Go With the Flow

 To be a teacher means that you have to go with the flow. You can have the most amazing plans ready, but inevitably something comes along and makes you change course. 

While doing all my work getting Restart ready for our novel study I started charting out the rest of my semester. Even doing a full chapter a day, we wouldn't have finished the book before Christmas break and I am not one to leave students hanging on a book over 2 weeks of vacation. All those plans will be put to use at some point, just not right now.

So here we are. 

We are now going to read Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. We have already read the first chapter and the students are hooked. The good part about this book is that there are other books in the Brian series so my few students who have read the book before and are choosing not to read it are going to read Brian's Winter. 

While planning out this novel study I practiced with a group giving students assignments on what they were to focus on while we read. It didn't turn out as planned so I tried a little differently during the next class. I still wasn't satisfied. My next class was the class that finally got what I needed. Now the students are going to focus on vocabulary and characterization for the book while we discuss the plot, literary devices, and signposts together as a class. 

I think this will work better for my students now. They will be working on finding new words, difficult words, interesting words, confusing words, etc. I want them building their vocabulary so I'm not giving them specific words to look for. I want them to have ownership of their learning. 

I will be keeping notes over all the other parts of the book so that they can have access to it. They will help me build the notes, but I will be the one compiling them. They will be responsible for their own vocabulary and characterization notes. 

I'm also going to be telling them about their One Pager assignment that will be completed after we finish the book. This way they know what to be on the lookout for while we read. I love One Pagers. I love how it allows students to be creative and as artistic as they want to be. 

When was a time you had to go with the flow during your teaching?

Novel Study: Restart by Gordon Korman

 My plan was to read The Westing Game with my students this year like I do every year, but I found out that about 10 of them have already read the book. It's not fun to read a murder mystery when you have already figured out the mystery.

So I'm going to read Restart with my students instead. It's not a murder mystery, but I'm really excited to dive into this book with my students. This nine-weeks we are focusing on Literary Elements so I think this is the perfect book for that objective. 

The skills that we will be working on:

• Plot
• Setting
• Characterization
• Conflict
• Point of View
• Literary Devices
• Paraphrasing
• Research
• Notice and Note Signposts
• Theme
• Compare and Contrast
• Fact and Opinion
• Author's Purpose

I love the fact that this book is told from multiple perspectives because we can get really good compare/contrast of situations and characters through this format. Within the first few chapters we get to see a scene told from the perspective of 5 different characters and can discuss the whats and whys of that situation. 

Also, with multiple characters being the narrator, we get to see a lot of characterization from different perspectives. 

So that it's not overwhelming for my students (5th grade) I have assigned them roles for each chapter. They will be in charge of one or two things for two chapters and then they will get a new role for two chapters. Everyone will get to focus on something while we read which keeps them accountable and helps them to think deeply about their role and we will discuss what everyone has been focused on at the end of each chapter. They will do each role for two chapters before switching to a new role so that they get enough practice finding each thing. 

Example: 

Johnny and Elise will be looking for minor character characterization for two chapters. They will write down examples of characterization about all characters except Chase Ambrose for chapter one and all characters except Shoshanna Weber for chapter two. Chapters three and four they will be focused on literary devices. They will keep track of all literary devices and what their possible meanings are. Chapters five and six they will work on Contrasts/Contradictions and Words of the Wiser. 

To begin we will do a little research and writing on amnesia and bullying. They will need this background information and this mindset before getting into the book so they can understand what is happening to Chase throughout the story. 

Throughout we will be reading picture books to get practice with the signposts and to get more stories about amnesia and bullying. I'll probably pull in some articles and poems if I can find them. 

During RTI I will pull the students that I think need some more practice on literary elements since that is our main focus. 

I can't wait to get started on Monday!

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

This book has been in my library for years. I always wanted to read it, but never got around to it. I am so happy that I brought it home with me when schools closed so that I could. 

There are many books about enslaved people, but a lot of them take place during the Civil War. This one and its companions take place during the American Revolution. Since I teach 5th grade, which is a US History year, this is a perfect book for my students. 

Learning about Isabel and her struggles was heartbreaking. I have heard throughout my life how enslaved people were treated, but hearing it described about a young child broke my heart. Her fierceness through it all was inspiring. She did not let her treatment break her down. She did not give in. I wish I had the other books in the series, but will have to wait until I can get them to see how her story ends. 

We have to show our students what life was really like. We can't sugar coat things. I have heard about text books that explain how enslaved people didn't have it that bad and sang and danced and had a good time. This is not true. Our students deserve to know the truth and the memory of the enslaved people needs to be honored. Thank you Laurie Halse Anderson for this book. 

Google Sites, Slides, and Drawings

These are amazing resources for teachers. I have been playing around with them pretty much non-stop since I realized all that I could create with them.

Google Sites

1. I created a class website with Google Sites that I can use just like a newsletter, method of contact, resource database, and calendar. My students' parents can view the site to find out information about what's going on in class which means I don't have to print out weekly newsletters to keep them informed. I can post permission slips and other class updates to the site for them to view. My students can go to the website to see upcoming event dates, links to websites they can use, and find resources for their notes and our learning. 

2. Another great way to utilize Google Sites is a digital escape room! So much fun. On each page in the site I put parts of a story for students to work through to figure out their passwords. I utilized Google Forms for students to input passwords and escape the room. I created a clickable PDF in Google Drawings so that students could "search" the scene to find clues.

3. Students can create their own Google Sites as a digital portfolio of all their work. They can share it with the teacher, other students, and their parents. This is a great way to give kids ownership over the work that they do and give them a larger audience than just the teacher.

Google Slides

1. Interactive worksheets are a game changer for me. Instead of boring handwritten worksheets now students can interact with their assignments. Instead of cutting and pasting which takes FOREVER students can now just click and drag to organize information. They can also highlight, underline, and circle information. They can leave me comments and I can leave them stickers and feedback.

2. Digital choice boards. So much easier than creating paper assignments for stations. I can create a slide that has links to all the options they have for the week. They can choose the order in which to complete them and can put all their work into the Google Slide so I don't have to search everywhere for it. No more "I lost my homework." 

3. I just spent all day working on creating a digital notes binder for my students. I made a binder cover that looks like it's on a student desk. They can design their own cover using Google Drawings or right in Google Slides. This will give them ownership of the notes. Then I created a table of contents that links to each of the objectives in the "binder". I gave dividers to each of the objectives so they can keep track of their notes. If they need more space for an objective they can make a duplicate slide and continue taking notes. They will be able to type in their own notes and add images that they find or create their own images. It is all about holding them accountable and giving them ownership of their learning.

Google Drawings

1. Clickable PDFs are incredible. You can create a scene and link different parts of it to whatever you need: images, documents, websites, etc. After you have created your scene you can download it as a PDF and it will keep the links embedded so that whoever receives it will be able to click the links and access the information.

2. Creating background images. Using Google Drawings I can create the images that will serve as a backdrop for my Google Slides. The digital notebook pages were all created in Google Drawings and then set as the background in Google Slides so that students can't move anything on the page. They can type over it in Google Slides, but they can't manipulate the picture in any way. 

3. Bitmoji images. So much fun to create. Imagine all the things your little person can do and send them on adventures. Your students will love it (and so will you)!

Google Educator Certification Level 1

I did a thing. I went through all the training and took the test and I am now a Google Certified Educator for Level 1. My next step is Level 2 of course. I plan on starting that journey later this week. This was a great experience for me as an educator and one of the best professional developments I've been through. 

Why is it one of the best professional developments I've been through? Because it's completely relevant to my classroom experience and I can start implementing the information right away. That is one of the top marks for me in evaluating professional development. If I can't put the information to work right away or see how it will benefit me as an educator or my students, I can't describe it as effective. I will use a majority of the skills I learned from this training in my classroom. 

I already knew a lot of the information from the trainings, but the way the information was applied helped me to see how it could benefit my students more than how I was already using it. Google Docs will be a resource I can use for reading groups next year. Students can use a shared Google Doc to discuss the book they are reading and come up with theories, themes, and more. Since it is updated every time a student contributes to it, they can all have their say and every voice is heard. I can look at the history and see which students are participating which will allow me to see that all of my students are contributing to the discussion. 

Google Slides can be an interactive resource for my students. I have already created a Google Slide over Main Idea, Topic, and Details where my students will move shapes around to show me they understand the material. This is a game changer for me. I love creating resources and used to always use Microsoft Publisher, but now Google Slides and Google Drawings will be my go to programs.

This next part is a little from Level 2, but I don't know why I didn't think about it before. I have been wanting a way for my students to blog about their reading lives. I went through so many options to find the perfect program for my students and couldn't come up with anything. Then, I found Google Sites which will serve a great purpose for my students next year, but Blogger is what I've been looking for and I didn't even think about it until I started doing the Google training. It's perfect and my students can link it to their Google Site. 

I have been doing a shared Google Sheets to keep track of my team's AR points and through this training found out how to only share parts of that Google Sheet with my team. This is perfect so that my team members only have to view the parts that are relevant to them. I am so excited to use this function next year. 

So many ideas are floating through my head right now. This is what I love about teaching. There are always new things to utilize and ways to grow as an educator. I love learning and finding ways to engage my students. Next year is going to be awesome! 

Have you become a Google Certified Educator?