Teaching Students to Stand Up and Speak Out

One my district's Reading Unit of Study for fourth grade is Social Action Projects. This article caught my eye, as it explains the importance of encouraging student to "stand up and speak up!" The author of this article, Rebecca Alber, explains that teaching students to stand up for others teaches empathy for others around them - something many children lack today. If we want to end issues such as bullying, we need to educate students to not be "bystanders;" rather, to take action and fight for what they believe.

The article lists 4 classroom ideas to use to teach students to take action. When I do social action projects, we brainstorm a list of ideas together and then students form groups depending on what is important to them. Then, students are able to create a project of their own in their groups. For example, in the groups have created posters, commercials, demonstrations, button campaigns, petitions, and donation collections. My only issue is how to motivate students to CARE once the project is over. They seem to get so into it and are motivate, yet once they are done, they are done! If students really want to make a difference they must want to keep working hard to support their stance. This is something I am struggling with. :/

To Use or Not to Use: Wikipedia in the Classroom

After writing about this topic on our classroom wiki, this article caught my eye. I still remain caught in the middle as to whether Wikipedia really is a "friend" or "foe." I like how this article doesn't necessarily take sides; rather, the author provides helpful tips to educators and students when using the website in the classroom. For example, it is important for users to understand who posted on Wikipedia and use the footnotes or external links when available.

I especially liked the classroom activity that was included at the end of this article. The author suggests having students (probably secondary) check the reliability of information on a Wikipedia page. Students would have to cross-reference the "facts" on the website with a reliable resource to make sure it is, in fact, true. "This can be a powerful activity for teaching information literacy lessons about citations, plagiarism, Internet safety and judging the quality/reliability of online content" (Jason Tomaszewski, 2012). All of these skills are so critical in today's digital world, and with the popularity of Wikipedia - why not use it as a tool to teach!

Using Clickers in the Classroom

In the second paragraph of this article, Celine Provini brings up many of the benefits that I see of using clickers in the classroom. First, they can be used to quickly assess and provide feedback to students. Secondly, clickers are very engaging for students and allow for more students to participate in classroom discussions. Although I see these benefits in my classroom when I use clickers, I have never thought about is they are actually necessary.

The article discusses a study done on 2 classes that used clickers vs. 2 that did not. Although the study did not show higher test scores while using clickers or not, "the clicker group did report (albeit not in the form of a statistically significant difference) that the technology enhanced their classroom experience in terms of understanding of the topic, feelings of belonging in the class, and level of interaction with both classmates and the instructor" (Provini, 2012).

The article goes on to give some helpful tips to follow while using clickers in the classroom including types of questions to use and adequate wait time. I do plan on continuing to use clickers in my classroom, but will keep these helpful hints in mind too!

Millennials: They Aren't So Tech Savvy After All

"Schools are hard-pressed to provide the required equipment and software for computer training, not to mention adequately trained teachers and staff to deliver effective courses." - Brian Proffitt, Millennials: They Aren't So Tech Savvy After All

I learned a few things from this article. First of all, I had never heard of the term "millennial." Millennials are the kids that fill our classrooms today; those who were born around the year 2000. Furthermore, I hadn't really thought that much about the shallowness of kids computer skills these days. Kids are so addicted to games and social media today that their actual computer and programming skills are lacking. This is a huge problem in today's society and it's hard for schools too. The above quote by author Brian Proffitt explains it all. As educators, it is very difficult to teach students the skills they will need in the future if we do not have adequate tools and computers. Additionally, many districts do not offer computer/technology classes for elementary age students (something I wish my students had). Technology professional development seems so far between that teachers are simply learning how to keep up themselves with new technologies rather than how to teach their students. If we want students to learn the skills to be successful in future careers, schools must realize the need for technology courses. Although it may seem as though students are "tech savvy," many students have a lot more experience updating their Facebook status rather than making spreadsheets or custom HTML.

(Proffitt, 2012)

Which Of These 3 Social Media Profiles Are You?

I knew even before reading this article the social media website that fit me best would be Facebook. As a regular Facebook user, I like that it is "trying to be all things to all people." I can use the website to keep in touch with family, friends, and co-workers as well as post or converse with others too. I also like that Facebook is now trending articles as well.

As a non-Twitter user, I know see why - Twitter is a lot more conversational. I don't think I have the time to always be updating a Twitter account. In fact, I don't particularly update my Facebook status that often either.

I didn't know that much about Google+, so I just checked it out! It looks very similar to Facebook and is very easy to navigate through. I imagine that I could become a more regular Google+ user if more of my friends were too.

Since everyone is different, it only makes sense that each person would have a Social Media website that suits them the best. What Social Media profile fits you the best?

Dealing With Students' Feelings or Problems

Check out the article HERE!

As mentioned in a post last week, having a student who is emotionally impaired has opened my eyes even more to student's emotions and feelings. While reading this article I not only learned the difference between "non-supportive" and "supportive" response, but examples of each as well. The linked handout (found here) by Dr. Bluestein was very insightful. However, while reading through the examples of responses I find that I give both non-supportive and supportive responses. This was alarming to me, as the article states that "non-supportive responses can block communication and create mistrust" which is definitely something I am not meaning to do. The list of supportive responses seem much more general and simple; almost leaving the situation open-ended for the child to solve on their own terms (or to seek help).

After reading the list of example, I am going to print the list of supportive responses to keep in my classroom. I hope to become more conscience of the responses I give to students who are emotionally charged in order to keep communication open and have a sense of trust.

Fitness Video Games are Keeping Your Child Fat

The issue of obesity in America is nothing new and the attempt to solve this problem through video games is unrealistic to me.  Peter Suciu explains in this article that "The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children today should get at least one hour of moderate to vigorous physical activity a day." I believe that video games cannot provide efficient exercise for kids today. Not only is it not intense enough, but kids often find a way to "manipulate" the game so they do not have to work as hard.

By no means am I against the Wii or xBox Kinect systems, however I do think kids need a balance of physical activity beyond what is offered through these systems. Parents should require their children to complete adequate physical activity before they are allowed to play such games. In other words, much like Suciu, I believe that fitness video games should be used in addition to at least one hour of actual physical activity not as a replacement.

Why Champion Social and Emotional Learning?: Because It Helps Students Build Character

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"Research shows that promoting social and emotional skills leads to reduced violence and aggression among children, higher academic achievement, and an improved ability to function in schools and in the workplace" (Edutopia, 2008).

Having an emotionally impaired student in my classroom has opened my eyes to the importance of social and emotional learning. As the above quote suggests, it is critical that students have a toolbox of strategies to go to in order to manage their emotions.

My EI student, P.M., has the tools in place to be successful in my classroom despite his somewhat aggressive emotional outbursts. In fact, since last year, P.M. has grown not only emotionally, but socially and academically too. The article suggests that respect and trust are two fundamental principles of a socially and emotionally sound classroom. I believe that P.M. has developed in my classroom because of the respect he receives and the amount of trust students have with one another. P.M. started the year off believing he had no friends, was stupid, and spent a year basically being babysat. This year, however, P.M. has been taught the emotional skills he needs to get through the day. A behavior plan was put into place to "acknowledge and reward" his positive choices, however it is no longer needed! Because of his growth emotionally, P.M. is no longer seen as "scary" by the other students and has many friends in multiple classes. Additionally, he has flourish academically and soared over two years growth in reading.

The article explains that social and emotional skills lay the foundation for academic growth. As seen with my EI student, I totally agree with this article. Students come to school with so many issues and feelings that are hard to control. If we as educators want them to be successful academically, we first must teach students how to appropriately handle their emotions so that true learning can happen.

Common-Core Classroom Strategies: Teacher Ideas

Yikes! Common-Core is upon us and I know I am feeling more and more stressed about how it will change the current curriculum and teaching strategies. This article gave a lot of great ideas on how teachers can help prepare themselves for teaching with the Common-Core.

One strategy I had never heard of was the interactive notebook. The idea of teaching new vocabulary to coincide with harder, complex texts is so neat! An interactive notebook has a learning section ("input") AND a reflection section ("output"). I could see using this type of notebook for many different subjects, especially math. The learning side could have an algorithm (i.e. steps of long division) whereas the reflection section would have story problems where students would apply the algorithm. Of course, this would work well with vocabulary words within texts, but what a great idea for other subjects too!

Additionally, I loved the idea of students creating a PowerPoint for students in the upcoming school year. Not only is the assignment authentic, but it would be motivating too. The discussion observer was also an interesting idea to monitor and track higher-order thinking. This might be difficult with younger students, however the idea would encourage students to deepen their talk to become more critical thinkers. With the Common-Core taking over, it is essential that teachers become aware of new strategies to prepare students for the skills they need to be successful as 21st century learners.

Ask Dr. Lynch: Pros and Cons of Year-Round Schools

The concept discussed in this article is something I often think about: year-round school! I go back and forth on the idea so I was interested to read what Dr. Lynch, an educational columnist and professor, had to say about the topic. First and foremost, I do believe that year-long school would help eliminate summer learning loss. Each September I seem to have to reteach so much that September and October are full of review (especially with the MEAP in October). Having more frequently, yet short breaks (1 or 2 weeks at a time) would give students and teachers a break without the risk of summer learning loss. Dr. Lynch also suggests that year-long school can allow for more creative projects which I think would be great! My city does have a year-round school and I know one family that attends and they love the innovated, theme based programs that are taught from time to time.

The drawbacks for me - I LOVE having my summer off! It has become so much of the American lifestyle and culture for many families. Plus, having random weeks off could be difficult for some families. 

So what do I think is best? Although I love spending countless hours on the boat over the summer, I would rather work in a year-long building. I believe the schedule is more beneficial for the students, still provides enough breaks throughout the year, and would help eliminate summer loss and burn-out. Would I ever actually teach in a year-long school.... who knows! :)

Building a “Challenging Environment” Into Your Mission Statement

This article made me think about a new initiative my district is beginning to implement: I/E time. I/E is a thirty-minute block of the day to provide intervention or enrichment for students. Although intervention is very important for at-risk students, this article reminds me of the many students who need to be challenged, or enriched, throughout the school day. During I/E time (which is still very new to me) I anticipate that some students will be able to work on more project based learning. This year, I gave a small group of students a webquest to work on. This project was challenging, engaging, and incorporated technology.

Although this article is written about school's Mission Statements, I think it is important for educators to remember the importance of high expectations and creating challenges in the classroom. These concepts are part of my teaching philosophy alongside differentiation. The phrases provided in this article are very well written and touch on a variety of "themes" of a mission (or philosophy).

Minimize Lecture, Maximize Learning: The Workshop Model

Read this article HERE!

I am a HUGE fan of the workshop model and think everyone should read this article! In my classroom, we teacher Reader's, Writer's, and Math Workshop and I wouldn't do it any other way. The structure of the workshop model is very explicit. The structure of a strong mini-lesson followed by "work time" is critical. Students are engaged and see modeling along with guided practice during the mini-lesson. Additionally, teaching points are very clear and repeated multiple times. During independent work time, students are able to practice these new concepts while teachers are able to pull groups too. Debriefing at the end of workshop is something I am still working on (I seem to always run out of time!), but is very important to "wrap things up." Overall, this article is a great overview of the workshop model, a highly-effective teaching approach!

The Homework Trap

I would love to share this article with many of my students' parents regarding homework. Although I do have a strict homework policy in my classroom, I equally believe that homework should not and cannot be stressful! I remind my students and parents of this often. Homework should not cause emotional melt-downs nor consume endless hours after school. I do, however, believe that homework is an essential part of education and teaches students self-discipline while reinforcing concepts.


What I like best about this article are the 10 tips for parents and students to help make homework less stressful. For example, a homework spot free of distractions will help students concentrate. Also, promoting academics (i.e. parents reading a book or writing) will help students understand the imporance of their education and practice. I plan on saving this article for the future to give to parents whose students are having difficulties adjusting to a new homwork routine at the start of the new school year.

Summer Learning Tips

Although I am looking forward to the summer just as much as my students probably are, I also am dreading the loss of learning come September. For this reason, I decided to read this article, Summer Learning Tips. Last year I started sending home a "Top 10 List of Things to do this Summer" with students' final report cards of the year. This article, although shorter than I hoped, gave me a few suggestions to add to my list. For example, I liked the idea of students rewriting the beginning or end of a book they read over the summer. Not only is this supporting their reading comprehension, but their writing as well. I also thought the idea of a Scavenger Hunt was great! I think this is a great way for families to spend time together, yet make it educational (i.e. visit the DIA, Greenfield Village, or the Detroit Zoo). Flash cards are an idea that I already have on my list, but I liked the idea of including word problems. Students become so overwhelmed with the story problems on the MEAP in October, therefore practice over the summer would be very beneficial. Finally, the current events project would be a good idea since I loop half of my students. I could assign a project for students to bring in for Meet and Greet to keep them learning over the summer and excited to share their report. I'm glad I found this article and am wondering if anyone else has any other suggestions! :)

Five Great Apps for Children With Learning Challenges

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As an iPhone user, I am always looking for great new apps for my phone for personal use or in the classroom. I often give my phone to my students (I put it on airport mode so I do not get calls, text, etc.) to use for interventions or enrichment activities (flashcards, use of a timer, etc.). I am excited to download the apps explained in this article.

I think the AustimExpress app would be a great tool to use for one of my student's with autism. Being able to choose emotion icons will help this student be more aware of his feelings and have an outlet to communicate these emotions. Likewise, EyeContactZoo would be beneficial for this same student, as one of his goals is making eye contact. The Dragon Dictation app would be great for many of students who have difficulties writing. I could see using this as a reward for these students when they are demonstrating great effort in writing, which is hard for them.

Although my classroom does not have iPads or iTouches for my students, I am very interested in checking out these apps to add to my phone to use in my classroom. Time to download.... :)

Staying Off Facebook Won't Protect Your Privacy

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As an educator, I think it is important to remember the line between work and social media. I keep my Facebook profile very private and strongly believe that teachers should not be "friends" with students or parents (I am not even friends with many staff members). It is hard to believe, though, that others can gain information about you even if you are not a Facebook user.

After reading this article, I feel as though your life can never be "private" again. Recently, a friend of mine suspended her Facebook account for several weeks while being interviewed for a new job. Little did she know, I am sure that if the company wanted to dig deep, they could have found out an abundance of information through this social media powerhouse.

Although I am not planning on getting off Facebook, this article does make me wonder who exactly can see what AND will our lives ever be private again?

Collaborative Team Teaching: Challenges and Rewards

Because I work in a team teaching environment, I was intrigued to see what this article had to say about collaborative teaching. After reading, I couldn't agree more with everything in this article!! I LOVE team teaching and cannot imagine ever working without my teaching partner.
Here are a few topics within the article that stood out to me from this article:

1) "The co-planning process encourages two teachers to bounce ideas off each other in order to deliver the strongest, most creative lessons."  I believe this is the most beneficial part of cooperative teaching. People always say "two heads are better than one" and this definitely applies to teaching. If one teacher has an idea, it is helpful to run it by another professional to revise and make it better.

2) "Strong co-teachers also eliminate the "mommy/daddy" issue in the beginning of the year" AH! This is something that students try to get past us. It is so frustrating when a student asks me and I say no, then they go to my partner thinking she might say yes. This is something we made very clear WILL not be tolerated in our classroom. Because students know this, it typically does not happen anymore.

3) "Making decisions as a team is key to a strong partnership"  My teaching partner and I are connected at the hip. I think it's so important to make decisions as a team so that we are both on the same page. I would encourage all partnerships to make decisions together so you are always in "the loop" with students, staff, and parents.

4) "While more time-consuming, grading all students together as co-teachers is the most fair and consistent way to grade." This is something we are starting to do more and more together, especially in writing. Although it might seem to take longer, it is more valid to have two sets of eyes grade an assignment. This also applies to report cards.

I would totally recommend any teacher to at least try to collaboratively teach. Although there can be some downsides (as also described in the article), I believe that the "perfect match" can make for some very powerful teaching!

Reading Assessment Tips: Measuring Accuracy and Fluency

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While reading this article, I couldn't help but think about the comprehension piece of reading. Although determining accuracy, self-correcting, and fluency are all important skills, I also think that comprehension is equally (or more) critical. My belief comes from experience. I have met many students who can read every word in the dictionary with perfect inflection, yet struggle to make inferences. On the other hand, I know students who I have painfully listened to read aloud, yet can tell me every detail (especially ELL students). So here is the dilemma: are you holding back a student if they cannot read fluently, yet can comprehend?


It isn't until the last paragraph that the author brings up the comprehension piece. She states: "It has been my experience that a student reading a text accurately and fluently either understands the text or is reading at a good level for instruction in how to comprehend the text." So, although this doesn't really answer my question, it does reiterate that a student's accuracy and fluency is important while determining their independent and instructional reading level.

How to Create Social Media Guidelines for Your School

This article caught my eye because in the past I have thought about the possibilities of creating a Facebook or Twitter page for my classroom. I knew that many of my students and parents were on these websites, therefore I thought it could be a good idea. Upon thinking about the "can of worms" a classroom website could open (especially for elementary students who I don't think should even have these pages), I decided it probably wouldn't be the best idea and instead have created a Weebly website.

This article brought a few things to my attention that I didn't know about creating social networking sites in classroom. For example, I didn't know you should contact your school attorney to make sure guidelines are being followed. This article also brought up a few key points after creating a social media website for a school/classroom: constant revision and review as well as creating a team for implementation.

Although I no longer plan on using a social media website for my classroom, I was intrigued by the information in this article. I also wonder if anyone does have a Facebook or Twitter page for their classroom and how well it works?

How Project-Based Learning Builds 21st-Century Skills

"Once teachers make the shift to PBL, then students get to spend more of their time developing the skills they will need for the future.” (Boss, 2012)

I am very intrigued with Project Based Learning, which is why I was drawn to this article. I have experimented a little bit with PBL through the implementation of STEM in my classroom; however PBL is so much more. The article points out how PBL prepares our students for the future, which I believe it very important. In the workforce, our students will need to know how to solve problems that don’t necessarily have an answer. PBL forces students to think critically about a situation or problem and solve it in their own way. In addition, students may have to present their projects, thus fostering public speaking skills. In my STEM projects, students also must work effectively in a team – another important life skill. This article has inspired me to keep learning about and exploring project based learning in my classroom to promote the skills my students will need in their future.

Math Instruction Soars in the 1:1 Classroom

The article "Math Instruction Soars in the 1:1 Classroom" made me envious of classrooms which every child has access to a piece of technology. Using technology to teach math would be very beneficial. This article discusses two advantages of 1:1 technology and math instruction.


First, computers can be used to quickly correct math problems and instantly give feedback to students. I find this important because students will know right away if they are using an algorithm the correct way. When answering questions from a book, students might be making the same mistake over and over again without knowing until I am able to check their work.


Secondly, computer games and simulations enhance instruction as well. When I allow my students to play online games in our computer lab, they love it! Not only are they practicing targeted skills, but they receive immediate feedback and are motivated to get to the next level.


One thing that I think would also be beneficial for math instruction in a 1:1 classroom is the opportunity to have interactive manipulatives. Many students need to use and move around manipulatives to understand math concepts. Using interactive manipulatives would help foster the needs of these students. And, imagine, if every student had their own computer which had games, manips, and practice problems that are "just right" for them --- my dream! :)

Differentiated Instruction

What Works for Differentiating Instruction in Elementary Schools

Differentiated instruction is important for any teacher, but in my class it is critical since I have a mix of third and fourth grade students. In fact, differentiation is a huge aspect of my multiage teaching philosophy. This article put differentiation into retrospect as it lays of what to do now, in the next five weeks, next five months, and even next five years. I like how this article also touches of ways technology can help enhance differentiated instruction. For example, I never thought about using Twitter to connect to other teachers and share ideas or to make a using Google Earth. The link to Edutopia's "Differentiated Instruction" discussion board opened up a whole of "can of worms" with real teachers ideas and questions. The last bullet point that stood out to me from this article was "Use Workshop Activities." In my classroom, we do Readers', Writers', and Math Workshop - all which are centered around tiered level of instruction to accommodate the varying students' needs. I believe this article is a great resource for any teacher to get tips about how to start and continue differentiating instruction in an elementary classroom.