Homework?

Homework Sheet

Do you give students homework?  I am not a big fan of homework overall.  I feel that students already devote 6-7 hours of their day to school.  They need time to be a kid!  For this reason, I RARELY send paper/pencil work like math sheets or other fill in the blank stuff.  I feel that it is more likely busy work and not really helping the student move any closer to understanding the standard.  Not to mention, many students have no support at home and completing paperwork is a source of frustration for them, not a source of learning.

Every year, one of the first things a student (and sometimes a parent) asks is, "When do we get homework?"  It seems that it is a novelty and they WANT to have some homework.  At my open house for parents at the beginning of the year, I always explain my homework philosophy to the parents.  I think the most important activity a child can do at home to support learning is to read.  I talk about reading all of the time!  When parents ask what they can do to help at home, I say READ!  You can read to your child or with your child.  You can listen to them read to you.  All of it is important!

But then I have to explain that reading is thinking.  At first, parents think I just want them to say the words on the page, you know… word calling.  Well, this is not what I am talking about when I say "read."

I give parents all kinds of information about reading strategies and how to engage with the reader.  But the short version of what I tell them to do is:
*Talk about the book before you read.  Talk about what you expect to find out or what questions you have.  You want to have a purpose for reading.
* Stop every couple of pages and retell what has happened so far in the book.  Think some more about questions you might have.  Think, read, talk...
The important part of "reading" is the thinking and the conversation that happens while you read.  Reading without thinking is not reading.

So, the homework that I give my students is centered around reading.  I would love it if every parent read with their child, but I know that is not a reality.  I also know that it is difficult to manage time in the evenings and weekends when you work a full time job,  have children involved in extra curricular activities, and/or have other family obligations.  I am very empathetic to "family" time.  My homework is very flexible and allows for choice.

Basically, I am trying to appease the people who want "homework" but also make the homework meaningful.  I don't send specific books home with students to read.  I tell them that they can read anything they want.  Most of my students have access to books at home in addition to library books from school.  However, if I have a student who may not have lots of reading material at home, I send baggies of books home about every other week.  I make sure they have reading material at their independent reading level.

Students take home the homework sheet on Monday (or the first day of the week) and return it the following Monday.  This gives them a full week to complete it.  I don't tell students they have to do a certain thing on a certain date.  They have some flexibility in completing the assignments.  The stars are for student reflection and accountability.  If a student only does a small portion of their homework, they color in one star.  If they complete each activity and meet their reading goal, it's 2 stars.  If they complete each activity and read MORE than their goal, it's 3 stars.  As a class we strive for 2 and 3 star homework papers.

There are essentially 2 things for the students to complete during the week.  The first one is to study spelling words.  I use the DSA spelling framework from Word Journeys.  The students can study their words as much or as little as they need.  I leave that up to them.  All they have to do is answer that they did study their words.  By the way, we spend some time each day working on our spelling words.  For this reason, most students are able to be successful on their spelling list even if they never study outside of school.  I believe I should be providing the support they need to be successful and not force them to rely on support outside my circle of influence.  I can't be sure that every child will get support at home.  Therefore, I make sure they get the support at school.

Every child sets a goal for reading each week. This, again, is using choice as a motivator.  They choose the total number of minutes per week that they plan to read.  At the beginning of the year, I help with goal setting.  We talk about who likes to read at home and how much.  I explain that to get better at anything, we must practice.  If you want to be a better reader, you will need to read.  There are no shortcuts.  The power to improve is with each person, but it is a choice.  To start with, I tell them to consider how much they like to read at home.  If they say they really don't do it, we start with a smaller goal.   This is fine.  We talk about how we want to set a goal that we can do and work on growing as the year goes on.  I really want each child to feel in charge and comfortable with their "homework."

Some students are already avid readers.  Believe it or not, I sometimes have to tell them to set a LOWER goal.  I love that they want to read, but a kid has to eat and sleep too!

The only other thing on the homework sheet is to write a little something about what they read.  This varies from student to student. Some students write a detailed summary about something they read during the week.  Other students tell their favorite part.  Still others tell about strategies they used while reading.  I really don't care what they choose to tell me.  I just want to be sure that THINKING is going on while reading.  Also, I feel that this homework approach is naturally differentiated.  Students who are capable of reading and writing more will do so.

I collect the homework each week and write a note or two on it.  I want to give some feedback to encourage each reader and nudge them forward.  Sometimes I ask a question and sometimes I just comment on what they did.  Also, we have a class goal for 100% participation each week.  I put a little blurb in my newsletter about our percentage.  I don't give negative consequences for not doing homework.  I just focus on the positive.

For me, giving homework is more about motivating students (and some parents) to read at home.  I know that time spent reading is powerful.  My goal is not necessarily to teach students responsibility, although it is inherently part of "homework."  I feel that I can work on teaching responsibility in the classroom with other choices and natural consequences.

Overall, this system works for me.  I have been using it for a few years now and plan to use it this year as well.  Do you give homework to your students?  What is your philosophy on homework?  I would love to hear your thoughts!

Quick Tips for Word Work

If you have a word work time or spelling time in your day, you may want to try these organizational tips.  They have really helped me in the past few years!
First, this is our Making Words folder.  Once a week I introduce a new "hunk and chunk" (or two) to the whole class.  We practice making words with the hunk and chunk and then make a page for our class book featuring that word part.

I usually have a blank page displayed on the Smart Board.  Students use their letters to make words with the hunk and chunk we are learning.  As they make words and share, I type them on the Smart Board.  Then we print that sheet out and add it to our class book.  The students use the book to help with spelling during writer's workshop.

In the past, each of my students had a baggy with letters in it.  On the back of the letters was a number that identified who the letter belonged to.  I had assigned each of my students a class number, and that was the same number that was on their letters.

This process worked OK, but I was frustrated by 2 things.  First, it took FOREVER for the students to find the letters we were using.   It seems like we spent the whole time searching for an "e" or whatever letter.  Also, we were constantly picking letters up  off of the floor.  Well, that just about drove me NUTS!  It made me dread our word work and spelling time.

I can't remember where this idea originated (I'm sure I borrowed it from someone!), but now our letters are velcroed to file folders.  Each student has his or her own folder.  I tried to put double vowel letters and double some consonants.  I also included some blank cards to make letters with our dry erase markers.

This has saved us lots of class time and it's much less frustrating.  It took awhile to make a class set of these folders, but I had a parent volunteer help with it.  I started by laminating the folders and letter cards.  Then we put velcro on the back of each card.  (I used the sticky dot kind).  I attached the other side to the inside of the folder.  I made a few extra folders in case I get new students.

Another tip that has really been a big help in the classroom, is using facial cleansing cloths for dry erasers.

I bought the facial cleansing cloths at The Dollar Tree.  They were in packages of 4 or 6.  I can't remember. Then I attached one side of a sticky dot piece of velcro to the back of the marker board.  I attached the other side of the sticky dot to the facial cleansing cloth.  Now the kids don't lose their erasers!  It has been so much easier than using old socks as erasers which is what I used to do.

Surprisingly, the velcro has stayed on the cloth and the board without any problems.  I might have had one student whose sticky dot fell off, but it was a rare event.

By the way, the marker boards that you see in the picture are really the shower boards from Lowe's.  I asked a sales person at the store if he could cut the boards.  He knew exactly what I was talking about.  I think he had done this for other teachers as well.  I got about 30 -35 boards for $14.  I added the cute duct tape to the edges.

I hope you find these organizational tips helpful.  If you have a good tip to share, please let me know.  I love finding ways to make my life easier!

A Celebration Of Learning

Summer is a time for teachers to reflect on the year behind and plan for the year ahead.  One of the things that I like to do each year is host a "Celebration of Learning" for my students.  I do this at the end of the year, but I need to think about what I plan to include much earlier.

The Celebration of Learning is an evening where we have all kinds of things on display for students, parents, and families to see.

In the picture to the side, I have a class picture from the beginning of the year.  I also have a poem framed with mini-self portraits of students in our class.  The half sheet is explaining what is displayed and what things students should take home.  This is what students see when they enter the multi-purpose room.

On the same table, I have the students' brag tags from the year.  Each student has collected and earned many different tags for various accomplishments.

I also have tons of pictures on display.  Some of them are "just for fun" shots of silly things.  Many of them show activities or projects we worked on throughout the year.  Beside the pictures, I displayed the standard that was covered by the activity people can see in the pictures.  I thought this would show that even though it looks like we are just having some fun, we are actually learning!

The picture to the left shows a timeline of our day.  We picked out several pictures that represent what we do during the day.  The students wrote explanations on index cards.  Then we put them in order.  This goes with a social studies standard for using timelines.  Obviously, the timeline is much longer than what you can see in the picture.

Also on display were class books that we had written throughout the year as well as individual published pieces.  The students were so proud of these accomplishments!

Learning Calendar

Our learning calendar was rolled out around the edges of the multi-purpose room.  The learning calendar is a huge roll of paper where we record the days' events and what we learned each day.  We also collect a little data on the weather.

There were so many other things on the tables too.  There were certificates for being authors, certificates for people who had read 100 books during the year, poetry books, math museum displays, and posters explaining what we learned in each subject this year.

I wish I could capture the magic of the whole room in one picture, but I just couldn't.  It's pretty overwhelming to see it all in one place.

Photos of Fluency Idol Winners

Photos and Standards

Brag Tags

Sunrise and Sunset Calendar

Published Books by Students

Of course, one of the things the students were so excited about was the end of the year gift.  I gave each student a sand bucket filled with fun things to do (bubbles, play-doh, a pencil, notebook for writing, and a book).  There was also information about our local library's summer reading program.  I put these at the back of the room and on the stage so that students would get them before they left.

Because I know I am going to do this each year, I save several items throughout the year.  That doesn't mean that parents do not get to see student work during the year.  We still have plenty of samples going home.

This end of the year celebration is such a nice way to end the year.  The students are so proud of all they have done.  Parents are very appreciative of the displays and the chance to see this.  Many times there are grandmas and grandpas or aunts and uncles attending too.

How do you share your students' accomplishments with families?  Do you do any end of the year activities for your class or school that you can share?

Writing Mini-Lessons Continued

Writing is such a rich subject to teach.  There are layers upon layers of content, skills, and strategies.  Besides teaching students about the 6 Traits and how they help us identify a strong piece of writing, I am also teaching students about the writing process.  This is woven through the lessons in a cyclical fashion because that is truly what the writing process is- a cycle.

I don't really think it is of paramount importance that young writers can NAME the writing process.  I do want them to understand that writer's move back and forth and in and out of the process though.  I like to show the students using my own writings.  I let them see  how I brainstorm and add to my idea lists.  I choose a topic and start on a piece.  I may or may not finish that piece right away.  I usually have several pieces of writing going at the same time.  One day I revise an old piece.  The next day I might start a new piece.  That's the great thing about writing!  It's not a linear process, so I can move about depending on my thoughts, ideas, and moods.  I use the language of brainstorming, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing as I model each of these. (I write often with my students.)

Just as the writing process is integrated into our mini-lessons, I also teach students about writing genres.  When we begin the year, we focus mainly on personal narratives.  I like to start the year with this genre because all students have a story to tell.  Every student can be successful writing a personal narrative. We start by doing lots of oral sharing.  If a student can't tell the story, they certainly can't write it down. We learn about small moments and how to narrow our topic.  Again, I model, model, model this!

We focus on writing personal narratives for the first month or two.  Then we move on to informational writing.  My second graders love to read non-fiction books, especially about animals.  Our reading leads us into writing about animals.  One project we do each year is a collaborative report on animals.  I will share that in another post though.  We also write reports on famous Americans.

We also work on opinion writing during the year.  Though we focus on one genre for a portion of the year, that doesn't mean that students can only write in those genres while we are learning about them.  I strongly believe in choice during writer's workshop, so students are often writing many different  pieces.  In addition to personal narratives, informational, and opinion writing, we also focus on poetry.  Although it's not the focus of second grade writing in the Common Core, I think it is valuable to teach students about poetry.

When I stop and think about all of the things that we teach writers to do, it's a bit mind boggling!  It's such a complex process, yet it's so exciting to teach.  I continue to learn more and more about teaching writing, but there are a few things that have become foundational in my writer's workshop.  Always model everything!  Use a variety of models throughout the process.  Provide many experiences with mentor texts.  Let the students see you write and share your mistakes and triumphs.  Use lots of student writing , both past and present.  It's so powerful when you use a child's writing to point out something great a writer does.  And most importantly, LET THEM SHARE!!

Thanks for letting me share with you!

Procedural Tips for Writer's Workshop

So, I have already shared how I get started with the 6 Traits in writing.  I follow the same basic procedure for introducing each trait. (See yesterday's post for more info.)  While we are working on each trait for 2-3 weeks, I am also integrating various mini-lessons.

One type of mini-lesson that I provide more frequently in the beginning is procedural.  This takes time to decide how you want things to go in your classroom.  Are your students going to use folders, writing notebooks, or journals to store their writings?  Are they allowed to use pens or markers during this time?  What do they do when they finish a piece of writing?  Are they allowed to sit anywhere in the room or do they stay at their desks?  All of these (and more) are questions that the teacher needs to determine ahead of time.  You have to decide what works for you and your students.

Once you decide on these type of things you need to explain and model them explicitly for your students.  I have learned that although it takes some extra time in the beginning, it is very worth it to set up clear expectations and follow them consistently. Model, model, model!!   Nothing can destroy your precious learning time faster than procedural or behavioral distractions.

Here are a few procedural tips that might help:

1)  Have a central location for paper and offer a variety of types.  I usually have 3-4 trays with various types of paper (lined, unlined, with borders or clip art…)  Students do not need to ask for paper.  They may get it themselves but only one sheet at a time.  (I have encountered a few hoarders).

2)  Have a bin of already sharpened pencils.  I really do not like the distraction of a pencil sharpener of any kind!  If a student needs another pencil, they just take one from the sharp bin and leave the unsharp one in another bin.

3)  Have a place where you meet students that is *sacred*.  At my kidney shaped table, I meet with students for conferencing.  When I am at the table, other students may not approach me or ask a question unless they are bleeding or on fire.  Before implementing this rule, it is a good idea to have a mini-lesson on problem solving.  Make an anchor chart about different types of problems and how they can be solved.  This will help eliminate the need for interruptions.

4)  Have various spelling resources available.  I have some dictionaries available to help with spelling.  I also have various phonics charts and resources posted in the room.  We have a class book of "Hunks and Chunks" to help with spelling.  Each student has a phonics chart in his or her TIGERS binder.  Be sure to model how to use each of these resources.  Also, when you notice a student using these resources, be sure to point that out during your sharing time.  Make a big deal of problem solving and the students will follow that lead.



5)  Have an area or procedure for students to gain writing ideas.  There are always a few students who have difficulty getting started.  They say they can't think of an idea.  One thing you can do to help with that is have a place where you provide topics or prompts that students may use.  Also, train the students that talking to others is a great place to get ideas.  (You have to train the students in "3 inch voices")  If they are stuck, they should ask the people at their table to share what they are working on.

6)  Tighten your transitions.  I am very protective of instructional time, so I strive to make transitions quick and smooth.  Typically, we have mini-lessons at the beginning of writer's workshop and on our carpet whole group meeting area.  Once I am finished with the mini-lessons, I want students to get started writing.  I don't send them all at once.  First, if I know of a student or students that I want to conference with, I tell them to go to the table and begin with a certain task.  I might say, "Be ready to share the piece you are working on and share your bold beginning." That way they are ready when I get there.  Then I release the other students back to their desk a few at a time.  I usually have my students sitting in groups of 6.  I refer to them as "teams."  I will send one team at a time to get started. This prevents a backlog at the paper station or a frenzy of movement that tends to distract individuals.  Also, you can stagger students getting started by asking about writing goals for the day.  But that will need to be a post for another day…    
(I get so excited about sharing that I get a little long winded!)

It seems as I write this post, I think of more and more to share.  I know that I have learned so much over the years by people sharing these ideas with me.  I am still getting great ideas from others and trying them out!  It is so exciting to me!

If you have a great tip to share, please let me know!  I love learning new stuff!!

My "How to" with the 6 Traits

Once we have completed our first baseline and introductory piece of writing, I get started right away with the traits.  First I introduce "Ideas" by explaining that writers need to think about what they want to say or what they want their readers to know.  I share my own idea list from my writer's notebook.  We do a great amount of verbal sharing, and students begin creating idea lists to keep in their writing folders.

We also read lots of books and talk about how we think the writers came up with the idea to write that book.  It's important to share lots of mentor texts and teach the students how to think like a writer.  We talk about the books we read in the context of writing.  I love when there is information included on the back of a book or inside cover that tells more about the author.  Often times it explains where the idea came from for the book.  I want my students to understand that writers get ideas from their own life and experiences.

I also show my students the rubric that we use for "ideas." There are 4 indicators on the rubric:
* I have one clear main idea.
* I have great details to explain my idea.
* My writing stays on topic.
* My writing is focused and not too broad.
I do mini-lessons on each of these indicators.  I use samples of writing from past students, samples from current students (only show the positive), and mentor texts.  I think it is so important for students to have lots of experiences with anchor pieces and models.

After we have learned about each of the indicators on the "idea" rubric, I put students into small groups and give them 3 or 4 samples of writing.  These samples provide a range on the continuum from strong to weak.  I don't tell the students the scores or which pieces are strong or weak.  I have the groups look at each piece, discuss it using the rubric as a guide, and put the pieces in order from weakest to strongest.  We don't actually score each piece, we just want to put them in order.  Then we talk about it as a whole class.  Often times the students have different ideas about which is the strongest piece.  This is fine.  I think it's most important that we have the conversation about what we think.  I want the students to tell why they think a certain way.  When they have to explain their reasoning it gives them an opportunity to really reflect and sometimes revise their thinking.  This is the good part because it helps the students define what they think is "strong" writing.  (I don't like to use the words "good" or "best" when referring to writing.  I prefer "stronger" and "weaker.")

After working with a team to put pieces in order, we then work in pairs to score a different piece.  I give each pair of students the same writing sample. They have to discuss it with their partner and write a final score on the sample.  Then we again, talk as a whole class about what we think.  The more practice the students receive scoring other pieces and discussing ideas, the more comfortable and capable they become in scoring their own writing.

While we are working on learning about "ideas" through mini-lessons and models, the students are also working on writing.  During my writer's workshop time, I usually start with a mini-lesson for the first 10 minutes or so. This is where I am sharing mentor texts and modeling.  Next I give students time to write (and sometimes draw).  This usually lasts about 30-40 minutes.  We always end with sharing time.  I try to vary this as well.  We share with partners, I call on random students, or we do some whole class sharing.  It depends on how much time we have and if I have noticed certain students that I really want to share.  The important thing is that you never skip the sharing.  If the students don't have the chance to share, they will stop writing.  They need to have an authentic audience and purpose for writing.

All of this practice with sample pieces really helps students learn to identify what makes a piece of writing strong or weak.  They learn what to look for and what to do in their own writing to make it better.  By this time, they have had several days of writing and mini-lessons on the featured trait.  The final step is for students to complete one piece of writing and score it for "ideas."

At the beginning of the year, the students usually score themselves very high.  I guess it's good that they are so confident. LOL!  But soon I begin to see a shift in their self scoring that shows me they understand the traits and can identify their own strengths and weaknesses.  This is important because when I am conferencing I can usually start by looking at how they have self scored.

Speaking of conferencing, this is what I do while the students are working on writing.  I sometimes conference with students one on one.  Other times, I have a group of 3 students.  I don't like to have more than 3 at the table at once because I need to be able to attend to each one and provide guidance and feedback.  The more students I have at the table, the less effective it becomes.

Whenever I introduce a new trait, we usually work on that trait for a couple of weeks.  During that time we are doing the mini-lessons that I have mentioned above.  (I may also have mini-lessons on procedural  things woven in there.)  I work with individuals and small groups during the writing time.  This gives me a chance to listen to the students read their writing, ask questions to help them reflect, and provide scaffolds or modeling where needed.  Writer's workshop is naturally differentiated because the students will work at the level they are capable.  My job is to  meet them where they are and nudge them forward.

Once students begin turning in final drafts, I start pulling them to the table in groups of 3.  Each student reads his or her writing to the group.  We then start by looking at how the student self scored on the rubric. (I have them attach the rubric to the draft before they turn it in.)  We discuss whether or not we agree or disagree and why.  The listening students can ask questions of the writer.  When other students ask questions, it helps the writer reflect and see areas that may need revision.  That's another reason it's so powerful to have students share.  The writer may do some revision right then and there at the table or they may decide to take the piece back and rework it at their table.  When the writer is satisfied that his or her piece of writing is "finished", we work in groups of 3 to share and score.  Many times that occurs the first time the student is at the table.  If not, I will pull them back to the table at another time and we'll repeat the above process.

I want the writer to be satisfied and proud of the writing they have completed.  I always focus on positive parts and praise the student for what is strong in the writing.  If a writer's final scores are less than 4's, I ask them if they know what to do to move it to the next level.  If they can tell me, that's great!  If they are clueless, I give them some specific suggestions or show them some models to help clarify.  When conferencing, I keep in mind that I want the student to be able to use the skills and strategies independently.  I want to teach for transfer.  Before a student leaves the conferencing table, I want to be sure they are confident in what they have done as well as know where they are going as a writer.  In other words, they know the next steps.  I will usually ask them, "So what are you going to do now?"
 
The answer they give tells me a great deal about their thinking.  If a student says, "I am going to go back and work on my bold beginning"  or "I am going to add some sparkly words" I know they are thinking as a writer.  If they say, "I am going to start on a new piece.  I have a great idea that I need to share," I know they are thinking as a writer.  If they look at me and say,"I'm done.  Can I do something else?" we have some work to do!

Basically, I follow the procedure I just explained for each of the 6 traits.   We usually work on each trait from 2-3 weeks.  When it comes to scoring, the rubric builds as we learn the traits.  At first, I only score for ideas.  Then I score for ideas and organization.  Then I score for ideas, organization, and voice…
This makes it less overwhelming to students.  They have the opportunity to build on what they know.  We are usually using all of the traits by Januaryish.

I feel like this post was long and a bit of a ramble.  (Maybe I should score myself and revise it).  Hopefully,  it's not too confusing.  I still have lots to share on the topic of writing!  Overall, I really like the way my Writer's Workshop time is structured.  I am still learning and improving my teaching practices, but I feel like at least there's a solid foundation.

How do you structure your writing time?  Do you use the 6 Traits?  Can you share any successes or challenges?

Introducing the 6 Traits of Writing

I absolutely love teaching with the 6 Traits.  It is a framework that works from kindergarten to high school.  Learning to teach with the traits has also helped me become a better writer.  I can identify what's strong or weak in my own writing and work to improve it.  This is my hope for my students.

So how do you get started with the traits?  On the first day of school, I tell my students that I am going to share a piece of writing about me.  It's kind of an introduction or getting to know you piece.  (I actually have 3 pieces that I share on the smart board.)

The first piece that I show and read to the class is very simple and full of convention errors.  It is really short and pretty boring.  The students listen and usually don't say much about this piece.  When I finish reading it I tell them that I actually have another piece that I should read.  (This one is a little better than the first.  I have a few more details and a few less convention errors.)  After reading this one, they usually start saying things like, "That one is a lot better.  You told us more."

Then I read one more piece which is my best effort.  I start with a bold beginning and give lots of great details.  I have spectacular words that help the students visualize and connect.  I use everything I know about the traits to really captivate my audience.  This final piece is polished and pleasing.  When I read this piece, the students are visibly moved.  I can see it on their faces while I am reading it.

After reading this one, I ask them which piece of writing they liked best and why.  They start noticing and naming the different beginning, the descriptive details, the consistent use of conventions, the transition words…

They don't know it yet but they are naming many of the features of the 6 traits.  At the end of our comparison and discussion, I explain that we are going to learn something called "The 6 Traits of Writing."  I explain that the traits help us identify what makes a piece of writing "great."  I tell them that they were already able to notice many things that makes one piece of writing better than another.  In the writings that I shared, the overall messages were pretty much the same.  They received the same information about me in each piece, but HOW I said it was different.

I briefly name the traits and explain that we will learn them one at a time.  In a few months they will know and be able to use all of these tools.  I then invite them to write an introductory letter to me.  I tell them that this is a way they can share information with me much as I did in my piece.  I also tell them to think about the things they noticed in my best writing and try to do the same.  This first piece of writing not only lets me get to know my students' interests and background, it also serves as a baseline writing piece.  I keep this first piece of writing so that we can compare future writings to it.  It's so exciting to be able to see growth as the year progresses.

Do you use The 6 Traits of Writing in your classroom or school?  How do you get started?