Category Archives: Day to Day

W.I.C.O.R

Anatomy & Physiology, AVID, Biology, Classroom Management, Day to Day, Science, students, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Any educator in a high school should recognize the acronym WICOR as an AVID instructional strategy.  Specifically, WICOR stands for Writing, Inquiry, Collaboration, Organization, and Reading/Real-World Connections.  AVID is an acronym for Advancement Via Individual Determination.  Most schools in  Southern California actively support AVID and the use of the WICOR strategies.  In fact, Heritage High School is a demo school for AVID.  All teachers are requested to use WICOR strategies in their teaching because it is active, engaging, and is academically beneficial to the students.

 

Writing strategies                                                                           

  • Cornell Notes/Learning Logs
  • Quickwrites and Reflections
  • Process Writing
  • Peer Evaluation
  • Authentic Writing

Inquiry strategies

  • Skilled Questioning Techniques
  • Costa’s Levels of Thinking
  • Socratic Seminars
  • Investigations
  • Questions that Guide Research

Collaboration strategies

  • Socratic seminars
  • Philosophical Chairs
  • Group Activities
  • Peer Editing Groups
  • Service Learning

Organization strategies

  • Binders and organizational tools
  • Calendar,s Planners, and Agendas
  • Graphic Organizers
  • Focused note-taking system
  • Study groups
  • Project planning and SMART goals

Reading strategies

  • Deep Reading Strategies
  • Note-taking
  • Graphic Organizers
  • Vocabulary Building
  • Summarizing
  • Reciprocal Teaching

WICOR in my classes. 

Writing: All of my classes, Biology and Anatomy and Physiology use many of these strategies on a daily basis.  For instance, my students are required to take Cornell Notes from readings in the textbook.  If a Crash Course video is assigned, the students complete a GIST Summary, which is far more rigorous than simply writing down notes.  My students have completed Quickwrites and Reflections (along with SMART) goals.  We also use a Science Interactive Notebook, which truly helps with writing, organization and reading.

Inquiry: ‘To date, the classes have taught about Costa’s Levels of Thinking.  In addition, the classes have participated in Socratic Seminars and Investigations (Labs).  I am currently working on having them create questions to guide research.  At this date and time, I am responsible for creating guided questions and asking open-ended questions of the students.

Collaboration: All classes participate in group activities, including Socratic Seminars, Philosophical Chairs, and projects.  I have recently developed a real appreciation for think.pair.share.  I have been using it a lot lately.  Today, the students observed a peer “grading” their notebook.  Then the two students switched notebooks and they graded the other persons.  This is not for a grade.  It is an easy way to have them create peer editing groups and evaluate what they each need to complete before turning it in in a week.

Organization: Although began the year with digital notebooks, I was unable to achieve buy-in from a large number of students.  When it began to impact my pacing, it was time to stop and switch back to a traditional ISN.  I also strive to keep my students on track with being organized.  I put an outline on the board every Monday that includes information for in-class activities, and homework information and due dates.  Some students take photos of the whiteboard.  The students were also given an agenda record keeping planner to use to stay on top of assignments.  The students fill these in on Monday and receive a stamp.  Last, but not least, the students have access to their Haiku (Power School Learning), where the assignments are also posted under Weekly Overview.

Reading:  There are lots of reading assignments in Science.  I also either create graphic organizers or have the students replicate one in their notebook to use for assignments.  I began using Desmos a while back, which helps with vocabulary building.  The students are also very familiar with the concept of organizing because their classes have been AVID centered for many years.

 

My classes have participated in Philosophical Chairs discussion, and more recently have begun reading up for their next Socratic Seminar on Cancer.  The students also regularly work together on group activities, such as creating a poster of Mitosis with labels and definitions.  They also recently completed a five-day project for Photosynthesis, culminating in a slides presentation.  I could go on-and-on, but for the most part, my instructional style lends itself most easily to this type of instruction.

I tend to be pretty reflective about my instruction and am always self-evaluating, to do that requires deep analysis.  I create a checklist based on the items and/or information I can find about the strategy.  After that, it is simply comparing what I already do to what I have not explored yet.  At least with regards to WICOR, it would appear I am on top of it.

The backbone of every Effective Educator

Classroom Management, Day to Day, Psychology, Science, students, , , , , , , ,

There really is no secret here.  From my experience, there is no educating or learning occurring if the class is out of control.

Every teacher has to weather this particular storm and find out what truly works for them.  The wisdom of the ages tends to conflict on a few of the finer points.  However, what they all agree on, unanimously, is classroom management is key to successful teaching.

First, a Classroom Management Plan is essential.  This can be tricky if you are new to the school you are at.  For instance, a tenured teacher can get away with simply sending a student out.  Period.  Finito.  They may have their knuckles rapped for “not following procedure,” but that is about it.  Probationary Teachers – either Prob 1 or Prob 2 – are on a little bit more of balancing beam.  The Plan has to include what is and what is not allowed on your school’s campus.  For instance, last year I worked at a school that allowed or tutorial detention.  Awesome.  If the students were misbehaving, before detention, “real detention,” they would receive tutorial detention with me.  Typically, this would require a chat, along with some pointed questions about behavior and goals.  This is quite different from another school site where the students are bused in and out.  There is no after school detention (bus coming).  There is no tutorial.  The students even have separate lunches, so that is not a possibility.

Second, posting your expectations, rules, procedures, and consequences.  This is key as I learned the hard way.  Although the students and parents had signed a syllabus, it was out of sight out of mind.  Although the students had access to the information online through Haiku, it was still out of sight, out of mind.  Emails with parents and counselors did not seem to help.  It was not until I posted the laminated expectations and consequences ON THE WALL, that I finally enjoyed some peace.

This district prefers the term “Expectations,” over rules.  Works for me.  I use a modified version of “Whole Brain Teaching.”  I am quite sure many teachers are aware of it.

  • Expectation #1 – Follow Directions Quickly
  • Expectation #2 – Raise your hand to Speak
  • Expectation #3 – Raise your hand to Leave your Seat
  • Expectation #4 – Make Smart Choices (pretty much the umbrella catch-all)
  • Expectation #5 – Believe in yourselves, because I already do.  (This was my modification). 

My consequences are pretty standard.

  • Consequence #1 – Warning
  • Consequence #2 – Quick Chat After Class
  • Consequence #3 – Email or Phone Home (pun intended)
  • Consequence #4 – Contact counselor
  • Consequence #5 – Detention AND Parent Teacher Conference

To introduce them to the “new” way of things, I surprised the class with a quick get up and move around to the corner on the left side of the room.  The students were excited and all a-twitter.  Then, I simply asked them to do an about-face and read the board in unison.  That part was very important.  They did.  Then, I had them step three steps to the right, and read the consequences in unison.  They did.  I asked if they understood what was going on and they responded they did and some even volunteered that now they had to behave.  Now?  That is on me.

Third is consistency.  Believe me, I did not get peace immediately.  The students had to test me first.  The first day a few students went past the warning to the quick chat.  Only one student opted for the E ticket ride, straight from #1 to #5 within 15 minutes.  When he came back to my class after detention I reminded him that he had a fresh start.  It was water under the bridge.  It was his responsibility to stay on task.  He agreed.

Pretty long blog about something laypeople consider “simple classroom management.”  Personally, the only thing I can compare it to is ministers giving a sermon at church.  Of course, their audience is voluntary, but that is what makes it all the more impressive.  How do ministers inspire so many people to get up early on a Saturday or Sunday, get dressed in their best, and go sit in an auditorium quietly, attentively listening, for as long as the minister wants to speak?  Clearly, I am a church-goer.  We just moved to a new area so it will take us awhile to find our new church.  I need to find a pastor that “touches” my heart, and engages my mind.  Sounds a lot like teaching, doesn’t it?

 

Student Trust

Day to Day, Science, students, , , , , , , , , , , ,

At my position in Glendora, CA I taught Health Science, Earth Science, and Biology.  Quite frequently I would have many of the same students for Health that I had in one of the science classes.  That was my favorite aspect of being both a Health and Science Teacher.  I was blessed with a chance to really build trust with my students on a frequent basis.  Of course, the Health Science topics did help quite a bit.

As a result of my relationships with the students, I was the go-to gal for many hurting students.  In the last year I was there, I had a student open up and admit to me that he had violent thoughts of hurting others.  He was able to seek treatment.  His father was so thankful I “found” his son.  I had a number of domestic issues that would arise.  Students whose parents were neglectful, or even physically abusive.  I was privy to this invitation and would use my crisis intervention skills (and strong background in Psychology) to talk them down, and then walk them over to counseling.

When I moved to Menifee and began working at Heritage High I was a little sad because I would miss teaching Health.  I truly did not believe the students would believe in me and trust me like at Glendora, CA.

I was wrong.  I teach Biology and Anatomy & Physiology, but somehow most of the students still trust me.  Perhaps, it is my openness and honesty.  The stress these students are under seems insurmountable to them.  Within the last few months I have had a number of students come to me broken down in tears.  I have also received a thinly veiled suicide email, which allowed me to get help for that student, immediately.   There are also countless others who have opened up to me about their anxiety, fears, depression, and stress.  Before school and during first lunch, I have a number of students who come into my classroom.  They are typically very quiet, very respectful, and even put their trash outside in the big trash receptacles because I prefer no food substances left in class.  These students have a found a safe place, a peaceful place, to enjoy their lunch without being judged, manipulated, or even having to deal with peer pressure.  They can just enjoy feeling safe for a short time.

My husband often asks me if I tell other teachers, or the administration of these many incidents.  He wants me to somehow benefit from these acts of compassion.  I have to remind him again and again (he can be quite stubborn), that these students are the benefit.  I do not need glory and applause.  I helped someone in need, and that is the best blessing of all.

Student engagement shines on

Anatomy & Physiology, AVID, Biology, Day to Day, Science, , , , , , , , , ,

My biology students surprised me today.  I mean really surprised me.  Shame on me.

My students just started a chapter on Mitosis (cell growth and division).  As we were discussing the cell cycle, I asked them to examine the picture of the cell cycle and infer information from the picture.  They were asked to determine which phase was longest.  During the direct instruction, I explained to the students that Gap 1 and Gap 2 are like red/green checkpoints.  I gave them two questions to review for the next day: (1) What has to occur for Gap 1 to turn green and allow the cell to move to Synthesis; and, (2) What has to occur for Gap 2 to turn green and allow the cell to move into Mitosis.

Then I asked the students, “what would happen if the cell keeps replicating and doesn’t stop”?  Some students in my four classes went right to cell overgrowth and Cancer.  However, some of the students did not make the connection right away.  So, I followed up asking, “What if you have brain cancer and it is benign, should you be concerned? and Why”?  I had the think.pair.share symbol up.  So they thought about it, shared with their neighbor, and then we shared out.  The students were right on the money, telling me it is something to worry about because even if benign, a constantly growing mass in your skull will quickly damage the brain as it encroaching on its real estate.

A little background: I teach two different courses.  I have four Biology classes full of Freshmen and Sophomores.  I also have two Anatomy & Physiology courses full of Juniors and Seniors.   I have already created both classes’ finals.  Both groups have a one hour written final.  Both also have a one hour AVID Socratic seminar.  The topic for Biology is Human Genome Sequencing.  The topic for Anatomy is two articles about Cancer.  I made this assessment choice because the Lexile reading score for one of the Cancer articles is in the 1200-1300 range, and would likely be difficult reading for my Freshmen, Sophomores, IEP, and/or EL learners.

As I recognized how “into” the topic my Biology students were during the discussion, I decided to give them a choice.  I like to do this because they are teens, growing into adults and should be making responsible academic decisions.  I explained to them my rationale behind choosing the articles for the two different classes.  I even told them I had to look up a few words.  The students knew this meant it was not an easy read.  Despite this, all four classes really impressed me by voting for the more interesting, if difficult articles.  There were some students who voted for the assignment they “perceived” to be easier, but the majority won out.

So often, as teachers we strive to get “true” student engagement.  Not compliance, not I just want a good grade, but the real deal.  When it happens, it is like a bright light clearing out all of the darkness in the world.  Hope reigns supreme.  It is not just the faith I have in my students, which is unending.  These students shine on and on and I see real evidence and potential for them to continue shining, hopefully becoming life-long learners.

I am so incredibly proud of my Biology classes.  Of course, I will be scaffolding and reviewing the articles with each of the classes.  This is the first time I walk them through critiquing an article and preparing a claim, and text evidence to support their position.

The students often ask me why I became a teacher.  Sometimes, I get comments like, “I could never be a teacher, how you are so patient?”  The truth is, I will never give up on my students; every day is a brand new day; a fresh start; a new beginning.  I just have to figure out what turns my students’ lights on and how to keep them on.

 

Using Quizizz in Class . . . a Review

Anatomy & Physiology, Biology, Day to Day, Gamifying Learning, Science, , , , , , ,

Today was the first day I had ever used Quizizz in class.  I made up several of these to engage the students in review for the next two weeks.  But, today was a trial run so I made a Quizizz based on class expectations and consequences.  Then, I piggybacked another practice Think . Pair . Share with the classes about the game site.

Pros: The game is easy to set up, copy questions and answers and finish.  It also has several positive features such as timer on/off, memes on/off, randomizing questions and answers, providing feedback, review for answers, and my favorite, a leader board.  The leader board helped the students see how they were doing.  We were able to review the questions an answers at the end.

Cons:  Students are much less familiar with Quizizz than Kahoot.  Although selected to work, the music would not play.  The print is very tiny (even on a projector) for the information on how to join the game, and the code number.

To be able to compare it to Kahoot, I will experiment with Kahoot tomorrow.  I have a Biology Quizizz I had previously created, but I will convert it into Kahoot and provide a comparison for final review.

 

 

Digital Notebooks . . . not yet

Anatomy & Physiology, Day to Day, Science, , , , , , , , ,

I was super excited joining Heritage High School this year, part of the Perris Unified School District.  They have a 1:1 chrome book program, an excellent “Legacy” motto, and a principal that believes teachers, parents and administration should do whatever it takes to reach the students.

The first month did not go as well as I would have liked.  Although the students had chrome books, they were very resistant to the idea of a digital notebook.  I was positive, I was organized, and I held many in-class technology training programs, all to no avail.  I asked the administration about it and they were supportive, and believed the students would come around.

After several weeks, the digital notebooks created a polarized atmosphere in the classes.  The students either liked it and got into it or they were violently opposed, claiming they “could not work that way.”  It felt to me that the students had taken a stand.  If they had to use the digital notebooks, then they just would not do the work.  Period.  At that point, I decided I would go back to the traditional notebook.  The courses are about content first, method less so.  It meant more to me that the students be a unified group and learning community.

I went back to traditional interactive notebooks.  Again, Heritage High rocks.  They provided each one of my students with a notebook.  The students still have access to all assignments digitally, but the work is typically done in their ISN.  I was concerned about grading 220 notebooks, but I created a system for the students to exchange notebooks and grade them.  The students are happy about the change and I have high hopes for rallying them together.

 

Moving…Moving…Gone

Day to Day

In a mad swirl of events, my family made the decision to move to Menifee.

Derrick went, searched and found a great house with 500 more square feet, solar panels, and a community pool.  Pretty awesome.  They were pretty tough negotiators, but we had a meeting of the minds and started escrow.

Next challenge, declutter, store, and stage our house. In one week we were ready.  Open house Saturday and Sunday during the last week of May, and whallah in escrow by Tuesday.  

Move in date to new house June 8th.  Awesome.

I even have an interview for a few different teaching positions near the new house.  No more commuting!

Growth Mindsets

Anatomy & Physiology, Biology, Day to Day, Science, , , , , ,

Growth Mindsets is a very hot topic in education these days.  Essentially, individuals who believe they have the power to improve their lives, education, skill sets, and relationships have an open/growth mindset.  Something good happens and it the result of good old-fashioned hard work.  It was not luck.  It was not because they are geniuses (although there are some super-bright individuals in the world).  No.  It is because that personally legitimately decided to put in the effort, follow up, and if that did not do the trick, they sought help.  Eventually, the individual knows they can and will succeed.

This is applicable to everything; at this time I am not an excellent drawing artist.  That does not mean I cannot get better.  I can purchase some books, some artistry tools, watch some online tutorials, or even find a mentor.  Will I ever paint or draw a Picasso?  Probably not, but I bet I could become a pretty good artist.

On the other hand, Fixed Mindsets are very common as well.  These individuals believe that to be good, really good at something (sports, academics, finances, etc.), they need to be talented or blessed with God-given gifts.  If a student gets straight A’s it is diminished by those who consider it due to natural ability.  Students work hard, study harder, and have real strategies for doing well in their courses.  Consider for a second, baseball players in the major leagues.  If a person identifies one of the baseball players as just lucky, being in the right place at the right time, it sort of diminishes all of the hard work a baseball career requires, doesn’t it?

Unfortunately, for those that believe you either have it or you don’t, life can be very hard indeed.

Myself, I had a growth mindset before the phrase was even coined.  One of my personal experiences using a growth mindset, without even realizing it, occurred when I was only 15, going into my second semester of my junior year at Westminster High School.  I had moved a lot as a kid, but my parents managed to keep me in the same school district from 7th to 12th grade.  I tested highly in almost everything and was put in the honors/AP tract.  My eighth grade math teacher was not particularly impressed with my math grade in 8th grade.  Of course, I sat in the back, did not wear my glasses, and rarely understood what she was saying.  I did not dwell.  Based on the teacher’s recommendation, I was put in Algebra A, B, C, D.  Each took one semester equivalent to my freshman and sophomore years in High School.  Mind you, all the rest of my classes were honors and AP and I was getting good grades in everything.

When school restarted after Christmas break in my Junior year, many of friends in the honors or AP classes were all lit up about being a “Distinguished Scholar.”  I did not know what this was, and I did not know why I was not in the know.  Being forthright, even then, I went to my academic counselor and asked what was going on with this Distinguished Scholar award, as it was apparently a “big” deal.  I was told I would not and could not graduate with that honor.  You see, only students who took the honors/AP courses AND successfully passed pre-calculus as a Senior could earn the award.  The counselor essentially told me it was an impossibility because as a Junior I was taking Geometry.  As a Senior I would go on to Algebra 2.

I did not even think twice about it.  I asked her to explain exactly what would have to happen for me to earn the award.  She was pretty negative about the idea, but indicated if I took Algebra 2 at the local junior college and passed with an A, and took Trigonometry over the summer at the junior college and passed it with an A, she would agree to put me in Pre-Calculus as a Senior.

That is exactly what I did!  In fact, Algebra 2 at the college was so easy.  I struggled more with Geometry.  Trigonometry was a hoot.  I still remember taking the bus to the beach after my morning class at Goldenwest College.  I brought my Trigonometry book, studied, and successfully passed.  In fact, I passed both of the classes with an “A.”  Pre-calculus was super hard.  My best friend, Mina, tutored me that year and I passed with a C for both semesters, but I passed!  On a side note, because I took those two math classes at a junior college, I did not have to take math in college for my Bachelor’s degree.  Cool, right?