What Works Wednesday in May

I have been using Literature Circles or Book Clubs for many years. When we reviewed our Language Arts Curriculum two years ago, we built in Literature Circles. We have more than thirty different set of classroom novels. Over the years, I have used bonus points, grants, and swaps to add another thirty sets of small group novels. I have two reading groups with readers from second to high school reading levels. Some of the time, we do read a novel as a whole class and grade level. Other times, students choose the novel they want to read.

Currently, I have four circles going in my homeroom. My co-teacher is responsible for working with one group. I meet with the other three. I developed role sheets for them. One group liked the reading response sheets I used with them during Freedom Train: The Story of Harriet Tubman. They wanted their own sheets to make their own response sheets. They use the question fans from Jen Runde. They also use a set of depth of knowledge question stems.

My other reading class has five different circles going. Three of the groups are using my role sheets. The other two groups are using my reading response sheets. They didn't want to make their own questions, so they are using my More Reading Response Sheets for Any Novel.

I like to use literature circles because it allows students to read the whole story. Our anthology only has a chapter or two of any story. It acts as a transition to reading literature in middle school, where students have less guidance. It gives me freedom to meet with small groups of students. It allows students to group themselves by reading levels or interests. When the weather starts to warm, as it has been the last week, it lets me send groups to the hall or courtyard. (When it is warm, we do better when we can spread out).

 

I  review the rules for the reading to self, talking about what reading should look like and sound like. We also go over the rules to the courtyard to keep students from climbing trees, playing in the pond, or bothering the "neighbors".

Do you use Literature Circles or Book Clubs?

Wednesday, April's Installment

For this installment of What Works Wednesday, I want to share a site I recently had a chance to use. I previously mentioned that we have conferences when we get back from break. We had to do things differently for this one. Usually we have time slots twenty minutes apart for nine hours of conferences. When we decided to add a student day (make-up) to that morning, shortening the amount of conferences slots we had to scramble. Grade levels could do twenty minute slots, or fifteen. My grade level chose to do fifteen minute slots. We could also invite a minimum of eighteen parents. Then we had to schedule our own conferences. After the last minute decision, our tech guy sent a link to Sign Up Genius. 

Sign Up Genius is just that, genius! I was able to register and set up my conference slots in the matter of minutes on Friday afternoon. I set the link to my parents through a newsletter, Remind 101 message, and a link on my web page. Within 15 minutes of dismissal, I had my first conference assigned. By the end of the weekend, over half had signed up. I got three conference slips I had to enter, and confer with colleagues. By Tuesday, all but three of my twenty-four students had conference slots. The last three (three I need to see) were finally scheduled. Twenty-four of twenty-four students scheduled. 

Parents loved they could get the slot they wanted. They just needed to fill in their name on the slot and give an email that will send a confirmation and a reminder. Easy peasy! 

It took the responsibility of coordinating conferences from the office and placed it in the hands of parents. It is their job to make sure times don't overlap. The one downfall I see is that the Special Ed. staff weren't able to use this, so they may have overlapping time slots. When we have to schedule our own conferences in the future, the Special Ed. teachers should schedule theirs, and then plug them into homeroom time slots. 

Partial schedule only

Sign up genius could be used in many ways. You could schedule snacks, parent volunteers, etc. I think it has merit as a useful, time saving site. I will let you know if this worked out as planned. I am on vacation this week. I will read blogs, but with this post scheduled in advance, I don't know if I will be blogging myself during the break. For those of you on break, enjoy!

It Works! March's Installment

I have not been very consistent lately. I had this post planned for weeks, but needed the pictures. Here is my latest product review.

Quite a while ago, I was contacted by Scott Ertl from Bouncy Bands. He was willing to send me a set of bouncy bands to try in my classroom. What are bouncy bands? It is a piece of rubber that students can bounce their feet upon, reducing the need to get up and move. It is a great concept, especially for those fidgety children that need movement breaks. The first set arrived in the fall. I don't have student desks, but  use tables instead. I had to borrow a desk to try what was essentially a bicycle tube and PVC pipe. The tube ties to the legs of the desk and the pipes keep it from being pushed to the floor.

I thought the product had merit because it used inexpensive and reusable materials that may have ended up in a landfill instead. The downfall was that we had trouble keeping the inner tube tied on the desk's legs.

This student is vertically challenged and likes that she can
rest her feet instead of having them dangle.

Scott then offered me two new versions of the product. One has clamps that make the loops (yippee no more untying!) and the other is made from a rubber rope. Both are big improvements over the first version. What I liked about the set with the clamped loops is that it was still the bicycle tube, keeping it more "green" that the other. The last set is more practical, but also slightly more expensive. My students liked the ability to keep their feet busy. They didn't like that the original kind can only be used on desks. The rope and clamped tube stretches to work on our table legs.

I loaned the last two sets of bouncy bands to our occupational therapist. She works with several children in a few buildings in our county. I couldn't get the bands back. A teacher in one of the other buildings loved them and laid claim to them for several weeks. When attending a staff meeting, the OT watched staff members and the administrator using the bands. I guess they really aren't just for kids, but for anyone that struggles to sit still.

An Original Bouncy Band is $5 plus shipping while the new Bouncy Band is $6.50 plus shipping. They also can be purchased in larger sets. Each set comes with the set of PVC pipe.

I would have to say Bouncy Bands do work. You can find them here. If you use alternative seating as an option for fidgety students, you may want to consider adding Bouncy Bands to the mix. They are kid tested, teacher approved.

Wednesday, February 19

It is Wednesday once again. I apologize for not having a post for last week, but with snow days, I have really struggled with keep track of time. As I type this, I am coming off another snow day. I have even lost track of how many snow days we have had! It is over two weeks, twelve or thirteen days I think. We don't know how many days we will make up, or if only teachers will make them up to fulfill our contractual agreement. 

For this week's What Works Wednesdays installment, I have something that is working well for me and my students. I have been using more close reads. The students have enjoyed them so much more than our anthology. 

The first set of close reads we used recently were from Hello Mrs. Sykes' Winter Sports Practicing Fluency and Comprehension. This was the perfect introduction to discussion about the Winter Olympics. I was able to fit it in on a couple of days we were in school just before the Winter Games began. Since reading them, my students have discussed events as they occur, and even mention things they read. The close read we completed last week were from Elements of Elementary's The History of Basketball. This tied in with a story we previously read with a basketball theme, and a biography on James Naismith. The students loved creating their own sport, which was their final step. I bought both sets when they were on sale, making them very affordable. I am adding things to my cart in anticipation of another sale.

Do you use close reads? If so, which ones should I check out? 
I would love to hear from you.

Just Another Wednesday (without School)

It is another snowy Wednesday in southern Michigan. With so much missed school, I have been communicating with parents and students about learning opportunities. I sent "snow day" assignments home last night in anticipation of 6" of snow. Just in case students didn't want to work on their day off, I messaged parents with Remind101.

This is what the text looks like:

• Mrs. Hojnacki's Homeroom
• Wednesday 2/5/14 at 1:43PM

Don't forget to do snow day math pages. Read for AR goal. Currently for February (it is still snowing!) I'd rather be at school teaching.

Remind 101 is a free texting service. You sign up on their website. It assigns a texting number. You send a notice to parents (my note went with my Welcome Newsletter at Meet the Teacher night in August). Parents text the number to register for the service. Easy peasy!

My friend has sent 600 texts this year with it. I have sent a fraction of that number. I don't want to send so many that parents see it as a nuisance or as an intrusion into their lives. I use a webpage to communicate general information, and send newsletters and email for updates and current news.

You can even embed the Widget on your webpage. This is what mine looks like on my page.

Mrs. Hojnacki's reminders

• 2/5
  ___________ Reading
  Read for AR. Work on Wax Museum project. Don't know about others, but I'd rather be at school teaching. Enough snow already!
• 2/5
  Mrs. Hojnacki's Homeroom
  Don't forget to do snow day math pages. Read for AR goal. Currently for February 

What I really like about Remind 101 is that parents don't get messages from my own cell phone number. It assigns a texting number to my classroom. I have one number for my homeroom, and one for my second reading class. I am that room's main source of communication.

Remind 101 recently added a very useful feature. Previously, messages could only be sent to the whole group. Now you can send messages to partial groups, as few as three. How would this help? If you have just a couple of students that forgot to return a permission slip; three students haven't brought back signed progress reports, etc. I am a registered user, so I can send to as few as two students. The third notice would come to me.

They are looking for ways to improve the service even more so I think additional features will be added. This program is a great way to communicate with parents. I see how Remind 101 is a nice complementary system to other forms of communication.

How do you communicate with parents?

This Works, but I don't lately

It is a frigid Wednesday in southern Michigan. I am home for the ninth day this school year due to cold or snow. The only thing worse would be stuck at school with children over night like some schools were in the south. It never ceases to amaze me the vast differences in how snow and ice are handled in other parts of the country. We really only cancel when our students have dangerous conditions in which they must ride buses, or for that matter wait for the bus. This can be extremely challenging in a rural district like mine when winds empty farmers' fields onto the roads. There is no safe place to stand and the drifting snow makes it dangerous for all drivers.

What do you do when you miss one full week of school after vacation, and three days just two weeks later? I use my "school issued" webpage to set up links for students to practice skills. There are so many free sites out there that reinforce common core standards, that it is easy to find relevant activities. I use my paid subscriptions to Sumdog, Spelling City, Scootpad, and now MobyMax to differentiate the lessons.

(More links are below those shown, but not visible to you)

Students need to log in to the sites, but I have simplified that by putting links in one location, and when possible I use the same user name and logins for them. They always have that information with them.
As an incentive, I have offered "credit" for skills practiced online. They don't need to do anything on the paid sites because it logs their practices, but for the other sites they can print the certificate or print a screen shot of their scores.

I know I have written about Sumdog and SpellingCity before, so I won't get into those sites. Scootpad is a relatively new site for our district, although I used it as an individual teacher before. The nice part is it is easy to align to common core. It does the work for you. You just choose the standard you want students to practice. You can even give rewards (no homework, computer time, etc.) for students that complete the work.

Our district was able to get the license for our elementary teachers with our tech department paying $20 dollars, and teachers kicking in the other $20. It was "voluntary", but I did it any way. I love technology and integrate it when and where I can. Students like the practice it gives in a game like format (once you get through with the "testing" phase). They like earning rewards and unlocking levels. I like that it is common core aligned, so I don't have to search for relevant practice.

How will you "make up" missed time due to snow and cold this year? I would love to hear!

What Works this week with a freebie

Wow, a post two days in a row!

For this week's "What Works Wednesday" I'd like to share a creative project option for students to share books they read. All of us have done book reports and oral book talks with students. As you try to survive the umpteenth diorama, you think that has to be something else they can do. I started allowing students to do "Talk Show" reviews a couple of years ago. I may have mentioned them but wanted to give more details.

To do a talk show, two students read the same book. They can choose to partner read, or read on their own. I have them record thoughts in a reader's notebook that they think would add to the "show". They need to let the teacher know a day or two before they finish, so that the talk show can be scheduled.

The two students use their notes write a script. One student takes the role of the author, and the other acts acts as the talk show host. The script includes questions from the "host" and answers from the "author". The host will need to introduce the author, and deliver a concluding statement.

I have lots of different chairs in my room, including two lounge chairs that are usually the seats for the "show". The host and author take their seats (often with a table in front to hold their script or notes). I have used a live audience, or recorded the show for delayed "telecast" using a flip camera or my iPad. I prefer the flip camera.

Flip cameras have built-in software, but I import the video into Windows Movie Maker. I edit any out takes, and add a title and credits. I have added a music sound track from royalty free music sites, but usually just let the show stand on its own. I have posted completed videos on my district webpage so parents can watch. Students enjoy watching the show. The two presenters enjoy a chance to be in the limelight. I don't spend a lot of time perfecting the video.

Black and White video was the creative idea of the two students.

It's a fun way for students to share their love of reading and gives them an authentic audience to enjoy their writing. It is definitely more interesting than reading a hundred book reports!
Talk Show Book Sharing works! Want to try it for yourself? Click the freebie for the student handout.

Talk Show Freebie

Brag Tags Work

It's What Works Wednesday, the last one for 2013. For this week's post, I decided to concentrate on "Brag Tags." 

I first started using brag tags last spring. I volunteered to be part of a linky featuring "Reading Olympians" called "Pass the Torch". The sweet ladies from "Reading Olympians" spent a tremendous about of time putting together their Greek and Latin Root Word units. Then, they contacted one of my favorite artists, Michelle, from The 3 AM Teacher, to get adorable clip art to go with their program. To showcase their newly revised units, they invited teachers across the country to participate in their linky. They provided the materials (for free!) and all we had to do was give them a try. 

As students became successful on mastering roots, I decided to make my own set of brag tags, for the kids. I purchased the clip art from Michelle, and invested in the chain, beads, ink, and laminating pouches. As the year wound down, the students were still proudly wearing their brag tag necklaces everywhere. This summer I decided to get creative and made tags for lots of occasions. 

When the year started, my second reading class soon became jealous that my students were earning tags for behavior, participation, and finally completing Reading Olympian units. When the principal provided chains with a "Rock the Test" tag as motivation for our standardized testing in the fall, I decided to include the second class. They have gone tag crazy. Every week they come up with a new tag I need to make for them. 

Some students leave the tags hanging on our "Bragging Rights" board, but others wear theirs everyday, all day (except phys. ed.). The one draw back for me is I am going through ink like crazy! Their parents will probably want me to pay the chiropractor's bill when they get sore necks from showing off their expanding tag collections. As I get ready to print a collection of holiday tags that were included in a bundle of freebies, I would have to say, Brag Tags definitely work to motivate my students. Have you tried them?

What Works Wednesday #2

It's Wednesday, Hump Day! Today is also "What Works Wednesday" #2. My colleagues and I are gathering for a "scrapbooking" party. Our pages won't be filled with photos of our latest vacations however. We are gathering instead to work on our evidence notebooks. I would love to be making an electronic version.

As I sorted through things for the notebook this week, I noticed a piece I had put aside for the Domain 1 section for differentiation. As a former special education teacher, I have always differentiated instruction to some degree. 

My selection for What Works Wednesday would be Spelling City. Spellingcity.com is a great site and app for differentiating spelling instruction. Spelling lists are easily differentiated. Students can easily have their very own spelling list. I post my list once, and then only add additional lists based on the students in my room that year. Last year, I had to work to find words that would challenge one of my students. She could spell any grade level would on the lists. I found similar word lists at a seventh grade level to keep her challenged. I teach fifth grade, by the way. 

 Here is a sample of lists for my unit that goes with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. The list is further differentiated with different challenge /super speller words for individual students. I have two additional groups, one that is working on only sight words, and one that has simplified compound words this week.

I use Spellingcity to administer a pretest, practice test, and final test. The students like it because they can take the test at their own pace. I like it because they print out the test, and I can read every word. I also like the fact that the test is scored for me. I have students write their Challenge or Super Speller words on the test paper. I add those points to their total, record scores, and return them to students in minutes.

Students love the variety of activities available for them. I use classroom dollars to purchase the premium subscription, because they can access all activities. The basic subscription has many fun, differentiated activities as well. 

Spellingcity.com fits well with the spelling contract I have done for years. I added the activities to the bottom of the contract. Those activities are as popular as my "Rainbow Writers" with my Scentos markers. Students use the app on our two classroom computers, my iPads, the iPad cart when we get them, or in the lab. We go within the first ten minutes of the day most Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I am committed to providing them with differentiated learning experiences, and to prepare them for the future. Whether they are taking the tests or playing Speedy Speller and Falling Letters, they are typing. This skills is important as we move to an online standardized test next school year. 

Differentiating Spelling with a spelling contract and SpellingCity.com works for me on this Wednesday.

What Works Wednesday

I have severely neglected this blog lately. Like most of us, I am spending more time on non-teaching school related necessities, and find I have little to no leisure time. I am looking forward to the long weekend, and a chance to rest, relax, and read blogs.
 
As a teacher, I am always reflecting on my teaching. With the changes to our teacher evaluation system, I have to gather evidence for my teacher binder. To help me stay focused and sort through the bits and pieces I am gathering, I am starting a weekly post called "What Works Wednesday."

As a topic for the first post, I thought I would share a strategy that I saw on Mrs. White's 5th Grade blog, called "Keep It or Junk It". She included a video showing how an instructor got students to analyze non-fiction text.


It got me thinking about how I teach text coding. I decided to put text coding with the "Keep It or Junk It" strategy, and would tie the whole thing together with a Two Dollar Summary.

I used a non-fiction article on Whales and Dolphins. It is part of an ebook available from Scholastic, 24 Non-fiction Passages for Test Practice for 4-5 grade. Students read in cooperative groups and used text coding to mark the key words and ideas. Then they compiled a group list of must have words. The groups then worked to establish a class list. We did "Keep It or Junk It" to narrow our list. Students used fingers to show if we should keep, junk or cloud a word (1, 2, or 3 fingers). "Clouding" a word saves it for a review when the other words are finished. Often, a clouded word is not the best choice, so it is ultimately "junked".

It was interesting to listen to their justification for keeping a word, or "junking it". When finished, students used the words to write a two-dollar summary. In a $2 summary each word counts as ten cents. Students have $2 to spend on their summary. They learn to quickly pare down their word choices to be concise.

Why would I choose this idea as a "What Works Wednesday" post? Students worked quietly, were actively engaged, and wrote a good summary. Also, I have a student with a one-to-one aide that struggles with communication. Most of his curriculum is adapted. (We did this activity "on our own", with out his aide.) The students in his group came up with their own way to make sure he could communicate his "keep it" words. They wrote the words "Keep It" and "Junk It" on paper. He held up his response. If he wanted to "Cloud" a word he signaled a circle. When I called on him to justify, he could say, "Not needed" or "Important." Watching the episode lay out in front of my eyes without any teacher or aide intervention choked me up.

 In closing this post, I have to say the first "What Works" would be "Keep it or Junk it, and my kids. They are amazing!

I will be back with another "What Works" next Wednesday. Join me!