Resources for Parents

Chances are, you live in a state that will be taking a digital test this coming spring.  While this news brings a smile to some faces, it strikes terror in others.  Namely parents.

Educational organizations are quick to claim "partnerships with all stakeholders", including parents.  Yet, the reality is, some parents are left in the dark when it comes to the Big Stakes Test.

Let's change that.

First, let's have a conversation.  

Teachers and administrators have access to email newsletters with current information.  Parents don't.  It is the responsibility of the educational institution to share that knowledge with the people who have a large influence on the students; the families.

The Arizona Department of Education has a section of their website dedicated to just this purpose.  Click here to be directed to Arizona's new assessment page: AzMERIT.

http://www.azed.gov/

Second, let them see the test.  

Let them TAKE the test!  All three major assessments (PARCC, Smarter Balanced, and AzMERIT) have online sample tests.  They might not be an entire test, but the few questions they do have offer students (and parents) a glimpse of what the real test will look like.  For a list of resources for Arizona, click here.
Digital Testing Requires Digital Learning
Digital Learning Day, Every Day
The New Digital Assessment
PARCC Sample Test Answers and Rationale

Third, give them resources.  

Yes, parents can go online to these assessors (PARCC, Smarter Balanced, and AzMERIT) and read a FAQ page.  Some even have a flyer for parents.  But, I'm talking about real resources.  Resources that parents can start using today.  "How do I help my child at home?"  "What should we be doing to prep for this?"

I have prepared a "cheat sheet" for parents at my school.  I didn't want it to get lost in the mountain of paperwork, so I printed it on business cards.  I provided resources for Math on one side and resources for ELA on the other side.  Which resources did I include?

Math:

• SumDog.com
• Multiplication.com

ELA:

• MyON.com
• Weebly.com

I also provided prompts that parents could use to ask their children about their work.  

Math:

• What was your strategy?
• Is there another way to solve that?

ELA:

• What evidence did you find?
• How does that compare to ___ (another text)?

I selected these resources because this is what we use at our school.  What do you use at your school?  Use those resources on your "cheat sheet" for parents.  

I would love to hear how you are preparing students for the new digital assessment.  Comment below or contact me via the links on the sidebar.

Novels on Location

You can see the setting as clear as if you were right there.  You can smell their food as if it were cooking in your kitchen.  Your heart races during the climax as if you were the one being chased.  Novels draw you in.

Have you ever read a book and wanted to look up the location online?  Perhaps you used Google Maps or maybe even LitTrips.  What about having your students use Novels on Location?

http://novelsonlocation.com/

I recently read about Novels on Location on Free Technology for Teachers.  If you are not receiving his feeds, you need to go there now and subscribe.  I'll wait.  Yes, it's that good.

Novels on location is basically a huge hyperlinked map.  Each feather on the map represents a novel linked to that location.  As of right now, there are approximately 600 books linked; hardly all the novels ever written, right?  So, have your students create a feather and pin it on the map!

It's a very simple process.  First, start by searching if your desired book is linked to the map by using the search bar at the top.  If it zooms into the ocean or a vast desert, then that book is not pinned.  Yet.

Teach your students how to pin a book to a place.  You might want to start by doing a few whole class first.  For instance, I pinned Island of the Blue Dolphins this morning.

Step 1: Enter a location in the first search bar.  For my example, I entered San Nicholas Island.

Step 2: Enter the book title.

Step 3: Add a summary.

That's it!  You now have a feather!  Click on the feather to see the pop-up.

I have long advocated for 21st century classrooms to use Amazon book reviews and Weebly blogs in exchange for the old-fashioned book report.  Now, teachers (and students) have a choice.

I love to hear new ideas.  Please comment if you have used Novels on Location!

Soaring to New Heights

The 4 C's of 21st Century Classrooms:

Communication
Collaboration
Critical Thinking
Creativity

Good teachers have known this for years.  They have been embedding opportunities for the 4 C's before they were called "The 4 C's".  I recently read a great article explaining how STEM extends beyond beakers and microscopes.  STEM is great for all students because it incorporates the 4 C's.

You might be thinking this is great in theory but how does it look in the classroom.  Let's take a look at a 5th Grade STEM unit.  

Hot air balloons are very successful advertising vehicles, and are often used by major companies.  A good example is the ReMax balloon which is shown in almost all their TV commercials.  Some hot air balloons are even made in special shapes to represent the company's product, for example the Pepsi Soda Pop balloon. 

You are employed by Apache Air Industries, the leading manufacturer of ballooning supplies. You are a member of a materials engineering team. The company wants a new design to offer customers. You and your team must design, construct, and test a hot air balloon design.

It must meet the following criteria: The design must be durable yet offer high flying capabilities.
It must look good, either as a novel shape, or as a normal balloon with logo and slogans.
It must cost as little as possible, otherwise the company may withdraw support.
It must be accompanied by advertising materials, such as a TV commercial and/or website.

The STEM unit teaches:

• Science: gravity exerts force down, hence more dense cold air pushes down which in turn forces less dense hot air up. Next Generation Science Standard 5-PS2-1.

• Technology: Create original works as a means of personal or group expression (TV commercial and/or website).  ISTE-S 1.b 

• Engineering: Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved. Next Generation Science Standard 3-5-ETS1-3

• Math: surface area and volume and how the ratio must be as close to 1:1 as possible. CCSS.Math.Content.5.MD.C.5

Communication

ISTE standards for students ask that "students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others."

We see from the YouTube generation that students want to communicate with others.  They not only post content but spend hours reading and commenting on others' content.  As teachers, let's provide the tools, teach digital citizenship, and then get out of their way.  

Our 5th grade students were able to communicate with university students.  Not just any university students but Embry Riddle Aeronautical University students.  Watch this video:

In the video, you can see our students working on a hot air balloon.  They have designed and tested their balloon, yet it didn't get very high and it didn't stay aloft very long.  The elementary students are now preparing to communicate with the university students about possible design changes.  They are the experts, after all.

Collaboration

Not only are our students collaborating with aeronautical university students, but also with each other.  From the very first lesson, the students formed into groups.  In their groups, they decided on a design, used a Materials Cost Calculator (shown below) to stay within budget, and built the balloon.

Critical Thinking

The entire STEM unit has been filled with critical thinking.  The students had GREAT discussions as they were building their balloons.  Students went through several design paths as they attempted, failed, and altered the design.  On launch day, the students were verbalizing their critical thinking as their balloons did not meet expectations.  "Maybe the opening is too big", "I think the ratio is off", "Our balloon is too heavy.  We need to lose weight".  They have followed the engineering design process and used critical thinking to enhance their design.

Creativity

The challenge specifically asked for creativity.  Students were to design their balloon either in a novel shape or to use a normal shape but add student-created logos.  Once again, I see the importance of teachers getting out of the way.  I had pre-conceived notions of what the balloons "should" have looked like.  Yet, I have learned after years in the classroom, to keep my opinions to myself and not to stifle their creativity.  Just look at this balloon:

Anyone else singing "two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese"?

I love to see examples of the 4 C's in STEM lessons.  Please share your stories in the comments.

From AIMS to AzMERIT

Arizona Department of Education has recently released information for parents and teachers regarding the transition to the new assessment, AzMERIT.


Click below to view the modules.  Each module is approximately 12 minutes in length.

Module Part 1: Review of the need for a new assessment and the selection process.

Module Part 2:  Explanation of how AzMERIT differs from past assessments.

Module Part 3:  Overview of the major shifts in English Language Arts and Mathematics.


ADE also released their blueprints.  Blueprints are a breakdown of the percentages on each test.  See the example below:

http://www.azed.gov/assessment/files/2014/11/azmerit-math-public-blueprint.pdf

The example above is from the Mathematics blueprint for 4th Grade.  Notice the largest percentage will come from Number and Operations-Fractions.  Teachers will be sure to spiral fraction review throughout their curriculum.

Another thing to pay particular attention to is the shift to more informational reading.  See the blueprints below:

http://www.azed.gov/assessment/files/2014/11/azmerit-ela-public-blueprint.pdf

http://www.azed.gov/assessment/files/2014/11/azmerit-ela-public-blueprint.pdf

You can see that in 3rd Grade, the split is 35% and 35% for Literature and Informational Text.  However, by 11th Grade, the split is 30% and 40%.  Teachers are beginning to phase in more informational text, not to "prep for the test", but that's what we do as adults.  We tend to read more informational text.  Therefore, we are preparing our students for college and career.

Click below to view the blueprints for English Language Arts and Mathematics.

ELA

Math


All teachers, students, and parents are encouraged to take the sample tests.  Click here to view the tutorial and be directed to the sample assessments for ELA and Math.  

Best STEM School in Rural Arizona

Come late January/early February, Arizona will be buzzing about football....and STEM.

https://azsuperbowl.com/community/stemsuperheroes/

The Arizona Super Bowl Host Committe, in partnership with mining company, Freeport McMoran, hosted the STEM Superhero Awards.

The STEM Superhero Awards highlight excellence and innovation in STEM teaching throughout Arizona.  We will be selecting a team of 49 superheroes in the categories of Best STEM School, Most Innovative STEM Club, and Most Dedicated STEM Teacher. 

Cradleboard Elementary has been chosen as the Best STEM School!

Cradleboard Elementary has incorporated STEM into every grade level, from Kindergarten to 5th grade.  STEM is embedded into existing curriculum in the classroom.  Through professional development and collaboration, STEM is also being embedded into new curriculum outside the classroom, in the STREAM garden and on the trail.  We have inspired other reservation schools to use STEM as a way to better serve students and give them a hope for the future.

Cradleboard sent representatives to an awards ceremony held at the Arizona Science Center where we were awarded grant funding to keep our STEM program going.

This is a wonderful recognition of all our dedicated teachers.  They have all worked so hard to incorporate STEM into their Common Core curriculum.  Teachers often come to my office, animated about a science concept that they want to teach to their students.  The students sense that and the teacher's passion rubs off on the students.  Weekly, I have students (and parents) telling me about engineering projects they are doing at home.  Our library circulation rate has more than doubled, as students are feverishly reading to learn more about what they are studying.  Our teachers truly are Super Heroes!

Video-Based Questions

Is your "big stakes test" going digital?  Ours is.  Although we don't know everything about our new test yet, we do know that it will be digital and we have access to sample tests.

Click here to see the Arizona Sample Tests.

We also know that there will be video-based questions.  That just blows me away.  Our entire lives, we have read passages (on paper) and answered A, B, C, or D by filling in a bubble.  With the advent of the digital test, we now have alternative means for demonstrating understanding.  

Drag and drop. Calculators.  Typing.  Highlighting.  And viewing videos.  

If you can feel your heart racing and your blood pressure rising, it's okay.  We're here to help.

With a little guided instruction, your students will do just fine.  

But, what's a teacher to do?

View Your Sample Tests

If you are in Arizona, your sample tests can be found at the ADE website.  Click here.

If you are a PARCC state, click here.

If you are a Smarter Balanced state, click here.

There are usually sample tests for ELA and for Math.  I would also suggest taking the tests at the grade level under you and above you.

Make Note of the Prompts

What did you notice when you took the sample tests? How did they phrase questions?  Write down the testing vocabulary so you can embed that into your routines.  An example is, if you noticed they asked students to "justify their reasoning" on the Math test, you can use that phrase in class (often!).  Then, when the students take the Big Stakes Test, they will fully understand what that phrase means and they will be accustomed to answering it.  

If your test has video-based questions (AZ!), I have prepared a "cheat sheet" of prompts for you.  Click here to download and print.  Print on cardstock and cut in half.  Give one to a fellow teacher or stash one in your lesson plan book and one by your laptop.  

Embed Into Your Lessons

Chances are, you view videos with your students.  Maybe it's that video of how volcanoes form or maybe it's the cartoon edition of Aesop's Fables.  Start with something you already do.

Use the prompts on the cheat sheet to help you phrase your questions.

For more resources, click here.

Keep the conversation going.  How do you prepare students for video-based questions?

Using Project-Based STEM to Prep for the Digital Test

The first day jitters are over.  You know every student's name.  You also know who can't sit next to their friend and who will correct you every time you make a mistake on the board.  Your literature circles are humming along nicely and your Socratic seminars are lively yet respectful.  You are a Common Core ninja.  You got this.

And then your principal shows you the new digital assessment.

Oh, you weren't surprised to see the "cite your evidence from the text" ELA question.  You didn't bat an eyelash at the "justify your reasoning" prompt on the Math test.  But, "drag and drop", "highlight the phrase", and "align the protractor"!?  One principal asked, "is this testing them on the standards or testing them on their use of technology?"  The answer is, "yes".

In Arizona, we have renamed the Common Core State Standards to the Arizona College and Career Readiness Standards.  The name says it all.  We are preparing them for college and career.  Even at the base level, an application for Wal-Mart is completed online....with a time limit.  Big rig (18 wheeler) drivers  have to use handhelds when they deliver their loads.  Even college classes that meet in person, in a real room, still have components which students must complete online .  It stands to reason that if we are going to prepare our students for college and career, then we must bring technology into the classroom.  

Educational technology is not a new concept.  Teachers have been incorporating ed tech into classrooms for years.  But to what degree?  Is the only laptop in the room for teacher use?  Are the students merely viewing videos once as a "reward"?   It stands to reason that citizens of the 21st century will be taught to use technology, engage with technology, and then be tested on it.

To read more about Digital Learning and Digital Assessments, read these posts:
Digital Testing Requires Digital Learning
Digital Learning Day, Every Day
The New Digital Assessment
PARCC Sample Test Answers and Rationale

Connecting STEM to Digital Assessments

By now, everyone knows that the T in STEM stands for Technology.  But an iPad app here and a typed essay there is not sufficient for 21st century learners.  Digital natives crave to create technology, not merely consume it.  So, how do we do that in a way that is meaningful to them?  Enter Project-Based STEM units.

A new research report released last week notes the importance of project-based STEM units:

high-quality project-based curricula might be able to help narrow the science education achievement gap in children from low-income backgrounds or other groups that are underrepresented in STEM fields. (Ingfei Chen)

What Does This Look Like?

If you have not seen examples of the new digital assessments (PARCC, Smarter Balanced, or Arizona), I encourage you to do that.  Below, I will show some examples of digital skills on the assessments and how we are using STEM units to teach and foster those skills.

Charts and Grids

http://www.azed.gov/assessment/azsampleassessmentitems/

The chart above is a page from the 5th grade ELA assessment.  Notice that the students must be able to toggle back and forth between two texts and one video.  Students must also know how to use the scrolling bar to read the entire text.  Only after all that, will the students be ready to answer the question by filling in the chart.  Daunting?  Perhaps.  Impossible?  No.  Just take a look at how I incorporated the digital skill of charts/grids into 5th grade STEM.

http://www.stem-ready.com/

After students engage with a simulation they enter data in a grid/chart.  There is a lot of Gradual Release of Responsibility in our STEM units, as we go through the stages of "I do, we do, you do".  This activity is done whole class.  For many students, this is their first experience with a digital chart.  But as we can see from the sample assessments, it won't be their last.

Videos

http://www.azed.gov/assessment/azsampleassessmentitems/

The screenshot above is from the 6th grade ELA assessment.  Showing videos in class is not new but referring to time stamps might be.  Another shift is the reference back to the video as "visual text".  Teachers are adept at asking students to refer back to their text yet rarely require students to refer directly back to a video.  Now, take a look at how I incorporated analyzing visual text into our 4th grade STEM unit.

http://www.stem-ready.com/

On this page, you see that students are asked to take notes while viewing the video.  This is a "student page" of the online unit, so the students have control of the video.  They can pause to take notes, rewind to review sections, and fast forward to go directly to certain time stamps. On pages after this example, students are asked to respond to their visual text, citing evidence with time stamps.

Drag and Drop

http://www.azed.gov/assessment/azsampleassessmentitems/

The screenshot above is from the 3rd grade ELA assessment.  On this page, you see that students are asked to drag the blue boxes into the correct box.  You might think that drag and drop is so easy.  And it is.  When you have a mouse.  But many students will take the assessment on a touch screen tablet.  When the students attempt to drag the boxes, the entire screen moves.  It is important to practice drag and drop activities with the touch screen so the students know how to manipulate the boxes.  Now, look at the drag and drop activity in our 3rd grade STEM unit.

http://www.stem-ready.com/

This screenshot from our 3rd grade STEM unit shows that the students will indeed get the practice of dragging and dropping.  The activity is not superficial, yet integral to the STEM unit.

There are many more digital tools that students must navigate in order to "show what they know" on the big digital assessment.  We have analyzed each grade level (ELA and Math) to embed those digital tools where appropriate.  Subscribe to this blog (on the right sidebar) to get a notification when I post the digital tools on the Math sample assessments that I have embedded into our STEM units.  I encourage you to use project-based STEM units to embed those digital tools to make the learning relevant.  "Relevance makes rigor possible" (Dr. Dagget).