The Door {SOL 6.06.17}

This is the door to the classroom where I have taught for the past nine years.

Beyond this door is the classroom where I learned along with 208 fourth- and fifth-grade students.


We wrote magical stories in this room.

We learned how to divide fractions in this room.

We pursued passion projects in this room.

We went on adventures with Pax, Edward, Ally, Ada, Bud, Melody and Auggie in the books we read together in this room.

We held family meetings in this room.

We learned about explorers, space, Native Americans, the Revolutionary War, the human body systems, the Ice Age, energy and good nutrition in this room.

We learned how to solve problems, how to help each other, and the power of the word 'yet' in this room.

We made cards for sick friends and celebrated birthdays in this room.


Last week Friday, I walked through this door into this room for the final time.

I had made the decision to leave the classroom and teaching to start and grow my new business, Teach Write, last November. I had plenty of time to prepare for this day -- the last time I would walk through this door into the room that held so many good memories of the past nine years.

The last nine years have been simply amazing. I wouldn't have changed a thing.

At the end of the day, I walked back through that door and headed out, never to return.

I'm not sure what the future holds, but nine years ago when I first walked through that door into my new classroom, I didn't know either.

And it all turned out okay.

What's In Between {SOL 5-24-16}

I love it when an idea pops into my mind at the perfect time, completely unsought, but needed nonetheless.

Yesterday, I decided to spend our read aloud time reading some of the picture books I haven't gotten to yet this year.  I pulled out one my son gave me for Christmas, One Day, The End by Rebecca Kai Dotlich.

I loved the very first page:

When I finished reading, I turned back to this first page and we talked about how it's what is in between the beginning and the ending that matters.

Then the idea hit me....

Being as this is the end of the school year, I thought we would all write our own "One day I started 4th grade/Then it ended. The End" stories. We would fill our in betweens with our favorite memories of our year.

I had not planned on this writing activity, but it sure was a good one.

Today, we are  going to share our stories in circle time and relive some of our favorite memories from the past nine months.

As this year draws to a close, I want my students to remember not just the beginning and the ending, but the good stuff in between that matters most.

Seeing the Growth {Celebrate this Week 5-21-16}

The school year is quickly coming to a close and like many teachers, I find myself reflecting on how much my students have grown this year.

Sure, there are the physical changes.  A few weeks ago we received our class picture, the one with everyone's photo from the beginning of the year. It was incredible to see how much everyone had changed. It was like they came in as little kids and are going out as almost teenagers.

Because I will be looping with this class and will see them back in September, I am especially interested in seeing how far they've come in their learning over the course of this year because it will help us set our goals for next year.

I found myself thinking about this during our writing class yesterday.  It was Friday, the weather was beautiful, and the looming full moon was making everyone a little wiggly, so we took our writing class outside.  We settled into the grassy side of the school and began our notebooking.

Being a bit sneaky, I set the timer on my phone for 20 minutes instead of our usual 10 minutes, just to see what would happen.

There wasn't much to see, other than writers hard at work the entire time.

When my timer went off, I called the group back together. About half of my students continued writing, carefully finishing their last words.

We gathered in a circle to share. As we went around the circle, I smiled at the variety of writing that took place -- the risks that some of my writers were now taking that seemed impossible just nine months ago. Yesterday, we had joke writers, poets, listers, memoirists, mystery writers and storytellers all offer up their words to our group.

Nine months ago, there would have been many blank pages.

Nine months ago, there would have been writers afraid to share their words.

Nine months ago, there would have been groans and moans and pained expressions as we set to our work of writing.

Yesterday, it was clear that much has changed over the past nine months.

For that, I celebrate.

Every Student an Author {Celebrate This Week 4.16.16}

This past week we celebrated every student as an author with our Cartonera Celebration.  It is one of my favorite weeks at school.

What is a cartonera?

It is, quite literally, a cardboard book.

To make their cartonera, each student went into their writing "treasure chest" (folder) and decided upon one of their favorite pieces of writing from this year.

We rewrote them on lined paper and illustrated them.

Our amazing art teacher worked with the students to create their covers.  Last year, we used actual cardboard.  This year, we used cardboard card stock because we were short on manpower to cut 800 pieces of cardboard. (Next year, our plan is to go back to cardboard, but to start cutting it much earlier in the year.)

We put the writing together with the covers, hole punched them, and tied them with yarn.

Each day, a different grade level had their books on display in the hallway during the PTO Book Fair and Special Person Lunch for families and the community to read.  

At the very back of each book was a "Raves from Readers" page.  Classes would visit the cartoneras each day, read them, and leave kind comments.

The students were all so proud of their cartonera books and were excited to read the raves that other students had left.  (One student came up and hugged me during recess to thank me for reading her cartonera and leaving a comment.)

As a school, I celebrate seeing us all unite to celebrate writing. We have been working hard to build our level of writing and celebrating is an important part of that. Sharing our writing with others gives us an authentic audience and builds a sense of pride in our writing. 

As a teacher, I celebrate being to read the work of students in other grade levels. It gave me a good feeling for what students were able to do at each grade level. 

For my students, it was good for them to read what other students wrote.  Many of them commented to me that they had learned something from another student's cartonera (many students' writing was non-fiction) or they saw how important good spelling (or neat handwriting) was in delivering your written message. Many students were impressed with the level of writing from students who were much younger than them. As they read, I would often hear giggles as they encountered something funny or see them recommend a just-read cartonera for another student to read.

Writing was alive and breathing at my school this week!

Celebrating every student as an author -- what could be better than that?

Math Motivation {#SOL16 Day 23}

I am a very practical 4th grade math teacher.

Because I'm more of a literacy girl and can truly relate to my students who struggle with math (because I've been there too),  I really strive to make sure my students know how they will use the math skills I'me teaching them out in the real world.

I'm very honest with them.   I tell them when they will use certain math skills in real life.

It's because I'm honest with my students that they trust me when I say, "Listen up, we are about to learn something really important."

I have found myself saying this a lot during our fractions unit.  On paper, fractions are difficult for my 4th graders to conceptualize.  They might not mean much, but bring in food to practice fractions and you've got a winning lesson!

Last week, I brought in a loaf of Irish Soda Bread.  My students and I considered how we could cut the loaf into 20 equal pieces so we could all have a piece.  They talked amongst themselves and determined that if I cut the loaf into 10 slices one direction then cut it down the middle in the other direction, the result would be 20 pieces.  Brilliant!

Yesterday, I brought in eight pound cake muffins left over from Sunday's family dessert.  Again, they talked in small groups to see if they could solve this real life math problem.  How could they split the eight muffins into 20 pieces?

This challenge was a bit more difficult.  Twenty wasn't easily divisible by eight.  But, after talking it through, they determined that if we cut each muffin into fifths, that would mean we would have 40 total pieces so everyone could have two pieces, or 2/5 of the whole.

 Today, a parent came in to make no-bake granola balls with the class.  We talked about what we could do if we only had a 1/2 cup measuring cup, but needed to measure one cup -- use two scoops.  What if we only had a 1/3 cup measuring cup?  Use three scoops.  Need to double the recipe?  Multiply everything by 2.

Needless to say, my students have become quite proficient at fractions.  Food motivates!

Perfect PD {#SOL16 Day 20}

The wonderful Kathleen Sokolowski has asked us teachers to share their ideas about professional development.  After thinking about this for awhile, I realized that  my "Perfect PD" already exists:

Here's why...

* Choice:  For me, EdCamps are the perfect PD option because I can choose the topics that are most meaningful to me and my teaching.  What works for one person, might not work for another.  Having the flexibility to choose what I want to learn is a definite plus.  It also honors me and my experience and knowledge as a professional.

* Teachers Teaching Teachers:  School districts are filled with experts on many different topics -- on their own payroll.  Why not tap into that knowledge by having them share what they know with a larger audience within their own school or district?

* Relevance:  It's frustrating to have to sit and listen to a speaker when the topic has little relevance to your teaching or its something you already know a lot about.  That's one of the reasons I like the "rule of two feet" at an EdCamp.  If you are in a session and it is not meeting your needs, you get up and go find one that does.

* Timing:  Many EdCamps take place over the summer or in the winter or spring, once the craziness of the beginning of the school year has begun to settle.  For me, it is difficult to sit still and focus in a PD session in August when I am itching to get my classroom set up and be ready for my students.

Other non-EdCamp thoughts on PD:
* I learn best by doing.  Sitting and listening or by following along in a manual doesn't always work for me.  Just as I like to change things up in my classroom to keep the kids moving and learning in different ways, I appreciate the same.  Hands on, take-this-back-and use-it right-away PD is a bonus!

* I want there to be a follow up plan.  How will the PD topic work in my classroom/school/district? I need to see the connection. Like Kathleen said, "not 'one and done' where the topic is never brought up again."  If you are going to bring in a speaker to talk about makerspaces, I sure hope that means that we will be developing makerspaces in our schools in the near future.

We have recently held three EdCamps in my school and district as professional development.  All three were positively received by staff.  I highly recommend that you be the driving force behind bringing an EdCamp to your school or district.  It is so worth it!