Poetry Mini Unit

In my fourth grade class, I used to spend a whole month teaching poetry.  But between the new reading program we adopted and the Common Core Standards calling for more nonfiction during reading instruction, I feel like poetry instruction has been sidelined, and will continue to be for the next few years.  And yet, there's ALWAYS a poem on the fourth grade MCAS test.  Fourth graders still have to have some understanding of lines and stanzas, figurative language, and how to interpret poems in order to answer roughly 6 questions on their test.  I couldn't afford to just ignore poetry altogether.

So I didn't.

Shut the Door and Teach, remember?

My Quick and Efficient Poetry Mini Unit

I took a look at the most important parts of my month-long poetry unit that I developed a few years ago.  I thought about what I learned about "Power Standards" this year in the ELA curriculum committee I serve on for my district.  I asked myself, "What do my students need in order to access poetry for the test, and for later on in life."  I wouldn't be able to turn all my fourth graders into amazing poets in two weeks, but here's what I decided they needed to know about poetry (and what they didn't).

1.  They need to know what poems look like, and how they are structurally different from prose.
2.  They need to learn certain poetic devices (but they don't need to know the difference between, say, a cinquain and a diamante.  Not in 4th grade, anyway).
3.  They need to learn about figurative language, and become proficient in interpreting comparisons made by poets.
4.  They do NOT need to write great poetry.  The purpose of any time spent on writing poems should be to reinforce concepts 1 to 3 above.

So I created a poetry mini unit available for purchase with just 8 lessons and 1 to 2 additional days for culminating activities.  It required an immersion period, poetry analysis (personal and technical) and some guided writing.  It was a fast paced and FUN unit that tapped into students' interests, validated their experiences and celebrated their attempts at expression.  There was a competitive game in which they had to apply what they learned about poetic devices, a group activity in order to stop writer's block before it started, and a period of formulaic poetry writing for the logical thinkers as well as time for those students who were ready to write their own free verse filled with metaphor.

The kids were sad to end the unit so soon.  I was happy I could fit it in before our next unit of writing!

April is Autism Awareness Month: Classroom Discussion

"Be sure to wear blue on Monday for Autism Awareness Day," my principal announced over the loudspeaker.

"What IS autism," one of my students mumbled.

A really basic question, from a kid who doesn't usually bother to ask.  I couldn't just let it go. 

How DO I Explain Autism to my Fourth Graders?

I'd had a rough week, and just got back from my 2 day hiatus with the stomach bug.  So as I took the weekend to think about what I would say during Monday's Morning Meeting, when I shared with the kids what autism is about, I found myself thinking about my recent illness, and how my husband took good care of me.

So after our greeting, I told the kids that it was great to see so many wearing blue for Autism Awareness.  I told them that I told my husband I wanted to get a new blue shirt when we were out at the mall since we'd be wearing blue in observance of Autism Awareness Day.  And he asked me, "Are you going to tell them that I have autism?"

I paused, and let that sink in for them a moment.  For some kids, it did.

"I can if you want me to," I said to my husband.

"Well, it's Autism Awareness Day, so they should be aware."

The kids chuckled.

I asked him, "Can I bring your cat book?"  When they looked confused I explained, "He has a book about the type of autism he has, which is called Aspergers, and it shows how cats act like they have it too."

"I don't want them to ruin it," my husband worried.  The pages are all nice and crisp, and I don't want them bent..."

"How about if I don't let them touch it?  I'll just read it to them."

"Well I don't want YOU to ruin it..."

The kids laughed again.

I told them that I'd show them the book after I told them a little about what autism IS, because the book tells more about how people with it (and cats) act.

When I asked my husband, "What do you think I should tell them autism is," he said, "Just tell them what I'm like.  Like how I have trouble talking to people."

So I explained that most people get better at communicating as they get older.  Babies can't talk.  So if mommy says she's sick, the baby doesn't understand, so the baby doesn't talk.

Later, when mommy says she's sick, the baby might understand that being sick is bad, but doesn't know what to say or do.  And some people with severe autism don't learn how to speak, even though they understand that being sick is bad.

Later a toddler learns how to talk, and they know that being sick is bad, they still might not know exactly what they should say to make mom feel better.  They might ignore what mom says and say, "I want juice."  Some people with autism don't know what to say when a person talks to them; they focus on something else instead.  Like the 3 year old, they're not trying to be rude. And unlike the 3 year old, some people with this kind of autism KNOW they have trouble figuring out to say, wish they could figure it out, and get very frustrated, anxious, or upset with themselves.

Later, a 5 year old kid might have learned that not only is being sick bad, but when they are sick mommy gives them their teddy bear to make them feel better.  If mommy happens to just have a headache, that is a nice gesture.  And it probably will make mommy feel better!  But if mommy needs to go to the hospital, the teddy bear isn't what she really needs.  So it's not that the autistic person isn't TRYING to help, they just have a hard time figuring out what other people need, when the other people's needs are different from their own.

Then I explained that a person with autism may be at any one of those stages, because autism is a "spectrum disorder."   An example of my husband's level is when I was out sick for 2 days, my husband kept insisting I go take a nap when I felt like I just needed to lay down and read.  Because when he's sick, he doesn't like to read on the couch, he likes to be alone in the other room. But when I told him I'd like a cup of tea, he was happy to get me a cup because he knows tea makes HIM feel good when HE'S sick too.  So he felt a lot more certain about that making me feel better.


Finally, I read the book, "All Cats Have Asperger's Syndrome," which was a huge hit.  The kids loved the pictures of the cats and kittens of course.  They said "aww" at the sad parts and laughed at the silly parts.  And they gave me a round of applause at the end.  So I hope they at least remember a little bit about why they wear blue on April 2nd next year.

Teaching Long Division with Base Ten Blocks

It's a hit!

My class has had a LOT of success with long division this year.  It's taken me a few years to get to this point.  I've tried involving them in the process of making posters reminding them of the steps involved in long division by using an acrostic poem as a mnemonic device.  I've tried giving them a multiplication chart so that they didn't get stuck too long if they didn't have their facts memorized (that way they could at least work on the process).  I created a game to help them visualize long division with remainders and I even tried switching a couple of the steps to involve more thoughtful use of factors.

Each new idea helped a little bit.  I would see a lot of success IN class; students would be able to divide with a few reminders, but then once I gave them homework on it, the notes from home would start rolling in.  The kids weren't retaining the steps long enough to be able to practice it at home.

How to Break Down Long Division

Each year I would break down the process into simpler and simpler parts.  First I used numbers that were evenly divisable, with no subtracting and bringing down needed.

Then I'd use numbers that required subtraction for a remainder, but no bringing down.  I created worksheets that allowed children to practice one step at a time (with examples and reminders at each stage in the directions) started to see fewer and fewer notes come back about frustration from parents and the children!  These worksheets are available for purchase on my long division worksheets TPT page and I've received word from buyers that they are working for their students as well.

Then this past year my principal showed me how to use the "partial quotient" method.  At first I was skeptical.  I thought that if I showed them an alternative way to divide, that when it came time to do it "the real way," they'd get too confused.

Make Long Division Tangible

Instead, they started to see what division REALLY IS.  A few years ago a student wanted to know WHY we divide, multiply, subtract, and bring down.  They wanted to know what all that has to do with actually breaking up a big number.  The partial quotient method, along with the use of manipulatives, helped them see how they are actually dividing up that big number into a specified number of groups.

Using the base ten blocks really helped the kids see what the algorithm was about.  I know for certain that this worked, because months later, when we started converting improper fractions to mixed numbers and vice versa, the kids remembered how to do long division with remainders without missing a beat!

Long division is no longer, as one of my fourth graders said years ago, "the biggest nightmare of fourth grade."

Interactive Bulletin Board: Snowflake Geometry Project

I was walking through the hall a few weeks ago and saw my grade level partner hanging up snowflakes his kids made.  "Good for him," I thought.  We have a new math program (Singapore) that's good, but very difficult to transition into.  So I thought it was great that he was taking a little break from it around the holidays since the kids just finished their first benchmark test.

I stopped to read the sign on it.  "Snowflake Geometry:  See if you can find equilateral, scalene, and isosceles triangles, pentagons, rhombuses, and one other quadrilateral."

My bulletin boards tend to be the same.  They have the intention of getting kids to interact.  But do they really?  I decided I was going to use this as an opportunity to stretch as a teacher and make a truly interactive bulletin board, as well as use this as an excuse to collaborate with my new grade level partner, because we're both pretty shy and quiet.

Making an Interactive Snowflake Geometry Bulletin Board

I made two sets of checklists.  The first had everything he had on his checklist.  The second had things that his omitted (for simplicity's sake).  Things like right, acute, and obtuse angles, and parallel lines.

Then I showed him the lists, and asked if he wanted to make this a whole fourth grade activity.  "My class could come by with clipboards, choose a snowflake, check off the items they see, and hang it up beside that snowflake.  We'll make our own snowflakes, and then your class can do the same."  His face lit up.  It was ON.

I had made snowflakes with my class before, and had them look for different things.  But this time it was going to be more structured, so I had to make a model for myself of the different triangles. I had pre-taught a few children who finished their work early one day on how to cut out a basic 8 point triangle, so I had a "helper" at each group, and it went very successfully.  After teaching the children all of the geometry terms they needed, they went back and cut the 5 required shapes out of their snowflakes and got to open them up and see the result.  

Next, I wanted them to have practice with analysis.  I created a snowflake that had everything that was on Mr. E.'s checklist.  I created a template of the folded part so that I could trace it and create a total of 4 snowflakes; one for each of my groups.  They were required to give the name and quantity of all the 2 dimensional figures that they could find.

Anyone who finished early got to make a second snowflake.  They were looking forward to this.  When they had opened up their first snowflakes I asked them, "What do you like about it, and what would you change for next time?"  Many said that they felt the pieces they cut out were too small.  So I demonstrated on the board that when you are creating a snowflake, you want to pay just as much attention to the part you leave behind as the shapes you are cutting out.  And that this is called the "negative space."  Excited about the art lesson, they went to work and produced some of the best snowflakes my class has ever made!

They were obviously excited about getting to leave things behind on the other class's board.  And many of them whispered to each other excitedly, "They're here!" as the other class walked past our door with clipboards.  These were truly interactive bulletin boards, and they learned a lot of geometry vocabulary through a variety of modalities: verbal, visual, and kinesthetic. 

This Snowflake Geometry Project is available for less than $2 in my store.

How to Help a Child Make Friends: Narrative Part 2

In my last post, I started talking about how, as adults, it can be tricky figuring out how to help a child make friends.  I used the example of Annie, a little girl who is behind socially.  She has reached the point where she cares about making friends (which can be a huge turning point for some children) but she is lacking the skills to keep them.  Annie got a Christmas present for her friend Cara, but it looked like she ended up giving it to someone else instead.

I believed Denise when she told me Annie gave it to her.  I was really disappointed that she acted so rashly; she and Denise aren't that close; they're not "BFFs."  This gift that would have meant a LOT to Cara was wasted.

Sure enough, Annie told my aide later, "I told Denise she could look at my necklace, and now she won't give it back."

My aide knew that wasn't true.  She knew she gave it to Denise, and I think most teachers are inclined to say, "Well, if you gave it to her, it's hers now.  You can't just take back a gift.  And lying about it is wrong."  Certainly, this is an important life lesson that people need to learn at some point.  And that's what my aide said.  But she knew, like I did, that there was something bigger going on here.  My aide said, "I can't believe she gave it to her and not Cara!  That would have meant so much to her!"  I agreed with my aide, "If I make Denise give back the necklace, and then she gives it to Cara, not only would Denise be mad at Annie, she might also be upset with Cara.  And Cara did nothing wrong.  In my mind, this necklace was tarnished now, no matter what else I did.

But I couldn't let it go.  I knew I had to act.  There was more than one lesson that Annie could learn that day, it didn't have to be one about not taking back gifts.  Maybe I could teach TWO girls a lesson that day.  "What if I just explained the situation to Denise?"  I asked my aide.  She looked at me doubtfully.  "What if I just say, she's been planning to give that necklace to Cara since before vacation.  She just, well, she just gave it to you without really thinking." 

So I pulled Annie aside and asked what really happened.  I wanted her to admit to her mistake (and that she lied about Denise just taking it) before I bailed her out.  She gave me the stubborn glare that she used to give when she was little and got into trouble.

"What happened with Denise at lunch?"  I pushed.  A leading question that made it sound almost like I knew already, and that almost makes it sound like I'm blaming Denise.  A very important child interrogation technique, haha.  She told me at lunch, Denise and her friend got into an argument, so Annie stepped in, said the wrong thing, and both girls ended up even angrier with each other AND her.  So I told Annie, "So you gave Denise the necklace because you wanted to make it up to her."  And she teared up.  "You DID give Denise the necklace, but now you know you made a mistake because you wanted to give it to Cara, right?"

"Yes, but I can't because Denise will be mad at me."

I was so proud of her for understanding that. "You can make it up to her some other way.  You don't have to give people necklaces to make them like you.  You've been planning to give Cara that necklace since before Christmas.  I'll talk to Denise."

So I did.  I told her what I told my aide.  And I said, "I kind of need you to be the bigger person here.  Because Annie is embarrassed and feels terrible.  She knows it's not cool to take back a gift that she gave you.  Is there another way she can make it up to you?"

"No, that's okay.  I have plenty of necklaces."

I decided to let that little bit of superiority go since it seemed like there were no hard feelings.  And Denise went back in the room, sat on the rug beside Annie, gently tapped her on the shoulder, and whispered something with a benevolent look on her face as she held the necklace out to her.  Annie sat with her head bowed for the rest of the lesson.  And the next day, Cara was back and Annie gave her her present.  They've both been wearing their necklaces since, and Denise has had no problems with either of them.

So what should you take away from this long story?

1.  Sometimes, when a child comes to you with a problem, what they SAY is not what is REALLY bothering them.  Sometimes we get angry at a child for "lying" to us.  But think about what Annie should have said instead of "Denise took the necklace."  She would have had to explain, "I made a rash decision that I now regret.  I didn't know how else to show her that I was sorry I made the situation with her friend worse when I should have minded my own business.  Giving her the necklace seemed to be the only solution at the time.  But now I realize I have no gift for my best friend Cara.  What should I do?"

2.  Know how to investigate.  A lot of teacher will say, "Don't tell me what SHE did, tell me what YOU did."  But if a child clams up and won't speak, that will never get them to open up.  If you are looking for information because you don't know for sure what happened, don't ask, "What did you do?"  Ask "What happened at lunch?"  That's specific enough that the child thinks, "It sounds like the teacher has heard that something bad happened at lunch; I'd better tell my side of things."  And sometimes, when a child is extra limited and/or you know one of the "key parties" involved, ask, "What happened with Denise at lunch?"  Then suddenly the child you are asking feels like the pressure is off THEM; you already suspect someone else, so they'll tell you some information.  Usually you would then go ask Denise, "What happened with Annie at lunch?" to get the other view, it just so happened that in this scenario that was unnecessary; I'd already heard enough from Denise and Annie admitted she made a mistake.

3.  A teacher needs to choose what life lesson to teach a child.  Obviously, you don't want to reward a child who has lied.  Usually.  But when I think of how this story would have played out if I had said, "Well, too bad, you shouldn't have given her that necklace or lied about it," where would she be?  Many children hold grudges at this age; she would have resented Denise for a while; especially if she kept wearing that necklace.  It could have led to more behavior problems for both girls.

4.  Know how to ask a child for a favor person to person, not teacher to student, to get more "buy in."  For my solution to this problem to work, I really needed Denise to forgive Annie.  Not just do as I commanded and give the necklace back.  So I brought 2 kid sized chairs out to the hall, told her on her way out the door, "Don't worry; you're not in trouble," and sat down so that I was at her level.  I explained the situation to her almost the same way as I did with the adult in my room.  A lot of times, we teachers are afraid to tell a student that another student made a mistake because it feels like a breach of confidentiality.  But let's face it.  Denise KNEW Annie made a mistake before I said so.  By being open with her, she could empathize better with the girl I was asking her to forgive.  And asking a question (how can she make it up to you) makes a person more likely to think about a situation critically, and feel more comfortable and in control than a command like, "give it back."  So by the time I was asking her, "what can she do to make it up to you," she had already forgiven her. 

5.  A teacher needs to decide what children really need, even more than they need to uphold rules.  Denise, in her own words, did not need that necklace.  Annie needed to feel the joy of giving her good friend a Christmas present.  Cara needed to feel like she had a thoughtful friend at her new school this year.

Epilogue:

Annie left a note on my desk on Friday.  "Shoud I be frends with Lisa in thrid grade?"

Annie now trusts me enough to ask me for friendship advice because she knows that I am here to help her.

How to Help a Child Make Friends: Narrative Part One

I want to set aside the academics for a moment and talk about another issue that parents AND teachers worry about.  That is, how to help a child make friends.

Friendship is like magic; sometimes unlikely people make good friends because they complement each other, sometimes friendship is based on very similar interests, and sometimes kids who we think are going to hit it off just aren't interested in each other, or worse, clash.

Sometimes we, as adults, feel helpless when we see a child who struggles socially.  They don't teach us teachers about childhood friendship in teacher college!  It's not that we care only about academics in our classroom; it's that other than teaching cooperation, turn taking, and the golden rule, the nuances of friendship can seem too delicate to get involved with.  So I want to tell you about a recent success story I had with a child who desperately wanted a friend.

Annie was known as a troublemaker from kindergarten through the beginning of third grade, when her teacher decided to make her her special "project."  With extra care and guidance, she helped Annie start caring about school (even though it's really hard for her) and she helped Annie understand that the way she treats people turns them off to her.  She decided she didn't want to be a loner anymore.

That was a huge step for Annie!  The problem is, now that she's in fourth grade, although she cares very much and she knows what NOT to do, knowing what she SHOULD do is a struggle.  And that's where Cara comes in.

Cara has low cognitive development.  She was mainstreamed this year after being in a substantially separate program from first to third grade.  The other children met her in kindergarten, and now that she's back it's been a hard transition, but she's finally found her niche.  Because although she can't keep up with most of what's going on, she is quick to smile, laugh, and go with the flow appropriately.  I'm pretty sure the other children know she has a disability, but they recognize she has a good heart so they support her.

When Annie met Cara, she suddenly felt like she was no longer the "low man on the totem pole."  At first, when Cara had no friends yet, Annie started playing with her.  And Annie realized that Cara needed HER help with things, whereas usually Annie was the one who was slow to keep up.  So Annie started to mother her.

But, inevitably, friends sometimes disagree.

Annie, who is lacking in social development, saw a small disagreement as a disaster.  She thought she was losing her only friend, so she lashed out.  She said some mean things to Cara, Cara's mom got involved, called Annie a bully, and wanted the girls separated.  Annie was devastated.

After I told Annie how much she hurt Cara, she wiped away her tears and although she didn't get to sit with her in class, the girls gravitated back together at recess time without a second incident.  I've told Cara's mom to keep me posted, but there have been no more reports of problems.  In fact, the week before Christmas Annie whispered to me with a sparkle in her eyes, "I got someone a really special present.  I got me and Cara matching necklaces that say BFF."

We got back from Christmas break, and Annie came in wearing her necklace.  That morning, Cara went home sick.  "Where did Cara go?"  Annie asked me.  When I told her, her face fell.  She left the necklace she was planning to give that day on Cara's desk.  I gave it back to Annie and said, "Hold onto it; you can give it to her yourself tomorrow.  You don't want it to go missing!"

But the next day, Cara wasn't there.  She was still sick.

Sometimes, as adults, we forget the feeling of coming in in the morning and seeing "my friend is absent today."  For a child as insecure as Annie, it hurts even more.  I didn't realize it at the time.  But then, after lunch, I saw Denise wearing Annie's necklace.  The one she's been wanting to give to Cara for 2 weeks.

"Say, Denise, where did you get that necklace?"
"Annie gave it to me."

Denise is a nice girl, and she's smart too.  She's not the type to steal a necklace and have the audacity to wear it around and lie about where she got it from.  Annie made a rash decision here, and I did not know how she was going to get out of it.  I didn't know what I could do to help.

To Be Continued.

New Year's Resolutions in the Classroom

I arrived early to pick up my class at Health today.  As I stood at the door I overheard,

“My New Year’s Resolutions are to get better at guitar and to not fight with my sister.”

I stepped in and the Health teacher acknowledged me. “You know Natalie, your sister Lisa had the same resolution two years ago when SHE was my student.”

Natalie looked at me, puzzled.

“We didn’t have our guitar then.”