Colonial Crafts Day

Having a Colonial Craft Day is always a fun, memorable experience. Today was no exception. Today we had candle making, sewing (mini pillows), butter making, quilt block designing, games (marbles, jacks, checkers, stick pull, leg wrestling), silhouettes, tin punch, and play-dough candle holder crafting. The kids were very well behaved moving from room to room on their own. They had a choice of where they wanted to go and what they wanted to make. We also had a whole crew of parents help us. I have the BEST parent helpers this year.  We all had a great day!

Lessons Learned from Building Complete Circuits w/a Switch

My classroom is a MESS right now and I love it!  Kids are in the process of wiring a complete circuit with a switch using wire, paper clips, brads, a D-cell battery and a Christmas light.  I've done this same activity in many different ways. This year I chose to not give specific directions. My purpose was to challenge my students with a little more problem-solving.  I gave some very basic directions, drew a diagram, and showed them a model of the wiring.

As I watched the kids work today, I noticed them learning some lessons besides the obvious learning of the content.

Perseverance:  This challenge was a struggle for some kids.  I had a few kids want to quit.  I had a couple break down in tears because of frustrations.  I had a few more joke off their obvious frustration.  But then the magic happened.  I watched as my students reminded each other that "We're not quitters!" and "It's okay to make a mistake. That's how we learn!" "You'll get it! Keep trying!" I also witnessed the thrill of victory! As each light came on, the class broke out in spontaneous applause for that student.  They were not only applauding that the circuit was complete, but also applauding that their classmate had persevered and had conquered the challenge.  Every single student in my class was able to make a complete circuit. Every single student in my class received a round of applause.  The students that really struggled received a standing ovation. It was fun for me to see the big smiles on the kids' faces.

Teamwork:  My students worked together in order for everyone to be successful. It was a teacher's dream!  They problem-solved together, helped each other measure wire, cut tape, held the battery in place, etc. If two people couldn't get the circuit to work, a third or fourth person jumped in to give suggestions.  Girls helped the boys. Boys helped the girls. Gender was not a factor when it came to teamwork.

Appreciation and Admiration for Others' Work:  I gave the kids supplies like cardboard, paper, and some styrofoam. But I didn't give them specific instructions about how to decorate their box.  My classroom oozed with creativity as a result! Kids were passing out compliments like candy to their peers.  A great idea was well respected and if others liked it, they asked if it was okay to do something similar. I have all kinds of houses, outdoor scenes, buildings, a nativity scene, and many basketball courts compliments of Joseph's idea. (name changed) A little note about "Joseph". Joseph is a kid who struggles in school and has very little support at home. He shined today!  Not only was he creative with his embellishments, but he was creative about how he made them.  He received many compliments from his peers today.  It was definitely a self-esteem booster!

Here's some pictures of our progress.

Mini Makerspace

Last summer, I heard a lot about Makerspaces.  It was a new term for me.  Honestly, I'm still not sure what the difference is (if any) between a makerspace and giving time for kids to build, craft, invent, etc.   Actually having another room for a Makerspace, the library turned into a makerspace, or a 3-D printer is way off into the future.  I don't have any financial backing nor the space. My solution is to start small--very small.

I have plenty of "stuff" and a few plastic tubs. That's what I'll start with to get the kids being creative and creating something of their own.  I'm sure that when I ask parents to donate their "stuff" that I'll get plenty.  I don't have room to store it though. I hate the classroom to look "junky".

The school had a cart of laptops delivered recently and so I was able to get a huge box.  I used the box as a "hook" today and made it into a present for the class. Inside I just put the "mess" of maker stuff. It's driving the kids crazy!

"Ms. King, You're torturing us!" "Pleeeease let us open the box!"  "Why do we have to wait so long to open it?" Yup! Kids are hooked!

Today after lunch, I'll give them all afternoon to "play" with some electricity equipment and some Makeymakey kits that I was able to get from a generous grant from the Jordan Education Foundation.

This will be the second time for the kids to work with Makeymakey kits, but they haven't worked with the electricity equipment. Magnetism and Electricity is our new science unit.  I love this unit of study because it's completely hands-on and fun!

Here's the Animoto video from our first day of using Makeymakey kits.

Makeymakey Animoto Video

Post was written 12-17

First Attempt...Students Reflect Upon Their Own Learning

We have talked a lot about a growth mindset this year in our class.  Every day we discuss the common mistakes that we're making (mostly in math) and the common mistakes of most 5th graders.  We have frequent, open, and honest conversations.  A parent volunteer once commented on how she couldn't believe how open the kids were about mistakes.  I have my parent volunteers teach small groups, but the kids self-assess and volunteer to join the various little groups.  

Today, I wanted the kids to reflect on their growth and to write down their feelings on paper.  (We do so much online.  This time I wanted a record on paper.)  First, I modeled a reflection and had the kids help me write one based upon progress with the Decimal section of IXL As a teacher, I was tickled pink as I watched the kids write. I was delighted to see that they were honest about their progress. Kids always seem to know how they're progressing if they've received frequent feedback along the way. Not only do the kids get specific feedback from me, but they get immediate feedback and reteaching hints from the ixl program.  

Here are three examples of student writing. *Note: I'm not assessing their writing/handwriting skills. :) 

I have done well in standard C.4. It has you convert decimals between standard and expanded form.  It was hard for me at first to convert the decimals or write them in expanded form.  But now I got the hang of it.  I am still a little shakey on Standard C. 11.  It is hard for me to do the long division.  But it is getting easier!  Another shakey one is C.10.  It just hard for me to read it and get it in the correct order.  But again it gets easier.  I get about 70% correct on C.10.

On standard C.3-C.8 I have masterd and identify the decimals easily.  I had a hard time doing C.10. it was hard to put the decimales in order from least to the gratist. I whould now my mastake but I did not read the top right or the number. I like to put decimals in order but I have to look clostley.  C.3 and C.8 where easyer then C.10 I am all most finished with decimals.

On standard C1 and C14 I can identify a decimal by looking at a picture and counting by tens.  I can identify comparing decimals and fractions on a number line.  On standard C10 I think that puting decimals in order is fun but, I also think that it is hard for me to put decimals from least to greatest or greatest to least is hard.

I've had kids write reflections before, but I need to thank Starr Sackstein for the idea to have the kids actually add the standard that they're addressing right into their writing. It makes sense!  Kids pay attention to our class objectives and focus on how well they understand at the end of a lesson or series of lessons.  Keeping it real- not all kids are making the connection between understanding the lesson objective, putting forth some effort to learn the standard, and demonstrating mastery.  I have a few battles.  But for the most part, the kids are being very motivated by tracking their progress.

I have noticed a huge difference this year amongst my students as we've focused on the learning rather than the grades.  I HAVE to fill out a report card with letter grades. But this year, I let the kids fill out their own and I tweaked them if necessary. I'm looking forward to the next conference where the kids will actually have evidence of their learning that they can talk about with their parents.

The conversations that I've had with my students about their learning have been amazing!  The challenge is to find the time. I've had the most success with finding a minute here or there as I'm walking around helping kids. I've also found that using Edmodo helps me to have little mini online conversations. As the kids turn in their work, I try to tell them something good that they've done. But I always try to add in something specific that they can do to improve and let them resubmit their work.  This kind of feedback is what I've done for years.  I know that there are formulas and acronyms out there now for how to give feedback, but it's really nothing new to me.

One element that I've needed and done before (but just barely started this year) is a data notebook where the kids can graph their progress on the "Quick Quizzes" that we do.  The quizzes are usually five questions straight from the "homework" assignment. They are quick formative assessments that tell me what we need to work on and where the understanding is breaking down. They are also conversation starters about common mistakes.  I'm getting such a late start this year because it's just one of those things that unfortunately got pushed to the bottom of the "to do" list as I started school.  It was just a crazy start of the year having to move, starting school myself and being so sick. (Excuses! But, it did impact how the year started.)

Now that I have the data notebooks in place, I'm excited about adding in their reflections. I think the information in the notebook will offer parents a better picture of progress than a letter grade.  The notebooks will also give the kids something to refer to as they conference with their parents. (I have them direct their own parent/teacher conferences.)

The movement for #TTOG (Teachers Throwing Out Grades) seems to be gathering momentum. I'm not on Facebook so I'm not involved there. I've known that grades are basically useless information for a long time, but I can't see them disappearing any time soon. For me, I will continue along this path of trying to keep my students focused on the learning. I'm seeing some great benefits so far.

My, How Far We've Come!

    My team is trying to find the best way to assess and integrate some RTI (Response to Intervention) time into our crowded schedule. This is a challenge on a year-round schedule because someone is always gone. We are also in different places in the scope and sequence. For example, Track A just finished a section of math with multiplying decimals. Track B is gone on vacation. Track C is finishing the previous unit. Track D is just starting the unit with multiplying decimals. Our solution for using common assessments is to use Edmodo's Snapshot.  It will help us track the progress of each student and identify which students need extra support for each standard. Since our district is using MasteryConnect, we'll use that for the summative assessments. Snapshot is an easy way to track progress before the bigger, higher-stakes tests.



 Since my team members are new users to Edmodo, we planned for me to take each class into the lab to  help the students set up their accounts and to get started by taking a Snapshot.

Yesterday, I took the first class into the lab.  It was a little frustrating for me because the kids lacked so many basic skills.  They didn't know what a URL address was or where/how to type it in. They didn't know how to make a tab or refresh a page. They didn't know how to exit a page. Perhaps the most frustrating part for me was they had no sense of "click on a few things to see what happens" instead of asking the teacher about every little thing. It wasn't their fault of course. It was mine! I needed to shift down and start from the beginning. Their lack of patience was understandable. They didn't know what to do and I didn't do a very good job of teaching them.

The whole process of setting up an account and taking a Snapshot is really quite simple. It became difficult because I didn't set expectations from the start.  I assumed that the kids had been learning some basic skills in the lab, had been taught some digital citizenship, and knew behavior expectations and care for the computers. Never assume!

I only had the class for 45 minutes but it felt like 2 hours! Afterwards, when I was back in my classroom and with my own students, I had to take the opportunity to express my appreciation for all of their hard work this year with learning technology.  I really hadn't realized just how far we've traveled! My students started off not knowing much if anything just like the other class, but now they're quite tech savvy. Not only have we learned how to use many web tools, but we've learned how to navigate through new sites/apps.  My students are not afraid to take a minute or two to just "click around" to explore a site. They work independently and use each other for help.

Sometimes, it takes losing something to appreciate what you have.  I have a new appreciation for my students and their efforts to learn.

If I'm "Just" a Teacher, Can I Drive Change?

I've been using Twitter for six months now. In that time, I've met some amazing educators who are driving change in education. I've read many of their books, read their tweets, and listened to podcasts,  discussions on GHOs, and TED talks.  Their websites are phenomenal resources of information and I have felt humbled and honored that many have followed and engaged in conversations with me on Twitter.  My admiration for these game changers cause me to do a lot of reflecting about myself. Most of the people who I consider as game changers are authors, principals, superintendents, or hold other leadership titles. I don't meet that criteria in any way.  I don't have thousands of followers, awards, a published book or have a title in the educational world other than "teacher".

Soooo....If I'm "Just" A Teacher, Can I Drive Change?" 


I'm a risk taker and I always have been. After 28 years in the classroom, I still feel like I am constantly "changing it up". I embrace change if it helps me to better meet the needs of my students.  It usually does! Discussing all of the changes that I've made would take several blog posts so I won't address it here.  Suffice it to say that I consider myself to be a life-long learner and that I'm growing and changing all of the time. I  experience many "failures" and integrating tech into my classroom forces me to have a Plan B, C, ... Z all of the time. In essence, I teach every day with a little welcomed uneasiness that keeps me on my toes.

I'm not afraid of change like others may be in the traditional sense.  No, my greatest fear is being "out there" and in the public eye on a larger scale. I've always had an open door policy to my classroom and have tried to involve the parents as much as possible. That doesn't bother me. But, to share my thoughts, feelings, beliefs with a larger public is somewhat terrifying.  I still feel very much out of my comfort zone and vulnerable.  All that has to change if I'm to be a driver of change on a larger scale. Last week, I stepped out of the box and presented the need for change in our district to the school board.  It was a huge step for me.  I hope that I will have the courage to take more steps. Someone has to step up. I can no longer sit back and depend on others to do the work.  

There are a lot of conversations on Twitter and other social media platforms about change and how it's needed in education. What I haven't seen a lot of is accountability--maybe that's just me and my inexperience. Yes, there needs to be change!  But change happens with ACTION! What are the necessary action steps? This is what comes to my mind.

Driving Change

1.  Start with a personal vision and mission statement. What do you value? What do you stand for? What is your 5 word GPS? Teach Like A Pirate by Dave Burgess Having a personal vision/mission statement gives you a focus. It should be easy to recite: a sentence or 5 words. Post your statement somewhere where it can be seen. Say your mission statement on a regular basis if not daily.  I have mine posted on my bathroom mirror and on my desk at school.  Every time I say it, it makes me more determined to actually practice what I value in education.

2.  Immediately try something new.  I usually jump in with both feet, but start small if needed. The point is to get out of the comfort zone and try something that you haven't done before.  I think by trying something immediately, some of the fear goes away.  I've also found that my students appreciate my efforts to try new things. Whether it's a new app, a science experiment, or dressing up as a fictional character, NEW captures the attention of learners. You can always tweak the lesson for another year. In fact, I think that it's necessary! I never teach a lesson in the same way because I have a new group of learners each year with different needs.

3.  Use social media to tell your classroom story.  If you don't tell your story, someone else will and it may not be accurate.  In all honesty, this is something that I really have to work on to do better!  I started off strong at the first of the year, but the "to do" list became very long and overwhelming. I'm trying to catch up now. I wish that I'd made it more of a priority.  Parents and the kids love to see their pictures online so that it can be shared with family and friends. Smore is my favorite tool for making class newsletters because it's easy and looks professional.  Animoto allows you to literally make a professional looking "movie" of pictures in minutes.  I've learned an incredible amount about the importance of telling your story from leaders like Eric Scheninger and the authors of the Corwin Connected Educator Series.  Story telling- your story- is the best way to engage stakeholders and share the changes that you're making.

4.  Share what you learn with your colleagues and others.  Too many teachers are confined to their own classrooms with little opportunity to share and collaborate.  When I first started teaching, the culture was very competitive. Ideas were considered as "my ideas". Some teachers are STILL  stuck there. What they haven't experienced yet is how much better "their ideas" can be when shared and elaborated upon by other creative colleagues.  Together we are so much more! Not all teachers are using social media.  I would like to invite them to join in and become connected! I've loved being on Twitter, but I also enjoy Pinterest, Edmodo, and lately Google+ (although I have a lot to learn). The point is to be a connected educator. Being connected gets the conversations started and teachers greatly benefit from the expertise of the whole learning community.

5.  Be prepared for the critics. Change is hard. I wish that I could go back and talk to my younger teacher self.  I'd tell her to not worry so much of what others think, but to stay focused and to continue to do what's best for kids.  Even as a first year teacher, I did things out of the ordinary in order to engage my students. I was a PIRATE without a crew for support. I also was highly involved in extracurricular activities and in the unwanted spotlight many times. The spotlight brought professional jealousy, but that's a topic for another blog. However, it did make me feel like I was walking on egg shells much of the time trying to find balance between being myself, doing what I felt was right, and not drawing attention. I was lucky to have supportive principals and teammates. It took me a long time to get to the point where I am today. I'm still careful about being in the spotlight. I don't do what I do for accolades and recognition.  But, I still have my critics especially about my attempts to change the status quo.  The difference now is that I'm better prepared to defend my beliefs about education. I've had to grow thicker skin.

6.  Have someone hold you accountable.  Having accountability motivates you to action.  You can't just talk the walk, you have to walk the walk. Here's where I need help from my PLN. I need you to hold me accountable. Ask me questions? Call me out? Ask me to share pictures of class activities. I'm trying a lot of new things and if I'm not sharing, ask me to.

7.  Model and be the change that you wish to see in the world! Leaders and game changers need to model the change that they wish to see.  They can't expect others to change if they can't model it.  I always get a little frustrated with administrators who say, "Do this! Do that!" when they have no experience of actually trying to implement the latest initiative into a classroom setting. Show me! An administrator who is not afraid to come into my classroom to model will not only gain my respect, but will also gain an advocate for their cause.

8.  Record and document your failures and successes. I think that sharing your journey of change motivates others to make changes. I personally appreciate others who reflect and share their thinking via blogs or books.  It's inspiring for me to read about the personal journeys of people that I consider role models. It makes me think that in my own small way that I can accomplish great things too!


Yes! Even if you're "just" a teacher, you can drive change!

Leaders of change don't need an official title. They need vision, drive, and passion.  A teacher, like myself, can drive change in education by building trusting relationships and modeling the desired change. As I share what I'm learning with others and integrate changes into my classroom, people will see my passion.  Telling my story is important! I'm making a commitment to do a better job of sharing what I'm trying.  It needs to be a priority!  I hope my colleagues will trust my judgement enough to jump in, follow my example and try something new. Our kids are depending on us.

There are many changes that I feel need to happen in education and to a large extent, it starts with me.  It may only happen in my classroom at first.  Changes in my school and district may happen slower than I would like.  I'm not that patient and feel an urgency to drive the changes that will best meet the needs of my students.  But baby steps in the right direction are still moving in the right direction.  I'm hoping that I can influence others in my school, district, state, and even the world with the actions that I take.  The educators that are shaking things up now can't do it alone. More voices are needed in the choir.


What do you think are the action steps for driving change in education? What did I miss? I would love to know your thoughts.




  *Taking time to blog is a challenge for me! I'm trying! :) 

American Revolution- Kid Style

5th Graders Win Their Independence

Dec. 4, 2014

Students rallied yesterday morning chanting, "We hate King George!", "No more taxes!", "No taxation without representation!" and singing "Yankee Doodle" at the top of their lungs.  They also had a 3-pg Declaration of Independence written by Brooklyn, posters, and a bundle of sticks (it was a class analogy) that couldn't be broken.  The Royal "Govna's" had no choice but to give them their freedom so that "school" could begin.  The "Tea Parties", British soldier invasions to search and seize, the arrests and false accusations finally had taken their toll. The colonists, with incredible courage, decided to fight for their rights and won!

I love teaching American History! I especially love teaching about the American Revolution!  Students are completely engaged in learning. It's fun for me to see them gain a sense of what it means to be an American, to have the freedoms that we do, and to appreciate those that have gone before us to defend our rights.

Former students always come back and ask me about King George. It's an EXPERIENCE! Today I had the students write a reflective essay about freedom/liberty. They wrote some pretty profound words!