I'm Engaged!

I'm engaged!  Pic courtesy of luvimages.com

A few years ago the district I was teaching in at the time decided to do a staff development on Schlechty's Working on the Work.  We all got black t-shirts with the phrase, "I'm Engaged!" on the front in white.  We thought they were so cute until one of us went to pick up lunch solo and got all kinds of congratulatory remarks.  This just goes to show that, when we think about or talk about engagement, we are not all talking about the same thing and sometimes this causes us to miss the boat with our students as well.
Schlechty talks about 5 different levels of engagement.  I will discuss each one briefly and give you some samples.  The district I currently worked in has also done some work with engagement this year and I have developed a nice little guide that you can use while analyzing your students as well. (You can find this in the "pages" section of my blog or email me for the color copy.)  It is important to consider if your students are engaged, but we also need to ask why are they engaged. Schlechty helps us to answer that question.

The first level of engagement is Authentic Engagement.  Students are authentically engaged when they want to learn the material and find relevance in the lesson.  They understand that this information is going to be pertinent to them and they do not necessarily even view the assignment as work but they would do it even if there was no tangible pay-off for them--like a good grade or praise from the teacher. These are the most difficult lessons to design but it's certainly not impossible to reach this level of engagement consistently.  Much of it has to do with creating a climate where learning is valued in your classroom and then designing your lesson with your particular students in mind.  Allowing students to choose their own topics or books can often lead to Authentic Engagement.  Letting them do problem solving activities that are relevant to their lives can also create this type of engagement.  For example, let them determine what should be on the lunch menu or if they have enough marbles in the jar to have a party.  Family history projects or those that relate to a place they find interesting often lead to authentic engagement, as does the use of many technology apps or websites.
Ritual Engagement is the next level on Schlechty's list.  This is a slightly lower level than Authentic Engagement but it is still something to strive for. The student completes the assignment because they want to earn good grades or receive praise from a parent or teacher. They are not genuinely interested in the topic but they don't mind it so much either.  They would not complete the work if there was no reward but they do complete it in order to receive something in return.  Assignments that fit the bill for Ritual Engagement might include a book assigned by the teacher, finishing a certain amount of math problems in order to receive a specific grade, completing a worksheet so that they earn a star or a sticker.  The student doesn't see that the work is important or relevant but they understand that the teacher sees it as such so they do it.

The third level of engagement is Passive Compliance.  Rather than trying to earn something, the student in this situation completes an assignment to avoid something--a phone call home, detention, being sent to the office. They are not trying to get a reward, they just don't want to be punished.  Sometimes it may be something as simple as being scorned by the teacher or a parent that pushes the student to complete the assignment, the "I don't want to get in trouble" factor.  In the case of a student who was previously even less engaged, they may be hanging out here for a while because they are not yet capable of seeing the relevance in schoolwork which would eventually cause them to be more engaged. This is not a level of engagement where we want our students to spend a lot of time.  A classroom with a lot of students engaged at this level (or even less engaged) is not going to be extremely productive.
The next level of engagement is Retreatism.  This one can be tricky to spot so a teacher must be watching carefully.  In this level, a student does not complete his or her work but does not disrupt others either.  He or she sits there and either does something else or nothing at all.  It is often easy for these students to blend in until an assignment is due or to completely get by without working in the case of a group assignment.  These are the kids who consistently fail to find a partner whenever there is paired work to be done. They slink into the corners and hope that no one sees them and then they often stare into outer space while those around them cover the material.
The final level of engagement is really no engagement at all. It's called Rebellion and we have all had at least a few students over the years who fit the description completely.  Rebellion is characterized by refusal to complete assignments, yelling out in class, arguing with the teacher, disrupting others, aimlessly wandering around the classroom--all of those things that make us want to pull our hair out at the end of the day. And the most frustrating thing about having a Rebel in your class is that sometimes it doesn't even matter how engaging the rest of your students find the assignment--they are still rebelling! This may be an indicator that something else is wrong and that the student needs more than just a different lesson plan to keep him or her engaged.  In the case of the consistently rebellious student, do not hesitate to ask for help from your teammates, administrators, or specialists. It is nearly impossible to keep the rest of your class engaged when you have a rebel on the loose.
What does all of this mean for the classroom teacher?  Schlechty continues with a discussion of how to plan lessons so that students are more engaged.  In fact, he has written extensively about how to engage students at higher levels. I will discuss his suggestions for developing lessons that help students to become more authentically engaged tomorrow.  For now, take a look at the students in your classroom. How many of them would you say consistently fit into each of these categories  If they are not authentically engaged, do you know why? Is there anything you can change to make your lessons more engaging?  Are there outside forces at work in your classroom and if so is there anything you can do to alleviate or influence these sources?  There are a lot of things to consider when it comes to creating engaging classrooms.  I would really like to hear your thoughts!

"We're Going to Eat Bananas!"

Early in my career, I had the honor and privilege of working with a principal who forever changed my philosophy about education.  He is one of the most intelligent, kindest, inspiring individuals I've ever had the opportunity to meet and working with him for two years was the catalyst for me to pursue leadership positions and aspire to be more than a classroom teacher. He saw potential in me--he saw potential in everyone--and he encouraged me to follow the path to administration.  I believe I've found my true calling because of his encouragement.  He encapsulates the true meaning of the phrase "servant-leader" and I hope someday to have a tenth of the wisdom that he has.
Though this principal was certainly born with an aptitude for leadership and inspiring others, he also continuously read the literature. He was always digging into what the educational leaders were saying, analyzing texts, and trying new methods of best practice.  He would share what he was reading with all of us, sometimes by recommending books and articles but often just through the words he chose.  Many of the mantras I now have as an educator have come not from their true sources but from listening to him repeat them time and again. He was constantly reminding us that, "we own all kids."  This is something I certainly take to heart.  He would remind us that, "leadership is not a position."  We are all leaders. If we see a task that needs to be done, it is our responsibility to move forward and solve that problem.  He was always talking about rigor and building capacity.  I have a much deeper understanding of what being a servant-leader means because of the words he consistently repeated to us at staff meetings, in conferences, even while passing us in the hallway.
Many times his words were paraphrased from something he had been reading.  This next example is no different and though I've read the true source, I like his version much better because it made it real for all of us.  At the time, I was a kindergarten teacher and he was talking about preparing 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders for TAKS (our previous state assessment).  While he may not have been speaking directly to me, I understood what he was saying and I took it to heart and applied it to my class as well.  He would say,  "If our students are going to be asked to eat bananas, then we're gonna practice eating bananas. We're not going to color bananas, we're not going to draw bananas, we're not going to complete a worksheet about bananas. We're going to eat bananas!"

Banana anyone? Pic courtesy of etipsfree.com

On the surface, it may be difficult to understand exactly what he was saying but with some thought and reflection (and some explanation!) it made a lot of sense.  What is it that we expect our students to be able to do?  Think at a higher level and be able to answer higher-level thinking questions on STAAR (our current state assessments) and in life.  How are we going to prepare them to do this? By teaching them how to read and analyze texts, story problems, scientific reasoning problems, etc. at the same level they will need to be able to in order to be successful on STAAR and beyond.  He wasn't saying let's passage them to death--quite the opposite, he was saying we have to replicate the demand of the assessment through authentic work (as in Schlechty's Working on the Work, which is not the same as busy work) that prepares our students for assessments and for the real world.  Furthermore, the vast majority of worksheets, fluff, and other lower-level activities are not going to prepare our students for the rigors of assessments or life. Just as coloring a banana is not the same as eating a banana, doing a worksheet that helps us find words that have prefixes and suffixes is not akin to understanding the meaning of those words in the context of a book or a difficult reading passage.  Being able to dissect a word on a worksheet does not necessarily lend itself to a student being able to use context clues to figure out the meaning of a word in text.  We must consistently give our students the opportunity to practice eating bananas if we want them to be able to eat bananas on the "Big Day".
How do you determine if an assignment is actually helping prepare your students or if it's just filling time? You can start by asking yourself the following questions:
1) What do I expect my students to accomplish by completing this assignment?
2) Will this assignment prove to me that my students understand the SE (student expectation) at a higher-level?
3) Will my students ever be in a situation in life or on an assessment where they will have to replicate the exact skills or knowledge they are practicing with this assignment?
Answering these questions should give you a clear indication as to whether or not the assignment is a good one or if it's not going to help your students eat bananas.  If you are having trouble finding an assignment that does fit the criteria of all three of these questions, you may be making things more complicated than you need to. Many of the SE's in reading can be taught through great literature, which makes it much more simple for teachers and students alike.  There is no law that says your students have to complete worksheets. In fact, in the last four years that I was in the classroom, I may have used a total of ten worksheets--and that's probably stretching it.  I know that math teachers often have a different purpose for using worksheets and I understand that purpose though I also encourage math teachers to make learning as authentic as possible as well.  Story problems go a long way toward stretching the students' thinking and they are a lot more fun when they're not on a worksheet. Math and science journals are great alternatives to worksheets. For reading, one of the simplest and best ways to get students to truly think is by asking them to record their thoughts in a reading journal.
Think of the great teachers and administrators you have had the opportunity to work with.  What was it about them that made them great?  How can you replicate those qualities in yourself and in your students?  How can that transform your classroom? I'd love to hear your ideas for making work authentic for your students.  Please leave a comment if you have a great idea you would like to share with other educators.

Toontastic Project

I am embarking on a new project with a group of second graders.  These are students I pull for RTI purposes and they are super excited to have the opportunity to work on a project that involves reading, research, and culminates with a Toontastics cartoon where they can tell everyone what they learned.
We read a guided reading book from Reading A-Z about living in a big city.  We live in a fairly rural part of Texas, though most of my students have been to Dallas because it's about an hour away.  We had a great discussion about what it would be like to live in a big city, how it would be different than what we are used to, what they would like and wouldn't like, etc. Then, we talked about what cities the students had visited, what they did while they were there, and if they ever wanted to go back.  We also talked about cities they had heard of but hadn't visited.
Next, each student chose a city that they would like to know more about.  We talked about what kinds of things they would need to know before they visited the city. For example, they were very interested in knowing where McDonald's was located.  I broadened that question by asking about restaurants in general--what types of foods do people like to eat there? Is there a famous restaurant?  We talked about landmarks and tourist attractions. We also talked about population and density.  One of the major concerns the students had with living in or visiting a big city was how crowded it was so they thought they needed to have an idea of how many people they might be bumping in to.
After we worked together to make a list of potential facts we needed to gather, I typed it up and distributed it to the students.  They used these questions as a guide as they began to do their research.  These students meet for 30 minutes twice a week and we have now been working on this project for about three weeks.  (We are doing some other things, too, like working on sight words and reading skills.)  They are just about done with the research phase.  They are working on gathering their information and determining which important questions still need to be answered.

The Toontastic Monkey!  Picture courtesy of Launchpadtoys.com 

Our next step will be writing a short script that tells about their city.  When that is completed, they will each be making a slide to go in a video which we will create using the app "Toontastic."  If you've never used this app before, check it out. There's a free version, which is very good by itself, and then a paid version.  There are several scenes to choose from and we've already talked about appropriate/inappropriate.  For example, you wouldn't have your character talking about a big city while standing in a cemetery or Frankenstein's laboratory. Once I have approved their scripts, each student will have the opportunity to set up their scene and record their message.  They will also get to add music.  When the entire project is completed, we can uploaded it to Toontastic's website, Launchpadtoys.com so that their teachers, classmates, and parents will be able to watch it.  It's a lot of fun but more importantly it's given them the opportunity to work on some important areas.  In order to put this together we've had to read, write, research, condense, summarize, work together, create a scene, animate characters, select appropriate music, and essentially perform a role.  While the topics of cities in and of itself may not seem that important, it's the act of completing a project and using all of these important skills that has made this beneficial to the students.  We've continued to incorporate reading, word work, and sight word work into our time because that is also important and critical to the success of these children but we are also working on our skills while we create something meaningful that will be long lasting for these students and those who have the opportunity to watch it. 

The Art and Science of Teaching Reading

Anyone who has ever taught reading before knows that you have to be both a master artist and a skilled scientist in order for your students to pick up all of the skills they need.  Some kids learn basic skills quickly but lack the finesse of great readers so we have to help them develop those skills--expression, inference, foreshadowing, discussion.  Other students have difficulty gaining an understanding of the basics--decoding, sight words, punctuation.  We have to take more of a scientific approach with these students.
Every year I have a number of teachers ask me what they can do to help their students become more fluent readers.  This is both tricky and simple at the same time.  We want a program or a step-by-step procedure to follow. And there are some things you can do, like having your students play, "Chase the Pen" where you move the pen ahead of them at the next words so they have to try to catch up to it.  You can do it with a race car or just about anything. Kids like it and it does improve fluency.  But the best way to increase fluency is by giving your students the time to read aloud everyday. The key word being "aloud."  When we have Drop Everything and Read (DEAR) time, most students are reading silently.  That's great but it's not going to help fluency as much as reading aloud. If a student reads a familiar text aloud several times, and has also heard another good reader read the same text several times, this will help improve fluency for students who are good decoders and are just slow  methodical. However, if your student doesn't have good decoding or accuracy skills then fluency is going to have to take a back-burner to building up the child's ability to word call.

Students Reading to Self, courtesy of educators.com

This is often where the science part of reading comes in to play.  I was once at a meeting with about 100 other reading teachers.  The presenter asked us if we knew in what order reading skills are generally acquired.  There were a lot of blank faces.  We weren't sure exactly what she meant.  I raised my hand and said that letter names comes first--which was correct much to my relieve.  We were then able to tell her letter sounds and then there was a lot more silence before people just started randomly guessing.  It turns out there weren't very many of us in the room who knew the logical progression of how reading should be taught and acquired by our students, so let me give that information to you so that if you didn't know before, now you will.  It's important because your curriculum needs to match up and you need to know what your students are ready to learn next in guided groups or one-on-one.  After all, if we wait on the curriculum for all of our students, we are going to put some students way behind where they should be and others will never have the chance to catch up.
Here is the progression:
letter names
letter sounds
vowel-consonant words
consonant-vowel-consonant words
CVCC
CCVC
CVCe
R-controlled vowels
Consonant digraphs (th, ng, sh, wh, ch, igh, ck, kn, wr, nk)
Vowel digraphs and diphthongs (oa, ea, oo, ee, ai, ol, ay, ou, oi, oy, au, aw, oe, ew, ow)
Prefixes and suffixes
Two syllable and multi-syllable words
Basically, that is the order that we introduce words, with the exception of two syllable and multi-syllable words that fall into previous categories.  Here's the catch though--if we have kids that are way ahead in the progression and we are insisting that they cover something two steps behind with us while we go over it for the rest of the class, we're wasting their time.  Likewise, if the class is covering vowel dipthongs and Billy can't decode CVCe, he's not going to be ready for that lesson and isn't going to get anything out of it. So, we're wasting his time as well.  I strongly recommend the majority of the time you spend covering word work and decoding be in your small groups, with the exception of kindergarten classes where the majority of your students are on the same level. That doesn't mean don't throw a mini-lesson out there once a week as a reminder to everyone that "ou" usually says /ou/ like "out" but if the majority of your time is spent teaching these kinds of skills in whole group, you're likely spending a lot of time covering material only a small part of your class needs "just in time."
Another point I would like to make regarding the coverage of these skills is that we need to speed it up.  We can no longer wait until the middle of first grade to teach students r-controlled vowels, digraphs, and diphthongs   Why?  State mandated testing won't let us. We are expecting our students to know how to read well, extract and analyze information, and draw conclusions in third grade.  If they are just getting to be solid readers at the end of first/beginning of second they will drown in third.  We've got to teach these skills as the students are ready for them and push them on from one to the next, regardless of what the pacing guide says.  If you are holding a student back because, "We don't cover that until the second semester," you're holding up their learning and that should never be the case.
This is why teaching these types of lessons in guided reading groups is so powerful.  You are differentiating your instruction for that group.  So, if you have a group that's ready to move on to r-controlled vowels in the middle of kindergarten, you can take them there while other groups are still learning letter sounds.  If you need to go back and review CVCe in the middle of first grade with a group of kiddos, everyone else can keep truckin' without being held up.  Perhaps I'm way off base, but I do not see a lot of value in teaching these skills whole group.  I also don't see a lot of merit in having students complete worksheets to signify they have an understanding of what these letters mean when they are reading. If we need to know if a child can read these types of words, we have to hear them read--not see what they can write down for us.
Good teaching is both an art and a science.  While there are many teachers who innately have the ability to reach the needs of each student, many do not.  We have to rely on a plan of attack--tangible progressions that help us know where to go next.  The Quick Phonics Screener, adapted by Hasbrouck and Parker out of Texas A & M is a great tool to help us know exactly where our students need to go next.  If you would like a link to that document, email me (vanhorna@communityisd.org) and I'll send it to you.  It's fabulous. Read Naturally is also a great resource for building fluency and it's based on the idea that reading the same story aloud several times improves a student's fluency.  If you don't have that program, any text will do, as I describe above. You can find out more about Read Naturally here.
I know many of you have thoughts about these topics of discussion. I'd love to hear what you have to say.  Agree?  Disagree?  Why?
And don't forget about my giveaway! You could win a $15 gift card to Target just by signing up to follow my blog!  See details here. Contest runs through March 8th.

First Giveaway! $15 Target Gift Card!

I want to help my fellow educators out and I would like to get my one lonely follower some company, so I'm hosting my first GIVEAWAY! on my Reading is Elementary blog!
To enter, all you have to do is sign-up to follow this blog.  My loyal follower, Heather R. will automatically be entered because she is already following.   If you already have a gmail account, it's pretty simple to sign up to follow. If not, it's easy to get a gmail account and then sign-up.
If you refer others to this blog and they follow, you can earn an extra entry for each referral.  Just make sure they leave a comment or send me a message so I know you sent them.
The winner will receive a $15 gift card to Target.  I chose Target because you could spend it on school supplies or anything you want to! You DO NOT have to be an educator to enter, you just have to sign up to follow.  I am more than happy to mail the gift card to the winner so you do not have to live nearby or teach at my school.  How awesome is that?
Contest runs through Friday March 8th at 3:45 ('cause that's when I start Spring Break!) so spread the word and be sure to sign-up so you'll have a chance to win! Otherwise, you're just handing Heather $15!

Wanna win? Follow my blog!

Be Persistent

Today, I just wanted to leave a quick post for your to ponder over the weekend. I wish I could take credit for this brilliant thought, but I can't.  It's from President Calvin Coolidge and it's my very favorite quote of all time. I've had it hanging in my room for at least four years and I read it everyday.  It's a constant reminder that, no matter the obstacle, we should never give up.

"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence.  Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.  Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.  The slogan, 'press on,' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race." President Calvin Coolidge

As the school year progresses and begins to wind towards the finish line, as state testing, collegiate testing, and other important milestones start to show up on our calendars, as we begin to grow weary from long days and evenings of hard work, as we begin to think about next year and our ambitions for all it can hold, let us keep these words of wisdom in mind.  Why not share this quote with your students?  Let them dissect and discuss what President Coolidge was stating and why he believed persistence to be of such utter importance.  There are so many layers in this quote that can be taken apart and mulled over.  Every time I read it I think of some new way it applies to my life.  I hope that you find it as inspiring as I have over the years and I hope that you continue to pursue whatever it is in life that you find worth chasing.

Fun Reading Activity With Highlighter Tape

One of the ways that I like to change-up my reading groups is by occasionally throwing in a novelty item that still has educational value. Kids love highlighters so sometimes we use those.  But what's even better than a highlighter?  Highlighter tape! Talk about fun!  It's transparent, it's colorful, it's sticky!  Who doesn't want to "play" with highlighter tape?
 I really love to use the printable books from Reading A-Z. Not only are there lots of books to choose from but the topics are relevant and kids enjoy reading them.  I used this book with a group of kindergartners earlier in the week. I only have this group for about 15 minutes so we are a little limited in what we can do but we had plenty of time for this activity.
I gave them the book like I usually do and before I asked them to look at the pictures or anything else, I asked them to open the book and just look at the words. I specifically told them not to read--just look at the words. They were a little confused, some of them started reading, some of them just looked at the pictures, and some of them just sat there--so I stopped them and explained again.  Don't read the words in order as they are on the page, just look at the words and see if you can find words that you know.  They got it the second time and started word hunting.  When they realized I was giving them pieces of highlighter tape to put on the words they knew, they really started looking!  A few times they even tried to convince me they knew words they didn't know because they loved using the tape so much.
After a few minutes of word hunting, I stopped them and said, "Okay, now look at the book.  You have a lot of words highlighted.  That means that you already know a whole bunch of the words that you are about to read. Isn't it great to know that, once you start reading this book you've never seen before, you'll  already be able to read so much of it?"  They were really proud that they knew so much, but they were also better prepared.  With all of the words they already knew highlighted, there was no stopping to think about what word that was, it was freshly on their minds.  They didn't get bogged down by the sight words because they had just seen them.  This allowed them to concentrate more on the unfamiliar words.  Since most of the words in this text were either sight words or picture clue words, reading the book after this activity was a cinch.
After we read the book, I asked them some questions about the book.  Sometimes when students are reading an easier level book, our questions tend to be easier, too. I try to prevent this by asking questions that have excluded answers.  For example, in this book only one animal was in the house and the rest were on the farm so I asked, "Which animal is not outside?" I also ask prediction questions, opinion questions, questions about their experiences because this allows them to talk about their reading and connect it to their lives.  They are much more likely to remember what we read about if they've had the opportunity to talk about it.

Reading A-Z books are awesome!

Highlighting tape can take an ordinary book and make it extraordinary!

Highlighting tape is fairly inexpensive and it lasts a  while, too.  I've had these rolls for a few years.

You can buy highlighting tape at teacher supply stores, online, and even most office supply stores.  It's an inexpensive way to switch things up for your students an allow them to have a little bit of fun while they are still learning.

The Power of Kindness

It seems like the further we get into the school year, the more difficult it becomes for students (and sometimes teachers!) to treat others with kindness.  I don't necessarily mean just being nice, either, but genuinely being kind.  We use those words inter-changeabley, but to me, they don't mean exactly the same thing.  Being nice, in my interpretation, means being pleasant, not bothering others, politeness, smiling, avoiding confrontation and being civil.  Kindness, however, evokes action.  You have to go out of your way to be kind.  You have to choose to show love and friendship to others. Being kind means I choose to do something for someone else.  If they need help, I'm going to be there, often before they ask.  If I have something to share, I'll do it.  If someone says something ugly or tries to upset me, I go above and beyond and respond with something positive.  I don't just want my students to be nice.  I want them to be kind.
How do we help our students to show kindness to others? It isn't just through telling them to do so, we have to discuss it with them and we have to model it. We have to make a huge deal out of it when we see it and we have to lavish praise on our students who demonstrate kindness on a regular basis.  It can be infectious if we really attempt to spread it!
Begin by talking with your students about what it means to show kindness.  What are some situations we can be in where we need to show kindness? They will say the obvious, like, "When my friend falls down, I help him up" or "I pick up his pencil".  Let's talk about the less obvious.  "When I hear someone say something mean to another student, I say something nice and then later, I go back and say another nice thing to the name-caller so they know they are also valued. I loan my eraser to a friend who is clearly struggling with a broken eraser.  I hold the door for someone who's hands are full.  When I see people ganging up on another child, I take a stand and I help the victim to know they are cherished". These are important situations where our children are missing opportunities to show kindness.
We also need to make them aware of situations where they are not being kind.  It isn't enough to tell a student, "Don't say that," or, "That's mean." We need to take these opportunities to point out that, first of all, they are not being kind, and second of all, they have an opportunity to be kind if they choose to be, and they must demonstrate that they know how to be kind by replacing ugly words with kind ones.  They should speak directly to the person they were being disrespectful to and say something kind to or about them--not their hair, their shoes, their clothing, but the person.  So, if a student says, "You'r so stupid," they could replace it with, "You always try really hard, even when you're not sure how to do something." We want to create an environment where children feel safe and where it is known that they care about each other.  Sometimes we feel so pressured to cover all of the student expectations in the curriculum, we forget that we must also cover the student expectations in life.  We can no longer assume our students are getting this information from home. Sadly, there are often no good roll models for kindness at home and the only way we are going to reach these children is through modeling it in our classrooms.
I believe every child wants to feel loved, valued, respected, and safe.  If we allow children to cut each other down, we create an environment where learning competes with emotional safety.  When that happens, learning will always lose. We are called upon to teach our students that they must make good choices even when no one is watching because that's when it counts the most.  We must teach them to listen to their own conscience and we must teach them that the feelings they have inside when they do something kind far outweigh the feelings they have when choices are not so good.  If we do not make every effort to teach these lessons to our children, we will spend most of the year fighting against a wall of ugliness that we cannot defeat.  It must be a united, concerted effort on the part of all staff that kindness counts here and ugliness has no place in our school building.  This also includes how the staff speaks to--and about--each other.

Photo from whatislistening.com

I am lucky that I work in a place with an amazing staff and some very sweet children.  We each have days when it's hard to be kind and children are the same way.  It's much easier to change the attitude of one child each day than it is to squash a culture of disrespect.  When a school climate embraces kindness and love, you can feel it throughout the building--it's tangible, it's electric, and it's empowering.  Each day we make a choice, are we choosing kindness and happiness today--or something else?  I choose kindness.  Now, it's my job to spread that kindness to others.  What actions have you taken today to teach your students about the power of kindness?

Do Your Report Cards Reflect Your Classroom?

We are at the end of a grading period at my school district and it got me thinking about how the structure of our classrooms has changed dramatically but the way we assess isn't always different. Again, I'm speaking in general terms, not specifically about teachers at my wonderful school district or other districts I have taught in.  If we are allowing more group projects, paired thinking, collaboration, and project based learning activities, how is that reflected on our report cards? Are we grading our students as individuals or are some of their grades reflective of projects they may or may not have actually have been able to complete on their own?  Does project based learning create a false representation of a student's knowledge on the report card and, if not, how are we preventing it from doing so?
For the most part, our report cards are based on classwork and observations.  Of course assessments play a key roll as well but things like daily work, homework, and guided group work are all considerations we need to factor in when trying to determine what to put on a report card.  For the most part, report cards ask us to determine whether or not a student is able to master specific student expectations and to what degree. Whether it is a rubric score or a percentile, we have to be able to make a decision based on quantitative data. If we are doing primarily project based learning assignments in our classroom, how can we tell what each student has contributed? Are we giving group grades or individual grades, or both?
Sometimes allowing students to use a self-assessment rubric can help with this. Let them grade their own participation and that of their teammates.  Consider the dynamics of the group when looking at how students grade each other.  Use observational notes and conversations that you have with the students.  Is the student able to answer questions about the project? Is he or she able to explain why the group made certain design choices? If a third party entered your classroom and spoke to the student, would he or she be able to discuss the materials the class is responsible for knowing in a way that leads the observer to believe the student has mastered the student expectations?
With our students that need constant assistance in order to complete assignments, do the grades we are giving them reflect this scaffolded approach or does it appear as if the student is independently able to complete the work because they are turning in work with correct answers--some of which we provided?  When we use a rubric, it is easier to show that a student is able to complete the work with help, however this becomes more tricky when we only have a percentile to go off of. How do we work this scaffolding into our percentiles? Shouldn't the overall grade reflect that the student's understanding is not as complete as those students who are able to do the work without as much help?
As we begin to morph our schools out of the Industrial/Agrarian age and into the Age of Technology, we have to be careful not to over-look some of the areas where old habits die-hard.  We've changed so many things in order to adapt to our 21st Century Learners now we need to start looking at how we are reporting their progress.  Maybe we need to take a closer look at what a report card, by definition, was really meant to do and stop looking at it as some sort of finality to our learning.  If we look at it solely as a form of communication between the school and parents or higher institutes of learning, then we may need to take a different approach to how we are grading.  Just some thoughts to ponder as we near the end our 4th 6 week grading period--or 3rd 9 weeks--or 3rd quarter, or whatever you'd like to call it.

How do you determine your students' grades?

What are your thoughts?

TELPAS Training on Monday!

On this blog, I give my advice and the tips I have learned from my years as a reading specialist, but I also want to talk about what's happening at my campus, and solicit advice from others!
Monday, I will be conducting my very first TELPAS training as testing coordinator at my campus.  I've never been a testing coordinator for TELPAS and this is only the second time I've been a testing coordinator for state mandated testing.  TELPAS is the assessment we use in Texas to determine the language proficiency of our second language learners.  It consists of teacher's rating students in reading, writing, speaking and listening, with a computer-based reading assessment for grades 2-12.  It's critically important that I do this correctly because I want it to go smoothly for both staff and students!
I feel fairly prepared.  I have my hand-outs prepared, though the copy machine thought stapling them as requested was not a good idea after all. I have the powerpoint that the state recommends we use all ready to go.  I have a vague idea of what I need to say and a perfect timeline put together for me by the most incredible assistant superintendent in the universe.  So, why am I so nervous?
I guess it's because I've never done this before and it's so important.  I find it highly unlikely that I am going to mess it up so badly it can't be fixed, but I'd like to be more confident in what I am doing.  Here comes the solicitation part! Has anyone administered TELPAS before and have some amazing advice to pass along?  Or, quite frankly, any advice will do at this point! If you have a tool that you use, a spreadsheet, checklist, etc. please share it with us.  If you are a teacher and you have advice for our raters, please post it in the comments and I will pass it along to our amazing staff.  I would love it if this became a place for teachers to share and to look for resources from other teachers.
Okay, it's the weekend! Let's stop thinking about school and enjoy some family time!

Questions Every Reading Teacher Needs to Answer Part 3

Originally, I asked the questions I am using in this series of posts in part of a guided reading training I have been presenting (with modifications!) for about 8 years. However, I've decided to modify this question  a little bit.  Rather than asking the original, fairly specific question of, "How are you checking for comprehension after a guided reading lesson," let's just ask the more general, "How will you know how well your students are comprehending?"  This can be applied to any lesson, any subject, any grade-level.  If our students are not comprehending what we are teaching, then we aren't teaching--we're just talking.
(For those of you not familiar with Texas State Mandated testing,  2011-12 was the first year that the STAAR test was introduced to replace the previous state mandated test, TAKS.)Before STAAR came along to make all of our lives brighter, I often heard teachers talking about why the TAKS test was too difficult and that the level of questioning was beyond many of our average students' capabilities. With STAAR, the comprehension level went up even further and we began to realize it wasn't enough to just ask questions at a more difficult level--we had to make our classrooms more like learning labs where students were constantly having to problem solve, analyze, take things apart and put them back together--in every subject. If we are not creating an environment where students are constantly introduced to these types of challenges, not only are we limiting their preparation for the state mandated testing, we're not fully preparing them for the working environment they are going to have to function in as adults.

What are your students getting out of your lessons?

The obvious answer to my question is on assessments. If students are comprehending what you are teaching, they should do well on pencil-paper exams.  However, that is still not necessarily a good indicator as to the level of understanding they have. If you are giving assessments written before STAAR, those written at a lower-level as far as Bloom's Taxonomy is concerned, or possibly something that comes from a curriculum or textbook that is not aligned with the state student expectations or exam, you could well be asking assessment questions that are much easier than the standard set by the STAAR test.  While they may be demonstrating a level of understanding, it might be far below the level they are going to need to be at in order to do well on the state assessment.  Therefore, we cannot use a students' performance on assessments as the sole indicator of how well he or she comprehends the materials we are covering.  We also must take into consideration that some students just don't perform well on written assessments.  There can be a variety of reasons for this but ultimately we need to understand that extremely intelligent children often show up as average or below average in testing situations because of test anxiety, dyslexia, ADD, ADHD, autism, and many other factors we should consider.
Therefore, we must collect other forms of data in order to truly determine the level of understanding our students have of the materials we have covered.  The best way to do this, in my opinion, is to create a project that allows the students to work at the highest levels of Bloom's and then we can use the product they create to determine whether or not the student is able to comprehend at those high-levels.  We need to include components of collaboration, creativity, problem-solving, research, and analysis in those projects.  We also need to allow for student choice, particularly when it comes to choosing methods of research, assignments of particular portions of the workload, products, and sometimes even the topic.  There are a lot of topics that often relate to the same unit or lesson we are teaching so if you can find a way to let students choose a component that they are particularly interested in, why not? In my experience, they always perform better when they are engaged with a project they have had some choice in designing. This also allows you insight into their comprehension levels because the greater their understanding, the more likely they are to design a complex, well-thought out project.
We can learn a lot about the level of understanding our students have by listening to the conversations they have with other students. Ask them to explain a concept to a neighbor.  Better yet, ask then to teach a lesson about one of the topics you are discussing to the class.  You'll find out very quickly how deeply they understand the materials.  The student presenting will also retain the information at a deeper level for a longer period of time.  This is all part of project based-learning and it is definitely coming our way so we need to start preparing for it, whether we like it or not.  We say that, in teaching, every thing is cyclical. I think project based learning is going to become a part of our school culture--like lunch and recess more so than some of the flash-in-the-pan buzz words we've been known to use and then discard.  The reason for this is, project based learning works!  Our students get a lot out of it. It's easier on teachers and it more closely replicates an actual work environment than the typical classroom.  Oh, and also, it's a lot of fun!
When it comes to reaching those upper levels of Bloom's, the level that the students' answer at is going to depend on the level of questioning the teacher is using.  If we ask lower-level questions, we'll get lower-level answers.  Examine the types of questions you are asking.  How many of them fall at the knowledge or remembering level?  How many of them climb up to application or analysis?  You may be surprised.  The best way to ensure you are hitting those higher levels is by planning to do so.  Write those types of questions when you write your lesson plan and then keep them with you when you're teaching so that you make sure to ask them.  If you have access to an instructional specialist or coach, ask him or her to come into your classroom during a lesson and keep track of the levels of your questions. This is a great way to get feedback from a non-threatening  professional who will be there to guide you through the steps of improving your questions, if necessary, and there will be no judgement on his or her part either, assuming the specialist or coach is a pro.  Take advantage of the resources you have and invite these people into your classroom to help with specific areas where you feel you can improve.  They want to help and there's nothing wrong with anyone asking for help in improving areas where we feel we are struggling.

Instructional coaches are excellent resources so don't be afraid to use them!

It can be exhausting standing up in front of a room of students all day long, discussing all of the material, saying all of the thins you are supposed to say, and knowing they aren't understanding a thing you are telling them.  This is where the art of teaching must come in to play and replace the misconception that covering a topic by talking about it necessarily results in students learning it.  Again, talking isn't teaching.  Teaching occurs when information is transferred from one person to another.  If they don't get it, then you didn't truly teach it to them.  Sometimes we have to teach the same topic in several different ways in order to teach it to everyone, and that's okay.  The more our students are engaged, the more they have the opportunity to discuss, collaborate, and dig into the subject themselves, the better their learning will be and the higher their levels of comprehension.  And when we create this type of learning environment, there's no question that the vast majority of our students will naturally do well on the state assessments because they are constantly being challenged at this higher level and it's nothing new to them.
What other ideas do you have for challenging your students to reach new intellectual heights?

10 Reasons Why I LOVE Teaching

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, a day where teachers receive tons of little boxes of chocolates, single roses, stickers, and the occasional used lipstick out of mom's purse (true story!), I give you the Top 10 Reasons Why I LOVE Teaching.  And, no, none of them are, "June, July, and August."
10. I love to learn new things.  When you're a teacher, you are constantly being taught--by other teachers, district personnel, administrators--and by your students. There aren't a lot of other professions who have the same amount of training built into schedules the way teaching does and staff development is a great way to learn about best practices in teaching.  I also learn a lot from talking to students and hearing their perspectives.  They are the ones who can really make us stop and think!
9.  We have lots of technology!  I would not have been exposed to many of the programs, apps, and devices I am able to use in my classroom if I were working in a different field.  I have never heard my husband or anyone else come home from working in an office and say things like, "I learned about several really cool websites today where you can make cartoons!"  Sure, other people know about these things and use them but we are constantly trying to find new ways to engage our students and sharing these ideas with each other. I also probably wouldn't have an iPad and 3 iPods at my disposal if I wasn't a teacher. I have an arsenal of technology!
8. I love to read!   One of my very favorite activities is reading and I especially love to do read-alouds with elementary children. I like to do character voices and use a ton of expression. They love it and you can see the excitement and pure joy on their faces.  I also love to read more difficult texts and discuss them with older children because they always have a different view than I do and it's really neat to hear how they interpret different books. If you ever have the opportunity to do a book study with the novel Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse, take advantage of that opportunity--and invite me!  I recommend it for 5th grade and above, but read it yourself first. I did an Inquiry Circle Project with my very high 5th graders last year using that novel.  Best. Book. Study. EVER.
7) I love numbers! When I was in school I felt like I was not very good at math. I always got A's in class and did well on tests, etc. but I didn't feel like I knew why I was doing what I was doing.  Now that I have taught math at a few different grade-levels, I understand it more and I feel more confident.  I hope to pass this on to my students.  It isn't enough to teach them to do an algorithm or to follow a pattern, we have to teach them the why and the reasoning behind it.  That's the only way they are ever going to be confident with numbers.  Now, one of the best parts of teaching is having a student explain to me why they did what they did with a math problem.
6)School supplies are awesome!  There's still nothing quite like coloring with a new box of crayons.  The smell, the sharpness, the vibrant color--it's beautiful! I love everything about school supplies.  Bury me in a pile of post-its!  I love to organize school supplies, I love to buy them, I love to see what's new.  Who else gets to sort through 50 packs of highlighters at least once a year?  Just teachers.
5) I love passing out ketchup!  Okay--not really.  But I do like lunch duty.  I know, it sounds crazy, doesn't it?  After years of  being splattered with milk, sauce, and various other liquids, you'd think I hate it but I love the freedom that lunch brings. (Freedom with parameters, mind you!) I love to talk to the kids about non-academic topics and hearing them talk to each other in their own common language.  I always learn new thing at lunch--what's cool, what isn't, what kids think about different things. Even though I have been called the Lunch Room Nazi more than once and I spend a great amount of time enforcing rules, I still like to hear what the kids have to say when they can say (almost) anything they want to.
4) Hugs are the greatest! I work in an elementary school and if you've spent any time in an elementary school at all, you know that you'll be hugged--for sure--at least 10 times every hour.  And that's awesome.  Knowing a kid cares enough about you to jump out of line, run across the hallway, risk getting yelled at by their teacher, means a lot.
3) I love it when a plan comes together.  Sorry--child of the '80's.  But I do love it when I've poured over a lesson plan, put everything I've got into it, presented it to the class, and it's a hit.  When the kids actually get what you wanted them to get out of a lesson, that's am amazing feeling!
2) I'm changing lives.  Some of the students that I have had the opportunity to work with feel as if no one, or very few people care about them. I'm here to show them they are important, that they are loved and that they mean something to me. I'm also teaching them skills that they will need for the rest of their lives.  There are some subjects or materials that students may not always retain, but when you're teaching someone how to read, that is going to stick with them forever.
1) I'm touching the future.  Regardless of what happens with our economy, what kinds of jobs our students will have, all of them are always going to need to know how to read.  But that's not all I'm teaching them. I'm also teaching them responsibility, respect, kindness, thoughtfulness, teamwork, dependability--traits that everyone has to have in order to be a productive member of society.  I have worked in other professions where I knew what I was doing was not that important but as a teacher, everything I go is important.  Whether I make a good decision and help a child or I make a mistake and do something I need to correct, a child is impacted and that can change a future.  Being a teacher is powerful! We remember the great ones and the terrible ones, but not the mediocre ones so much.  I want to be remembered and I want it to be for the right reasons because if they remember that I taught them something important, then they'll be better people.  That's the true beauty of our profession.
What do you love about teaching?

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The Do's and Don'ts of a Picture Walk

Most of us were taught to do a picture walk at the beginning of a guided reading lesson.  What is the purpose of this mini-lesson? How are you using the picture walk?  What are you teaching during the picture walk?  How will you know if your students have learned anything from the picture walk?
I have seen picture walks utilized in a way that made getting to read the book seem like the best prize ever and I've seen picture walks so boring and pointless that students were nearly asleep--or in tears--by the time the torture, I mean walk, was over. So, let's talk about what you can do to make a picture walk lots of fun and purposeful, and let's talk about some things to avoid!

Do:  Make the picture walk a conversation.  This is an opportunity to encourage your students to talk to you and to each other. We want an environment of collaboration in our classroom and this is a perfect way to teach children how to speak appropriately and intelligently to each other.
Don't: Dominate the entire conversation.  The learning will be more relevant and meaningful if the students have a chance to discuss and reflect with each other so allow them to talk as well.
Do: Use the picture walk to build vocabulary.  Introduce key words that students must understand in order to comprehend the text.  Check to see what their previous experience with that word is and clarify any misconceptions.
Don't: Elaborate on every topic or on irrelevant tangents.  I once heard a teacher interrupt a guided reading lesson to talk about her dog for about five minutes.  If you only have a group for 15-20 minutes and you use a third of that time to talk about something that is only minimally related to the topic of discussion, you are not using your time wisely.  Your students will attempt to get you off topic--usually not on purpose--by telling you about every time they've gone to the zoo, seen a boat, or picked a flower.  My standard reply, "Oh, that's great. Can you tell me more about that at recess?" You need to honor their ideas and connections, value what they would like to talk about, but don't let it distract from your lesson.
Do: Use the questions they ask for later book subjects, inquiry circle projects, or writing assignments.  Again, let them know their interests are valuable and don't disregard the questions they ask, no matter how far off topic they may be.  You don't always have to have every answer and sometimes the questions they ask during guided reading  are perfect for research assignments.  Jot them down and don't forget about them.
Don't: Stop your lesson to find the answer to every question.  Just because their questions are important doesn't mean they are more important than the lesson you are teaching.
Do: Plant the seeds to help them be successful in their reading. If there are words they are going to struggle with, mention them, say them a few times. If there is difficult phrasing, point that out, too.  If the picture is helpful to the reading, look at it carefully.  Say things like, "When I looked at this picture, I thought, oh, that's a dog.  But the book is calling it a puppy.  See, right here?  This words starts with a /p/.  This word is puppy. So, when you are reading, be careful to look at how that word starts and not just the picture."
Don't: Spend a lot of time on your picture walk.  Your picture walk shouldn't be the major part of your lesson. It should be like a mini-lesson--concise, pointed, and helpful.  If you are reading a longer text over several days, break your picture walk up as well.
Do:  Talk about text structure, features of different genres, parts of a book, whatever is relevant.
Don't: Go "fishing" during a picture walk. If no one knows the word "caption" even though you just told them yesterday, tell them again.
Think of the picture walk as a preview, a way to set your students up to be successful.  It's not an opportunity for a teacher to give a monologue about why this book is interesting (or not interesting) or how he or she can personally relate to the text.  It's about the students being able to make predictions, prepare mentally for the text, learn key vocabulary, and feel more successful when they get to more difficult words.
What  types of activities or strategies do you use during your picture walks?
I have heard that some of you are having difficulty leaving comments and signing up to follow.  I have changed a few settings so please email me if you still can't leave a comment or follow. My email address is vanhorna@communityisd.org

Questions Every Reading Teacher Needs to Answer, Part 2

The subject of today's post is directed at teachers who use guided reading groups in the classroom, however, you could adjust it to fit any grouping or method of teaching.  We know that students learn more when they are actively engaged, when they are discussing, creating, analyzing text.  When we ask students to "do something" with what they have learned, the amount of retention goes up dramatically.  Not only do they benefit from completing a project or making some sort of anchor chart or artifact, the rest of the class benefits as well because they also have something new to experience the information from in a new light, from a new perspective.  My question today is:
When someone walks into your classroom, how do they know you teach using guided reading groups?
In my experience, guided reading groups are the most effective way to teach students new reading skills quickly and in a more individualized way than any other method I have ever employed. I am not only able to target my instruction at a small group of students' most pressing needs, I am also able to individualize my instruction and deliver it "just in time" as the situation is developing and the student needs to know the information.  However, if we are not intentional with our lessons, if we do not plan with the data we've collected about each individual student in mind, if we do not carry out the process with fidelity, or if we fail to follow-up our lesson with some sort of application, then we are not being as effective as we could be.  We may well create stellar lesson plans that meet the needs of each student, teach our hearts out in a way that is powerful and meaningful, and then leave our children hanging with information and nothing to solidify it because we are not allowing them to complete the last step and tie that new knowledge to something tangible.  Giving them just a few minutes at the end of a guided reading lesson to reflect can really make abstract concepts concrete and give them something to refer back to when they need clarification.  Creating a classroom environment that displays the work of your students also makes a statement that what we do here is important, this is your classroom, and we can all learn from each other.
When another teacher, an administrator, a parent, a student walks into your classroom, how do they know what you're all about?  Can they easily see student work displayed on the walls?  Can they tell what you've been teaching--and what the students have learned?  Will they be able to tell whether or not your students can apply the concepts you are teaching to other situations?
The very best way to make sure others can tell what is going on in your classroom is by allowing your students to create anchor charts and other authentic displays showcasing what they have learned.  At the end of a guided reading lesson, simply allow them to reflect on what they have learned and then create something to tie it all together.  There are a lot of different assignments you can give them that allow them to be creative while you are still setting up parameters and the end result will be something they can refer back to and help others to learn the same concepts.  You can have them use any number of graphic organizers to show they comprehended the materials.  They can do a word sort. Having them draw a picture, make a foldable, write a new ending, or something more creative, like using an app or computer program to extend their learning is an incredibly powerful way to help your students retain critical knowledge and build schema for upcoming lessons.  Some of these tasks will take more time than others but they are all meaningful and worth the time and effort.  Even asking your students to keep a reflection journal for guided reading and giving them a few minutes at the end of the lesson to write about the story or what they learned can be extremely meaningful and lets them know what they were just learning is important and they need to truly understand the information and be able to apply it.
While I am talking specifically about guided reading lessons, this concept needs to carry over to other areas as well.  We know that allowing students time to reflect, analyze, and create is more relevant than asking them to complete a menial assignment like a worksheet.  If we then take the items they have produced and display them, not only are we telling them how valuable their work is, we are making a statement.  In this classroom, we're all about learning--and this is what we know!

Our Inquiry Circle Project Wall. 2nd grade students read a text, asked some questions about the topic, researched, and created a powerpoint.

Kindergarten students responded to a text at the beginning of the year.  

It is important for students to reflect and then research when they want more information.

Analyzing is one of the most important skills we can teach our students.

First graders recommend their favorite books.

I asked first and second grade students to relate the consonant digraphs we were studying to something relevant to themselves.

Take a moment to look around your classroom.  How many authentic pieces do you have up? How many store-bought or teacher-made items do you have on display?  Do you want to change anything?  How easily could you do so? These are just some things to think about when reflecting upon the question, "When someone walks into your classroom how do they know what you've taught? If it's important, shouldn't they be able to tell?

When the Teaching Part of Our Brain Is Gone Fishin'

Gone fishin'?

When I first started teaching, I was confused about a lot of things.  I began my career as a kindergarten teacher in a Title I campus on October 1st with a class formed for me by the other kindergarten teachers. They were each asked to pick two students to send to my class.  I worked at a really great school with some incredible teachers but I'm afraid a few of them were a little too tempted to have certain students belong to someone else.  Any time you're walking into a classroom formed from other classes--in October--in kindergarten, well, it's gonna be rough.  And it was.  And I sincerely apologize to all of those children because I wasn't a very good teacher.  But no one died and we all went on to have a better year the next year.
There are many bad practices that I developed that year as a part of Survivor-Mode.  All teachers have one or two areas where we need some work and I am certainly right there along with everyone else!  Today, I would like to discuss a little phenomena I like to refer to as "fishing."  This is not the technical term, it's a term I developed after I realized I was doing it and that I shouldn't be, which was about 5 years into my career.  I guarantee at one point you've done it, too.  The best of the best have done it, so let's talk about what it is, why you shouldn't do it, and what you can do instead.
Picture a third grade classroom.  We've been talking about the economy in social studies for several days. The day before we discussed the differences between needs and wants.  In an effort to review the material we discussed prior to this class period, we will start by asking our students (you know what we're going to ask), "What did we talk about yesterday?"
Now, let's freeze right there for a minute and be "the kid".  What does she mean what did we talk about yesterday? We talked about a lot of things yesterday.  We talked about math, reading, social studies, science, writing. We had lunch.  We played outside.  Jimmy and I played football.  I went to music class.  What is she talking about?
As a teacher, we try to be more narrow.  "Remember, yesterday?  When we were talking?  Yesterday, in class."
Kid:  Uhm, which class?
Teacher:  "Yesterday, in social studies.  When we were talking about the economy.  Do you remember?"
Kids begin to nod vaguely, I think I remember something about that.
Teacher:  "And what did we say was a need that everyone has?"
And this is where the really deep fishing can begin, if we are not careful!
Kids: "Water!"
Teacher: "Well, yes, we do all need water.  But I'm talking about something else, something else that we said we all need.  Remember, yesterday, in class? We talked about something we all need?"
Kids: "Food!"
Teacher:  (more aggravated this time) "Yes, that's true.  We do all need food.  But yesterday, we talked about something everyone needs, in order to survive.  Remember, Sally said it.  Right after we read the book."
Kids: "Uhm, clothes?  Money?  A dog?"
Teacher:  (really upset now) "No!  How come no one remembers this?  We just talked about it yesterday.  (my favorite) It starts with a sh---."
Kids: "Shoes?  Showers? Shellfish?"
Teacher:  "Oh, so close!  Shellllllll"
Timid kid in the back row: "Shelter??"
Teacher: "Yes!  Thank you!  Shelter. Remember, we talked about shelter yesterday and how everyone needs shelter?  Don't you remember that?"
Kids:  "Oh, ya, shelter. Ya, I remember that now.  We talked about that.  Shelter."
How many minutes have we collectively wasted in this kind of ambiguous guessing game? Why do we insist on torturing ourselves and our entire class by giving them clues, as if we can magically turn them in to mind-readers overnight if we play this little game enough times? If you work at The Uri Geller School for Gifted Children with ESP, maybe this is a good strategy. Otherwise, not so much.
And really, what is it that we are trying to accomplish? I used to think I was checking for comprehension by asking these questions.  But I wasn't.  Students have to know what the subject is that we are discussing before they can prove whether or not they are informed about that subject.  By telling them 1) we talked about it yesterday 2) I felt it was important 3) it was something to do with social studies, we are not giving them enough information to let us know if they really understand what we are talking about or not.  How often does a student answer our first feeler question correctly?  Usually only if we want a general answer--like wants and needs. If you want something specific, be more specific with your questions!
I was actually teaching third grade social studies and reading when I went to a workshop and the presenter said,  "Never open your lesson with a question about what you did yesterday.  Tell them what you did yesterday and check for understanding by allowing them to discuss the topic."  You'll know very quickly if they have a deep understanding of the topic or if they remember nothing.  And if they only remember the topic of what you discussed and nothing else, then you've reached them on the first two levels of Bloom's--which isn't going to cut it. We want higher-level questions so let's start the discussion with a substantiated topic and then start asking some questions that will make them think--not remember. Otherwise, you're going to waste a lot of time casting your hook into waters where the fish have all scurried away.
I felt relieved when the presenter essentially gave us permission to stop fishing at the beginning of our lessons.  I am no well-known reading expert, but if it helps any, I now give you permission to stop throwing your line in.  Leave the guessing games for recess and let your students sink their teeth into the real meat of the discussion.  You'll all be happier for it if you do!
Thoughts??

Moving on to calmer waters.

The Ballad of "Sound-It-Out"

This post is in remembrance of a phrase I would like to bury so deeply in the ground that we never see or hear from it again. The phrase is, "sound it out," and if education needs someone to step forward and bravely pull the trigger, well, then, I'm your huckleberry.
I am quite certain that this post will annoy, upset, possibly infuriate more than one of my fellow teachers. I know this because every time I bring up the subject while I am presenting, at least one teacher gets really fired up and questions my logic.  And I'm okay with that!  The point of this blog is to start discussions so if you read this and you think I'm wrong, please go right on ahead and tell me so.  But, if you think I'm right, please, for the love of all things holy, grab a shovel and let's start digging!
If you are a reading teacher at any level, there's a good chance you have, at some point in your career given the order for a student to, "sound it out."  Parents, I'm certain you have probably said it as well. In fact, I hear students telling other students to "sound it out" almost daily.  Have you ever stopped to ask yourself why you are saying that?  What is it that you really want them to do?  Do they even know what that phrase means?  I'm going to answer those questions for you but first, let's explore the two most common scenarios where a teacher (or possibly a parent) might use the dreaded phrase.
The first situation where this phrase is commonly used is in a guided group where a teacher and students are working on phonics. They aren't reading a text, they are simply manipulating phonemes to blend, segment, and/or form words.  Most of the time teachers refer to this as "word work."  In this particular setting, a student might be working on a word family, possibly substituting an initial or final sound, or even a medial vowel.  The student gets hung up on a tricky manipulation and the teacher wants to give the child some clues to help him or her be successful.  So, let's take it one step further.  We're in a kindergarten classroom. The teacher has four students in her small group and they are working on the --am family.  They are trading out the initial letter to form new words.  Ham to jam to Sam, etc.  The student is having trouble with the /r/ sound. He isn't sure what sound that letter makes.  So, when his teacher asks him to remove the "S" and put the "r" in it's place, he's stuck.  He knows the last part is /am/ but he doesn't know what to say at the beginning.  His teacher tells him to "sound it out."  Uhm, ya, he's trying to sound it out.  Problem is, he doesn't know what sound "r" makes, so he can't sound it out.  He's still stuck, and she's still insisting he does something he doesn't know how to do. Now, tell me, who is this benefiting?

Photo courtesy of trcb,com

What are some more appropriate things the teacher could say in this situation?  Well, what is our purpose in the lesson?  We want the student to understand the relationships between phonemes and words, how different sounds join together to make different words and how closely related some of these words are. We also want to make sure our students have a firm grasp of the most common sounds these letters make. If we understand that our little friend here isn't confident in the sound "r" makes, then we cannot move forward with the other skills that we want him to know.  We have to put that first brick down--the sound the letter makes--before we can build upon it with blending, segmenting, etc.  Now, we can teach these concepts simultaneous as long as we are willing to go back and plug some holes, like this little boy's missing information when it comes to the sound for "r".  In order to do that, let's start with the most basic question.  "What letter is this?"  If he knows it's "r" that's great. Tell him so!  If he doesn't, that's okay, too, we are going to teach him.  "This is the letter 'r.'  Do you see it up there in the alphabet? On the word wall?  Can you see the picture next to the letter?  What is it?  A rabbit.  That's right! And rabbit starts with /r/.  So the letter 'r' says /r/ like in rabbit!" If he knows the name of the letter but not the sound, simply skip that part about identifying the letter.  "That's right! It is the letter 'r.'  Do you remember what sound 'r' makes?  No?  Look over there at the alphabet (or word wall).  Do you see the picture next to 'r' . . . ."  You get it from here.  Our goal is not to interrogate the information out of our wee little friends. Our goal is to help them learn, remember, build schema, find something to hang this information on. Once they have that hook, they'll be much more likely to remember the next time.
Let's take this scenario one step further. Let's say our friend does know "r" says /r/ but the trouble comes with blending the sounds together. He just can't seem to get those gaps out of /r/ /a/ /m/.  Is asking him to "sound it out" going to help here?  No, he IS sounding it out. He's just not sounding it in--err-together.  So telling him to "sound it out" again, is not helpful. Tell him to squeeze those sounds together.  Show him a rubber-band around your fingers, how you can stretch it out and squeeze it together. Let him try.  Model it.  Model it again. Model it a third time.  Keep modeling it until he gets it or until you can't stand the sight of any animal with horns.  Or, on the other hand, stop modeling it because he's not ready--and that's okay, too.  We'll try again later.
Bottom line, I cannot think of a single time when a teacher is working on word work with a group of students when he or she would ever need to tell a student to "sound it out". If you can, please let me know!
The other situation when I hear, "sound it out" demanded repeatedly is when a student is reading aloud to a teacher and they become "stuck" on a word. It could be in a guided reading group, reading aloud to the class, basically any situation where the teacher is listening and the student is reading. It doesn't matter what grade-level or subject, chances are there is something better for you to say than, "sound it out."
And why is that?  Well, two reasons. First of all, chances are the student is familiar with the phrase "sound it out."  In most cases, that is the first and sometimes only strategy a student is going to use to try to decode a word.  It is not, however, the best strategy the majority of the time, for the second reason--the majority of the words in the English language are unsounderoutable.  Yes, that is my own invented word. I love it and I'm going to continue to use it.  Think about it, how many words in English are actually spelled phonetically?  Not very many. And once we get into vowel digraphs, diphthongs, special endings, "sneaky" e's, and several vowels walking together, well, it's your best guess as to what sound any letter is really going to make at any given time, depending upon the price of consonants in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Needless to say, giving your students some other strategies may go a lot further than imploring him or her to "sound it out."
So, what other strategies should you be giving them?  I'm so glad you asked!  Let's look at the merit of a few other questions we could ask (and the word question here is key--"sound it out" is not a question.  We want to ask our students to do things not demand it. Asking makes them think, demanding let's us think for them.)
1) How does that word start? (or) end?
2) Do you see a smaller word inside of the bigger word?
3) What makes sense in this sentence?
4) Do you know part of that word?
5) Do you remember the rule for ____ (ai, ay, ou, ow, etc.)?
6) Do you have a guess as to what that word might be?
7) What is the book talking about?
8) Is there a prefix or suffix you can take off?
9) Do you have a clue in your picture?
10) Have you seen that word anywhere else before?
11) Do you have a friend that you think can help you?
I would argue that all of these questions are better than "sound it out." All of them make the student stop and consider the situation.  All of them assist the student in finding clues to solve the mystery of what is that word.  We want our students to ask themselves these types of questions when they get stuck because these are the types of strategies good readers naturally do when they are trying to decode a difficult word. I mean, when was the last time you tried to "sound" out a multi-syllabic word without at least breaking it apart and considering the smaller pieces? It just seems like we are doing our children a disservice by insisting that they sound out words that we know good and well are unsounderoutable.  So why do we continue to insist that they do so?
I actually do want to answer that question, my theory anyway, about why we continue to use this phrase.  It's because that's what we were told to do.  And not just by our teachers and parents from way back when we were in school either.  The teachers that taught us how to be teachers--they are saying it.  Our mentors--they're saying it. Our coaches, our specialists, the teaches we are going to observe--some of them are still saying it.  So, we don't think, "Why are we saying this?" we just keep saying it.  But now we know why we shouldn't be saying--because there are better things to say--so let's just put it out of it's misery!

I bet this teacher even asked her students to "sound it out."

Please don't think I am under the impression that all other teachers are still saying this phrase. I know many of you are not. Please don't take this to mean I think that, if you are using this phrase you are not a good teacher or you are doing a disservice to your children--again, I don't.  Your students are not going to stop developing as readers because you used or continue to use this phrase.  But this blog isn't about what we used to do, it's about what we are going to do so that we are better teachers, with smarter, more successful students.  And I truly think taking this one phrase out of our vernacular will go a long way to helping our students become better thinkers, problem solvers, and ultimately better readers.
I know some of my self-conscious friends out there are probably panicking now, thinking, "OMG, I think I said that the last time Amy was in my classroom!  SHE'S TALKING ABOUT ME!" Let me assure you, I'm talking about the collective us--myself included--we can all stand to begin removing this phrase from our teaching regiment.  I'm not going to throw an eraser at the next teacher who says it, I probably won't say anything at all. But I want you to start being conscious of what you are saying and why you are saying it. Again, if it's justified, please say it. Otherwise, say something better.

Everyone is sooo happy!

With any luck, this dead horse has now been beaten to death and we can all get back to our classrooms now and start insisting that students say, "May I go to the restroom," instead of "Can I use it?"
Tomorrow, I'm going to take you on a fishing excursion. Oh, yes, it will be fun and, no it's not that kind of fishing. ;)