Fairy Godfathers and Fairy Godmothers

Through the years I have been so fortunate to have had the opportunity to develop meaningful relationships with the parents and grandparents of my students.  They have supported my class in uncountable ways; I have received donations of time, money, and materials.  This year, a Fairy Godfather (who wished to remain anonymous) donated Valentine's Day goodies to add to the Valentine's Day cards that my students exchanged. I took some pictures of my students during our Valentine's Day celebration.  As I look at their pictures, it is impossible to not recognize how much they are enjoying themselves!

Thank you to the the mom who came in on a Friday morning and decorated Valentine's Day bags with each student.  You can seem them in the background of the picture below. 

Thank you, also, to the parent who came in to help during the celebration.  You were a great help!

Science Information Books about Solids, Liquids, and Gases

Our district's first grade scope and sequence in writing offers an opportunity to teach a small unit of writing in February.  This February unit is sandwiched after the informational unit we are just completing and before the persuasive writing unit which will begin in March. 

We are going to create science information books about Solids, Liquids and Gases.  The books will be challenging to create because they will include the six steps in the scientific method:
1.  Research Question
2.  Hypothesis
3.  Materials
4.  Procedure
5.  Observations, Data, Results
6.  Conclusion

Throughout this month, students will cycle through repeated states of matter experiments. For example, we may boil water and observe it change into a gas, or we may melt snow and observe it turn into a liquid.  In the first week, they will write to learn about the world, experiment to answer questions, and use what they know about information writing to teach others.  The following week, they will collaborate with peers and record their experiments.  Finally, they will put all of their learning together and publish information books.  If this sounds challenging, just know that it is!

Matter and Mass in Science

We are learning about matter in science.  Today we completed a science lab in which we determined the mass of four different objects: a plastic spoon, tape measure, penny, and eraser.  We used pan balances to figure out the mass of each object, and then we put the objects in order from highest to lowest mass.  First graders worked in pairs and recorded their results in a lab report.

We learned that the tape measure had the highest mass, followed by the eraser, plastic spoon, and penny. 

The Boardroom

This morning I received my first issue of The Boardroom, which is the monthly electronic newsletter published by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.  According to the congratulatory letter that I received from the CEO of the National Board when I certified,  an automatic subscription would be available in my in-box after I became Board certified.

 

I read the issue cover to cover but was particularly interested in several sections. There was a piece that reported the results of the first ever National Board Certified Teachers (NBCT) census.  I participated in the census (it felt like 1000 questions!) the week after I became certified and the results are now being published. I am pretty humbled by the company I keep. Here are some of the results:

A second section that I know I am going to enjoy is "What we're reading." This month's recommendation is Professional Capital by Andy Hargreaves and Michael Fullan.  I have read some of Michael Fullan's books for a graduate class I had taken on school leadership so I am familiar with his work.  Professional Capital makes a case for investing in the the capability of teacher leaders such as NBCTs to advance the entire teaching profession.   I received a generous gift certificate to a book store from one of my students for Christmas, and this will be the book I buy!

Leisurely reading the issue was a great way to spend Saturday morning, and I'm looking forward to January's edition in my mailbox!

Holiday Celebration and Author's Tea

Every year just before the holidays I invite families in to our classroom for a Holiday Celebration and Author's Tea.  My students have been writing informational books.  The Tea provides a very specific audience for their writing which causes them to become motivated to write.  Families send in snacks and drinks, the children share their books, and parents provide feedback.  These are pictures of the children practicing reading their books before the tea.  You will notice how they have learned to become excellent listeners and speakers.

Here are some of the pictures from the actual Author's Tea and Celebration:

Parents then provided feedback to their children with this "Two Stars and a Wish" form.  Parents were able to write two great things their child had done in their writing.  Then they wrote a wish - something that their child could work on in their writing.  

Thank you to everyone for your support in making this event happen for your children!

National Board Certification

 Earlier today the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) released their scores for 2013/2014 candidates.  Similar to the National Boards that doctors and lawyers voluntarily take, the NBPTS has set teaching standards.  The standards define the specific knowledge and expertise that National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) in different subject areas and developmental levels use to frame their practice. To be board certified, teachers provide evidence of their ability to meet or exceed these standards via both a digital portfolio and constructed responses on a computerized test. Only 3% of all teachers in the country are Nationally Board certified. 

National Board Standards define the specific knowledge and expertise that teachers in different subject areas and developmental levels use to frame their practice. - See more at: http://www.nbpts.org/national-board-standards#sthash.LrtZ9GjC.dpuf

National Board Standards define the specific knowledge and expertise that teachers in different subject areas and developmental levels use to frame their practice. - See more at: http://www.nbpts.org/national-board-standards#sthash.LrtZ9GjC.dpuf

The NBPTS sent emails to all candidates informing us that scores would be released by 12:00 noon CST on November 15.  I woke up this morning at 3:23 a.m. and decided to check if the scores were released.  When I opened my computerized profile the words, "Congratulations!  You are a National Board Certified Teacher!" appeared.  Next, I had to enter the name I wanted to appear on my certificate, and then give releases to the media, and finally I was able to access my actual scores.

Scores are on a 0-4.25 scale for each of the ten submissions.  The digital portfolio entries are weighted higher than the constructed responses.  The certificate area that I chose was Literacy: Reading-Language Arts Early through Middle Childhood.  The certificate covered the ages of three through twelve.  My biggest challenge in achieving National Board Certification was proving that I could teach children between the ages of eight and twelve since I have never worked in a school with a grade level higher than second grade, and my undergraduate degree is in early childhood education.  Therefore, I have no practical or theoretical experience with the ages of eight through twelve (except for personal experience with my own three children).  
 
For me, the process of becoming a National Board Certified Teacher required about 400 to 600 extra hours beyond teaching in one school year and costs $2500.  Those hours are high; however, I passed on my first attempt so the long hours were worth it to me. In Maine, teachers are fortunate because the State annually reimburses the first 20 NBCT candidates who apply for funding.  I was fortunate to receive one of those grants.  In addition, the state of Maine provides a stipend of  $3000 per year for the life of the ten year certification. This stipend is also calculated into a teacher's retirement benefits if he or she is still certified at the time of retirement. 

I decided to become a National Board Certified Teacher for a lot of reasons but mostly because there is significant research that provides evidence that students who are taught by NBCTs obtain higher levels of achievement.  National Board certified teachers are recognized as meeting the nation's highest standards. Although there are many reasons to become a teacher, the primary reason that I became a teacher is to actually teach young children the academics that they need to be successful. The NBPTS is all about proving how the decisions teachers make positively impact student achievement, so becoming a National Board Certified Teacher was a perfect philosophical match for me.

 

Thank you to the families of my students for your congratulatory cards, emails, and best wishes!

Technology in the Classroom

Every Wednesday morning from 9:40 until 10:25 I instruct my students using the computers in the computer lab at my school.  My overarching goal for my students is for them to feel comfortable and competent when using a computer.  To achieve this goal, I am teaching them several different computer programs including Raz Kids, Microsoft Word, and eventually Kidspiration.

For the past several weeks we have been exploring Microsoft Word.  They have learned to

• type upper and lower case letters
• use the space bar
• make their letters larger or smaller
• click on the blue self correct word to replace their invented spelling with the actual spelling of a word
• use the back space key

For this lesson, they learned how to find an illustration that matched their writing using Google Images.  They had to describe the picture they were looking for and I typed their key words in the search bar.  They then chose the illustration that best matched their writing and I moved it to their page.

This was a meaningful lesson because it helped answer the guiding question, "How do animals prepare for winter?"  I duplicated their pages and created a class book to provide repeated practice of reading their own writing.  The class book is readily available in our classroom library.  Students also have another copy of their work in their personal reading binders.

Here are some samples of their work: