0 ES Project Review and Revision

Students Present Their Projects to First Graders

The best time to review and revise a project is right after the project is complete.  What went well? What can be changed for the better.

As I assess our Endangered Species Research and Presentation Project I have a number of "keepers" and "changers."

Keepers:

• Guide research using a website as a homebase. We'll revisit the website prior to the next year's project to update.
• Use a Google presentation template to guide research (available on website.)
• Start the unit with background knowledge and skill development related to biomes, research, using websites, writing informational text, and the topic of endangered species.
• Make beautiful murals.
• Animoto and iMovie public service messages.
• Hosting parents at an open house.
• Sharing students' learning through individual presentations, short public service messages, murals, dioramas and a class film.
• Presenting to classmates in other grades. 

Changers:

• Next year I'd like to put more effort into biome teams and student collaboration. 
• Instead of having each child present on the class film, I'd like biome teams to write short scripts and present a short film about their biome and the endangered animals in it--I think that would make an engaging film presentation.
• Possibly invite family members to presentations in other classrooms. 

As evidenced by the student YouTube film, students really enjoy the endangered species project.  I really enjoy growing this project with my colleagues each year as educational strategies, tools, and resources change.  Overall, the project is a keeper!

0 Endangered Species Open House

"Today is a time to celebrate the finale to an amazing project. The project was amazing because there was room for every child to shine by showing off their skill and interest in specific parts of the project.  While some enjoyed making the mural the most, others liked to research on the computer best.  Still more enjoyed working collaboratively while some preferred reading a book on the topic alone.  This project offers students multiple paths for learning, and that's what learning is like today.

So different from when I was young when information was scarce and books and today's modern learning tools were not readily available, these children are growing up with information everywhere and numerous, varied tools for learning--tools that make learning accessible to almost everyone almost everywhere!  It is an amazing time in education.

At this amazing time in education, the important message is that every child has what it takes to become successful, and every child has the ability to take a learning path that is energizing, engaging, and enriching.  Education no longer has to be "one size fits all" or "do it my way," but instead education offers a menu of many approaches for success.  

One factor integral to this success is the support, inspiration, and care of the learning community. We all know that the role of teacher belongs to everyone in the learning community including the students, the family members, the teachers, the leaders, and the community. We all play an important role in our own success and the success of those we care for.  In that regard, I want to thank everyone here from the students to the family members to the teachers and leaders for a wonderful year of learning!

Now, I'd like to specifically recognize the students of Team 15 who have learned with creativity, care, and dedication throughout the year. After I read each name, please applaud. Thank you!"

0 21st Century Project Expectations?

Soon I'll review students' project work and leave a badge on each presentation.  That has me thinking of what we should expect today with regard to project work.  I'm also wondering which project attributes lead to the best learning and long term gain with respect to skills, inspiration, and knowledge.

In days of old when materials and information were scarce, a good elementary school project was a bit of text and a few pictures or a diorama. I remember two sixth grade reports well. For our team project on Vancouver we found an old National Geographic and made a giant book of pictures and captions.  Similarly our Lincoln report included a giant picture of Lincoln and a number of facts.  Even though those projects pale in comparison to today's projects, I must say that the team aspect of the work, the information, and the visuals left me with a curiosity about both topics--essentially an open mind to learning about both Lincoln and Vancouver.

So today, with multiple tools available, what kinds of presentations are children creating, and what do we look for with regard to that work.  As you'll notice below students' work today includes the following:

• Google presentations with images, text, animation, video and multiple text structures.
• Short films with music, image, and text.
• Class film with voice and presentation.
• Hands-on murals and models.
• Crosswords puzzles, word finds.
• Family and school presentations. 
• Field Study.

With all of these learning structures, there is no doubt that students have had wonderful exposure to a topic as they research, write, create, assess, and present.  The next step is to make sure that the exposure leads to greater, beneficial inquiry, skill, and knowledge.

What kinds of projects are your students completing?  Which attributes of those projects have the greatest effect with respect to long-term learning gain?  How do we ensure that our project work with young students result in depth and breadth of learning rather than superficial exposure?  These are important questions as we design and embed learning endeavor today? 

Project Examples

The presentations reflect accurate research, multiple text structures, matching images, and other tools such as animation to teach the audience well.  Here's an example of a wonderful fourth grade presentation:



Movies synthesize image, music, and text to educate, entertain, and impact the audience.

iMovie YouTube Link


Save the Ring-Tailed Lemur by Nick

Hands-on models and murals translate fact and information into visual displays which allow both the researcher and the audience to experience the information learned. 

Students' Animal Habitat Murals

A class film gives every students a chance to voice their project learning, experience, and questions. The film is the main presentation piece for the family open house celebration and share. 

0 PBL: Student, Teacher, and Parent Mentors and Models

The culminating stage of a big project is enhanced by student, teacher, and parent mentoring and modeling.

For example:
College and high school graduates volunteered time to edit presentations.

High school graduates mentored our fourth grade film crew with film production tips and tricks.

Colleagues welcomed and guided student presenters into their classrooms.

Our fourth grade presenters mentored our younger students by presenting their research, knowledge, and creativity.

Parents volunteered their time to edit, guide, and manage our young researchers.

Mentoring and modeling is a critical component of learning, one that students both look forward to and learn from.

Modeling and mentoring is an integral part of optimal project base learning.  How can our learning communities move to incorporate this practice with greater regularity and effect?

0 Today's Project Presentations: Best Approach?

What is the best way to share and recognize students' effort and care?

As I look forward to next week's endangered species presentation, I have the following thoughts.

Tech projects are not shared well in large, open house presentations.  The open house presentations find the family members more interested in talking with each other.  Plus the noise of the event makes it difficult for family members to thoughtfully interact with a detailed online presentation on a small computer screen. Yet, when you're sharing presentations for a large number of students, it is overwhelming to show all 25 at once.  In the past, teachers planned the presentation for a few students each day.  The parents of those children were invited, and it created a nice forum for student share with one another too.  I will have to think of the merits of an all-class share vs. the merits of a few-at-a-time share as I approach next year's program.

This year's share will include Google presentations, short movies, murals, a class film, and a short introduction. To make the presentation special, we'll include the following.

• We'll make use of the outside lab and inside lab (if available) for student tech share from 8:00-8:45.  That will give families space to pay attention to students' online presentations.
• At 8:45 we'll show the class film and I'll say a few words about the students' effort throughout the project as it is important to note all the learning details that go into a big project.  At that time I'll also pass out a small recognition of a job well done to each child because often in a big share, individual efforts are not recognized.
• Finally, family members will have a chance to visit and view the murals and displays.  

As education changes, our presentations and share will change too.  The key is to think about the multiple student shares you promote each year, and determine how to make those shares inspiring, motivating, and enriching for children and the audience too. 

0 Making Murals: Benefits?

Students are busy creating animal habitat murals for our endangered species project presentation.  Similar to last year's biome project, the murals offer students quite a challenge.  What makes mural making so challenging?

First, student have to understand the habitat well.  They have to have a clear idea of the plants, animals, and climate of the habitat to represent the scene well.

Next, students have to work together to plan and create the biome.  That level of collaboration is challenging and demands considerable planning, negotiation, problem solving, compromise, and effort.

After that, students have to make choice after choice as they figure out which materials to use, and how to use those materials to create trees, leaves, vines, desert, mountains, sky, and more.  The materials available are bountiful including clay, colored paper, paint, fabric, and more.

Finally, students have to be able to make mistakes, revise, and persist as they turn a blank bulletin board and wall area into an inviting exhibit that educates, entertains, and impacts our presentation visitors.

Is the lengthy hands-on mural making process worth it in a time of tech, standards, and ready-made displays?  I continue to believe that mural making is valuable for the following reasons:

• The process is challenging and demands that students turn facts and understanding into a visual display that educates, entertains, and impacts others.  That challenge makes students think and create. Further the challenge results in new skills for later work and communication.
• The murals turn the room into an active learning environment.  Students get to learn from one another from the large mural displays, and the displays remain on exhibit for quite a while allowing students to look and re-look, gaining new perspectives with each interaction.
• The murals are beautiful, child-friendly, and inspiring.  They offer a community impact while the single Google presentations and films are less easily accessed, enjoyed, and discussed by a group of students or family members.
• The murals provide students with hands-on, creative skills that will be useful later as they innovate and create.

Next year, I'll engage students with mural making again.  However, now with two years of the project behind me, I'll make a few changes:

• First, I'll teach the concepts related to mural making on a small scale with next year's paper cut design/writing project early in the year. A paper-cut design is essentially a small mural, hence children will get individual experience with that.
• Next, I'll spend more time up front teaching students about the various biomes and habitats of the world through multiple media in order to build vivid understanding of what various animal habitats look like, and why those environments match the animal's needs and activity.
• Then, as I create my STEAM area of the classroom, I'll carefully make space for all the supplies, and spend time at the start of the year teaching students about the location and care for those supplies.

Today, during our research meeting, I'll let students guide our final days of mural design and project work.  In the meantime, if there are any mural experts out there that have some advice for me, please let me know.  This is an area of school life that I will continue to strengthen. 

0 Teaching Children Well: Learning

What I enjoy most about teaching is fostering an engaging learning environment.

I enjoy working with students as we navigate the path from unknowing to knowing in multiple, student-centered ways.

Our learning journey includes technology, reading, math, writing, knowledge, research, craft, creation, presentation, exploration, and investigation.  We have multiple tools to access, and the learning grows with our collective synergy, discussion, and effort.

Hence, as I look forward in my career and as I focus amidst the multiple paths available, I continue to find myself engaged and empowered by the theme of child-centered learning design.

That focus finds me centered on the following study points:

• composing story, opinion, essay, and informational text with paper/pencil, drama, craft, and digital tools.
• reading and discussion story and information from multiple genres and authors. 
• mathematical models, problems, and understanding. 
• project base learning related to culture, biology, environmental studies, and geography. 
• the study of learning, cognition, learning design, child development.

Fortunately, it seems like the systems that support my work and the work of other teachers are becoming more streamlined and focused on providing us with the tools and support necessary to do our job well in efficient, effective ways.  Similarly, as we embrace the notion of learning community rather than school, we are enlisting the support of so many more educators including families, community members, and local educational institutions and organizations. 

The state of education today holds great promise, and the more we work to provide every school community with the "conditions of excellence" necessary for optimal learning, the more we will create a strong, flexible, capable populous--the kind of people who will develop a sturdy, peaceful, caring nation and world. 

0 Extraordinary Exhibits?

The day is focused on creating extraordinary exhibits that will teach our guests all about endangered species.

As students and I meet for our research project focus lesson this morning, I'll ask the following questions:

• What should we do to make sure that our exhibits entertain, inform, and impact visitors?
• Specifically:
• What should the bulletin boards include?
• What kinds of signs should we make?
• If we make dioramas, what part of the animal's life do you want to display?
• Where will you leave room for the computer so you may show your visitors your Google presentation?
• How will you share the crossword puzzles and word finds?
• How can I help you?  What do you need?

Once we finish the meeting, then students will have a couple of hours to create, revise, and finesse their displays.  I'll work as coach throughout the endeavor.  Hence, it's a sneakers and jeans creativity day.

0 PBL: The Messy Stage

PBL can be messy and noisy as many children work together to create.  Clean up is often a challenge, and it's good to have these messy days a week or so ahead of the project's finale. The messy stage usually comes about 3/4 of the way through the project.

PBL will also bring wonderful surprises such along the way such as this movie by Nick, and this public service message by Aydan.


The endangered species research journey continues as we enter the last stage, a stage of many edits and final touches.

0 PBL: The Finishing Touches

Unfortunately I'm home ill today, but the students' work is flowing in via email as they craft public service films for the endangered species projects, and study their math facts using SumDog.  It's amazing how the Internet has changed the sick day routine for teachers.  I can send my plans via email hence no need for my husband to run them in early in the morning, and I can assess students work from home.

So as the movie drafts came in from Animoto this morning, I was reminded that our next focus lesson has to center on the finishing touches of PBL--the essentials when it comes to publishing including:

• Just right, on topic humor (that's a challenging one to judge and guide for 4th graders).
• Proper grammar and spelling (best possible--we all err from time to time).
• Correct capitalization for titles (this requires constant review in 4th grade).
• Thinking of our audience as we edit--how will the audience react to the films, presentations, and displays.  Will we inspire them with words, music and images to help save endangered animals with action?  Do we give them ideas about what they can do to make a difference? 

There's a give and take nature to all learning.  The teacher and/or students prompt an investigation and make a beginning to end plan with backwards design.  We get to work, analyze, and reflect.  The reflection leads to the project meeting and class discussion related to next steps, making the project better, and effect.  We work more, analyze, reflect, and the cycle continues until we get to the final stage, the presentation. This is the wonderful, authentic, real-world movement of PBL--a not to be missed effort for all children and teachers today. Learning choreography that both stays the same and changes with every class, every year, and every learning endeavor.

0 STEAM Share

Today I'm getting the chance to learn with students.  The teacher next door has invited my class to a STEAM (science, teach, engineering, art, math) share.  She and her students will share the many innovative projects they've embarked on over the year. They will also demonstrate the ways that they learn in hands-on, student-directed, investigative ways.

All year I've watched this class create with enthusiasm.  Hence, I'm looking forward to this collective way to learn. While in the room I plan to do a lot of observation and take lots of notes since I plan to replicate this learning event in my own classroom soon.  Then I plan to think more deeply about the tools and strategies I see over the summer so that I can employ similar strategies next year.

My grade level colleagues and I have started thinking about new ways to share our strengths and teaching strategies; we hope to get into each other's rooms more often next year to observe and share.  We've built a strong level of collegial trust and common vision which makes this possible. I'm excited about the learning to come as I know this will help us to teach children well.

0 Guided PBL: A Journey of Unexpected Twists and Turns

How loose?
How tight?
How many choices?
How many materials?
Time for edits?
Time for coaching?
Keeping peace through the highs and lows?
PBL Adventure.

Our class is in the tough stretch of PBL.  The easy facts are completed, but the difficult questions are left unanswered.  The design plan is created, but the actual creation is meeting challenge--how do I really make that diorama, paper sculpture, biome scene, puzzle, or movie?  The projects are ready for edit and review, but the ratio essentially remains 25:1, student to teacher so while I edit with one, 24 are working independently and it's rare that 24 students work with consistent quiet, enough quiet for a good edit.

Hence, the challenging week of PBL.

I planned the challenging week for two weeks prior to the end share.  That means that once we get through with the scatter this week brings, we'll move into the joyful creative week of designing backgrounds, exhibits, and the final touches on the films.

Then a couple of days until the Endangered Species Multimedia Museum Premiere for parents and friends.

How much to push?
When is good, good enough?
When to stop, and when to keep going?
What are just right expectations for each child?

PBL, like any creative, thoughtful endeavor, is essentially a path with a somewhat predictable start and finish, but the journey itself is set with many unknown twists and turns. No two classes ever pace the path the same. The key is for teachers and students to travel the journey with thoughtful intent, care, and our best work. Onward. Stay tuned.

0 Research Focus Meetings

Now that student research is off and running, I look forward to our research focus meetings.

Typically I introduce a new aspect of research during these meetings and then students share a learning/presentation discovery they've made.

Today I'll discuss ways to avoid plagiarism.  Then I'll make the time for one of the young, skilled researchers to present her extraordinary project--a project with wonderful, creative graphics, pointed information, and a passionate ending that leaves the audience ready and willing to support her cause.

Regular research focus meetings serve to share students' brilliance and inspire the research team to continue their work with enthusiasm and skill.

0 Guided Research Focus

Tech today offers lots of bells and whistles when it comes to creating research reports. Teachers debate the way to focus students' attention and process with regard to so many available choices.

I'm in favor of the following:

• Introduce students to what's available and possible.
• Give students time to investigate, explore, and try out the many research tools including video, image, text, and conversation.
• Schedule regular research meetings for focus lessons to guide work, engage in discussion, share ideas, and respond to questions.
• Observe student work, coach where needed.
• Once the project gets going, and you have a sense of the collective group's work, create a time line with students related to project "have-to's" and "extras."

Some might debate that allowing students to jump into all aspects of research at the start will delay the standards-base work of reading, thinking, taking notes, and writing the report.  After trying these projects myself, I believe it's best to introduce all aspects, and give children the time to try out their own paths and find their own, best ways to complete the project with significant teacher coaching and response. 

Although I've engaged in this endangered species research many times before, this is the first time that I'm delving into the project with a greater focus on 21st century project base learning and design--a worthy challenge for both teacher and students.  Stay tuned. 

0 PBL, Google Presentation: Students First!

This is the PBL leg of the year. Students are spending most of their time each day active with individual and collaborative research.  The classroom structure has been changed to support this activity.  Students are seated around the room in presentation spaces while there are two large share spaces in the room for times when we come together to converse, share, and learn.

Yesterday students officially started their individual endangered species research projects. We started in the library accessing multiple wonderful informational texts, magazines and reference books for research.  Later in the afternoon, students got online, researched more, and began crafting their Google presentations.

I watched, listened, and responded as students worked.  I realized that students needed a quick introduction to Google Presentation's tools and options.  Hence, I put together a short presentation of the possible tools they may use in their presentations. Did I miss any?  Are there music or voice tools available? This presentation will be the main subject of today's PBL focus lesson.

During this PBL leg, I'll have the chance to strengthened my coaching and response skills as I spend most of my time responding to students' needs and coaching them with regard to the many standards embedded in the project. To do this, I have to focus on the following:

• Knowing the standards well.
• Preparing and presenting focus lessons daily to inform students' work and learning. 
• Providing students with optimal tools and strategies for success.
• Editing, lots of editing.
• Creating a balanced schedule so that we're varying our approach and focus to keep the work interesting. 
• Encouraging and supporting. 

The wonderful surprise in all of this work and learning lies in where students will take the project.  All students will be responsible for a Google presentation with essential facts and a bulletin board presentation with facts, maps, and illustration.  After that, students can complete any number of "extras" including the following:

• dioramas of the animal's habitat.
• service learning projects.
• animal sculpture.
• animal drawings.
• public service announcement video.
• crossword puzzles and word finds.
• Skype or Hangout with experts.
• field study visits to zoos, museums, aquariums or other related sites.
• music composition.

Each year the students take the project to a different place.  Their combined enthusiasm, research, and outlook work together to create a unique final presentation.  What matters most is that students learn to learn, master the standards embedded in the project, and gain the satisfaction and understanding of what learning can and will be in the most authentic settings today and in the future. 

0 The Website: Guided Research Home Base

The website is the home base for guided research.

The website provides the initial paths to student exploration and investigation.

The website is an efficient self-guided resource center that responds to students/families' questions and needs 24-7 leaving room for important coaching and guidance during the time-on-task in the classroom.

A useful guided research website should include the following:

• Project introduction and checklists.
• Project examples and exemplars.
• Project research resources, both online and offline.
• Project Enrichment

The website should not be static, and instead serve as a flexible piece that morphs and changes as students' needs, standards, and resources change.

Utilizing a website as the home base for project/problem base learning brings all students and their families into 21st century learning and design, and prepares our students for the information-laden, connection-full world where they will one day independently live, learn and work. 

Here's an example of our latest project website.  What would you add?  What would you take away?  

0 Project Base Learning: Details

Patrick Larkin's recent post about relevant classrooms connects nicely to the current focus for my fourth graders as we embark on our endangered species study.

Truly, the start of this project has had the give-and-take quality of a dance or conversation.  Initially, I plan, they respond, and we move forward together.  Currently, we're laying the foundation for the project with background information and experiences including the following:

• A class lesson on "reading to find out" and research as we study biomes.
• Introductory film and crossword puzzle practice related to the unit vocabulary. 
• A field study experience at the zoo with an expert presentation, exploration, and note/image taking
• Exploration and investigation of the Endangered Species Website created to support student research. 
• Using an online presentation to find/learn specific facts/standards related to biology. 
• Crowdshare (studentshare) creation of a project time line.
• Project topic/question choice and targets.
• Project team and team space decisions.  Who will work together and where will their classroom project/presentation space be?
• Library resources investigation and exploration. We reserved the school library space for this event.
• Creation of a classroom project resource space with books, computers, and other resources.
• Introduction to project "have-to's" and project choices.  Grade level standards in reading, writing, and science are embedded into this project and those standards make up the project "have-to" expectations.  

Once the introductory activities have been completed, then students will begin their individual and team research. After that students will create online presentations, short films, and other displays as we prepare for our class share presentation and open house.  

Project base learning is a conversation and dance between teacher and students--we work together to develop skill, concept and knowledge in relevant and meaningful ways. 

0 Moving Schools into the Future: Actions

When I read George Couros's post this morning, and then read about a number of new Chrome apps, I was reminded once again that the world is changing. We can make that change more positive if we join the evolution by moving schools into the future.

As we sat at PLC this week and talked about "executive functioning," one colleague shared a strategy of asking students to "put on their future glasses" prior to starting a new project or endeavor.  The "future glasses" will help a child visualize the end product or result.

As educators we have to put on our "future glasses" in order to move schools into the future--what is it that we want and hope for when it comes to our children's education? How will we collaborate with students to make these shifts?

With my "future glasses" on, and the best of my current knowledge about the changing landscape of education, these are the shifts I'll be making:

Explore Time: Time for children and adults to explore and apply the new tools. Explore time will include teacher-student conversations, class discussions, and project application. You cannot employ a new tool without trying that tool out with children first. Learning with children is an efficient, meaningful way to explore new tools for optimal teaching.

Standards: I will consider the standards the backbone of the program, and look for the most engaging ways to embed those standards into the daily program.  I will bundle and integrate standards and apply a menu of online/offline learning tools, strategies, and processes for each bundle.

Menus: Menus of apt tools will support most learning in the classroom. I will list the menu of online/offline tools on the class website for easy 24-7 student/family/colleague access.  The menus will continually change as new tools are added, and less useful old tools are deleted.

STEAM Space: The STEAM space, for now, might not look a lot different from the old time arts and crafts corner, but the STEAM space will hold greater significance and integration as students explore science, tech, engineering, art and math.

Multi-Media Literacy Corner: The cozy rug-covered corner with bean bags, books, computers (when we have the cart), iPads (1 for now), and iPods will continue to serve as a center of reading, thinking, writing, exploring and learning.

Digital Share Space: The desks will be moved back to make room for a new rug and digital share space in front of the giant white board.  We'll meet regularly to share and critique student work, and other digital learning resources.

Learning to Learn Focus: The year will start with multiple "learning to learn" lessons and strategies so that students understand that learning is a life-long endeavor, an endeavor that they manage.  I will also emphasize that I am there to serve their learning needs.

Communication: Almost all communication will be digital.  Newsletters and home study lists will be continually updated and accessible 24-7 highlighting classroom emphases, student expectations, and choice.  Almost all classroom materials, learning venues, and information will be included on the class website for easy access.  Twitter, the class blog, and content websites will host timely announcements, more detailed information, and student project share. Communication will be a two-way street so that all members of the learning community are using digital technologies to converse and discuss matters of importance.

The work ahead continues to center on a learning design focus--learning design that includes review, grade-level standards, and student-driven enrichment.  My job is to know the standards well--standards that at my grade level are foundation skills, knowledge, and concept.  Then, with the help of school/standard scope and sequences, I'll bundle the standards into units that include menus of exploration tools, strategies, and foci. When the year starts, we'll integrate and skip from one standards bundle/unit to another responding to students' interests, needs, questions, and adaptations.

As Couros suggests, what will I delete as we transform?  This list represents some of the changes:

• We'll replace workbooks with hands-on/digital activities for the most part.  
• The time I used to spend organizing class management structure, rules, and highly structured, teacher-led lessons will be replaced by "learning to learn" lessons and student-driven, collaborative exploration and study.  
• Long films will mostly be replaced by short, pointed digital presentations, most of which can be accessed at home for review.
• Assessment, grading, and response in many cases will be done online and through teacher-student conference meetings. 

There is much to consider as we move schools forward.  This is one attempt to structure that evolution for my classroom.  What actions will you roll out to move your students and school forward?  What will you take away? 

0 Setting the Stage

Today was like a giant slumber party as children snuggled up in blankets with books, and it was also like a giant slumber party when rain forced an indoor recess and the blankets became forts while children played with abandon--that's a lot of play for 25 students in one room on a humid day.

After lunch we cleaned up and had tech choice to calm everyone down and complete the transition from test prep/test mode to project base learning.

Tomorrow we'll set the stage.  We'll spend the morning reading about biomes and the afternoon turning our now dull bulletin boards (we had to take all content info down for the tests) into biome displays.  Next week we'll create the infographics.  Then the review, and at last, independent endangered species research, writing, and project work.

The tests tired us out--both teachers and students. We did a lot of prep, and the tests themselves take a lot of stamina. I get tired just watching the children labor during the assessments, but as I've mentioned a zillion times (and to cheer myself on) we're now embarking on the PBL.  Onward.

0 Developing Literacy Studio

I'm taking a few minutes to observe literacy studio in action.  Students are relaxed and sitting around the room engaged in a number of literacy-related activities.  Most are listening and/or reading books of choice.  A few have chosen non-literacy activities which in some cases are okay, and in other cases signals an issue that I need to remedy.

Most of my students like to read, but a few still haven't developed the stamina and interest to sustain a lengthy period of independent reading. Most also read with fluency, but still a few need to develop that skill. As far as comprehension goes, there's still a range--a range I want to lift and address through book groups and interactive read aloud.

As I observe today, I am thinking about how I will grow literacy studio for the final leg of the year.

First, I'll start with a class meeting.  I'll list the goals of literacy studio which are to develop interest, fluency and understanding when it comes to reading.  Then I'll ask students for suggestions about how we can improve literacy studio so that we reach those goals.  I'll specifically ask about their feelings with regard book groups, partner reading, use of iPods and book selection.

Next, I'll take a close look at reading data and listen carefully to our upcoming progress monitoring PLC. I want to develop literacy studio so that all children have the chance to develop their literacy skills in advantageous ways.

Finally, after vacation, I'll introduce the new routine and explain that I've lifted the expectations and length of time to help students get ready for the fifth grade literacy expectations.  The classroom is filled with wonderful books and we're also right next door to the library.  We have RTI during a couple of literacy times during the week so there's some good support.

It's essential to stop now and then in the classroom to observe, think and make plans for change and improvement.