Thoughts on Teaching & Learning: All the Ways Books Are Important to Readers

Over the past several weeks, I have found myself doing a lot of reflection trying to get this online teaching right.  I keep meaning to get my thoughts on paper but then get caught up in the day-to-day work of teaching in this pandemic era.  I know if I can catch my breath, there is a lot to learn and reflect on during this time. So, I decided that every day in May, I will share my thoughts on Teaching and Learning.  

During the last week of school, I met with students in small groups.  As we finished the year, I wanted to try to do some of the things I usually did to celebrate growth, reflect and end the year. In these small group meets, I asked each student to talk about a book that was important-- a book that was important for some reason.  I chose my words carefully, as I didn't merely want a favorite book or a book they liked. So, I asked, "Tell me about a book that has been important to you in 5th grade for some reason." And then I gave them time to think about it.

The answers gave me a lot of insight into our year as readers and it also told me a bit about the ways my students approached books as readers. There was no wrong answer, but there were so many right answers. As I look at this list, I am happy with all of the ways books were important to my 5th graders. 

The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman 

"It was the first book that made me cry."  

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

"It was the longest book I ever read. I never thought I could read that book by myself."

A Whole New Ballgame by Phil Bildner

"It was the first book I read that was about basketball, but it was about more than basketball. It was a sports book that was really not about the sport but about friends. I realized sports books can be about more than the game."

The Unicorn Quest by Kamilla Benko

"I loved how the plot developed and it helped me think about how I develop plots as a writer. Reading it made a huge difference in my writing."

The Heroes of Olympus Book 3

"I skipped a lot of parts that seemed boring. But then I got confused and had to go back. I realized that parts I didn't think were important in a book, might be important later."

Refugee by Alan Gratz

"This book was so confusing at the beginning.  When a book is confusing at the beginning I usually quit or ask for help, but I kept reading and rereading and it started to make sense. I learned that I could stick with books and get less confused as I read. And it is okay to be confused at the beginning of a book."

More to the Story by Hena Khan

"I loved this book and I think it was one of a lot of books that taught me empathy. Then the coronavirus happened. Between books and the quarantine and coronavirus, I became a more empathetic person."

Love, Sugar, Magic by Anna Merianao

"This book was one I annotated (a lot!) on my own and the notes helped me really think about the book in ways I don't usually when I am reading by myself."

Get a Grip, Vivian Cohen by Sarah Kapit

"This was a topic I was interested in that I didn't know I was interested in."

Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster by Jonathan Auxier

"This book taught me that words like 'monster' that come up in a story can have multiple meanings. I realized that books and words could have more than one meaning at the same time."

The Rain Dragon Rescue by Suzanne Selfors

"I didn't know I could read a book on my own. I usually read longer books with audiobooks. But this one I read on my own and I was surprised and happy I could do it. Then I started to read lots of books."

Projekt 1065 by Alan Gratz

"I have only read fantasy for years. I thought I only liked fantasy. But this book helped me see I could like other kinds of books and I started to like historical fiction."

In my life, books have been important for so many reasons. I plan to spend some time reflecting on the many reasons books have been important in my life as a reader and as a human and to think about ways to bring more of these conversations into my work with children.  Listening in to all of the ways my students found books to be important gave me some new ways to think about the impact of books on readers.

Thoughts on Teaching and Learning: Worried About Our Kids

Over the past several weeks, I have found myself doing a lot of reflection trying to get this online teaching right.  I keep meaning to get my thoughts on paper but then get caught up in the day-to-day work of teaching in this pandemic era.  I know if I can catch my breath, there is a lot to learn and reflect on during this time. So, I decided that every day in May, I will share my thoughts on Teaching and Learning.  This is Day 17.


During these last two months, I have been worried about our world's children. As teachers, we knew with this online/pandemic teaching, our priorities had to be connecting in a way that helped students and families through this difficult time.  The phases of this online/pandemic teaching seem predictable--it seemed fun at first and we all thought it was temporary. But then children and families and teachers got weary and this week many of my students verbalized the sadness they were feeling. I know teachers everywhere did an amazing job of taking care of our students and teachers. I am wondering how our children will be impacted in the future.

This article--Kids Are So Over Zoom: Here's What ToDo About It--popped up in my feed today and it put in words a lot that I've been worried about. It explains a lot that teachers have been seeing. For teachers and parents, it's  worth the read.

Thoughts on Teaching & Learning: 3 Picture Books

Over the past several weeks, I have found myself doing a lot of reflection trying to get this online teaching right.  I keep meaning to get my thoughts on paper but then get caught up in the day-to-day work of teaching in this pandemic era.  I know if I can catch my breath, there is a lot to learn and reflect on during this time. So, I decided that every day in May, I will share my thoughts on Teaching and Learning.  This is Day 16.


Typically, I read lots and lots of picture books. We have a fabulous library system and I often order a stack to read through on a Saturday and then decide which ones I need to own. I've really missed out on picture books over these last 2 months-I haven't kept up on the new picture books at all. And I think my students miss them too. Usually, we read at least 2-3 picture books a day but during this remote learning, we haven't really read a lot of picture books live and together. It's something I would change for next year.

This week, we did share a few picture books on Google Meet. Both are books I need to own and they both invited great conversations. If you haven't seen Lift by Minh Lè and Dan Santat, it is a must-have. I had preordered this one long ago (I do that when I see a must-have book and then I forget about it and it is a nice surprise when it arrives!). This one is as fabulous as I had anticipated. The words, the pictures, the title, all of it. There are some great themes in this one and I think it would be an amazing book to read at the beginning of the year too, as classrooms are building community.

Brave Molly by Brooke Boynton-Hughes is a book I learned about from John Mere in a Build Your Stack session this winter. This is a wordless book and the Kindle version worked out well on Google Meet. Students could see all of the details and noticed a great deal on each page. This book addresses social anxiety, but students had conversations around fear and anxiety in general so it seemed like a good book for this week.

One book that I did not share with my class, but that I will probably share this week as a great one for summer reading is this new nonfiction picture book. You're Invited to a Moth Ball: A Nighttime Insect Celebration by Loree Burns is amazing! (I think I discovered this one from Melissa Stewart.) And such a great invitation for children and families who are stuck at home. I love this book for so many reasons. First of all, it is a great fun activity for kids and families to do at home, outside. Second it is a great mentor for How-To Writing. And there are lots of extra features that give more information. And the photos are fabulous. I became a huge Loree Burns fan several years ago when I read Handle with Care and I've followed her work since. This book is fabulous, and I can see it being a well-loved book in K-5. as it has so many different entry points.

We got good news this week--our library will be opening with curbside pick-up so I am hoping I can spend the first few weeks of summer reading reviews etc. and ordering all those picture books that I've missed knowing about.

Thoughts on Teaching and Learning: A Fun Break (with some thinking about writing...)

Over the past several weeks, I have found myself doing a lot of reflection trying to get this online teaching right.  I keep meaning to get my thoughts on paper but then get caught up in the day-to-day work of teaching in this pandemic era.  I know if I can catch my breath, there is a lot to learn and reflect on during this time. So, I decided that every day in May, I will share my thoughts on Teaching and Learning.  This is Day 14.

I am not often a binge watcher. It is a frustrating thing to my family, but I can't sit for 10 hours and watch 20 episodes of a Netflix series. However, I did find myself binge-watching The Holderness Family videos this week. You might remember them from a Christmas Pajama video a while ago. I remember watching it and thinking it was cute, but their quarantine videos have made me become a big fan. A huge fan.

This What Happens Now? video popped up in my Facebook feed and I was quite amused. Not enough to start binge watching but a few pleasant moments laughing at this.

Then (you know how these YouTube videos conveniently go right on to the next one...) I saw this one and boy I could relate.

But I couldn't help but notice the brilliance in the song rewriting.

Then I was hooked. This family is hysterical, and they are capturing so much of what the world is going through. So, I kept watching.

Holding Out for a Haircut

If Disney Songs Were About Quarantine

My writing teacher brain kicked in and I could not get over the brilliance of these videos.   Pure entertainment--but what must it have taken to create these? They are telling really important stories in this fun format. They are capturing lots of history in a clever way. The writing and word choice, the music, the visuals, the video special effects.  I couldn't help thinking about digital writing and what these videos could teach me about possibilities for our kids. Does this genre of writing have a name? How do all of the pieces of each video fit together? How do we make room for things like this in our writing classrooms?  I keep watching these over and over, thinking about the creation process.

These videos REALLY made my day a whole lot better when I discovered them and binge watched.  One of the best purposes for writing and creating I can think of. Granted, the Holderness Family brings professional knowledge, tools and access to these videos. I continue to be amazed at all that people are posting these days --from their homes--it really does open up the possibilities of what our students can do, in and out of school with creation and digital tools. The writing process, word choice, added visuals, etc. make these Holderness Family videos very complex pieces. They have reminded me that I have to continue to expand what I think writing looks like and think about what I can learn from all the videos, podcasts etc. that are helping us get through this pandemic/quarantine.

Thoughts on Teaching & Learning: Our Last Read Aloud

Over the past several weeks, I have found myself doing a lot of reflection trying to get this online teaching right.  I keep meaning to get my thoughts on paper but then get caught up in the day-to-day work of teaching in this pandemic era.  I know if I can catch my breath, there is a lot to learn and reflect on during this time. So, I decided that every day in May, I will share my thoughts on Teaching and Learning.  This is Day 13

Today, we finished our last read aloud of the school year.  It is always bittersweet to finish that last book.  Read Aloud is always such an important part of our days together and it's been the one time during this online/pandemic teaching that most students have shown up every day and we've rebuilt our community.  From what parents have shared, our daily 11 am read aloud was a time many students looked forward to. Which makes me happy. My big goal during all of this was connection and relationships and some sense of normalcy and joy and I think read aloud accomplished that for many students.

One thing I notice was that students were less willing to talk. They were far more passive than they usually were in the classroom.  They seemed to need a different experience with read aloud---one that was just about connecting and community.  One where they could just listen in mostly.   One student said midway through the book, "We know if we don't talk, you'll just keep reading and we just want to hear the story." (Something they never asked for in our classroom as the talk and thinking together was always as important as the story for most students). So, I went with that. And it seemed right.

Our last read aloud was The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate. I chose this as our last read aloud for several reasons and I think it was the perfect pick. Many students had heard The One and Only Ivan as a read aloud in 3rd or 4th grades so they were familiar with the characters. They had shared some excitement about this new book when I shared the cover reveal months ago.  I hoped going back to characters we already knew and loved might be comforting. I also hoped that some kids would want to reread The One and Only Ivan (which several did or are planning to.). And finally, I knew the movie is scheduled to come out soon and I figured this would be another great memory/connection in the fall when they watched the movie.

The book is fabulous, and I highly recommend it for a summer read or a class read aloud. We read it over a 2-3 week period but we could have read it in about 1-2 weeks as the chapter are short, and the kids just beg to keep reading more as there is some suspense throughout.  Students loved the story and the characters and the fact that we got to know this fabulous character Bob a bit better.  My students also say they'd recommend this to everyone as a summer read. Most liked pretty much everything about it.  And as a teacher, I took comfort in reading more about characters I've known and loved for years.  (I think this would also make a good first read aloud of the school year. Even for students who haven't read The One and Only Ivan, I think this stands alone and Bob is a fabulous character --there is plenty to think and talk about throughout the story.)

Katherine Applegate does an amazing job with this story and it was such a wonderful way to end our read aloud time together this year.

Thoughts on Teaching & Learning: The End of The School Year

Over the past several weeks, I have found myself doing a lot of reflection trying to get this online teaching right.  I keep meaning to get my thoughts on paper but then get caught up in the day-to-day work of teaching in this pandemic era.  I know if I can catch my breath, there is a lot to learn and reflect on during this time. So, I decided that every day in May, I will share my thoughts on Teaching and Learning.  This is Day 11.

This is our last full week of school. I knew it was coming.  I thought I was ready.  Saying goodbye and ending the school year is always hard. Usually on the last day of school, I can hardly breathe, and I don't take a full breath until the buses have pulled away. I thought this year would be different because we knew--we've known for weeks--that we wouldn't be able to say goodbye in person. And we've settled into this remote/pandemic learning.  And it's been okay.

But then I started to plan this last 7 days with my students--trying to make it feel like a celebration, but without actually being together. And it is hard.

Then I saw this tweet from Jen Schwanke:

And I realized that yes, it is like time stopped. As much as I thought we'd be out of school for more than the 3 weeks that the governor announced on March 13, I certainly assumed we'd be back at least for a bit of time. I never thought we'd never be together in our classroom again--in the room we had created together. I never thought that kids wouldn't have the chance to do those things that we ask them to do so that the goodbyes are bearable and that they leave knowing how loved they are. I never thought I'd be cleaning the room, their room, alone.  

This week, with last day virtual celebrations being planned and end-of-year checklists being shared, it hit me that we are going to have to say goodbye on Google Meet. And I got really sad. I realized that usually, during this last week of school, we clean and we talk and we read and we have extra recess and we look at old photos and that even though we can do some of this from our homes, and in Google Meet, it isn't the same.

I started meeting with kids this week--to have final celebrations and conversations. None of us know how to end the school year like this.  But we are doing our best.

I have admitted how difficult this remote/pandemic is from about day 2 but nothing has been as hard as this last week of trying to close out a year without having all the time we were supposed to have.  Dismantling something alone that we weren't finished creating together. Thanks for the warning, Jen.

Thoughts on Teaching & Learning: Summer Reading

Over the past several weeks, I have found myself doing a lot of reflection trying to get this online teaching right.  I keep meaning to get my thoughts on paper but then get caught up in the day-to-day work of teaching in this pandemic era.  I know if I can catch my breath, there is a lot to learn and reflect on during this time. So, I decided that every day in May, I will share my thoughts on Teaching and Learning.  This is Day 10.

As we go into our last full week of school/remote learning, I am thinking about Summer Reading. In the classroom, I always dedicate a lot of time these last few weeks helping students create a summer reading list.  And I always do the same. We preview books, we share titles, we read reviews, we visit websites, we take recommendations from others.

For the past several summers I've participated in Donalyn's summer #bookaday and I spend time counting the days and thinking about books I'll start with.  Summer is always a great time for me to catch up on so much reading and I make it a priority.

But I am finding that I am not reading as much these days. When this stay-at-home started, I figured I'd read a book a day.  I have plenty of books at home and plenty of time.  But I've really been struggling with reading. I've managed about a book a week most weeks but those are mostly read in spurts.

When I talked to my students about their reading, I am finding similar things. They are missing reading as much as they did, but they are not able to read as much.  And without being in school--having access to our classroom library, the school library and our amazing  public libraries, they are a little lost.  

We've spent some time over the last few weeks talking about this-how and what are we reading during this time. And I've noticed that for so many of my students, reading habits are changing. Some students aren't making the time for reading and are in a reading slump. But others are discovering new things.  Students who would never reread a book are now rereading books they have at home. Books they love.  Students who were adamantly opposed to eBooks have given them a second chance and realized that checking out and reading an eBook from the library is better than not having new books to read at all. My own 20-year old daughter has discovered audiobooks during this time at home. 

I'm wondering about these reading habits--which ones are just getting us through this crisis and which ones will stick. And I'm wondering how best to help my 5th graders think about summer reading during our last week together.   I'll still share some books and some sites for finding new books, but I think much of our talk will be around our habits and how we might have to build new reading habits during this time.  

As I think about summer #bookaday, something I've been committed to for years, I wonder how that might work this year.  Typically, I pick up a stack of books each week from the local library, but this year, that is not possible. So, I am rethinking what "counts" as reading. We are so lucky to have hundreds of authors reading their books aloud online. Does watching a video of that "count" toward my bookaday?  And I've never reserved picture book eBooks from the library--is that even a possibility? If so, I need to learn how to do that. And I wonder how I might build audiobooks into my life with so little driving (I typically listen to audiobooks on the drive to work but am wondering how I build those into my life at home.)

This week, when we talk about summer reading, I want my students to think about options.  Temporary options--through this crisis.  know my summer reading life may not look like it has in the past and I have to assume theirs won't either.  And I don't know what it will look like--if libraries will open, if I can learn to love eBooks, if I will stick with summer #bookaday.  I know as readers, many of us are talking about our changed reading habits during this time.  As adult readers, we know that we are still readers, and that we'll get our "normal" reading lives back. I want my students to know that too, 

So, I think this year, as we prepare for summer reading, I'll continue to talk to kids honestly about their changing habits and the reading challenges so many of us are facing during this pandemic. I'll throw out some resources and hopefully help them expand on the possibilities. Rather than creating a summer reading list, maybe we'll talk about building in some new habits as readers --or at least building in the habit of trying new things as readers as we navigate this pandemic.

Thoughts on Teaching & Learning : Learning from Dr. Gholdy Muhammad

Over the past several weeks, I have found myself doing a lot of reflection trying to get this online teaching right.  I keep meaning to get my thoughts on paper but then get caught up in the day-to-day work of teaching in this pandemic era.  I know if I can catch my breath, there is a lot to learn and reflect on during this time. So, I decided that every day in May, I will share my thoughts on Teaching and Learning.  This is Day 9.

I have come to rely on the weekly NCTE Member Gatherings to keep me energized during this time at home.  As much as I love a live event, I realize how many people I have come to know because of these online events--people who I've never had a chance to hear in person.  Last week, Dr. Gholdy Muhammad (@GholdyM) was part of the NCTE Gathering and if you were not able to attend, you need to watch her talk. You'll probably want to watch it more than once. It's incredible.

She read a bit from her new book,  Cultivating Genius: An Equity Framework for Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacy. I have a copy but haven't had time to read it yet. I am planning on it being a summer read and decided to join the Book Love Foundation Summer Book Club so that I have others to think with around the book,

In the video of Gholdy's talk, I keep replaying her words at minute 14:30 and listen over and over to the 60-90 seconds that starts there.  It is one of the most important minutes that we, as teachers need to hear.

In this segment, she talks about the stories we tell about our students. And how often when teachers start talking about students in a deficit lens, she stops them and says, "NO. Start again."

I have been thinking about these words all week--NO. Start again.--such powerful words that make us stop and think about the stories we are telling about a child, a family, a group of students.

So many times, in my 30+ years that these words would have been helpful.  I have gotten much better at speaking up against negative talk about children and families but there are still times when I just don't know what to say.  NO. Start again. Seems perfect.

More importantly, I am thinking about these words for my own self-talk. Without intending to, on days when I am tired or frustrated, I too start telling a story about a child (to myself or to others) that isn't the story of the whole child, that doesn't account for all of his or her genius.  These words, "NO. Start Again." will hopefully pop into my head now, reminding me that the story I am telling is not okay, not true and not necessary.

During this time of online/pandemic teaching and learning, social media is full of stories about children and their families. Let's think a little more deeply about the stories we tell about our students.
What stories are we telling about our students? What stories do we tell about their families? Do we start from a place of love and genius or do we start from somewhere else? And why? If we start from somewhere else, let's tell ourselves, "NO. Start again."

Thank you Gholdy Muhammad for this hour of brilliance and love.  I can't wait to read this book.

Thoughts on Teaching & Learning: Creating a Time Capsule

Over the past several weeks, I have found myself doing a lot of reflection trying to get this online teaching right.  I keep meaning to get my thoughts on paper but then get caught up in the day-to-day work of teaching in this pandemic era.  I know if I can catch my breath, there is a lot to learn and reflect on during this time. So, I decided that every day in May, I will share my thoughts on Teaching and Learning.  This is Day 8.

I've been thinking about how to help students capture this time in their life, without adding to the stress they may or may not be experiencing at home. I want to make sure that the have the opportunity to think and  make sense of all they are feeling if that is something that would be helpful for them right now. If I have learned one thing as a teacher for over 30 years, it is that students are ready to deal with things at different times and in different ways. I never want to push a child to deal with something difficult with an assignment that they are not ready to deal with.

So this week, I decided to assign a Time Capsule assignment for Social Studies.  I think this is an interesting way to have students think about how we learn about history and about primary sources of information. I know there are lots of prepackaged Time Capsule ideas out there but I wanted it to be more open-ended as I wasn't sure what each student would want to do.

So this week, I shared this assignment with students. (You probably won't be able to access the sound but you'll get the idea:-)

 I can tell by our informal conversations before read aloud today that students are really thinking hard about what to include and we've already had some great conversations around that.  Students talked about including special events that they've celebrated at home and capturing those in some way. Some students talked about including things they've learned and made. Some have been thinking about writing they may include. Some have considered what to include to show that schools were closed and learning was online.  Many were worried that they have to share this next week (our school year ends in 8 school days) and we talked about making this a living thing until the pandemic or the school closings are over.  That of course they might add things over the summer and many seemed very excited about that which tells me they see a real life purpose to this--a reason to do it beyond because it is a school assignment.

I have been thinking about what I would include in my Time Capsule if I end up creating one. I have many ideas and creating a time capsule reminds me a little bit of notebook writing--you live your life differently inside this piece of history, when you are constantly awake to what you might include, what is important to capture during these days at home. I am sure I'll get many more ideas as kids share their time capsules next week. 

Thoughts on Teaching & Learning

Over the past several weeks, I have found myself doing a lot of reflection trying to get this online teaching right.  I keep meaning to get my thoughts on paper but then get caught up in the day-to-day work of teaching in this pandemic era.  I know if I can catch my breath, there is a lot to learn and reflect on during this time. So, I decided that every day in May, I will share my thoughts on Teaching and Learning.  This is Day 7.

Early in this online/pandemic teaching, I wanted my 5th graders to have an opportunity to think and write about what was happening if that was something that would be helpful. I did not want to force an assignment to write about Covid19 and about staying home but I wanted to put an invitation out there that would let students do that if they needed to. I mentioned this in one of my first posts during this stay-at-home experience, but wanted to share a bit more.

If you don't know Six Word Memoirs, they are a great type of writing to invite kids and adults of all ages to do. If this is new to you, I'd suggest watching Larry Smith's TED Talk on Six Word Memoirs.

Writing a story in 6 words is a great experience.   I knew that if I asked students to write 6 word memoirs, they could focus on Covid19 and their stay at home experience or they could focus on anything else. I also knew that this type of writing invites art and I have lots of students who make meaning through drawing this year.  

I put the invitation out there and asked students to share their 6 Word Memoirs on a class Padlet. I was amazed at how quickly students shared 1, 2 even 6 of these pieces in a short amount of time. If you've ever tried to write one, you will find that you can't stop at just one--it's a bit addicting.

I wrote one myself first and shared it with students. 

Never imagined a world without libraries.

Some students wrote about their dogs, some wrote about staying home, some write about courage and strength in hard times. About half the students added art, while others added photographs.

As I think about the kinds of writing I am asking students to do at this point in the school year, I want to invite them to try new types of writing that helps them make sense of their worlds in some way--a type of writing that can be healing. I find 6 Word Memoirs to be that kind of writing.  6 Word Memoir writing asks writers to really think about the things that matter most right now, and to think about a way to share that story in very few words.  It is the thinking in creating that I find to be helpful.

Thoughts on Teaching & Learning: Day 6

Over the past several weeks, I have found myself doing a lot of reflection trying to get this online teaching right.  I keep meaning to get my thoughts on paper but then get caught up in the day-to-day work of teaching in this pandemic era.  I know if I can catch my breath, there is a lot to learn and reflect on during this time. So, I decided that every day in May, I will share my thoughts on Teaching and Learning.  This is Day 6.

Had you asked me 2 months ago what my favorite time of day was I our classroom, I would have said Read Aloud time. The time we sit together in our meeting area, in a circle, and share a story together. We do lots of thinking and talking during this time and it is the time that I see many children comfortable sharing their voices and perspectives.  It is a happy time the kicks off our afternoon literacy block.

So, when we moved to online/pandemic teaching and learning, I built in daily time for a Google Meet read aloud. I have not been surprised that most of the kids in the class (between 21 and 24 out of 28 most days) attend the live Google Meet.

But my favorite part of the day is no longer read aloud. (Don't get me wrong, I still LOVE read aloud time--what better way to spend time each day than sharing a great book with children) I am finding that Google Meet has not yet invited the same depth of conversation that in person read aloud does. BUT the 10 minutes before we begin read aloud have been my absolute favorites.

I started opening the Google Meet about 10 minutes early when we first started, worrying that we might have trouble learning to mute, we might have sound issues, kids might have time getting into the Meet. But what I found is that these 10 minutes, as kids straggle in, have become the best 10 minutes of my day.  Kids arrive 2-3 at  a time most days. Some seem to be there waiting for me to open the room and are there the second that I am. Others pop in sometime in that 10 minute window.  This gives us me time to say hello and to catch up with each child as they arrive.

This reminds me of mornings in our classroom.  Because 5th graders are busy with various responsibilities in the mornings--some are part of Crossing Guard teams, some are part of the middle school Orchestra and some go to other classrooms to help out to star their day, our mornings when we were in school were often quiet as kids arrived at various times across a 20 minute window, depending on their other commitments.  I used to stand at the doorway and greet every child but I found this year that if I sat at our big classroom table, I could greet each child and also have longer conversations with several each day. Every morning I'd chat with each child. Those kids who had something exciting to share or who needed some extra support seemed to make it over to our big kitchen table where a group always gathered to talk and catch up on each other's lives. The space seemed to be an anchor for community. Some students stayed only a few seconds to check in. Others sat for 5-10 minutes talking and listening. But that informal greeting time seemed important, thinking back, It seemed to offer conversations that we really don't "count" in a school day, but conversations that add up.

Our 10 minutes in Google Meet before read aloud begins have started to feel like our morning arrival time in the classroom.  As students come in and I greet them and ask what's new, they share with others interested, just like they were at the big kitchen table in our classroom. Students who have been there for a few minutes, greet and ask questions of those as they arrive. Today we got to know a students' pet, we got to see photos of a students' newest baby sibling and we got to hear about a walk a student went on with his family.

I've been thinking about all of this because I've never really considered those first minutes of our school day--those minutes when kids arrive a few at a time-- because our day hadn't "started" yet. I never really gave it much thought.  Until our 10 minutes before read aloud started to have that same happy feeling.  Those ten minutes that we are waiting for everyone to arrive for read aloud that I may not actually "count". I don't think I could have planned a time for this to happen in Google Meet in an authentic way. I think there is something magical about the unplanned, informality of the sharing and greeting of each other that happens when we are waiting for everyone to arrive. I feel so lucky for those 10 minutes that just accidentally happened because I was worried about the technology.

Thoughts on Teaching & Learning..Day 5

Over the past several weeks, I have found myself doing a lot of reflection trying to get this online teaching right.  I keep meaning to get my thoughts on paper but then get caught up in the day-to-day work of teaching in this pandemic era.  I know if I can catch my breath, there is a lot to learn and reflect on during this time. So, I decided that every day in May, I will share my thoughts on Teaching and Learning.  This is Day 5.

Covid Slide and Deficit Model thinking....

In the past couple of weeks, I have read this and this and this. I am so alarmed at some of the things I am reading about the "Covid Slide" and how "far behind" our students will be when this is all over and how this will require "aggressive remedial plans" when we return. I am worried for lots of reasons. First of all, when did this deficit model thinking become our norm? How did we get to the point, that in the middle of a global pandemic, we are worried that kids might not "make appropriate growth" during this time?

There are several things that can happen if we allow ourselves to think like this. First, we are setting ourselves up to look at students with a deficit model lens as soon as this pandemic is over. Instead of celebrating and seeing what they bring to us, we will see what they are missing.  If we focus on what kids will be "missing" we might miss stories like this.  We might forget about all of the many families who BernNadette Best-Green reminds us are showing up. We might not realize there is a child in our classroom who spent the entire quarantine working on a novel or another who spent hours learning about space, since he had more time than ever to dig in and learn. We might miss the stories of a student who cared for younger siblings while parents were at work or of the student who spent time making masks for others.  We will miss all the things they learned that can't easily be measured with data.

We are also fooling ourselves if we actually believe that kids make equal, incremental growth and that they all end up in the same place at the end of a normal year. This article considers some of this and is worth a read.

We are inviting more work on figuring out kids' gaps, creating plans to fill those gaps and thinking about remediation before we even look to see which skills kids do come with.

And let's talk about the "slide".  I do not want to minimize the devastation that closed schools are causing for children and families. Or the importance of students losing some skills that they've had in place. But I want us to be careful buying into this idea--these confident declarations-- that missing 8 weeks of school is going to call for remediation or a "lost generation".

Instead, what it will call for is us, as teachers, to get to know our students, see what they bring to the classroom, see which skills they have and to build on those. And to look at these children as whole beings, whole beings who have been through a crisis, who may come back to school needing social and emotional support. And children who will all need something different to meet their needs. It will not be time to look immediately for data to prove what a big problem we have because kids are reading 2 months below grade level (whatever that means) and to make remediation plans for all of the skills they don't have.  We can't go in with that mindset. Not for ourselves or for our students.

Our students, our families and our world are in a pandemic, a crisis.  And we are teachers and we will know how to nurture them. so they heal and grow academically. We will be able to teach in ways that fill in whatever gaps they have because of this current crisis.  But it will be so much harder to do if we start by believing all that has been in the media these last few weeks--that our kids will be too far behind. Now, more than ever we have to remember that life is learning and that each child will come back to school--whenever that may be--as they do every year--with gifts and strengths and areas for growth. And as we do every year, we will celebrate and build on what they come with, to help them learn and grow.

(I love this image from Create-abilities' Facebook page.)

Thoughts on Teaching & Learning Day 4

Over the past several weeks, I have found myself doing a lot of reflection trying to get this online teaching right.  I keep meaning to get my thoughts on paper but then get caught up in the day-to-day work of teaching in this pandemic era.  I know if I can catch my breath, there is a lot to learn and reflect on during this time. So, I decided that every day in May, I will share my thoughts on Teaching and Learning.  This is Day 4.

It's Not About the Tool...Or Is It?

For so many years, as we've been thinking about embedding technology into learning, we've heard "It's Not About the Tools" and I wholeheartedly agreed. It is about the possibilities and the creation and what we do with the tools. It is about pedagogy and practice that is right for kids.  As long as technology has been around, there have been tools that providing exciting possibilities as well as tools that are digital practice of easy-to-measure skills.  

During this online/pandemic teaching though, it has been a bit more about the tools than we would like.  We have to make the best use of the tools we have, the tools our students have access to. And different tools provide different possibilities. I know teachers who have to prepare paper packets because their students don't have internet access. Packets are probably not their idea of great teaching but it is the tool their students have right now. It is the only thing they can send home to support learning.  So they are making the best of it. I love Google and am so glad we have Google Classroom with Google Meets. But I am a tad bit jealous of my friends who have Zoom instead because Zoom allows small group breakout rooms. I am thrilled that Epic Books gave students free home access during the pandemic and I emailed parents about those free accounts right away so kids had access to books. But there are  other tech companies offering resources free to teachers and students that I am not so excited about. Those tools don't invite authentic reading experiences.  

One great example is Pear Deck. I wish I had spent more time playing with Pear Deck because I see huge possibilities for learning in reading, writing, revising and annotating, but I didn't learn the tool like I wanted to, so it isn't really an option for me right now. I need a bit more time to learn it so that I don't fall back on some of the skill and drill, multiple choice type things it advertises. When I looked at it a few months ago, I saw lots of things we could do with draw tools to annotate and think together around a text, film or piece of writing, but I never really explored. A summer goal I think. 

So  I guess my point today is two-fold. First of all, I get frustrated with people in the tech world who remind us during this crisis that it is not about the tool. Because it kind of is.  We only have the access and resources to the tools we have and that our students have. Every district has put things in place and we have to use the tools and resources we have.  And they have to be tools I know how to use well. I think for this crisis time, this is the right move.  Teachers, students and families are dealing with a lot and using tools we are familiar with takes away some of the stress. 

But I also know that it is my responsibility to examine the tools I am using and try to use them in the best way possible and avoiding those sites and apps that go against the kind of learning experiences I want for my students.  And in the future, to build my toolbox.

Thoughts on Teaching & Learning: May 3

Over the past several weeks, I have found myself doing a lot of reflection trying to get this online teaching right.  I keep meaning to get my thoughts on paper but then get caught up in the day-to-day work of teaching in this pandemic era.  I know if I can catch my breath, there is a lot to learn and reflect on during this time. So, I decided that every day in May, I will share my thoughts on Teaching and Learning.  This is Day 3.

Invitation Or Accountability?

I have been doing a lot of thinking about accountability during these last several weeks of online learning. Anyone who knows me knows that I worry that we've put so much accountability in place for students, that they don't often have enough choice or ownership in their work. Because this online/pandemic teaching has allowed us to worry less about accountability and testing, I have seen some amazing things happen. I have been able to reflect a bit on the role of invitations and choice over standards and accountability.

I've always been committed to authenticity and agency. I see a big part of my role as a teacher as one of throwing out invitations, letting students know what is possible. I have written about this several times, but this online/pandemic teaching has me thinking about these invitations in new ways.

When I think about my own life as a learner, it is full of invitations. I bet yours is too. A friend recommends a book. I get invited into a book club. I see an announcement for the next #nctechat Twitter chat in my feed. I get a professional journal in the mail. I find out about webinars being offered. A colleague invites me to a workshop. All of these are invitations—things I am being invited, but not forced, to do as a learner. As a learner, I get to decide what makes sense in my life at any given time.

I worry that in this last decade-the age of accountability, is that we are not as comfortable throwing out invitations as we used to be. Instead, in the name of standards, every good invitation becomes an assignment or a “have-to” for our students. And we talk about accountability with every assignment we give. And often, in the name of accountability, we end up giving students parameters that limit possibilities.

What I have noticed with online learning is that students seem to take me up on invitations that are interesting to them. There are some assignments that just don't get done by lots of kids. And some that get shared by almost everyone. I've watched over the last seven weeks at the things individual students choose to spend a great deal of time and energy on and the things they don't. I've given lots of open-ended projects that I assumed would be invitations to those students who wanted to go above and beyond the minimum expectations. I am noticing the most engagement in open ended assignments across content areas. I have students who, when given choice as writers, decided to work on the Prologue to a story this month and then to continue working on their fantasy novel through summer. I've had students spend 10 days on a science challenge that could have been completed in 30 minutes. The assignments were designed with this in mind, but even though I was expecting it, I have been reminded of so much.


One science assignment that was fascinating to me was the challenge to design a chain reaction machine as part of our learning about force and motion. I didn't really place any requirements on the project--just several video examples. And from my own experience, I know that even a 1-2 step chain reaction machine is not easy to create. I had students create simple (yet fabulous) chain reaction machines and others who spent days creating a very complex machine or figuring out a way to turn off a light switch with a chain reaction machine. This assignment was the perfect example of the accountability vs. invitation argument--there was no issue with accountability. Every child did it and was able to do the science learning needed. But had I put too many parameters on, those students who took up the invitation to work for days, would not have been able to do that.

Because we are not in school and because our students are sometimes looking for interesting things to do, it has been interesting to see how some of the invitations are received and how all students are spending extra time and energy on some things.  They are all learning the things they need to learn across subject areas, but I am seeing with some extra time and less dictated content, they are choosing to spend that extra time on a variety of assignments, based on their individual needs and interests at the time. 

In this time of online/pandemic teaching, how can we design projects that become invitations for more? What can we learn about our students based on when they decide to take us up on or ignore one of our invitations? How might we add more time for choice learning after seeing the power of choice and invitations during these last several weeks?

In my planning over this time, my focus has been about invitations and  possibilities instead of accountability and the response has been incredible. I am hoping that when we come out of this pandemic and go back to the school days that we all miss, that we will be able to think about invitations and accountability in new ways. I am hoping that we realize that every child can't be accountable for every single thing every day and that with invitations and more time for choice within content areas, students will learn so much more.

As I move through these last several weeks of school with limited time and resources, I've had to ask myself What is really critical? What do each of my students have to learn and do? What do they have to be accountable to? And then how can I make time within all of that for invitations to do more? How can we create invitations that have lots of access points?

I know that we have Genius Hour and Project Based Learning, etc. but these last several weeks have taught me that we have to let go of accountability a bit more than we've been comfortable with so that we can provide more invitations so that our students learn what they need to learn but also have time to learn so much more.

Thoughts on Teaching and Learning: May 2

Over the past several weeks, I have found myself doing a lot of reflection trying to get this online teaching right.  I keep meaning to get my thoughts on paper but then get caught up in the day-to-day work of teaching in this pandemic era.  I know if I can catch my breath, there is a lot to learn and reflect on during this time. So, I decided that every day in May, I will share my thoughts on Teaching and Learning.  This is Day 2.

Online Writing Workshop: Creating Lessons I Believe In

Early in this online/pandemic teaching experience, I had lots of conversations with Mary Lee and Julie Johnson and Clare Landrigan about how to make the asynchronous teaching relevant and meaningful and authentic. I realized right away how much of my teaching was about listening and responding and I had no idea how to do this in this new platform.  After lots of thinking with Julie, I created this Board of Writing Choices.

Questions I asked myself:

What were things in the standards that most kids could benefit from and that could be applied to every type of writing?

How can I make these minilessons feel closer to the mini lessons in the classroom?

How could kids be active?

How could I use mentor texts as I usually do in writing minilessons?

If I use any of the fabulous videos by authors, how can I embed those in a larger lesson?

I knew the lessons would not be exactly as they are in the classroom but after asking myself these questions I realized a few things:

• The kids were excited about their writing from the first day. They loved the choice and got started right away. I knew I could easily find skills to teach that would help kids if I focused on revision.
• My minilessons were always planned in cycles. We never did something and checked it off the list. Instead we explored several ideas around some concept and then tried it.
• I used mentor texts for kids that we mostly knew and I often threw in a bran new text to study.
• When I used videos from outside authors, etc. I often embedded those as one of the ways we study an idea. It never really stands alone.
• On the floor in the classroom, kids always have a chance to "try it" in their notebook before they go off to work on their own.
• We would need time to talk. 

I created 3 revision lessons that spanned about a week and a half.  I created slides with audio on each slide so that I could talk to make it sound and feel as much like a mini lesson as I could. I read aloud a book on Kindle that I embedded for us to study. I embedded videos from experts and I sent kids off to read a few books on their own (free access throough Epic). I highlighted some excerpts from picture books and invited kids to stop the audio to analyze the piece as a writer and then I shared my thinking aloud.  I also pulled some excerpts from our past and current read aloud books to study as writers.  I found excerpts that were great examples of the things I was trying to teach. And then I gave them a very small spot to give things a try (like a large sticky note but on slides).   Below are copies of the 3 lessons I shared with students (I'm not sure if you can access the audio files on each slide, but you can get the idea from these slides, I think.)

Revision Lesson 1

Revision Lesson 2

Revision Lesson 3

In between these lessons, I scheduled small groups for writers. I tried to meet with all students and most showed up to one of the groups. Groups ranged in size from 4-8 and students came at various places in the writing process. They each had their writing as anchors for talk and we also had these revision lessons. So we could talk about which things had worked, share their revisions, give each other feedback etc.

This was in no way as rich as it is in our classroom with daily writing partners, daily live feedback, individual conferences and the absence of a pandemic. But these lessons felt more right and more real than any I had done up until this time. For a few minutes during each of the small groups, I forgot we were on Zoom. I hope the kids did too.

Things I am still thinking about...

• We only have a few weeks of school left. And with all of the other subjects and the limited time we have each day, we probably only have time for one more set of writing groups. But I want to learn from this and to reflect on the things I would do differently next time.
• It worked to have the lessons asynchronous and the focus of the writing groups on the conversation and feedback. I think the key was that the minilessons were active and had many of the same features kids expect from minilessons in the classroom (even though timing was different).
• Things are slower in this online/pandemic teaching. I haven't quite figured out how much time kids need.  I have found that with choice, some put a lot more time and energy than expected into writing projects they love.  But without daily sharing, etc. kids shared the challenges of doing their best writing at home, writing without the support of a community, etc.
• I want to use student work as I do in the classroom. Using student work as mentors to study.  That is such a powerful part of our classroom learning and I think that would be an easy add.

This online/pandemic teaching has made me feel like a new teacher on many days. I feel like I am not quite sure what is right for kids in this space. But I felt like these lessons helped me find some grounding and help me think about what we needed more of during these days. And they helped me think about what is possible and how to bring in more of who we are as a classroom community.