April 8, 2016

Curriculum Connections...

Happy Friday to everyone after one of the LONGEST weeks ever with the untimed NYS ELA testing grades 3, 4 & 5. I don't really have the words to describe it but I can honestly say that I was exhausted at the end of each day just as a result of watching the kids work during the test. They worked so hard and were so set on doing their best that some of the children literally spent the entire day trying to construct the perfect short or extended responses. If nothing else, their stamina and perseverance really impressed me. Thank you all for helping our kids get through that challenging experience - from the classroom teachers, to the teacher aides to the specialists who administered the tests to Lisa and Maureen who processed the tests to Pam who came in early each day to help me package and distribute the tests... this was a real school-wide effort and in the end, our kids made us really proud!     

Unfortunately, state testing continues... next week is the Math test on Wednesday, Thursday & Friday, which means that some services will be cancelled and many rooms will be used for testing. As mentioned in previous emails, I am asking that we start testing promptly at 9am (if you are testing a child with accommodations, please pick them up by 8:50am) so that we can informally take a school-wide "break" 90 minutes later so we can assess how many children still need more time due to the untimed nature of the tests this year.  

Also, all of the children OPTING OUT will be supervised in the Library where they will be encouraged to read, write or draw quietly - no massive hangout! The children will be supervised by the same amazing team of aides who supervised this week - thank you all for keeping things quiet and keeping the kids engaged!

Please make sure you review all scheduling changes for next week so we are all where we are supposed to be at the right time! 

One of the things I have been thinking a lot about over the last several weeks is this notion of innovation and progressive approaches in education. While often times these terms get commingled with current trends or the presence of technology, the more I think about it and the more I watch what we do at Cantiague, the more I realize that if we want to be innovative and progressive in our practices, we have to keep it simple. 

Yes, while it is great to incorporate concepts such as Writing Workshop, Reading Workshop, STEAM, Genius Hour and Maker Space, the thing that makes these "innovative" approaches successful and sustainable is a solid foundation rooted in best practices. For example, Genius Hour will only have sustainability if we can help children find and unleash their genius and passions but that is not about Genius Hour; instead, that is about a shift in practice so that school focuses more on students and learning than the adults and teaching and that is something we have accomplished here at Cantiague. We have amplified and empowered student voice and pushed our children to refine their thinking so that they are taking on more ownership of their learning (they are also doing that in reading workshop through book clubs and writing workshop through passion based research and in other parts of the curriculum). So yea, Genius Hour is a current "sexy" trend but its sustainability and longevity goes far deeper than labeling a period as Genius Hour once a week and letting kids do research; it is about a shift in practice and philosophy and culture; it is about empowering kids letting them guide their learning. In the end, that is best practice because we know that kids learn best when they are doing - not when they are just passively listening.

It is this work that I am most proud of here at Cantiague. We have gone beyond the trend to the deepest roots where best practices live but at the same time we have also harnessed the power of the current trends to engage our children on a different level. Thank you all for making innovation and progressive practices a reality at Cantiague by keeping it simple!   :)
   

#EDUWINS for the week included...

• Loved watching Carolyn's kids enjoying the various #MakerSpace resources from Dash to the Lincoln Logs to the Tinker Toys! Not only were the kids clearly having a blast and were highly engaged but their collaboration throughout the entire experience was so inspiring! They were being creative and clearly thinking outside of the box... that is what makes us #Cantiague! AWESOMENESS!!     

• Spending time in Jen's room during literacy centers/stations - all the kids were getting what they needed. Some kids were working individually on the iPads doing some word work while the small groups were working on everything from spelling to writing mechanics! Jen does such an impressive job making Fundations... FUN through a centers approach! BRAVO!

• Got to hang out in Meryl's room while she prepared the children to go on a math themed QR code scavenger hunt throughout the classroom. The focus was elapsed time but she took what is a pretty straightforward (and sometimes boring) concept and made it exciting and engaging for the kids by incorporating the QR codes and creating different word problems scattered throughout the classroom - impressive!   

Tech Tip of the Week...
Instead of the typical tech tip, this week I had to share this hysterical video of Jimmy Fallon and Melissa McCarthy engaged in a lip sync battle, which is HYSTERICAL (if you can't watch it all - go to minute 6 and watch Melissa in action)...

Blogs Worth Reading...

What Do Great MakerSpaces have In Common? by Laura Fleming

6 Playful Learning Games from the Toy Fair by Matthew Farber

12 Common Reasons Kids Don't Read And What We Can Do About It by Terry Heick 


Staff Reflection/Blog...
Our latest post comes from Ann Marie from our LC Team - this is an important piece about listening to kids... 

I believe the best thing I can do as a teacher is to listen to my students. It sounds simple, but I have found that listening carefully to students – instead of relying solely on my own instincts and training to guide my teaching process – is a constant challenge. I sometimes feel so strongly about wanting a certain outcome for a student, or even for one of my own children that I have to remind myself to ask them what they want or need. I have learned this the hard way. My fourth-grade son is a diabetic, and after months of giving him 6 to 8 insulin injections every day, I was determined to put him on a diabetic pump that would limit the need for needles. Once he was approved for the pump, he went through a week of acclimation, during which he wore the device around-the-clock while it dispensed a placebo of saline. I was so excited at the prospect of him having an easier insulin process that I failed to see how this new life change was impacting him. He was upset, he was sad, and he was having serious second thoughts. I wasn’t observing his feelings or listening to his concerns, certain that the pump was the best course for him. At the end of the trial week, we went to his doctor to transition the pump to insulin. I was shocked when my son suddenly told me that he didn’t want it. Worse, I thought his perspective was silly. How could he – how could anyone – want constant injections instead of a pump? I was so sure he would change his mind that I told the doctor we should proceed – just so my son could live one day without needles and see what it would be like. But as he sat there with tears running down his face, the doctor gave us both the answer we needed: “Look at your son, and listen to him. He is not ready.”  And he wasn’t. 

This was a valuable lesson for me both as a mother and a teacher, and I think of it frequently in the classroom. As teachers, we are often excited to advance a student, but these feelings can cloud our ability to watch and listen, and they can prevent us from seeing where our students are emotionally and academically.  Because of this, I try to emphasize advancing my students incrementally, letting them guide the schedule by showing signs of readiness.

I am currently working with one of my students to cultivate a love for reading. The root of this process is to build confidence. It is difficult to reach a student when their confidence is low. The first key to building confidence in reading is to create a safe environment that fosters positivity. I do this by offering exciting reading materials that are tailored to the student’s interests. Interesting topics are critical - when you have a student who is both intelligent and mature, “Sit, Spot, Sit” is not going to fly! I addressed this by creating a book with his input. He chose the topic, and I selected words that were familiar to him, and thus a new superhero book was born. I then made a trip to Barnes & Noble where I was happy to find super hero readers that were aligned with his level and had really cool pictures. I was thrilled when my very mature little student assured me that my purchase was not a ”baby book.”

In addition to providing interesting content, I try to create an atmosphere that makes my student believe that he is a true scholar of reading and writing. One way I accomplish this is to consistently track his progress so he can clearly see what he has accomplished thus far. We have started reading and writing with A to Z reading materials. We preview each book in school, revisit unfamiliar words, and then we re-read, using the “I read/you read” method. The repetition helps the student to avoid making the same mistakes the second time around, increasing his confidence and setting him up for success. I also offer incentives for progress. Each time he reads the book, he gets a sticker. Once he is confident he can read the book at school, I involve the family. I ask him to take the book home to read it to each family member, exposing him to the benefit of different responses and praise from a larger group, all of which continues to build his confidence in reading. Again, for each time he reads the book at home, he gets a sticker. If he reads the book 10 times, at the end of the week he gets a prize. 

Lastly, I offer support with tried-and-true strategies that many of the teachers at Cantiague use. These include reading power, picture power, first letter power, and so many more. Together, these strategies are encouraging consistent progress and hopefully helping this student to gain not just a better reading skill but a lifelong love of reading that will influence his life.

SCHEDULE OF THE WEEK... 

Monday, April 11
"A" Week
Happy Monday!

Tuesday, April 12 

FEO cancelled
Recess Minecraft Club

Wednesday, April 13

Day 1 Math State Testing
Shared Decision Making Team Mtg @ 3pm
Incoming Kindergarten Family Orientation @ 7pm

Thursday, April 14

Day 2 Math State Testing
CST @ 1:20pm
Jericho HS Hall of Fame at the JPL @ 7pm  

Friday, April 15

Happy TGIF!
Day 3 Math State Testing

Reminders... 

• Don't forget to implement lessons from our Digital Citizenship Curriculum... access it here!
• Our next whole staff FEO will be Tues. April 19th - featuring time to plan for Innovation Day & other logistics! 
• Innovation Day is coming on May 19th! Click here to check out the plan from last year... feel free to use the same plan or change it up! 
• State testing is next week so remember...
• Review all scheduling changes;
• Library will be closed on the mornings of testing to house the kids opting out;
• Review all the test modifications and the people assigned to administer them - they must be administered correctly!
• There should be a break 90 minutes into testing to assess how the kids are doing.
• Teachers in Gr. 3, 4 & 5 should give kids some down time each day after the testing!