Write By Candlelight

     It started with our poetry unit, our culminating project being a poetry slam for 2nd and 3rd graders.  It was precious!  The kids wrote their own poems as part of the unit.  We purchased plastic mason jars and battery-operated tea lights.  We made little table groups with the candlelight and had a chair for the featured reader to sit in at the front of the classroom to recite their poem.  The kids LOVED it!

     Then a few days later, my third graders were working on their focused brain-storming session in our recently-started Realistic Fiction unit.  I happened to notice the tea lights and jars were still out, needing to be put away.  I said, "Kiddos, do you want to write by candlelight today?"  "YEEEESSSSS!!!!"  So the ones who wanted a candle/jar got to write by candlelight.  It was absolutely precious!  We turned off the lights and also put on peaceful music.  From now on the kids  always get the option to write by candlelight.  I'm absolutely loving the ambience and the peace it brings them.

     For this particular unit, my co-teacher and I decided to have the kids write a choose-your-own adventure story!  I'd seen a reference to it at a technology workshop, and was SUPER ANTSY to fit it into the curriculum somehow!  This was the perfect opportunity.  The kids are THRILLED about it, even my most challenged writers!  After doing some research about how to write one in general, we've amended it for our grade level.  Here is a fantastic resource that helped us.  

     The students pictured above are working on their "Events In My Story" part of the story planning process.  We already spent a day working on characters and setting.  We talked a little bit about how to organize the story.  Each part of their book will be about a paragraph, no longer than a page.  For some of them, drawing the organizer helped at this stage.  I am interested to see how the others choose to organize their thoughts.  In general, I love what they are coming up with!

     We are using Jen Bengel's Units of Study for our Reading Writing Workshop (RWW).  If you haven't checked her out yet, YOU. SIMPLY. MUST!!!  Beyond rave reviews about how Jen's units of study have changed my teaching approach to RWW.  She's FABULOUS!  See my separate post about how we've implemented her units in RWW and Spelling.

More to come as the kids continue to work on their stories!

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How Flexible Seating Transformed My Classroom

We had always allowed the kids to sit in places other than their desks during work time, so when I initially read about it I thought, "We're on the right track."  But transforming our classroom into a true flexible learning environment has been a major learning experience for me and my kids!  

If you are new to the idea, check out http://www.edutopia.org/practice/flexible-classrooms-providing-learning-environment-kids-need.  Definitely a fantastic article - who doesn't love Edutopia?!

   One of the very best things to come from the new seating arrangement was the one-on-one time I can have with a student while they are working on something with which he/she needs help.  It used to be that we grouped their assigned desks in pods.  This meant that if a student needed help, there was an audience while the teacher was working with him/her.  Because I was uncomfortable with this in some instances, I'd have the kids work at my desk with me instead.  I really love that I can now be engaged with the kids where they are working, while maintaining their privacy.  One thing you can't see from the picture is that we switch up how many desks are in groups.  Sometimes it's groups of 2, 3, 4, 5, etc.  We purposefully purchased a total of 16 desks, but have 28 students.  There are many places for the students to sit including other tables.  I use the table in the back of the room for my Math Workshop, and that has worked really well!

     One other plus to come from the flexible seating is that the kids use cubbies, which means that we don't deal with crazy messy desks!  We deal with some crazy messy cubbies, but they aren't nearly as bad as when the kids had their own desks!  It was very important that we made sure our kids had their own supplies, because this was a big treat when moving from K/1 to 2/3.  Everyone had their own desk and supplies!  Since we've removed the assigned seating, it was important that they keep their own supplies.  The whole routine has really gone much more smoothly than I had anticipated.  *Truly.*

     Though I was initially definitely out of my comfort zone with this arrangement, I have to say I don't know that I'd want to go back.  I love how connected I feel with my kids given this is new for them too.  I know the kids love it too!  Sometimes they need redirection to sit where they'll "make good choices," but in general the kids are focused and learning.  So to anyone at the beginning stages of whether or not to transform their classroom, just do it!  Take the leap!  Give it a shot.  You may be (incredibly) pleasantly surprised!

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