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Coach's Corner

September 19, 2017

Creating Reading Engagement in the Junior Classroom!

Scrolling through my Facebook page this September, I see many Junior Division educators looking for suggestions to get their students engaged in reading.  They face classes filled with children who seem unwilling to contemplate reading anything that doesn't appear on their phones and tablets, creating anxiety among those of us charged with teaching students to "read and demonstrate an understanding of a variety of literary, graphic, and informational texts, using a range of strategies to construct meaning" (Ontario Language Curriculum).
  Clearly, this is a daunting task, but two activities that I introduce early in the school year appear to help my students become invested in our classroom library AND able to see themselves on a journey as a reader.

The Student-Created Classroom Library

Over the years I've come to appreciate the importance of students taking on the responsibility of sorting, organizing, and labeling our classroom library.  In my early years as a Junior level teacher, the students would arrive on the first day of school to find a beautiful reading nook, with books already organized by genre, author, and series.  This was before the arrival of Pinterest, with its wealth of class library images to inspire me; I made my own colour-coded, laminated labels and neatly affixed them to the appropriate (also colour-coded) book bins.  It was pretty...but the kids took no ownership of this library, because they had no input into its creation.

So I decided to hand the creation of the class library over to them....and it was amazing.  It still is, every single year!  One day in September I tell my students that they will be sorting, organizing, and labeling all the books that are randomly on our shelves, and they immediately begin throwing out ideas as to how this should be done.  Generally, the process goes something like this:

1.  Students brainstorm book categories.  For example, they may start simply with "Fiction" and "Non-Fiction", and then move into sub-categories.  For example, fiction could be sorted by genre (mystery, historical, adventure....) while non-fiction could be organized by topic (sports, space, trivia...).  I record their ideas on chart paper, and the class finally votes on their final classification system.

2.  Students create labels for the many, many bins I gathered over the years.  Usually just index-card size labels are fine, but I do have some old pre-made labels floating around, and I let students use those if they wish.  Once a label is made, it is hole-punched twice (once in each corner) and attached to the bins with dollar-store zip-ties.  Labeled bins are placed on student desks.

3.  Students work in pairs, taking a handful of books from the shelves and deciding where each book should go.  (We have already discussed using the information at the back and inside front covers of books to help determine genres.)  Books are placed neatly in the appropriate bins.

4.  Bins are placed on the shelves, according to whatever criteria that year's class has decided upon.

Classroom Library Display
This may not result in the prettiest classroom library I've ever seen, BUT all my students understand exactly where and why books are located in particular locations in the classroom.  They can easily find a particular book, and return it to its proper location.  Some years students also place numbers on the bins, and then use pencil to record the bin number on the inside of each book.

In this picture you will see that many books still remain on the shelves.  This was a "work in progress" over several days!!

Image of Classroom Library

My Life as a Reader

One thing that every student I have ever taught can tell you about me is that I LOVE books and reading.  My favourite part of each day is our read-aloud (you may see from the photo above that we were reading Holes early last year)!

I like to invite students to think about the reading experiences that have shaped their own lives, and ask them to create timelines of their lives as readers.  Of course, I model this first!

Image of "My Life as a Reader" reading activity example.


I use timelines for a variety of purposes throughout the school year, but this is one of my favourites!  I took time to "think aloud" about the reading experiences that resulted in change or growth over my life, and recorded these experiences sequentially on a line, noting:
  • my age
  • the book or experience
  • the significance of the experience
Then I ask students to do the same activity.  Most do it with pencil and paper, but many will use some type of technology to make things more organized and legible.  Sadly, I have lost the images of my students' work, so I have only included my own example.

I have found that this activity helps students to recognize that they have already experienced growth as a reader, and it also inspires them to discover new authors and genres in the year ahead.  

And...these timelines make a great display during Open Houses and Meet the Teacher nights!!

Margie

P.S.  Check out my "Coach's Corner" TPT store for more great teaching ideas!

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August 10, 2017

Making Connections in the Ontario Grade 4/5 Split Grade Social Studies Class

It's that time of year again when split-grade teachers face the challenge of organizing their social studies programs in a way that doesn't overwhelm either themselves or their students.  I've written about how Grade 5/6 social studies can be approached, and today I'm hoping to help Grade 4/5 teachers look at Strand A
of the Ontario Social Studies with a positive outlook!  

A quick reminder:  the two units are:
  • Grade 4:  Early Societies, 3000 BCE - 1500 CE
  • Grade 5:  First Nations and Europeans in New France and Early Canada

Looking at the Big Ideas in Strand A

The Heritage and Identity strand of the Ontario Social Studies Curriculum asks students to explore a variety of communities, focusing upon:

a)  connections between the past and the present
b)  interactions within and between different communities
Looking at the "big ideas" of the curriculum can help teachers focus on the most important concepts we want students to think about, even long after the actual unit is finished.  I've spent some time thinking about the big ideas for Strand A, and organized them in this chart:



Looking at the big ideas this way makes planning just a bit easier!  Basically, I want students to:
a)  understand that we learn from historical ideas and viewpoints that help us make better sense of things occurring in the world around them
b)  early societies were created through the conflict and cooperation between groups of people, and between people and their environments


I am not worried that my students will remember the exact date that Samuel de Champlain arrived in North America for the first time.  Instead, I want them to explore and think about WHY Champlain wanted to create a settlement there HOW he and other Europeans treated the First Nations groups already living there, and WHAT conflicts and instances of cooperation occurred as early Canada developed.  While that particular group is more the focus for Grade 5s, the Grade 4s can also explore the same concepts with the Early Aztecs in Mexico, or with the feudal society in Medieval England.


These big ideas also invite students to contemplate and explore the overarching question in a Grade 4/5 class:  How Do Societies Survive and Grow?





Looking carefully at the "Big Ideas" and "Concepts of Social Studies Thinking" at the front of the Ontario Social Studies Curriculum always helps me clarify what my students should really be thinking about, and saves me from panicking at dealing with two sets of expectations at the same time.

By looking at the curriculum in this way, I can create a unit that let me teach one lesson to both grades, without having to run back and forth between the two groups. After a frontloading lesson about how environmental features affect where societies or cultures establish themselves, the Grade 4s can look at the way the Aztecs of Mexico and the Inuit of Canada were influenced by the land around them, while the Grade 5s can do the same with various Indigenous groups and early European settlers.  

In fact, I create two units for my Coach's Corner TPT store, one in PDF format while the other one contains the same lessons and tasks only in digital form using Google Slides.  You can check them out by clicking the links below!








How do YOU approach dealing with social studies in your split-grade classroom?  I'd love to hear from you!




Margie


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September 18, 2016

The World's Easiest Classroom Management Tool!!


After two weeks in my Grade 5/6 classroom, it feels like everything is coming together, and I'm starting to feel confident and even more excited about the year ahead.  These two weeks have brought many changes to my class list, as I am sure is true of many of you, and tomorrow I will welcome yet another new student to our room, bringing our total to 24 (10 Grade 5s, and 14 Grade 6s).  Instead of feeling overwhelmed by the thought of another student to familiarize with our room, I'm feeling calm.  I've got this!


My Behavior Management Toolbox
As I have for many years, I have used an old "small parts" toolbox to house my most powerful classroom management tool:  my token system.  This system takes about 5 minutes to set up each year, is a snap to use, and is easily understood (and loved by my students).  What's not to love?  I have used it at a variety of grade levels from Grade 1 to Grade 5/6, and it works for all students, but particularly for my most challenging pupils.

How It Works
  • Each August I assign every student on my class list with a number, usually by alphabetical order (first names), and display a large copy of the list somewhere easily found in our classroom.  
  • Each drawer in my "toolbox" is labeled clearly from 1-29 in clear Sharpie marker.  The last drawer is labeled "A" (for "all").   
  • Inside each drawer are about 20 "tokens".  I've been using old Poker chips that my mom was about to donate to the Salvation Army.  I rescued them, using a Sharpie to clearly print numbers on them, and then to organize them in my toolbox.  In Drawer 1, there are 20 poker chips with "1" on them, Drawer 2 has 20 chips with "2" on them, and so on.  The "A" drawer contains 20 chips with "A" on them.  Once you've done this, you've got your behaviour toolbox ready for the rest of your career!!!
  • Each student now has a drawer in the toolbox with his/her number on it, and the tokens inside the drawers are just sitting there waiting to be taken out when a student earns them.
  • Beside the toolbox I have a small "Tokens" container (you can see the small green bin witting to the right of the toolbox in the photo above.
  • Every time I catch a student getting right to work, following directions, kindly helping a classmate, etc., I take a "token" out of his/her drawer and drop it into the Token container.  This usually results in almost every student becoming intensely interested in their work, as they've heard the token being dropped into the container.  I rarely have to verbally remind students to get to work, as the token does that for me!!
  • If the entire class is on task, I put an "A" token in the container.
  • On Friday afternoons, my "Leader of the Day" closes his/her eyes, reaches into the Token container, and one by one pulls out 5 tokens.  The students to whom those tokens belong have now earned a reward of their own choosing, such as "Switch seats with another student" or "Have your name put on the school marquee". 
  • If an "A" token is drawn, that entitles the entire class to a group reward, such as extra outdoor time or a "toy & tech day".  Students LOVE it when an "A" token is drawn; I've even made one of the options for a personal reward to be "Put 5 A tokens in the container for next week's draw".
  • After the draw is complete, the Leader of the Day returns all tokens to their proper drawers, ready to be put into action the following week.  DONE!!
I have the various rewards on business card-sized cardstock, and keep them in a small business card holder.  Students choose a card from the holder, write their name on the back, and I also sign it.  A student can hold on to these cards (or have me hold on to them) until he/she is ready to redeem it.

Image of Classroom Token Box
Image of Behaviour Reward Cards
I love this system as it is so easy to set up each year; all I have to do is create a new class list so that each student has his/her own number, and I'm good to go!  This past summer I had one of my old students helping me get ready for the school year (she was getting volunteer hours for this to count towards the 40 hour requirement for high school), and she spray-painted the toolbox to match the bins I was using, so that involved one extra (but easy) step.


Image of Classroom Rewards Book


 A friend suggested that I upload my plan to my TPT  store, including the actual cards that I've created to put in the "Rewards" holder, so I've taken on that challenge, and the whole set is now available for you, should you be interested.  I'd love to hear from others who have their own easy-to-implement classroom management systems!

Image of Classroom Set-Up

Click here to purchase Behaviour Management Toolbox on TPT



Check out the full product, with tons of behavior reward cards, here:  Behavior Management Toolbox

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July 30, 2016

Bell Work to Start Each Day!


August is quickly approaching, and with it the slow realization that I actually need to start thinking about September! I'll be teaching a Grade 5/6 split for the first time in my career, and it dawned on me that I had no suitable bell work for this particular grade.   It was time to get to work!


September Grade 5/6 Bell Work
For many years I've had my students do "bell work", in the form of answering one prompt each morning while I take care of attendance, reading notes from parents, etc.  Most of the tasks are directly curriculum-related, while others are on the creative side.  I mix things up daily:  one day they might be working on a probability task, the next day on analogies, and the third day responding to a persuasive writing prompt.  I've found that this approach prevents boredom, both for me and my students!  It was time to gather my resources and get some bell work ready for my new students. 

I had already created bell work for Grades 2, 3/4, 5, and 6, so I decided to take out the Grade 5 and 6 bell work and see which prompts I felt would work well for both grades, both in terms of curriculum expectations AND interest level.  I always make September's work fairly easy, so that everyone is able to handle the tasks independently, and then increase the challenges as the year goes by.  I took the same approach as I put together a year's work of Grade 5/6 bell work.

Each month's bell work fits on one double-sided sheet of paper; I usually print on coloured paper just to make it stand out more inside a student's desk, should it come loose from his/her notebook.  I copy ALL 10 months the month before school starts, and file them by month.  I keep the original sheets in page protectors within the file folders as well.

When students enter the classroom on the very first morning of the school year, I have them find their desk and put their backpacks, lunches, etc under it.  I have already put a lined bell work notebook on their desks, along with the September bell work sheet, two sharpened pencils and an eraser.  I ask them to write the date at the top of the first blank page of their notebooks, and put a "1" to the left of the margin at the left hand side of the page.  (Sometimes I'm even organized enough to have this displayed on the Smartboard as well!)  I then have them read the first prompt and answer in their notebooks.  I want them to know from the very first minute of the year that work will be the priority in our class.  Only once I've taken up the work will I start dealing with the nuts and bolts of how we will run our classroom!  From then on students know that this is how every day will start, and I don't need to remind them what to do (well, maybe sometimes:)!  

If you'd like to try this bell work in your own classroom, click the image to the left and download this freebie from my store!  I'd love to hear how it works for you.



This bell work is also available as a PDF/Google Slides bundle.  This makes it easy to have students with IEP accommodations working on the same tasks as the rest of the class.  It is also perfect for distance learning!


Check out all my Canadian Grade 2 - Grade 5/6 Bell Work resources by clicking here!

American versions of the same resources are also available.  Click here to peek at them!

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April 21, 2016

Teaching Historical Significance Criteria in the Upper Elementary Classroom



In conversation with a friend last week, she mentioned that she was frustrated teaching Grade 7 history because there seemed to be so many "events" to cover, and so little time.  How could her students learn so many dates, names, and events?  She didn't have endless time to devote to helping her students learn about each item in the list of curriculum expectations.  Hmmm - my mind went immediately to the "Concepts of Disciplinary Thinking" highlighted in the 2018 Ontario Social Studies Curriculum, in particular to "Historical Significance".

I asked her whether she wanted her students to memorize a list of events, or to be able to determine the significance of a particular event.  Which is the bigger academic skill, that a student can carry forward into other grades?  That's an easy question for me:  I want them to be able to look at an event and think about the importance or significance of that event by itself, or in comparison to another event. For example, which was more significant:  the War of 1812, or the Rebellions of 1837-1838?  Students can use criteria to help them with this evaluation.



Historical Significance Criteria

Relevance:  Ask your students to think about who needs to know about a particular person, place, or event.  Is it relevant to just a few people or isolated community, or to a whole country or beyond?  An event that only a particular province or state needs to consider may be more significant than one that needs to be known by an entire country.  

Impact:  Can your students also think about how long an person, place, or event affected history?  A community event that affected people only for a year could be considered to be more significant that an event whose effect could still be felt 30 years later.

Consequences:  Can your students think about the seriousness of an event?  An event that caused a loss of local jobs (such as a factory closure) is likely less significant than one that caused serious physical harm to that same community (such as the water contamination of the public water system).  

This is what I want for my students - the ability to think like a historian and consider things like perspective, significance, cause & consequence...and all those other great things that help them become critical thinkers!

If you're interested in downloading a FREE version of the Historical Significance chart shown above, please click here:  Freebie Historical Significance Poster

Margie





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September 3, 2014

Grade 5/6 Ontario Social Studies: You CAN Handle This Split Grade Curriculum!




 I hope everyone has had a great beginning to the school year, and are getting a chance to enjoy the beautiful weather we've had today.  

Last week I shared my thoughts concerning how it is possible to teach the People and Environments strand of the revised 2018 Ontario Social Studies Curriculum in a combined Grade 5/6 class, and today I'll be turning my attention to how the Heritage and Identity strand might be approached.  Two weeks ago a teacher emailed me looking for a way to handle this strand in her class, and in looking closely at the two units, here is how I responded:

Strand A:  Heritage & Identity
  • Grade 5:  Interactions of Indigenous Peoples & Europeans, Prior to 1713
  • Grade 6:  Communities in Canada, Past & Present
While these 2 units initially look like they don't have much in common, once you look at the examples attached to the specific expectations, there are tons of similarities, as New France can be thought of as having several small communities:  First Nations (various FN communities:  Haudenosaunee, Wendat...), English & French.  When you are looking in Grade 6 at how various communities interact with each other, New France is a perfect example of conflict and cooperation.  

Here are some examples from the curriculum, where I've used the specific expectations from Grade 6 and showed content from Grade 5 can help meet those expectations:
  • A12.  Evaluate some of the contributions that various ethnic and/or religious groups have made to Canadian identity: discuss the contributions of Indigenous Peoples to Canadian art; discuss "Who are the founding nations of Canada?  For whom is the concept of "founding nations" troubling?  Why?"
  • A1.3  Explain how various groups have contributed to the goal of inclusiveness in Canada: How have Canada's Indigenous Peoples contributed to the goal of inclusiveness in in Canada?
  • A2.1  Formulate questions to guide investigations into different perspectives on the historical and/or contemporary experience of 2 or more distinct communities in Canada:  What are the different perspectives of the reserve system in Canada from the perspectives of Indigenous Peoples, European settlers, & the federal government?  
  • A2.2  gather & organize information from a variety of primary & secondary sources that present different perspectives on the historical and/or contemporary experiences of two or more communities in Canada:  What type of information can you gather from the petitions & letters of First Nations, Metis, & Inuit people about their experience & perspectives on being relocated to reserves and/or new settlements?
  • A2.3  Anaylse & construct print & digital maps as part of their investigation into different perspectives on the historical and/or contemporary experience of communities in Canada:  Analyse a flow map showing the relocation of Indigenous groups after the arrival of European settlers.
  • A2.4  Interpret & analyse information & evidence relevant to their investigations:  How can you use a cause-and-effect organizer to help you determine the difference in perspectives of different Indigenous groups to European settlers?
  • A2.5:  Evaluate evidence & draw conclusions about perspectives on the historical and/or contemporary communities in Canada:  How did Indigenous groups & European settlers differ in their outlook on issues such as land ownership, gender roles, spirituality...?
  • A3.1  Identify the main reasons why different peoples came to Canada?  What reasons did various people have for immigrating to New France?  
  • 3.2  Describe some key economic, political, cultural, & social aspects of life in settler communities, and identify significant ways in which settlers' places of origin influenced their ways of life in Canada:  How did French & English concepts of land ownership affect how land was handled in New France?  What role did the Church play in New France & Early Canada?  You can also discuss:  food preferences, language, education, concepts of loyalty & spirituality...lots to discuss here!
  • A3.3:  Identify various types of communities that have contributed to the development of Canada:  How did the founding peoples - First Nations, Inuit, & Metis, French & British - contributed to Canada?
  • A3.4:  Describe significant events or developments in the history of 2 or more communities in Canada & how these events affected the communities' development and/or identity:  What impact did the fur trade have on various Indigenous groups (ie. Wendat vs Haudenosaunee)?
  • 3.5  Describe interactions between communities in Canada, including between newcomers and groups that were already in the country:   trade among precontact Indigenous Peoples; cooperation between Indigenous Peoples and the French & British in the fur trade.
  • A3.6  Identify key differences, including social, cultural, and/or economic differences between 2 or more historical and/or contemporary communities in Canada:  What were some differences in gender roles, land ownership, spirituality, etc between Indigenous Peoples and French settlers in early Canada?
  • A3.8  Identify & describe fundamental elements of Canadian identity  What are some instances of the Canadian government NOT respecting the human rights of a group of people? - treaty rights!
As you can see, there are tons of commonalities between the two grade levels!  The concept of "communities" can be explored by both grades, with the Grade 5's focused on communities within New France and the Grade 6's focused on both contemporary and historical communities in Canada, of which New France can be one!  

Coach's Corner Split Grade 5/6 Strand A Social Studies Units: 

I have used the "big ideas" of the curriculum, the "Concepts of Social Studies Thinking", and other professional resources as I created a split grade 5/6 unit for Strand A:  Heritage and Identity, and uploaded it to my Coach's Corner TPT store!    In putting my split grade units together, I always use a "blended" approach.  This means that a teacher can teach one lesson to both grades together, and then have each grade read texts or engage in similar activities related to the big ideas of the lesson.  No more running between grades!

Check out this unit in PDF (Printable) Format:  



AND/OR

the companion digital version (same lessons, but this time using Google Slides with full colour pages, interactive pieces, live hyperlinks, and editable text)


For the best of both worlds, check out the Printable + Digital Bundle








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August 22, 2014

A Look at Split Grade 5/6 Social Studies Strand B: People & Environments

Unsure how to teach People and Environments for your Canadian 5/6 split class? Click through for some great tips and ideas to do just that!


I've been hearing from many teachers lately concerned about how to keep their sanity while trying to handle the 2018 Ontario Social Studies Curriculum in a split grade, and as I have rarely taught a straight grade, I thought I'd share a few thoughts on the topic.


                    Grade 5/6:  People and Environments
The Grade 5/6 split is one that can be particularly troubling for teachers, as at first glance the units can seem so unrelated, but I think if we take a closer look, the expectations are actually quite similar.  Today I'm going to explore the People and Environments strand:
  • Grade 5:  The Role of Government and Responsible Citizenship
  • Grade 6:  Canada's Interactions with the Global Economy

Basically the Grade 5 unit has students look at current social & environment issues within the country from various perspectives, examining and evaluating the actions taken by various levels of government to address these issues, and explore their own responsibilities as citizens as they create action plans to address these issues.

The Grade 6 unit has students explore current social, political, economic, and environmental issues withing the global community, examining and evaluating the actions taken by Canadian federal, provincial/territorial & local governments as well as NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) to address these issues and explore Canada's participation in different international accords, organizations, and programs.

Can you see the commonalities here? 
  • The Grade 5's are basically looking at social & environmental issues within our country, seeing how various levels of government handle these issues, and then go on to explore how they themselves can influence how decisions are made through their own activism.
  • The Grade 6's are also looking at social & environmental issues (and adding on political & economic issues), but this time within the entire world, and seeing how Canadian governments, governments from other countries, and NGOs handle these issues.  Instead of creating their own action plans, they go on to explore Canada's international presence within various organizations.
In a Grade 5/6 split I see the potential here to perhaps keep the focus on social and environmental issues, such as child poverty or the protection & availability of clean water within Canada as well as within the world.

Coach's Corner Split Grade Strand B Blended Unit:

Using the ideas from above, I created a split grade "blended" unit to use with my Grade 5/6 class.  I call it a blended unit because I have blended the "big ideas" from both grades to create lessons that can be taught to both grades at once.  Each grade may have different texts or slightly different tasks to explore the lesson's themes, before participating in knowledge building circles to share the connections between their learning.  Check it out here:









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