Back to School

As I prepare for students to return to the classroom I am mentally going through the list of things I need to do to prepare for students in 10 days. My first year teaching I sent out welcome letters to all my students. I used it as a way to introduce myself and let students know a little about what we would learn and my expectations for the school year. I had several parents tell me how much their students enjoyed receiving mail from their teacher. I have always meant to send out letters as the year begins, but as I get overwhelmed with other things that need to happen at the beginning of the school year. This year, I am proud to say that I am more prepared than usual for the school year to begin, so, I am thinking once again on sending out letters to students in my classroom.
This article in edutopia about back to school letters renewed my desire to send out letters to the students in my classroom. I love that they provided an example and the thought of sending out homework for the students and parents. I love the idea of getting a letter from the parents that lets me know more about their child. It would be a great way to get to know the students in your classroom. What are some ways that you get to know students from the start of the school year?

Words

As the beginning of the school year quickly approaches I have been doing more of my summer reading. This time of year always causes me to focus on what routines I want to teacher and what I want those first few days and weeks of school to look like. I have been reading Choice Words by Peter H. Johnston and came across an article on edutopia entitled 13 Common Sayings to Avoid. I am more and more struck by how the things we say as teachers impact and influence the students in our classrooms.
The article on edutopia was great because for every phrase it suggested we shouldn't be saying it offered an alternative. Some of the sayings that were pointed out were things that I never say, however there were some things that the author Dr. Richard Curwin suggested teachers not say that I do say. It was a great opportunity for me to think about alternatives to those phrases and how that might impact my classroom environment.
Choice Words is a great book that has helped me to reflect on the language that I use with students in my classroom. I appreciate the research information as well as the examples that are provided. Some of the examples are phrased in a way that I wouldn't have thought to say, however they make so much sense.
Reading this book and article initially I felt like there was a lot of pressure to say the right thing and not mess up. I understand, however, that we are all human and like everything this reading has given me the opportunity to try a little harder to be a little better. Are there any words/phrases that you avoid in your classroom?

Would You Rather: Poll Blog

In connection with my other posts this week I have been thinking more about developing my own personal learning network. I have followed bloggers and other teaching professionals on Twitter for years now, however it has all been passive. I have watched others interact from the sidelines. One of my goals is to dive in and find others to share and collaborate with online. So, with that thought I would like to pose this question...

Student-Led Classroom: Video Entry

In the reading of my book Learn Like a Pirate by Paul Solarz I have been reading about students-led classrooms. I have implemented daily 5 into my classroom routines which gives students responsibility to take charge of their learning. My favorite thing about daily 5 is that students are in charge of what they learn. As I have reflected on daily 5 and read about how Paul Solarz runs his classroom I have been thinking more about how important it is for students to take charge of their learning. This is not to say that I will allow students to take charge of my classroom tomorrow. However, I have been seriously thinking about how I will be encouraging my students to collaborate and work together on a task that is important and meaningful to them. As I have been thinking about this I found this TED talk where Ken Robinson discusses how our students (and all of us) learn in different ways and have different talents. I love the analogy he uses that we have built our education system on the model of fast food. As I prepare for the year I hope that I can make my students feel more like they are at a Michelin restaurant, where everything is not standardized, and less like they are at McDonalds, where everything is the same for everyone.

 


Video: https://www.ted.com/talks/sir_ken_robinson_bring_on_the_revolution/transcript?language=en

Genius Hour: Audio Entry

One of the strategies that I have read about teachers using to empower and teach students be independent learners is Genius Hour. I have read blog posts about teachers who were implementing this in their classrooms. To be honest I was skeptical at first, the thought of allowing students to choose what they want to learn seemed crazy to me. However, as I continued to teach I saw the genius to it. Allowing students to choose what and how they are going to learn is very empowering to students. After years of playing with the idea and trying to figure out how I would implement genius hour into my curriculum I found time this last year. Allowing the students to work on a project all their own was scary and yet the kids grabbed onto the idea and were able to accomplish so much more than I thought they would. I look forward to other opportunities to try genius hour and ways to get students involved in and responsible for their own learning. Here is a quick sound bite with a student (not from my classroom) talking about her genius hour project.



AudioBoom: https://audioboom.com/boos/2946630-genius-hour

Teach and Learn Like a Pirate

I have mentioned before how much I love podcasts. The podcast Talks with Teachers introduced me to their summer book club.

Last year I read Teach Like a Pirate by Dave Burgess and I loved this book! My biggest takeaway from this book is this, "We must deal with circumstances such as we find them!" I read that statement as I walked into a brand new portable 4 days before school started with no air conditioning in 100 degree heat. "We must deal with circumstances such as we find them!", was my mantra. There was so much more in that book that influenced my teaching, but that quote stuck with me. This book helped me to think about empowering students and creating engaging lessons for my students to participate in. 

This month I have started Learn Like a Pirate by Paul Solarz. This book is different from Teach Like a Pirate in that it flips the responsibility of learning to the student. Paul Solarz has been teaching in a student lead classroom and in this book he shares how he encourages creativity and collaboration in the classroom. I started this book last week and I am hooked! My brain runs 100mph when I read as I look for ways to make my classroom more student led. 

Both of these authors are active on Twitter and their websites. 

Teach Like A Pirate

@burgessdave

Learn Like A Pirate

@PaulSolarz

Picture: https://www.flickr.com/photos/serlunar/3087210464/

Guest Blog Entry

I know this is late, but her experiences and reflection is so profound I have to share. This post is thanks to Rachel Martel a high school friend of mine who has spent the last few years finding ways to  coordinate and lead humanitarian trips. As soon as I read her thoughts I looked at my master contract to see how soon I could take a sabbatical and get out to see the world. Enjoy...


Serving others; learning from and connecting with people; as well as experiencing different cultures and seeing others in their element, have all been driving forces in my life, as well as elements I consider to be embedded within my nature. 

Growing up with my family, I had the unique opportunity of living in Germany, Canada and Idaho. When I was 21, I had the experience of living in Romania for a year and a half. In 2010, I was able to participate in my first humanitarian trip to Nepal. Since then, I have found my niche in coordinating and leading humanitarian trips, and have been able to experience various cultures and learn from incredible people while serving in Kenya, Guatemala, Peru, Cambodia, Israel, Jordan and Egypt, and many more to come. 

Many of the Romanians I met, wanted to know know why I would choose to come to Romania when I was from the United States and must have lived an ideal life - from what they had seen and heard of America on television. Many Romanians wanted a better life and dreamed that would be found in America. At the same time, I felt that leaving my home in America and all that was familiar to me, was a way in which I learned how to live a better life. I witnessed the daily struggle to survive that many Romanians faced - how to have enough food to feed their family, and how parents could help their children have a better life with greater opportunities than they had. 

It is the people and one's relationships in life that that truly determine happiness. This principle was first cemented into my mind and heart during my time in Romania, and I am constantly reminded of this truth each time I visit a humble village. The families and children I interact with are evidence of this principle. They live in huts, sleep on the ground, have no electricity, some walk long distances in order to have access to water, whether it's from an unclean pond or a bio-sand filtration system built for their village. They have their families and their happy hearts - and this sustains them. The most humble, giving and happiest people I have met, have been those that have very few material possessions. They have nothing, and it brings them great joy to give all they have to others. 

Returning after a humanitarian trip is often a difficult transition for me. I come home changed. For the previous two weeks, life was simple, unplugged from technology, nothing was "on demand," resources were fully utilized, and conversations were focused on deeper, richer, soul-searching topics. These experiences realign my priorities - I come back refocused on the things that matter most in my life - the people. I fight to not fall back into all my previous routines, while the noises around me try to force their way back into my head. First world problem conversations, entitlement, lack of patience for the internet not being fast enough, water not being hot enough, buying more and giving into conveniences, as well as many others, are conversations and actions I see governing others' lives. Moments like these remind me to slow down and focus on what matters most in life.

I love the quote by John Dewey, which states, "We do not learn from experience, we learn from reflecting on experience." Allowing the moments of life to seep into our souls, provides opportunity for us to choose to change and be influenced. Experiencing cultures and people is an invitation to see the world outside yourself. 

Generational Differences

In rereading the readings for this discussion I reflected on my own interactions with technology and that of my students interactions with technology.
I was born in the early 80's and my father being a software engineer believed strongly in always having a computer in the home. My siblings and I say that we were raised on Apple products. Though we had games and software that would help us with math facts, teach us typing or how to plan for a wagon trip across the plains I was forced to learn how to use the basic suite software (word, excel, powerpoint) at school. I struggled with the differences between a Mac and a PC and spent a lot of time trying to reconcile those differences. My father's insentience of learning computer skills instilled in me the desire to work hard to understand technology.
I worked for 5 years as a ELL (English Language Learner) assistant and one thing we would do every year was work with refugees who didn't have any technology at home. One group we worked with would donate computers to the students who needed them in their homes and as we worked with these families we quickly realized that these computers did no good to families who had no access to the internet. The teacher I worked with would scrounge up software for the families to install and use in the hopes that the computers would have some educational benefit. Looking at my classes now, many of them still do not have personal computers in their homes. However, almost all of my students have access to a tablet or smartphone that has internet capabilities. I have found that similar to my experience, students in my classes need to be taught how to use technology in a classroom setting. Many students need to be taught how to do research and how to look for reliable sources for their research.
I believe that as educators it is our job to help the digital natives understand and develop new ways to access information and use technology to further their education. This last year I gave some of my 2nd graders the opportunity to ask a question they did not know the answer to and do research to find the answer. They were asked to present the information they had researched in a Prezi. When the students presented their information I was amazed at the interest and excitement the rest of the class had for the topics researched. It was a great experiment for me to let loose on the way I usually teach and see how the students were able to use the technology to further their understand. I believe that as teachers push themselves to become more and more fluent students will become more and more engaged in what we are teaching.
One more example, this last weekend I was in a wedding and the bride asked me to edit and cut some music for her. When one of the other bridesmaids asked me, with an astonished look on her face how I had done it, I simply stated that I knew it was possible so I googled it and did it. I think that is the beauty of technology and the internet. It makes the seemingly impossible, possible.

Podcasts - A Commentary Entry

I'm just going to say it, podcasts have changed my life. I love to listen to a good podcast! I have been casually listening to podcasts for the last couple of years. I'm sure my friends and family are tired of hearing me say "This one podcast I was listening to..." or I interject "That reminds me of this one podcast I was listening to..." Listening to podcasts has made horrible tasks more bearable. I actually want to mow the lawn or do the dishes. The entertainment value that comes from downloading and listening makes my commute enjoyable and welcome. Sadly, my commute is only 10 minutes long so, typically, I end up listening as I set up my classroom in the morning.
Not only has listening to podcasts made me more of a morning person (for the first time in my life I like getting up in the morning), it's made me smarter. Teaching me things that I would have never learned anywhere else. I first got hooked listening to HowStuffWorks podcasts. My favorites are Stuff You Missed in History Class and Stuff You Should Know. I had no idea that learning about how grass works would be fascinating to me.
Serial was amazing! I would wake up extra early on Thursdays to download and listen to the most recent episode. I talked about it so much that I convinced my entire family to listen as well. I even listened to it again with a friend to participate in the discussions and debate whether or not Adnan was really guilty or not. I called everyone I knew in the greater Baltimore area to ask if they knew where Leakin Park was. I can't wait for the new season to start.
I discovered teacher podcasts and found that I could listen to other teachers across the country talk about many of the same issues that I face. I found that listening to their voices I was able to connect in ways that I hadn't in the past.
TED radio hour and TED talks are awesome! Along with NPR podcasts, I have discovered that listening to people arguing about random topics makes me happy. I have even found a political podcast that I can tolerate.
The longer I listen to podcasts, the more I notice how different episodes inspire different projects, approaches, and considerations in both my professional and personal life. And, if nothing else, I now have a wealth of random knowledge stored in my brain.

Discussion Question: Incorporating Technology In Writing

I have been thinking about ways to incorporate technology into my students writing. My goal for students is to have them writing daily, weekly, and monthly. I have some routines set up for my classroom and I have been thinking about ways to encourage writing through a digital means. In my classroom I have access to 5 iPads and 3 Chrome-books and a cart of Chrome-books once a week. Obviously I don't have enough devices for every student to have access every day. I know that incorporation technology into writing routines would engage my students further in their writing. However, I want to find the most effective/efficient way to have my students using technology to write. I appreciate your input and ideas about how you use technology to increase writing in your classroom.

My Book List - A List Entry

It happens every year, about March or April I start making a list of books to read over the summer. Some of them are books I want to read for pleasure, however, most are books that I want to read or reread for school. I pack these books up and take them home to read over the summer. These books usually spend a week in my car, a week in my living room and eventually they end up in my bedroom. These are some of the books I have sitting and waiting to be read.

The Daily 5 by Gail Bushy & Joan Moser - I read the first edition once and this will be my second time through the 2nd edition. Primarily Inspired is doing a Daily 5 book study and I am reading along with her. I love the growth and excitement for reading that I see with my students doing Daily 5. 

The CAFE Book by Gail Bushy & Joan Moser - This book goes along with the Daily 5 book. Staff at my school did a book study on this book last year and I plan to review it before starting the school year up again. 

Worksheets Don't Grow Dendrites and Shouting Won't Grow Dendrites by Marcia L. Tate - I had the opportunity to see Marcia L. Tate years ago and have had these books collecting dust in my classroom. I pulled them off the shelf when I saw that the ladies at Blog Hoppin' were doing a book study on the worksheets book. I will be reading Shouting Won't Grow Dendrites next. 

Next Steps in Literacy Instruction Connecting Assessments to Effective Interventions by Susan M. Smart and Deborah R. Glaser - Deb Glaser is a former Boise School District employee who comes back often (I've been to 4+ trainings in the last 2 years) and the book has great ideas on ways to implement effective strategies for literacy instruction. My copy is full of post it notes and papers. I plan to flip through it again as the school year begins and once I see the reading level of the students I have this year. 

Core Teaching Reading Sourcebook by Bill Honig, Linda Diamond and Linda Gutlohn - This is an old textbook that I have pulled out this year and am wanting to read/skim through this summer. Last year I moved grades from teaching 3rd to teaching 2nd and I was most surprised by the increased need of phonic/phonemic support the students in my classroom needed. 

Teaching Student-Centered Mathematics Developmentally Appropriate Instruction for Grades Pre-K-2 by John A. Van de Walle, LouAnn H. Lovin, Karen S. Karp and Jennifer M. Bay-Williams - Another book that I pulled out this last year due to the need that my students had for more hands on math instruction that would aid my students to develop number concepts and number sense. I have this book tabbed and full of post it notes as well. My plan is to read it again and add to the post it notes inside. 

The First Six Weeks of School by Paula Denton and Roxann Kriete - This is a book that I pull out and read before I start school every year. While I don't follow the book step by step for starting school, it has valuable information that helps me to start the school year out on the right foot. 

The First Days of School by Harry K. Wong and Rosemary T. Wong - Another textbook from school this is a book that I find is a great resource to skim through before I start the school year. It serves as a reminder as to the expectations and procedures that I need to have in place as the school year begins. 

Talks with Teachers Summer Book Club - This may or may not belong in this list. For the last 2 summers I have participated in the talks with teachers summer book club. I find it is a great way to engage with other teachers and read great books in the process. The group may be more geared to junior high/ high school teachers, but I think that good books are good books. Every summer the read a non-fiction in June, a novel in July and a professional book in August. This year it was The Element by Ken Robinson in June and Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee in July, August is still TBD. 

Links Entries

As I continue on my journey as a teacher I am constantly looking for more websites for my students to use. In my classroom I have 5 iPads and 3 chrome books in my classroom. I use Daily 5 as a structure and I have thought about whether to use the technology in me classroom to have students listen to reading, or if I should use the technology to build word work skills. My biggest goal for students using technology in the classroom is that students are accountable to me and to themselves for their learning. Here is a list of apps and websites that I encourage my students to use.

RAZ Kids - This website/app has interactive e-books for students at all levels. The students are able to listen to the book being read, take a comprehension quiz on the book and (my favorite part) is that my students can record themselves reading a story and then send me the story. I can log in and listen to the students as they read.

Sight Word Ninja  - This app says a word and the students have to choose from three (or more) words and swipe he correct word.

Reading Rainbow - This app allows students to chose a book and hear it read aloud. When I feel that my students need to hear fluent readers read this is the app I choose.

Spelling City - This website allows me to enter my list of spelling words and the students are able to practice their spelling words in a variety of games.

PebbleGo - This website is linked through our district and has science, social studies and health topics. They are read aloud to the students and include video clips for the students to explore. These are all informational and highly engaging for students.

Welcome to my blog!

Hi, I'm Erika Carpenter and I'm a second grade teacher in Boise, Idaho. This will be my fourth year teaching and my second year teaching second grade. I love creating a fun classroom for my students and I'm always working to make my classroom a better place. I'm looking forward to exploring the world of blogging and connecting in a new way with colleagues across the world.