
Instead I used the margins for additional information like how to name lines and planes! My first two classes chose the graphic organizer. As I was passing it out, I said, "If you are the type of person that will do better with colors...get them now!" So many students either got out pens, or went and got colored pencils or markers from the back of the room. I have a TV in my room and have found an amazing iPad App, Splashtop, that I can control what is on my "external monitor" (TV/Computer), from my iPad while I am at the whiteboard rather than having to walk back to my desk. So I pulled up the page from the blog with the example, and showed the students what information we were putting on the graphic organizer. While we were filling it out, we named all of the lines with points and lower case letters. We also practiced naming the planes with points and italicized letters. We had GREAT conversations about each of the boxes and I made sure that I heard from each student in each class. By the time the bell rang, every student was holding up a 4!
The last class was more into using the diagrams and answering questions about the diagrams...which was great as well. They chose to do a worksheet that they had to choose which lines, line segments, and rays met certain criteria. (I can't find it's original location...when I do, I will link it!) Once they thought they were done, they wanted to know if they were correct. I made them find someone else that was done and they had to compare answers and decide who was correct.
When they were done with this, we still had about 7 minutes of class, so I drew a new diagram on the board, using different colors, there were 2 planes, with points on them and a line going through them. I asked each student true or false questions, while trying to be tricky, about the diagram.
...So I missed the big part of this...one of the students completely gave up while we were doing bellwork and did the whole, "I don't get it..." story. They were then on their phone and I asked them to put it away, told them I was confident they won't understand if they don't pay attention...everyone else in the room was actively engaged. They put the phone away, and all the sudden said, "Can I just take two minutes to ask questions so I can get this figured out?!" I said "YES! Let's take a minute to help (Student's Name) get this!" As soon as they said a statement, I would ask another student if the statement made was correct. I could see the confidence from everyone going up!
This has been way too long of a post, but it was needed! I hope you have enjoyed it my (not so) late night ramblings.
Shelby
You should know, I survived my first day and first week (2 days, really.) of school! I'm not almost halfway through the first full week!
Here are a couple of things that I've realized so far...
...If you say, one more thing...please, just make it one more thing. I completely understand that certain information triggers new concepts that need to be addressed, but get to a stopping point to let students process for a quick second.
..."Can I have your attention please..." - This is just fun to say in an Eminem voice. The kids really seem to enjoy it. Don't misunderstand me here...I normally have their attention, they just might be conversing with other students and I need them to pause so that I can address certain topics, then I quickly send them back to discovering.
...When you think you have technology under control the first day of school, you don't. The kids are just being good because it is the first day. In my building, we have an open technology policy. This means that the students can have technology as long as the teacher specifies when it is okay. The expectation that I set was that if I'm talking, I don't want to see your headphones. You may have your phone on your desk, as long as it is on silent (no vibrate) and it is not distracting you from what I am doing, or what the people in your group are doing. I've made this more clear by saying, if you feel the need to have it on your desk, put it face down. When it is work time, you may take care of business on your phone if it is an emergency. If you are working on your own, you may have headphones. I don't want to hear your music, the people around you shouldn't either. If I hear music, headphones will become mine for the remainder of the hour.
...I have mixed feelings about this next one, but I will explain...Always create a seating chart for the first day. I really like letting the kids come in and choose where they would like to sit. This allows me to see who wants to sit in the front of the room, who sits on the side, who sits by themselves. (In my room, originally all of the desks were in groups of threes or fours...they are now in twos and threes.) This is all fairly important for me to find out in the first couple of days. BUT, I have been dealing with side conversations consistently. I rearranged the chairs today (because I got a 29th student in a class and needed another chair in the mix...) and the kids FREAKED out when they walked in the room. I had to make it very clear that they needed to pick a new seat, and that they couldn't move the chairs. It was a little rough, we will see how it goes tomorrow! Creating a seating chart would have definitely set the tone more effectively, but there is so much I wouldn't know about the personalities of my students.
...I couldn't have asked for a better first day activity! Thankfully, I found this Who I Am activity for my students to do! After I went over the syllabus, classroom procedures and classroom expectations, the students were given the rest of the hour to fill in the sheet. The "My Family" box came with a lot of questions...they weren't sure what to write. I told them to write down anything that they were comfortable with me knowing...who they lived with, how many siblings they have, any other important people in their family. There are a good number of students that have moved quite a bit, and I was able to see what places they have lived in the past. With about 5 minutes left in class, I went through my responses. These were things I like today, my favorites in high school...pretty much what ever I thought they could know about me.
...Learn the names of your students, ASAP. I did! I had everyone's name before they left my room the first day of school. I was able to take attendance (with no "seating chart") on the second day! Don't get me wrong, I used the process of elimination some, but I knew everyone's name when they came in my room Monday without a list in front of me. The activity we did on the first day really helped me with this. I was walking around the room making connections with what the students had written on their papers and most importantly, THEIR NAMES. I could find out their name without having to ask...they were impressed that I knew their names and I only ever asked for it once!
So now for the title...personal victories...there were multiple times today that I was reassured I am supposed to be a teacher...more importantly and information presenter and a person to help organize and connect thoughts and ideas...I couldn't be more thankful!
In my Algebra 1 class, we were talking about classifying numbers (rational and irrational), ordering numbers from least to greatest, and graphing them on a number line. [I have given my students guided notes so far...thanks to a great template from my student teaching! It save SO much time on students not having to write EVERY word down on their paper. I write all of the little details and information for examples and they have room to write definitions or space to work.] We had gotten through all of the 'boring' stuff, like definitions and were on to ordering numbers. When we flipped the page, where all of the examples were, I said, "You need to do the first example...play around with the numbers. Figure out how we can order the numbers from least to greatest." The first example had decimals and mixed numbers. (This wasn't easy for some students, but I wanted to know what they knew!) When I turned them loose, I got to see exactly who knew what they were doing, who was asking people around them for help, who immediately raised their hands, and who was just trying to figure out how to put a fraction in the calculator. THIS WAS GREAT! I was able to help the students that raised their hands...but I made sure to only ask them questions...I never actually answered their question directly...I just asked more questions! As one of the groups was working, they had all of the numbers converted to decimals, they were trying to put them in order...I heard a student say..."but if we have $5 and fifty cents, that's more than $5 and five cents." ...they were comparing 5.5 and 5.05. The student they were explaining to thought that 5.05 was bigger because it had more digits. I could literally see the light bulb click for this student, and I know I had the biggest smile on my face.
Now for more smiles...I've never seen as many blank stares from students as I did yesterday in my Geometry classes. We were talking about points, lines, and planes and their relationships. I only got finished with the notes in one of the three classes. Thankfully, today was Topic Tuesday for bellwork. I put up a "diagram" of a plane, with points on it and a line going through it. The task for bellwork was to come up with as many relationships as possible using the words: points, lines, planes, co-linear, co-planar. Some students jumped right in, some were VERY hesitant. When it was time to "go-over" the bellwork, I started with the last word, coplanar. There were the most possible connections to be made about the points on the plane being coplanar, so it was an easy starting place. I was able to show how the line goes through the plane, and the point where the line meets the plane...really is a location on both the line and the plane. We talked about which points were colinear and the different ways to write the name of a line and a plane, using capital letters, italicized letters, and lowercase letters. Everyone had a different understanding at this point. With "Fist of Five" I had the students show me where they were...0 being that this was a foreign language, and a 5 that they could teach someone so that they were at a 5 as well. I LOVE THIS method. I probably asked each class 5 times so that I could see how well we were progressing...AND WE WERE! So the "bellwork" took about 15 minutes, which was fine, because the day was set to still talk about points, lines, and planes.
I then gave every class the option to finish the notes sheet from yesterday, fill out a new graphic organizer, or do an activity trying to match pictures with statements. I didn't call the graphing organizer a "foldable" because they aren't familiar with this terminology and I knew we didn't have a whole lot of time to cut them out.
Instead I used the margins for additional information like how to name lines and planes! My first two classes chose the graphic organizer. As I was passing it out, I said, "If you are the type of person that will do better with colors...get them now!" So many students either got out pens, or went and got colored pencils or markers from the back of the room. I have a TV in my room and have found an amazing iPad App, Splashtop, that I can control what is on my "external monitor" (TV/Computer), from my iPad while I am at the whiteboard rather than having to walk back to my desk. So I pulled up the page from the blog with the example, and showed the students what information we were putting on the graphic organizer. While we were filling it out, we named all of the lines with points and lower case letters. We also practiced naming the planes with points and italicized letters. We had GREAT conversations about each of the boxes and I made sure that I heard from each student in each class. By the time the bell rang, every student was holding up a 4!
The last class was more into using the diagrams and answering questions about the diagrams...which was great as well. They chose to do a worksheet that they had to choose which lines, line segments, and rays met certain criteria. (I can't find it's original location...when I do, I will link it!) Once they thought they were done, they wanted to know if they were correct. I made them find someone else that was done and they had to compare answers and decide who was correct.
When they were done with this, we still had about 7 minutes of class, so I drew a new diagram on the board, using different colors, there were 2 planes, with points on them and a line going through them. I asked each student true or false questions, while trying to be tricky, about the diagram.
...So I missed the big part of this...one of the students completely gave up while we were doing bellwork and did the whole, "I don't get it..." story. They were then on their phone and I asked them to put it away, told them I was confident they won't understand if they don't pay attention...everyone else in the room was actively engaged. They put the phone away, and all the sudden said, "Can I just take two minutes to ask questions so I can get this figured out?!" I said "YES! Let's take a minute to help (Student's Name) get this!" As soon as they said a statement, I would ask another student if the statement made was correct. I could see the confidence from everyone going up!
This has been way too long of a post, but it was needed! I hope you have enjoyed it my (not so) late night ramblings.
Shelby
8.06.2013
#TransformationTuesday
It was another full day of meetings, but I don't want to spend a whole lot of time on the meetings...we spent time talking about being leaders in the classroom, and in the building. (I think this is important with a group of new teachers! It was a great way to start the day!) We then talked about Standards Based Grading and what that looks like on a day-to-day basis in our building. We had some great conversations and cleared up a lot of questions about SBG.
We were given an hour and a half to work in our rooms and eat lunch (this may have been my most productive time between 8-3). I am really close with another new teacher and we discussed with another teacher how she has handled all of the paper work for SBG. For those of you that don't know, THERE IS A LOT of paperwork. But thankfully, we have a plan! (We've since decided each of our plans will be a little bit different because of content and how the rubrics work with our classes, but we're going to accomplish the same thing!) Each student is going to be asked to bring in a 2-pocket folder with brads that will stay in the classroom. I am going to keep a binder of rubrics for the current unit we are working on, so that I can take notes on each kid prior to the summative assessment. Once the summative is given, the rubric I have been taking notes on all unit will be attached to their summative test, and the students will be able to see the results of the test when it is handed back to them. [I have to figure out a way to mark differently, how they performed in class vs. on the summative, but it will probably be a matter of colored ink.] Once we have gone over the summative test, students will get their folder and put their test in the brads, so it can easily be flipped through. Each folder will be stored in a filing cabinet or crate by me. The students can have copies of the rubrics if they wish, but the folder doesn't leave my room. This system will be extremely helpful when it is time for Parent-Teacher Conferences, or any other teacher-student conferences!
After lunch we talked about Differentiated Instruction and what that really looks like. We discussed how to differentiate many different topics/subjects by just making simple changes in the classroom.
Finally, we talked about Building Expectations. For the most part, this was all pretty self-explanatory. It was all good information to go over though since we've had stuff poured on us the past two days. My favorite way it was put yesterday was, "You are going to get sprayed with a fire hose." (This is EXACTLY correct!)
So that's the end of meetings, here's the fun stuff... none of this would have happened without the help of my mom, dad, grandma, and dear friends, V and Al.
This is my desk area. Right now, the top of my desk is bare, but it won't stay that way for long. I'm just not exactly sure how I want it set up. It is a wooden desk....can you tell? We put white contact paper over the top, then covered it with clear-matte contact paper. Hopefully I can use it as dry-erase! My grandma brought her iron and covered the desk with fabric for me. The fabric is attached with velcro! (The poster in the background is one of my favorites from high-school...do you know what it says?) Thanks to Dad for putting my chair together!
This is a desk/storage-thing that was left in the room. I don't think it was in a picture yesterday, but the sides are old wood panelling with shelves on the inside for storage. It was moved to this location this morning by our AMAZING custodial staff! Again, Grandma covered it with fabric. I can undo the velcro to get inside the 'curtain.' The 'bankers box' on top was a must-have for my classroom. I was trained to use it during student teaching, and I don't think I can function without it. It's a great way to organize turned-in student work and late work. Each hour has its own slot for each scenario. Thank you V for painting it black for me, so I didn't have to worry about the speckles!
These are some of the math posters that we posted around the room...I didn't really have a vision for them, but Mom did a great job with all of the posters!
I was in a HUGE rush to get to dinner for these pictures...but I thought they were all important. This was my first true Cricut project! I'm going to put the objectives and additional practice for each day in the corresponding section for that class.
For those of you that don't know, TUL, an OfficeMax brand, used to make magnetic erasers and markers...I have lots of both! One day this summer, my mom and I stumbled across them in the clearance section...I obviously took everything that was left. The label on the eraser is from my Lesson Planner. It came with a couple of name labels, my computer wasn't set up yet, so I couldn't print labels...that's what I came up with! The silver bin I got at The Container Store, because I didn't remember having a tray on the whiteboard.
You really can't tell what these are from the picture, but they are magnetic "push-pins." I love bulletin boards, and colored push pins...I don't have one in my room yet, hopefully it is coming, otherwise I will improvise! The magnets will do for now!
This might be my favorite part of my room, honestly. There is so much character in such a little area. First, the poster up top is another favorite from HS. That IS a coordinate plane chalkboard...I've never seen these before coming to this school, but I like the idea! My favorite part of the picture is the right side...excuse the stool. Let's zoom in...
Starting with the lower shelf...CRAFT SUPPLIES. Seriously, how many HS teachers do you know that have that many craft supplies? I do. I think it is important for students to be creative in what ever way they need to be so that they understand the material and can be successful. I have scissors, glue sticks, tape, rulers, compasses, colored pencils, thin markers and regular markers. Thanks Al, for helping me get these organized! The top shelf is my FAVORITE. Games, games, and more games. This was my favorite scavenger hunt of the summer. One of the teachers I had in HS had small games on her desk, and students loved it! If you got what you needed to get done done, you were able to take a mind break and play with any of the games that you were comfortable with. There are multiple wooden puzzles...some come apart easier than others...we learned from experience and accepted the challenge to put it back together so it could go on the shelf. I got all of the wooden games at World Market...on sale! A classic, the peg game, is sure to quickly create a sense of competitiveness between the kids. Mancala, another personal favorite, is less common, but full of critical thinking opportunities. Wooly Willy and Hair-do Harriet will be used for kids that just need a break! (Do kids even know what they are...?) The 2x2 Rubiks cube will prove to be more difficult than the normal 3x3...sadly, I know from experience. The las of the "old" games are the metal mind twisters... I can't wait to watch students attempt to conquer these! The rest of the games I got from mostly Mardel...I haven't played any of them, but they each have different levels of difficulty. They are: IQ Fit, Swish, Logic Links, IQ Link, IQ Twist, and Kanoodle.
I can't wait to hear the reactions of students when they find the games. I'm beginning to wonder if I should point them out, or let them discover them on their own.
We were given an hour and a half to work in our rooms and eat lunch (this may have been my most productive time between 8-3). I am really close with another new teacher and we discussed with another teacher how she has handled all of the paper work for SBG. For those of you that don't know, THERE IS A LOT of paperwork. But thankfully, we have a plan! (We've since decided each of our plans will be a little bit different because of content and how the rubrics work with our classes, but we're going to accomplish the same thing!) Each student is going to be asked to bring in a 2-pocket folder with brads that will stay in the classroom. I am going to keep a binder of rubrics for the current unit we are working on, so that I can take notes on each kid prior to the summative assessment. Once the summative is given, the rubric I have been taking notes on all unit will be attached to their summative test, and the students will be able to see the results of the test when it is handed back to them. [I have to figure out a way to mark differently, how they performed in class vs. on the summative, but it will probably be a matter of colored ink.] Once we have gone over the summative test, students will get their folder and put their test in the brads, so it can easily be flipped through. Each folder will be stored in a filing cabinet or crate by me. The students can have copies of the rubrics if they wish, but the folder doesn't leave my room. This system will be extremely helpful when it is time for Parent-Teacher Conferences, or any other teacher-student conferences!
After lunch we talked about Differentiated Instruction and what that really looks like. We discussed how to differentiate many different topics/subjects by just making simple changes in the classroom.
Finally, we talked about Building Expectations. For the most part, this was all pretty self-explanatory. It was all good information to go over though since we've had stuff poured on us the past two days. My favorite way it was put yesterday was, "You are going to get sprayed with a fire hose." (This is EXACTLY correct!)
So that's the end of meetings, here's the fun stuff... none of this would have happened without the help of my mom, dad, grandma, and dear friends, V and Al.
This is my desk area. Right now, the top of my desk is bare, but it won't stay that way for long. I'm just not exactly sure how I want it set up. It is a wooden desk....can you tell? We put white contact paper over the top, then covered it with clear-matte contact paper. Hopefully I can use it as dry-erase! My grandma brought her iron and covered the desk with fabric for me. The fabric is attached with velcro! (The poster in the background is one of my favorites from high-school...do you know what it says?) Thanks to Dad for putting my chair together!
This is a desk/storage-thing that was left in the room. I don't think it was in a picture yesterday, but the sides are old wood panelling with shelves on the inside for storage. It was moved to this location this morning by our AMAZING custodial staff! Again, Grandma covered it with fabric. I can undo the velcro to get inside the 'curtain.' The 'bankers box' on top was a must-have for my classroom. I was trained to use it during student teaching, and I don't think I can function without it. It's a great way to organize turned-in student work and late work. Each hour has its own slot for each scenario. Thank you V for painting it black for me, so I didn't have to worry about the speckles!
These are some of the math posters that we posted around the room...I didn't really have a vision for them, but Mom did a great job with all of the posters!
I was in a HUGE rush to get to dinner for these pictures...but I thought they were all important. This was my first true Cricut project! I'm going to put the objectives and additional practice for each day in the corresponding section for that class.
For those of you that don't know, TUL, an OfficeMax brand, used to make magnetic erasers and markers...I have lots of both! One day this summer, my mom and I stumbled across them in the clearance section...I obviously took everything that was left. The label on the eraser is from my Lesson Planner. It came with a couple of name labels, my computer wasn't set up yet, so I couldn't print labels...that's what I came up with! The silver bin I got at The Container Store, because I didn't remember having a tray on the whiteboard.
You really can't tell what these are from the picture, but they are magnetic "push-pins." I love bulletin boards, and colored push pins...I don't have one in my room yet, hopefully it is coming, otherwise I will improvise! The magnets will do for now!
This might be my favorite part of my room, honestly. There is so much character in such a little area. First, the poster up top is another favorite from HS. That IS a coordinate plane chalkboard...I've never seen these before coming to this school, but I like the idea! My favorite part of the picture is the right side...excuse the stool. Let's zoom in...
Starting with the lower shelf...CRAFT SUPPLIES. Seriously, how many HS teachers do you know that have that many craft supplies? I do. I think it is important for students to be creative in what ever way they need to be so that they understand the material and can be successful. I have scissors, glue sticks, tape, rulers, compasses, colored pencils, thin markers and regular markers. Thanks Al, for helping me get these organized! The top shelf is my FAVORITE. Games, games, and more games. This was my favorite scavenger hunt of the summer. One of the teachers I had in HS had small games on her desk, and students loved it! If you got what you needed to get done done, you were able to take a mind break and play with any of the games that you were comfortable with. There are multiple wooden puzzles...some come apart easier than others...we learned from experience and accepted the challenge to put it back together so it could go on the shelf. I got all of the wooden games at World Market...on sale! A classic, the peg game, is sure to quickly create a sense of competitiveness between the kids. Mancala, another personal favorite, is less common, but full of critical thinking opportunities. Wooly Willy and Hair-do Harriet will be used for kids that just need a break! (Do kids even know what they are...?) The 2x2 Rubiks cube will prove to be more difficult than the normal 3x3...sadly, I know from experience. The las of the "old" games are the metal mind twisters... I can't wait to watch students attempt to conquer these! The rest of the games I got from mostly Mardel...I haven't played any of them, but they each have different levels of difficulty. They are: IQ Fit, Swish, Logic Links, IQ Link, IQ Twist, and Kanoodle.
I can't wait to hear the reactions of students when they find the games. I'm beginning to wonder if I should point them out, or let them discover them on their own.
-Shelb
8.05.2013
JaDoF - Just a Day of Firsts
Today was a big day, the first day of teacher meetings for teachers that are new to the district. We spent time doing icebreakers with all of the new teachers in the district, then heard from administrators and teachers that are in charge of district-wide initiatives.
We played Quiz, Quiz, Trade (QQT) as an icebreaker. What a GREAT idea! QQT was actually not a first for me. I have used this game in the classroom a couple of times as a time filler, and as a review game. Students have a notecard or a sticky-note and write a question about the subject for their peers to answer. Students find a partner and ask their question, wait for an answer (Quiz), then the second partner asks their question and the first person answers (Quiz). Once each of the partners have asked their questions and received an answer, the notecards or sticky-notes are Traded, thus Quiz, Quiz, Trade! The students then find a new partner, and ask the new question. If students aren't quick to find partners, you can encourage them to raise their hands when they don't have a partner, so the activity is constantly moving forward.
We were asked to write down any question we wanted, we could make it as simple or complicated as we wanted. For example:
Today was the first day I realized how many different acronyms there are in education. As I was sitting in some of our meetings, it dawned on me that some of the people in the room might have no idea what was being talked about. It seems like for every initiative, there are multiple acronyms! Luckily, I have been exposed to them for awhile, so none of them threw me for a loop. Here are just a few: PLC, PDP, RtI, SBG, PBS, CCSS, NEE, 21CL, EOCs, AYP, ELA, IEP, NCLB, STEM, AP, BOE, CBA, FERPA, IDEA, ELT...okay, enough, I think you get the point. That alone is a little overwhelming. Needless to say, my planner is full of acronyms to make sure I don't get them confused...ever.
This afternoon, I took a little bit of time to get my room in some order, here are a few pictures of my room before I started
We played Quiz, Quiz, Trade (QQT) as an icebreaker. What a GREAT idea! QQT was actually not a first for me. I have used this game in the classroom a couple of times as a time filler, and as a review game. Students have a notecard or a sticky-note and write a question about the subject for their peers to answer. Students find a partner and ask their question, wait for an answer (Quiz), then the second partner asks their question and the first person answers (Quiz). Once each of the partners have asked their questions and received an answer, the notecards or sticky-notes are Traded, thus Quiz, Quiz, Trade! The students then find a new partner, and ask the new question. If students aren't quick to find partners, you can encourage them to raise their hands when they don't have a partner, so the activity is constantly moving forward.
We were asked to write down any question we wanted, we could make it as simple or complicated as we wanted. For example:
- If you could talk to any celebrity who would it be? Why?
- Where would you like to live when you retire?
- If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be?
- What is your favorite food to eat?
- Superman or Batman?
Today was the first day I realized how many different acronyms there are in education. As I was sitting in some of our meetings, it dawned on me that some of the people in the room might have no idea what was being talked about. It seems like for every initiative, there are multiple acronyms! Luckily, I have been exposed to them for awhile, so none of them threw me for a loop. Here are just a few: PLC, PDP, RtI, SBG, PBS, CCSS, NEE, 21CL, EOCs, AYP, ELA, IEP, NCLB, STEM, AP, BOE, CBA, FERPA, IDEA, ELT...okay, enough, I think you get the point. That alone is a little overwhelming. Needless to say, my planner is full of acronyms to make sure I don't get them confused...ever.
This afternoon, I took a little bit of time to get my room in some order, here are a few pictures of my room before I started
...stay tuned for Transformation Tuesday!
Shelby
Shelby
8.04.2013
I should be sleeping.
This is probably going to be a recurring theme throughout the school year.. the most productive time of day for me is after my bed time (no, I don't actually have a bed time).
I came home from work tonight and decided that I couldn't wait any longer to create my blog! So many of my friends are active in the "blogworld" and I've come across so many other teacher blogs recently via twitter!
Here is a little bit about me:
- I knew my blog title had to somehow be sports related.
- I grew up on the baseball field, so the Rookie theme was perfect!
- After all, it is going to be a year full of firsts!
- I love pink and green. (Even before I became a Delta Zeta!)
- I'm from a small town and wouldn't have it any other way.
- Friday Night Football is very important!
- I read twitter instead of books.
- I love the beach!! I got to go for the first time this summer!
- I enjoy playing volleyball.. I coach too!
- Both of my parents are teachers, neither in math!
- I'm still really close to quite a few of my high school friends...almost all of us went into education.
- I'm ecstatic that we are all starting this journey together!
- I'm not planning on my classroom looking like a high school classroom at all.
- I hate when desks are in rows. Students need to be in groups of 3 or more, if at all possible.
- Most of my decorations are very colorful. I do have tan walls, but hopefully there won't be much left of the walls once the decorating is done!
- I will post pictures soon!
- I love helping kids discover things, rather than just lecturing at them.
- I loved to color in high school...my students will have plenty of opportunities.
Shelby
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