A Day of Reflection

What a great day!  A snow storm. Horrible driving conditions.  Several students absent.  Early dismissal. 

So what's so great about that?  For whatever reason a day that could have been chaotic turned out to be relaxed, pleasant, and very productive.  The children trickled in this morning and we didn't start our day as a group until well over an hour after the official start of the school day.  But, the children arrived seeming happy to be in school.  Everyone had something to do--something of educational value.  There were activity choices posted and deadlines for projects were close.  Even though these children are young, they didn't need much (if any) guidance to get started with their "work day."  They didn't need an official "go ahead" from me either.  It didn't matter if there were five children or fifteen, things ran the same.

For me, it was a great morning to observe the children, something I love to do and something that I find to be crucial to creating the best learning environment I can for the learners.  I watched the children to see what choices they made and who interacted with whom, and I was able to spend time having conversations with individuals. 

At one point I wondered if the children would have even noticed if I left the classroom!  One small group had organized a subtraction flash card practice session, a few children were working on creating submissions to our Junior Doodle project (discussion the best way to represent the word "incognito"), and a couple of children were working on some sort of writing assignment.  One child asked for help with an independent research project he wanted to do.  After I guided him in the right direction, he was all set to work on his own.  And a few children were doing various independent activities they had chosen for themselves that morning. 

The day progressed quite calmly even with constant interruptions with important announcements about changes in lunch schedules, information about the early dismissal, and messages from parents about how children were going home.  We moved into some group work and then returned to some independent work.  We had a very early lunch, discussed some upcoming projects, worked on a current project, and all the time, the children seemed content with their time in the classroom.  While, outside the window, the snow blew, the streets filled with a slushy mess, and we wondered if we would have another snow day tomorrow.

While it's nice to enjoy a snow day, it was also great to reflect on the current learning environment.  Do the children enjoy where they are?  Do they own their learning space?  Do they understand that their learning space is for them to learn and they don't have to wait for someone to tell them to learn?  Are they just as happy to be at school with their friends working on their activities as they are building a snowman in their backyard? 

If not, how you can make your learning environment as exciting as sledding down a snowy hill?

Junior Doodle - Indefatigable

We're all caught up with our Junior Doodle posts for now.  Check out the first three words of the year!  I thought this word would be difficult, and it was.  I realized that the children definitely can understand and remember words more easily when we use visuals, but I wondered if they could create an image of a word that was not very familiar to them.  And, I wondered if this would help them remember and "own" this word as part of their personal vocabulary.  The word "indefatigable" is a word that's in a book we are reading (see the blog post on our Junior Doodle page for more information).  So, through reading the book they were introduced to the word and its meaning.  But, they needed several explanation of what the word meant as they tried to show in their own drawings a representation of "indefatigable."  At the end of the week, however, several of the students completed a drawing and shared it with the class.  It was the discussions along with these images that, I think, where the most effective in helping the entire class build this word into their vocabulary.  

Check out the Junior Doodle Indefatigable page as well as the other two pages to see some great 2nd grade work!

Junior Doodle - Conductor

Click here to find our second installment of Junior Doodle.  The word is CONDUCTOR.  This activity is fast becoming a class tradition, and I'm thinking of ways to make the most of the children's interest in it. 

Visual representations of vocabulary words are a tremendous help to children as they build their knowledge of words and work them into their memory. 

Here's another resource for using visuals to help children learn vocabulary:  http://www.literacyhead.com/index.php.  Check it out!

Junior Doodle

This is the second year I'm working with Junior Doodle.  I have connected to the Creative Juices blog and their What the Doodle posts and created our own primary-level version of this activity.  I've found this is a great way to build vocabulary, connect with some creative authors and illustrators, develop critical thinking skills, and have some fun.  Basically, you obtain a word from a random word generator or any way you'd like.  In our classroom, we start by thinking of the various meanings and uses of the word.  Then we discuss some of the possibilities for creating an interesting drawing (later the children might find other ways of representing the word that are not just drawings).  Then, at the end of the week, we share.

We have only done one word this year, and the second word was just introduced today - it's "conductor."  What can you do with conductor?

Find out more about Junior Doodle here - http://tinyurl.com/24x8lnr

Too Much

As I drove around my neighborhood this Halloween night I was once again reminded of all the stuff we have, and I wonder if we will ever find peace with all the chaos around us.  While decorations are nice, do we need roof-high inflated pumpkins?  And, as it is just a couple of days before Election Day, I felt like I was traveling through a sign forest, and does bigger really mean better  - or just more annoying?

Think about the environments we create for ourselves, and our children.  Are they calming, peaceful places?  Does a drive through your neighborhood feel stressful?  Think about your classroom. Is it a place to escape the chaos of the world?  Do we discourage the materialism from creeping into our classrooms (Silly Bandz, I'm talking to you.)

There is definitely something to be said for some good books, some bits of nature to explore, paper (yes, paper!) and pencils, crayons, and scissors.  Computers, we like you too, but not just because you're there - you need a good reason to be opened up.

Just recently, I had a conversation about all the choices there were in our classroom.  I assured the class that they did not have to do everything in one day.  They had the whole year and would definitely get a chance to explore whatever they didn't get to on that given day.  One thing at a time...take it slowly.

ps - Don't even think about getting out the next holiday decorations yet...just enjoy a little bit of nothing for a while!

Passive Collaboration...Poetry in Motion

Combine some emerging poets, some photographers and a musician willing to share and you get a great finished product.  The best thing is that not only were the children beginning to learn how to create haiku, but they were also beginning to analyze photos and font styles and colors and beginning to learn how to share their message most effectively.  (Even better is when they can use their own photography or artwork of course.) Enjoy!!

Little Me and Report Card Comments - Is It Too Late to Request a Conference?

Here is a reflection, as best as I can get it, of my report cards from elementary school.  I don't remember much about my report cards.  But, as I wrote about previously, luckily I have some saved documents to help with the foggy parts.  

I don't know about you, but in the elementary school where I teach writing report card comments takes a lot of work.  It takes weeks of reflection, review, and careful crafting of words.  But, I guess when you only have a five-inch line and a pen as your comment tools, there just isn't that much to say.  Here are seven years (my eighth grade report card seems to be missing) of report card comments.  I bet I can type them faster than it takes me to write one report card comment for one of my second graders!  I am not meaning to be critical of my teachers - only pointing out how different things are now.

Grade One
Maryann is a pleasure!!
Maryann is doing 100% work!!! (Notice how I improved as shown by the extra exclamation point.)
It has been my pleasure working with you and Maryann.

Grade Two
Maryann is a very good worker but tends to be too serious. (I'm pretty sure this isn't a good thing!!)
Maryann seems much more relaxed.
Everything is fine! Maryann is working very well.
Maryann has been a pleasure to teach.

Grade Three
Despite a few bouts with illness, Maryann has kept up in her work and is doing a very good job.
I am pleased with Maryann's work.
Maryann is a good student.

Grade Four
Marianne is a pleasure to teach. (And apparently I changed the spelling of my name.)
Marianne helped to make this year a pleasant one for me! (Glad I could be of service!)

Grade Five
Maryann is a joy to teach and to know. (Usually I'm a pleasure to teach, but OK, I'll be a joy this year.)
Maryann continues to do very well.
Maryann adds much to the spirit of the class.
Maryann has been a joy all year. (Whew!  I was going for a record - one full year of joy!)

Grade Six
No comments...Maybe they were on another piece of paper?  Or maybe I was just not that memorable!

Grade Seven
Maryann is a pleasant and industrious student.
God bless you, Maryann!  Happy summer :) (Two exclamation points and a smile - the original smile emoticon)

So, I didn't find much out about me by reading my old report card comments.  I did discover I got a "C" in religion in first grade - what is THAT?  I really don't get C's, but I don't think my religion teacher knew that during the first marking period of first grade (She switched to B's for the rest of the year.)  So I do have some questions for my elementary teachers.  I wonder where they are these days and if they're taking appointments!!

One thing I did learn is that I will NOT be using pleasure or pleasant in any of my report cards comments this year, for sure!!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mike52ad/4675715489