Changes

Lots has changed since I sat down to write here. While I still love this, my teacher voice has wavered a bit.

You see, I began the school year without a classroom. For the first time in over a decade, I did not have a class. If any of you have experienced this before, you know, the emptiness one feels. The first day of school was one of the most emotionally draining days of my career. I was now, a Teacher on Special Assignment. 

Happy First Day of School. Today is a bittersweet day. I have a classroom ready but waiting. Waiting for enrollment to increase. So, today I'm reminding myself that everything is going to be ok.

A post shared by Mrs.Parker (@learningwithmrsparker) on Aug 29, 2017 at 6:30am PDT

Unbeknownst to me, this turned out to be a blessing in disguise. At home, my father-in-law was gravely ill. As a family, we spent the next six of weeks traveling to and from work, home and the hospital. 

In October, I took over a fifth grade class while a teacher was on maternity leave. Unexpectedly, the teacher did not return. All of a sudden, I became a teacher of BIG KIDS. 

What I've come to find out is that changing grade levels does not define who I am as a teacher. Rather, it has affirmed my teaching philosophy. Now, more than ever, I see how students need engagement, novelty, play, and choice in their learning regardless of grade levels. That's what I've tried to bring into the classroom. While not always perfect, I am learning. 

Each day, I enter my classroom knowing that it is a blessing that I am their teacher. Perhaps, this was where I was meant to be all along; with them. 

I hope that you'll join me in my journey as I share what I've learned as a fifth grade teacher this school year. 

I don't know what the future holds. But, I do know that I can be the teacher kids need if I am willing to accept the challenge.

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Guided Drawing of Ruby Bridges Plus a Technology Twist

If you read my last blog post, you know how I feel about the gift of education.    Ruby Bridges was one of many brave children who paved the way to end segregation in schools. I believe that my students can identify with Ruby Bridges due in part to her age when her parents responded to a request from the NAACP and volunteered to her integrate within the New Orleans school system.   This year, I plan to try something new when teaching about Ruby Bridges. My students do so well with guided drawing that I have decided to create a guided drawing of Ruby Bridges.

Usually guided drawing lessons take about 30-45 minutes.  I give step by step directions and monitor students as we go along.  I like my students to draw in pencil (no erasers).  Afterwards, they use a black marker to go over their pencil markers.  Finally, they color. For this lesson, students will make her bow out of construction paper and glue on after they have completed coloring the entire project. Here is a video giving you step by step directions of how to draw Ruby Bridges.   (My videographer was my 8 year old son so please excuse some of the shaking.) 

You could do the exact same lesson with your students using their iPads if you are 1-1.  Students would open a drawing app; I used Sketchbook and follow along as you gave them directions.  Once completed, they would save it to their camera roll.  Then, they could upload it to Seesaw and either add text or record their learning.  


 Please share with me if you use this in your classroom. I would love to see what your students create.

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A New School Year: New Beginnings

We just completed our eighth day of school.  And, to be honest with you, I am exhausted.  You just simply forget how much goes into teaching; let alone teaching kindergarten.

This is one of my favorite bulletin boards.  (I hope to share more detailed pictures of my room later.)

We have been busy working on routines and procedures.  My class this year needs more direction so I am finding myself looking for new ways to effectively deal with classroom management and behavior.  First off, we are beginning our day with community circle.  During this time, we greet one another, share and work on creating our classroom community.  I am also using some Whole Brain Teaching Strategies to keep us focused.

Here are a few activities that we have used in our classroom; many are freebies.

1. We used beads and dry erase markers to write our names.  Find this excellent freebie here.
2. We read from our book boxes.  The book on the table is from my blog about school expectations.
3. We built number towers.
4. We love Pete the Cat!  We made these directed drawings from First Grade Blue Skies.

Overall, we've accomplished a lot in these last few days. 

Happy Teaching!

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Learn the Alphabet with Letter Factory

Image Source

Teaching the alphabet is not as easy as singing the "ABC Song."  Some of the students I teach come to kindergarten with little or no alphabetic knowledge.  Our team tries not to see this as a setback but rather a starting point.  In years past, it may have taken a student an entire school year to master the alphabet and letter sounds. How silly is that?!

Then, a teammate shared the Letter Factory DVD with us.  It has completely changed how we teach the alphabet.  Students are now mastering the alphabet and letters sounds in weeks rather than months. 

As we all know, kinders have a short attention span especially during the beginning of the year.  But, their ability to watch a DVD can be much longer.  We use this to our advantage. Each day, we watch a short snippet of the Letter Factory DVD.  We, then, review the letters and sounds.  As we do, we teach our students the hand motions which go with the letter.  

This video shows you what it sounds like. Imagine your students singing along. 

I always have an extra copy or two of the Letter Factory DVD to share with families when a new student arrives.  Parents are always commenting how their child comes home singing the song.  And, oddly enough, students never tire of it.  

This is not the only tool we use to teach the alphabet but it is one of the most effective.  

Thanks, Abby from Inspired Apple for hosting this Alphabet Boom Link.

 

I am excited to see what other fun things I can do to make learning the alphabet engaging for my students.

Happy Teaching!

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Google Classroom Tips for Young Learners

In a previous post, I shared about using Google Classroom in my kindergarteners. Today, I am going to share a few classroom tips for using Google classroom with our youngest learners.

Tip #1

I can't say how important it is to model.  In the beginning, I would model and my students would do the same step right after me.  As they became more proficient, I could show several steps.

For example, I would show them how to find the Google Classroom tab to open up the app. Then, they would do the exact same step and wait.  

As students became more comfortable, I was able to give a mini lesson and then, let them get to work.  The first few minutes of them getting started was always filled with high energy.  Once, they settled in, they became much more settled in their work. 

As with all good teaching, modeling is important.  

Tip #2

I would suggest that you begin Google Classroom after you have taught routines and procedures.  I always tell my students, "Slow and steady wins the race." I think it is true in this case.  Google Classroom is a tool that can enhance learning.  

I did not launch Google Classroom until the second half of the year.  This was well after my students had some basic computer skills such as the ability to log onto their Chromebook, click and were very familiar with using other sites for learning. More importantly, young learners need to have at least some alphabetic knowledge and writing skills.    

This year, I hope to launch Google Classroom earlier in the school year.  This is only because I feel more comfortable with using it. It took me some time to get familiar with the platform and to be willing to try it out.

Tip #3 

In order for this to be successful, you will have to make time.  I purposely planned at least an hour at week when first starting. The time actually increased as we began to create larger projects and work collaboratively.  

We did all our work in class rather than asynchronously.  This meant that I had to embed technology into my teaching and into my students learning. I had to think "outside the box" and somewhat outside of my comfort zone.  For example, when learning about 2 dimensional shapes instead of make an art collage with paper, we used Google Drawing to create our art.  This was all new.  

I hope that these tips encourage you to give Google Classroom a try with your students.  If you have any questions or comments, I'd love to hear from you.

Happy Teaching!

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Phonological Awareness FREEBIE

Although, we are nearing the 100th day of school, I still have a few students who are developing their phonological awareness.

During RTI, we work closely to hone these skills.  I love using this but have found that I need more items to support their learning.

I created this Phonological Awareness Bingo game because I noticed that my students struggled to put 3 sounds together.  As we use it, students must be able to put the sounds that I say into words.  Then, they must match the picture.  This requires careful listening as there are similar pictures.

We have been playing for several weeks and I have noticed a great improvement in their ability to blend sounds into words with and without pictures.

I thought that you might enjoy this game for your students, too. Click the image to get your copy.

If you do download this freebie, I'd appreciate a comment to this question.
What do you do to help develop your students phonological skills?

Happy Teaching,

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Computers in Kindergarten

Classrooms around the country are becoming 1-1 classrooms.  My classroom is no different.

To prepare, I took a course on Blended Learning.  Honestly, I was skeptical.  I could not envision my students nor I using the computer with them on a regular basis.  Although, the course was aimed at older grades, it gave me the knowledge I needed to integrate, set up, and use computers in my class.

We've been using Chromebooks regularly in our classroom since mid-October.  The first few weeks were not easy.  I had to rethink my teaching, how I ran my small group instruction and teach my students the basics of using a computer such as logging in.

I decided to use the rotation model as a way to integrate computers into our school day.

A photo posted by Mrs.Parker (@learningwithmrsparker) on Oct 13, 2014 at 8:25am PDT

The last half of our day is dedicated to small group learning.  During math time, students work independently on the computer or work with a partner at math centers.  The next day, we switch.

Computer time is embedded within our literacy centers.  While on the computer, they are using web based tools such as iReady, IXL, and Moby Max.  These programs monitor their progress and adapt as needed.

Although, I am 1-1, I rarely have all the students on the computer at the same time.  I would rather they are working on age appropriate skills using more traditional methods.

I think that it is important that my students have the opportunity to learn independently but to also work with others in a social setting.  I purposely try to create or purchase center activities that will make learning fun.  I want them to be just as engaged if not more so while working at centers with their peers.

I must admit, my students like using the computer.  But, I find that they still want me to acknowledge their learning.  Although they may earn a medal or a congratulations, it is my thumbs up or verbal praise that they seek.

Honestly, that makes me so proud.  Computers may be entering our classrooms but it can not replace me.

source

Happy Teaching,

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Becoming a 21st Century Teacher

This fall my school hopes to become a 1-1 school; a mixture of iPads and Google Chromebooks.  Although, this is an exciting time, it can be a bit intimidating knowing that you are responsible for fully implementing technology into your classroom throughout the day.

As a result, I have been taking an online course for a Leading Edge Certification.  The programs teaches you how to become an online and blended teacher.  Personally, for me, it has made me shift some of my 19th century teaching practices and move it to the 21st century.  I am halfway through the course and I have learned so much.

It has challenged me to rethink what my classroom will look, sound, and feel like as we add this new dimension into our learning.  During the first weeks of school, we will model and work together with our technology tools. I plan to incorporate the computers during my math and language arts center time using the rotation model.  I really want to be conscious not use the technology in isolation.  So, I also plan to incorporate the 4Cs into our units of study.  Just the thought of this makes me a bit nervous.  But, I know that this change will be good for me and my students.

As I create my projects for class, I always have my students in mind. I know that they are digital natives but they are also emergent readers and writers.  Web 2.0 tools like Voki help me record directions for my students.  They can access their learning without needing to read or have me by their side.  I am excited to use Plickers as an instantaneous way to access students' learning. I plan to continue to use some of my favorite iPad resources like QR codes and iMovie.  But look forward to some BIG changes.

I am hoping to network with other teachers and classes, too. I'd love to create a classroom blog, Skype or even Tweet (if given permission by my administration) with other classes.  Let me know if you are interested.  I hope to hear from those of you who are 1-1.  What are some of your favorite apps?  How do you successfully integrate the computers into the classroom?  What are some of your challenges? Please share. I'd like to make the transition into 21st century learning as smooth as I can.


Happy Teaching!

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Creation Station

Have you ever wondered how to implement more art into your classroom?  

Today's guest blogger, Mrs. Coe will show you how.  

Hello Friends,

My name is Mrs. Coe from the blogs Little Miss Kindergarten and Little Miss Hypothesis. I was so excited to be asked to guest post for Mrs. Parker. When I first started blogging Mrs. Parker was one of the first blogs that I followed and I now have followed her for over two years. I am delighted to be able to blog here and share a little bit of my world with you.

Last year when I was setting up my classroom for school I made a little corner of my room that I called my Creation Station. It was very small. I wanted to be able to use this area as an extension of my writing center but at the time I was not quite sure exactly how I was going to accomplish that at all. Nonetheless, I set the station up and played with different ideas throughout the year. I also spent a fair amount of time just observing and listening to what went on in that little space in my own room. This is a picture of my Creation Station on the last week of school.





Throughout the year what I learned was that just like any other work space this has to have a proper introduction and time has to be devoted to that so that expectations are met and materials are used properly. Just like every other teacher, I struggled with time to devote to this. At times my wonderful intentions got lost to the pressures of the other subjects... However, I kept trying different things and learning along the way. What I learned was that with each guided project, the children became more comfortable with experimenting with materials independently. And with more experimentation, a lot of excitement grew for art. And this became a pretty hot spot in my classroom. And I have to say we did have some pretty impressive art come from such a little space in the classroom.

This kindergarten picture really inspired me. I remember who did it. I remember the conversation behind it and I remember the lesson that was given in order to achieve this...masterpiece. As I walked away from my classroom and headed towards summer break, I snapped some pictures to help me keep to my goal of creating a Creation Station that was fully integrated into my Kindergarten day. I knew the only way I was going to feel comfortable doing this is that if it were objective based and integrated fully with other subjects. And with all of those thoughts and wishes in my head I created...

This was created to help me answer the questions of "what" is going in the Creation Station and "how" I am going to fully integrate it! As a writing or word work choice it will be open during our literacy block and in the afternoon it will be open for free exploration of art materials! And the best part is that I can now honestly say that the art objectives will be taught through integrated lessons! But I still needed this center to be open even when a big project was not in the works so I came up with a few more options.

And I knew I needed books to go along with different lessons and art topics so I gathered my favorites and put them on my wish list so that I could order them as I needed them.

These are my all time favorites! And I knew I needed to supply my Creation Station with materials to use for the projects that we will do. So I made a list of the things I wanted and I am shopping around to collect what I need or want.

So many of these supplies are always on sale for Back to School.

Markers Bold and Bright and Pastels

Crayons

Glue

Map Pencils

Construction Paper

Watercolors

Play Doh

Oil Pastels are my new favorite. I LOVE them for Kindergarten. These are not messy like you think. They outline everything and make a picture looked polished.  My other new favorite are Watercolor Pencils. What is not to love here?

And I was lucky enough to find these at a trip to Dollar Tree! These are perfect for an author study/art study on Eric Carle!

And I was super excited to find these at Dollar Tree too! These could be cute when used with a display of art!

So, what are your favorite art materials, books and lessons? Stop by my blog and let me know!



Thank you, Mrs. Coe for showing us how to incorporate more art into our classrooms.  This is a wonderful year long unit.

    Luckily, I've had a chance to use some of her creations in my classroom.  I hope you will too.

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Collecting Memories

Kindergarten is a special year in a child's life.  For years, I have struggled with how to collect and save children's work to share with families at the end of the year. I have tried several methods but none seemed to really work well.  When I saw this, I knew I had found the answer.


Kindergarten Memory Boxes

I purchased the boxes from here.  To create the top, I glued strips on construction paper onto the box to give it a pop of color.  Then, I made a picture collage of my class and copied it onto legal size paper.

Inside the box, families found pieces of their child's work from throughout the school year.

Each month, we would create a "craft" based on our unit of study; most related to social studies.  Due to storage issues, I did not assemble the pizza boxes until the last month of the school year.  Instead, I stored the student work in my teacher rolling cart.

With the help of my students, they filled their Kindergarten Memory Box.  It was a great way for them to "go down memory lane" and talk about what we had studied and learned.

This note was was the first thing that parents found as they opened up the box.

I liked how easy this was to do and that the student work was not limited to a certain size.   It did require some prep and planning but overall, it was a success.  I liked it so much, that I am planning on creating a Memory Box for my son.

How do you collect memories and keepsakes for families?

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Research and Collaboration - Kindergarten Style

Our team has tried very hard to learn as much as we can about the Common Core. It has been a learning curve but also a great way for us to bond as a team.

So, when we decided to visit Sea World, we knew that we wanted our students to research the sea animals that they would see at the theme park.  That lead to us think, "Why not have the students research and present their findings to each class?"

Simple.

Right?

Well....kind of.

First, we read about our sea animals and wrote about them in our Sea Animal Research Journals.  To guide our writing, we used Thinking Maps; mostly Tree and Circle Maps to help us.

Later, I assigned and worked with each group to create their presentation board.  In this case, I had my reading groups work together because they all had approximately the same needs.  This helped me to know how much guidance they would need.

Students and I enjoyed this extra time together.  Everyone worked together to cut, type, and prepare the presentation board.  They rehearsed their presentations during Independent Reading, with each other and to the class.

It was a lot of work.  But, well worth it!



Common Core Standards Addressed:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.K.2 Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.K.2 With prompting and support, identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.K.10 Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about     kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.4 Describe familiar people, places, things, and events and, with prompting and support, provide additional detail.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.5 Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as desired to provide additional detail.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.6 Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly.

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