VR Headsets and a Spring Break TRIP!

Spring Break is getting close!  Next week would be a wonderful time to take your class on a field trip!!!!

With our small groups, VR headsets would be a great activity to bring learning to life. (Yes, we will have to sanitize them after each use.)  As you are planning your lessons for next week, book a time with myself or Mrs. Harkey to check out the headsets for your students.  We have tons of adventures that will help you develop your students' schema!  

Remember schema plays a HUGE role in making inferences and that reading strategy supports our priority standards! 

Check out this video all about inferences!

Our Park View PTO was able to purchase 2 class sets of VR heads sets.  They are located in our media center and are ready to be checked out!  

Here is a quick refresher!

What is Virtual Reality? 

Top 10 Reasons to Use VR in the classroom!

What is Google Expeditions?

Check out this LIST of Google Expeditions created by MGSD!  When planning your expedition think carefully about your science and social studies standards.   

Use Command F to search for a specific topic. Scroll through the green highlighted expeditions and choose one that will fit your needs.  

How do you check out VR for your class? 

• Simple head to our Park View Prime and scroll to slide 48.  There you can check out a class set or a small group set of 10.  

• Be sure to book a time with your IC if you need support.

• Head to the library and make sure that the tablets and VR headsets are charged the NIGHT before!  It is SIMPLE!  Just plug them in. 

 (Mrs. Schroeder or Mrs. Harkey can help you with this!)   

VR is a perfect opportunity to bring learning to life!

Leveled Readers and The Science of Reading

Hi All!  I was going through some books in the PLC room.  We have a ton of leveled readers in there from MClass and it got my brain thinking about how we can use these readers in our classroom but still hit the Science of Reading.  

Here is my thinking!

Before Reading: Use the GRADE Text List that Jemma shared earlier this year.  Find the appropriate level for your students based on the quarter. 

Choose a leveled text from your grade level band. 

Go through the text and look for sight words and decodable words.

• Use these words to front load for students before the lesson
• Quick Coding these words for your students would be a powerful way to model how to decode them. 

Grab your LETTERLAND manual: Focus on phonics skills that need to be in place for the text.

•  Prepare short mini lessons that may be needed to support students with words they will encounter.  

OMGosh!  This Phonics Slide Show would be a great resource for your mini lessons! 

Front load any vocabulary that may be needed for students to understand the story. 

• Check SCHEMA on new words
• Front load with nonfiction or videos or pictures
• Give students time to share what they know about the words. 
• Don't forget a vocabulary sort!  

• HELLO The SCHEMA stick!

Keep in mind, with a predictable text you will need to help students attend to the text first.  

• Cover the pictures with large post-its
• Help students identify high frequency words/heart words 
• Model how to decode/break a word into syllables
• After reading, discuss the predictable parts and scaffold for students to be able to use in browsing bags.
• Encourage students to extend on the predictable pattern and write another page for the story!

During reading, if the text is too difficult, don't fret, don't fear!

• Read the text to the students and encourage them to follow along!
• Have them read only the short passages and U read the more challenging pages.
• You DON'T have to complete the whole text in one day.
• Use your F & P prompting guides to focus in on higher level comprehension once DECODING is in place. 
• Break it into parts & add GRAPHIC Organizers

• Focus on comprehension through the discussion that you have with your students.  
• Make connections to past texts

After Reading:

• Let them add these books to their browsing bags or buddy reading time! 
• Encourage them to write about their reading
• Provide nonfiction or fiction texts in browsing boxes that will connect to the text they just read.
• Nonfiction text lend to report writing or research
• Encourage your kiddos to hop on Pebble Go and research!

We can talk more in PLC!  I would LOVE to hear your ideas. 

I can't wait to support you with this!!!!! 

Stick & Split

Hi All!  I am so excited to write this blogpost!  I have the coolest site to share with you.  Alisan Royster, our math coach,  shared this site with the coaches on Friday.  It is called Stick & Split. HELLO...NUMBER Sense and engagement!

We all know that number sense is so important because it encourages students to think flexibly about numbers and promotes confidence!  Students that lack in number sense often struggle with the foundation needed for simple mathematics.  

This game is amazing!!!!!  I love how it builds on the levels and keeps you engaged.  

What is Stick and Split?  Stick & Split is a truly simple game that provides much needed practice with number sense!

Children as young as 4-5 can learn from playing this game but it is ideal for students ages 6-10 years old.  This game teaches students multiplication and division without memorization.  During the game, students will convert numbers into numbers.  They do this by either sticking numbers of the same size together (multiplying) or by splitting the numbers into certain parts. (dividing)  

Check out this video to see sticking and splitting in action!

Alisan put together a slide show for us to look at in PLC next week.  I am so excited for you all to check it out. 

But for now...here is how you play.   

Stick & Split allows students to work on multiplication and division at the same time. It starts out very simple and then begins to build in complexity.   

🧠 Research shows that the more we "THINK" about something the more likely you are to remember it.  This game defiantly keeps you thinking about how to stick or split numbers to make the desired amount.  

I 💙 that the directions are simple.  The menu is hidden in a way so that students don't get lost down that rabbit hole. 

The game provides feedback for the students after each level.  What more do you need?

I can't wait for you all to try it out!  

I'll keep this short and sweet!  Check out this 5 year old in action!

Culturally Responsive Teaching

Happy WEEKEND!  Y'all, you did it again...another week in the books in 2021.  I want you know that I am still smiling about Wednesday's PLC.  I am not sure if you feel the same but I do believe they were the best we have ever had!!!!!  You all have been so open and excited about what The Science of Reading could mean for our students.  I love that you are feeling confident in trying out some new things in your classrooms and that you are sharing about them in PLC.  I am so darn proud of everything your are doing!!!!  

With that being said, I wanted to share about a training that I attended last Friday called Motivating & Engaging All Learners: Learning Partnerships.  LaToya Caesar, our district Diversity and Inclusion Specialist, presented. Several things stuck with me from that training and I wanted to share a few.

This speaks big time to how challenging it can be to support students with grade level curriculum when they come without the tools needed to access it.

How are we combating this? What are we doing in our schools and in our classrooms to support ALL students?

Culturally Responsive Teaching! I love the last line!!!! We are in relationships with our students. We are socially and emotionally connected. Culturally Responsive teaching is just that. Creating a SAFE space where ALL children can learn and feel successful in all SUBJECT areas including MATH!!!! Check this blog out below!!!! Mr. Elementary Math as an amazing post about what CRT looks like in the Math Classroom & tons of other awesome math tools!

And then there is this!!!!!! Guys when we talk about CRT it is about culture but it is also about INSTRUCTION! The Science of Reading is helping us with this big time!

I love this video from EDU about Culturally Responsive Teaching! Equity, Voices & RIGOR! Organize your instruction with different access points for students!

As educators, we have sooo much to learn about CRT and our students.  We are growing and we are life long learners.  I would love to hear your thoughts about this post next week in PLC!