Classroom+Visits

Please use this page to jot down your thoughts/take-aways from visiting someone else's classroom this year:

CeCelia: I had the pleasure of visiting Mary's reading workshop. She started with a whole group mini-lesson on finding the main idea. She first read to them from a very interesting book on desert life. She would stop and have them turn and talk. Partner A would state a key fact and Partner B would add an interesting detail. I was very impressed how well her students responded to this activity, and definitely will try this in my classroom. Mary then met with small groups while the rest of the class was working on their independent work. All her students knew exactly what to do and where to go and what was expected of them. It is a well run classroom.

I also love how one group was talking about the different types of salt and they brought different types of salt from home to share with their group. The kids asked a lot of questions and asked each other questions while they were discussing the different passages they were reading. Mary's class was very engaged in all they were doing and there was active learning happening!!! Also, later that week some of her boys came down to share with me some posters they had made from one of their small reading groups. They were very excited about their new knowledge, which of course confirms why we love to teach.

I love how each grade is building on the other grade and every grade does a little of the same. I really enjoyed visiting Mary's class!!! The atmosphere is very positive and motivating! She gave me some great ideas that I brought back to my classroom!!!

Christine: It was a pleasure to visit Kelsey’s classroom during her Read Aloud time. Kelsey has such a naturally engaging presence! Her read aloud voices and generally expressive demeanor engaged her children completely. Kelsey struck a great balance of reading continuously so that the children could get into the rhythm of the story and stopping to highlight the author’s craft. Kelsey pointed out the author’s word choice, allowed the children to infer and discussed mental images. The students joyfully listened attentively, broke out in laughter at times and participated fully when invited to connect and comment. I didn’t want to leave the room.

P.S. I really enjoyed Kelsey’s warm classroom environment. Everything was in it’s place...colorful and so well appointed. If I were a second grader in her room, I would totally enjoy her Eiffel Tower model and Promethean board screen saver and other personal touches.

Thank you to Kelsey for welcoming me into her room!

Mary: I visited Lillie's Kinder room this morning, May 12, 2014. She had a launching lesson regarding "Readers Have Feelings When They Read." Lillie read, __My Mothe's Chair__. Lillie modeling her feelings during the reading. Take aways - children were engaged as they shared their feelings regarding the fire or when the community helped the family out. The students had a share time at the end of the period & bought books from their bags. They shared the feelings they had about their personal books.

Kaylan & Clifton - May 14, 2014

We visited Meredith's 3rd grade class. She has a reading lounge area where she keeps brain tracking sheets, stickies, clipboards, etc. in this area for easy access. Reading Library is labeled and easy to understand.

The lesson began with the routine of SSR and she moved into a mini lesson on character traits. She connected her lesson to the 4th grade Living History Museum. She asked students to bring clipboards to take notes about their learning. They noticed that all presentations ended with what the people were remembered for and their character traits. These were recorded on an anchor chart. Students were asked to make connections between the people they saw today and the characters they are reading about in their independent reading books. Students were sent off to think about their notes and what they are reading.

There is common language in the class and among our grade levels. Students were actively engaged and eager to make connections between their observations and current literature.

Meredith - May 19, 2014 I visited Kaylan's 4th grade today. She engaged the class in a Launch Lesson from Connecting Comprehension and Technology: Lesson 24: Extending Read, Write and Reflect The goal of this lesson was to help motivate students and get them some ideas for Summer Reading by recommending books to each other and creating book trailers in imovie on the ipads. Whole group: Previewed 2 Book trailers together: Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library and Wonder - background knowledge Exploration: Students got ipads and could do a search for at least 2 other book trailers. They used an anchor chart worksheet for Elements I Noticed / Things I want to Try / Questions I Have while they were previewing. Students had a clear focus and goal in mind. They had choice in their exploration and book selection.

Kelsey I had the opportunity to visit Christine’s room during her Reading Workshop time. This was very helpful for me to see the environment that my kids will be in next year! Upon first observation, it was easy to see how routine this process has become. The kids came in and looked at a dry erase board that told them the materials they would need for the day. They brought what they needed to the carpet and lounged on beanbags and pillows. It was a very relaxed environment! I also noticed how Christine set a timer for 10 minutes before the lesson began. What a great way to hold yourself accountable for keeping mini lessons short. The lesson for the day was on what remains after a good book ends. Using a book she is reading in her personal life, she modeled what things stuck with her after the book was over. I thought that was a great way to show the kids that we are readers too. As a class, they came up with a list on the things that remain after a book ends (feelings, the moral of the story, lingering questions, mental images, etc…). This anchor chart remained visible throughout the rest of the reading workshop time. As the timer went off and some students had not shared, she had them turn to a partner and talk so that everyone could voice their thoughts. After they moved into their independent reading, she pulled a group of four kids to work at her table. They had a discussion about the feelings that remained after a book they had finished recently. Some chose to talk about a book from home, some chose their class read aloud book, but overall it was a great discussion! I am grateful that Christine allowed me the chance to come see her wonderful classroom!