My Testing Nightmare

That time is upon us. That time that causes all teachers dread. That time that gives all students stomach aches. It's Testing Season. [Insert dramatic movie scream here.]

Usually I'm pretty calm during testing season. The worst part of it is how ABSOLUTELY BORED OUT  OF MY MIND it makes me. Have you checked out the Love, Teach blog? Holy smokes, she hit the nail on the head! Read her post about it here.

I pass out the tests, I read aloud the directions (and in my head, I crack up the whole time because the words and the syntax are just ridiculous. No one talks like that), and I make the students do some breathing exercises to calm them down and get rid of any distractions that might still be in their brains (the theme song to Spongebob Squarepants, perhaps?). Then - the test begins.

AND I AM BORED TO THE POINT OF INSANITY. For the next two or three hours.

I start off by circling around to be sure they are in the right section. That seems to be the big fear. That they will bubble in the wrong section. I guess since that seems to be a big deal to powers that be, it's a big deal to me too. So I check it. Religiously.

Then I circle around again, making sure everyone has a good eraser on the tip of their pencils. If not, I bring them one from my eraser drawer. (Yes, I have one of those.)

Then I circle around again, making sure that they have a backup pencil. If not, I bring them one from my pencil drawer. (Yes, again.)

That has taken up all of 8 minutes. Each testing segment is 70 minutes. We have two testing segments. Every day. For five days. It's at this point each morning when I realize it's going to be a long day.

I do something different each time I circle. Sometimes I pat them on the back. Sometimes I sing their names (silently, in my head of course) to that Banana-Fana-Fo-Fana song. Sometimes, I try to say their whole name backwards. Sometimes I try to picture them 10 years from now.

Of course, the whole time I'm making sure they're bubbling in the correct section.

As if this in itself is not enough of a nightmare, I had an actual nightmare about it last night.

Our big test is two weeks away. We are about to start reviewing our year from August until now. Yikes. Anyway, we're hittin' the review hard, folks. I don't like to review for a month because OH MY GAWD. I'd rather spend my time teaching it well up front and reviewing at the end instead of rushing through everything in order to have eons of time to review.

So today, I'm planning my review. That must be why, last night, I had the nightmare. Here's how it went down:

It's Wednesday. The math test. Reading and language arts are out of the way. We are about halfway done. I am feeling confident.

I pass out the test booklets. I read the directions (again, laughing like crazy in my head). Then, I start to READ THE MATH PROBLEMS OUT LOUD TO EVERYONE. This is a NO-NO, people! No way, Jose! Bad, bad bad! Illegal! STOP! DO NOT PASS GO! I couldn't believe I was doing that!

I wasn't even reading them out of a teacher manual; I was hunching over a student to read them out loud. After I read the question, the kids started to huddle up and discuss the problem. "Well," one of the darlings said, "the problem with this question is that there is irrelevant data. We need to sort through everything provided to see what we actually need and what serves as a distraction." I should have known RIGHT THEN that this was a dream! I do encourage thinking like this, but not one of my eleven-year-olds talks like this!

Now, dream-me knew that the kids weren't supposed to discuss the answers and processes for solving questions on these big standardized tests. (Why dream-me didn't know not to read the questions is beyond me.) So, I started yelling at them. "STOP! You can't discuss this! What on earth are you doing?"

Another darling said, "Mrs. Thompson, you encourage us to talk things out. Why should this be any different?"

"BECAUSE," dream-me screeched, "IT'S NOT ALLOWED! DON'T YOU KNOW THIS IS A STANDARDIZED TEST?!?!?!?!?!!?" I'm pretty sure I was jumping and pulling my hair out as I was screaming this at them.

The darlings all looked at each other, shrugged, and kept on discussing. My hissy-fit continued until I heard rapping coming from a backpack. That can only mean one thing. Cellphone.

The darlings know how I feel about cellphones going off in class. The talking stopped immediately. I marched over to the backpack that was rapping and pulled out the cellphone. The darling to whom the rapping backpack belonged was mortified. (In real life, not just dream life, I've confiscated his phone more than once.)

Usually, I tell the kiddos I'm going to lock it in the vault and their parents will have to come get it. That's standard procedure. Except in this dream, apparently NOTHING is standard procedure.

I answered the phone. That's right. Dream-me answered a darling's ringing cellphone.

"Hello?" I asked with just a hint of drama queen.

"Uh, yeah is [insert darling's name] there?" the grown man on the other end of the line asked.

"Yes, he is. This is his teacher, Mrs. Thompson. You just called and interrupted a very important test that he has to pass. What do you have to say for yourself?" My hand was on my hip as I spoke.

Nothing. Not even crickets.

I continued. "And why, may I ask, is a grown man calling an eleven-year-old during school hours on a school day? Just who do you think you are? Don't you know he's supposed to be in school? How important is this phone call right now? Does his mother know you are calling? Why aren't you at work?" Oh lawd.

He apologized very quickly and hung up. I turned around in a very sassy way and put the phone on my cabinet. The darling in question was still mortified, which satisfied me. I was about to restart the testing when the kids started freaking out over the phone call.

Dream-me climbed up on a table and started shouting at the kids. I mean, full on SHOUTING. I threatened to get the principal. And just as I was yelling really good, the principal walked in.

That's when I woke up.

Do you know that moment when you've had a nightmare and you've just awoken, and you wonder if it was real? That was me. I was in a panic. Then I realized I'd been dreaming, I laid back on my pillow, and I prayed for an easy testing week when it comes.

I still have two weeks until our big test. I can only hope that the nightmares don't get any worse the closer we get. 'Cause that one was a doozie.

Going Viral

I got an email telling me that my class's video from two years ago is going viral! That sounds great, right? I still just can't stand the term. It makes me feel like I should go wash my hands...

But that is really exciting! Have you seen my Test Taker Face video yet? It's an encouraging music video about doing well on the big end-of-year test (in our case, the CRCT). It was based on the Lady Gaga song, "Poker Face."

Two years ago, I showed my students some other CRCT videos on YouTube. My students said, "Mrs. Thompson, we can do that!" So we decided to do it. In three days, we made the decision to make a video, I wrote the lyrics, the kids choreographed it and decided how to film it, and boom - we had it finished by the end of the third day. This also included learning the lyrics, singing it, making an audio recording, and editing the dang video. Whew! Talk about a whirlwind!

We actually received a little bit of negative feedback, telling us that it showed the kids too fast. My students really wanted to show all the students in the school because they said the video was for them. So yes, some of the clips go by super fast, but I was proud of the students' idea!

The kids LOVED it and I had wonderful support at school. It was so much fun! If you haven't looked at it yet, please check it out. I still see the kids from that fifth grade class, and they still talk about how much fun making that video was. I'm pretty sure that they think they're celebrities ;)

Another class made a video based on Taio Cruz's "Dynamite" - called Rock This Test! It doesn't have as many hits; could you help us out with that? ;) (Shameless plug)

And of course, best wishes to all teachers out there who are entering the testing season!

Teaching Economics (and my 5th grade version of centers)

We started teaching economics this week. I must say this is usually one of my least favorite things to teach. Primarily, it's because it can be very hard for the students! There are so many unfamiliar terms for them to learn, and I find they often get them confused. On the other hand, it's a very important topic to teach, and it's also a great lesson in cause and effect.

In an effort to make this a more enjoyable unit, I started looking for some "fun" activities for starting off our economics unit. Here's what I chose to do.

I teach a reading/social studies combined class, and I start the day off with 20-30 minutes of silent independent reading where students read books of their choosing. I check in with students about what they are reading in an individual conference each day during this time. After that, I have been doing "rotations" for the remaining hour and a half of class.

I put the word "rotations" in quotation marks because I have never liked doing centers with my fifth graders. It just seems too babyish. And truthfully, I hated making centers with all those dang file folders and little pieces. I'm just not that kind of a gal. So I've avoided that like the plague.

However, I've found that if I just call them "rotations" and do away with all the file folders of little pieces that get lost or are too cutesy, it really is a good system.

Here's what today looked like:

Rotation #1 - Teacher Table. While we are starting economics, we are still working on some map skills. So at the table with me, students worked with two different types of atlases to review the locations of major events from our social studies standards. I sat with the students, but they led the conversation and worked together. I was primarily there to guide them if needed. (This is from a pedagogy known as Instructional Conversation.)

Rotation #2 - Computers. Students played Money Metropolis. This is an amazing game! Click here to read one of my student's reviews of the game. Here's the basic premise: you want to save money for some goal (there are 3, one costing $200, another $300, and one $400), so you have to get jobs to make the money. You can deliver newspapers, fill gas tanks, bag groceries, mow lawns, etc. You could also choose to spend your money as well. There are some great decisions students are forced to make along the way while playing this game. The kids LOVED playing, and they are begging to do it again. I even played this past weekend and enjoyed myself!

What the game looks like when you visit the website

kiddos playing - both girls on the left are filling up tanks at gas stations, and the girl on the left is deciding which job she wants to do next

My favorite websites chart

Rotation #3 - Spelling. Students used their Greek & Latin spelling words to play hangman on dry erase boards in partners. They had a blast, and as a bonus, I didn't have a piece of paper to grade! (Don't ask me why I didn't take a picture of this rotation... I honestly have no idea!)

Rotation #4 - BrainPop. Usually, students will watch BrainPop videos on the Promethean board (as pictured here). Sometimes, when my old Dell laptop is not working (often), they watch the videos on my iPods (I have three in my room). Here, students watched the Budgets video twice. They made a bubble map while watching the first time. After it was over, they discussed what they wrote and added any new ideas to their own maps. The second time they watched it, they were listening for certain vocabulary words from the standards to define. Once they came across the word, one of the students in the group would pause the video, they would discuss what they thought they should write for the definition, agree upon a common wording, write it down, and then continue. Many times, the students will back up the video to listen again. I love how they are taking charge of their own learning this way and move at their own pace! Once they finish, they take the review quiz. If they still have time, they are encouraged to pull up the "Read More" sections.
*You may wonder if having this play while the other students are doing something else is distracting for the other groups. It hasn't been a problem in either of the two classes I teach. The students are all pretty engaged, and they all know they'll get to the video eventually.

this group of boys is using my Promethean pen to take the quiz... There's some magical power in the pen, I believe...

Rotation #5 - iPods & iPads. In addition to the 3 iPod Touches, I have 2 iPads. Here, students played Financial Football, a free app! It's also available as an online game here. The kids love this. It has WICKED hard financial questions, but I don't care about that because the kids are exposed to a lot of great vocabulary. Kids can choose the teams and the plays they want the teams to make. If the kids get the question right, the play is executed well. If they get it wrong, the play is executed poorly. They love it! There is also a Financial Soccer game on that website as well.

The opening screen for the game

About to execute a play

The teams that were chosen to play

These kids are focused!

So far, I have been really impressed with what the students remembered after one day of doing these rotations. They are having a great time and learning a lot. What more can I ask?! If you have to teach economics, I would most definitely recommend having your students play Money Metropolis and Financial Football. The BrainPop videos are a great educational tool as well!

For any of you out there who also teach economics, what do you find informative and engaging for your students?

Stuff I Actually Made from Pinterest: Classroom Edition #3

This is the IDEAS issue of Stuff I Actually Made From Pinterest: Classroom Edition. Here are some great ideas I got from Pinterest. I am obsessed! I know that Pinterest has some new controversial rules, but can I shamefully admit that I don't know them yet? I suppose I better look into that...

At any rate, here are some ideas I loved from pinning. To follow my classroom boards on Pinterest, click the Pinterest logo on the right sidebar!

Mine is nowhere near as BEAUTIFUL as the original post I pinned (here) but I love the fabric bins. My closet is so much cleaner! If you love classroom organization, you have to follow her blog. She is a genius!

The same website from the above photo inspired me to buy more bins and put them on my open shelves - SO MUCH NEATER than before! I will never go back to baskets again!

I know I found this on Pinterest, but once you have like 55 billion things pinned, it's overwhelming trying to find them! That's why I'm in the process of breaking down my "classroom" board into 4 different ones... but I have all the students' names in this picture frame from the dollar store. Once I meet with them for any project, I just cross their names out with a Vis-A-Vis marker. Brilliant! And not my original idea, lol...

Another idea I'm pretty sure I found on Pinterest... but could have been that I found a blog on Pinterest that eventually led me here? I don't know. Anyway, another brilliant idea that is not my own. Somehow it's Pinterest-inspired... On these charts, students track the number of books they have read!

I feel like my common disclaimer is "Mine is not as pretty as the one belonging to the original poster." *sigh... But anyway, here is the one I found on Pinterest. I tried having one cup for each color, but this ended up working better for me! I am a big fan of finding good ideas and customizing them to fit my needs :)

I loved this idea. I hate how yucky the insides of these clear drawers look when they have papers in them. I love my clear drawers, but I felt like they were a little cluttery-looking on the inside. Saw this pinned and knew I had to do it! (On top is the chart where students highlight their names when they turn in work and highlight their names on their work, but I can't find that pin either...)

What Your Backpacks Tell You

So, I mentioned earlier that I'm reading Dream Class (view the earlier post here). I'm loving what I'm reading so far. This is a great classroom management book, but it ain't for the faint of heart. It's for folks who are serious about classroom management.

One idea from author Michael Linsin that I found particularly... intriguing... is that you can gauge a teacher's handle of classroom management by looking at his or her backpack storage. Basically, if a classroom has a messy backpack area, that teacher is struggling with classroom management. I found that idea to be a rather provocative one! I know my class's backpacks look a little crazy at the end of the day. I wondered to myself, What is this guy thinking? The nerve!


The more I read and thought, though, the more I understood what he was trying to say. If I let a messy, disheveled backpack area slide, what else am I willing to overlook? If I don't ask the basic courtesy of putting things away neatly, what other basic courtesies am I not expecting?

We all know that keeping a neat classroom is better for students. I know that if my classroom is cluttered or unorganized, it will keep students from learning. I hate to say the word demand, but I feel that if I do demand neatness, it will set a tone for high expectations.

Maybe I'm crazy, but I get it. In that post I referenced earlier, March Madness, I wrote about how I've started new rules and consequences to try to reign in the spring fever my students are feeling. Part of this new regime is maintaining a neat backpack area.

Here is a picture of my students' backpacks right before we packed up today:

So one of the lunch boxes fell over... but other than that, I'm pretty proud of their neatness! I must admit that I have started lining the students up in the morning in the hallway just outside my classroom door, reviewing the procedures for putting away backpacks neatly before they are allowed in the room. Once they come in the room, I have a welcome message on the Promethean board, again reminding them to hang their backpacks up neatly. But still! It's just so tidy and pretty!

Having this corner of the room look so well-organized has spilled into the rest of the room. The students TRULY are tidier in the rest of the classroom! So again, I may be crazy for focusing on this seemingly minor classroom detail, but it's making the rest of the room and the day even better. Hey, if it works, I'll take it!

March Madness

Oh, my, my, my. This is the time of year I lovingly refer to as "March Madness," and I'm not talking about basketball. I also call it "Elementary School Senioritis."

Here's a nice little definition of senioritis. Remove the words "high school or college careers" and replace it with "elementary school careers," and you have March Madness (minus the truancy, of course).

Maybe you know what I'm talking about. This madness has many causes: the weather turns beautiful outside, we get closer and closer to Spring Break, the big dreaded TEST is coming up, and in just a few weeks, they are officially going to be middle schoolers. Lord help us all.

Now, it's not all bad. I love my students dearly, and we have a great time in the classroom. However, every March, it seems I need to review class rules, consequences, and procedures. Do you ever have to have a do-over like that?

Well, we treated today like it was the first day of school. I have been reading a book called Dream Class by Michael Linsin (get the book here from Amazon - it's available on Kindle, too). It's a great book and he runs a great classroom management blog (check it out here). I decided to make myself some new rule and consequence posters. We just seem to NEED that in our classroom right now.

Here's a picture.

Well, today was interesting! I think my kids actually enjoyed going over everything again. I got an email from a parent, saying her daughter came home and said, "Well, we have some new rules today, but I don't think it's going to be a bad thing!" Whew ;) The class ran more smoothly today, and everyone left at the end of the day pretty pleased with how the day went.

Honestly, I was very strict - students received whatever consequences they earned, but because I gave them in a very zen-like state ("I'm sorry you chose to break the rule, and this is the consequence you have earned"), no one is mad at me! I have a few kids disappointed in themselves. One of them even came up at the end of the day, gave me a hug, apologized, and told me how he'd be better tomorrow. Love it!

Do you suffer from March Madness? Tell me about it!

The Flipped Classroom

Have you heard of the Flipped Classroom? I have seen this infographic on Pinterest, but honestly didn't think much of it.

So my fellow Nerdy Teacher Kelly sent me a text this morning telling me to check it out. She's doing a PAGE (Professional Association of Georgia Educators) Academy and has been studying it. Since we say that we share one big nerdy brain, I decided to check it out.

And here are my thoughts.

Please Note: My knowledge on this topic is very slim. Now that I've said that...

It seems to me that this is geared towards the upper grades. But I'm thinking about how it could work in my fifth grade classroom.

We already use Edmodo (I love it, by the way), which is a social-networking site for students, free for K-12 educators and students. It's private, safe, and only teachers, administrators, students, and parents can access the site. I post assignments on it all the time, conduct surveys, link to interesting videos and articles, etc. Students complete assignments, share articles that they have found, and even upload extra credit projects for their classmates to see.

I'm thinking I could use Edmodo to post videos and PowerPoints for students to view. They could take notes at home, then come in ready the next day to work on activities based on that topic.

I know I have some students who don't have Internet access, so they could view these things during their lunch time.

I made a screencast video on how to create a Tagxedo for our social studies class. The students thought it was so cool that I was narrating the video and moving the mouse along to create this neat graphic online. I am thinking I could create screencasts of me narrating and expounding upon my PowerPoints for students.

What's great about this (I think) is that students could take notes at home when they watch the videos (I'd keep them under 7 minutes each), but the note-taking would be more tailored to each individual's needs. A student could pause the video, back it up to repeat parts, and even watch the entire video over again if necessary. No more feeling like they can't keep up with me when I give them notes, and on the flip side, no more finishing notes quickly and having to wait on everyone else.

I think this is a great idea to explore, especially the last month of school as a trial run. What do you think?

*Update: I've been reading comments about the flipped classroom online. I just want people to know that I'm not planning to QUIT teaching in my classroom. Holy smokes - every moment is a teachable moment somehow for someone! I just think that taking notes from my own recorded powerpoint at home, say in social studies, could be one way to give kids prior knowledge for the next day when I go into detail and give them problems related to that topic to solve. It'd give us more time in class to THINK :)