Overcoming 8th Graditis

Really!  8th graditis...it's a term - check out urbandictionary.com.  But, our teachers overcome it with engaging learning in the last month of school!

A study in probability - the game of SKUNK.

Conferencing with students creating a lesson for the class.

Students collaborating to create a lesson to teach their peers - they're creating the assessment!

I got Mrs. Marin to sing!  

Using math to decode and determine Dr. Evil's crimes.

Small groups of students divide roles for their short play.

A Valentine's Lesson on Speed Dating

In the adult world, we all know what speed dating is:  a large setting of single adults who have timed conversations with a person before moving on to the next person in line.  Doesn't sound appropriate for a middle school, right?  Wrong!  What if instead of people, students speed date with...wait for it....books!

In this library lesson, students have a selection of books on the table and a book list to rank what they've reviewed.  If they rated anything a 5, they may check out the book at the conclusion of the lesson.  What a great way to get kids excited about new book options.

Putting Students Before Reading

At this time of the year, throughout Truman, you can see students "owning" their reading.  In every grade level, students are participating in book clubs to discuss books; in some cases, these books are chosen by students based on a specific genre and in others, students chose from a pre-determined selection.  What's amazing about this process is the amount of student control.  Students are designing their work flow, as a group determining what to read by which date in order to discuss and share themes from the book.  The richness of this learning process is amazing for many reasons:

1)  Student Choice

2)  Student Responsibility

3)  Student Engagement

4)  Student-Centered

5)  Student-Driven

Notice the common theme of the above list:  students!  When we put students at the forefront of the reading process, they do the work, they learn, and they build skills. 

Students are reviewing their notes for their discussion.

Students collaborate on the work.

Students talk about literature.

The Power of Technology in Rigor and Relevance

We've talked about rigor and relevance:  the ability to get kids thinking deeply beyond the classroom environment.  Check out these examples as students work at a high level of DOK on assignments that have a connection beyond the subject and the school environment.  Notice how each of these examples integrates technology - this is the power of technology, not just as bells and whistles, but as a valuable tool for increased learning!

Students in Robotics and Engineering become engineers, drafting concepts, writing code for their motors to work, and reflecting on the process.  These design skills will serve them far into the future.

Through the Rosetta Stone program, students are learning languages beyond our traditional offerings:  Italian, Japanese, and...

Making a news broadcast to showcase their knowledge of weather, students integrate technology use and collaboration skills to create a thoughtful, content-specific product.

 

Students Skype with the composer of their newest piece.  As they played for her, she provided feedback and extended their ability to emote the sound.

Stations provide a way for students to "own" their learning, practicing a new skill independently and in a broader context.  In these stations, students are conferring with their teachers and practicing the practical application of a grammar skill through author analysis and writing.

Book discussions can have many different formats to engage kids - these students communicate with each other on Edmodo to further their understanding of the book, the author's choices, and make personal connections.  By integrating technology, student comfort is increased and teacher feedback and questioning is integrated.

A New Type of Missouri Learning Standard

On Monday, many of us had the opportunity to celebrate Melissa as a Missouri Teacher of the Year finalist, and at the closing of the evening, Chris Holmes, 2014 MO Teacher of the Year and Truman parent, gave us a pointed reminder.

Regularly, we look at standards, standards for reading, writing, speaking and listening; standards for mathematics; standards for social studies; standards for science and inquiry; standards for music; standards for art; standards for world languages; standards for health; standards for technology....you get the picture.

But, where are the standards for life?  At what time in our educational career do we vertically align and support standards for citizenship.  Sure, we talk about grit and habits; we devote 46 minutes a week to character education; we focus on modeling great character...and, I think we do an awesome job.  Despite the great work that we do, one must question how do we measure our success?  What SLO measures growth?  What standardized test provides an opportunity for us to compare our success?  The answer is obvious:  there isn't one.  And, that's okay...what we must do is remember to continue to do our great work and build connections between our established standards and good work for life.

I often talk about authentic learning for students - I challenge you to make your learning standards relevant for life.  Check out Chris Holmes' standards (reprinted with his permission) and think about how you move your instruction beyond the content.

Take your standards and add the words "in life" to increase the relevance of what we do.

How do you make an immediate impact on learning?

Conference with students!  Have specific, targeted discussions with students about their learning and understanding of content and skills.  By keeping it brief and specific, you'll find it can be a manageable component of any classroom structure.

As students work in collaborative groups, it's a great opportunity to gauge comprehension of a new skill or topic.

While conferencing with one collaborative group, have a clear expectation for what other groups should be doing.

To ensure conferencing time for uninterrupted conferencing, this teacher made a "table lead" to help students writing their lab conclusions.  The table lead had demonstrated their proficiency prior to earning this prestigious role, and other kids used their expertise.

Conferencing before a quiz:  a few quick questions can help you gauge if a student has the knowledge and skills necessary.

Conferencing is an ongoing component of writing workshop.

Getting to Know Lucy at Hixon Middle School

You may have heard the ELA teachers reference Lucy, and when they do, they speak of the guru of literacy instruction, Lucy Caulkins.  Lucy's research and materials have been implemented at our elementary schools over the last few years, and now she is beginning the transition to middle school.

To help us better understand Lucy, we visited Hixon Middle School in Webster to learn about implementation at the middle level.

Check it out....

Anchor Charts = Visual Supports

A Whole Bulletin Board of Anchor Charts

Clear Mini-lesson Norms

Student Input

Clear Learning Targets

Supports for Thinking Skills

Mini-Lesson in Action:  Students Framing an Argument

Students Evaluate and Discuss, Ranking the Top Pieces of Evidence to Support a Claim

Kids There Use String Backpacks too :)

MAP's Over! So What?

Yes, the "big test" is over, but rigorous and relevant learning is not.  Check out what goes on at TMS after the MAP!

Teachers model investigations of gravity and speed.

Math practice happens with modeling and student feedback.  Notice the use of those white boards!

Students create their own videos to demonstrate understanding of weather.  I have to admit, it was clever!

And, here's another, complete with an original song and dance!

Student Research and Product Development

Annotating Text

Annotating Text and Vocabulary Development

Visual Representations of Learning

Collaborative Work

A Lesson with 5 Cs of Technology Usage

Content?  Yes!
Communication?  Yes!
Collaboration?  Yes!

Citizenship? Yes!
Critical Thinking?  Yes!

Here's a way to use technology to enhance student-led dialogue in your classroom.  Use Todaysmeet.com!

In this ELA classroom, there were two simultaneous discussions occurring:  one verbal and one electronic.  And, what makes it great is that they used each others "conversations" to enhance their own.  How?  Check this out!

Group One - Verbal Discussion:  As outlined in the pictures below, students discussed their literature using clear norms.  Notice that the emphasis is on dialogue, not just being able to speak.  Students led this discussion with questions and topics they had about the reading, and it got deep:  symbolism, relevance of the title, motivation of characters, etc.

Here they are, talking about the book - only the student with the ball could speak, and the students did a great job of holding each other accountable for that rule.  It kept certain students from dominating the conversation!

Group Two - Online Conversation:  While group one was verbally participating, group two was contributing to the conversation through this online site (and everyone could see it on the IWB).  What was so powerful is that they added to the conversation that Group One was having and Group One used what they say online to question each other further.  The teacher was able to direct some ideas as well.  So relevant!

Halfway through the class the groups switched so that every student had the opportunity to participate in both the verbal and online conversations.  

The pictures below show the richness of resources students used to enhance the dialogue with one another.   Notice the use of the text, highlighted passages and notes to support their ideas about the book. 

This lesson highlights an example of how technology enhances learning, increasing engagement for all students as well as deepening content-area understandings.

Think about how you could use Today's Meet to enhance your classroom discussions....