Engaging All Learners

Engaging All Learners
Studio Day April 2019

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Mini Courses at HTMS a Huge Hit

Apparently, students are more than willing to attend school even on the last day before Christmas holidays when they have the opportunity to learn about something that peaks their interests.  HTMS had over 600 students in attendance today!  Students were able to choose from a wide variety of mini courses that included self-defense, robotics, cornhole, cheer prep, and cosmetology!  Teachers and community volunteers brought in supplies and taught the courses.  Counselors Krista Dement and Amy McIntyre coordinated the event.


One-on-One Support for Band Students

Playing Jinga

Learning about Survival Skills

Self Defense for Girls

Interior Decorating

Jewelry Making

Breaking Out

Hip Hop

Cupcake Decorating

Making Bath Bombs

Team Building

Making Snowman Door Hangers

Magic Tricks

Breaking Out

Paine Holiday Spirit

On December 20, Paine Elementary had full Grade Level Sing-Alongs with their students. Students got to pick which songs they wanted to sing.  Dr. Cocke said, "I'm very proud of the progress we have made while having such fun!  If this doesn’t put you in the Christmas Spirit, I don’t know what will!"

To get in the Christmas spirit, listen to these beautiful voices of the Paine students.



Monday, December 19, 2016

Joy, Gratefulness, and Generosity

Magnolia students displayed genuine generosity with their giving to the school's coin drive. According to counselor Lauren Blake, it was obvious from counting all of the money that it came from students' piggy banks and from their hearts!  There were lots of old coins with an occasional dollar bill sprinkled in here and there. Mrs. Blake said that numerous children told her how they earned the money they donated to the coin drive.  After a week of giving, Magnolia Elementary students collected a total of $917.88 that will be donated to TEAM (Trussville Ecumenical Assistance Ministry) to help families in the area who are in need.

December has been filled with teaching students about joy, gratefulness, and generosity, and these students applied their learning this holiday season. Mrs. Blake said,  "I am overwhelmed with joy and humbled by our sweet kiddos!"





Thursday, December 15, 2016

Elementary Reading Update



AR Update for K-5 TCS Students:


12/7/16
12/15/16
AR Points    
48,317
53,092
Millionaires
        28
        37


(Millionaires are students who have read a million or more words since the start of school.)

Cahaba's Show Choir Performs

SHINE, Cahaba Elementary's show choir, presented holiday song and dance numbers this morning for the staff and student body.  The pictures below show how enthralled the students were with the presentation.







Sharing Joy

Music teacher Chris Byars took 30 5th grade students to sing at Trussville Health and Rehab. They had a little time after singing, so Chris told the students they could sit down and relax. Before he knew it, students were going around hugging the residents without any prompting from Chris. Please look at these pictures, but be prepared to cry. Our students spontaneously shared the joy of the season with senior citizens who were so appreciative. Our kids are AWESOME!











Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Edutopia: 5 Ways to Make the Most of Your Non-Teaching Time


Take a look at this helpful article from Edutopia.  5 Ways to Make the Most of Your Non-Teaching Time | Edutopia
Time. It's the thing every teacher needs more of, and no teacher has enough of. Whether you wish to get deeper into student data analysis or want to spend more time with your own children, no teacher has enough hours in the day to do it all. But with very careful planning of their non-teaching time, I've seen thousands of teachers get more time back in their lives. Here are the top five ways you can make the most of your limited "free" time each week:

1. Start with a Detailed Plan


Whether you map out your week digitally in Outlook like Heidi Reed or on a paper planner like Hollis Hyland, start with a plan. Both Heidi and Hollis, middle school teachers at the same school in Washington, DC, map out their weeks the Friday prior. Yes, you heard right! The Friday before the week ahead! As they plan their weeks, Heidi and Hollis carefully consider their non-teaching time and what they want to accomplish -- both personally and professionally. This way, they head into the weekend with clear heads and way less stress.
2. Batch Process Your Work
Most prep periods end up being a little bit of this, a little bit of that, and by the time you've used the restroom, filled your water bottle, and decompressed for a second . . . wait, who are those 30 children walking in the door already?
Try this instead. Look ahead at your entire week and determine which prep periods are dedicated to planning, to grading, to family contact, to student tutoring, and so on. If you do your "like items" all at once, you will get into an efficiency groove. And while you're at it, try packing your lunches for the entire week at the same time! Don't Kate from Denver's lunches look amazing?

3. Consider Your Energy Levels

Let's be real. At the end of any teaching day, you're exhausted. Instead of staggering around your school at 4 PM in search of a cola or chocolate, become mindful of when you are capable of doing higher-level work and when you just need to check something easy off your list. Plan your lower-energy work, like data entry, quick emails, or erasing the whiteboard, for when you really just want to crash. There's just no sense in trying to write an awesome unit plan when you are dead-dog tired.

4. Bite-Size Your To-Do's

See those plans from Hollis and Heidi? See those teeny tiny to-do's, like print these documents or create those materials? Making a task specific and bite-sized helps ensure that it gets done. When to-do's are too big, they have a tendency to sit there like heavy bricks. Break it down and make it small. Yes, it will make your to-do list look longer, but it also makes it easier to take advantage of those teeny tiny five- or ten-minute pockets of time that materialize before staff meetings or when you're waiting for the copier (not to mention the satisfaction you get from all the checking and crossing off). And speaking of small pockets of time . . 

5. Use Small Pockets of Time

Since a half-day of time to plan, grade, and analyze data is not going to magically appear any time soon, be physically prepared to use those little blocks of time that do pop up in your day. One of my favorite teachers, Sue Harmon, has two nifty tote bags packed and ready to go at all times. Her first bag is full of grading materials, including sets of essays, stickers, her grade book, and her special grading pens. At a moment's notice, she can knock out a set of papers. Her second tote is packed with planning materials, like the book for an upcoming novel unit, Common Core Standards, and diagnostic data. When she has a moment to get some planning or grading done -- voila!-- her materials are right there waiting for her. And while you're at it, make a folder of everything you need to copy, and carry it with you at all times. You never know when you may see an opening in the copy line.
Teaching is a unique (and awesome) profession that doesn't lend itself to much "work" time. It's constantly changing, and we're always "on" with other people, be they students, parents, or colleagues. It's too easy to end every day feeling like the to-do list is never done. Take advantage of the tips above to get a few minutes back in your day! 

Monday, December 12, 2016

Electric Village Presentations

Across the district, fourth graders are studying electricity and building electric circuits. Traditionally, students have created Christmas villages, complete with lights powered by the electric circuits built by the students.  Tuesday, Mrs. Bramlett, Mrs. Jackson, and Mrs. Jenkins' fourth grade classes presented their electric villages to students, parents, and other visitors.









Mrs. Taylor and Mrs. Brooks’ science classes presented their “Electric Village Museum” Monday, December 12, 2016, in the North Library of Paine Elementary. Students displayed their beautiful electric villages and shared their new learning from their electricity and energy science unit.


Hour of Code

Elementary technology classes participated in Hour of Code last week.  Hour of Code is an event promoted to introduce students to the "code" behind software, videos, websites, etc. Students create basic code to program characters and run games. They have conversations with the teachers and peers about coding.  Hour of Code occurs during Computer Science Education Week each year.  Students at HTHS also participated in exploration during Husky Hour in Mr. James' class.



Mini-Course Day at HTMS

HTMS will host their 2nd Annual Mini-Course Day on Tuesday, December 20, 2016. Students will be released at noon on that day, and mini-courses are a great way to provide a unique learning opportunity for the shortened school day. Students sign up for courses of their choice through a Google Doc that provides course descriptions for mini-courses.

Just a few of the great mini-courses include:

Vinyl Creations/ Monogramming: Mandy Mitchell will be here with her Cricut machine and heat press to help students create one of a kind tumblers and shirts or other items. Be ready to learn about how to design and personalize different items. Each student will receive one plastic tumbler to design. If you would like to make a t-shirt, be sure to bring a blank shirt from home (doesn’t have to be brand new!). Limited to 20 students.

Hip Hop Dance: No dance skills required! Come learn an energetic and fun hip hop routine from Sydnii Todd of NS Dance here in Birmingham. Wear some comfy clothes and be ready to learn! Limited to 40 students.

HTHS Colorguard/ Highstepper Prep: Are you interested in trying out for the Colorguard and/or Highstepper at the high school? This class will teach basic skills, as well as a short colorguard routine. Girls should wear comfy clothing and shoes. Flags will be provided. Limited to 25 7th and 8th grade students.

Baseball: Come learn with the pros! Dan DeMent is a hitting coach with the Tampa Bay Rays (2016 season was spent with the Double A Montgomery Biscuits) and Drew French is a pitching coach with the Houston Astros (2016 season was spent with the Single A Tri-City Valley Cats) and they will be here to talk about what makes a successful player as well as work on hitting, fielding, and pitching skills. This session will take place outside so dress appropriately and be sure to bring any baseball gear you already have. Limited to 25 students.

What Guys Need to Know: Attention all boys! It's time to Man Up! Come learn some manly basics such as changing a tire, tying a tie, checking oil, etc. Please bring a tie if you have one. This session is limited to 15 participants.

Can you BREAKOUT?: Come play an exciting game of solving mysteries and racing against the clock to “break out” of the room. You’ll be timed with your team to see who can solve challenges, riddles, and problems to be the first to break out. Limited to 20 students.

Engineering: Successful engineering is all about understanding how things break or fail. Come spend the morning building, breaking, and testing your skills in competitions that will require creative thought, teamwork, and ENGINEERING! This was one of our most popular sessions last year- this year we will limit it to 24 students.

Cosmetology: Students will learn from a pro- How to apply make-up the right way. Learn tricks and tips about contouring and looking your best! For the session on hair, students will learn how to do a cool braid as well as what’s “in” this year with hair styles.  Students are invited to bring any make up they already own, as well as a comb, brush, and hair products.  Limited to 25 students.

Supporting Rigorous Reading

Teachers throughout the district are expecting students to read and comprehend text that is much more rigorous than what has been taught in the past.  Teachers aren't just handing out harder books. Teachers are reading and studying, themselves, so that their instruction will provide the necessary support students need in order to read and comprehend rigorous texts.  Kindergarten through fifth grade reading teachers are using Lucy Calkins' Units of Study for Teaching Reading to guide their instruction.  

Last week at Magnolia Elementary, Dr. Jeter, Kelly McGough (reading coach), and I observed a reading lesson in Teresa Biven's second grade classroom.  Second grade teachers have recently introduced their nonfiction unit, a critical component of reading instruction.  According to Doug Lemov, author of Reading Reconsidered, reading more nonfiction is important, but reading nonfiction more effectively in a way that unlocks knowledge and increases engagement and appreciation is just as important.  Because reading nonfiction requires very different skills than those necessary for reading fiction, Mrs. Bivens began by asking her students to examine shiny pennies, while noting what they noticed, wondered, and learned through their careful examination.  It was amazing to hear the students ask about the dates on their pennies, why Lincoln was not wearing his hat, what building is on the back of the penny, etc.  

Next, Mrs. Bivens divided students into small groups and asked them to go to four stations that included a model of a heart, a map of Trussville, a globe, and nonfiction big books.  The objective was to notice, wonder, and learn by carefully examining the objects and texts.  Again, it was surprising to see how much the students could learn on their own through deliberate, careful exploration and attention to details.  

Finally, students were provided bins of books that were appropriate for their reading levels and asked to pick a book to carefully read and examine.  Again, students were expected to notice, wonder, and learn as they applied these reading skills to an interesting nonfiction book.  

The lesson was an example of the effective lessons that are being planned and implemented throughout the district. Mrs. Bivens provided a thoughtful, challenging lesson that began with a student-friendly learning target, based on standards.  Academic vocabulary words (i.e. examine and  analyze) were introduced to the students.  Instruction was differentiated by the provision of books based on individual reading levels.  Throughout the lesson, student and teacher discourse was evident, as well as student to student discourse.  Students were engaged throughout the lesson with very few distractions because expectations and procedures were clear and in place.  Best of all, the culture of the classroom was academic and positive.  It was obvious that the students valued learning and were willing to commit their time and attention to the tasks in order to learn.  

Many thanks to Mrs. Bivens for sharing her classroom to administrators as we learn together.  

The learning target (above) was reviewed with students at the start of the lesson and referred to throughout the lesson.

Mrs. Bivens created a PowerPoint to help guide her instruction.

Students were given pennies to examine and asked to notice, question, and learn.


Students examined a map of Trussville.

Students explored a globe.

Mrs. McGough listened as students read nonfiction text.


Dr. Jeter observed students who examined a life-size model of the heart.

Instructions were clearly shared with students.

Bins of books were assembled prior to the lesson to provide "just right" levels of nonfiction books for all students.  

Students read independently, noting things they noticed, questions, and new learning.