Art for Critical Thinking

Good evening my beauties,

I just wanted to share a great idea that my coworker and I came up with! Glynis (3rd grade ELA) and I worked on our RTI/WIN plans today during our professional development. Our school is starting a new schedule next week to include time at the end of each day for RTI time. Our middle and high groups will be focusing on improving reading and writing skills to better prepare them for the upcoming standardized test. One thing we decided to do was use artwork to encourage critical thinking skills.

We are going to show student's Jan van Eyck's Portrait of Giovannia Arnolfini and his Wife (1434). As students are looking at the image we are going to probe them with questions. After having a class discussion on the piece, we will show a video of art historians discussing the work. The video is great because even historians don't know the exact meaning behind the painting. This leaves it open for interpretation--a great tool to allow students to think/imagine for themselves.

Students will also read Portrait with a Thousand Secrets: The Mystery Behind a Masterpiece by Carola Hicks. This article was published in Daily Mail. The students will discuss the article.

Then students will write an essay answering the following prompt: What story is being told in this painting? What details are used to tell the story? How does the artist capture the importance of the event? The students will have to use history (What they already know and learned from the article and video) and evidence to support their writing.

I think it is so important for students to be exposed to art, history, science, poetry, music, culture, etc. This is a great way to do something a little different with your students, open up their minds, allow them to imagine, and utilize their critical thinking skills!

I hope you have a wonderful night! Sleep well!

I'm an Artist

Good evening,

As I was sitting here working on some artwork, I realized that I don't think I've mentioned that I'm also an artist. I create artwork on the side and sell it on my Etsy site. If any of you are interested in checking it out you can visit my store! Here are just some of the pieces I've created:

"The Joker"

Acrylic on Canvas

Untitled Vase

Mixed Media

Love Sketch

Pen and Paper

"Writer"

Mixed Media

"Gator"

Tempura Paint and Paper 

"Safari"

Acrylic on Canvas

"Feathers"

Mixed-Media

"Timid Giant"

Acrylic on Canvas

"Hogwarts Starry Night"

Acrylic on Canvas

Copyright © Kataclysmic Kreations 2015, All Rights Reserved

Kataclysmic Kreations 

Hope you have a great night! 

Building Reading Stamina

One thing I've started working on this year is building my students' reading stamina. With the upcoming state test, students are required to read 3 passages and complete an essay in 90 minutes. That's a lot to ask of a 10 and 11 year old child. In order for the students to be successful at completing this time intensive task, they need to have stamina. So how do you build stamina exactly?

Here are some things I'm doing in my classroom to build reading stamina:

1) I use a timer for most tasks in my classroom. That way students know how much time they really have, and can build autonomy by completing the task on time. To build reading stamina, start small. Set a timer with a 3-minute focused, no question time of reading. From there, grow the minutes slowly. Let studnets know if they achieved the goal, missed it, or exceeded it.
After students have become successful with reading for longer periods of time, begin adding questions to the reading. I use cold reads from multiple sources (Readworks.org, Reading Warm-Ups & Test Practice, Common Core Nonfiction: Activities for Informational Text Practice, Paired Passages: Linking Fact to Fiction, Comprehension Practice at 3 Levels, 25 Complex Text Passages to meet the Common Core) All of these books I found at my local teacher store.

I created this little graph to show our improvement with reading silently. I started small at 8 minutes, and moved them up slowly. The sock monkey climbed the stairs.

2) Vary the amount of time students are required to read silently.

3) Allow students time to read a book of their choice for enjoyment.

4) Be consistent-  Have a designated silent reading time.


For more information on the importance of reading stamina, visit these websites:
http://www.smekenseducation.com/keep-track-as-students-build-reading-stamina.html
http://www.literacysolutions.com.au/blog/2012/05/07/reading-stamina/
http://www.ohiorc.org/adlit/inperspective/issue/2006-09/Article/ogt.aspx
http://www.shelbyed.k12.al.us/instruction/elementary/Plans/Building_Stamina_For_Reading.pdf

Readworks has passages for building reading stamina!
http://www.readworks.org/passages-building-reading-stamina

Thanks for stopping by! Let me know what you think!

Holidays

Teacher Christmas Party:

We had a great time celebrating the holidays together at Cantina Laredo this year! We always do an ornament exchange. It got a little crazy this year when some coworkers had an ornament of Mr. C framed. It was hilarious!

The fifth grade team!

I love my A.C. Steere family!

Student Christmas Party:

The students used sharpies to create this gator keep-sake!

Selfie!

Crazy Kiddos!

Santa came to visit!

Bowling with Teachers:

Some students won a raffle to bowl with teachers! We had so much fun!

Exciting things coming to Steere:

The student council and some teacher volunteers helped create a video to teach students our school rules. The teachers got to demonstrate the way NOT to act in the hallway, restrooms, and cafeteria. The student council demonstrated the correct way to behave. Be on the lookout for our fabulous video! I'll be posting it!

Task Force:

As most of you know, I am on the ELA task force that helps create the guidebooks for the Wonders series. Next year things will be changing as far as curriculum goes. Grades k-2 will continue using Wonders. Grades 3-5 will be using Caddo Guidebooks (Which use novels) and LearnZillion to teach. My principal asked me to be on the committee that will work on those guidebooks. As a teacher, I have learned to embrace change and be as flexible as possible. We have to roll with the punches.

Here is a picture taken for the ELA Task Force:

Nicole and me

http://caddoschoolsela.wix.com/caddoschoolsela

I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday break! When we come back to school we will be starting some new things at Steere. We will begin a school-wide tutoring program and a new schedule to accommodate RTI better. I'm looking forward to it!

My Christmas Break:

Hanging with my niece!

While visiting Treg's family, we had a family picture taken!

Treg and me

Swinging with my nephew!

Visiting Treg's uncle!

Our dorky Christmas card photos!

See you in the New Year!

Snippets and Snaps from the Year So Far

Hey all!

     I know it's been a while since I last posted, but it's been a very busy school year! I've been trying some new things in my classroom and feeling the pressure from the parish as far as testing goes. I won't get into any negative though. With my job, the positive far out ways the negative.

So, here are some things that have been going on in my classroom and at Steere:

Using puzzle cards to explain sequence. This is from Kagan. 

After reading a short story, students worked in teams to create a sequence graphic organizer.

Studying for our novel test using Fan-N-Pick.

Our pet rats got some new cage swag!

I dressed up as Albert Einstein the first day students presented their research projects.

After reading Who Was Albert Einstein?, the students completed a research project on an inventor. The kids had to write a persuasive essay, create an advertisement (either "billboard", brochure, or commercial), and present it to the class. For bonus, the students could dress up as the inventor. I wish I could share some of the commercial videos with you. They were awesome.

I had a great time volunteering at our school carnival!

I dressed up as Mrs. Frizzle for Halloween! 

I have been super busy with work and creating a new shop on Etsy for my artwork! I hope you all have a fantastic week!

Benefits of Classroom Pets

Hey everyone!

     I know it's been quite some time since my last post, but you know how the beginning of the year goes! It has been a great start to a new school year! I will be sure to post about some of the things we've been doing in class soon. Today, I want to talk to you about the benefits of having a classroom pet.

     Classroom pets are a great resource for teachers to make learning fun in all subjects! For example in math you could do a math problem for how much a hamster weights or in science, what do snakes eat? For geography, what part of the world do ferrets come from? or Grammar, what words would you use to describe a goldfish? You could also have your students create special presentations about the animals.

     Pets expose students to animals or nature. They can see, feel, touch, and make connections to the wide world of animals. Many students do not have pets, so this is especially great for them.Caring and observing animals instills a sense of responsibility and respect for life. Pets bring increased sensitivity and awareness of feelings and needs of others--both animals and humans. Kids learn that all living things need more than just food and water for survival. Students will see directly how their behavior and actions affect others. Studies show that the presence of animals tends to lesson tension in the classroom. responsibility.discoveryhealth.com 

     "Studies show that children from families with pets are better equipped to fight off infection than kids from non-pet households, showing significantly higher levels of immune system performance. When school attendance records were compared side by side, researchers discovered that kids with pets averaged more days at school every year than their pet-free counterparts." The study also showed that kids turn to their pets for emotional well-being, "with 40% of children choosing pet companionship when feeling down." According to Dr. Harvey Markovitch, "Being around animals is extremely good for children. They're good for morale, and teach children about relationships and about the needs of another living being--learning to care for a pet helps them to learn how to care for people." Dr. Harvey Markovitch is a pediatrician editor for The Archives of Disease in Childhood. 

Pets also build self-esteem! Taking care of a pet builds a sense of pride and accomplishment. According to Shari Young Kuchenbecker, Ph.D., research psychologist at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, says, "The child who cares for a pet knows that what he does matters, and so he'll want to do more of it. The more successfully he feeds, walks, or emotionally bonds with the pet, the more confident he'll feel."

Pets teach responsibility and become friends to kids.


Our classroom has a few pets! We just got two rat baby girls named Gypsy and Jewel. We also have pet fish!

We have 3 Tetra Fish, 2 Glo-Fish, and one Sucker Fish

Jewel (top) and Gypsy (bottom)

If you're interested in getting a class pet but are worried about cost check out this website: http://www.petsintheclassroom.org/
PetSmart also offers grants for pets in the classroom! I used a grant to help purchase our rats!

For more information on the benefits of classroom pets check out these websites:
http://petvalu.com/classroom-pets/ 
http://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/2014/01/do-children-benefit-from-animals-in.html 
http://mixminder.com/pros-and-cons-of-having-a-class-pet/
http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/talking-about-animals-the-benefits-for-a-classroom-and-for-the-21st-century-society/
http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/article/more-school-life/animals-make-good-teachers

Thanks for tuning in! Check back soon for an update on what we've been learning!