Summer Reading: Unmistakable Impact

I finished my first professional development book: Unmistakable Impact by Jim Knight. I would be lying if I said it was easy reading. I struggled through it and I'm not sure why.

It wasn't that it didn't have anything to offer, because it did. Maybe I was trying to focus "too hard" on it. I'm trying to "glean" as much information as I can from anywhere about being a good instructional coach.

Before I even finished the first chapter I told my husband: "Now I remember why I don't want to get my doctorate right now!"

Again there was A TON of good information in this book...A TON, I mean look at all the notes I took.

As a reader I've always struggled with college level texts that included a lot of citing and notations...this book is FULL of them. For me it makes the reading/comprehension choppy and doesn't flow well.

I found myself skimming and reading the "cliffs notes" (to sum it up sections) at the end of each chapter.

By no means am I telling you not to read this book...it is a good book! Just make sure you have time, limited distractions, time, and a place to take notes!

Here are a few of my own "cliffs notes" :

Because this isn't my book (as mentioned before)...I think I'm going to start a three-ring notebook with sheet protectors that will contain these sticky notes, articles I enjoy, etc. I'll keep you posted and put pictures up showing this.

Hope your summer reading is going well!

Summer Reading List

My summer reading list continues to grow and I feel as though my progress is slow, but I'll make it (does someone want to watch my 5yr old for a week while I go on a binge reading).

Here is a glimpse of some of the things I'm reading.

But I also have a "fun" reading list that keeps taunting me!

Right now I'm reading Unmistakable Impact, I'll do a book study update when I get done!

So I'm one that has to mark my passages and make notes...it's a comprehension strategy I teach AND practice, seeing that this book in on loan to me from my new principal I solely have sticky notes.

This afternoon while I was trying to read a few pages my daughter brought me a stack of her books, complete with her own sticky notes!

Of course being the teacher mommy we went through each book and I had her tell me why she put the sticky note on that particular page (can't ever start too early)...she did awesome!

This page was because of the cowgirl boots (she wears hers every chance she gets), and of course the beautiful dresses!

So, what is on your summer reading list?

Off The Grid and A Bit Of A Change

Summer started, FINALLY and we hit the road for a little off the grid camping trip! It was great, and a nice "reset"...wish the weather was a little nicer though.

Our little cabin...enough to keep the wind and drizzle off!

Hanging out! (keeping each other warm)

The one walk we got in before the weather turned yucky!

Next item on the list...if you follow me on FB I teased you with a little picture and a status update: Wait didn't I just do this?!?!? Change is coming!

I guess I've left you hanging long enough...

I have accepted an Instructional Coach position at the middle school (right down the hill)!

Needless to say my 5th graders were thrilled, then disappointed because I'm not actually going to be in a classroom with them. But excited once again because they get to see me all the time!

In Georgia we were extremely fortunate to have all different types of Instructional Coaches in each building (Math Coach, Literacy Coach, Technology Coach, etc.), however in a smaller school district most buildings have one general Instructional Coach.

I'm excited for the change and ready for the challenge....ready to grow and learn (I have a lot of learning to do!). I've already started reading some great books, that I'll share with you over the course of the summer.

I hope that this will allow for some great blog posts and a larger view of what is happening in our little school district.

So bring on the questions and comments :)

Keeping Them Engaged...EOY

So today is June 1st and I am writing lesson plans! This just doesn't feel right, but I've been told it will feel great in August when I'm not having to write plans. I think this is a harder adjustment, because come the end of May we are ready to be done, and let's face it...so are the kids. But come August, at least for me, I'm ready to start. All the school supplies that come out, the pretty new book bags, and everything!

I think one of the greatest challenges in teaching is those last few days, maybe even weeks of school. Especially when your state testing has been completed! Those kiddos think "we are done" (and maybe the teachers do too).

This year I turned to one of my FAVORITE websites of FREE lessons...yep FREE. If you have not already discovered ReadWorks.org then you better head over and check it out! I've been using it for about two years now, and can't get enough of it!

I usually use it for their question and answer passages ( LOVE LOVE LOVE the Science and SS ones), and for small group instruction (able to get passages on my student's levels), but I decided to try and use it for one of the novel studies.

I have read Watson's Go to Birmingham 1963 to my class before, but I wanted to keep them a little more engaged. So I decided to use the novel study from Read Works that goes along with the book. I LOVE it! The students do too! I have used all parts of it, and it was a great platform to get my creative juiced flowing as well. Just search Watson's Go to Birmingham 1963 when you go to the Read Works site.

The opening lesson was about identifying historical terms in text, and how they effect the story. I have a few pictures of the charts we made with this lesson. The second lesson had to do with how a character's past effects the present and their actions in the text.

In the lesson: Identifying historical terms in text, I gave the students different historical terms that they had to put into categories: Past, Present, Future. After discussing their choices and where they placed the terms, I then gave them the same terms and had them put them into new categories: Recent, Old, Very Old. It was very very interesting to see where they put some of the recent historical terms...and how they determined what Recent, Old, Very Old meant...according to their standards, I would have fit under the category of Very Old.

We have also been using our Google Maps App to learn about Flint, Michigan (one of the settings in the book), how long it would take to drive or even walk to Birmingham, Alabama. Then I went "old school" and bought them a few interstate road maps (you know the ones you have to fold back up when you are done), they really enjoyed looking at the different interstates and highlighting the trip the Watson's took!

So if you haven't checked it out head on over to Read Works!

Finally in a previous post I mentioned a book that I had read to my class: Rebels of the Kasbah. It is an amazing book! We were lucky enough to have the author come and visit our 5th grade classes, thanks to our awesome media specialist. He was such a great person to have come talk with the students. Check out the Red Hand Adventures website and our pictures from his visit!

Way too long!

I'm not sure how I balanced teaching, blogging, and label/bucket making before I moved...but now it seems to be impossible to find that extra minute to write a simple post! (so frustrating)

I know that school is nearing an end for many of you, I still have about three weeks! But I am happy to report that state testing is over for me, whew! Now to keep the kiddos focused and engaged.

I wanted to share two different things with you all.

The first being an AWESOME book for a read aloud. I must preface this with it is an upper grades book!

Joe O'Neill is an author out of Oregon. This is the first book in his series Red Hand Adventures. The students LOVED this book. I came up with some "thinking" questions for each chapter and the students had to take notes as I read each chapter. The discussions that came from this book were amazing. There is a second book in the series, as well as a third on the way. The book has action and adventure, keeping the kiddos on the edge of their seats. They would beg me to read more than one chapter a day (the chapters are pretty long, each chapter averaged 45 min reading aloud).

My plan is to have some novel study packets for this book, Counting on Grace, as well as Because of Mr. Terupt done over the summer, now that's my plan!

Next, my students had their turn to put on an assembly for our entire school (each class gets a turn throughout the school year). After a quick discussion my students wanted to do something about anti-bullying. This is something they have been very passionate about all year long. It also came about thanks to one of Kid President's videoes: Letter to a Person on Their First Day (click to watch).

My students came up with their own response to his video, we first shared our own video at our assembly:


After showing this video we then performed a piece to the song: Don't Laugh at Me, enjoy!

FREE curriculum...

Yes...I said FREE!!!!

I just went to an EdTech Summit at a local college, and learned a few great things.

The TOP and probably most exciting for myself and my co-teacher was a website that was shared with us during a presentation by a 5th grade teacher.

I was pretty lucky and came from a county that had a massive (sometimes too much and overwhelming) amount of curriculum and materials. One thing that I really took for granted was the curriculum that was posted on their website developed and made by teachers. I loved the flow of the maps, and how the lessons lent themselves to "me being me" - allowing me to be a teacher, but addressing all the Common Core!

Fortunately being who I am, I made myself AWESOME binders that contained most of the lessons I loved and used.

So when we were showed this site, my co-teacher and I got excited. Our district (as you may have read prior) is/was looking for a new reading curriculum. We weren't the only teachers that were a little worried about "jumping the gun" when it came to adopting a new curriculum. We didn't want something that a company just slapped a common core sticker on and put it on the market. There also weren't many new common core curriculum out there that have been used and "tested". And as you may recall my worry was adopting a curriculum and being told I needed to have fidelity to the core!

Our district was starting to recognize the concerns of the teachers (WOW right). So a recent survey was sent out asking if we wanted to wait a year or get rid of the old adoption. I wanted both :)  Of course there was a section that asked if we didn't want a new curriculum this coming school year what suggestions did we have... (click below to go to the website)

It's a MASSIVE resource!!!!

To find plans aligned with Common Core for both ELA and Math click on the Common Core Curriculum and Assessments button at the top.

You will then see the Common Core Menu on the right.

Click on Common Core Curriculum, choose your subject area, then your grade level. Next you will see the modules that you can choose from!

For those of you still struggling with old adoptions, trying to make them fit common core, or have new adoptions with gaps...this is an amazing resource. I can't wait to dig deeper!

Let me know what you think!

Point of View and Perspective

One of my favorite lessons this year has to have been Point of View/Perspective. After studying the CCSS and debating with myself how to approach point of view vs. perspective, or point of view AND perspective, or just perspective I finally won and decided to teach BOTH.

I began by building off of prior knowledge of point of view. This took two lessons. We reviewed/discussed first person and third person. (I'm so awesome that I forgot to bring home my Reading Journal to show you pictures of the notes we took, but hopefully will post some soon). We did mention second person, but didn't go in to too much detail.

When teaching the definitions I used picture books to help, we discuss how does that point of view influence the description of events in the stories. Here are a few books that can be used to introduce point of view (remember this is NOT perspective).

First Person:

How Many Days to America by Eve Bunting

Saturdays and Teacakes by Lester Laminack

Third Person:

The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles

Two Bad Ants by Chris Van Allsburg

I also broke the students up in to small groups, gave them poster board, and short stories. They had to determine what the point of view of the story was, and how they knew it...giving key words, and using the text to support their answers.

I used this packet from Nicole Shelby from TpT

The next step was to discuss/define perspective, and then put it ALL together in a few lessons using non fiction text. 

Here is my topic poster (anchor chart) I used in my classroom. 

I choose one topic for our nonfiction texts (written in different points of view, and from different perspectives), so that we could compare and contrast them all at the end. The topic I used was D-Day. The kids were SO in to it.

Huber Mark Alvater (1st person, fighter pilot) 

George Kerchner (3rd person, led D-Day maneuver...actually stormed the beaches)

Finally we read a simple nonfiction book from our library about D-Day (3rd person)

After reading each article/book, we took notes about them in our journals. Writing down important information, interesting details, and our thinking. After reading and discussing each article/book, I gave each student this compare/contrast worksheet, and had them fill it out for a grade.

I would say that is all, but the students were so in to the topic and different perspectives they asked to make Animoto videos and interactive posters using a site called tackk.com. I am still learning about tackk and not 100% sure I really like it (more because of the privacy side of it all), but the kids do!

Finally I MUST brag on one of my students! Check her out on the local news!!!