Could I possibly love flexible seating any more than I already do? Doubtful.
This week I had a few colleagues to pop in at random times to pick up valentines for their students (I always keep a stash of extras). Each time someone came in, they all had the same reaction- "WOW! This is awesome!" followed by questions about how they could do it, how engaged students are, etc. The kids have loved feeling like "models" and they really enjoy sharing about their choices and about our system. We have been very active on social media, posting with the hashtags #GEF, #GEFgrant, and #FlexibleSeating. We've gotten a lot of responses and questions, and most people seem genuinely interested in what we're doing and want to implement the same model! I've even heard it pop up in conversations about PD at EDCO (and since Classroom Environment is one of the domains of our Danielson Framework, it's no wonder why!). I've been learning a lot and I'm glad to see so much buzz around here. We have just started going into full day implementation. Students come in the morning, select their spot, and then keep it for the entire day. I was worried that some kids would get fatigued, however, due to the way we rolled out our implementation plan, I felt like we were well-prepared and ready for the full-day implementation! The kids are still doing really well. I have a feeling that in a few weeks' time, we will need to revisit the examples and non-examples of proper usage. I found some great "Brag Tags" online at TeachersPayTeachers.com that feature tags on proper usage of each item. The bonus was that they were free, and they featured the same items that we use! :) We've been having a lot of fun with our college project. The University of Indiana just yesterday sent us two packages- one from their office of diversity and one from their alumni association. We were sent huge bundles of pencils, stickers, booklets, pennants, and a children's book called Hoo-Hoo-Hoo-Hoosiers! The kids were really excited about those packages! :) We tweeted them right away and they retweeted us right back, so we felt very "famous." Our hallway board is starting to fill up and our pennants from the ceiling bring a lot of color and excitement to our classroom. I'm excited to do another raffle today to hand out the "extras" that were sent! Our social media platforms have been really fun for the kids. Right now we are learning how to use hashtags without spaces. Yesterday our Word Work got a kick of excitement when we relaunched Words Their Way, this time in English. The kids were given their lessons via Educreations videos on their Ipads. They were really excited to find their lesson and have it delivered to them individually. I purposely create the videos with prompts so that the kids will have to listen, pause, and complete an activity before resuming the video. The kids were really reflective at the end of the lesson and actually provided some insightful feedback on the work flow and the productivity of everyone! I'm always so impressed with my kids when they're comfortable enough to tell when they felt good, or when they feel like they didn't give their best effort. I feel like the kids are really self-reflective and they're able to think about how their behaviors and their choices affect their learning. Next up? Continue college studies, continue flexible seating, begin phase one of our CAREERS project, with the use of business cards from all over the country! :)
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I'm obsessed with Hispanic Heritage Month. Towards the beginning of the year, it is a great way to set the stage for empowerment, cultural studies, and learn about how awesome the students' cultures are. I teach all native Spanish speakers, with the majority being from Mexico. This year I felt compelled to ask my students about Black History Month. I have to admit, I'd do the usual one or two lessons and then not do much else. When I asked them to name 5 African American heroes, they could only name ONE. Guess who?
Yes, they named Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Another child shared that he knew of another Black hero. When I asked who it was, he answered: Abraham Lincoln. YIKES. I knew I needed to change my instruction. I threw myself online to Newsela (which is great by the way, if you're a teacher, you must check this out- English and Spanish articles, Lexiles, every topic you could imagine, comprehension questions, writing prompts, etc.). I found four short articles on different heroes and had the kids jigsaw to learn about them. We learned about Edmonia Lewis, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, and Jean-Michel Basquiat. I learned a lot and the kids did too as they turned into teachers and presenters. I'm dedicating more time each day to learn about more heroes that we should know! Who will we learn about next? The kids have been really excited as the mail keeps pouring in. We started coloring in our US map of all the states that have been represented so far. We have four more packages to open today, but so far, we have 11 states represented. This is such a more meaningful way to learn about geography. The kids truly feel an actual connection to each state and will have more success in remembering where the states are located!
We have been building on our Inspiration Wall in the classroom. We have filled up almost all of the available space. That means that pretty soon, we will be expanding our Inspiration Wall into the hallway! I can't wait! Inspiration is everywhere! We also have a growing number of college pennants growing from our ceiling. Excitement is building as the kids interact with universities on Instagram and Twitter. Last week, the University of Kentucky retweeted our photo. On Friday, Penn State's Creamery on campus sent us messages commenting on a student's drawing of Penn State. The kids are really excited about meeting friends and inspiring other classrooms and teachers on Twitter. This morning I was contacted by two teachers- one in Texas and the other in North Carolina. Both wanted to know more about our College Unit and what we do. It's exciting to see that other teachers are interested in our learning and would like to try to implement similar things in their classrooms! Another phase of our College Unit that I haven't been considering for the past 4 years is using the college materials to introduce Persuasive Writing. I'm looking into how I want to launch this with my existing unit. More research and planning must be done, but I'm excited to use the momentum and the interest and launching a new portion of our Unit! On Sunday evening, one of my fabulous colleagues Cecilia Hagist from Henking sent me a PowerPoint Presentation that she created about Don Lorenzo Servitje from Mexico. He was the leader of the Bimbo Group and was a very successful businessman. He passed away on Friday. I shared the presentation with the class and they were really excited to learn about him and his company. They were impressed that so many of the brands that they're used to seeing in the States were actually linked back to him (and Mexico!). It was a cool moment for me to learn about an unsung hero! Like I said, we have four more packages of mail to open today, so be sure to keep an eye on our Instagram and Twitter accounts @MrsSpinasClass. :) Another "something new" this year for me is using Twitter & Instagram in our classroom. It's been so much fun for the kids to learn about digital citizenship, develop digital literacy skills, and have an authentic global audience to interact with about their learning. Today's Twitter conversation was a great example.
We've been doing a lot of non-fiction reading and writing this month after our NGSS unit on ecosystems. We've been learning about the efforts of different aid workers, scientists, and the worldwide community with endangered plants, animals, and even insects. Yesterday and today we spent time talking about the bumblebee and how much of an impact different bees have in the world. While we were scrolling through our colleges' websites, the students noticed a RESEARCH tab on Penn State University's site that featured a picture of scientists studying bees. We clicked on the link and we were brought to an article and video done by a PR/Media pro at Penn State. He talked about the research being done by PSU and he even suited up to meet bees, sample fresh honey, and talk to scientists and researchers. The kids were amazed! During the video, several kids paused their iPads when they noted that this gentleman had a Twitter account. "Can we please Tweet him?" they begged. I looked him up and agreed. The kids had some questions and comments. Within an hour, he responded! We asked him other questions about the university, which he also responded to. What a great connection for my kiddos to make! Not only did the content tie in directly with our learning, but the kids could see the real-life application. They saw pictures of scientists in lab coats (just like them!!!) working to solve a real-world problem that they were studying. Now they have a new professional "friend" that they made a connection with, and they feel like they have another pro in their corner! |
Mrs. SpinaMy thoughts, my ramblings, my reflections, my thinking. Not perfect. Always learning. Always trying. ArchivesCategories |