Teacher's Planning Partner Archives - Teacher's Planning Partner

Visual Learning and Literacy Standards

July 3, 2019 by Instructor Leave a Comment

What happens when you take visual learning and apply it to literacy standards to make instructional and assessment tools? Check out this interview about Sargy Letuchy’s book, The Visual Edge: Graphic Organizers for Standards Based Learning! He has designed one instructional and assessment tool for each English, History, and Science standard in grades 6-12. Using The Visual Edge, teachers are able to: ensure that lessons/assessments are tied to standards; engage students visually, precisely, and clearly; and save time grading.

Sargy Letuchy is a teacher in suburban Chicago and he has created a book that will hook you up with excellent graphic organizers to help you get the kids to a greater level of understanding.

I like to find tools that are easy for teachers and administrators to use.

This is one of those resources.

It is not necessary to read it cover to cover…instead start at the beginning to understand where he is coming from and then check out the different chapters to figure which one you would like to try first.

Worth your time.

Thanks for listening.

Must Be Nice…

May 30, 2017 by Instructor

Ugh! Teachers are subjected to the words,”It must be nice,” each time summer vacation arrives. I could reply with the list of all the work teachers do during their summer “break,” but we teachers are well aware of the planning, classes, and meetings that fill our two months away from students. Non-teachers just think we sound whiny and defensive.

Believe me, I’ve done my share of defensive whining, but I must admit I love that we have this time to recharge, reflect, and reboot. The beauty of this job is that we have multiple opportunities for closure and fresh starts. We get fresh starts each quarter and semester as well as at the end of each school year, and summer break is the mother of all closures and fresh starts.

I just cleaned out my work emails of parent contacts, training requirements, meetings, evaluation updates, and all the other job requirements that have clogged up my in box. No wonder our teacher brains are fried. Taking time to recharge is not a luxury, it’s essential. My brilliant coach, Reggie, has said it’s all about choices. I choose to spend the beginning of summer relaxing. I address the heavy reflection and rebooting later.

(So I don’t forget important points, I do take a few reflection notes at the end of the school year). For example, one of my coworkers taped her students when giving their practice speeches. This gave students an opportunity to evaluate themselves. I would like to try this approach next year. Verbal feedback is more effective than written feedback. I would also shorten the time spent on my narrative unit next year to allow more time for their learning organizing writing and research.

As the end of the school year approaches, this summer can’t come soon enough. I just completed my evaluation year – Whoa! – I’m glad this happens only once every three years – There were new curriculum, new procedures, and new teammates – you get the idea. I want to reflect on the year to gain clarity on what worked and what I could do better. Then I need to pack up my stressed out brain along with my classroom. I’ve set a date in July to revisit my planning. Until then I am going to nurture creativity. I’ve created a summer bucket list of things I want to try, such as: finding a new bike trail, bowling again for the first time since forever, planning a friends’ night out and trying an art class. Nurturing personal creativity helps me foster my classroom creativity.

My teacher husband and I always plan an escape on the last day of school. The moment we walk out of the school doors, we jump in our pre-packed car and head to Eagle River, a pine-scented haven. Before sunset we are on the pier with a favorite beverage in hand. For the next few days we hike, swim, read brain candy, and shed stress like a Husky sheds its fur each spring.

Money experts will tell you to pay yourself first, so why not pay your mind, body, and soul first. Take time to recharge. If you can’t get out of town, then play cards with friends, visit a farmers’ market, do something that makes you happy. These happy deposits (another Reggie bite of wisdom) that you pay yourself will make it easier for you to give your students your best.

When the next person aims the jealousy fueled words, “Must be nice,” resist the urge to punch them in the throat, and respond, “Yes, yes it is,” and hand them a brochure for a teacher certification program.

What do you have on your “Summer Bucket List”? What would it take for you to give yourself the time to truly enjoy yourself over the summer? What do you anticipate getting in the way of your “Summer Bucket List”? What steps can you take to make this happen for you?

How would you respond to these questions? We would love to hear from you. Reply via Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn

Getting Your Mojo Back

May 1, 2017 by Instructor Leave a Comment

Is your creativity lacking? Are you feeling less than inspired? This happened to me recently, and it stinks. How do you get that mojo back?

One of the advantages of planning the materials and lessons for the quarter in advance is that you begin by plugging in those favorite lessons that can sometimes be forgotten when you get caught up in a myriad of job requirements minutia.

It can be too easy to fall back on worksheets and boring lectures. You begin to think, “I’ll just control the lesson by talking. Now, not only have I bored my class to death, I’m bored, too.”

One of the sure-fire ways to get inspired is to peruse some of your favorite teaching resources to remind yourself of some of the gems you have discovered and used in the past to inspire students as well as yourself.

The following are a few of my favorite resources:

Hollas, Betty. Differentiating Instruction in a Whole-Group Setting: Taking the Easy First Steps Into Differentiation. Peterborough, NH: Crystal Springs, 2005. Print.

The activities in this book get students moving, talking, and thinking. I love the step-by-step instructions and the way the author describes each activity, accompanied by an explanation of how the activity is differentiated.

Burgess, Dave. Teach Like a Pirate: Increase Student Engagement, Boost Your Creativity, and Transform Your Life as an Educator. San Diego, CA: Dave Burgess Consulting, 2012. Print.

The title says it all. Gathering ideas from this book is a shot in the arm. I have reread parts of this book when I want to re-energize my teaching.

Gallagher, Kelly. Write Like This: Teaching Real-World Writing Through Modeling & Mentor Texts. Portland, ME: Stonehouse, 2011. Print.

This contains great writing lessons that engage students and get them excited about writing for a variety of purposes.

Medo, Mary Anne and Marko, Jane Elizabeth. Classroom Strategies for Dynamic Teachers. Milwaukee, WI: Stone Cottage, 2007. Print.

This is a great reference guide when you’re looking for practical strategies to teach a variety of skills for a variety of contents.

Serravallo, Jennifer. The Reading Strategies Book: Your Everything Guide to Developing Skilled Readers. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2015. Print.

This is what the author calls “…a book of ‘reading recipes’… a clear, concise cookbook is a great model for what on-the-go teachers might need to pick and choose strategies, to target what each reader needs, and to support their differentiated instruction”

Letuchy, Sargy. The Visual Edge: Graphic Organizers for Standards-Based Learning. Print.

This resource contains comprehensive graphic organizers that are great visual tools for teaching the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Sometimes the descriptions of the CCSS can be difficult to understand. Letuchy’s descriptions that accompany each graphic organizer are very helpful. Personally, I have found these graphic organizers to be useful formative assessment tools. You can obtain a copy of this book through our website: www.TeachersPlanningPartner.com

Actions That Sabotage Teaching

May 4, 2016 by Instructor Leave a Comment

While waiting in line for a tasty gyros sandwich, I watched a mother and a little girl in front of me. The girl was about three years old, and she was desperate to climb to the top of the counter. I watched as the girl reached while grunting and groaning to get to her destination. Her mom told her that she should not sit on the counter; the girl continued to struggle. Mom repeated that the girl should not be on the counter – more grunts and groans. Dumbfounded, I stared at Mom as she reached down and picked her daughter up and placed her on the counter. Speechless…simply speechless…

How many times do we place the kid on the counter? We tell our students one thing while our actions enable our students to continue the undesirable behavior. The following is a list of moments that reflect my own struggle with the temptation to place the kid on the counter:

Wanting students to listen to directions, but giving directions without waiting for their attention.
Telling students to not interrupt the lesson, but allowing the interruption. For example, when students forget supplies, how often do we disrupt the whole class to address the missing pencil?
Expecting students to be ready for class on time, but not following through on consequences when students are tardy.
Requiring students to participate in group work, but allowing them to coast by rewarding them with the same grade that the rest of the group receives.
Allowing students to bully us for an answer the moment the work becomes challenging for them.

Why do we do this? It’s easier than teaching appropriate behavior and following through on expectations. We want the annoying mosquito buzzing in our ear to immediately go away.

Are we more concerned with reaching the finish line than we are with stopping to take precautions like a review of classroom expectations? Bottom line – stop rewarding unacceptable behavior; stop giving in so that the buzzing will stop. Be mindful, and for heaven’s sake, don’t put the kid on the counter!

Three Ideas to Teach More by Talking Less

March 31, 2016 by Instructor Leave a Comment

Why do I sometimes have the impression that my students are baby birds with their mouths open waiting for me to fill them with wormy pearls of wisdom? Oh yeah, because sometimes I just talk too much, spewing out maggoty messages to fill my students’ heads with knowledge. It could be, once again, I’ve been tangled in helping my students create the perfect product and have made the rookie mistake of focusing on the endgame instead of focusing on the process of investigation and inquiry.

After reflecting on this problem, I’ve come to the conclusion there are several factors in play: teacher assessments are often based on products, contests that are won based on products, school assessments are based on data gathered from final assessments, and let’s be honest; focusing on a product rather than a process is easier to control. We teachers are evaluated and assessed on outcome, which is easier to measure than the process. How can we focus on the process?

We can allow our students to struggle.

While it is uncomfortable to not immediately answer when a student asks a question, it’s okay for students to wrestle with a problem…better than okay, this struggle is what grows the brain and allows students to become resilient and persist when the going isn’t smooth and easy.

My co-worker Bonny has a rule that her students are not allowed to ask for help until after they have tried to solve their question for about five or ten minutes. At first students angrily complain,”Why aren’t you helping me? Isn’t it your job to tell me how to do this?” (Yikes, have we been teaching them it is our job to immediately provide any and all answers?) After students have unsuccessfully tried getting us teachers to do their work, they often dig in and try. If students are still frustrated, ask students to make their questions specific. This encourages them to think about what they need and where there is confusion. Support students with guiding questions.

We can ask our students to summarize their learning.

When students struggle, ask them to summarize what they think needs to be done. This will give you insight as to where the confusion lies. Address the confusion with a question instead of explaining everything. For example, if a student does not know how to write a reflective, thoughtful conclusion to their essay, instead of rushing in like a star quarterback, explaining every detail, coach them by showing some examples, allowing them to examine good writing techniques.

We can require students to self-evaluate their work instead of addicting them to our praise.

Instead of telling students what they have just learned, ask them to reflect on what they gained from the process. Too often students wait for the nod of approval and acceptance from the teacher. We are turning our students into praise addicts. We should be teaching our students how to evaluate their own success, building their self-confidence instead of making them dependent on external validation.

When we keep our mouths shut, we help our baby birds build intellectual, problem solving muscle, and soon these birds will mature and fly on their own.

Plan to Succeed

February 23, 2016 by Instructor Leave a Comment

My mother was worried I’d never find true love, get married and move out; so when I got engaged, she began to plan the wedding of the century. Every detail was considered right down to who was going to drive what car from the church to the reception hall. Every flower, cookie, and bridesmaid was in place. Nothing was left to chance. The wedding went smoothly. People had a great time, and raved about how much fun they had. Meticulous planning eliminated stress and created many wonderful memories.

The fact is that if an event is important, planning is an essential ingredient needed to ensure success. Yet, we teachers sometimes dread planning and hope we can just “wing it.” However, our teaching lessons are important events and deserve to be planned well. We want our lessons to stick, to be engaging. We want our students to talk about the lessons long after the school year ends.

It is time for the second half of the school year to begin which means it’s time to reflect on our first semester. What went well, what didn’t, and where to we go from here? When we plan on a whim, jumping from one idea to the next, we get the feeling of, “Help! I’m wandering aimlessly all over the place, and I feel like my students are missing something”. When we feel that, we are lacking vision. Simply outlining a quarter, semester, or year can create a cohesive plan, ensuring the students are getting the skills they need.

We know that well planned lessons can help us teachers achieve:

Student engagement and learning success
Creation of smooth transitions (which ensures good use of time)
Reduction in behavior problems
Reduction of stress
Enjoyment of teaching
Creation of beauty

When my husband/partner and I created the Teacher’s Planning Partner book, we wanted to make it as easy as possible for teachers to plan cohesive, Common Core compliant units. We wanted to give teachers a template that allows teachers to maximize their creativity and exercise their autonomy. To create an effective planning template, we consulted experts in education at every level, from university professors to primary school experts. Based on this expert advice, our own teaching experience, and over a year of planning and creating the book, we blended the Common Core Standards into four units of learning for both math and English language arts. Also, kindergarten through eighth grade is aligned to simplify vertical planning.

We did the work so that you can plug in your creativity. Decide on your vision. How do you want your units to look? Do you use the Lucy Calkins Writing Workshop program? Do you prefer a Project Based Learning approach? Our books give you the template; your creativity creates your vision. Do you want to feel excited about your teaching and share that excitement with your students? Then start planning to achieve your vision of successful learning.

If you want students to successfully learn and remember your lessons longer than a Kardashian wedding, take the time to plan your lessons well.

Desired Outcome

January 27, 2016 by Instructor Leave a Comment

When we teach lessons, we need to be really clear about our desired outcome, even when the desired outcome isn’t clearly Common Core related.

Recently my coworker Jennifer received a donation of free t-shirts from a friend of hers. This donation was generous, as her friend offered to design the shirts with our students’ mascot, Shakespeare, on the front. It was pretty cool. Jennifer worried about how to hand out the shirts so that she didn’t hurt anyone’s feeling s about sizes and such, and because she is an experienced teacher, she worried that a few of the “cool” kids might not be impressed and let the other students know that this was not a cool thing, anointing the whole business as nerdy, geeky, and filled with cooties of uncoolness.

When the morning came to give the shirts away, most students were excited to get the t-shirts, and the shirts were politely received. Jenifer’s concerns were realized. A couple of students rejected the shirts, and a few students even refused to wear them. It created a ripple effect as news caught on that maybe the shirts might have nerd cooties. We were crushed. My coworkers were stunned and decided they just didn’t want to address the issue as they were feeling too emotional. I work with wise people.

Initially, I wanted to let my students know that their actions were cruel. I stifled that desire…thank goodness. What did I really want? What was my desired outcome? I wanted them to learn how to receive a gift. I didn’t really want to crush their little hearts, or damage the relationships I had built. I wanted them to learn how to receive a gift with grace.

I started with a story about the joy of giving someone a gift and how a gift giver gets a lift from bringing joy to someone else. I asked them if they ever received a gift they didn’t care for. Heads nodded around the room. How do you handle that? Based on their feedback (some said they would tell the person they didn’t like the gift), it was clear they didn’t know how to receive. I allowed them to discuss some feasible options. They came to the conclusion that they should thank the person for their thoughtfulness and keep the negative comments to themselves. It is not necessary to lie or gush over an unwanted gift, but acknowledge the thought that goes into the gift. I explained how excited their teacher was to make them happy, and perhaps they could return the happiness gift by thanking her for her efforts and thoughtfulness. The students took in this information without feeling cruddy; instead they were armed with new information. Some took it upon themselves to thank my coworker.

Later in the day, she told me how one of our students went out of her way to thank her for the work she put into getting the shirts. Jennifer told me she wanted to cry and hug the girl as she was the first student to thank her that day.

Yeah, I could have stomped on their little hearts, made them feel awful, but I’m glad the students and I had a positive learning experience. Also, the students improved their thinking and problem solving skills; sometimes Common Core comes in through the back way as students used collaborative skills to draw conclusions. The desired outcome….check and done.

Word Power!

January 11, 2016 by Instructor Leave a Comment

Words equal power, so when people on Facebook and Twitter posted pieces on one word resolutions, I thought, “Oh, yeah, this is groovy.” Winter is all sludgy and freezy and the next significant break is months away, so my teaching energy could easily be poof, soot, gone. This one word resolution idea might keep me on track.

I thought if the one word resolution works for me, it would work for my students as well. I shared the one word idea with my students and how it could inspire them throughout the year. The students dove in and generated a list of powerful words.

Now, students were faced with the task of choosing their word. “One word? Just one? Can’t I choose like five? This feels too important to just randomly choose one word.” Many students stalled, unable to choose the one guiding word. I confessed that I had not chosen my word for that same reason. My brilliant virtual assistant, Beth Milligan, helps her clients focus on a successful year by using the one word resolution tool. Additionally, she suggests clients define their top three goals for the year as well as a theme to tie it all together.

Maybe my students should set a few goals. I asked my students to put their resolution word on the back burner and concentrate on their goals. Again, students rose to the task and generated goals.

While my students set goals for improving their athletic skills, or earning better grades, or maybe trying out for plays or cheerleading, I modeled for my students by writing my own personal goals using a document camera. When I reviewed my top three goals (reconnecting with friends, not letting work pile-up, and the traditional “I’m going to get healthy this year”), my first thought was that these goals seemed to have nothing in common. Then, “Bam,” the word balance jumped out at me. I need balance in my life. Since I came to this conclusion while thinking aloud in front of my students, my students started to find that after they set their goals, their words were easy to pick out, too.

Apparently, starting with goals aided in gaining clarity. Students excitedly shouted out words like “commitment”, “focus”, and “drive”. One girl looked at her goals, decided they would require much effort to accomplish, and said that the word “commitment” was her obvious choice. Another student said that the word “focus” would help him accomplish his goals.

What one word will guide you when you feel your teaching is veering off course and your workload feels overwhelming? The day after my classes completed their goal setting and one word resolutions, one of my students pulled me aside to tell me she had been in a horrible car accident the night before, but that everyone was alright. She confided to me that her one word was “survive”. Yikes, survive? Without context, that word made me wonder what she might be tangling with. She assured me that she saw this word as powerful and protective; if it were a stone, it would be her talisman. Wow, we both agreed that words can be powerful!

Taking the Eak(Eek) Out of Speaking

September 29, 2015 by Instructor Leave a Comment

This last weekend my husband and I went to see a play. Upon entering the theater, actresses in 1950’s era costumes gave us a name tag to wear that had an old-fashioned woman’s name on it. Mike was Eleanor while I was Petula. The purpose was to draw the audience into the era of the play. A man in front of us had refused to wear a name tag. He was adamant that he would not participate in the play in any way, shape, or form. It occurred to me that some adults are concerned about being embarrassed or having a spotlight on them.

We teachers are in front of people all the time; I suspect we love/crave the attention, so I am often taken by surprise when adults are adverse to attention. However, middle school student participation is another story. Adolescence is the pinnacle of self consciousness. Middle school students are always worried about becoming the focus of their peers’ searing ridicule.

Many of the Common Core speaking and listening standards require our students to present their ideas in front of groups. This requires Herculean efforts from our self-conscious students. To ease my students into the task of sharing ideas, I often have them turn and talk to the classmates sitting near them and allow them to process before they share. This gives them a chance to confirm their ideas. I know that most teachers have been using this Think/Pair/Share or Turn and Talk method for some time. In addition to talking it out first, I tell students they may share their ideas, or the ideas of their partners. This takes the heat off of students who would rather eat pre-chewed gum that has been scraped off the sidewalk than express their opinions in front of classmates. ( I gained this idea from educator Spence Rogers.) As the school year progresses and the class has had a chance to build their learning community, the students are more eager to express their ideas.

During third quarter I like to take my students on a field trip to this great place called Comedy Sportz, where an improvisation acting team performs. Additionally, these actors hold a workshop that shows how improvisation can be used to strengthen presentation skills as well as learning how to think on one’s feet during interviews. It is rewarding to watch my students support each other as they perform on stage; many of their fears have disappeared as they cheer for each other. When it comes time to present in front of the class, they continue to support each other. The result is wonderful presentations and a stronger learning community.

Eleanor and I have students who are still at the “Please don’t make me talk in front of the class or I will be mortified” stage, but we are offering our students opportunities to briefly present to build their confidence, gradually working toward proficient speaking (or sping if you take the eak out) skills.

Bloated Binder Blues

September 1, 2015 by Instructor Leave a Comment

Teachers love attending professional development (pd) seminars while simultaneously preparing to start a new school year, especially if the pd involves data or new curriculum requirements. It ranks right up there with surviving a zombie apocalypse. At least that’s what I can infer after viewing back to school Facebook posts.

When my brilliant team member, Kristy, (witness her brilliance at Educate My Heart) and I were asked to present the new curriculum that our team had produced, we decided to add a little theatrics to our introduction to ease the tension. We rolled in a gnarly, bloated curriculum binder and hoisted this bad boy on the table while excitedly announcing that there would be curriculum binders for everyone. Wincing and flinching from all corners of the room were evident. Team member, Lori, came in with an iPad on a silver platter, “Just kidding,” – cue nervous laughter. We had created assessments that aligned with the CCSS, and had included a teaching toolkit complete with lesson ideas, all of which could be accessed online.

We were thrilled that the new curriculum was well received as we had poured our hearts into this curriculum creation for over two years. I want to give a quick shout-out to this incredible team of which Kristy and I were lucky to be a part. Many thanks go to Jill, Jessica, the unbelievably hard working Lori, Kristen (who came to us from another district and we are so lucky to have her), and our ELA coordinator Sue, who has so much positive energy. Sue supported us in any way she could.

With the new curriculum at hand, the time for planning arrived. Good planning is essential for effective teaching. Whether you are planning backwards, forwards, or while standing on your head, planning helps you stay on track. It is worth the time. Too often I have heard teachers say that they like to “wing it”, to just see where the mood takes them. I’m not saying that inspiration doesn’t strike as the angels shine down on a teachable moment, but I’m fairly sure that teachers who frequently walk in the room without a plan are fooling themselves into thinking everything is cool. My team member, Bonny, is one of those teachers that is always in tune with what her students need at the moment, and her lessons flow into these accommodating tangents that hit just the right groove. However, she does not “wing it.” She coordinates her plans with Kristy and I, her teammates, while meeting the Common Core guidelines, plotting her lessons to align with the common assessments, and allowing her teaching tangents to dance within these guidelines.

Our district, like nearly all schools and districts, has parameters where we must reside. However, that doesn’t mean teachers can’t creatively teach and help their students master the skills and knowledge. In order to stay within a district or school’s parameters, but find unique, engaging ways to present the information, it is essential to spend time planning. Planning is hard, but using Teacher’s Planning Partner lesson plan books makes it easy to stay true to your school district’s requirements while empowering you, the teacher, to plan creatively. These specialized lesson plan books replace that gnarly, bloated curriculum binder with a useful “un-binder” that lays out the plan of action for you. The planning book may also be used as a shield in the event of a zombie apocalypse.