It is hard to believe that the summer is almost here.  We have so enjoyed posting to this blog and sharing some ideas and resources.  We hope you have  found some of it beneficial.  If there are areas of interest to consider for blogging next year, feel free to comment and we will make sure to include those areas next year.  

We want to wish all of you a safe, happy, and relaxing summer!

                                                                              

                                                                             Woodstock Instructional Coaches

                                              

Literacy Resources

As you are wrapping up your teaching these last few weeks and perhaps even considering some ideas for next year, don’t forget that there are resources available on the ISBE website to support teaching the standards. Lessons and supports, including graphic organizers and sample lessons, for K-5 teachers for Literature are available here and for Informational texts, click here. 

Observation-LIteracy

 We want to create an environment in our classrooms that will give students the best opportunity to progress.  One of the most important questions we can ask ourselves is 

• "Have I made careful observations of my students to know what they know or understand, so I can make decisions about future instruction?"

The Gradual Release Model has a noticing component in all levels of the model.  Whether you are explicitly teaching through the focus lesson, guiding them through a lesson, or the students are collaboratively or independently working, it is important to notice, or observe, the students.

Try this:  

• Choose three students to observe through the next lesson.  This should be one student who is meeting expectations, one student who is above, and one who is performing below.  By focusing on three students, a teacher can observe in more detail. 
• Make observations during the lesson or activity and note those observations.  Are they engaged? Do they display understanding?  Are they contributing to the discussion or group? What are they saying or writing?  Is it connected? Are they using evidence to support their ideas?
• Use these notes to determine the next steps.  What do I need to reteach?  Do I need to pull a small group?  Do I need to reteach or explain differently?  Perhaps they displayed evidence that I can move on. 
• Continue this practice in other lessons, choosing different students from each level for representation of the whole class. 

Observation is integral to effective instruction. By mastering the art of observing, our students will surely benefit and progress!

 Top Ten Reasons We Love Picture Books!

This top 10 list is quoted from a 5th grade teacher. To read full blog,with a great book list, click here

10. Picture books are amazing because they are short enough to teach us something in one class period.

9. Picture books are amazing because they bring us laughter and make us remember when we were younger.

8. Picture books are amazing because they help us to be creative.

7. Picture books are amazing because they give us a break and a chance to relax from reading chapter books.

6. Picture books are amazing because they are entertaining and don’t have as many rules to follow as chapter books.

5. Picture books are amazing because they allow all of us to feel the joy of reading.

4. Picture books are amazing because they teach us. Just because they are short doesn’t mean they can’t teach us a lesson.

3. Picture books are amazing because they help us learn lessons through them and then we can turn and apply them to our own reading.

2. Picture books are amazing because they open up the whole world to us in a short text that we can gather around and share together.

1. Picture books have no age limits. (This one is supposed to be said with enthusiasm.)

Happy Earth Day!

April 22nd, Earth Day, is one of my favorite holidays of the year.  It's a day when people all over the world join together to discuss how we can care for our Earth.  It's a day to take a look at our habits and truly reflect on how they impact our world.

For example, when we ask students to take notes or complete an assignment, students may mindlessly take out a new piece of notebook paper to complete their assignment, only to be tossed (hopefully recycled) in the not too distant future.  What if we challenge students to rethink that simple action?  What if we challenge them to show what they know in new and different ways that may be more sustainable?   Can we use a Google Doc?  Screencastify?  Possible answers will be different depending on the resources we have at our disposal.  Perhaps a white board or the back of an assignment could work.

The solutions that the students generate may not be perfect, but that's not the point.  Could we challenge ourselves to have an entire paperless day, and still meet our content objectives?  On this Earth Day, can we all be more mindful of the choices we make each and every day?  Can we be problem solvers as we assess our impact on the Earth?  And can we use our problem solving skills to truly make a difference in our world?  Happy Earth Day, everyone!

What is a Learning Management System?

As we look toward teaching with more technology, and eventually in a one to one environment, many teachers have been asking about the best way to organize and deliver resources to students.  A Learning Management System will become an important component for classroom management.  An LMS can serve as a central hub for your classroom.  This can be your go to place for all of your students and their families.  Your students can access their digital curriculum, articles, links, assignments, assessments, and many other resources in one place, with one log in and password.  By using an LMS we can streamline many parts of our day, reducing transition time and giving us more class time for what really matters.....time with our students.

How do I request to work with one of those coaches?

After our post about what instructional coaches do in our district (find post here), many teachers were interested in how they go about requesting to work with a coach. The answer is simple: Just ask. You can either ask your principal or ask the coach directly. The coach can then let you know what their availability is. Coaches can provide different levels of support to teachers. It may be that you are just looking for some help with a particular lesson. It could be that you have had a goal in mind for the past few years that you would love to achieve. Either way, coaches can give you the support and encouragement you need. While many of our coaches work in multiple buildings, they are always willing to help. Feel free to contact us and ask any questions or hesitations you may have. Just ask! We would love the opportunity to work with you.

Student Engagement

     Not surprisingly, the success of students and the quality of their work correlates to the importance we, as teachers, place on the task.  When students are allowed to share their work, the book that they are reading, or just their thinking, they take more ownership for their learning and have a larger sense of community in their classroom. 

     Try this:  Have students do a book talk, share a great part in the book, or read a written response to reading, a writing piece, or even a post it note with their thinking.  We know that time is extremely limited in the classroom, so set boundaries by having them choose a favorite sentence in their writing,  a comment about a character in their book, a quick recommendation why they would want someone to read their book, or why they would not read it.  A minute or two is all that is needed. Do this in between stations or centers to break up those independent learning times.
     By giving the students time "on the stage of the classroom", we are telling them that the work they are doing is important and needs to be shared with others.  This should increase engagement and will be well worth the minutes spent doing it.

Google vs. Microsoft...How to Make it Manageable

As we begin to prepare for our Chromebooks, many of us are choosing to work more in Google Drive, learn new Google Apps, and even move our old Microsoft files over to Google.  These are a lot of mind shifts happening all at once.  Fortunately, Aaron Svoboda, from Synergyse has some wonderful ideas for how to start small, create manageable goals, and make these transitions more manageable.  Check out his blog post here.. 

Writing

 "A picture is worth a thousand words."

     Talking and writing about personal photographs or even writing about photos of unknown people, can be very engaging.  What is happening in the photo or even imagining what is happening provides a great springboard for conversation and writing.  It is not difficult to connect to social studies or even science concepts.
Try this:
     Have students bring pictures or provide them with pictures or photos.  The photos may have other people in them but should have rich stories behind them or evoke strong feelings.  Model how to write about a photograph, and then have students try it. Ideas for the writing could be.....

•  Describe the place where the photo was taken
• What happened just before/just after this photo was taken?
• What surprised you about this photograph?
• Who is missing from the picture? What can't we see?
• If that little person in the picture could talk, what would she or he be saying?

It may be true, literally, that a picture is worth a thousand words!

Have you Experienced The New Drive?

During your introduction to the Google Essentials in March, you may have been prompted to experience "The New Drive".  This allows you to get a sneak peek and preview the new Google User Interface.

One of my favorite features of the new drive is the activity feed located on the right side of your Drive.  To open and close the Activity Feed, simply click on the black circle with the white i.  Here you will receive notifications of any changes to your drive.  If someone added information to a document, entered data into a sheet, or your own activity showing where you might have saved a document or if you deleted a file.  This features has been a life saver to me in several instances.

The New Drive will become the default interface for users sometime in early April.  Right now, you still have the option to switch back to the old drive, however this option will no longer be offered sometime in May.

If you would like to experience the New Drive, simply click on the gear in the top right corner.  Then click, "Experience the New Drive".  You will know you are in the New Drive when your red "Create" button changes to a red "New" button.  I hope you enjoy getting a jump on the new experience!

12 Choices to Help You Step Back from Burnout | Edutopia

We are rounding 3rd base and heading in for the home stretch of the school year! Make the most of it and read these tips on helping you enjoy each day.  Pay close attention to Choice #5!

12 Choices to Help You Step Back from Burnout | Edutopia

Now that you have the essentials.....

Thank you to everyone for all of your participation, support, and enthusiasm during the Google Essentials training on Tuesday.  We are so lucky to have so many talented presenters who were willing to give their time and energy to share their love for Google with us.  It was also so powerful to know that we were all receiving a strong foundation in the essentials of Google at the same time.

So, now that we all have the essentials, where do we go from here?  Introducing, Tech Essentials.

Tech Essentials is our new district website, focusing on technology integration.  It will provide you with links to move yourself forward in your tech skills.  The links on the front page represent the 4 Cs, one of our goals for effective technology integration with students.  Click into each link to find tech integration tools you can use with your students.  

The pages listed horizontally across the top include links to tutorials for Google Apps for Education as well as Chromebooks.  

As much as I love Google, I understand that change is hard and there are bound to be bumps in the road as we move our resources from our network drives to our Google Drives.  I hope this site is helpful to you.  If you have any ideas for tutorials you would like me to add to the site, please e-mail me at ksauber@wcusd200.org and I will be happy to add them.  I hope you enjoy using the new tips, tricks, and tools that you learned in your Google training yesterday.  But most of all, I hope you enjoy your journey.  Google isn't about becoming an expert.  It's about learning, creating, collaborating, and thinking in new and different ways.  Let the fun begin!  :)