Helping Our Community

Over the past few months, I soon realized what a special group of learners were in my 5th period!  27 learners who came from various elementary schools, bringing with them a variety of learning styles and interests.  One commonality amongst all of them was their love of animals.  They loved our class "pet," which was a small stuffed Husky, named Wesson.  Because of their love of animals, I began to think and create a mini-PBL, which would focus on rational numbers as well as their passion for helping animals.  

After our entry event, learners were given the task of unpacking our standards.  We created both an individual and class Knows & Needs to Know chart, which served as our daily checklist to create a fundraiser to help the animals in our community!    

As we all know the days between Thanksgiving and Winter Break are filled with numerous activities that pull learners out of our classrooms.  With our task to create a fundraiser to help our local animal shelter, learners were motivated to come in before and after school to work on their tasks!  Workshops focused on rational numbers in recipes (multiplying and dividing) and budgeting and creating toys for the animals (adding and subtracting).  

Our class chose to take their final exam early, so they could work in their groups and make blankets for the shelter animals.  I loved watching these learners come together for the good of our community!  

Learning from Each Other

Like I mentioned earlier, we share our classroom with a Texas history class.  I'll be honest, growing up in St. Louis, I don't ever remember learning so much about Missouri as today's learner does in Texas!  Crazy thing is I not only learned about how Texas came to be, but I also began to collaborate with Coach Lawson on instructional strategies. 

One of my most favorite formative assessments that he implements is Jot Thought!  In all my years of being in a classroom, I thought why haven't I ever thought of this.  After watching his learners actively participate, the wheels in my brain began spinning.  I started asking questions and by fifth period, I was implementing this "new to me" strategy with my 6th graders! 

Our first Jot Thought was over ratios and equivalent fractions.  Our goal was to see which group could come up with the most words to describe ratios.  This was a great way for me to assess my learners' prior knowledge, as well as help plan our upcoming learning opportunities. 

Stacks of Post-It Notes were passed out to each table.  Learners would have 1.5 minutes to work independently to write down everything they knew about ratios and equivalent.  After the independent think time, each table group categorized their words and eliminated any duplicates. 
                           
I'm proud to say that Coach Lawson implemented stations based on what he had seen in our classes!  These stations focused on reading strategies, implementing technology and vocabulary, as well as writing.  Texas history was no longer just notes and discussion, but now created opportunities for collaboration and inquiry. 

                            

There was an excitement sparked in our room after these activities which served as a reminder of the importance of working together, even if you teach different contents....we can all still learn from each other! 

How Much Sugar is in Our Favorite Drink?

As we moved into our second six week's of learning, both 6th and 7th grade math, our focus continued to focus on ratios.  7th graders continued working with their knowledge of similarity and equivalent fractions, by focusing  on unit rates.  To make learning abit more engaging, we recreated Dan Meyer's 3 Act Sugar Packet using our learners' favorite drinks! 

 

Each table group analyzed the nutritional labels of the four drinks and determined the number of sugar packets in a serving.  Needless to say, they were shocked at how much was in a serving of Coke! 
                   

Because we had many learners who hadn't yet completed their unit 1 assessment, we created a Google Sites: Introduction to Proportionality with all of the information needed to complete the investigation.  This allowed our learners the opportunity to still participate in the activity, even if they weren't in our classrooms!  

Wrapping Up Our First Six Weeks of Learning

To say our first six week's grading period flew by, is an understatement!  September has been filled with the many firsts:  first day of school, major projects and assessments, school dance, Homecoming spirit week and our first football game.  Needless to say, everyone has been full of enthusiasm and lots of smiles!

In 7th grade math, we've wrapped up our first unit, which covered similar figures.  We have spent the past week working with the WON method.  The "WON" method provides some much needed structure for our learners as we deepen our knowledge of proportionality!  Because of their prior experiences with ratio tables, we introduced similar drawings with ratio tables.  Quickly, learners were challenged with how to find the solution to a not so "obvious" answer using a ratio table and that's when the WON method was introduced!

Of course, with the addition of WON, there was some hesitation and confusion, but we persevered and now it's become a go to method for many!  In fact, one girl asked, "Do we have to use ratio tables?  I love using the WON method!"  Music to my ears as she feels confident in using a new method and loves justifying her solutions with WON.

In 6th PAP math, we've just finished learning about area!  I loved hearing how proud the learners of Room 103 were of themselves, as they worked on both their Google Slides area review and their Flipgrid assignment.

                                            

A few days before our assessment, students were given the task of using Flipgrid to justify their solution to a problem that involved working backwards to find a missing dimension.  The rubric was given, which sparked amazing thinking as my inbox began to fill up with notifications of students' video submissions.

Responding back to my learners' videos

One of the most amazing parts of Flipgrid, is the immediate feedback that I received!  It was 9:00 PM, as I was watching and responding to our classmates, when I quickly realized majority of my learners were missing a part of the area formula for a triangle.  Forgetting to divide by two is what sets the formula of a triangle apart from the area of a quadrilateral, which our learners could explain in class.  However, after some time had passed between our classroom experience and their recording, we forgot.  After a few videos, I immediately created a warmup that allowed for more practice and discussion over the area of triangles!  I also added this into our Google Slides review which we began the following day in class.

At the end of every unit, I ask for feedback from my learners to gauge how they feel as a learner in our classroom, the different strategies we implemented during instruction, as well as reflecting on each other's behavior.  Sure some of the data is hard to swallow, but it's also very eye opening and reminds me why I am a teacher.

Splashing into Our New Curriculum

Despite the numerous days of torrential downpours, power outages and puddles everywhere,  the learners of Room 103 have been busy soaking up new knowledge as we embark on our new curriculum.  Our first three weeks together have created opportunities where learners are in charge of their learning, engaging with their peers as they experience rich learning opportunities, enhanced with technology....To say we've been busy thinking and learning is an understatement! 

Majority of our sixth grade lessons have utilized Desmos, which has sparked numerous discussions as we decompose and rearrange areas.  Learners loved having anonymous names of famous mathematicians!  Add in my excitement of how, from the teacher view, I can see how each mathematician answered the question.

One of the features of Desmos that I love is being able to see how learners are thinking and justifying their solutions.  Both of these are examples of how learners were decomposing and rearranging areas into familiar polygons in order to find the total area in a figure.

 

As a checkpoint, learners were given an exit ticket where they were asked to determine the area of a given figure.  To make it more interactive, we used Flipgrid!  If you've never used Flipgrid, I definitely recommend it.  Being able to verbally justify their solution allowed our learners to approach the given problem in a different manner, while being creative!

Learners created their own Flipgrid and then watched 3 other videos, leaving meaningful feedback.  What I loved seeing, as I watched each child's Flipgrid reflection, was how some used tangrams, like we had in class, some made references to Desmos and even showed it in their video, while others acted as the teacher and shared their thinking with the audience members of Room 103!  I can say by the profiles created that everyone enjoyed themselves as they used Flipgrid for the first time.  

In 7th grade, we have been focusing on scaled copies (similar figures).  From using patty paper to trace figures and using protractors to measure angles, learners proved that corresponding angles in scaled copies are congruent!

  

Google Forms were a lifesaver this week with an unexpected absence!  If I could give advice to a new teacher, it would be to not leave new material for a substitute teacher to teach.  Rather leave a review of some sort.  Because we are a 1:1 campus, I immediately thought of creating a couple of digital resources to review similar figures.  Below is a sample of the Google Form where I embedded a video from Youtube and then asked 10 follow up questions.  Upon my arrival back to campus, my learners were having meaningful discussions over the definitions of similar and congruent.

Another small detail that makes these Google Forms so helpful is the Flubaroo Google extension.  I simply create a key and then the extension grades the assignment!  I love the reports that our created after running Flubaroo, so I know immediately which questions need reteaching, as well as which kids need small group reteaching.  Flubaroo has truly helped not having piles of papers to grade and allows for immediate feedback!  

Our week ended with looking at a basketball court and determining the actual measurements.  Sure it's the beginning of college football season, but when you share your classroom with the basketball coach, you embrace the love of the game!  Our learners were introduced to the WON *Words Original New)method.  Of course there was some grumbling and resistance as we began, yet learners quickly jumped on board when they began to see the success that comes with having a method that helps organize our thinking.  

Our First Week of Learning Together!

It's hard to believe I experienced my 35th First Day of School.  This picture makes me laugh because I still carry my lunch box the same as I did when I started kindergarten!  Our first day of the 2018-2019 school year, brought so much joy and happiness to my heart.  Getting to know a new group of learners, as well as their families began at our Meet the Teacher night, the Wednesday before school started! I loved hearing how excited families are about being in our class this year. I truly believe it takes all of us working together to achieve growth and success! 

We  spent our first week building our classroom learning environment, where all learners can be successful!  Throughout the week, the noise level increased, as did the smiles and laughter, which spoke volumes to my teacher heart.  Our kids are feeling safe and will be more willing to embrace the struggle and learn the why behind our math.  

This week's learning including creating our class treatment agreement, building a collaborative learning environment, embracing a  growth mindset and diving into our digital resources!  It was definitely a packed week of learning and excitement. 

As part of our first week together, we spent time creating our class treatment agreement.  It was eye opening and honestly, heart breaking to hear what some learners have experienced in their years of being at school.  Above is a copy of the template each learner received, along with our steps to creating our class treatment agreements.  

             

   

Adding his table groups ideas for how
students should treat Ms. Pauley 

Sharing their ideas and summarizing their table groups
treatment agreements

Because our district is 1:1, and chromebook rollout occured during our first week together, I thought it would be fun to take our class treatment agreement digital!  Using Mentimeter, I created polls for each of our guiding questions and guess what....The learners of room 103 loved it!  As they each voted, or put money/points into each category they thought was important the screen changed.  They loved watching the "real" time voting.  Hearing, "Can we do this again?" once again reminded me of why they are "my kids" for the 2018-2019 school year!  

Building a Collaborative Learning Environment

I strongly believe in the power of working together and building each other up!  Our Huskies truly encouraged each other when it came to problem solving, as well as sharing during our warm-ups and class activities .  

 

If you are wanting to build this type of learning environment, I'd strongly suggest implementing WODB warm ups...they are amazing!  There are no wrong answers, since each learner gets to justify why they chose the answer.  Learners were amazed by the different ideas and reasons to why their classmates chose various patterns.  

Embracing a Growth Mindset

Here is a link to the activities we used:  Week of Inspirational Math by Jo Boahler

In 7th grade math, we spent our week learning about growth mindset and the impact it has on our learning, especially as we implement a new curriculum this year. 

I loved hearing our learners share their thinking and be accepting of others' different views on the same problems.  It was eye opening from the teacher's perspective to see how learners' visualized various problems. 

I can already tell, I have a group of innovative thinkers, who are going to thrive this year, as we embark on our journey together!

Diving into Our Digital Resources

This year we are implementing Illustrative Math.  This is a huge learning curve for both our learners, as well as us teachers!  I'm grateful to have such a wonderful department who collaborates and encourages each other as we begin this journey.  Our sixth graders were the first group of learners to embark on their digital learning journey.  We introduced them to Desmos and Geogebra, which they loved!  As I explained during our class, we all learn differently and this year we're adding another tool to our tool belt.  Because of the excitement and enthusiasm on Day 1, I can only think our learners will grow not only in their digital skills but also their problem solving skills.  It's going to be an exciting year!  

Along with learning came abit of fun as well...photo booth props make everything better :) 

Photo Booth Fun in Math 

I'd say this was definitely one of the best first weeks of learning....Here's to a year of many learning opportunities and success for the learners of Room 103!

Turning 4 Walls into a Classroom

With the start of my 18th year in education, brings the joys of creating a learning environment that brings comfort and joy, as we embark on learning together and achieving success!  Remember that peace of mind that I felt last semester?  That feeling has carried throughout the summer and into the start of the 2018-2019 school year! 

Most teachers most of their summer preparing for the upcoming year, designing and creating their classrooms and searching high and low for the perfect additions to their classroom.  My summer was different this year.  I spent my summer enjoying friends and family, not worrying about my classroom, what I would be teaching or the details of our upcoming year.  This was totally out of character for me, but again, I knew the Lord would pave the path to a joyous year!

At the end of July, I went to see my "new" classroom.  New being in quotations because our school is currently being renovated and updated for our Huskies!  When I asked to come see my room,  I was told you can come see it but you can't bring anything in just yet.  This made me laugh because who wants to move in 110 degree Texas heat!  I really just wanted an idea of our space and to decide which set of classroom decorations to use this year :) 

Our Blank Slate in July 2018

After seeing my "new" room, I knew exactly which set of classroom decorations I was going to use.  Sure it helped that there were all ready 3 bulletin boards created, but the colors would be perfect to brighten up our classroom.  The original handmade set was created by my mother for the 2013-2014 school year.  I remember her sending an email of the "perfect" fabric that would coordinate with my teaching partner Will's theme of owls and my love of chevron.  Who knew that this collection of polka dots, chevron and owls would still bring great joy years later!  

I began moving all of my classroom resources into our room.  At one point our room looked like a storage room with everything scattered all over the tables and floor!  During the week, lots of love and care was spent putting our room together.  We share our room with another teacher, who teaches TX history and coaches.  Because of my experience last year of being in 3 rooms, I insisted on Coach Lawson bringing something to make the room feel like his, not just ours.  So he brought his Big XII pennants, which this TCU girl absolutely loved...bring on college football season!

After a few hours, lots of sweat & help from friends, it all came together!  

Leaning on My Faith

 December 2017 brought an event I never imagined I'd be going through at the age of 38....the passing of my father.  Though it was expected due to his health issues, I'm not sure anyone can ever truly be prepared for the actuality of a parent passing.  I remember one of my dearest friends, Hayley, who was with me when I received the news. She listened to me and offered scripture, but one of the best things she said is, "I'm glad you're going back to school on Tuesday.  That's exactly what your dad would want.  He was proud of who you are in the classroom and loved hearing the stories of your kids and their learning!"  Our classroom became my safe place and our time to shine.  We spent the two weeks before break continuing our math learning journey.  These were two of the most challenging weeks of my life.  Looking back I can't remember much except the joy and safety my learners brought to my world.  Hayley was exactly right about going back to school so "soon"...My father was extremely proud of me as a teacher, who had continued to do the best for her kids, giving 110% despite the circumstances!

The passing of my father and the daily conversation between Hayley and I are what kept me motivated during the spring semester. Our spring semester brought many opportunities for personal growth and student success.  Not necessarily the easiest but I know that the Lord was guiding me.  There were days that I missed my daily phone call from my dad, asking the usual questions about work, the weather, my mom and my puppy.  However, I know he was looking down on me, from heaven above, beaming with pride, as I listened and trusted in the Lord.  During this time, my prayer became more focused on keeping the joy in my heart and that the Lord open the doors to where both the learners would need my love of teaching, as well as a place that would provide unconditional joy in my day.  

For what seemed like an eternity, I filled out applications ranging from administration positions to classroom teaching positions. I wasn't sure where God wanted me, so I took every job posting and interview as an opportunity.  It's truly amazing what I learned during this process.  Again, a true testimony of leaning on the Lord and letting Him guide me through the journey of who He needs me to be.  

At the end of April, I had, what was the shortest interview of my entire career, in a district closer to my mom.  After our 20 minutes together, I dropped 2 thank you notes into the mail and headed back home to get ready for another interview the next day.  Like I said, it was a busy spring semester!  I dropped the notes into the mailbox and thanked God for giving me the opportunity to tell my story.  It was so refreshing to share the growth of both my learners and myself, even 17 years into my career!  

The official phone call came on a Friday afternoon in May, just before state testing.  The peace (and tears) that came with this phone call are something that I can't even begin to explain.  All I could do was thank God for carrying me through this time of change.  The next few weeks were filled with peace and joy, as well as many opportunities for sharing my story of leaning on my faith to guide me to where He needs me.  

It was hard not calling my father to share the news of my next chapter in my learning journey.  During the last few months, as I got ready for our upcoming year, both my mother and I would make references to my father.  When I see all of the TCU decor in room 103, I think of him and how proud he'd be that I am doing what I love, plus sharing our love of TCU with others.  It truly is the simple things in life that bring the greatest amount of joy to our days!

The joy of learning has returned to my heart and I am beyond excited to begin my 18th year of teaching with 135 6th and 7th graders!  There isn't a day that goes by that I don't thank God for opening these doors and guiding me through this journey of life.