Solve It Your Way....then share it with the world

Today, please take a minute to visit Solve It Your Way!  and think about joining us this year as we celebrate all of the ways we solve problems. As an elementary classroom teacher, I've been facilitating math and science problem solving for as long as I can remember. The power of student learning has always been most evident during the share sessions--when students shared their thinking and their learning about the process of problem solving.

Early on in my science teaching, I found that my students were just going through the motions of science. So many "activities" took kids through the steps of answering a question but took all the mess and fun out of problem solving. So often the mess figuring out how to solve the problem, how to collect data and how to organize data was all part of a predetermined template. I learned early in my teaching career that if I took those templates away, kids created things well beyond what I could have imagined and became amazing scientists and mathematicians.

This year, I decided it would be fun to grow our classroom activity a bit and invite others into the rich conversations we will hopefully have. On the first day of each month, I'll post a new question at SOLVE IT YOUR WAY!. It will be a science/math question with lots of ways in for elementary students who are interested in some fun problem solving at home or in the classroom. You can share student work by linking to the post before the next question is posted. You can include individual student work, classroom charts, tables, graphs, photos, videos, slideshows...anything that comes from the problem solving. Checking back periodically, you can see how others outside of your classroom are approaching the problems.

 There is more information on the blog. And our August question is already posted! Please take a minute to visit the site and think about how your students might join in the conversation this year!

 You can also follow us on Twitter! @solveityourway

July Mosaic

July flew by out the windows of an airplane and various cars: Colorado (photos 1-9), Kansas (10-11), Illinois (12), Maryland (15-20), and the Hocking Hills in S. OH (21-29). Brief glimpses of home can be seen in 13 (cat-in-the-box), 14 (107 point final word winning move WWF), 30 (baby eggplant in the school's plot of our community garden).

Click to view the set a bit larger, or go over to Flickr to check them out.

The Power of Habit...in the Classroom

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business is one of those books that I can probably read over and over and over again in my lifetime. It was the one book I read during my concussion because when I was allowed to read in 10-15 minute spurts but unable to commit to a story, this was the perfect genre for me. I'm not even sure how I came across the book, but the idea of habits became instantly fascinating to me, especially at a time in my life when I had to give up most of the habits I knew so well.

At the Choice Literacy Writing Retreat last week, Brenda Power talked a lot about our writing habits and I began to reflect specifically on those and how the things I learned in The Power of Habit related to my life as a writer. The time at the retreat gave us all time to refocus on that aspect of our life.

When I got back home, I didn't have much down time before the work on my classroom began and I found myself realizing that after 25+ years of teaching, there are lots of habits built into what I do in getting ready for a new school year. This can be a good thing and it can be limiting. The thing this year is that after reading The Power of Habit, I am aware that I do have habits as a teacher and I imagine I have them during all times of the year. Just as Choice Words by Peter Johnston really pushed me to pay close attention to every word I speak in the classroom with children, I think The Power of Habit is making me very aware of those things I do without even thinking. Some of them make my teaching life very efficient.

Some of them are things I understand about young readers and learners that make my teaching work. My habits around setting up a classroom library are fascinating. The whole family is actually involved in those (although it is my habit, not theirs!). The ways in which I rethink, reorganize, label, replace, weed, etc. is pretty habitual each year. But there are other things I do every year that do not seem quite as purposeful.

 I am planning to monitor myself for those things I am doing to get ready for my year when my brain seems to be in auto-pilot. It is those things that deserve some thought. Am I doing them because I've always done them or because they are the right decision for this group of children right now? When you revisit a book like this at different times, different things stick. Because I revisited the book during the writing retreat, I was really able to look closely at my writing habits. But because it was fresh in my mind when I went into school to work the next day, my habits of teaching started to become clear to me. I think many of my habits of classroom teaching work well. I believe there are things that become habitual in a way that makes me efficient and effective.

But I also think that when my brain goes into auto-pilot, I just need to be aware--it will be my clue this year to make sure it is a habit that makes sense. Just a quick time to ask myself--does this still make sense or is it something I haven't rethought in a while--a habit I need to change? I think sometimes in our classrooms routines become habits as teachers and I am suddenly quite aware of that and looking forward to paying attention to those habits of language and routine in the classrooom.

 After reading Choice Words, I found myself reflecting constantly in the classroom, asking myself the same questions over and over. This year, I've created a little list of questions to keep in mind this year. 

What are my habits as a classroom teacher?
Which of those are good habits? Which are not?
Do I have habits in the ways in which I talk to students?
Do I have habits in the ways I set up the room?
Do I have habits that work?
Do I have habits that give students the wrong messages about learning?
Do I have habits I need to rethink?
Why do I do this? Is it something I've always done?
What would happen if I changed this habit?
What triggers this habit?

As someone who has remained a classroom teacher for 27 years, I know how important it is to stay thoughtful and purposeful. The Power of Habit has helped me to see why this is so important as a teacher. Habits matter and I think they do us lots of good. But if I am not aware of them, they can be the thing that keeps me from moving forward as a teacher and from looking at the group of children in front of me. Being aware of the power of habit in the classroom may help me change and grow in ways that better meets the needs of my students. Being aware will help me see those "things I've always done" in a new way and continue to grow and learn as a teacher.

Poetry Friday -- Habit

by Hugh MacLeod at Gaping Void

Like a Bad Habit

The ivy is overtaking the front bed.
It approaches the lamb’s ear insidiously.
It has overwhelmed a pair of stepping-stones.
Clearly, the whole driveway is within the scope of its ambition.

I admire its tenacity.

But my will 

will dominate.
My pruner and I

will reestablish
boundaries.

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2013

The theme of the recent Choice Literacy writing retreat was "Habits." We've all got 'em. Some are strong and productive, and the others eat our good intentions for breakfast.

I'm trying hard to fortify my morning habits of exercise and writing so that they are strong enough to withstand the tsunami known as teaching. I'll be keeping my best two hours for myself, but that leaves about 15 other waking hours for everyone and everything else. Seems fair, doesn't it? Check back in October and we'll see how I'm doing!

Poetry Friday is one of my favorite habits of all. Margaret has the roundup today at Reflections on the Teche.

Going Public

Wikimedia Commons photo by Justin Brockie

Raise your hand if you've ever been terrified to go public -- to introduce him to your parents, to speak in public, to start a blog?

And yet how often do we expect our students to share their ideas, try new things, or take a risk, all without fear or hesitation?

I have given myself a taste of my own medicine, and it's been good to remember how hard it is to do the things we ask our students to do all the time.

One of the gardeners I work with in our community garden is deaf. She had her hearing long enough to learn to speak, but she's never learned lip reading. So we've been getting by with her talking to us, and us writing to her. It's a functional solution, but not equitable, and definitely not inclusive.

I decided to learn to finger spell. Of course, "there's an app for that." I've been trying to spend a few minutes every day practicing with the app, and sometimes on my morning walk, I run through the alphabet or spell things I see.

But I was terrified to try it with my deaf friend. To be the rank beginner at the feet of the expert.

Finally, this past weekend, I jumped the hurdle. I told her I was learning. Her smile glowed and crinkles showed in the corners of her eyes. I asked for her patience as I got better. She nodded enthusiastically.

And that's all it took. I just had to get past my fear of failing and give it a try. She is thrilled that I am making an attempt to communicate with her on her terms, and she is patient, encouraging and helpful.

Just like we are with our students.

That First Read Aloud of the School Year....

Every year, I put a lot of thought into that first read aloud of the school year.  It is always my summer obsession.

On Twitter, the other day, I posed a question to a friend about a possible first read aloud.  Several others jumped into the conversation with suggestions for that first read aloud.  So many possibilities, but none feel quite right.  Last year, I wrote an article for Choice Literacy about my thinking behind that important first read aloud. For those of you that subscribe to the weekly Big Fresh from Choice Literacy, you may have seen it this week.  Spending my summers thinking about my first read aloud is not something new for me.  And in moving to a new grade level, I am finding myself doing even more thinking about it than usual.  I'm never sure quite what I am looking for, so the search often continues until that day right before the students arrive.

The Read Aloud routine is an important one in our classroom. It is an anchor for reading and conversations and community. It is a time when I work hard to make sure 100% of students are in the classroom and I protect that time from pullouts and interruptions.  It is important as students not only share a common story but we learn together how to think about and talk about stories in ways that change us--as readers and as people.

I know we'll read many picture books every day in the classroom, but in 3rd grade a chapter book read aloud is key as this transitional stage is a stage where children are learning to read longer books, stick with a plot, think across a longer text.  I know that a chapter book is not a chapter book is not a chapter book and I want that first one to be one with a plot simple enough for all students to follow but complex enough with some things worth talking about. I want to start those conversations about what readers do when reading longer books, but more importantly, I want to start those conversations about books and the way they often change our lives.

The choice of the first read aloud is even harder because I don't know my students. I don't know their reading histories and I don't know much about them as people.  I don't know if a child is going to walk in the door who who is suffering in some way.  Our community will not yet be strong enough during that first read aloud for a student to come to me to say, "I don't think I can listen to this story right now in my life." as they might do later in the year when they understand that this is one of the decisions readers make.

There are so many books I can read to kids and they would love, but kids loving a book is not enough for me.  I have found that kids love being read aloud to so much that most of them are going to love almost any book I read aloud and the year isn't long enough to read aloud that many books. So I have to choose a book for more reasons than just "kids will love it".  It has to give me lots as a teacher --each book has to grow them, as readers, as people and as a community of learners.

Even though read aloud time is an anchor in our classroom and I do lots of teaching, read aloud feels to the kids like that time of pure joy.  The book has to be so good that it naturally INVITES the conversations I  want to happen and that there are so many invitations for talk and thinking that the talk happens naturally.  I am looking for books that makes my "teacher work" during read aloud is almost invisible because the book pretty much does the work on its own.

Ideally, I'd love a book that none of the kids have read before. I value rereading but the first read aloud involves lots of kidwatching as I get to know each student and experiencing a new book can tell me so much.


So, it is nearly August 1 and I am still thinking.  I will probably still be thinking for a few more weeks. I started a Pinterest board to keep track of my own thinking--keeping track of the books on the top of my list for the moment and books that I want to keep in mind for the first few months of the school year.  I don't know if I'll stick with this list but it is a list of books I don't want to forget about yet. I know that after the first few days of school, when I know my kids and see how they respond to that first read aloud (whatever it may be) and I see the books they are reading and I start learning about who they are,  I will know the perfect book to choose for our second read aloud. But that first read aloud....it is never an easy decision!

Poetry Friday -- The Speed of Time

Photo by Mary Lee Hahn

A Teacher Turns the Calendar Page From July to August

It's the same feeling you get

just after you've nudged the sled 

over the shoulder 

of the hill.

Movement becomes momentum

and quickly shifts 

to catapulting and careening.

You relinquish control

and hold on 

for the ride.

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2013

Sherry has the Poetry Friday Roundup today at Semicolon.

Nerdy Book Club Post

I wrote a post for the Nerdy Book Club yesterday about my concussion and my weeks with no reading.  You can visit the Nerdy Book Club to read the post here. 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? Online Edition

 This week, I found some online gems in my reading that I wanted to share.  Enjoy!

Pernille Ripp has a great post that is an important one to read as we start a new school year. We Must Be the First to Stop the Labels.

After having such a great day at Nerdcamp Battle Creek, I have spent lots of time reading everyone's blog reflections. Katherine Sokolowski has spent time doing a Nerdcamp Roundup on her blog and I've loved reading everyone's recap.

I loved Jen Scwanke's Big Fresh Lead, A Reader and Her Books.  As a fellow book hoarder, I could relate:-)

And this Mo Willems Interview was a fun read.

And, as always, Ruth Ayres puts things in perspective in this post It's Time to Get Ready for School.


Happy Monday and Happy Reading! 

Poetry Friday -- Minimalist

photo by Mary Lee Hahn

Just a note before we head out for a day of fly fishing.

Go to The Writer's Almanac.

Read the poem for today. Remember those who are gone and love harder those who are still here with you.

Then read the 20 quotes about writing in the sidebar (not sure why they sometimes are there briefly and then disappear behind the ads...how to make them stay visible???) and pick the one that is your favorite for today. Mine is:

“All good writing is swimming under water and holding your breath.”

—F. Scott Fitzgerald

That's the way it felt to write my Summer Poem Swap poem this week with my brain a (somewhat murky) lake of back to school planning. When the poem finally came, it was like that delicious first gulp of air after you've been under for almost too long.

Happy Poetry Friday! Jone has the roundup today at Check it Out.