How do I prevent the backslide that we as teachers often see happen in some students during Summer vacation?  I create supports to help prevent that from happening.  This is more important in this school year than any other.

If your already out, you can still send suggestions,  tag your schools Facebook page, you may have a class FB page still active or still have access to sent out things to parents and students.

As it closer to the end of the year,  I think about all the work teachers put in during the school year and how when some students come back they have totally lost all the progress they made over the year.  I am mainly concerned about  my below level babies.


SUMMER READING

So I am a teacher,  What are some things that I can do for my students to prevent the back slide?


1.  How about creating a  a Reading Bingo Board.
                make it fun

2.  Provide ziploc bag of books that represent below level, on level and above level .

3.  Give an incentive:

4.Provide a list of on line reading sites  (Funbrain,com is one such site)
                    they have cool games that allow kids to practice reading skills in a fun manner

5. Create a day to meet your new students at the  community library and read to them or help them choose books.

6. Provide parents with  ways to help their students over the Summer

7.  Use Scholastic order forms and give parents options to order on line and have the books sent directly to their homes.

8.  I suggest to students to join the Summer Reading program at their local library

Although  my blog  is mostly dedicated to reading.  I felt a need to focus on sharing what I provided to my students during the Summer.  I definitely create activities  for not just Reading, but Math, and Writing as well.

SUMMER MATH

How do I keep kids engaged in math?

1.  I supply all students with a copy of Multiplication cards

2.  I create a Math  bingo board

3.  I provide math games they can play with Playing cards and dice.  I provide the dice and cards most times
                *The Dollar Store*

4.  I create  a  color ladder  incentive for students.  They color it every time they  study facts, and after they complete one level they move to the next level.  ( Parents are required to sign off)

5.  I provide online sites that students can practice in a fun matter.  (Funbrain.com)

6  Provide parents with a list of ways to help their students.

7.  Other math ideas I plan to use or suggest
                Dominoes, Uno Cards,  Monopoly and Life games are just a few that I will suggest to students

Summer Writing

When I taught fourth grade writing teacher, who has to contend with the STAAR test,  I make sure to have the kids practice writing.

I usually send home at least 1 prompt a week,  alternating between Expository and Narrative

1. Teacher made  Narrative/expository prompts

2.  Writing bingo board

3.  Make shift journals where students free write in daily

I make it clear to students that the Summer practice is meant to keep their minds alert to the skills that they have learned over the year and prepare them for the skills for the grade they are entering.  I tell them it is optional and if they find themselves with nothing to do take 10 to 20 minutes and do an activity .

So what do I do as a teacher?  I prepare students for everyday life.  I show them how what they learne in class will be used in real life.  It has to matter to them.

Goal Setting: New Year , New Beginnning!!

 Another year of making goals without follow through! I think Not!  I refuse  to not go into the new year with an intentional plan.  As I develop my on intentional plan in the mist of this  pandemic at its highest peak.  I feel it is important for students to learn aobut the importance of goals vs dreams/  It is more important then ever if I want to make growth and reach my own dreams  come true to create action plans annd turn them into goals that can be achieved. So during the holiday break my sister, eldest daughter and I got together and decided to make vision boards.  We started off with brainstorming a list of  10 dreams that we have for our lives.  We than thought what is a time line that we can make at least 3 of these dreams into  goals with actionable plans.  So I came up 5 years.   We told ourselves to dream big, so I did.

Dream 1-   Get a passpoart and take a cruise

Dream 2-  Open up my own  Reading conslutant and tutoring center

Dream 3-  Reach my first TPT milestone of 25, 0000 dollars

Dream 4-  To be debt free

Dream 5-   Selfcare/health care-

Dream 6-  To build an office/library in my home

Dream 7-   To have over 100 products in my tpt store by this time next year

Dream 8-   To have at least 3 streams of steady income

Dream 9.    To start a podcast

Dream 10   To turn my E-books into a book

Dreams are just that dreams until you put some actions to them,  so those 3 I picked , I then broke them into 3 mile stones--what are 3 must do things for each to come true.  The last step was to come up with  actionable steps I needed to take from one milestone to the next. Thinking of 2020 I was determined to be intentional with my dreams and goals.  So I thought about what I really wanted to accomplish this year. I wanted them to be realistic and obtainable.  I thought about SMART goals and went to work.  I am determined to move the needle in 2021.

 If you are wondeiing what 3 dreams I turned into goals and plan to work on this year.   Follow me on FB at  rhonda.educ8te.5 and my IG @mrsedu8te where I will be sharing my journey through post, images  and  stories.  As I look at what I wanted to accomplish next year,  I thought about my students and this school year.  The first semester of Hybrid teaching was exhausting.  My biggest frustration was getting students to complete task in a timely manner or to complete them at all.  It seemed they all waited to the last minute to jump on the boat.  We gave make up days and a full  school wide day to allow students to try and catch up.  Some did , others made progress others just didn't try.  So my plan is to use my Goal setting activity  to motivate students to set goals, create actionable steps and to monitor their progress. If you teach reading and want a read aloud to go along with the lesson.  There is a list of the books included in the packet.   

As a teacher,  I feel it is important that after long breaks teachers do a reset in their classrooms,  First start off with reflection on what went right and what went wrong in regards to the lessons and materials used in the first semester?  You can include the reasons behind the entries on the chart.You may even want to create anchor charts.  The thing to remember is that you have to be open minded to what the kids are saying and take it with a grain of salt. This will help you to go back and really think about instructional content, implentation of that instruction and what to do differently or the same.

 As a teacher, we should lead them into a conversation about why we are reflection on last semester.  Have kids to jot down things that went well and didn't go well with them last semester.  Introduce the concept of Mindset matters.  I talk to my students about the difference between having a Fixed Mindset vs having a Growth mindset.  I model this by sharing my own experiences.  I need students to know they are not the only ones's that struggle with staying motivated and encouraged. I work with the students to create anchor charts about what a fixed mindset looks like and a growth mindset looks like.  We connect this concept to the idea of making goals.  

During this new normal that we find ourselves in now, we also see not only adults but kids suffering with being motiviated and postitive about things.  As  a teacher,  I try to pump them up using affirmations, and phrases that demonstrate growth mindset.  I stop them in the mist of a sentence where they are using negative words and replace them with  positive solution oriented words.  For example if they say, : I can't do this!  I rephrase it to say,  I can't do this yet, but with practice I will be able to _______.  They usually laugh and get the point after hearing me restate things often within a day.

I let the students make goals using various tools, we may use a goal post,  the  football field included in the resource,  go to  worddle, the book marks and mages of the brain also included in the product.  If this was the beginning of the year we would do a different activity every day for a week in relation to MIndset and incorporate goal settting  within this concept.  I read aloud books that demonstrates perserverance,  grit , mindsetiand goal setting.  I set out books in the middle of desk for students to read as well.   At the end of the week we talk about the purpose of the week and how a Goal is has to have a plan or it is just a dream. We reflect on the first semester of the year and identify what went right and what went wrong?  We look at what we could have done differently.  We even examine our grades and assignments and question the reasons for grades, the reasons for behaviors that kep them from being successful.   I always do what I ask the students to do, because I want them to know that I value the task and think it is important to their success as students.

Take a look and grab the resource below in my store to help students make goal for the new year.  It includes reflection forms, various goal setting  and mindset graphic organizers, a list of read alouds and much much more.  

 

Please hit the share button and share with your fellow colleagues.  I  Invite you to comment and follow me.  Gearing up for a New Year and a New Me,  Why not take the students along with me.  Excited to see how they use these resources in January. 

Teacher Burnout is Real!

         

                                                            Teacher Burn Out is Real!

          I have been MIA for a while,. I havent' paid attention or focus on my dream of owning my on consulting/tutor business, I have gave the attention that I gave my TPT store during our quarentine . I have to say I am mad at myself, I was making momentum, starting to see changes in growth in one of the residual income streams I started and then the once they decided we were going back to school, as all teachers were doing scrambling to learn new tech, rewrite lesson plans and rethink how they teach. For me, it has been rough. I really wanted to return to work, but it has been rough. I felt like a beginning teacher. We wentt from using google classroom and zoom to being told that we had to start using Canvas and Web Ex. Uh, What is that ? Man was I in for a shock. After 5 intro courses, I was more overwhelmed than when I started. I was so lost and had to rewatch the videos so many times that my head was swiming and my mind blown. I had one week to get this down. I found myself in tears a lot of days and still do. If learning the ins and outs of canvas wasn't enough I then had to learn how to upload assignments into it weekly. Do you know how many clicks that takes? Then if you go check them in student mode, you have to start all over again. Oh my gosh I wasn't sure I would be reading for the beginning of the year. We spent the first 3 weeks remote teaching in an empty classroom.

     As I set in this empty classroom day in and day out, I wondered if things will ever get back to normal.  I spent each day re working canvas lesson from day to day based on the previous day and then was tasked with getting ready for  face to face learning to be told we would be doing both.  I got in my car at the end of  that day, walked in my house and set on the sofa.  All of the sudden, tears fell in buckets.  I really didn't know what I was crying for at first.  As I slowly composed myself,  I knew why.  Things are going to be tough,   I now had to balance teaching both remote and face to face at the same time.  How the heck was I going to be effective was my fears.  As we entered into trainings to prepare for doing both,  I found myself getting negative, getting scared, getting frustrated and down right mad and ready to QUIT!!  I had to dig deep to go into work daily.  Each day I found myself looking at the negatives,  I couldn't get past the fact they were asking so much of us and now I have to be cautious about my health,  make sure I am giving equal education and time to both groups of kids. You no what  that meant right?  I had  to redo lesson,  I was working until 5:30 oclock on campus, going home and working more hours.  The weekends were a bust. I would spend all Saturday reving each day for the next week. I re loaded and loaded lessons so many times that my head was spinning.

    My mind was reeling with thoughts of school daily to the point that I couldn't sleetp.  I toss and turn every night  with questions of did I do this? Did I do that?  What do I need to do?  What needs to happen next?  I was so worried about being prepared and doing my job, that I lost sight of myself.  As if that wasn't bad enough,  social media was infuriating,  I saw non- educators posting  how teachers weren't doing their job,  we were bing crucified with negativity.  If only they knew.  Even at the end of last year, we were scrambling to be preapred to teach the last nine weeks remotely during the quarentine.   We  used gooogle classroom and set up lessons daily.   I rushed to get resources from school in staggered shifts when hwe were allowed to do so to limit contact.  The teachers had to meet via zoom to plan and rework lessons that we had crafted for live teaching into Asychronous learning, while making sure it was engaging enough that kids would show up and join.  Yet,  that didn't happen and we are being blamed for that too!!    I begin to worry about it all,  I was consumed with making sure that I responded to the students who were participating, emailing the ones that didn't and writing and uploading lessons in google classroom, now Canvas.  I was asked to change my layout so many times that it was crazy, because of complaints that it wasn't easy to manuever.  I struggeled with mental exhaustion.  As I had the unit, date, and webex meeting listed daily.    I am old school and love paper pencil.  I teach reading so doing it on line is very challenging,  Trying to keep track of kids reading independently is even more challenging, especially if they are not showing up or doing the task ask of them daily.  I

         I showed up every day logged into google classroom and responded to kids doing the task, we had zoom meetings twice a week to have physical check ins.  Every day my colleagues and I would go back over what we had just did and make sure it was ready and okay for the next day.  We did this for a whole nine weeks, and than the first 3 weeks of school.  So to say we weren't doing our job was disheartening. To see people who cheered for us at one point criticize us the next took a tole on me mentally and emotionally.  I was  already at my wits end as how to get all my kids to engage daily, wondering if they were truly learning anything, If they were alright or needed anything, worried about the  students that needed addtional support in class, how were they expected to do the lessons alone.  I felt like a failure and than someone reminded me of this, what do you have control over?  My actions and me was the answer.  However,  as we know the problem with teachers is not that we care, but we care too much! That we worry about our students more than our own kids at times, but that didn't seem enough.  I had to get off social media and get it together.

   FastForward today we have been doing Hybrid teaching for 6 weeks,  it seems like nothing has changed I am still worried and mentally exhausted trying to get kids to show up and participate, to develop lessons that are not only good for sychronous learning but asynchronous as well.  So we always had to ask, If the kids didn't show up could they do this lesson without me?  A lot of times we had to modify and adjust or I don't know aobut other teachers but I was answering email way past 4:15.  I was answering emails and call on weekends from not just students but parents as well.  I am spending everyday teaching to two groups of people.  I feel chained to the computer at times.  I found myself walking around with the computer in my hand.  I misss checking in on kids and running Reading workshop the way intended,  Instead we were all in mask, with deskshields not moving from our seats,  Everyone working on the computer so that things could be equitable.

      I feel trapped at times.   I can't do anything unique, or get off script and take a turn from the lesson because of questions the students ask or things that I see them doing in their journals as I walking observing and taking notice of things.  The team has to use the same teaching methods, so it will be consistent, I am no longer able to be creative on the spot and teach the way I want and really show my love of Reading.  The kids are glad to have physical contact and be able to socialize with friends and I am glad of that.  However,  I am mentally tired, talking to webex where cameras are closed and no one responds when your ask questions or make a comment, where kids show up sometimes 30 minutes late or even 10 minutes before the class is over,  I give assignments and they are not done, or during class they don't participated in the task we ask of them.  I am tired all the time mentially and I notice it is affecting my health along with areas I refuse to let the negativity, emotional and mental aspect of all this  seep into my family.  I am overwhelmed and mentally exhausted.  

       I wonder daily if I will make it through the whole year.  I have never cried so many tears in my whole teaching career, not even as a beginning teacher and that year was rough!! I contemplate quitting daily,  especially since tht toll I mentioned earlier has seeped into my house hold. My daughters are feeling my anxiety and frustration  I brought it home.  I hated it.  I realized one weekend how I was not a fun person to be around.  I was snappy and moody or I was constantly tied to the computer working.  After having a not so fun conversation with my girls I decided to step back and look at things,  My doctors were worried about me, my daughters were worried about me,  my family was worried about me.  Everybody was worried about me but me.  I write all this to say, Teachers are humans, we have feelings, we are not break, we are working our behinds off to still teach to the highest quality given the circumstances.  We are giving grace to kids and not getting grace from outsiders, You have good teachers quitting and leaving the classroom due to the constraints and restraints being put on them.  Until you walk in my shoes all I ask is that you don't pass judgement on something you have no knowledge about because your having to particiapate now.  

Educatorś New Normal

 The year 2020 has been full of lots of twist and turns.  It seems like it will never end.  It started at the end of my Spring Break when I got the email that we were going to be teaching on line for the rest of the year due to the outbreak of Covid 19.  Can you imagine the panic and up roar across the nation.  This epidemic hit us hard and we had to scramble to get a game plan to teach on line and soon.  I had 4 days to prepare.  How about you.

We zoomed and talked about plans and begin to set up google classrooms as our new teaching platform.  Google slides became a tool that I got very familiar with during the spring.  It was chaotic and things were not addressed or explained we were just told you need to start creating lessons on line.  So we do as we always do we stepped up to the plate,  created lessons, posted them and begin engaging with students via remote learning.  We checked in and held meetings through Zoom,  We collaborated through zooom and phone calls as a staff, we kept parents informed through emails, calls  and sometimes even video conferencing.  This was all new and exhausiting.  

A lot of questions began to gather in my min. How do we get all students to participate and show up because they weren´t?  How do we keep kids engaged when all we are doing is presenting lessons via slide shows or videos?  How do we do grades? Yes we were expected to do grades.  How do we prepare kids for the upcoming year when we have no control over them attending the and participating in the class.  It was daunting and scary.  Even though the STAAR test was cancelled we knew we had to provide instructional content to address the Teks students were missing being at home.  

Fast Forward,  the realization that students will be returning to school with big gaps became educators concerns.  What do we do?  teach the previous years end of year content,  give an assessment to see what they knew,  or jump right in and see what happens?  This was my concern all summer. Then the unthinkable happened, we knew it would be a possiblity just still the amount of preparation and work we will have to do was unthinkable.  We were told we would start on line the first 3 weeks of school.  With all the concern over the spread of Covid 19,  I was also concerned with how would I help these students get caught up and teach 6th grade curriculum at the same time.  Mind you we were instructed we would be teaching in our classrooms and using a new platform.  The questions about  Covid 19, social distancing  and safety protocols became a topic of concerns for educators around the world.  It seeemed our voices were not being heard, or rather no one cared what we had to say.  They just wanted the schools to open and teachers back in the classrooms.

We were guaranteed we would be safe and that we would be social distancing in our classrooms and doing meetings via zoom or making sure we are not within 6ft of each other.  So I began prepping my teaching spot for the 3 weeks.  I set up a table,  a book display and began reading and planning how this would all work out.  I was ready so I thougth.  We had been using Zoom and  Google classroom I felt confident and than the ball dropped.   We were switching to Canvas Platform and Webex.  If you could see my face as I typed this than you know my concerns.  We were engaged in training for Canvas along with usual Pd training.  I learned a great deal, but mostly that Canvas was not my friend.  LOL.  I learned that I had to reset my classroom up no tables,  all desk.  We were getting instructed on PPE and safety protocols along with learning how to use a new platform to teach from this year.  It was alot and was overwhelming at times and still is even 6 weeks later.

Canvas was a struggle,   I joined groups on FB and learned a lot from others.  I was constantly studying and playing around with the platform and still not feeling comfortable., since we were tasked with uploading content for classess that started soon.  So questions started brewing,  we were lenient during the Spring with attendance and grading.  How will get students to understand attendance is mandatory and that the work is mandatory?  How will grading be handled?  How is the expectations being communicated to parents?  What about when we go face to face and virtual at the same time?  Safety? Grades? attendance? Man  the struggle was real.  I know many educators can relate.  It would take 3 hours or more to upload content to all 5 of my courses and to check all the links in student mode.  Now,  if the links wouldn´t work!  Well no comment.  Let´s just say I was not a happy camper.  The day was upon us,  we got rosters and the numbers were all over the place, because of parents being given a choice to go Traditional or Remote and creating a master schedule that worked with elective choices.  When we  return Face to Face after the 3 weeks were over, we were told things could change, of course now that parents can elect to comeback after the nine weeks, it would be like starting over,  schedules could change and then you have to get your baring to have new students and loose some of the current students. The year  2020  was not playing fair! 

As an educator,  I worked hard, rather my team worked hard to ensure we created lessons and activities that would engage the students and felt like I had failed when in some classess hardly any would sign in or do the task.  How do I control the uncontrollable?  I am teacher of record and have to provide instructional content to these students and ensure learning and progress is  taking  place has become a bigger concern than ever. Sometimes,   I sat in my classroom alone teaching to sometimes 9 students out of 20 something.   I dont know about you but I felt like a failure, I felt like crying,  ( I did cry a lot)  I didnt know what to do.  I was exhausted, overwhelmed and felt like I was alone.  Wondering what would happen when we had to do both, I began to look for support groups.

I write this to let you know you are not alone there are some support out there. I found other teachers and realized we are all in the same boat. I  joined the Canvas Facebook group to get ideas on how to improve on utilizing the polatform. page if you are using UOS join the Lucy Caulkins groups. There is one for every grade level and just a general one.  if your  interested and are a Reading and Writing teacher, Join Jennifer Serravalloś strategy group. Go onto Heinemannś site lots of free pd and videos available,  if you haven´t enrolled your UOS teachers guides do so, there are a lot of extra resources there as well,  Check into Simplyk12 the provide lots  free webinars. Go find educators with TPT stores,  not necessarily purchasing from them,  just know they proide tips, ideas and free resources to help as well. There are a lot of blogs where teachers are sharing ideas and helping  not only academically but mentally, emotionally and physically.  I learned the hard way that Self care is necessary if I will last the long haul with this new normal. 

 As soon as I thought I had found my rythm with everyone being remote I now had to  teach both  Remote and Face to Face at the same time.  I cam home and broke down crying.  I was tired and exhausted.  I was not enjoying my job and was frustrated with the expectations and changes that were being thrust on us without our input.  Does no one understand the plight of teachers right now?  Why are we the sacriicial lambs?  I wanted to quit, but I busted my behind off to get this degree, my daughter spent most of her time with relatives while I attended school,  I had to come to grips with what I could control and what I couldnt.  I made some  list and  did a lot of praying.

Fast forward again, now we are doing both,  this is the hardest thing I have ever done in my entire life.  Trying to manage in class and on line at the same time is exhausting.  I can´t teach like I want,  there are so many things being added to teachers plateL  cleaning after every class, monitoring social distance in the halls, attendance  for both in and remote class was done a certain way, still trying to plan engaging lessons  p uploading assignments to canvas, trying to engage both in class and online learners at the same time. How to handle no shows, how to deal with  non participants that show and do nothing,  I am just besides myself.  Everything has to be done a particular way, I no longer have a lot autonomy in what I teach and how I teach.  It has to be uniform so that all students have an equal education and are getting the same thing regardless if they are at home or in the building.  I had to really take time and think about what I wanted to do or how I will handle things.  My daughter is at home worrried about me beinga at school with my medical issues and the possiblity of exposeure to Covid 19,,  I am at school worried about my daughter manuevering on line alone, worried about all  the students,  my job performance, safety protocols.  So what did I decide you ask?  I am still hanging in by a thread.

I write this to let you know you are not alone there are some support out there.  I found support systems.   I  joined the Canvas Facebook group to get ideas on how to improve on utilizing the platform, if you are using UOS join the Lucy Caulkins groups. There is one for every grade level and just a general one.  if your  interested and are a Reading and Writing teacher, Join Jennifer Serravalloś strategy group. Go onto Heinemannś site there is  lots of free pd and videos available,  if you haven´t enrolled your UOS teachers guides do so, there are a lot of extra resources there as well,  Check into Simplyk12 the provide lots  free webinars. Go find educators with TPT stores,  not necessarily purchasing from them,  just know they proide tips, ideas and free resources to help as well. There are a lot of blogs where teachers are sharing ideas and helping  not only academically but mentally, emotionally and physically.  I learned the hard way that Self care is necessary if I will last the long haul with this new normal. 

Other resources that I recommend looking into to help spice up or make lessons more engaging and interactive

     1.  Padlet  - I use it to present lessons in the format our school  uses and also as a discussion board, for book club discussions

     2.  Jamboard  -  a way students can discuss, share, respond using sticky notes to you one another, partnerships, book clubs

     3. Flipgrid -  students sometimes are recording their responses to task

     4.  Loom --   I record long Read aloud lessons to model reading behaviors

     5.  Screen Castify-  allows for short recordings of mini lessons  (5min)

     6.   Break out rooms on Zoom and now Webex-  I have yet to use the ones on Webex,  looking into how to use effectively.  ( I really want to do small groups and conferring since that is where you get the most bang)  I have to really plan and be strategic with this. The  con for me is not being able to see the rest of the kids or know what they are doing in their breakout rooms while I am with another group,  The  Pro for me is  I get to get back to focusing on needs of individuals and groups to move students toward growth and progress.  Then teaching would seem normal again.  For now I am exhausted, overwhelmed, and my passion for teaching is truly being tested. I have different size classrooms, every kid has needs,  I am working on a plan of action to make sure to be cognizant of students IEPś and 504 plans.  Just another thing to make sure your adhering to while trying to teach, take care of yourself and your own families needs..

 Reading teachers:  I recently found video clips of skills, Songs I could use,  and  funny poems, you can use to teach skills.  I love doing book talks using videos, and presenting trailers to kids,  Our librarian is awesome she is making sure at home kids get access to books,  we are able to leave books at the office as well, they are using lots of online resources:  Mackinvia, Epic,   and  MyOn.

 I write all this to say,  Educatorś New Normal, is a process that will take time to run smoothly and will always need tweaking,  So I decide to stand and deliver.  I am giving it all I got until I can´t anymore.  My new normal:  Control what I can,  let go of that which I Can´t and to know the difference!!!

A special thank you to all the supporters out there it makes a difference.  It is appreciated and need.

  

                 Signed:  MrsEduc8te reading teacher, tutor and consultant  here for you.

On a side note:  I feel with the social media trending judgements, condemning teachers for not wanting to be in the classroom it just makes things even harder and disheartening because it has nothing to do with our jobs as teacher, it is about safety and health for not only the students but ourselves and our families.  Does that even matter?  Instead of being looked on as the problem because we value our health and families health,  how about come spend a day or 2 in our shoes doing what we have been tasked to do than pass your judgement.  Teachers are faced with a big challenge this year and probably for years to come.  The education system as we know it will need to adapt and change as they are asking teachers to do.  We rise to the occassion despite our fears and concerns. 

     Signed, 

     I know this is my job

Do I have to read all the books in Reading workshop?

Reading workshop entails a great deal of things that teachers have to think about and apply in order to run an effecient workshop that will help lift students level of understanding and move them across Bands of Text complexity. However, we must also remember to build in a love for Reading. If we don´t establish that first the rest will not matter.

As a Reading Teacher who is truly invested in my job as a reading teacher, I am always studying, and investing in my craft. I become the go to to many colleagues and co workers. The one thing that is asked of me the most is: How do I confer with students and groups when they all are reading different level books? or Do I read every book students are reading to be able to help them level up? Especially since I moved to Middle school and told them it was possible to do Readers Workshop in MS instead of direct teach. So I decided to write a post to answer.

Here is a short answer to that. NO

However, what you need to make sure you do is understand what type of work is required at different levels of text as well as understanding the different genres characteristics students should pay attention to as they are reading. You have to reember that levels are for the teacher and not the students, Some teachers feel the need to level their whole library with Reading levels. However, research and many experts say that reading levels should be used for the purpose of planning to move kids to the next level, not to label kids. So yes, I would sort my books, but not label them all. Label some, and than use my previous blog to help you label the rest. How will you know the kids has chosen the right book? The easy answer to that is look it up. As I sort my library books, I also try to identify the levels of most, but it has become easier over time to look and determine their levels now. For those that are not able to do that do what I did in the beginning. I created a list of books and thier levels, I read the books provided below, and I spent time really working on setting up m library and understanding the Bands of Text Complexity.

So through my learning and studies, these books were offered as representative of the variousl text levels. What exactly will readers have to be able to do with these level of books?

FICTIONS

KLM--- Magic Treehouse

NOPQ-- James and the Giant Peach

RST--- Bridge to Terabithia

UVW--- The Lightening Thief

XYZ--- The Hunger Games

NONFICTION:

KLM- Sharks by Gail Gibbons

NOPQ- Shark attack by Cathy East

RST Sharks by Seymour Simon

UVW The Truth about Great white Sharks- by Cerullo

XYZ Shark Life Peter Benchley

So now you only have10 books you need to read. Read these and Pay attention to:

1. Genre and form

2. Text structure

3. Content

4. Themes and ideas

5. Language and literary features

6. Sentece complexity

7. Vocabulary

8. words

9. Illustrations

10 Book and print features

To understand and learn more about Bands of Text complexity, I highly recommend you read Jennifer Serravalloś Understanding Texts and Readers, , A Teachers Guide To Reading Conferences and Fountas and pinellé work. If you are working with UOS they have a break down of Text bands with these same title and other titles representative of the levels. You have to put in the work, If we truly want to inspire kids to read and move them across bands of text we need to be familiar with expectations in each band, read the books our kids will be reading, and become students of our craft.

What other questions do you have about running a Reading Workshop in Middle school?

My new normal and preparing for Cultural DIversity in the classroom?

        The year 2020 has been full of surprises. My first surprise was believing I was 51. I look back and can´t believe the things that I have overcome and accomplished.  I graduated  college with my masters,  I served in Operation Desert Shield/Storm,  I bought  my first car by myself,  I got my first teaching job in the middle of the year,  I had my first child,  Brittany Beans at 28.  She was a blessing that sent me down another path.  My goals and dreams became driven by wanting her to have a better life, and to have a role model that exemplifies strength.  I remember my family saying you have changed since Britt was born, I would smile and say, "It is all about her now, not me.¨  I started thinking before I reacted,  I planned out things,  my decisions were based on her needs.  I  got married and moved to Texas from Arkansas.  That was a big change.  I am from the South where doors were not locked, everyone knew everyone, anyone could displine you and entire family spent time every weekend  together  playing cards, bbq, playing bowling and just listending to music and dancing and have fun, and  obviously holidays was a big thing.  Moving to Texas was a big change,  I had to get used to the hustle and bustle, and rush of things here. Everyone moves fast, no one has time to congregate and enjoy each other, the many highways that led to everywhere if anywhere.  I missed the feeling of home.  I tried to bring it here, but that didn´t work.  They were not used to hanging with one another and enjoying it.  I was shocked.  My new normal.   I had to adjust and change to the environment.  I found my rhythm and grew as an educator and a mom.   I had my second daughter and found myself again needing to change my environment and surroundings to become her role model that exemplied not just strength , but courage and determination no matter what.  Getting used to being a single parent was rough because I wanted to break that cycle in my family.  Unable to do so, left me questioning things, It was looking into my daughters eyes and realizing all that matter is that she was raised as a strong, independent woman that had pride in her self and culture.

         At the Age of 51 looking back I realize, everything I have experience was meant to help me grow into the person I am today.  God has a plan.  I say all that to say,  with Covid and BLM movement  I find myself again changing up things to adapt and persevere through the circumstances that I am presented with at this time.  While on  Spring Break  not just me but teachers across the world found themselves thrust into a new normal over night of teaching online.  It was the most trying and  exhausting thing.   We were literally given no time to plan we were just trying to keep a float.  However, we adjusted and came through.  Can you agree?  So now it is time to adjust and plan again for the unknown.  So  what are you doing to prepare for the new school year?  I  invested in training with Simply 12k,  I have watched youtube videos, and listened in on webinars just in case.  Meanwhile, the next point of concern is making sure that all kids are valued and one way to do that is through classroom libraries.

          Are you preparing to address cultural diversity?  As a reading teacher,  I purposely this year made sure that  I created baskets that represent the various cultures of our world.  Especially those in my classroom. I had books that represented Asians, African Americans, Hispanics, Autism, Learning disabilities, Health issues:  Mental and physical.  I included books from all genres and all levels,  I wanted eveyone to feel like they belong.  With what is going on in society to day,  it is more than important to make that happen now.

You need an idea where to start?  Here is my process and it takes time, I think I took a week over a 3 hour period each day literally putting my library together.  I do it before we are on contract so it will be done. it depends on how large your library is as to how long it will take.  

1.  I pour them on the tables and  sort them first by Fiction and Nonfiction.  

2.  My first sort is to sort the main genre into subgenres that may take a day

3.  My second sort is to pick  either Fiction Or Nonfiction to start with it is usually Fiction

4.  I sort by author first, because that is the easiest,  So those baskets are done.

5.  I then sit and read the backs of each book sorting them into more categories,  if they fit into multiple categories i make a decision.

6.  I than think of category names for the stacks I have created.  I try to do a mixture of genre labels and come up with some creative labels. Examples:  Boys Rule,  Girl Power,  Girl protagonist Boy protagonist,  mystery,  Who done It? I´m not that different than you,  graphic novels, animals,  humorous, dear diary, 

that´s not funny, etc.  

7.  This allows me to pull out books that represent different cultures as well as books that tell stories of people with disabilites of all type:  learning, physical and mental.

8. I repeat this process for my nonfiction books:  I sort them by informational,  biography, autobiography first.

9.  I than go deeper:  sort by topics--war, space, weather, animals, Male character, Girl Character, government etc.  

     When I sort my Fiction books, I am paying attention to books that represent different cultures, and disabilities.  I put them in baskets title: I am not that different than you,  I know you do you know me.  I make it a point to discuss the sorting and categories with the kids and they know what the basket titles mean.

     I put baskets on the center of tables during the first 3 weeks of school and kids read and explore those.  However,  with our new normal,  we have to think aobut how to create stacks for kids without them interacting with one another,  that is crazy  to even thnik about.  Our district created a Padlet of online resources that kids can access to choose books from and that allow them to read online or listen to them.  I have created book trailer power points to share with my students. I choose a book from each basket to introduce the categories, I  pick some of my top favorites as well as books that were popular go to books form previous years.   Here is my library from last year.  I have 6 shelves here with a table where I set up my own reading life, and then I have a Reading nook with a chair, floor lamp and book case.

So as you see the library is one of the most important thing when ou are setting up your classroom, especially if you are a Reading teacher..  Know that it is possible to create powerpoiints or google slides shows n the same manner.  I will share my thoughts and one of my slide shows soon.  Making sure we represent all cultures is something that should have been in place,  but it takes time and you have to do the work.  My kids loved seeing themselves represented in the books they read. It really hooked my disengaged readers.   Happy sorting!

 

Life Happens!!! Yet, I still teach.

    Life Happens!!!

        Hello world, it's me,  MrsEduc8te.  It has been a long while, so much has happened in my life that things were put on pause for a minute, so here I am trying to get back to building a legacy for myself and my children.  As an educator, we all know to well how we put our jobs before ourselves and sometimes even our own families.  I found myself swamped in a list of things that had to be done daily. 

          As new teacher to middle school,  I found myself faced with feeling like a new teacher all over.  Even after 20 yrs I wasn't ready for what was to come.  The year left me doubting myself and my abilities.  I was put into situations that made things worse not better.  I couldn't believe how much I was struggling internally and externally.  All I wanted to do was crawl back to Elementary, but I sucked it up and found the energy and strength to dig in and do what needed to be done to make it through the year.  Well I did!!  However, I spent the Summer doing what I do best preparing for the new year. The new year brought new titles to me, I became Team Lead and the Instructional Facilitator of ELA on our campus. So I had to get my stuff together.

      Fast  forward to the new year.   It has been a lot of changes both professionally: New Principal, New positions, New Teks, New initiatives and a New Team.  The changes at my job were minimal yet impacting.  Not saying the school wasn't awesome under the direction of the previous principal.  It definitely was more than a school we were a family.  SEL was a big part of our belief and still is needed.  It is the initiatives along with SEL that is making the school even better. One of those such initiatives is  the active use of THRESHOLD.  We were task at meeting and greeting kids at the door every morning as they are lined up 2 by 2, during this interaction give brief and concise directions as to what they are to do when they cross the Threshold.  It has been an amazing change in student behavior and student accountability.  I also am able to observe students mindsets and moods as I greet them individually.  It was hard at first, not know all their names, but I know their names now and a little bit about them has made threshold so meaningful and the kids come up with some of the craziest greetings.  I have dabbed, fist bumped, high five, chest bumped, done the butty bump and hugged. 

     The second initiative that was impactful for me was creating an Intentional Monitoring chart.  The idea behind the chart was to track students ability to do task ask of them.  You literally walk the room, observe student application of skills and chart it on your monitoring chart.  It holds kids accountable.  The students are aware that they are being held accountable in not just one class but all classes.  They are actively participating and on task.  They are listening and performing.  It is cutting down on behavioral issues, allowing teachers to focus more on curriculum.  It has created an atmosphere where student learning is at the center of things. 

     So what does it look like,   I created a sheet of the skills from each unit of study for reading and writing  that we are working on at the time.   The goal is for students to practice skills monitored and teacher to track how they are applying goals.  As I teach daily, students are tasked with responding on sticky notes and/ or journals. I  go from desk to desk giving direct feedback on their sheets using symbols. ( +  they are doing it,  -  they are not doing it ).  Sometimes  the chart may focused on compliance, but mostly learning targets.  It is an awesome accountability system for not just the students, but the kids also.
       
      The last thing that has impacted my year is my 6th grade team.  I have 4 other colleagues that I work with and they are the most amazing people.  We work so well together.  We made a point to get to know one another first, then work on planning curriculum.  We all teach reading and writing.  I have 2 reading classes, IDS reading and 2 writing classes.  As a team, we made a point to start the year setting up classroom expectations, and building relationships with our class.  It has made a big  difference.  I feel that my students know me as much as I know them.  We study the curriculum, we share ideas, we problem solve together and most importantly we admit when we need help and we take the time to laugh.  Yes,  I said laugh.  We try to not get so bogged down that not only are we not able to be there  students, but our own families as well.  This has been the most productive and strong start to the school year.  This year start was ten times better than last year.  I am no longer doubting my decision to move to  Middle School.   I know things happen for a reason and maybe one day I can sit down and really think about how last year set me up for this year.

             My personal life was affected as well.  I knew I had to do things differently.  I prayed, meditated and started journaling.  I also found some valuable books that helped me along the way to finding peace, acceptance and the energy to move forward without reservation.
 I found a way to balance my life at all cost.  I am making myself do things that I enjoy more often like; reading for pleasure, walking, listening to music, and spending time with my kids.  I try to leave work at a reasonable time, and not to take everything on as my responsibility as far as planning and curriculum.  I am making list and setting priorities to help me  stay focused.  The second semester is kicking in and my focus is on Student growth.  Our schools focus in on Student Growth.  So stay tune as I take you on my journey as a middle school teacher working to also build a Reading Consultant business.

               

        





   So when life happens!! It is time to reevaluate and make some changes!