Teachers who inspire my ISN's

These are few great teachers who use ISN's. I find their blogs inspiring.

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

http://mathequalslove.blogspot.com/

http://www.rundesroom.com/

http://ispeakmath.org/author/ispeakmath/

http://sciencenotebooking.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2008-01-01T00:00:00-05:00&updated-max=2009-01-01T00:00:00-05:00&max-results=24

http://frogsandcupcakes.blogspot.com/2011/08/math-notebooks.html

http://mshroman.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/interactive-math-notebook.html

ISN's

ISN's

An Honor to Honor

I'm A Brat!

Up

I was raised in the military.  My father was an officer in the United States Air Force.  I was always filled with such pride when military personnel would salute my dad.  I love my country and I love those who serve in the Armed Forces.  Up until 9/11 it was difficult to get students to truly understand Veterans Day.  They often confused it with Memorial Day.  They couldn't really grasp the concept of modern day Veterans because we were in peace time. They saw a veteran as being only a soldier from WWI or WWII.  They thought of their great-great grandfathers.  The unfortunate events of 9/11 lead to our country engaging in military actions in various places throughout the world. Our students soon experienced fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, neighbors and friends being deployed overseas to defend our freedoms.  The term "veteran" gained a whole new meaning and perspective in their lives.  

Every year I volunteer to conduct Veterans Day activities at my elementary school.  Some years I have brought guest veterans to speak to our students at an assembly. One year I put together a truly heart wrenching video that included pictures submitted by over half of our 800 member student-body. personally spotlighting the veteran dearest to them.  One thing I always do is create a bulletin board with the assistance of our students.  We've mounted letters of thanks, stars of honor, and even a miniature monument.  The students and faculty all proudly honor "their" veterans.

Last year I chose to display dog tags. Each student was given a set of paper dog tags.  They wrote their veterans name and branch of service.  I then strung gray yarn on them and hung them under the appropriate branch heading.  The display was stunning.  As parents entered the building they would immediately to into the office and ask if there were dog tags they could fill out to honor a veteran they knew.  It was a wonderful tribute and a community building activity.

This bulletin board has become a favorite spot every Veterans Day at Whittier Elementary in Salt Lake City, Utah.

It was so amazing to see how quickly the bulletin board grew as students saw others honor veterans they knew.  It was also fun to see students, especially non-native students, who don't know any veterans, ask teachers to tell them names of veterans that they could make dog tags for.  Yes folks, we had dog tags for George Washington, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and of course, my dad, Wayne S. Bullock.

I hope many of you are as enthusiastic about honoring our veterans as I am. Perhaps this can give you an idea on how to involve your entire school.  Don't forget to play TAPS at 11 am.  I get on the intercom and ask the students and faculty to stop what they are doing, stand quietly as we play TAPS in honor of all veterans past, present and future.

Taps mp3 free download

I love the pride our faculty, students and parents display and express at our school every year on Veterans Day.  It is truly and honor to honor those who have proudly served.

No Regrets November!

Where has the time gone?
I can't believe that it is already November.  It seems like it was just yesterday that I was preparing for school to start, and here I am, preparing for the term to end.  I guess I should be ashamed that I have been so lax in keeping my blog up to date.  But alas, I am not. :)  This has been a great first term.  I have been trying so many new things this year.  

I was lucky to have been able to go back to Rockaway Beach, Oregon in October.  It was there I took a long look at the things I have implemented this year in my classroom. 

ISN's

 

May I say that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE using ISN's. My students love doing them. I feel like I have found a way to improve direct instruction and increase their level of understanding in a creative way.  I admit, they are a lot of work, but man, oh, man, it is worth every minute of preparation.  They are not only creating great reference material for themselves, but honestly, some of them are true works of art.  I promise, I will post more ISN pages very soon.  

A/B Schedule

I have also have been piloting an A/B schedule, similar to those in high school. So, on Monday's and Wednesday's we have Language Arts and Utah Studies. On Tuesday and Thursday we have Math and Science.

Friday is spent wrapping up all four subjects while squeezing in Reading Buddies and computer lab.

I love that we are able to actually finish what we start.  Imagine a classroom where you DON'T have to use phrases like, "Hurry! We are running out of time!" Or "I'm sorry, I don't have time for questions or comments.  We have too much to get through."  There is nothing more frustrating then having to quickly move on, even though we haven't covered all the intended content nor been able to take the time to investigate the subject and its complexity.  An A/B schedule has allowed me to embrace depth and complexity in all core subjects.  We actually get to finish what we start as well as investigate applications in real life situations.  Students are accomplishing so much with greater understanding and with an opportunity to engage in activity that has been impossible in the past.  They are free from traditional time constraints and they are producing a much higher quality of work.  I embrace this schedule and wish all my colleagues could enjoy what I enjoy.

In early August I attended the Flippin' Utah Conference.  I immediately joined forces with hundreds of other Utah teachers who are frustrated with the lack of time afforded us in the classroom to delve deeper into curriculum, to investigate real life applications, and the sacrifice of creativity for increased assessment.  I became a teacher, not to lecture, lecture, lecture, but instead to lead my students on a journey of exploration, creative expression and inquiry based discovery.  Flipped instruction changes the look and feel of the classroom.  The lecture, traditionally a part of daily instruction, now takes place via video instruction online, at home.  Students watch the video instruction as homework.  When students return to class we briefly review concepts taught in the video and then we engage in individual, partner and group work. 

After this conference, I decided that I really wanted to FLIP my math instruction.  It has been my experience, that since parents are not familiar with the multiple strategies we expect students to learn, they tend to focus only on the computation of mathematics.  This makes it difficult for parents to be supportive of concepts they not only don't know how to perform, but in many cases, do not understand.  Flipping Math has decreased parental stress when it comes to helping with homework.  

Three weeks ago, I flipped my first math lesson.  After fixing a few technical glitches, we are full speed ahead.  The level of investigation that I have been able to provide my students is so professionally fulfilling.  My students love the challenge problems and, thanks to my A/B schedule, and the flipped instruction time, we are able to creatively engage in exploration.

A typical mathematical investigation block includes grid paper, dry erase markers, and creative expression.  The noise level often goes from silence to the squeal of excitement.  This is why I teach.  I love the level of excitement for learning.  

Chromebooks

I guess my greatest frustration has been with my 1-1 Chromebook implementation.  I received 25 new Chromebooks the first day of school.  They have sat in my classroom just waiting to be used.  Unfortunately our IT department is petrified of these marvelous classroom tools.  Because these are internet dependent, they have limited our wi-fi access.  Student, parents, and of course this teacher, are getting impatient.  Hopefully, my next blog can be a celebratory post of Chromebook usage!

So, as this November starts, I look back on the school year thus far and am not filled with regrets.  I do want to find the time and energy to blog more.  I don't know how some of my favorite bloggers post as often as they do. Perhaps one day I will too.

PREPARING FOR MY MATH ISN'S

It seems that I have spent endless hours "pinning" ideas and reference materials for Interactive Student Notebooks.  Finally, today, I had a heart-to-heart talk with myself and decided it was time I started my notebook, after all, I need to see what it will look like, as well as use it as my teaching resource guide.  I decided to start with Math (even though I intend to do one in Language Arts as well as Science and Utah Studies).  

Why ISN's?  Because they are FUN!

As my son and his girlfriend have watched me put together this notebook, I have heard comments like, "That looks awesome Mom."  "Why didn't I ever have a teacher that taught like this?"  "Sure seems like a lot of work, but it's so cool." They are right, they do look awesome.   I'm not sure why they never had a teacher that taught this way (after all, this will be my first year attempting the art of the ISN).  It most definitely is a lot of work, but it is worth it.  

I think I am most motivated by the potential these tools possess.  So many students are visual learners.  Coloring and highlighting their foldables and notes will help them to recall and find the information they are looking for.  Identifying important information is a great habit to learn.  

Remember, ISN's are more than just drawing, coloring, cutting and gluing.  We tape, we glue and we create graphic organizers that help us understand and retain information.  We will cut and fold things because this allows us to investigate while creating our own frame of reference.  The ISN's also make it so things don't get lost.  

I'm pretty proud of my current creation and I'm confident my students will have the same sense of pride in what they create.

The Cover:  Numbers and Me!

The cover should make a personal connection to the subject; in this case Math. The students come up with all kinds of numbers that relate to them personally and create a graphic.  They are encouraged to decorate their notebook in a way that tells the world all the connections they can make with math.  Having the covers personalized is crucial to having them take pride in their ISN.

Inside Front Cover:  Types of Effort

The transition from primary grades to upper elementary can be challenging, especially when my students realize that effort has a direct impact on output. This page is computer generated and will be used to help them understand levels of effort, not only in math, but other subjects as well.

Page 1:  Utah Common Core Standards

This page is also computer generated, with them creating the heading.  I feel it is imperative that they understand the standards they will be learning this year.

Page 2-5:  Math ISN Expectations and Policies

As a class we will discuss What goes in the ISN and Why.  This discussion will include using bullets and identifying key information in notetaking.  This information, like all notes, will be placed on the left side.  On the right side they will create their own graphic based on responses to the prompt: On the page below, give some predictions you have for your MATH ISN this year.

These two pages act as reference for students to remember what information goes on what side of the notebook.  INPUT (teacher or text origin) pages are on the left.  OUTPUT (practice and investigation) is on the right side.

Pages 6-9:  Table of Contents (TOC)

All entries are expected to have page numbers and titles.  This will provide strong organizational skills.  Content area's will be separated by color.

Pages 10-15:  Words Worth Knowing (WWK) Vocabulary

Math, like most subjects has unique vocabulary.  As an unfamiliar word is presented, students will record and define them in this section of the ISN.  This example comes from the first mathematical process.

Pages 16-17:  Mathematical Process #1

Left side is computer generated and goes along with the lecture.  As they begin to see "how to take lecture notes" these will be more student generated based on note taking techniques and skills learned.  Right side is the student interpretation and example of understanding.

This completes the first week of school and the Math ISN plan of attack.

**Special acknowledgement to http://everybodyisageniusblog.blogspot.com 

"When Will I EVER Use That?"

Application! Application! Application!

At the end of every school year my students dictate to me all the things they learn over the year.  They shout out as much as they can (and I try to keep up by scribbling it on the whiteboard).  I always take a picture of it to help reflect what they found important and what might or might not have had any impact.  I always wonder...."How much of this will they really remember, and how much will they apply to their everyday lives?"  Great expectations, I know.

Probably the greatest challenge I face, whe nhelping my students understand its purpose and application, is in writing.  They have been so accustom to writing a cute little story and everyone applauding their brilliance, that they are shocked to discover that their first effort is, well, to be frank, garbage.  Learning and embracing the writing process is not easy, especially when they equate their identified "gifted"-ness with perfection.  

Some teachers use Six Traits.  I use The Mighty Writing Process. 

 msmooreelp4.weebly.com/the-mighty-writing-process.html

Students really respond to the fun labeling of the process. 

Brain Drain  Identify key components that will lead to strong development of the writers ideas.

Sloppy Copy  Compose a written draft.

Pair Share  Share your writing with peers.

Neat Sheet  Improve your writing through suggestions and recommendations.

Goof Proof  Edit your writing.

Glory Story  Produce functional text.

Like most classrooms, we write, share, write, edit, write, share, write, edit....and so on.  I always hope it will stick with them, but, am never sure.....at least not until this year.  I received the greatest teacher appreciation gift a teacher could ever hope for.  I received student application.

My darling student wanted to write the perfect thank you note and so she followed the process.  Needless to say, I, as well as her mother,  am quite proud.  Mom wanted to make sure that I knew this came from her daughter and not mom, and knowing this student, I believe it.  

My student proudly included proof of her process inside the card.  It's so refreshing to see that she not only labeled her step, she also included a parent/editor signature (required in our class).

I love watching the transformation of this first draft.

Like any good collaborator, Mom offers the writer suggestions.

You can see where Mom has made editing marks for her.

Again, we see mom/editor signature of suggestions and/or edits.

Take a look at this final product.  I couldn't be more proud.

I'm a Digital Immigrant Teaching Technology Natives

Technology Transforms Terrific Teachers

Two summers ago I was informed that I would be receiving a Smartboard in my classroom, as well as a document camera.  While I had seen others use them, I was most definitely a "newbie" to this technology.  I was emotionally caught somewhere between excitement and complete fear.  I felt completely ignorant and a bit overwhelmed.  As luck would have it, our district technology specialists published the summer professional development courses they would be conducting and I signed up for six of the twelve being offered. Two days after school ended I took my first class.  I was thrilled with the many enhancements to my classroom that these tools of technology had to offer.  

That first year I focused on using my Smartboard  and document camera for more than just a glorified overhead projector.  I started learning other ways to incorporate technology into my classroom.   Year two,  I beefed up my parent communication with Google Drive.  I shared documents and calendars.  I embraced texting and Twitter.  I learned about apps and websites that enhance the core curriculum.  I fanagled extra lab time for my students so as to teach them all the amazing things I was learning and I took time to let them teach me what they knew and what they liked.

This summer I am preparing for a huge transformation in my classroom.  I am adding Google Chromebooks.

http://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/business/devices/

I am so grateful for donations from Donors Choose as well as an amazing principal who has made it possible for me to acquire and entire classroom set.  The guys in the  IT department aren't quite as excited as I am.  No one else in the district has ever used them in their classroom and so I am their technology test subject.  I couldn't be more thrilled.  

I am most excited about Google Drive and how it will enhance the writing process. Additionally, the idea of eliminating excessive use of paper and becoming a GREENER classroom absolutely thrills me.  

I am loving the direction my classroom is taking.  I love that we can collaborate and interface with each other as well as other students like us in other districts, states or even countries.  The fact that I am able to take core standards to new levels because of technology is indeed very exciting.