Classrom Design Matters! Also a flower pen tutorial!

I officially got back in "school mode" today - getting my classroom ready for lots of little bodies in just a couple of short weeks.  The first thing I usually tend to do is decorate the room and get everything in it's place... Then I can start really planning, making copies, and getting ready for the lessons that are going to be taught.  So naturally, today I made flower pens!! :)

 I know what you are probably thinking.. "Do you really NEED flower pens?"  The short answer is yes no.  Of course you do not need flower pens to have a nice and functional classroom.  The flower pen tradition started about 9 years ago when I began teaching.  My sister n law gave me a little flower pen pot as a graduation gift.  I kept them on my reading table that whole first year.  I used them and then began to allow my students to use them as rewards.  I liked them.  They made me happy.  They made the kids happy. They were pretty.  They helped me to bribe writers during writers workshop time.  After the first year, the pens hadn't really lasted.  Some of the ink was dry.  So I tried making my own.  Now, every year, I make a new batch of flower pens for the whole class to use to add beauty and a little bit of fun to the room.

Classroom Design

Now is a good time to talk about classroom design.  Whether you are a teacher or not, you probably have seen a few classrooms here and there and have thought, "oh that's kinda cute" or maybe thought that the class looked pretty"kid-friendly".  Some teachers go crazy decorating their classrooms and making them perfect.  I bet you never thought that there was actually method to the madness of the decor or arrangement of the room... The truth is, when I was a first-year teacher, I didn't really know what I was doing (shocker!).  I just wanted my room to look "cute".  So I decorated it and made it look how my college dorm room would have looked.  All colorful and pretty and girly (and expensive) and it was fine and dandy, but as I have been teaching through many years, I realize that each and every color, board, poster, bin, label, desk, table, chair, and tag has a purpose.  I realize that space is so precious in a classroom.  Lastly, I realize that the classroom is for the STUDENTS not the TEACHERS.  Now, I'm not going to lie - if I could have a second job, it would probably be an interior decorator or wedding planner or something because I LOVE planning parties and decorating - Soooo I like the room to be cute, and cheerful. :) I do not see anything wrong with that!  But I am going to say that it took me a couple years to realize that the decorations are NOT FOR ME.  The signs posted should be beneficial to the STUDENTS.  The flower pens are NOT FOR ME.  This is THEIR classroom.  So, every year, when setting up, I see things on Pinterest and I'm like "Ohh that's cute!" then right away I say "Will this benefit my kids?" or "Is this what's best for my kids?" If the answer is no, then I move along to the next cute idea.  I've read up on some data behind classroom decor and atmosphere.  I've found some of these articles really helpful when choosing designs and colors for my classroom. How to Decorate your classroom to maximize learning , How Classroom Design Impacts Learning.
In this article, Classroom Design Affects Student Learning, after a study, it cites that

 "“Classroom design could be attriIbuted to a 25 percent impact, positive or negative, on a student’s progress over the course of an academic year. The difference between the best- and worst-designed classrooms covered? A full year’s worth of academic progress.”

 I thought this was a pretty powerful!!!

On the contrary, I have read some articles that have found that having a room that is "too busy" or too stimulating can be detrimental to students.  This article, Bare Walls Theory, studies how a room full of kindergarteners performed in two different types of classrooms: bare walls or highly decorated. The study found that the kindergarteners that were in the highly decorated room were more distracted and scored lower on tests than when they were taught in a room with bare walls. Interesting!!!

So, my synopsis is this:  Choose only a FEW colors.  I have blues, grays, and yellows in my classroom.  Blue is proven to be a calming color.  Yellow brings out happy feelings of optimism.  Also, choose things to put on the walls that your kids will actually USE.  I keep my bulletin boards completely bare at the beginning of the year since we haven't had any lessons yet.  I will fill them with kids work or charts as we go through our lessons throughout the year.  Also, minimize your "teacher area" and make more room for your kids.  About 4 years ago, I got rid of my big teacher desk because I just didn't really need all that space for myself in the room.  I took up that space with another bookshelf so I could add more choices to my classroom library. A teacher doesn't really need a desk that takes up much space in the room.  I keep my stuff on a small shelf in the room, and a teacher toolbox.

It works out pretty nicely!
Lastly, try natural lighting or lamps as options for lighting.  Fleurecent lighting is stressful to have shining on you all day.  My room is much more calm when I pull up the blinds, plug in some lights/lamps and we learn!

This brings us back to my flower pens. (We've come full circle!)  Will the kids actually USE them?  The answer is yes!!!  I love letting kids choose what kind of writing utensil to use.  I know, some teachers are sticklers on kids using pencil, but we have to step outside our comfort zone and ask ourselves, "Do we really want our kids to erase every mistake they make?"  I hope not!  We all learn from our mistakes.  It is suggested by Lucy Calkins in her primary writer's workshop introduction that kids use pen so that way we can see their thinking when they write.  We learn so much more from that than we do from seeing a perfectly written piece of paper.  I found another article on this topic.  It seems to sum it up quite nicely.  Pens vs. Pencils.  I vote that we let kids use whatever they want to write: pens, pencils, markers, crayons.  It doesn't really matter as long as they are producing a story!  I took this chart from this article as well..

Pens	Pencils
Never have to be sharpened.	Have to be sharpened all the time.
Last a long time.	Get used up after a few weeks at most.
Are always the same length, size, and color. Consistent and reliable.	Get shorter and shorter with use. Can be broken easily. Unreliable.
Cannot be erased, allowing you to see all the work a student did that day.	Have the potential to allow kids to spend too much time erasing.
Make a nice, dark, easy to read mark on the page.	Can be difficult to read—too light, and often smudgy.
Easy to photocopy.	Impossible to photocopy easily.
Fun and engaging for kids. Feels “grown up.”	Could be fun and engaging, too, I guess. (Yes, that is sarcasm you detect. However some kids really do prefer a pencil.)

So anyway, flower pens make writing super duper fun!  So here's my tutorial on how I made my flower pens today!

Flower Pen Tutorial

First, you need to get yourself some pens.  I will tell you there is a type that you should get and a type that you should not get!

Get ones like this:

Use these because the top pops off easily :)

Do not use the type with clicky tops or these other Bic pens

The bottoms do not come off so easily!  I have lived and learned....

Do not use pens with a clicky top!!

Now that we've got that all squared away, here are the materials: Pens (see above for type), hot glue gun, flower bunches, floral tape, wire cutter (if flowers do not pop off easily), and modge podge (optional).

First, pop off all the tops.

Next, pop off the tops of the flower stems.  You may have to use a wire cutter on some stems if they don't pop right off.  Then, start gluing the flower tops onto the tops of the pens.  Just run the glue on the edge.  If you get the glue inside the pen, it will freeze up the ink and it will not work (not that I've done that before).

 

Then I do another layer of glue around the flower after it's pushed on - just for security!!

After all the tops are glued on, it's time to wrap the "stems".  Just take some floral tape

(I got mine at Michaels for like $1.99). and start with a dot of glue.

 Then wrap all the way down.

Then secure the very bottom with another dot of glue.

Now you are ready for modge podge.  Just take a paint brush and brush the entire stem with the modge podge.  It's good to do this step because floral tape has a "sticky" feel and it will make everything nice and smooth.  In my case, it makes it less-likely for little fingers to peel off the tape!

Dry them upside down

And let the modge podge dry and voila!  Flower pens!

Well, this has been a very long post, so I will quit now!  I will share more of my classroom as it gets set up soon!  

~PEACE!

Shelly

STEM TQ review, Pole Position, and QR CODES!

We are near the end of my experience at the STEM TQ workshop I've been attending for two weeks.  I have to tell you... this has been one of the most inspiring and uplifting things I have done for myself lately.  I was talking to my friend Nicole after taking this "St. Louis housed" workshop.  She said that she's attended the Teacher College training in New York, and she has to be honest: the trainers and expertise here exceeded even that of what she saw in New York!  I completely agree! The trainers were so knowledgeable, confident, easy to approach, and so very good at what they do!  I cannot believe the level of ability we saw here.  These are all St. Louis teachers, mentors, principals, and professors!  We have some of the best right here!  If your district gives you a chance to attend this wonderful workshop, you should RUN TO IT!  It will open up your eyes to the possibilities of STEM in your classroom.  It will make you believe that you are capable of reaching ALL OF YOUR KIDS.  It will inspire you to teach other teachers what you have learned.  You will not want to shut up about it because, quite frankly, it was a life-changing event.  So please find out if your school district can get the grant or funds for you to go.  It is more than worth it - I PROMISE!!!

Anyway, here are some of my take-aways from this week at STEM TQ:

• I am not meant to be a surgeon or around any body parts of any kind.  
  
• Pole Position Raceway is an awesome idea for a field trip for grades 6-8.  You should call and check into it!  They will go into force, motion, speed, traction, and more with your students!

This is Scott and I getting ready for our big race at Pole Position!

• MakerSpace and engineering are things that will take place in my classroom this year!  Kids have to be more hands-on to know what they're capable of!  I will blog more about my makerspace/engineering ideas once I get them set up in my classroom!  You do not need fancy or expensive supplies to do MakerSpace or Engineering!
• QR codes are awesome!  If you want to know what are QR codes and how you can use them in your classroom, go to QR CODES FOR BEGINNERS.  It will help you to gain an understanding.  I also made a new friend this week.  Her name is Delilah.  She teaches in my district and I've found she is a great resource for technology and creating things like QR codes.  Here's a link to her teachers pay teachers store so you can see some of her awesome creations! Delilah's TPT.  I am so glad I got to know new people this week!  Networking!!

Here are some QR code ideas or mental pictures:

From the site Bloglovin.com

From the site ipadsinschool

That's it for now guys!  I will post more as I start to get my classroom set up! Can't wait to meet my littles and get this year under way!

~PEACE

Shelly

Novel Engineering! A teacher must-have tool!

I am so thankful that I was given the opportunity to attend a 2 week long workshop revolving around STEM.  It's called STEM Teacher Quality.  It has truly opened my eyes to new possibilities with my students.  It not only has given me some new tools for teaching science, technology, engineering, art, and math, but it has inspired me to go into this teaching year with a big,  full heart!  I am so ready to meet my class and to inspire them to be learners just as I have been this summer!  Sometimes teachers really need a pick-me-up you know?!  This has done that for me.  I am opening up my eyes to the possibilities in my classroom.  I have such high expectations for my first graders, and they will be challenged, questioned, cared for, loved, and inspired as well - I just know it!

Novel Engineering

One of the classes I took this week was called Novel Engineering.  I can't say enough about this!  It literally BLEW MY MIND.  I am a huge supporter of "hands on learning" and approaches. "Hand on learning" is such a buzz word that teachers use, but I've noticed that sometimes "hands on learning" still means worksheets in some classrooms --- BUT NOT WITH NOVEL ENGINEERING!  NO WORKSHEETS WILL BE FOUND! :)
Anyway, so here's how novel engineering looked:  First we got ourselves into groups of about 3 or 4.  Then we were told to read the book The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
                                                                                                                 

We were told to find as many problems as we could from the book.  You wouldn't think that a small book like this had many problems, but it does!

For first grade, I envision myself doing a read aloud, then charting together the problems as a class before sending them to groups.  Teachers could even have one problem chosen for the entire class to solve, then sending groups to come up with solutions to that problem.  Once our group brainstormed ideas on the problem of the book, we then chose 1 problem to work on.  Our job was to come up with a solution to the problem  We were to invent something that the main character could use in order to fix his problem.  Our group decided to choose the problem that Peter's feet sank in the snow and his socks got all wet.  We decided to invent a snow boot protector for his boots that would keep his boots from sinking in the snow.  There was a table with supplies that can be found in just about any classroom: Popsicle sticks, tape, cardboard, folders, rubber bands, pipe cleaners, felt, buttons, etc.  Then our group sketched a possible product before getting our supplies.  We then started putting together our product.   We stopped when the time was up and shared our design.  We were then posed with questions and feedback from our peers and teachers which helped us to improve our design.  We were then sent back to improve our designs.

Novel Engineering Activity Arc

I thought it was interesting how we got feedback in the middle of the process, not the end!  It gave us the time and motivation to make our design better!  <3

Here's our final product!  

 We used Popsicle sticks, tape, and pipe cleaners!
Here's some other photos from other groups & teachers:

So my conclusion is:  EVERYONE SHOULD TRY NOVEL ENGINEERING.  You have the books, you have the supplies,  Make it work for you.  This activity integrates reading, critical thinking, team work, engineering, science, speaking & listening, math, and art skills all together!  Plus it's super fun, so you can't go wrong with that!  If you have any questions, comment below.  I am certainly not an expert, but if you want to try this in your classroom, I would love to help!  

Thanks for reading!  

~PEACE!

Shelly

We all have unconscious biases - a lesson on acceptance in the teaching world and real world. Inspired by STEM TQ.

It's been so long since I blogged!  A much needed summer break I have had.  My summer is coming to a close.  The most current reason for that is because I have committed myself to an incredible opportunity for two whole weeks attending the STEM TQ Teacher Quality Workshop at Washington University!  It has been AMAZING so far!  It's seriously the best thing I have done for myself lately!

So, when you think of STEM, what probably comes to mind is integrating amazing science inquiry lessons into your day with a push for higher level thinking in mathematics and the use of amazing technology to captivate and entice your students.   Guess what most of my experience has been about so far???  Cultural diversity, race, acceptance, community, encouragement, and team building.    I know - not what you would have expected from a STEM workshop right?!  WRONG!  Behind every good teacher is a heart for all people.  A heart that does not judge, has bias or stereotypes, and KNOWS the cultural diversity of his or her students.

I have learned about cultural consciousness and efficacy and building a sense of belonging for all students.

Today I sat in a room with teachers from all over the St. Louis area - St. Louis Public, East St. Louis, Mehlville, Hillsboro, Rockwood, Hazelwood, Premier Charter, Kirkwood, Normandy, and many many more districts.  There were teachers from all different cultural backgrounds.  We had black, white, Hispanic, Asian, and multicultural backgrounds represented throughout our room of kindergarten and first grade teachers.  For three days now, we've brought attention to ideas revolving around cultural consciousness and efficacy while building a sense of belonging in our classrooms.

We've had some CONVERSATIONS you all!  We had some down to the nitty gritty, heart to heart, eye-opening, REAL and honest CONVERSATIONS!  It was so...invigorating and freeing.  I needed to hear all of it, and just listen to others' perspectives and their stories about life.  Truth is, everyone has differences.  At times, I'm sure everyone has had some sort of bias portrayed on us regarding our background, race, gender, money, or cultural differences.  The reality is that there is a problem in this country. A huge problem.  People don't TALK to one another.  We assume if we go about our business and they go about theirs, that things will be fine.  Well... things are not FINE in our country.  I don't know if you've checked lately, but people are dying, protesting, hurting, angry, and feel unheard and misunderstood.  This has to change!  It can start with our teachers.  Teachers see all of the different kinds of people out there- we see them through the lens of our kids.  We see our kids that have two moms at home.  We see the kids that speak two languages fluently.  We see the kids that have been neglected or abused.  We see the kids that have parents with mental disabilities.  We see the kids that have been adopted or put in foster care.  We see all different races, religions, and beliefs.  We see it all.
So when we started out, our leaders had us write on this handy little map.

The middle is the part of me that I cannot change - how I was born.

The next circle are the things about me that I chose to do or how I choose to live my life.

The most outer circle are words that are used to describe me and all the jobs I do or hats I wear (or have worn).

This exercise was about realizing that we as people are SO MUCH MORE than what is in the smaller middle circle!  We cannot be defined by the color of our skin, our gender, our age, or our looks!  WE ARE SO MUCH MORE!

DO YOU FEEL EMPOWERED?  YOU SHOULD!

The purpose of this in the education/STEM world is to teach us and children that ANYONE can do jobs involving technology, science, math, and engineering.  It isn't just for a certain group of people!  We are all STEM capable!

Another activity we did was we looked at our personal biases.  The truth is... every one has some biases toward others that we aren't even aware of.  Our subconscious tells us to act a certain way or look at certain people differently - whether we think we do or not.  We are all guilty of this.  It was super interesting to look at this next map.

Our leaders encouraged us to answer how we would have looked at each group of people when we were about the age of 11 or 12.  The reason for this is because by the time we are in about 5th-6th grade, we have already made certain distinctions, observations, and judgments that can define certain types or groups of people.  It is through either our home exposures, school exposures, media exposures, or religious exposures.  I encourage all of you to think about the TRUE answer to these questions for yourself.  It is quite eye opening.  I'm sure some of you have had different ideas of certain groups of people as an 11-12 year old that you are now realizing wasn't correct.  It first takes a realization that you were wrong, then you can be motivated to change and make that change for the better of our students and FOR ALL PEOPLE!  Teachers can really reflect and think about this before they start off their school year.  This affects the way you treat students, their families, and even colleagues.

As I go through the rest of this week and next, I will continue to blog.  I will continue to take a look at myself and the way I treat my students and their families.  I will continue to self-reflect.  I will continue to be an advocate for ALL my students and expect the highest performance from ALL my students regardless of race, sexual orientation, gender, or culture!  It starts with just a few to ultimately make the biggest impact!  I have always believed that teachers have the most important job.  They do!  We are sometimes the one who says "I believe" when others did not.  We say "you are amazing" when some thought not.  We say "You are capable" when some said otherwise.  We are encouragers!

I hope I have inspired some teachers out there!  I know I am inspired after just 3 days of the best teacher workshop EVER!!

Thanks for listening!

PEACE!