Family Literacy Night Ideas

Family Literacy Night Theme: Reading in Disguise

Students and parents can come to school dressed like their favorite book character.

__________________________________________________________________

Purpose:

Promotes literacy                                                          Supports School Improvement Goals                     

Builds family & school connections                             Builds community spirit                                     

When: Tuesday evening 6:00 – 8:00

Where: Report first to the Café – for directions

                 Centers will be held in

Classrooms                                                       Library

Computer Lab                                                  Gym

Hallways                                                           Café

Participates:

      Teachers                                                                   Student teachers

      Instructional assistants                                              Administrators

      Librarian                                                                    Parents / Grandparents

      All students                                                               Superintendent

            Community Members                                             National Honor Society Volunteers

Activities:

• Explore literacy activities and online resources in the computer lab

§  Design a book using Google Slides

• Make a bookmark using – Google Note
•  Make a recording of favorite family stories told by parent and child on Seesaw
• Listen to a story and then do a story retell using an online story board
• Play Literary Jeopardy by guessing the book character
• Art – students use Google Drawings to design a visualization from a story
• Snacks – make spiders, monster Jell-o / Wendy’s & Hardees kids meal coupons
• Guess who is Reading? – Specials teachers “read  in disguise” and students guess the teacher is that is reading
• Students decode messages using magnifying glasses and codes
• Context Clues center – students are given small passages with words left out.   Students have to read the small passage and figure out the word that is missing
• Awards for costumes – Prizes books – People cast ballots using Google forms

                                (Most Creative, Most Humorous, Most Difficult Costume, Most Interesting, Most                 

                                  Colorful, Most Original)

·       Parade at the end of the event

Organization / Advertising

¡  Send home volunteer sign-up sheets

¡  Assign sessions

¡  Volunteer Name Tags

¡  National Honor Society Volunteers

¡  Service Learning Student Volunteers

¡  Advertise on Teacher and School Websites, Radio, and Flyers

¡  Hang poster on front door of the school

¡  Put on digital sign in the front of the building

¡  Partner with community to donate supplies such as books, snacks

Resources:

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=family%20literacy%20night%20ideas

http://www.macomb.k12.mi.us/cc/reading/activities.htm

https://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/publications/pdf_publications/lda140.pdf

https://www.ptotoday.com/pto-today-articles/article/1183-how-to-run-a-successful-family-night

Competition

Does anyone feel like we work in a constant state of competition?  I don't understand it.  Aren't we all working toward the same goal?  Our kids are different, our teaching styles are different, our lifestyles are different, so shouldn't we be okay with diversity in teaching methods?

I see teachers who do not want to share or who pick on others just to make themselves look better.  Can't we all work harder, find more ways to challenge our students, and have a little more passion?  When we beat each other up, it only tears down our passion and individualism.

I don't know one teacher who doesn't care about their students.  She/he may teach differently or learn at a different pace, but that doesn't mean we have to say negative things to hurt their credibility or teaching style.  A big thing right now is brain breaks.  I think they are great to use.  One current rift is what is a brain break.  If a teacher dances 3x a day for 5 minutes a time, that is 15 minutes a day.  If another teacher decides to show a movie for 15 minutes straight as her brain break, she is criticized. What makes a difference?  Is it educational?  Is it helpful to the students?  Do we need to meddle in our colleagues teaching style?

As educators, we need to build each other up and strive to find the best in each other.  Stakeholders do enough tearing down of the educational field. My goal for the future is for teachers to unite and build strong bridges with each other.

Curating Resources

Susie spent hours collecting and curating resources for her upcoming unit on cells. She is able to successfully use much of what she has found when implementing her plans.  The following year, when it is time to begin the unit on cells again, Susie forgets about the resources she curated. She essentially starts from scratch, performing the task of searching, saving, and sorting once again.

Create a plan or provide suggestions for ways to make your curated resources a regular part of your planning.

One way to fix Susie's problem is by creating Symbaloos for each topic unit.  She can put all her resources into one place and have tabs to differentiate the different unit.  This will help her to stay organized and focused on the task at hand - teaching.  Another benefit to using Symbaloo is she can add, modify, or delete things at anytime.
A second way to fix Susie's problem is using Google Docs.  She can make unit labels and store everything in one place. She can copy links and store them in this handy place.  In the future, she can find everything stored in one place.
A third possible solution for Susie is using Google Classroom.  This would be extremely helpful if she taught upper grades.  Students can access this site and see assignment due.  This would be a great way to help students and the teacher.
If she stores all units in one format such as Symbaloo and Google Docs, she won't forget her information because she will be accessing an array of documents with the different units she is teaching.

Authentic Assessment

Do you believe that authentic assessment is possible in every subject area? Can students at every grade level demonstrate mastery through authentic assessment? Why or why not? It it practical to ask teachers to complete these types of activities in the current, high stakes testing environment?


I do believe that authentic assessment is possible in every subject area.  For instance in math, kids can write their name in block letters and use rulers to measure the perimeter. In reading, students can design a mind map using Google Docs or Microsoft Word.  In Social Studies, students can research and then compare and contrasts two presidents and make a venn diagram on the computer. In science, students can make a video about a science topic like condensation. 

Yes, students at every grade level can demonstrate mastery through authentic assessment. In the primary grades, teachers can start slow and begin with publishing a small story on the computer and build from there. 

It is practical to ask teachers to complete these types of activities because it is real learning and students take away from the lesson a higher level of learning.  There has to be a balance though between real authentic learning and teaching for the test.  Kids do need to know how to read texts and give one answer solutions.  However, kids also need to learn how to discover answers with multiple solutions. 

Motivation

How can I increase motivation in my classroom using "intrinsic motivation" instead of "extrinsic motivation"?  I agree it is getting harder and harder to motivate students.  I started out this year using extrinsic motivation. I offered candy, stickers, and other fun things to motivate students.  Now, students do not want to do things or go the extra mile without some sort of recognition or reward. As an educator, it can be frustrating to know the kids are only working to earn a reward.
I am eager to try something new to see if I can increase intrinsic motivation in my classroom.  After watching the Pink video on increasing motivation, I have decided to implement a new Friday plan.  This plan will be to set up seven centers around the classroom that involve higher order and creativity.  The students will be given the autonomy to complete the tasks in any order, any means they want (paper/pencil or computer), and take as long as they need. The requirement is that each student will have to complete each activity by the end of the day on Friday.
I am hoping this new plan will boost motivation, creativity, ownership, and intrinsic motivation.

Reflecting on My Technology Usage in the Classroom

1. Where would you rate yourself in each area?

As a teacher, I do a sufficient job in the entry, active,  and adoption stages on the matrix.  I am slowly beginning to use the adaptation stage by having students research a topic of their choice. Students are actively engaged by reading stories, working with vocabulary and spelling words, and playing math games on the individual computers.  Students are actively collaborative when they are utilizing the Smartboard games in both reading and math.  Additionally,  the students are collaborative when they play Quizlet on the computer using vocabulary words.

At this time, I do not do a sufficient job on the infusion, transformation, authentic, and goal directed stages. In second grade, it is difficult to let go of the facilitator's role and let the kids lead.  These are areas of growth for me.

2. Where do you think you could reasonably be at the end of the next grading period?
I can reasonably have mastered the adaptation stage by the end of the next grading period.  I will also have a start on the authentic and transformation stages.  The students will be researching a topic of their choice and making a Prezi video to demonstrate the knowledge gained.  This video will be shared with the other students in the class and will also be shared in the school Media Fair.  The learning will be facilitated by the teacher and students. Each student will be responsible to design and write their own Prezi video.

3. What steps will you need to take in order to make the growth happen?
One step I need to take to ensure growth is to include infusion and transformation in my teaching.  To achieve this I will need to study more on the different stages and try different methods to make this work in my second grade classroom.  The next step will be to ask my colleagues for ideas.  Collaboration is helpful because many times I am not only given a site that is helpful but I am shown how to utilize the site.  Finally, I will begin to slowly implement the different ideas at a rate that I am comfortable with.

Changing policy in classroom to reflect a moving mindset

    I am willing to change a current course to reflect a moving mindset.  The primary reason for this is because the meaning of an education has changed over the years since I first became a teacher.  I can no longer teach the way I always have and be highly effective.  It is obvious kids learn differently today and at a much faster pace. By moving my own mindset, I will better be able to meet all the needs of my students in my classroom. 
   My mindset will be centered around the notation of moving from "testing skills" to "life skills".  I chose to change this after reading the papers and watching the videos associated with a changing mindset in our module two lessons.  Moving to "life skills" will be a powerful benefit for the students I teach.  
   This mindset will enable me to teach my students to explore, question, and implement learning into their own life. With this mentality, I will be able develop seeds that will mature the rest of the students' lives. 
   If students learn to find what he/she is passionate about and what fascinates them as an individual, the students knowledge will be endless. 
    In today's society, information is readily available in a plethora of formats to engage even the most unlikely learners.  Kids are able to be captivated, connected, and self-taught like never before.  I have many reasons to change my mindset.  One of the biggest reasons is because kids are ready for this change.  They are engrossed by the technology and are willing to use it. They are willing and open to learn this new virtual education right beside me.  I would be hindering my students if I did not embrace this new mindset.
    In the past, I am guilty of not using the latest technology due to my inexperience.  I want to change my mindset and let the kids teach me what they are discovering and learning.  I want to place the technology into their hands and pave the path together.  This is when true learning will transpire for both of us. 
   Finally, changing my mindset would ensure, I am providing the learners with essential tools to become the learners they will need to be to be successful or want to become.