Instant Study Cards

Just Sharing...
When I taught special education I found that many of my students struggled with identifying important information they needed to study so I created study cards (and eventually taught them how to make them themselves) from the study guides they received from their other teachers.  Below is an example of a quick, easy, and neat way to create study cards.  You can provide them to students with the information already generated, post them to your teacher page for all students to access, give them just to the students who may struggle with identifying the important information, or you can create a template and have students make their own by typing the information into the template.  What do you think?

Just Sharing...
 

Why can't interesting, important work be fun, too?  We think it can! My colleague and friend, Kira, and I facilitated a three part flex series based on the book The Essential 55 by Ron Clark. The first session consisted of watching the movie, The Ron Clark Story, based on the book. We discussed the connections Mr. Clark made with his students and what practices we feel are 'essential' to enhance the positive culture in regards to behavior and respect for everyone in our building.

 

Over the past few weeks, several of us read the book, explored each of the Essential 55 Rules, and chose/tweaked the ones we feel will benefit our Middle School community (we chose 5).  We then created a proposal to share with our colleagues at a later date. We hope to have the opportunity to discuss and agree to implement these "rules" consistently across the board in every classroom in our school.

 

Some individuals and teams were unable to make it on the dates that we met but they watched the movie, read the book, and provided input on their own time anyway!

  

During the session that we watched the movie we moved the lobby couches into the Large Group Instruction Room (LGI) and ate popcorn! Just a few fun things to make the session more enjoyable- in addition to the great company and discussion!
 

 

Leave your titles and tenure at the door...

Just Sharing...

Today was pretty cool.  We had a rough winter that left us with TEN snow days to make up.  That meant losing days of our spring break, students attending school instead of being off on in-service days, and staff having to make up THIRTY hours of professional development by attending flex hours after school.  I facilitated several sessions and today's was one of my very favorite. 

Today 8 of us met for a "Think Tank."  We all brought articles, book excerpts, and/or video clips to share with the group and discuss.  We talked about making connections with students, ADHD, changing education paradigms, rubrics, programs that address student needs, technology, how to stay motivated as a teacher, and learning difficulties.

Our Think Tank Rule: "Leave your titles and tenure at the door.  When you enter this room we are all just educators and colleagues."  Everyone was encouraged to be honest and share their perspective and to be open and respectful to others' views.  We learned a lot about the topics we discussed, each other, and had a really good time!  You should try it!

Using Music as a Teaching Strategy

Just Sharing….

A few years ago when my son, Ben, was in 5th grade, I attended their Poetry Café at his elementary school.  His teachers shared with the parents how they use music to reinforce how they teach story elements and figurative language. I’ve attached the YouTube videos for you.  They are quite catchy and it was really cute listening to the kids sing along! There are lots of resources on the web, just like these, that you can find for almost any subject or concept.

Elements of a Story

"Five Things" - http://www.flocabulary.com/fivethings/

This song is about the five main elements of a story: setting, plot, characters, conflict, and theme.

Figurative Language

“Figurative Language” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPiVfdwAsUg

This song is about personification, alliteration, assonance, hyperbole, onomatopoeia, metaphor, and simile.

Using music in our classes and learning environments has several benefits, such as promoting a relaxed emotional state, stimulating the brain to be creative, or aiding in memory formation. Studies done by F. F. Cripe , L. Morton, J. Keshner, and L. Seigel conclude that music has a beneficial effect on students. They suggest that music with a prominent beat stimulates an increased arousal in students which overrides the effect of environmental distracters…repetitive beat produces a reduction in muscle tension, thus reducing hyperactivity… (there was) significant reduction in distractibility among students after being exposed to music. Short term memory was also beneficially affected by having to listened to music.

 

My colleagues, Noah and Kristin’s performed a Math Rap to help their students remember the rules of rounding. Noah reports that at first, the students were trying to act “so cool” and not crack a smile but they really latched onto the concept and some even joined in up in the front of the classroom!

 

Even a marking period later, one of his students was overheard singing lyrics from the song, “Move to the right and underline, get it!” when doing an activity that involved rounding!

 Thanks for sharing, Noah and Kristin! Share ways YOU use music or other active engagement activities. Have fun!

I am...

A great way to introduce yourself...

Krista

Kind, witty, and motivated

Wife, mom, daughter, sister, aunt, granddaughter, niece, cousin, friend, teacher

Who loves to learn, be with family and friends, and eat hummus & carrots

Who feels happy when those I love are "safe, happy, healthy, & together" *

Who needs sleep, time to exercise, and more hours in the day

Who gives back to my community, too many treats to my dogs, and lots of smiles

Who fears the cost of college over the next 15 years

Who'd like to see the Pacific Northwest

Who dreams of a world where everyone feels cared for and has enough

A person who wears many hats ~ and loves it

Krista, Mom, Mrs. V.

* Part of a prayer my boys and I have said before bedtime since they were very little.

"Sometimes you have to believe in the belief others have in you before believing in yourself." ~ Hector Araujo

While eating my lunch today, I tuned in to the GradNation Summit that was being live streamed.  I was very inspired by Hector Araujo, a former Gear Up member.  Gear Up is a grant program that is designed to help low-income students prepare for and succeed in post-secondary education. Mr. Araujo spoke about his experience and how his Gear Up mentor, Mrs. Johnson, made a difference in his life by believing in him. 

Something that he said really struck me, "Sometimes you have to believe in the belief others have in you before believing in yourself."

Wow!  How many times have we doubted ourselves and didn't do something that would stretch us or push us out of our comfort zone?  Maybe its time we look to those around us who support and encourage us and see ourselves through their eyes and... take the plunge.  Jump in with two feet and try something we never thought we could do!

Mr. Araujo also reminded teachers and students that, "Every day you have the ability to be a role model for someone else." 

This is so true!  Every day we have the responsibility to act in a way that inspires others by being kind, helpful, hardworking, and responsible.  This is so important for our students to know, too!

STEM Day (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math)

Wow! Friday was STEM Day for the elementary students in our district. My son, Jack, and his team of budding software engineers have been working very hard to plan, write, program, and revise their very own educational video games completely from scratch. This is seriously cool! During the beta phase, sample groups of consumers (other classrooms of students, teachers, and parents) played the games looking for coding bugs, and completed a constructive feedback survey. The teams then made revisions accordingly.

During STEM Day the students displayed their various projects and shared them with parents, teachers, administrators, school board members, and each other. As I walked around the LGIs (large group instruction rooms) in our high school that were filled to the brink with impressive projects and eager students explaining the work that they did to create these projects, I couldn't help but think that these kiddoes were preparing themselves for careers that may not have even been invented yet.

Thanks to the amazing teachers who support, encourage, and stretch this impressive group of students. Wow!

Does your school district have a STEM program?  What does it look like?

A demonstration as an introductory task/Taking responsibility for their learning

Just Sharing... My colleague, Steve, a middle level science teacher, shared with me how he used of a demonstration as an introductory task and an activity that supports students taking responsibilty for their learning. 

 

Steve’s introductory task for his students included a demonstration.  Steve had one of his students, "Billy" sit in a wheelie chair and move backwards as quickly as he could by using his feet, which he did with no problems.  Then Steve told him that he had to do it again as quickly as he could without using his feet.  This wasn’t as easy – and was a bit funny.  The class was then instructed to reflect on the demonstration and answer the following question in their science journals:  Why was it difficult for "Billy"to move in the chair without his feet touching the floor?  Use one of Newton’s Laws to answer your question.  The class then discussed their answers with a partner and then shared as a whole group.

Sometimes Steve uses his introductory task demonstrations as a review of previously learned material (which this one was) and sometimes he uses them as an introduction for a new concept in more of a discovery fashion.

Students acquire significantly greater understanding of material when traditional lectures are combined with interactive demonstrations. Each step in interactive demonstrations (predicting, experiencing, and reflecting) contributes to student learning. Prediction links new learning to prior understanding. The experience engages the student with compelling evidence. Reflection helps students identify and consolidate that they have learned.

The use of a demonstration connects an event, visual, or action with a concept that will help students to recall the information later.  In this situation, students can think back… “Oh, Newton’s Third Law of Motion is like when "Billy" was scooting in the wheelie chair.”  Not to mention-- it was fun and had all of the students engaged!

Steve also shared an activity that he does with all of his students on average twice a quarter.  He calls it his “Ostrich Activity.”  In an attempt to help students take responsibility for their learning he provides them with  a ½ sheet of paper with the following information that they need to complete.  He asks them to look up their current grade, list any assignments they may be missing, AND provide a plan for improvement.  Steve said that many times students “bury their heads in the sand” (hence why it is called the Ostrich Activity) when it comes to their grades and the hole they may have dug  for themselves but when they have to physically look it up, find out what they owe, and crate a plan for improvement, it is right in front of them and they can’t hide from it as easily - and of course he is there to support them and help them with their plan to improve.

 

Thanks for sharing, Steve!  Share ways YOU use demonstrations and activities that help students take responsibility for their learning.  Have fun!

 

Superman

My husband, Matt, who is a 2nd grade teacher on Superhero Teacher Day at his school.

 

We don't need to wait for Superman.  There is a Superman or Wonder Woman in every classroom in every school in our country.  For one reason or another we decided to make it our life's work to teach and it is our responsibility as educators to collaborate, inspire, and support each other so that all the 'SUPER' men and 'WONDER' women teachers out there can save the world... or at least a classroom of kids. 

Active Engagement - Megapuzzles

Just Sharing….

Hi!  My colleague and dear friend, Kira, shared with me the active engagement activity she used in her math class and I thought it might be one others would like to know about too!  It is called Megapuzzles and the instructions can be found on page 60 of The Nuts & Bolts of Active Learning book by Incentive Publications.

Kira gave each of her students a paper with a different expression written in the middle circle (example below).  The students had to write the constant, coefficient, like terms, and answer in the spaces around the expression and then cut it out ‘like a puzzle’ on the dark lines.  She then collected the pieces and placed the circles with the expressions written on them around the room on different desks.  She then shuffled the remaining pieces and gave each of her students four pieces of the puzzles.  The students had to go around the room and look at each expression and place their pieces with the correct expression.

This example was used for a math lesson but this active engagement activity can be used for any subject. Thanks for sharing, Kira!  Tell us about ways you have used the Megapuzzle or other active engagement activities.  Have fun!

My first stab at writing.

Last summer I took some time to think about what truly makes an educator effective. What things do effective educators do and say?  What can be seen and heard in an effective educator's classroom?  How does an effective educator view professional development and life long learning?  How does an effective educator interact with his/her peers.  While I was thinking about all of that, I wrote an article that I was lucky enough to have published in the Association of Middle Level Education (AMLE) newsletter.  Please take a look and share your feedback.  What do you think an effective educator looks like?

http://www.amle.org/BrowsebyTopic/WhatsNew/WNDet/TabId/270/ArtMID/888/ArticleID/376/An-End-to-the-Close-Your-Door-and-Do-Your-Own-Thing-Era.aspx

Let's do this!

So, I decided to start a blog.  I never thought of myself as a writer before but recently I feel like I have so many ideas that I may burst if I don't get them out and that a blog would give me the platform to share and connect with other educators interested in improving the field of education.  My hope is to create a virtual community of educators talking about best practice, sharing ideas, and collaborating on important topics.

Please feel free to share ideas, articles, things you tried in your classroom or school, things you are struggling with and would like some feedback or a fresh perspective.  Anything that contributes to becoming the best educators we can be and student success!  All are welcome!  The only rule is to be kind to each other.

Thank you for visiting my blog and for all that you do for your students!

Best,
KV

Krista Venza, M.Ed.
Wife, mom, daughter, sister, aunt, granddaughter, niece, cousin, friend, educator