What is it about summarizing non-fiction text that sends everyone into a tail spin????

A group of my 5th grade students began reading a non-fiction text and had to summarize it as they went. I had them write one sentence that summed up each one or two paragraph sections. They spent to whole week grumbling about it. And the whole idea of having read it and then write about what they have read--is a new idea for them. Well-I don't know what they have done in class but this is the first book with me that they have done. But then all my students reading books write about what they read and publish they work. They have let to revolt--maybe it has something to do with the technology???

I created a couple of scaffolds for them to use. They were created with non-fiction text in mind, however the retelling and student conversation cards can be used with any text type. The student conversation cards are a way to get students to take control of the conversations about what they are reading. I use them to teach students how to have meaningful conversations about books without me having to lead the conversation. I'll have to give this one more time--they don't like talking about books on their own. But this too will come. What strategies or scaffolds do you use to help students with non-fiction text. I'd love to hear from  you.  Have a great weekend. Spring has sprung in Colorado.

My building has been slowly, slowly taking on guided math. As a building we are moving towards pulling small groups after whole group instruction. My question is how do you maintain rigor of what students are doing while you are meeting in small groups.

I have eight weeks for school left. Of which only 6 with students. In my building we tend to end services a couple of weeks before the end of the year to do all that FUN end of the year paperwork and inventory that needs to done.

I made a couple of big schedule changes right before I left for Spring Break. One change was how math was going to be provided for the last part of the year. In some way a grand experiment with Do the Math and in other ways letting me have more control on the amount of time a couple of students spend truly (I mean truly) spend accessing core.

These guys are moving on to middle school and the data shows it was time for a change. My building uses Do the Math as an intervention. It has not been used in my building as a core replacement. I understand that others in my district do and have had moderate results. I guess we'll see.  More to come on using Do the Math as core replacement. The classroom teachers are on board with this change. Which is odd--they have not let been very open to changes this year. I think they, like I'm hoping to send them off stronger than when they walked in.

The freebie, is something that I plan on using with this group to strength the basics. Enjoy!

Happy Spring Break!

A couple of years ago my school created a kindergarten through four grade benchmarking norms for reading sight words. We have a list of five hundred words that we think that all our students should know by the spring of their four grade year.

What we don't have in writing is what does sight word fluency sound like. In the Wilson Reading System, fluent is a no more than 2 seconds a word with the first thing that comes out of your month counting. So, in talking with my special education team, we decided that if a student could read this list of 500 sight words correctly with the first thing out of their month counting taking no more than 5 seconds a word that we would consider that fluent.

To do this, I created a Google presentation that flashes the word for 5 seconds and then moves no to the next one. I did this 1) so I wouldn't have to time the student and 2) so it could be used with fidelity with the same idea being used with all our identified students or students needing their sight word fluency check. We also created benchmark scores for grades Kindergarten through Fourth grade with recommendations for Fifth and Sixth as to where to take students sight word knowledge. Have a great week!

My school district uses The Daily Five, by Gail Boushey and Joan Moser as the structure for our Reading Workshop.“The Daily Five is a series of literacy tasks (read to self, read with someone, writing, word work, and listening to reading) which students complete daily while the teacher meets with small groups or confers with individuals.” The book “explains the philosophy behind the structure,” and it shows teachers how to train “students to participate in each of the five components.” Each grade level creates what their reading block looks likes-some do all fives while others only do three.

This year has brought up questions of accountability within Daily 5 and what that looks like. Everyone in my building has different way that they make students accountable to what they do during each rotation but could it be tighter and help teachers with documentation that doesn't create more work for teachers.

I was asked by a teacher who has a couple of my more impacted students with learning disabilities to help her increase the accountability for not just these two students but her whole class during her Reading Workshop. She wants to use an iPad or two but also the computers in her room. After collaborating with her, we decided that setting something up that could go a week before making any changes would be best for her class.

After looking at our options, we decided that using MentorMob would be better than writing each on its own direction page like I do for math. Each rotation has its own step. The directions tell students what other materials they need to be "on task." This will be the first full week-so we'll see how it goes.

I think this is a good first step to help teachers create accountability that doesn't create more work for them. Adding any form of tech to their students day-where they are not using it to play games is a HUGE step in their thinking. Students do all their work in their writing journal or on a computer. For me its about showing teachers that computers and iDevices can be used to make life easier.

This week Colorado stated CTAP (state assessment), so my iPads have been spending time in a second grade classroom. (They are getting lots of lovin'.) The classroom teacher and I have taught together in the past and I have brought them in to done some math work with her students using the iPads.  She said her class had a great time with them.

She asked me about how she should go about adding more technology to her Daily 5--either with an iPad to two or with the laptops she has in her room. Though she teaches second grade, she has a number of students this year who need help with mastering sounds and letters. One idea I had for her to try was with this Symbaloo mix. Its the grouping of songs that can be used to reinforce the alphabet  It also allows students to access the videos on their own; so she can keep teaching.

Sometimes I think summary writing will be my undoing this year. My students do summaries with just about everything they read. And yet they still struggle writing them when it counts. I encourage students to use their resource (the book) to help them. As I have been thinking through what students will do during State assessments (Yes, its before Spring Break.) I think I'm going to use two different apps to make it fun.

Vocabulary is tough to teach; let alone to student with exceptional needs. It doesn't seem to matter how many times I go over the term or have them tell it to me. They never seem to get to a place of mastery with it. Using Thinking Maps has been a tremendous help to them this year--they are USING them. OMG!!! This has never happened before. As I'm reviewing at the beginning of a lesson and ask "What's the formula for perimeter?" and someone might start guessing, while someone will get up and walk over to where the map is and come back with a  hand up. For my guessing students, I tell them to go check the resource as I wait for the student. They come back and tell me the answer. But these can't stay up for state testing. I've been racking my brain to find ways to get students to remember terms. I've been using iPads for retelling and storytelling--what about to reinforce vocabulary. I began to think of ways to bring in technology to work on vocab but not take more than one 30 minute lesson period to do it. I think I've figured it out but I'm still playing.

So began this idea of finding ways to bring in apps and websites, so students can create definitions for  vocabulary. My goal is to have students work weekly on expanding their vocabulary with various tools. (And not taking forever.) My hope is that they will begin to rely less on the Thinking Maps and begin to demonstrate mastery for the term they need to know. As they create examples I will share them. I have a one to get to the ideas flowing. You'll find a List.ly for some apps and websites, to support our vocabulary work. Have a great week!!




Animation Software - Powered by GoAnimate.

Math has been challenging for me this year. I go into one class and pull out two other groups to teach/reteach math. Last year the comment that I got from evaluations was, "How is what you're doing helping students access core in a timely manner?"  Meaning, stop spending all your time filling in the holes and do it as your helping students understand core. Well-easier said than done.  But I had a light bulb moment early in the week, when I was talking with my coach about my math instruction.

This year parent/teacher conferences and State testing hit at the same time. Talk about crazy times!! This is also where the exceptional needs teams gets slammed with referrals. In Colorado, Dyslexia falls under a Learning Disability where I have 8 different categories  (Basic Reading Skills, Reading Fluency, Reading Comprehension,Written Expression, Calculation, Problem Solving, Oral Expression and Listening.Comprehension) to work with. I came across this information from the The International Dyslexia Association Ontario Branch, which highlights things that both teachers and parents can look for:

Reading Difficulties

• Learning sounds of letters
• Separating words into sounds
• Slow and inaccurate reading
• Poor reading comprehension
• Oral Language Difficulties
• Delayed spoken language
• Misinterpretation of language that is heard
• Lack of awareness of different sounds in words and rhymes
• Organizing thoughts

Writing Difficulties

• Organization of ideas
• Poor spelling
• Poor letter formation and spatial organization

Mathematics Difficulties

• Memorizing math facts
• Correct sequencing of steps when solving problems
• Transposing digits within numbers

For me determining if a student has a learning disability is much more difficult than looking for these things but also looking at how the student is doing in a targeted intervention and how they look compared to their grade level peers. This is the time of year where many conversations take place as to whether to refer or not. In my mind its better to refer when in doubt than to not. Even if student does not have a disability that information can be used to create stronger programming. Have a great weekend.

Last month, one of the second grade teachers in my building came to me and asked how she could use technology (be it a laptop or iPad) to help her with her new student. Her new student just happened to be transfer student with autism. (This year I'm not working with second grade but we collaborate all the time together.) She had seen some of the things I was having students do with iPads and wanted to explore ideas to support him during Daily 5 when he had to be independent.

I create directions for many of the tasks I want students to do with the iPads--more so when I want them to do independently. This is the first time I have created them for an individual student to use. This is a grand test and the first time where a classroom teacher has approached me about how to integrate technology to help students.

She had found Sentence Marker and wanted him to use it after he finished his phonics/word work. I created directions for her to add to his binder, so he could use the app independently while she was teaching. She said he LOVE spending time on anything tech; I suggested that his directions should include a timer that he can set himself. The timer is new.  It will be interesting to see how this works on Monday. But its been a very successful so far. I can't wait to see how this works. Has anyone tried something similar, what success did you have? Have a great week.

Bloomin' Apps has made it's way to creating. All with free apps. The fun my students had creating this examples was unbelievable. They can't wait to do it again. Students had to read and reflect before they could come anywhere near an iPad. The video was done using Gina the Giraffe, Talking Tom, and Roby the Robot. I've talked before about how the students created their scripts and then went to town. Word Mover is like magnetic poetry but free. The students used this app for their response. After reading about Extreme Weather, they have to create a poem using word association. Have a great weekend!

I have spoke at length about how I use Gradual Release throughout my teaching. Last month, I began using the Gradual Release Student Rubric for my students to self-assess after each lesson. This past week I started  asking them to tell me why they are that number. I tell students right after reviewing learning target then I will ask them to tell me where they are on the rubric for "Collaborate" ate the end of the lesson and why. I use it for all four parts of the lesson, so it doesn't matter if Monday's is an "I do" or "Independent" wok on Tuesday. They have to tell me and why.

You would not believe how they have risen to the challenge. They can clearly articulate how their behavior was and what they need help with. This is HUGE--having students who can clearly state what they need is tied to my districts teacher evaluation rubrics.

I have created a track form that helps me with differentiation. It's a simple--using the essential question as the base I then add the students feedback and note what I need to do for the next lesson for the student to move  up on the rubric. (This move covers two other items from our teacher rubrics.)

How do you track student self-assessments? Have a great week!

This week has been crazy. I throw together an Oral Spelling Bee for our Area Spelling Bee next week. Its always fun but you have to love it when communication falls apart. (This was to happen back in December, so the students could practice.) The students had a great time this afternoon. Even at the end of my crazy week, I had fun.

Everyone love a good sale. I'm joining other at Teachers pay Teachers Super Bowl Sunday for a Flash Sale this Sunday and Monday. Everything in my store will be on SALE!!!

I also have a math freebie for you. It can be used at any time in the year but it provides a great review as my students have to get ready for state testing. I've been working on a new set of word problems for multiplication. I'll share a sample when here soon.


M & M Math

Thank you for everyone who entered this weekend's giveaway. Congratulations to both Susan and dbednarsk for winning a $10 gift certificate to Teachers pay Teachers. I'll be sending them out to the email address you posted, please let me know if they don't come.

 I have a freebie for everyone as well. I played with adding QR codes to this multiplication practice. The packet includes two and three digit multiplication by one digit. The answers are shown both as QR Codes and just the answers. Enjoy.

It's my birthday! So, I'm going to hold my very first giveaway. I'm giving away 2 $10 gift certificates to Teachers Pay Teachers. Yes TWO. This giveaway will go to Tuesday. I also have a freebie for you. It's a new fraction packet with 2 different games to help students move fluently between fractions and decimals by practicing with half, third, fourth, fifths, one-sixth, and one-eighth.

Here's how to enter:
Leave a comment for each entry:
1) Follow my Blog
2) Follow my Store at Teachers pay Teachers
3) Follow me on Pinterest
4) Blog about this Giveaway
5) Tweet or Post about this giveaway on Facebook

This giveaway ends Tuesday, January 29 at 6:00 pm MST. Please make sure that you include your email address. Good luck and have a fabulous weekend!

For the last couple of weeks my sixth graders have been learning to persuade an audience. A favorite topic for all of them in the past has been the environment. Using that idea and a comment one student made about the James Cameron's dive last March. So, off we went for two weeks of reading about deep sea diving, ship wrecks, and seeing it was good or bad. The problem--how to get them to present the work without taking TONS of time. (Which I don't have in interventions.) One student in the group noticed that I had put Talking Tom on the iPads and became asking and asking and asking if they could do something with it.

Each year, my school tries to come up with way to get parents and our community in our school. Each year this gets harder--its been a challenge this because we have moved our hours back and are out at 2:30. We always hold a parents night for reading in the fall and in the spring its math. This year it's a Math-teroon. The classroom teachers are working on games that students can play a round or two at school and then take them home to play. We have a computer lab as well as the iPads. As I'm working to create parents handouts for our Math-ternoon, I wanted to share them. Here is the first. Its a collection of websites that our students and teachers like and use on a regular basis. Do you have any that your students rave about--I'd love to here about them?

When the going gets tough the tough get out the iPad. I have seen my students grow and latch onto concepts like faster than in the past when I find ways to bring technology in. I have one group working on probability. For this they have to collect the data and create pie charts before they can answer the questions. They loved creating the data and then getting to use the computers to create the pie charts. I created the directions, so they could do it on their own. Those are the things that move students and create learners who understand grade level material. My directions are simple but they have to create it and take responsibility to get it done. So, I can focus on the learning and not trouble shooting the technology.

Doodle Buddy has been great for students who need to draw their thinking out. I have students draw out the beginning, middle and end of stories to help them with retelling before writing it or telling me. This is something that students can do on their own with the iPads back in class.  Doodle Buddy is free.

iPads and computers don't replace my teaching, I use them to enhance lessons when it makes sense. Something as simple as using a computer changes a students motives from "really, do I have to" to "I liked doing this today."

Currently, this little project has been limited to students who are either RTI or students with IEPs in reading and math. Stay turned for other awesome ways technology can help struggling learners be more successful in the classroom. Have a great week!

Assessing student learning is easy for me. I give a quiz or ticket out or play 20 questions. But I want my students to tell me what they need--do they have it or don't they. I've talked in the past about using the Gradual Release strategy as how I teach each day. Gradual Release works both ways.

Before going to Christmas Break, myself and several classroom teachers, introduced a Gradual Release Student Rubric. This rubric was designed to have students know what their responsibilities are during each stage.  We have all been amazed about how students have been able to clear state where they are on the rubric and those student are the "goofballs"--they have stepped up.

I have always used a paper/pencil assessment to determine what students need the next day. With this I know before I pull small groups which students think they  need more help before they leave for the day. After my mini-lesson, I tell students that if your a 1 or 2 they need to stay with me for more help before working on their own. Sometimes I will name students who I know need more help.

I love that my students can identify where they are on this rubric at the end of each lesson. This has encouraged my students to become more independent and taking responsibility for their own learning.  They know what they need to do while I'm giving a Focus Lesson and they can tell me where they were doing

Yes, I still assess but what I've noticed is that their scores have gone up. I'm spending less time going back and reteaching material. Even my learners that are several years behind their grade level peers are getting the material in a shorter amount of time and are more able to tell me what kind of help they need. They have become more independent--taking on their own learning has helped them. This has helped me focus small groups into something that directly targets what a student needs while not waiting for an assessment; with me missing what why really need. Talk about student focused, student centered learning!!!

What do you use to help students assess themselves so they can become independent learners?





Gradual Release Student Rubric