Steps Towards Organizing our Classroom Library

After reading "I know that book's here somewhere!"  How to Organize Your Classroom Library by Hollie Brooke I have taken a few more steps towards organizing all the books in my fifth grade classroom.

At this point I already have bins of books organized by genre however, Hollie suggests and I agree, that creating a database of all the books in a classroom will prove to be an incredibly useful tool for students when selecting books.  

So, the students and I are typing in the title, author and genre of each book in a Google Spreadsheet. I will print off 2 or 3 copies of this list and have it in the classroom for a reference for students to use.

Because it's Google, I will also be able to share this database in a variety of digital formats.  Once it's complete I will post a link on our classroom wiki and even be able to send the link to parents and students in an email.

I do have high hopes of creating hyperlinks of each book where kids can click the book title and quickly get a glimpse of what the cover looks like, read a summary of the book and even possible read reviews.

Another advantage is the ability to sort any of the columns alphabetically.  This will allow me to get a sense of the different genres and authors I already have and identify any gaps in our classroom library.

For instance, when I sort the genre column alphabetically I can quickly see that I have over 100 biographies but hardly any autobiographies.  So, now I have identified a gap and can begin fillin' it. 

The kids are actually pretty excited about helping create this database and are especially interested to see the number of books continue to grow.  We are currently at 350ish and only about half way through. 

Goodreads

I am enjoying using the website Goodreads to keep track of all the books that I have been reading.  It's also been a great way to get book recommendations and to see what others have been reading.

Like most websites these days, there is a social component where you can "make friends" or share what you're reading on your facebook page.

There is also a "Group" section that I have yet to really delve into but when time permits, perhaps over the summer I will see what that's all about.

Another neat feature that I have started using is the ability to create book shelves.  So for instance, I have my fifth grade reading books separated from my own adult interest books.

The final point that I will mention is that Goodreads has developed a "goal setting" feature.  So, my goal, which is separate from the reading goal I made with my students in September, is to read 50 books this year.

What are you reading these days?

I Let Go For But A Moment...

I've been thinking for a few days now about how to craft this story that I am about to tell.  The more I talk with other teachers about these lessons the more I am realizing how really very powerful this learning experience has been for the kids... and myself.

I would start by not claiming any mastery in all of this.  To be brutally honest, I had not planned on teaching the lesson this way until literally 10 seconds before I started.  The idea struck me and so I dove in and gave it a whirl.

Here it is in a nutshell:   
"Either on your own or with a partner, read pages 186-191 in your Social Studies text book about the Plymouth settlement.  You will stand in front of the class and teach the rest of us about Plymouth once you are done.  Are there any questions?"

No questions.

The kids hemmed and hawed for a bit on who their partners would be, some wanted to work alone, others wanted groups of 3 or 4.  I allowed all requests.

The kids dove in with enthusiasm and started digging through the text.  As they were reading they were deciding what to write down, who would say what and then they began asking me a few questions.

• Mr. Howell can we create a play and perform the Plymouth story?
• Mr. Howell, can I use the Smartboard and take screenshots of Google Maps to show the Mayflower route?
• Mr. Howell can I watch a few videos on History.com to add to our notes from the text book?
• Mr. Howell can I create a quiz to give to the class after my presentation?
• Mr. Howell can I download images and insert them into our presentation?

The questions don't end there but you get the idea. Almost instantaneously this lesson took on a life of its own.  The kids claimed the learning and were deeply engaged and invested in this process like I hadn't really experienced before.

Why?

Here are a few of my thoughts on this:

• They knew they were going to be in front of their peers
• They had a choice on how to deliver the Plymouth story
• It was social.  
• It was different.

I suppose it's hard to put my finger on any one reason as to why they were so engaged however, they were and I loved being a part of it.

The paradigm shift:
This style of teaching/learning forced me into a different role however.  I was no longer the "sage on stage" delivering an energized, humorous and thoughtful presentation.  I was now the "guide on the side" going from one group to another asking probing questions.

With one group I would review the work they had already done, clear up any misconceptions, ask a few probing questions and then move on.   I would help another group figure out how to insert images into Microsoft Word that they were going to use.  Another group needed help determining the meaning of an unfamiliar word.  Another group needed help figuring out the username and password for Britannica Online so they could find out more information.

I was busy - real busy just in a very different way.

Here's the other dilemma I was faced to deal with.  The noise.

This type of learning is messy.  Kids are moving about, talking with each other, debating on what to say and what not to say.  An onlooker not involved in this process may have thought, "What on Earth is going on in there with all that noise?"  But upon taking a closer look would have seen that every single student was deeply involved in the learning process.

So in the end I realized this:  
I let go for but a moment.  I let go of the control and gave it to the kids and they handled it very well.  For over an hour, at the end of the day mind you, these kids were grinding through a rigorous piece of text right up until the very last second of the day and beyond...and enjoying it.

They owned that learning experience and most definitely took what would have been an otherwise dry and dull activity and turned it into something much much more ~ a personalized learning adventure.

A Visit to the Book Store

I absolutely love going to book stores.  My kids and I walked in yesterday to Barnes and Nobles and were greeted by a gentlemen playing live Holiday music on his piano.  The fresh smell of coffee and the hustle and bustle of the last minute shoppers added to the moment.

We quickly found our way to the back of the store where my son found the 8th book of Lunch Lady by Jarrett Krosoczka.  He pulled up some carpet and dove in.  Amelia and I grabbed a few picture books and found our way over to the Winnie the Pooh reading nook.

Our first book was Yes, Virginia There is a Santa Claus.  Although I have not seen it, there is a movie about this book as well.

We also read Charlie Brown's Christmas where he chooses the "best" Christmas tree on the lot and learns the meaning of Christmas.

Then we read Santa Trap.  This was my personal favorite out of the bunch.

No Christmas could go without reading about Bad Kitty.

Amelia then grabbed another favorite of mine that is good to read anytime of year; The Kissing Hand

What are you reading these days?

Rise and Shine

It's bananas, just bananas!  The amount of information to sift through, select, process, connect and ponder is simply crazy.  Let me give you an explicit example of what I am talking about.

This morning, I stumbled out of bed around 6:00, brewed a cup of Columbia Caribou Coffee through the Keurig and within minutes took a seat in front of the screen.

I had a quick conversation on Facebook with a family member and then found a Wall Post from Angela Maiers that said:

Interested in what Sir Ken has to say I quickly opened my twitter account and found @NcreatvieyN.  A quick glance down the feed showed me this:

"This Revolution is Not Being Televised looks interesting," I thought.  I clicked the link and began reading.

"Who is the author of this post I wonder?"  I thought to myself.  "Hmm, never heard of Sam Chaltain before.  I'll keep reading to see what Sam is trying to say here."

"Oh, he's a published author.  Careful, read critically," I thought to myself.  So as I continued I quickly found a sentence that spoke to me and used my handy dandy Diigo highlighter. This was making real sense to me.  The ideas in his post had me considering my own teaching habits and my own parenting habits.

"Here's a link. I'll right click and "open in new tab" to read once I get through this article."

"Wow, there's a lot of links.  I'll just right click and "open in new tab" and once I am through reading this article I go back through them."  I said out loud while sitting in the kitchen with the dog on Sunday morning at 6:10am.

It's at this point that I realized I had about a dozen tabs open, I was bookmarking possible books to read, skimming over the links that Sam has embedded in his article, and reaching the bottom of my coffee cup.

 Bananas!

So now the dog is ready to go outside, my head is about to explode and the second cup of coffee is being brewed.

I grabbed my journal, actual pencil and paper, and jotted a few notes down and then opened my blogger account.  It was time to write.

Actually, no it wasn't.  The dog, after being let in, had to see the children.  Rylee ran down the hall, chew toy in mouth, jumped into the children's bed and began the early morning ritual of obnoxious out of body tail waving and slobbering.

"Ok, brain.  Put all this on hold and focus on the kids."

Hugs and kisses ensued as we discussed last nights dreams and possible breakfast choices.  Gavin asked about the time change, "We can't move the moon so we move the clock?"  He asked. 

"That's one way to think of it." I said while chucklin' a bit under my breath.

Chocolate chip pancakes were eaten, we talked with mommy on the phone, I made a few phone calls about our landscaping business and was able to sit back down to the computer and reconnect my head to this mornings barrage of thoughts.

Bananas!

"Ok, where was I?"  

"Oh yes, a dozen tabs open and a thought about what to write.  Where shall I begin?  How about starting like this:"

It's bananas, just bananas!  The amount of information to sift through, select, process, connect and ponder is simply crazy.  Let me give you an explicit example of what I am talking about.

"Yeah, that sounds about right..."

A Generational Ying and Yang

I have started reading Nikhil Goyal's new book One Size Does Not Fit All and I'm hooked as of page one.  Here's a snippet from the Foreword written by Don Tapscott that actually got me to stand up and throw my arms in the air as if I were in church.

They (kids) were collaborating. They were working at their own pace.  They barely noticed the technology; it was like air to them.  But it changed the relationship they had with their teacher.  Instead of fidgeting in their chairs while the teacher lectures and scrawls some notes on the blackboard, they were the explorers, the discoverers, and the teacher was their helpful guide.

At this point, I am reminded of my last post where I highlighted NCTE's definition of what it means to be literate. Yes, part of the definition says "develop proficiency with the tools of technology." However, with a level of proficiency also comes a level of fluency that will ultimately help facilitate a learning experience far beyond that which educators were able to do in the past.

So it's not so much about the tools but more about the learning experience.

But the way I see it is there are two sides to this coin; the teacher's proficiency and the students'.  Our students have been "bathed in bits" since birth and we however remember a time before the Internet.

Perhaps we as teachers are the bottle neck in this equation. 

However, I think there can be a symbiotic relationship here between teacher and student.  I suppose it's like a generational Ying and Yang.

I think our generation of teachers can balance a student's impulsiveness with steadiness.  I think we can balance their quick fix mindedness with perseverance.  I think educators have an opportunity to model the Habits of Mind that are necessary for a 21st Century Thinker, as our students continue to model a sense of fearlessness.

We are not opposing forces but can work together interdependently in a way that will benefit everyone.


Keep on keepin' on!

Are You a Literate Educator?

Will Richardson has put together an interesting set of questions for us as educators to ask ourselves.  Here's one:

"How are we to make our students literate if we ourselves are not?"

According to National Council of Teachers of English a literate person should have these six components

1. Develop proficiency with the tools of technology
2. Build relationships with others to pose and solve problems collaboratively and cross culturally
3. Design and share information for global communities to meet a variety of purposes
4. Manage, analyze, and synthesize multiple streams of simultaneous information
5. Create, critique, analyze, and evaluate multimedia texts
6. Attend to the ethical responsibilities required by these complex environments

So, I suppose the million dollar question is, "our you as an educator meeting the standards to be a literate person?"

If yes, awesome! How are you helping those who are not?

If not, what are you going to do?

I suppose your options are as follows:

• Wait for your district to provide you training and support
• Go seek out your own training and support
• Do nothing

What will you do?