2013-2014 Desk Set-up

This year my setup is similar to the one I had last year. Just some minor tweaking; I went with a maze feel.  Students still have cups on their desk. I added a few items.  I am not self-contained this year and no longer teach ELA so the dictionary and thesaurus are gone.  

The cups contains:

Two pencils

One eraser

One highlighter

One dry erase marker

One assessment stick (The assessment stick allows me to keep track of students that are comprehending lesson and those that are not.  Students place assessment sticker on their desk with red side facing up, as students begin to show comprehension with independent practice, responses, quiz, or assessment they are able to turn stick to green).

Students also have calculators on their desk, accountable talk, and self-monitoring and self-questioning guide (you do not see the self-monitoring/questioning as I added them to to the setup after picture was taken). 

I have everything students need to be successful in the classroom within reach.  Instruction time will not be lost distributing material or having them go through their backpacks. #winning

Inside each desk is a dry erase board for our paperless days!!!!  

When students first come to class they also have their Bell Ringer Sheet.  This sheet has a box for Monday-Friday. The Bell Ringer monitor picks up the sheet after review of each bell ringer.  Before I leave for the day I place them on their desk. When I come in the following morning I display the Bell Ringer on the SmartBoard.  Students are ready to work upon entering the classroom! 

Higher Order Thinking Activities

This year I am implementing a lot of higher order thinking activities this year with my students.  Every morning before each lesson I ask myself the following:

What should students know?

What are students able to do now?

How will I measure success?

How will I monitor progress?

It is imperative that for students to understand their thought process and successfully solve math problems that I allow/create opportunities in which students are not just trying to answer correctly but are able to identify what is not correct about a problem and determine what went wrong and how could it be resolved.   Below was a lesson regarding Common Core State Standard 5.NBT.5: students’ ability to multiply multi-digit whole numbers. In this lesson students had the option to determine and explain the errors made by Brian or Jermaine using a foldable or a Venn Diagram.  Some students made the choice to identify the errors of both Brain and Jermaine. 
RESPONSES BELOW:

x

DATA, DATA, DATA, Yeah I am on the DATA BANDWAGON!

Yes, I know we have so much data coming at us we just want to run for the hills. Been there and done that;  almost threw up my flag and surrendered. Woe is me. LOL. Notice I said “almost.”  For the 2013-2014 school year I implemented data usage in my professional development goals.  The implementation of data in my classroom setting and lesson planning is proving to be successfu;l  therefore, establishing itself as beneficial. WHO DAT! 

Analyzing, Evaluating, Creating, and Implementing DATA in my classroom has allowed me to create productive and accurate RTI (Responsive to Intervention) groups, target the specific needs of my students, and has also created an intrinsic motivation for my students in the classroom.  Students are taking more initiative in their academic improvement, monitoring their own performance and assisting their peers in achieving success. WOO! HOO!  Data consist of classroom assessments and achievement series test regarding specific Common Core State Standards. Every two weeks I update our data wall in the classroom with the class averages and percentage of students that are performing 80% or higher.  The picture above is data that was previously displayed in the classroom on our Common Core Data Bulletin Board; it is now displayed outside the classroom. At the end of the 2^nd Nine Weeks students will compare and contrast data of the first nine weeks to that of the second nine weeks.  I draw a sad face on the data chart when the data in red is larger than the green or is of a high percentage.  Students know that red should always be a small bar and green should always be the highest. If you are in need of the spreadsheet I use I will gladly email it to you!

In Their Face! :)

As soon as my students walk in my door they see the business. What’s the business? The business is everything that is vital for them to be successful.  In the above picture students see the following:

BLOOMS:  My students know that the lower level of blooms is their foundation.  In others words, remembering and understanding is all good, however what makes a foundation become a home is when we can add walls, widows, a roof, door, etc., with the ability to apply, evaluate, and create.  Enough said. You can have all the knowledge in the world but if you do not know how to apply it tough luck. #yeahisaidit

Self-Questioning & Self-Monitoring: These questions serve as a guide for not only my students but for myself as well. Yes, I said myself. There have been times when I had to restructure a lesson because it was not flowing as I intended.  Hey, stuff happens.  These questions play an essential role in my students learning and their success in the classroom. I just recently made them in to cards and have placed them on each desk in the classroom so it really is in their face. No excuses. 

Self­questioning

Is my solution strategy working?

Is there another strategy I can try?

Does my answer make sense?

Self­monitoring

Have I seen a problem like this before?

Could I draw a diagram to helpsolve it?

Am I checking my work?

Target:  In my class I set clear targets regarding the desired outcomes from each lesson.  Targets are set at 80% or higher.  Yes, not all students can perform at that level however if they aim for it they will get close and deliver their best. 

Grading Scale: When I grade papers I do not put a letter grade, I simply write the percentage.  Often students see a “C” and think they are fine.  I explain to my students that 75% is a "C" but it is also one point from a “D.”  In other words, they should not feel safe with a "C.”  In my class we set a goal of 80% or higher. No excuses. 

State Testing:  I display state testing categories and their meaning so that students are aware of what their score says about them.  Yes, THEM.  I also connect this to BLOOMs by explaining to my students that the difference between that Unsat, Approaching Basic, Basic, Mastery, and Advanced is if they are implementing BLOOMS at all and the level of which they are implementing BLOOMS. 

Interactive Bulletin Board

Ahhh, the task of putting up a Bulletin Board.   First let me admit, I have never been that teacher that was beaming with joy when it was my turn to put up a bulletin board; NEVER.  LOL! I say this with love.  However, this year I was excited. I have no clue where this excitement came from, but hey who am I to knock it!  Wait, maybe it came from the fact that I put more thought in it and that it would be educational for both teachers and students.  Okay, moving on.  I decided to do an Interactive Bulletin Board involving fractions.  Why?  Well, with the implementation of Common Core fractions are a major component for 5^th grade; fractions are 50% of the iLEAP.  Fractions are also part of the 3^rd and 4^th grade curriculum.  The bulletin board required students to interpret and analyze, you know that thing they hate to do sometimes, “think.” LOL!  It was a success, teachers loved it and so did the students.  I was pleased to watch them discuss the content of the board with their peers and with other educators. I enjoyed and valued their questions and feedback; it put thinking on their brain as soon as then entered the H-WING!  I purchased the material from School Aides and used a white background so that I could write on it with different colors.

My Apologies :(

Okay, Boo! I get the tomato. I sincerely apologize for not posting since Huck was a pup.  I have been working REALLY, REALLY hard.  This summer I asked myself what I envisioned for myself, my students and my co-workers this school year.  SUCCESS is what it was.  I have been really pushing my students and myself as well as helping co-workers when I identify the need.  Sometimes it is not about waiting for someone to ask, but seeing and doing.  What’s new?  I am going to post all day to show you! I hope the information I share can benefit you or someone you know. XOXOXO. I LOVE TEACHING