Virtual Book Clubs

I guess weeks ago I mentioned that I would share how we tackled virtual Book Clubs this year, and I haven’t done that yet. Sorry about that. 

In a normal year the kids have a choice between certain books they want to read as part of a book club. It’s one of our units. Well, it’s not any book, but they have a choice between the options that I present. This usually takes place at the beginning of third trimester, when we are knee deep in the American Revolution.  Usually I give them the choice between Chains or Sophia's War. Different perspectives about the revolution. They usually sign up on an interest list, then I split the list into the specific groups with 4-5 kids per group.  I inherited a class set of both books when I moved to 5th, so I do have plenty for each kid to read their own book.

We have specific purposes for each meeting. Starting with making norms, timeline to read the book, having specific tasks each time. They have to read the group assigned pages either at home, or during silent reading, they have to be ready to be part of the group discussions.  

This year with distance learning they didn’t have the novels at home, so we used our anthology. They only had one to two weeks to tackle the entire process. We went through the process a few different times during the unit.  Starting with shorter stories in the anthology and bumping to larger options.

I flipped it from a normal year and first randomly sorted the kids into groups.  Each group had their own channel, and I put the specific daily task into their channel that they had to respond to. I didn’t start meetings every single day, but they did have to respond each day. 

When I did start the meetings, it was just like a normal year. All the reading was done on their own time, they had to show teamwork. They had to complete the tasks.

The choice came in as they were able to choose which story from the anthology they wanted to read. I did give them 3 options each time.  The groups had to vote on the story they wanted to read for that week. The groups then came up with a reading plan. 

Each meeting had to include:

Character Traits and Growth

Setting description 

Action and Plot 

Theme 

Then they would have other discussions as well. Each kid has to say something.  Even if they don't want to.  There is accountability.  No one wants to let their group down.  The kids always love having Book Clubs, and it's a huge thing for me as it's finally time for me to hand off the reading process completely to them.  

Usually it goes:

1st trimester - novel studies mainly whole class

2nd trimester - we split it whole class and partner/groups

3rd trimester - book clubs, whole class, and partner projects

It's one of the things I love about these upper elementary kids - their growth as readers, their independence, and the discussions they are capable of having.  I love being able to sit on the sidelines and listen to their discussions.  My mom always said Readers are Leaders... and I love being a small part of their learning story.

Hope this helps!

DARE Program

In 5th grade we have a DARE program that we use. Our officer usually comes into our classroom once a week (for 10 weeks) for about an hour and tackles 10 lessons. The lessons cover everything from stress to confident speaking to staying healthy. This year he joined our TEAMs meetings to deliver the lessons. Kids had to be responsible to fill in their workbooks at home. 

It’s a big deal.

In a normal year we have a lot of community building and community service activities that we complete. Walking field trip to the park to clean it up, a bus field trip trip to a local nursing home, and then a lot of food and clothing donations. Kids earn community service points. 

All students must participate in a DARE Idol competition. They work together in small groups to take a song, and change the lyrics to make it DARE related. To show off some things that they learned.

When we tackled it this year we were still in full distance mode. We had already tackled Book Clubs in special channels, so I had the kids do the same thing. We picked groups, then daily I started meetings for them in these channels for them to work on their song. 

We were given a date to have all groups share their songs with the class and with our DARE officer. The kids met with me the week before and I used Screencast -o-Matic to record them. I simply put the record screen over the TEAMs meeting screen (while I was in large gallery with my camera off) to be able to get the kids as large as possible. It worked great! 

Even in this crazy year, the kids still completed the other requirements. Our officer still had them fill in their workbook lessons, complete their DARE essay, and tackle their DARE homework. The kids had to turn in their workbook and essay to the office for him to pick up and read. They had to have a passing grade on the homework and complete the requirements to be eligible to graduate. The simple thing of turning in a completed workbook to the office really showed their amount of dedication. 

In a normal year our graduation is a big celebration. It’s usually in the packed gym with parents, grandparents, and extended family there. Kids are presented with their awards, there are speeches and presentations, kids sing the DARE song. Parents tear up. 

This year was a lot simpler, more low key, but definitely more personal. We had a drive thru graduation. Kids wore their DARE shirts. Parents drove through our front driveway, we had balloons tied on chairs. Kids were announced over a loud speaker boom box as they drove up. They were handed their certificate by our officer and police chief. Some got out of cars to pose for pictures with them. Teachers waved. It was nice. It was nice that something was simple this year. 

Do your DARE too? 

Math Review - Shout Out

Backtracking a bit today... Wanted to share a few math review activities that my kids enjoyed as we were reviewing full class.  Now in a normal year we do a lot of playing with task cards and Jenga year round, and then they create their Math Board games for the major end of school review... but this year it was just hard... for a lot of reasons... I was searching for that classroom magic. I started searching through my purchases on TPT and found these math mysteries.  I had picked them up last year before the world shut down...  

These Math Mysteries by Mrs. J's Resource Creations definitely helped and are awesome! For a couple of weeks we did them together on our full distance days (Wednesdays). I would take screenshots of the pages to drag into our TEAM meeting conversations. The kids click on the images and it went larger so the kids could see, and then we would work together to find the codes. I tried doing them in breakout groups so the kids could work in small groups, like I would have had them do in the classroom.  But they needed the accountability that came with whole group.  We did them together.  The kids were so engaged. 

So a little different than what was expected. 

We did the Case of the Bee Bandits. It reviewed a little of everything which was perfect for one more review of those tricky units.  The kids used copy paper to solve the problems, and we had full class teamwork to figure out the bad guys. Major detective skills!

We also did Case of the Puzzled Pirate. Another winner! It reviewed Place Value.  Next year I think I'm going to add this to my Pirate Day.

I picked up some other Math Mysteries so I’m ready for next year. She has a lot to choose from.  I focused on the areas that I know kids usually have a hard time with, a little extra review is never wasted. I now have her Case of the Disappearing Donuts (Decimals) and the Case of the Divided Dragons (Division). 

What other awesome resources do you use to review at the end of the year?

Hope this helps! 

Virtual Field Trips

This year I used my email drafts to store important links for easy access.  Everything was just a click away.  One thing, maybe the best thing, I learned this year was this link for virtual FREE field trips.  

Here's the link: Virtual Field Trips by Wide Open Schools

A lot of them tied into things that my class was already going to learn about... and then others that I used in the countdown to summer, when I added onto my own "theme" days. Here are the ones we watched and how it connected.  

(The images below are screenshots from their webpage, look for these images over there.)

Lego - this was one that I had the kids watch during an asych. time.  They then had to give me a RACE paragraph to explain the steps of engineering that they observed.  

Pencil - This was one that we watched during the final summer countdown - I screenshared the webpage and the kids chose this.  They got a kick out of listening to the accents, but also learned how pencils were created.  

Tesla - We watched this together in class when we were discussing how machines are built to make things easier.  It tied into our science unit.

White House - We watched this in our summer countdown on our White House Day, and this one as well to go inside.  Then we created our USA Paper Pillows, and also used the Art Hub for Kids link to draw the White House.  

Mount Rushmore - we watched on our Presidents Day countdown to summer. We had gone over the musical that I normally do with the kids, and watched this as well.  When we were done with the field trip, I let them spend some fake money in the real online gift shop. They had to review adding and subtracting decimals, and then share what they decided to buy. We ended our time with having them drawing Mount Rushmore. 

Animal Shelter - We live about an hour away from Sacramento, so in our countdown to summer, the kids asked to watch this one about the animal shelter.  

National Parks - Back in March I had to take a day off of school.  We were in the midst of our earth sphere's unit, and this tied in perfectly.  It was an easy thing for my sub to do with the class, love how it was guided.  

Chocolate Chip Cookies - the kids asked to watch this in our last week countdown to summer.  It was really interesting!

Space - we watched these during our Space unit. It tied in perfectly.  

Toilet Paper factory - We watched this because they are 5th graders... :)  

The link above has a ton more, sorted by grade spans.  These were all from the 3-5th grade level. 

Hope this helps, 

Virtual Mother's Day - 3 Free Ideas

Mother's Day is right around the corner! It's next Sunday, the day after my birthday.  I get the whole weekend to celebrate.  I'm just a tad excited.  :) It's probably because I'm a mom that I always like to make sure to do something for the parents in my class.  Or at least give the opportunity if kids want to create something.  

Last year when we were totally virtual and using Zoom, my class brainstormed ideas of things they could do around the house to help out.  They shared full class, gave us all ideas, and then they made a card or wrote a letter to their parents to say thank you.  I didn't have the option to secretly upload files into a virtual classroom for them to download.

This week while in class the kids are completing their math state tests.  That means that anything other than testing has to happen at home during their asynchronous times.  I wanted to share some resources that I've used in past years. This year I uploaded these files into our TEAMS account for kids to download if they need ideas for Mother's Day. They can print if they want, or just use them as inspiration. It's optional, but I do give them a spiel about how parents love to be loved.  Even by their 5th graders... or by their high schoolers... :) 

The Perfect Para has created this free Mother's Day resource.  It gives idea for kids to do with their mom and for their moms.  It's a challenge, and kids love challenges.  

Sarah Tighe has this Mother's Day freebie poem as well.  I always give the class a spiel about how as a mom I love this kind of stuff that shows what my kids are thinking.  Her sentence starters are absolutely great!

Amy Carver has this free Mother's Day Questionnaire. Questionnaires are just fun, yet they do bring tears to my eyes.  

I hope this helps. Hopefully next year we can go back to some art projects as well.  What are you doing for Mother's Day?

Week 1 Hybrid Concurrent - What I’ve Learned

I’ve learned that I’m easily exhausted.

I’ve learned that I feel safe in the classroom with the kids. 

I’ve learned that we are easily adaptable. 

I've learned that it's easy to put your guard down.

I’ve learned that the routines we’ve made all year with using TEAMs have transferred to this new way. We are still doing breakout groups, the online kids log into our meeting for breakout groups. They wear their headphones to hear the classmates and then whisper into their microphones. They log into TEAMs to do online paperwork. 

I’ve learned that it gets hot teaching in a mask. My mini fan is coming in handy. I’ve learned that straw water bottles are the best thing since sliced bread. It’s wonderful to drink without taking off my mask. I've learned that the blue paper masks make my nose itch, but I really like the yellow ones.

I’ve learned there is so much joy that has come back with having kids in the classroom. Even with the reminders to give space. 

I’ve learned that the quiet kids online are not necessarily quiet in the classroom. That they have come out of their shell and it’s so neat to see their personalities. I’ve learned I made some assumptions that aren’t true. I’ve also learned that some assumptions are true... 

I’ve learned that the relationships we’ve built all year are so important right now. The kids coming to school feel safe and are happy. The distance learning kids know they can count on me. I’ve learned to ask feedback questions in their group channels, and remembered to send out individual notes in their private channels. It makes my heart happy to see their responses. We’ve made their days. 

I’m learning how to give the in class vs at home different tasks to accomplish the same purpose. In class have become my worker bees- the leaders in breakout groups to record answers, make posters, and my volunteers in front of the webcam. Its really nice to not have to direct teach every moment of the morning. 

I’ve learned the technology this week so that we can hear and see all the kids at the same time. I’ve learned the beauty of the webcam microphone that allows at home to hear all the kids in the classroom. I’m not stuck in front of my computer all morning. I’ve learned to check the volume on the projector when the webcam is on. I won’t soon forget that horrible sound... :)

I’ve learned to slow down and take a break when needed. The at home kids didn’t mind at all when we needed to go outside for a few moments to take a water and mask break. It’s a really long morning until recess. Along with that I’ve learned the importance of still having fun. Playing games, even if it’s only a few minutes of the day. 

I’ve learned that we go through a lot of hand sanitizer each day, and that a paper cut then has the constant reminder.  :/ I’ve learned to use my front table to put out materials that the kids can easily pick up, so I don't need to spend time going desk to desk. I've learned to plan way in advance. What day do I need to share or pass out this paper? What day do I need to put this on the whiteboard? What day do I need to do this? I already knew I need notes and checklists, but this week I learned how much I really need the reminders.  

Yeah, I’ve learned a lot this week. Which is probably why I’m exhausted, yet happy. Every day is getting a little easier. I hope you had a great week too! 

Is it Spring Break Yet? Egg-citing Fun for Next Week

This year vacations have been much appreciated.  A chance to put down that extra load of crazy and just relax.  But we still have a week to go until blessed Spring Break.

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love my kiddos.  They make my day, every single day.  I feel like I need that disclaimer in this post.

Next week I'm making it a review week, and a week to have some fun.  I need fun.  They need fun. I'm taking a week off of major grading and giving them Kindness Homework instead.  It's a win - win. Especially since it's also progress report time... Kindness to their families, kindness to friends, and our classmates.  We will brainstorm things each day they can do.  

I am going to tackle an egg hunt for in person next week.  Not a huge deal since they will each grab only one egg outside on the grass near our line. Inside each egg is a review ELA task card.  Just printed it a little small and tucked it inside the eggs.

During class, they will take turns opening up their one egg, going up to the webcam, and presenting it to the kids at home.  Then I'll jump on my camera to give instructions as to how to review with each question.  In class and at home kids will respond over in our group channels so they can show off their work to their classmates.  Group A (Monday's questions) are all about fiction strategies - so we will use our novel to respond to questions about plot, character development, setting, viewpoint, theme, context clues, inferences, etc.., and Group B (Tuesday's questions) are all about non-fiction, so we will use our SS  textbooks as resources to review cause and effect, compare and contrast, problem and solution, etc.  

Keep it simple... but also have fun.

Now Thursday I want to have a fun day... well, mainly fun.  

As for a craft - I LOVE this Bunny Craft from Teach Starter.  The kids use Zentangle designs to personalize it.  We haven't done much art this year since the kids haven't had access to many printers or coming to school for pick up, but now that 2/3 of them are able to get it from their desk to bring home... well we are tackling it. 

It's super easy to just print and go.  I need easy.  You can also google Teach Starter Funky Easter Bunny Craft and a lot of designs pop up to give ideas to the kids.  Usually I have them do their own thing, and then if they get super stuck they can take a peek.  

I'm also focusing on ways that the kids can GLOW this week.  I always give out an egg to the kids, have for years, and this year decided to choose Glow in the Dark eggs as the treat.

I found Glow Eggs over on Amazon.  They just need to be put in strong light for 3-5 minutes and then they will glow for up to an hour. Focusing on showing kindness to others, preserving when things get hard (aka review), and their own unique characteristics.  

Here's what I wrote on my note...

Hope you had a great day!  

Stickers Anyone?

I was the kid in elementary school with the sticker collection.  I loved stickers. I thought I outgrew it, then as a teacher my love of stickers came back full speed.  Then as a parent I have seen how my boys love those crazy water bottle ones... Today, I wanted to share the different sets that I've picked up this year for my classroom. But first, the why.

Because it's motivation to do something hard.

Because it's motivation to keep persevering and participating.

Because it's a reward for accomplishing a goal that costs barely anything.

Because they are fun and I am still teaching kids.  :)

Okay - the different sets I've picked up.  As always, if you order any of these, make sure to look through to make sure nothing inappropriate found their way into the pouches.  And as a disclaimer - I love these, my kids love these, but I'm not getting paid to share about them.  

Football Stickers

Anime Stickers

Emoji Stickers

Disney Stickers

Animal Stickers

Among Us

Roblox Stickers

and I also have picked up Food, Ocean, and Animal Crossing ones, but somehow those links don't look the same anymore...

Now why so many? Well in the fall my students started having their Class Dojo points add up.  It was one thing to make a big deal and award TEAM praises, but it's another thing to have a visual reference to motivate themselves to keep participating... and encourage others to do the same.  So I told the kids my idea, and asked them for ideas for themes of stickers to look for.  They came up with a ton of ideas, and I did my best to stick to my budget and grab some.  

For every 25 Class Dojo points (which it's possible for them to get 1-2 per day), my students get to choose a sticker.  Well, they get to choose a theme, and I get to choose a sticker from that specific pack.  So it's a mystery gift that they get to open.  I have put the sticker into a labeled envelope and stick the envelopes into our office class crate.  Now that some kids are back in class, I can stick it on their desk. It's a super small thing, but it's been a huge incentive this year.  I still do TEAM praises, but now there is something physical to remember their accomplishments.  

Hope you had a great day!

Final Push to Hybrid

I think I’m ready for Monday morning.  When I get nervous, or stressed, I tend to overthink things. I've been creating checklists and powerpoint to help me process, and things that I can slide into their group channel with reminders, etc. that I have been able to send home to parents.  

Pack Your Backpack - the items with the ? are optional, but recommended.  I will post this in my Group A and B channels the afternoon before they are to come to school - at least for the first week so they will remember what to bring.  If something different is needed - like the other textbooks, well then I'll add a note about that as well. I printed a copy and it's laminated and posted on our classroom door.  Hopefully they will memorize the list and eventually by just seeing the visual that they will remember things that they forgot for next time.

The Classroom Checklist - I now have this laminated and near my computer at school.  Here's hoping that when I feel scattered that a list will remind me of what to do next.  

I also made a 10 slide packet that went over what to expect with my students this last week, and then sent them home to parents as well.  Our office had sent their information the week before, so last week was more about our own classroom.  

For the kids at home, my big things were wanting them to know that it's going to take some time.  They can't expect me to be able to answer their private channel question right away.  I also want them to know they are important, and that they still have the expectation of paying attention... 

For kids coming on campus - even though it's 2 days a week, that the rules really have changed.  Safety has to be top priority.  

Just our new schedule, in case it's not already drilled in their heads...

I explained the Group Channels once again.  We practiced with them this last week.  I started putting daily reminders and questions in there that the kids had to respond to.  It gave me a chance to see who I needed to remind to check, and who was actually paying attention.  It was also a place where I started group meetings so the kids could chat about things there were adding to recess bags, what their team nickname should be, and any questions they have...

The Daily Schedule started out with me having to visualize what our day would look like.  How I would move from one thing to the next.  That overthinking then seemed to help when kids were asking me what it would be like. This is the plan.  This is a sketch of our day down to the little details.  It's new for all of us, yet it's the same lesson routine we've done for the last 29 weeks of school.  

I also had the list of school supplies in the packet... before I made up the Pack your Backpack.  

The Recess Bag was a last minute addition.  When we are in our specific area outside, the kids are only allowed to remove their masks when they are actively eating or drinking. They have to still give personal space to others, and the recess bag can help to give them a mental break.  The office recommended legos or play dough, and my teammate also had the idea of a yo-yo.  It'll be interesting to see what kids bring.  Whatever they bring to school they will bring home the same day.  

There were a few other slides with maps on where to line up on our "first day", the pathways where to walk on campus, and where our recess spot is located.

Little things that I hope will help us keep organized.  I hope you have a great weekend!