Growing Narrative Writers

Second graders begin their year writing personal narrative papers. Teachers use Launching the Writing Workshop from the Lucy Calkin and Colleagues 3-5 Units of Intermediate Writing as a guide for their instruction. (Second Grade teachers use the 3-5 kit, because our Kindergarten and First Grade teachers thoroughly use the K-2 kit so our students are ready for deeper learning.) The narratives are not expected to meet the standard this early in the year. In fact, we only teach about half of the elements in the beginning of the year and save the other half when we revisit narratives later in the year. There will be a definite change in terms of writing craft and conventions between our fall narratives and spring narratives. I can't wait to see the difference as our young learners grow.

Last week, as I focus walked Second Grade, I could see that most classrooms had published their narrative pieces and were moving on to Responses to Literature. So, on Thursday, I spent some time in Second Grade reading the students' writing. I pulled two samples to share with you. They do not meet the Second Grade standards for the end of the year expectations, but they fall within the parameters of what has been taught. You will notice grammatical, spelling, and sentence structure errors, however we expect that from beginning of the year Second Graders. What we really focus on is telling a personal story and writing fluency. When students have fluency, it is much easier when they go to the revising and editing portion of the standard.

You will notice after the student's writing a Coaching Rubric. The teacher had each student self reflect and then had them meet with parnter for a peer reflection. When the peer reflected they also gave the student a compliment and a suggestion. After that, the teacher filled in the rubric based on beginning of the year expectations and left a comment for the student at the bottom of the paper.

Student Sample #1

Getting My New Kartay Belt
Hmm, should I test for my belt? I was testing for my orange belt. I was extied, very extied to get my belt. I have to break a board, form, sporing, wepins, self difen's, and combos. When I do my form it is hard to remember all of my moves. I could not kick high like my master. To kick you have to bring your nee up then bring your foot out next bring your foot back down last bring your nee down do it fast and you did a kick. when I became a camal belt I can spor with geaer but I am not a camel belt so I cannot spor right now. Next I did

my wepon's. Wepon's are easy. Next is bourd brack's. My bourd brack's are I have to make a fist then punch it down. My is to kick up it is easy. There were not many poeple around. The room was small. There was a stuck of belt on the wall. I got everything right. No body else was test for there belt. It smelled very good. The floor felt soft, very soft. It was quiet, very quiet. My sister was not there I wish she was there. The color of my siut was white there were black spots on my siut. My master told my mommy and sister I should start karty. But my mom replied, "It was to much." It was really to much. It cost $600.00 dollar's. I finaly got my new belt and I even got a resband it was so cool. Then we went to go pick up my sister.

And she asked "Why did you get a new belt?" And I replied because I did hard working.

Teacher: I like how you used a transition word-next. You also put dialouge in your story.

Student Sample #2

Onse my mom graduated. The place lookt like a basketball cort. My grandma was ther with me so was my mom's boyfrind. I was happy for mom. She came out & the gradduating song was on. She waulk to a empty chair to sit in. I was six.

Someone calld her name and I think is was something like a diploma that she got from a lady. I didn't know her name. After mom came out some other pepel came out. I bet ther Mom's & Dad's are proud of them to. My famaly was rihgt next to me & I was rihgt in the

middel like the Middel Chld Blues. I was calling my mom's name but she did not notis that I was calling her name. But...she lookt around for me. She did not look at the rihgt part of the room. I was not mad at her because it is her spesheel day! Wen I got home I

said to mom "Congragolashons!" She replid "Thank you." replid mom.

Teacher: You did a good job sequencing your story.

Stay tuned for our progress...

Demonstration Lessons

Children aren't the only ones that spend their time in study.

On any given day when you enter the Administrative Conference Room at CCE , you will most likely find a group of teachers having collegial dialogue, unpacking the grade level standards in a content area, building units of study, and/or creating assessment aligned with standards and instruction. CCE teachers are not under the false impression that the learning stopped as they held their college diplomas or after just five years in the classroom as research indicates. Rather, teachers know that spending time in study together, as they so often do, reaps benefits that impact their classroom instruction and student performance ten fold.

As a cornerstone of the work we do during these TDE days, the first component of the day is normally a Demonstration Lesson that focuses on the topic at hand. With newly adopted state math standards and curriculum tools, the First Grade team decided to spend a day together talking about their math implementation. Together, Cheryl Dillard, First Grade Math Lead Teacher, and I created an agenda. We decided on the work that could be done in advance to expedite some of the processes and spent a day together before hand organizing learning and preparing for the session.

To start the day, we asked the fourteen member team to join us for a math demonstration lesson in Cheryl and Maria's classroom. The team, with pen and paper in hand, gathered to watch an Interactive Math Skills Block and a Math Workshop Lesson. Beginning the day in this manner gives teachers the opportunity to see, first hand, what is happening in a colleague's classroom. The learning that takes place in this short time together is so much more productive than just having a conversation, because they can learn the nuances of their peer's work. They see and feel the spirit of the classroom; They watch students at work in a live classroom; They observe the rituals and routines that pace the math learning; They note the level of questioning that occurs; They remember the artifacts that support student learning; They keenly ask questions that support student achievement; They reflect on their own practice; They borrow ideas; They note changes they will make in their own classrooms. Then, they gather back back in the conference room to have collegial conversation about the observation.

Most of the time, this takes less than an hour and frames the learning that will occur in their day of study together. On this particular day, after the lesson, the team took a closer look at the demonstration lesson and asked questions about the planning that occurred. Next, we prepared the teachers to look at the global picture. We had them look at the math standards that would be covered in the year and gave them an alignment guide that we had created ahead of time. The guide gave them each unit of study aligned with the standards, as well as examples and remarks given for that particular standard. The standards that weren't part of the document, because they weren't explicitly taught in the MI unit, were included on an Interactive Skills Block overview for the year. In addition, we gave them a Concepts and Skills Overview that our states RtI committee had created. In all, they had the global picture and weekly picture so they could quickly move in their own planning to creating a daily plan. After this, the teachers split into pairs and divided the units to begin writing assessments.

This on the clock professional development, supported by the principal's hiring of substitutes, is one of the single most important things we do. Teachers roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty. They are in study together. We'll have many more days like this, and though I don't get a chance to write about all of them, the flow of the day remains much the same.

So, stay tuned for our progress...

Suzanne's Curriculum Corner

This year, in an effort to share a common message on a consistent basis with 90+ teachers, I decided to write a weekly newsletter. The Curriculum Corner, as I call it, is attached to the Memo, our Principal's weekly communication tool to teachers, and is sent out by email each Friday afternoon. The Memo sets up the events of the coming week, shares housekeeping items, contains a short message from an RtI lead, Technology lead, and myself, and has public pats on the back called YeeHaws. My Curriculum Corner, on the other hand, updates teachers on general curriculum and instruction topics, in this year of new standards, curriculum, and assessment, and has an overview of the weekly Council agenda and discussion.

My plan is to write the newsletter for the first nine weeks and then conduct a short survey to find out if the teachers find it useful. I will be happy to continue writing it, if I feel like it is being read. If not, I'll abandon the practice and reach for a better way to communicate with the faculty.

Stay tuned for our progress...

Curriculum Council Meetings

Each Wednesday, a dedicated group of content lead teachers meet in the Administrative Conference Room from 8:30 am to 10:00 am. The representatives consist of one classroom teacher from each grade level K-5 plus an ESE representative. They join me to have in depth vertical conversation in a content area. The schedule accommodates Math Council one week, ELA Council the next, and Science Council the week after that, and continues on a rotating basis.

The representatives are an essential part of our school's distributed leadership model because they offer professional development through weekly Teacher Meetings to their grade level colleagues. Without their vision, planning, follow through, and leadership our school design could not accommodate the level of professional learning or horizontal consistency we expect.

As the school's instructional coach, I hold the responsibility of carrying the global picture and helping each content lead as they guide learning at their grade level. I plan and deliver each Council's agenda keeping the school's long term mission and short term goals in mind. I analyze data, focus walk grade levels, work in beginning teacher's classrooms, observe model teachers in action, and have discussions with lead teachers to make sure I stay on target. The vertical discussions focus on standards, curriculum, instructional practices, student work, assessments, and professional learning.

We've just completed our first round of Council meetings and spent the majority of our time concentrating on dissecting the FCAT Specifications. This has been our focus because we are implementing our states newly adopted Math, ELA, and Science standards. Our FCAT Math and Reading assessment will also change this year, so adjusting to the new standards quickly is essential. In order for the leads and their colleagues to plan and deliver aligned instruction, they first have to know the standards and the end assessment. Once these two elements are clearly understood, then they can select curriculum tools and implement instruction to reach their desired results. I've already witnessed changes occurring within instruction based on the learning happening through Council Meetings and subsequently through Teacher Meetings.


Stay tuned for our progress...

Waiting for Superman

I'm sitting here watching Oprah. Oprah, Bill Gates, Michelle Rhee, and Davis Guggenheim are talking about the dire state of our public schools. Davis has directed a movie, Waiting for Superman, to begin a conversation about this desperate situation. I know there will be push back from many teachers and some will complain and make excuses. However, when you face the drop out rate reality and see how many people exit our high schools without the ability to succeed in a four year college, you have to wonder when the nation will wake up and demand more.

http://www.waitingforsuperman.com/trailer

I am truly blessed to work in a magnificent school with dedicated passionate quality teachers. I am not offended by the comments by Oprah or her guests. They have the same vision that I do. They want what is best for our nations' children regardless of their SES status, their race, their genre, their neighborhood. They want every school to succeed. Oprah says, "It's going to shake up public school education..." I can't wait to watch and see if that indeed is true.

As an educator of thirteen years, I have to say that I think most teachers want to do the right thing, but the system isn't always set up for success. I'm wondering if this film will set forth a solution or a path that will get failing schools back on track. With the complexities and monumental issues, I have to wonder, but won't lose hope. Maybe a spotlight on the issue will help.

A New Beginning

Unbelievably, we are three weeks into the 2010-2011 school year. The school's lobby and classrooms are decorated to reflect our new theme, Cultivating a Community of Excellence; We had a fun-filled Opening Day for teachers, welcomed and WOWed 1,300 + students back on their first day of school, and began meeting together collegially. And, although we've gotten off to an incredible start, I still feel a level of anxiety and stress in the building that I haven't felt in many years.

Chets Creek teachers are extremely competent, thoughtful, and strategic. They use our school's diagnostic tools in Reading, Math, and Science to assess what students know and use the data to prescribe whole group and small group instruction. They use the Florida standards and many curriculum tools to plan their instruction and stick closely to our pacing guides to ensure that all standards are covered thoroughly. And, they use the assessments we've created aligned with their standards, curriculum, and assessment.

Rewind ten years into the 2000-2001 school year and you will see where this foundational work started. Many Chets Creek teachers worked diligently to build this comprehensive foundation. To create a system smooth as silk, we extensively analyzed and discussed every standard, benchmark, and grade level expectation. We poured over every curriculum tool sent to us from our district and scoured to obtain additional resources. We meticulously and systematically wrote diagnostics, quizzes, formative assessments, and summatives in each core subject area to align with the standards. We created homework to support students' learning. In addition, we picked apart, questioned, and got intimately acquainted with our state standardized FCAT assessment based off the FCAT Specifications. The work hours were long, the process collaborative, the depth of learning satisfying, and the outcomes were second to none.

Then, year in and year out, as new teachers joined our school family, we lovingly handed all of our hard work off to them in hopes of making their road smoother. They proceeded down the path we had created. Each year, together, the foundation builders and subsequent sustainers, we tweaked our work to make it better, built stronger units of studies, and filled the gaps. But, the work was rarely from scratch.

Then, we stepped out of our comfortable self-created world into the Summer of 2010 and enjoyed the last labors of our professional love.

We entered the 2010-2011 school year like a deer in the headlights. It's like everyone groggily emerged from their summer hibernation to the realization that we have newly adopted state standards, that the FCAT test is changing this year to reflect the new standards, and that since we've written diagnostics, quizzes, formatives, summatives, and homework to align with the standards, those too must be redone. Oh, and to add the icing on the cake, our district also adopted two new math curriculum tools. To say the least, those of us from CCE's early years feel like we caught a ride with Marty McFly in his Delorean... Back to 2000.

You can see the founding teachers grinning slightly in recognition as the newbies realize with a gasp that the existing work is history and we will once again start anew. They have no idea how it feels to pick apart every standard detail by detail, or read and reread all curriculum tools for the whole year so we can appropriately build a pacing guide, or slave over the writing of every single assessment and homework piece. We never gave them that opportunity. In 2000, we laid the leg work and created a road map for student learning one small step at a time and we emerged better educators because of the thinking it took.

The tension in the air, the angst I'm feeling across the building is coming from the slow summer awakening of a faculty that knows now that this could be the most demanding school year of their careers. That they now will start from scratch and begin adding in the ingredients to the new recipe for student success.

I could say that I'm overwhelmed by the prospect of a new beginning, but really I'm not. I'm excited by the depth of understanding which came as I worked through this process the first time. I'm exhilarated that the teachers who joined the staff after 2000 are getting the opportunity to build, again, what we had. In fact, they have the benefit of knowing exactly what it should look like at the end of their journey. I can't think of a more capable staff to conquer these challenges and come out on top. I'm not saying there won't be some speed bumps along the way, but we will embrace them as learning opportunities as we move forward. I have great faith in my colleagues as professionals and can't wait to help them recreate a strong and worthy foundation. The harvest we reap will be plentiful.

Stay tuned for our progress...

Planning for a New Year

(I intended to publish this post, with pictures of my classroom piles over a week ago, however, low and behold, during my move, I lost my hand held camera containing all my blog pictures. I've decided, for the sake of time, to publish it now anyway, but I know doing so without the pictures just doesn't tell the whole story. Sorry!)

I am well underway as I complete and check off the inevitable back to school 'to do' list, but regardless of how far I get, it seems like there is always so much more to accomplish! This preparation for the upcoming school year has been slightly more involved for me, because I moved from an office into a classroom to accommodate a larger meeting area. I've already spent 7 days packing, moving, setting up, organizing, and decorating my new space. (During my summer break, of course.) Our official school year starts Monday and we have a week before students arrive. I am thankful for this additional time because preparing can mean a smooth transition not only for teachers but students, too.


When I looked around yesterday, I was satisfied with how far I've gotten despite the piles everywhere! As an instructional coach, like teachers, I have a 'to do' list to get myself ready, but what I'll need to do as Monday arrives is put my own needs and lists aside and be there for the teachers.

Pre-planning is the time when teachers need my attention. Some teachers ask my opinion on classroom set up and logistics, some need materials that I go in search of and assemble, some need to have their questions answered about curriculum, and some just excitedly want me to see their room. That's not to say I don't make a plan for my days, I do, however I remain extremely flexible. My top priority is not to finish my space, rather to get the three new classroom libraries organized, stamped and distributed. These teachers need time before kids arrive to set up their libraries. And, I will solicit the help of high school students needing service hours toward Bright Futures so this mundane task doesn't occupy too much of my time.

My next priority is to check on all newer teachers to make sure their needs are being met. I also have three math manipulative kits to gather, bulletin boards to decorate, and cleaning to do. However, regardless of the task I've undertaken, I will always stop to address others needs. I've learned to be a multi-tasker and a coach that can change gears at the drop of a hat-not unlike a juggler throwing flame laddened wands in the air, catching them one by one without one dropping, and moving eloquently into juggling a set of bowling pins. Does any of this sound familiar, if it does, you must be an educator, too.