Photo of Samantha Perrin

Celebrate Fabulousness

In my grade 3 French Immersion class, the following is something we do to help everyone feel special on St. Valentine’s Day. You need a few days to complete the activity, depending on the number of students in your class and how fast they work.

The idea is to make an “I am Fabulous” book.  I like to use, « Je suis fabuleuse – une histoire vrai de (nom d’élève) » (I am Fabulous – the true story about (student’s name) for the book’s title.  Each student writes the opening page of the book telling why they think they are fabulous, then they do the same thing for all their classmates. As a bonus, I send home a page for the parents to complete about their own child, and I also fill one out for each student. The pages are all collected and compiled so each student will receive their own ‘true story’ on Valentine’s Day and read about their Fabulousness/Fabulocité  (words invented for this activity…).

To get ready, I make a chart to help students keep track of who they have written about and have them start by writing something about themselves.

Example/

Name/ Nom Fabulousness / Fabulocité Example/ Exemple
Me I can do difficult things on my skis I can do flips with no hands
Alison  She is an inventor She invented a game called Oidar
Benjamin  He loves music He likes to bring in CDs for the class to enjoy and we like them, too

 

After the students have written about themselves, I read a few samples to help create categories of fabulousness. On chart paper, in a web graphic organizer with the word Fabulousness/Fabulocité written in the middle, students see themes or categories emerge, such as; sports, kindness, perseverance, generosity, imagination, etc. You could also do categories following Bloom’s Taxonomy of Multiple Intelligences. In grade 3 language, this could be simplified to the terms Math Smart, Nature Smart, People Smart, Body Smart, Music Smart, Logic Smart, Self Smart and Logic Smart. Creating categories helps students avoid repetition and guides them to think about their classmates and themselves in many more ways.

A strategy I use to help students learn to express their opinion and justify it, is something called “Les 3 Ps” (Je PENSE… PARCE QUE… PAR EXEMPLE…). You can use a template for the students to complete as in a cloze activity, write it on the board so students can copy it and complete it in their own handwriting, or have them type out a few a day on the computer. There are probably a million other ways to do this more quickly and conveniently, however, once they get going, it does go remarkably fast.  Students use the ideas they generate in the chart graphic organizer to fill in the blanks and complete these sentences.

Example/

Je pense que ______________ est fabuleux/fabuleuse, parce que ____________.  Par exemple, ___________________________________________.

In English, it could look something like this;

I think that __________________________is fabulous because ________________ . For example, ___________________________________________ .

For the cover of the book, students are invited to bring in a photo of themselves or they can draw their portrait if they choose. For the pages inside, students are encouraged to illustrate their message to their classmates to help decorate the book and make it more special.

Although it takes a little planning and organization, creating the book is a nice activity to help remind students of the talents they each have.

Photo of Lisa Taylor

Student Mental Health

With #BellLetsTalk day coming to a close, I thought I would talk a bit about how to address mental health in the classroom and why it is so important. No matter what the grade, it is essential that you model healthy behaviour, and teach strategies to deal with stress and talk to your students about mental health. There are obviously different levels of this and you would gauge that based on the group you have, but no matter what, it should not be ignored.

Last year I was having some personal mental health struggles. My physical health was fragile and I had been given some potentially very bad news about the possible outcomes for my physical health. This, combined with other issues that were weighing down on me, caused my mental health to really buckle under the pressure. I remember one day going into my class of Grade 2s and sitting on the carpet to do Tribes Tribbles. This is an activity where you pass around a card with 5 furry creatures on it and each student completes the sentence, “I’m feeling ______ today.” The blank is a colour and that colour corresponds to one of the characters. Each of the characters has a facial expression and body language to express an obvious emotion (sad, angry, happy, excited, just okay, etc.). The student also had the option to explain why he/she was feeling that way.

This particular day, I started us off. I had been feeling quite down that morning and my emotions were at the surface. Students have the “Right to Pass” if they do not want to share, but I was modeling healthy behaviour by sharing my feelings with a group I trusted. I told my class that I was feeling “blue” today. I decided to tell them why. I explained to them that our hearts are like cups and everything that happens in a day that is upsetting or “bad” is like putting a bit of water into that cup. It makes the cup heavier, and it starts to fill it up. I told them that I had been having a difficult time lately and that my cup was very full. One of my students asked what happened when the up got too full. I explained that everyone handles it differently, but that we often get very upset, and even cry. I then told them that there are ways to empty the cup before it overflows. We brainstormed some ways to empty the cup out – playing with friends, snuggling up with your parent(s), talking to someone about what is bothering you, helping someone else who seems to have a full cup, etc. We also talked about the fact that some of us have big cups, and some of us have smaller cups. Something that will roll of one person’s back, might cause another a great deal of emotional stress and pain. It all has to do with the size of their cup. This made the whole concept of feelings and handling bad feelings more concrete for them.

The most significant part of the whole activity for me though, was that my students could see that I was feeling blue. I was having a tough time. I had been for quite a while. As we went around the circle so that everyone else could have a turn with the Tribbles, my class did something I will never forget: they overflowed my cup and emptied it all at once! They shared their feelings with me in a way that filled my heart with such joy, as I knew they understood the importance of sharing, talking, and supporting each other. They said things like, “I feel blue because my friend is feeling sad today and I don’t know how to help him.” By the end of the circle that day, I was sobbing. My cup was almost full when we started so I knew it wasn’t going to take much. We did Tribbles almost everyday last year and I loved it. It doesn’t always start off in a deep, emotional place, but when it gets there, it is pretty incredible.

I feel like Tribbles or something like it lays a solid foundation for conversations about mental health and feelings in general. This is an activity that can be done from Pre-School up. It is non-threatening and a very positive way to share highs and lows in a non-threatening way.

 

Watching social media on a day like #BellLetsTalk makes it so clear that there is still a lot of work to be done to educate around mental health. I have included some infographics that were shared today that I found particularly interesting/shocking. Let’s get the conversation started when they are young and the stigma isn’t there!

Photo of Mike Beetham

But Why?

This is a term that has become a part of my teaching repertoire since spending the last four summers working with teachers in Sierra Leone, Africa. There are two ways that I make use of this valuable term in my classroom practice.

The first is when I am dealing with classroom management concerns in my classroom. There are always students who are not following the expectations, not fulfilling the work requirements, not complying to the adults etc… The fact is that most teachers are only able to deal with the behaviour piece (tip of the iceberg). The question ‘But Why?’ forces me to look beyond the behaviour, beyond the part that negatively affects the classroom routine and to seek out the roots of the behaviour. If I can make the time to figure out why something is occurring, I have a much better chance to support a change that will be permanent.

For example, student X  in my class last year had a reputation for refusing to do his work. It did not matter whether it was numeracy or literacy he usually behaved in such a way that the teacher had to finally intervene and remove the student for the good of the rest of the class. So, student X had developed a very effective strategy of avoiding areas that he did not want to take part in. The removal from the class was actually a reward for him even though in the eyes of everyone else it was a punishment.

I had to try and figure out the ‘Why?’ for his behaviour. This took time, patience and most importantly a good relationship. The end result was that he had significant gaps in his learning due to his behaviour choices and that future testing revealed that he had a learning disability in writing. As a result, he had learned that compared to everyone else he was dumb when it came to being able to express himself in written form. The removal from a class (adult punishment) was not as negative as the inadequate feeling he had everyday in school when required to write with his peers.

The solution became the need for differentiated instruction and differentiated assessment in order to allow student X the most effective way to demonstrate his learning. He still had to write, but only when writing was being assessed. In numeracy I only assessed his understanding of numerical concepts and not his writing skills. Scribing, models, oral explanations allowed him to both gain confidence in his actual abilities and not have to focus on his area of need.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of “But Why?”.

Photo of Alison Board

Our Classroom Voice

At the start of September our classroom looked bare and generic. Although a few motivational posters would have provided some aesthetic visuals to liven the room up, I refrained. Instead, I waited to see how student voice and interest would fill the wall space.

In only one month, our room is taking shape with student work, anchor charts, and art that is unique to the community of students in Room 8. Included in the room is:

  • a row of self-portraits. These are simple line drawings with multi-coloured marker lines, similar to the style of John Lennon’s Imagine album cover. They provide a visual reminder of our diverse group and represent how each individual imagines their own image.
  • an array of clear plastic page covers stapled to the bulletin board. One display of each student’s current published writing. Using the plastic covers allows the work not only to be protected, but stored throughout the year as a tool to show development.
  • a large picture graph on grid chart paper. This graph shows the Multiple Intelligence strengths of each student in the classroom. In the first week of school we used a survey to determine our M.I. strengths. Then after photo day, we used one set of the small photo stickers to make a visual graph of our strengths. We have already referred to the graph on numerous occasions, and other teachers (French, Phys. Ed) have appreciated the graph as well to easily identify student strengths.
  • a math gallery. When students solve problems in small groups, they are all provided with the same size paper. After they complete their work, we hang it on a bulletin board (math gallery) where the other groups can view it, add sticky note responses, and refer to it when working individually.
  • an inquiry corkboard. This dedicated space grows as we add newspaper articles, photocopies of book covers, questions, photographs and data that support our inquiry questions. Our current question is “How are we all connected?” This question has led many discussions about water and our inquiry board is reflecting the questions and knowledge building of the students.
  • logos. The students created their own logo contest for Room 8. There is a display of six logos that were created, then the students voted. Although they selected one winner, all the logos will stay in the classroom on display. We are using the winning logo as our image for our class Twitter account.

There are still many blank spaces to be filled, but I would rather they get filled by student work that is meaningful and authentic, then just decorating the space. As I look around the classroom, I realize that what I see (and more importantly, what they see) is a reflection of their own interests and perspectives. It is their voice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adjustments in September

 

With all the plans we make for those first days and weeks in September, it is worth being open to making adjustments, for your benefit and the benefit of the students. Here are some examples of how I have adjusted the environment and the program in the first few weeks:

  • I have changed the layout twice. We were pleased to get 6 rectangular tables and 1 round table in the second week, but have rearranged them twice to suit the needs of the students. This means that there are two sets of tables put together seating groups of up to 12 students who like to work together, and one table seats only 4 students who require more personal space. I planned for an even distribution of students per table, but am responsive to their different requests regarding space and collaboration.
  • The area carpet was originally placed in one corner of the room for community discussions and knowledge building sessions. The students enjoyed these talks, but found it hard to get close when we are limited with only two accessible sides to the carpet for rows of chairs behind those who are seated on the carpet. So, I moved the carpet to the centre of the room and it connects to the small carpet area of our class library. Now there is less movement of chairs as students turn to the centre of the room for discussions and use the extended space of the class library to sit.
  • We took a Multiple Intelligence survey to get to know our own learning strengths and the strengths of all the students in the class. We continue to consider these and reflect on them by referring to graph compiled in the class to remind us.
  • I finally typed out my schedule last Thursday. It took me that long to juggle our literacy block and periods for Science and Social Studies with withdrawal for ESL and special education support. I have added 15 minutes of literacy to the end of our day when we review our agendas with a poetry cafe allowing dedicated time for the reading, sharing, and writing of poetry.
  • We introduced “Minutes for Mindfulness” each afternoon. After lunch and a transition for French class, some of the students had difficulty settling for a full-class discussion regarding our inquiry topic. I asked if they wanted to try some mindfulness techniques, and a new student shared a website/app called www.calm.com that his teacher used last year. This adjustment not only helps the students, but I benefit from the 2 minute relaxation exercises as well!
I am sure our class will continue to grow and change. Allowing for adjustments to your best made plans is necessary to be responsive in your teaching practice – and everyone will benefit.
Photo of Beverly Papove

Gentle Reminders

Greetings and welcome!

I don’t know about you, but every September, just like my students, I still feel the excitement and anticipation for the new school year! This year is certainly no exception and I hope you are looking forward to your year, trusting in your professional integrity, your training and experience, and your decision to have chosen a career where you can learn so much from your students in your role as teacher.

I’d like to introduce myself: My name is Beverly Papove and I am a new voice joining the writers on the Heart and Art blog.  I have been a teacher for more than 20 years. My teaching experience has offered me the privilege of working in public and private systems in 4 provinces, in an Inuit community, in a Cree community and in Europe. I have taught kindergarten to university students, and I am currently teaching Grade 3 French Immersion for a fourth year. I look forward to sharing some stories and lessons I have learned that will be useful or, at the very least, entertaining!

Too often, as conscientious as teachers often tend to be, we sometimes find ourselves reinventing the wheel, when there is already a wealth of wisdom out there that is practical, simple, and meaningful. The teaching profession may have changed over many, many years, but we are still humans, whose basic needs have always been to belong, to feel safe and to enjoying the freedom to express ourselves and explore the world around us.

To that end, I started off the year by letting my students know that there are three things I think are really important; Safety, Respect, and Fun. I can get pretty silly and I certainly like to laugh, however, no respect? No fun. And no safety can mean someone gets hurt and that also is definitely not fun. These three goals pretty much go together and when they do, our classroom is a happy place to learn in. Moreover, having only three overall expectations makes it easy for everyone to remember and to achieve. I asked the students what they thought a safe, fun, respectful classroom would look like and they suggested ideas, activities and kind words. After our discussion, the students worked in small groups or individually to create colourful posters illustrating their ideas (for some reason, there is always at least one giant looping slide at the top of a long staircase in drawings of the ideal classroom… I haven’t yet quite figured out why…). The posters now serve as gentle reminders for us all as we work as a team, creating a healthy learning environment for the rest of the year, with or without an indoor super slide.

New Beginnings

 

My name is Alison Board. I have taught for eight years. This is a second (or third) career for me, as I was previously a librarian and a technical writer.

Over the years I have developed specific interests within education. They include early years literacy, the learning environment, an inquiry approach, and inclusivity. This year I will be teaching a grade 6/7 class and will be in another new classroom (4th room in 4th year!).

September is a time of new beginnings for the students and for me. I look forward to the first few weeks of community building. This requires you to slow everything down, and not feel the pressure of jumping into content on the second day. I also look forward to trying new ways of teaching and learning. This year I will be using Google Docs to share documents with students, confer, and collect work. I will also be introducing a daily poetry cafe. My students will have French every day in the second last period. We will meet for the last 30 minutes (about 20 minutes really) – so I am hoping we can read, share, write, listen and love poetry in a collaborative and reflective way that ends our day on positive note.

I look forward to sharing more of my teaching and learning journey with you.

Photo of Erin G

Keeping the Wheels Turning As the Year Winds Down – Detective Stories

Yes, it’s that time of year again – summer vacation on the horizon but before getting there, you must survive the last few weeks of French with the Grade 8s.  In case you’re not familiar with that scenario, getting them to do any work can be “a most frustratingly futile experience which sees your heart rate and blood pressure soar.” And that’s putting it politely. Although I agree with Mike about the need to have the students working on something that motivates and engages them, the challenge with seeing your students for one period a day is that there is little continuity at this time of year with it being a time of constant disruptions. What I’ve more or less resorted to by the last two weeks of school is mini activities that span a range of 1 to 3 classes. One that I’ve found they’ve enjoyed is the Murder Mystery activities. There is nothing more enjoyable than seeing your students thinking, debating and collaborating during this time when the most energy they seem to be able to muster is devoted to them repeatedly asking you why you’re still making them do work. Although I started off this post talking about Grade 8s, this is actually an activity that could work with a rannge of grade levels. I found  a couple of online sites suited for students which had a variety of mysteries (and even magic tricks as a bonus). Two that were particularly are listed below. I also found the Schoastic website helpful for ideas to develop a whole unit (ideas for next year…)  As for finding material in French, I was not overly successful. There was one site Polar FLE that seemed to be fairly good but again as a Core French teacher, you’ll probably find that you will need to translate and adapt the material so that your students can easily follow along. Happy sleuthing!

www.kidsmysterynet.com

www.42explore.com

 

Photo of Mike Beetham

Shared Learning – Not Competition

In a learning community the focus becomes a shared learning, teamwork and helping each member to reach their potential. This collaborative classroom design creates a community of risk takers, where talents blossom and are shared for the good of all over time. Now, lets shift the scene to a school staff. It is made up of a wide variety of individuals with unique talents and levels of experience. A diverse talent pool that when shared creates a school portfolio that meets the needs of all of its learners.

I share this blog topic based on my many years of teaching in a wide variety of schools and communities. My early years of teaching witnessed classrooms as separate entities within a larger building where the only sharing that took place was at staff meetings. The most rewarding settings were always where classrooms were not a competition between teachers but rather a continuum of grades that were seamless in their beliefs and goals. Teachers seeking help from each other was encouraged and not frowned upon. The sharing of resources should be common practive and not items to be hidden. Mentoring, teaching partners, grade level planning are all significant enhancements to teacher planning pedagogy. Regardless of your level of experience, I highly encourage that you make time for colleague collaboration for it will become a regular part of both your learning and planning. “Even Einstein asked questions!”

Photo of Erin G

Reaching All Learners – Flexibility in Core French Class

Out of all the challenges you are confronted with as a teacher, it seems to me that one of the most difficult of all is making sure that you can meet the needs of all of your students (simultaneously!). Everything else seems to hinge on this; if your students can function/are sufficiently challenged, they are engaged. If they are engaged, they are motivated and will not cause problems in class. Seems like once you can identify the root problem, implementing a solution is easy…As we all know, this is seldom the case. Core French being a second/third language makes it that much more challenging. In essence, EVERYONE is needy and that much more dependent on the teacher. It can be exhausting and difficult to be pulled in so many directions. See if this sounds familiar (keep in mind, the key word is once again “simultaneously”).

 Do you have your project with you today?

What project?

 The one we worked on together yesterday? I had given you sentence starters and we spent 20 minutes working on key vocabulary?

 No, I lost it.

 (Great) Well, start it aga…(interrupted) 

I can’t find my sheet!/He stole my pencil and won’t give it back!/How do you say “is” in French?/If I write double the sentences, do I get a level 4?

  So on and so on. No matter how much experience you have (and I have a lot), it is still a difficult task that can leave you feeling overwhelmed. This year, I’m trying out a different approach with my grade seven class with the following scenario: 33 kids in a small space (not my classroom), 4 gifted, 3 on IEPs and 2 HSP students with identified learning disabilities. Already seated in groups of four, I have them now sitting with at least 1 “expert” per group. They are those students who are not only high functioning but are also good communicators. Their job is to make sure that everyone in their group is following along and if they are having difficulties of any kind, they are the “go to” people. I am hoping this will allow me to circulate more and really help those in need (for remediation or enrichment) in a focused way.