Peer Coaching in Writing

I am so excited to begin my three week experience with the National Writing Project through UW-Milwaukee on July 8th.  For three weeks, I will absorb absolutely EVERYTHING I can to make myself a better teacher of writing -- and of course, pass that information on to you!  (Check back often!)

On Tuesday evening, we had our last pre-institute meeting and had an amazing presentation by one of last year's NWP participants, Judy Bartell.  Judy shared the inquiry project she worked on last year called "Peer Coaching:  Handling a Classmate's Paper with TLC".

I took away SEVERAL good ideas that will help me in my writing classroom:

1.  Having two students meet to talk about their writing is called peer coaching (not peer editing or peer tutoring) because they are talking writer to writer, helping each other.

2.  It is important for peer coaches to sit side-by-side, not face to face.  This makes the coaching more collaborative and both students can participate.

3.  The writer should read their writing OUT LOUD while the other student takes notes on a separate piece of paper.    These notes should include things the coach was asked to listen for, confusions, clarifications, highlights, etc.  (Also note that having the writer read their paper out loud, there is less of a focus on editing for spelling, grammar, etc., and more focus on ideas.) 

4.  The coach should NEVER write on the other student's writing because then it takes the accountability out of the hands of the writer.  (I was SO guilty of doing this!)

Judy shared a cheat sheet for peer coaching with the basic outline of how students can run a coaching session:

1.  Welcome (Small talk for a brief moment)
2.  Listening
     - Tell me about your assignment/writing
     - What would you like me to listen for as you read?  What areas are giving you trouble?
     - Could you please read your writing out loud to me?
3.  Talking
     - I really liked....
     - Why did you...
     - You asked me to listen for....
     - I'd like you to tell me more about ...
4.  Wrapping Up
     - What do you want to do next?


I often struggle with meeting with all of my students on a frequent basis so next year, I will train my students how to conduct peer coaching.  Notice that I said "train" -- it will take lots of modeling and practice before students feel comfortable sharing their writing with and giving feedback to their peers.  Judy recommends holding these peer coaching sessions at least once a week.  In a writing workshop, students may be at all different stages of the writing process, but that is OK!  By training my kiddos to coach each other, they will be having a valuable conversation about their writing that will benefit both the writer AND the coach!

How do you use peer conferencing in your classroom?  I'd love to hear from you!
   

Driving My Energy Bus

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It seems like every blog I read these days talks about the impending doom of Google Reader. July 1st is fast approaching and with it, we may lose easy access to each other. Have you made other arrangements to stay in touch with your favorite blogs? I have decided to "claim" my blog and follow all of my blogging buddies with Bloglovin. I hope you will follow me there by clicking on the Bloglovin button on the right side of my page.

Last week while blog stalking, I came across a post by Kristin at Teach n' Tex about an amazing new linky party she is starting called PMA Wednesdays. 

In her initial post, Kristin wrote about a book called The Energy Bus by Jon Gordon.  Never having heard of this book, I went on Amazon and thought it was worth ordering.  It arrived on Saturday and I haven't been able to put it down!

 

Have you ever read a book where you could highlight almost every single word because it rings true to some part of your life?  That is what this book did for me!

The book, which is told in narrative form, begins by asking you to identify a few things in your life.

1.  Your vision for your life (including your health).
2.  Your vision for your work, career, job, and team.
3.  Your vision for your relationship and family.

This was really difficult for me to do.  I had to really think.  I know I have visions for where I want to go, but they were kind of blurry and out-of-focus.  Taking the time to think about them is important though.  Just like you wouldn't begin a long road trip in your car without knowing where you were going, identifying these visions in our life are crucial to making sure we get where we were meant to go.

After identifying your visions, Jon shares his 10 Rules for the Ride of Your Life:

1.  You're the driver of your own bus.
2.  Desire, vision, and focus move your bus in the right direction.
3.  Fuel your ride with positive energy.
4.  Invite people on your bus and share your vision for the road ahead.
5.  Don't waste energy on those who don't get on your bus.
6.  Post a sign that says "NO ENERGY VAMPIRES ALLOWED" on your bus.  (I LOVE this one!)
7.  Enthusiasm attracts more passengers and energizes them during the ride.
8.  Love your passengers.
9.  Drive with purpose.
10.  Have fun and enjoy the ride.

We have all had tough days (or years!).  I really believe that people who blog or who search out information from blogs are teacher leaders who can affect the future of our profession.  Every one of us has the power to generate positive energy that can change their lives and the life of those around us.  I hope you will read this book and highlight along with me.  (And just to be clear, I am writing about this book because it has had a profound effect on me, not because I am receiving any compensation in any way from doing so.  :)

So here is my positive thought of the week as I link up with Kristin at Teach n' Tex:

 Source:  www.zerodean.com 

That's right, positive energy in this world begins with me!  (And YOU!!)

I hope you will help spread this important need for more positivity in our world by linking up with Kristin on Wednesdays!  Head on over to her blog to read her amazing positive message.  (It's from one of my favorite songs!)

Spread the word....

Monday Made It {June 17, 2013}

I'm excited to be linking up with Tara at 4th Grade Frolics for her weekly Monday Made It linky party.  Holy cow, is this linky popular!  It's barely 10:00 AM here, and already over 40 bloggers have linked up.  I've got some heavy blog stalking to do today apparently!

So since last week was my first week of summer break, I spent most of the week sitting on the sofa or deck chair, catching up on my fun reading.  You know the kind...the reading you don't have time for during the school year because you know that once you start, you can't stop.  (Are you nodding your head in agreement??? :)

But I did manage to make it to Hobby Lobby to pick up some more fun things for my newly repainted office.  So my office is my Monday Made It project.  My husband (bless his heart!) finished painting on Thursday and the drop cloths weren't even picked up off the floor before I started moving back in.  He is worried that he will never see me now (especially since I came home with a new comfy desk chair from Office Max yesterday), but I assured him that he will still see me...the battery on my iPad has to charge sometime, right???

This is the BEFORE:

 

The walls are a boring beige.  Ho, hum....

And these are the AFTER:

 

 



The walls are a lovely shade of aqua and the ceiling is light blue. 

It's like being next to the ocean, not a corn field, I tell ya!

 



 

My new reading spot

Blog central

(That's my old chair...hurt my back so I got a new one.)

 



  

LOVE that bird cage wall thingy....great way to keep track of notes!

 

Flowers from the peony bush....It's important to surround yourself with beauty every day!

 

 

Hobby Lobby has the best finds!

 

 

 

I even included a place for my two pooches to rest while I work.

They are snoring away as I type this...... 

(My daughter claimed the big pillow (from Kohls) until I kicked her out. She was snoring louder than the dogs.)

 

 

I hope you will head on over to 4th Grade Frolics to find some more Monday Made It inspiration.  I'm headed there myself right now!  Please leave a comment when you visit to let the blogger know what you think.  Like Tara said, it just might make someone's day!  (I know it would mine!!  :)

 

 

Five for Friday {June14, 2013}

Linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for Five for Friday....WOW!  This was my first week of summer break and the week flew by!!!

  

 1.  Relaxation Rules!:  I've taken a lot of time to get re-acquainted with my sofa this week.  From reading other blogs out there, I get the feeling that I am not alone!  The end of the year is such a crazy time that it takes me about a week to recover.  Next week, I will get back to business!  This week I've been catching up on some fun reading and I have actually cooked dinner EVERY night this week.  (Except for tonight...I'm making my husband take me out.  I don't want the family to get too used to this home cooked meal thing....)

2.  Math Materials:  On the last day of school, we got an email telling us that our math curriculum for next year has arrived at the district office and we can pick it up to explore it over the summer.   I picked up a HUGE box of math stuff that is waiting for me to dig into it.  Glad I will have the summer to do it!

Does anyone use Math Expressions?  How is it?  You can see that it is "Common Core Aligned", so I'm curious.

3.  Reading Common Assessments:  On Tuesday, I met with another teacher from one of the other elementary schools in the district to rework our reading common assessments.  We originally wrote them two years ago when Common Core was brand new so now that we've taught CCSS a few times, we have a better feel for what we are doing.  We tried really hard to whittle them down as much as we could.  I don't think kids need to answer eight questions from the same standard just to prove that they have mastered it.

4.  BizWorld:  My BizWorld kit came this week!  Have you heard of BizWorld?  I first learned of it from Fourth Grade Studio and I immediately jumped on board.  According to the BizWorld website, the BizWorld program:

...teaches the basics of entrepreneurship, business and finance by showing children how the entrepreneurial cycle operates in the friendship bracelet industry. Students are divided into companies, with each student taking on a leadership role to support the team in designing, manufacturing, marketing and selling their products in the BizWorld marketplace.  Students can experience the entire entrepreneurial cycle in just ten hours as they create a revenue stream, deduct expenses, experience a profit or loss, create an income statement and value their company.  The impact the program has on children is vast -- from inspiration to creating their own companies, to understanding the relevance of being successful in life and academics.

Sounds like great hands-on learning to me!  If you go to the Biz World website, you can apply for a reduced cost kit. When I got the email telling me I was chosen to receive a kit, they said I could also get a Biz Wiz kit just by paying the shipping.   I got all of this for about $17:

Financial literacy is something that I feel is greatly lacking in our educational system and I will use these kits as part of my curriculum next year to try to change that.  I know my students will have a BLAST with this program.  I hope you apply for one yourself!

5.  Office Makeover:  My husband graciously (OK, with a little begging from me) finished painting my office yesterday.  I am still working on some final decorating touches so I'm not going to share pictures yet, but I can tell you that my dog Toby has found a new place to hang out while I blog/work.

 How was your week?  Head on over to Doodle Bugs Teaching and link up.  Have a great weekend! 

One CRAZY Week & Honoring a Retirement

I am happy to say that I survived my last week of school and the insane weekend that followed.  I sat down to blog a few times last week, but my brain was unable to focus on anything so I just gave up.  (Don't you hate when that happens?)  We had a great last week of school and I am looking forward to summer.

On Friday night, my daughter graduated from 8th grade.  It is a HUGE deal to get dressed up, do your hair, wear high heels, etc., etc. --  almost like prom.  My daughter and I have been having this "discussion" about what she would wear because I don't really agree with all of this fanciness for an 8th grade graduation, but in the end she won and I think she looked beautiful! (And I'm proud to say that she decided ON HER OWN to wear sandals instead of heels...)

 

Then on Saturday, my son had his Eagle Scout Court of Honor and officially became an Eagle Scout.  We had a big lunch afterwards which was a lot of fun!  I got to place his Eagle Scout pin on him -- such an honor!

 



So last week at school, we had to say goodbye to Mrs. Harder, one the most amazing kindergarten teachers in the world.  After 38 years of teaching, she decided to retire.  (Who can blame her???)  How exactly do you honor such an awesome career?  The best way teachers and students know how...

1.  Each class made her a giant card and presented it to her at the awards ceremony on Wednesday.

2.  To honor the endless number of books she has read to students, we got a copy of Sandra Boynton's book, Yay You! and made a Powerpoint of it, having the students read it to her.  We projected the Powerpoint at the assembly and it was probably the one time that everyone was absolutely SILENT all morning!

 

 

3.  We then put together a gift bag of items to symbolize all that she has done for the students and staff at our school.  You have probably seen a gift bag idea similar to this for the beginning or ending of a school year, but I have not seen one to honor a retirement so I had to get creative...

Here is what each item symbolized:

Sharpie -- For the bold mark you've made on the lives of each of us
Lego -- Because you've built our school into a great school
Balloon -- For lifting up your students so they can fly after their dreams
Penny -- For making everyone you meet feel valued
Silly Straw -- For teaching us to find the humor in every day moments
Rubber Band -- You've helped us all stretch to be the best we can be!
Magnifying Glass --  For always seeing the best in every situation
Squishy Eyeball -- For helping your students learn to always keep an eye on their goals
Marbles -- For never losing yours
Amazon Gift Card -- To get some "fun" reading materials

I will miss seeing Mrs. Harder next year, but know that she is off to enjoy a well deserved break!

Speaking of breaks, I hope you are enjoying yours!  Have a great week!

June CURRENTLY

Back in September, when I was putting all THREE of our school calendars into one FAMILY calendar, June seemed SO FAR away....While it seemed like a really long year, time has also flown.  (Does that make sense???)

So here it is June (YAY!) and I'm linking up with Farley at Oh' Boy 4th Grade for her June CURRENTLY.

 

 

Before I get started, let me apologize for my pictures.  I went outside to take pics this AM, but it had rained last night...almost 2 inches...so they look very dreary.  :(  I'm thankful for the rain (especially since I just planted my garden) but 2 inches is A LOT!!!

 

 

LISTENING:  We live on 5 acres out in the "country" (I call it this because there are no stoplights within a 10 mile radius) and are surrounded by trees and a natural wetland behind our house. Every morning from about May on, I am woken up by the sound of the birdies chirping.  Today, they were very chatty.  Maybe it had something to do with the rain...

 

 

LOVING:  Thursday is our last day of school.  I love summer because it gives me a chance to relax and recharge for next year.  We aren't going on any vacations this year, but we have created many spaces outdoors that were just made for summer!

 

 

Our deck

(Please look past the chipping paint -- restaining the deck is on our mile-long to-do list!) 

 

 Front porch swing -- a Mother's Day gift made by my husband when we moved here.  Love it!

 

 

Outdoor dining on the patio.  Can you see the chandelier?  It holds tea light candles.  Beautiful!

 

 

Found this fountain at Lowe's last weekend. 

 Makes it seem like we are sitting next to a babbling brook.

 

Our chairs



We bought these at Menards (although they are everywhere now) and they are the perfect chair for napping.  I knew summer was coming when we could take these babies out of the shed!)

 

THINKING:  This week will be C.R.A.Z.Y!  In addition to our last day on Thursday, we have something going on EVERY night this week.  My daughter graduates 8th grade on Friday and my son's Eagle Scout Court of Honor is Saturday.  When Sunday arrives, I will probably be a puddle of mush.

 

WANTING:  Our summer to-do list is a mile long.  Winter was not kind to our house and property.  That's one of the "benefits" of owning so much land -- there's always something to fix, clean up, cut down, pull out, get rid of, paint, move, clean, etc., etc., etc.

 

NEEDING:  To get off this computer (it has been a long post -- thanks for reading!) so I can start breakfast.  With two teenagers, the only thing that can get them out of bed in the morning is the smell of bacon cooking.  And I need them to get up so they can go outside and start raking grass (See "wanting" above.)

 

VACAY ESSENTIALS:  I L.O.V.E. to read and my reading list is growing by the day.  My goal is to read more YA lit so I can make more book recommendations next year.  I also enjoy reading on my iPad.  The grill is essential because who wants to heat up the house by turning on the oven?  Summer is the only time when my family gets to eat real, home cooked meals because who has time once September arrives?

 

Thanks for reading this VERY LONG post.  Head on over to Oh' Boy 4th Grade and link up!  I'm off to make blueberry muffins!  Yum!!

 

Have a wonderful week!

Extreme Blog Makeover

If you are looking for the 4th grade blog of Mrs. Laffin's Laughings, you have arrived at the right place!

When I first started this blog back in March, I wasn't sure if blogging was for me. I didn't want to invest any money in buying a blog design just in case things didn't work out. Boy, was I wrong!

I LOVE BLOGGING! I mean LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it! The bloggers I've met are some of the most creative, generous people I know.  It is the highlight of my week when I get to sit down and check in.  :)

So I figured it was time to take my blog to the next level and beautify it a bit....and thanks to the marvelous Megan at A Bird in Hand Designs, I have a newly designed blog.

What do you think???

I LOVE it and Megan was so easy to work with!  In less than 48 hours after originally contacting her, my new design was in place and I was ready to go.  I would definitely recommend her if you are in need of a blog designer!