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Let's Talk About Assessment and Grading

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  What does an A really mean to a student?  Does a C tell us anything about what they have and have not learned about a particular topic?  Is putting 65% D on top of a student’s paper going to tell them that they learned part of what they needed to, or is it just going to make them feel like they haven’t learned enough?  Sometimes, the way we grade and inform students of their learning is not actually helping them develop a learner’s mindset.  Today, I wanted to focus on a different way of grading that I found useful in my elementary classroom, and I hope you’ll find it useful as well. Every student is different, and every student learns at a different pace.  They also have different abilities to take what they do know about a topic and transfer that knowledge to a new topic.  That is why my assessment of a student’s knowledge of a topic was never saved until the end of a unit.  When we got about a week to a week and a half out from when we would normally take a unit assessment, I woul
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Starting the Year Virtually

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Adding to the list of crazy things that happened in the year 2020, you may have received word that your school will be starting virtually this year.  This may have left you feeling nervous and wondering how you will possibly be able to get to know your students and build a sense of community over a computer screen.  I've compiled a list of ideas you might find helpful as you get ready to digitally start the school year. Me Bags One activity that I typically do with my class in person that easily translates to the online world is a "Me Bag" activity.  When we do this activity in class I start by handing out a white lunch sack and a directions sheet during supply drop-off.  This typically takes place the day before school starts.  Then, on the first day of school, students bring in their bag that has been decorated and filled with items that help describe who they are.   This activity can easily be changed into an online activity.  Before school starts, fold up a lunch sack
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Ditching My Classroom Theme

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It's summer, which means you're probably thinking about the upcoming school year.  I mean, let's face it, a lot of teachers don't actually take the summer "off."  We're attending trainings, participating in conferences, learning new curriculum, and getting ideas for our classrooms.  Part of those ideas tend to center around a classroom "theme" for the year. Look on any teacher Facebook group, scroll Pinterest, or browse an educational resource catalog and chances are you will see tons  of ideas for classroom themes.  Teachers decking out their classrooms in farmhouse decor, transforming their doors into Platform 9 3/4, and covering their entire back wall with a beach scene are not unusual to see (I'm guilty of 2 out of 3 of those!).  I know how fun and exciting it can be to get swept up in a new theme, but I'm here today asking you to just consider  not having a classroom theme this year. I know, I can hear your gasps of horror from h
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Dear Students, I Hope You Remember More About this Year than How it Ended

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Dear Students, Well, it's official.  We will not be going back to school this year.  We will finish out the year only seeing each other through a computer screen.  And with that announcement, my heart is shattered.  We should have another month together, the best month of the year.  Now, without warning or getting to say a real goodbye, we had to end our year together early.  Sure, we'll be "distance learning" during this time, but we all know that isn't the same as coming into school every day. I hope that when you look back on our year together, you don't dwell on how it ended.  I hope that, years from now, when you talk about school, you highlight all of the amazing things our year brought, instead of how a virus cheated us out of the final quarter of the year. I hope that you remember and talk about how our class became a family over the first three quarters of the year.  I hope you talk about feeling safe in our classroom.  I hope your heart feels h
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Finding Funding for Your Donors Choose Project

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Raise your hand if you've ever tried to get a Donors Choose project funded.  Now, raise your hand if you've ever wanted to start a project on Donors Choose, but felt awkward about asking your family and friends for money.  Ok, since I can't see your hands, I'll assume that if you're continuing reading, one of these applies to you. I have been able to get 5 projects fully funded on Donors Choose, and the majority of the money has not come from my family, friends, or my own pocket.  So, how did I secure funding for my projects?  Here are some tips that could help you fund your first, or next, project. Best emails ever! Always Keep a Project Posted My biggest tip for you is to simply post a project and keep it posted.  You don't need to then send it out to anybody or post it to social media, but it is important that it is live on the site.  Why?  Every so often, companies or other donors will come along and fund projects on the site.  My very first pr
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Outer Space Day

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Have you ever wanted to take your students on an amazing adventure?  Wouldn't it be great if you could do so without even leaving the classroom?  Room transformations offer the ability to create an amazing, immersive experience for your students all within the comfort of your own classroom. One of my favorite room transformations and themed days that I have done this year was an outer space day.  If you ask any of my students, they'll tell you that I always wanted to be an astronaut, but I was an inch too short.  So, when trying to decide on my next room transformation, I was easily sold on the outer space idea. Welcome to outer space! Planning for the Day The first thing you need to do for any successful room transformation is to make a plan.  Once I knew that I wanted to do a space themed transformation, I needed to figure out my supplies.  What could I use to easily change my room into something out of this world?  I started by thinking about what comes to mind wh
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Why I'm Never Going Back to Traditional Seating

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As is the trend in education today, I have a flexible seating classroom. Some people have 100% bought in to the idea of flexible seating, some people are still on the fence, and some people are adamantly against the idea.  I recognize that my experience is not universal, but I wanted to share my thoughts on why I decided on a flexible seating classroom and why I have decided I could never go back to a traditional classroom. My flexible seating classroom at the start of the school year. Student Independence One of the big reasons I love flexible seating is the increase in student independence in my classroom.  Students are able to choose, within reason, where they learn best.  If they want to sit near a friend and are still able to get their work done, they have that option.  If they want to read sprawled out on the floor, more power to them.  By giving students a choice in where and how they sit, stand, kneel, or lay, I have seen an increase in students taking responsibility
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