So You Want to Flip Your Elementary Classroom… Now What?

In my latest blog post, I talked about what I learned from flipping my elementary classroom.  This is an approach I took to teaching as part of an action research project and I learned a lot about best practices for implementing the flip.

My hope with this post is that you learn something you can take into your classroom tomorrow to help with a flipped classroom model.

Which model will you use to flip your classroom?

A flipped classroom is an instructional approach that removes the whole class direct instruction to a video that students view at home before a more hands-on or in-depth lesson at school.  The idea was started by Jonathan Bergmann and you can read more about a flipped classroom approach to instruction in his book Flip Your Classroom: Reach Every Student in Every Class Every Day (affiliate link).

There are alternative models of the flipped classroom approach.  If your school is 1:1, for instance, but the devices stay at school, you can have students watch the videos as they enter the classroom.  Or, close the class with the videos that correspond to the next day’s lessons.

In my case, I only have 6 classroom devices (four desktops and 2 Chromebooks), so I implemented an in-class flip with a station rotation model.  You can read more about this model in this Edutopia blog by Jennifer Gonzalez.  In essence, students rotate through stations and watch the flipped lesson videos at one of the stations.  The other stations provide opportunities for students to work in small groups and pairs to dig deeper into content.

This in-class flip is the model I took in my third-grade classroom and it seemed to work out well for us.  The first step in implementing a flipped classroom approach would be to decide which model you’re going to use.

Which content and which portion of your lesson are you going to flip?

It’s silly to think that you can flip your whole reading, math, science, or social studies lesson.  Especially in elementary school, each content area is full of different components.  Break it down and start with something small.  You can build from there and flip more components if it’s going well.

Here are some ideas to help you frame your thinking about which components of your elementary classroom you want to flip.  Remember, this is often direct instruction that is moved to video format.

Literacy

• Introducing vocabulary words
• Explicit phonics instruction
• Read-aloud
• Reading strategies
• Explicit grammar instruction
• Modeling a graphic organizer or written response

Math

• Introducing vocabulary words
• Introducing/modeling a strategy
• Modeling an algorithm
• Build background knowledge by connecting a prior concept

Science/Social Studies

• Introducing vocabulary
• Building background knowledge

Where will you get the videos you share with students?

There are two main approaches to take to this problem: find videos made by others or create your own videos.  I, personally, chose to do both when implementing my flip.  There are a ton of wonderful videos out there already made, why re-invent the wheel?

I also found, however, that there were some topics or strategies that were not already available.  For those, I made my own.  I actually really liked making my videos because I found that they were more engaging for my students (what elementary students don’t love seeing their teacher online?) and I was able to tailor my instruction for my students using specific texts and strategies we were using in class.

Below, I’ve listed some of the resources available for finding or creating your own videos.

Pre-made video repositories:

• Khan Academy
• Edpuzzle
• Youtube (there are SO MANY – just type what you’re looking for)

Programs to make your own videos:

• Screencastify (this is the one I use)
• Screencast-o-Matic
• iMovie
• Powtoon
• Design Wizard

How will you share the videos with students?

There are several ways to share videos with students.  I’ve used two different free platforms – Google sites and Google classroom – and I’ve found advantages and disadvantages to both.  I prefer Google classroom because it’s much easier to push things out to students and hold them accountable for assignments or quizzes.  A Google site is a great place to house videos as it doesn’t require a login, but it makes it harder to hold students accountable.  Although I haven’t tried sharing videos in this way, ClassDojo might be another option.

If your school or district pays for a learning management platform like Schoology, Blackboard, or another similar platform, this might be a great way to get content to students.

How will you assess your students and/or hold them accountable?

When I first started, this was a struggle for me.  You ultimately want a way to make sure that students are watching the videos and getting something out of it.  EdPuzzle has a built-in question feature that allows students to show understanding at points throughout the video chosen by you, the teacher.

In my classroom, I use Google forms/quizzes to give students a short quiz after they’ve watched the video.  I love the data that I glean from the Google form and, because most of our other online work is in the G-Suite of tools as well, it’s extremely intuitive for my students.

Though I haven’t personally used them, I’ve heard that PlayPosit, Vizia, and MoocNote are good ways to hold students accountable and assess in a flipped learning model.

Hopefully, this guide has provided you with a good place to start in creating a flipped classroom.  Have more questions?  Drop me a comment below and let me know!  I’d also love to hear if you know of other technologies that would be helpful for anyone implementing a flipped classroom!

 

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Flipping My Elementary Classroom

This post is a reflection of the implementation of my flipped classroom.  If you’re looking for how to implement your own flipped classroom approach, check my post So You Want to Flip Your Elementary Classroom, Now What?

I took on a giant project this year by flipping my classroom.  The flipped classroom approach is something that I’ve seen floating around in the education community for a few years now, yet I’d never felt like I had sufficient resources to make it happen.  This year, I jumped all in.

Probably prematurely, admittedly.  But the learning is in the mess, right?

 

As part of my Ed.S. program at Bellarmine, I had to design and implement an action research project focused on increasing student achievement.  I felt like this was my opportunity to take the risk that I had wanted to in my classroom, and I knew I would have the support of my administration, my Ed.S. mentor, and my colleagues.  I am a huge proponent of educational technology and I’d recently acquired two Chromebooks thanks to a Donors Choose project bringing my count of classroom devices from four to six.  With six devices, I felt like I was ready to change the world.

I even made a Google folder called, “How to Change the World This Year.”  I can be a bit pretentious at times.

That being said, I spent a lot of time researching flipped classroom approaches, designing and creating videos, monitoring student progress, and reflecting on the process along the way.  I did some things well and there are many things about the process I would change.  I’d like to share some of my learning with you in hopes that it will help your flipped classroom transition smoother.

Let me start by saying that my approach to a flipped classroom was and is much different than the typical flipped classroom.  In a typical flipped classroom, students would watch a video about the topic for the next day for homework and then come to school the next day with some prior knowledge and experience, ready to dive into more hands-on experiences.  For my third grade students, many of whom don’t have internet access or devices at home, this wasn’t possible.  I opted for an in-class flip using a station rotation model, where one station was the viewing of the video and interactive components.  Other stations I used in my classroom at the time, were a modified version of teacher-led guided reading, independent reading, and partner practice.  You can read more about a typical flipped classroom approach in Jon Bergmann’s book called Flip Your Classroom: Reach Every Student in Every Class Every Day (affiliate link) or at his blog here.

I would also encourage you to learn more about the alternatives to the typical flipped classroom models.  There are some examples from Jennifer Gonzalez over on Edutopia.

 

Four Things I Learned By Flipping My Classroom

1.  It’s better to start small and build up.

In my original action research, I stated that I’d increase reading achievement of my students by flipping my classroom.  If you’re an elementary teacher, you are immediately aware of the problem with that statement.  What component of reading?  Within my third grade classroom, I teach phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.  In a typical lesson, I’d try to teach each of those components within a common theme or unit, using one or more texts and pulling as much out of it as I could.

So, when I first started my flipped classroom, I kind-of, almost, might have tried to do it all at the same time.  I was overly ambitious.  I learned right away that it was too much – for me to prepare and for my students to find beneficial – so I had to back down.  I ended up flipping just the phonics portion of my lesson, then slowly adding vocabulary and comprehension. It was much smoother once students knew the routines and expectations.

2.  Make sure routines and expectations are explicit.

Students have to know what they’re doing and why they’re doing it.  In my school, the constant infusion of technology into my students’ instruction was new for many of them, which caused some confusion on how it was to be used.  Because I was so excited to just get started, I glossed over routines and expectations which was a terrible idea.  Always start with your routines and expectations.

Some ideas for routines to teach when flipping your classroom:

• How to transition in between stations
• How to get out technology/devices and put them back
• How to access the videos/activities (e.g. the learning platform you’re using)
• What to do when you’re finished
• How to ask for help
• Voice levels during the station

3.  You still need to differentiate.

In my mind, a whole group lesson was the same for everyone and differentiation came in with the other stations.  However, when my students struggled with the flip and I really began to reflect on my teaching, I realized that I did differentiate during whole group instruction, it just wasn’t as explicit.  For instance, I might stand next to a student who was having trouble focusing or prompted responses when students struggled.  There is a definite benefit to being face-to-face with students when teaching so that you can gauge their reactions and understanding.  This is much harder to do through a screen.

You can still differentiate a whole class lesson through a flipped approach, it just takes more work.  For example, add several videos for students to watch.  If they understand (and show understanding through an online activity like a Google quiz) after watching the first one, they can stop and move on to something different.  However, if they’re still struggling, they can watch more videos and have multiple tries to show their understanding.  This helps personalize the experience of a flipped classroom for each student and allows them to take more ownership of their learning.

4.  Assessment and accountability go hand in hand. 

Assessment is just best practice.  When I started my flipping my lessons, I originally had it set up so that students watched the videos, then came to a guided reading group, where I did the assessing.  But I soon realized that students were not being held immediately accountable for the learning in the video, so they came to the table and had I to teach what they were supposed to already know!  It defeated the entire purpose of the flipped classroom.

So, I started utilizing some wonderful tools to hold my students accountable and help with assessment.  The G-Suite for Education (specifically docs, slides, and forms/quizzes) is a great way to do this.  They are relatively easy to set-up and intuitive for students to use.  You can read more about how I’ve used Google forms to assess my students on a previous blog post.

The flipped classroom model was a learning experience for myself and my students.  If and when I do this in the future, I’ve got a much better idea of how to approach it so that things run smoother.  Have you implemented a flipped classroom?  Did you do the typical flip or a modified in-class version?  I’d love to hear your successes and horror stories!  Comment below and let me know!

 

‘Tis the Season for Professional Learning

It’s already the beginning of April and I can’t even begin to explain what an exciting time the past six to eight weeks have been for me.  My last blog post was posted right before Valentine’s Day and I’ve been seemingly absent from blogging and social media since then.  But don’t take that as my being lazy (although, there might have been a few of those days).  I have been extremely busy planning and attending some amazing professional conferences and professional learning experiences.

In just the last few weeks, I helped to throw the biggest professional learning party in my district (ECET2Lou), facilitated a virtual learning session for some teachers over Google Suite for Education in the classroom, attended and presented at the Kentucky Society for Technology in Education (KYSTE) conference, hosted a Google professional learning community at my school, and attended and presented at the Derby City Google Summit by EdTechTeam.  It’s been a wild February and March.  I have learned so much in the past few weeks and it has, once again, reignited my passion for this job.

If you’re a teacher, you should LOVE professional learning.  But far too often, I hear teachers complain that they have to go to PD.  It breaks my heart.  Lifelong learning is something that many educators want to instill in their students, but they don’t’ often model a learning lifestyle.  I am of the notion that you can and will learn something new every day, which helps me in the classroom and at home!

Professional development, or professional learning, has gotten a bad rap for far too long.  It’s probably because we come from an era of sit-and-get, though I’ve rarely attended one of these as of late.  Professional learning has come a long way and there are many reasons why you should love it!

1.  You get to learn new stuff. 

I got into the teaching business because I love to learn.  I wanted to share my love of learning with another generation.  My favorite part of professional learning is that I get to learn new things.  I am always searching for new strategies and tools to add to my metaphorical teaching backpack.  Most districts require teachers to get a certain number of professional development hours, so take that opportunity to pick sessions that you want to attend and will help you in the classroom.  Interested in learning more about how to integrate educational technology into your practice?  Seek out EdTech conferences like the EdTechTeam summits.  Want to start a discussion over a problem of practice you’re having?  Find an EdCamp and create your own session. 

Keep in mind that professional development doesn’t have to be in-person either.  There are literally TONS of online opportunities from a variety of sources.  ASCD has free webinars listed on their website.  PBS Teacher Line has both facilitated and self-paced online courses.

I also recommended following some great podcasts.  I’ve recently gotten into podcasts and I don’t understand what took me so long!  If you’re into educational technology or innovative schools, check out the Google Teacher Tribe or Shifting Our Schools podcasts.  If you’re in school leadership, make sure to check out the Transformative Principal podcast.  Keep on the lookout for another blog post about my favorite podcasts coming soon!

I realize that sometimes there is mandatory professional learning that you can’t get out of, but take the opportunity to add something new to the conversation.  Participate and share while you’re there, as that’s where the true learning comes.

2.  You’re given the opportunity to network with other professionals and build your PLN.

If there’s one thing that’s expected in our profession of education, it’s collaboration.  It didn’t use to be this way, but the rise of a global community and professional learning communities means that you can’t afford NOT to collaborate.  What better way to do so than get out there and connect with others?

Let me preface this by saying, I understand all too well the social anxiety of getting out there and mingling with people.  But one of my all-time favorite professional learning moments was when I attended our district’s EdCamp and I finally got to meet all of my Twitter friends!  It’s a powerful thing to be in the same room with the best and the brightest.  Make the most of it and introduce yourself.  Your professional learning network (PLN) will be there when you need help in the classroom, motivation to press on, references for job interviews, and so much more!  You can read more about how to build your PLN in my blog post from last summer.

3.  You can sometimes get FREE stuff!

Almost every professional conference I’ve been to gives away door prizes.  At the EdTechTeam Summit I went to in March, they gave away two Google homes, a host of professional books and other prizes.  At the ECET2Lou conference in February, they gave away gift cards upon gift cards.  I’ve even been to conferences where they gave away printers, Smore subscriptions, and flat screen TVs – at FREE conferences!

And, if nothing else, you’ll probably get a sticker to put on your laptop.  Who doesn’t love stickers?

I hope you’ll find a true love of professional learning as a teacher.  If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times:  the world is changing.  It’s evolving quickly for us as adults and quicker for our students.  If we can’t find it in ourselves as adults and educators to be true lifelong learners and model that for our children, they will have a hard time navigating this world.  Take a step outside your comfort zone and learn something new this week.

Did I leave any good reasons off the list?  Why should teachers love professional learning? Drop me a comment below to let me know! 

Teaching and Graduate School

If you’re a teacher, it’s a high possibility that you’ve had to balance teaching and attending graduate school at the same time.  It’s not required of every state, but many states in the U.S. require teachers to obtain their Master’s degree so within a given range of time once they start teaching.  Here in Kentucky, for example, you have to start your Master’s degree within 5 years.  The demands of teaching layered with the demands of any graduate-level coursework will most definitely take a toll on other parts of your life.

I hate to brag, but I may very well be a professional at teaching while handling graduate school.  I started teaching in 2011 and started my master’s degree in 2012.  Since then, I’ve obtained my Master’s degree in Literacy, taken additional graduate classes in the field of literacy as part of a district initiative, obtained my Rank 1, and completed an Educational Specialist degree in School Leadership and Administration.  I was in graduate school for 7 years and have only taken one year off of school since 1994.

It’s okay, you can laugh.

You can call me insane.

The truth is, I just love school.  I love learning all that there is to know and getting better at the job that I love to do.  I have learned, however, that if you aren’t organized and purposeful about how you spend your time, your life can come crashing down.  All. Around. You.

Okay, maybe that’s being a bit dramatic.  But seriously.

There are ways to survive keeping full-time teaching job as well as a graduate course load and still have a life, however.  Below are my top five tips for thriving through life if you’re going to graduate school and teaching simultaneously.

1. Invest in a good planner.  This may seem like a no-brainer, but I don’t know how I would survive without my planner.  I’ve used a planner since I can remember but prior to this year, I’ve only ever used it for keeping track of school work.  I usually buy the cheap planners you can get for under $10 at Target.  This year, I switched to a Happy Planner and it is the best decision I’ve ever made.  My planner has three sections, which I use to organize my personal life, teaching responsibilities, and graduate coursework and homework.  This planner has literally saved my life and helped to keep me on track.  Before, I would forget even the simplest things.

I got my Happy Planner during a back-to-school sale at Michael’s for 50% off, but you can find one similar to the one I got on Amazon using this link (affiliate link).  I also know several teachers who use the Erin Condren Teacher or Life Planner.  You can find them at www.erincondren.com.

2. Get ahead of the game.  More than likely, you’ve got a syllabus outlining your assignments for the semester.  I usually try my best to get ahead in my classes, especially with the reading assignments.  Got an extra few hours one weekend?  Read ahead for a couple of classes.  That way, all you have to do is go back and skim your notes the day before.

I always write notes in the margins of my books and highlight throughout.  My absolute favorite pens for writing in my books are the Papermate Inkjoy Gel Pens and fat Sharpie highlighters (affiliate links).  The ink is super smooth and vivid in both of them.  As a bonus, they don’t often bleed through paper unless it’s very thin. You can pick up some over at Amazon.

3. Choose a field that you are passionate about and fits with your current job.  Also a no-brainer.  I got my master’s degree in Literacy because I truly believe that changing the trajectory of my students’ lives and future depends on their ability to succeed in a literate world.  I loved my master’s program because I was learning about ideas and strategies I could immediately take back to my classroom and implement.  This not only made it easier, it made it relevant.  I knew that my coursework mattered because it was making me a better teacher, day by day.

If you’re passionate about what you do, it doesn’t feel like work.

4. Connect with other teachers on social media.  There’s something special about connecting with teachers who understand what you’re going through on a daily basis.  I gain inspiration and understanding from my Instagram and Twitter PLNs, both from teachers in my district and those across the world.  The primarily visual aspect of Instagram gives you a peek into other classrooms, while Twitter chats give you the opportunity to hold discussions and collaborate with others.  Check out this link for a complete list of Twitter Education Chats.  The list below highlights some of my favorite hashtags on each platform.

5. Schedule time to take a break and do something for YOU.  If you only commit to doing one thing from this list, make it this.  As a former workaholic who unabashedly loves her job, I have only recently come to recognize the importance of taking time for yourself.  Before I met my husband, actually, I had no problem working my tail off at work then coming home and working some more.  I enjoyed it, but I also realize that it wasn’t healthy.  It stressed me out to be in that mode 24/7 and my mental and physical health suffered.

Take at least one day off a week.  Don’t work on the weekends or, if you can’t avoid it, limit it to only one day.  Also, find something that you love to do outside of work.  My husband and I love to play tabletop games with our friends, spend time with our families, and cook together.  We also love to pull out our paint and sketchbooks and get creative together.  I know that it’s easy to say, “I don’t have time for a hobby!”  But it’s vital to your sanity that you MAKE time.  Write it down on your to-do list so that you can mark it off.  Schedule it a week in advance.  Just don’t skip it.

I hope these tips will help you manage and stay organized while navigating through graduate school and the teaching profession.  Do you have other tips for thriving during this time in your life?  Leave us a comment below!

My Week of Teaching in Review: November 18, 2017

What a week.  With Thanksgiving break closing in, the energy of the students in my classroom is high.  The energy of their teacher, however, is waning.  I’m jealous of all of you that have started your Thanksgiving break already.  We still have two days with students this week, but I’m excited to spend those days doing some fun activities!

This past week, we continued learning about area and relating it to multiplication.  The first day we tackled area of irregular shapes was a disaster, but we came back the next day with some crayons, which always seem to help.  My students were able to break apart the shapes into smaller rectangles much better with the help of some color coding!  I will be sure to start with this activity next year!

Next week, we’re going to design our dream houses and find the area of the entire house.  Some students have already told me they’re ecstatic about adding Lazer Tag rooms and a space just for their dogs.  I can’t wait to see how they turn out!

I also had some extra time this week to sneak in a few phonics focus groups, based off the spelling assessment we gave last week.  My school uses the Developmental Spelling Analysis (DSA) by Kathy Ganske to assess phonics knowledge and provide Tier 3 interventions.  Below are examples of what my data summary looks like.  The first image shows my entire class’ data.  It’s nice to look at it and see, at a glance, our areas of growth and success.  And, of course, I love color coding it!  The green tells me that my students have mastered that skill, the yellow needs review, and the red needs direct, explicit instruction.

As you can see, I have a wide variety of learners in my classroom.  I use guided reading to meet all of their needs!  I used the DSA data to create phonics focus groups, which students who are working on the same skills.  Take a look at the next photo – it shows one of my groups.  The post-it note is the area of focus for that group.  This group in particular is working on consonant blends and digraphs.

Interested in learning more about how we utilize the DSA or other literacy assessments?  Let me know!

I will probably be taking a break next week, since it’s such a short week (and Thanksgiving!) – I hope you enjoy the long weekend and take some time to rest and relax.

Best,

How to Survive Your First Teaching Job if You Start After the First Day of School

I wasn’t hired for my first teaching job until September 21st.  School had already been in session for more than a month and I went into a classroom full of students who had only known the weird place known as “limbo” for the last few weeks.  It was chaos, to say the least.

No routines and procedures had been established.  There was no real behavior plan in place.  The teacher who was fulfilling the position up until that point was balancing between two jobs, so she her focus was on her new job as the instructional coach.  The students knew there was a new teacher coming, but they didn’t know when and they had no idea what to expect.

Then there was me, fresh out of college, begging for any school that would take me.  I had no real classroom experience outside of my college courses and student teaching.  I had no experience in third grade.  I didn’t know what to expect either.

Perhaps you, new teacher, are walking into a similar situation.

Let’s just say that my first year of teaching was a train wreck.  I wish could personally go apologize to every student in my classroom, as well as all of their parents.  Looking back now, seven years in, there are so many things I would do differently.

As desperate as you are to start your new teaching job — whether it’s a month after school starts, six months into the year, or 45 days before the last day of school — it’s important that you have a plan.  The students that you are inheriting have likely been in a state of transition leading up to your new place as their teacher, so they are probably craving some routine and consistency.  Your students NEED you, now more than ever, to be the guiding light for them.

Below, I’ve listed a few things I think will help you succeed in your new position:

1.  Establish routines and procedures for how things are done.  How will your students enter the classroom?  Where will they put their book bags?  How should they go about sharpening their pencils?  How do they ask questions? (Yes, don’t assume they know to raise their hand… they don’t.)  Don’t assume ANYTHING.  Have a clear, explicit procedure laid out for every single part of your day.  You don’t need to type it all out and give it to your students, but there should be a discussion about each of them.  If a student doesn’t follow the procedure, explain it again and have them do it correctly.  Hold them accountable.  Remember, these students have likely had no one to consistently telling them how to do things.  It is your job to tell them.

2.  Have a very clear and concise behavior management plan.  Have a set of classroom rules and follow them.  Make sure you’re aware with any school wide rules and expectations there might be before your start so that you can hold students your students accountable for those as well.  Talk with the principal about his or her expectations for handling behaviors in the classroom as opposed to sending them to the office.  In addition to making a plan on consequences for negative behavior, make an even better plan for rewarding positive behavior.  Your behavior management plan should focus on positive reinforcement, as well as teaching students how to replace inappropriate behaviors with the correct one.  This is something that I tweaked over and over again my first year.  Keep tweaking until you find something that works for you.  However, be sure that you maintain consistency.

3.  Find a mentor with whom you can be honest.  Depending on how your state handles new teachers, you will probably be assigned a teacher mentor.  Hopefully that person is caring, understanding, and able to guide you through your struggles and mishaps as a first year teaching.  If they are someone you feel like you cannot talk to, seek out other teacher friends.  Bottom line, you won’t get through this career without support!  Reach out to others and find someone you can trust.

4.  Be flexible.  You will plan a lesson that is too short and you have to find something else to do for the next 20 minutes.  You will have an awesome lesson that gets interrupted by an unexpected visitor.  Someone will throw up when you’re least expecting it, probably all over your math manipulatives.  Go with it.  Fake it until you make it.  Teaching is about people and people are unpredictable.  Being flexible with your plans is key.

5.  Forgive yourself.  You are going to mess up.  You are going to have bad days.  You are going to make the wrong decision.  Keep going.  The kids will forget about whatever it was by tomorrow and they will love you anyway.  Reflect on your mistakes and learn from them, but never dwell.

Truth is, your first year will probably be a train wreck anyway.  But now that you know better, you can do better.  Keep on keeping on, new teachers!  And, as always, if you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to reach out.  I’d love to hear from you!

Book Bites: Top 5 Hacks from “Hacking Education”

If you are an educator and you haven’t read the Hacking Education series, you’re already behind.  The books are quick reads and give great, easy examples that you can take back to your school or classroom the next day.  Really.  Part of each hack is titled, “What You Can Do Tomorrow” and it’s always something you can actually do tomorrow.

Hacking Education is a combination of hacks from other books in the series, which I am slowly working my way through.  This particular book provides hacks for school culture and climate, leadership, technology, and more.  I can’t wait to implement some of them in my building next year.  Below are my favorite hacks from the book, in no particular order.

1.  Pineapple Charts

This is GENIUS.  I know that one of my favorite things about being a teacher is getting feedback after an observation.  (Is that weird?  That’s probably weird.)  I love knowing where I stand and how I can grow.  Pineapples are the universal symbol of hospitality and pineapple charts are calendars where teachers list what they will be teaching during a certain period of the the day.  Other teachers can use the chart to find teachers or lessons they may be interested in.  Read more about pineapple charts here.

We learn best from other teachers, but sometimes we’re afraid to ask if we can come observe someone we think is a rockstar teacher because we don’t want to intrude.  This takes the pressure off altogether.  If you’re really feeling like stretching and growing, make a quick #ObserveMe chart and feedback form for observers.

2.  Teacher Quiet Zones

If you’re anything like me, all you want to do during lunch time is to sit in a quiet, dark room.  Keyword being quiet.  I love my students, as I’m sure we all do, but they are loud most of the time.  Or take another scenario: you’re in your room working hard on a unit plan or grading, only to be interrupted by another teacher or an administrator who wants to talk…. forever.  This hack proposes that somewhere in the building is a room that is strictly a quiet zone.  Teachers can go in there to work on something or take a break, but the key is that it is quiet.  This should not be a room such as the teacher’s lounge or the copy room, but rather a place where silence is respected.  If you need to speak to someone who’s in the Quiet Zone, you leave before starting the conversation.  If you need to answer a phone call, you have to exit the Quiet Zone.  Silence. Is. Golden.

3.  Marigold Committees

This one seems like a no-brainer, but I have taught in schools where it’s not happening.  Start a Marigold Committee for new teachers in the building.  A Marigold Committee is a team of veteran teachers available to welcome and help new teachers as they begin their educational journey.  Anyone can be on the Marigold Committee and there is no requirement to be a part of it.  The authors suggested meeting on a regular schedule so that new teachers have the opportunity to meet with veteran teachers, ask questions, and learn the ins and outs of the school, district, and teaching profession.  At these meetings, topics could range from planning lessons to fire drill procedures to navigating the district benefit selections.  (Am I the only one who struggles with insurance?  I can’t be the only one.)

4.  The In-Class Flip

The flipped classroom is nothing new to the education world, thanks to the rise of technology.  In a traditional flip, students would get the direct instruction part of the lesson outside of class via video or some other virtual means and the teacher would facilitate more of a hands-on guided practice inside the classroom.  While I LOVE this idea, I know that I would run into lots of hurdles, including lack of Internet and device access.  The book offers a different approach called the “In-Class Flip” where all of the instruction still takes place in the classroom, but it looks much different.  

In the in-class flip, students rotate through stations, one of which is a video with direct instruction.  This would normally be an at-home activity in a traditional flip, but moving it to a station during the school day ensures that all students have access to the material.  The authors gave very specific instructions on how to set up the stations to have the most benefit for your students.  I’m not going to go into all the details, but they suggested 5 stations:  a warm-up writing activity, review of prior learning, a hands-on activity, the video of direct instruction, and application of the new content.  In this model, the teacher is freed-up from direct instruction to facilitate learning in other ways.  This is something that is DEFINITELY happening in my classroom this year.  I’ll be sure to keep you posted on our journey!

5.  The Glass Classroom

I am no stranger to social media, but I know that sometimes it feels like taboo in the education world.  Principals and teachers can be reluctant to use social media to engage parents and families, but this hack suggests using social media to create a transparent classroom and allow the community to be involved.  What happens in our classrooms should not stay in our classrooms.  I’m excited to use a common hashtag and Twitter account to share what’s going on at Camp Taylor Elementary this year. 

Have any of you read the Hack series?  What are your favorite hacks?  Are you interested in implementing any of these this year?  Let me know!

#BreakoutEdu in Third Grade

Today was the last day of school before Spring Break.  It was insane, to say the least.  In addition, it was also our school wide “Morning Meeting” and JCPS’ Day of Innovation and Play.  The purpose of the Day of Innovation and Play was to invite teachers from around the district to try something new  and innovative in their classroom.  We were supposed to tweet out our innovation by using the hashtag #JCPSDeeperLearning.  There was SO MANY cool things going on around the district, it was hard to keep up.  I was so excited to have the opportunity to break out something new, especially on a day which is usually chaos!  (I mean, let’s add fuel to the fire, shall we not?)

I heard about Breakout Edu (www.breakoutedu.com) about a year ago.  A couple of teacher friends that I knew had tried it in their classrooms.  It wasn’t until I attended ECET2KY back in November that I was able to actually try it out myself.  You can read about my experience at ECET2KY here.  Ever since then, I’ve been curious to try it out in my own classroom.  The BreakoutEdu kits cost $125, but it includes the box, a multitude of different locks, and other materials useful to make your Breakout experience worthwhile.  It is definitely worth the money, if you have it.  The site also has a list of premade games for all levels and group sizes.  The games available on the site are all free using the password “showyourwork.” Who doesn’t love free?

I, however, didn’t have the money nor the time to wait for the box to ship.  But I was determined to make my dream of a BreakoutEdu happen on JCPS Innovation and Play Day!  So, using some Amazon gift cards (thanks, Go365), I purchased some locks and invisible pens.  I had a set of luggage at home that I could use as my makeshift boxes, so that was all I really needed.  Below is a list of the locks I purchased from Amazon.com and their prices: (Disclosure: These are affiliate links.)

• Directional Lock (I bought 2):  

click here

• 3 Digit Combination Lock (I bought 2): click here
• 4 Digit Combination Lock (comes in a set of 2, so I only bought 1):  click here
• Alphanumeric Lock (I meant to buy 2, but only purchased 1, but I made it work): click here

I also purchased this set of invisible pens.  In all, my purchase came out to right under $60 before I used my gift cards.

The game I pulled off of the BreakoutEdu website was a Dr. Seuss “Oh, The Places You’ll Go” themed reading game for elementary level students.  You can find the link in the caption below.  It was designed to be used at the beginning of the school year and have students find their “Ticket to Learning” for the year.  I modified the story to fit my needs, but left the clues almost identical.  

Here is a breakdown of how my game was setup:

The link to the game I used and modified can be found here.

1. Students read the story introduction.  You can find the story here.
2. I had two main boxes (read: luggage) for groups to open.  These boxes were locked with the directional lock, the 3 digit lock, and the 4 digit lock.  Each group worked together to use the map clue, the “look left, look right” clue, and the boarding passes clue from the original game to open the box.
3. I had to modify the original game because I only have one alphanumeric lock.  I placed their “prize” inside my last piece of luggage and used the alphanumeric lock.  Inside the first boxes to open (see step 2), I placed two more clues.  The reverse alphabet clue told them where the last box was hidden.  It was behind a book case.  The final clue told them the combination.  Once they figured them out, they were able to open the final box and receive their Spring Break prize: sunglasses and sweat bands!

I am proud to share that of all three classes, the longest time spent breaking out was ONLY 30 minutes!  The kids were motivated and really worked hard to understand those clues, as well as work together.  And we all know how hard that can be for third graders, especially the day before a long break.  I had to prompt more heavily and give more clues for some groups, but it was a learning process for all involved.  Including myself!

It was worth the chaos.  I have some pictures that are worth a thousand words.  The smiles could light up a room.  Wish I could share them all with you (those darn photo releases)!  Be sure to check out #JCPSDeeperLearning on Twitter to see some more innovation!

Any of you looking to try BreakoutEdu for the first time?  Or have you tried it in the past?  I’d love to hear your success (and let’s do better next time) stories!  Share, share, share!