Summer Conference

(This week I had the wonderful opportunity to attend a conference by Eric Jensen on Teaching with the Brain in Mind.)

As I walked to the front of the ballroom, I surveyed the tables looking for a place to sit. Yes, I'm one of those people that likes to sit up front. (I get distracted if I sit in the back.) Not sure what possessed me to choose the particular table but I am overjoyed at my choice and, ultimately, at the choice of the others.

My team this week was comprised of six people with four countries being represented: Australia, England, Mexico City, and the United States. Talk about a diverse group. I love diversity. It reminds me that the world is made up of many different people and that my city/state makes up a minute portion of the world. As a child it was hard for me to fathom and still is as an adult.

All workshop attendees had the a-maz-ing experience to see some of the brain research going on at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). We watched as a mouse tried to find his way onto a platform in a pool of water. We were introduced to SIDS research involving the brainstem of tadpoles. And, the best part of the field trip was getting to hold a human brain!

As one can imagine, I have notes upon notes in need of review. I'll be working on this and will be sure to share. 

Math Practice

Just discovered a way students can practice their math computational skills.
Materials:

• foam pieces with different colored sides (I have red & white bean shaped foam counters. They can be made by gluing two pieces of foam together and then cut into squares.)
• plastic drinking cup
• dry erase board & marker or paper & pencil

The student shakes the cup and empties the foam pieces and then writes the corresponding addition sentence. Take it a step further by having them write the fact family. Advanced students can use the foam pieces to create and model their own addition sentence.

Here Goes

That's right! Here goes my attempt at sharing what I learn and teach or will be teaching. I've been thinking of starting a blog where I share with other teachers but just haven't taken the plunge. After reading Ready? Set. Blog! and attending some beneficial professional development, I've decided to take the plunge.


Last week I had the wonderful opportunity of attending Literacy Work Stations by Debbie Diller herself. I'll be sharing notes and great ideas I learned in my next post.

More Notes on Stations

This second post is based on my workshop notes. More information can be found in Literacy Work Stations by Debbie Diller.

I Can
These are placed at the stations and are created with the students input. This is something I really need to work on because in the past I've just posted the I Can's and reviewed with the students. First, show the students the materials for the station. Then ask, "what can we do with this?" Have them talk about ideas. For the younger grades, model the writing on a poster. For the upper elementary grades, a student can write them. If a new book is added to the science station, read a few pages to get them engaged. Say to the class, "before we open the station, let's make our I Can list for the science station." It should take 7-8 minutes to introduce the new materials (engagement) and make the I Can list. The following were ideas generated by students from the video shown.

• I can read a big book.
• I can write about hurricanes.
• I can write my connections.
• I can write facts.
• I can look at hurricane information.
• I can ask my partner questions about hurricanes.

Sharing Time
This is done for a few minutes at the end of station time. This allows them to reflect on their learning. Give them a chance to turn and talk and then ask or call on some to share. If students know we will have sharing time there will be more involvement. Ms. Diller did say it would be hard to keep up but once the routine is established, the students would look forward to sharing time.

Whole Group
Half of the reading block time should be spent in whole group teaching mini-lessons. If the reading block is 90 minutes, it doesn't have to be 45 minutes of whole group and 45 of small group. They could be alternated. Whole group is important because we are modeling and exposing kids to on grade level materials using on grade level standards. For first grade, the time spent in whole group should be 30-40 minutes.

Small Group
This is where we provide differentiation to 4-6 kids and zero in on one skill: comprehension, vocabulary, fluency, phonemic awareness. At the beginning of first grade small group time should be 15 minutes. We focus on specific skills and strategies that kids need. From my understanding, the four students would then proceed to their work stations.

What space should be set up first? 

1. The whole group area should be by a word wall, include a chart stand, calendar, and carpet.  
2. The small group area should be near a wall, shelves, or cabinets with no hidden spaces. The teacher should be able to see every inch of the classroom. 
3. The classroom library should be in a corner with a fiction shelf and a non-fiction shelf. 
4. The writing area should be stationary.

Planning 
With Ms. Diller's guidance, the teachers used a four column graphic organizer to help plan. The columns are completed is a specific order: 1. what we're teaching;  2. materials we're using; 3. grades (don't come from the stations); 4. literacy work stations. Notice that 'grades' is placed in the last column on the right. We plan our LWS (literacy work stations) based on what grades will be taken. (This is what we used in the workshop but there are probably many ways to plan for work stations.)

Literacy Work Stations

Here’s the first set of notes on my recent professional development with Debbie Diller on Literacy Work Stations.

What a station is…	What a station is not…
Meaningful Independent activities Managed Organized Managed Provides them ownership Engaging Reinforces current learning skills or previously taught skills Paired partner practice Added to weekly Provides writing, oral, reading, vocabulary practice Familiar reading Graphic organizer on clipboard Authentic reading, writing, listening, speaking, and working with words	Off level Messy Store bought Busy work Changed out weekly Small group, 3-4 students Too many choices, Luby’s syndrome Information overload Unfamiliar reading material Worksheet

Station Ideas

1. Fluency station – pocket chart with nursery rhymes or poetry where students put them in order; provide a copy of the rhyme or poem; at the end of the week, summarize the weekly story and use in the fluency station the following week.
2. Readers theater station – provide puppets or stuffed animals for students to practice their reading skills
3. Observation station – can be a hamster, near a window to observe birds on a feeder, sea shells, rocks and minerals, zoo cam, fall leaves; read about it, write about it, talk about it; provide books, field guides, hamster word wall, work with words; observation log; when placing a new book, introduce it whole group and read a page or two to get them excited.
4. Creation station – create something and then write about it
5. Writing station (fiction or non-fiction) – place near word wall and whole group area
6. Poetry station – copy of poem; read and sequence the sentence strips
7. Morning message – incorporate the written morning message
8. Newspaper station – weekly readers, Time for Kids, National Geographic for Kids, community fliers, grocery advertisement; what they do: highlight letters or words they are learning for the week, read news, read pictures, write about the pictures, working with text and graphic features; this heading goes with this article, this article goes with this graphic; read the headline and make a prediction; sequencing comics and write; third graders write an opinion based on facts they’ve read; fruit market advertisement: write about favorite fruit, write a recipe, sort the words alphabetically
9. Listening station (fiction or non-fiction) – provides oral accommodations; large laminated graphic organizer; use digital camera to photograph
10. Word work station – use file cabinet to sort words or letters; see her book page 199-202; check out book, Words Their Way; computer access for PBSkids.org
11. Buddy reading station (fiction or non-fiction) – read to each other; depending on level, they picture read; *recommended first grade classrooms to start with this station first
12. Overhead station – glue index cards to craft stick; they walk up to projected image and take the word they are practicing off the screen and back on the screen; take off letters that match phonemes from the beginning, middle, or end of words; practice with CVCe words
13. Oral language station/talking station – use picture cards; work with vocabulary words; take turns – provide 8 clothespins, 4 colored blue, 4 colored red, when one talks they remove the pin so the other can talk; can provide a tape recorder
14. Science station – connected to instruction; example provided was hurricanes, they read, wrote connections, wrote about it, wrote facts, partners ask each other questions
15. Silent reading station – read and respond 

What a lot of great ideas! Which stations do you see yourself implementing?