Sustaining New Teachers

A Sense of Belonging: Sustaining and Retaining New Teachers
by Jennifer Allen

I’m not an administrator or an instructional coach. I’m just a regular classroom teacher. So when I picked up this book, I thought that it might be a bit irrelevant to me – I was wrong. The first chapter of the book brought me back to the fall of 1999 when I met my first class of third graders. That was ten years ago, and somehow I had forgotten how hard it was to be a first year teacher. But Jennifer Allen helped me remember - the assessments, lesson planning, pacing, and behavior management were overwhelming. It was a hard year. As I look back, I’m actually amazed that I survived! Did you know that almost half of all teachers leave the profession after 5 years of teaching? In this book, Jennifer tackles this important issue. She describes how her school has supported new teachers in their first three years. When I finished the book, I was excited about the possibilities. If more schools adopted these practices, I believe new teachers would be incredibly more successful. Jennifer describes how she supports teachers within the classroom, using a gradual release of responsibility. New teachers are able to see her demonstrate a series of lessons each week, and then build on those lessons at the end of the week. Jennifer also shares detailed descriptions of her meetings with new teachers. She shows us exactly how to set up an environment that is supportive, inviting, and challenging all at once. I was particularly impressed with the study groups that Jennifer initiates. She once again gives detailed descriptions on how to create successful groups – from how to offer the courses to how to set an agenda. This is one of the most practical and important professional books I have read. I recommend it to anyone in our profession.

Studycast - Electricity and Magnets

Click here to listen to the studycast for our upcoming test on Electricity and Magnets. You can download the audio file to by right clicking on the link and saving it to your computer.

The study guide for the test came home on Monday, October 19th; and the test is on Friday, October 23rd. If you need an extra copy of the study guide, visit our classroom website's homework page to download a copy.

Send me an email or leave a comment below if you have any questions!

Madison's Leads

Last week we learned how to write strong leads. Strong leads often include a small action, dialogue, or a description of a setting. We tried out these strategies in class, and each student wrote three different leads for his or her story. Madison wrote about her first time ice skating. Here are her three leads...

1. "Click, click," the skates went as I put them on. I can do this, I told myself. I waddled out to the nice. I took a deep breath and stepped on the ice.

2. There I was - staring at the ice as I walked closer and closer. You can do this Madison, I told myself nervously. I put my foot on the ice, then the other. I gripped on the side. I was ready.

3. My heart was beating fast, then faster and faster. "Aren't you coming?" said my brother. I was speechless. I had to do this. It was the only way I could learn how to do this. I closed my eyes, then I opened them again. I stepped on the ice. I was ready for this.

Can you see all the ways she used small actions, dialogue, and setting? Which one do you like the best? Which one "grabs" you as a reader and makes you want to read on? I'm sure Madison would love your feedback.

Studycast - Social Studies Chapters 3-4

Click here to download the studycast for our upcoming Social Studies test. You can right-click on the link and download the audio file to your computer.

The test is on Wednesday, October 14th. The study guide came home on Thursday, October 15th. If you have any questions, leave a comment below or send me an email. I hope this studycast helps you and your child prepare for the test!

Cortes - Spanish Explorer

We watched a video that taught us the incredible story of Cortes and how he conquered the Aztec Empire. After watching the video, we summarized the story by creating a powerpoint. I typed it in while the kids retold the main events. After we created the summary, we acted out each part of the story. This could be a great resource as you study for the Chapter 3-4 test!

Cortes vs Aztecs

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Columbus Inquiry - What We Learned

After our Columbus inquiry was over, I invited the kids to share about what they learned. I captured a few of their responses on video...

Christopher Columbus Inquiry

Last week I introduced Christopher Columbus to the class. We read a few picture books, shared our previous knowledge, and studied maps of his journeys. We then began to ask questions ,and we recorded these questions in our writer's notebooks. These questions were the basis for our inquiry. The following day, we had the opportunity to explore more resources as we searched for answers to our questions. Students used the Internet to study websites about Columbus; other students worked with partners to read non-fiction texts about this explorer. We came away from this experience with LOTS of our questions answered. I was really proud of our kids! After the inquiry was over, I asked our students to reflect on the experience. How do we go about finding answers to our questions? Here is what we came up with:

• We are curious people.
• We learned some initial facts.
• We asked questions.
• We wrote out questions in our notebook.
• We read 'big chunks" at a time.
• As we read, we asked ourselves, "What did I learn?"
• We wrote down what we learned in our own words.
• We shared our thinking and questions with our partners.
• We used the Internet and books as resources.
• We were on-task.
• We enjoyed learning new things.
• We concentrated.
• We thought about our questions as we read.

Below are some pictures of our researchers as work..

Christopher Columbus

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Adding with Base Ten Blocks

Too often, kids know the "how" of mathematics instead of the "why." Today we got out the base ten blocks to find out exactly what happens when we add multi-digit numbers. Many of our kids were surprised to find out that you don't really "carry the one." You're actually regrouping ten ones together, and then moving the ten over with the other tens. They were really surprised to find out that you don't "carry a one" over to the hundreds. You're actually regrouping ten tens into a one hundred! I demonstrated this lesson with a really cool website you and your child can visit. Students then had the opportunity to use base ten blocks to connect what they know on paper (the traditional addition algorithm) to what was really happening with base ten blocks. I hope activities such as this one build solid conceptual understandings of math for our kids. I want our kids to know the "why" of math!

Conductors and Insulators

Today the kids and I designed a "conductor tester." We did this by creating a circuit that could be opened with two wires. If the two wires touch each other or an object that is a conductor, the circuit would be complete and the motor would run. Students went around the room with their testers and founds lots of conductors and insulators. Do you know what kinds of materials are conductors and insulators? Here are a few pictures of our young scientists at work...

Here's a picture of Lizzie with our high-tech conductor/insulator tester.

Sloan is testing out the top part of a clipboard.

Xion found out that the front of a stapler is a conductor.

Small Moments in Writer's Workshop

Our current unit of study is on Narrative Writing. For the past week, we've learned how to collect our memories - the stories of our lives. We've learned that good writers zoom in on the most important part of the story and tell it step-by-step-by-step. Good writers don't choose "watermelon" ideas, but choose "seed" ideas instead (ask your child about it). Good writers slow down the moment in their mind, and include all the small, exact details that make the story come alive for their reader. Below are two pieces written by our students during the week. Dolan and Wilson did a wonderful job utilizing the strategies we learned in class.