Raising Readers and Writers

“Change is the essence of life.  Be willing to surrender what you are for what you could become.”

I packed up my classroom yesterday, getting ready to make the move from first grade to third grade, with mixed emotions.  I’m excited to be moving into new, yet familiar territory.  Third graders are not so different from fourth graders, with whom I spent 12 years of my life.  I can’t wait to work with some of my students that I had 2 years ago; oh the stories I had with that class!  It was one of those years that if you didn’t laugh, you would cry.

At the same time, I am sad to be saying good-bye to a wonderful team of teachers who have no idea how they impacted me.  Three years ago, I came to a new building, a new staff, and a new grade level wondering what I had gotten myself into.  I had asked for a change, but first grade?  What had I been thinking?  I didn’t know the first thing about teaching young children how to read or how to write.  My passion was helping struggling pre-adolescent readers and now I was going to be in charge of 6 year-olds, some of who didn’t even know all of their letters yet.

Three years of first graders and wonderful colleagues have grounded me in solidifying what I believe to be true about children and  what’s important in education.  I stepped way out of my comfort zone and in the process became more comfortable with who I am as a person and an educator.  I’ve reached goals that I never dreamed possible and I truly believe  working with young learners taught me more than I ever taught them. My first grade colleagues, too, supported me in so many ways and I will miss working with them on a daily basis.  I was very blessed to work with an amazing team last year…Woody who always helps me understand the big picture and  calms me down when I  get on my soapbox;  Anne, who shares so much in common with me…we  finish each other’s sentences, and Heather, a brand new teacher who brought a fresh perspective to our team.  She, like Woody and Anne,  has the special gift of a teacher’s heart.

So, third grade here I come!  More changes are in my future that will take me who knows where:  I have a new group of wonderful women to work with,  my family is hosting a foreign exchange student from India this school year, and I’m taking the first steps in beginning a doctoral program.

Change doesn’t scare me so much anymore.  I know that no matter what, I will learn, I will grow, and I will survive! 

If you want to feel secure, do what you already know how to do. If you want to be a true professional & continue to grow…go to the cutting edge of your competence, which means a temporary loss of security. So whenever you don’t quite know what you’re doing, know that you are growing. -Madeline Hunter

I received a copy of this quote right before I moved to first grade three years ago. I kept it posted where I could see it every day. It reminded me that the discomfort I felt was a sign that I was growing as a professional. It would all work out in the end! I still have it posted right behind my table, even though I don’t walk into school each day terrified that I’m going to ruin some six year-old’s chance of ever learning how to read and write. (I guess I was a little “over the edge” back then!)

After school today, I met with another teacher for coffee. I’ve been wanting to talk to her about her reading workshop for a long time. Cathy wrote More Than Guided Reading, which helped me make the transition to first grade. I knew that she would help me think through my dilemma.

Even though lots of things are going well in reading workshop, I still feel like I’m missing the boat. I am meeting with 5 guided reading groups (one group consists of one child, so that lesson goes pretty quickly) each day, and 3 others a couple of times a week all in an hour and 15 minutes. (I know, it’s crazy!). I don’t have time to conference individually with students and it feels like a revolving reading door. One group finishes, another one comes up, that one finishes, another one comes up…with no time to breathe in between.

As Cathy shared her reading workshop block, I felt a sense of relief. Each week she groups her kids based on their needs as readers (not necessarily their reading levels) and doesn’t meet with more than 2 groups a day. The rest of the time is spent in individual conferences with goals in mind for each student. This is what I was looking for!

I left the coffee shop feeling energized, and a little uncertain. My mind went back to Madeline Hunter’s quote. I’m stretching myself again as I try to better meet my students’ needs. Cathy reminded me of the importance of thinking about my goals for my students as readers and writers (same goes for mathematicians too!) and to not get so hung up on reading levels. Yes, it is the district’s expectation that our students be at a certain level by the end of the school year, but my goals are much bigger. I want my students to enjoy reading and I want them understand and use the strategies I’m teaching them every day in their reading lives.

Once again, I’m reminded of the importance of surrounding myself with people who listen and help me broaden my perspective. I’m really excited to try Cathy’s ideas next week. I’ve been thinking about the changes I’ll make and I’m looking forward to having time to meet individually with my kids. Do I feel a little uncertain about how it will all pan out? You bet I do, but hey, I’m growing, right?

My friend, who is a principal in a school district in northern Ohio, knew that I was trying a math workshop approach this year in my first grade classroom. She asked me if I would be willing to share some lesson plans and how I set it all up. Her teachers want to try a math workshop. I have to say that she is a phenomenal instructional leader, because she jumps right in with her staff and learns along with them as she guides them to expand their horizons.

Of course, pulling this information together gave me time to reflect. Even though I absolutely love doing math workshop and I believe that I know my kids better as mathematicians this year, there have been times that I wanted to throw in the towel. Once again, it’s that messy teaching that I have mentioned in previous posts. Sometimes I feel like I am walking through really muddy water and I can’t quite see where I am going. I just hope that I get there. It’s uncomfortable. I make mistakes. And sometimes I need to take a break and I just teach a lesson out of the book. There are times, too, when the sun comes out and I think, “Whew! I did it! This is great!” Those are the times when I’ve had a chance to meet with our math coach. She helps me refocus and she listens to my frustrations. Then she leads me again down the path of hope by reminding me of what I do know and what has been successful. I need a pick-me-up from her every once in awhile.

As I was reflecting tonight, I began to think about my struggling readers who are not where I hoped they would be in January. I wonder if they feel like I do when I’m feeling lost in math workshop. Do they look at a page and feel befuddled as to what to do? Do they forget what they have learned and lose confidence in themselves? This serves as a reminder to me about how important my job is to coach them and remind them of all the smart things they know how to do as readers. I also have to remind myself as to where they began the year. They have made tremendous progress and we still have almost 5 months of school. We will just keep working toward our goal. There will be dips in the road, but that’s to be expected. That’s what makes the journey more interesting. We WILL arrive at our destination.

And let’s hope that I make it down that math workshop road without too many bumps (or giant potholes)!

To teach…it comes from the Middle English word techen , which means to show or to instruct. But what is considered good teaching? I guess it’s pretty subjective. Since this is my blog, I get to share my opinions!

How many of us worry that our hands on classrooms where real learning is happening might be construed as chaotic and out of control? Consider this…a classroom where children are doing real research for an authentic purpose. They simply want to know more about frogs. They aren’t doing research because it will help them do better on a test. They aren’t answering questions that their teacher made up to fit an archaic form that teachers have been using for the last 20 years. They aren’t gathering information for a boring animal report that no one will read.

Instead, they have real questions that they want answered. Their teacher has modeled for them how to ask questions, how to use informational texts to find their answers, and how to put their findings in their own words. Really, what are you learning if you just copy the author’s words?

Why frogs? To scaffold their learning, the teacher asked her students what they wanted to learn more about. Their choice? Frogs. They are thinking about getting a frog for a class pet, so it makes sense to learn more about them. Are they only learning about bull frogs (you know, what it looks like, what it eats, where it lives)? No…these kids had LOTS of questions about all kinds of frogs. And their teacher honored their thinking by allowing them to ask their questions and she taught them how to find their answers. (Eventually they’ll be choosing their own topics and using what they learned to research their questions).

Is it quiet when they research? Are students sitting silently at their desks as they copy information from a book (answering the teacher’s questions)? No! Why would they be? What happens when we find interesting information? We can’t wait to share it. I drive my husband crazy when I read something that makes me stop and say, “Wow!”. I make him stop what he’s doing (or whoever is sitting close by) so I can tell him what I’ve learned. Well the same thing happens in this classroom. Kids are sharing information and coming up with new questions. They are excited about their learning! Their learning has purpose!

Good teaching is happening in this classroom and lots of other classrooms like this one. Kids are being SHOWN that their questions are important and their thinking is valid. They are being SHOWN how to find their answers and the importance of working cooperatively with others to create something special.

Sometimes we worry when we are one of these teachers, especially if we are brand new teachers. What will others think when they pass by my room and kids are spread all over and having conversations? My advice? Surround yourself with others who believe like you. You are on the right path and your kids will only benefit from your thoughtful decisions and the atmosphere you have created in your room.

It’s that time of year when we reflect back and think forward. So many good things happened last year. I hosted Carl Anderson in my classroom and was thrilled when he thanked me for not teaching nonfiction writing like many other teachers. (Maybe he says that to everyone, but it still made me feel good!) I began this blog and as a result, I’ve met some new people. I made a new friend in Lynn Gatto, a guest teacher from New York, who talked to our staff about integrating informational writing throughout the curriculum. In addition, our teacher writing group more than doubled in size and every grade but one is represented this school year. We also have teachers from three other schools participating, so the good work we are doing is spreading throughout our district. I stepped way out of my comfort zone and applied for the Donald Graves Writing Award through NCTE. I didn’t win, but I learned so much through the process. Writing that piece gave me the opportunity to reflect on my own practices and solidify my beliefs of what is best for young writers. I also gave myself permission to play with technology and make mistakes. It’s given me more confidence to try some new things with my students. I’ve been exploring Twitter and am finding a whole new world out there. There is so much to learn and I find it’s a little overwhelming at times. And last, but not least, I have so enjoyed working with Melissa Wilson as she researches in my classroom. It is so nice to be able to talk to someone about what is happening in my room, what the kids are doing and saying, and how their thinking is becoming deeper and deeper.

So now, we come to this new year. Thoughts have been bouncing back and forth in my mind as I have been contemplating this post. Where do I want to go? What do I want to accomplish? I realize that I have become very purposeful in my goal setting.

My biggest goal is to find a little more balance in my life. It’s too easy for me to become consumed with school work and realize I’ve missed dinner with my family again. I know, I know, that’s really bad! So, 5:00 is late enough to stay at school. It’s here in writing, and my school friends who read this can hold me accountable. That also means that I am going to take time to do the things that I love that aren’t school related…cooking classes, reading for me, and cultivating my garden this spring.

As much as I LOVE my first graders, I realize that I miss working with older students. These last three years of teaching first grade have been a gift to me. I learned so much about the reading and writing process and I have been able to focus on and define what I believe as a teacher. I believe I’ve become a better teacher because of this experience. However, my passion is working with struggling adolescent readers and writers, and I feel the time has come to begin working with those students again. So, another goal will be to take a class to put me in a position that I can move up in grade levels if the opportunity arises. I also want to read more YA literature so that I am knowledgeable about what kids are reading. You can look for reviews of these books in my blog. (I will still be reading and reviewing books for my young learners! I can’t give that up.)

I also want to publish some writing. Don’t most teachers have that dream? I have been sitting on a couple of articles for Choice Literacy, that I’ve been reluctant to send in. I’m not sure why either. Brenda Power has been more than generous with her advice on revisions I need to make. I think I’m realizing more and more how our students feel as they get a piece ready for publication. Will it be good enough? Will anyone want to read it? It’s all a little intimidating. So, my goal is to get the articles sent in by the middle of this month. I’m writing it here to make myself accountable.

Technology fits into my goals too. I received a grant from the Columbus Area Writing Project to buy a couple of iPod touches. I want to explore digital publishing with my first graders as well as my 4th and 5th grade writing club. I am rereading Teaching the New Writing: Technology, Change, and Assessment in the 21st Century Classroom to facilitate my learning. My first project will be to use Voice Threads to publish my first graders’ “I Am” poems. I also want to make some improvements to my blog. (Good thing I’m leaving school at 5:00. There’s a lot on my list!)

My final goal is to continue to surround myself with smart people who stretch my thinking, help me grow as a learner, and keep me grounded. I wish each and every one of you a prosperous 2010 that gives you many opportunities to grow and reflect. Happy New Year!

Someone for whom I have a lot of respect once said that good teaching is messy.  Today was a perfect example!  We are in the middle of our nonfiction study.  Our classroom literally buzzes with excitement over all the newfound knowledge.  I believe a huge part of that is the fact that the kids get to ask the questions.  I am not asking them to answer my questions.  They each have “I Wonder” envelopes for their questions and a Discovery Journal where they can write about their learning.  So, the questions they are asking are those that are important to them.  I’ve learned more than I ever thought I could about snakes, snow monkeys, different set ups for the table of contents, and thunderstorms to name a few.

We’ve learned about most of the different nonfiction conventions and how they help us as readers.  Wouldn’t you know that as soon as I told the kids that it’s really hard to find cutaways and comparisons, they began finding them left and right!  They even found several examples for the teacher next door who was having a hard time finding them for her own classroom.  I’m sure you can imagine how important my kids  felt as they took a stack of books with pink and purple sticky notes peeking out over to her class.

So far, our genre study has been pretty predictable.  For the last week and a half,  I have shown an example of a nonfiction convention each day, we talked about how it helped us as readers and we completed our chart.  Then the kids had time to look through our books, ask questions, and find examples of the nonfiction conventions.  The kids  are internalizing their learning and a few have even started writing their own informational books on their own.  At the end of last week, I started modeling how we look for answers to our questions and how we can record our new learning.  I decided that today was the day to let them try to find answers with a little less support from me.

I grouped a few students together and let others work independently.  It was a little chaotic, but for the most part, the kids were on task.  As I worked with kids and looked at their work, I found several mini-lessons that I need to teach (OK, I found a lot…that was the messy part).

Here are the mini-lessons that will help my young writers:

We can get information from the pictures in the book.  We don’t always have to rely on the text.

We always put our learning into our own words.  We don’t  copy the author’s words.

We want to make sure that the answer we write actually answers the question we asked.

We can find information on the Internet.

Sometimes we have to look in several sources to find our answers.

Sometimes our learning leads to new questions.

At this point, I have to let go of what it says to do “in the books.”  In order to best meet my students’ needs, I will look at my students’ work and see opportunities for growth (as opposed to thinking about what they can’t do).  I can see where they need to go next and it reminds me that sometimes I have to step off my planned path to lead them on the path they need most.

I just read Jim Burke’s blog which made me think (as it usually does).  I remember being asked the very same question (essentially…Do you believe that every child can learn?) when I was doing some curriculum work on our new Literacy Course of Study.  I assumed everyone would unequivocally respond with, “Yes!”  I was wrong.  The K-12 group of teachers had quite a discussion, which shocked me!  There was cynicism, especially from secondary teachers who deal with apathetic students who don’t want to be in class.  There were many comments about students who don’t take responsibility for their learning, students who are more concerned with their social lives than what was happening at school, etc.  I must admit, I have rarely had students who did not want to be at school, so it was hard to relate.  Is that part of teaching in an elementary school?  Or does it have more to do with the attitude of the teacher who is standing in front of the classroom?  Maybe it’s a little of both.

I find it hard to believe that all of the blame lies with the students.  I believe with all my heart that we teachers have the huge responsibility to believe in our students and their ability to learn anything we teach them.  Of course, that means we are being reflective in our practice, differentiating our instruction in order to meet students’ needs, staying up to date in our own learning and providing the opportunities our students need in order to be successful. I think this mindset is imperative and I think that I am a better teacher because I hold this basic tenet to be true.

I choose to believe in myself and my students.  I choose to surround myself with other teachers who also believe that given the right opportunities, all students can learn.  I choose to believe in my kids!   Which do you choose?

Alas, I have turned into my mother.

We are studying past and present in first grade and the pilgrim lady came to visit last Friday to talk about life in colonial days.  I had the GREAT idea to make applebutter and johnny cakes with my class on Monday and Tuesday before we left for Thanksgiving.  I love to cook with my kids and I have a great room mother who loves to cook too!  So between the two of us, we are having a ball creating memories for my kiddos.

Flashback to Monday…the applebutter making went along without a hitch.  We used the super duper apple peeler/corer that makes spirals out of apples and produces a long string of apple peel.  Lots of oohhs and aahhs filled the room.  We observed what the apples, sugar, and spices looked like brimming to the top of the slow cooker.  I hinted that it might look different on Tuesday, so we needed to make careful observations.  (See, I even wove science into this project!).  I went home thinking about the next day…Johnny Cakes were going to be a bit more challenging.  I was looking forward to meeting friends for breakfast at 7:30 the next day… and then my mind started going!

Tuesday morning at 6:30…I began to think that maybe the kids might not like the Johnny Cakes which are basically corn meal pancakes.  I decided to stop at the store to get bread for the apple butter before I met my friends.  I left the house around 7:05…plenty of time to pick up some bread from Kroger’s bakery and make it to breakfast.

7:36…I rush out of the grocery store and call my friend to tell her I’m going to be late and here is our conversation:

Me:  Hi Kathy, I’m late.  I had to stop at the grocery store before I met you for breakfast.

Kathy:  Let me guess, you stopped to get bread for the apple butter.

Me:  How did you know?

Kathy:  I’ve known you for a long time!

Me:  Well, let me tell you about my grocery store trip…it’s a little like If You Give A Mouse a Muffin. I decided to go the grocery to get bread, just in case the kids didn’t like the Johnny Cakes.  I got to the store, picked up the bread and thought, “That’s a lot of bready things.  Maybe I should get some fruit.”  So I picked up grapes, bananas, apples, and watermelon.  Then I thought, “Hmmm…the fruit might turn brown, I had better get some orange juice to pour over the fruit”  So, off I went to the juice aisle and got a small container of juice.  Then I thought, “The kids might not like apple butter.  I should get some butter for them.”  Turn the cart around and go back to the dairy.  Oh yeah, I think they might like apple cider.  Turn the cart around again to get cider and paper cups.

And that was my trip.  I made it to breakfast late.  My friends and I had a good laugh and I realized that I really had turned into my mother!  I remember trudging alongside her and rolling my eyes many times as I went along to help with grocery shopping.

Cooking Johnny Cakes and making fruit salad ended up being a huge success.  Imagine the kids’ surprise when they realized that apple butter doesn’t really have butter in it.  AND it looked really different on Tuesday morning after it had cooked all night in the slow cooker.   The principal stopped in to have a taste and told the kids that she had never had apple butter before.  She liked it too!  Thank heavens for Mrs. Hughes who was manning the griddle while I was supervising chopping up of fruit.  Most of the kids liked both the apple butter and Johnny Cakes (and the bread was a hit too).  It was a great day.

The added bonus…it was S’s birthday, so we got to have cupcakes on top of everything else we ate that afternoon.  (Yes, another detail I forgot).  There were a few tummy aches by 3:00. 

Now I’m off to do the cooking for our own Thanksgiving.  It’s one of my favorite days because I get to spend the day doing something I love to do!  Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

I read Rhyming Dust Bunnies by one of  my favorite authors for first graders, Jan Thomas.  When I read it the first time, many of my kids didn’t know what a dust bunny was.  (I guess their moms keep their houses cleaner than I do!).  They thought they hopped around.  So, I told them that I would find some dust bunnies and bring them to school.  It was one of those things I kept putting off, mainly because I was thinking that maybe it was kind of gross to bring dirt that’s been lying around the house into school.  Well, M. asked me every day if I had brought in any dust bunnies until I finally did yesterday.  You would have thought that I had brought in  a bag full of new toys, they were so excited to see a “real dust bunny.”  I will say that it helped them understand the story better.  They were able to infer why a mystery person would walk around with a broom (they didn’t understand that in the first reading) and many were able to share stories about the dust bunnies at their house (see…authentic connections!).  I was also able to get a good feel for who can rhyme and who needs more support.  The best part came at the end of the story.  Several of the kids shouted out, “Mrs. Johnson, E. has a dust bunny in his pocket!”  Sure enough, he had found it in the corner of our room and had stuffed it in his pocket.  The kids clammored around him to see it and were very envious that he had found it.  I had to laugh when he told me that he was going to take it home to show his mom.  Think she’ll wonder what I’m teaching? 

I know it seems a little gross to bring dust bunnies to school, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do to help students make concrete connections.  I will say that I redeemed myself later in the day when I shared fresh peaches with the kids so they could see what a peach pit was.  It was the first time many of them had ever had a fresh peach.  I guess that’s one of the things I love about first graders.  They are so curious and open to new learning.  It helps me keep my eyes open to find the things I need to make learning more meaningful for them.

I’m sure you can guess why I haven’t posted in a week.  The new year is upon us and my classroom has become my second home.  I was talking to a colleague from the Columbus Area Writing Project last night about the grant I’m writing and was lamenting about the fact that I had been at school for 8 hours on a Saturday (and many hours before that) because I can never just do the same thing I’ve done in the past.  I am always rethinking, changing, revising, and adding to my teaching repertoire.  He had just the words I needed at that point.  He read a quote to me that he put in his dissertation.  Sonia Nieto said, “Excellent teachers don’t develop full-blown at graduation; nor are they just “born teachers” Instead, teachers are always in the process of “becoming.” They continually discover who they are and what they stand for, through their dialogue with peers, through ongoing and consistent study, and through deep reflection about their craft.”

As I listened to him read these words, I took a deep breath, and realized that all the reflecting I do and the changes I make are worth all the extra time.  Not only do my students benefit, but so do I.  I am always learning something new from my students and my colleagues.  These experiences have helped me grow into the teacher I am today.  I am  fortunate to work with excellent,  dedicated teachers on my team.  We are able to have conversations about what is working and what needs tweaked in our classrooms, and we learn together.  I don’t know what I’d do without them.

One of our team members is starting her first year of teaching.  I have another good friend who is also beginning her journey in the classroom.  Both of them are enthusiastic and full of wonderful ideas.  They will bring so much to their young learners.  As I reflect on the quote, I hope that both of them will realize that outstanding teachers are always evolving.  It is also my hope that they encounter many teachers who are “in the process of becoming.” 

So, thanks to my friend, Kevin, for his words of wisdom.  I think I’ll hang them near my desk where I can be reminded of them daily.  Good luck to everyone going back to school.  I hope your year is filled with discovery, reflection, and wonderment!