Our First Book Tasting

My students, like many, get caught in a rut when it comes to selecting books. They get stuck on the same genre or series and do not know where to go from there. To help my kids move past this, I hosted a Book Tasting in my classroom!  I had heard several teachers through blogs and Twitter do this in their class and never fully understood what it was. In short, students read different books from different genres for a short amount of time where they get a "taste" of the book. This exposes them to new genres, authors, and series to help broaden their view of books. I downloaded a fabulous resource from Joanne Miller on Teachers Pay Teachers.

Part 1: The Setup

I wanted my room to really look the part of a cafe without breaking the bank, so I went to my local dollar store. I found colored tablecloths, napkins, paper plates, serving trays, and little tea lights for each of my tables. 

Part 2: The Book Selection

I am very fortunate to have a large class library, so all of my books came from there. I have heard many other teachers borrowing books from the school library for their Book Tasting.

I selected 8 books per genre. I wanted to have a wide variety out there for the genres, so I even pulled some of my older books that hadn't been touched in years. 

 

   

Part 3: The Activities

The resources from Joanne Miller were spot on! There was so much in the download that I only used a few pieces for my first Book Tasting. 

I made copies of the Book Tasting 'menu' for each of my students. They used this as they visited the different tables. Each menu had 5 sections, one for each genre they would visit. It had them fill out information on their first impression of the book, what they thought after reading a few pages, and how the author tried to hook them into reading the book.

My students also received the bookmarks. On the bookmarks, they were able to write down the book title and author of the books they wanted to read. This way they had a new list they could follow when it came time to select a new independent reading book. 

I also made copies of the 'napkins' that asked the students for their feedback on the Book Tasting. These were used at the end so I could see how my students felt about everything. 

Part 4: The Book Tasting

I allowed my students in the room in small groups and had each group spread out to a different table. I reminded them that it did not matter which table they started out because everyone was going to be rotating. After all the students were settled at the tables, I passed out their 'menus' to record their book information on and the bookmarks for this list of books they want to read. Then the time started. It took me a few rounds of the Book Tasting to figure out an appropriate length of time for my students.  Here is what I came up with, but know that this is flexible depending on your class. The goal is for them to get a "taste" of the book, so just make sure you don't have them reading independently too long. 2 minutes: Select book & fill out first impression 4 minutes: Read independently - remind students there is no commitment to continuing the book 2 minutes: Reflect 4 minutes: Chat - allow all members a chance to share about the book they read.

  

 

Part 5: Reflection Overall, my students really loved the Book Tasting and started asking when we could do it again. I passed out the 'napkins' for them to write their own reflection and was really happy with the positive response. All of my students really enjoyed it and appreciated the way they could start a book without having to commit to finishing it.

  

 

 

 

The Importance of Sharing Part 2: Share Your Struggles

After writing my post last week on the importance of sharing, I kept thinking of my current situation and what I choose not to share.

Currently, I have been struggling with a new English Language Arts adoption. I have been trying to figure out how to make it work in my combination class without going insane bouncing around. It seemed like each week I was trying something new, based off of new feedback I was given. Then there was finally a light when we received some grade level time with a trainer from the company. Let me tell you, that room was bright with all the "light bulb" moments going on. Does that mean I'm set now? Nope, not even close but I at least have a better idea of how to implement the new adoption.

Did anyone online know I was struggling? No way. I was not going to share all of this craziness that was going on with the new curriculum. I posted in a Facebook group asking if anyone was familiar with it then was referred to another group that had more experience with the curriculum, but I NEVER shared I was struggling. You know what's sad? I wish I had shared my struggles because it would have reached a lot of other teachers and we could have formed a great support group for each other.

So many times we want people to only see the happy, rainbow, light bulb moments in our classrooms, that we forget teachers are people too and we make mistakes, get confused and struggle. We have a tendency to hide that from others and to stay on our "Island of Isolation" when it comes to struggling. By doing this, hiding our struggles, we make others feel like it should be sunshine and rainbows in their room too!

We need to share our struggles and our failures. Throw it out there on Twitter, talk about a lesson that flopped, or ask for help with something you are struggling with. IT'S OKAY TO STRUGGLE!

If we are expecting our students to believe that struggling is learning, we, as teachers, need to accept that as well. We need to practice what we preach.

You are not alone. We are all struggling with something in our classroom.

**See this post and more on my Techie Tuesday newsletter**

The Importance of Sharing

Back in October at the Kern Tech Fest, I had the opportunity to hear Christine Pinto speak as the keynote. She is a Kinder teacher who integrates technology and has her kinders using the Chromebooks for activities, reading, and projects, but also does the regular, fun hands-on activities. I really enjoyed listening to her and loved some of the ideas she shared.

Then she made this surprising statement. She said that she shares because people need to see what is going on in her classroom. While that in itself is not surprising, she continued on saying that people assume she does technology all day long because she is a 'techie' teacher so by sharing she is able to show people the variety of activities her class is doing.

Listening to this, I realized how right she was! I was one of the ones that pictured her kinders doing tech projects all day long, but seeing their hands-on activities made me realize there is more to her classroom and her teaching than technology. This made me think of comments I have heard about my classroom.

Many people think my students are on technology all day long because that is a lot of what I share. They do not see the hands-on Science and Math activities we do, or how we are still taking notes by hand when reading or watching an educational film.

I feel that there may be a stigma out there about sharing activities on Twitter. I worry that people think they can only share technology activities on Twitter because the edtech community is so large. That couldn't be further from the truth. People on Twitter share ALL activities. The important thing is to share!

We need to show others what is going on in our classrooms all day long. We need to share the good activities and the ones that totally flopped. People out there need to see that there is someone else going through something similar.

Don't be afraid of sharing on Twitter, I know that is easier said than done. Still, I overthink about what I am sharing and am working on getting past that. We worry what others are going to think or if it is going to get any 'likes' on Twitter. As educators, we can feel so alone and isolated. Sharing on Twitter helps break down barriers and connect us to others. We need to come together to support each other, sharing on Twitter or any way is a great way to start!

**See this post and more on my Techie Tuesday newsletter.**

GoNoodle Saves the Day

Do your students need brain breaks throughout the day? Are you left trying to figure out how to get in those PE minutes when it's raining or there's bad air quality?
Never fear - GoNoodle is here!!

GoNoodle is a wonderful, FREE site, filled with exciting guided dance videos, yoga, stretching, and fitness videos. When you sign up, you create a class with their grade level. Then you get to select a champ who will level up as you participate more.

I have used this in my classroom from 4th - 6th graders. Sure it takes some time for kids to get into it, but soon enough the ones that are "too cool" are the ones feeling left out because they're the only ones not participating.  If a student still does not want to participate because they are "too cool" I tell them if they do not participate, then one of my other lively dancing students will come dance by them.  Now please take this with a grain of salt, as I said I only do this with students who are "too cool", I never single out my shy students. Slowly my shy students start to feel more comfortable and start having fun with the videos and activities.
Living in Southern California, we get a lot of bad air quality days so GoNoodle has been a lifesaver to get in PE minutes when we can't go outside.
Here are some student recommended videos:      
Doing GoNoodle indoors does require some transition with students needing room to move around. This has just become part of our daily routines and procedures. My students know that if they do not transition quickly enough that they will not have a lot of time on GoNoodle.  Sometimes I use it as a reward where certain students will get to select the videos and lead the class. I cannot sing the praises of GoNoodle enough. It has brought smiles and joy into my classroom and always brightens up the atmosphere. Be sure to check out GoNoodle and try it out with your kids!
PS: They also have an app and a website if you want to sign up and use it at home with your own kids. My nieces and nephew love it!  

11/29 Techie Tuesday

The newest edition of Techie Tuesday is out!

This week we take a look at using Google Drawings to create graphic organizers. People are always amazed when I share digitized graphic organizers. Even more amazement comes when I tell them my students made my templates. I made a few of these graphic organizers that required more time and details, such as the writing graphic organizers, but the others, including more I don’t have listed, were student made. I’m all about crowdsourcing. Why spend precious lesson planning time creating graphic organizers on the computer when you can ask your students to create their own? I always put a nice spin on it. I tell them that the one who has the nicest and most effective graphic organizer will get it saved on My Drive and then shared out as a template with the rest of the class.  Once you put that spin, they take their time and produce some amazing work trying their hardest to be selected.

The Techie Tip is about using the revision history in the Google Suite. This has been a lifesaver for me personally because my cat likes to walk across my keyboard at home when I step away. Instead of clicking undo a crazy amount of times I simply access the revision history and go back to the version of my document BEFORE I stepped away from the computer.

Revision history also comes in handy with my students. With groups you get to see who has contributed, what they have done, and how long they spent on it. Individually you get to see when the student first began working on it and when they last accessed it. This has come in handy because I’ve had students brag about getting their work done late at night, so I look up their document, show it to the class and reveal the revision history which shows they hadn’t even started working on it until late at night. We then have a long talk as a class about being responsible and getting work done in a timely fashion. During class, I can also see who’s doing what on their documents and when. So when I get reports that someone is playing around, I can look up their revision history and see what they have been doing.

Finally, we tie it all up with talking about Hour of Code which begins next week! This is huge and is such a great program to expose kids to the amazing world of coding. Hour of Code puts it all in a fun perspective and shows real-world application of math. I love that they include fun and recognizable characters that the students love. If you haven’t tried it with your class, you totally should! It’s a lot of fun, even I do it with my class. Thanks to +Rae Fearing  for sharing your Hyperdoc on Twitter!

It’s Easy for You, You’re ______

It’s Easy for You, You’re (techie/creative/smart/crafty/insert whatever you’re good at)

Have you ever had these words said to you? It is one of the worst phrases anyone could say to a teacher or any professional in that matter.

I had the pleasure of seeing the amazing Dave Burgess at Fall CUE on October 28th, 2016. When he shared how much this phrase upset him and how it totally was set to destroy him, I wanted to jump up out of my chair and shout a couple of “Amens” as if I were in church. It was a point that completely hit home with me.

Being a tech teacher I hear this phrase A LOT!

It gets exhausting after a while and for some, just SOME it becomes an excuse for them not following through or not doing the work themselves. As Dave Burgess stated, “This completely dismisses all of the hard work I have done to get where I am and what I do in my classroom.”

“It’s easy for you, you’re techie.” “It’s easy for you, you have the smart kids” “It’s easy for you, your class is well behaved.” You want to ask them, how do you think I got there? How do you think I push my kids to perform their best? How do you think my class got their behavior under control?  It’s all because I worked hard, did research, and found things that worked in my classroom. It just didn’t hit me in the middle of the night and everything changed.

I love Dave Burgess's example of the “Blinding Light” syndrome where we just walk around and get hit by flashes of lights with good ideas or naturally graced with technology know how . That’s not how it works, we work hard to come up with our ideas and see them through to the end. It takes a lot of our time, lunch periods, staying after school, taking work home, until we come up with (what we think) is the perfect plan. Sometimes these ideas rock, other times they blow up and “break the class” (love Doug Robertson’s phrasing of that).

Do I have random ideas? Yes I do, sometimes. Do they all come this way? No, the majority of them I have to work for and go over the content, standards, materials, and see how I can get creative with integrating technology, PBL, go cross-curricular, etc. It takes a lot of time and work! Regardless of who you are, if you have a family or if you’re single, it takes a lot of work and this phrases just kind of dismisses all of it as if you had this great idea and then it magically left your brain and transformed into your unit, activity, or experience you are providing to your students.

People tell me I must be naturally good at using technology. They are always surprised when I tell them no. There is no way to be naturally good at something that is constantly changing and transforming. I’ve seen tech transformed from my days in elementary school playing Oregon Trail in the computer lab to our touchscreen tables, VR, AR, and robotics. There is no way anyone is just naturally good at that (unless you’re a super genius… which I am not…) What I am good at is pushing all the buttons and googling answers, and within all of that I start learning new things about technology. Just recently, I have been trying to fix some software on my computer and one of the fixes was to go into the command prompt and enter commands in the script. I was like woah… slow down… you want me to do what? Then I just went for it.

Is everyone at that comfort level? Of course not, but what they do need to realize and acknowledge is that whatever you are good at isn’t something that came naturally and easy. It took time to get where you are now and it still takes time to flesh out a good idea (even if it breaks the class). People need to just go for it and push all the buttons or take a new risk in their class.

Please… no longer use the phrase “It’s easy for you, you’re (creative, techy, smart, crafty, etc). Instead of using that phrase ask that person what tips they would have to get started on the journey.

Techie Tuesday - October 25th

Welcome to my second edition of Techie Tuesday!

The featured website in this week's edition is Class Dojo. 

Class Dojo is a fantastic site that is a new take on classroom management. Students earn and lose points based on skills/behaviors that you can select. It has basic behaviors to begin with, but then you are able to edit them or add new behaviors with point values. I really love this site because students can earn points back after they lose them. It's all about second chances and positive reinforcement.
One trick I have learned over the years, is to create a fake student. I have a student in my class named Whacky Wilbur. He serves as my warning when I am about to take away points. Typically all I have to do is give Whacky Wilbur a few negative points, the students hearing the sound and straighten up. It has been a lifesaver for those times when it's more than a couple students being disruptive.

Ghostly Goals

Goals are extremely beneficial to students, especially when students intentionally set them. There's no more "I'm going to get Honor Roll this quarter" generic goals. Now they have to explain the steps they are going to take in order to earn Honor Roll. Short term and long term goals are both equally important. I have students who need those shorter ones that help keep them on track for the larger goals, and then I have students who are always thinking big picture and looking further down the road. 
In the Hyperdoc above I included links to what my 5th and 6th grade goal sheets look like, as well as a link to a very simple SMART goal that can be used both long and short term. At my school we are fortunate enough to have planners, and that is where my students write their SMART goals.

Techie Tip of the week

A very useful trick in Google Drive is starring items. There are documents I use on a daily basis, ranging from my morning directions to my Math and ELA pacing guides. Instead of searching for them every single morning, I use the "Add Star" option.
When you come across a file or folder you would like quick access to, right click on it then select "Add Star". After that your file or folder will appear in the "Starred" section on the left hand side of your Google Drive. Isn't that handy?

Is there anything you'd like to see featured in Techie Tuesday? Any techie tips for using Google Drive you'd like to share?  Post below in the comments!