2. Texting, Videochatting, and Chatting

2. Texting, Videochatting, and Chatting

This we believe (NMSA, 2010).

* Students and teachers are engaged in active, purposeful learning. Active Learning

My students adore the Chromebooks. They each have their own. It has their name on it and every afternoon they bring it back to Homeroom to be recharged. The following are a few things I have observed.

One student comes into class, props his feet up, sticks his earbuds in his ears, and has music blasting. I ask him to take the buds out and turn the sound down. He sighs and complies.

"Open your Chromebook to Google Classroom. Let's look at the Assignment called Computer Ethics." Boom! Everyone opens their device and gets into the classroom. Fortunately for me, they are using the Classroom in all of their other classes so they know how to get into it. After our discussion, they acknowledge their consent to follow this code of ethics.

I walk by one students; she has 12 chat boxes open. "Close the link."  She complies. It is during classwork. I am not so naive that I think that link will stay "closed;" and I wonder where the balance is?  If students work in an office, there is a chance that this type of behavior will be monitored. I need to check with our business partners.

On another day, while students are participating in a skit on rational and irrational numbers (See below.), a student is playing a video game while the rest of the class is listening. I walk over and he is surly about my request for him to participate in class. There is a CHAMP model for teaching students what is expected (See the post on "What if you only had 36 weeks," posted August 29, 2015. While my class is running smoothly on all other fronts, returning to the basics of communication and expectations will help this.

After a test, one of my students is sending a videochat to another classroom. I have no idea. The teacher next door comes in and confronts the student. He says, "I'm sorry." Hmmm. I never thought about testing and texting during testing. What would keep a student from shooting a chat over to Alisha that says, "What's the answer to 6?" and Alisha shooting back, "None of your business!" (Hahaha, that would probably not be her reply.)

While working on a few problems, two of my girls are 'chatting' back and forth. I ask them to close the lid. They do. Again, it is the monitoring of their chatty world, our chatty world, that we must learn to integrate. Perhaps I can have them chatting their answers with the person next to them using the NCTM problem solving strategies.... "Can you draw a picture?" "Can you make a chart?" (:

"Can we listen to music while we read?"  My response, "No." "Can we listen to music while we practice problems?" "Yes, let's see how that works for you." There are so many situations that are beyond, 'what resources should I use?'

After a slope exercise I hear, "I got 4 out of 5 right," a student beams as she completes a mini lesson on slope and y-intercept. The idea of instant feedback is a powerful tool for reinforcing success.

"May I create a GoogleDoc to show our research on smoking?" (We are creating a banner for Red Ribbon Week.) "Yes, that sounds great," I respond. Students work independently and together to come up with research, with poetry, with images that address four areas young people encounter: meth, pot, smoking, and alcohol. We are creating documents to share using QR codes on the banner that integrates the notion of slope where the x-axis (slope 0) "levels the playing field."

What I see is that students want to explore, they want to do research, they want to create products, and they want to socialize. Use their interests. They are willing to play games and follow simulations, but they are most interested in texting with one another.

All this to say, the Chromebooks "they" love are motivators; however, these new tools bring new challenges to the classroom and we need to be intentional about their use. When left to their own devices, our children will be networking - hopefully appropriately, but we cannot leave that to chance.

In order to monitor this, I have connected with three other teachers. We have decided to meet on Tuesday afternoons to talk about what we are doing: the challenges, the strategies, and the resources. While we started with resources and are talking about challenges, I am thinking this week we share talk about ground rules beyond having students sign a "computer ethics" agreement.  (I will keep you posted,) My CE Agreement follows. I placed it in Google Classroom and it is how we started our day with computers.

Computer Ethics

Read the following. Once you finish, acknowledge that you have read and understand this document.
Type: I __________ (put your name here) understand these expectations. I promise to respect equipment, websites, and my classmates.

1. Do not share your password with anyone.
2. Whenever you are working on assignments in the Classroom section of GoogleDocs you are responsible for your actions.
3. Never say anything unkind about another classmate or teacher or anyone on this website.
4. Always respect the equipment. Chromebooks are expensive and need to be taken care of.
5. When you are working on an assignment in the Chromebook do not be tempted to divert to other websites. Your Chromebook is to be used for educational purposes.
6. If you need to look up a topic that is not part of the assignment, be sure and check with your teacher first.
7. If you finish your assignment, be aware of the websites you are allowed to be on.
8. Know that anything you say or do in school or at home that is inappropriate will have consequences that could include silent lunch, parent contact, in-school suspension, or out of school suspension. Cyberbullying is not appropriate.
9. Know that anything you print can be traced back to you.
10. If you select images, websites, or quotes, be sure and site your sources. Copy the URL address and add it to your assignments. Never copy website content without using quotes. You are better off summarizing what you find after collecting the information and always include the website.

Advice

1) Technology is a tool. Students want to interact with it. As a teacher we have to plan how we will use technology, when we will use technology, and ground rules for working with and on technology.

2) Get with someone in your school who uses technology;  model what they do.

3) Open the conversation with your students about how to use the tools. But also know they want to explore. Build it into your lessons.

4) Be patient with students. Teach them appropriate uses of technology.

5) Consider the recreational aspects of computer use. Our state has a website called http://www.ncwiseowl.org/  There are appropriate websites and resources for students to use for their research. Our state also provides wiki space resources for all content and topics. You can view it at http://www.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/.

A Paideia Seminar on Rational and Irrational Numbers created by L. A. from an NC Quest grant that engaged content area teachers in creating Paideia Seminars.

                                                                               Pre-Seminar Content Steps:

Introduce this seminar by stating directly that our purpose in participating in this dialogue is to gain understanding of the following great ideas:

●      Share basic background information:

The Real Number System which includes rational and irrational numbers.

●      Read the text at least twice, using different strategies:

Inspectional Read: Notice the text is a skit and the second piece is a graphic organizer.

Vocabulary Study:

Repeating, Terminating, Rational, Irrational, Square Roots

Analytical Read: Read alone first then read the 2nd time with students portraying characters.

Pre-Seminar Process Steps:

Prepare participants to participate in seminar discussion by reading the following script (or putting key points into your own words):

“We are getting ready to have a Paideia Seminar, a collaborative, intellectual dialogue about a text, facilitated with open-ended questions.

“The main purpose of seminar is to arrive at a fuller understanding of the textual ideas and values in this speech of ourselves, and of each other.  We are going to work together and practice thinking about (list great ideas).

“As the facilitator, I am primarily responsible for asking challenging, open-ended questions, and I will take a variety of notes to keep up with the talk turns and flow of ideas.  I will help move the discussion along in a productive direction by asking follow-up questions based on my notes.

“As participants, I am asking you to think, listen, and speak candidly about your thoughts, reactions, and ideas.

“You do not need to raise your hands in order to speak; rather, the discussion is collaborative in that you try to stay focused on the main speaker and wait your turn to talk.

“You should try to both agree and disagree in a courteous, thoughtful manner.  For example, you might say, ‘I disagree with Joanna because…,’ focusing on the ideas involved, not the individuals.

“Now, let’s think about how we normally participate in a discussion as a group.  Is there a goal that we can set for ourselves that will help the flow and meaning of the seminar?  For this seminar, I would us to focus on ….

[Set group goal and display it for all to see.]

“Please consider the list of personal participation goals in the Speaking and Listening Skills List.

“Which one is a particular challenge for you personally?  Please choose one goal from the list and commit to achieving it during the discussion we are about to have? Please write your personal goal (on text, name tent, etc).”

Seminar Rational and Irrational Numbers

Opening Question:

Which line of the skit do you think is most significant to your understanding of rational and irrational numbers? (round robin)   Why did you choose this? (spontaneous)

Core Questions:

How does the skit help you understand the difference between rational and irrational numbers? Discuss the differences and similarities between the two types of numbers.

Why are both repeating and terminating decimals considered rational?

Can you convert an irrational number into a fraction? Why or why not?

If you find the answer to a square root, would the number be classified as rational or irrational? Justify your answer with an example.

How can we locate a non perfect square, such as the square root of 7, on a number line?

Why do we approximate irrational numbers?

Why is it useful to know the square root of a number?

Can you think of any numbers that do not fit on the graphic organizer? Why?

Discuss the structure of the graphic organizer?

Give a number that would fit into each category on the the graphic organizer.

Explain where a negative fraction or decimal would fit in the graphic organizer. Why does it belong there? 

Closing Question:

 Each student give a number and tell where it belongs on the graphic organizer.

Post-Seminar Process Steps:

Debrief the seminar discussion by reading the following script (or putting key points into your own words):

Remember our goals for today were to work together and think about (list great ideas) and to practice paraphrasing what others said.

How do you think we did?

Let’s hold up 5 fingers if we did great; 3 if we did okay; and a fist if we really need to work at this.  Everybody show how you think we did.

Okay, now would somebody tell us why you rated our seminar as you did?

What do you think we should work on next time we have a special (Paideia) discussion?

 “Thank you for your focused and thoughtful participation in our seminar. 

Post-Seminar Content Step:

Writing Assignment: Why do we need numbers from each set? Describe a specific scenario where a certain type of number would be used.

 SEMINAR PLAN:

A document that illustrates: natural, whole, integer, rational, irrational, and real numbers. Students were placed in groups to google the definition and an example of each. A discussion of the numbers as well as their historical nature. Once the numbers were discussed, students participated in the following skit found online at:

http://www.nwcsd.k12.ny.us/cms/lib/NY19000569/Centricity/Domain/416/Rational%20Numbers%20Skit.pdf

 

11. Peanuts and Parties

11. Peanuts and Parties

This we believe (NMSA, 2010).

* The school environment is inviting, safe, inclusive, and supportive of all.

Today one of my students had a birthday. They brought cupcakes to our homeroom. How sweet is that? I told them they had to wait until the end of the day to have the cupcakes. During our Spartan Time I said we could go outside on the picnic tables and the birthday person could share the cupcakes for about 15 minutes. It was a sweet day. One of the other students made a card and everyone signed it. It made the student very happy. At the end of the day, I asked if they had had a fun day; they said, 'Yes.'

It was a good idea to wait until the end of the day. Before going out, one of the students was in the grocery bag of cupcakes. I was calling across the room, "Get out of the bag." The child said, "I have peanut allergies; I need to know if there is peanut oil in these."

Oh dear. I didn't even think about it. It didn't dawn on me that there might be peanut oil in cupcakes. Once he said that I said, "Okay. Let me know." (By the way, the cupcakes were sealed.)

The student said, "We're good!" 

Whew.

I told them we could go outside for 15 minutes. Once they got outside and had cupcakes, it was as if the sugar gave them free-reign to be wild banchees. After about 5 minutes I said, "Okay, time to go back in." They were too wild; but my room was free from cupcake crumbs and at the end of three days of testing, a few minutes of social time was good. They came back inside, cleaned up the room, got their progress reports, and gathered their books and instruments to go home. I can't believe it is already midterm of the first nine weeks!

Advice

1) It is not recommended to give students candy. If you are going to give them candy, consider doing it at the end of the day. I don't give candy. I would give apples or carrots (I know that is kind of weird, but they like it; they like anything!)

2) Find ways to celebrate. I watched as the students made the card for this student. What a wonderful tribute to evidence that middle school students care about one another. 

3) Be aware of the allergies of your students before bringing out any food.

5. Benchmark Testing

5. Benchmark Testing

This we believe (NMSA, 2010).

*Varied and ongoing assessments advance learning as well as measure it. Varied Assessments.

This week my students have been testing... three days of it! Our team was directed as far as testing procedures and which groups of students were being tested. We found that our students were good sports about the whole process. The tests were delivered on Chromebooks. I had the data the next day, the entire data set complete with what they did right and the projections of how they will do at the end of the year. It was impressive.

The administrators and support personnel were present troubleshooting, making sure everyone had what they needed, checking in. It was great knowing that if I picked up the phone and called our front desk hero, she was in touch with someone to come to our aid! My team mates were veterans of testing and fearless in flexibility and support. I never felt like I was having to figure out something on my own. I believe the evidence of a strong team is that no one is ever alone.

But the behaviors of the students, after testing, reminded me that when they come back to class, after testing all morning, they are not always the same students we previously had; the anxiety kind of surfaced (: . I found my students a little wound up ('A little' is an understatement, especially on day 3). I asked my team leader, 'How do you think they will be tomorrow?' She thinks they will be fine. (I love her optimism!)

On day 1, our team decided to conduct a team-wide Paideia (a discussion process that addresses the impact of texting on formal writing), wrote thank you notes to the agencies who provided the Kids in the Creek training (Our students participated in science and math in the local creek, run by community partners, that allowed them to test water quality, flow rate, and examine specimens in the creek), and had them create banners for Red Ribbon (drug and alcohol awareness) Week. We then split our afternoons so that the next two days allowed us to see all of our students.

Working as a team we were able to troubleshoot problems with technology, exercise flexibility in grouping, and work together to adjust the students' schedule. Within my classroom I used the time to introduce them to "real numbers" using a skit about rational and irrational numbers. I found that having something that allowed them to move and act, and talk was very positive. Think about how you can move students forward with content by breathing a different mindset into the classroom.

Advice

1)     Be sure that your students have their own "place" to test. My classroom is usually set up in pairs or trios. However, for testing I make sure they have their own desk in an area they are comfortable. I call their desk their apartment. I want them to be comfortable and to get used to a testing "place."

2)     Be sure the Chroomebooks are charged. There is a device on the charging cart that I didn’t know I needed to push. Ut oh… yep, we got in and my computers were not charged. Fortunately our team had decided to keep our homerooms for research and projects so I was able to do a little of that while the computers received enough “juice” to get them through an hour of testing.

3)     After they test, it is unlikely they will be allowed to get on their computers. (Oh yes, we had students trying to video/chat with students in other classes. That was bad... especially since some classes were still testing. (Not a good thing.) So on day three, after testing, I had puzzles and board games for them to participate in. It was positive and good for critical thinking and socialization.

4)     Know that when they come to you there is a chance they will want to either create something or participate in something novel. Give them opportunities to express their knowledge in art, music, drama forms.

12. Never Give Up On Them!

12. Never Give Up on Them!

This we believe (NMSA, 2010)

* Every student’s academic and personal development is guided by an adult advocate. Adult Advocate


This week my advanced students took a major exam. Based on an item-analysis, it appears that they "got" about half of the 30 questions. Whoa, that is a challenge. Additionally, about half of the students did well enough for me to think they have met the competencies. And then there is about half of the students who appear to be completely lost... Hmmmm. So what do we do?...

I have had to back up and punt. I told them, "We cannot move forward until you know slope inside and out. I will NEVER give up on you. Solving equations involving slope are foundational to algebraic thinking." From the item analysis I identified the top ten missed problems. I put them on paper, and included how to solve them so we can have conversations. I put them in teams of 3-4 with one person who did well and said, "You must go through these problems and talk about what you did wrong and identify the common mistakes. I gave them real world problems to solve together and I am treating the classroom like a college class in which students are given time to discuss and grapple with their thinking. While this is taking place I am moving around to listen to their thinking and to help them think more deeply about mathematics.

They have a retest next week. I will let you know how it goes. (:

Update: While last week two students scored in the 80s, and the rest below that, this week I had 15 with a 90 or above! Five are getting it; and five are still lost. Much better!!! Worth the time it took to re-teach, re-test... We can now move forward!

Advice

1. All of these students need to know that I will NEVER give up on them! These are advanced students who have, in theory, had an easy time in math. These are students who now may be being challenged for the first time. They need to know they will not be left behind. Those who are in the standard classes also need to know this.

2. There need to be opportunities for them to be able to practice and think about what we are learning. The school has a program called ICU. It stands for Intensive Care Unit.  This program was put in place by our administrative team to support our children. It is run by two retired teachers, excellent language arts and mathematics teachers, who work directly with children to help them, to encourage them, to support them in their efforts. The program runs from 7:30 - 3:00 every day. Teachers use these advocates as resource teachers as well as enrichment teachers.

3. Set up study time during the day. We spend 30 minutes a day allowing students to work on their individual assignments. I have set up a section of my room to allow the advanced students to come in and work on exercises. College students work like this. We need to teach our students how to work together and how to communicate their knowledge.

4. Set up technology tools to allow students to work at their own pace. There are many sources that are available. The Web 2.0 tools that are available provide school children with a plethora of information to review and share. We need to teach students how to search for information. I am using Gizmo's (part of ExploreLearning.com), am setting up exams based on the Problem-attic.com website. and have set up a Google Classroom to communicate with students.

5. Work with colleagues. I have found three other teachers who are interested in developing their skills in presenting material and using electronic tools to teach math and science. We are meeting one afternoon a week to talk about what we are finding. In addition, because we have different planning periods we are discussing how to use Lesson Study to improve our strategies and skills in the one-to-one environment.

1. & 16. Community Engagement: Advocating for Young People

1. & 16. Community Engagement: Advocating for Young People

This We Believe (AMLE, 2010)

* Educators value young adolescents and are prepared to teach them. Value Young Adolescents. 
* The school includes community and business partners. Community and Business Partners

This week I participated in four sporting events. Our soccer teams played on Tuesday; volleyball was on Thursday (I take tickets at the volleyball games.); and on Friday night our eighth graders joined the high school band at the Middle School Night football game. At every event parents, aunts, siblings, cousins, grandparents, and members of the community cheered for our kids. At every event parents and community members interacted with coaches, directors, and students. At every event, students saw adults interacting with one another as members of a community, openly supporting students and one another. At these after-school events, parents, teachers, and students work together. It is important to participate in students' lives outside the classroom.

Eighth Grade Band Night

The middle school band director invited faculty to help monitor band students before, during, and after the Friday night football game, designated as Middle School Night where middle school students received FREE passes. The music teacher and I volunteered. We are both new to the school.

We have two middle schools in our community. The two middle school band directors and the high school band director work together as a team to promote band and team spirit. Our band director shared that bringing middle school and high school band students together is something new. He shared that because of the relationship among the band directors, this type of program is a win-win for everyone. Our middle school students are afforded the opportunity to participate in a high school event which promotes their self-esteem as well as provides motivation for them to think about high school and consider being part of a team. At the middle school level, it gives students a sense of belonging.

Our eighth graders, who have been working with band "section leaders" every Tuesday for the past month and practicing songs during their elective time, were invited to warm up with the band in the high school band room, to march into the stadium with them, and to participate next to them all evening. The students enjoyed playing the fight song and several other songs (including The Horse and Smoke on the Water), as well as dancing with the high school students.

We watched the band directors interact with our students' parents as well as with high school band members and their families. We watched them gather eighth graders together and support them in the evening's event. We observed our students as they watched these band directors interact with one another in a positive way, illustrating how much they like what they are doing. We saw our middle school students follow band members and leaders with respect and focus. We watched high school students take our middle school students under their wing. (Oh yes, and I got to meet many of my students' family members.)

At the beginning of the game, I heard one of the high school band members say to our kids, 'Watch this, you will pick it up.' (The students learned how the band members danced to a drum beat when the team scored a touchdown: 90 degree turn while dancing, 90 degree turn while dancing, 90 degree turn, 'whoooa', then back to center; repeat). By the third touchdown the entire band along with our eighth graders were taking 90 degree turns dancing to the beat of the drum line. Fortunately, there were lots of touchdowns last night.

During the third quarter, when the band members were on break, I spoke with one of the section leaders. She shared that three years ago the middle school band director moved up to the high school from our middle school. The student moved up too; she was so pleased to get to work with the director through middle school and now in high school. "She is kind of like another mom to me," she shared. She also commented on the Tuesday after-school band buddy program. "It is a great way for us to get to know the kids who will be playing with us."

I got the feeling that the sense of community goes well beyond our idea of community partners and includes high school students and organizations. What we saw was the opportunity for high school students to mentor young people, high school students making a difference in young people's lives. Our middle school students need high school advocates and this program appears to be making a difference. It was beautiful to watch.

Advice

1. Be Present. Do not assume that your only responsibility is in the job description you signed. Find out what your students are involved in and find a way to attend their events.

2. Find the coaches, the directors, the sponsors in the school and consider how you can advocate for them. If you know the newspaper sponsor, go by and ask how things are going. If your students are going to be part of an event (drama, art, music, sports, Science Olympiad, Battle of the Books, Mathcounts), see how you can help. When teachers know you care about their contributions, children benefit.

3. Teachers are busy. Our job never ends. We spend time planning, assessing, re-planning, and finding ways to meet the intellectual needs of students. By the end of a school day, as a new teacher, you will be tired. However, as important as intellectual development is, we must remember that children (and adults by the way) have social and emotional needs. By attending events, we are advocating for 'them' with our time; we are letting them know that their efforts matter; and we are modeling advocacy for one another. With our presence we are also letting our colleagues who coach, who direct, who work with our kids on their passions, know that we value their support of our students.

4. Finally, do not be afraid to talk to the coaches and directors about the students you teach. They have a great deal of influence on how students act in your class. I have spoken to coaches and band directors to help shape student-behaviors in class. Our students need to know that we are all on the same page helping them grow up to be responsible members of the community.

10. Who Says Middle School Students Don't Care?

10. Who Says Middle School Students Don’t Care?

This we believe (NMSA, 2010).

*Organizational structures foster purposeful learning and meaningful relationships. Organizational Structures.

In the past few days I have witnessed the compassion and gentleness of middle school students. On Monday I was checking homework and noticed that one of my students had dissolved into tears. There was no sign other than tears streaming down her face. I invited her to head to the restroom and asked another student to go with her. It turns out she had not finished her homework and, as the perfectionists 'they' can be, was devastated. Once I got to the restroom the other student had assured her that she too gets very stressed out about incomplete work. The compassion for this student was so genuine and so...( I don't know.what to call it.).. the kind of support you would hope someone would show towards you when you needed someone, other than your teacher, to say, 'it will be okay.' It was heartwarming.

Then today, we took our kids 'to the creek,' literally. Three local agencies provided activities that allowed our students to get into the creek, measure the flow rate of the creek, and look for animal life in the creek. The creek is about a mile from school and we walked. It was a beautiful fall day and everybody got along. One child on our team, who has challenges communicating, participated in the trip to the river and was willing to get in the river. What was so touching to me was that a classmate helped the student get into the water, use the net, and made sure he got out of the water safely.  Another student, without being asked, sat down with the same student and ate lunch with him.

None of these children had to reach out to their classmates. These are not things we have taught them. These are things these children have learned from their families. The relationships they have learned are making our team cohesive and caring.

As I am writing this, I have just read a compliment of children in another grade, on another team...

This is from our Gear Up Facilitator.

I just wanted everyone to know that the 7th grade students I took to ____ today received the highest compliments anyone could ask for.   The facilitator shared that students were much more positive, cooperative, and communicative (in very appropriate ways) than even adults who came to learn teamwork.

I asked the students to share what they learned today.  They brought out many good points about teamwork, respect, communication, trust.  There was no griping, complaining, or arguing.  They were ROCK STARS.  The leader said that this is the first 7th grade group they've had and she is definitely going to schedule more for that age group. Thank you so much for allowing this group to participate. They all had excellent manners and will always be welcome to go anywhere with me!

Advice

1) Recognize the good work and the appropriate behaviors middle school students display. You can do this by letting them know and/or contacting their parents to let them know you noticed.

2) Do not be afraid to ask students to help with others. Middle school students want to participate; they want to be leaders; they want the world to be a better place.

3) Sometimes we forget just how big the hearts of these children are. When we acknowledge this, share what others are saying, help them recognize when they "do the right thing", we are encouraging them to be the leaders who make a positive difference.

4. Middle Schoolers Want to Play

This we believe (NMSA, 2010)

*Educators use multiple learning and teaching strategies. Learning Approaches

I was teaching sixth graders in a southern city. It was March and one of my students came up to me and said, "We just want to play," in a desperate drone so common with middle school voices. Friday my 8th graders came in and said, "Are we playing BINGO?" I said, "Yes, do you like it?" The first response was, "Old people games!" followed by, "Yes. I hope I win! What do we get?"  We played BINGO for about twenty minutes. It served as a review.

I love the honesty of middle school students. We played a game that allowed them to practice their knowledge of expressions, equations, slopes, and functions. They used white boards to complete their work and find their answers. I had the answers written out on the back of each 3x5 card so I could turn the card over using the document camera.

I have found that my students like to sing; they like to dance; they like to color; they love drawing on the whiteboards. We need to find more ways to celebrate our content with song, dance, art, and movement.

Advice

1) Students like to play games. Games are good for students' social skills, their academic as well as their problem solving skills. There are resources on line for making games that match such traditional games as Jeopardy, Bingo, Charades, Concentration.

2) Two of my colleagues shared their experiences with Flocabulary.com which is a website that has resources for content set to songs and video. The following is a summary from my teammate.

There are many different areas to take note of when checking out the site.

Once you have viewed the videos there are several tabs at the top of the page that you can click on that will lead to much more information on the subject you have chosen to view.  For example, the Interactive Lyrics, when you open the links in the lyrics it will open a new window with facts that go with the "rhyme" for that line of the song.  

The purpose of the song is to link the rhyme with a set of facts that will trigger their memory of an event (in Social Studies).

There are also interactive quizzes or quizzes that can be printed and used, activities and other teacher resources. I am not sure how closely it relates to the Essential Standards of the 7th and 8th grade Social Studies curriculum, but the 6th grade is covered by at least 80%. The kids last year loved it and it was a great way to get them motivated to learn!

I have not looked much at the Language Arts or Science but I have looked at the Math and used it when I taught at the lower level. I just wanted to give you a little more info on this really great resource!

3) Students like to make games. Be sure to give them the opportunity to create their own games as part of lesson assessment.

15. Parents Want to Know

15. Parents Want to Know

This we believe (NMSA, 2010).

*The school actively involves families in the education of their children. Family Involvement

Parents are one of our greatest advocates for their children. We must embrace their efforts and communicate with them!

I have been contacting parents since the beginning of school. I was able to contact the parents whose emails I had during weeks 1 and 2, but that was only a small percent of them. This week I had the opportunity to engage with parents three different ways.

Individual communication: About a week ago, I said to a student, "I am thinking I need to call your parent because you don't seem to be doing what you need to do." The response was, "Do you really need to call them?" The answer is, "Yes."

Group communication: Yesterday, I gave my students a progress report that showed what I was missing from them, in case it was stuffed in some crevice of their notebook, or tucked in the classroom folder where all papers live. I was happy to recover some missing files. I told the students that I would be placing all grades in our course management system this weekend which gives parents and students access to information.

Responding to parent contact: In addition, yesterday a parent contacted the guidance office to share that his child was confused and frustrated, asking for a meeting. The parent came to school with their child. We talked about what he was doing and determined that he needed to be moved. (This week he made a 90 on his quiz! Was it the parent meeting? I called the parent to let him know how his son did. He said, "Thank you so much for letting me know.")

This is what we hope for... communication and active pursuit of helping students become successful. We need to help them become more self-reliant. We need to have systems to collect and record data, and we need our parents to be pro-active in letting us know how their children are feeling and what they need.

I think we need to find more ways to communicate with parents. The more parents are part of their child's education (Teaching them how to behave, how to get organized, how to ask for help...) the better the environment is going to be. They are the third link in the team (Children and teachers are the other two links) and need to receive information so they can provide more insight and can reinforce a focus on being successful.

How can we open these lines?

Advice

1) Parents and students need to know how the children are doing. I found a weekly progress report provides parents and students with updates of their behavior as well as their performance. Giving parents and students the opportunity to communicate about performance can be very helpful. I have several students who are now coming to my classroom at the end of the day to get extra help!!! Yahoo!!!

2) Consider creating assignments that involve parents in some way. I first asked students to teach an adult in their family specific content years ago. I found that it gives parents some insight into what their child is learning and allows them to have a conversation related to their academic performance.

3) Contact parents early. If you can get parents' emails, contact them. One of my former students shared that once a week she sent out an update of what was being taught as well as the pages that students were going to be working on. She shared that the parents loved being informed and they were able to contact her regularly via email.

4) Even if an unpleasant telephone call must be made, always remember that the focus on the conversation is to help the student be successful. When there have been conversations to check on a student, always consider giving an update to the parent.... (I spent yesterday morning re-contacting parents.) It is a good practice.

5) Finally, go to ball games. I am finding that my students' parents attend ball games. It is a perfect place to give an update, brag on their student, and give them a heads-up on what is happening next! Just today I was taking money at the ball game and met several parents of students I teach. It was fun to share with parents how much I enjoy working with their child.

14. OSHA and You.

14. OSHA and You

This we believe (NMSA, 2010).

*Health and wellness are supported in curricula, school-wide programs, and related policies. Health & Wellness

The Department of Labor houses several agencies that provide guidance and rules that establish safe and equitable work environments. And while schools are predominately the responsibility of States, most receive federal funding and so must comply with both state and federal regulations.

In 1970, Congress created the “Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to assure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education, and assistance” (OSHA website, 2015).  The seeds of OSHA were planted in the early 1900s in the US. The administration is housed in the United States Department of Labor and the Secretary of Labor is a member of the President of the United States’ cabinet. The importance of complying with OSHA is one way our country works together to ensure the safety of its work force and its children.

Because school districts receive Federal funds we, as teachers and school districts, must comply with OSHA. One of the responsibilities school districts must address is the training of all personnel on issues related to OSHA. Since being hired, I have had three sets of training modules and I am responsible for learning about health concerns of our children.

When I was hired (this past summer) I was required to review training materials on specific topics. In the first week of school, the school nurse came by to give us training on how to use allergy devices and went over known health concerns of students on our team. This week all teachers in the district were provided with links to five modules that address various health issues and possible concerns. We are required to complete these modules.

As educators we are not only responsible for the intellectual development of our students, we are also responsible for their physical safety. In every school there are safety manuals. The following topics were part of this week’s OSHA topics. 

-Asthma, Allergies and Seizures

-Blood Borne Pathogens

-Hands on Guidance for Diabetic Care

-Lice Detection

-Medication Administration

Advice

1)   Review your district’s OSHA policies; be aware and comply with them.

2)   Know who the nurse and who the first responders are in your building. Discuss the policies and be sure there is an emergency plan within your team.

3)   It may be useful to have a “designated student helper” for such things as: emergencies, and other communication needs. I have designated a boy and a girl in each period to serve as a helper for me as well as to serve as a helper for a substitute.

3., 4., & 5. Lesson Planning and Assessment 1

3., 4., & 5. Lesson Planning and Assessment 1

This we believe (NMSA, 2010).

* Curriculum is challenging, exploratory, integrative, and relevant. Challenging Curriculum

* Educators use multiple learning and teaching approaches. Multiple Learning Approaches

* Varied and ongoing assessments advance learning as well as measure it. Varied Assessments

This week I gave my first “real quiz”. (Quizzes are given every Wednesday.) We have been working on the following: evaluating expressions (If you have an expression “x + 3” and x is -4, in theory you would determine that -4 + 3 is equal to -1”); solving one and two-part equations (if the equations is 4 + y = 13, balance the equation by subtracting 4 from both sides of the equation to get y = 9; and if you had 21 = 3x + 9, you can subtract nine from both sides and then divide by 3; and finally we have been examining slope (positive, negative, zero, undefined and drawing the stairways to heaven of rise/run). So yesterday I gave the quiz. This is what I found….

	Need work on expressions	Need work on equations	Need work on slope	Need work on all three	Got it
Frequencies	7/46	7/46	25/46	15/46	18/46
Percent	15%	15%	54%	32%	39%

If you look at the numbers, hopefully what you see is that there is a large group of students (54%) who may have seen slope for the first time; or it may be the first time in a long time. It looks like about a third of the students “did not get it!” and almost 40% of the students did. Based on what we know about middle school students it is time to differentiate!! In every class there are those who were successful and those who were not.

When I was living in Gainesville, FL one of the math teachers shared a way to work with two groups, “Oh, I use groups for part of the week.” This means, that once she knew who needed what, she allowed those who “got it” to deepen their understanding, or move to the next level; and those who did not “get it” to return to the basics, or look at it again, differently. Initially, I was scared to death; but what I found (duh) is that when students are learning math on their level, they actually feel more successful, they have the chance to “get it,” and are able to move along the curriculum. Those who already get it are relieved that they do not have to drag through more of the same. The keys are to first, find out what they know. The second is to consider how to separate activities so both sets of students are engaged in meaningful work.

This week one group has been working with and extending their understanding of slope. After giving the quiz, we hit multiple ways to address slope.  Those who “got it” began working on a mathematical description of slope. All students had the opportunity to participate in some enrichment/art integration.

Advice

1)   All students learned a song “To the right, to the right is a positive….”.

2)   They also integrated an “art activity.” They folded paper into quadrants and were asked to determine the slope of the line for the following: our hallway, the flagpole, the steps up to the office, and the steps down to the soccer field. Once the slope was identified (no slope, vertical-undefined, positive, and negative) students were asked to draw/illustrate this information in the four quadrants. 

3)   Those who had difficulty with “slope” have been plotting points and drawing vertical changes and horizontal changes using colored pencils.

4)   Those who were successful with the earlier assessment were given an opportunity to compare their drawings to the mathematical formula: (change in y/ change in x).

A reflection of how it is going:

It all began with determining what they knew. A few said, “We are in the stupid group.” One of my students said, “Thank you for helping me understand this.” Those working in the higher group had some difficulty staying focused. When I worked with the higher group, some of the lower students would just sit and stare. But I believe they will learn how to work independently. I believe they will find success and be able to move along at their own pace. 

We shall see how they do on their next weekly quiz. Those who are able to determine the slope of a line based on two ordered pairs will move to exploring and analyzing equations of lines.