Daily (Morning) Meetings
Our daily meeting is by far my most favorite way to start the day. I love sitting down next to my students in a circle. Spending time checking- in and “seeing” each other before we jump into the busy day of learning and work. This special time, each day, allows us to learn about how […]
I’m Obsessed with Circles
I’m obsessed with circles. It’s true. When I started having my students sit in a circle my teaching changed and learning increased. What? Just a circle on the rug? I’m literally talking about just changing from having students sit in rows to sitting in a circle. That being said, I’ve always had rectangular carpets in […]
Math Discourse- Sentence Stems
Student Led Discourse- Step 1: Sentence Stems Our discourse is student led. In my crew (that’s what I call my class), students do the heavy lifting in the discourse. What I mean is, they do the noticing, they ask the questions & they even call on one another. The number one question I get asked […]
Self Assessment– Levels of Understanding
Have you ever wondered how you can get your students to care about their grades? I wonder, have you taught them what their grades mean? As a class, have you walked through what it looks like to meet the goal, or be skill developing in a skill? Self assessment is a key part of establishing […]
Apologies Have 4 Parts
What do you mean 4 Parts?! We’ve all heard someone (or maybe it was us?!) tell a child to “say sorry”. The kid quickly, or begrudgingly, forks out a “SORRY!” along with a facial expression that clearly communicates the child is not in support of the words coming out of their mouth. We use 4 […]
Grapple
In my crew, we grapple. My students know that learning takes place when we grapple. I tell my students that if they go home and say school was east I didn’t do my job! I tell them, “you should be struggling & grappling everyday because that’s when the learning happens!” Think about it, have you […]