Jumping Feet First into Interactive Student Journals

I've Been Infected by the ISN Bug!

I'm letting the "virus" run its course.

I've been battling a bad virus since about April.  I sneeze.  I cough.  (Sounds like allergies, I know.)  But, I also take chills and run a fever.  (Sounds like flu, I know.)  Doctors say it's a virus and I just need to let it run its course.  So, that's exactly what I am doing.

Similarly, I have been battling this urge to implement Interactive Student Notebooks.  I'm just itching (I know, poor allergy pun) to use them in my classroom.   I have spent hours upon end researching example of ISN's.  I have added dozens of pins on Pinterest just devoted to ISN's.  I don't want to blow it (again, sappy allergy pun).  It seems that this trend has gone viral in education. (Okay, I'll stop ;)).  After great personal deliberation and fearless commitment, I don't want to be cured.  As you know, one of the skills I teach my fourth-graders is note taking.  I also teach them how to study.  These are two invaluable skills that my students will use the rest of their lives.  I honestly believe that ISN's will make for a more exciting approach to note taking as well as a creative and effective way to study.  So, as of 24 hours ago, I am taking this challenge and running with it.  

Kudos to Sarah http://everybodyisageniusblog.blogspot.com/p/interactive-notebooks.html

In my quest to learn as much as I can about ISN's I came across an absolutely brilliant blog.  It is a MUST guide for anyone even remotely contemplating implementation of this awesome form of student interactives.  I must acknowledge Sarah and her blog,  Everybody Is A Genius!  I have read her blogs numerous times.  I've bookmarked them, studied them and am truly inspired by what she does with them.  So, I Thank you Sarah!

Now, Sarah is a high school math teacher.  I, on the other hand, am an ELP 4th grade teacher.  We share, however, a love of teaching and a belief in student abilities.  Interactive learning is for everyone, regardless of grade level.  

How I will use these Interactive Student Notebooks

I have decided that I am going to use ISN's in Math, Language Arts, Science, and Utah Studies.  I am also going to have a general 4th grade ISN for expectations, procedures, and other things that don't fit quite so neatly into these core subjects.  I have taken Sarah's advise and I am generating sample pages of the interactives.  I am so excited about this new project.  Last night I even woke up from a dream with an idea for an interactive page.  

****Please  note:  I have yet to implement this idea, so I can't yet comment on the effectiveness.  Below are my preparations for using these ISN's this fall.  SUMMER PREP well utilized.****

General 4th Grade ISN

The first page of this ISN will be a self identification and introduction.  They will draw themselves (a creative self introduction at the beginning of the year) as a way to not only identify to whom the ISN belongs, but a little about their personalities.  I think it will be fun to look back at the end of the year to see how they saw themselves in August, compared to the older and wiser student in June.  Since this page has very little directive and is completely the creation of the student, I asked my son's girlfriend to create one for me as a sample.  I think it turned out pretty awesome!

The second page of this ISN will come from a class activity about What Kind of Teacher They Want and What Kind of Student They Will Be.  Here they can write down all the things they want from me as their fourth grade teacher.  We will then diagram as a class their combined expectations of me.  

Page three will be the second part of the activity.  I will conduct it in reverse order by listing all the qualities I like in a student.  Then they will create their page of what I can expect from them.

The next two pages are school-wide rules and classroom expectations.  I have two videos that I show during this discussion, after which they will record their interpretation of the school-wide rules and the classroom expectations in their ISN.

The last page I have planned for the first couple days is my personal contact information.  I have always prided myself in being highly accessible to my students and their parents. This page will act as reference so there is never an excuse for a lack of communication, at least not from my standpoint.  (And, yes, I do provide my students and parents with my cell phone number....I just don't provide you with it. ;))

There you have it, stage one of my new obsession....stay tuned for more ideas and planning.

Supplies, Covers, Classroom setup are just a few things I'm working on.

composition notebooks photo credit <ahref="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kristinnador/7639841596/">KristinNador</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">cc</a>

applause photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/neekohfi/4205372675/">neekoh.fi</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">cc</a>

"I Seriously Can't Stand That Kid!"

Becoming that kid all adults love!

A group of teachers stood chatting amongst themselves at recess when an overly rambunctious third-grader ran between them screaming with delight that he had infiltrated the teacher coalition.  His courageous coup was met with disapproving head-shakes, whistles blowing, and shouting as he vanished behind the backstop.  "I seriously can't stand that kid!" expressed one of the teachers.  The response was met with an overwhelming vibrato of agreement.  

Whether at school, or the mall or even church, we have all come in contact with that kid that just seems to rub all adults the wrong way.  They are abrasive, disrespectful and seem to be on a constant mission to irritate.  So how do we help students become "that kid all adults love"? 

As a child, I remember my mother's last words spoken to me every time I left the house; "Remember who you are and who you represent."  As a kid I thought my mom was nuts.  I mean, how could I possibly forget who I was?  I was pretty sure that the chances of experiencing blunt force trauma to my head, resulting in amnesia, were pretty slim.  I also determined that "remember who I represent" was her polite way of saying, "don't embarrass me or your family."  I really had no intentions of embarrassing anyone, but especially not my dad.  

You see, I was raised in the military.  My father was an officer in the Air Force.  This upbringing exposed me to a plethora of behavior that demonstrated respect.  I was in awe at the manner in which men would salute my father, and he them.  I loved the way they stood at attention and listened. These were images that taught me to carry myself confidently and respectfully. This carried over into our home.  We said, "yes sir" and "yes ma'am."  Instructions were given and followed.  My parents always had defined expectations as boundaries.  Rules were expected to be followed.  Everything was not open for negotiation.  There were definite consequences for choices made.

School had similar expectations.  I would never dream of being disrespectful to any teacher, as they were an adult and I had been taught to be respectful. I wanted to learn and teachers found it a challenge to keep me busy as I would finish quickly and accurately.  I was well liked by teachers, but perhaps it was because I was a real nerd.  I was also overweight, red-headed, and wore blue cat-eye glasses.  I worked even harder to be accepted.  Now, that's not to say teachers only like nerds, or fat little red haired kids, oh contraire.  Teachers like students who follow directions, work hard and show respect.  We like students who are genuine and nice.

I have a reputation of being a "firm," yet "fair" teacher.  I make my expectations known and I do not vary from them.  They are consistent and they are taught and practiced.  Some of my students come into my classroom with a strong foundation that their parents have established.  Others come with much lacking.  I have seen students yell at their parents and even spit in their faces.  It saddens me.  No child should be allowed to behave in this manner.  I don't allow it in my classroom.  I have reprimanded students in front of parents, reminding them that this type of behavior is not accepted in our classroom.  I have also reprimanded parents who have openly humiliated their child in my classroom, reminding them of the same expectations.  I do not enable, coddle or offer continuous repreve.   Some parents appreciate this, while others do not.

As a parent, I am grateful that I have children that adults like.  Numerous teachers have expressed how kind and respectful my boys are.  And guess what?  I too instruct my kids to "remember who they are."

I have a classroom where there is no guessing of expectations nor consequences.  I celebrate their ability to be responsible and respectful.  I applaud their kindness and consideration.  I always distinguish between their behaviors and who they are.  They often will hear that while I love them, I do not like the choices they have made.  I tell my students about my mom's instructions.  They laugh and then they soon hear me reminding them of not only my expectations, but their parents as well and to "remember who they are."

Adults love well behaved children.  Teachers love well behaved children.  Well behaved children are developed in homes and classrooms with clear and consistent expectations.

Blast from my past is a great end to this blog....Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young said it well when they instructed us to "teach the children well..."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztVaqZajq-I

Will They Be Ready?

Will They Be Ready?  

As this school year ended, and as I plan for next year, I am hit hard with the overwhelming, yet driving question, "Will They Be Ready?"  My line of questioning doesn't just focus on whether or not my fourth graders are adequately prepared for fifth grade.  No, my self-inquisition includes whether or not I have solidified a foundation that will support the challenges that await them beyond room 211 and venture into middle school, high school and hopefully college. 

I can pull up Common Core Standards and check off each and every objective taught.  I can cross reference test scores and compile data to "prove" I am a "highly-effective" teacher.  But, why?  That's NOT why I teach! It's not about me.  It's about them.

So, instead, I redirect my line of questioning to, "Can I identify 'Life Skills' that I have helped them develop?"  Well, let's see.  At the start of the last school year I decided that there were certain skills that I must help these young and eager nine-year-old students develop.  These are a few I feel I did well.

•   Accept responsibility for self
•   Learn the value of time management
•   Learn how to study
•   Learn to fail
•   Learn how to problem solve
•   Learn how to synthesize information
•   Learn how to balance "giftedness" with "childhood"

Now, I'm not going to be so arrogant as to claim I am such a brilliant and amazing teacher that all my students were successful in all these areas.  Instead, I intend to use this blog as a means for sharing the strategies I used this year.  It is also a means of self introspection and improvement.  So....here we go!