Brain Based Teaching

Brain based teaching, isn't this what happens in all classrooms?  We teach information, the information enters their brains!  Done and done!  Of course we all know that brain based teaching is much more complicated than that.  Research into this area is more prevalent than ever before and as educators we need to take advantage of the knowledge available to us.  This knowledge can change our instruction and make it even more meaningful to our students.  While brain research is complicated (let's leave that to the experts), ways to apply this research in the classroom can be quite simple. 

Eight Brain Based Teaching Strategies
1.  Temperature
Keep the temperature in your classroom consistent.  The comfort zone is around 70.  Too hot temperatures can increase anxiety and aggression.  Too cold temperatures can be distracting.  As a teacher you can take off or put on a sweater to adjust your comfort level but the brains of your class need to be in the zone.
2   Bright Lighting
Maintain a consistent level of lighting all day.  The best light is natural daylight for serotonin production.  In the absence of that bright artificial lighting will help alertness.   (Disclaimer-flickering or humming florescent lights are not helpful.)
3.  Flexible Seating
Row seating helps student focus on the task at hand.  In fact, time on task dramatically increases when students are in rows.  However cooperative learning fosters discussion and interactive tasks.  Both of these are key in helping our students be successful.  The answer is to provide both types of seating.  Keep your floor plan flexible.
4.  Chunks
Keep your lessons mini!  Teach your mini-lesson, then give children the time to process the information.  Children need breaks and downtime for the brain to rest for the brain to recover.  If you teach too much content at once the student brain will overload and not retain anything.
5.  Intrinsic Motivation
There are many ways to work on building intrinsic motivation in your students.  One way is to give students choice.  Giving authentic choice to students helps provide power and authentic learning.  Providing choice is one of the hardest things for teachers to do at times, but it is necessary for your students to build autonomy.
6. Movement
Give students the opportunity to move around the room.  Take body breaks to increase the blood flow to the brain.  Allow students to stand occasionally for learning periods.  Incorporate physical rituals (cheers, chants, stretches, etc.).  Recess and physical education are both crucial ways to get movement in but it needs to be incorporated into the classroom as well. 
7.  Connections
Make learning personal for your students..  Use learning reflections, journals, letter writing, and share time to actively engage your learners.  Very often teachers  cut the "share" portion at the end of reading or writing workshop due to time constraints but the opportunity to share is often the most motivating.  Another tip is to connect the lesson to a current event or a real-life application.
8.  Presentation
Begin and end your lesson with the most important material that you want the students to take away.  Mix in music, videos, props to increase interest and engagement.  Boredom is actually a stressor for a child's brain.  Novelty boosts learning!


This is just a smattering of the available tips and advice that are out there regarding brain based learning.  It can be overwhelming to read through all the information, but I suggest you pick one place to start and gradually build upon that.  You don't need to be an expert in neuroscience to start shifting your classroom to be more brain based.  A little research and your class can start reaping the rewards this year!

A sample of websites:

Brain Based Learning
 
Edutopia Brain Based Resources

TeachThought 

 A sample of recommended books:









 

Active Engagement Strategies

I read this powerful statistic excerpt on Edutopia recently:

"In his book Results Now, Dr. Michael Schmoker shares a powerful study.  Of 1,500 classrooms visited, 85 percent of them had engaged less than 50 percent of the students.  In other words, only 15 percent of the classrooms had more than half of the class paying attention to the lesson."

My first reaction was WOW!  That is a very small percentage of students!  How does this affect their learning?  It doesn't take a PhD to realize this is not good for growth, not good at all.

Active engagement is students actively participating in meaningful and authentic learning.  It's not easy to structure every single part of your day so every single student is actively engaged!  But try we must!  You'll find that introducing some simple strategies to involve all students will create a base that you can build on. 

*Set reasonable rules and routines for your classroom.  (Think like Goldilocks-not too many rules, not too few rules, just the right amount for your age level.)  In establishing rules and routines keep them realistic. Explicitly teach the rules and routines, over and over again if necessary.  Without a good management system you will not be able to keep the kids actively engaged.

*Design your lessons around a gradual release model.  Don't lecture and then expect your students to go out and work independently immediately.  Your struggling students will give up as soon as you start talking.

Doug Fisher explains Gradual Release

*Keep your mini-lessons brief.  Remember the capacity to pay attention is around 1 minute for each year (10 year old=10 minutes).  Start with a very brief review of yesterday's lesson.  Give students a relateable meaningful reason why you are teaching that skill.  Deliver your lesson at a brisk pace.  Always end the lesson with a link to their independent work.

*Use think-pair-share.  This is my number one go-to for getting kids to participate.  Depending on your class you may want to designate partner #1 and partner #2.  Then you can start a question or command with "Partner #1 turn and tell Partner #2...".  This will make sure you don't have one student dominating the conversation.

Think-Pair-Share

*Active Reading-Don't round robin (or popcorn)!  Instead try one of these:
echo reading
choral reading
cloze reading
partner reading
whisper reading
jigsaw reading (content)
stop and think reading
teacher reading
switch-off reading

A great resource book:








 *Use collaborative groups whenever possible. Some group tips:

• establish a variety of grouping choices for different activities
• keep size small
• use consistently
• have individual and group expectations (and explicitly teach them)

This is just a small sampling of the many techniques and activities out there that can keep your students actively engaged.  Remember-don't overwhelm yourself!  Start with a few strategies, and once those have been solidified with your class, add more. You'll find yourself an active engagement pro in no time!

Students in Poverty

Last week some of our staff went through a very intense training on students living in poverty.  It was definitely a "head nodding" two days as I could relate to many of the things being presented.  My buildings have around 55% of our students receiving free and reduced lunch.  The gaps between the "haves and have-nots" is painfully obvious.  I know this, especially, because I work primarily with the at-risk population.  But I had to ask myself "do I remember every day that these children are living in poverty"?

You see I've read many books on the topic.  My heart melts for these children.  The empathy I have is never ending.  However was this impacting my teaching and interactions on a daily basis?  Raw honesty says I was probably not conscious of it every day.  That's not good enough because, quite frankly, these kids need me to be every day!

Some things we need to do for all students but especially our most needy:
1.  Form strong relationships built on respect.

• More rapport=more motivation for learning 
• Respect is not only verbal but non-verbal.  Think about your body language and facial expressions.
• Provide structure, consistency, and support

2.  Teach the hidden rules of school.

•  Personal space, privacy, level of voice, apologies, courtesies, promises 
• Not knowing the hidden rules of school can make school very difficult for a child
• Don't assume students know them.  They may not be taught or modeled at home.  It's up to us!

3.  Teach students how to plan.

• Use/model planning behaviors (color coding, checklists, written steps)
• If you don't plan you can't predict what will happen.  It's impossible to see the cause-effect if you can't predict.

4.  Think about the voice used when speaking to students. 

• Non-judgmental, factual, positive
• Look at the student as a participant in the conversation

5.  Teach using models

• pictures, sketching, two-dimensional model
• stories, analogies, metaphors

6.  Get to know the family resources and dynamics. 

• What truly is going on at home?  Addiction?  Mental illness?  Violence?  Neglect?  Can we help?  If we can't help out of school what can we do in school for the child?
• Be open and welcoming to the families.  Bend over backwards to get them involved.  Make a positive contact right away (in person, by phone, note) to build rapport.  Make school a positive experience for them.  It probably was not when they were growing up.

It's our job to help all children build their emotional resources.  You may have gone into teaching thinking you would have to teach school subjects.  Surprise!  That may be the least of what you're teaching.  You're truly teaching life skills.  For some of our students this instruction might be the difference between being stuck in the cycle of poverty or escaping.

A sampling or resources for meeting the needs of our children in poverty:

Eric Jensen has several books out there with a heavy emphasis on brain research.
Eric Jensen Website



 

Ruby Payne also has a great deal of information for educators.
Ruby Payne Website

Leadership Lessons

This week I have the pleasure of working as a facilitator at the MiELA Network's Professional Learning for Literacy Leaders Conference.  There are so many amazing things going on at this conference including exciting keynotes, grade level break outs, and encore "after conference" sessions.  Trust me, check out their website below for more information.

MiELA Website

Apparently, since I am a facilitator at this conference, I am considered a literacy leader.  Seems like a daunting title.  I definitely approached this week with nervousness and intrepedation.  Do they really need me?   What in the world could I teach people?  There won't be an evaluation at the end will there?  As I stood in the room of the breakout session of second grade teachers it hit me, I wasn't there to lead them, I was there to work with them.  We are all learning from each other.  Each person has a different story, classroom experience, tip, or frustration to share.  Our knowledge of writing workshop is all over the map.  Our districts are all over the mitten (Michigan reference).  Our teaching experience ranged from newbie to salty old dog.  It makes no difference because we are all here to learn more about writing, writing workshop, and the MAISA writing units.  Bottom line, we are all here to figure out together "what's best for our kids"!

To be in such a unique professional learning community is inspiring and encouraging.  You may not feel that is within your reach but it is.  There are many ways to stay in touch with other educators to keep that "great workshop buzz" feeling all year long.


Twitter
Explore the world of Twitter.  You can connect with educators all over the world.  Tweet an education question to the "Twitter World" and get answers from all over.  Many of your favorite educational gurus are on Twitter as well.  You can read their snippets of wisdom and be inspired daily.

Adobe Connect or Google +
Set up a group of like minded educators on Adobe Connect of Google +.  This will enable you to keep in touch after a conference throughout the year.  So beneficial if you are implementing a new practice or the only educator trying something in your building.  Share your questions, celebrations, and frustrations from the comfort of your living room!

Blogs
Become a blog reader.  This link will take you to a list of excellent educational blogs but there are so many more out there.  A blog is a great way to stay up to the mind on educational practices.  Again there is often that interactive piece; post a question or comment and you will most likely get a response.

Pro Teacher Forum or A-Z Forum
Try out a forum if you prefer a more anonymous experience.  Read boards and learn from other people's experiences.  Post questions are receive help almost instantly.  Forums are great ways to get topic or grade level specific.


This week makes me aware that we can't thrive as a teacher alone.  We need communities to talk, collaborate, and express ourselves with.  If you don't have that in your school hallway or building get out and find yourself a professional learning community.  They are out there waiting for you! So I suppose I am a literacy leader, but so is each and every person in Room 204 (and 203, and 201, etc., etc.) but we need each other to reach our full potential.  And to help our students reach theirs!

If you are nervous or intimidated about being a leader, hopefully this video will inspire you...
Leadership Lessons

Real Reading Real Work

When was the last time you picked up an anthology to read at home?  (What's that you say?  Never.)

What day last week did you choose to do a worksheet to practice something you had learned?  (That's what I thought!)

If we, as adults, would not choose these two "literacy" activities, how do we expect our students to become engaged with them.  Are we practicing a "do as I say, not as I do" type of teaching?  It's time to make reading more meaningful for our class.  Step away from the basal, back off the worksheets and inject some real reading into your reading class!

*Let your students read "real" books.  Get them book baskets, tubs, bags, etc. and let them select good fit books to go in them.  Your students will be excited to have choice.  Give them time every day to read, read, read.  In fact maximize their reading by training them to pick up a book when they free time at school.  (I say train them because most will not inherently pick up a book from the get-go, you will have to model and set the procedures.)  Ditch the warm-ups and fillers for reading real books.  Stop putting up walls of "what to do when you are finished" ideas and have them read.  Think of how many more minutes of reading your class could squeeze in each day if you did this!

Ways to get books to your kids...

*Incorporate different types of reading into your room.  (Internet articles, newspapers, magazines, comics, cartoons, anime, kid created work, etc.)  Think of it as a buffet, and what child doesn't get excited by a buffet-all those choices!

Article a Day resource

*Stop beating them over the head with the basal.  I realize some districts require the use of basal but be selective when using it.  Pick out the best stories to teach the most relevant strategies for your class.  Do not do every page, do not ask every recommended question, do not do all those worksheets!  If you teach a strategy using the basal, have them practice the strategy with a book of their choice.  The goal should for all should be practical application.

Basal Programs

*Incorporate reading clubs.  Reading clubs are for students at or near the same level, who share the similar interests.  Reading clubs are different than book clubs in that students may or may not read the same exact text.  Children collaborate together on the work and spend time discussing the reading material.  The teacher spends time conferring with groups or partnerships to get a real glimpse at comprehension.



*Make your assessment formative and applicable.  The purpose of formative instruction is to quickly assess, get immediate feedback, and adjust instruction accordingly.  Formative assessment is meant to encourage students to apply, analyze, and think critically about the material.  A fill-in the blank worksheet does not accomplish the same thing!  For examples of formative assessment check out the links below:

Examples of Formative Assessment
Samples of Formative Assessment
NWEA-Formative Assessment Ideas

Reading is fun when reading is real to children.  After all our ultimate goal is to create lifelong learners and deep thinkers. 

Talking, Talking, Comprehending?

This past weekend was the annual Michigan Reading Association Conference.  Several days of action and information packed sessions from Peter Johnston to Doug Fisher to our own regional experts.  Having attended twelve sessions over two days it was clear that a common theme was wound through every session.  Children need to talk to comprehend.

Do you like the sound of your own voice?  This is a facetious question but most educators are used to being the center of attention.  We became teachers because we like to talk, we like to help, and we like to take charge.  These are all excellent qualities in an educator.  Are we doing too much of the talking and taking charge in our classrooms (thinking we are helping)?  If so, it's time to turn things over to the kids.  They need to talk to comprehend.  Here are some simple ways to incorporate:

1.  Establish think, pair, share partnerships.  Whether your students are on the carpet or at their seats, they should always have someone to turn and talk to.  I like to make one partner #1 and the other #2.  It's easy to say "1s tell 2s what your prediction is" or "2s explain to 1s what you think the meaning of that word is".  Everyone gets to participate throughout the discussion (even the fly under the radar kids).

2.  Don't skip the share!  Too often in reading and writing workshop, when time has to be trimmed, we skip the sharing.  This is so important and it is how kids build those crucial reflection skills.  Make time for your kids to share their reading and writing whether it's whole group, small group, triads, or partners.  You might even mix it up (that's what I call three ring circus).

3. Let students be the models.  If we always stand up and explain everything it may seem out of reach to some of our students.  Children in your classroom can take an active role in explaining things, whether it be rules and procedures, assignment directions, or the meaning of a word.  Give an opportunity to your students for them to be the expert.

4.  Create reading clubs.  Allow kids to get together and share what they are reading, what skills they are using, and reflect on their choices.  Reading clubs are different than book clubs in that everyone may bring a different book to share.  If your classroom is following Daily 5 this is an excellent chance for them to model to the group their selected strategy from the CAFE Menu.


Below are some resources that give even more detailed ideas in how to incorporate talk in your classroom to enhance comprehension:

Mid Year's Resolutions

January is met with a different perspective from a teacher viewpoint.  While it is a NEW YEAR for everyone else, it marks the halfway point in our school year.  It's a time to reflect back on how much your class has grown, ponder what they still need to learn, and map out the rest of the year.  In the spirit of New Year's Resolutions I've compiled some Mid Year's Resolutions for teachers.

1.  Reteach classroom behavior expectations after break.  Think of how undisciplined you become over break (stay up late, sleep in, cut loose, etc.), kids are the same way.  Just like it takes us time to get back in our routine as adults, it takes time for the children too.  Spend time when you get back going over all the routines and expectations and it will pay off.

2.  Model, model, model.  Give the students a chance to model read to self, writing workshop, math games, etc. for their classmates.  Involve them more in behavior and academic expectations.  Positive reinforcement works wonders, let the kids shine.

3.  Offer choice to your class.  If you have been having a hard time letting go (are there any teachers out there who don't have some control freak issues?) try to offer choice in at least one area.  Gradual release of responsibility is important as we are trying to grow independent thinkers.  Start offering some learning choices.  Your class will not get out of control and the kids will still learn!

4.  Rethink "warm-up activities" or "after you finish work".  Are your students really learning something from such activities?  Are they learning it with any permanence?   Or is this just a means of keeping them busy while you accomplish other things?  Think about having them read during transitions/downtime.  (They could even choose what to read-see #3.)  You could add 20-30 minutes of additional reading to each day by simply eliminating the busy work.

5.  Un-fluff your lesson plans.  Time is a huge constraint in teaching.  How do we fit it all in?  Really examine your lesson plans and see if there are activities in there that are not relevant.    Occasionally we go overboard trying to make learning "fun" for the students with all sorts of fanfare, special projects, lengthy thematic units, and special days.  This just stresses us out as teachers too.  Think about what your students really need to be successful learners and competent students and trim the fluff.

6.  Go deep, not wide.  We hear this a lot with the CCSS!  Look at your math program, reading series, etc. next to the CC standards and pick out what is most important.  Better yet work as a grade level team to decide where the focus needs to be.  Pull in all that data that you have gathered, that oftentimes gathers dust, and really did into what your class needs.  If they have mastered a skill-move on!  You can't teach it all so figure out what are the non-negotiables.

7.  Reflect on how the year has gone so far.  Think about the growth of your class.  Examine your benchmark data.  Look into yourself to dissect what has gone well and what has gone wrong.  You are only half-way through the year.  Things can change!  You steer the boat!

8.  Visit another classroom.  Check out the grade above or below you.  It's easy to get in a bubble but seeing another teacher at work is one of the most valuable forms of professional development.

9.  Read a professional book, article, or blog.  After a teacher has been teaching awhile it is easy to get in a rut.  Reading something professionally reminds us what it's like to be a learner.  We are so busy directing the learning that it is sometimes hard for us to sit back and take in something new, let alone apply it.  Yet we expect our students to do that everyday!  Ask around for a professional book recommendation.  There are so many wonderful readable resources out there (not the 600+ page education pedagogy tomes you lugged around in college).  It may spark in you the need for a change or it could be the affirmation you needed that you are on the right course.  If you are commitment phobic pick up an educational journal or follow an educational blogger.  Prefer an even more rapid form of professional development?  Get on Twitter where there are thousands and thousands of educators tweeting professional wisdom every second!


10.  Pick one thing you want to change for next year!  As you are reflecting on the year so far, think about what you would do different next year.  To make effective changes a solid plan needs to be in place.  This takes time.  We often get inspiration over the summer when we are feeling refreshed. But when the beginning of the school year gets overwhelming our best intentions fall apart.  Think about what you will do differently in September now, map it out, test out snippets, lay groundwork.  It's easier to troubleshoot new programs, routines, and curriculum changes when you have a real class in front of you.  Come summer you can dive in full force and create your plan.  Get your grunt work done before September and your implementation will go smoother (stress levels will be lower too).

Mid-winter break will be here before you know it!

Keeping It Mini

Also known as short, tiny, brief, concise (but still powerful) lessons!

There are two qualities that the majority of teachers I know share:  the desire to help children and the desire to talk.  Have you ever been in a room full of teachers?  It is not quiet!  We just can't help ourselves.  Therefore it only makes sense that we would have a tendency to sometimes go on too long during a lesson.  After all we want to help our students.  We want to make sure they understand.  It's easy to fall into the trap of "just one".  Just one more example...  Just one more story...  Just one more problem...  Just one more explanation...  I know they will get it this time!  The trouble is we have just pushed the kids beyond their capacity to retain what we said. 

It's important for us to keep our lessons mini.  Brain research shows that the age of the child is equal to the amount of minutes they can maintain attention.  That means a five year old can focus for five minutes, a ten year old for ten minutes, etc..  (I'm forty-two which means I should be able to focus for forty-two minutes right?  Actually research is showing, regardless of age, ten minutes is the threshold without brain and body breaks!)

Think of it as a challenge!  How could you chunk instruction into shorter segments so students can retain and sustain their learning?

Some Ideas

*Keep your lessons brief and to the point.  Pick one skill to focus on.

*Switch your position in the room or the position of the students.  Move the whole class from the carpet to their desks, move from the whiteboard to the document camera, have students swivel facing front to facing back, etc..

*Use the think, pair, share strategy to give everyone a chance to share without adding length to the lesson having students respond one-by-one..

*Don't be afraid to stop for a brain or body break.  If you feel like your class is losing attention, they are.  If you think they are still learning, they are not.

*When they have reached their learning maximum release them for some independent practice, bring them back together to extend or revisit the skill.  

*A specific skill or strategy may be taught as a mini-lesson over several days.  No one expects you to teach inference in one day, in one lesson, and never discuss it again!  Don't be afraid to stretch it out.

Mini Lesson Outline

1. Name the concept or skill being taught

2.  Teacher Modeling

3.  Guided practice as a class

4.  More examples/discussion

5.  Review what was taught (circle back to #1)

 

Bonus Tip:  If you are stuck about what to confer with individual students about, touch on the strategy that was just taught in the mini-lesson.  This will give you an idea of whether or not it stuck!

Example of a Mini-Lesson Template

Another Template

Mini-Lesson Example

Whole Brain Teaching Video (If you search "whole brain teaching" on You Tube you will find dozens of powerful examples.)

Brain Breaks

Brain Breaks on Pinterest

What I Learned from Gail and Joan

A few weeks ago I had the privilege to attend a two day Daily Five/CAFE workshop with Gail and Joan.  I need to point out that I am no stranger to them.  I've attended their workshops before and listened to them speak at the MRA (Michigan Reading Association).  Their books-I've read.  Their DVDs-I've watched.  Their website-I'm a member.  Their Tip of the Week email-I get it!  Why am I such a fan?  Three magic words-authentic reading and writing!  How can a teacher not love to see their students participating daily in authentic reading and writing?  Even being a self-professed Daily 5 geek, I still learned a great deal from this workshop.  I'm going to share here just a few of the tidbits I gleaned from those wonderful two days.

-Add "bathroom stamina" to your charts!

-3 Rounds per day (Kindergarten and Intermediate-2 rounds)

-Don't have the children "brainstorm" when creating your I Chart.  Just label it.  You may have to create the I Chart in two separate sessions based on children's stamina.

-Teach the 10 Steps to Teaching and Learning Independence in chunks.  3-4 different times throughout the day to fill up the chart.  It is too much for student's to digest at one time!

-Age of child=number of minutes of direct instruction.  (This stops at 10 minutes.)

-Ask your Media Specialist to teach the Good Fit, I PICK book lessons in the library as well.

-Model the strategy "go back and reread books in your box when you are done".

-Read to Someone is last to be taught

-Fluent readers are 5-7 words ahead in their brains of their voice!

-Leveled classroom libraries are discouraged.  Leveling systems are for teachers not students.

-Reading level is not the primary determinate for placing students into a group-it's the skill needed!

I could go on and on and on.  Everything they said was spot on and they have the research to prove it.  In the classrooms I visit throughout my district I see powerful results of Daily 5 implementation as well.  It's hard to argue with kids reading and writing everyday!

 

"The person in the room that does the most work does the most learning."

I'm a Reluctant Reader!

Perhaps I should start as I WAS a reluctant reader.  Or maybe reluctant is the word that doesn't fit, it should be I was a stressed-out, busy, stretched-too-thin reader.  Summer is typically when I dive into books, books, and more books.  Reading is my favorite pass time and I read each day.  In the summer I love to tackle heavy books ("East of Eden", "Mayflower", "Jane Eyre", etc.) that I might not have time for during the school year.

This summer however life was frantic.  Besides taking care of my three boys, we remodeled our house, sold it (twice), packed up the entire thing and moved.  I just was too warn out to go serious with my reading.  I wanted lighthearted and fun.  I did not want to back up and reread!  I did not want to sketch a map of characters in the back cover.  I wanted brain candy!  So I spent a great deal of time this summer reading magazines, articles online, and fluffy books.  So while I was reluctant to tackle a 600+ page novel, I did not give up reading.  I adjusted my style.

Many of our students are reluctant readers.  Is our goal as educators to get them to read OR to get them to read what we deem worthy?  I firmly believe we need to let our students read whatever they like as long as they are READING!  Yes we can introduce them to classics.  Yes we should read aloud books of quality.  Of course we need to pack our bookshelves full of as many choices as possible.  But sometimes a kid, and an adult, just wants a little brain candy!

Below is a sampling of books for reluctant readers:

"Fly Guy" Series by Tedd Arnold
"Don't Let the Pigeon..." Series by Mo Willems
"Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa" Series by Erica Silverman
"Daisy Dawson" Series by Steve Voake
"Cinderella Smith" Series by Stephanie Barden
"Stink" Series by Megan McDonald
"My Weird School" Series by Dan Gutman
"Captain Underpants" Series by Dav Pilkey
"How to Train Your Dragon" Series by Cressida Cowell
"Ramona" Series by Beverly Cleary
"Fudge" Series by Judy Blume
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" Series by Jeff Kinney
"NERDS" Series by Michael Buckley
"39 Clues" Series by various authors

I realize that all of these are series books and there is a reason behind it!  Reluctant readers love series books because they do not have to start from scratch each time they start a new book.  The characters, setting, format are usually quite similar.  This can be a life saver for a struggling reader.  My goal is to get them reading now so they can love it their whole lives!

Common Core Conundrum

Lately it seems that the majority of my work focuses on the Common Core Standards (you may have heard of them).  There is always some trepediation when a seemingly huge shift is about to happen.  Eyes glaze over, faces go blank. and heads tilt to the side in that "really another change" stare.  Currently we are in the process of developing an implementation plan to get our teachers ready for this new challenge. 

We have had standards in Michigan for years (GLCEs) and I can honestly say, on the surface, the CCSS seem much more compact and meaningful than what we have had in Michigan.  During our first meeting we spent time discussing the shifts, each ELA standard, and finally focusing on writing.  There was a measurable wave of relief as we worked our way through the standards.  The teachers know that they can do this and do this well!

As with anything new, products will follow.  I noticed at MRA that there are many companies touting "Common Core Aligned" for many of their products and textbooks.  Wow that was fast!  I'll proceed with caution regarding these endorsements but I will say I have seen some quality information and books out there.  Whether they are good solid retools of old favorites or new insights into what is on the horizon, they offer valid ideas!












Common Core Shifts...

First Focus-MAISA writing units.

Learning Targets and I Can statements

It seems as if every state is jumping on the CCSS bandwagon as well by putting out their own documents.

Ohio

North Carolina

Kentucky

Back to the title of my post the conundrum, I feel, will lie in the assessment piece that is coming down the road.  There will be no tears shed by Michigan educators when the MEAP test is retired but how will the new assessment affect us all.  How this puzzle piece fits with our newly adopted standards remains to be seen.

Might As Well Face It (I'm addicted to books)

The words have changed slightly from the Robert Palmer hit song of my youth but the message is similar!After coming home from the recent MRA (Michigan Reading Association) conference, I realized I had a problem.  My back was aching, my bag was ripping, and a smile was spreading across my face.  I had just acquired the above books hoping to inspire myself and the teachers I work with. The conference was filled with wonderful speakers sharing best practices and innovative ways to reach children.  When a book is touted by an educator I admire, I can't help myself, I must have it!  As I stacked them all up I concluded I had given myself a massive reading assignment.  Looking at my new books made me think nostagically about some of the author/educators and titles that have inspired my teaching through the years.  This blog is about some of those books!



In the past few months I have read The Ten Things Every Writer Needs to Know and Everyday Editing.  These are absolute musts if you are teaching kids to write.  Everday Editing will help you understand why DOL is DOA.  The Ten Things will give you relevant methods and examples to bring writing to life for your students.

 

Are you curious why many kids hate to read?  These books will give you motivation to turn things around for the readers in your class.  Choice is important!   Teachers like control but sometimes we need to loosen the reins and let kids read what they want to read.

 

Richard Allington has such wise advice that he backs up with research, powerful reseach.  His What Really Matters series explains,analyzes, and dissects many reading topics that sometimes baffle us as educators.  The best part is he always puts the puzzle back together by giving realistic and timely recommendations to improve instruction.



The writing in this comprehension guide is direct and meaningful.  As soon as a teacher sets it down, they can literally walk into the classroom and put the ideas immediately into practice.  Miller will show you how to build thoughtful and strategic readers.

 

These two slim books are jam packed with useful mini lessons for a reader and writer notebook.  If you haven't used notebooks with your students these books will encourage and guide you in starting.  The tips and plans will help you effortless add substance to your literacy block.

What I truly love about the above books is that they are practical, timely, and classic.  Not one of the above books will require a dictionary by your side.  You will not be bogged down in statistic after statistic.  You will not be bombarded with suggestions that seem impossible.  Did I mention that they are all thin?  You will not find a recommendation of 400+ pages (in a font size 10 no less) here!  I am all about useful recommendations.

These are just some of the career altering books I recommend.  I have cabinets full of even more (please don't report me to the show Hoarders) but I wanted to start small and simple.  If you have a recommendation I would love to hear it.  Perhaps some of my newly purchased books will be added to my favorites soon!

Fluency is the ability to read smoothly, easily, or readily.

(Please read that as fast as you can, three times, while I time you!)

Aha! You probably went back and read the title again! If you did this is one of the best ways to build fluency in children-rereading. There are many other ways to help your students gain fluency in their reading.

-partner reading
-rereading familiar stories or passages
-choral reading with the teacher
-poetry, songs, nursery rhymes
-build fluency with books at their independent level (not instructional, certainly not frustration)
-readers theater
-practice phrases (not words in isolation)
-read along with a tape
-use whisper phones


Do your students know what fluency is? They may think they that it has something to do with a timer and a cold reading but that is not fluency. Fluency is automatic, expressive, and accurate reading. (Thank you ,Tim Razinski PhD, for this simple explanation). To many children fluency is reading FAST. It’s up to us to explain, and model, what fluency is!

-record your students reading, let them listen to themselves (Audacity is a great program for this!)
-model fluent reading for your students
-explain that reading “sounds like a conversation”
-show them examples of fast reading with no expression, etc. so they can see that fluency is not just speed
-when choral reading, echo reading, or reading along with a CD show students what it means to match their voice

Fluency is such an important skill. It may at times get a bad rap because it is connected with timed testing. (Our district uses DIBELS. It’s a countywide mandate as well as a MiBlSi mandate.) But when you think about the components of reading words automatically, showing appropriate expression, and going at the right pace to read words right; it’s a no-brainer! Just as any skill we need to model it and teach it to our students!

Here are just some of the resources available to put fluency instruction into your daily practice:

Fluency Phrases
Reading A-Z has poetry, fluency passages, and nursery rhymes
Partner Read/Read to Someone Lesson
Poetry for Kids
Children's Poetry Archive

Why I love Daily 5...

As I cruise through the two buildings I work in, I love to peek my head inside doors to see Daily 5 in action. You see my role encompasses all things Title I, but I don’t actually have my own classroom of students. Our district became interested in Daily 5 about three years ago, at that point I was out of my own classroom and into my consulting role. I excitedly participated in reading the books, visiting other districts, and helping the teachers research. Last year they dove in headfirst and WOW I am so impressed. The authentic reading, increased stamina, and student conferring just brings a smile to my face. Of course I can’t forget the data-the data is great! We all know that for better, or worse, data is what people look for.
Along the way, there have been bumps in the road. How can we fit in all 5? (We can’t, we get in three.) Where will we get the word work materials? (We get creative and tap every funding resource we can.) My listening center is toast! (We write grants for MP3s, burn CDs, use Audacity, etc…) They will never sit still and read. (They do, we’ve proven it. We have classrooms with 30-40 minutes of stamina!) What about my behavior issue child? (Barometer children; we’ve brainstormed and collaborated as a staff to work this out and share possible solutions.) Our Daily 5 isn’t perfect but it is oh so good…
Students are in good fit books, reading at their level, for a good portion of the day!
Teachers know their students better than ever by conferring.
Authentic work (not busy work) is being done by students, whether it is word work or work on writing.
Our data is growing stronger.
Children are showing a love of reading!The last reason is so important to me! The teachers I work with have noticed this too. We all know, to get better at an activity we need to practice. For a child to become a better reader, they need to read more. We know this as teachers, but amazingly, it doesn’t always happen in our classrooms. When I peak into a Daily 5 room I see kids reading, authentic meaningful reading. I know they will become better readers for it!

Daily 5 Resources:

The Daily 5/Cafe Site
Mrs. Maiolo's 2nd Grade Website
Daily 5 Pinterest Board
Daily 5 Literacy Connections
Daily 5 Youtube Videos
Awesome Resource Page of Ideas

There are many, many others available!  If you are interested in, or fine tuning, the Daily 5, there are also Wikis, online bulletin boards, chat rooms, Pinterest boards, and Twitter!  So many answers out there, so many resources to tap into, you don't have to go it alone!

My number one suggestion is to visit a Daily 5 room and see for yourself.  There is nothing as amazing (not even the smell of new school supplies)!

Round Robin Reading is Dead! (Or it should be....)

I'm always shocked by the number of classrooms that still use round robin reading as a tool. On the other hand I realize why teachers stick with this tired, and proven to be ineffective, method.

1. We genuinely want to listen to all of our students read aloud. Fluency is important. Accuracy, automaticity, and prosody are necessary.

2. Lesson planning is challenging and time consuming work. Teachers need to cover the standards, develop relevant ideas in all subject areas, prepare for standardized testing, and make everything exciting. Sometimes we just need to have an easy way to read that material whole group.

3. It's what we grew up with and we turned out okay!

Let's blow these thoughts out of the water! First, round robin reading is not going to improve fluency. If I dedicate twenty minutes to round robin reading, my struggling reader may read aloud one minute of that. Instead of listening to the material the other nineteen minutes, that struggling reader has been panicked about the upcoming turn, or same struggling reader has tuned out because their turn has been completed. Second, it sometimes can be tiring thinking of one more way to get content across, while providing relevant reading practice. I’m going to give you some alternatives at the end of this post. Finally, I did participate in round robin reading and survived. I’m an excellent reader. (I even have old report cards to prove it.) Of course, there was little difference between myself and the struggling reader during round robin reading. While waiting for my turn, I strategically figured out when I would read. After my turn I tuned the others out and either read ahead or daydreamed. Below I’ve listed some resources to get this out of your classroom. Please get rid of this “worst practice”. This is one robin you have permission to eliminate!

Echo Reading
Partner Reading
Jigsaw Reading
Shared Reading
Choral Reading
Silent Reading (IF the material is at or below their reading level!)
Guided Small Group Reading
Whisper Reading
Recorded Texts
Read Aloud
Readers Theater
Reading Conference
Trio Reading
　
Recommended Reading:

New Year, New Me, New Books

A startling revelation hit me last night as I prepared myself to go back to work. I had not read one book over Christmas break (two weeks mind you) for pure pleasure. Oh I had read definitely. There were back issues of The Reading Teacher to catch up on. I devoured several educational books including What Really Matters for Struggling Readers and Everyday Editing. Being a literacy education geek, these books were fascinating and fun. However, I worried that I was loosing my reading mojo.

Since the beginning of the 2011-12 school year I have read, read, and read books, magazines, articles, websites, and even tweets all centered on education. I’ve stretched my beliefs, expanded my thoughts, and broadened my education network. This is awesome! I love my job! I love learning! But there was something missing. That feeling of settling in with a book, and only a book. That’s right-no highlighter, no pen and paper for notes, and no bending of pages because I just have to show my coworker what I discovered Monday morning.

I spend so much time as a literacy educator thinking of ways to entice children into reading, ignite their passion for books, turn them into lifelong readers. Almost half of all Americans NEVER read for fun! (Scary statistical stuff!) Modeling for my students is key but I had lost balance in my own reading life. So my New Year resolution is to add some frivolous books into my mix. I’m going to get lost in a story. I’m going to cozy up in a chair with a book I can’t put down. I’m going to storm the library looking for titles to add to my repertoire. Perhaps I will even get invited back to my book club (because I’m reading things that don’t need teacher lingo translations)! New Year, New Books, New Me!

My Will-Read List:
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Foer
Catherine the Great by Robert Massie
The Sisters by Nancy Jensen
Blood, Bones, and Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton
The Tiger’s Wife by Tea Obreht

Of course, because I am still an eduwonk at heart, these titles as well:
10 Things Every Writer Needs to Know by Jeff Anderson
Comprehension Going Forward by Various Authors
Catching Readers by Barbara Taylor
Cognitive Coaching: A Foundation for Renaissance Schools by Arthur Costa
Enhancing RTI by Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey