Learn Like A Pirate - Responsibility

Classroom Responsibility - Putting Students in Charge

At the beginning of the school year, Solarz holds a classroom meeting where he explains his philosophy to his students.  He says that this discussion "empowers students to take initiative and do what they think needs to be done to make the classroom run smoothly."

Classroom Jobs

Paul creates a list of important jobs based on the number of students he has.  He says that creating these jobs and assigning them to specific students makes sure that everything gets done.


Collaborative Responsibility

Solarz displays his daily schedule for his students to refer to.  Students learn how much time it takes to transition between activities, and call out, "Give me Five!" when it's time to transition.



I also display my daily schedule, but I have never had the students responsible for keeping track of it before.

Using Rituals to Encourage Responsibility

Paul advocates using rituals and procedures for reoccurring activities.  He says that students can be responsible if they know what to do.

Literature Circles

Paul has students work in literature circles for an hour three times a week.  The students read aloud in small groups and use rituals to increase their comprehension and have meaningful discussions of the material.  They share responsibilities and take turns writing summaries for each section.

I have also used literature circles in my classroom, but I love several of the suggestions Paul gives for using them.  I definitely think this will be something I will implement in the upcoming school year.

If you would like to see my thoughts from other chapters, check them out below:

Chapter 1 - What is a Student-Led Classroom?

Chapter 2 - Common Concerns About Student Led Classrooms.

Chapter 3 - Peer Collaboration

Chapter 4 - Improvement Focus Vs. Grade Focus

Chapter 5 - Responsibility

Chapter 6 - Active Learning

Chapter 7 - 21st Century Skills

Chapter 8 - Empowerment

Make sure to check out what other bloggers are saying about this chapter over at The Primary Gal's blog!

An InLinkz Link-up

100 Minutes Book Study - Chapter 9 - Building In New Literacies

This is the last chapter for our book study on 100 Minutes by Lisa Donohue.  Even though it is the last chapter, I will definitely be going back and re-reading it as I make my plans for next year.  This is also one of those books that you will find yourself going back through each year.

 If you missed my previous posts you can find them below:

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8

Today I am linking up with Tina from Croft's Classroom for Chapter 9.



My thoughts on Chapter 9:

This last chapter is all about integrating digital technology and media literacy.  Lisa Donohue opens the chapter with the statement that "technology in the classroom should not be considered an add-on."  Instead, she says, it should "support and expand students' learning and directly connect to the content and skills that are being taught during other instructional times." (p.139).

As I read this chapter I have reflected on my own use of technology in the classroom.  Although I am the only teacher in my grade level without individual ipads or laptops, I have managed to add some technology to many of my lessons.

 
  We have used our Smart Board to brainstorm.

We have made predictions using our Smart Board.

We have used our Smart Board for writing prompts

But one thing that my colleagues and I have not always agreed upon (at both my current and former school) is the fact that I allow my students to use their own ipods or cellphones in class (if it is related to the task).

My students are usually very responsible about using them wisely, and if they don't they lose them until the end of the day.  I was glad to see that Lisa talked about the BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) movement, because for many of us, we do not have the luxury of 1:1 devices in our own classroom, and this helps even the playing field.  I also agree with her points about teaching students to use digital tools responsibly.

She also talked about "Working With What You've Got".  Since we don't all live in a dream world where 30 devices per classroom is the norm, we have to make do with the few devices we may have.  I have two student computers along with my own computer in the classroom.  I also have two ipods and my own personal ipad that I share with my students.  Lisa talks about setting aside a tech block during your independent time so that students can have a meaningful amount of time to accomplish a task while using the technology.  

She reminds us that regardless of how technology is integrated within your classroom, it should always be intentionally connected to the learning that is happening in other areas, not as a means of busy-work or student entertainment.

• I would like to be more thoughtful in the time that I have students using the computers.  I have usually used them for research or typing papers, but I would love to develop some projects that center around our curriculum units.
• I will definitely continue to use students' own devices in order to increase our resources available.
• I am thinking about having boards that are similar to Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram so we can talk about how those resources can be used and how they can be used safely.

I want to think more about how tech time will fit into my literacy block.

How do you use technology in your classroom?

100 Minutes Book Study Chapter 8 - Small Group Learning

One of the books that I am reading this summer for a book study is 100 Minutes by Lisa Donohue. If you missed my previous posts you can find them below:

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7

Today I am linking up with Emily from Emmy Mac's Class for Chapter 8.  She is also hosting a giveaway for a $10 TpT gift card and a $20 shopping spree in her store, so make sure you head over there to enter!

  

My thoughts on Chapter 8:

I always notice the most growth in students during small group instruction, so I was excited to read Lisa Donohue's take on it as well.  She states that small group instruction is the vehicle for teachers to be able to monitor individual students and to provide them with differentiated instruction based on their needs.  She also says that it can be a time for students to set and monitor their goals.  I have previously only done this in individual conferences, but I think that using small group time to do this will not only be more efficient, but will also give students the opportunity to observe their peers setting goals as well.  I could see having a small group comprised of two strong goal setters with two weaker goal setters just for that purpose.

Grouping Students

Lisa also gives a variety of ways in which to group students including:

1. Personal interest (non-fiction interests such as snakes, fiction interest in a certain author or series).
2. Student's current areas of strength and need.  (fluency, comprehension, decoding, etc.)
3. Instructional levels

The most important thing about grouping students is that they should not be "forever" groups.  She states that groups should change on average, once a month.

Small Group Reading Lessons

A typical small group lesson should last 15-20 minutes. Donohue says, "Ensure that students are spending the majority of the time reading the text."  That is so easy to forget as we want to get in there and teach.  She says the teacher should:

1. Set the stage for reading
2. Engage students in discussion during reading
3. Allowing students to reflect after reading

Writing Conferences

I have had individual writing conferences with students, and I have had students work in groups to discuss their writing, I have even had whole group writing conferences, but I have never had actual small group writing conferences.  Last year my students were really successful when they worked together in small groups to review their writing.  I had blogged about these sessions in previous posts:

                    Roll and Retell

                    Increasing the Level of Student's Writing


However, I often felt like I didn't get enough opportunity to coach them when there were issues (a student not participating in the group, or when they all couldn't think of anything more to share or add to the conversation) or to assess who needed more help as I flitted from group to group.  I LOVE the idea of having small group writing conferences together and then giving them the opportunity to work on peer editing themselves later.  I can't thank Lisa Donohue enough for giving me this format to grow my practice.  I love this gradual release of responsibility model and I can't wait to try it out this year.  I really see how it will add to my students' learning.

Feedback  

Donohue says that feedback is most helpful when it is "descriptive and skill-based".  She says feedback that is evaluative in nature, such as , "This is level 3 work" can give students an indication as to what they are successful at and what they need to work on.  We use Marzano's scales, so this could be easily incorporated.

She also says that the teacher might refer to mentor texts as well as the success criteria to model ways that the criteria is used for the student.

Donohue cautions that a writing conference is not a time when students hand over their work to the teacher in order to have it corrected (I am so guilty of that!). She says it is not the teacher's job to fix the mistakes, but instead is to draw the writer's attention to areas of confusion and areas that need improvement by posing questions in a way that cause the author to revise and rework the piece.

I love this because I know that often times I become frustrated when the same student makes the same mistakes over and over again. Donohue states that the reason for this is because the student is not an active part of the process when the corrections are being made.  They must be involved in order to actively learn and transfer that understanding to a new situation.

• I would like to create or find an interest sheet that I could use to group students into small reading groups throughout the year.  I really like this idea and it would make natural book clubs rather than just by ability alone.

• This chapter has really had me evaluating my small group instruction.  I am thinking about changing what I have been doing (which is mostly leveled readers and text book work) to have articles or short stories the students can read. When they initially come to group, I will have them read the assigned reading silently while I make sure the rest of the class has begun their work independently.  I will then introduce the skill we are working on and then have them choral read to certain sections. During the reading I will pose questions based on the specific skill we are working on.  After reading the students will reflect and respond. (I know that sounds like a jumbled mess right now, but as I develop it into actual lessons I will share!).

I want to think more about how to make feedback more visible to the student.  What do they specifically need to do to move their work from a level 2 to a level 3?

Next up- Chapter 9: Building In New Literacies

Be sure to visit our co-host Tina from Croft's Classroom on June 25th to continue this learning journey with us. 

100 Minutes Book Study Chapter 7 - The Foundation of Independence

Time to continue with our  book study of 100 Minutes by Lisa Donohue. If you missed my previous posts you can find them below:

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6

Today I am linking up with Brenda from Primary Inspired for Chapter 7.

 This chapter is another one where I have written and highlighted all over the pages!

My thoughts on Chapter 7:

Donohue states, "The key to successful small-group instruction is independence and it begins in the first few days of school." In order for you to work with a small group of students, the other students need to be doing something productive.  In this system that is called AWARD time.  The thing that separates this from others systems such as the ones used in Daily 5 is "the intentionality with which students' independent work is connected to the learning that is happening during other times during the literacy block."  I love this because I often felt that the accountability piece was missing in Daily 5.  I have had many students who can look quietly engaged in reading or writing, yet never do a lick of work.

In this system, students go from a guided reading situation, to working on a written reading response.  The next day they work on independently reading and then independently practicing the skill from the day before. Likewise, in writing, they would go from independent writing to a conference on one day to independent writing and then a peer sharing the next.

The thing I am most excited to try this upcoming school year is to add this intentional piece.  Having students be more accountable will be a key part of this.  I love the gradual release of responsibility that is shown.  I also really like having the peer mentor piece of writing added to it.  I  used peer mentors this year and it worked really well. I like the idea of students meeting with myself or their mentor each day.

I want to think more about what my students will be responsible for in the way of both reading responses and writing.

Next up- Chapter 8: Small Group Learning

Be sure to visit our co-host Emily from Emmy Mac's Class on June 21st to continue this learning journey with us. 

100 Minutes Book Study Chapter 6 - Exploring Different Purposes and Audiences

Still plugging away, reading, thinking, planning, etc. with the book 100 Minutes by Lisa Donohue and loving it!  If you missed my previous posts you can find them below:

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5

Today I am linking up with Erin from A Piece of the Apple for Chapter 6.




 Of all the chapters, this one has to be the one that I have written and highlighted the most in as I came up with a ton of new ideas for next year.  Along with a few A-ha's and why didn't I think of that? moments of course!

My thoughts on Chapter 6:

The author opens the chapter with the importance of frequent writing for students to learn to become better writers. She talks about all the varieties of writing we do such as writing letters to friends, sharing recipes, emails, etc. Students need to the opportunity to write in a variety of ways in order to be able to write for a variety of purposes and audiences.

One suggestion the author used was to use writing prompts including what she described as an artifact box.  An artifact box is filled with tangible items that students might gain inspiration to write from.

Throughout the chapter she discusses different varieties of writing and possible ways to prompt and teach students how to respond to them.  I love that she also gives possible success criteria for each style of writing as I know on my team at school, that was one of the most difficult thing for us to come up with on our own.  Writing seems so subjective, that it is often difficult to find success criteria that everyone agrees on.  Her success criterias will be a good starting point.

Our district has adopted a pacing guide and units that we as teachers all follow throughout the year.  My biggest challenge with this is that we introduce something, and then only go back to it if we have time.  Where does that leave my struggling writers who need additional practice?  I will of course follow our pacing guide, but, I am going to build in additional time to allow students to practice each form of writing each quarter.  I can't wait to see the progression of a narrative from the beginning of the year until the end. I am excited to see how they develop as researchers and writers of expository text from August until May.

I will also be setting up a few index card boxes with writing prompts for students to explore during their independent writing time.

I want to think more about using graphic organizers more effectively.  Lisa Donohue has shared a few in the book and I want to explore them more.  We have used the Write From The Beginning program at our school, and it seems like my students do not want to write anymore by the time they are finished with their graphic organizers.  It seems like we overburden them with all of the "stations' of writing.  Do all pieces really have to go from brainstorm, to revision, to editing to final copy?  Can't some stories be rough drafted quickly because the student can't wait to write it down and then edited and published? Can some stories die at the brainstorm stage because the writer really can't think of much to add?

Next up- Chapter 7: The Foundation of Independence

Be sure to visit our co-host Brenda from Primary Inspired on June 17th to continue this learning journey with us. 

100 Minutes Book Study Chapter 5 - Writing Around The Literacy Block

Today is another installment of our book study on 100 Minutes, Making Every Minute Count in the Literacy Block by Lisa Donohue.

If you missed my previous posts you can find them below:

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4

Today I am linking up with Melissa from Dilly Dabbles who is hosting today's chapter.

My thoughts on Chapter 5:

Summer time is the perfect time to work on a book study like this.  It gives me a chance to reflect on all of the areas that went well in my classroom, as well as an opportunity to brainstorm ways to improve things that did not go over quite as well.  As I read through this book I have several a-ha moments about both.  Many of the practices that went well (independent reading for most of my students was very strong) are ones that the author advocates using.  I have found a wealth of ideas for areas that I would like to improve such as writing and adding more time for social studies and science.

Chapter 5 details how to carve out a block of time in your literacy block for direct instruction of writing. Donohue states that you can use this time to model new forms of writing, explore mentor texts, determine success criteria, topic selection, mini-lessons on grammar, and much more. I know I hit some of those things last year, but I would like to go deeper with that.

Research states that teachers need to model thinking and composing strategies when teaching writing.  - THIS is what I need to be doing more of.  I occasionally modeled writing (and got much stronger written papers from my students) but I need to do this all of the time.

Donohue also offers some great questions to ask students as you explore mentor texts as writers.  Many of these questions such as "How does the author use descriptive writing and clear evidence to support his/her work?' align with the Common Core and will really stretch my students.

As I read more and more, I am beginning to give myself permission to do less.  Many of the comments on my previous post involve teachers saying they do not have enough time in the literacy block.  I have felt that way myself and we have 120 minute blocks of time set aside just for literacy - and yet it is never enough.  I think that limiting myself to the 100 minutes (and freeing up additional time for social studies and science - which will also have elements of literacy in them) and making that time more purposeful will be better than 120 minutes of just good enough instruction.  Do I really need to spend 20-30 minutes on word sorts when students don't transfer those spelling skills to their writing? Please tell me I'm not the only one who feels this way!

I will definitely be modeling writing in my classroom more.  Students need to know what my expectations are otherwise they will hand in superficial responses and ask "How many sentences do we need to write?"

We already use Marzano strategies at our school, so I love the idea of having students help generate the success criteria.

What mentor texts will I use and why?  What technique do I want them to notice and use?
How will I plan lessons that fit into our instructional units but also allow time to address student needs?

Next up- Chapter 6: Exploring Different purposes and Audiences

Be sure to visit Erin from A Piece of the Apple on June 13th  to continue this learning journey with us. She will be hosting chapter 6.

100 Minutes Book Study - Chapter 4 Reading Response

 Today I am linking up with Jen from Teaching, Life, and Everything in Between our next hostess for our  book study on 100 Minutes - Making Every Minute Count in the Literacy Block by Lisa Donohue.

You can read my previous posts below:

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3

My thoughts on Chapter 4:

Lisa Donohuev suggests introducing reading response following guided reading.  The teacher initially teaches the skill during the guided reading portion, then the student practices it on their own.  The next day, those students are able to transfer their new learning by reading independently and completing the response to the text they have chosen on their own.  This follows the gradual release of responsibility method.

She points out how difficult it is to assess independent reading and states that the most effective way to monitor it is the use of reading responses.

My favorite part of the whole chapter has got to be the reading response task cards she has included.  There are 8 pages of these along with a list of other ideas you can use as well to make your own.

I already use reading responses in my classroom (and for homework) with my weekly read and respond reading logs and it was nice to have the affirmation of this effective process.



I will probably change the way that I introduce response prompts to the way that Donohue recommends.  I think it will create much better responses from the beginning. I also like the idea of having several response choices available for the students during their independent work time.

How will I incorporate these strategies into my current practice?  What read alouds will work best with each type of written response?  How do I encourage students to self select books that fit with certain strategies?

If you are reading along with this book, feel free to join in the discussion by linking up below.  I am looking forward to reading everyone else's thoughts and reflections!  

Next up- Chapter 5: Writing Around the Literacy Block

Be sure to visit Melissa over at Dilly Dabbles on May 27th to continue this learning journey with us.