Forever in the Middle: Distance Reading

What a crazy few weeks it has been, right?

A couple weeks ago when we heard of OMSD school closures, though not surprised by it, I was sad because we are currently reading my favorite book of all time: The Giver. We were only about halfway through on that Friday and there were so many amazing discoveries and questions coming up for this week's reading. It is the unit I look forward to the most every year and I was disappointed it would be cut short and the students would miss out on class discussions about the book as we read.

My last period of the day is my Honors group and they asked if I could make recordings of the reading for them while school was closed. They like to be read to and that's fine because I don't mind connecting with them that way. My own children love to be read to as well and they are quickly nearing the same age. The struggle, however, was in what program I could utilize to make this happen. I wanted to project the text while reading so they could read along since many students didn't get to take a book home since everything was such short notice. I tried Screencastify, but the free account limits videos to only five minutes, which wouldn't work for what I needed. After making four separate Screencastify videos for one chapter, I was almost to the point of paying for an account that would not have time limits because parts 1-4 for each chapter was already driving me crazy after one chapter. I mentioned it to a colleague who had a genius idea: Zoom! (Thanks, Lisa!)

Since then, I schedule "Story Time with Mrs. Valverde" over Zoom at a specific time of day so that whoever wants to be part of the reading can join us and we stop and discuss at certain points. I then have the recording of the session to share on Google Classroom for students who just want to listen and not participate. The great thing is that they can also hear the discussion of the events as well as the events of the story. The discussion is what brings deeper meaning to any book. Not everyone attends, but that's okay. Whoever is there gets to participate or at least listen. This coming week we will finish the book and I'm hoping to have a few more kids join us each day. Here are some tips that I have learned along the way.

1. Say hello to everyone but then mute them when you start reading. Some families have TVs on really loud or just general background noise that is distracting.
2. Turn off the messaging feature. This can be a distraction when kids should be listening.
3. Record the session to post for those who couldn't attend. It will automatically format and download to your computer hard drive then just needs to be uploaded into Google Drive and shared.
4. Prepare questions to ask ahead of time. I'm going to share these with students prior to each chapter this week and see if that helps deepen our discussion.
5. Share your pets and check in with your students. They need to feel connections and love to show off their pets and in some cases, toys. Yes, even seventh graders.
6. Ask for publisher permission to read their books aloud. Luckily for teachers, many publishers have amended their copyright laws for the next few months to make allowances for teacher read alouds. Please reference this article before reading and posting videos: https://www.slj.com/?detailStory=publishers-adapt-policies-to-help-educators-coronavirus-covid19

Here's a clip from our second story time discussion.  Note: my five year old was a bit distracting here but the students and I were still able to talk about quite a few important points for this part of the novel.

We are all taking things day by day in this unprecedented time and I am impressed every single day with the flexibility, determination, and heart of all of my teacher friends.  Thank you to all teachers for being such amazing human beings in this very difficult time. Your students will always remember you being there for them to create some sense of normalcy during an uncertain time.

Keep the magic alive,

Kandyce Valverde

How Are You Feeling About Not Being in School Right Now?

Photo by Jeffrey Hamilton on Unsplash

Like many of you, I keep asking myself how this is real life. How am I in the middle of a global pandemic? Everything is so different than it was a couple of weeks ago. The way I grocery shop for my family, the meals I cook, the resources I use to work out, the way I parent, the means I utilize to communicate with my friends and family, and especially the way I teach.

Overnight, educators were asked to teach in a completely different way than we studied, trained, and practiced. This is hard for us, but guess who it is more difficult for? Our students. Our students come to school for so much more than the academic side. This drives me crazy, but it's the truth. They come for: inspiration, a creative outlet, friends, physical activity, role models, accountability, a challenge, food, and safety. As much as some of them complain about being at school, they miss it and us.

One of the routines I wanted to keep in place during "distance learning" is our practice of daily restorative circles. After reading the article, "A Trauma-Informed Approach to Teaching Through Coronavirus" written by The Teaching Tolerance Staff, I asked my students during one of our Zoom meetings, "How are you feeling about not being in school right now?" The answers they replied with brought tears to my eyes. My students expressed anxiety over "not being ready for 7th grade". They fear not returning to school this year. Many communicated sadness over not being able to promote at the end of the year, not seeing their friends that would be going to a different middle school, not being able to say goodbye to their favorite elementary school teachers, and many expressed boredom. My favorite comment was from a student that shares his displeasure of all things school-related as loudly and often as possible said, "Mrs. Merry, I will never complain about school again, I promise." As funny as I found that comment to be, I also heard so much uncertainty and anxiety in his voice.

As adults, we have a vast amount of uncertainty surrounding our current situation. If adults have doubts and anxieties, we can assume that our children and students are even more unsure, scared, and anxious. Children have little control over their daily lives. When you add to that fact that everything they know is turned upside down, you're going to be dealing with children under a considerable amount of stress. Overnight, they have to learn a new way of learning, and "distance learning" doesn't have any of the aspects most of them come to school for: friends, role models, inspiration, physical activity, food, or safety.

"Educators can expect that many students' sense of safety will be compromised right now. None of us have ever seen a time like this when institutions that provide safety and structure are closed, and the news talks about death rates and hospital bed shortages." - Teaching Tolerance

Big Question: How do we teach (or attempt to teach) while students are dealing with the trauma and uncertainties of COVID 19? The article "A Trauma-Informed Approach to Teaching Through Coronavirus" suggests that educators take the following steps to help students recover:

1. Sense of safety- Students cannot learn if they do not feel safe and cared for. Reaching out to students and families to provide a sense of safety. This can be as simple as sending out a mass message through Google Classroom, Dojo, or Remind and ask students and/or parents how everyone is doing?
2. Connect with students- When we give our families and students a trusted person to connect with, it goes a long way. They know that someone cares about their well-being. An idea is to ask students what they are doing for fun at home. Their answers can give you an idea of what they have access to at home. If their resources are limited, offer some free-fun ideas: virtual trips fields, plan a scavenger hunt or nature walk for them to participate in, links to online resources (authors reading their books, art lessons, physical activities).
3. Give hope- Hope provides the essential and motivating message for a better future. Something we can do to foster hope is to encourage students to get fresh air whenever possible. Maybe challenge students to a step contest or "Best selfie in nature" contest.
4. Promote/teach self-regulation- Self-regulation helps students learn tools that they can use when they are feeling anxious or stressed out. One way we can help is to encourage students to share how they are feeling on a scale from 1-10. Ask them to reflect on why they might be feeling that way and ideas to practice mindfulness. Some mindfulness exercises the article shared, which I've never heard of, are smelling a flower and describing how the flower smells aloud or completing four-corner breathing. Four-corner breathing is described as "simply inhaling deeply and exhaling deeply four times. Students can complete this breathing exercise by standing up and taking one to inhale and exhale breath while facing each of the four corners in a room."
5. Practice gratitude- Being grateful reminds us that even when things go wrong, there are still plenty of things to be thankful for. Practicing gratitude also teaches us how to love and respect ourselves, which enables us to love and respect others. Next week, I plan on having my students complete an appreciation or gratitude circle. I will give my students a classmate and a list of appreciation/ gratitude ideas and have them add their thoughts to our Google Classroom page for  everyone to see.

Please share any strategies and ideas that you’ve been using to ease the minds of your students during this difficult time.

Stay safe everyone,

Jenni Merry

At Home Professional Development

Hello everyone!  I want to send you an electronic hug and warm wishes for you and your loved ones.  As we are all well aware of, many of us are at home experiencing and grappling with "remote learning."  How is it going for you?

As I thought about what to offer readers on this month's blog entry, I realized that this sudden turn of events can be an opportunity for us to get to those books that we WERE going to read.  It seems like at every workshop, conference, or colleague recommendation, we collect a list of resource books that we begin to read but then stop because school/life happens!!  Sound familiar?

Well, I wanted to share with you my personal list of books that I want to get through during this time.  Plus it will help me "unplug" from the daily news feeds in order to stay focused!  I have decided to start with one book at a time and not feel rushed to get to all of them.  Please comment below which books YOU would recommend to others.

Do you have a book you could recommend?  Comment below and leave the title!

Another item I would like to share with you, is an article I found interesting from our teacher colleagues in China.

https://www.edutopia.org/article/what-teachers-china-have-learned-past-month

Please read the article and comment down below any thoughts on the matter.  

Lastly, please take care of yourself.  Teachers are nurturers and caregivers.  You would have not selected this profession if you weren't.  However, WE also need the care we so often give selflessly to so many members of our school community.  Calm.com is offering many resources such as music and landscape sounds that will relax you if you are feeling anxious.  Follow the link:

https://www.calm.com/blog/take-a-deep-breath?utm_source=lifecycle&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=difficult_times_nonsubs_031720#calmkids

Happy Writing!
Gustavo Macuil

Screencastify, Making Independent Study A Breeze

Teaching from home, hmm... something we might not feel equipped to do. So many different questions running through our minds. However, I think I found a resource that might have been heaven sent! Screencastify is a screen recording tool that is free as long as you have a Google Account. With the free version you can record a video up to five minutes and then share it with a link or upload it to Google Classroom. I thought of a few ways it can come in handy and this time:

1. Solving or teaching math problem strategies
2. Reviewing an article or document
3. Answering questions your students might have 
4. Teaching a Nearpod lessons from home where students log-in with your code 
5. How to complete independent study work 

The list goes on and on. Below I am attaching a Screencastify video of how to download this extension, use it and finally how to post a video. If you have any questions feel free to reach out to me. I truly love using this resource and see the benefits of it in times like these. Stay safe and healthy!

Learning & Growing, 

Nancy Vargas

nancy.vargas@omsd.net 

Distance Learning

Distance Learning

 Whoa, what a week we teachers have had! We made it through a time change, full moon, Friday the 13th, and a global pandemic. I don't know about you, but last week was exhausting for me. I am thankful for a much needed weekend off to rest and recoup. Now as I prepare for weeks of distance learning, I find myself in uncharted waters like so many of you.   

The good news is that we are not alone.  I am in awe of how educators around the country have been sharing resources to help teachers they don’t even know.  I thought I would share some of the great things I have learned in the past two days.  

Starting Wednesday, March 18th Great Minds will have daily Eureka Math videos for students to watch!  I am so excited to share this information with my students. Other free online platforms such as Khan Academy, Prodigy, and Zearn offer ways for students to sharpen their math skills.  You can assign lessons to students on all three platforms.

Students are also able to access Wonders from home. In addition to having students read text on Wonders, I will have students read books on GetEpic.com.  The website is currently offering free access to students. Additionally, storytimefromspace.com has videos of astronauts reading books to students.  

Then there is this amazing list of educational companies offering free subscriptions that has been circulating on Facebook.  The list keeps getting bigger every day and has some great resources on it.  

www.amazingeducationalresources.com

I will continue to use Google Classroom to communicate with my students.  Here I can post assignments, quizzes, and announcements. I can also upload videos and links.  We have been asked by my principal to call all of our families this week to get an update. I love this idea and I will also use Google Classroom to check in with my students daily.   

In the next few weeks, we will be teaching students in new and unfamiliar ways. Our students need us now more than ever to guide them.  Please let me know if there is anything that I can do to help you.  We are all in this together.  

Learning and Teaching with Grace,

Alina

Productive Struggling in Math

How do we challenge students in our classroom?

Is it through extension problems?  Is is through performance tasks?  Is it through projects?  Is it a discovery problem before the lesson actually begins?

We each challenge our students in various ways - it is good for students to struggle and to challenge themselves.

In the past month, my 7th grade students have been struggling with creating a container using our only 3D printer.  The container had to hold the crayons they created from scratch in their science class.  The math component was being to design a box within a box that fits nicely together.  The creating of the box was not the struggle but it was the 'attending to precision' that was the productive struggling piece.  Students printed their initial boxes and then started to realize that the two boxes did not go nicely together - to much space or they did not fit together.  As students realized their mistakes you could see them be more careful in how they designed the second box and this was seen as they successfully printed their final boxes.

With my 8th graders, the productive struggle has been with volume.  Students were given five different tasks around the concept of volume using cylinders, cones, and spheres.  The task was for students to create two different cylinders with the same volume, two different cones with the same volume and two different spheres with the same volume.  Also they had to create a cylinder and a cone with the same volume; and a cone and sphere with the same volume.  They really struggled with these tasks.  I would ask guiding questions to encourage them to try different methods.  I would encourage them to put numbers into the formulas and determine what happens.  And then it happened.  One group got an answer, then another group got the answer, and then the guiding from these successful groups allowed other groups to also find success.

Productive struggling in a classroom is good for students.  I would suggest generating some possible questions ahead of time to assist students in not giving up.  I would limit the amount of time you allow students to struggle before putting in some scaffolds to assist the students.  A lot of times students will struggle, find success, and then revisit what they have done and realize that there is another better way to solve the problem.  These type of discoveries can rarely be taught but rather discovered by the students.

I encourage you to have your students 'struggle' through meaningful and relevant work so that they can feel success and discover something new about the content and themselves.

Still teaching and loving it,

      Kevin Stott                         

De Anza Middle School     

Deconstructing Text Structures: Part 2

In my opinion, one of the most rewarding and exciting aspects of being an educator is the fact that I am learning right alongside my students. I have always loved learning and my school experiences have been overwhelmingly positive. But there is one memory that still haunts me. As a child, I remember reading in the comment section of one of my report cards that I had "difficulty with comprehension." Those three words have stuck with me to this day. Not because they weren't true, but because they were so true. Struggling with comprehension has been a two-edged sword in my academic life. On the plus side, it has propelled me to brazenly seek comprehension strategies that could arm my students with tools that would make them better comprehenders--not just readers.

This search for useful comprehension strategies is where my passion for deconstructing text structures began taking shape, but before trying to instruct my students on the basic five structures of Compare & Contrast, Problem & Solution, Cause & Effect, Description, and Chronology, I had to ensure that I had a deep knowledge of them. I spent quite a bit of time just reading up on the structures. I also wanted to pair them with Thinking Maps to highlight the thought processes. Next, I posted them on a bulletin board so that I could reference them whenever applicable.

Although I am definitely not an expert, I am slowly and deliberately adding to my expertise of text structures through research and hands-on experience, but it is a commitment that takes time and effort. Comprehension is multi-faceted and there is much more to it than identifying the overall text structure of a writing piece, as well as mini text structures embedded within that larger piece, but it is definitely a piece of the bigger puzzle worth spending precious class time on.

Piecing It All Together,

Lola Jollie

PBIS Refresher

PBIS Refresher

Here we are already in the last trimester of the 2019-2020 school year.  I don’t know about you, but this school year has seemed to go faster than any of the ones before it.  One of my favorite things about being a teacher this time of the school year is reflecting back on how much my students have learned since August.  As I prepare students for these last few months it is inevitable that we will review what we have learned.  

One of the most important things that we have started to review is school and classroom expectations. It’s important to reteach behavior expectations throughout the school year, but as we get closer to Spring Break I have noticed my students forgetting some of our rules both in the classroom and out.  Last week, my whole school participated in a PBIS Refresher Week. This was perfect timing! As a grade level, we walked our school campus and discussed behavior expectations for each area of our school. In my class, I took the time to focus on a part of our PBIS matrix for the week. For the rest of the school year, we will continue to focus on a different part each week.  

Last week we focused on Line Basics (straight line, hands still, single file, with a smile).  I have a really sweet class that is full of joy, excitement, and lots of energy which is great.  We have wonderful classroom discussions but overall the class can get really chatting at times, especially when we are lining up.  I knew that this was the thing I wanted to focus on first. Even before I knew we had a PBIS Refresher Week on the calendar, I knew I wanted to review with my students.  Here are some things that helped me plan my PBIS refresher.

When should you review student expectations:

• Whenever a student, a group of students, or the whole class isn’t following PBIS rules and expectations.  Sometimes we just stop what we are doing and review expectations.
• At the beginning of the year.  My school takes the first two weeks in August to teach grade-level and school-wide rules and expectations.  We even have a PBIS kick-off rally. Usually, the first review for me starts after we have been in school for about a month.  Students are a little more comfortable with you and sometimes need a behavior reminder.  
• After holidays, and long breaks, and in this case right before a holiday break.  I know my students are excited for Spring Break and even Summer Break, so I want to remind them of PBIS rules and expectations for the rest of our year together.  
• Ongoing throughout the school year.  You could review a different PBIS rule or expectation every week like I am doing now.  

How to review student behavior expectations:

• Be positive! 
• Start by asking students what the expectations are.  The will gladly remind everyone.
• Reward students, I always have little erasers and pencils that I had out.  We also use Tiger Pride Tickets school-wide. Students earn the tickets and can use them to buy a prize.  I hand these out throughout the day but I made sure to give out rewards for students following the behaviors we are focusing on.  
• Use a calm voice, don’t raise it

This week we are focusing on transitions in the classroom.  I have continued to reward students for last week’s focus as well as this week’s.  I love how excited students are to follow the rules and expectations. As my students were coming back from P.E. today I opened the door to hear them reminding each other of line basics! 

Learning and Teaching with Grace,Alina

Parent Communication

March is here and everyone knows what that means-report cards and parent conferences. The last few weeks have been busy. We have been working on grading assessments, collecting data, and scoring our students for the report card. We are gathering information on behavior and academics to share with our parents. However, parent conferences and the report cards shouldn't be the only time we communicate with our parents about our students' progress. Communication should be ongoing and parents shouldn't be caught off guard about their child's progress. Teachers and parents must communicate and work together throughout the school year.

Why is communication so important? I have discovered that if I am constantly communicating with parents about their child's academics and behaviors, progress can be made. They will work with their child more, talk to their child, and ask for support in areas in which their child is struggling. When it comes time for conferences and report cards, my parents have some idea of where their child is and usually are not surprised by the results. Granted, there are those parents that you make sure to let them know what is going on with their child and no progress gets made. You are constantly reminding them of behavior concerns and areas to work on. I have learned to accept that there are some parents that do not hear me and make assumptions or accusations of why their child is not making any growth. I have learned that this does occur, but I know in my heart that I did my best and was clear in communicating what is going on. In order to communicate well with parents, I use multiple forms of communication.

First, I make sure that parents always have a way to communicate with me. I always provide my work phone number, work email, and let them know I can meet before or after class. Being available to talk with parents is huge. It helps parents to trust you with their children and to know what is going on with them in school. I speak a decent amount of Spanish. I am in no way fluent, but I can get by with most of my parents. This helps make parents more comfortable with me. However, when it comes to explaining academic terms, I struggle. If I need support with my Spanish, I always make sure that I get a translator to ensure what I am saying is clear and correct. I understand that there are many teachers in our district that do not speak a second language and need help with communicating with parents.

I use two resources with my parents: ClassDojo and the Remind App. Both resources are great ways to communicate and they translate messages in multiple languages for parents. I love ClassDojo because it translates messages, it monitors student behaviors, and I can post pictures of students throughout the day. My favorite part is that it has an events tab that allows me to set up reminders of upcoming events. I also love that I can post videos of activities we are doing in class and it allows parents to see what their child should be doing in class. I have had parents watch videos and let me know that they see what their child is doing in comparison to what is expected. These short videos give parents a glimpse of what academics we are learning and how to use it at home. The Remind App is also great for parents that do not have a smartphone with apps. The Remind App is  text messaging without using your personal phone number. It also translates multiple languages and you can share pictures and videos. I have found that these multiple ways of communication has helped me to build a strong relationship and trust with parents. We are a team in helping their child to be successful. It has made a difference in my classroom.

Grateful,
Maricella Mesa

Let's All Teach!

     In my previous post, “Brainy, Brain, Brain,” I shared some reasonings behind the whole body, whole brain teaching idea. As educators, we are ALWAYS trying our best to engage our scholars every day. To be honest, we are exhausted by this time of year, right? With testing knocking on our doors, man, oh man, we cannot relax a bit. 

         Why not let our scholars teach each other instead of having US do all the heavy lifting? Many of our colleagues, including my self, we utilize Kagan structures throughout our lessons to give our scholars the power to take charge of their learning and thinking. We hear it often, “Students will learn best from each other.” 

         We have many passive scholars in our classroom, and we also have many eager scholars. I find that by using “Teach, OKAY!” with “high-five switch!” it gives our scholars the power to showcase what they can recall from our mini-lesson along with the kinesthetic aspect to get their blood moving. The best of all? the “Mirror” part is short, and to the point, even the most reluctant or struggling students can part take and make it their own!

“You will either step forward into growth, or you will step backward into safety.”

          Let’s break it down! “Teach! Okay!” is such a fabulous way to reinforce concepts and ideas throughout the lesson. This practice combines seeing, saying, hearing, and doing. It gets students involved and talking. If we can transfer some of our “teacher talk time” to our students, they can take more control of their learning. Plus, it sticks in their brains better!

1. Scholars work in pairs, usually shoulder partners. ( A ad B partner) If a partner is absent, they just joined in the nearest group and made a group of three. 
2. During a lesson (math, ELA, science, writing, etc.), I would teach a key point or concept. 
3. Then, I would look at the class, tell my students A or B will teach first, clap twice, and say, “Teach!”. The class would clap back twice and say, “Okay!”. 
4. The first partner will stand and teach their partner. The first partner will say “mirrors on” just like the teacher and show what we had just learned. They would use the vocabulary and any gestures I did during the lesson. 
5. When the first partner has completed his or her’s portion, they will say “mirrors off!” followed by a high five with their shoulder partner, and the second partner will stand and teach their shoulder partner the same concept. 
6. If their partner is stuck or happens to forgot a vocabulary or concept, the sitting or student partner can help with gestures or even say the word(s) to assist.
7. Partners will continue with “Teach, Okay” and “high-five switch” until I call for their attention. ( usually 2 mins)
8. By having the “teacher” stand and the “student” partner in the sitting position, not only does it give me an easy way to assess, but it also adds another kinetic element to get the blood moving!

         It is such a thrill to see and hear the vocabulary and the academic language the scholars pick up from each other. There are many times I hear a different way they present the short concept and ideas, and I made sure to point it out after and give some kudos for making it their own! You will not believe how much laughter and smiles that come from this quick exercise.  

          I also included a short clip of my UA scholars participating in “Teach, Okay” and “High-five switch!”. Added bonus? Some of my passive scholars wanted to teach the whole class! It made my day, and I really hope you will give it a try! 

Happy Teaching,
Eileen Wunderlich 

Let's March into Reading!

In March, schools all over America celebrate reading. ThRead Across America week is to motivate children to read and emphasize the importance of literacy in student achievement. By encouraging our students to read, we are building successful lifelong readers. Studies have illustrated that kids who are motivated and spend more time with books reading have higher success in school. Although reading is encouraged every day of the year, Read Across America week is a great time to reteach the importance of reading and why we should be readers. 

Read Across America was created to get kids excited about reading. The idea behind this celebration is to create the same sense of enthusiasm for reading as kids do for sports or toys. It's time to show how fun reading can be. We need to read our Phonics Decoding book, Anthology, or Reading Writing Workshop book each week in class. I know, at times, reading can become a task. Reading can be difficult for some students, and that challenge can cause them to not enjoy reading as much as others. Although it's essential that all students are given the guidance and encouragement they need to work on their reading skills, it's also important to teach the reasons why reading is necessary for everyday life. So I'm talking about three things here- reading to improve skills, reading for enjoyment, and reading for necessity. I teach proper reading skills daily, so this month, I want to focus on explaining why reading for pleasure and necessity is so crucial to my student's   students' futures.

Why is reading so important?

During March, I hope to help my students understand the "why" to becoming lifelong readers. They know they need to read, but I don't think they know "why." 

1. OPEN YOURSELF TO NEW THINGS
I want my students to understand that when you read, you open yourself to new ideas, new knowledge, new ways to solve a problem, and new ways to achieve goals. Who knows? You might find a new hobby. Who knows? You might explore a new topic that sparks a lifelong interest or career. Exploration through reading can lead to life-changing events.


2. IMPROVES COMPREHENSION
The more you read, the more you comprehend. Anything to want to understand to can read about to understand better. (Hi Friend. I wasn't sure what you wanted to write here.) You can read a recipe to cook a meal, read instructions on how to play a game, read the menu before ordering, or read the manual before playing with a new gadget. The possibilities are endless.


3. TOOLS FOR CONNECTING
Communication is the most important tool that can be transferred through reading. Reading is a tool we use daily to connect with others. Reading connects us with the world around us. We read letters, emails, texts, and creative works. It's essential to read to communicate with those around us and those all over the world.

4. BOOST IMAGINATION AND CONFIDENCE
Reading uncovers a world of imagination, showing you nothing is impossible in the world. When reading, you are exploring a different angle to see things you've known only seen one way. Books are beyond imagination. It's like a huge spider web; you keep linking to more and more things you knew and things you learn, creating new ideas and solutions. When we do this, we feel confident and inspired to keep learning. It feels good!!

Positively Teaching,  

Randi Muehlen