How to Boost Inference Skills!

How do you boost inference skills?  Two words-Chris VanAllsburg!  Oh yes!  A HUGE dose of Chris VanAllsburg!  Here's how!

First, explore who this author is.  Many of us know him, but we don't!  Sure, he's The Polar Express, Jumanji, and Zathera.  But he is SO much more!  He is a supreme artist.  If you look at his work carefully, you will see that his quality is amazing.  I prefer his black line work myself.  His shading and detail are incredible.  Next, look at it even closer.  He hides things in his work.  There are reoccurring patterns of pictures and imagery.  One of these is his "nephew" dog! That cute little dog is in every book he has created!  

Next, there are the stories.  Oh, the stories!  These stories will make students think!  VanAllsburg doesn’t provide all the answers.  No, he is going to give hints and pieces that give the students a chance to think it through, to dig deeper into their own thinking and understanding.  It is REAL practice each time they hear the story, or pick it up on their own afterwards. 

It is important that you don’t just attack these stories in a haphazard way. There has to be a plan.  Students need the opportunity to build their inference skills when presented with his stories.  Let’s take a look at how they can build this skill within this practice of listening and inferring.

First, start with the most familiar books.  The Polar Express, even when it is not Christmas time, brings the students to a familiar place.  They are comfortable yet surprised by some of the differences with the movie and the book.  This leads to good conversations in class.  Move onto Jumanji and Zathura, since students may have seen those movies as well.  And, this becomes a fascinating set of tales for them.  It also begins to press into inference, as they must use their understanding in a different way.  They inferencing process can be charted and discussed at this point.  There is a serious transfer of characters at the end of Jumanji that goes into Zathura.  Students will use their inferencing skills to start this story.  They will then apply their former knowledge to infer events in Zathura.  Building this slowly creates a growth mindset because you don’t overload them with the serious books yet to come. 

Next, we head into the medium inferential thinking books that he has written.  The Garden of Abdul Gasazi is an example of this.  Most of the story is a nice tale of a boy who doesn’t follow directions and the results of that decision.  Then, BAM, just like that, kids have to make a serious inference that isn’t a huge risk.  They take it, they have success, and they are ready for more!  The Wreck of the Zephyr, Ben’s Dream, The Wretched Stone, The Mysteries of Harris Burdick, and Probuditi are good to read in this stage.  Success for growth in inference, repeated practice, and a growing love of his work all come out of this continued practice. 

In the final stage of practice I introduce them to the heavy stuff.  This is where you have to work carefully, because these stories can overload the kids if you are not careful.  I start with The Witches Broom.  There are some things in this story that students must connect through inference.  When they do, they are amazed at the depth of their thinking!  I follow this with the Sweetest Fig.  This one is a little harder and raises many questions for the students.  Run with it and work together through the tale.  The end is so worth it!  And, again, success!  Next comes my favorite, A Bad Day at Riverbend!  OH MY GOODNESS!  Do NOT, I repeat, Do NOT let them see any pages ahead in this tale.  Inference, inference, inference is used on every single page!  And, be sure to read it with a western twang!  This is truly the most amazing of all his books!  All of this will prepare them for The Stranger.  This one is really hard for my students, since we live in Florida.  It takes lots of inferencing and, frequently, after discovery, I reread it to them so that they can find the clues and truly enjoy the story with the deeper understanding it takes. 

I know that I haven’t talked about a single activity to do with these books.  That’s because I don’t do them!  I don’t overload the process with writing activities and recording information.  I can totally gather information from faces and group talks.  I’m not looking for perfection or continual growth.  I want to have this skill impact them through the simple joy of hearing, thinking, and team discussion.  I have been reading and completing this unit for over 15 years and I can honestly say, it works!  One of the true errors of this post is that I’m recording this information now.  I won’t do this unit until at least January!  By then they will be ready. 

I do finish this unit with a graffiti wall activity.  This is an awesome way for kids to record their favorite parts of the story, their inferences, or a picture that will stay with them from each title.  The end product wasn’t fancy, but it was full of great thinking and creativity on their parts. 

How do you teach inference?  I’d love more ideas for great authors and activities to build my students’ skills! 

Back to School Fun With a Student-Centered Approach!

I have been back to school for a whole week now and it has been great!  I am teaching third grade this year, but didn’t have to change rooms (and that’s a huge praise!)  But that also meant creating a whole new opening of a school year!  New projects, new ideas, and keeping some oldies but goodies going as well.  I’m joining up with the Grace-Filled Classroom to share all about our ideas for Back to School.  So, let’s take a look!

Student-Led Learning

When new directives come down the pike, I tend to be the one that says, “Fine, you want this, I’ll give it to you full force!”  Crazy, I know, but I guess that’s the way I protest!  That is what is happening with Student-Led Expectations!  If I could figure out a way to make every standard applicable, you better believe I’d do it.  But that really is unrealistic.  But I was thinking, what about our classroom expectations?  That’s doable!  So, I had to apply that to third grades, who were readily able and efficient at communicating school and classroom expectations.  After a little bit of brainstorming, I came up with I Know My School’s Expectations. Now, I have plenty of new students to the school, but that doesn’t matter.  By third grade they can pretty much tell you the rules and procedures for anyplace in a school building.  The one specific to our school I had all the old students do.  Otherwise, they were required to brainstorm all of the things they could think of that apply to that location in the school building, the rules and procedures that made them tick.  Then, after brainstorming, we gathered together so that the students could share those expectations.  This was true buy-in.  It took minimal amount of time, and, it was student generated.  It empowered my students with a voice on the first day, but was not overbearing and overwhelming. Get them for FREE here!  

 I did fancy them up, but all are hanging in our classroom to refer to whenever we need too!

Student-Led Learning Again!

Another way I plan on having a Student-Led classroom is to have the students record the standard in their notebook so that we can actually track what we are learning.  I saw this on Pinterest and thought, “What a great way to do standards!”  Yes, I could have spent a ton of time creating these, they could be fancy, but what did that do for my students last year?  NOTHING!  So, today we started our first standard in our notebooks, and on my focus wall!  

Why not, let’s give it a try!  Students will be referring to this standard, and others as we go, instead of me pointing out to them what they need to learn.  This instantly helped me to also think about projects to prove their learning.  One of the ways students in 3^rd grade in Florida can be promoted is through Portfolio Assessment.  What if I actually started to have them KEEP portfolios of their successes.  This will also help me to have great resources for Student Led Conferences!  This is a new thought pattern that is coming out this very instant!  How cool is that!  Something else to begin planning for! 

First Day of School Stations

Can I just tell you that for a second year in a row that I totally LOVE this for opening day!  The students get to explore the areas of our classroom by getting up, getting moving, and recording their thoughts!   I still highly recommend this product, although it is no longer free. It also provides that opportunity for students to have that control of learning instead of the teacher!  Another great way to include the students as leaders!  

Getting to Know My Super Friend

You can find this activity at First Grade Wow!  If you teach primary, her blog has AMAZING resources, including Soaring with Superheroes, for FREE!   This was a wonderful activity from that unit that we completed on the second day of school.  I had purchased the bracelets at The Dollar Tree and each child cut out their name from the alphabet page.  Then they met up with a friend and shared details about themselves with each letter of their name.  We switched a number of times and had a wonderful time completing the task! Well worth downloading and using!!  Thanks First Grade Wow! (And I used it in 3rd grade!)

Golden Year Starts with Golden Things

And, to finish off my awesome week, I had an AWESOME moment!  One of my former student’s father is an Olympian and a medal winner in swimming.  He couldn’t find his daughter’s new class and I begged off on him to come in and share super fast with my class!  And he said YES!!  When he pulled these babies out, I just had to touch one!  The next thing I knew is he dropped them down with a clank, and then lifted them to my neck and put them on!  Be still my HEART!  As a former swimmer myself, this was like a dream come true!  To feel what it is like to have these medals around my neck.  It took my breath away-and I hugged him!!  It was FABULOUS!  What a great moment to start a great school year! 

Let’s hear what is happening in your class to start out the school year!  May it be as golden and blessed with great things as mine.

(Here's a little something about my student's Olympic dad!)

  

It's a Sale! And a Contest!!

If you haven't heard yet, TpT's big BACK-TO-SCHOOL SALE is August 1st and 2nd!  Let's all fist pump!  Anyways, TpT did this AMAZING thing!  They gave away gift certificates to GIVE AWAY!  It's the Best Year Ever and I get to GIVE too!  So, here's how this works!  

1. Head over to my Facebook page.  You can click HERE or you can go right up there in the corner and click the Facebook page button.  

2. Go to the contest post and tag a friend so they can play along.

3.  In the reply under your comment, post a link to a product you are going to buy!  It doesn't have to be from my store.  But here's a link to my store for you to check out! 

4.  Click the LIKE button while you are there so you can keep up to date with all of the news!

5.  Check back at 9 p.m. EST to see who wins!  It could be you!  

Have fun!  I will be checking in from time to time to see how it is going and to message the winner with their $10 Gift Certificate info!  

Why We MUST Reexamine our Reading Series

This week I’m using my reading series story Sled Dogs Run.  It is a wonderful story written in a way that oozes author’s purpose.  Yet, it is in the WRONG spot-a totally WRONG spot.  It is in the second unit (first week) of my reading series, in the anthology, in the WRONG season, and, above all, tied to the WRONG skills!  And this has happened over, and over, and over- WRONG stories tied to WRONG skills!  This is why we MUST reexamine our reading series!  Let’s take a closer look!

           

            Sled Dogs Run is tied to the following curriculum goals:  character, setting, plot and making predictions.  NO!  This is not what this story is about.  So, how do we go about thinking of the curriculum in a different way?  First, you will totally have a feeling about a story!  Really, that’s what happens!  If you REALLY know your standards, you can read a story, and examine your feelings about how the story fits, how the story breathes.  This story breathed Author’s Purpose to me.  It breathed of a love that brings in Author’s Perspective.  Sure, it had characters, a setting, a plot, all stories do-but it had MORE!  What else-let’s look closer!

            Language!  Words that mean so MUCH MORE!!  Rich, deep language that a beginning second grader CANNOT pull out or appreciate!  A language that was foreign in so many ways-terms that needed to be understood through a skill set that most teachers and students could never understand.  They are mushing terms.  Things that the average kid in America in second grade will never experience in second grade!  There had to be a deeper understanding than just “Let’s read it for character, setting, and plot!”  They need a specific vocabulary set to really understand this story!  Want more?

            You can’t predict this story!  You can’t! Unless you have ridden with a sled dog team and have intricate knowledge of sled dogs, you are out of luck-PERIOD!  Beginning of the year second graders can’t guess that there will be a moose on the journey.  They can’t guess that there will be a whiteout!  They can’t guess the dogs will lead her home!  They can’t break down the information and predict that trust is key!  They CAN’T!

            How do we fix this HUGE issue with reading series?  How do we get the best out of a story like Sled Dogs Run!  REEXAMINE IT!  CAREFULLY! 

1. Read the story and ask yourself, “What are the standards that go better with this story?”  There are lots of standards that can fit many stories but it often seems like reading series makers guess and apply.  You just can’t see how that standard makes sense.  Yet, we teach it anyways.  We teach it that way because “experts” say so.  I always wonder, “What experts?”  I’ve never heard of any of the people who put these series together.  They don’t offer any real reasons as to why they pick skills this way besides, “Because that’s where we put it.”  Should I stand on “because”?  I think not.  

2.   Ask yourself, “How does this fit into my other curriculum?”  Part of the reason this story is in the series is it fits into the series decision that it is about animal adaptation.  Later in the series there is a story about Alaska that ties into mapping.  How did they miss the connection?  This story better helps us understand the topography and environment of Alaska through the trip the dogs actually take!  And, throw in the main March event of the Iditarod, and you now have a highly engaged unit that works together to cover a plethora of skills-mapping, author’s purpose, figurative language, theme, opinion writing (based on the Iditarod controversy), and, in general, a fun winter topic!  Much better suited to the actual purpose of the story based on what it says in the author piece at the end of the story! 

This is the page I created to examine Author's Purpose before we read!

3.   CREATE!  Yes, create!  Or search out!  Begin to create your own material or find others who have!  Do this with support of quality teaching materials to guide your hand.  I do not just “go for it!”  I have real support through research-based materials to guide what I need to make.  Plus, to be honest, I’ve got years of this!  I was bucking the system way back when the system was bucking itself-during Whole Language.  We were allowed to freely create and make before there was TpT or the Internet!  Start out slow and seek support from other educators!  We love to do that stuff-support one another! 

4.  Try it out!  This is the hardest part.  Being brave to try out what you know is best, what you think will work.  You will gain confidence.  You will have flops-real flops!  That’s how you learn!  Just go back to the drawing board!  

5.  Reassess and reexamine!  What worked, what didn’t, and where do I want to go next?  This is REALLY important!  REALLY!  Did the standards work?  What went well, what didn’t?  Was it too rigorous, just right, or too easy?  How can I adjust that?  Did it work well where I placed it in my curriculum?  Did the students engage with the topic because they were mature enough to do so? 

           Now, I know that some of us have to follow roadmaps.   That in it self is a major problem.  I’m lucky enough to be in a district that allows us the choice-use the series or use “other” materials that go in line with the order of that curriculum.  This story easily fits into the curriculum we are completing now.  That’s another thing to really know-your road map and how to adjust stories to it, instead of the stories to the curriculum!  If you are not lucky enough to be in a district that is flexible, go talk to your administrator!  They are educators also.  Provide evidence as to the “why” of your change, to what works better.  If you district offers surveys, explain this type of thing on the surveys.  Go to curriculum in your district and really show them.  There are lots of options out there.  The reality is, until we stand up and begin to talk openly about the problems in a purchased series, there can’t be change.

           And with that, here is my last bit of advice.  Start emailing and talking to your legislators about these problems.  Email and share your issues with the company itself.  We owe it to our students and to ourselves to start speaking out!  We can’t improve unless we are willing to step out in the faith we have in ourselves as professionals!  We owe it to us!

Sled Dogs Run on TpT

Relax-Just Do It!!

Today I'm linking up with A Grace-Filled Classroom to talk about how teacher's relax!  Now, if you asked my husband, he'd totally tell you I don't!  He'd say I work too much, I'm on the computer too much, I just am "too much"!  Now, I beg to differ!  I do know how to relax-SOMETIMES!  Anyways, here a few ways I like to relax!

Today, after a crazy week of computer stuff, I decided to do one of my most favorite activities to relax-SEW!  I am currently working on a Kwik-Sew pattern of a dress.  I have never used Kwik-Sew before and I was really nervous about how this dress would fit. 

I took this picture during the time that I was totally nervous that I would NEVER wear the dress!  The pre-complete dress just didn't seem to fit.  Then, I got past the not-put-together stage and tried it on and it ROCKS!  I'm actually thinking about using it for my first day of school dress!  Even though some of this can be frustrating, it is very relaxing.  I do love to press the edges to the crispness that it takes to make it truly lovely.  I love the successful feeling of a finished garment.  I love the hunt of the fabric search, the brainstorming of the finished product.  It really is a completely amazing, relaxing process from start to finish!  Each year I post the dresses I have made. You can see the last two years here and here.  

Another way that I relax is to knit.  I haven't been doing it long and I am so glad that I did finally learn.  I was at our County Fair volunteering in a booth in the Craft Tent.  Each day there were ladies there just knitting.  I talked to them a few times and they were very nice and encouraging towards learning.  My last night of volunteering I told them that I wasn't going to leave until I learned! They were totally excited for me to stay and learn.  That night I picked up how to knit and PEARL!  Yes, there is a difference.  It was really fun!  Since then I have completed a scarf and I am slowly completing a prayer shawl to use when I am in Church or school and get cold.  

This is my favorite spot in the whole world! Doesn't it look like a Monet painting!

As far as a whole family event goes, camping is our true relaxation!  In Florida it is too hot to camp in the summer.  We head out in October for our first camping trip to Fort Wilderness (a.k.a. Disney).  This trip is relaxing a different way!  We spend lots of time with our Church friends.  It isn't until Thanksgiving, or sometimes Christmas, that we hit the real relaxation.  We LOVE our State Parks and this is when we hit those up.  We get our camper set up and hit the trails!  My younger son and I hit the trails and bike till our bike butts hurt!  My older son and husband hang out and enjoy the campground and people in it.  This is the most amazing way to relax!  I long for this time all year!  

From my love for the camping outdoors, I found another great way to relax-Birding!  It started with simply taking nature shots to then needing to learn the names.  Plus, my sister got involved in Eagle Watch, and, bam-the two merged!  So, to get away from the rat-race of day to day life, about once a month we hit the local hot spots to check on our eagle babies and, if we are lucky, some other awesome birds, such as the redheaded duck that come to our area. Again, we have to wait until it cools off for the birds to come, but once they are here, it is a great way to relax.  

This was an amazing day of birding in the "not wild"!!

One thing that I never thought would come out of relaxing is a TpT product.  When I was teaching first grade, I wanted to help my students understand the nature they were seeing around them.  From this, Bird Migration:  What Birds Do When They Fly South was born!  

Why not!  I was able to use the pictures I took while birding and, then, learned more about the birds I was watching!  It was really a fascinating product to create!  So, I challenge you, what could you do with your hobbies to create!  To teach!  To inspire!  Leave me a comment sharing your ideas!  And, check out some of the other great posts on the Link Up also!  

Learning a Lesson Through Trademark

     

     Today, I mourn a loss.  Not a human or pet loss, but that of a beloved product.  You see my friends; I made a grave error of not understanding.  I made an error against TRADEMARK!  Who knew-really, WHO KNEW!  But, let’s go through what I’ve learned! 

     First, although I have been on TpT now for almost 4 years (gasp-how!) I have never taken it very serious (see my last post on MINDSET!)   I really haven’t!  I’ve created out of necessity or out of fun.  That’s how I started offering classroom décor.  I LOVE scrapbooking and I totally thought that creating décor was the same as scrapbooking-and, in so many ways, it is!  So I started with Focus Walls!  And they sold, and sold, and sold!  That’s when I thought I’d do a Star Wars one.  I found cute clipart-on TpT- and bam-sold!  I found other sellers offering Star Wars materials and thought, “I could do that!”  Do you see the error?  I just followed other sellers.  I figured as long as I called it “themed” I was fine, right.  I mean, everyone else was doing it! 

     Then I attended the TpT Conference.  The first few people I mentioned Star Wars to seemed to be startled and then they just carried on.  No one could really explain to me WHY they were startled.  It just seemed taboo. Ok, well, I was fine right!?!  Then I overheard a conversation on TRADEMARK!   I was at the tail end of it, so I didn’t get the whole conversation.  The seller explained to me that she had taken down a Polar Express item because she had made an item that violated the TRADEMARK established by the author!  REALLY, I thought!  But yes, his title and all things involved with The Polar Express, belong to him and if you violate that trademark, TpT will deliver to you a cease and desist letter!  HOLY COW!  I verbalized, “Well, then I’ll take it down when I get one.”  Which she so wisely replied, “They only give you three chances and then they take your store totally down!”  I think she knew by my face EXACTLY what I was thinking because she replied, “I was new once too.  I’ve made lots of mistakes!”  The saddest part was, I walked away thinking everything would be ok. 

     Well, that’s not me.  It ate at me.  It picked at me.  Why in the WORLD did I think that I could just pretend I didn’t hear her!  Today, while reading for my upcoming Bible Study, it really struck home-I was becoming a slave to the very thing I didn’t want to be a slave to-money and sales!  Even though I am now more serious about sales and that this is money, I don’t want to do it without integrity.  So, you know what I did next, I went to the TpT Forums!  Yep, even though they make me jittery because of the endless threads and the not so direct answers, I went!  And there, I found some basic information on Trademark.   I was in my right mind enough to know to go to the website provided and do a search!  HOLY GOOD GOLLY!  Again, not as easy as it should be.  But there it was, in black and white, the endless list of words that show that Star Wars is trademarked, and out of my store!  I began deleting like crazy.  Here is what I did.

1.  I deleted everything but my bundles, as I know that some people might need to download that as they were growing bundles. 

2. I went into these products, edited them,  and posted a notice in the update area to ask people to download, as I will be deleting them.

3.  I priced the bundles at a ridiculous amount and changed the product description to this:

At this time this product is only still available for buyers that need to update.  I am removing this product on 7/20/16 due to a new understanding of trademark.  I am willingly doing this to comply with laws and standards, including those of TpT.  I haven't been asked, I just want to have integrity in my store.  That is why this is priced at it's current price-so I don't sell any of these but allow time for buyers to receive what they have already purchased.  Thanks!

4.  I went to the old dashboard and chose  “See Your Sales and Transactions”.  I made a spreadsheet by clicking at the bottom where it says to make it in Excel.  This is so I have a record of all the sales I have made so that if someone contacts me, I can figure out something  or some way to get them their purchase.  I can verify that the purchase was made because I put in a date well BEFORE the items were sold. 

5.  Then I cried!  Yes, I cried!  That was so much work, so much love, so much put into that product line!  I mean, I LOVE those products.  I’m a complete nerd.  But that love cannot override the right thing to do.  The risk is not worth it.  I still don’t really understand the whole process, but I feel safer to know that the risk is gone.  Now, if only I could get rid of all those Pinterest pins that are floating around!  (I have deleted all that are on my boards and have deleted as people repin from other sites!  It may take years!)

One more thought, I REALLY thought it would greatly affect my sales.  On the new dashboard it has deleted the profit.  It wasn’t as bad as I thought.  What did that teach me-that I’m a better seller than my Star Wars line.  That I am succeeding at this thing called TpT!  Slowly but surely! 

     Please share any other information you have on trademark, as I'm still not exactly sure of everything I need to know!  Or, share a story you have in the comments below!