Picture Graphs and Peer Feedback

Hi!

Spring break is in my rear view mirror, and I am looking at the light at the end of the tunnel in terms of the end of school. We have thirty-two days of school left! My summer-loving, travel-loving self is filling with glee with each passing day. However, my teacher self is thinking, "I have so much left to do with this class!" I have the most amazing class of sweet children!

In these last six weeks of school, I want to make sure my second graders are ready for third grade in terms of writing, reading for deeper meaning, and being self-aware of their learning progress, AKA meta cognition if you want to use fancy language. 

In the spirit of meta cognition, this past week, I focused on helping my students give written academic feedback to one another's picture graphs. Does this one make you want a cupcake or cookie? Me, too!

I have always invited students to give "celebrations" or suggestions on their classmates' writing or other work, but I took it one step further and had them write it on sticky notes. Read on for how I conducted this activity in my math lesson.

This week's focus, in math, was interpreting and creating graphs. After reviewing vocabulary, graphs, what they represent, and attention to the importance of a graph's key, the children began surveying.  We created picture graphs together and watched the BrainPop, Jr. video on pictographs prior to starting independent graphs, so they were armed with the foundational skills. Here's a walk-through of what the students did:

First, the students and I brainstormed a list of important things to include in their picture graphs. I typed the list as they dictated it to me. I projected it on our ACTIV Board for reference during the activities. The children's list of important things to remember included:

1. Pictures
2. Line up pictures
3. Colorful
4. Title
5. Legible and Neat
6. Key
7. Name
8. Accurate (my pictures match my total number of tally marks)

With clear expectations in mind, and clipboards and lined sticky notes in hand, the children began conducting their surveys.

After surveying and tallying, the children began working on their graphs. I love some of the questions they used. You can tell who likes sweets, sports and books, can't you? Student choice is important, and this activity promotes it. Instant engagement!

I love that the Percy Jackson versus Warriors graph includes a brief overview of the books!

Once the graphs were complete, I put on some walking music (the kids wanted Monster Mash -- go figure!). Each child put a sticky note beside his graph. Students walked from desk to desk and wrote brief messages of suggestions or celebrations. The children were so involved and serious about this part of the lesson! It took some time, but it was better than any feedback I could have given. Peer feedback is a powerful tool to use, and I am so happy with the outcome. Note: I did participate, also. I made a point to give feedback to every child, as they still want their teacher's approval. 

Clearly, this friend needs some feedback about his legibility. 

I love the approximated spelling of spectacular!

I love the "sptetakler" feedback! Our first try with written peer feedback gave me an opportunity to say, "If you're suggesting that someone create legible work, shouldn't YOUR handwriting be legible?" I pointed out that one-word comments might need more clarification. WHAT is spectacular? WHAT should be neat?  Asking children to give examples with their suggestions helps both students to grow. The commenter must provide evidence for his suggestion. The recipient gets concrete feedback to help her grow.

We're tackling bar graphs next week. I'll use the same process, but with reminders to provide more detailed feedback. I can't wait to see what they create!

Have you used written feedback with your students? Is this something you'd like to try? I'd love to hear from you!

PD with Donald Bear - 3 Takeaways

Hi,

What do you think of this quote? Do you agree? Disagree? 

I had the pleasure of attending a professional development session with Dr. Donald Bear as the presenter this morning. I was curious as to whether he would give me the same kind of "Wow!" reaction that one of my colleagues has been raving about for years. Well... he did!

Here are my top three takeaways:

1. Children learn more about reading from spelling than they do about spelling from reading. 

I believe this is true. After all, the foundation of reading is phonemic and phonological awareness. If children have these under their belt, they're on their way to becoming readers.One very interesting comment made by Dr. Bear was, "Humans don't use behaviors that don't serve them." He said this in reference to lips moving and I am extending it to pointing to text while reading aloud. My take on this has always been that students will stop pointing to words as their reading independence grows. I know some who believe that students should be discouraged from pointing to words at a certain point (and they don't allow students to do it). What do you think?

2. Every student needs a COW (Concepts of Word in Text)
Rhythmic songs and poems give pre-K and K students an idea of how words work in text. Dr. Bear pointed out that movement activities, music, dancing and singing are all excellent ways to "give students a COW." Matching syllables to spoken words (Rudimentary COW), and finally, reading with fluency, through many opportunities of oral, shared and independent reading, gives students the full COW. I love this analogy!

3. Teachers shouldn't be shy about challenging students with difficult words (related to roots). 

This man knows his roots and their origins! He's a walking dictionary. Talking about words, their meanings and exploring why some words don't fit our typical spelling patterns is something we all should do, he urged. He pointed out that fifth grade and up should be introduced to roots and their derivatives. He also encouraged us not to stop by looking at just one word, but to ask children to think of other words with the same root. He referenced the word courage. "Can you think of other words with the root cour in them?" He asked. He shared a website -- onelook.com -- as a great search tool for roots. Use *roothere* (root goes between the asterisks) to search for derivatives for a root. You can also filter by common words and phrases or common words. This is an awesome tool!

Take a look at this screen shot for *cour*:

There are my top three takeaways, although, there are many more. If you're ever given the opportunity to hear Dr. Bear speak, you won't be disappointed. He is charming, funny, and completely genius at all things literacy!

Measurement Fun in Second Grade

Confession: I always dread teaching measurement.. almost as much as teaching time. Argh! This year, I decided that I was going to put it in the hands of my students as much as possible. No control freak. No micro managing. Here's how it's going:

We began with the traditional measuring with non-standard units. They got it. They've done this before in kindergarten and first grade. Thanks to the kindergarten and first grade teachers for setting a great foundation in measurement. 

Our math series, GO Math, is really packed with resources. So, when one of our lessons had us make a one-inch ruler on paper, it was the perfect transition from paper clips and cubes to standard measurements -- the inch.

I wanted my students to have as many measurement opportunities as possible. Let's face it, there are only so many times anyone can measure a picture of a pencil on paper and get excited about it. So, we measured gummy worms. What fun!

We began by estimating the length. We discussed strategies for estimating -- making a smart guess. One shining star said that he would use the colored sections of the gummy worm to estimate; each one looked to be about one inch long. Not only did he use a great strategy, he shared it with the class and exposed them to strategic thinking. 

We estimated, traced, and measured. It turns out that a gummy worm can stretch quite a bit! Mary Poppins says so! Get it? We also enjoyed eating an unstretched gummy worm at the completion of the lesson. I find gummy worms to be one of those candies that I don't care for, but I can't leave one unfinished. 

It's tough to convert inches to feet and feet to yards. Kiddos need many opportunities to convert. So, we made paper airplanes and gave them a spin! The tough part was folding the forgotten valentines. Yes, our Valentine's Day was so busy with candy-melting and other crazy fun that I forgot to give them my valentines. They didn't seem to mind one bit!

But, wait! There's more! We measured our hands from thumb to pinky. We measured our feet from big toe to heel. There's been all kinds of measurement going on in our room. Take a look at these Google Doodle-inspired illustrated hands and feet.

The fun continued today. We made paper footballs and measured how far we could "kick" them. Oh, I wish you could have seen the expressions on the boys' faces! The girls were excited, too, but the boys! 

In every lesson, I am stressing conversion from inches to feet and from feet to yards. It's so gratifying to overhear conversations about conversions. It's extremely heartwarming to hear friends helping other friends. 

There you have it: a handful of activities to spice up your measurement unit. Tomorrow, we're making poppers! More on that later!

Happy Monday!

TPT Shoppers - Ready Your Carts!

Hi!

I'm linking up with Teaching in the Tongass to get my ready to get my 'shop on' during TPT's Cyber Monday (and Tuesday) sale! You can save up to 28% by using the code SMILE! As in SMILE, you're about to score some great deals on all those products you've been stockpiling on your wish list!

Here are the top three wish-listed products that you'll want to check out in my Grade 2 Hullabaloo store. Drum roll, please!

Click on this image to be directed to the product.

Over the years, I have had many famous Americans visit my classroom... well, the paper version of them. Without a doubt, my Famous American Biography Project - Make a Mini Famous American is a memory-maker for my students. The pride they take in becoming experts on their chosen American is evident. The creativity they use to craft a mini-version, complete with wardrobe and props, gives them good reason to beam with satisfaction. Plus, the final product is just darned adorable!

Helen Keller

Bill Gates with his biography and other interesting details tucked inside his jacket!

     

Click on this image to be directed to the product.

What do you think when I say... regrouping? Did I just hear a groan out there from my fellow second (or third or fourth) grade teachers? I feel your pain. I am in the midst of teaching regrouping with subtraction right now! Can we all agree that regrouping is a tough skill for second graders?

My Addition and Subtraction with Regrouping, 2 & 3 Digit -- CCSS Aligned product grew from a need to give my second graders more practice with regrouping with addition and subtraction, after I had introduced the strategies and steps. I have used the pages of 16 problems in math partner and small group rotations with page protectors, as homework, and as formative assessments. I've even cut them in strips for a 'ticket out the door' type of quick assessment. 

This is my favorite, go-to resource for checking the progress of my students. Plus, I just freshened-up its nifty cowboy theme! You'll receive pages of 2-digit addition problems, 2-digit subtraction problems, 3-digit addition and 3-digit subtraction problems. If you really want to get your kiddos thinking, laminate and cut apart the regrouping puzzles and place them in your math stations. They're challenging!

Click on this image to be directed to the product.

Finally, my grammar-loving heart loves that so many of my purchasers have loved this product -- Editing Sentences ~ 20 weeks -- CCSS Aligned. They're organized in a four-day, Monday through Thursday arrangement, because the time slot that I use them in is used for spelling tests on Friday. Once you get going with the routine -- one fix-up sentence and one 7-UP sentence a day, you'll have this completed in less than ten minutes! It's a time saver and a paper saver if you copy back-to-back.

As you can see from the wonderful feedback (above), this product isn't useful just to second grade teachers. Special education teachers (Angels on Earth, I tell you!), writing coaches, and second grade teachers find these useful. Be sure to check out the preview to see how the pages are arranged. I suggest copying them back-to-back, so that your children have both in hand when it is time to practice these essential skills. The Fix-Up Sentences have a handful of errors in them -- misspelling of grade level words, missing punctuation, incorrect punctuation or capitalization errors. 

The job of the student is to use your existing editing symbols to mark the errors, and then rewrite the sentence correctly. The 7-UP sentences are those sentences we all hate to read. "I see it." Oh, my, how I detest those sentences! Seven-UP sentences must have at least seven words in them. By requiring seven or more words, the student is forced nudged into writing a sentence with more details. So, I have used these deplorable three-and-four word sentences as examples that children must, 1) turn pronouns into nouns or nouns into proper nouns, and 2) add details to make the sentence more robust (7 or more words). 

The beauty of this practice is that it is a quick and meaningful activity. Yes, you'll have to model what you want for several occasions. It's easy to check, therefore saving you time, and it transfers to your other areas of writing! You can now require 7-UP sentences on all written assignments, and your students will know what you mean. Win-win!

So, hop over to Grade 2 Hullabaloo on TPT and browse through my shop. You definitely want to like my Facebook page, also, because I am giving away one copy for every five shares of my Reading and Writing Connections: Santa Claus: The World's Number One Toy Expert resource. 

Here's the preview! It's packed with fun and academically-based activities -- even a Toy Testing Day activity that is sure to be a hit with my kiddos this week!

Five for Friday - 11-13-15

Hello! It's Friday, and that means I am linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching to share five random things about my week.

Here goes!

My sweet cat, Raleigh, is still suffering from anemia. I am giving her meds, every other day, as the vet prescribed, but I really don't see her improving. This makes me very sad, because I don't want her to suffer. Here she is before she started losing weight. We'll go back to the vet in a week to reevaluate her situation. 

It's not even officially winter, but I am already tired of the short days and chilly weather. I've been surfing Trip Advisor in search of the perfect spring break trip. High on my list are St. Maarten and Anguilla. Anguilla is a ferry ride away from St. Maarten, so I can get two passport stamps in one trip! My goal is to get to every Caribbean island.

Missing salt air and sand! Taken in Barbados

One of the traditions I have in my room is to play Rebecca Black's Friday Song. As you can see from the picture, they kind of like it. :-)

We are STILL working on our how-to books. It takes my sweet kiddos some time to get logged in and all set up to work on the laptops. However, I believe it's worth the time, because they are going to have that skill under their belts when they go to third grade (a tested grade). 

I had to edit the editable template (again -- see this post for the long and gory details of creating it). The way I look at it is this: I learned a valuable lesson in creating the editable template... AND I learned to quadruple the time allotted for getting logged in and typing the books! 

This year, I initiated a homework journal for my students. Twice a month, they have an optional assignment to write to me about a topic that I choose. Sometimes, I invite them to tell me what's on their minds. The purpose of the journal is to strengthen our relationship and to encourage writing. I stayed after today to write to the nine (half my class) students who wrote to me. This week's prompt was to tell me about a family tradition of theirs. 

It takes a bit of time to answer each one. They have a friendly letter template in the front as a guide to how to set up their response. Some follow it, and some don't. That's fine. I want them writing for fun. Below is a response from the previous prompt -- write to me about anything you want. Bless this child's heart! The first question is so cute. The last two comments made my heart smile.

Happy Friday!

Five for Friday - November 6

Happy Friday!

Thanks to Doodle Bugs Teaching for hosting this weekly linky party!

I have to admit that I am happy to have October all wrapped up. It seems like it flew by this year! It's a little late, but here's a recap of our Pumpkin Week. It was great fun! 

I love this book, by Jill Esbaum, called Seed, Sprout, Pumpkin, Pie. It has beautiful pictures and interesting pumpkin facts, including what the ridges of a pumpkin indicate. My students were fascinated by the details.

Here we are gently tugging at the top to feel the connection between the stem and the stringy seed connections inside. We chose a large, medium and small pumpkin from our collection of 9 (yes, NINE) pumpkins that the kids brought in for our study. 

No Pumpkin Week is complete without the counting of the seeds. It took forever, but the children worked so well together, and it was great practice for counting by 2's, 5's and 10's. After they counted, they wrote the total on a sticky note and slipped it inside the empty pumpkin. We had a pumpkin seed reveal of the totals to add a little drama to the finale!

Finally, to wrap up our Pumpkin Week, we made Pumpkin Pie in a Cup. I have to admit that I am not a big fan of pumpkin, but this was pretty good. The kids thought it was excellent. They asked for seconds. 

I have to admit something. After a full day of Pumpkin EVERYTHING, my nerves were a little frazzled. A student gave me this cute sign a few years ago. I keep it right above my computer as a reminder to keep calm. It was certainly appropriate for this day. Ha! Keep Calm and Pumpkin On! We go the extra mile to make learning especially fun for our students, don't we? At the end of the day, it's very gratifying to send them home with exciting stories to tell about their day. For me, it's great to go home to the peace and quiet to recharge for the next day. 

We had a fun field trip to a local science themed museum. The children participated in MORE pumpkin activities, including a fun STEM tower-building challenge. They even tasted pumpkin muffins (which weren't bad)!

This week, we've been studying the moon and sun. Today, we pulled in the COWS (Computers on Wheels and did some reading on PebbleGo.com. I really like this site for kid-friendly research. Students worked in pairs to read about the phases of the moon, and then record the names on a graphic organizer. 

Do I have next week's plans finished? No. Started? Not even! 

It's time to take down the scarecrow glyphs, but they turned out so cute, I decided to keep them up until we have our next work ready to display in the hallway.

I'll be working next week's plans this weekend. We have a strange week, this next week, because we're off on Wednesday to celebrate Veterans Day. We usually have PD on Veterans Day while the children have the day off, but our school board decided to make it a holiday for all staff this year! So, it will be like 2 two-day weeks for us!

I'll be working on developing a Veterans Day patriotic craft to go along with America's White Table by Margot Theis Raven. It details the symbolism of the White Table Ceremony, which began during the time of the Vietnam War. The White Table Ceremony is a tradition to honor those missing in action or held as prisoners of war. I'll use it to teach inference and finding deeper meaning in texts. 

Happy weekend!