Endangered Species Continued. . .

The furniture has been shifted to make room for our upcoming endangered species open house.  The projects are nearing completion.

Now it's time for the final project list:

1. Finish your Google presentation. Spell check. Share with teacher by Friday, 6/8.
2. Finish your iMovie, export to desktop or Youtube, upload to presentation by Friday 6/8
3. Finish your animal drawing by Friday 6/8
4. Choose from this bonus list to make your exhibit inviting.
• create a word find.
• practice presenting your presentation.
• make a crossword puzzle
• create a diorama.
• write a song or poem.
• make signs about the animal's amazing facts.
• do you have another idea? If so, let me know.
5. Or help out with an open house job:
• make an open house invitation.
• make a welcome sign.
• help to organize and clean up the room.
6. Download a powerpoint version on 6/11 just in case the server doesn't work on the Open House morning. 

On the 14th we'll share the projects with family members as a way to celebrate a job well done. 

Fourth Graders' 2012 Summer Olympics Intro Film

Students enjoy making films, and there are so many tools for easy film making available today. If you've made a film, you understand how challenging it is.  It is especially challenging to stop and say, "good enough," as a film can be a limitless project.

My small book group worked with a professor from BC and me to craft a script and create a movie.  They had a difficult time reconciling that the movie would not look just like a Hollywood film due to our inexperience and time limits. However we were able to include their ideas, voices and creativity.  They'll present the film at our upcoming Summer Olympics Assembly as a way of introducing the whole school to the games.

Take a peek at their final product.  This is one of many films to come for this small band of learners.

We'll end the school year crafting films for our endangered species projects. I'll challenge students to think deeply about their audience and message as they create each film.  I'll also take into consideration that creativity is a step-by-step, contagious process that will spread about the classroom with joy if I allow it. 

Don't Crowd the Schedule: Leave Time for Thoughtful Transitions

A lesson gone wrong prompted me to analyze what happened. I determined that the main issue was the fact that the transition was too quick not leaving students or teachers enough time to transition from one point in the day to the other.

Earlier this year at Educon, Gary Stager prompted us to think about the schedule we create for students as he listed a long list of subjects in 45-minute blocks.  He challenged the typical school schedule and wondered aloud what that does to students' sense of engagement and investment in learning.

Rather than give students time to relax a bit after lunch, we rushed them into an RTI block that represented many groups and endeavors. We didn't leave time to discuss the lunch issues or answer questions related to the upcoming tasks. Some students didn't have the time they needed to gather their materials and transition.  It was too fast and too rushed resulting in a bit of confusion, stress and less than optimal start to the lesson.

It's our first year with RTI and overall the impact has been wonderful as we're meeting more needs with thoughtful, targeted teaching. Next year, however, we have to think carefully about giving transitions the time needed so that all lessons begin with a relaxed start that is understood by all the teachers and students involved.

One Tough Day!

Today was one of the toughest teaching days of the year.

Typically I work with a well-crafted schedule that provides students with a positive choreography of teaching/learning modalities during the week. This pattern lends itself to happy, productive days of learning. The pattern also includes a fair number of supports with respect to specialist teachers and assistants therefore students' needs are met with care.

This week teachers were pulled in all directions in order to provide the supports necessary to administer the MCAS tests, and that meant changes in the support and specialist schedules. Hence it's been a week with fewer supports and less variety. It's also been a week where students' patterns have changed, and yes, there's been a bit more stress since everyone feels the test pressure.

What's the answer?

To run schools well you need the kind of well-crafted schedule with supports that we typically have at our school. And, to give the tests legally and responsibly you also need a tremendous amount of personnel since many students take the tests with special accommodations. Hence to teach well and give the tests well on the same day requires more staffing than a school typically has.

One teacher suggested that classes not taking the tests schedule field trips on those days.  That's a good idea particularly for grade levels that don't take the tests. It's difficult for grades that take the tests as teachers like to give that last minute review of the concepts taught throughout the year.  Another possibility would be to just have those students taking the tests come to school that day and let the other students have a day off--that would take care of the staffing problems, but it would also create significant issues for families who rely on school to care for their children each day.

It's a difficult issue that I don't have the answer for.  In fact, every day this week I've tried a different solution to keep my class engaged, on track and happy, yet every day we've been challenged by students who really need the supports or specialist activities. I'll keep thinking about a better way, and if you have the answer, please let me know. A good school is similar to a complex jigsaw puzzle-many pieces that fit together to meet many needs in optimal ways. The tests pose a challenge to this delicate balance.