My co-teacher & I are working on narrative writing. The students are writing short stories set during feudalism with 2 characters & dialogue. Among other things, we're working on using more interesting words than "said" and "asked" throughout the whole story. To aid in this, I made sticky notes with synonyms for each word.
Sticky notes?!
Yep, I found Post It Note / Sticky Note Template for free on Teachers Pay Teachers. Go there, down load it and print away!!
Monday, October 20, 2014
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Reading Comprehension Progress Monitoring
A big part of being a Special Educator is identifying specific areas for student growth, designating annual goals for those growth areas and then monitoring student progress throughout the year.
One of the big challenges for me as I start this year is figuring out how to monitor student's progress in a way that doesn't take them away from the regular educational progress in the classroom. In a typical Special Education-only setting, we would do weekly monitoring with quick assessments. I haven't figured out a great way to do this without interrupting their time in the Gen Ed classroom or really calling "them" (the Special Ed students) out as different. All along, I've been delivering additional or supplemental instruction to small groups but this hasn't been only for Special Ed students.
My co-teacher and I decided that we would just monitor all the students. We have a large percentage of students (about 50%) who didn't pass their grade level reading assessment at the start of the year. This means we are providing additional reading comprehension instruction to the whole class and would like to see more students passing at the end of the year. (Reading fluency instruction has been harder to deliver and is an area I need to develop and QUICKLY!)
So, Friday, I instructed the students in 2 test-taking / reading comprehension strategies and gave them all a below-grade level reading passage with multiple choice questions. I told them we'd be working on these weekly as "test prep" (similarly, we do weekly analogy practice). The steps they were to follow were: 1) Read the questions. 2) Read the passage. 3) Eliminate any wrong answers. 4) Choose the best answer. Pretty basic stuff, but we're just getting started.
These 7th graders have done some pretty high-level reading already this year ~ and have The Odyssey in store for later in the year! So, I was expecting someone to say, "This is so easy!" But no one did, thank you, kids! I think the results will yield good information for many students.
As the year progresses, I plan to provide additional strategy instruction that we can use in other reading settings, not just "test prep." Also, I will eventually level the passages based on how students are doing.
Success story: One non-Special Ed student rushed through and was the first one done. I checked in with him and asked if he'd followed the steps I'd showed them. Nope. I reviewed the steps with him and gave him a fresh sheet. His was the only assessment I scored on the spot. After he finished his 2nd try I let him know his results: 1st try: 0% correct. 2nd try: 86%. Wow, what a difference actually reading the passage makes! I hope that sticks with him!!
One of the big challenges for me as I start this year is figuring out how to monitor student's progress in a way that doesn't take them away from the regular educational progress in the classroom. In a typical Special Education-only setting, we would do weekly monitoring with quick assessments. I haven't figured out a great way to do this without interrupting their time in the Gen Ed classroom or really calling "them" (the Special Ed students) out as different. All along, I've been delivering additional or supplemental instruction to small groups but this hasn't been only for Special Ed students.
My co-teacher and I decided that we would just monitor all the students. We have a large percentage of students (about 50%) who didn't pass their grade level reading assessment at the start of the year. This means we are providing additional reading comprehension instruction to the whole class and would like to see more students passing at the end of the year. (Reading fluency instruction has been harder to deliver and is an area I need to develop and QUICKLY!)
So, Friday, I instructed the students in 2 test-taking / reading comprehension strategies and gave them all a below-grade level reading passage with multiple choice questions. I told them we'd be working on these weekly as "test prep" (similarly, we do weekly analogy practice). The steps they were to follow were: 1) Read the questions. 2) Read the passage. 3) Eliminate any wrong answers. 4) Choose the best answer. Pretty basic stuff, but we're just getting started.
These 7th graders have done some pretty high-level reading already this year ~ and have The Odyssey in store for later in the year! So, I was expecting someone to say, "This is so easy!" But no one did, thank you, kids! I think the results will yield good information for many students.
As the year progresses, I plan to provide additional strategy instruction that we can use in other reading settings, not just "test prep." Also, I will eventually level the passages based on how students are doing.
Success story: One non-Special Ed student rushed through and was the first one done. I checked in with him and asked if he'd followed the steps I'd showed them. Nope. I reviewed the steps with him and gave him a fresh sheet. His was the only assessment I scored on the spot. After he finished his 2nd try I let him know his results: 1st try: 0% correct. 2nd try: 86%. Wow, what a difference actually reading the passage makes! I hope that sticks with him!!
Monday, October 13, 2014
Personal Goal Check
I started this blog with several goals in mind. I am checking in to let you know how I'm doing.
1) Reflective writing more often, perhaps every day? Well, daily reflective writing hasn't happened for me. I haven't journalled daily (school-wise or other-wise) but I did just update my hiking journal from August through today! When I started this blog, I really hoped I'd be able to scratch out some kind of entry each day but I haven't done that either.
2) Steer my practice based on reflection. While I haven't written every day, what I HAVE done is talk openly with my co-teacher Mr. B about our plans and my concerns. I think the accountability of my (imaginary) legions of readers has helped me be more active in taking steps to make improvements as soon as I notice a problem or need something to change.
3) Share the ups & downs of co-teaching. I hope this has been successful so far. One thing I've learned already through this process is that every co-teaching story is different. Whether mine sounds similar or totally foreign, I hope my thoughts and stories are helpful to someone else.
4) Connect with fellow educators. My (imaginary) legions of readers keep mostly to themselves but I realize that knowing I am writing for the public has, I think, encouraged me to be more open with my fellow teachers in my new district. I love meeting new teachers and sharing ideas! A few weeks ago, I asked my principal to connect me with an experienced co-teacher at another school. Meeting with her was quite helpful ~ in part because she acknowledged that her school's first year with co-teaching was rocky! Whether it's thanks to the blog or just thanks to a new school year starting, I'm feeling more confident than ever before in communicating with colleagues.
1) Reflective writing more often, perhaps every day? Well, daily reflective writing hasn't happened for me. I haven't journalled daily (school-wise or other-wise) but I did just update my hiking journal from August through today! When I started this blog, I really hoped I'd be able to scratch out some kind of entry each day but I haven't done that either.
2) Steer my practice based on reflection. While I haven't written every day, what I HAVE done is talk openly with my co-teacher Mr. B about our plans and my concerns. I think the accountability of my (imaginary) legions of readers has helped me be more active in taking steps to make improvements as soon as I notice a problem or need something to change.
3) Share the ups & downs of co-teaching. I hope this has been successful so far. One thing I've learned already through this process is that every co-teaching story is different. Whether mine sounds similar or totally foreign, I hope my thoughts and stories are helpful to someone else.
4) Connect with fellow educators. My (imaginary) legions of readers keep mostly to themselves but I realize that knowing I am writing for the public has, I think, encouraged me to be more open with my fellow teachers in my new district. I love meeting new teachers and sharing ideas! A few weeks ago, I asked my principal to connect me with an experienced co-teacher at another school. Meeting with her was quite helpful ~ in part because she acknowledged that her school's first year with co-teaching was rocky! Whether it's thanks to the blog or just thanks to a new school year starting, I'm feeling more confident than ever before in communicating with colleagues.
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Subs II
I wrote previously about some ego-bruising I suffered while my co-teacher was absent and a substitute teacher was in for him. Mr. B and I had pre-planned that I would just run the lesson and the sub would back me up, as needed. The students had questions and comments about my position being as a sub or secondary teacher which I tried to address.
This week, Mr. B and I each had to be out one day. Thursday I went on a field trip & although sub coverage could have been provided, we declined it, so he ran the show solo. Friday, he had a conference and we again didn't request a sub, so I taught the class on my own.
This went SO much better than the last time! Actually, it went so well, there's really nothing to say. We learned about knights & peasants in feudal society. They did a little reading comprehension "test prep" passage and all was well. Happy day.
This week, Mr. B and I each had to be out one day. Thursday I went on a field trip & although sub coverage could have been provided, we declined it, so he ran the show solo. Friday, he had a conference and we again didn't request a sub, so I taught the class on my own.
This went SO much better than the last time! Actually, it went so well, there's really nothing to say. We learned about knights & peasants in feudal society. They did a little reading comprehension "test prep" passage and all was well. Happy day.
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Tricks
My Co-teaching classroom has been one of the highlights of my day of late. I'm feeling quite pleased with a supported writing project I did with a few students this week. I was rewarded for my efforts by hearing students prompting each other about the elements of a "GREAT" paragraph. (Our school's framework for citing evidence.)
Another big pay off came along yesterday. During a whole group situation with my partner teacher leading paragraph writing on the board, I interrupted because I noticed that many students hadn't indented. (Did I interrupt the flow of writing to talk conventions? Yes, in this case I did. Here's why. First, the quicker you notice a student needs to indent the less stressed they are about it. Second, paragraphs have a certain shape. That shape includes an indent at the first line. If someone glances at a boxy paragraph with no indent, the first thing they might think is: this kid doesn't know what a paragraph is, before even reading a word! Since these students' work will be read throughout the year by other teachers and eventually by state test readers, it's important to me that they make a great first impression. So, of course we are working on the big ideas like, making a claim, citing evidence, word choice, transition, etc. But, the details like format, handwriting and spelling are also crucial to a reader's perception of the writing.) (Please notice that I don't indent my paragraphs on this blog.)
Anyway, I interrupted and remarked that some students hadn't indented. And noticed that the teacher hadn't indented either ~ I wasn't calling him out, he was just writing the words on the board and they were all over the place, just for the kids to see the sentences. I said, "Don't worry, I have a trick for that!" A kid blurted out, "You have a trick for everything!" Yessssss! I'm the strategy lady, the tricks with learning teacher, the here's-how-you-make-it-work-for-you person in the room. That is actually a big part of what I'm doing here and it seems like at least one student noticed! Yesssss! Total satisfaction on my part.
The trick is, just erase the first three words and re-write them just a teensy bit smaller so you have room for an indent. Students who struggle with writing HATE to erase any of their hard-fought work so I try to help them avoid it at all costs. No one has to erase and re-write the whole sentence or group of sentences they've already written, not stress.
After I told the kids the trick, many of them did it and my co teacher modeled it very nicely on the board.
Friday, October 3, 2014
My Own Space!
So, I'm a bucket teacher.
When I was in middle school, my dad was a "cart teacher." He didn't have his own classroom so he kept all his materials on a cart and wheeled around the school during passing periods. (This created prime opportunities for my friends to tattle on me to him which led to "Why did I hear you were chewing gum at school today?" conversations. Clearly, I was more inconvenienced by his cart status than he was, right?)
Now I'm in different rooms all day and, in fact, have my teacher desk in a classroom where I do no teaching. So, I have one of those plastic bins for hanging files that I tote from classroom to classroom. I started out the year with a dud of a bin and was delighted to get a new one that worked better for me. More delighted when a student noticed and admiringly said, "Oh! You got a new bucket!" So, that's me. A bucket teacher.
My administrators surprised me yesterday by letting me know that I would get "my own room" for exactly one of my classes plus my planning period. Hey, at least these two periods are consecutive so I get to be in one place for 2 straight hours! Woo hoo!
I'll still have my bucket but, this will be the first room in the school that I can officially and legitimately call "MINE." I know all you teachers know what that means:
I am looking forward to creating my own space and establishing better routines for the class that I will have there. Currently, I pop into the classroom as the previous teacher is finishing up (or running into my class time...) and we trade off computer time and I can't always get my slide up to the screen right away for the start of class nor post my own classroom expectations. So, I'm excited for yet another fresh start this year.
When I was in middle school, my dad was a "cart teacher." He didn't have his own classroom so he kept all his materials on a cart and wheeled around the school during passing periods. (This created prime opportunities for my friends to tattle on me to him which led to "Why did I hear you were chewing gum at school today?" conversations. Clearly, I was more inconvenienced by his cart status than he was, right?)
Now I'm in different rooms all day and, in fact, have my teacher desk in a classroom where I do no teaching. So, I have one of those plastic bins for hanging files that I tote from classroom to classroom. I started out the year with a dud of a bin and was delighted to get a new one that worked better for me. More delighted when a student noticed and admiringly said, "Oh! You got a new bucket!" So, that's me. A bucket teacher.
My administrators surprised me yesterday by letting me know that I would get "my own room" for exactly one of my classes plus my planning period. Hey, at least these two periods are consecutive so I get to be in one place for 2 straight hours! Woo hoo!
I'll still have my bucket but, this will be the first room in the school that I can officially and legitimately call "MINE." I know all you teachers know what that means:
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| Borders and posters and bins, oh my! |
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