How to Use Project Based Learning to Put on a Parade!

Have you ever wondered how you could easily add a Project Based Learning activity to your classroom?  Are you wondering how to put the project on display?   Sometime it can be merged as one!  Simply put on a Project Based Learning Parade!  

Where to Start?

First, pick a theme!  Every parade has a theme, so a Project Based Parade should have a theme!  Dive into your curriculum to see what could be developed into a project with the outcome as a float-because that's the point of a parade, great floats!  Here are two ideas:  

State Park Floats:  This project explored both the state in general and the region of the US it is found in.  It is primarily to learn about the 50 States.

National Park Floats:  This project explored both the National Park's history and the ecosystems found there.  It incorporated the food chain found in the National Park.  

You see, both of these have a rich research base.  So, another piece of advice when diving into your curriculum is to look for something with a rich research base.  State flags, maps, park outlines, dates, ecosystems, tourist spots, etc. are all parts of the research base for this kind of project.   What topic are you studying that can allow for this rich base to be met?

Technology Integration

Next, you need to think about how much technology integration do you want?  Students can create research outcomes to accompany the float through the use of technology.  PowerPoints and other documentation can be help students to organize and present the information that they need beyond the actual parade float.  Consider this in your decision making process.

State Project

National Park Project

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PowerPoints are a great way for students to show what they know! This one was completed by one of my students for our #nationalparkproject Over the course of the week each child has presented! They were wonderful! Presentations are scary! That’s why I start each year with presentations as soon as I can! Even with #secondgraders This final project is the culmination of all our work! Tomorrow we celebrate with a float parade! Check back for some awesome floats tomorrow!! #iteachelementary #classroominspirations #thirdgradehallway #iteach234 #thirdgradetribe #secondgradetribe #iteachprimary #iteachgifted #teachingresources #igteachersrock #elementaryteacher #teachershare #teacherstuff #iteachsecond #secondgradeteacher #teachersfollowingteachers

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Research Time

Questions about Research Time include how much of a guideline do you want to provide, how much time do students need, and do you want them to complete research in class or at home?  This will also determine your lesson plans and the development of your research questions.  This last point is key to where students go.  Scaffolding them in their research will help them to feel successful throughout the process, whether completed at home or at school! 

Presentions

Next, you will want to think about how the presentations in class will be planned and what you will need for them.  Developing a rubric is SO important to this part-and the whole!  Research says that when teachers provide  a rubric, students can succeed at a greater rate.  Plus, it eliminates any negotiation for students who do not complete the task.  So, develop that rubric and get it into students hands!  

Once you are ready to present, have volunteers go first.  Students who are comfortable presenting will boost other's confidence and provide a foundation for others.  I try to pick students I know will offer great presentations so that others see and know what the expectations are.  This will often spur them into practicing more too!

The Parade

Finally, coordinate the parade beforehand!  This means you should send our emails to your staff to let them know the day and time you will be parading!  Students in other classes give the project builders the ooo's and ahh's that just make them feel successful!  Visit as many grade levels and classes as possible!  This means lots of eyes on their projects and a desire to make projects in the future!  That's a key to great project success!  



Once you have engaged in a Project Based Parade you will fall in love and want to do it every year!  Here are two projects to get you going - they provide everything you need for a great project parade!  

As always, I'd love to hear from you and what you like to do for Project Based Learning!  Drop a comment below or follow me over at Instagram or Facebook for classroom updates!  

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Book Clubs for Kids: 5 Things You Should Look For During Book Clubs

As teachers, we are constantly looking at our teaching and evaluating what we are doing.  With Book Club for Kids, we are doing the same things.  It is very important to "read" what is going on in the groups and responding to what we "read".  Here are 5 Things You Should Look for During Book Clubs!  

1.  Behavior Concerns

Yes, this is the number one thing you need to watch for!  Kids are kids, and they will try to take advantage of this!  Stand firm, monitor this group more closely.  Use proximity.  You can also pull students away as a consequence.  Students love Book Clubs but if their behavior gets in the way, they need to be removed.  Watch also for the opposite-using behavior to get out of Book Clubs.  Students who don't finish work don't participate.  Students are quick to figure this out and will try and use it to their advantage.  Be one step ahead and have a plan.  I usually provide additional class time to that student-especially if you have centers or "free time" that can be used.  It won't take them long to see their theory of less work doesn't work.  Always be on the look-out for behavior!  

2.  Struggling Students

Struggling doesn't always mean that just the low students struggle.  Struggling can come in many forms.  The idea that it is just the reading who causes a student to struggle is not true in Book Clubs for Kids.  The work itself can be a struggle.  Coming up with questions for a student who has not mastered questioning in reading is a struggle.  Creating a summary can cause a high student a lot of stress if they have not practice creating a summary.  Some kids can't make a strong connection because they lack some emotional skills to do so.  This is when you can differentiate your student's tasks.  Watch for what they need, instead of what you need.  Providing the perfect balance can lead to success for all your students!  

3.  Weaknesses of the Class

Weaknesses of the class in Book Club for Kids is key to watch for.  This can give you an overview of what concepts and ideas your students are lacking.  Teaching a skill in isolation and expecting them to apply it in Book Club can be a surprise when they fail at being able to do it.  Isolation is just that-students are looking for that skill and they do it for the grade, just like spelling tests or other rote skills.  Then when they are confronted with something in Book Clubs we are shocked when they fail at it.  WHY?  It is now in context.  Book Clubs are the perfect opportunity to see what your class really knows and make a plan to correct their path, whether it be the whole class or small groups of kids.  Watch for the weaknesses, they are there!  

4.  Lessons to Teach

It never fails that I have to teach two core lessons when we get started, no matter what grade level I teach.  The first one is how to write a summary!  Summaries are key to Book Club with Kids.  Summaries are also key to classroom experiences and State Testing skills.  Yet, kids are always weak at it because we teach it in isolation!  And, what do we hear over and over - your kids can't summarize.  With Book Club, it is a required element that makes them practice in context, again making the skill come alive!  So, take the time to teach it as you want to see it.  This could be done pre-Book Club or even during Book Club.  

Another weakness in students, no matter what grade I've taught, is good, quality questioning.  Students will start out looking for knowledge level questions, including yes/no answer questions.  Make it clear from the beginning that these questions are NOT acceptable.  Work in lessons on how to build stronger questions for your Book Club discussions.  Tie in Author's Purpose as a way to challenge students to ask other students questions.  Even better, build in questions stems through Anchor Charts that students can access over and over again.  Don't give up.  This skill takes time and with your constant help, students will be developing "teacher quality" questions.  Trust me, I have a whole notebook full of questions I've made enhanced with questions students have asked to match my ever growing collection of Book Club books!  

So, what are you looking for to discover lessons-the first place to look is at #2- weaknesses.  What continues to be your class' weakness?  The second place to look is your Standards, whether it is Common Core or specific State Standards.  Search to discover what your students need.  You will not be disappointed!  

This is an example of how you can take a Standard and 

turn it into a Book Club!  

5.  Enjoyment!  

This is a key component of Book Clubs for Kids.  If they are not enjoying it, they are probably not learning.  There are always books that students won't enjoy.  It is key to keep this in mind as you select books.  Just because you enjoy may not mean that they do. Be responsive to student need even before you start.  Then, monitor for this.  There are times you may just need to abandon a book, just like real readers do.  This needs to be an open discussion among your group and be agreed upon by all, so that they hear they are valued and respected.  In general though, students enjoy this process and want to engage in this process.  Always be watching for their level of enjoyment though, just to be sure.  


How do you accomplish all this?  In a carefully crafted way!  Differentiation is the very best way to meet all students needs and you can find that in these Book Club for Kids products!  Grab what you need by clicking on the picture below!  

I'd love to hear what you think!  Leave me a comment and let me know what works for you or what you are still wondering about  Book Clubs for Kids!  Or, join me on Facebook or Instagram to follow my journey, including what I do with Book Clubs!  

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Read More in this Series of Blog Posts

Book Clubs Exposed:  Why I Don't Do Guided Reading

Student Choice in Book Clubs

The Secret of Getting the BEST out of Student Jobs in Book Clubs

Why I Don't Do Guided Reading! Book Clubs Exposed!!!

I have lucky to be in on many innovative educational ideas.  I have seen the rise and fall of educational concepts.  It has been an interesting time.  One of the best ideas I have seen, and practiced, is the use of Literature Circles, or Book Clubs for kids.  It is also one of the most under utilized strategies with teachers.  Let's take a look at why!  

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This is how I survived my ELA block for the last few weeks before break!! I LOVE Book Clubs (Literature Circles) and so do my students!! It strengthens their understanding of character development and plot! Have you used Book Clubs in your class! Let’s hear about it!! #studentbookclubs #bookclubsforkids #literaturecircles #iteachela #iteachprimary #iteach123 #iteach234 #iteachgifted #teachingprimary #Igteachersrock #iteach2nd #iteach3rd #elementaryteacher #primaryteacher #teacherteam #teachersfollowingteachers #elementaryteacher #secondgradeteacher

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Book Clubs for Kids

Literature Circles, or Book Clubs for kids,  have probably been around longer than we can imagine.  I can retrace my experience back to my first year of teaching.  I taught Fifth Grade and had this great idea from college to try out.  My peer teacher was extremely innovative and agreed to let me try them out.  She was a steady novel user herself-in fact, she still is a novel user! (More on that in other posts!) I had used novels right along with her, mainly to get the most band for the buck!  My Brother Sam is Dead is a great example of this most bang moment!  This amazing novel teaches the American Revolution from an amazing view point - that of a Revolutionist who also put his life on the line for his family, all told by his young brother who was not fighting in the War.  Great stuff - but I digress!  So, I gather the texts I wanted to use - The Secret Garden, Alice in Wonderland, The Jungle Book, and Huckleberry Finn.  These books were not a huge jump for my students - in fact, because of what we were reading, they fit right into our class.  I created a project too - they had to write a summary for each chapter and draw a picture to create a Big Book for a younger grade!  All was great - but I had NO IDEA what I was doing!  This was totally unstructured talk with a random project.  I would rotate and listen to them.  They would all write a summary!  Great, but with no real results.  No real ability to "see" what I needed to see from them.  And, so, like so many others, I gave up this very "innovative" idea and stuck to what I was learning from others - the use of really great literature with the whole class.   Until...

Balanced Literacy!

Yes, about ten years into my teaching career, Balanced Literacy was launched.  It was during this time that "Guided Reading" was introduced to us and it was quickly pushed aside by those that I taught with.  In fact, it was a somewhat verbal assault on the instructor of the course.  But, she would not be pushes aside so easy.  Over the course of our year's worth of classes, she began to make headway - with BOOK CLUBS for kids!  She quickly moved from the idea that small readers were for all students into reading novels with older kids.   This brought buy-in!  In fact, she brought us to the point that students in 2nd grade and beyond SHOULD be reading real literature in the form of NOVELS!  And that's where she found acceptance and understanding!  And that's why I don't do Guided Reading in my classroom - in ANY grade I've taught!  Instead, I do...

Book Clubs!!

Literature Circles, or Book Clubs for kids, soon became a big hit with my students!  Why??  Well, there are a number of reasons!  Here's some:

1. They offer student choice!  We all know that it is hard for teachers to give up the idea that students can choose their own books.  However, that is part of what Book Clubs for kids offer.  Choice gives a student more buy-in.  That means more time on task, a connection to social-emotional learning, a willingness to have cooperative behaviors, and just a better chance to have fun with their reading.  
2. They provide a chance for differentiation!  That's right!  You can offer a variety of reading levels and topics in one Book Club for kids.  Or, you can go with a theme and offer a variety of levels of reading opportunity!  The opportunities are endless!  
3. It provides a purpose for reading beyond the idea of taking a test!  YES!  It is real, it is engaging, it is opportunity!  Real literature is used.  Kids want to read when the book engages them-so pick quality with PURPOSE!  Understand what and why you have picked that text to use with them!  And, opportunity is present.  Opportunity to get students involved and loving a book for what it is and what it does for them as a reader! 

What Book Clubs for Kids are NOT! 

I shutter when I hear Guided Reading- for real, I do.  Because it has become what it should not be.  It is, in it's current form, Round-Robin Reading Groups.  Student groupings don't change, they are stuck in a cycle of boredom (and so is the teacher), and we are assessing everyone for fluency OVER AND OVER! (Why?? WHY?? If they are fluent-move ON!)  We don't boost their reading past what we "think" they should be doing!  Reading is NOT A LEVEL!  Therefore, Book Clubs are NOT Guided Reading!  

Book Clubs for kids are NOT a free-for-all either!  There is structure and planning in Book Clubs.  Students have roles and expectations- all of which they must be ready for.  It takes practice and work, but students can quickly learn the hows and whys when presented with opportunities to lead!  

Book Clubs for kids are NOT ungraded!  There are many ways to grade Book Clubs.  Be open to ideas for grading, even from the students.  They know what should and should not be going on in their groups and will be honest about their behaviors and reading.

Book Clubs for kids are NOT unguided.  I carefully scaffold my Book Club instruction.  I start the same for every grade, no matter what grade I have taught Book Clubs in, 1st through 5th.  When they learn the ropes, they learn quality Book Clubs!   

So, now that you are intrigued, I'd love for you to join me in learning more!  I'll be posting some Blog Posts and sharing some over on my Facebook Page!  Stop by and follow me there for my live discussions about Book Clubs!  And, let me know more about what you'd like to learn by leaving me a comment below!  

Book Club Products

          

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Read the next article on Book Clubs for kids HERE! 

Two Birds With One Stone

         I hope everyone is enjoying this pre-Thanksgiving week!  I, for one, will be enjoying two birds this week.  One that my husband smoked for our camping trip and one that my niece will be cooking for the first time ever on the big day!  So it is very fitting that last week I thought of this title, and then never got to write it!  It’s about shades of meaning and how to attack this skill in two subjects, instead of just in one!

            Let’s start with a question.  Have you ever taught something with “cute” words?  I mean, really “cute”, so “cute” that, after awhile, they start making you a little sick!  I believe this is because these “cute” words aren’t true to what kids need to know.  The word I am currently “sick” of is “Sparkle Words”.  Let’s face it, what does this really mean.  Oh, I know what it means.  It means to go in and find weak words and replace them with stronger words, making your writing “sparkle”.  But do kids deserve more than a word that doesn’t really match something in reading!  There is, after all, an exact reading term for this very concept.  It is a term they are now (or should be) learning in lower grades with the influx of Common Core.  Let’s, then, make it really count and call it what it is in writing also-Shades of Meaning!  And, so I did! 

            I started out with redirecting them through a Power Point to our slide show on Roald Dahl and author’s purpose.  We specifically talked about his ability to write exactly opposite of what he wanted to say to his teachers! 

Imagine that, an author who was clever enough to trick his teachers into thinking he couldn't write!  We also looked specifically at some of his word choices and talked about what thesaurus are.

 I explained that the shade of meaning, or intensity of the word, helped to strengthen his writing.  To show them what I meant by intensity, I showed them a large paint chip from Wal-Mart’s paint section that has all of the intensities of blue on the chip in circle form. (These are from Better Homes and Gardens Paint)  We focused next on one particular sentence: 

And she was mad! ( Page 37)

Using the thesaurus, we first picked out the definition that matched the sentence on page 37-Wait, can it be true-THIS IS READING!-and then tried out a few.  I showed them how we would build an intensity continuum and we charted out mad.  And, low and behold, we found “seeing red” as one of the most intense word choices!  A great example of how idioms are an intense shade of meaning!  Isn’t figurative language a standard in READING vocabulary in Common Core (and, not to mention, NGSSS)?  Are you starting to see what I mean?  Why keep calling them words like “sparkle words” when you can get more bang for your buck!  Shall we move on?

           

            I then turned it over to the kids.  I gave each group a sentence from Charlie and the Chocolate factory with a word underlined on the page.  They needed to find 4 more words in that shade of meaning that grew in intensity.  It was amazing. They went at it and really enjoyed talking about how the words grew stronger but didn’t change the meaning. One group lost their way in the fact that they picked the first four words they came across.  I worked with them to “shop around” a little and soon, they had gathered some pretty intense words.  Continuums were created, and we were on our way!

            Next, I gave them a word with multi meanings-wait, isn’t that READING!- and had them 1.  Find their meaning and 2.  Organize them by intensity.  This was from my Shades of Meaning 8 Pack.  Once they created their intensity continuum by simply ordering them on their desktops, they shared out with the class.  After that, they completed the form provided in the pack for the word “good” that their group had.  And just like that, we were on our way to creating stronger sentences in our writing from something that matches a reading skill!

            But we weren’t finished!  Next, I gave them a weak word from a website I found.  Can I find it now, of course not!  There are tons of them out there to use though, so find what works for you!  As partners, the students worked on two words. They were given the directions to find 5 “weak” words, because the one I gave them was the WEAKEST, 5 strong words, 5 stronger words, and 5 intense words.  

This was the only way I could think it through that made sense to them.  I do need to work on this particular thought.  Anyways, they went to town and created word lists to match their weakest word!  I reminded them that they would be sharing these with the class, and to be prepared, but they weren’t prepared for what came next.

            A gravestone, some tears and a whole lot of saying goodbye!  Many of you have probably heard about burying words, putting them away from use, but have you ever had an actual funeral.  We did.  I “cried” and everything.  Once the kids got into it, it was pretty humorous.  They cried loudly over each word as I announced its death and put it on the gravestone.  They then “eulogized” their word by sharing their stronger choices.  I wrote them on the paint chip circles that are now hung our Shades of Meaning bulletin board.  

As we go further along, I will be creating lists of ways to make their writing come “alive” next to our tombstone and shades of meaning continuums.  This will include similes, metaphors, alliterations, etc.  that I post on flowers.  I thought that would be a nice way to show how their writing will grow by using intense word choice.

            So, here’s the bigger picture and how I am killing two birds with one stone. Next we will  go over the question stems for shades of meaning for reading tests.  That means I can now write test questions based on shades of meaning and they will get it.  I can now go through the figurative language pieces for their writing.  I can tie it to how writers use figurative language to strengthen their work and how they should too.  I can show them how those question stems work!  It’s all connected; it’s all one strand!  It is now open season for this word work!  Take a shot at it; I think you will like it!

           

Off Balance

            Yes, that’s what I’d call it, off balance.  While I was enjoying the last drive-in in Florida last night, this little visual “came” to me.  You see, I have a hard time turning off a train of thought if that train of thought impacts me greatly.  And, this does. I won’t go into the possible impacts on my VAM score, or the push for higher test scores that my district is heading toward (not that we weren’t before, but it is amazing what a change in leadership will do).  It happens because I am type A-there, I admit it!  Just like my dad, I’m driven to do my best and look at what I do as not being complete till it meets my standards of “the best” in my eyes.  That’s what is so amazing about it.  I don’t need to be everyone else’s “the best”, I just have to be my “the best”!  So, enough about this, and back to the topic-off balance!

           

      While I was thinking about the topic of conceptual concepts, I was also thinking about how, and why, we are given so many areas of conceptual concepts.  How, as you can see, there would be so many for such an age where the kids aren’t ready for it.  That seems to be the primary concern that I have, as well as so many others, I’m sure.  In 4^th grade, kids are transitioning from skill understanding to this higher-level thinking and understanding at a conceptual level.  Not every kid is ready for it, so, state wide, 4^th grade always seems to dip in reading test scores.  Yet, in Florida, that is the reporting grade they tend to use as a bench mark over and over.  There’s always the big hype over the promotion of 3^rd graders, but when the rest of the scores come out, 4^th grade tends to be a focus-with 8^th and 10^th.  It helps, in some ways, for me at least now, to know why!  Why the dip occurs.  But this is also only the first glaring reason.  

            In my investigation as to why, I also discovered this!

This shows the expected growth in reading scores from 3^rd to 4^th and then from 4^th to 5^th!  Another clear reason why there is such a dip from 3^rd to 4^th!  Not only do they hit them with conceptual challenges, but then they up the expected growth by A LOT!  I won’t go on, I could, but I won’t!

            Now, back to the conceptual concepts.  In O’Meara’s book, RTI with Differentiated Instruction is, finally, the definition of something that puzzled me this year.  The magical “80%” expectation.  I kept wondering, “Where in the world did they get this number?!”  Somewhere, the powers that be, determined that if students could score 80% or higher, they are considered successful.  Then you target your kids that aren’t doing that.  We must be paying attention to that number-80% or better!  That doesn’t mean that we need to put these kids into a remediation group and skill and drill them!  This means it’s time for DIFFERENTIATION!   Oh, how I love that term and how Jodi pointed me in this direction.   Instead of hitting these kids with things that don’t work, at the same level as everyone else, we start looking at how to meet their needs in smaller group settings, through things we are doing, in a different way!  We tract their data, we check to really see what’s going on and what growth is happening, and, when it happens, we RELEASE THEM!   Not every kid needs to be an RTI kid.  Sometimes, when conceptual concepts aren’t hitting them, we need to differentiate and help them see and grow.  Because, let’s face it guys, concepts aren’t something that just come to everyone!  They need this time to be caught so they can be released! 

            How does this tie all together?  It is still that question that lingers. In all of this stuff, how do we REALLY know a concept has been successfully met?  How, besides being able to score it through a multiple-choice answer, do we know they do it?  I don’t know if I can even answer that, besides being able to say, “I just do.”  I know when their writing reflects the skill and it is correct.  I know when supports are present.  I know I’ve scored it using the Marzano Rubric for Learning.  I also know I adjust my expectations from time to time.  So maybe that’s what is really eating at me.  How do I stabilize my expectations of a concept?  Just like Jodi points out in her book.  If you have any ideas, feel free to leave me a comment!  

Here is a link to the Off Balance Graphic.  I'm putting it in TPT simply because I don't know how to link documents to the blog yet!  Also, it will have the full scale score chart I made for both math and reading expectations!