A Hike with Miss Matteson

Miss Matteson is my teaching partner. We enjoy being together. And we are both getting a little bored with this whole summer thing. (No, we do not want to babysit, we want to have summer fun as grown ups.)

We planned to go for a hike this afternoon. Yes, it was 100 degrees. But, we wanted to hang out, chat, talk about stuff that is on our minds (ok, that last one was mostly me...)

What I've learned during this pandemic, is that I love to talk, and was able to get most of that out at school. My family is great, and they listen to me, but I'm pretty sure they like it when I get to talk to someone else too.

Back to our hike.

We met. Put on our masks, sunscreen and bug spray and headed out. Miss Matteson grabbed her backpack (with water and a first aid kit) and I grabbed my phone. We were set. Or so we thought.

Walking. Talking. Choosing paths, left or right? Every once in a while we'd stop to rest a moment in the shade (and to let me catch my breath--talking too much??)

About 30 minutes in I was wondering "How much longer is this going to be?" I'm thirsty and left my water in my car because this was going to be relatively quick.

I saw that Miss Matteson was leaving marks. Not sure how long she was doing that before I noticed. I thought she was being a "kid," you know, messing with stuff, but she was marking our path. You know, to help us escape the woods/trail, I mean find our way out. That's when I got a little nervous. 

We did not know how to get back. There were no guides or maps or arrows on the trail. We joked. Then she said, pull up Google Maps.

But that didn't work. No signal. (Which meant I couldn't even call my husband to come and get me!)

Next idea was a compass. It told us which way was North, not how to get back!

We kept walking. And I heard a noise. I said it was probably a cougar. Because I always think of big and scary things. Miss Matteson tried to convince me that it was most likely a cow. 

And she started pointing out the animal shelters along the path (like for BIG animals). Even "lost" she was having a great time in nature. At one point I got startled and almost jumped into her arms. She gave me a look, like--where's the distance??? I apologized and mentioned how much we were learning about each other. 

She was very comfortable on the trail. She had confidence that we would get back. I was sure I'd need to be rescued, and I jump at every little sound when I start to get nervous (let's not say scared.)

I tried to lighten my mood with a selfie.

Another 20ish minutes of guessing which way to go, leaving marks, trying to enjoy the trees, water, bridges and we found the driveway. My relief was instant. Please, can we take the driveway to our cars? I need water and I'm done with this trail for today.

Miss Matteson thinks it would be fun to take our classes out there for a hike. What???? Maybe...

It really was a great time and I'm excited about our next trail hike. I will for sure be packing water. ;-)

Summer School for ME!!!

March-May 2020 was eye opening. I had NO IDEA how to teach online, let alone make it reasonable for Kindergarten students and their parents. Insert groans and cries from parents, students and this teacher.

When I saw an announcement that K-State was offering 9-hours of credit to learn how to teach online, using an online platform, I begged my husband to let me take it. He has always been supportive of me when I want to take classes and it was a no brainer for him this time as well.

As I started an assignment this week, I thought, "This would be a great topic for my blog." So, here you go. 

Differentiation.

A while back that word was a trigger for me.

I've even blogged about it in the past. (Differentiation--It Was Fun)

I did not like it when any one would ask about how or what or with whom I was using differentiation. I think it is because I had no idea!! That was not part of my college classes. And I certainly had not received any PD from my district on it. And I didn't know the words to use to describe what I was doing in my classroom and how it related to differentiation.

Fast forward six years. Only it was not fast, it was slow and painful. Reading my favorite bloggers, collaborating with teachers near and far, reading books, and trial and error with my students have helped me do better. But I want to even better.

I seem to have academic differentiation "under control." 

        * Teach core curriculum to all students.

        * Modify assignments by length or content depending on IEP or classroom observations.

        * Offer extra time (this is kind of a crazy idea in kindergarten--they get the time they need in almost every situation)

        * Tier 2 and 3--kids are grouped by formal and informal assessments and work on skill deficit or enrichment areas within smaller groups.

Every day I came home exhausted because I made some of these decisions on the spot. But it was working.

After a week or two of school I had a pretty good grip on the social/emotional state of my class, and I could differentiate for that as well. 

        * This kid needs an extra hug today.

        * This one would benefit from a walk to another teacher's room to get a hug from him.

        * I need to play with this one a recess more.

        * Stuff is going on at home, be gentle and give the adult helpers a heads up to be extra kind and patient.

        * Teach and reteach calming strategies and the Zones of Regulation to the whole class.

In what ways would I like to improve differentiation with my students?

         * Offer choices to my students on how they want to do something. For example: draw a picture. Share it with the class in person or create a Flipgrid to share.

        * Center time: Let more choices be related to music, science, nature, as well as reading and math.

        * Find ways to talk to five-year-olds about what they like to do for school work and incorporate that into our class lessons.

        * Create more time in our day for drinks and snacks, and find a way to fund it.

Ok, that was basic differentiation when I'm in my classroom. How will I differentiate if I'm teaching from a computer in my house? I am learning about some wonderful apps and websites that will help me "get out the content instruction" and that is making me giddy with ideas. Here are a few for you to explore if you choose:

        * Loom is my absolute favorite right now. It's screencasting, and has my video on it as I am giving a tutorial on a website. Some kids may need this, others may not. Having this available makes navigating websites more manageable for kids and families that may not have as much experience with working on the web.

        * Clips is a way for me to create instructional videos. I like it because I can do it in segments, it's easy to navigate, I can use my cell phone, and easily upload it to YouTube and then send a link to students. This would be a great way for me to make videos for individual students, or groups of students who need different instruction. If I have 3 videos of the same content, perhaps different in speed of my instruction or movement through modeling, guided practice and independent practice, then I would feel like I was truly teaching online.

           *Flipgrid. I've had a mini presentation on this from a teacher, but never used it. Now I've used it multiple times as a student and I see how to use it with my students, either online or in person.

Side note: there are so many amazing possibilities for screencasting or creating videos, and a person could get bogged down in not doing anything because of too many choices. Here's what I've found: choose one. try it out. Try it again. Try something else if you feel like it. 

Back to differentiating. In my classroom I have routines and procedures to differentiate. I must, absolutely must do a better job of figuring out how to differentiate online. And I'm pleased to say that I feel confident that I can do this, I will do this, and my students will have a better go at school in 2020-2021 no matter where it happens.

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Drop a comment below if you want to try any of these resources with me, or if you have one that is great and I should know about it.

Happy Summer of Learning 2020!!

Personal Professional Learning

Spend 7 hours learning something outside of the school year, write about it, and get a free day in January 2021.

I've had my eye on a book for several months and this gives me the perfect opportunity to read it, reflect on it, and have conversations with others about it.

The book is The Knowledge Gap by Natalie Wexler.

As I read the book, I took notes of what I wanted to remember or what struck me as important. And after a chapter or two, I sent a message to several people in my district that would be open minded about the information, with the preface: be ready for feathers to ruffle, hackles to raise, and sleepless nights.

With all of that--I loved the book!

It starts with a history of our education system in the USA. And moves into how Common Core standards were developed and what they hoped to produce (and why it has not).

Here's the most important part of what I read: Content, content, Content. Even in the earliest grades. Not exactly like I've learned about PBL, but hints of it for sure! 

Also: reading is decoding (think about skills here); comprehension is understanding and is best taught through (wait for it---) CONTENT like history, science and literature, not skills. We must not wait until sixth grade to start the history, but give pieces of it and build on it starting with the little kids (they can and will get it, and will be excited to learn about it). 

But this takes a sequential curriculum of CONTENT. Teachers do not like being told what to teach. And are at the same time screaming for what to teach. That leaves everyone in a tricky place.

If we teach content that gives kids background and in depth study of history, science, economics, then they will be practicing those comprehension skills in a very authentic way. That is what the CCSS are asking the teachers to do. How did we get lost?

I'm not going to spend time on the problem (we got lost), but work to find a solution.

My district has used EngageNY math for many years. But I thought it was just math. Nope. There is an ELA component as well. I spent some time poking around, and found that it is a wealth of (FREE) content-filled lessons that link to the CCSC and build on each other as years in school progress. 

Wait, What??

This is the thing we have been searching for??

Perhaps.

What I see is lessons that teach content, are tied straight to the CCSC and are age appropriate. This is the Listening and Learning Strand (the comprehension part--taught through CONTENT). There is also a Skills Strand for each unit (the how to read part). Here is a link to go to the Kindergarten part, but you could easily navigate to the grade of your choice.

If you know me personally, you know that I am passionate about phonics, phonemic awareness, sequential and explicit instruction, and all things decoding. I've left off the content, though, if I can just get the kids to read, they will be ok.

I've been wrong. 

Yes, teach kids to read. But we must do better about giving them access to CONTENT before the sixth grade, and I mean GIVING it to them, not holding them responsible for reading it themselves. They can comprehend at a level so much higher than what they can read, let's help them acquire knowledge (and in the process comprehension skills) and a love for learning.

Are you interesting in reading this book, or poking around ENY? Would you like to help me learn the content, or how to teach the content to five-year olds? Or would you like to learn more about the 3 shifts that the CCSS set out for us (link to the shifts). 

Reach out. Let's talk. Let's share. Let's collaborate. It's easier than ever now (now that we are all experts at online conferencing--my specialty is Google Meet, but really would like to get better at Zoom).

Spring Break 2020

It is my spring break this week.

A week like no other I have lived.

It's not relaxing.

Last week we added extra times in our day to wash hands at school. We reviewed HOW to wash hands. It felt over the top. But it wasn't.

When we said good-bye on Thursday I told my students "have a great break!" We had no idea how our lives would change in 5 days.

Yesterday I watched our governor at a press conference say that all school buildings in our state would be shut down for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year. WHAT??? 

I feel relieved. 

I have questions.

I am excited.

All of that in every breath. It is difficult to separate how I'm feeling, it is all mixed up.

Here is what I know...

1. We are in this together and together we will find a way to navigate this new normal.

2. Teachers are amazing people. Willing to share, collaborate, teach other teachers. It is a wonderful profession and I am lucky to be a member of it.

3. We are resilient. I do not have a single clue what this will look like for this year. Or the future. But I KNOW that I will learn so much and I am excited to have this opportunity to learn from others who already know how to teach online/remotely. (Please send me links, tips, encouragement!)

4. I will continue to check in on my friends, family, students from my chair in the living room. 

I end this today with my favorite line that Max, the medical director of New Amsterdam, says, "How can I help?"

How can I help you? Please reach out to me!

Brain Dump

Time.

It keeps slipping away.

I fill time with learning.

The last 2 months I have been knee-deep into learning about orthographic mapping. 

The more I learn, the less I know.

The more I learn, the more I need to add to my classroom routines.

The more I learn, the less I feel like I'm doing it right.

The more I learn, the more I feel like I am doing some things right.

The more I learn, the more I need to learn.

Overwhelm and excitement in the same breath.

Do the next right thing. 

Tonight it is a face mask and a podcast.