Live Meme Tagging

I am the worst at participating in a meme online. I start my thoughts and don't finish. Aside from that, I find the process very interesting - that people post their thoughts about themselves and share and then, that people comment. The comments are mostly supportive, funny, and interesting themselves.

Recently,  I decided to give a writing prompt pulled directly from the world of social networking. They wrote their prompts in their journals - a place where they mostly have free choice about what to write. The prompt: The Top Ten Most Important Things You Should Know About Me. A good topic to learn more about your classmates.

These little guys really took this task seriously. They covered their papers for privacy. Most children spent a good 1/2 hour in thought and writing. Even students who struggle with writing were "into" this assignment. And then they lined up to show me what they wrote - where did that come from??

And, when I began reading their entries, I was amazed. I learned so many new things about them, and I learned that they are really funny, interesting, diverse, and thoughtful people. I also learned a lot about them as writers.

Now, I am thinking, just like with a blog or Facebook meme, perhaps we will tag a few classes to complete this task. It doesn't have to take that long, and I would love to see what another class could do with it. I would love to see children tag their parents too :)

One of my favorite top ten entries is from a student for whom writing is not really a preferred activity...

#5 I like to move it, move it! (Think of the song - was in Madagascar)

PETE&C - Scratch Session

A Ball of Clay and a Bit 'O Google Earth

Erasertown USA - that is what happens when you have primary-level children sit at their desks for an extended period of time and listen to you teach. They do "creative" things like create little towns in their desks, with the erasers as the people! (Hence the name of this blog!) So, we have groups of children who need to move, collaborate, create, etc. That sounds good, for the most part. Although it can be exhausting to a teacher!

But, recently I have been thinking about the idea of continous partial attention, a phrase coined by Linda Stone. It is not a new idea, but one that I have heard being used more often in recent months. It is meant to explain something similar to multitasking - where people are doing more than one thing at the same time to be efficient. With continuous partial attention, however, one is always on high-alert, bouncing from one activity to the next with a sort-of urgent need be involved in everything that is going on at once. I will be the first to admit that I am guilty of this at times.

Some classrooms have a strong energy--but it can be an unsettled feeling that is not a creative, collaborate, hands-on energy. Some groups work very well together and thrive when they are given hands-on, collaborate projects, but they often crumble when they need to sit, even to listen to a story. Just recently, as I was reflecting on this idea, and I began to think that I don't just need to give children hands-on projects, I also need to give them practice "being calm." They need to know what that feels like. And I do think they need to practice.

Somewhere in my Internet browsing at one point (YouTube perhaps - now can't find it), I came across a college professor who actually did require all students to put away all electronic and other devices, including computers. If I remember correctly, one person took notes and shared with the class. He was trying to re-teach them how to focus on one task - listening to him only.

For me it started with a ball of clay. Each year my students learn about famous American symbols, and as part of unit, they each sculpt one of the symbols (Liberty Bell, Statue of Liberty, Capitol, etc.) out of non-hardening clay. It is a large chunk of clay, and it takes some time to soften and mold. Once, before I had even given out the last balls of clay, some children were jumping out of their desks, "claiming" to be finished. "Impossible!" I exclaimed as I found a great place for some learning. And that is where my lessons began. I showed them how to take their time, that it was OK to relax, to work the clay, to think about their work, to smash it and start over if they weren't happy with it, etc. And I think they slowly got the idea, but they really did need the lesson.

Another opportunity arose once time when I began teaching the class how to use Google Earth and how to create placemarks for famous American landmarks.. There was again a feeling that it was a race to the end. Again, I slowed them down, showed them all the wonderful "sightseeing" that was available to them, and praised them for their exploring. They began to enjoy the moment, the task, and working with their partner on what they were doing, not racing to whatever came next. And I was content with the fact that they didn't all get finished the task.

So, lesson for the students - enjoy the process of learning. Lesson for me - remind yourself to remind the students to enjoy the process of learning! Find those moments when you can allow the children to practice being calm, even in our fast-pace, ever exciting learning environments.

Hands on Science Meets a Great Final Presentation

Not only do second graders learn sorting and classifying, they can now document their learning with an Animoto video!

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

I Never Doubted Them (Much)

So the EraserTowners are wiggly, chatty, silly, and goofy. They are seven- and eight-year-olds after all. So why would a teacher (me) sign them up to stand in front of a camera to be seen by five other classrooms across Pennsylvania?

Well, there were a few reasons. First, it was to participate in a videoconference with MAGPI entitled Famous Americans - a guessing game activity where each school gave clues about three different people and the other schools had to guess who they were. (see here for photos, etc.). My class has been researching "famous Americans" and learning about being good citizens four a few years now. We do it in the fall, and it is a difficult project for the beginning of second grade. But, I have learned that the benefits are well worth the effort it takes. And, the children truly immerse themselves in their work and take ownership of their learning. It is a guided research project, so I am helping them every step of the way. This is hard work for me, of course, but I am building skills that the children will need through the year and in years to come. So, to give the children a chance to share information they are gathering anyway with other children their age in a fun guessing game activity was the first reason to sign up for the videoconference.

The second reason was because these children love to work collaboratively. They love to move around, plan, and create things. For this videoconference, the children would not only be listening to other people presenting, they, too, would be the presenters. That is quite a job for young children! But since the other classes joining us would be second and third grade classes, I rationalized that we would all be working at the same level so "what could go wrong" in my class?

I also believe strongly in giving young children the chance to see how technology can be used and to be a part of the tech-side of the projects. I model how to set things up, explain the problems, and ask for their help when appropriate. I explain to them the possible snags in our plan and ask them to help me prepare for Plan B and even Plan C if necessary.

After all the preparation and the discussion of proper behavior when participating in this type of event, we did have a moment of "bunny ears" during the set-up. I did get very nervous that we would (they would) fall apart in front of all the other schools. But, as I had originally expected, they worked so well together and pulled it off fantastically. Even though, because of technical difficulties, we could not see the other schools as they presented, my students worked hard, took notes together, pretty much sat still for over an hour, and presented like professionals. We also learned some great videoconferencing tips that we can share with our school.

Oh, and there was some curriculum-type learning that went on as well! Oops, almost forgot about that!

That's Sooo 20th Century!

Our young students are ready and eager to learn and use the skills that have been recognized as crucial skills for the 21st Century, including problem solving, creativity, collaboration, as well as the development of their technology skills. I have found that if you have high expectations and give young children a chance to take on a challenge, they will step up to the task. Of course, they need adult support, review, repetition, and a learning environment where they feel comfortable taking risks.

While I continue to be amazed at the fantastic projects my second graders can tackle, I have also noticed that there are some basic skills, both academic and life, that cannot be ignored as we zoom through our days. They are skills that have been around for quite a while, and I don't think they will be going away soon. So, while we are teaching our young children the new 21st Century Skills, let's not forget to check on some other areas. Here are three:

1. Shoe-tying 101: Every year in second grade there's maybe two or so children who still need to learn to tie shoes. But some classes can have as many as eight or nine! As a second grade teacher, my policy is, "I don't tie second grade shoes," and I make sure they find a friend to help them. (I do it in a kind way.) I try to give deadlines (by Halloween, for example), encourage the children to support one another, and celebrate as they reach their goal (I have a certificate). It is very exciting to see the children's pride as they show me what they can do, but they really need to have this skill mastered before they come to second grade. Unless there is a child with special needs, they should be able to master this task before second grade, but they are going to need to practice at home, so I think I am going to make shoe tying part of my Back-to-School Night conversation with parents this year. It is a MUST that children become independent in terms of taking care of themselves and their basic needs, and part of that is being able to tie shoes. A funny story is that one time I told a little boy he needed to learn how to tie his shoes so when he was a daddy he could teach his children to tie their shoes. His reply, "No, I don't. I will get them velcro shoes." Smarty-pants!! (Click here for an interesting shoe tying discussion.)

2. Snacking vs. Grazing: We have snack time in our classroom. The children are encouraged to bring in healthy snacks, and we discuss what is healthy and what is not healthy. I am very impressed by many of the snacks I see the children eating, such as fruit, cut-up vegetables, cheese. Of course, not everyone chooses healthy snacks, and some children will bring in MANY snacks (a buffet perhaps). I have noticed over the last two years that the children have taken to bringing in snacks and storing them in their desks. They take them out at snack time (we eat while working) but then snack time seems to continue for the rest of the day. That turns a snack time into "grazing" - simply munching at will. Since I am working with the children all day, I feel that I must catch behaviors before they become bad habits. I have had to set limits with eating and explain why it is not good to eat snacks all day, even if they are available. I try to find ways to include the topic of healthy eating in our math, science, and social studies discussions. My favorite thing to do is to show the children (and adults if they are in the room) during a math lesson what a serving of ice cream is. (It is 1/2 cup if you are wondering.) It is a shocking demonstration!!

3. Clean Up Your Mess: Oh, yes. Whatever century it is, if you make a mess, you clean it up. If you see a mess, you can help clean it up. And taking ownership of your classroom is just as important as math, reading, and technology skills. This lesson does need to be taught to most of my second graders. But, those little ones just LOVE cleaning. Give them a baby wipe and they are good to go!!

If you really think about it, these basics skills are really tied into the important 21st Century Skills that are everywhere these days (It is responsibility, collaboration, problem solving.) We cannot skip over these essential learning moments, even if they are "old news."

If You Can't Beat 'Em, Join 'Em

EraserTown USA (the eraser cities my second graders built in their desks - see first blog post below) continued to thrive during the 08-09 school year. But I have been known to have my own imagination. My parents will tell you that I lied quite a bit as a child, but it was truly my creative side being expressed. I decided to use my "storytelling" abilities to motivate reluctant a reluctant writer. And, I decided to join the EraserTown game. One late afternoon, I decided to transform into the "Writing Fairy." The Writing Fairy came to a student's EraserTown and took the whole town away - erasers and all. The fairy also left a detailed note saying that she captured the town and would return the town once the a writing piece was complete. The next morning, there was quite a buzz in the classroom. Of course, I didn't know what they were talking about - I had never heard of a Writing Fairy!! But what I do know is that the student got to the writing right away! She actually wrote a very amusing story - not exactly what it was supposed to be, but it was finished. And, instead of my feeling frustrated, I was able to have some fun while sparking some motivation. Much better on the nerves!

Storytelling is creative and a great way to engage children. And it can be great fun for teachers. If you've ever listened to Sir Ken Robinson or read his publications, you have heard him say that as children progress through their school years, their creativity diminishes. So we in the primary grades are somewhat fortunate to have the most creative children with which to work! We can learn from them and appreciate what we have. Creativity, as a 21st century skill, is something that the children, as well as we adults, need to be successful. And, I think it is the "fun-ness factor" that can make our classrooms a great place for the children AND the adults to spend their days.

Give it a try. Tell a story (It really isn't lying, no matter what my parents say!!)