Happy New Year! 2013-2014

Approaching a new school year in August is another fresh start.  

My daughter closed one chapter and is starting to write the beginning of another.  Starting a new chapter always means there was a previous chapter that you take with you.  It's not independent.  Here are some of my chapters that have been written and are being written.

 

The Bell Crew

Sorry, Camrin.  It's usually me that has "the look."  

I should give ownership to the One who started the idea of fresh, new beginnings.  God started the "new" thing...He gave us/we get a fresh, new start each day...when we are "born again", we get a fresh, new start...repentance affords us another fresh, new start, whether we come to be cleaned by our Father in the middle of the day or night.  Now He is letting us borrow that fresh, new start with the beginning of another school year.

When my days start anew, I usually have some plans to improve upon the previous day.  When I stumbled through all the loads of laundry this summer as it fell upon my plans to clean the kitchen cabinets, I decided the next day to focus solely on one or the other.  I chose a different job to accompany the laundry work.  When my outdoor power washing of the front porch and sidewalk made my cleanness so attractive to my filthy dogs, I fought them tooth and nail to...get off!  ("Good dog"...pat on the head.)  That did not go as planned.  It's hard to teach old dogs new tricks.  The next day, I gave up.  Years of letting them sleep on the front porch could not be retaught this summer.  Not by me, who was mostly buried under laundry!

As my new year begins at school, I love, love, love the way we get to start again.  Start fresh.  Start new.  I have many plans to improve upon what I did last year.  For starters, I get a new classroom!  Here are the before shots.  I hope my after shots reveal an organized, clean, ready-to-learn-in classroom!

Tilting your head slightly to the right will help now


Here's some of what's been going on with me this summer, as I make plans to start fresh:

Read Kathy Richardson's Developing Number Concepts, Books 1-3


Read teacher blogs for new ideas to approach old problems
Create data binder math self-assessments/checklists for the students
Create math assessment summary sheets for the teacher
Refresh myself on beginning of the year routines by reviewing last summer's notes
Rest
Sun
Lake

Read
Rest
Bathe the dog

Watch baby doves come into the world outside our dining room window and in our front porch fern.

Rest 

Play

Not in that order, kinda jumbled on top of each other.
He plans better than I do.
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
Thankful.

Solar Ovens

Having nothing to do with WBT, my last week of school has included a few fun adventures.

Science Fun Days wrap up a year very nicely.

A couple of things I like to do that last week is cooking with the sun and blowing bubbles.

Solar Ovens:

Below is a picture of one of our solar ovens.  

We cook hot dogs one day and s'mores another.  

This year I had personal pan pizza boxes graciously donated by our local Pizza Hut.

Any box with a lid can be creatively used, as well.

This year I put black paper only inside the lid.  

Usually, I have students cover the lid inside and outside with black paper.

(This was altered slightly due to unforeseen circumstances.)

The inside bottom is lined with aluminum foil.

I propped the lip open with a straw.
The second day, I taped the straw in place.
Practice makes perfect!

Place the food to be cooked on the foil; then, cover the opening with plastic wrap.

Yes, it works.  

On a nice, sunny day, and a couple of hours in the oven, the hot dogs get sweaty and bubbly.  

S'mores only need about 30 minutes to achieve a melty, tasty mess.

Send the solar ovens home for fun summer cooking!

WBT Reflections

As summer is quickly approaching, I am reflecting on WBT.

As I have stated in previous blogs, I love it!  But does it really work?  A most important question.  The answer, I believe, is YES!  My students have made a lot of progress.  Could I say it was all due to WBT?  No.  I have changed so many things this year, it would be difficult to assess what made a profound affect on the students and their progress.  I do feel comfortable, however, in attributing a lot of student interest, satisfied parents, and fun in teaching to the WBT methods.  

I plan to continue studying the WBT practices this summer vacation.  A whole year of whole brain next year!

Reflections on the math training I have had this year...if I implement it fully, I hope to avoid this:

So funny!  It's the time of year we all need a good laugh!  

Synonyms, Antonyms, and Whole Brain

Today's classroom scenario:

Rather than students taking turns marking synonyms (or antonyms) on the SmartBoard,or leading a whole group discussion while a few get to share, or completing a worksheet, I opted to do things the WBT way.  I facilitated.  I read the 3 choices.  Students turned to their peanut butter and jelly partner to discuss their answers.  I called them back to whole group discussion with, "Words that are the same are synonyms."  The students echoed.  Everyone blew the answer in their hands.  Released. And everyone was involved.    

I share this because I enjoy having everyone on task, engaged, interested, and learning.  There is big bang for your buck!  I think more learning, more connections, and more enthusiasm accompanies the WBT methods.  

Reflection:  I should have used a call of, "Words that mean the same are called..."  Then the students answer with, "Synonyms!"  The way I did it did not require any thought, just reciting what I said.  Then I could have shook it up with, "Words that are opposite are called..."  "Antonyms!" would have been the reply.  Hind sight is always 20/20!

CLllaaASss! and Clap! Clap! Teach! (Continued)

As I implement as much of the Whole Brain Teaching as I can, I do have favorites.  Perhaps as I learn more and more, there will be many "tools" I use.  Things I use over and over are my calling the class to order with a "ClLLAaaSs!"  The students answer with their "YeEESss!" I would love to tell you this is perfect.  (I am always eager to find perfection in this world...however disappointing that search may leave me.  Perfection always leads me to the One Who lived 2,000 years ago that alone was/is perfect.  I can't leave that out.)  Knowing that I will never find anything perfect, I am still so pleased with WBT!  I wish all the students were looking at me when I call CLASS.  But after 24 years of doing this job, I haven't found anything that focuses so many of my students almost all of the time.

In the past week, I tried shaking it up by calling something else out...I had read about doing this after establishing "Class-Yes".  For instance, if you're studying telling time, you could call, "The clock with a face!"  The class calls, "Analog clock!"  The first time I tried this, the class went silent.  Briefly.  very briefly!  The silence was the sound of wheels spinning in their heads.  I think I enjoyed that!  Then a few voices stumbled through a reply.  See, they knew they had been with their peanut butter and jelly partners for long enough, and anticipated the some old same old.  I love to shake things up!

Clap!  Clap!  Teach!  Something else I love that is tried and true.  Or tried and fun.  Not that fun is necessarily all we are after in a first grade classroom; but fun keeps the kids participating.  Fun, then, could be what keeps them learning.  The clap clap teach is usually something else these days.  It may be a sizzle, sizzle, snap, teach!  Teach may look like rain.  Rain may be ten fingers wiggling and falling down in front of you.  It could look like a slap, clap, slap, slap, clap, clap, teach!  Teach may be whispered.  Teach may be shaky.  Teach may be sideways.  Teach is the sign to turn to your neighbor (peanut butter and jelly partner) and explain.  Sometimes they repeat what I've just shown them using gestures.  The past week or so, I have used the teach time to explain to their friend what the answer is or how they know what the answer is.  Everyone has a desire to be heard.  (Not just kids:)  By doing this, kids get permission to talk.  Kids get the opportunity to confirm their answers.  Then with a CLASS!  YES! (or other call to order), students share what they discussed.

Okay!  There's more!  But I'll save that for another day!

KCM Conference Day 2

Have I said super fun enough already?  I have so much to think about!  I feel a great urgency to apply all I am learning to my instruction, fostering lifelong mathematicians.  Monday and Tuesday, my partner in crime was Ms. Sara Beth, a dedicated teacher and friend!  We had a blast!

Some points for Tuesday...

• use LEGOS for fluency, adding, subtracting, graphing and symmetry
• take this job and love it! with practices eliminating disruptions
• Wow!  Kathy Richardson!  I sat smack dab in the middle of her presentation  In the front! (I think she was talking just to me!)  And guess who forgot her book to have it signed!?!?!
• Kid snippets on You Tube :)
• Activities to Undo Math Misconceptions, by Honi J. Bamberger, Karen Schultz-Ferrell

Well, there were tons, tons, and tons of stuff!  Stuff presented.  Stuff to read.  Stuff to ponder.  What a blast!  My husband has told me that I had too much fun, as I shared my week's events.  Due to my total giddiness  he has sentenced me to stay local for a while; at least if I'm local, he said, "they" can contact him...

KCM Conference 2013

One day in and one more to go!  Fun!  Fun!  Super great speakers!  Speakers with long lists of credentials.  Speakers with great ideas for the classroom.  Speakers really committed to improving math instruction.

Some of my favorite quotes or ideas...
 
No more naked numbers!  The process behind the problems is necessary, too!

Hopscotch math...as the students enter the room...an entrance or an exit slip to practice a skill

High Five Wall...slap the wall, counting by 5's up the wall...again, as an entrance or exit slip

Lots of interest in the SNAP training

Math word wall...perhaps on the windows with window markers

The ABC's:  Always be conversing, always be connecting, always build competence

Easter Eggs-numbers on the two parts, combine to make given totals or find sums, beans in the eggs to check, some eggs have 3 parts...can make CVC words...or put the vowels inside the eggs

Lots of talk of professional noticing

There were tons and tons of resources and activities.  Now...one more day, then I'm off to apply some great practices!  Great activities!