Assigning independent reading seems to be one of the most controversial aspects of teaching English. Almost daily I see teachers asking about how much time to give for in-class reading and how to keep students accountable while they read. If you have read either of Donalyn Miller’s books about cultivating a reading culture to encourage and engage students with independent reading you’d know she believes this is the answer to making students readers.
While I find her ideas to be helpful I also find them to be mostly good on paper. After teaching three different grade levels and incorporating her ideas for establishing a reading culture I have found the truth is that not all kids are going to find reading enjoyable.
And that’s ok.
This is probably a very unpopular opinion, but in my experience, as both a middle school and high school English teacher I find that not every kid experiencing a rich reading classroom will transform into the readers we aspire for them to be. Yes, I have had a number of students over the years enter my classroom as self-proclaimed reading haters only to graduate as reading lovers. One particular former student’s mother with whom I am now good friends with still introduces me as the teacher who turned her son into a reader. It happens.
So if it’s possible to transform kids into readers it’s also possible that some kids are just not going to take to being readers. However, they are still going to be accountable for showing they have mastered the reading standards of their grade level.
Accountability
Gone are the days of teaching books. Yes, you read that correctly. It’s not books that we teach, it’s students. Skills for reading fiction can be mastered through any text. Some texts cater to specific skills more explicitly or implicitly, depending on what we need. However, skills can be modeled and practiced with any text. This is why allowing students to practice their reading skills through independent reading is appropriate. These tasks can also be used for formative assessments and keep kids accountable for their reading.
As soon as grade 4 students are exposed to the concept of theme. They are also expected to describe in depth a character’s thoughts, words, and actions in detail. When I have helped students to identify these aspects of a story I teach the acronym STEAL to help students remember how to find the characterization and trace how these show a theme. Between these two points of a story include setting details and of course learning new vocabulary words within context.
Combining all of these rounds out the reading literature standards. They also ask students to deeply engage in any given story.
Standardized Test Practice
For three years I sat on the Ohio content area AIR test committee. Basically, this was a group of teachers who read through the assessment questions analyzing how well the question appropriately evaluated a student’s skill of each standard.
Spending hours upon hours staring at test questions helped me to see how I needed to have my own students engaging with fictional texts.
First, I noticed that language for the questions comes directly from the standards. While this may seem a little obvious I would be willing to bet there are a number of fourth-grade teachers who probably only refer to the theme as the lesson. It’s important to expose students to the words being used in the standards, especially the ones in parentheses. These are not off-limits.
Reading Response Handouts
When I created these reading response worksheets I looked specifically at each grade levels’ standards that ask students to show their skills of understanding characterization, setting, theme and how all of these interact with each other.
At each grade level, the understanding of how these elements show up in a story becomes more sophisticated as students should master these skills. In grade four students begin by identifying and describing what they read. This leads to comparing and contrasting characters and events in grade five. Then digging deeper into character response with grade six and finally grades seven and eight ask students to notice how characters move the plot forward.
There are several ways that teachers can use these questions. For starters, these can be a great introduction for students who struggle with these concepts. Because each of these sheets is grade-level specific teachers can use them to help scaffold these reading skills. As students master each level they can move on to the next, or start where they are.
These questions can also be used as a means of formative assessment.
Start by teaching students about characterization and how to use the STEAL acronym to identify how authors develop their characters. Asking students to read with an author’s lense is one of the key aspects for helping students answer standardized test questions.
Next teachers will need to give their classes a chance to practice these concepts with a short story. Personally, I love a good Ray Bradbury story for strong character development and theme. Once students have an understanding and examples of question answers allow them to answer through independent texts.
For struggling readers, small group situations may help them better grasp the concepts. Providing opportunities to discuss possible answers is another great way to scaffold this material.
You can find these reading response worksheets along with the characterization slide deck mini-lesson in my Teachers Pay Teachers store. There is also a slide deck that can help you translate this practice into test questions and how to help students answer these questions.
So many books, so little time. This is my mantra. It is very rare for me to read a book more than once unless of course, I’m using that book in class and then it’s likely I’ve read it 10 times. When it comes to professional books with teaching ideas and strategies I generally rely on my sticky notes or marginal notes to help me use what I’ve read.
Then there are those professional books that are worth reading over and over again. Sometimes it’s necessary to read cover to cover all over again. Maybe it’s been a few years since reading it for the first time or maybe it was something you used for a while but a new initiative took you a different direction and now you want to go back.
Taking on a new position in a new district with a new grade level has me reading and learning like I’m back in grad school. Revisited some of my most beloved professional books not only reminds me of the great ideas I once used but also reignites my teaching passion.
Here are a few professional books that I continue to go back to over and over again. Even when I’ve read and highlighted the heck out of them, there is still something that sparks an idea or reminds me of something I used to do that I should bring back or sometimes I read something new I didn’t remember noticing before.
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Shake Up Learning by Kasey Bell
About the time Kasey published this book I had stumbled upon her website. So I was consuming everything she was writing and sharing as quickly as I could. When she asked for readers to join her book launch team I was all in.
Being a part of this team forced me to devour the book quickly. The book shared a whole new concept of teaching that I had not fully considered. Teachers always talk about engaging their students. It’s become a buzz word. However, Kasey’s concept of the 4 C’s and creating dynamic learning experiences was about more than adding engagement, it was about making bigger changes. I’ve been in education long enough to see major change take place. With the addition of technology and the change in how students are engaging with their learning, it’s important for teachers to change as well.
YES! Change is inevitable. We can either let it break us or we can learn to find ways to turn it into an advantage. We’ve all probably heard this before, maybe from our administration, and been made to feel like we have to change the way we do things in our classroom tomorrow. However, this is not Kasey’s approach to adapting lessons in our classrooms.
At the end of each chapter in Shake Up Learning, Kasey very clearly lays out action steps to help us make effective change. This provides teachers with a plan of attack for accomplishing the transformation and designing lessons that our students need.
I remember attending a technology conference in the first few years of teaching and the lead speaker said that 80% of our students are in school training for a job that doesn’t exist yet. Now I have no idea if that percentage is currently accurate, but I can’t imagine in a decade this has decreased. Either way, this idea has stuck with me and encouraged me to create the kind of lessons Kasey describes in her book.
The second part of this book goes into detail about the attributes of a dynamic lesson. She digs into her four C’s that help design a dynamic lesson or unit. The four C’s are creativity, communication, collaboration, and critical thinking. Kasey recently talked through an even deeper dive into these components on her podcast. This is what prompted me to pick up the book again.
If this sounds like something you might want to dive into for yourself I would suggest joining her next book study and taking a look at the online, self-paced course she offers. A few times a year she offers this collaborative group online book study. You can learn more here for the most recent details.
Fair Isn’t Always Equal by Rick Wormeli
My first introduction to Rick Wormeli was through a book study with Meet Me In the Middle. A small group of colleagues met once a week to discuss and share how we were able to incorporate the ideas and examples provided in this book. A few years later I had the opportunity to take an online graduate course where the focus was Wormeli’s other book Fair Isn’t Always Equal. This was my first introduction to the idea of standards-based grading.
Because the course was online I didn’t feel I could properly process and implement the information being presented in this book. The idea of eliminating grades, or at least moving towards that direction in some way, is pretty mind-blowing for educators. But not just for teachers, students and parents are not familiar with the idea of standards-based grades either.
This mindset shift makes so much sense for what education should be all about. For most of us we’ve been so indoctrinated with the traditional methods of school it’s difficult to imagine how this could actually work. Especially when considering the time commitment. This had been my struggle when I was first wrestling with this new way of teaching.
After hearing Rick Wormeli break it all down in a two-day seminar, I now have a very different outlook. Turning your classroom into a standards-based model is not something you do overnight, or a long weekend even. Wormeli advised me to take 5 things I want to change for the second half of this year and work to make those happen. Then at the start of next school year, I can structure my courses with a few more. Along the way making adjustments and transitions as they arise. Overall the process could take 2-3 years to make a complete transition.
The latest edition of Fair Isn’t Always Equal has new updates which is why I’ve started from the beginning and will work my way all the way through. My hope is, to begin with, a plan for transition and establish some key concepts that I’m able to implement in my courses for the next school year. You can watch my journey as I chronicle all my moves on Instagram.
Deepening Comprehension with Action Strategies by Jeffery Wilhelm
In the last few years, I’ve been hearing a lot more boys openly sharing their disdain for all things reading books. Well, let’s be honest, reading in general. There have been a few girls who chime in, but I sense the girls are really just being more polite and keep it to themselves. I’m always trying to be conscious of adding movement to lessons and working to provide more choices to allow students more ownership of their learning.
What I have noticed is that those things are not enough. Kids are more responsive to lessons that allow them to experience their learning. For example, before we started reading A Long Walk to Water we had students carry buckets of rocks that weighed the same as a bucket of water. We had them carry the buckets down the hall and up a set of stairs. Then when we read an article about a girl who carried jerry cans of water every day for miles the kids could relate on some level with this concept.
The action strategies that Jeffery Wilhelm shares in his book are a great way to give kids more of an experience with their learning. I have used them in the past, but somewhere along the way, they fell out of my plan book and off my radar.
Wilhelm now has an updated edition of this book (the title listed is the new one) that also includes a DVD of lessons on video. With our Shakespeare unit quickly approaching I’m on the lookout for more physical learning opportunities that will get my students out of their seats.
With all the information provided for us online, we sometimes forget that our cabinets and bookshelves may already have the solutions we seek. What teaching gems could you literally dust off and add back into your teaching repertoire? Share your favorite professional books in the comments or share a photo of the book on Instagram and tag me. I can’t wait to see what you are reading again.
Reading might be one of my favorite past times, but it’s not often a favorite activity for my students. At the start of every school year I hear at least one, but usually, many more than that, say, “I hate to read.” They like to really reiterate their point with follow up comments such as, “books are boring” or “reading makes me fall asleep.” For years I used to respond by informing them that they just hadn’t read their favorite book yet. This can sway a few kids, especially when a classmate does suddenly find a favorite, but ultimately my toughest haters of reading have been transformed by the authors of books. There is something special about hearing the behind-the-scenes secrets to a story.
Meeting author Suzanne Collins at the Hunger Games premiere party in Los Angles was a true fan girl moment for me. Walking into the massive tent felt exactly as I imagined walking into a Capitol party might feel like. Celebrities mingling about and here I was in awe of the decor and dedication to making it feel as if I’d stepped right into the book. An English teacher’s dream come true courtesy of my brother who was working for Lionsgate at the time.
March 2012, one of my very first Instagram posts with my iPhone 4S.
The night introduced me to several of the actors and actresses where I learned their thoughts on playing particular characters. The young tribute actors felt like my people and we had great conversations about reading the books. About halfway through the night, we found ourselves standing in the center of a crowd, all trying to get a selfie with Taylor Lautner. That’s when I spotted her. Suzanne Collins was being ushered through the crowd. If I was going to meet her this was my only chance. I pushed past the few people standing between us and introduced myself. I remember telling her, “I’m a middle school teacher from Ohio and my students have loved reading the Hunger Games trilogy. Could I get a photo?”
She was so gracious and let me take a quick photo before rushing off out of the party. To me, she was the greatest celebrity in the room. Meeting an author to thank them for sharing their talent and expressing the impact they have made on readers is part of what I love about my job. It’s not a requirement of course, but it’s a super cool part of being a teacher of readers.
The experience of meeting or hearing an author talk about their work feels a lot like being at a concert. Hearing music played live adds new connection and emotion to the songs. Meeting author in person has always had the same effect for me.
In 2010 I had the privilege of attending the NCTE conference where I was introduced to several of my favorite authors. Some of the authors I met were debuting their first novels at the time and they quickly became beloved authors for me. I’m reminded of my conversation with author Sarah Weeks. She shared her book So.Be.It. and her heart for people with disabilities. Her book was the first one I read from the pile of books collected from the conference.
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After meeting all the authors that first day of the conference I wanted to devour every book they had ever written. I can remember specifically walking up to Laurie Halse Anderson and using every ounce of my energy to not lose it right there in front of her. Another major fan girl moment for me. I had read her book Speak several years before and it’s definitely in my top ten reads. Meeting her in person made me want to read every book, short story, and poem she had ever written. Laurie sat at her table signing my book and casually talking with me about life. After that conversation I was convinced if we lived near each other we would be best friends. At least the invention of social media now lets me pretend to be friends with my favorite authors.
All of these encounters have convinced me that everyone needs to meet their favorite author or any author. As an English teacher, these have been some of my favorite experiences. Events, where I have been able to meet an author, help me feel a stronger connection to a favorite story or introduces me to their new novels. Sometimes it’s a new introduction altogether.
Sharing opportunities to meet authors is even more fun when given the chance to introduce students. Authors can feel like untouchable celebrities to the voracious reader. But the truth is like any celebrity they are human. In fact, they often do their own marketing which includes book signings or meet and greets. If meeting an author can make a reading impact on me it’s possible to have the same effect on students.
Follow a Local Library
Libraries often invite authors to talk about their books or share a writing workshop. I’ve made it a habit of checking nearby library calendars for author events. Some even have an email subscription that will send events to your inbox. Another great way to stay on top of these events would be following them on Facebook or Instagram.
My first student group to meet an author was an hour’s drive to a major city south of us. My colleagues thought I was crazy, but my students had just finished Brandon Mull’s latest book Fablehaven. Several of them mentioned never loving to read until reading that book. When I learned that Brandon would be at a nearby library I began making plans to take students. The hour drive seemed completely worth the time if students could meet the author who helped them identify themselves as readers.
We drove down on a school bus immediately after school let out with about 12 kids, one parent and myself. Brandon talked about his experience with writing Fablehaven, answering all the questions from kids who asked where he got such funny ideas and interesting characters. He signed copies of books and other swag for the kids. Some of my kids had never owned their own book, let alone a signed copy. After this experience, many of the kids who went ended up finishing the seven-book series.
Book Stores
Another great place to meet authors, especially local authors, would be your local bookstore. Our small town doesn’t have a bookstore so we have to keep in touch with stores from nearby cities, but like libraries, they usually have website calendars, social media, and email lists.
My favorite local bookstore, Main St. Books, often brings authors to share and sign books. One April they had invited my co-teacher’s favorite Ohio YA author, Mindy McGinnis. My co-teacher raved about her novels and often shared them with our classes. At the time I had not read any of her books but of course, I was up for an evening out to go hear her share about her latest book, Heroine.
Mindy talked about how she collects ideas for stories and some of her process for writing those stories. Many in the audience had specific questions about her books and they all made me want to rush out to read anything she’d written. I bought two of her books that night!
We struck up a conversation about teaching, Mindy is a former school librarian and exchanged emails. That night was the start of a very long conversation about how I could bring her in to meet my students. Almost a full year later we are finally making that a reality.
Grant Opportunities
Thanks to a grant through the Buckeye Book Fair that helps teachers and librarians bring Ohio authors to their schools we are able to host Mindy for a full day. In anticipation of her visit, our English department has planned a special giveaway each month.
Thanks to my fully funded Donors Choose project my students now have copies of Not a Drop to Drink, which we will read as a whole class, and five copies of her other novels for our monthly reading assignment. If you’ve never tried Donors Choose I highly recommend creating a project. Use this link to get started and possibly snag a boost to your project. They are always working to find donors that want to help with different projects. You never know what supplies or events might get funded. Did you know you can now ask for funding to attend professional development or field trips?
If you are looking for a way to engage students with reading or help them make connections to the stories you read in class talking to authors in real life is a great place to start. Sharing student quotes or projects with authors through Twitter is another great way to connect. Some authors are willing to video conference with classes as well. Bringing the story to life by learning how it was written and the background about its inception can turn kids on to books.
Keep it simple. That’s the big secret. Don’t build a command center that does everything or holds everything. It will become one more place that causes you to feel overwhelmed. Keep it simple with a monthly schedule, mail and paper collectors, and weekly meals.
Having both a monthly calendar and a weekly calendar keep us in sync and make for well-managed, smooth days. This is my secret to finding what some might call balance. I don’t believe in balance. Even when there might be “balance” kids can instantly make the moment of balance feel chaotic. Someone took a toy from the other one or the milk is in the glass they didn’t want or they just plain don’t want to do what’s being asked of them. These moments can throw a wrench in any schedule and make a mom feel off balance. But these events are inevitable when our agenda and our children’s agenda do not mesh. Keep track and keep kids informed with a centrally located family command center.
Calendars for Command Centers
My husband and I had a sit down when we first got married to discuss how we would communicate our schedules. We’ve only been married a handful of years and it’s taken us some trial and error to get a system that works for us. You see my husband is a techy kind of guy and keeps everything on his phone. I’m good with that, but if I’m going to remember something I need to see it in writing.
In order to accommodate both of our styles, we use a combined email in iCal and a whiteboard calendar in our command center. The first time we shared our calendars I nearly hyperventilated with all the dots showing up! My husband likes to add EVERYTHING to his calendar, even if he doesn’t wholeheartedly commit to an event. Our solution was to create a combined email so that only the events we needed to share with each other would show up in the calendar.
To help me see these events rather than just dots on my phone I insisted on keeping a handwritten calendar as part of our family command center. I found a large whiteboard calendar that works perfectly. It also helps to have markers in several colors. Teaching has taught me the beauty of color coding for organizational purposes. Another great advantage of using a whiteboard calendar is that it can be magnetic.
A full month calendar is great, but a weekly schedule to list our dinners is also necessary. I recently discovered a weekly meal planner by Everase that sticks to our refrigerator. There is enough space to write out ingredients you’ll be using so everyone in the family, and babysitters, know what not to eat.
Before incorporating this meal planner, my husband asking me what’s for dinner would send me into an anxious panic. With a weekly meal planner added to our family command center, he doesn’t have to ask. This also helps our in-home babysitter from cooking anything I might be planning to use in a dinner recipe or side dish. We learned this lesson the hard way.
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Paper Keepers
Well-managed is the only way to feel relaxed and when mom feels relaxed the household will follow suit. If you’re anything like me the mess alone can cause stress. In our house, there is a small section of countertop in our kitchen that seems to have magnetic powers for attracting all things extra. Rather than letting things pile up on the counter, we have incorporated the Sunday basket idea.
I found a 12 x 10 size basket that now sits in the place where all those papers and random items would gather. The concept behind the Sunday basket is to take a moment on Sunday to then empty the basket. This one small weekly task has kept my anxiety and blood pressure in check. It still amazes me how a small change in habit can make a large impact.
Even though we have the basket we still need a place to keep all the paperwork. Forms from preschool, coupons intended to be used, and all those other papers that aren’t quite ready for the file folder or the trash. This is why our command center has a wall-mounted paper organizer for each person in the family. At the start of each month, we go through the organizer and give it a good cleaning.
Kids’ Responsibility
Having a command center that gives each of my kids an area to place papers helps to start an important habit early. My son is always bringing papers home from preschool. As a teacher, I know that this is going to be an ongoing situation. Eventually, he’ll be old enough to take care of his bookbag on his own and I don’t want to miss any important papers. Teaching him the habit of where to place papers is important to start now. This will help me feel less stressed when I start reading about deadlines for field trip forms in the school newsletter.
Using a family command center has so many advantages. In my new course for teacher moms, I share specific ways that you can leverage your command center and more for well-managed days. The course runs for five weeks combining personal coaching with self-paced lessons and actions. Each week covers one topic that will help you take control of the chaos that may be causing a rush of overwhelm the moment you walk through the door. We will address planning the week effectively for meals and schedules, as well as, the best methods for family communication so everyone knows the plan and it doesn’t all fall on mom.
Take a look at the course description on the TeachMomRepeat Academy page or send me an email right now to get started.
Google has revolutionized the way I teach and I have never looked back. With technology like Google, you are able to save time and transform your teaching practices. But why get Google certified? To learn and teach. Being Google certified will help you have the skills to effectively use Google for Education in the classroom. Maybe you already know the basics, but taking the time to gain certification will certainly teach you a few tricks that you hadn’t discovered.
Being Google certified will also allow you to help colleagues more effectively use G Suites for Education. Most people resist change, but if you can show them how much Google simplifies the communication and collaboration process they might be willing to try something new.
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If you’re like me and love all things Google becoming certified is the next step. And if you’re like me and follow along with the Google Teacher Tribe podcast you already know that Kasey Bell has Google Certification courses available. Participating in a course guarantees that you will gain the skills needed to pass the exam and give you a chance to practice.
If you’re new to this idea let me breakdown each of the certifications and what you can gain from joining a course then taking the exams.
Certification levels
Level 1 Certification: For the teacher who wants to successfully integrate G Suites for Education into their teaching practices. This level covers the basics of each Google tool that can be used in the classroom.
Level 2 Certification: For the teacher who feels comfortable using G Suites in their classroom but would like to take it to a more advanced level. A deeper dive into each of the tools.
Google Certified Trainer:For the teacher who enjoys teaching other teachers. This certification is open to any educator who would like to share what they have learned at the first two levels with other educators.
Google Certified Innovator: For the teacher who is developing their own innovative ways to use Google in the classroom.
Why become certified?
There is more to Google certification than the badge that can be added in your email signature and social media accounts. Certification is about your own education as an educator. If anyone understands the concept of life-long learning it’s teachers. One of the reasons we continue to teach is because we enjoy being learners ourselves. In the 21st century, technology has transformed the way we present information to students and how they demonstrate their learning to us. Google is not exclusive to the classroom. Many companies use G Suites for business purposes as well. Allowing students to gain these skills before entering the workplace gives them an advantage.
Many teachers are already using G Suites in their classrooms without becoming officially certified. So why spend the time and money to work towards certification?
Proficiency: Have you ever thought while planning your unit, there has to be a way for me to do this more efficiently? I know I have! Then you find yourself spending countless hours looking for the right answer. Taking the certification courses and becoming certified means you will have that answer right away. In fact, it will most likely give you new and improved ideas for delivering your content.
Effectiveness: Turning a handout into a Google Doc is not what G Suites is all about. The technology is not meant to replace, it’s meant to enhance. What you will learn through the course of gaining certification will help you to better know the possibilities of each tool and how to effectively use them in the classroom.
Networking: Join a large community of other certified educators who can provide you with support and help when you need it. Connecting with other educators is the best way to grow your creativity as a teacher.
Getting Google certification
Now that you’ve decided to go ahead with the process of becoming Google certified there are a few things that you may want to consider. First, consider taking one ofKasey’s courses to help you prepare for the exam. Sure, it’s possible to gather the knowledge you need from the Google training materials available. However, it will take a lot of reading and searching for answers all on your own without any help.
Taking Kasy’s coursewill give you exactly what you need to practice for the exam. She provides videos and documents, plus you can always ask her or the Facebook group specific questions if you’re having trouble.
Choosing a course such as these allows you to work at your own pace and on your own time schedule. Joining a scheduled Boot Camp that might be offered by your district will also give you the information you need to pass each exam. However, there is a lot to know and possibly learn. These face-to-face courses are only offered on a specific day and time so they may move too quickly for some people.
Before you make a decision about how to gain your certification take a look at Kasey’s post with frequently asked questions for more information. You will also find several resources she provides and details about each of the Google Certification courses she offers twice a year — May and November.
Don’t forget to share when you have successfully passed your exam and gained your certification. Be sure to brag in the comments.
Teachers love their coffee. Moms live for their coffee. Oh to drink a steaming mug of freshly brewed coffee. Unless it’s a long weekend, or maybe a snow day, a hot cup of coffee is rarely what teachers or moms get to drink. This is the number one reason why every teacher should have a coffee bar in their classroom.
But enjoying a nice hot mug of java is not the only reason to supply your classroom with a coffee bar. There are other benefits as well. Consider how coffee brings people together. How often do you hear someone say, “Let’s make plans to have coffee.” or “Meet me for coffee?” Even if both parties don’t actually drink coffee we all refer to sitting down with someone for a conversation as “having coffee.” This opportunity to be intentionally relational can be a focal point for your classroom.
The wafting aroma of flavorful coffee coming from your classroom each morning provides a welcome invitation. Or maybe in the afternoon when all the students have gone to their Encore and teachers are needing a chance to take a breath. Your classroom coffee bar could be a place of refuge for colleagues needing to take a moment and relax. You might be the one needing to take a moment and relax. What better way than with a hot cup of coffee?
Grading papers is not usually a fun task, but a hot cup of freshly brewed coffee can give you the pep you need to power through. There is something about a hot beverage that warms the body and relaxes the muscles to make us feel ready to tackle a daunting task. As a language arts teacher, I much prefer reading a stack of essays while sipping on a good cup of coffee.
Whether needing a moment alone or willing to welcome others, a coffee bar for your classroom is a great idea. Want a way to let others know they are welcome to join you try one of my printables. Drop your email below and I’ll send you the password to my free resource library where you can find four different coffee-related posters that you can download and use to decorate above your coffee bar.
Build Student Relationships
Another great use for a classroom coffee bar is to attract students. This was the motivation for starting my Black Coffee Fridays. For the thirty minutes before students needed to be in homeroom classrooms, I invited any student or staff member to come and talk about books. During our conversations, I offered a hot beverage and sometimes even a doughnut. I loaded up on the fancy cappuccino K-cups and hot chocolate for the kids. The last thing most middle schoolers need is caffeine!
Inviting students to come chat gave me an open door to establishing a solid relationship. We mostly talked about books, but the conversations would often also veer to a more personal nature for the students. Our conversations established trust and they felt comfortable in my classroom. Most of the kids who showed up regularly were friends with each other and there were times that they would be fighting with each other. Those moments gave me an opportunity to teach conflict resolution. So many teachable moments on lessons that don’t need to take place in a scheduled class.
Fundraising Opportunity
Are you a club advisor without a budget? Have a charity you’d like your class or school to support? Using a coffee bar can be one way to generate small funds. My husband, a computer science high school teacher, needed a way to generate a small budget for their robotics team. Starting a coffee bar he calls The Wired Cafe in his classroom has helped his team make the extra funds for robot building.
His cafe has grown so popular that they started selling donuts on Wednesdays as well. The robotic students run the register so it’s not one more thing he has to do each morning. It’s grown into a major operation. He started with a few Kuerig machines and a hot water pot.
The basic set up allows students to come in and make their own drink. He provides creamers and other accessories like marshmallows and whipped cream. (There is a small fridge in the room as well.) Each item has a cost so he created a page with barcodes to make it quick and easy. The barcodes are also tracked in a spreadsheet. (This is why he teaches computer science!) He’s able to print the spreadsheet and give a copy to the treasurer making sure it’s all legit.
Building Your Coffee Bar
Hearing about my husband enjoying delicious hot coffee each morning made me want to have my own coffee bar. My first problem was where to put it. I had maxed out my countertop and the last thing I wanted was to add any clutter. My classroom did have a spot that would fit my no longer needed changing table! Repurposing my changing table was perfect for setting up a coffee bar and providing me with more storage.
My husband found a great deal on a used Kuerig that came with a few cups. I brought in a few flavored syrups, creamers, a variety of other K-cups, mugs and some to-go cups with lids. The bar continually grows and evolves with flavors and users.
One of those coffee flavors is made by the Ladies Coffee Company. Their coffee has a great flavor that you can enjoy hot or cold. There are a ton of great blends to try and with teacher appreciation around the corner, you might want to check out Teacher Fuel. You can even use my TeacherMomcoffee discount code to receive 10% off your total purchase.
Share in the comments all the coffee accessories you’d want on your classroom coffee bar.
State testing season is officially upon us. A time of year that every teacher would prefer to be eliminated from the calendar, but the reality is that it’s part of our job. I’m going to tell you what I tell my students: this is not a defining moment. Sure, these tests are used for defining us as teachers and they are used for defining our students, but we are not the total sum calculated in that score.
Does that give us permission to blow off the test? No, because the reality is that this state test is not going to miraculously disappear. We aren’t going to wake up one morning and hear that the governor has declared all state testing canceled. As much as we all would love for this to be the scenario!
So if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em!
Did you know that I sat on the Ohio AIR content advisory committee?
If I couldn’t make the test go away then I needed a way to understand it better. Once Ohio ditched the PARCC they started new teacher advisory committees to piece together the AIR test. Apparently, this is always the process of curating a standardized test.
A small committee of about 20 -25 teachers who have at least five years of teaching experience in that grade level work to decide on content. Teachers are chosen from a variety of districts around the state to represent the different demographic areas as well. All of the teachers chosen must apply for the committee.
The job of the committee is to ensure that test questions are aligned with grade level standards. Each question is presented as an assessment for a specific standard and if we feel the question doesn’t do that it can be rejected. There would have to be what’s called a “fatal flaw” within the question for that to happen. Most of the time a simple revision can fix a question.
Being an active participant and hearing this process helped me better understand assessments. It didn’t sway my opinion of how our state chooses to use these tests in determining teacher effectiveness, although not much would change my opinion on that. When it comes to state testing it’s too simplistic to say you agree or disagree with it. There is a need for evaluating student knowledge based on state standards and until there is a better way I will do what I can to help my students be better test takers.
Many students will have to sit for exams in order to further their careers so I like to look at test prep as if it’s a reading genre. Ultimately, every test is a reading test. Determine what they want you to show that you know and find the right answer. In my slide presentation on preparing for the Ohio AIR test, I go into specific detail about how students can use this to their advantage. You can also read more about lesson ideas I use for test prep here.
There are also environmental aspects to consider when preparing for a state test that can help students have a greater advantage. Here are six ideas for preparing your classroom for testing season.
1. Scent: Did you know that cinnamon helps to awaken the brain? In a brain science professional development we learned this little tidbit of information. The presenter did mention that it can’t be fake cinnamon like a plug-in or spray or even melted wax. Her suggestion was to sprinkle a little on a few plates and place those around the room.
2. Look: Most states mandate that any posters come off the wall if they could help the students. Plan to do this a week in advance so students aren’t throw off by the “new” look of your room on the day of testing. This could also make for a good review. Ask students to recall where anchor charts hung and what was on them.
3. Feel: Suggest to your students that they wear their brightest color clothing! Bright colors evoke positive feelings and stimulate the brain. It’s also better to wear clothing that it’s too comfortable. Sweat pants and sweatshirts can make a person feel too relaxed and sleepy. I like to talk about the idea of dressing for the job you want, only I change it to dressing for the score you want.
4. Taste: Peppermint is a flavor that helps to awaken the brain and senses. We buy or PTO donates bags of the peppermint hard candies for students to suck on while testing. Cinnamon gum can also have the same effect. What you eat can also make a difference. Don’t forget to tell your students the importance of a high protein breakfast the morning of each test. High protein – low sugar. Protein allows energy that is prolonged, while sugar will give them a jolt then crash before testing is even over!
5. Sound: Silence can be deafening for some kids. They need opportunities to practice prolonged silence. Extended silent reading is great practice. Even a computer task without headphones. These are especially important if the norm in your classroom is background music and headphones during independent work time.
6. Emotion: One final tip that could help your students make a personal and emotional connection to a very impersonal assessment. Test dedications: it’s the same concept as athletes dedicating their performance or the dedication page at the start of every novel. Ask students to think about someone who has helped or encouraged their education. Have them write a small paragraph about why they deserve this honor then paste their picture next to it. Have students hang their dedication where they can see it while testing.
If you’d like a free downloadable test dedication printable simply add your email below. You’ll get access to this and many other free printables in our growing resource library.
Do you have other ways to help students prepare or feel ready for the test? Share your best test-taking strategies in the comments!
When I first began my career as a teacher I’d landed a job in Kannapolis, North Carolina. It was the absolute best place to start a career because this was a middle school that truly represented a staff that lived like family and educated students as if they were their own children.
Apart of that staff was a lively couple, Michael and Elizabeth Fisher. They were a two person teaching team that impressed me greatly. I marveled at the innovative ideas and teaching methods they used and shared with staff.
Since then we have all moved on in our careers and where we call home, but Mike and Liz, as I know them, have continued their journey as innovative educators. Read on as they share their latest adventure as teacher authors.
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This book has been a labor of love as we have taken more than two decades of experiences working with children and teachers, along with an array of experience from experts in the field of curriculum and instructional design and created a one-stop shop of ideas to create a contemporary curriculum!
What we’ve written is meant to help teachers with the students that they currently have in the classrooms as well as all the future students coming through their doors.
As part of the Hack Learning Series of books, this installment follows the same formulaic structure. We identify a problem, a solution, and then step-by-step instructions for improving. Each problem and solution scenario is called a “Hack” and over the course of writing the book, specific themes emerged. We grouped those hacks together into categories we call “Hacktions.”
Each Hacktion represents a facet of a teacher’s instructional design decisions. Foundational hacktions represent what teachers will do BEFORE a student comes into the room. This is where they familiarize themselves with standards, instructional ideas to meet the standards, and goal / target setting for students.
Instructional Hacktions, along with Engagement and Contemporary Hacktions, address design ideas that will impact students when they’re in the room. This includes a multitude of ideas around inquiry design, lesson experiences, creativity and motivation, and new opportunities for engaging contemporary students with what matters to them.
Finally, we address Blueprint Hacktions. The blueprints are where the rubber meets the road; where the teacher and the teacher’s colleagues make agreed-upon decisions for how the curriculum will be documented.
Ultimately, we want teachers to create a thriving curriculum ecosystem where all the interconnected parts are harmonious. This includes giving students voices and choices about the ways in which they learn best.
As a thank you to Carly and the readers of Teach.Mom.Repeat., we’d love to share a BONUS BOOK that includes an additional chapter, a study guide, and templates / organizing tools for your own instructional design endeavors!
Michael Fisher is an author, instructional coach, and educational consultant specializing in the intersection between instructional technology and curriculum design. He works with districts in the United States and Canada to help teachers and schools maximize available technology, software, and web-based resources while attending to curriculum design, instructional practices, and assessments. This is his second book in the Hack Learning Series, following 2016’s Hacking the Common Core. You can contact him via Twitter @fisher1000 or by visiting his website at www.digigogy.com.
Elizabeth Fisher is an instructional coach and educational consultant specializing in literacy, English Language Arts, and curriculum design. She works with teachers and administrators across Western New York to help them improve their professional practices. You can contact her via Twitter @elizabethfisher.
Together, Michael and Elizabeth have been educating students and teachers for more than two decades. This is their first full-length book together, following co-created journal articles and professional development around parent involvement, brain-based learning, and differentiated instruction. They have two children, Lily and Charlotte, members of both Generations Z and Alpha, respectively, who keep them on their toes.
In all my years as a teacher, packing lunch has never been a priority. I never know what to pack for lunch outside of leftovers. Lately, my go-to lunch has been salad kits. They are super easy but then I’m left eating salad every single day at lunch and I’m not a big fan of the same food every day. Plus a salad isn’t as filling and then I’m more susceptible to saying yes when there are other treats available. If I could make healthy, filling lunches each day it would save me time and calories. That’s why I’ve asked my friend and wellness coach, Marija Crosson, to share some of her best tips for packing healthy lunches for school.
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What makes for a great lunch
Lunch is the meal that has to sustain us the longest throughout the day. I use the following ratio as a guide to make that happen:
I always start with 50% veggies to make me full. I shoot for 2-3 cups of greens and/or raw/roasted veggies. For greens, try arugula, kale, mesclun, and spinach. For roasted veggies, try broccoli or cauliflower. For raw veggies, try bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, or cucumber.
Then, I incorporate 25% protein to help keep me full longer. I shoot for a ½-1 cup of eggs and dairy, chicken, turkey, beef, pork, game, seafood, or plant-based protein. For meat and fish, try shredded chicken, ground turkey, baked salmon, or canned tuna.
The last 25% of my plate is fiber-filled carbohydrates to give me sustained energy. I shoot for ½-1 cup starchy veggies, beans, and legumes, or whole grains. For starchy veggies, try roasting acorn squash, butternut squash, or sweet potatoes. For beans and legumes, try black beans, garbanzo beans, or lentils. For whole grains, try brown rice, farro, whole grain pasta, or quinoa. When choosing processed and packaged carbohydrates, look for at least 1 gram fiber for every 10 g total carbs
Then I add in 1-2 accessories to make the meal pop with flavor. I shoot for 2-4 T of healthy fats/dressing/sauce/condiments. Try avocado, cheese, nuts, seeds, or vinaigrette.
Salads, bowls, and stir-frys fit this approach really well. You can use the above ratio to create your own combos but if you prefer to cook from a recipe, my favorite meal prep lunches come from the following food blogs: Ambitious Kitchen, Eating Bird Food, Fit Foodie Finds, Love Leaf Co, and Our Balanced Bowl. I think it’s helpful to build up a master list of recipes you’d like to try so then each week, the research is already done for you.
I used to organize my recipes in a Pinterest board but found it cumbersome to cook from. Recently, I’ve fallen in love with the Paprika Recipe Manager. It’s the best $4.99 that I’ve ever spent on an app. You can store, categorize and rate recipes, create shopping lists directly from a given recipe and also map out what meals you’re eating on which day. But even more than that, I love how each recipe has an ingredients tab and a directions tab, making it a breeze to keep track of where you are while you cook.
Big picture planning
I’ve learned that a little bit of strategy before jumping into this process goes a long way.
When it comes to planning, ask yourself:
“Would I rather eat the same thing every day?” → {choose one recipe} or
“Would I rather mix things up?” → {choose 2-3 recipes to alternate across the week}.
When it comes to prepping, ask yourself:
“Would I rather have a bigger prep once? –> {on Saturday/Sunday/Monday for the week} or “Would I rather have a smaller prep twice {on Sat/Sun for the next 2-3 days and then mid-week for the last 2-3 days}
Having the right gear also makes this process a lot easier. There is nothing worse than a lunch that spills all over your bag. And after my fair share of tests (and ruined bags), here are my favorites:
I like using the 2 cup rectangular container for plain Greek yogurt + fruit or quinoa salad
I like using the 4 cup square container for stir-fry, salads, and bowls
When trying to decide how many to buy, a question worth asking yourself is:
“Would I rather save time and energy?” → {Buy multiple containers so you can pack them at one time} or
“Would I rather save money?” → Buy one container and keep the prepped ingredients separate in the fridge to assemble the night before.
Weekly Planning
On Thursday or Friday, I look at my weekend and what we have going on, then block out three chunks of time into my schedule. During the first block, I sit down to plan out my meals for the week by looking at my master list of recipes and deciding what I want to eat that week. I then make my grocery list by cross-checking the ingredient list with the items I already have in my kitchen.
During the second block, I go grocery shopping or place my order online. Did you know that if you are an Amazon Prime member, you get free 2-hour delivery through Whole Foods? Check to see if they deliver in your area. It has helped us save a lot of time. Another good option is Instacart – they partner with local grocery stores to also deliver your groceries. Most local grocery stores now have a delivery or order online with pick up service.
During the third block, I cook the recipes and portion them out into my lunch containers. Each night, I pack everything (silverware included) into my lunchbox and put it into the fridge. Then it’s super easy to grab and go in the morning!
Benefits of packing
Incorporating even just a few of these meal planning and prepping tips will help you save money, time, and mental energy. It will also help you increase your energy so that you can thrive throughout the school day. How good would it feel to simplify nutrition so that you can focus on what matters most?
Marija Crosson lives in Philadelphia with her husband Michael and son Owen. She is a literacy coach who supports K-3rd grade teachers with curriculum and instruction. She is also a virtual health and wellness coach who helps high performing women feel good from the inside out. Find more tips and tricks follow her on Instagram and join the conversation on Facebook If you would like to participate in one of her boot camps or have questions, contact Marija at marijacrossonwellness@gmail.com
Google has revolutionized the way I teach and I have never looked back. With technology like Google, you are able to save time and transform your teaching practices. But why get Google certified? To learn and teach. Being Google certified will help you have the skills to effectively use Google for Education in the classroom. Maybe you already know the basics, but taking the time to gain certification will certainly teach you a few tricks that you hadn’t discovered.
Being Google certified will also allow you to help colleagues more effectively use G Suites for Education. Most people resist change, but if you can show them how much Google simplifies the communication and collaboration process they might be willing to try something new.
If you’re like me and love all things Google becoming certified is the next step. And if you’re like me and follow along with the Google Teacher Tribe podcast you already know that Kasey Bell has Google Certification courses available. Participating in a course guarantees that you will gain the skills needed to pass the exam and give you a chance to practice.
If you’re new to this idea let me breakdown each of the certifications and what you can gain from joining a course then taking the exams.
Certification levels
Level 1 Certification: For the teacher who wants to successfully integrate G Suites for Education into their teaching practices. This level covers the basics of each Google tool that can be used in the classroom.
Level 2 Certification: For the teacher who feels comfortable using G Suites in their classroom but would like to take it to a more advanced level. A deeper dive into each of the tools.
Google Certified Trainer: For the teacher who enjoys teaching other teachers. This certification is open to any educator who would like to share what they have learned at the first two levels with other educators.
Google Certified Innovator: For the teacher who is developing their own innovative ways to use Google in the classroom.
Why become certified?
There is more to Google certification than the badge that can be added in your email signature and social media accounts. Certification is about your own education as an educator. If anyone understands the concept of life-long learning it’s teachers. One of the reasons we continue to teach is because we enjoy being learners ourselves. In the 21st century, technology has transformed the way we present information to students and how they demonstrate their learning to us. Google is not exclusive to the classroom. Many companies use G Suites for business purposes as well. Allowing students to gain these skills before entering the workplace gives them an advantage.
Many teachers are already using G Suites in their classrooms without becoming officially certified. So why spend the time and money to work towards certification?
1. Proficiency: Have you ever thought while planning your unit, there has to be a way for me to do this more efficiently? I know I have! Then you find yourself spending countless hours looking for the right answer. Taking the certification courses and becoming certified means you will have that answer right away. In fact, it will most likely give you new and improved ideas for delivering your content.
2. Effectiveness: Turning a handout into a Google Doc is not what G Suites is all about. The technology is not meant to replace, it’s meant to enhance. What you will learn through the course of gaining certification will help you to better know the possibilities of each tool and how to effectively use them in the classroom.
3. Networking: Join a large community of other certified educators who can provide you with support and help when you need it. Connecting with other educators is the best way to grow your creativity as a teacher.
Getting certified
Now that you’ve decided to go ahead with the process of becoming Google certified there are a few things that you may want to consider. First, consider taking one of Kasey’s courses to help you prepare for the exam. Sure, it’s possible to gather the knowledge you need from the Google training materials available. However, it will take a lot of reading and searching for answers all on your own without any help.
Taking Kasy’s course will give you exactly what you need to practice for the exam. She provides videos and documents, plus you can always ask her or the Facebook group specific questions if you’re having trouble.
Choosing a course such as these allows you to work at your own pace and on your own time schedule. Joining a scheduled Boot Camp that might be offered by your district will also give you the information you need to pass each exam. However, there is a lot to know and possibly learn. These face-to-face courses are only offered on a specific day and time so they may move too quickly for some people.
Before you make a decision about how to gain your certification take a look at Kasey’s post with frequently asked questions for more information. You will also find several resources she provides and details about each of the Google Certification courses she offers twice a year — May and November.
When you have successfully passed your exam and gained your certification be sure to brag in the comments.
I’m Carly, a former middle school now high school teacher and mom of 2 rambunctious kiddos.
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