Teaching With Intention Chapter 7

I am so sad that tis book is coming to end soon! I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this and learning from the amazing Debbie Miller!

The hosts for this week's post are Famous  in First and Luv My Kinders. They are two amazing bloggers! Check out their posts.

So here we go.......

This is a short but powerful chapter. It is about that dreaded word. You know the one that we all stress out when we hear it!! That's right, this chapter is about Assessment!

In my room, I do two types of assessing. I use formative assessments that I have created in order to insure the instruction I am providing my students is differentiated and meaningful. Then there is the summative assessments that are district made that I have to give. 

I love how Debbie Miller provides us a list of various ways for Formative assessments! 

The chapter ends with a discussion on Reflection! By looking over your formative assessments and reflecting on what you have taught, ow you have taught and what they have understood, the next thing to do is what she calls A Next Step Lesson. this is when we use what we learned through the various ways of assessing and teach using this new found knowledge!

Once again an amazing chapter!!

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Teaching with Intention Book Study Chapter 5

I am linking up for chapter 5 of this awesome book!!! The host for our book study for chapter 5 is From Kindergarten with Love.

This chapter was amazing! Eyeopening to say the least! We, the readers got to se Debbie Miller in action! This chapter is called Swimming With the Sharks. We got to experience a nonfiction unit about sharks being taught by Debbie Miller! 

This quote says it all. This chapter discusses how we need to dig deep into the lessons that we are going to be teaching. Here are some questions you should ask yourself while you are planning your lessons:

Schema charts are one of the best graphic organizers to use! They allow us to see what they know, what they want to know, what they learned and their misconceptions. The schema charts are used to tailor your instruction to make it meaningful to those children at that time!!

I use schema charts and they make a big difference in the teaching, implementing and outcomes of my lessons! My kids love to give me their thoughts on sticky notes and add them to the chart! 

I can not wait for Chapter 6! This book certainly does not disappoint the reader. If you do no have this awesome book, click below to go to amazon.

Click on this link to see what other teachers think of this chapter!

Teaching with Intention Book Study Chapter 4

Can I just say that I love this book!!!! It is dead on so far on every topic that it is written about. It is a breath of fresh air in all that is polluting the world of education!!! Well enough with my ranting! I am linking up for chapter four of the book Teaching with Intention.

 If you do not have this book and want to read it please click on the book below and it will take you to Amazon!

The hosts for this chapter are:

Chapter 4 was about classroom culture. We must promote a culture that supports thinking and what better way then to share how we think. It is important for us to model how we think. Think aloud! Show the students how we too must think about things and we also ask questions and we wonder as well. Model how to think about different concepts. Modeling this is essentially teaching this skill.

My kids use my brainstorming sheets to share what they are thinking and to display their thinking on different topics! They love to write down what they are thinking and share it with their groups and the class. Here is the sheet they use. Feel free to download and use it if you like!

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Teaching with Intention Book Study Chapter 3

Hello all! I am back to discuss the next chapter in this awesome book!

I am linking up with Surfin through Second, the Learning Chambers and Sassy, Savvy Simple Teaching to discuss chapter 3 of the book, Teaching with Intention written by Debbie Miller!

Environment is the focus of this chapter! I love creating a new environment each year! Setting up my room is one of my favorite things to do at the beginning of the year! I love to research and create over the summer. If I am not in love with my room then my kids won't be! My classroom is always my happy place!

So when creating your environment, Debbie Miller suggests you think about the following questions:

I love having passion areas (this is what Debbie Miller calls center areas and I love this name so much more!) This is important because before you can set up your room, you need to know how you are going to divide it up if you do. So you must think am I going to have a manipulative center, a library, a writing area, a meeting area, a mall group area, etc!

Are you going to have desks or tables? How will you configure them? Will you use them for various reasons or just for the students to work at during seat work?

For 20 years, I always have had tables since I taught Kindergarten. This year, I was in First Grade and I had desks! Oh No! I did not like them so I created dry erase tables. I purchased shower board and velcroed it to the desks. I put the desks in groups of five, used a small crate to place one leg from each desk in it so the desks would not move and velcroed the board on top! Best thing I ever done! The kids love it! It was interactive! They used these areas for working, creating, working on science experiments, small group work, etc!

Organization is needed!!! My students have baskets in the center of their tables for their supplies. They have seat sacks on the backs of their chairs. There are trash cans at their tables to throw the trash away. I have a basket for their completed work. There is a library!

They have lockers to store their coats and book bags!

The sign and the gators that are in the work depository area!

So I will end with a few thoughts from the book:

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Teaching with Intention Book Study Chapter 2

I am linking up again for this awesome book study! Teaching with Intention by Debbie Miller is a professional book that all teachers should read at some point of their career!

Can I just say that I loved this chapter! Reflection is so important in order to insure success for both you and your students! There are so many times that we just go on and not think what did I do and what can I do to make things better?

Here are some of my beliefs:

All students can learn!

Students need to be exposed to all things and be given the opportunity to fail! (Fail is their First Attempt In Learning and it is a must not a negative)

I can learn from my kids as well!

Environment creates the learner!

We are a team (My students and I)

Children learn from a multisensory approach!

Music should be incorporated throughout the day!

Model Model Model!

Students will strive to meet your expectations! set them high!

Access to all materials is vital!

Now there will be times when your beliefs and those of the powers to be will be at odds- now is where the toughness comes in. You need to make a decision- what they believe in or what you believe in and know is best for your kids! 

Here is a form for you to download and keep your beliefs close:

Now onto Reflection: This is so important and needed! Even after 20 something years of teaching I reflect at the end of each day. Debbie Miller suggests writing your thoughts down in a notebook! reflection provides so much information and allows you to analyze what you did, your students did, what went right, what needs to be fixed, did they understand it or do you need to reteach it better. Should this be done next year? 

Here is a form for you to write down your daily reflections:

And now some quotes and ideas from the author!

Teaching with Intention Book Study Chapter 1

Oh my!!! I am so behind on this amazing book study. Thanks to my gracefulness!! But I am now back in the saddle and here I go!!!!

A few of my good friends from #teacherfriends and I wanted to do a book study, so we said hmmm lets do Teaching with Intention by Debbie Miller. We were all set to go when we heard that Kindergarten Smorgasboard already had one planned so we said no problem and we joined this one!!! 

If you do not have a copy of this awesome book just click on the picture below to order one!!

So I am linking up with Primary Possibilities for Chapter one!

I loved the first chapter! After 20 something years of teaching, I still am striving for the ideal classroom. I really do not think that I will realistically get my ideal classroom because there are too many outside factors and changes that occur that prevent this but I know that I will get my almost ideal classroom. There have been years when i thought, I got it and then something happens and nope I do not have it. I will sit and sit and sit  and plan and plan and visualize! Now don't get me wrong, every year I love my classroom but it is not my Ideal Classroom!

When anyone enters my ideal classroom, they never want to leave! They are engrossed in the activity that is taking place. They feel safe and welcome. The colors and the sounds create a haven in which they never want to go! The ideal classroom would be the place where others come to escape from the real world and to relax and feel a part of something that is fun, amazing, worthwhile and unforgettable!

The look of my ideal classroom is open space and lots of it! Very little furniture and a lot of technology! My kids would have balls to sit on and lap desks to use instead of desks! My room would have built in cabinets and shelves that will provide me with plenty of storage for organizing my materials. IPads for all students.  There would be a small group area, a gigantic library that goes throughout the entire room not just in one specific area. Unfortunately, the area that I have now does not allow me to have a lot of open space due to the fact that I have to have desks. I can not have my library extend throughout my entire room because I do not have the space. My cabinets and shelves are minimal and therefore I have made many myself. 

Budgets are such a bore and these are what prohibits my Ideal classroom from taking place!

Sounds of the ideal classroom have been achieved! My students laugh and talk and sing. Music is played throughout the day! 

Here are some of the music I play throughout the day!

and of course the ideal classroom is full of #Gonoodle and Class Dojo

In the ideal classroom, the teacher is facilitating and the students are engrossed in deep conversation and learning. Students have more say in the ideal classroom. Technology is used throughout the day by the students. 

This is easy! Organization and clutter! I need to work on this tremendously! I know the saying if the room is not messy then there is no learning going on but I have to admit that there are some days when I just want to scream and pull my hair out because of my clutter and my organized chaos!

I have already begun the process of students having more say and input. The classroom environment is inviting! I have the music playing and the Gonoodle and Class Dojo in place. The kids are laughing and communicating as well as learning and smiling! I am beginning to be a little more organized!

So there you have it! My thoughts on Chapter 1! Now click below to see what some other educators think about and have to say about chapter one!