Forever in the Middle: Late Work and Folder Rules in Outlook

 

We can all agree that the amount of emails we receive and need to respond to on a daily basis has increased dramatically in the last year.  Many of the emails I was receiving regarded late work turned in on Google Classroom. This is a feature that can be turned off but I like having the notification so that I know the work was done and remember to go back to it when I get a chance. However, it got to a point where more urgent emails were getting lost in the midst of these notifications. In October, I set up a "late work" folder in Outlook, which automatically filed emails regarding late work turn in on Google Classroom from my inbox. This helped tremendously with my email overwhelm, but there were still weekends where I would find over 60 late work assignments turned in through Google Classroom in my late work folder. 

In January, I had come to my breaking point with late work being turned in despite limits being placed on due dates. Unfortunately in Google Classroom, there is no way to "lock" an assignment so even when the assignment is overdue, students can still access it. It is definitely frustrating to keep having these turned in past the grace period. I figured there had to be a better way to filter these out.

That's when I discovered a "hack" some teachers were using: they place an emoji lock icon at the beginning of assignment titles in Google Classroom once the late work "grace period" has ended. It doesn't actually lock the assignment, but it makes sorting through late assignment submissions so much easier. I went through and added that lock icon to all assignments past the due date grace period. Now when I go into my late work folder, I can see which assignments were turned in within the appropriate time and which assignments were turned in too late. This helps me prioritize what I grade and filter out what I will not.

Copy the lock emoji here --->   🔒 

Video: How to create a rule for Outlook folders

Keep the magic alive,

Kandyce Valverde
7/8 Language Arts
Wiltsey Middle School

Let's Talk About Math Intervention, Part 3

Let’s Talk About MATH INTERVENTION, Part 3!

Hi again, thanks for coming back to the final post in this 3-part series.  Over the last two posts, we’ve discussed WHY we need between-the-bells math intervention, and HOW we can structure our math block to deliver it.  Here let’s address WHAT materials we could use to best benefit our students. 

Finding what you’re going to use during intervention is actually the easiest part, and it’s probably in your classroom already!  As I said before, Math isn’t working for some of our students and that we need to mix it up and try something different, find a different way to teach what they need.

If I were a primary-grades teacher and wanting to implement this intervention style in my class, here is what I would do.  If our adopted materials have been used in both instruction and reteaching, and my students were still unsuccessful, I’d find another way to teach it- I’d go outside of the program.  This doesn’t mean go willy-nilly online purchasing items on Teachers Pay Teachers or at the local school supply store- I will not back you up on that and your administration probably won’t, either.  Let me be crystal clear- it requires very purposeful selection of materials based on the needs of your particular students. 

Maybe I have a game my students used to play from our previous adoption that did a great job at helping students understand this concept.  Perhaps someone on my team has a resource they used to use that was very successful.  I may go down a grade level or two in Eureka resources and use a strategy they missed or weren’t ready for when it was taught in that grade like fact families using number bonds or tape diagrams.  I might have them on the computer or iPad working on assigned content in Zearn, Khan Academy, iXL, or MobyMax.  If you have a parent helper you trust with a small group, put them to good use and have them work with that group!  Kindergarten, now that you’re full-day, you have helpers.  My fingers are crossed for you that they are AWESOME and you can have them pull a small group here!  Maybe they’re using Wikki-Stix to make numbers or create triangles.  Maybe they are making a collage to show the number 5. 

In the case of my upper-grade kiddos, they needed primary concepts.  Middle school teachers, you can probably relate to this as well.  For these guys, I gave a lot of thought to how I was going to reach big kid-learners with little-kid concepts without them feeling like little kids.  Would the teddy bear counters be too “babyish?”  Would kids feel like I was being condescending and not want to participate, even though they desperately needed it?  I knew I wasn’t going to go to an algorithm or shortcut, which would be the equivalent of putting a band-aid on a gunshot wound.  It may help for a little while, but it’s not a permanent fix.  I could go back in Eureka math and see how these concepts are taught now.  In the case of this year’s class, I decided that wasn’t going to be my best option so I chose to work with concrete items and other resources I know to be successful.  I pulled the Marcy Cook tiles and cards out and dusted them off.  I grabbed my Kim Sutton books and found opportunities for student learning.  I dug out the Greg Tang pack from the last math adoption and found great stuff that would help.  I pulled out my bins of base-ten blocks.  I looked through my John Van de Walle books for strategies to use in addition to the ones taught in Eureka.  I signed the students up in Khan Academy and found lessons each individual needed to work on.  And, I’m still adding to my repertoire in response to what my students are showing me they need.

All the while, my on-level and above-level students are having their needs met as well.   In their centers or on their must-do/may-do list, they may be working on problems from the problem set that are higher level DOK questions.  They’re playing a game that is extending their learning.  They’re in a media station on iXL practicing content.  They’re creating anchor charts or posters to show their understanding of the concept.  Perhaps instead of a must-do/may-do list, they have a menu for the week, incorporating choice and novelty into their math time.  They’re not doing more, they’re doing different.  Click HERE for a list of materials I've used. Please check with your administration to make sure they would support you in using these materials before starting out.

So, those are my thoughts about achieving a between-the-bells math intervention through small group instruction in the general-ed math classroom, for now.  I know I didn’t touch on everything, and this isn’t the end of this conversation, but it is the end of this trio of posts.  :)  I do believe this is a serious situation that needs to be addressed above and beyond the classroom level, but you starting it is a step in the right direction.  Is taking something like this on overwhelming?  Absolutely.  I’ve been planning on doing a version of Guided Math for awhile now.  My advice is to start slow!  One day a week or every two weeks.  But I implore you to consider it and start, and here’s my passionate plea in the name of equity.    

As a society, we value being able to read and write, hence the push for literacy.  We do RTI for reading, we have workshops for parents on how to help their children with reading, there are TV and radio commercials about the importance of reading with children.  At the same time though, not being a “math person” or not being good at math is acceptable in our society.  We aren’t okay with verbal illiteracy, but we are okay with math illiteracy?  By not offering an intervention in math during the school day, are we okay-ing failure in math?  Building in time for math intervention should be a priority in our schools to start eliminating this double standard.

If you try any of these ideas out, or come up with your own even cooler ones, I would seriously love to hear how it’s working out! The good, the bad, the ugly, I want to know.  Comment below and keep us in the loop!  Need help?  I’m here, my email is at the bottom.  Want to see my math block while guided math is happening?  Schedule a Spotlight visit, I’d love to meet you and be a part of your journey. 

Mathematically yours,

Sabrina Blake

sabrina.blake@omsd.net

Math Journals

Math Journals

Although it’s wonderful that Eureka Math provides us with workbooks for our students, how can we really ensure that they’re studying at home if books are left at school?  What resources do they have in order to be successful with homework?  Internet videos such as the ones found on embarc.online can be very helpful to our students, but what if some don’t have internet at home?  How about if you’d like for your students to have a resource for the following grade level?  The more I pondered these questions, the more I knew I had to figure out a plan b.

With the use of math journals, you can solve all of the problems listed above (at least mostly)!  In no time, you will have a resource for your students to assist with homework and studying, and they don’t even need internet!  Plus, parents and family members can even utilize these notes in order to better comprehend the math being taught in your classroom.  When your kids move on to the next grade level, you’ll feel more confident because you’ll know you gave them a tool to benefit them even once they’re out of your classroom.

My 4th-grade students in years prior used a math journal, but I never really made it as accessible as I would have liked.  When I looked at the 6th-grade student book, I realized that I could turn that book into a math resource for my students.  Since I use Smart Notebook to create my Eureka lessons, I decided to also use PowerPoint simultaneously to generate a math journal/template for my students to use.  I didn’t want to simply produce copies of notes for my students to look at, I wanted their journals to be interactive.

"They say an elephant never forgets. Well, you are not an elephant. Take notes, constantly. Save interesting thoughts, quotations, films, technologies...the medium doesn't matter, so long as it inspires you."

--Aaron Koblin

Allowing our students to be responsible for their own learning and to take charge of being organized and accurate with their math will help in the long run.  Our students need to learn how to use the resources at their disposal because it’s what’s expected of them in the future.  Why not start now?

Here’s the process I use to construct math journal pages for my students:

1. Look through the Eureka lesson to see which parts are most vital for your students to have a copy of.  Sometimes you might include an application problem, while other times you may want to leave that out.  In 6th grade, students have “Classwork” problems which tend to be too easy at times, so occasionally I leave them out of the notes and we solve in the book instead.  I pick several examples and/or exercises to include in the math journals.  You may also have a lesson that calls for vocabulary to be taught, so I’ll design a way for my kids to acknowledge and practice these words such as through matching, a specific vocabulary template I use, the use of Depth and Complexity icons, etc.
2. Once you decide what to include in your notes, now it’s time to start creating.  I open up my Smart Notebook and my PowerPoint, so I can easily switch back and forth between the two.  You obviously don’t have to create a lesson on Smart Notebook depending on how you typically teach Eureka. If you do want to create on Smart Notebook, then everything I discuss below would also be copied into your Smartboard lesson as well.
3. On my opening page, my students are expected to have a heading (name, date, module/topic/lesson #) and a title.  I then take a snapshot of the “Student Outcomes” in the Student Book PDF (in 5th grade and below, you could find this in the T.E. copy which is referred to as Objectives). **If you don't have a PDF of the Eureka module, you'll need to go to greatminds.org and download the module you need. To take a snapshot, simply open up the PDF file, click on Edit, then Take a Snapshot. Now highlight the section of text you’d like to copy, and it will take a snapshot for you.  This snapshot will be instantly “copied” onto your clipboard, but now you’ll need to paste it into your PowerPoint. Before you paste into PowerPoint, you'll want to make sure you click on the Design tab in PowerPoint and change the Slide Orientation to Portrait instead of Landscape.  Here’s an example of the first page of notes both in Smart Notebook and in PowerPoint. The student notes will look like the picture I used at the beginning of this blog.

   

   Math journal in Smart Notebook.  Students only copy what I've written in blue.

   
   

   

   This is the PowerPoint version which students receive for their math journals.

4. For 6th-8th grade, simply use the Student Book PDF to take a snapshot of the problem you’d like to copy and paste onto the PowerPoint page you already started.  The problem will go below the Student Outcomes.  If you teach grade 5 and below, you may want to just take a snapshot of problems listed in bold.  Here’s an example of how grade 4 would look.  In the first example, I began my journal with Problem 1.  In the second example, I began with an Application Problem and then inserted Problem 1 below (these are two different lessons).
   
   
   
   
5. As I mentioned earlier and in my last blog post, sometimes I like to include vocabulary. If that's the case, it may take a little more work on the teacher's part. Here's an example of something I made in PowerPoint for the students to complete.
   
6. After you have your PowerPoint lesson completed, you'll need to print it out and make copies.  Once I have all the copies I need, I use the paper cutter to trim the borders of the notes so that they'll fit in spiral notebooks and composition books.  My coworker, who I share a room with, lets me use her small paper cutter, and it's the best thing ever!  It saves me from having to walk to the lounge daily.  Yes, you could have your students do this part, but it takes FOREVER, and we all know there's no time to waste when it comes to Eureka!
7. Pass out the notes to your students and set a timer.  Of course, model first how to write a proper heading and how to glue notes down quickly and quietly.  I give my students three minutes, but you may need to start with five in the beginning, especially with younger students.  Sometimes, I play music for the kids as long as they're quiet.  I also hand out stickers for individual sticker charts if students are working quickly but neatly.  This really helps!

And there you have it!  After all notes are glued and ready, we begin our lesson.  The Eureka lesson is still very interactive, and students have a record of everything they did in class!  After we've done an example or two together, I'll have groups or partnerships solve certain problems together in their math journals.  If you find a cool song, chant or rap for the math you're learning, why not paste that into the journals too?  We have many songs in our journals for the students to refer back to.  Math foldables are another fun and useful tool to include in journals as well.

Do you use math journals?  If so, how are they used in your class?  I'd love to hear from you!  Please comment below!  Have a question?  Please comment below or email me at kimberly.smith@omsd.net.

Educating Together,

Kimberly Smith Loya