Sharing

This month we are sharing some sites that we are using in our classes beyond Classroom suite.

We are using Raz kids during literacy time as well as for home reading.

We use Tumble Books and Epic for some read to us books during recess time.

My class has been using code.org to do hour of code.  My class loves being able to use this coding platform. 

My students are continuing to enjoy ABC.ya as well.

Updates with the SET Project

 So November flew by and here I am facing only 16 days of December!  We started our month with a visit from Scott, who came by to say hi and offer support.   Thanks again Scott for all the great feedback!
As the month has wound down, I thought I would do a little right now update for the project.

What I'm seeing:  the students really enjoy using the technology.

What I'm hearing:  thankfully, nothing.  The sounds from the laptops were driving me slowly crazy, but when I introduced the earbuds my sanity was restored.

What I'm thinking;  that I want to get the laptops out for other things.  The kiddos are getting bored with CS right now.

What surprised me this month:  how helpful they are with each other and how most of them "tell" rather than "do" when they are helping.

What I'm feeling:  I'm feeling like I want to try to get them managing the storage and movement of the laptops.  I know that I need to teach the expectations very clearly and just let go, but the machines are worth so much money...

This is my earbud storage, and it's working out really well.  I've used this in the past and keep the containers from year to year.  I got them at the dollar store and just run them through a dish washer when the year is over. 

SMART Learning

On October 21st, we had our first Professional Development day.  I have a friend who has been using SMART Reading for a number of years and loves it.  She and some other teachers from my district decided to run a 4 part workshop to introduce more teachers to SMART.

SMART Learning is what it is called now and it was created and developed by a BC teacher named Susan Close.  She has been working on and revising these ideas for decades, but there is no printed resource to support it.  Yet.   There are workshops and in-services held all over the place that you can attend, and you can find more information here.  I personally have heard of her over the years, but because of the time and cost investments, have not gone to any out of district workshops.  I like to know what I'm getting myself into first.

When Angela told me that her and the English Language Arts LSA were working on bringing something to our district that I could attend on my Pro D days, I decided that I would finally check it out.  I was not disappointed.  Through the course of the day I began to get a little more clearer idea of what SMART is about.  The morning started off with presentation from all four ladies about how they use it and why they think it's great.  They had student testimonials, quotes and stories from their experiences, which was nice to hear, but I was waiting for the "meat" of it.  I appreciated the way they took us through a "sequence"- this is what Susan calls the series of lessons- from beginning to end and had us experience it as a student.  They had to shorten and compress the sequence but it gave me a really good grasp of what to do.  Best thing was they gave us materials to go back and do a sequence with our classes.  It was even leveled appropriately for our different grade levels!  (This makes me more willing to try something when I don't have to put in the extra time to make it grade level appropriate)

Overall, I enjoyed my day.  It was a full 6 hours and by 3pm, my brain was aching, but when I walked away and was able to process the information, I found lots that was relevant. 

Morning Centres

Another new thing I've started this year, is having morning centers instead of morning work.  I'd started this at the end of last year because I wanted to give the kiddos more time to explore with magnets during our unit.  It was a big hit and I was amazed at all the conversations that I was hearing!  So this year I've started right away with it.  I've been using patterning materials, flash cards, games, sight words, Power of Ten cards and fairy tale masks for some drama play.  It was a great way to introduce the first literacy centers that I wanted them to learn and when it was time to start rotations, they already knew what to do!

A couple of drawbacks are that it takes them a little longer to get ready for carpet time and of course it is a little noisier than when they were doing paper pencil tasks.  Also, I need to have a bigger collection of "things" around the classroom as I don't want them to get bored with centers.  I try to have the morning choices be different than the rotation centers so that they don't get bored.  Next week I'm going to put out some building centers and some colouring/drawing options. 

Working with the laptops

So in the last post about the laptops, I outlined this great plan that I'd decided on.  Well on the day of, I decided to scrap the plan and just go for it.  I put all the computers out on the desks, assigned kiddos to a computer and we all went through how to turn on the machines, how to go to Classroom Suite and how to access student assignments.

I was so surprised at how smoothly it all went!  They were pretty patient and took turns really nicely and it all went really well.

Today, I pulled out the laptops during math rotations and had it in for two of the

centers, so all the students would get a chance to do the first 2 assignments that I'd put in their file.  Most of them remembered how to turn on the machine and get into their files with very minimal help from me!  I was so excited to see that.  While half the class was using the technology, the other half was working on  an interactive journal page or patterning blocks.  When the students finished with two assignments, they logged off and switched places with their partners.  I had to do very little reminding or helping.

One thing I will have to work on is the timing.  They were finished the assignments way quicker than I'd imagined, so I will have to make sure that the tasks are a little more involved and/or there are extra assignments for them to do. 

Flexible Seating So Far

I was surprised at how easily the kiddos have adjusted to the flexible seating options in our classroom.  I've had quite a few comments from parents about how relaxed and friendly it seems and other staff members peek in to ask questions and see how it's going.

So far there has been no fighting over seating options.  I have had a few kids choose the balls ALL the time, but after a reminder that others want to use them too, they have started moving a bit more.  It does make me think that maybe I want to include another grouping of the balls.  I'd also like to get a few beanbag chairs to have available, but right now space is a

bit of an issue.  I do have a bench that I am refinishing at home to include in the mix, but I'm not in a rush right now, as I have enough places for all the kiddos to be.  The bench allows the students to sit on the floor and have a surface and a group to be with.  One of my students from last year has asked where it is.  It is a fine line between having lots of options and too many options.  I also don't like to have a very crowded space and all of these things need take up real estate in the room.
A really popular space is this one.  It is supposed to be for the listening center, but someone is always in the chairs reading or sometimes visiting. 










I store the mats in this blue bucket I found at Walmart, and stack the cushions next to it.  Chairs are stacked at the end of the day at the front of the room, balls go on top in frisbees and the wobble chairs are turned so the flat surface is on the desk.  The kiddos have been much better at clean up lately, which makes my life way easier. 

Classroom Suite Inquiry Project

This year I am excited to be a part of an Inquiry project with SET BC using Classroom Suite as part of my math program.   I was involved in a collaboration group with other teachers from my school looking at math and ways to improve number sense across the grades.  This project will enable me to continue with the work I have already started.

Today was our first meeting. We all called in from our different sites and after a few technical difficulties, we got started.  It was nice to be able to connect with everyone again, and hear about how the school start up went for everyone.  It also helped bring my stress level down when I heard that not every one is up and running.

This was my work station in the board room at the district office.

I spent most of the morning remembering how to navigate Classroom Suite and making a list of tasks I want to accomplish with the laptops before I get them into the hands of the kiddos.   As much as I like tech, I'm still a paper and pencil kinda girl, so I was busy scribbling while listening to the chatter and questions.

I think my first step will be to introduce my class to the laptops and get the kiddos comfortable with them.  I'm not expecting this to take very long, as I did an little survey in my room and all of the kids have some level of tech know-how.  I will go into Classroom Suite and use my projector to show them what I'm doing.  I've noticed that there is a little pause in the instructions that they will need to have patience for.

In the back end, I will be creating the groups for the computers and making sure that there is no over-lap, I'd like to have the students working on the computers by themselves if possible, by the end of October.  My first goal is to have them working with the tools for math to start (my inquiry is around math), but have the laptops integrated into other subjects as well.  I have noticed that I have many reluctant writers in my class this year, and I know I could hook them with writing on the computer... still working out what that's going to look like.  I have a number of activities that I have ready to transfer to the other laptops, so that's what I'll be working on this week.

My district tech Principal allowed me to re-purpose a cabinet that was already in my room. This is what it looks like.  The key stays with me, not in a desk or anything and I keep it locked at all times.

I am going to be stacking them 2 high, as you can see.  Once I get all the charging cords in place, I will update the picture.  I'm sure it's going to look like a hot mess!

We are up and running!

So how does October always sneak up on me?  It feels like I just got my new class yesterday!  My new kiddos are doing really well with routines and settling in nicely.  This year I have a 1 and 2 split with 4 ones and 19 twos. 
Starting with flex seating this year has gone much better than I expected.  The kids are pretty used to all the seating options and move to different spots throughout the day.  I do have a few kids that choose the ball seating, but don't do well with it.  I have been over the expectations for that area, but they are just not ready for it.  Just yesterday, I turned around to see one of the students doing a superman move on a ball instead of getting his journal written!  He'll have to wait a while for another chance.

Just as I put the finishing touches on my Autumn art board in the hall, it snowed.  It no longer looks like Autumn around here.

The kiddos have been having a blast in the snow though.  We don't often get snow that's wet enough to pack, so there are tons of snow men and snow forts all over the school yard.  You can hear the swish of snow pants as they rush down the hall during  break times.

Our school is in the middle of a renovation on our air system and it's put a few kinks into my plans.  I was all set to get my students into the computer lab as soon as our class list was finalized, but they took it apart!  So my kiddos are not as ready as I'd wanted for the new tech that is coming into our class.  So plan B....

Genius Hour

I know what you're thinking, this was a "thing" a few years ago, but as I revealed recently, I am not an early adopter!  I have been wanting to try Genius Hour for about 5 years and actually approached a colleague to get his class involved.  He said no.  I was teaching grade 2 at the time, and needed support with tech and just extra people.  I thought it would be a great opportunity for grade 7's to get involved with younger students, but the teacher said no.  This time, I really tried to sell it, offering to do all the planning and setup as well as the training of his class.  His friend advised against it and so I was sunk before I started. 

So now, because of new curriculum and the buzz about project based learning, I'm going to try again.  I have been reading some blogs and other resources that I have found online.  My principal is really excited about the idea and other staff actually seem interested.  So this coming school year I'm going to start Genius Hour or something along those lines.  Project based learning where the focus is really what ever the student wants to learn about.  I don't know all the particulars yet, but I am working on it.  I think this will just have to be one of those things that I just jump into and try it out. 

So far, this is what I have planned:
-Introduce PBL at the beginning of the year to parents and students. 
-Do a learning project on a topic as a class, something like dogs or cats, and teach them different ways to show their learning.  A practice run.
-Get others involved, parents, older students other staff.
-Start in November(?) with the practice and then January(?) with the project they do themselves.

I still have to look at organization, what I want to teach them during the practice and a few other details.  That's what August is for!

Flex Seating #3- What I learned

So what did I learn from this whole experience?  A lot!

The kids transitioned really well from my desk groups to the flex seating options.  There were of course, some items that were highly sought after, but mostly they solved the issues themselves.  One of the options, the wiggle stool, was something that many kids wanted to use.  I am going to work on getting more of those next year. 

Surprisingly, the bench-as-a-desk was very popular!  I thought that would be the one left out, but nope!  The kids in this class loved sitting on the floor.  At any given time, there were 4 or 5 on the carpet with clipboards, sitting on cushions at the bench and the kneeling at desks was really popular too.  I may lower another set of desks so that more of them can kneel.  I am also going to add some lap desks for kids that don't want to lay on the carpet have another option.

The exercise balls were popular, but I'm not sure for the right reasons. This was one space where I had to monitor more often.  It was very usual to have students bouncing on them, or rolling around on them, neither very conducive to good working time, especially when they are calling out "look at this!"  Was this because they didn't have enough time with them?  I guess we'll see next year. 

I have a list of things that I want to add for next year too.  I would like more wiggle stools, a couple more bath mats and some lap desks.  I am looking at these  from Ikea.  I have one at home and it's great.  I'm thinking about a yoga mat or two, but we'll see.

I also have to work on some organizational things for next year.  I had to move some things around and I have to look at where things need to be and what needs to go.  As a primary teacher, I have different centers I take out at different times of the year and as the need arises.  I can't keep them all in my room anymore, because my room just doesn't have the storage that I had at my old school.

So overall, I'm glad that I went ahead with the experiment.  The kids liked it and so did I.  It pulled me out of a system that I'd been using for about 4 years (and it worked) and made me rethink some things.  I like that. 

Flex Seating #2

So the students walked in on Monday morning and oohed and ahhed over everything.  I had talked to them about it the Friday before, but as little kids have a hard time remembering the recent past, they were still really surprised.  Some of the comments I heard were "It's so cool!"  "It feels so relaxing in here" "There's so much space!"  and lots of other positive stuff.  I was thrilled!  I let them explore for a few minutes and then I called a class meeting.  We talked about expectations and I ran through all the different options that they had to do work.  Moving around the classroom is not a problem for my kids, as I do a lot of center work and they know what to do and how to act during these times. 

When we moved to work spaces, it went much more smoothly that I imagined it would.  They quickly chose a spot and there was no arguing.  I had made it clear that everyone would get to try everything over the next couple of days.  Through the day I kept track of where people were and tried to make sure that they moved through all the options.  For the most part, it worked.  After the initial trial I didn't worry about it, as they moved themselves around easily and I only had to intervene with a couple of kiddos. 

Here's what it looked like in action:

In my next post, I'll talk about what I learned from the whole experience.

Flexible Seating #1

A couple of years ago, I read about flexible seating.  I thought it was very interesting and tried to imagine it in a primary classroom.  Most of the examples I was reading about were in high school settings and they looked amazing!  Couches, lamps and coffee tables; it looked like a living room.  Other examples I saw had wide open spaces and different table configurations.  For a while I thought about it, and then put it away.  No one I knew was doing it, no one knew what I was talking about and I lost interest, honestly.  It seemed unattainable and with the class I had at the time, there was no way I could introduce something like that and stay sane. 

Fast forward to 2016, and now flex seating is everywhere!  People in my district are muttering about it and some teachers are actually trying it in elementary schools!  My interest was reignited and I started to think about the changes I could make in my own class.  I had watched my friend Angela Gatt, from Fun in Fourth, do the switch at Spring Break and decided I would jump in.  It was June.  Many people thought I was crazy to try something at the end of the school year.  I thought I was crazy to start something like this at the end of the year, but when I sat down and really thought about it, I had many good reasons to do it.

1.  No time like the present- I'd already waited for so long, and really you don't know what will work until you do it.
2.  The kids were already antsy anyway, giving them something to concentrate on other than the calendar would be a good thing.
3.  The kids know that routines, know where everything is and were able to adapt to small changes in routing with ease.
4.  I was excited about it.

So one Sunday morning, I called Ang and I went to Walmart.  I had a cart filled with stuff and met her at my school.  I knew what I wanted to do, but I wanted her opinion and experience to back me up.  I didn't leave the school until after 5 that day, but when I did, I was energized.
Here's what it looked like:

-I kept two table groups of 4 just as they were
-I took the extension legs right out of the tables in one group
the brown table has exercise balls to sit on
-4 desks were by themselves
-4 desks were in the hall
-I scrounged a bench from the gym and had cushions on the floor for them to sit on and use the bench as a writing surface.
-1 group of desks were raised as high as they could go for a standing option.

So for options I had:
-1 wiggle stool
-kneeling
-sitting on cushions
-standing
-laying on the carpet with clip boards
-regular desks and chairs
-desks in the hall

The reactions of the kids on Monday morning was awesome!  They walked around looking at everything and loved it!

Blog Resurrection

It's been a very long time since I used this space, but it's been a very long time since I've had the energy or want to use it too.

Things have changed since I've posted last:
- I had the most challenging class I've ever had
- there was a strike
- I moved schools
- I taught grade one
- I taught a split 1 and 2
- new curriculum was introduced
- I have tried flexible seating
- My application for an inquiry project was accepted.

So much has happened in the last 2 years, but I'm not going to recap that.  Exciting things are going to be happening this coming year and I feel refreshed and excited about teaching again.