21st Century Learning Skills: From 4 Cs to 5

I was recently asked what I think is the most important aspect of my school's STEM model, and as I thought about it, it wasn't the science, technology, engineering, or math that we integrate into every content area, but rather the inquiry and curiosity that we encourage, foster, demonstrate and practice through our STEM model.

Students and teachers alike are curious about the world around them, hungry for more information about why things work the way they do and how to make them work even better.  This curiosity is what ignites a passion for learning in our students and staff, and pushes us all to be innovative thinkers.

http://www.p21.org/tools-and-resources/abovebeyond4cs

We often refer to the 4 Cs of 21st century learning ...

• critical thinking
• communication
• creativity
• collaboration

...and their importance in preparing students for success in a digital, connected world.  These skills are incredibly important, and providing the time, structure and tools to practice them in school is crucial.  

However, I would like to propose adding a 5th C to the list:


Logo Design by FlamingText.com

Without curiosity, students' intrinsic motivation for learning would be squelched.  They would never wonder, never ask questions, never push themselves to try again after failing....  But, just as with the 4 Cs, or any skill, students need to see curiosity in action through teacher modeling, they need the time, structure and tools to practice channeling their curiosity into inquiry, research and learning, and they need meaningful ways to share their discoveries, challenges and reflections along the way.

Curiosity would also fit well with ISTE's NETS*S standards, as it goes hand-in-hand with each of the existing six standards (from which the 4 Cs are taken):

http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-students

For English learners, curiosity and inquiry are especially important.  Students who are developing their English language skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing may not yet be able to fully express their curiosity on a topic (according to second language acquisition theory, most learners begin forming simple questions in the speech emergence stage, after about one to three years of studying/learning English), however, their curiosity can help engage them in activities where they can authentically practice using academic vocabulary, asking questions, and sharing their own experiences on the topic.  

You can help your English learners, among others, to access the content by pre-teaching and posting related academic vocabulary and engaging students in activities to activate their prior knowledge on a topic.  ELs can also be partnered with other students who share the same L1 (home language), to facilitate discussion and questioning during activities.  You can model and provide sentence starters for questions  to help students express their curiosity in English.

There are some awesome ed tech tools out there for encouraging and harnessing curiosity.  

One of my favorites is ThingLink (website and also a free iPad app), where a teacher or student can post a picture and ask a question related to the picture.  Then, others can tag the picture with their questions, and the image (with the questions) is saved for continual reference and reflection. As students find answers to the questions, they can go back and post again, or add the URL of the site where they found the answer to their question.

https://www.thinglink.com/scene/394875903638765570#tlsite

Lino boards can be another cool tool for collecting information, posting questions or reporting findings.

Wonderopolis is a fantastic site that acts as a forum for questions and answers for people all over the world.  You can browse hundreds of wonders of the day, or post your own.  They even have an educator's sandbox where teachers can search for wonders related to certain topics.  It's a great way to bring the 5 Cs to life (critical thinking, communication, creativity, collaboration and curiosity)!

http://wonderopolis.org/

How about you?
How do you foster curiosity in your classroom?  Share your ideas, comments, and questions below!

Literature Circles with Subtext

As a part of a recent iPad planning day, I was fortunate to participate in a Google Hangout with some colleagues about the free iPad app Subtext and some tips and tricks for using it in the classroom.

Image: www.subtext.com

Subtext is a free iPad app that allows teachers and students to share, annotate and discuss the same e-reading materials. Teachers can also add notes, discussion questions and quizzes to the reading, which students can see and respond to within Subtext.

I came away from this Google Hangout with some great ideas and resources for getting started with Subtext.

Getting started with Subtext:

Here's a helpful 5-minute introductory webinar from the Subtext website:

Welcome to Subtext: 5 Minutes from Subtext Video on Vimeo.

There is also a more in-depth intro and training webinar on the Subtext website.


My vision for using Subtext with students:

I am really excited to try out Subtext with two of my English learner classes - one of which is a small group of 6th graders, and the other is a 3rd grade class.  Both groups are focused around social studies content, so I'll be using Subtext to share e-reading materials about WWII (Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr) and the three branches of the government.

Image: http://blogs.sd41.bc.ca/learningtech/files/2012/02/lit_talk.jpg

In both classes, I am hoping to use Subtext to help facilitate a variation of literature circles.  I haven't used literature circles with either of these classes yet this year, and I am still working to develop the specifics on how they might work best with Subtext.  I'm thinking we'll all start out with the same literature circle roles to get the hang of how they work, and all of the cool ways we can use Subtext to make literature circle roles easier and more intuitive.


My favorite features of Subtext so far...

• The app will read a text aloud to you (great for English learners!)
• You can save and share websites to read together with students (free nonfiction!)
• You can connect Subtext with your class Edmodo account for easy access
• You can add a 'Save to Subtext' button to your browser's bookmarks toolbar to save material from the web to your shelf
• The Subtext support team is very helpful and responds quickly to questions
• Subtext will give you one free book from Google Books!

A few challenges with Subtext...

• Subtext is only able to read epub files at this point - they are hoping to come out with PDF compatibility by this summer or next fall
• Books have to be purchased from Google Books - paid per student 

Here are a few other resources and blogs that could help you get started with Subtext:

• Edmodo's Subtext App
• EdTechDiva's Review of Subtext
• Greg Kulowiec's Blog Post on Subtext and Custom ePub Files
• Subtext Mentioned on EdSurge

How are you using Subtext in your classroom?  Do you use other e-reading apps with students?  

Dividing Decimals and iMovie on the iPad

I have to say that one of the best parts of my job is collaborating with my colleagues -- I love working together to develop plans and turn good ideas into great learning moments for students.

One such collaborative brainstorming session occurred just a few weeks ago between myself and a 6th grade teacher.  We were meeting to rethink parts of our co-taught math class and were discussing the fact that the next unit is typically the most difficult for students.

The 6th grade teacher mentioned that decimal division and 'swooping' the decimals is often an extremely difficult concept for students to catch on to... and before long,  we had come up with an idea to help make 'swooping decimals' a bit more catchy.  (Reasoning: mnemonic devices and songs are great ways to help English learners - and all students - remember steps in a process!)

The 6th grade teacher and her son wrote the lyrics that night, and the next day, we recorded as many students and staff as we could using iMovie for the iPad.  I edited the complete iMovie on my iPad (so easy to do!) and we shared the final product with students and staff -- it was a hit, and before you knew it, 'SWOOP there it is' became a common phrase throughout the building.

Check out our iMovie and feel free to use and share as a resource for dividing decimals:

When you got a problem with

a decimal divisor

Gotta know how to divide

if you're gonna be wiser.

First multiply divisors by a

power of ten,

If it's got two places, 

gotta swoop it again.

Make divisors whole numbers- 

that's what you gotta do

Don't forget the inside decimal

Cuz you gotta swoop that, too!

Swoop, there it is (4X)

You swoop the inside decimal

the same number of places

As you did with the divisor -

Don't mess up with the spaces!

Raise that decimal up

High above that solid line

Then it's regular division

And you're gonna be fine.

Swoop, there it is (4X)

Divide, Multiply, Subtract, 

Check and Bring Down

Are what you need to do to 

To take that problem down!

And....Swoop, there it is! 

Swoop, there it is!

Swoop there it is!

Swoop there it is!

Lyrics written by Ms. Moran.

(Based on the original song: Whoomp There It Is by Tag Team)

-------------------------------

We are already brainstorming our next number....perhaps a science-themed re-make of Psy's Gangnam Style?!  

What are some ways you have used iMovie for the iPad to enhance learning for students?  Leave a comment to share!


Looking forward to many more creative and productive brainstorming sessions with my colleagues in 2013!
--Andrea

The Language of Math: iPads and ELLs

We've all probably heard it said that math is a universal language, however a closer look reveals that the language of math is actually very complex and can be difficult to understand without explicit instruction and opportunities for practice.

A 3rd grade teacher and I (an EL teacher) have worked to incorporate instruction on the language of math into our co-taught math class through explicit teaching of math vocabulary and daily opportunities for math talk. Because our math class has several EL students, multiple gifted students, and many other students in between, we use many differentiation strategies to give students what they need, whether it be pre-teaching, re-teaching, opportunities for practice, or acceleration on a given topic.

One of the differentiation strategies we are excited about involves the screencasting apps ShowMe and Screen Chomp on the iPads. Students who have demonstrated that they are proficient on a given benchmark are asked to choose a problem that addresses that benchmark and write out a step-by-step plan on how to solve the problem.

Then, the student grabs an iPad, chooses ShowMe or Screen Chomp, and records and narrates a screencast of him/herself solving the problem. Students can also screencast what they know about specific vocabulary words. During independent work time, students can watch a class screencast to help them understand a concept or vocabulary word they have been struggling with, or to preview the next concept we will be learning about.

Our goal is that all of our students have multiple opportunities to record and watch the screencasts, so that the iPads are viewed as a resource for everyone. The iPads provide an authentic purpose and audience for math vocabulary and math talk, and our students are engaged and invested in their learning.





Math Language: iPads and English Learners


Don't worry if you can't make it to Minneapolis for our presentation...just check out our presentation via Prezi and Camtasia:





We are very excited to share what we love about ShowMe and ScreenChomp tomorrow!
Have you used them in your classroom before?
Leave us a comment to let us know what has worked well for you or what challenges you have faced with screencasting!

Thanks so much and happy screencasting!
-Andrea

Online Resources for Nonfiction Reading with English Learners

Image credit: http://discovernonfiction.weebly.com/

One of my absolute favorite things is working with students on nonfiction reading and writing.......

It is so awesome to see how excited they get about learning new things....when the topics are interesting to them and the resources are at their reading level.

When I use nonfiction reading resources with students, I follow an inquiry model to help set a purpose for our interactions with the text:

• questioning
• researching
• discussing
• creating
• reflecting

Image credit: http://www.uvm.edu/~jmorris/preview/
Inquiryprocess.jpg

I also do a lot of modeling the steps in the inquiry process:

• How do I write a question?
• What should my questions be about?
• How do I read a nonfiction text?
• How do I take notes from nonfiction text?
• What do I do if I don't understand a word in a text?
• What was the most important thing I just read (summarizing)?
• Does this relate back to my inquiry question?
• What do I want to share about my topic?
• What would be the best way to share what I've learned?
• Who do I want to share my learning with?
• How do I write a paragraph?
• Now that I'm done, what did I like about this project? What would I do differently next time?

Over the past two years, I have discovered some quality online resources for nonfiction texts -- unfortunately not all of them are free...but those that have a cost associated with them at least offer free trials.

Here's a quick rundown of my go-to sites for leveled or Engligh learner-friendly nonfiction texts:

• National Geographic Explorer Magazine - identical content and photos at different reading levels
• Pioneer Edition (2nd-3rd grade reading level) - click on Projectable Edition for the free version of the edition
• Pathfinder Edition (4th-6th grade reading level) - click on Projectable Edition for the free version of the edition
• Readworks.org - a wealth of leveled nonfiction passages, complete with lesson ideas and assessments (all available for free!)
• Education World: News for Kids - a site with several high interest articles for kids (with a 'words to know' section) - complete with teaching resources and ideas for each article (free!)
• Washington Post: KidPost - current events in kid-friendly language
• Reading A-Z - leveled, printable / projectable books on various topics; includes lesson plans, student handouts and comprehension quizzes (free 7-day trial, then requires a subscription)
• Science A-Z - leveled, printable / projectable texts on various science topics; includes lesson plans, student handouts and comprehension quizzes (free 7-day trial, then requires a subscription)
• Tumblebooks - online collection of animated, talking picture books - includes a growing number of nonfiction books on various topics (free 30-day trial, then requires a subscription)

One amazing site that facilitates student interactions with nonfiction text (or any kind of text) is:

image credit: http://www.readwritethink.org/
files/resources/interactives/storymap/

• ReadWriteThink.org - collection of common core literacy lesson plans and online student activities and resources for interacting with text in meaningful ways

  

Those a just a few of the many excellent sites and resources out there for teaching students to love nonfiction reading...  

I'd love to hear about other sites and resources you use for nonfiction text with English learners -- feel free to comment below!

Happy reading!

"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you'll go."

— Dr. Seuss, "I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!"

Schoology vs. Edmodo?

                              vs.

As an EL teacher at an elementary school, I work with several groups of students in multiple grade levels and in various subject areas......so, as you might expect, the management of student materials, resources and papers can be (in a word) overwhelming.  In an effort to streamline the management of these materials and provide students with an interactive and accessible virtual classroom space, I have been trying out edmodo.com and schoology.com with different groups of students.

Both edmodo.com and schoology.com offer a variety of important features for students and teachers, including:

• a network of educators who use the site (including discussion boards for groups of educators)
• searchable public resources for different subject areas
• safe, invite-only virtual classroom spaces, managed by a teacher
• online student discussion boards, quizzes, and assignments, as posted by the managing teacher
• online progress monitoring, managed by teachers, but accessible by students and authorized parents
• linking to/embedding other sites, such as Google Docs, School Tube, Youtube, etc.
• uploading and storing documents and PDFs (teachers)
• embedded app stores for easy access to featured and other apps for learning
• accessible 24/7 by students and teachers

While all of these features are helpful, I came to realize that I have a few, more specific features that I am looking for in an online platform to really cater to my needs and the needs of my students:

• teacher can include visuals in posts to students
• students can interact via real time discussion boards
• students can create and maintain a blog as a part of the same online platform
• students can immediately view the results of quizzes, and can be given the option to re-take the quiz when they are ready
• teachers can upload existing quiz questions from other mediums (ExamView)
• teachers and students can link their account with their school Google Docs account

Based on my experiences so far with edmodo.com and schoology.com, I have found schoology.com to be a better match for my students and I (schoology.com includes all of the specific features I was looking for...and more!).  With that said, I feel like edmodo.com is, at this point, more established and has more public lesson resources available for teachers.  So, there are certainly pros and cons to both sites. 

Here is an example of a reading comprehension activity I posted on schoology.com for a group of 6th grade English learners:

I got the non-fiction passage and questions from readworks.org, posted the reading to schoology.com for the students, and then inputted the 5 questions and correct answers into a quiz format.  schoology.com grades each student's answers when they are submitted and will transfer them to my gradebook.  Voila!!

Do you use an online platform with your students?  If so, what do you use and why do you like it?

Khan Academy

A big part of my job is collaborating and co-teaching with mainstream classroom teachers, so I always try to keep an eye out for technology that could be helpful for English learners (as well as other learners) in content area classes, such as math, science, social studies and language arts.

I happened to turn on the TV for a few minutes this afternoon and I caught a good portion of 60 Minutes, which was featuring Khan Academy - an edtech site that hosts thousands of free educational videos on (what seems like) any subject you may be interested in learning. I have used Khan Academy a several times with elementary and adult ed math classes, and have had positive results.


I see Khan Academy fitting into math and science instruction with English learners for a few main reasons:

1. Students can learn at their own pace - they can stop, rewind, or fast forward to hear and see the information as many times as they need to really understand the concept.
   
2. The videos provide modeling of both the new concept, as well as of the processing language necessary to explain and describe the new concept.
3. Students can practice various concepts with practice problems, and are offered a corresponding video to watch if they get stuck on a problem. A personal tutor...just a click away.
   
4. Teachers can track students' progress on Khan Academy by creating a free account and then creating a class list (students log in using a Google Apps account, and then add the teacher as a Coach). Once a student begins working on a set of practice problems, data about the # of problems right/wrong, as well as a record of the type of problems attempted are all accessible by the teacher/coach. This allows teachers to closely monitor progress and confer with students in a meaningful, specific and individualized way.

This year will be the first year I'll have students add me as a coach so I can track their progress. I'm pretty excited to see how well it works and will definitely report back!

For the record, the categories of topics covered by Khan Academy videos are (as of right now):

• math
• science
• computer science
• finance & econ
• humanities
  
• test prep

Have you used Khan Academy or some other screencasted video lessons? If so, which ones, and would you recommend them to other teachers?

Thanks for reading and happy Labor Day weekend! Hope the start of the school year goes smoothly for everyone!

--Andrea