My struggle with giving student feedback (Meaningful and Timely)

During the first semester, I struggled with a lot of different issues around Distance Learning. The one that bothered me the most, and was a constant discussion point during our weekly grade level content team meetings, was student feedback. I felt that, for most of the semester, I was not doing a good job by any means of giving students feedback on their work. 

I struggled with trying to figure out how to give 160 students feedback that was meaningful and timely. I was teaching skills, having students practice these skills, and then assessing these skills. I would then make broad generalizations from the data and try to fill the gaps. But there was nothing individualized that would allow each and every student to look at their own work and read my feedback to them. 

 For the math content, it is important to identify where students are making their mistakes, communicate that to students and give them specific feedback what to do correctly. In the classroom, I found this easier as I could see students' work but in Distance Learning the work submitted is difficult to read on the papers that were being submitted. 

 After Thanksgiving break I started being more strategic in my student assignments in my aim to achieve the goal of giving each student individualized feedback on their work. While I am still working on this area, here are some of the resources I have been using and how I have been trying to give student feedback. 

Khan Academy

I tell students that this resource will give immediate feedback - right or wrong.  When you are wrong, then reach out during the class period to get immediate assistance.  I try to use this resource with every lesson so that students can get feedback on their understanding and application of the skill taught.

Google Slides

I use Google Slides to assign students an activity related to the skill taught.  They turn in the assignment and I provide individual feedback to each student in the 'private comment' section for problems that are done incorrectly.  While this is a little bit more time consuming, I find it valuable because it forces me to slow down and and actually look at each student's work.  I can then provide comments that identify the mistake and exactly how to proceed correctly.

Edulastic

This is my assessment resource.  At least one of the questions requires written feedback or for students to show their work.  It is on these problems that I write a comment in the 'feedback' section to students so that they know what their mistake was and how to fix it.  Again, while this is time consuming, it again allows me to see students on an individual level and offer individual feedback.

Desmos

This website is constantly teaching me something new this year.  I have learned that there are ways for the website to check student answers and tell students if they need to go back and fix there work.  I have also learned recently that you can provide student feedback on a particular slide that the student has wrong - the program will then indicate to the teacher when the comment has actually been read, which no other resource I use offers that added feature.

The next step in my struggle for this area is to teach students to read the feedback, reflect on it, and finally act on the feedback given.  I want students to know as soon as possible that they are not understanding the skill, to then understand my feedback to them, and finally to change their actions so that they show understanding of the skill.

Thank you for reading and I encourage you to give yourself 'grace' during these difficult times and then to give yourself more 'grace.'

Kevin Stott                       

De Anza Middle School  

7th/8th/Integrated I Math 

Fostering Student Relationships Beyond the Screen

 Do you remember how long it took you to create your seating chart? I know crazy to even think about a seating chart since we have been online learning, but I remember despising it because it would take me forever! The hardest part wasn't placing students based on academic level or special considerations   (health, vision, etc.), but trying to form a cohesive dynamic between friends, frenemies, introverts, extroverts, tall kids... the list goes on. The worst part was knowing once you moved one student it was a chain reaction. This year I looked at my screen filled with student faces and realized I can't pinpoint the answer to these questions for each student like I used to. It's probably what I miss most about physically being in the classroom. It was the subtle glances, the spur of the moment joke, or the just because compliment that they gave each other. So how do you build and foster those relationships into a digital learning environment? Like most things, it  can be done with a simple twist. Using platforms like Padlet, Google Sides, and Jamboard are great ways to help your students build connections that can last!

1. Happy Birthdays on Jamboard

Example of Happy Birthday Notes on Jamboard

In class I would always write on their desk with a whiteboard marker wishing them a Happy Birthday, putting a confetti balloon weight on their desk, and giving them a gift bag and/or a thoughtful sticky note on their desk and we would all sing "Happy Birthday'. So now students still sing "Happy Birthday" on zoom, but we also go a little further and we each write a sticky note to the Birthday person. As the year progresses and students start to get to know each other their messages get longer, from simple "Happy Birthdays" to "Thanks for helping me with__________". Since birthdays look a little different this year in their own household- they enjoy being able to get recognition from their friends. The greatest part is knowing that they have them forever. What I like to do is later then post it on Class Dojo when the month is all over so families can see. A great management technique would be to make the slide ahead with all the sticky notes with either student name or student numbers  in order to see who might be missing and so the notes don't stack on top of each other. 

2. Shoutouts - JamBoard

Example of Shoutout Jamboard

Something I loved doing in class was having students recognize and give praise to other students for small things. It could be something as simple as participating, helping out a student, etc. I called it "Student Shoutouts". They would line up and I would show them the class list so they pick another student in the classroom to write a shoutout to. If they chose a friend in their circle -I always encouraged them to pick someone who was outside of their circle that they could give praise to. Once every student had a partner to write to they would write the sticky note and deliver it to their pocket. It was a great surprise to see not only who had written to them, but what was inside the message. When students would write notes I would remind them that they needed to be specific. For example if they wanted to say "Thank you for being nice"- they would need to provide an example of when they observed the student showing this. The concept is the same- just on Jamboard. Each student has their own Jamboard so the person writing to them would find their slide and create a sticky note to write them. Another way to make it more streamlined would pick one student who has exemplified the Behavior expectations or use those as a guide for students to write their notes on. Students love this activity because there isn't a whole ton of structure. They can write about an interaction with a student in the past, maybe something they saw them do during zoom or a personal interaction. What I have noticed is that students are very observant and getting a note about something as simple as "clapping before anybody else did" is a huge deal and being reminded of that helps build their esteem that integrity is really important.  

3. Engaging Questions on Padlet

Example of Padlet using a National Day Question

As I'm sure you know - kids love asking you questions, but something they love more is getting to answer them and something they enjoy even more than that is knowing what their best friends answered. I remember kids coming in during non-instructional time just to ask me something simple like "what's your favorite bagel"? I know random, but it got the conversation going. So using a "Would you rather?" or making a question from whatever the National Day of the year is into a question is a great way for students to not only answer it but see their friend's answer in real time. I also like to give students the option to "heart/like" a classmate's post. The greatest part is you can have students make these posts anonymous if it is a difficult question..(while monitoring on LanSchool) or  make them easy going. Since the posts aren't limited in characters students are able to express themselves more and even add pictures or links!

4. Webs

Web of Connectedness

How many of you remember of doing the Web of Connectedness in class? Where all of you would sit on the rug with a ball of yarn. It would start with one individual who would throw the yarn to one person and say something nice about them. This would continue until everyone was holding a piece of string showing how we are all connected. So think of this but instead of all students on the rug- their names would be on a google slide and using a google slide they could build the web of connectedness either as you as the facilitator or giving them edit access to make the line their selves.

                                                                       Web of Gratitude

Another activity that I haven't had the chance to do yet  with my class is the Web of Gratitude. I did have the opportunity to be apart of it when it was done in my recent staff meeting. The purpose of this is to pass along gratitude to others in the virtual circle. After filling the circle up with students names you ask them to use the line button and draw a line from themselves to someone they would like to send a note of gratitude to. My suggestion would be for students to send only one note each activity depending on time and so in the future they can send it to someone else. During the staff meeting we were asked to send them that message using the chat and/or our personal devices. For students it would be great to either having text boxes already made for students to start typing or voice typing their notes to another or use another platform such as Padlet or Flipgrid so you can monitor them before being posted. Keep in mind that the web of gratitude is designed so one person can receive multiple gratitude notes and possible that one person may not receive any. If you would like everyone to receive a note you could tell "dismiss" student numbers to draw their lines and state that once that person is claimed they will have to choose someone else. I will say having completed this activity myself that it brought many uplifting vibes to the group when I was both the recipient and while writing my note. 

Building relationships with students and allowing students the opportunity to build those with their fellow classmates is crucial! Whether its five minutes or fifteen your students will thank you that they got a chance to be recognized by their peers. What I love about all these activities is that they all can be saved and shared so students will have them to keep. It is also a fun thing to have or embed in a student end of year slide and/or yearbook.  

                                                                        Lively Teaching

                                                                                

                                                                        Jessica Magana

Enhancing Student Engagement with Seesaw

Keeping students engaged during virtual teaching has been a challenge! As a teacher, I am searching for ways to engage my students and check for understanding. One tool I have used from day one is the Seesaw app. While pencil and paper activities are important, they can be tough to monitor virtually. How do we know what students are writing? How can we truly know they have the skills if we cannot see them? The same goes for choral reading. Listening to a class choral read virtually is tough. We need to hear them read independently daily without having to assess them each individually. Seesaw has improved my student engagement by making tasks accessible to ALL learners; the benefits are fantastic.

Today I'm going to share an engagement resource with you that has made my life so much easier. 

Seesaw!

What is Seesaw?

Seesaw is a learning journal ideal for all students. It is an organized digital record of my students' learning. I use it as a tool for collecting evidence of the learning that occurs in my classroom. Parents can be given access to their child's account, receiving notifications every time their child posts a new item.  

Why Use Seesaw?

Seesaw is the perfect way to:

• document learning
• empower students to reflect
• teach digital citizenship and 21st-century skills
• build an organized record of student work
• create a community around learning
• involve families in real-time

Reading Fluency

MLK Statement

Students can:

• Use the photo and video function to:
• explain
• describe
• read fluently
• decode
• label
• defend an opinion and position
• investigate or experiment 
• demonstrate

Reading Fluency

• Use the drawing function:
• in place of paper/pencil
• record while they draw to explain thinking.
• sketch out a story idea
• label something
• show mathematical thinking
• use "think marks" while reading

Mathematical thinking

Showing work using paper/pencil

Showing work using the draw tool

Families can:

• view their child's work and leave comments and encouragement
• use Seesaw as a way to communicate and be up to date on the learning their child is doing in school
• read teachers' reports to help motivate their child to do better because they know their teachers will provide immediate feedback

Teachers can:

• use Seesaw as a hub for students to share their work, and specifically encourage individual reflection and feedback
• use Seesaw as a place not only where student work can be stored, but where teachers and peers can provide encouragement, constructive criticism, and suggestions for improvement
• comment to provide feedback that is constructive
• create formative and summative assessments
• create or use premade assignments
• send individual students differentiated assignments

Differentiated Assignment

Seesaw is an amazing digital tool to add to your tool belt! It has encouraged creativity for my students. It has given my students a place to display their work and showcase their successes during virtual learning. 

Positively Teaching,  

Randi Muehlen

Teaching Wonders Virtually

 Many of us who teach the McGraw Hill Wonders curriculum have probably all been in the same boat throughout this online learning journey.  How do I keep the students accountable for their own learning? How do I know they are actually thinking about the questions I ask? How do I get them to disuss and share with a partner?  These are all the things we do in the classroom to keep the kids engaged and accountable for their learning.  The struggle became very difficult when we went to online learning.  When you pose a question and ask the kids to type their answer into the chat, it often becomes the same 10 kids right? Even if you're using equity sticks or a random selector tool for names, it's difficult when they have not been able to discuss the ideas with their peers first.  Putting kids on the spot like that isn't the best teaching method, but at the same time we want to make sure we are reaching all kids. So what is the solution?

There are just a few things I have done with Wonders to try to bring back in that collaboration piece and student accountability.  It's nothing magical that I do, but it has helped to get the kids talking and working more efficiently.  They know I am going to call on them randomly after I have given them time to discuss in beakout rooms with peers, so most of them are engaged and working as they know my expectations.

Wonders Platform

The Your Turn Book pages, CRC pages, and digital stories are all available on the Wonders digital
platform.  You can assign the YourTurn Book Page digitally.  Then what I do, is I will share my screen and show them how to type on them and save/submit.  For instance, on Day 1 of Wonders instruction for the week, after I teach the vocab lesson, I will assign the vocab practice page.  I will then put the kids in breakout rooms with a partner to work together in creating their vocab sentences, while I'm popping in and out to assist and prod them along.  When we come back whole group then I use the Kagan random selector tool to have the kids share out what they wrote for each vocab sentence.  This is a much better way to go becaause I'm supporting my lower kiddos, EL kiddos, sped kids etc as they have now had the time to work together and talk together, with a partner to create their sentences.

Another option is to retype, or cut and paste, the Your Turn Book questions into a google doc and then assign it on google classroom.  I do this often with the reading comprehensions passage questions.  This way you can keep track of the assignment in google classroom.  In the video here, you can see the kids working to discuss and answer the comp passage questions in the Your Turn Book.  Here I assigned the page digitally.

Its also nice to assign the story you're reading so that struggling readers can play the story when they need to reread it to answer questions.

Anthology Discussion questions

Throughout the Teacher's Manual where you have the discussion questions throughout the story, this is where it becomes a struggle.  In the classroom, you'd stop, pose the question, have students discuss in table groups then randomly call on students to anwer (also incorporating various kagan strategies for discussion during this time).  So in the virtual setting, I type the question into the chat and read it aloud several times.  I tell them they all must respond their thoughts into the chat-they can send to everyone or to me privately.  This way they're not put on the spot answering outloud without having time to talk to a partner, but it also keeps them accountable for participating.  Once we are finished reading the story.  I then type up those questions from the TM into a google doc and put the students in breakout rooms with a partner to again discuss and answer the questions. Then once back together whole group I would use the random selector to have them share out, because they've now had the opportunity to think and discuss and type with a partner. Then they can turn in the assignment for credit.  Doing this really helps me see which students are with me and paying attention.  

Nearpod

I also use the collaborate board in Nearpod to facilitate discussion of the "Making Connections" questions that you see generally at the mid and end of the stories in Wonders.  The Making Connections questions at the end of the paired text ties in all 3 stories from the week and brings focus to the essential question.  Doing this one on Nearpod can help prepare them for doing a RACES writing on the essential question.  It can serve as a prewrite/brainstorm type of discussion.

I hope this gives you a few ideas of how you can incorporate the Wonders workbooks and discussion questions into your virtual lessons, while ensuring that all students are participating and accountable.

Virtually Learning,

Megan Brown

megan.brown@omsd.net

Forever in the Middle: Reading Novels Virtually

 

Reading Novels During Distance Learning

I love reading great novels with students and that is the biggest thing I miss from having students in the classroom. It also wasn't something I was willing to give up during distance learning. In the Spring, my classes were about 2/3 of the way through The Giver when schools shut down, and this school year, my classes have read one novel and started a second last week. Figuring out how best to do this has been a continuous challenge so here is a little insight into what did and didn't work for me.

A Shift in Focus

I use novels to reinforce and practice ELA standards in the classroom.  Since we are so much more limited on instructional minutes this school year, I have had to remind myself that if the students don't understand every single detail of the texts, it's okay as long as they can apply what skills they practiced to new texts or make connections to new material. 

The focus is not on the book itself, it is on the standards while using the book as a resource. 

What does this look like in my online environment? My seventh-grade class is using their novel as a supplement to the current unit where we look at the differences in the way people live in other parts of the world. My intervention class is using their novel as a way of identifying narrative techniques and practicing literature analysis as well as responses to literature: areas that they need extra practice with. Earlier this year, we focused on similar standards with the 8th grade ELA classes as we read The Outsiders.

Asynchronous Reading With EdPuzzle

My eighth-grade students read The Outsiders in the Fall and I was happy to find the chapters available on EdPuzzle. The benefit of using this was that I could see exactly who was completing the reading and I also was able to have them answer questions along the way and received instant feedback on their learning.  The challenge was that the students who really enjoyed reading did not enjoy having to listen to someone else read and the students who were not self-motivated did not complete the reading at all. However, I did like the idea of using EdPuzzle and the feedback I received from it. In the end, it was not the best choice for me.

Synchronous Reading During Zoom

My students last year finished The Giver over Zoom. Since we didn't have a set Zoom schedule like this school year, I scheduled "Reading time with Mrs. Valverde" for anyone who wanted to read the book along with me. Attendance was not mandatory and I had a group of around 10 very dedicated students attend each day. They even asked to extend the time past finishing the book to read the next novel in the series. 

This semester, I started reading Forged by Fire with my 8th-grade intervention students and The Bridge Home with my seventh grade Language Arts class. I am reading about 10 minutes at the beginning of the period with each of the classes and using the chat in Zoom to receive feedback. This has worked fairly well. Also, both of the texts are on Actively Learn, which allows me to assign chapters to students to read and even include questions for them to answer at the end of each chapter: another way to check for understanding and keep the students accountable to reading. I can start the day's reading with them and have them finish it asynchronously after our Zoom class is over. 

Virtual Literature Circles

In the Fall, my 8th Honors ELA class read through The Outsiders at a much faster pace than the other groups. This allowed us to run digital literature circles with the students. I had a shared document where they were responsible for specific roles as they would have in a traditional classroom. They then signed up as a group to meet with me over Zoom twice during the four-week session. During this reading club meeting, they were given time to discuss the book with each other in real-time. 

My only role in this was to provide them with the time over Zoom and to listen in on their conversation. I could easily tell who was reading the book by the connections they were making and discussions they had during this time. This worked for 7 of my 9 groups. Two of the groups struggled with members who didn't pull their weight but overall, it was a positive experience. 

Don't let reading a novel with your students virtually intimidate you. I do miss actually feeling their reactions to things that happen in the books we read, but reading something together with a class is too magical for me to give up, even if I miss out on some pieces of it. It all comes down to what you find the most value in for your students. Whatever you choose to do with your students over the next few months, don't feel limited by online learning, but instead view it as an opportunity to do things differently. Who knows? Maybe you'll end up finding a strategy you love and can continue doing when we return to school.

Keep the magic alive, 

Kandyce Valverde

Wiltsey Middle School
7th/8th Language Arts

It's All Fun and Games…

Photo by John Benitez on Unsplash

… but nobody has to get hurt! We are well into this year of remote teaching/ distance learning. I'm sure most of us have reflected endlessly on what we could do to engage our students more. Asking questions like: how can I make learning more enjoyable? Will today be the day that I spark some joy into my students' (as well as our own) lives? Most days, I turn off my computer, feeling like a failure. 

Over winter break, I allowed myself to not think about teaching in January, and I enjoyed my time with my family. We read books, I wrote, we baked -an insane amount of- cookies, we watched movies and shows, and we played a lot of games. My daughter is 3, so she's pretty easy to entertain with a simple game of Memory, but my son is 17 and not as easy to entertain. However, he even found our game time fun. We played dominos, cards, and board games almost daily. And even though I told myself not to think about teaching. I, of course, did. I wondered how I could foster this joy of playing games with my students in a virtual environment. 

At first, I thought about holding a Game Night with my students (which I still might do!). Then I thought this might be a way to fix a frustrating problem I have right now with my students: getting them to come and return to "class" on time. So that is what I have started, and so far, it seems to be working. I am using the first 5 minutes of each class's start (the start and after breaks) to play games with my students. We start playing right at the start time, and as kids join a bit late, they can choose if they want to participate in the game. The beauty is if they are a couple minutes late, they aren't missing anything academic. The great thing is I have more students logging on to our meetings on time, both at the beginning of class and after breaks. Not only is this working to my advantage, but I see some smiles here and there, which is 6th grade speak for "I'm having fun." 

*I found most of these resources on Teacher Pay Teacher already created by Golden State Classroom, which was nice and cut down on my prep load. 

Here is what I’m doing: 

Mondays: Word search/ collaborative puzzles: 

I love puzzles! On Mondays, I create and project a word search for students to work on. I've created word searching with vocabulary words, themes, book titles, and students' names. They use the chat on zoom to share the answers with the words they found. We only do this in 5-minute sittings. Therefore, they usually do not complete the puzzle even as a class, but I share the link with them to complete it if they want to. 

The collaborative puzzle is a site I just found, and I'm obsessed. To create and share a puzzle, you go on to the site, find puzzles, search for a piece of art that you are interested in, and select multiplayer. Finally, you share the link with your class. If students are interested in solving the puzzles, they click on the link and start moving the pieces around. So easy and so fun!

Tuesdays: Name the Gibberish 

This game is FUN! My 6th graders are so much better at it than I am. I found this resource of Teachers Pay Teachers (Golden State Teacher). You share the slide in presentation mode, and students raise their hands to guess the saying. We do about 3-4 right after the break, so I use the same slide deck a couple weeks. The example pictured on the right says, "Dog sledding." My students guessed that right away while I was still trying to figure the answer out. They love that they are better than their ELA teacher at this game. 

Wednesdays: Sixty Second drawings

Sixty second drawings (also from Golden State Teacher) is precisely that. You give your students sixty seconds to draw an object. Sounds easy, right? Well, after you get your students started with the easy level, you can move them up a level where they draw the object with their eyes closed. And when that level gets a too bit easy for your students, try the EXTREME level where students draw the item with the paper on top of their heads. If nothing else, this game is the most entertaining game to watch. 

Thursdays: Scattergories

Most of us have played some version of Scattergories before. To play this over zoom, you will want to create at least 20 lists (I use two a week depending on our schedule.).  Before I share the list, I ask a student to give me a letter. Then, I show the list of items and give the class two minutes to create their list with the given letter. After the time is up, students share out their answers. If someone has the same answer, they cross off their answer and they don’t get the point. When we have shared answers, they share their total points in the chat. I like this game because it helps students with word choice and being creative. 

Fridays (office day): 

Fridays are our office days, so we don’t have time for games. However, I do make sure to share some of the games that we played in Google Classroom. I do this so that students can continue playing on their own or with their families. 

I hope you can find some time in your schedule to play a couple of games with your students. I think it’s a nice way to remind my students that I care about their happiness and well-being.

Have a FUN week!

Jenni Merry   

Slides as Virtual Backgrounds in Zoom

 In the world of Zoom, there are still so many tricks to learn.  One feature I have been exploring lately is being able to use a PowerPoint presentation as a virtual background.  I can put myself into a story while my students see the illustrations behind me.  Plus, I can read the story right from my screen.

The best success I have had is to first find a story on YouTube.  I find one that has each page nice and clear.  I let the video play and as each page turns, I take a screenshot of it (shift-command-4 on a Mac; click here to see how to on a PC). It saves right to my desktop.  When I have all the pages I need, I then drag them into a new PowerPoint presentation one at a time.  Last, I save the PowerPoint presentation to my computer and I am ready to go.

While you are in Zoom and ready to read your story, click the "share screen"button. This screen will the pop up.  Click on the Advanced option at the top.

         👇

Next, you will see these options.  Choose "Slides in Virtual Background".  Click Share at the bottom.

                                                   👇

Your PowerPoint options will appear for you to choose.  Click on the one you want and click Share.  Your PowerPoint presentation will now be your virtual background.  Your live video will be layered on top of your presentation at the bottom of your screen.  You can then move and resize your video.  You will have to advance the slides manually.

Another way I have used this feature is during our alphabet chant at the beginning of our phonics lessons.  I can present the letter/picture behind me while the students see me do the motion associated with the picture.  I also spotlight my student helper leading the class so the students see me and the student helper at the same time as the picture.

Give this new feature a try and let me know how it goes in the comments!

Happy (virtual) Teaching!

Erin Grebel

Lights...Camera...Action!

Like everything else in 2020, Spotlight Teaching has been profoundly impacted by Covid. Whereas in the past, I would welcome teachers to my classroom, I am now posting weekly videos for them to watch on topics ranging from language arts to conducting small groups on Zoom.

To be honest, I really don't like watching myself on video. It's painful. Unlike Hollywood actors and actresses, I don't have a make-up artist, a hairdresser, a costume designer, someone to write the lines for my scene (lesson), etc. As an imperfect perfectionist, I am an expert at nitpicking as I have been practicing for nearly 55 years. Oh my goodness! Did I not fix my hair? Did I really just say that? Is that my cat in the background? Please tell me that the camera adds A LOT more than 10 pounds. 

As much as I dislike seeing myself on video, it's been a tremendous learning opportunity. When I review my videos, a.k.a. "the raw footage," I am able to pay attention to the details that aren't readily apparent when I am actually "in the moment" teaching. For instance, I can't believe how many times I say "okay," "'kay," or "m'kay." Note to self: Stop saying "Okay." 

I would encourage you to take advantage of this unprecedented time in which we find ourselves to begin recording yourself regularly on Zoom. It's a safe way to observe yourself in action. Make a list of "glows" and "grows" so that you can acknowledge areas of success and areas where you need to improve. 

How I Record Myself on Zoom

 1^st       Record video on Zoom to the cloud.

2^nd      Later, when you are ready to view the video, sign into Zoom.           

3^rd      Go to “Recordings.”

4^th      Find the recording.

If you're like me, you'll find this entire experience awkward, but tremendously insightful. It's akin to engaging in a coaching cycle with yourself. The best part is that you can delete the video immediately afterward. 

Still Zooming,

Lola E. Jollie