Pre-Assessment

For my unit on kindergarten math measurement, I have developed a Kahoot! Quiz to use as a pre-assessment before beginning. The standard I am assessing is:

CCSS.Math.Content.K.MD.A.2 Directly compare two objects with a measurable attribute in common, to see which object has "more of"/"less of" the attribute, and describe the difference. For example, directly compare the heights of two children and describe one child as taller/shorter. (corestandards.org, michigan.gov)

This brief quiz will allow me to group my students based on prior knowledge of measurement concepts. https://play.kahoot.it/#/k/0ec7ed92-ff9c-4400-b3d4-d405e85a9538  

The Kahoot! Quiz automatically scores the students’ answers. I will quickly and easily be able to determine who needs extra differentiation/reinforcement (0-3 correct answers), who is on track (4-5 correct answers), or who is above average and needs enrichment activities (6 correct).

Once I have determined my three differentiated groups, I can plan appropriate activities and formative assessments for each group. Those can be found on my mind map below.

(Link to enlarged image here.)

High-Stakes Testing

            In a post-No-Child-Left-Behind country, high-stakes testing has become the “report card” of schools, districts, and states. It is a highly-debated approach to standardizing educational benchmarks, encouraging schools to improve their teaching methods, and sometimes forcing low-scoring schools to take drastic measures to improve quickly or else face cutbacks or school closure.

            When I think of high-stakes testing, I recall a story that my school’s secretary told last year of overhearing a conversation in a local coffee shop. She heard two men talking; one was new to town and was considering where to send his daughter to school – either the public school or to ours, the private Christian school. His companion commented, “Oh, don’t send your child to the Christian school – their test scores are awful.” This struck my co-worker as odd since—being a private school—we do not participate in the standardized tests mandated by the state of Michigan. She couldn’t help herself, so she politely interrupted the conversation and clarified, and of course invited the man to tour our school himself. As a result, his daughter is now a student in my class.

            The irony of that anecdote is that a person was almost turned off to our school simply by the indication of poor test scores – there wasn’t even actual data for him to compare. This goes to show how much sway high-stakes testing can have in the public opinion of a school. On one hand, having a standardized, data-based method to measure academic rigor is appealing. It seems like the silver bullet to academic equity and school reform. On the other hand, critics of high-stakes testing say it actually can have the opposite effect. Schools that are already struggling due to lack of funding, teacher support, socioeconomic difficulties, etc. may then be further penalized for not scoring high enough on these tests, which then pushes them further away from succeeding. “Because of strong pressure on schools and teachers to improve test results and avoid score-based penalties, students of color and students from lower-income households and communities may be more likely to receive narrowly focused, test-preparation-heavy instruction instead of an engaging, challenging, well-rounded academic program”(Edglossary.org).

            As I mentioned, my school in Fremont, Michigan, is private and therefore exempt from mandatory state testing. While I teach in kindergarten (when high-stakes testing does not occur even in public schools), the general attitude among staff at my school is that the lack of standardized testing frees us up to broaden our curriculum. We are able to focus less on teaching to tests and more on diving into standards-aligned content. Our already precious instructional time is not cut short so we can proctor exams. We have time to develop school-wide thematic units in which our students study continents, biology, and participate in project-based learning. We focus our instruction on meeting state standards for our subjects, and are free to teach those standards how we see fit. I imagine this is a great benefit to our students.

            While I can’t personally speak to high-stakes testing, a friend of mine teaches in a public elementary school in Calvert County, Maryland, where they use PARCC assessments each Spring to measure academic success. She said that overall these tests have a detrimental impact on her students and on the teachers’ ability to teach to personalized learning plans (she teaches special education). First, they are computerized, which means the testing cycle takes up to six weeks as classes rotate through the shared computer labs to sit for the exam. As well, the county requires that students take a practice test once a quarter so they can get accustomed to the format and question style of the tests. This adds another two weeks each time.

            My friend said that the teachers do try to teach to the test when they can so that students have the best chance possible to succeed on the exam. This comes at the expense of focusing on students’ individualized learning goals, and often the test is still too difficult for even high-achieving students to pass. This can take an emotional toll on students, some of whom are used to scoring very high, but on the PARCC exam receive a 70%, solely because the language of the test and breadth of the content being assessed is too vague or complicated for students to fully grasp in order to demonstrate their knowledge.

            The Calvert County Public School System, according to my friend, does not use the test results to evaluate, promote or demote teachers, although they are meant to create learning objectives based on the results that their administrators hold them accountable to. Students also do not receive a grade for taking these exams. Overall, although there are not major implications for teachers or students (in terms of affecting jobs or grades), my friend wonders if the loss of instructional time and the added stress put on students makes these tests worth it in the long run.

References:

High-Stakes Test. (2014, August 18). In The Glossary of Education Reform. Retrieved November 21, 2016, from http://edglossary.org/high-stakes-testing/

Planning Assessments

Kindergarten math seems simple enough to an adult, but for my young students, it is important that they have a solid understanding of these basic concepts as a foundation for their future learning. One such concept is the ability to sort items by a common measurable attribute. Here is an objective for a math lesson that I teach in kindergarten: 

Students will be able to identify the tallest/shortest, heaviest/lightest of a group of objects with 95% accuracy.

Since it’s autumn, I like the activity of comparing 3 pumpkins. I’ve written more in-depth about this activity before, but here’s a quick summary: 

There are three pumpkins of obviously varying height, width, and weight. The students work together to measure the pumpkins and record all of their data on a poster chart. Part of this project would involve the following formative assessments to check that students understand and meet the objective.

1.      Think/pair/share

a.       When I ask a question, for example: “which pumpkin is the heaviest and which is the lightest?” students take a few seconds to think of their answer, then turn to their “elbow partner” (the person next to them) and talk about their answers. Then each group shares their answer(s) with the whole group(Dyer).

b.      This allows students to confer with a partner and explain their answer before sharing with the group. Less confident students may feel more comfortable working in pairs and may learn from their partners this way.

2.      Mini-whiteboards

a.       When I ask the students—for example—which pumpkin is the tallest, they write their answer (Pumpkin #1, #2 or #3) on their mini-whiteboard and flip it around to show me the answer(Wees, 13).

b.      This gives every student a chance to answer the question (which allows me to quickly assess each student at once). The fact that the students are writing their answer means shy or less confident students can still participate without feeling pressured to share out loud to the whole group. 

3.      Doodle it

a.       With this specific activity, my students would draw the pumpkins in order from shortest to tallest (for example), labeling each one with their corresponding number(Wees, 17).

b.      This is a more time-consuming formative assessment, but still allows me to check for understanding and gives students a chance to visualize how and why the pumpkins are different and in what order they need to go.

As Rick Wormeli says, I need to ask myself, “how will I get students feedback, and how will it inform my lessons?” These formative assessments (as well as others) will allow me to check for understanding and either review ideas as a whole group, or plan for differentiation in my small group meetings throughout the day or week.

References:

            Dyer, K. (2013, July 12). 22 Easy Formative Assessment Techniques for Measuring Student Learning. In Teach. Learn. Grow.. Retrieved October 29, 2016, from https://www.nwea.org/blog/2013/22-easy-formative-assessment-techniques-for-measuring-student-learning/        

            [Stenhouse Publishers] (2010, November 30). Rick Wormeli: Formative and Summative Assessment [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJxFXjfB_B4

Wees, D. (2012, December 10). 56 Examples of Formative Assessments. In Edutopia. Retrieved October 29, 2016, from https://www.edutopia.org/groups/assessment/250941

Understanding and Applying Standards

            Before this unit, I would have said that Common Core or state standards were good guidelines to direct my teaching, but were not the bottom line. My perspective is influenced by working at a private school – while we do refer to the standards, we are not legally bound to teach to them, and my students and I are not subjected to standardized tests which would assess my students’ mastery of the standards. However, I did already feel familiar with the standards for my grade, kindergarten, and I still often found myself wondering what on earth the standards were actually saying. The jargon is excessive at times.

            The most valuable skill I am taking away from this unit is having a process for breaking down the jargon of the standards into measurable objectives and activities.  That is to say, not only can I disassemble some standards that may have confusing language, but I now am able to develop standards-based activities, lessons, and units. This is an empowering skill to have. Currently, my school purchases curriculum for all subject areas that I teach, but someday I may work in a school that requires that I develop my own full or partial curriculum. Or, as is probably more likely, I am at least prepared to develop supplemental or thematic units that are standards-based. I especially found the process of diagramming the standards into three components (“what”--main idea, “how”--skill, and “context”) very practical and easy to understand.

Also, after understanding what the standard says, writing out proficiencies helps me be sure that I know what my students need to know to meet the standard and how I can measure that. The process of unpacking a standard (or more), backwards mapping, and then developing SMART objectives basically leaves me with a unit outline that I can then add to or hash out into a full unit. The unit has a strong “skeleton” that I can be confident is assuring that my students learn and meet the standards.

            I did struggle with developing five SMART objectives for the one standard I chose to focus on. I wonder if that standard alone was too simple for five objectives, or if it is just generally more difficult to do at a kindergarten level (because what kindergarteners need to learn is less complex than, say, a seventh-grader), or if it is generally just a bit of a difficult task for a new teacher. That being said, it was still a helpful practice that challenged me to see how much content I could pull from one standard to make sure that my students are fully meeting it.

            Overall, I found this unit very helpful in making the standards feel more “approachable.” It also gave me a basic system to develop my own lessons and units, and be sure that I am assessing my students accurately. I will definitely remember these processes in my future standards-based lesson-planning. 

References: 

How to Unpack a Standard [Online video]. Imperial County Office of Education. Retrieved from https://www.mydigitalchalkboard.org/portal/default/Content/Viewer/Content?action=2&scId=100028&sciId=829

 

Standards and Backwards Mapping

I currently teach Spanish immersion kindergarten in Michigan. I will be taking a look at a kindergarten math standard that is list both in the Common Core State Standards and the Michigan State Standards:

CCSS.Math.Content.K.MD.A.2

Directly compare two objects with a measurable attribute in common, to see which object has "more of"/"less of" the attribute, and describe the difference. For example, directly compare the heights of two children and describe one child as taller/shorter. (corestanards.org, michigan.gov)

I chose to develop a unit plan based on this state standard because learning to describe and compare measurable attributes are foundational skills for more advanced kindergarten math concepts like addition and subtraction. This standard also has many cross-curricular connections in other subjects where knowing how to group, categorize and compare is essential. Some examples are: parts of speech or types of text (language arts), living or nonliving things (science), and different areas of our communities (social studies). Also, this standard is easily integrated into fun and enjoyable thematic activities. Finally, this standard provides excellent opportunities for my Spanish immersion students to develop new vocabulary. 

Here are three proficiencies my students need to achieve in order to meet the standard:

1. Students will identify various ways to measure an object (ex: length, width, height, weight, etc.)
2. Students will compare a shared measurable attribute of two objects (ex: measure the lengths of a paper clip and a pencil)
3. Students will describe the difference between two objects based on their measurable attribute (ex: “The pencil is longer than the paper clip.”)

Here are three assessments I could use to check that my students have met the standard:

1. Record the measurements of their two objects on a recording sheet (including their unit of measurement and what attribute they are measuring).
1. Example: “The pencil is 6 Unifix Cubes long. The paper clip is 2 Unifix Cubes long.”
2. Write a sentence describing the difference between two objects (ex: “The pencil is longer than the paper clip.”)
1. Another option: Start with one object. Students identify another object that is longer than/wider than/shorter than the first.

                                                               i.      Example: The ruler is longer than my pencil.

3. Make a prediction about two objects (which will be lighter/heavier). Measure, record and mark if their prediction was correct or not.
1. Example: The pencil will be longer than the paper clip. My prediction was correct.

Here are three activities my students could do to develop their measurement and comparison skills (including a fun autumn-themed activity):

    1. Measuring pumpkins 
            a. Students will work in pairs to measure their pumpkins in many ways:

                                         i.      Front Length (linking Unifix cubes and/or ruler)

                                         ii.      Height (linking Unifix cubes and/or ruler)

                                        iii.      Weight (scale)

                                       iv.      Circumference (yarn and ruler)

           b. Students mark their measurements on a labeled worksheet (including units and attribute) 

    2. Comparing heights:  

          a. Teacher will help students measure their height with yarn. Each person’s length of yarn will be posted by their photo on the wall.
          b. Students must complete the sentences:

                                       i.      “I am shorter than: _______________________”

                                      ii.      “I am taller than: _______________________”
 

(www.goingbacktokinder.blogspot.com)

    3. Making predictions:
          a. Students will look around the room for two objects to compare the weight of.

                                    i.      They will predict which object will be heavier or lighter.

                                    ii.      They will weigh the objects using a balance.

          b. Finally, they will record the measurements and say if their predictions were correct or not.

References:

Almazan, A. (2013, September 25). Quick Post on Measuring. In Going Back to Kinder. Retrieved October 16, 2016, from http://goingbacktokinder.blogspot.com/2013/09/quick-post-on-measuring.html 
Black. (n.d.). Kindergarten--Measurement & Data. In Ms. Blacks' Math Coach Web Site. Retrieved October 16, 2016, from https://sites.google.com/a/eusd.org/tblack/kindergarten-work-stations/measurement-and-data

Kindergarten--Measurement & Data. (n.d.). In Common Core State Standards Initiative. Retrieved October 15, 2016, from http://www.corestandards.org/Math/Content/K/MD/

Michigan Department of Education. (2010). Michigan K-12 Standards: Mathematics. In Michigan.gov. Retrieved October 15, 2016, from http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/K-12_MI_Math_Standards_REV_470033_7.pdf

Applying Classroom Rules and Procedures

There are an infinite number of classroom management techniques available as resources to teachers – just ask Pinterest! But I will explore ways to positively reinforce classroom expectations and methods to address students who decidedly don’t follow the norms, rules or procedures.

When used appropriately, positive reinforcement can help create a positive classroom culture by encouraging students in their good behaviors. It may also help students with behavior issues develop better habits. There needs to be a balance, however, so that students do not become dependent on the possibility of an incentive to do things they should be doing, or do they do not expect a prize for those behaviors. Positive behavior reinforcement may be especially effective for students who regularly struggle with good behavior. If a student is really struggling with keeping their hands to themselves, for example, strategically rewarding them for a period of good behavior will help them learn what good behavior feels like. It will also help them gain a better self-image, as those students sometimes can feel like they’re always just getting in trouble.

As well, it helps teach them goal-setting and problem-solving. They have to remember their goal (the prize, the points, the incentive at home—whatever system might be in place). One example is a point system (individual or whole group). Students get points for extra positive behavior, such as helping clean up a mess that wasn’t theirs, saying kind words to a friend who is not well (hurt or sad), or staying on task for an extended period of time. This method works well for lower elementary because often these behaviors need to be taught and practiced so that they become habit. The points are an incentive that reminds them to practice these positive behaviors. I like to use a jar or a small fishbowl and glass beads. Every time I see a positive behavior, I add a bead to the jar and mention why to the group. This gives me a moment to acknowledge the positive behavior and reminds students of the jar. The students get to decide on a (reasonable) reward for filling the jar. Because of how long it takes to fill the jar –a few months to a whole school year – the students like to choose options such as pizza parties, pajamas, a movie day, or a fun park day.

In order to respond to students who are breaking the rules or not following procedures, practicing “withitness” – occupying the whole room – can be a very useful tool. This involves physically or visually (through eye contact) making your presence known to students in your classroom. This will help you keep an eye on everyone and de-escalate any potential disruptions early.  Another tool is using a stimulus cue. This would be a great method for carpet time, when addressing a student would interrupt the flow of what I am saying to the group, or when I am working with small groups and need to maintain my teaching pace (or physically can’t leave my seat to address another student). For ongoing or extreme disruptions, this flow chart describes my plan of action:

This action plan would work best in a lower elementary environment, such as my kindergarten classroom.The important key will be to maintain the balance between flexibility (and withitness) and consisitency in implementing rewards and consequences for behavior in my classroom.

Creating High Performance Learning Environments

In this blog post I'll review three learning environments and which techniques I could use or adapt in my classroom to help my students succeed.

Project-based learning in a fifth grade STEM class
 Academic Expectations
In this classroom, the teacher begins by clearly stating the day's objective and reminding them of how their previous work on this project can help them complete the task. This is a great way to set the tone for the lesson. Possibly more importantly, the groups are set up so that each student has a unique job and is responsible for different aspects of the project. This shows the students that each of them must participate and contribute to the assignment, and is a great way to make sure everyone is involved. Since there are certain aspects of the project that one person would have been responsible for, the teacher is able to assess how that student performed on their task.  She has clearly set this classroom up for success.

Behavior Expectations
Due to the nature of the project, students must do independent planning work, then collaborate,  troubleshoot together and reach consensus to create a final product. The teacher also implements a great feedback activity called "chiming." Each group chooses a spokesperson who shares their successes and failures of the previous work day with the class. The other students may "chime in" as well. This is an opportunity for formative assessment, surely, but also creates a space where the students have to self-assess and other groups may affirm them or share suggestions. The amount of listening to each other and and collaboration that happens among the students is impressive.

Norms and Procedures
Aside from the "Chime" activity and the group jobs mentioned previously, another successful procedure in this class was the budget and "shop" the students used to purchase their product  supplies. Although no money was exchanged, the groups had to reach consensus on their purchases, which involved having conversations about which materials would work best for their roller coaster and budgeting their spending. The norms and procedures in this classroom created an environment where the students had to collaborate, think critically, be responsible for their contribution to the work, and develop "real-world" skills as well.

Math lesson in a third grade, Chinese-immersion class
 Academic Expectations
 Although this was a short video, there were some good examples of high academic expectations. The students were well-engaged with their math drills. The numbers or equations they were repeating had a rhythm to them that seemed to keep the students participating. Based on this article, it might be safe to assume that the students are repeating centuries-old rhymes about number relationships. The downside to this short video is that it was not evident that the teacher was able to provide space for all students to participate or for her to even gauge that all students are participating, as she was in the front of the room. At one point, a boy can be heard saying, "why isn't she picking me [to answer]?"

Behavior Expectations
The teacher was keeping everyone on track with their routine, and as soon as they started getting out of control or speaking out of turn, she used some attention-getters to help them re-center. Those seemed to work very well for her group. I do not speak Chinese, but I do teach in a similar setting in a Spanish immersion classroom. It's often said of foreign language-immersion classrooms that they are "chattier" or "noisier" -- sometimes on purpose. Students are encouraged to repeat and practice language, and it can be a delicate balance of letting them vocalize the new language vs. keeping them on track. So, that being said, I saw some of that in this video and although the students weren't totally under control the whole time, I don't think that's necessarily "bad." But there may have been other ways of arranging that lesson that allowed for student engagement that would have been more constructive than speaking out of turn.

Norms and Procedures
The teacher clearly has taught these students a routine and they seem very engaged while they are reciting. Whether or not it is just rote recitation, I am not sure, but the article mentioned previously suggests that to some extent, China's math scores show that it makes a positive difference. The article states, "The goal of math education in China is to develop conceptual and procedural knowledge through rigid practice"(Wei). The other procedure that is evident in this lesson is the attention-getting chant. This seems to be effective, and the students seem to enjoy it. But, I would have liked to see how these students did with collaborative engagement or with some sort of method to make sure each student was being involved. Of course, it was a short clip of a lesson, so I can't be sure if that is happening at another time in the class.

 Whole-brain teaching in a ninth-grade geography class
 Academic Expectations
The video I watched about whole-brain teaching didn't show this very clearly, but from what I read online about the methodology, it is formatted to provide students with concise (1-minute) chunks of information, lots of repetition, both with the teacher and with each other. It makes information intake more manageable and includes body movements to help students absorb the information on multiple levels. As well, students are expected to participate and engage with the group (for example, with the "speed reading" activity) so it seems that academic expectations are quite high.

Behavior Expectations
What is most fascinating and impressive about this methodology is that classroom management is built in. Although it seems very "teacher-centric" (the teacher must be energetic and engaging and prompt the students constantly), it is effective. The students were focused, involved, and on task during pair work.

Norms and Procedures
This video was full of norms and procedures. The students clearly had been taught many of the norms, which seemed to be a mix of "call-and-response" and prompted behaviors--for example, repeating the page number they were turning to until they were all there. There were a variety of exercises that served as check-ins for both the students' attention and the information being taught. The student-led activities had clearly been practiced before. I can tell that a lot of time is spent on teaching effective routines and procedures in this Whole-Brain Teaching classroom.


Summary

There are a number of great methods that I could use in my Spanish-immersion Kindergarten classroom. While I feel that the Whole-Brain Teaching method would take some training on my part, I have a class of high-energy students who can be unruly at times, and the dynamic, kinesthetic approach of Whole-Brain Teaching would probably help them stay focused.  
As I mentioned before, the verbal engagement of the Chinese math class is similar to the approach I currently take of engaging my group as a whole and encouraging them to participate that way.
While project-based learning is more difficult for me to imagine in my kindergarten classroom, I think it would be beneficial to integrate more student-driven work into our routines. Even a more simplistic variation like assigning and/or rotating class jobs would be a great way for students to gain more responsibility for their behavior and academic achievement and would also encourage collaboration and real-world skills.

References

Chen, C. [Crystal Chen]. (2011, June 13). 3rd grade Chinese--math class.avi. [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7LseF6Db5g

Newell, B. (Producer). (2012). Roller Coaster Physics: STEM in Action [Online video]. WLIW. Retrieved from https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/teaching-stem-strategies

[roxishayne]. (2011, May 31). Whole Brain Teaching Richwood High - The Basics. [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iXTtR7lfWU&feature=youtu.be