Donors Choose Project

As I have talked about in couple different posts my students are having to use these kinder-sized junk head phones to watch lectures in class. They break, they don't produce sound and it is miserable for my students who are actually trying to receive content. I created a Donors Choose project to try a get a class set of nice head sets for my students. If anyone would like to help out I would be so extremely grateful and I know my students would be too!

And Now We Have Sound

Check it out, pretty please!

Mrs. C

Update: I wanted to share a picture of the headphones they have to work with and tell you a story... I had a student who wanted to watch another video on our new topic of the rock cycle, so like a good teacher I went online to find another video that might help. I had left my own ear phones at home so grabbed one of the students headsets and they were AWFUL!! I couldn't hear anything but muffled noise and they volume was turned all the way up. Embarrassed, I had to borrow a student's ear buds and they laughed asking about the class set. 

We need help!

Flipping Feedback Unit One

The first unit is complete! (Finally). I feel like it took way longer than it should have but we have finished, nonetheless. I gave my students a survey about how they felt the "flipped classroom" is going.

As a reminder, I don't MAKE my students take notes. I do grade if they write and answer a WQA. It makes me smile thought that a large majority of them are taking notes anyways. It also makes me smile that 3 students say they most definitely do NOT work in my class and they are most definitely the students who don't take notes, don't use anything to write questions and are not doing well in my class...sooooooo...correlation? 

This is the part that makes me reflect on how the classroom is set up. I have quite a few students telling me they don't even go onto Schoology outside of class. As a reflection question to myself, I am wondering how to structure the class so 1) they are responsible for logging on at night for "homework" while 2) maintaining the self paced classroom. I am struggling with this one. 

This data chart really does make me feel like my students are getting something out of the class. I was afraid the WQAs were going to be a flop but it seems like a large majority of the students are finding them helpful. I also am EXTREMELY torn about the students being able to sit where they want. I really REALLY REALLY want them to be able to have discussions with whoever they see fit to help them solve the problem instead of me dictating. I am trying to get them to be self-sufficient. And yet, with them sitting where they want they can get a little off track. It is a classroom management thing, I know, but I need a solution. They enjoy it and most of them do work wherever. I am torn.

I did have some open responses for them

Favorite things about the class:

"Being able to have other resources rather than just Ms. Callahan. I also liked not having to carry around a lot of papers." 

"Moving at your own pace"

"My favorite part about the "flipped classroom is that I can learn the things we have to learn at my own pace instead of learning with classroom and moving on when I don't understand something."

"Taking responsibility"

"Being able to use technology to do work at home or at school."

"My favorite part of the flipped classroom is that we are able to stop and replay the lessons/videos."

What part of the "flipped classroom" would you like to see changed?

"More videos."

"The ear phones are really bad quality"

"Check on us every once in a while"

"To eliminate the whole "flipped classroom" thing. I want to work as a class or at least a group with a helper or teacher."

Now, if I only had a week to digest the information and try again. Unfortunately, I have until tomorrow. 

Mrs. C

Flipping the Classroom Series: What Does It Look Like?

Where, I do NOT have everything figured out nor do I claim to be an expert on "flipping", I do want to talk about the awesome going on during the class periods. I absolutely love that everyone has something to work on. (I know my friend in the foreground of the picture looks like he's causing mischief, but he actually is extremely far in the unit and has been doing a really good job). 

I encourage the students to work with each other, even if they aren't on the same assignment. These boys are of different folders and where the one taking notes is a couple folders behind notebook boy, he spent the period asking notebook boy about what he was watching on the video and what compared notes to make sure he didn't miss anything important. Side note: both of these gentlemen have had behavior issues in the past and since starting self-paced curriculum I actually am getting work out of them and way less behavior issues since they are constantly engaged. 

This group of students had moved on to the lab portion of the unit. It is so cool to watch which students become leaders and want to help others. The girl standing had already done the lab but the other students asked for her help. She then grabbed the slinkys, grabbed a textbook and led the lab herself. It was so fun to watch!

I LOVE the technology use in the class. I have been so fortunate to be able to have laptops and a few IPads and they both have really helped the students be successful. The technology, coupled with their Interactive Notebooks, has made them more self-sufficient learners. 

Reason Why I Go To Work Early

This year I have been trying extremely hard to get to work early so that I can leave right after meetings in the afternoon. Normally, I am not a morning person but I'm working on it.

Happy Tuesday!

Mrs. C

Flipping the Classroom: Grading with Technology

I had an epiphany yesterday...

Progress reports are due next week and I need to get some grades in the grade book. Here comes the predicament. The students are only doing work through three grade-able mediums.

1. WQAs (Watch, Question, Answers- off their video lectures)
2. Interactive Notebooks
3. Weekly "Do Now" warm up sheets- they are practicing test taking strategies

WQAs are easy. It is online on Schoology and I am able to grade directly on the discussion board with a rubric that appears when I click on the student.

The next challenge is Interactive Notebooks. The students are expected to take some sort of notes over the videos they watch- Cornell Notes usually- then do some sort of activity. The activity to go with the notes can be things like a foldable, menu assignment, lab write up, diagram, pretty much anything student created.

The Problem

I do NOT want to carry back and forth 90+ composition notebooks NOR do I want to spend my precious weekend going into school to go through all of them. Because, let's face it, good grading only happens on the weekends.

Enter my epiphany

I figured out a feature on Schoology that makes it so the students can use an IPad/IPhone/Android to take a picture or pictures of their finished product and then make a submission in an activity that is labeled the same as their Interactive Notebook activity. Once they upload the picture I am able to view it, comment on it, grade it with a rubric and return it to them via their grade book. I was STOKED!

Assignments as the students see them in Schoology. They now have to make a submission in order to move on to the next activity. Notice how the Layers of the Earth Foldable is checked green. It is so awesome for the kids so they know exactly what they need to do.

They click on an assignment and on the right side is where it says to "submit assignment". I haven't tried to submit through the web based program, only the IPad and phone apps. The apps were super easy and I'm sure the computer is just as easy to operate. (Note: I have been doing the good teacher thing and blocking out the kids names- this particular site is my test one. Rosco is my dog-hence I didn't block it out. Every once in a while I'll have him comment on discussion boards and the kids think its hilarious!) 

On the teacher website it will show like this when I have assignments that are ready to grade.

I click on a students and scroll through their pictures they submitted. I am able to highlight, leave comments, draw and through each one of the rubric categories I am able to leave a comment.

It is awesome! I cannot wait to see how it works out grading tomorrow...

Mrs. C

Flipping the Classroom Series: Benchmark Assessment Map (BAM)

The biggest struggle in setting up a Flipped Classroom, for me anyways, was the organization. How am I going to get my students to receive the information they need, in a way that is easy to follow, so that they become self sufficient learners?

Enter the BAM- Benchmark Assessment Map. This organizer does a couple different things in a unit.

1. Shows the student WHAT they will be learning- the exact benchmark as well as the supporting learning targets for that benchmark
2. Shows the student HOW they will be learning it- I wanted the BAM to go in order. For example, this first unit, the student needs to know the Earth has layers and that one of those layers is the mantle before they can know that convection currents occur in the mantle. 
3. Shows the student WHY they are learning it- this is always a big point with administration. They always like to not only ask the students what they are learning, but why are they learning it.

I did however run into a problem. Below is my first attempt at the BAM. Where it has the three components I wanted, it was not very clear to the students, which means they were not using it as a learning tool.

I was super proud of this creation until I noticed students were not completing assignments in order- like skipping watching videos and going straight into activities. So, I asked a couple classes on what they wanted to see on their BAM that would be most helpful for them. Below is the new BAM for the same unit.

The biggest complaint from the students with the original was that the order wasn't obvious, it was hard to figure out what needed to go in their Interactive Notebooks (even though it is posted on a LARGE Table of Contents in the back of the classroom) and it wasn't a "checklist". I did have another request to have how much each thing is worth, but I one girl put it best; "What does it matter how many points something is worth? You should do your best at everything." Well said, well said! 

I am going to give the kids the new BAM today and see if that improves the self-sufficiency/productivity of the classroom. Until then...

Mrs. C  

Sub Binder...Finally

Sub days... in my opinion, I would rather come to school near death than have to plan for a sub. Unfortunately, stuff always comes up- planned and unplanned. Like today for example... good 'ole conferences. I thought, there would be no better time than now to share my sub binder. 

A little background- I did not even make a sub binder until year 4 of teaching, and the end of year 4 at that. It was just never a huge priority. I always thought that I HAD to be out I would know ahead of time or as punishment to myself I would drag myself in, dying, and fix up my room. 

No need!

This thing has anything a sub could ever want. Rosters, seating, phone list, behavior and so much more! The only thing I have to do really is write up a small one pager over the days lessons and done. And even that is taken care of now since doing the self-paced, flipped classroom. 

The cover- I may have a slight obsession with pink...and chevron. Why not make the substitute teacher suffer through it as well! :-)

What's Inside- I actually did a lot of research on what I wanted to put inside my binder since I really didn't want to touch it again once it was finished. I found this blog (My Organized Chaotic Classroom) and I really liked the stuff she had in hers. Obviously, being middle school, I have a slightly different set up so I had to modify but overall I really liked the content.

Daily Schedules- My school probably has the most confusing bell schedule on the planet. Everyday we see a different rotation of 6 out of our 7 classes and Wednesday we see our Advisory twice. I have had many a confused sub with the teacher version of the bell schedule which has the whole week made into a one pager. Where I killed more trees I feel like this was the easiest way to explain what classes would be coming in which days.

Procedures and Management- Whether the sub ever actually reads all this is beyond my control, but I feel better knowing that it is all there. The school does have a school wide system in place for discipline- refocus area in the classroom, buddy room, office referral. There is a sheet for each which I placed behind in a pocket divider for easy access.

Emergencies- Always good to know and I feel like I always miss something, hence the sticky.

To be honest, I am still working through the emergency sub plans. I do think, however, I might just put something on the flipped classroom website and call it good. I probably need to figure out something soon though because I am starting to feel a tickle in my throat... or the beach calling my mental health. ;-) Just kidding, but it is always good to be prepared.

Mrs. C