Author: iMrsHughes

Speech Development for Toddlers – Must Haves!

~ iMrsHughes ~ Leave a comment

When my oldest daughter was 1.5, she was speaking in full sentences and I thought it was normal.  So when my second daughter came and was having chronic ear infections and struggled to hear us until she was 1.5 and needed tubes in her ears, we knew we were going to have to work with her to get her up to speed!

Like most moms, I did my research and found the best way to get her talking was to talk to her and with her as much as possible.  I am not a doctor nor do I teach speech, but these are things we have found that helped our little lady!

Below are some of my FAVORITE things we’ve used to get my baby talking throughout the day!

  1.  Placemats for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner:  When we sit down to eat, my little one picks her placemat for the meal.  We talk about the letters, shapes, numbers, and colors throughout the meal.  Not only is it helping her talk, but she is learning, too!  (Funny thing, my older daughter uses placemats like this also, but for older kids!  See here!)
  2. On-the-Go Table Toppers:  Are you noticing a trend?  Placemats follow us to the restaurants!  These are great because they stick to the table so it’s easy for clean up.  They have great visual colors, numbers, and monsters.  You can get these generic (like I’ve linked!) or with their favorite character!  They’re amazing!
  3. Block Board Books:  As an English teacher, I know the importance of reading to our children.  It helps them learn and also develops their vocabulary.  These Block Board Books are small enough they fit into any bag and can come with you in the store, stroller, or in the car!  Again, they have so many amazing options for these from Eric Carle to your child’s favorite Disney character!
  4. Bath Books:  My kids fight over who gets the bath books!  They absolutely love them!  The one’s I’ve linked are generic, but my kids have been loving Rainbow Fish and of course Brown Bear with the cutest little squirting bear!

I hope these items help get you and your little one talking, laughing, and learning like we did!  If you have any other things that have worked well, please share them below!

 

*Links throughout are affiliate links!*

 

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Best Practices: Motivation & Personalization

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“Studies report that reading in a digital learning environment is an incentive in younger and lower performing students that feedback in e-books and apps plays a powerful role for staying engaged and motivated.” (Roskos & Neuman, 2014)

“Because teachers have access to timely data…they can personalize learning for more students at any given time…” (Roskos & Neuman, 2014)

The use of Educational Technology allows teachers to assess students quicker, provide immediate feedback, and personalize learning in a way that is much more effective than before.  By using the right tools at the right times, teachers can capitalize on teachable moments and intervene with struggling students sooner rather than later.  This type of personalization makes learning more motivating! And lucky for us there are tons of tools waiting to help us!

Music:  If you’re not using music in your classroom to motivate your students, are you even having fun?  I know it’s not directly tied to the Best Practice, but music in the classroom sets a tone and creates an experience that is memorable and in turn motivating.  Typically, I’ll use a Pandora station appropriate to the text/topic we are learning about; however, sometimes I get a little more clever ::see also, annoying:: and I’ll find YouTube videos of certain songs playing for 10 hours!!!!  Don’t worry, we haven’t gotten there ever, but when we’re learning about sharks and the kids see I play the Jaws theme song for 10 hours, they definitely feel the tension!  Check out these top Pandora stations as recommended by teachers!

Collaborative Digital Canvas:  aka a virtual corkboard!  There are TONS of new websites that provide similar functions.  Students can log into the site and share text, images, websites, or videos relating to a certain topic.  Students become motivated to share their ideas or findings with their classmates, and it also gives the teacher a quick assessment of student understanding!

My Favorites?  Padlet, Dotstorming, Spaaze, Lino It 

Customized Video:  aka video with questions embedded!  Using videos in the classroom is known to increase motivation; however, I need to know if the students are understanding the information that’s being presented.  Cue in Customized Videos!  There are tons of sites created with ready-to-go videos or simple interfaces that make it easy to create such videos!

My Favorites?  EdPuzzle, PlayPosit

HyperDocs:  Think of this as a complete lesson in one Google Doc.  Each phase of the document has students engage with information in a different way either explaining, analyzing, sharing, reflecting, etc.  The beauty of a HyperDoc in the classroom is students can move at their own pace and use varying resources.  I can pull for small groups, differentiate my instruction, and allow the students time to fully explore a topic on their own.  Also, the HyperDocs community is VERY active and VERY generous.  They share a LOT!  Check out this site for some free templates and samples!  And this Padlet is just insane.  These people are amazing!

 

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Best Practices: Knowledge Through Text

~ iMrsHughes ~ Leave a comment

“Having children engage in books of high quality introduces them to new words, ideas, and events outside of their daily experience.” (Roskos & Neuman, 2014)

As teachers, our job is to expose students to ideas, concepts, and realities they have yet to experience.  Whether through class discussions, reading a novel, or analyzing a video, it is imperative to help student build knowledge of the world around them through the texts we choose to incorporate.  And the integration of Educational Technology provides opportunities for learning that were simply not possible before.  In fact, using technology to help create learning experiences for students is one of the Best Practices of the 21st Century Literacy Classroom!

Check out some of the links compiled below that can help your students BUILD KNOWLEDGE THROUGH TEXT.

Virtual Field Trips:  Check out the extensive list of virtual field trips on this blog post!  Tons of options for all ages and all subjects!

E-Books:  Yes, there are tons of websites available to make e-books with students, but to be honest, PowerPoint or Google Slides works just fine!  E-books can become companion readers!  Every time we visit a new location on Google Earth or find the answer to a question, have students create a new page of their Companion Reader!  Looking for additional ideas? Go here!

GAFE:  The Google Suite is the best and easiest way to build knowledge.  Reading a book and the students have a question?  Simple!  Google it!  YouTube it!  Google Earth it!  We have answers and virtual experiences to help our students build background knowledge in order to further understand a text by simply using the Google Apps for Education Suite!  

Share to Classroom Extension:  This Chrome extension pairs with Google Classroom users!  Teachers can push websites to students with one click!  Simply locate the site, click Share to Classroom, and select the Google Classroom you’d like to share with link with!  The website on your screen immediately is sent to your students and opens on their screens!  AMAZING!

Take a STAND!  One of my freebies!  After building the knowledge through the text, I like to have students formulate opinions on the things read!  Have students Take a Stand on the issue… literally!

 

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Best Practices in the Literacy Classroom Series: Intro

~ iMrsHughes ~ Leave a comment

This series will tackle an issue in education I feel very strongly about: EdTech and its use in the classroom.  For nearly a decade, I have lead professional development workshops and connected with leaders in education to learn and grow in order to best meet the students of the 21st century.  Though there are many advantages to using technology in the classroom, if not used purposefully, intentionally, and with the objective in mind, technology can become a distraction from the content or skill being taught.

The integration of EdTech must be secondary to best practices.

Therefore, in the posts that follow, I will address the key Best Practices for the 21st Century Literacy Classroom based on  Roskos and Neuman’s (2014) work.  For each post, I’ll explain the Best Practice and include EdTech tools that can help accomplish these goals using examples from the classroom of iMrsHughes!

Stay tuned!

 

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Collaborative Strategies THAT WORK!

~ iMrsHughes ~ Leave a comment

In the 90 minute block I teach, I’d be bored to tears if my students did independent work the whole time.  As the student sitting there for 90 minutes not moving, not collaborating? Forget it!

Maybe it’s the part of me that can’t sit still, but I need the kids to be talking, moving, working together for me to feel the class period was not only engaging, but effective.  And it’s true!

Research shows group discussions, even just for 10 minutes, can have a “substantial impact on student performance” (Fall, Web, & Chudowsky, 1997). So if I can get Middle Schoolers talking for ten minutes… and let’s get real – that is totally manageable – I can significantly improve their understanding of the concepts in class?  Count me in!

Every day my students work in groups, and each day I try to vary the way they work together.  Using the Group Work Expectations set from the beginning of the year (see the blog post here!), I scaffold the skills and techniques each Marking Period to teach the students the Eight Strategies below.  In the following section, I’ll introduce you to each of the collaborative strategies and explain how they’re used in my classroom!

1.Echo Response

What Is It?   One student in a partner or group shares their response and the other students in the group say their answer following.  It should sound like an Echo with answers being the same; however, if an Echo is different, students stop and discuss the answers provided.

How It’s Used:  I use this for anything that has a simple one word/number or one letter response.  For instance, multiple choice questions,vocabulary homework, or math problems!

 

2.Choral Response

What Is It?  All students in the group or both partners say the answer at the same time.  It should sound like a Chorus of answers!  If there’s a discrepancy, we stop and discuss!

How It’s Used:  Again, this is used this for anything that has a simple response – fill in the blank, multiple choice, true/false, etc.

 

3.The Master

What Is It?   In groups, one student from each group (teacher selected to vary!) is chosen as The Master!  Depending on your class, the teacher can check those students’ responses only or students can assess themselves. The Master in each group shares their answers with the group.  Everyone at the pod checks their answers off of The Master.  Again, different answers should be stopped and discussed.

How It’s Used:  This is typically used to check vocabulary homework or quick comprehension quizzes for short stories or chapters.  This is more for formative and informal tasks.

 

4.Round Robin

What Is It?   Starting with one person in the partner set, triad, or group, students rotate sharing responses.  Any questions are asked immediately and discussed together.

How It’s Used:  Round Robin is another technique used for smaller tasks, such as vocabulary or quick homework.

5.Turn and Talk

What Is It?   Students sit in pairs and “Turn and Talk” to the person seated closest to them.  I call them their “Shoulder Partner”.

How It’s Used:  This is used every day.  As I’m teaching, if I pose a question, I ask them to Turn and Talk with their Shoulder Partner.  These questions will be easier to answer.  Review of the previous day’s material.  Definition of a word. The format of a body paragraph.  Quick things students are comfortable with! Instead of calling on one student and only assessing their understanding, a Turn and Talk allows the teacher to observe the whole class and see who understood/understands the material!

 

6.Think Pair Share

What Is It?   After posing a deep thinking question, give students time to “Think” individually, “Pair” with their partner to discuss their thoughts, then “Share” with the class

How It’s Used:  I use this for class discussion, reflections, anything that really requires in depth thought!  Something I found that helps is having students jot notes to themselves during the “think” section.  Though it takes a bit longer, I’ve found that the responses overall are stronger!

 

7.Jigsaw

What Is It?   Students in groups are given an assignment with multiple parts.  Each group member is assigned a different part.  As a class, students meet with the others assigned to the same part as them and complete the task. Then, the students “Jigsaw” and return to their home group to share the answers with everyone.  This ensures one student from each group is an “expert” in one section of the task.

How It’s Used:  I use this frequently for building background knowledge.  For example, when learning aboutThe Pearl, all groups are responsible for covering all of the topics; however, we Jigsaw to expedite the process!  One group researches pearl diving, another the history of Mexico, a different group researches John Steinbeck, etc.  After becoming an expert in a given area, they return to their home group and share the knowledge!

 

8.Speed Dating

What Is It?   Students are seated in pairs facing each other.  Teacher sets the timer (between 2-7 minutes depending on the task), students complete the task with the person they’re facing.  When the timer is up, one student rotates to the next group and the process repeats!

How It’s Used:  I’ve used this in a few ways.  First, I’ve used it for practicing speeches.  Students can get very nervous when giving presentations, but if they can practice one on one like this they get more comfortable!  I’ve also used this for students to complete certain questions together on a given assignment or share answers/writing pieces with each other.

 

Though there are other collaborative strategies that are effective, these are some of those most commonly used in my classroom!  I have posters that I display at the front of the room to signal to the students which cooperative learning technique we’ll be using for the period. Get the product here!

 

I hope the descriptions and examples help you encourage collaboration in your classroom!  Feel free to share other ideas, comments, or questions below!

 

Happy Teaching!

 

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Back to School Series: Group Work Expectations

~ iMrsHughes ~ Leave a comment

Collaboration is a huge part of my English/Language Arts block.  Not only does it help break the monotony of independent work or direct instruction, but, in my opinion, is a time when students have to potential to learn the most.  Students with different experiences, different strengths and weaknesses can come together and share their thoughts in order to reach a common goal.  In theory, this sounds great!  In reality, it can be terrifying!

What if they get off topic?  What if chaos ensues?  What if they have nothing to say to each other?  

All of these are genuine questions and feelings regarding group work, which is why it is crucial to have clear cut expectations and procedures for the different strategies you may use in your class.

This post will be broken into two:  first, general group work expectations and second, an explanation of the types of collaborative strategies I use in my classroom.

General Group Work Expectations

*NOTE:  These expectations are practiced… literally.  I shall explain further down!

1.Seating:  Be sure to have students seated in a way that is conducive for collaboration.  This doesn’t have to be in groups, per say, but it needs to be clear who is working with whom so students can quickly transition.

  • Four desk pods
  • Triads
  • Partners facing front
  • Traditional rows (If using rows, consider using a small colored dot sticker on the corner of desks to show which desks should go together for quick grouping!)  Try these —> affiliate link!

2. Directions:  Clear directions everywhere!  We need students to understand what they should be doing for the assignment, but let’s be real.  Sometimes students aren’t listening, sometimes the projector is broken, etc.

Directions need to be SAID by the teacher, WRITTEN on the board or screen, and HANDED to the students via hard or virtual copy.  And no, don’t stop there!

The very first thing my groups do is review the directions.  One students starts reading or summarizing the task, and they rotate to each person.  Each person says one direction out loud to ensure everyone in the group knows the assignment’s expectations.

3.  Roles:  In the younger grades, I know many teachers assign roles, but in the middle school, I haven’t found a role system that I felt matched my style.  I still feel students need focus, though, so in the beginning of the year, I assign different students as Group Leaders.  Group Leaders change with each activity.  The Group Leader’s job is simply to make sure everyone is on task.  Find the answers to questions.  Ensure all aspects of the assignment is completed.  Using a Group Leader has helped with making sure tasks are fully complete and also helped end student disputes!

4.  Accountable Talk:  My experience with middle schoolers has shown me that majority of students don’t know how to communicate when doing group work.  It’s something that needs to be explicitly taught, critiqued, and reviewed.  I have posters that I use, and handouts for each table as reminders to use these techniques.  We discuss the following:

  • Body language
  • Active listening
  • Eye contact
  • Respond with a brief summary of previous comment (ex. “When you said xyz, I thought…”)
  • Taking turns

Check out my SLANT poster freebie here!  I review the SLANT terms with students and hold them accountable for using these techniques during all group work!  The Accountable Talk Stems, shown below, are laminated and given to each student to use as a reminder of the dialogue expected during group work!

 

 

5. Work Output:  This one may be controversial, but it works for me.  My biggest pet peeve is when I see one or two students in a group working hard and the others in the group copying their answers.  That is not collaboration.  That is cheating.  Therefore, I have a rule in my class when it comes to group work:  Everyone writes the same thing at the same time.  Students are not permitted to move on without the whole group.  They must have a dialogue about what is being written as it’s being writing.  I’ve found that this rule helps keep the students in the group on track and on the same page!

Practicing Group Work

Like many of you, I have a Group Work Expectations poster in my room.  I went over it the first week of school, but if that was the last time I referred to it, group work would never have been effective.  Instead, the poster is a talking point.  Let me walk you through how I do this.

First, I review the entire poster aloud.  Then, each day, we practice ONE of the items on the list.  I explain exactly what I am looking for when it comes to that rule.  I model it to the class.  Then, as they break into group work, I set a timer, get my clipboard, and walk the room.  (get my fav timer here —> affiliate link!) While walking around the room, I take notes of things I’m observing that need to be improved and I mention positives aloud.

“I love how this group is XYZ!”- “I see STUDENT is using his accountable talk stems, excellent!” – “I love the eye contact from this group”

I literally walk and praise the students as I’m reviewing them.  As I do this, naturally, the students in the class focus their own behaviors to those I am praising.

As the weeks go on, we gradually add in a different Expectation from the poster to use as our focus.  We keep adding in more speaking and listening skills until eventually, group work is run efficiently and effectively!

It takes time.  It takes commitment; however, scaffolding group work expectations starting in September leads to stronger collaboration and more learning as an outcome!

Hope these tips help you make group work more productive in your classroom!  Stay tuned for some of my favorite Collaborative Strategies!

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Back to School Series: Learning Names

~ iMrsHughes ~ Leave a comment

Once August comes to a close, I know exactly what to expect: the Back to School nightmares!  For a solid week, I’ll have reoccurring dreams of my classroom in chaos.  I’ll have the usual dreams of out of control students, but sometimes I’ll have more unique ones, like the time I dreamt about all my decorations falling off the wall.  That was pretty bad.

But I know, as do most veteran teachers, the only way to ease the September nerves is to get yourself prepared!  Before heading to your classroom, you’re going to need some First Day Tips!  Therefore, for the rest of the summer, I will be creating a blog series about just that!

This post is about NAMES!

Learning names seems like it’s the last thing to worry about on the first day, but think about it.  Have you ever tried to reprimand a student but you didn’t know their name?  It’s almost impossible!  Knowing a student’s name immediately creates a basic relationship.  It tells the student “I know you.  You matter to me.”  So how can we learn 30-120 names quickly?  By playing a giant game of Memory, of course!

1.  Student Names on Post-It Notes on Their Desks

My maiden name is difficult to pronounce, so like many students, I dreaded the first day of school when I knew the teacher would inevitably say my name incorrectly.  ::shudder:: To combat this, I write each student’s name on a Post-It note and put them on the desks.  When the students enter the room, they are asked to find their names and begin the First Day Survey.  At a glance, I am able to see which students are absent.  Then, we get to work!

2.  Talk to Every Child

While the students work on their First Day Survey, I sit and talk to each one of them.  My conversation goes something like this:

“Hi, I’m Mrs. Hughes!”  SHAKE HANDS “Can you say your name for me?” or “Do you like to be called ___ or ___?” Then I ask them about their summer, something they’re wearing, a pencil they’re writing with, honestly, anything to start a conversation!  Talk to the student for about 10-20 seconds and use their name as often as you can.  I end with a friendly, “It’s nice to meet you, ___!”

3.  Play Memory… By Yourself!

My students sit in pods which is great for learning names.  After my conversation with the students in one pod, I stand and recite each of their names.  When I finish the conversations at the second pod, I recite their names and the names the students in the first pod.  This rotation continues until the end when I stand, ask the students to stop what they are doing, and PREPARE TO BE AMAZED!

I, then, start with the first child and recite the names of each student in the classroom.

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I have used this method for my entire career and will learn the names of the majority of the class on the First Day.

“Magic?”  they say.

No, no…  It’s Memory!

*Stay tuned for more Back to School tips!  Until then, wishing you pleasant dreams of happy students and posters adhering to the walls!

 

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