being a teacher – Page 96

I always wonder how students felt about doing the ice breaker activities I had planned for them. How I asked them on the very first day to let loose, lighten up, and live a little. How some of them seemed to light up while some barely went through the motions, no amount of coaching from me helping them. And some just stood there mortified. I figured a little embarrassment didn’t hurt them that much.

Then I was asked to do ice breakers myself. To share something I had never told someone else. To take part in a scavenger hunt where I had to do things I didn’t feel comfortable with. I didn’t feel like I knew people, I was mortified. That night I swore to myself never to do anymore ice breakers, at least not in the traditional sense.

Yet we still have to break the ice. We still have to plant the seeds of community. So while I have discussed what I will be doing on the first day of school already here, here are three more ideas for forming a community with your students.

How We Are Connected Web

I wish I could remember who taught me this one, but I cannot. You take a large piece of paper (bulletin board paper will do nicely) and then every students gets a sharpie. All students and you sit around the piece of paper and then write their name down in front of them. A students will then share something they like or dislike, if you agree with their statement you draw line from your name to their name. You then go around the paper until everyone has shared. In the end you will have a spiderweb image on your paper showing just how many things you have in common with each other.

Find A Picture Book

It is no secret that I am obsessed with picture books, so I love this way to get a hint at their personality. All this requires is a lot of different picture books spread out. Tell the students that they should find a picture book that speaks to them in some way, perhaps the cover reminds them of something, perhaps they remember it from their childhood, perhaps the story connects to them? Once everyone has found a book, have them gather in groups and share why they selected the book they chose. Students get a chance to speak about themselves and it is a great way for them to get excited about the books they will have access to.

The Circle

This is taken straight from our restorative circle program at school, an incredibly powerful program. All members sit in a circle and one person holds the talking piece. A question is asked such as; what is your favorite memory or something else non-threatening, and students take turns sharing and more importantly listening to each other. We use circles all throughout the year and the way they build community is extraordinary. Students learn to be a part of a protected environment where they can share whatever they need to share and know that their words are private within the circle.

Building community and getting to know students should not be something that embarrasses kids or leaves them riddled with anxiety. It should be a positive experience that sows the seeds for the community you will build the rest of the year. So be mindful of all of the students, not just those that you know will love the games. Make sure they all feel accepted or you may be causing more rifts than building connections.

Jenn Gonzales from Cult of Pedagogy just published “Icebreakers That Rock” – check out her post too for more inspiration.

I am a passionate teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin, USA but originally from Denmark, who has taught 4th, 5th, and 7th grade. Proud techy geek, and mass consumer of incredible books. Creator of the Global Read Aloud Project, Co-founder of EdCamp MadWI, and believer in all children. The second edition of my first book “Passionate Learners – How to Engage and Empower Your Students” is available for pre-order now. Second book“Empowered Schools, Empowered Students – Creating Connected and Invested Learners” is out now from Corwin Press. Join our Passionate Learners community on Facebook and follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

being a teacher, first day, new year, reflection, Student

On the First Day of School

July 26, 2015July 26, 2015 Pernille Schmidt Ripp

Today I was reminded of the stark reality that is the 45 minutes blocks of time that I teach in every day. As I sat and planned my first quarter, or at the very least wrote down some of the ideas I have, I kept glancing at that first day; the one that seems so magical. I have so many ideas. So many things I would like to do on that very first day. Yet, the 45 minutes really stifles a lot of creativity. The 45 minutes really forces me to see what is most important.

On the first day of school I don’t want to do activities. I don’t want to play games. Nor do I want to fake my enthusiasm.

On the first day of school I don’t want to force student into awkward ice breakers, while they hope the teacher will forget it is their turn next. I will not force them to bare their soul, nor to share their dreams.

On the first day of school, we will not have many things planned. We will not spend precious time listening to me drone on. We will not run around hectically trying to figure it all out.

Instead, on the first day of school we will sit quietly and listen to a book read aloud. We will have the time to speak to one another. We will cautiously start to feel each other out, find our friends, glance at the new people.

We will ask the questions about 7th grade that we have, not because we have to but because we will take the time if needed. Students will set the rules of the classroom, as always, and it will take as much time as it needs.

The first day of school is meant to be a great experience, but that does not mean we cram it full of things to do. That doesn’t mean that we put on our entertainer hat and try to juggle as many balls as we possibly can. Instead, it means that we take the very first step to get to know these students that have been thrust into our lives. That they take the very first step in trusting us and trusting the community. That can only happen in a genuine way if we take things slow. If we allow time to just be, to just sit, to just talk. So as you plan for the very first day of school, plan for the quiet, for the reflection, for the conversation. Don’t spend so much time planning for all of the things. Because this isn’t about how to prove how fun you will be this year, it is about showing the kids that you care.

being a teacher, books, Literacy, new year, Reading

My New Favorite Picture Books Part 1

July 23, 2015July 23, 2015 Pernille Schmidt Ripp

I Yam A Donkey by the incredible CeCe Bell. Why this book? Because it is laugh out loud funny while teaching grammar.

Wall by Tom Clohosy Cole. There seems to be a surge in Berlin Wall books right now (I am currently reading Jennifer A. Nielsen’s A Night Divided which is excellent as well). I love this picture book because it provides us with a way to broach a difficult topic with students. WIth a simple story and beautiful illustrations, I am excited to share this one.

Ben Clanton’s Something Extraordinary is just that – extraordinary. Once again a simple story unfolds leading us to rich conversations about imagination and how it can color our world.

The beautiful story of Last Stop On Market Street by Matt De La Pena is one meant to spur conversation about our lives, our assumptions, and how we view the world. But the illustrations? They tell an even richer story, one that I cannot wait to discuss with my students, many of whom have never ridden a bus or even been in an urban neighborhood.

How to Read A Story by Kate Messner will be one of the first picture books I share this year because it will open us up to a great discussion. I cannot wait to see how my students read their stories.

I am always in favor of a picture book that allows us to discuss how we treat others, aprticualrly when teaching middle schoolers. I love the story in Henry Hyena, Why Won’t You Laugh by Doug Jantzen and think it will resonate with many of my students.

You and Me by Susan Verde and illustrated by the incredible Peter H. Reynolds is a story that students will want to emulate. We will use this as a way to do our sociogram exercise which will offer me insight into who is connected in our class, and who is not. We cannot change loneliness for students if we do not know who identifies as such.

I have written before about Float by Daniel Miyares because it is an incredible wordless picture book about seeing the beauty in the world around us. This is a must add among must adds.

Beastly Babies by Ellen Jackson is a simple picture book and it is not for the words but for the illustrations that I love it so much. I love how wild they are and I think it will show students that you can be an artist in many different ways.

I debated whether or not to add The Newbies by Peter Catalanotta because I find it a bit creepy, and yet it is within the creepiness that the power of it lies. I think my students will immediately gravitate toward this book and what happens when your wishful thinking comes true.

I have more picture books coming, I will share them in part 2 in a few days.

being a teacher, new teacher, new year, parents, students, survey

3 Beginning of the Year Surveys For Students And Parents

July 22, 2015August 1, 2015 Pernille Schmidt Ripp

I believe in the power of a great survey and have been giving them to my students ever since I started teaching. This year, I am breaking them up for different days and will have students do them in class so I can gather them and mine them for information. One of these is for my entire team to use as well. Please feel free to use and adapt to fit your needs. The three surveys are

Beginning of the Year Survey. To see this survey, go here.

How are you as writer? To see this survey, go here.

How are you as a reader? To see this survey, go here.

To adapt these, simply click the link, go under “file” and then click “Make a copy.” That way you can edit it and tweak as needed.

To see all of the other forms I use, including technology permission forms, student-led conferences, and other survey tools, go here.

As far as parents go, I have a very simple survey. I ask them what their hopes and dreams are for their kids and then if there is anything else I should know.

(In the past, I have used a more extensive parent survey, to see that go here).

advice, being a teacher, curriculum, MIEExpert15

3 Must-Do’s If Your School Purchases Curriculum

July 21, 2015 Pernille Schmidt Ripp

There seems to have always been pre-packaged programs available for districts to purchase. Whether they came as a kit, a textbook, or just a set of ideas they have been a part of education for so many years and will continue to be as long as there are districts searching for the right answer, searching for guidance. And there isn’t anything wrong with that. I am not an opponent to the purchased curriculum, I am not an opponent of buying resources for teachers. However, I am an opponent of buying a program, no matter how great it is, and then telling everyone to follow every single thing in it.

You see, we don’t teach the children that these researchers taught. Our students will never share the same experience, nor the same background. And that is important because if a program does not allow us to adapt it to our students, then it will not be as powerful as we need it to be. If we are chained to a curriculum map based on other people’s students, then we are not teaching the students in front of us.

So by all means; go ahead and purchase the curriculum out there. There are great ones out there that have a solid foundation, but if you do, please make sure you do the following three things as well:

Create an open dialogue. Teachers need to know that they can question the program and that they have a voice. There should be no sacred cow in our district. Make sure that this is not a top-down decision and that you constantly assess whether this program is what you need. Just because you spent money on something does not mean it is right for everyone.
Allow teachers to modify, adapt, and change as needed. That doesn’t mean compromising the program, but instead it means trusting teachers as the professionals they are to create an even better experience for their students. One that allows them to teach the very kids they are supposed to teach. That does not mean teachers are being subversive, it simply means that they are responding to gaps that they see and they are doing something about. No program will ever be the perfect fit for all of our kids, all of our teachers, and all of our schools. They are vast road maps, not step-by-step directions.
Ask the students. If students are losing their love of reading, writing, science, math or whatever program it is they are in, then we have a serious problem. It does not matter that the program may be the best for creating deep comprehension if students hate doing it. If a curriculum program is creating robots in our classroom then we should be worried. And we should take action and we do that best by asking the students what is going on. Then we listen and then we change.

So if you find yourself in the situation where you can tell that something is not working for your students, speak up. Do it kindly, but do speak up, because administration cannot engage in a conversation that they do not know is needed. Ask your students, involve parents, and collect your evidence. Start a conversation before a program becomes an educational barrier to success. Don’t stay silent if you see something harming students, the change starts with us and our courage.

PS: And if you are using money to purchase curriculum but not using money to buy books, then the priorities need to change.

assessment, attention, authentic learning, being a teacher, Literacy, MIEExpert15, student choice, student voice, technology

What About the “P” In Your B.Y.O.D.?

July 20, 2015 Pernille Schmidt Ripp

The final quarter of last year, our classroom was a limited B.Y.O.D. zone, meaning yes, bring your own device but check it at the door unless we had a purpose for it. I instituted this because I felt we were getting distracted, myself included, we were having a hard time resisting the instant temptations that our smartphones seem to provide for us. So we left them out of the room and the students were just fine with it. I was too. In fact, there were times where I knew that our conversations, our reflections, our thinking traveled to deeper levels because we did not have a device nearby to distract.

Yet, I felt like I had taking the easy way out. That declaring our room a device free zone was limiting the students. So I have been thinking a lot about meaningful purpose lately, because much like I would not take a pencil away from my students unless I had to, I don’t think we should be taking devices either. What we need instead is purpose, and purpose starts with us. Especially in our literacy classroom where we have such an opportunity to use the devices to further a love of reading.

The beauty of students with devices is not just the instant access to information, but the ability to give them a voice even if we are not discussing. To give them a further purpose than just the immediate one in the classroom. To create a digital platform for them to share their voices with the world. Therefore, this coming year, we will not be device-free but rather device-purposeful. Together we will be deciding how to use, when to use, and what to do with our devices. There will be clear student-set expectations and they will be a natural part of our classroom, not something to always leave at the door.

A few ideas so far for the purpose part are: (For students with no devices we will have access to Chromebooks to do some of these things. )
An ongoing TodaysMeet backchannel. This idea, shared by Ira Socol at ISTE, means that I am creating a TodaysMeet room for each class and having that as a place for students to discuss, ask questions, and also to take the pulse of my classroom. Because, of course, students will probably veer off the prompted conversation, but will they do it all of the time? This will allow my shyer students a way to speak up, allow students to help each other, and also a way to leave me questions that perhaps they don’t feel they need the answer to right away. This backchannel will also allow me a way to assess to see engagement, interest, and confusion. All useful tools as I prepare and plan.

A Goodreads community. I plan on using Goodreads with my students this year as a way to log their books, share recommendations, and explore new books. It is the same tool I use for myself and so adding it will be a natural extension of what adult readers use. For those who teach younger students, you could use Biblionasium to do this as well.

A Padlet Wonder wall. I really want us to start being more curious and wondering more, so having a Padlet with things we wonder about will be another tool for the students to access. I plan on sharing a daily wonder as well, and may use Wonderopolis if we have time.

A Padlet book share wall. This idea shared by the inspiring Kristin Ziemke at ILA is having a place for students to post “Book shelfies” plus a recommendation of the book. I loved Kristin’s idea especially of opening this up to the world and having students around the world sharing their books as well.

Those are just a few ideas, but I am sure more will come soon. I cannot wait to discuss these ideas with my students and see what else they have to offer. What ideas would you add?