Developing Young Scientists

Each year, our professional development site, Schultz Center for Teaching and Leadership, conducts a year long pd session in Science, The Academy of Science. We have three Chets' teachers who participate in this learning, and many teachers who support the learning by offering live demonstration lessons that are videoconferenced in to the training.

Second Grade teachers, Ashley Russell and Melissa Ross, invited participants to watch their 5 E model lesson on matter. Melanie Holtsman recorded the video at Chets Creek to make sure it was available on our Setting the Standard Ning for our CCE teachers to view. The lesson was planned using the 5 E model and Day 1 offers the Engage, Explore, and Explain portion. The participants watching virtually applauded the teachers for their lesson, and those watching it on the ning are equally as impressed. When you watch, I'm sure you will agree that these teachers are turing their young students into curious scientists.

2nd Grade Science - Matter 10-09 from Melanie Holtsman on Vimeo.

Science Demonstration Lessons

Last year, teachers filled out a professional development survey, and we discovered that the professional development sessions they found most helpful were related to differentiated technology. Teachers liked having the option to select their session and meet in small groups. So, we knew we had to continue that practice and find a way to offer more.

It didn't take long for visionary dayle timmons to come up with an idea. She thought we could choose a topic and invite teachers on a voluntary basis to participate in a day of lesson observation and debrief. Principal Susan Phillips agreed to secure substitutes and give it a try.

Per our School Improvement Plan and based on data, science is an area of focus for us this school year. So to begin with the differentiated offering, we found it fitting to focus on the 5 E model, and two of our Science Council members agreed to invite observers into their classrooms. Last Wednesday from 10 am to 2 pm, we offered our first session and ten teachers joined us for observation lessons and debriefs.

Rachel Bridges and Heather Correia co-taught a first grade lesson for their colleagues. We observed Day 2 of a 4 day lesson sequence. The four day lesson focus was for students to know that a push or a pull can change the motion of an object and for students to demonstrate using pushes and pulls to change the motion of 4 different objects. In addition, students needed to be able to record the motion of each object in their science journals using the words "push" or "pull."

On Day 2, observation day, Rachel and Heather's colleagues were able to watch the Explore portion of the lesson sequence. Students observed four objects and recorded in their science journal their predictions for how the objects would move. Then, during Work Period, students worked in pairs to explore how their objects moved and record their data in their science journals. To close, students returned to the floor to share their explorations as a whole class. Some students used the words push and pull, as well as fast and slow. Day 3 of the lesson will take the learning into the Explain portion of the 5 E model.

After the lesson, Rachel joined the group in the conference room for a debrief. The group was thoroughly impressed with the classroom learning environment, the young students use of science journals, and the teacher's implementation of the science word wall to aid student learning. They applauded the teachers for introducing journaling and a 5th grade teacher shared her connection with student's journaling in Grade 5. The observers asked questions, shared their ah ha moments, and immediately selected ideas they wanted to implement in their own classroom.

After the group enjoyed lunch together, we headed to Lynn Patterson's Fourth Grade classroom or another lesson. The students were trying to answer the question, How does the movement of the Earth affect the position of the Sun? Observers were able to watch classroom instruction on the first two E's, Engage & Explore. The Engage began with the teacher showing students photographs she had taken of a sunrise and a sunset with captions. They discussed what could be causing a change in the position of the sun and students recorded their hypothesis. Next, they quickly reviewed their materials and a procedure lab sheet before students set off to conduct a lab to explore the guiding question.

Students, in the lab, used models of the Earth and a flashlight to set up the scenario of a sunset and sunrise with the emphasis on the correct tilt and positions of the continents. Students worked in pairs to generate conclusions and record their findings. The lab sheet then provided guiding questions related to geography and required students to study maps in their Social Studies books to answer additional questions. Students gathered for Closing Session afterward and most students concluded that the sun appears to rise in the east and set in the west each day due to the counterclockwise rotation of the Earth on its tilted axis. Students also shared their learning related to the other questions.

After the lesson, the observers debriefed the lesson in the conference room. They all agreed that the students had adequate guidance to get started on the lab, but that the majority of the session required students to be independent learners. The teacher facilitated instruction as she visited pairs around the room, but the students were expected to read and follow the procedures to work their way through the lab. All students were on task and recording their findings. The observers were also impressed with the teacher's purposeful integration of geography, and having the conclusion in cloze form to get the students to think more deeply about their conclusions.

The teachers who participated appreciated the opportunity, raved about their colleagues classrooms, and each had ideas they wanted to implement into their own teaching. As a coach, I took note of those teachers who seemed eager to share and asked for further opportunities, as well as those that remained more timid. I think that one of the most important learning opportunities came when there were ah ha moments from intermediate teachers visiting the primary classroom, and primary teachers in the intermediate classroom were priceless. An element of the day that I hope we continue. I plan on follow up discussion with these teachers individually to find out which new ideas grew for them out of this experience and which ones they've successfully implemented in their own instruction.

Reading the Room

Today is Monday, the start of the fifth week of school, a time when rituals and routines are firmly established, and the steady hum of the school engine can rhythmically be heard. Which makes it a good time for me to just walk the building to observe instruction in classrooms. What are the students doing? What are the teachers doing? What artifacts are in place to map out the learning that is occurring? Many times, I question kids, read their writing, watch them participate in a math lesson, or have them walk me through their Science journals. But today, instead of doing that, I simply wanted to see what I could learn about teaching and learning from the posted artifacts in the classroom. What would I learn in a classroom where the kids and students weren't present?

I went to a departmentalized Grade 2 English Language Arts classroom while the students were at resource and the teacher was out of the room. What I learned is that you can find out a lot about a classroom by simply reading the room.

What I learned, in this particular classroom, is that there is an established Skills Block. Students have been learning high frequency spelling words and the language skills like nouns, verbs, and adjectives. Students have also reviewed punctuation. There is evidence of multiple presentation styles including embedded strategies in songs. In writing, students are working on Personal Narratives. They've learned about the story elements including how to make their seed idea grow, and how to sprinkle details throughout their writing. They've also learned how to write leads that engage the reader. In addition, students have learned editing skills to make their writing stronger. Students' writing samples are proudly displayed in the classroom and on the bulletin board in the hallway. And, they student has work in their writing journals tucked neatly in their desks.

Furthermore, it is very apparent that the teacher has provided an environment to grow an avid reader. There is an ample classroom library which includes a leveled library, genre library, and guided reading library. There are comfy reading nooks for students to relax and enjoy a good book. They've learned the habits of what good readers do, and have learned what a good listener looks like. The teacher has taught them the procedures for listening to a read aloud. Completed read alouds are displayed on a chart. The students are learning to identify the main idea in a passage or in their independent reading book, and are keeping book logs of the books they've read. I also noticed that the teacher has assessed students using the DRA 2, because on one table in the room the teacher has sticky notes with student's names listed on a pile of Guided Reading books. So, I assume her small groups will get started soon. The room is print rich. Vocabulary words, like contagious and distraction, are displayed on the word wall next to the Text Talk read aloud stories. In addition, students have an individual book bag with books that are on their reading levels.

I'm sure you would agree that reading the room is a valuable tool from the coaching perspective. You don't need long to get a snapshot of teaching and learning. And, it can be a valuable learning tool for other teachers. Visiting a colleague's classroom can inspire an "ahhh haaa" moment that may give you a fresh new idea.

FAIR

FAIR, I know the word conjures up memories of ferris wheels, pony rides, cheesy games, cotton candy, and funnel cake, but all over the state of Florida, Reading teachers have learned that FAIR, in the educational realm, actually stands for Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading. A Reading inventory developed by the Florida Center for Reading Research given statewide to diagnose and prescribe instruction.

As you can imagine, with any new assessment comes training for the staff and first time implementation glitches. As mentioned in my last post, this training occurred in our last Early Release session. So, the next step after training was implementation. To support the teachers in Second Grade, I offered my services all week. On Monday morning, I watched dayle timmons model a FAIR assessment by administering it to a student while a small group of us watched. Then, we debriefed to make sure we understood the process.

Next, I dove in by modeling the FAIR with a student while several teachers watched me and then I watched as they administered a few. In K-2, this is a one-on-one test that also requires the states PMRN site to be up and running properly. In 3rd-5th, it is a whole group assessment administered in a computer lab. So, as our technology coach assisted in the tech lab, I went classroom to classroom to support classroom teachers' assessment work.

To our surprise, the week got off to a good start with relatively few computer glitches, and we began to feel confident that perhaps this FAIR assessment was going to work. Then, the major problems began Thursday morning. When we tried to log in, the PMRN site simply didn't work.
We waited about an hour and the issue was resolved. But, on Friday, not one student was tested, because the site was down all day. The testing window is a month and I'm sure our classroom teachers will be able to complete the assessments, if the computer issues on the PMRN site get resolved. If they don't, I'll be disappointed, because as I look at the reports, I think the teachers will get valuable information for planning instruction.

My advice, for teachers, at this point would be, to have a back up plan. Teachers will have to go in to each day with a plan to administer FAIR, but if it doesn't work, they'll need a back up plan. I know this is frustrating for teachers, but I also know they don't want to waste any classroom instructional time. In addition, I would caution teachers throughout the state that each student's test looks somewhat different because it follows a different path based on the student's needs. I administered three assessments in a row on Wednesday in about 25 minutes, but the next child took me 35 minutes, and when the computer kicked me off, I still wasn't done. I'm hoping that when I log back in on Monday, the student's data will be saved. However, some of my colleagues have logged back in to find vanished data. I know that there will be frustrations including time and computer issues, but I'm hoping that with firmly established rituals and routines, and tons of patience on the part of teachers, they will see the value in administering an assessment that gives them accurate information to prescribe instruction. I'm also hoping educators doing the computer lab scheduling don't simply give up, because they have to continually rebook students into a lab.


My advice, for coaches, at this point would be, dive in and help. Going classroom to classroom and assisting teachers has taught me a lot about the assessment itself, and about the problems teachers may encounter. It also has given me information that may assist in offering support to struggling students. I hope that the teachers I've assisted have felt better having someone standing beside them to get them started. Do I have tons of other things to get done? Absolutely. But, none as valuable as offering classroom support to teachers in their time of need.

Early Release

Last Wednesday was our first Early Release professional development session of the year. That means that we had approximately 80 minutes of dedicated time for quality teacher instruction.

All English Language Arts teachers and their co-teachers attended FAIR, Florida Assessments in Instruction in Reading, training. There was a Kindergarten session led by dayle timmons, a First Grade session led by Rachel Bridges, a Second Grade session led by myself, and a Grade 3,4,5 session led in the computer lab by Jenny Nash. Our 80 minute session focused on the administration of the assessment. A follow up session will be held to focus on analyzing the results, printing the reports, and prescribing instruction in whole groups and small groups based on the results.

All 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th departmentalized Science teachers were led on an outstanding investigation of density of water in different states by "Rick Nye the Science Guy", Rick Pinchot. The group explored the scientific method and discussed the integration of math with science when doing hands-on labs. They also made connections to how the lesson they participated in together correlated with content they teach at 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade. The time ended with a discussion on misconceptions and buoyancy as related to density. Scientific minds were certainly at work and the conversations the group had were very meaningful!

Tom Ruark, mathematician extraordinaire, led the 5th grade departmentalized math team in the analysis of student work and alignment to the standards. Comparing work to standards is always an excellent way to ensure student performance.

This first Early Release proved that one size did not fit all and thanks to the diversified leadership at Chets Creek, there were ample leaders to provide separate sessions to meet everyone's needs. I am convinced that just in time delivery and content focus is exactly what is needed in professional development to have engage teachers.

September Book of the Month

Each month, Principal Susan Phillips, serving as our instructional leader, introduces a new children's literature text to teachers, and teaches them a new strategy to implement with their students. Her book selection is diverse and her reasons for selecting a particular book varies significantly. But, some things remain the same. She purchases a text for each classroom, expects the teachers to read the book aloud to the students, and wants the book to be accessible for students' reading enjoyment. At her monthly 40 minute Book of the Month presentation, she always gives teachers a one page handout with a summary of the book, a paragraph on why she selected the text, and a summary of the new strategy she is introducing. This long standing tradition, first brought to us by the America's Choice School Design, remains a stable constant in our culture.

Last year, our technology coach Melanie Holtsman, had the idea of building a wiki to house each Book of the Month. This digital warehouse acts as a bank not only for our CCE teachers but for teachers nationally who visit our school in person or virtually. Many times, the wiki holds not only the book selection and one page summary sheet, but also a video of Principal Phillips delivering Book of the Month to her faculty, or a video of Mrs. Phillips reading the book.

On Friday, although Principal Phillips wasn't in school, she introduced September's Book of the Month, Carmen Agra Deedy's new text, 14 Cows FOR AMERICA in remembrance of

9-11. Her Skyped conversation with faculty began with a water buffalo gift video, and then conversation about intangible items. She followed the video by explaining why she selected 14 Cows FOR AMERICA as September's Book of the Month, and she read the book to the faculty. And, she shared ideas on a new strategy taken from the professional text, Deeper Comprehension. You can visit the 2009/2010 tab on the Book of the Month wiki to read Mrs. Phillips' summary page and learn more about this text. In addition, you can check in with us monthly, on this BOM wiki, to see which titles and strategies we will be introducing to our elementary students this year.

Read Aloud of 14 Cows for America from Melanie Holtsman on Vimeo.

The First Two Weeks at the Blink of an Eye

The smiling kids, dressed in their first day attire with their new shoes and book bag saddled backs, arrive, and before you know it two weeks has whizzed by at the blink of an eye. You would think that this would be the least busy time of the year for an instructional coach, because after all, what teacher wants to be coached on instructional content when they are getting to know a new group of youngsters and settle into familiar rituals and routines. But, you'd be mistaken.

Don't get me wrong, it's not that I'm watching instruction, offering feedback, and asking questions. Rather, the focus has been as classroom supporter. I'm making sure that each teacher has the resources and materials they need to plan and deliver quality instruction. I've filled in a few critical needs that somehow got missed at the end of last year like the delivery of a few standards books, professional texts, new leveled books, and DRA 2 kits to name just a few. I've also focus walked classrooms to ensure that teacher's needs were being met. And, I've focused much of my attention on analyzing data to assist in completing this year's School Improvement Plan and Professional Development Plans. I don't mind any of these tasks because I feel like it is the foundation that will ensure a solid school year.

However, I'd be lying if I didn't tell you that now, just 9 days into the school year, we are entering my favorite part, the beginning of Teacher Meetings. Because, working side by side with teachers to plan instruction, offer feedback, and question practice is one highlight of my work that I enjoy. On Thursday, during common planning time, each grade level team met for their first round of Professional Development specific to their grade level needs. I sat in on the 2nd Grade ELA meeting where they discussed their pacing guide, Skills Block implementation, and worked on meaningful homework ideas and formats to support their teaching. This dynamic group worked together, bounced ideas off one another, and compromised on a common plan. I could tell, even from the start, that this team of professionals will have a productive year full of professional growth. And, I know around our school as each team met, much of the same thing was happening. Working at CCE where teachers value professional growth and meeting the needs of each student takes center stage is one of my greatest joys. This is a community that knows, "No one can whistle a symphony. It takes an orchestra to play it." an I am grateful to be a part of the Chets Creek orchestra.