META TAG

Thursday, November 22, 2018

Team Teaching and Behavior Management


I LOVE teaching! For as long as I can remember, I have been teaching using an inclusion model.  Inclusion is different from mainstreaming.  Mainstreaming is the practice of gradually moving special needs students into the regular education settings. They may be included in art, music, physical education classes, as well as academic subjects in which they function best.  On the other hand, in inclusive settings, all special education students remain in the regular classroom for the entire day and are taught by the regular education teacher with support from a special education teacher.

I LOVE team teaching! Team teaching means that teachers gain partners to share everyday responsibilities.  Team members need to agree on the philosophy and structure of their program, and this continues to evolve over time. In inclusive setting they should agree that all students learn differently and have different needs. They must trust each other as professionals and commit to fulfilling their separate responsibilities. Team teachers in inclusive classrooms must be open to using a variety of teaching methods and agree on behavior management techniques. This way teachers are available to help all students, so everyone benefits. 

As I said before, I love teaching.  I must say that I LOVE team teaching even more.  It affords me the time to work with 1 or 2 students, and similarly my teacher partner is able to do the same.  (I just wish she were with me for a longer period of time.) 

Benefits of Team Teaching
1.One teacher delivers the lesson while the other is free to circulate around the classroom, checking students to be sure that they are on task and understand what to do.
2.Teachers can present lessons in areas of their greatest skill and interest.
3.One teacher is always available to do small group or individual instruction with students who need to have skills retaught or reinforced.  The other teacher continues to teach the rest of the class.
4.Students questions can be answered more efficiently, be back in be provided immediately, and positive reinforcement can be given more frequently.
5.One teacher can administer an oral test while the other gives the written version.

Behavior Management
Including students who have  inappropriate behaviors may be a challenging task for you as a regular classroom teacher.  As an effective teacher, you must manage the surface behaviors while designing strategies that focus on discovering the underlying reasons for these behaviors. You and your team teaching partner can work together to figure out Why these behaviors are occurring. It is important to help students with work through their problems. The goal is to teach students self control and help them make choices that are appropriate. I recommend documenting your behavior management techniques with anecdotal records so that you will know what is most effective with your students. It doesn't need to be an entire page, or even a paragraph. All you need is to keep a log with the date and time an inappropriate behavior occurred, in 2 or 3 sentences saying what the behavior was, what you did to deescalate it, and did your strategy work.  I keep my records in a spiral notebook – nothing fancy.  J

Behavior Management Strategies
Here are some suggestions for managing behavior problems. Some of these our strategies that I have used with my own students over the years, while others are strategies that my colleagues have used. Choose strategies that are appropriate for use in your classroom and that you are comfortable with using.

1.Keep classroom rules as simple as possible. Post the rules in plain view. Be sure that consequences are easy to enforce and clearly understood. Be fair but consistent with discipline. 
2.Get students’ attention before giving instruction. Have students repeat your instructions to be sure they are understood.
3.Keep a reliable daily routine. Post a written schedule each day and follow it. Students will feel more comfortable if they are able to predict what will happen in their environment.
4.Tell students ahead of time what is going to happen before changing activities . allow time for them to make the change.
5.Break each last period into short work statements whenever possible. Permit movement and noise within acceptable limits.
6.Allow students to run errands or do active classroom chores.
7.Use point charts for students to keep track of the academic tasks that they complete.
8.Seat students away from distractions such as windows, pencil sharpeners, thanks, doors the hallways or bathrooms, and talkative friends. (I realize this is much easier said than done.)
9.Assign “buddies” or “peer tutors” who can answer questions or provide help if you are busy with other students.
10.Praise good behavior frequently. Be specific by pointing out the behaviors that are appropriate. For example, you could say, “Thank you for raising your hand to ask a question.”

I cannot say enough about praising good behavior. It is the cornerstone of my behavior management system. I pass out tickets during the day for on task behaviors, when students are participating, for raising their hands, really for any positive behavior that I want to see become routine.  Click on the link below the photo to get a copy of the tickets I use in my classroom for free!

During the first two to three months of school, the teacher I team teach with and I pass out a minimum of twenty tickets per day.  (It is imperative that if you use this strategy, that BOTH of you are passing out the tickets.) What do they do with those tickets? I tell them why they are receiving the ticket – they write their name on the ticket and why they earned it (not in a sentence, just a few words), and then put it into a basket.  At the end of the day, I pull 3 tickets and those students get to choose a little prize.  (During my explanation of tickets in the beginning of the year, I teach about probability.)  The prizes are all things that I have bought at the Dollar Store, Target Dollar Spot, or clearance racks.  Prizes range from stickers to pencils to activity books.  Super inexpensive, but highly effective.

During the first month of school I pull three tickets per day.  Yes that is three students per day receiving a prize.  But I pull away from daily to 2 to 3 times per week…. Then by November I am pulling tickets once a week.  Students still earn tickets, they still have an opportunity for prizes, but you shouldn’t be passing out as many tickets for the same things as at the beginning of the year because the appropriate behaviors have been reinforced so often it is almost second nature for your students.

Do you team teach in your school?  What works for you and your colleagues?  Please leave a comment below and share.

Enjoy the rest of your year!  

Posted by at No comments:

Wednesday, November 21, 2018

How I Explicitly Teach Author’s Reasons and Evidence


We know students in upper elementary and middle school can make an argument to have a pizza party, to get out of detention, or to prove a point. So, why do they find it hard to write strong arguments from text? Persuasive writing is a skill that’s easier said than done because it is not about conflict or winning. Instead, it’s about having a reason and supporting that reason with evidence. 
Before I have students write a persuasive paper, I like to have them practice determining an author’s reason and supporting evidence from a nonfiction text.  I do this weekly in small groups.    
One day per week, for 10 minutes, I use a text that students have either been exposed to before (science or social studies text) or a nonfiction leveled book at their instructional level.

How I Explicitly Teach Author’s Reasons and Evidence
Tell your group that they’ll be exploring answers to questions about a text, such as: What point was the author trying to make? How do you know? Where’s the evidence? Explain that an author’s point is an idea she or he is trying to make in their writing and that evidence is the proof that supports their point. Read a paragraph from a nonfiction text. The paragraph should include an author’s point with two instances of supporting evidence. 
Have students turn and talk to discuss what they think the author's point is, along with evidence that supports it. Then have students share their answers moving from author’s point, to reason, then evidence, and then clear up any misconceptions and errors.
Once I have taught this for about 6-8 weeks, I put out task cards for students to practice in centers.  I give students about 2 weeks with the set since there are so many other things that they are required to do each day.  After 2 weeks, we review the answers in reading group and discuss the answers.  Specifically, I am looking for errors and for students to explain their reasoning.  If you would like to see the cards that I created and use, you can see them here.
Stay tuned for another post about teaching students to write persuasive essays!
Happy Teaching,

Posted by at No comments:

Sunday, September 23, 2018

Growth Mindset

Hi, teacher friends!

Over my years of teaching, I have come across several students who firmly believed that they were stupid if they made mistakes, that they were not good enough when faced with a challenge, and that they would never understand, so why try.   Of course I spoke with students, referred many to our guidance counselor and had parent conferences. But year after year, there was always one student who I just couldn't reach.  I never new how to fight back against those negative beliefs, but then I learned about Growth Mindset.  I was so excited, that I created posters, activities, and a bulletin board set to use with my students each year.


I not only teach Fixed vs. Growth Mindset, but I also use Brag Tags with my 5th graders.  I purchased and downloaded many freebies and have been using both with fidelity since the first day of school.  (Tags that I use are perseverance, empathy, etc.) My students LOVE it!  

In the past I have had students hang their brag tags on a chain, and then hang them off of clips on the wall... this took up way to much space.   So thinking outside of the box is what we teachers do, right? One small wooden pasta drying rack over near my Growth Mindset bulletin board, and done!!! 

So much easier!  I put three of my favorite posters on the bulletin board along with their growth mindset writing.  This way every time they line up or put a brag tag on their necklace they are reading these posters: 
1.) Mistakes are proof that you are trying. Never Give Up!
2.) I have not failed.  I have just found 10,000 ways that won't work. ~Albert Einstein
3.) I will persist until I succeed.  Keep trying.

How I Teach Growth Mindset to My Students
The first thing I teach my students is that their brain is always growing and that challenges are actually good for them.  I ask students if they have any baby brothers or sisters.  (Many will raise their hands.)  I inquire if their baby brothers and sisters were born knowing how to walk. Then we have a conversation about how it is difficult for a baby to learn to walk.  They often tell stories about siblings falling over and over and laughing each time they fall, but they always get up.  We discuss that this is challenging for their baby brothers and sisters, but with practice they got better... and how their brain goes through growth every time they learn something new.

Next, I ask students to share a time they were learning something new.  Something that they really wanted to learn, but was frustrating for them.  The key to this, not only do I want them to share something that used to be challenging for them to learn... but that now they feel that they were experts at it.  I lead them to discuss that they practiced and practiced and practiced some more. That they didn't give up.  Their mindset allowed them to learn ride a bike, learn to skateboard, learn to dance, etc.  That this is called a growth mindset, and I explain to them them that they are going to learn the difference between a fixed and a growth mindset this year.
I teach growth mindset vs. fixed mindset all year through discussions of perseverance, the various writing activities I created, and with the brag tags.  


How do you teach growth mindset?  Please share in the comments section below.

I look forward to reading your ideas,
Posted by at No comments:

Sunday, September 16, 2018

Sanity Savers

The school year gets incredibly crazy, so today I would like to share with you three easy ways to save/ keep/ spare your sanity.



1.)  Find something that you love today ... away from work.  Yes, you can love your job and the time you spend with your students... but you can ALSO love your time AWAY from work.  Love the time you have just for you.  I promise that you will find that when you take time out for yourself you end up enjoying your time at work even more.  At least that is how it works for me!  So go!  Go get your nails done, or get a massage, or a little retail therapy, or go to the movies.... (but first read the rest of this post).

2.)  Do good!  Karma is real!  When you do something good for others, karma reaches out and does something good for you!  Feeling good about doing something good for others is what I call Karma... because I am getting something out of it.  Some easy ideas for the people around you: (a) write a note to a teachers about something you noticed (positive), (b) write a note to a new teacher, or a new colleague about how happy you are that they are in your school, (c) write a note on a sticky note in give it to a student.  Doing good will make you feel good and save your sanity!

3.) Doodle/ draw/ paint/ play with play doh or clay... get back to being a like a kid.  Put a little color into your life!   Instant sanity savior!

What are your sanity savers?  Put your favorite one in the comments below to help others.  I look forward to reading your ideas!

-Sandra @The Happy Learning Den
Posted by at No comments:

Sunday, September 9, 2018

Close Reading in MATH, part 2

Being a teacher is a struggle sometimes, but it is also the greatest privilege. Once again, this year, I have the honor and privilege of teaching an incredibly funny and hard working group of 5th graders.  I strive to make my classroom safe and nurturing, and welcoming, but also challenging. (Without challenge, their brains won't grow... I tell each group of students this every year.) My goal this year is the same as it is every year, for my students to not only make academic gains, but to also learn the satisfaction of working through a math problem and until they come to the right answer. 

Last week I explained to you the "Math Close Reading," resource that I created, because every year many of my students struggle with solving word problems. There is extra information, not enough information, and/ or multi-step problems for them to decipher.  (Not to mention the multi-select questions, but that's a whole other post.)  It's not an easy task!  


The buy-in I have from students when they use this resource is transforming.  After all, they close read during reading groups, centers, and homework in order to better understand the text.  Now I "allow" them to use the same close reading skill in math.  Mind blown!  They ask to bring it home with them, and use the sheets in centers too.  When I received a note from one of my girls a few years ago, that I realized what an impact this resource had made.

"11/17/15      
Dear Ms. Dobrin,
I have learned alot in your class.  Today I had fun in math with You.  I hope you are glad for me to be in your class.  I am glad to be in your awesome group.  At my old school we didn't go to a different class but I have fun in math with you. I might don't get good grades in math but what I know is that I will try my very best to earn what I want.  My homework for math is getting easier and easier for me.  The close read a math word problem sheet helps me a lot in math.  Math is my best favorite subject.
Love,"
S

How AMAZING is that?  I was overjoyed when she gave me that letter.  Have you ever tried using the close reading strategy during your math block?  I would love to read about what you think.  Please leave your thoughts and ideas in the comments section below.

Posted by at No comments:

Sunday, September 2, 2018

Close Reading in MATH, part 1


We have all been there.  It was an AMAZING math lesson!  Students were engaged, correctly answered questions and explained their steps they took to solve it, were able to give alternative ways to solve problems... and you feel confident that you can now assign practice problems. 


And then... BAM!  It happens.  You know what I am talking about! It's that exact moment your students realize that there are *gasp* word problems for them to solve!  Before you even have a moment to take a sip of water or just gather your thoughts you hear something like...
"I don't get it."
or (and this statement makes me cringe every single time)
"What am I supposed to do?"
In most classrooms, there are students who are below grade level in reading.  So they have difficulty determining what the problem is asking. Then there are other students who struggle with word problems because they do not understand which part of the text is relevant.  And of course, some students struggle with reading AND figuring out which information is needed to solve the problem. 

I have a few strategies that I find useful.  Let me know what you think!

1.)  I read the math problem to the students.  Sometimes this is done whole group, while other times I do this in small group.  I  use this strategy every single day! I have students in my class who are English Language Learners and/or below grade level in reading.  By taking the "stress" out of reading the word problem, students can focus on the math piece. 

2.)  Students are quite familiar with the concept of "Close Reading."  After all, they dig deeper to analyze the text daily during Reading, Science, and Social Studies.  So why not have students 'close read' their math problems? I have students rereading math problems a minimum of four times, and doing something different EACH time with the information.  By the last step, students have a better understanding of how to solve the problem.  Some of my students are able to memorize the steps and use it without me reminding them.

3.)  Whenever I introduce a new math concept I use a real world word problem or a story.  For instance, when we are working on fractions, I don't want students to think that they will only do this in math class!!!  So we discuss real world situations that involve math. 

"It's your birthday and you and all 15 of your guests want a piece of birthday cake.  How many pieces do need to be cut?"  (Answer:16)
Or "before you pass out the pieces of cake, your mom puts birthday candles on half of your cake.  How much of your cake has candles?" (Answer 1/2, and then you can start developing the understanding that 8 pieces out of 16 is 1/2 of the whole.  Equivalent fractions!!!)

4.)  One of my favorite strategies to help my students become more successful with word problems doesn't involve me speaking a lot.  At least two times a week (when my schedule allows it), I have students take their homework up to my document camera and explain how they solved the problem.  This involves students rereading the problem, circling any numbers needed to solve, underlining key words, and then explaining the steps as well as doing the math.  During this time we discuss misconceptions, strategies, and new ways of thinking.  I love when students show me a new way to solve a problem! 

I hope you are enjoyed reading this post.  Please leave a comment below to let me know if any of these strategies help you! 
Happy Teaching!
:-) Sandra @The Happy Learning Den

Posted by at 1 comment:

Sunday, August 26, 2018

Close Reading


Close reading isn’t a skill that comes naturally to students. When our students get a new reading assignment, often their first instinct is to race to the finish line rather than engage deeply with a text.

Getting students to slow down, engage with the text in different ways, and reflect as they read are challenges for every teacher, and are the goals of close reading. There’s no magic way to turn your class into top-notch readers overnight, but there are specific close reading skills you can teach that will help your students now and in the future.

I created an assignment that requires students to reread and engage with their book each day.  Each day students need to reread the book or a part of the text, and complete a different assignment.  Each assignment is worth 25 points, and since there are 4 assignments, it is worth up to 100 in the grade book.  Friday all 4 assignments are due, so I give students about 20 minutes to edit (or finish for those who need a little extra time) their assignments before handing it in.  

Close Reading Assignments

At the beginning of the year, I have students solely use this assignment with the story of the week.  (I have one assignment sheet for fiction and another for nonfiction.)  This way I can monitor and allow students to work together.  One of my favorite ways to model is to complete the assignment as students are working on theirs.  Then we come together and compare and discuss how to make everyone’s response better (mine too!).  I do this for about one or two months depending on the group of students I have.  Teaching and modeling close reading is SUPER IMPORTANT, and it’s not something to rush.

Once your students have a good handle on what you expect for each assignment, you can start sending them home to be completed as close reading homework.  As homework, each assignment is worth 20 points because the additional 20 points comes from their parent or guardian’s signature.  Sometimes the assignments come from the weekly reading story, other times the assignments are based on their leveled reader, and other times, I allow students to choose fiction or nonfiction texts from the library and complete a close reading assignment from their preferred text.  No matter what, students are practicing and are actively engaged in their books.

Parent’s tell me in conferences year after year how much they love this homework assignment because it is meaningful.  They are talking to their child about what they are reading, and their children are not only becoming better readers, but they are also getting positive attention from their parents. 

If you love it, please leave feedback.  I truly do love reading how my resources help others.  "Teamwork makes the Dream Work," & we are all in it together!

If you have any other ideas for close reading strategies, please leave a comment below.  Stay tuned for another post about close reading in math!

Enjoy those books!


Posted by at No comments:

Sunday, August 19, 2018

Differentiating Centers


Differentiating in your classroom can seem like an overwhelming impossibility. How are you supposed to differentiate each center, each week, for each student? 

It can be done, by grouping your students by ability.
I group my students according to their levels on the end of year tests from the previous school year, my beginning of year tests, weekly vocabulary quizzes, reading quizzes and tests, and math chapter quizzes & tests. Your students should not stay in the same group for the entire school year. If one of my student’s scores really low in algebraic thinking, but really high in measurement, he or she would be put in different groups depending on what is being taught. 

Also, I have found that sometimes a student will work better with a certain group of students versus another group-even if one is higher than the other.  It’s okay to put a student in that higher group, but you need to make sure you give them support/enrichment.
Once you have figured out your grouping, you can start to think about your centers. Centers are a powerful way to get students engaged in hands-on activities on their level. 

I taught first grade for 5 years and third grade for 8 years.  In both grades, students had actual center time.  A rotation was posted on the board and routines were followed.  Now that I teach 5th grade, I still have my students in centers, but it works a little different.  I give my students’ “Educational Learning Choices” after they have finished their “Must Do’s” each day.
 
In my class students must use the online I.Ready Reading and Math program (40 minutes per subject) each week.  To manage this, it is listed under their “Must Do’s” for the day.  With “Must Do’s” and “May Do’s” students learn time management and work for center time.
Samples for Daily Must Do’s:
1)20 minutes of I.Ready (MW is Reading, TTh is Math, and then I look at the data and let students know what they are doing on Friday.  Friday is also a time they can make up time if they were absent.)
2)Read Works: An Article a Day.  I highly recommend you look into this.  It is free, and you can assign your students different articles depending on their ability level (online program)

I then have Must Do’s that aren’t required to be worked on each day, but are due each Friday.  So students might opt to work on it a little each day, or a huge chunk of it one day and not the rest, but it is up to them as long as it is completed by Friday.  What if students don’t complete these assignments?  The way I handle it is this, 3 strikes and you’re out.  If students miss 3 deadlines, then that student and I sit down and work out a daily schedule for the daily amount of time they need to work on each task.  

Some of the Must Do’s that are due on Friday are 
★ Accelerated Reader (AR) tests (due every 2 weeks)
★ Reading Comprehension Centers
★ Math Reteach/Enrichment pages depending on the week.

May Do’s (aka Educational Learning Choices): These are student choices.  Every single one is academic!  By allowing students to choose their learning activities (ie centers), they feel empowered and are ready and open-minded to learn more.  Some examples of May Do’s:
★ Prodigy: Online math game
★ Versatiles
★ Reading Silently or Buddy Read
★ Hot Dots (I have these for Reading, Math, and Science.)
★ Task Cards (I have over 40 sets of engaging and differentiated task cards for reading, math, and science in my store.  If you are interested, you can see them here.)
★ Flash cards

Of course, students meet with me in their reading and math groups as well.  I generally teach each group for 20 minutes and the rest of the time is theirs to work on their assignments - while I meet with the other groups.  

A few things to remember:
1) Routines and procedures are crucial. 
2) Centers should run themselves. 
3) You can differentiate for your students in centers. 
4) During center time, you can pull back students who needed more one-on-one attention. This is also a great time to join in with a group of students during center time to observe, assess, and/or have fun.  I try to join in with one group each week, and rotate the groups that I visit.
5) Every student can feel successful during center time. 

The best piece of advice I can give to you, is make it work for you. Change things as you go and change it up until it fits your style and your vision. 

I hope this is helpful for you!  If you have any questions or suggestions for others please leave them in the comments below.

Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)