Fun Review Tip: Envelope Swap

So part of the beauty of prepping for state testing is that I'm challenged to think of ways to make repetitive review less boring and more motivational. Enter the infamous Envelope Swap Game!

Here's how it works:
Sometimes I write the questions. Sometimes I cut apart old released test or practice tests.
There is one question in each envelope. Students have one minute to open the envelope and record their answer on an answer sheet and return the question to the envelope.
When the timer rings, students all pass envelopes in the direction that I explain at the beginning of the activity. They always pass to the same person--usually the person behind them.
This continues until everyone has filled in all answer blanks.
Then I flash the answers up on the old Smartboard, and, voila, students have just enjoyed answering and checking their own work.

I think this would work well for reviewing a unit or chapter, too. There are so many ways to modify or improve this. It also takes a lot less paper.

And this is my little tip/trick for today.

Inspired to Go With A Camp Theme

The count down to Ohio Achievement Assessments has begun. In just 12 school days (plus Spring Break) the official testing week will be here. In order to spice up the review and practice in our room we're doing a camp theme. Another teacher and I are sharing this, so kids spend part of the morning with her for Camp RAP (Reading Achievement Practice) and part of the morning with me for Camp MAP (Math Achievement Practice). The rest of the day we go about our normal curriculum. Here are some of the things we're doing:

• We've divided into 2 group--the squirrels and the chipmunks.


• Our time together is divided into 3 sections:

1. Campfire: Our work and review together time

2. Personal hike: Practice on your own time

3. Recreation: Games and fun ways to practice

While it takes a lot of time to pull all this together, and sometimes I feel like I'm just flying by the seat of my pants, it's much more interesting for me. I think this carries over to students. I expect that no matter what the outcome is, we will all be more content with a more interesting approach to practice. Maybe the test results will even show a bit of that!

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

So I've been reading this book for the past couple weeks. It came to me via my brother. He handed me a library copy, and he said he had purchased a copy for me, too. (It's hard to resist this sort of thing, even if you're uncertain!)

The title is 21st CENTURY SKILLS: LEARNING FOR LIFE IN OUR TIMES by Bernie Trilling and Charles Fadel. You can learn more about the whole concept here at Partnership for 21st Century Skills.

There's tons of stuff in cyberspace about this book. For example there is an NCTE skills map here, based on this book.

The thing that I'm so struck by is that the concepts and skills discussed in the book were sooo present in my class room in the late 1990's and early 2000's. Collaboration, creative problems solving, learning by doing, communication, real life learning, etc. Those types of things are so much more limited by specified curriculum and testing demands and so on.

I find this book both hopeful for the potential and discouraging for the current state of affairs.I find it all very frustrating. In my heart I know what and how to do it, but I feel like my hands are tied. Are we sacrificing something great on the alter of something good that can be easily measured by standardized tests? Did we take a step forward, only to take two (or three or four) steps back?

Do you ever feel this way?

Love This Brave Post

I just LOOOOOVVVVEEEED this post from Jen Lemen. It just oozes authenticity and real life and bravery and the struggle and the surrender.

Everyone Needs A Knight In Shining Armor

Do you have any dragons that need slaying?
What can you bravely put to rest today?
Is there a battle you can walk away from before becoming more battered or doing more harm?
Is there someone you can enlist for support so you can take brave action?

Sometimes it takes more courage to ask for help then to continue to battle alone.
Wishing you the strength and bravery you need for the task that is before you.

Inspired to Hear Your Heart

I read this great quote over the weekend. It was quoted by Michael Mayne in The Enduring Melody.

In his novel The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho tells a compelling
story about a young
boy who is learning to follow his heart. The boy travels
through the desert
alongside a man who is simply identified as "the
alchemist." As they journey the
boy engages in a conversation with his
heart. He learns that he, like everyone
else, has a treasure waiting for
him, and the heart's purpose is to encourage
him to seek that treasure. But
because people become preoccupied with so many
other things, they no longer
pay attention to their hearts. Only children, who
have yet to be so
distracted by life, have the ability to hear their hearts in a
clear way.
The boy learns from the alchemist that because of the pain of going
unheard,
the heart will eventually stop telling people to follow their dreams.
The
boy pleads with his heart to never stop speaking to him. Should he begin to
wander away from his dreams, he wants his heart to sound the alarm and
promises that he will hear it and follow.

Are you listening to your heart today?
What distracts you?
What is your heart telling you?

Clip Chart Tip

I think there is some miraculous power in my clip chart! This is the first year I've used it. I got the idea here. And she got it here.

This year I needed to find a new behavior plan, because none of my wealth of resources seemed to work. Everything felt too time consuming or punitive or ineffective. And then along came the clip chart! If I were a gambler I would not have put my money on this little bit of paper, lamination, and clothespins to have a positive impact, but it has! I started it at the end of January.

I won't explain it all here, because you can check out the to links above where there are lots of suggestions, ideas, and thorough explanations. I just want to offer a testimonial--it works! I like the automatic feedback. I like that everyone starts the day in the middle of the chart and can work their way up or down. I like that every day is a fresh start. I like that kids basically manage themselves on the chart, and I spend less than 5 minutes a day on it.

If you feel frustrated or your old bag of tricks isn't working, check out the clip chart.

What goodies have you recently added to your bag of tricks?