Love 4 Teaching

The life changing events that have occurred since we last saw our students in person make it impossible to return to teaching without adjustment. Between a world-wide pandemic and civil unrest, each and every person has been impacted, from our youngest learners to our oldest staff. It would cause additional irrevocable harm if we were to go back to “business as usual,” unchanged. Even well organized schools will need to revisit their organizational systems and structures to make adjustments to ensure that they are effective and efficient in meeting the needs of the stakeholders they serve. 

 

That said, a total overhaul with days or weeks to go before the start of the school year would be ineffective and stressful. So how do school leaders and teams decide where to focus these last few precious moments before school is “in session?” Focusing on the following five areas can help to maximize outcomes productively.  

 

Relaunching the Mission and Vision 

With all of the changes, stakeholders will need school leaders to provide direction. The mission and/or vision of the school or school teams may need to be revisited, and at the very least, relaunched. With all of the changes, many decisions are being made that change how schools typically operate. Questions will arise about what to keep, what to cut, and how to best utilize resources. A strong mission and vision will help stakeholders maintain course towards a unified goal, and will ensure that as decisions are made, they are done with the mission and vision in mind. 

 

Data Systems

Covid has unveiled the unhealthy amount of dependency that has been put on standardized testing and arbitrary grades. Though these scores are part of well triangulated data, standardized tests do not give instructors the specific, frequent, and relevant information needed to make instructional decisions for their students on a day to day basis. What skills do the students currently have? How does this compare to other students in the classroom? School? District? Nation? Now that standardized test scores are completely missing due to Covid, some schools are finding that they have little to no other data to use to understand a student’s mastery of skills, and what instruction to provide. Others may have data from screeners and formative assessments that can only be given in person. Schools’ data teams can revisit the types of data they collect on students, whether or not the data is helpful in making instructional decisions, and whether it can be collected remotely. 

 

Many schools struggle with how to provide students with grades. Already very subjective across classrooms, the gap between expectations from one teacher to the next became even larger. Teams can find solutions to make grades reflect student ability rather than privilege or access. Even if schools go back to in-person instruction, the importance of being able to provide remote instruction during emergencies became all to real. Schools must be ready to seamlessly switch between the two in the future, even if that never again becomes necessary. Setting up strong data collection and analysis protocols will help schools make informed decisions about the needs of the students they serve.

 

Stakeholder Communications

With people working remotely, email and technology overload has gone through the roof. If your school is relying on emails to communicate with stakeholders, you may find your well-intended messages are not having the desired effect. Schools will need to revisit how they are communicating with stakeholders. How are you ensuring your messages are being heard? Do stakeholders know the best way to communicate with you? Are you differentiating your communication to meet the variety of needs in your school community? How are you ensuring equity of voice? Reviewing your communication protocols will help you overcome the barriers that are in place with limited in-person opportunities. 

 

Intervention Strategies

The way we can interact with our struggling learners has changed. The physical distance now necessary for the health of both the teacher and the student, as well as restrictions on the use of some manipulatives and/or tools can lead to limitations on interventions. Schools will need to review current intervention structures and strategies to assess what changes are needed. Whether changing the intervention or changing the method of delivery, adjustments can have a significant impact on the fidelity of the interventions provided. Schools can create a team to identify and address those changes and the impact.

 

Hiring

Many believe induction begins after a teacher is hired, but if a school has strong hiring practices, induction begins with the first interaction the candidate has with the school. Many schools struggle with providing consistent and well-designed hiring and induction practices, and even those who do will have to make adjustments due to COVID. The needs of our schools may have changed, and therefore so will the qualities we are looking for in a candidate. Since there is a shortage, high quality candidates typically have several schools offering them positions. Their interview experience will influence their selection of a position. Schools can engage teacher leaders in building strong hiring practices to attract and retain high quality candidates, making them more vested in the success of the teacher hired. This support will be more important than ever as new hires are isolated away from typical school communities due to COVID restrictions. Schools need to be purposeful in this process to ensure new hires feel supported, included, and welcomed. 

For more information on how to address these five areas in your school, school teams can use our book Implementing Systematic Interventions: A Guide for Secondary Schools. The book provides tools, activities, and strategies for these topics and more.

Arguably one of the most important characteristics of an effective teacher is flexibility. In this unsure time (Covid 19), I feel that it is my duty to help families find new routines and structures that will help their children continue to grow and develop, while also being sensitive to the restrictions families may have at home. There is no exact solution to this, as each of our families have different challenges and needs.

My suggestion is to create a schedule that works for your home. Below is a sampling of resources that can be helpful. I tried to include a mixture of resources that can be used on and offline. Use this as a rough draft. Incorporate the work that your child’s teacher has specifically assigned by adding to the schedule or replacing elements from this schedule, depending on your child. Remember that kids need to change focus frequently (around 20 minutes) and build in time for physical activities and movement. Towards the bottom is links for physical movement activities from the PE teachers. They suggest a total of 60 minutes that can be broken up throughout the day.

If this is too much for you/your child, select one or two focal areas from the tasks below based on your child’s greatest needs. After completing assigned work, select one or two of the tasks/activities related to that area of need. My students may email me for class codes to most of the sites below.

Sample Schedule:

8:45-9:15	Read a book Or Do a writing project.	Epic  Learningally.org Make a comic Be a part of history. Write a journal article about what is happening. See the bottom of this post for more ideas.
9:15-9:45	Reading Fluency or (3rd Grade Zoom w/teacher)	Students should be able to read a text at a steady rate and with expression. A good way to develop this is to read the same passage several times and track how many words can be read in one minute. This blog has tools for students to track and rate their fluency. This can be done using a few passages from any text (at their level) or using a tool below: Fluency apps Thinkfluency: Print text here Easycbm free account
9:45-10:30	Math Fluency or (4th  Grade Math Zoom w/teacher 9:50-10:25)	Math fluency is not about memorization or super speed. It is about finding techniques to recall basic math facts in a quick and efficient way that does not inhibit them from solving more complex, multi-step problems. Allow strategies such as using fingers, skip counting, etc. as a “start,” and encourage students to improve their ability to use (or eventually fade) those strategies to solve problems more quickly. Repetition and instant feedback is key. Xtramath Fluency Resources 4th Grade Fluency Resources 3rd Grade
10:30-11:05	Math Application/Word Problems or (3rd Grade Math Zoom w/teacher 10:30-11:00)	Solving word problems is about being able to identify how many steps you need to complete and the clue words that tell you what operation to do (+, -, x, ÷) for each step. Khan and/or Khan Mappers 3rd Grade Math Skill Worksheets  4th Grade Math Skill Worksheets CK12.org Practice telling time on an analog clock Practice counting money and making change
11:00-11:35	WIN (What I Need) (Small Group Zoom Check-in with Ms. Love)	Compete the work assigned by teachers and/or continue to work on one of the items above and/or below.
11:35-12:15	Vocab and/or Spelling and/or Grammar	Make sure you can read your vocabulary words out loud. For spelling, instant feedback is important. Select a couple words to focus on, and do practice tests. Immediately review what mistakes you made, and then try again. Wordly Wise Word Wall Words Khan Academy (Grammar) CK12.org
12:15-1:00	Lunch	Consider using some of the discussion cards to liven up family conversations at lunch and/or dinner.
1:00-1:30	Reading Comprehension	Reading comprehension is all about pausing while you read and asking questions. (Why did that happen? What evidence in the text makes me think that.) ck12.org Pick something from the Reading Strategy Toolkit to do before/during/after reading. Answer one (or more) of these questions about a text. Use the Notice and Note signposts to think about and discuss your text. With an adult, select one of these thinking routines to think more deeply about a text and/or an artifact
1:30 – ? Self Driven Exploration	Visit topics that will help you learn more about something that you are interested in. Check out a museum, read articles, look at photographs, etc., and discuss/share what you have learned with others!	See below

Writing Project Ideas: 

• Create a PowerPoint to present
• Make a newspaper
• Create a video
• Create a cartoon
• Create a one-pager or info graphic
• Create a “how to” manual
• Write and/or illustrate a story
• Write poems
• Write a letter (friendly or business)
• Create a tv or radio commercial
• Interview various people and document it somehow
• Create a virtual museum exhibit with artifacts and card catalogs
• Write a mini-book with text features

Looking for something to do? Explore one of these!

• Epic gives children access to books without having to leave the house. The books can be read to the students with music and the voices of real people instead of “robots” as many other text to speech book websites offer.
• NEWSLEA has articles for students about current events, as well as informational text about historical topics.
• Rebel Girls has fun activities such as writing a business plan and 90+ writing and drawing activities, as well as podcasts of heroic and inspiring women.
• Check out a virtual art museum tour (click explore and then scroll through the collections section):  https://artsandculture.google.com/
• If you are interested in space, NASA has a lot of cool information and resources: https://www.nasa.gov/kidsclub/index.html
• National Geographic: https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/
• National Park Tours:  https://totallythebomb.com/heres-33-national-park-tours-you-can-take-virtually-from-the-comfort-of-your-home
• Animals:
  • https://kids.sandiegozoo.org/
  •  https://nationalzoo.si.edu/
  • https://columbuszoo.org/
• Architecture: http://archkidecture.org/
• Social Studies:
  • Learn about civics (how government works): https://www.icivics.org/games
  • Library of Congress- information and artifacts about a lot of topics: https://www.loc.gov/     
  • National Archives- a lot of sources:  https://www.archives.gov/education
  • Listen to Studs Terkel Radio Archive: https://studsterkel.wfmt.com/
  • Listen to and/or create your own Ted Talk: https://www.ted.com/playlists/86/talks_to_watch_with_kids
  • Teacher resources and posters for what questions to ask to think deeply about history https://sheg.stanford.edu/history-lessons
  • http://historicalthinkingmatters.org/
  • Mock Trials for the classroom: https://classroomlaw.org/

Resources from the PE Teachers (do 60 minutes a day):

• Activities Packet
• Heart Healthy Games
• March Drop Everything and Move
• April Drop Everything and Move
• Drop Everything and Move

Resources from our Librarian:

• CPS’ Virtual Library
• Chicago Public Library (for audio books)
• Storyline Online for authors reading books
• International Digital Library (books in other languages)
• Mystery Science
• Wonderopolis 

From our Tech Teacher:

• code.org
• Kodable
• Keyboarding Zoo and Keyboarding Zoo 2
• Typing Club 

From our Art Teacher: (See email for artistic prompts for each day)

• Online art lessons: Little Lessons at Home
•  Live everyday at 1:00pm, How to draw with Jarrett J. Krosoczka Author & Illustrator
• MOMA- explore Modern Art from MOMA’s collection Interactive Gallery
• Article with links to great online museums: Virtual Tours
• Images, resources and activities. Middle School Activities (no need to sign up, just
  click the links at the bottom left) Davis
• How to Draw Tutorials Circle Line
• Fun Art History Cartoon Mati & Dada

From our Music Teacher:

•  Grades K-2
  • Six-year old George learns about the orchestra in Sydney Australia.
  • Introduction to Jazz (string bass, drum set, and piano)
• Grades 1-5
  • Do-Re-Mi challenge… echo sing with the voice using do re mi and so.

• Grades 3-8
  • Families of Instruments
  • Families of Instruments
  • Name That Instrument (quiz with answers)
  • One man plays 30 woodwind instruments (some are “toys”) in one composition.
  • Brass Instruments Demonstrated
• Grades K-8
  • “William Tell Overture” finale … many of you will recognize this theme (melody)!
  • Hear the instrument that plays the “Sugar Plum Fairy” theme in “The Nutcracker”. The celeste is a keyboard instrument that sounds a little like a music box, but looks like a small piano. Check it out!

Parent Resources:

• Harvard’s Artful Thinking has various thinking routines that deepen students’ comprehension, thinking, and discussion skills but providing structures and prompts to discussion pictures and art. They can also be applied to most text.
• Harvard’s Family Dinner Project offers recipes you can make with children as well as fun discussion cards and activities to promote higher level thinking and conversation.

Math can be really tricky for some students. If you break down a math problem, even a “simple” computation problem can have many steps to follow. For example, if you take a multi-digit subtraction problem you have to:

1. Know to start at the place value furthest to the right.
2. Assess whether or not you have to regroup (borrow).
3. Borrow if needed.
4. Know what to write to replace the number you just borrowed from.
5. Know how to bring that borrowed “ten” back to the ones place.
6. Solve for the first column.
7. Repeat for the rest of the columns.

To add insult to injury, there are different rules for different operations, and within operations, different rules apply for decimals, fractions, and more. Not to mention computation is just the beginning. Students need to read and solve word problems where they have to determine which operation to use, find errors in other’s work, or even use several different operations to get to the final answer.

Having strong number sense and fact fluency will help to reduce the “mental load” required for the mathematical reasoning, critical thinking, and problem solving skills needed to solve these problems.

This does not mean you have to go home and drill with flashcards until you fall over.  It’s also important to note that “fact fluency” is not just about speed, it is about the balance between completion, time, and accuracy. It is essential that the students understand that it is not about memorizing facts, though this is one way to develop fluency. It is about being able to apply a strategy (memorization, counting up, using fingers, etc.) quickly and efficiently so that the computation of the problem does not take away or distract from the completion of the problem itself.

Here are some ways to develop number sense and computation fluency.

Emphasize and discuss solving strategies:

• Counting on
• Pattern/multiples/skip counting
• Drawing a model/picture
• Using a song (you can skip count the 7s to the tune of “Happy Birthday”) or the “finger trick” (9s)
• Commutative, Associative, Distributive or Identity Properties

Make Practicing Fun: 

• Dice and Card Games
• Use online programs
• Time and track your progress
• Fun real life applications to numbers and math
• Math games and brain teasers
• Games involving strategies like break apart, place value, missing number, and more
• Center activities (use tabs at top to select topic and grade level)

Reinforce “showing your work,” whether with number sentences and/or pictures/models.

• Using arrays for multiplication
• Fractions
• Using alligators to compare numbers
• Using computation in Geometry
• You can use Touchmath to make computation more “concrete”

PRACTICE MONEY AND TIME!! 

• Rounding with money
• Telling Time (and elapsed time!)
• Great list of many money and time activities

You might be surprised to learn that problems involving money and time tend to be the problems students get wrong the most, yet these are probably one of the most basic “life skills” of math that everyone uses. Don’t forget to incorporate money and time naturally into your interactions with your children. Ask them to make change, tell you what time it is, how much time has passed, etc. You can practice adding, subtracting and multiplying decimals using money too! Just think, every time you figure out the tip or tax, that’s multiplying decimals! Parents can really help develop at home with little change to your day to day routines. These small moments of practice each day add up!

I sometimes forget the power of time. It has the ability to move so slowly that you may feel class will never end, or so fast that you can’t believe that you are already shuffling the students out the door.

To students, (and many adults), the effective and efficient use of time is a skill that needs development, and after it has been “mastered,” even the most skilled time manager needs tools to help them.

In the world of self-determination and executive functioning, the management of time usually manifests in two ways. One, planning how you will use your time, and two, executing that plan.

Though it is “easy” enough to help students come up with a plan for their work (i.e. how they will study, how long to dedicate to an assignment, how to stay focused on a task), actually holding them to that plan can be more difficult.

Here are my favorite time management tools that students can use in the class or at home to “execute” their time management plans.

Sand Timers

In the classroom, I have found that sand timers are my friend. I use them for EVERYTHING. I like sand timers because they are a less obtrusive way to create a sense of purpose and urgency without added anxiety. Students can see visually how much time is left, without seeing numbers that could make the student “think” about something different than what they are doing.

• Setting Limits: When my students need a break, they know they can quietly walk over, grab a three minute timer, and find a spot to relax. Three minutes seems to be a magic number in terms of breaks within the classroom. It’s long enough to reset their brain, get a stretch, draw a quick pic, or even scan a book without negatively impacting their “flow” of classwork. You could even string one of these suckers onto a chain to help limit time out of the classroom for water/bathroom breaks.
• Teaching Effective Time Management: Sometimes I ask my students to set a goal for themselves and monitor whether or not they reach that goal. On their work, they will make a line or circle a problem as a “target,” then select a sand timer for the amount of time they believe it will take them to get there. I check in to provide feedback on the quality and accuracy of their work, emphasizing the careful balance between “working with a purpose” and still doing their work well. To help take data on this goal, I found the form found in the attachments section of the “Plan, Work, Evaluate, Adjust” intervention found on interventioncentral.org.
• Focus Technique: My students frequently have difficulty focusing on an independent task in class. On particularly difficult days, I use a ten, fifteen, or twenty minute timer (depending on the age/ability of my student) to demonstrate the amount of time I need them to maintain engagement in their work before allowing a desired task (errand, break, short “game”). When they stop working or become disengaged, I flip the timer on it’s side so that it stops the time. They quickly recognize that they can earn the desired activity much more quickly if they stay on task, and the visual helps them reach their goal.

Online Timer

Using an online timer is great for whole class management. Here are some of my favorite uses:

• Keeping a schedule: I like to use one of these online timers to help me keep the class on schedule by projecting it from my computer onto a screen. We set timers for EVERYTHING, from reminders to whole class stretch breaks, these help use manage our expectations for the “flow” of class. My favorite is this online timer because it allows you to select from counting up (great for allowing students to monitor how long an independent assignment is taking them), or counting down allowing the class to see how much time is left (great for centers, stations, or groupwork). It even has a random number or name tool.
• Self Monitoring and/or Data Collection: My ultimate favorite online timer feature is the Interval timer. My co-teacher and I found providing a self-monitoring of attention to instruction intervention on interventioncentral.org that is extremely helpful. We give select students this form to help them develop self-awareness. However, we needed a random variable timer that we could set in advance to tell our students when to “self check.” After tirelessly searching, my amazing co-teacher discovered this tool and we use it daily.

I hope these tools and interventions help you develop time management and self-awareness skills in your students. Don’t forget, self-determination skills are not necessarily “innate.” Involve your students in planning how they will use their time, as well as monitoring the execution of their plan by teaching them to use timers. Explicitly stating your purpose of helping them learn these strategies will help them independently manage their time in the future.

 

Read an “op ed” I wrote about how general education teachers need more training on collecting, interpreting, and reacting to student data so that they can help identify the needs of ALL students in the classrooms here.

Remember, they are all OUR students. Even once a student is identified as needing an IEP or 504 plan, the general education teacher is still a responsible partner in their education.

This video walks viewers through a general overview of the creation of an IEP document. It can help parents of students who may qualify (or have qualified) for an IEP understand what to expect from an IEP document so that they can come to meetings prepared with questions or concerns.

The video covers a broad range of topics. Please reach out with any requests for more specific or detailed information.

http://safarilive2.cps.k12.il.us/sml/play/SML3/1535-navigating-the-iep-document

Memorizing facts can be a daunting task for anyone, let alone a student with a disability. This intervention can be used for almost any grade level. Concepts it would work for include math facts, sight words, spelling, and vocabulary.

Enjoy!