Student engagement #SOLC21

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This year is my first teaching reading groups at middle school.  I have hybrid, in-person and remote groups.  I was concerned about making the switch, but I realized that doing so during such a tumultuous school year actually has worked to my advantage (read:  we are all new to pandemic teaching).

This week my 6th grade groups (some hybrid, some remote, some in-person) explored a pair of texts that focused on the rescue of a dog floating on a piece of ice in the Baltic Sea.  

Earlier in the week, I showed pictures, maps and introduced some vocabulary.  Then I stopped talking and let them read.  It was SO difficult to sit there and stay quiet while they read one of the longest texts I've shared all year.  If there was time, we shared our reactions.  

To get student input, I created a Pear Deck (Google Slide add-on).  Students could highlight text evidence, type inferences, and answer questions.  I launched it for every group and received quite a surprise.

Nearly ALL of my students were engaged.  

Not everyone placed input on the Pear Deck, but everyone participated in some way, sharing their thinking with their voice or in the chat.  I'm still reveling in the amount of participation I've had from my students the past two days.

Are we finally in the groove of routine, expectations and conversation?  Have I built a safe environment for them to try?  Maybe the text was on the easy side and they felt some success?

Maybe I shouldn't overthink and overanalyze. Maybe I should just enjoy the "good tired" I'm feeling from this week, and go into tomorrow with a smile and satisfaction that something actually worked well for many of my students.

Digital Learning Chs. 1 & 2 #cyberpd

Text available from NCTE

Happy collaboration time!  Thank you to Cathy, Laura and Michelle for hosting this summer's edition of #cyberpd.  A place to read a professional book with other like-minded people and have a great conversation!  Grab a copy of Digital Reading: What's Essential in Grades 3-8 by Bill Bass and Franki Sibberson and join the discussion!

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Chapter 1 & 2 

This year I taught a classroom of first graders.  Everyone had a tablet.  The kids loved them.
I was not as excited.

I really thought I needed to hold back the reins on the tablets or my six- and seven-year-old charges would become completely dependent on their devices, needing to use them 24/7.  Yes, I am the same person who encouraged blogging and online reading just a year ago, but this felt different.  Would I be able to model the "right" kind of digital citizenship and using tablets as a tool?  I wasn't feeling confident, so I reluctantly let my students have access to these shiny, speedy digital tools.  I tried my best to provide guidance and anchor charts, yet I worried that my students would end up shunning our extensive library of books.

While reading the first two chapters of Digital Reading, I kept writing down the same word over and over on my sticky notes...

intentional

We (I, I, I) need to be intentional when making decisions about our instruction, our beliefs and our students.  First, we must decide what is digital reading. I love to read blogs and read lots of them.  They are snapshots of real people dealing with real situations, and I enjoy the insight into their thinking and feelings.  I have encouraged my students to write blogs, but I've never intentionally
showed them other blogs (written by kids and adults) that they can read and use as mentor texts.

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Digital Reading Workshop

During my many years of reading instruction, I've encountered many students who are "passive consumers" of text (p.13).  This book reminds me of the importance of teaching students to reach for deeper understandings of all text they encounter, no matter if it's digital or hardcopy.  I appreciate the authors' commitment to creating a digital reading workshop model focused on:

authenticity - ensuring students see reading as an experience that doesn't just occur in the classroom

intentionality- purposeful instruction; students make meaningful choices about text they use

connectedness - help students connect to peers, other readers, authors and the world using digital tools

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As much as I'm guilty of seeing technology as an extra "thing" to manage in the classroom, I have a better understanding of myself as digital reader and communicator, and how I must intentionally guide my students in finding success, no matter what text or format they choose.  I look forward to gaining more confidence and knowledge about digital reading from our book study!

FreeRice Frenzy

Slice of Life Stories hosted

by the Two Writing Teachers

Every week I borrow the laptop cart for my little resource room.  I've tried to inspire my developing readers to dabble in technology.  We've used KidBlog.org, looked up author websites, and spent time using the student interactives on ReadWriteThink.org. (We really love the Stapleless book!)

Last week, the 5th graders were losing steam as they tried to write blog posts.  Student J put it this way, "I can't possibly think about writing.  My teacher worked my brain too hard today."  

Great.  Now what?

Then I remembered FreeRice.com.  Aha!  Vocabulary development in disguise!  (Mwah-haa-haa!)

Student K jumped on the site, and two others looked over her shoulder.  We soon learned that she is a vocabulary whiz.  The other two had trouble reading some words, but when they heard the word, they knew the meaning.

Fast forward to yesterday... the computer cart is in my room.  J is the first one at the door.  "You'll let us on FreeRice, right?"

"Of course," I answered.

The students spent over 30 minutes sharpening their vocabulary skills.  Their goal was 1,000 grains of rice (100 correct answers).  They achieved it!!!  Now, Student A is still randomly clicking on answers before J can help, but J was adamant that A should "slow down, or people will starve!"  (He does crack me up!)

On their way out of class, J asked A for her phone number.  My ears perked up at this request. 

"I'll call you later so we can log in to FreeRice and donate more grains of rice!" stated J.

It's a full-out, FreeRice frenzy!