Tater Tots

Some of you might call your "littles" Tater Tots, but I'm speaking about actual tater tots... those delicious, crispy little nuggets of diced potatoes! I love dipping mine in ketchup, popping 'em in my mouth, and just enjoying a moment of pure fried enjoyment!!

As I stood at the register about to order me some tots, I heard a little fella ask, "Can I just get a salad?" Unfortunately the answer would be no. Why's this matter? The kid's lunch account was past due, capping out at $5 meaning a cheese sandwich, a fruit, and a milk would be his lunch until the balance was paid and a credit was put on his account, or until his family turned in the paperwork to gain "Free/Reduced Lunch" status.

The kiddo walked away from the register with food in hand and I thought, "God, I can't fix everything and I can't pay for everything, but at this moment I know You have blessed us enough for me to buy some extra tots and share!" So the sweet serving ladies scooped me up TWO servings of tots - after I informed them I needed two separate servings, I wasn't THAT hungry for tots - and off I went. I delivered the tots to the little fella, patted his head, and turned to go back to my office.

No over-the-top delivery, no moment of "here you go, sweet child... oh, thank you thank you thank you!" Nope. And NONE NEEDED. If God says He has blessed us and we are to be a blessing to others (Genesis 2:12), there is nothing more needed than the feeling from the Spirit that I obeyed that nudge at my heart, that I loved on someone today the way I felt led, and I have more than enough... my cup runneth over!



Writing Across the Grade Levels

Over the past 12 years, I have had the privilege (and responsibility) of teaching writing to students in Kindergarten, Third, and Fourth. It has been quite the learning curve for me! I don't ever remember hating writing as a child, but I do remember times in college becoming overwhelmed with writing: organizing the content, wording thoughts just right, making clear transitions! Oh, the headaches!!

During my first year of teaching (4th grade) I felt so lost with how to teach writing I literally just put writing to the side. BIG NO-NO!!!!! Less than halfway through the year, a parent commented that her child was not getting a chance to express herself through writing. This parent also happened to be a teacher - I took that comment and decided to do something with it. I signed up for a few different Writing PD's throughout the rest of that year and into the next. My knowledge of writing (stages, process, types, ...) grew and grew! Over the next few years I gained a confidence in how to teach writing to my students, from Kinders learning how to hold a pencil to 3rd graders who had so much they wanted to say but no idea where to start. Now I have a passion for writing and am absolutely THRILLED when a teacher asks me to come support her in establishing Writer's Workshop in her classroom!! <3

Attached below are a few of the resources I recently used with a Kindergarten colleague of mine who was a newbie with the littles. Fourth had been her stomping ground for a few years so she was needing some support in direction on how to effectively teach writing. We began a coaching cycle in March and have been able to meet and model/teach a few different Writer's Workshop lesson together. Although the year is coming to a close, the imprint of this coaching cycle has effected her and her instructional practices from this point forward. I can't wait to pick up again at the start of the year and watch her support and grow her garden of Kinder kiddos!!

http://www.readingrockets.org/article/how-writing-develops

http://www.ovesc.k12.oh.us/Downloads/Stages%20of%20Writing.pdf

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B24sDUhrwvJlbklaME43M3NYQnM/view

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B24sDUhrwvJlUklJUXBzU1F1cEk/view

Constructing Responses... Steps 1, 2, and 3!

It can take such effort to build a constructed response! Then, add on top of that, having to read all of the responses that your students write on weekly reading tests. Before you pull any more hair out, read on to see if there really is light at the end of the tunnel!! (HINT: there is!)  :)

I facilitated a recent PD session for all of our teachers, K-5. This followed a district PD session that involved our 3-5 Reading teachers. However, it is extremely beneficial to have our K-2 students and teachers involved in such weighty matters like creating/writing constructed responses long before it is a REQUIREMENT on a state test. So, with that being the case, I brought the (condensed) training to our teachers, no matter their grade or subject!

The following Powerpoint was used in the presentation. Leading up to the school PLC session, we videoed two teachers working on written responses: one in ELA, one in Math. After each teacher modeled and students were shown engaged in the process on the video, the staff applied their new knowledge to an activity to "try it out" themselves. We used the story Cinderella and used a very basic graphic organizer to aid in the building of our constructed responses. Three teachers shared their final CR with the group, each one having their own different twist but ALL having similar pieces including a solid claim statement (the question turned around and finished as a claim), and two pieces of text evidence to support their claim.

Constructing Written Responses

Written Responses

This was a very effective PLC and many staff members from different grades enjoyed the presentation and modeling. Although this took place in April, it was still an effective stepping stone to opening up doors and beginning conversations that will help us further our instruction in the fall!

Meaningful Small Group Instruction

After analyzing data in a specific grade, it was determined that individual students needed more support from their teachers at their instructional level. Through classroom observations, the need to revise small group instruction became a focus for me. I worked with two novice teachers in rebuilding and reorganizing small group instruction to fit the needs of their students as well as keep the focus on growing readers and increasing the volume of reading.

Using the Wonders curriculum, I created an organizer that would help the teachers effectively sort through skill practice and reading instruction on a daily (and weekly) basis. Some highlights of this plan included the first few minutes of small group being used for a review/independent level task like reading decodables from earlier in the school year. This allowed for practice of partner reading. Then, skill practice took place focusing on scaffolded support as needed for the different small groups. Each small group meeting wrapped up with about 5-7 minutes in their leveled text. I became aware of "Close Reading" packets provided by Wonders to support the teachers when using the weekly Level Readers. These packets were provided to the teachers and used on three different days during small groups.

Through modeling, reflection, and observation, the teachers were able to adopt these small group reading plans in their classrooms. One teacher took this opportunity to really grow with a stronger focus on reading instruction, time in text, and independent reading levels. She adapted the plan a bit to fit her personal instructional style.

This was one of the most meaningful long-term coaching cycles that I was a part of this school year. Much reflection was done on my part in how to effectively communicate with these teachers, offer the right amount of support without taking over a process, and allow for individual adaptation and change on a process while keeping to the main purpose!

Small Group weekly plan

Coaching Cycle Organizers

Purposeful Planning: Know Where You Are Going!

Purposeful planning is something that we have been encouraging our teachers to do, making sure they know where they are headed with their instruction and why they are heading that way. To support that effort, I created a planning chart for our Kindergarten teachers to use. At the beginning of the third quarter, one teacher had approached me with the concern of pacing out the next quarter's standards per the district report card.

Hearing her concern, I sought support from another district IC who focuses on the primary grades. Through that conversation, I determined the use of an organizer would benefit us in planning math standards and instructional pacing.

For the first planning event, we laid out all the major standards that would introduced to students in the third quarter, paced out by the report card. Then we used the Investigations guide to determine which units have/will hit on those standards. Next, we determined at what level of mastery the standards were taught using Investigation and what, if any, additional instruction or resources needed to be pulled to meet the standard and fine-tune instruction for the students' sake.

We repeated this same process for the last quarter of the school year. More teachers took part in the process the second time around. There was more ownership and awareness due to such purposeful planning. It is my goal to continue such planning into the next school year so teachers continue to know where they are headed, why they are headed that way, and how/what instruction and supports will be utilized.

Kindergarten Math Plan

Read Across RES!

Knowing that Read Across America was fast approaching, I offered my support to make this event a success at our school. Having not been here for the celebration in years past, I sought out advice from previous organizers. I determined that a week-long celebration would increase participation and excitement for reading, supporting our school's new initiative to increase the volume of reading!

I planned out different events and activities for the week including morning trivia, an online read-aloud to support the theme of the day, an activity (directed drawing, coloring bookmark, etc.), and drawing for free books for students who read 100 minutes or more during the week.

Weekly Plans - Teacher Version

We even had a photo booth with Dr. Seuss-inspired props!

On Wednesday we had guest readers from across our city come and read to our students! Following the reading, the guests enjoyed a complimentary brunch to thank them for their time.

We had a wonderful week celebrating reading! I am already looking forward to this event in 2017.

Reader's Oath

Bookmarks

100 Minutes of Reading

100-minute Slips

Turn It Up!!

Recently our school took on the initiative to "Increase the Volume of Reading!" I am very excited about this!!! Having earned my M.Ed. in Reading, and watching Kindergarten students enter school with ZERO reading experience and leaving that year fluently reading C and D-level stories, this made my heart jump.

Reading for enjoyment is something I do often. Now, it's not as often as I'd like! But cuddling up on my cozy chair with my blanket and a warm cup of Joe ready to dive into a new Christian-fiction or a Bible study/devotional, even a Juvenile fiction chapter book or a professional learning book... now that sounds marvelous to me! (hmmm, I think I might do that as soon as I get home tonight)  ;)

Knowing that we can't just talk the talk but we have to walk the walk, I knew it would benefit our grade levels to do some mini-PLC's to pair up with the initiative. So I started with Second Grade!! I pulled some of articles that were easy reads and a few pages that highlighted how important effective instruction is for our students' achievement. About a week prior to the mini-PLC, the Reading teachers were given the articles and asked to read through them, noting any comments or questions in the margins.

The day of our mini-PLC, those teachers who came prepared with their articles and notes added much to our discussion about increasing the volume of reading. They shared out what practices they currently use like reading the weekly story as a whole class. Another mentioned how A.R. has really helped some students buckle down and get into books. They stated the value of the Z.P.D. range in guiding children in checking out books in their independent reading level.

We wrapped up the session by coming up with little additions that could be done to further increase the time our students are in texts throughout each school day. One teacher mentioned adding in Read to Self as a center option. Another one mentioned having a blocked out time each day for books - reading by one's self and/or reading with a partner. We took these ideas down and determined that the time we put into adding more "reading" time to our day, the better readers our students will become.

Though these practices are great ideas, it is extremely important that we take action! Ideas are just that... ideas. Until they are taken down off the shelf and used in with our students, we will never know the value and impact our ideas might have.

So pull down that reading idea, dust it off, and turn it up!!!!!!!! Sing with me!

Increasing the Volume agenda

Increasing the Volume engagement card

Ten Minutes More!

http://textproject.org/library/frankly-freddy/what-s-silent-reading-got-to-do-with-it/

Being the Most Effective IC Possible!

Recently I had the privilege of getting some face-time with the wonderful Mrs. Leigh Hudon! She is our Regional Coach and I could not feel more spoiled for having some focused time to work with her on our school's initiative: Increase the Volume of Reading.

During her almost-weeklong visit, we worked on researching ways to increase "time in text, time on tongue" with two specific classrooms (First Grade and Fifth Grade). We went into the classrooms and took observational notes. Next, we regrouped to discuss what we observed regarding time spent in texts. Then, we offered support through modeling with the First Grade classroom. Our focus points were: partnering up to read, preparing to read a text together, and different ways we can partner read. The students did an outstanding job of pairing up to read the text that we provided them (a very simple decodable).

Though this task took us two days (observing, then modeling and supporting with follow-up feedback), we spent some time reading research articles and discussing a plan on how to effectively utilize two Instructional Coaches across an elementary school ranging from Kindergarten to Fifth Grade, approximately 800 students! The following plan was developed. The intention was to allow an IC to focus in on a few grades, taking on the responsibility of communicating any new knowledge or passing on updates to all team members. Also, Coaching Cycles would take place within this range of grades, too. This will allow for more consistency and more of a dialed-in focus.

Since instituting this school-wide IC plan, I have been a more effective Instructional Coach to Kindergarten through Second Grade teachers. I have attended the majority of grade level meetings, offered a few different mini-PLC's to fit their needs, and made it my goal and purpose to visit, observe, support, and model in different classrooms in these grades. This has truly turned out to be a very effective plan in my opinion! It has provided me with more focus and purpose and I have grown as an educator and support to my teachers because of it.

School-wide IC Plan

The New, The Improved... SCIENCE STANDARDS!

For the 2016-2017 school year, our students will be working towards mastery of the new Science standards. Alabama's Science standards are very similar to the NextGen standards, but there's a bit of different wording. So we felt it was necessary to do some unpacking of the standards with our staff.

After attending a few of the AMSTI Science meetings, we pulled our resources to develop an hour-long presentation that would provide our teachers with insight and some understanding as to what the new standards are and how they progress through the years. This was a vital piece - what is taught in Kindergarten begins the foundation for First, Second, Third, and so on.

As the PD session got underway, we could tell some teachers were quite confused as to why so much of the current "science" was removed and replaced with what seemed vague guidance. One point we tried to continue to reiterate to them was the value of seeing these standards connect over the years. The other major point was that we are not focusing on one topic like the butterfly lifecycle. Now, we will be looking at patterns of living things and the greater impact that has on our world.

The Powerpoint below was created with the purpose of passing on information to our teachers in hopes of helping them begin to understand the new Science standards and make possible connections to aid in the bridging of knowledge for all stakeholders involved: teachers, parents, and students!

Understanding the Science Standards ppt

 

 

Standards organizer