It Starts With Relationships

Sometimes, I have to remind myself to slow down, and enjoy the moment.  This statement can be applied to so many areas and events in our lives.  This mantra seems to have attached itself to my thoughts these days.  If I embrace it, it will certainly impact my teaching and the relationships I'm building with my students in positive ways.  When I think about it, this is the reasons why I became a teacher in the first place...because I wanted to make a difference.  

It starts with relationships.  Maybe you've heard this before, but it's true.  If you want to reach a child, build a relationship with him first and the rest will follow.  It's easy to get caught up in the day to days of teaching.  The mental checklists, the lesson plans, and the curriculum are all constant staples in our world.   However, these will not be the things that our students will remember.

Last week, one of my first graders asked me if she could share something during our morning meeting.  If you know anything about first graders, you know they enjoy telling REALLY long stories.  While I enjoy their stories, we don't have enough hours in the day to entertain them all.  So, I reluctantly agreed to let this eager first grade share her story.  We were in the middle of our meeting and Karina asked if she could get the note she wanted to share.  I said yes, and she returned with a piece of notebook paper.  The title at the top was, "10 Things I Like About My Teacher".  Here is her list:

1.  She is nice.
2.  She loves us.
3.  She believes us.
4.  When we can't do something she helps us.
5.  She lets us have free choice.
6.  She is wonderful.
7.  She is funny.
8.  She laughs at what we say that is funny.
9.  She is serious.
10. We love her.

As she was reading this list, I had to smile.  I had no idea that I was the subject for her list.  It was so sweet and so sincere.  I can't tell you how glad I was to have taken the time to let her share this note.  I especially like number nine but I'm not so sure how to take it.  It does confirm a few things.  Karina knows that we do "serious" work in our classroom, but we also take the time to know each other, love each other, and... laugh.

By the way, Karina said that it was o.k. for me to share her note.

Is Every Group of Kids Really That Different? Yes!

It always amazes me how every group of first graders I teach is different.  Yes, there are some things that are the same about all first graders.  They are still very little, they are excited about learning new things, there is a huge range with regard to first grade reading abilities, they still cry in first grade, and they love when their teacher acts silly.  All of those things tend to hold true with each first grade class I teach.  However, there are so many other things that make each group of first graders uniquely different from the previous groups.  My class this year is no exception.  There are so many things that amaze me about my current group of first graders.  I know what you're thinking.  Of course they are different from your last group because each child is different.  When you have a different group of kids you have a completely different classroom.  Yes, I can't argue with that.  However, it's more than that.  This group of kids...this group of personalities that has been put together to make up my wonderful classroom, has a very different vibe.

One of the things that I love about young learners is their excitement.  My current group of first graders gets excited about everything, even little things.  Little things, like Cougar Paw stickers, pleases them.  They beam with pride when they are recognized for working hard or helping a friend.  Just the simple gesture of sticking a tiny Cougar Paw on a hand is enough.  This class also loves, loves, loves to dance and sing.  During morning meeting they happily sing songs/poems for our fluency practice.  They enjoy creating hand movements to go along with the songs.  They even sing songs that they remember from previous weeks.  When we add new poems/songs each Friday to our Poetry Notebooks you find many flipping back through the pages to read or sing their favorite poems and songs.

One of the best things I noticed about this group is how much they love to work on their blogs.  They love connecting with other first grades in our classroom and from around the world.  They also enjoy creating new blog posts and they come of with some very creative topics.  Topics like, My First Grade Chores, Walking in the Hallway, The Best Halloween, and My Favorite Story to name a few.  This weekend I found myself approving 69 comments.  That's a huge increase compared to last year's class.  Whenever we have a short week due to a holiday break or other school closing the first thing my students want me to do is to establish a time when they can reschedule their blog day.  I also have more parents and relatives commenting on their child's blog this year.  Many of my first graders are even using their blogs after school and on weekend.  I don't think I've ever had as much excitement about blogging as I have this year.

I have a very thoughtful group of first graders this year.  I continue to get tons of "love notes" and drawings that are created especially for me.  I get tons of hugs as they enter the classroom or leave for recess or at dismissal.  I have kids who enjoy helping their peers with drawing bat wings because they are "bat experts" or putting away supplies for a friend who forgot to clean up after an activity, or volunteering to switch a Daily 5 choice so that a classmate would have a partner for buddy reading.  I could go on and on and on.  The thing is, this group of kids has a special place in my heart.  It's not possible for me to have a "bad day" because every day that I have the pleasure of teaching this group of kids makes for a "very, very good day". 

What's different about your group of students this year?  Please leave a comment.  I would love to know.

Book Clubs in the Primary Classroom

We are at the end of our informational reading unit and my kiddos are now working in book clubs. Book clubs are typical routines in the upper grades but they don't happen as much in primary classrooms. In my opinion, the key to successful book clubs is not expecting perfection. Yes, I do expect my students to work hard, and I do expect them to do their best work. However, these are not MY book clubs, these book clubs belong to my students. What I am saying is...Let go! Let them have at it. It's going to get messy, and that's o.k.

In the first grade classroom book clubs will look and sound different from their upper grade counter parts. After all, this is the first time my kids have participated in a book club. A big part of the learning is to expose them to what book clubs are and  how we participate in book clubs. First graders will study a topic and then talk and listen to each other as they share their learning.  The final piece is to sharing their learning with the entire class.

First, I presented the topics: Snakes, butterflies, turtles, polar bears, and wicked weather. I chose the topics based on the books that were in my classroom library and based on the interests of my students. For example, I have a group of boys who love snakes. I knew right up front that I would make snakes one of the topics for a book club. Next, students were placed in groups according to reading levels. It's tempting to put students in mixed ability groups so that students can help each other. However, by placing kids in leveled groups your stronger readers are not taking over and your lower readers are more likely to add their voice to the conversation. After that, groups chose their topics and got to work. They read their books during independent reading time and jotted notes on Post-its. Later, they shared and discussed their notes with the other members of their groups. Finally, the created posters to share their information with the class. Every group was required to represent their findings using a poster. I could have given them choices as to how they would share their findings but I felt that too much choice would be confusing for our first time working in book clubs. Even though they were all using posters, I still had kids asking me if they could draw pictures on their posters, or if they could use markers, or could they show words and pictures, etc. My response to each question was..."I don't know. I'm not in your group. You'll have to discuss that with the other members in your group and see what they think about that idea."

I'm convinced that giving them too many options would have made things a bit confusing for our first time out of the gate. However, you know your kids best. Perhaps your kiddos would be able to handle having lots of options right up front. The consensus from other first grade teachers that I've chatted with, who were also doing book clubs, was that giving them too many options was a lot for them to take on.

Additionally, my students are accustomed to using their Wonder Books two to three times each week. We use these books to record our wonders using the Wonderopolis website. I think our book clubs went very smoothly since my students were already comfortable with "wondering" and asking questions. In the beginning of the school year I had student who didn't know how to wonder. Or at least, they didn't THINK they knew how. Those same students now typically record five or six "wonders" in their notebooks each time we do a wonder of the day. I'm really proud of the work these students did. Take a look and let us know
what you think!
Book Club Weather from Valerie Ruckes on Vimeo.
We are going to do book clubs again in the spring. At that point I plan to give them more choice as to how they will present their information. Now that they have an idea of how book clubs work, I'm sure they can handle having more options and a choice of how they demonstrate their learning. I'm getting excited just thinking about it! Have you tried doing book clubs in a primary classroom? What worked for you? Please leave your comments and suggestions below. I would love to hear you ideas.

Science Rotations in the Primary Classroom

My colleagues and I decided earlier in the school year to teach our science content as a team. In my building we have four first grade teachers. We would use our first science unit, Weather Watchers, to rotate our first graders around four different lessons. We chose Friday as Science Day. Friday is the day we have no special classes and it makes for a very long afternoon of teaching and learning. Additionally, we have to teach this unit during the fall and winter in that it's a weather unit and many of the lessons require observing the weather and using snow (which we didn't get much of last winter here in Michigan).

Last Friday, was our first rotation day. Each of us would teach one of the first 4 lessons. I was given Lesson 1, another teacher was given Lesson 2, and so on. Each of us taught our particular lesson to our own students on Thursday. On Friday we would only need to teach 3 lessons having taught our own students the day before. One of the benefits to teaching rotation style is that each teacher needs to prepare and set up for one lesson rather than 4 different lessons. Our rotations consisted of three sessions that were 35 minutes long with a 15 minute recess in between the second and third rotation. We also scheduled in transition time of 5 minutes between each rotation. The schedule looked something like this:

Rotation 1: 1:15-1:50
Transition: 1:50-1:55
Rotation 2: 1:55-2:30
Recess: 2:30-2:50
Transition: 2:50-2:55
Rotation 3: 2:55-3:30
Transition back to homeroom: 3:30-3:35

 Our first rotation day was exhausting!  There were some things to consider and a few minor problems to work out.  I've listed them below:

• Two of the teachers didn't have their students wear name tags-Interacting with students is more difficult when you don't know their names.
• One of the teachers sent her students with pencils-The kids were playing with them during my lesson and were very distracted.
• Behavior was not at it's best.  Students interrupted the lesson because they wanted to use the bathroom, some were arguing over where they would sit, and several were playing around and not following directions.
• We have a lot of content to teach in 35 minutes and every minute counts.

Honestly, I wanted to throw in the towel.  It would be so much easier to teach my own students and a lot less stressful.  However, I'm not one to give up so easily.  I had committed to trying the rotations and I wanted to see this through to the end.  What we needed was to make a few adjustments.  These are the adjustments we made prior to our second rotation day:

• Everyone would remember to have name tags for their students.
• Each of us would have our students use the bathroom prior to rotation time.
• Students would not come with pencils since each of us have plenty in our classrooms
• We would provide students with an incentive to maintain good behavior during the rotations

What would that incentive be?  McGregor Bucks!

What are McGregor Bucks and how do they work?

We have a school-wide behavior program already in place.  In that plan, student get guiding reminders (4 in the morning and 4 in the afternoon) to help them monitor and regulate their behavior.  When a student receives her 4th reminder (for blurting, not following directions, disrespectful behavior, unsafe activity, etc.) they receive a Student Learning Form that is sent home and explains their reminders.  Our "McGregor Bucks" are meant to work within our behavior program.  For our Science rotations, I copied a strip of four, one dollar bills on green paper with our school name (McGregor) written on the front of each one.  We stapled the strip in the back of each students' Science Notebook.  Each time a child was given a reminder, the teacher crossed out one of the bucks.  When the students returned to their homerooms, they were given a treat or reward if they had at least 1 or 2 bucks that were not crossed off.  Treats/rewards included stickers, candy, a classroom celebration to occur on another day, etc.  I'm somewhat old school.  I gave my students a piece of candy for each McGregor Buck that was not crossed off.  All of my students got 4 pieces of candy and one of my students got 3 pieces.  My most difficult to manage student was able to redeem all 4 of his McGregor Bucks and was hooked on the Bucks from the start.  The McGregor Bucks became a visible tool to help them regulate their own behavior.

I have to say that our second Science Rotation Day was a huge success.  The students were exposed to 4 different teachers with different teaching styles, my colleagues and I have new relationships with the other first graders in our building, the students learned a lot of content and had fun in the process.  Our science rotations not only demonstrate best practices in teaching, they are also great examples of collaboration, teamwork and school community.  It's also a reminder of how important it is for educators to work smarter and not harder.  We're already working so very hard these days.  Aren't we?

How are you teaching science in your classroom, grade level, or building?  Do you have an unique way of teaching science?  Leave a comment below.  I would love your input.

August 10 For 10 Picture Book Event

This is my first year participating in the August 10 For 10 Picture Book Event.  Choosing only 10 books to share with you was a very difficult task.  However, I did manage to shrink down my list down to ten favorites.  These are the books that I tend to read each year in my classroom.  I share these books with my students for various purposes.  Sometimes they're chosen to support a reading strategy, sometimes they teach us life lessons, and often they are read for pure entertainment and enjoyment.

My 10 For 10 Picture Book Favorites

The Old Woman Who Named Things 
Written by Cynthia Rylant and illustrated by Kathryn Brown

Cynthia Rylant is one of my favorite picture book authors.  We read a lot of her books in my first grade classroom.   She has two books on this list, so that in itself speaks volumes for her work.  The Old Woman Who Named Things is about an old woman who names the things around her.  She names her car, her furniture, her house, etc.  She names the things she knows she will never outlive.  This is all good and fine until she meets a puppy that she becomes very attached to.  After much reluctance on the old woman's part, she finally names the puppy.

The Old Woman Who Named Things is a wonderful story to read when building conversations around the themes of love, loss, and loneliness.  We use it to help us create a classroom community that is sensitive to those ideas.  I have also used this text with my first graders to demonstrate the comprehension strategy, checking for understanding.  It's a favorite in my classroom each year.  Look closely at the cover illustration...don't you just love her cowboy boots?  I think they're hilarious.  They really give you a glimpse of the old woman's character.


Sometimes I'm Bombaloo
By Rachel Vail and illustrated by Yumi Heo

Sometimes I'm Bombaloo is one of the books I read during the first days of school.  I use it to introduce one of our classroom structures, The Safe Place.  The Safe Place is an area in my classroom where students can go when they feel sad, angry, or just plain "bombaloo".  It's just a bean bag which I've placed next to our Friends and Family board.  Sometimes I'm Bombaloo is about a girl who gets angry at different times throughout her day and finds that it can be a little scary having to deal with those feelings.  It's a great book that helps students recognize and deal with their own anger.  My students make lots of connections to the story and it helps us build important conversations around feelings, how we handle disagreements, and what we can do when we need a few minutes to ourselves.


Chrysanthemum
By Kevin Henkes

Chrysanthemum is book written by one of our favorite authors, Kevin Henkes.  It's another go-to book I read when we are talking about feelings, and building a classroom community where everyone feels valued.  In the story Chrysanthemum is teased because her name is too long, and she's named after a flower.  The teasing finally stops when the music teacher tells everyone that she has a long name, and that her name is a flower too.   Chrysanthemum is also one of our favorite books to use when we are focusing on expanding our vocabulary and tuning into interesting words.


No, David!
By David Shannon                                                                      

No, David! is a big hit in my classroom each year.  I'm always prepared for lots of laughter when I get to the page where David is running down the street naked.  My students think it's hysterical.  It's one of the best picture books that I've come across for helping students make inferences.  I love that it's a quick read since my first graders don't have a lot of stamina, in the beginning of the school year.  We read all of the David
books in my classroom.


George Shrinks
By William Joyce

The first time I read George Shrinks, I fell in love with it.  It's a story about a boy who dreams that he turns small.  The suspense starts on the very first page, when the letters GO FROM LARGE to small type.  I love the colorful illustrations in this book.  Imagine being smaller than all of your toys, sitting on a spoon, and riding on your baby brother's back.  Joyce creates a story that uncovers the childhood imagination at its best.  You can't beat that for excitement!


The Paper Bag Princess
By Robert Munsch and illustrated by Michael Martchenko

If I had to sum up this book in one word, it would be "Empowering".  The Paper Bag Princess is sure to empower young girls everywhere.  It's not your typical princess story.  There's a prince, a princess, and a dragon to boot.  However, Munsch gives this story so much more.  The Paper Bag Princess doesn't wear a beautiful gown, instead she wears a paper bag, she outsmarts the dragon, and she calls the prince a "bum".  This princess has courage, smarts, and lots of attitude.


The Relatives Came
By Cynthia Rylant and illustrated by Stephen Gammell

This is the second book by Cynthia Rylant that made my Top 10 list.  The Relatives Came is the story of a family that packs up all their things, jumps in their car, and drives all day to visit relatives.  When they get to their destination there's lots of hugging, pulling, crying, eating, and snoring as the relatives sleep all over the house, in the beds and on the floors.  Most students can relate to the happy times that the relative have during their visit.  I use this book to prepare them for our Family Read-Along.  Parents are invited to bring in books, blankets, and snacks on the second Friday of the new school year.  My first graders are so surprised to see their "relatives" arrive at our door, unannounced.  It's our first reading event of the school year and it's a great way to show parents how much we value reading.

The Table Where Rich People Sit
By Byrd Baylor and illustrated by Peter Parnall

The Table Where Rich People Sit was given to me some years ago by one of my students.  It's been one of my favorites ever since.  I love the messages in this story.  The Table Where Rich People Sit is about a girl who thinks her family needs to get more serious about their financial situation.  She calls a family meeting to talk to them but instead she gets a lesson on what is truly important in life.  The pages have a lot of text.  I usually save this on for the second half of the school year when my first graders have more stamina to sit for longer periods of time.  It's a great story to build conversations around the things we value in life and how we can be rich in ways that have very little to do with money.

My Teacher Likes To Say
By Denise Brennan-Nelson and illustrated by Jane Donovan

I love language and sharing idioms, proverbs, and cliches with my students.  My Teacher Likes to Say is a visual interpretation of those familiar idioms/proverbs/cliches.  Children, especially first graders, are not at all accustomed to hearing adults speak in these "funny" kinds of ways.  When I was a kid, my teachers often used phrases like, "put on your thinking caps".  Needless to say, I enjoy sharing some of these idioms with my students.  One of my favorites is, "please button you lip".  Read the book...it's a great way to share these fun sayings.


What Do You Do With A Tail Like This?
By Steve Jenkins and Robin Page

Steve Jenkins is one of my favorite writers of nonfiction.  He doesn't disappoint with What Do You Do With A Tail Like This? Jenkins introduces readers to all kinds of animals, and shows us how these animals use the different parts of their bodies.  In the very first pages of the book you're shown various noses, and my first graders love guessing which animals they belong to.  If you need more nonfiction books in your classroom library, your students will certainly enjoy this wonderful addition.

I hope you find this list helpful.  There were so many others I wanted to add to the list.  After all, It's 10 for 10!

You can see more August 10 for 10 Picture Book lists at Cathy Mere's site, Reflect and Refine.

Teaching Them To Teach: Opening Minds - #CyberPD Part 2

Opening Minds:  Using Language to change Lives by Peter Johnston
"How we give children feedback is probably the most difficult for us to change, but it is probably the point of most leverage." (Opening Minds, Chapter 3, p. 37)This is the last sentence in chapter 3 and after reading it, I could hardly wait to read chapter 4.

Teaching Them To Teach 

In chapter 4 of Opening Minds, Johnston explores interactions and the consequences of different kinds of feedback.  According to Johnston, "We are not just giving students feed back; we are also teaching them to provide it.  In a way, we are teaching them to teach." (p.36 )

I don't recall when I started to pull away from giving students person-oriented feedback, like "Good Job" or "Nicely Done" but  I think it was several years ago when my building started using a behavior program called Conscious Discipline.  It was through that program that I began to learn how to notice instead of judge students.  A lot of the thinking in chapter 4 reminded  me of my training in Conscious Discipline.  

"If you are going to give feedback, focus on the process and possibility." (p.37)  It's important to use process-oriented feedback rather than person-oriented praise.  These are examples of process-oriented feedback:  

"You tried really hard."

"You found a good way to do it; could you think of other ways that would also work?"

Process feedback is important for the following reasons: 

• It gets children into the habit of explaining successes and failures in terms of strategy use.
• The more process talk becomes part of classroom conversations, the more strategy instruction will be occurring incidentally, without the teacher having to do it. 

In the midst of a teaching day, it's so easy to revert back to old standbys such as, "I like the way..." but in doing so we are offering judgement.  I know I've been guilty of using those words on many occasions.  Instead, we should say, "Look at how you...", which turns attentions to the process.  "Causal process statements are at the heart of building agency.  They show the consequence of a process, making it into a tool that the child can use again on another occasion to accomplish a similar end." (p.42)  I love the idea of creating a classroom community where process talk is a part of our every day classroom conversations.  "We need to help them become lifelong teachers as well as lifelong learners." (p.50)

Tools for Growing Minds

Chapter 5, Johnston describes a dialogic classroom.  "A dialogic classroom is one in which there are lots of open questions and extended exchanges among students." (p.52)  Theses are classroom where rich conversations are created.  A lot of these conversations are created around books.  Johnston referred to books as "tools for growing minds".   Having conversations around books is right up my ally.  I think my classroom is one where a lot of dialogic instruction occurs.  It's not where I want it to be, yet, but as I read this chapter, I can honestly say I'm  on the right track.  Here's a quote that Johnston shares, which I want to remember and keep in the forefront at all times, "Judith Lindfors observes that dialogue is a bit like a game in which keeping the ball in play is the goal rather than winning." (P.57)  I had never quite thought about dialogue in that way.  However, It's a good analogy for promoting rich conversations.

In my classroom, we love to spend time thinking together about books.  We often use "turn and talk" and "think pair share" when we discuss books.  I love the examples of dialogue in this chapter.  Students engaging in conversations without a lot of "talk" from the teacher and a free exchange of ideas.  It reminds me of something Lester Laminack said when I heard him speak on reading aloud.  He said that students should not have to raise their hands.  Instead, there should be respect within the learning community so that children are careful not to interrupt others but are free to interject their own ideas without waiting for the teacher to recognize their raised hands.

Social Imagination

Most of the information in chapter 6 was framed around books.  Johnston talks about social imagination.  Which he refers to as an ability to make sense of social cues and to think through their implications.  According to Johnston, there are two main dimensions of social imagination:  mind reading (the ability to read  facial expression and figure out what's going on in their mind)  (p. 20)  and social reasoning (the ability to imagine and reason about other's actions, intentions, feelings, and beliefs from multiple perspectives.) (p.71)

Johnston states that having children talk about others through storytelling is a good place to start.  He goes on to state that, "Social imagination directly affects the child's ability to comprehend complex narratives." (p. 72)   That statement alone puts a smile on my face.  I love my classroom reading time.  For me, it's the best part of the day.  Being able to support the idea of  social imagination by having conversations around books is a major bonus for me.  I had to laugh, however, when Johnston stated that the hard part for teachers is keeping our mouths shut while our students engage in conversations.  Fortunately, most of us have learned from experience that the more the teacher talks the less students listen.  This book shares a lot of great examples of the way we should facilitate the conversations in our classroom and not dominate them.

Johnston also shares that there are other benefits too.  "Children with well-developed social imaginations have, according to their teachers, more positive social skills than those who do not." (p73)  Not only are we building comprehension skills, we are helping our students learn to problem solve on their own, and all of this contributes to better classroom management.

Below is a Wordle  I created with some of the key words from chapters 4-6.

The Book Stack

The Book Stack

Recently, I've been thinking about ways to encourage my first graders to read, write, and blog over the summer.  Having kids blog is a great way to support summer learning.  Educators know, all too well, the reality of the "Summer Slide".  However, there's plenty of time for learning AND all the other activities kids will participate in this summer.

I was thinking about how I'd love to have discussions with my students about what they're doing and reading this summer.  We could talk about books, recommend books to each other, and share our reading lives.  I thought it would be best to identify a day each week where my students could check-in on the blog and share what they are doing and reading.  Additionally, it might be more fun if I suggested a few book titles of my own.  Richard Allington, education researcher, calls this "Blessing Books".  Students love to reread the books that the teacher is reading aloud in class and books that their teachers recommend.  With all of these ideas floating around in my head, I came up with, Keep In Touch Tuesdays.  Each Tuesday, I asked my students to check in on our classroom blog.  Once they get there, they can read my book review post, and share their thoughts and questions about the book in the comments section.  They can read the book along with me, or they can read my book review.  Either way, I'm hoping this will encourage them to read some of the books, leave some comments/questions, and share what they are doing to stay busy this summer.  Maybe they're reading a book that's not in my stack, they could share that too.  The main thing is to read and share!

I also had the deli ma of deciding on the best place to do this.  Should we us our classroom blog or their individual student blogs?  By using the class blog, we'll have a central place where everyone can meet up and comment.  I love our classroom community, and our classroom blog seems to be the best place to share our reading lives.  Students could certainly continue to post things on Kid blog (individual student blogs) all summer.

During the last week of school I sent home a letter explaining, Keep In Touch Tuesdays.  I shared the letter with my students and explained how it would work.  Everyone was very excited about the idea of blogging over the summer and sharing books and what they are doing.  I can't wait to see what's going to happen and who will participate.  One of my students currently writes a blog post almost every weekend.  I made a big deal about how much I enjoy seeing her use her Kid blog on her off days and reading her posts.  Perhaps my other kiddos got my not very subtle hint.  Nonetheless, I'm very excited about the prospect of staying in contact with my students all summer long and reading and sharing books, which is one of my favorite things to do.  You can visit my classroom blog to read my introductory post which outlines the books titles and dates.  Also, stop by on Tuesdays and share and/or comment.  We would love the company.

What's in you book stack?  How are you encouraging summer reading and writing with your students?  Are your students blogging over the summer months and during holiday breaks?  I would love to hear from you.

Examining Relationships and Learning

It's hard to believe that we are approaching the end of another year.  For some it's the end of another school year too.  As I think about the calendar year coming to a close, I'm reminded of where I began.  My thoughts drift back to September and the beginning of the school year.  Just three months ago I was preparing for a new school year.  I was putting all of my energy into buying and unpacking supplies, arranging my classroom, planning lessons, copying materials, organizing the classroom library, and the list goes on and on.  However, in addition to all of those things, my deepest thoughts were centered around the new group of students I was anxiously waiting to teach.  What would they be like?  Who were these little people I was expecting to meet?  Would we become a community of learners?  Could we become a classroom family?  For me, teaching is not just lesson plans and activities but so much more.  It's also about making connections and building relationships with my students.

As I reflect on the last few months, I can now answer all of those questions.  My students are amazing.  Each one has their own individually unique personality.  Some more challenging than others to embrace, but each providing me with opportunities to learn from and grow as a teacher.  We are more than a classroom community, we are a family.  We know how to push buttons and how to allow our friends time to decompress.  We share likes and dislikes.  "I love our reading time."  "I don't like it when you call me names, please don't do that."  We know how to complement and how to encourage.  If you visit both our classroom blog http://vruckes.edublogs.org/ and our Kidblogs http://kidblog.org/MrsRuckesClass1112/ you will see evidence of all of these things.  Things that we have in common, and things that are uniquely different.  You will see evidence of how we support and encourage each other, and how much we love learning.  Most importantly, you will see that we are a classroom family.

You may be thinking, so what!  What does this have to do with learning.  I happen to think it has everything to do with learning.  My students and I have spent a lot of time creating a safe learning environment, where everyone feels respected and valued.  We teach each other, and we share in what others have accomplished so far this year.  Students who struggled with reading at the beginning of the school year, are now reading at grade level.  My students love doing the Daily 5,  developing ideas during our writing block, and enjoy participating in rotations for math workshop. They are excited learners who not only learn but teach me a thing or two each and every day.  I'm so fortunate to be their teacher.  I'm looking forward to sharing and learning a lot more in the New Year!

Digging In With Read To Self

Of the five components of the Daily 5, I would have to say that Read to Self is my favorite.  Why?  I'm glad you asked.  It's because my students are more focused and productive during Read to Self, than any other time in my classroom and during any other component of Daily 5.

When I launch the Daily 5, I always start with Read to Self.  Reading to self is also known as independent reading.  It's important that my students are building stamina, and able to read independently for at least 20 minutes before I introduce the other "Daily's" (the other parts of the Daily 5).  In my first few mini lessons for Read to Self, we address the importance of selecting good fit books, choosing a good reading spot, and building stamina. We also create the Read to Self anchor chart which is covered in the book.  First, we discuss why reading to self is important, and that information is written on the top of the anchor chart.  Next, we discuss what the students will do, and I record their responses on the chart.  Finally, we discuss what the teacher will be doing, and I record those responses too.  Modeling appropriate reading behavior is also very important, and it's my students' favorite thing to do.  Two or three students are selected to model the incorrect way to read during Read to Self, followed by the correct way to read during Read to Self time.  The book suggests selecting a student who would typically have trouble staying focused or engaged.  The modeling gives them the opportunity to get silly and play around in front of an audience.  However, they are also required to model the correct way for the class.

During Read to Self I gather my students on the rug in the meeting area.  I start with a short focus lesson which lasts about 6-10 minutes.  Your focus lesson should be about 1 minute per the age of your students. Since I teach first grade, my focus lesson should generally be about 6 minutes long.  When I'm looking for a text, I always look for quick reads so that my focus lesson stays within the 6-10 minute time frame.  After the focus lesson I send row one off to find a reading spot quickly and quietly (Q and Q).  Then rows two through four are sent off in the same manner.  Since we are gradually building stamina, we start with reading independently for 3 minutes, and increase the time by one minute each day.  The most important aspect of the stamina building, is to stop Read to Self when things begin to fall apart.  Even if only one student is not reading or is off track in some way, the entire class is signaled over to the meeting area, and the reading is stopped.  This prevents the reinforcement of negative reading behaviors.  I ring chimes to signal my students over to the meeting area.  Some teachers signal with bells, music, drums, or simply call them over with a verbal signal or chant. 

Having students self-evaluate and reflect is very important during the share time.  We share and reflect on what went well and what we can improve on next time.  This year my students and I graphed our reading stamina each day.  After each 10 minute increment was reached we had a classroom reading celebration.  From time to time you may find that you have to refer to the anchor charts when things are not running smoothly.  I have found that it is helpful to share the anchor charts after holidays or other extended breaks as a reminder of what the expectations are in our classroom.  In this way the anchor charts seves as a community building piece as well.

During our Read to Self time my goal is to conference with 2-3 students, and meet with 1 or 2 strategy groups each day.  Once I have my entire Daily 5 up and running, I continue to keep my first round a whole class Read to Self round.  This is a little different from what most teachers do but it works for my students and my classroom.  When all of the Daily 5 is up and running, the rounds tend to get a bit noisy.  Having one round of Read to Self ensures that I have at least that round each day, when things are a little quieter and much more manageable.

This year I incorporated Flashlight Friday (see my parent letter below) to my Read to Self time.  I asked my parents to send in a small flashlight with their child, and I informed them that flashlights could be purchased at the Dollar Store.  Of course flashlights of all sizes were sent in.  I also purchased extra flashlights and batteries to keep on hand as needed.  Currently, we do Flashlight Friday during the last 10 minutes of the day on Fridays.  My Daily 5 rounds remain the same, but the students are getting a little extra reading time, and they love it.  During Flashlight Friday, we turn off the lights and the students read by flashlight.  It's another way to encourage reading.  I love when I say, "It's time for Flashlight Friday" and my students respond with, "Yes!"  
Flashlight Friday Letter

Read to Self looks a little different in my classroom.  However, the most important thing about digging in with the Daily 5 is to "Make It Your Own".