Embarking on the MESSY Student-Driven, Process-Centered Research (PSI) Journey

After much preparation on determining types of questions, exploring Bloom's Taxonomy, writing researchable questions, generating Google search key words, incorporating reflection into daily activities, offering peer feedback opportunities in many mediums, and more, I am beginning my PSI journey.

I am piloting PSI with a few others in my district. PSI is like Genius Time/Passion Hour/20% time, but (from what I've seen) PSI takes it a step further. PSI is a student-driven, process-centered opportunity for students to explore their own interests. Students have been given time to identify a challenge, problem, or question that they would like to explore. For two weeks, we are dedicating 90 minutes that allow students the freedom to think independently, take risks, and learn from their mistakes.

I'm scared, too. 

My ten commandments (so far) of surviving this process include:

1. Model.
2. Provide feedback. 
3. Reflect.
4. REPEAT. Constantly. 
5. Accept that they will mess up.
6. Accept that the process is more important than the product
7. Allow students to learn from each other.
8. Welcome creativity. 
9. Try activities yourself, it's not easy!
10. Laugh. Often. About everything. With anyone who will listen. 

While I'm sure I will have a melt down about these projects at some point or another, the laughing "commandment" has been a great coping mechanism so far. I decided to go through this process along with my students, researching about going to Australia on a budget and catering the trip to my interests. The teacher I am piloting PSI with decided that she wanted to research as well, and collaborated with our gifted teacher. I hope you enjoy the email banter as much as I did.

Other 4th Grade Teacher    Re: PSI 
And since I love Lauren's idea, now I have to come up with my own research question. (or just hop on a plane with Lauren.)  Think I can do something related to Bachelor???  It is a passion of mine. ;)

Gifted Teacher      Re: PSI 

You must pursue your passions.  Let me help you with some research ideas:

• If I were to be the next Bachelorette, how could I plan the perfect group date and individual date in ________ country?
• If I were Juan Pablo, how would I clear my image?
• What diseases can be transferred from one person to another...or one person to multiple people?

Love working with these two, and can't wait to share more about the process!

Some resources are available in my Teachers Pay Teachers store, while others are scattered around my classroom website. Resources will be available in one location soon! I want to test them out before sharing. 

Words Their Way for Dummies

Last year our principal came to my fourth grade team with the Words Their Way program. The phrases:

"Differentiation!" 

"Developmental model!"

"Application of spelling!" 

"No more memorization!" 

were thrown around, but all I saw was a confusing checklist, a series of books, new terms to describe spelling, and about a hundred different word sorts. Prior to Words Their Way, my preparation and class-time spent on spelling was very minimal. I had two lists (fourth grade list and challenge list). The only in-class instruction and practice time was the pre and post test. The rest of the practice was done for homework at home. This seemed like a great program, but the two questions that hung over my head were:

1. How will I find the time to do this in class?
2. How much additional time is this going to take to plan? 

Overwhelmed was an understatement. 

Our district did a wonderful job of training us on how to give the placement test and form our groups. YouTube has a number of videos to show these steps as well. View my Phonics Assessment presentation I made for Grad School to get a better idea of how to get started if you'd like.

Although the training and grouping was pretty painless, the part that worried me was the added work I was about to have. One afternoon my team and I sat down. We organized the sorts, came up with a general packet, created a weekly rotation, determined an appropriate homework assignment, and started Words Their Way pretty painlessly!

Work Smarter NOT Harder!

Organization

What You Need:

• Hanging file folders (color coded = much easier!)
• Filing bin/cabinet (easily accessible)
• Labels for file folders
• Master copy of each sort 
• Copies of the table of contents from each book you are using
• Make each sort cluster on a different page
• Paper clips

I have to admit, this part is time consuming, but preparing it all ahead of time is so worth it.

The labels should include: Spelling stage, level (early, middle, or late), sort range, spell checks checks (if any).

Section Number (VII), Spelling Stage Title (High Freq. Words/Contractions), Sort Range (43-44), Spell Checks (10-11), and Level (L-Late)

Hanging file folders should be coordinated with the book color: Alphabetic Spellers (Red), Within Word Patterns (Yellow), Syllables & Affixes (Green), Derivational Relations (Blue)...etc. 

Each file folder should be labeled, and separated by sort cluster and identified between early, middle, and late. There will be about 10+ file folders per book. 

Within each file folder should hold a master copy of the correlating lists (in order). This will make copying easier in the future! 

Put the file folders in order of earliest to latest developmental stages. 

Within Word Patterns, Syllables & Affixes, Derivational Relations

Come Up With a General Sort

Words Their Way has a number of sorts and endless possibilities of ways to practice words. I simply don't have the time to generate and teach new types sorts for students each week. I felt that providing students with a routine would be most beneficial. Lucky for YOU, a general sort is already made. 

This general sort requires students to manipulate the words, rewrite the words, test themselves on the words, and generate new words that fit in the sort. 

Another activity to add rigor to the general sort is a feature analysis, which requires students to look at meaning, origin, word parts, and more. 

Weekly Rotation 

I meet with one group per day, four days per week for about 15-20 minutes. Students' tests and homework due dates are staggered (which is an adjustment at first, but manageable after practice). I recommend communicating with parents about the staggered test/homework dates to avoid confusion. Each day I project the rotation, and students are held accountable for their daily work. Purchase the rotation from my Teachers Pay Teachers store. The rotation correlates with the general sort packet. The sorts are described in more detail in the document.  

Before fully implementing the Words Their Way rotation, I model each sort/page of the packet then have students practice each type of sort full class, with an easy list. 

Homework Assignment

I use class time as spelling and phonics practice mainly. The focus on homework is the meaning. To keep things interesting, and to allow students to challenge themselves appropriately, I give them choice on their homework. You can download my homework page from my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

TIP: Have students underline their spelling word and write their spelling group at the top of their paper. Since you're grading multiple spelling lists, that makes it much more manageable! 

Parent Communication

Our school has an immense amount of parent involvement. Whether that is the climate of your school or not, I recommend keeping parents informed. This will make the homework/testing transition easier. We sent home a letter to parents explaining what the program is all about, and how we will be using it in the classroom. 

My class has really grown to enjoy Words Their Way. If you like the idea of minimal planning, manageable grading, and a smooth-running class, then feel free to download my Words Their Way bundle. It includes all you need to get started with Words Their Way (and it's slightly cheaper than buying all the components separately).

If you want to pick and choose, by all means, download whatever you'd like, my products are very flexible! 

And...if you have other smarter, not harder ideas for Words Their Way, PLEASE SHARE! I'd love to add a new spin! 

Here are some resources that I found helpful when getting started with Words Their Way: 

• Words Their Way Official Site - Provides a variety of sorts, PDFs of Words Their Way materials, videos, games, and more! (NEED A LOGIN)
• Sorts in a PowerPoint - This is great to link on your webpage, I know I wouldn't have the patience to make all of these myself! 
• Pinterest - What else would I waste away my time on? 

The End is Near!

Well after two weeks of break, I couldn't think of a better way to end winter break...by not ending it...and having TWO snow COLD days! Aside from laying in bed until ten watching Netflix, setting up my Fantasy Bachelor Bracket, and trying some of my new, healthy Pinterest recipes, I decided to venture out in the -11 degree (-50 windchill) weather to do some Yoga Sculpt! 

 Although I love my job more than I ever thought it was possible, it's nice to have a lazy day like today. 

Looking forward to pressing the snooze button for just one more day!

Favorite Children's/Young Adult's Novels of 2013

Every year I try to read as many children's books as I can. Between grading papers, professional reading for school book studies, graduate school work...and wanting to have a life...I don't get to read as many books as I'd like. Here are a few of my favorites that I read this year, which I highly recommend.

Wonder by R.J. Palacio. I'm sure it's a huge surprise that this is one of my favorites. August Pullman was born with a facial deformity that, up until now, has prevented him from going to a mainstream school. Starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep, he wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kid—but his new classmates can’t get past Auggie’s extraordinary face. These perspectives converge in a portrait of one community’s struggle with empathy, compassion, and acceptance.

I chose to read this book after Wonder because I heard it was similar. I loved reading Out of my Mind as well. Melody is not like most people. She cannot walk or talk, but she has a photographic memory; she can remember every detail of everything she has ever experienced. She is smarter than most of the adults who try to diagnose her and smarter than her classmates in her integrated classroom—the very same classmates who dismiss her as mentally challenged, because she cannot tell them otherwise. But Melody refuses to be defined by cerebral palsy. And she’s determined to let everyone know it…somehow.

This book goes along with our Social Studies curriculum, and I do it as a read aloud with the class. I didn't realize I was so into Historical Fiction until after reading this book. The class LOVED it! Twelve-year-old Samuel Collier is a lowly commoner on the streets of London. So when he becomes the page of Captain John Smith and boards the Susan Constant, bound for the New World, he can’t believe his good fortune. He’s heard that gold washes ashore with every tide. But beginning with the stormy journey and his first contact with the native people, he realizes that the New World is nothing like he imagined. The lush Virginia shore where they establish the colony of James Town is both beautiful and forbidding, and it’s hard to know who’s a friend or foe. As he learns the language of the Algonquian Indians and observes Captain Smith’s wise diplomacy, Samuel begins to see that he can be whomever he wants to be in this new land.

I kept hearing great things about this book. When I finally had the chance to read it, I couldn't put it down. It's an adorable story. Ivan is an easygoing gorilla. Living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, he has grown accustomed to humans watching him through the glass walls of his domain. He rarely misses his life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly ever thinks about it at all.Instead, Ivan thinks about TV shows he’s seen and about his friends Stella, an elderly elephant, and Bob, a stray dog. But mostly Ivan thinks about art and how to capture the taste of a mango or the sound of leaves with color and a well-placed line. Then he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from her family, and she makes Ivan see their home—and his own art—through new eyes. When Ruby arrives, change comes with her, and it’s up to Ivan to make it a change for the better. Katherine Applegate blends humor and poignancy to create Ivan’s unforgettable first-person narration in a story of friendship, art, and hope.

I was not excited to read this book. This goes with our writing curriculum, and the first chapter was rough to get through, but the rest of the story was adorable.  Shirley Temple Wong sails from China to America with a heart full of dreams.Her new home is Brooklyn, New York. America is indeed a land full of wonders, but Shirley doesn't know any English, so it's hard to make friends. Then a miracle-baseball-happens. It is 1947, and Jackie Robinson, star of the Brooklyn Dodgers, is everyone's hero. Jackie Robinson is proving that a black man, the grandson of a slave, can make a difference in America and for Shirley as well, on the ball field and off, America becomes the land of opportunity.

I was having Hunger Games withdrawals this year, and I heard Divergent was really similar. Since I'm from Chicago, I figured it would be really cool to read. Fun fact -- the author of this book went to my high school! Although it's a great book, I wouldn't recommend it to my fourth graders, even the ones who can read more challenging books. How could I not read it? In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

A student recommended this book to me. Another tear jerker. I read it in one night. Features seven narrators, each with a unique story, and each with a different perspective on what makes their teacher so special. It’s the start of fifth grade for seven kids at Snow Hill School. There’s . . . Jessica, the new girl, smart and perceptive, who’s having a hard time fitting in; Alexia, a bully, your friend one second, your enemy the next; Peter, class prankster and troublemaker; Luke, the brain; Danielle, who never stands up for herself; shy Anna, whose home situation makes her an outcast; and Jeffrey, who hates school. Only Mr. Terupt, their new and energetic teacher, seems to know how to deal with them all. He makes the classroom a fun place, even if he doesn’t let them get away with much . . . until the snowy winter day when an accident changes everything—and everyone.





New Year's Resolution To-Read List: 

Let me know if you have any recommendations!