Quarterly Assessments/Report Cards

At this point of the school year, you have probably sent out progress reports and are preparing for the end of the quarter.  This of course means you are also preparing for report card conferences. 

I have always found that the first report card is not necessarily a true indication of my students' abilities.  I say this because in most schools, the first few weeks are used for assessments in math, reading, writing, etc.  Some of those assessments take several days to complete.  I my last district, math took two days, reading took up to three, and writing took another three.  Add to that the first few days of covering routines, conducting fire drills, and height/weight checks, and two weeks have passed. Most times the curriculum itself is a review of the previous year's skills, adding another week to the process.  So by the time progress reports have gone out, the quarter's "true" learning has just begun.  By the time report cards come out, there's some material to work with, but not as much as there would be for a full quarter without all of the review.

Now that doesn't mean there is nothing to report.  By report card time, you can tell who is above, on, or below grade level and which subjects those traits may be found.  For example, you may have a student who is really high in math but struggles with aspects of reading.  Additionally, you have an idea of student work habits, behavior that can impact learning, personality, organization (or lack thereof), and who may need a little push to reach the potential you see.  All of these things can be reported to parents during report card conferences.  I find it's most effective when given in the context of the grade-level expectations.  For example, if I have a chatty student, I approach the talking as an attempt to show the negative impact it can have later in the school year.  (Having examples, such as assignments that didn't follow oral directions, can help.  So can having a tally of redirections in a day/week along with notes regarding what was happening in the room.) 

When doing conferences, I find that parents of students who are above level or below level need more resources than those whose children are exactly where they are expected to be.  This for several reasons: 
1. Grade-level curriculum is written for the middle-of-the-group learner.  Not difficult, but not easy.
2. Students who are above grade level need to be challenged at their level.  While most curriculum tries to address this need, most do not fully address the needs.  As the teacher, you need to make sure you have materials available on whatever you are teaching during the course of the year, as well as enrichment ideas for parents to use at home.  Don't be afraid to ask colleagues who teach other grades.  The Internet can also be invaluable in finding appropriate, challenging materials.
3. Students who are below grade level need to be taught without being pushed too hard or left behind, struggling.  Again, most curriculum tries to address this, particularly in language arts, but most don't fully address the need.  Having strategies available to bring those students level with their peers is key to helping them achieve success.  I have often used previewing (where students preview the skills done in class a few days prior to full-class introduction), advance notice of study guides for exams to allow more study time, extra practice, and leveled homework depending on the skill needing to be addressed.

As you prepare for your conferences, think of your students from the viewpoint of the teacher, but also that of the parent.  I started teaching after my oldest was born, so I always approached my methods as a parent: "If this were my child, what would I want the teacher to do?"  Parents can tell when you genuinely care for their child and his/her needs, and truly appreciate when you put forth your best to meet those needs.  More importantly, the child can tell and will work with you or against you based on how they feel you are meeting their needs.

As you prepare for the end of the quarter, be sure to truly take a look at each student as an individual.  Think of them as your child (or other child in your life if you are not a parent).  Then write the comments to address their strengths and needs.  I actually created a sheet to use in order to add in my comments for the parents.  In short, it's a table with the child's name, all of the subjects covered that quarter, a behavior section, a homework/study skills section, and a general comment section. I also have three columns where I list the child's strengths, needs, and possible solutions for improvement for each subject. The table template is copied and pasted in a Word document; one for each student in the class.  That way, when the document is printed out, there is a record for each student.  Sounds like a lot of work, and it is, but it's a quick snapshot to help parents understand their child's progress. I can't tell you how many parents have told me how much they appreciate them.

If you decide to use something similar, leave a comment and let me know how it worked out.  Looking forward to your comments!

Away for a While. Now I'm Back!

I'm back!

I truly apologize for being MIA.  In the last two months, we moved to a new home, started the kids in a new school district, and traveled away for my brother's wedding.  Add to that an arm injury that kept me out of commission for a while, and here we are.

That said, let's move on.

In my children's district, we are a little more than halfway through the first quarter of the school year.  Observing the inner workings of a new district has had my brain on overdrive trying to think of ideas.  Even though I am no longer in the classroom, I have so many ideas to share.  I feel like I have more flexibility now that I am NOT in the classroom because I am no longer constricted by district guidelines and expectations.

Seeing as we are in a new school year, I've decided to add in study tips you can share with parents.  By this time, you are aware of your students' strengths and needs.  You may or may not need some ideas, but they'll be here if you need them.  Share if you like.

Ready.

Set.

And away we go!

Where's My Mead?

I was in my favorite store a few days ago and was taken by the display of school supplies.  If you know me, you know I LOVE school supplies.  I firmly believe nothing cheers you up like a shiny new pen.  Some may argue, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Anyhow, I walked through the aisles of folders, notebooks, pens (so many pens!), and pencils as I searched for the student planners.  I know, I know.  STUDENT planners?!? Yes.  I am known to be freakishly organized about certain areas of my life and I like a student planner to keep me that way.  I have tried other formats over the years, but I find student planners suit me best.  As I've posted before, I like the ones by Mead because some of the models have zipper pockets for storage of pens(!),  pencils, post-its, and flash drives.  Everything in one place.  Perfect.  I looked and looked, only to find that particular model wasn't anywhere to be seen.  I decided to look at some of the others.  There were some very snazzy ones by Greenroom Eco; I have my eye on one in particular if I don't find my Mead somewhere else. 

Until then, I'll just peruse the pens.

Welcome!

Welcome!

I know some of you have been following me since "Spilled Glue" and/or "180 Days," and are probably surprised to find that I'm adding yet ANOTHER blog to my listing.  Well, I've decided to compile the projects and ideas from my other blogs to make a "master list," so to speak.  Don't worry; you can still read my day-to-day musings on my old blog if you feel a bit nostalgic.

As I begin thinking about the upcoming school season, I will also share any new ideas and products I come across so you may enjoy them as well.

Thanks for following me (again!) and visit often; I have loads to share!

Day 179: End-of-the-Year Party!

Day 179 was our End-of-the-Year Party.  If your school is like mine, the "party" is somewhat of a wrap-up to everything.

The day started with my kiddos taking a survey.  Every year I give the students an evaluation to fill out.  The first part is about them: what they've accomplished/goals they've met, new friends they made, etc. The second part is about the class/classroom: what lessons they liked best, what lessons weren't their favorites, and suggestions for improvement. (I always have to clarify on this one because I can't change things like the school-wide discipline policy, recess times, etc.  There are always a few kiddos who want to adjust those!)  The final segment is about me:  Did I treat them fairly?  Did they feel safe?  What was the best/worst advice I gave them? I tell the students to be honest; they are not going to hurt my feelings by their responses.  I take the surveys and read them over so I can gauge my teaching for next year.  I have actually taken some suggestions from students in previous years and changed things from time to time.  I've been thinking of doing a smaller version of the survey at the end of each quarter or semester as well.  We'll see what happens.

After that, we cleaned out the last few items from their desks (crayons, pencils, and final "fun" sheets) and cleaned up the room a bit.  By that time, it was time for recess and independent reading time, which led us into lunch.

Lunch was held in the classroom.  We had pizza, chips, and juice.  Some of the children also brought an extra snack or two, so they also had those.  During lunch, the students watched a slide show of the year, courtesy of one of our parents who took pictures of a lot of our class activities. 

After the slide show, the class had a surprise for me so I was asked to step out of the room for a few minutes while they got ready.  When I was given the signal to come back in, I came in to see my students standing at their desks with roses in their hands.  Each student then came up to me, gave me hug, presented me with a rose, and told me thank you or some other appreciative statement.  After that, each of the parents came up and presented me with a rose and said something nice about me and/or the year.  The whole thing was very sweet and slightly overwhelming.  I was a little teary by the end.  Here is a picture of the final bouquet:

There are more than two dozen roses in here. Every time I think about it, I get a little teary eyed.  It really was a thoughtful gesture.

 
After the hugs and tears and more hugs, I took the students to special.  During that time, the room was cleaned up and the desks were wiped down.  The room parents prepared the afternoon activities to be ready to go when the students returned from special.

Once the children were picked up, we prepared to go outside for about an hour (not much longer, as there was a heat advisory that day.  Even with that, it was cooler outside because of the breeze than it was in the building.).  We went down to one of the fields and played water games: Duck, duck, goose (where you threw a water balloon at the person's back instead of tapping them on the head), balloon toss, water tag, and the student favorite, free for all.  When everyone was sufficiently drenched, they stretched out on their beach towels and had juice and Popsicles.  After that we took a group picture and prepared to go in for a craft activity.

Back inside, the students painted picture frames to be filled with a copy of a class picture (courtesy of the same parents who provided the slide show).  The students finished their  paintings and went outside as they finished.  After recess we read under the fans and waited for dismissal.

A long, hot, fun-filled day.   

Day 178: Talent Show!

I told you all a little while back that the second grade was going to put on a talent show as a tie-in to our last language arts theme of the year, which was named, "Talent Show."  We scheduled it during the last week of school for a few reasons: the grade level would be finished with the theme, the students would have sufficient time to practice, and we wouldn't get in trouble for taking away from "instructional time." (Our principal frowns on anything that takes away from classroom instruction; if we schedule a speaker or something, it must have a direct connection to the curriculum.  Not that we would just waste time, but it's better to be on the safe side.)  Moving on...

Permission slips were sent home during the second week of May; those who wished to participate had to send their forms back two weeks before the show date to give me time to double-check song lyrics (ALWAYS do this!), arrange performances, reserve the space, and make arrangements with the custodian for mikes, lights, etc.  Even with the deadlines, there were some changes as late as the day before (lost slips so notes were sent in, people dropping out or changing what they were doing, etc.  It was a little crazy for a minute there, but we got it all together.).

Talent show morning began as a scorcher.  The show was scheduled to begin at 9:30 and last until 10:45-11:00.  It was a humid 84 degrees at 8:45 when the children came in.  Let's just say that once all six classes, teachers, and various family members were in the cafeteria/multipurpose room at showtime, the place was toasty, even with the doors open!

Any students who were performing came up the to cafeteria first so we could arrange them in the order they were going to be on stage.  (Their classes came up later.)  Then we could have one act on stage while another was getting ready and the third was "on deck."  This way we could keep the flow going with a minimum of interruption.  Once the children were finished, they came back and sat in their seat; we returned them back to their classes afterward.

We broke the show into three sections to allow for changes. (Some acts had mats or needed to have the area cleared, props put up, etc.)  This also allowed our hosts (students from the classes) to have a break.  In all we had about 30 performances, so the hosts introduced about 10, as well as our "laugh breaks."  Laugh breaks are segments where two or three students tell jokes to the audience; our version of a commercial break.

Once we got started, things went along pretty smoothly.  We had one student forget her dance routine in the middle of the song, but she came back later and started over.  She rocked it!  We also had quite a few singers (with music and a capella, solo and in small groups), some dancers, a few gymnasts, a pogo stick act, hula hoops, piano recitals, baton twirling, a comedy skit, a guitar act, sports demonstrations, cup stacking, and several students who created artwork for display (portraits and sculptures). 

Overall, the show lasted just over an hour and a half, and we were able to get out of the cafeteria in time for kindergarten to get in and sing their farewell song for their parents.  (It was a little hairy there for a minute; I wasn't sure we were going to make it!)

The children enjoyed the show and were able to show off all of their talents.  I would say that if you plan to do this with your class or grade level, allow plenty of time for organizing and a few extra minutes in the show schedule to allow for little mishaps (because they will happen!).

In years past, we also provided refreshments after the show, but we didn't this year because it would have been cruel to keep the parents in that heat much longer!  But if the idea floats your boat and the weather (or air conditioning) works for you, then go for it!

Day 177: Letters to Incoming Second Graders

I wish I could say this idea was mine, but it isn't.  This idea was given to me by a former colleague, who used to do the project with her students.

So what is it?

I have my students write a letter to the next group of second graders.  I have my students write about what they learned this year, projects we did, field trips we had, etc.  They also get to tell their favorite lesson from the year (insects and mobiles were favorites) and give a bit of advice to the reader ("Don't lose your pencils!" and "Always listen."). 

After the students write their letters, I file them away for the first day of school.  When the first day comes, I place them on the desks in a random order and use them as an icebreaker/introduction as to what we will be doing over the course of the year.  In the case that I have more students than letters (which I think will happen this coming year with classes being cut and all), I will have the students share with a partner and keep the extras to read aloud. 

An alternative I have heard is to have the students write persuasion letters to their teachers at the end of the year.  My daughter did this as a project in fourth grade.  Her teacher had the class write to her and explain why they thought they deserved to go on to the next grade/why they would make good fifth graders.  They had to include things like study habits and attitude.  Very eye-opening, I'm sure.  She also had them write letters to the fifth grade teachers to introduce themselves.  I haven't tried either with my second graders, but judging by the enthusiasm in which they wrote their letters, I think they would enjoy the task.

Finally Here: Day 176: Haiku Hike

Monday, June 6, was Day 176.  To keep my students involved, we spent a portion of the day on a "haiku hike."  We read the story Haiku Hike, which is a student-published book from Scholastic.  I love the book because the students explain what a haiku is, use haikus to lead us through their hike in the woods, and give extra little facts about the things they write about. 

After reading the story and giving a few more examples of haikus, I took the children on a hike on the school grounds.  I told them to write any ideas they could think of while observing their surroundings.  I told them to focus on movement (i.e.,swaying), color, shape, feel, etc.  I was amazed at the number of things they were able to find: lilacs, blackberry bushes, spiders, robins, butterflies, forget-me-nots, poison ivy (on the other side of the playground fence near the fields), ants, cherry trees, daisies, and so many other things.

When the hike was over we came back to the room and I gave the children a few minutes to look over their notes and add to them.  Then I went over the expectations of the haiku, stressing the syllables in each line (some children like to count the words instead).  After that, the students began drafting their poems.  Through several drafts, syllable checks, format checks, and spelling checks, all of the students were able to publish a haiku with an illustration.  Below you will find a few examples:

If you can't read it, it says:
Daisy
Soft as a blanket.
White, yellow, green. Colorful. 
Swaying in the breeze.

This one says:
Hostas
Soft green and white leaves.
The back of the leaf is rough.
They are small and wide.

The children really enjoyed the experience and were very proud of what they had done.  I was proud of their effort and creativity.  Try this one with your kiddos!

Day 172: ABC Book Pictures

I posted last week about the ABC Book project I'm doing with my class.  Here are some pictures of the final project from last year. 



Cover




First page

 I plan to make the text larger this year and add more pictures for the items the students come up with this time.  I'll let you know how it turns out.

Day 167: A Visit From the Weatherman

Day 168 saw a visit from a local television weather forecaster.  One of the science units in second grade focuses on weather.  The students learn what a meteorologist is and does, what tools are used to forecast the weather, what the water cycle is and how it relates to weather, how seasons change, and what dangerous weather is.  As an extra step, I also have my students do research reports on different types of dangerous weather.  So to find out that an actual meteorologist from TV was coming to visit the school....!  Well, that was just the highlight of the students' day!

When he visited, he started off with some weather-related jokes.  One of the student favorites:  "What is a tornado's favorite game?  Twister!"  After that, he had student volunteers come up to help demonstrate things like the four elements of weather (temperature, wind, air pressure, and humidity), the water cycle, how thunder is created, dangerous weather, and safety tips for dangerous weather. He also showed students some of the tools he uses and let them take a look and try them out.  He also show them his "pet tornado," a device the creates a tornado in a jar at the flip of a switch.  (I think everyone wants one now!)  At the end, we took a group picture of the students with him and he broadcast it on the 5:00 newscast.  So the students got a chance to meet a local celebrity, learn a bit, and be celebrities for a day themselves.

It was a good day.

Day 163: Talent Show!

Day 163 began the talent show season in my grade level.  In our reading anthology, the final theme is called "Talent Show."  Basically, the theme shows how people can have many different kinds of talents; not everyone who has a talent is a singer, dancer, or musician. 

As a wrap-up to our reading anthology theme, my grade level puts on a talent show.  The students are allowed to do traditional talent-show performances, but we also allow things like art displays, joke telling, dramatic/comedic readings and monologues, sports demonstrations, and acrobatics.  In past years we have had everything from cheer leading, hula hooping, dancing, and singing to musical performances, jokes, photography displays, and magic tricks.

The students perform for our grade level only, and performance is optional.  Parents and grandparents are invited to watch the show, and refreshments are served afterwards.  The children really like the chance to show off talents they may not have been able to show otherwise.

Our show is not until June 8, during the last week of school.  I'll let you know how it turns out!  

Day 158: Mother's Day

Today we worked on Mother's Day projects.  I know some teachers do theirs a few days ahead, but I find that sometimes little ones have a hard time keeping a secret, so I do mine a day or two before the weekend.

I've done various projects through the years, but this year we made cluster pins for Mom.  The students worked with me in stations to hot glue crystal beads onto pin backings.  Why pins?  I had the idea of "My mom's a jewel," and it was the easiest project to do with my kiddos.  (And, I had a hard time finding the proper cording for the necklaces I had originally planned to do!)

Result?  The students loved it!  I provided a range of colored beads, ranging from clear to gold to champagne.  Some of the beads also had an iridescent sheen on them.  The students planned out the beads they wanted to use (one even painstakingly picked out only her mom's favorite colors), and I helped them glue their designs (and reglue escaped beads!).

While the beads were setting, we created our cards.  Then we wrapped our pins in felt and tissue paper (a little cushion for the trip home!)

Here are some pictures of a final product:

Top view.  Isn't it purty?

Ooh.  Sparkly.

Day 157: Cinco de Mayo!

Day 157 was Cinco de Mayo.  We did a few things to learn about the day.  First, we viewed a short video on Brainpop Jr..  (For those of you not familiar, Brainpop Jr. is a website that provides short videos, quizzes, and activities on all topics for students in grades K-3.  Brainpop (without the junior) is for upper grades.  Check it out!)

Then we read a bit about Cinco de Mayo and made tissue paper flags. The flags are supposed to mimic the ones used in parades or fiesta celebrations.  Seeing as I work with second graders, more intricate designs could be a bit hard for most of them.  Anyhow, the students enjoy cutting the patterns (and it's a good review of symmetry as well!).

To make the flags, you take a sheet of tissue paper and fold it into quarters, lengthwise.  Then you fold that length in half so the free edges touch.  Then you cut the paper similar to the way you cut designs for a snowflake, being careful not to cut too close to the fold lines.  Otherwise the flag will fall apart once it's opened.  Open the flags and hang for decoration.

Day 155: Inspiration

A few months ago (and sometime last year) I was sent an e-mail called "What Teachers Make."  I only recently found out the name of the author of this poem (which was actually published several years ago).  If you've read it, you know how funny it is.  If you've not, then you are in for a treat.

I was sent a link for a video of the author himself reading the poem at an inservice.  Reading it online is one thing, but hearing it said by the author himself takes it to a whole new level. The author, Taylor Mali, is not only a teacher, but a comedian, performer, and slam poetry artist.  That said...

Sit back and hold on to your hats. 

Enjoy and be inspired!

Day 154: Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!

To all of my fellow educators,

Thank you for all that you do every day, for every child.  I know that sometimes it is a thankless job, that there are days you want to scream or cry (or have done both), your building may be run down, your administration may not seem to be supportive, your classroom is crammed tighter than a can of sardines, your team may be driving you crazy, you're on 15 committees on top of working 80 hours a week--and getting three hours of sleep, parents may be giving you a hard time, yet another test is taking you away from teaching the basics, budget cuts have left you with paperclips and two pencils, the class pet has died/had babies/escaped--again, and paperwork can look like Mount Everest.

But...

Little Johnny has finally mastered his addition and subtraction math facts, Sally has increased her reading fluency, someone has left you a hand-drawn picture that says "You're the Best Teacher Ever"--complete with hearts and smiley faces, your students are showing growth, everything you've taught all year is finally coming together, you get a good review from your principal, the class plants haven't died, one of your students gave you a high five/hug/ear-to-ear smile (because you are awesome)...

And you realize that you wouldn't have it any other way.

Enjoy your week!

Day 151: Project Update!

My students finished their projects on The Wartville Wizard.  Here are some of their finished drawings:



I love the look on his face.




Stylish, even when covered in trash.




Trash as hair accessory and earrings.  Priceless.




So much trash that it floats above him.

 The students really enjoyed this project!  I think they were surprised to find out how much trash they make, even as little children.  They also learned how they can cut down on the amount of trash they generate and how to properly recycle/reuse/dispose of everything.

A good lesson for anyone.

Day 149: Earth Day Projects

I usually dedicate a whole week to Earth Day stuff, but since this week was a short week due to the Easter holiday, I had to cut back a bit.

Monday, we read about our human footprints in National Geographic's Human Footprint.  The students couldn't believe the amount of stuff ONE person uses in a lifetime.  On Wednesday we read The Wartville Wizard by Don Madden. (Tuesday was when we did our egg project because that's when my class was scheduled for computer lab.) Thursday, I had the children pretend they were a resident of Wartville and draw what they would look like with trash all over with them.  (This after we brainstormed what type of trash they would produce as children: straws, candy wrappers, gogurt containers, etc.) I'll post those pictures in a few days.

We also watched School House Rock Earth.  The children loved the video and some of them were still singing the songs as they were dismissed.  If you get the classroom edition, you will get bonus content to use with the students as well as a teacher's guide. 

Another thing I like to do to supplement my Earth Day lessons is show pictures/share articles from National Geographic. I think pictures really make the issues real to the children.

Happy Earth Day!

Day 148: Egg Update

Here are some of the students' egg projects I referenced in Day 147.

Nature-themed

Another nature theme

Day 147: Easter/Spring Project

With the Easter holiday upon us, I know many teachers like to read the story Rechenka's Eggs by Patricia Polacco.  In the story, the eggs are decorated in the Ukranian style called pysanky.*  (She also shows the style in the story Chicken Sunday.) 

*For those of you who aren't aware, Patricia Polacco's grandmother was of Russian descent and showed Patricia how to decorate the eggs Ukranian style. 

As an activity, I read Chicken Sunday to my students as part of our study on Patricia Polacco.  Once we read about the part of the characters decorating the eggs, I stop and explain the process to the students before finishing the story.  Once the story is finished, I take the students to the computer lab to view a site about pysanky and see a clip online. (We don't have Smartboards or laptop projectors for every room, so the easiest way for me to do it is to take the children to the lab and use the projector there.  You do whatever works for you.) 

Anyhow, we visit Eve's Eggs, a site of egg artist Eve Butterly.  Her site covers the history of pysanky, the different styles/techniques used for decorating, and features a gallery of eggs that she has done for occasions from weddings to baptisms. There is also a link on her homepage that will take you to a videoclip of her creating one of the eggs featured in her gallery.  She does a very good job of demonstrating and explaining the process as she goes along.

(FYI: If you can find a video clip from Reading Rainbow Program Episode #84 (the one that features Rechenka's Eggs), Patricia Polacco herself will demonstrate the process.  That's actually the first place I saw it years ago, but I can't seem to find the whole clip online. If you find it, please send me the link in the comment box and I'll share it!)

Anyhow, after we visit the sites and watch the videos, I allow the students to create their own version of the pysanky egg.  I provide each student with a sheet of white drawing paper and a tracer of an egg large enough to fill the space.  I also give them guidelines as to what types of shapes and colors should be used on the eggs.  Past that, I allow them to create their own.  We began the project today; I will post some of the final designs tomorrow.  They are coming along great!

Stay tuned!

Day 146: Service Projects Update!

Today we got our updates for our service projects.  Our project to raise money for Japan raised nearly $2,000 to send overseas.  Our project for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (Pennies for Patients) raised over $5,400 for the organization.  Yay!