March 11 Update

Good morning!

Another great week!  

Donuts with Grown-Ups:
This invite went out to families this week to join us for Donuts with Grown Ups.  This is a great time to see families (back in the building) and enjoy a breakfast treat!  

Staff are welcome to attend - please fill out a survey to RSVP! 

Checks for Understanding - with Student Voice:

One of the most important parts of our instruction becomes that "did they learn it" or checks for understanding before, during, and after learning.  Below is a picture of a strategy to add student voice to that check for understanding.  After a lesson, students turn their exit ticket into one of four bins.   There is a lot of power in this strategy, as it provides the teacher with where a student believes they are at in the learning process.  For example, a student who does not understand the learning and puts their exit ticket into the "4 -I'm a Pro!" shows a whole different support level than a student who does not understand the learning and puts their exit ticket into the "1 - I'm Just Learning".  This strategy really provides the teacher with the student's mindset around their learning and where they believe they are at in the learning process. 

Bio Bags (Guest Blogger - Eric Oppegard): 

What can people see about us?  What don’t people know about us? BIO BAGS!

Tying into teaching characteristics for language arts and connecting to our building theme, “What’s your story?” each student created a bio bag about themselves. This idea came from the book we are reading for our equity and inclusion team, START HERE START NOW A Guide to Antiractist Work in Your School Community by Liz Kleinrock. 

On the outside of the bag, students were asked to write the visible characteristics of their identity.  These were easy for most students as they are visible and observable.  I used the words tall, blonde, balding (hey now-be nice), but also included words like reader (I could be observed reading a book) walker (I could be observed going for a walk), etc.  I had them draw a picture of themselves to gain perspective of how they see themselves.  I shared the Youtube video on how to draw a portrait: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aWObfnb4mo. This helped them with their drawings. 

Students were then given notecards to place inside the bag.  On these notecards, students were asked to write characteristics about themselves that are not visible or aspects of their lives that people may not know.  This was a little more difficult for them to explain, but using my examples helped them.  This is a great way for your students to get to know you even better.  A few examples I used on my notecards were:  good work ethic-they might not be able to see that, but growing up on a farm taught me to always work hard.  I also shared my card that stated anxiety-you might not know that I have anxiety by looking at me, but I do. One card started adopted-you wouldn’t know by looking at me that I am adopted, but I am, and knowing this has helped form who I am.  Sharing my cards before they started helped them understand that there are parts of Mr. Oppegard that you don’t know just by looking at him, but they are part of who I am and part of my story.   

The students worked very hard, and you could see that they were really putting some inner, private pieces of themselves in their bag.  I told the students that these cards will be sealed up in their bio bags because sometimes there are parts of you that you may not want to share.  However, there are parts of us that we want people to know.  I gave them opportunities to share those aspects of them if they wished.  

The was a great learning experience for both the students and for me.  It helped us understand each other better and learn more about each other and our stories. As the year goes on, I would encourage you to hand their bags back, have them take out their inner cards to see if they are all still true or if they want to change or add to their bags.   

Students indicated that they really enjoyed this experience.  They shared it helped them really think about who they are, but also understand that even though we may look different on the outside, we share similarities on the inside.  One student shared with me that they understood themselves better after this and realized that they are not alone.  

As a teacher, this was definitely one of the most powerful activities I have done with students. 

Cleanliness of Building:
Just a reminder to be checking your classroom, lockers, resource spaces, and other spaces nightly to ensure they are clean. You can even have students do this before they leave! In all honesty, we have a beautiful building with so much flex space - and it looks awful at times. We've even had community members comment that it looks dirty. Please help keep our spaces (all spaces - classroom, open areas, conference room, lockers) clean and presentable.

Building Weekly Newsletter:
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Have a GREAT weekend!