Pernille Ripp

I Would Be A Liar

July 24, 2015 Pernille Ripp

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I would be a liar if I told you that I am not amazed at the amount of Twitter followers I have. I would be a liar if I told you I didn’t know how many people roughly subscribe to this blog. It has astounded me for a long time that anyone, other than my mother and my husband, find value in me. Yet, those numbers don’t mean much if I let them mean too much.

Because we are bigger than the follower count we have. We are bigger than the number of comments we get. We are bigger than the favorites, the mentions, and even the likes that we can garner in our lives. The more influence we artificially have on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram or whatever tool you use, the more we should be doing to lift others up. Because all of those people are the ones that are holding up the very platform we stand on.

I do not take my job as a teacher lightly. I do not take my job as a writer lightly. I do not take my job as a speaker lightly, nor for granted. When I get to speak to others, it is something that I value on such a deep level that I tend to get emotional, because I am put in a position where I can possibly help others. Help someone else not feel crazy. Help someone else not feel so alone. Help someone else by being a friend.
When someone reads my blog, I am humbled. When someone reaches out, I am honored.

So if you are a connected educator, whatever that may mean, I hope you are using your influence for good. I hope that you are using your position, no matter how small you may feel it is, to lift others up. To make connections. To help others share their voice.

We all started with 0 followers. We all started blogging for ourselves and no one else. We all started from a place of hoping that someone would notice us and make our worlds better. So make sure you are still noticing others, because this isn’t about us, it’s about the kids and making their education better. And sometimes it seems that we forget that in the midst of our own seeming popularity.

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 me, conferences, connect

Have You Submitted Your EdScape Proposal Yet?

July 23, 2015 Pernille Ripp

I first heard about EdScape a few years back when my Twitter feed exploded with knowledge during the weekend of the conference. For years I have wanted to go and be a part of this conference created by the amazing Eric Sheninger, but life seemed to continually get in the way. Well, this year is my year. Not only do I get to go to EdScape and learn with educators from all over the USA, I also am honored to be the opening keynote speaker.

So why should you come join me October 17th in New Jersey? Because this amazing conference is an incredible space for learning, allowing us all to not just be inspired but also to come away with tangible things to do as we change education. Because this conference is a one day don’t-want-to-miss event. Because during lunch there will be an EdCamp. Because this conference is $35 to attend – yup $35. Even better, if you present, your registration is free,

So if you have an idea that you would love to share. If you love presenting and meeting people. If you want to come and inspire as well as be inspired, come to Edscape. Submit your proposal before August 15th because I hope that you come and learn with me, I hope you come and share your amazing ideas, I hope that we can connect. I know I cannot wait.

To submit your proposal, go here

To register for the conference, go here

To see more about this amazing event, go here

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

My New Favorite Picture Books Part 1

July 23, 2015July 23, 2015 Pernille 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 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).

aha moment, being me, books, Literacy, MIEExpert15, Passion, Reading

6 Simple Ideas to Get Kids to Read

July 22, 2015July 22, 2015 Pernille Ripp

Loving reading, loving books, being a reader, and finding your own books to share are central goals in our 7th grade English classroom. And I spend every waking moment at times it seems trying to find ways for students to find that special book that will make them feel like they are a reader. I spend hours planning, prepping, buying books, and yes, reading them to make sure that I am the best teacher possible for all of my many students. Yet, sometimes we do not need a lot of time, nor a lot of work to inspire a love of reading. So behold, these are my 6 simplest ideas for getting students to fall (a little bit more) in love with reading.

Public Display of Book Affection

I believe in public displays of book affection every single day and on every surface allowable. When students enter into our team area (Go sharks!), they are greeted this year with our giant poster wondering how many picture books we can read in a year (Thanks Jillian Heise for the idea). They can also see what I am reading, as well as what my team is reading. In our room, there are books everywhere. Many are faced out and the displays change depending on our mood. Books are everywhere. Book love is everywhere. I take great pride and care in showing that books are central to our world. There is no willy-nilly displays allowed.

The 1 Minute Book Talk

I will start most classes with a 1 minute book talk highlighting the book I just finished, a book I cannot wait to read, or a book that I purchased for the classroom. As the year progresses I hope to hand this over to students. But think about it? 180 days equals 180 books talks. That’s a lot of exposure. since I have 5 English classes, there will be 5 different book talks every day. Once done, they go on the whiteboard ledge for anyone to grab.

The Repeated Question

I always ask students, current and former, what they are reading. Even when we are not in class. That constant focus on literacy coupled with the innate expectation that they are reading means that students start to think of their answer before they see me. And those that don’t read? Well, this question opens up to a discussion of why not and I can usually sneak them a book recommendation or two as we talk.

The Pushy Book Handler

I am always handing books to students (and colleagues too). Books do not get read by sitting on your shelf. Books do not get discovered by being in a bin. They get discovered and read by someone picking them up, flipping through them, and perhaps reading a few words. So we have to physically hand books to students if we want them to get excited. We do monthly (or sometimes weekly) book shopping in our classroom where piles of great books await the students. With their “To Be Read” list in hand, they take five minutes to browse the piles and find new books to read.

The Getting Out of the Way Trick

Easy access and check out to books is a must. Donalyn Miller and Teri Lesesne told us at ILA that if books are across the hallway they are too far away. We need classroom libraries in every room, not just the English classroom. We needs books at the fingertips of our students so that at any moment they can be inspired to reach out and find a new text. Books are not a distraction, they are a necessity in our classrooms and should be treated as such. This is also why I don’t have a check out system really. To see more about how I organize my classroom library, see this post.

The Guest Book Shopper

If you have that one child that will not read. If you have that one child that keeps reading that one book and not because they love it so much. If you have that one kid that never likes anything you have to offer, this is a great way to spark an interest in them. Simply hand them a book catalog. Get them on Amazon. Take them to a book store if you can and ask them to select a few books. Before the books arrive get them excited about their impending arrival. And then when they get make it a priority to get them to the student that day. It is a matter of urgency now that the books are here, so they should find their home right away.

Those are my top 6 ideas. Very simple indeed and take very little time. What are yours?

advice, being a teacher, curriculum, MIEExpert15

3 Must-Do’s If Your School Purchases Curriculum

July 21, 2015 Pernille 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.