Authentic Audience in the Middle School

Just a quick short note about me then I will get to the point. This is my 7th year teaching at Sunnyvale and my 2nd year as a 5th grade teacher. My husband is Reagan and we have a rowdy 7 year old named Jake.

When the students realize they have an authentic audience and it is not just going to be their teachers or peers seeing their projects, it seems to instill a sense of pride into them, both as a group and as an individual. They want to impress whomever they are creating for and I think most students always want their products to be the best. When they finish with a project, it is not only authentic, but also they are genuinely proud of their work and want to show it off.

Recently my husband had the chance to be the audience for a 5th grade science ELU and he came to school to give the students feedback. They loved when he directly recognized items from their products and asked them specific questions as to how they came up with the ideas. So, not only is it important to launch and ELU with your audience, but also to invite that audience back to review and give feedback on the finished project product.

Authentic Audience in the Elementary School

If Margaret Wise Brown (the author of “The Important Book”) were to write about an authentic audience, I think it would go something like this:

The important thing about an authentic audience is that the audience is meaningful to your students. An authentic audience can increase student engagement and effort in their learning. The audience should be relevant to the material you’re discussing. It is best if the audience can provide timely feedback. But the important thing about an authentic audience is that the audience is meaningful to your students.

            Students are much more likely to put in extra effort if they know they’re preparing for a special or unique audience. Teachers are the same way! Think back to your PDAS days. I know it’s a mood killer, but it will make this point easier to relate too. Think about how much time and effort you put into preparing that one lesson. You gave it your all because you knew your administrator would be basing the majority of your evaluation off of that one lesson. Now think about how much time and effort you put into your lessons on a daily basis. A lot of teachers write lesson plans because we have to and our administrators are going to make sure we have entered them. Likewise, our students tend to do average work because we make it a requirement and it will be for a grade. If we want students to give it their all, we need to provide them with a meaningful audience.

            When considering an audience for your students, it is imperative that the audience is relevant! Would you value teaching feedback from a three star Michelin chef? While I respect Gordon Ramsay’s ability to cook and his British accent, I would not take what he had to say about my teaching to heart. Similarly, students are more likely to apply constructive feedback from someone that’s “in the business” as opposed to the person teaching about “the business.” If we want students to go above and beyond, we need to provide them with a meaningful audience.

            Like with most components of teaching, there’s not a one-size-fits-all audience for our students. In order to pick a meaningful audience, you must first get to know the kids in your class. Once you know what makes them “tick,” you can do a better job in choosing your audience for each assignment. Instead of trying to find a variety of audience members for one assignment, it is my recommendation to provide a variety of audience members throughout the year. If we want the most from our students, we need to provide them with a meaningful audience.

            Unfortunately, it is becoming harder to keep students engaged and to get the most out of them. One way to remedy this challenge is by providing students with an authentic audience that is also meaningful!

Faren DeRieux - I graduated with my Master’s degree from Austin College in 2009. I played college soccer, and I still play in adult leagues! This is my 7^th year to teach (fourth year in Sunnyvale). I have two daughters: Tori (3 years old) and Brianna (10 months old).

Formative Assessment in the High School

In a tested STAAR E.O.C. subject like U.S. History, formative assessments are crucial to meeting individual student needs as well as the needs of an entire class. Over the years I have refined my formative measurements to include numerous methods, and it is an ever-changing process. 

Last year I began using Socrative as a way to introduce unit TEKS to students. I create my unit test beforehand and then select questions for the formative assessments. This successfully introduces students to the TEKS, the topics, and the necessary reading comprehension. In addition, before the summative test, I can open the Socrative for students to review. This year, I began using Kahoot as a quick way to check for understanding over one or two TEKS. Students love Kahoot and it gives instant feedback! I also go "old school" and use graphic organizers or short answer questions after direct teach portions to ensure students apply the knowledge. Recently, I adjusted this approach to use a short answer round robin, where each table had a question and students rotated around to answer the questions. Activities like that give students an opportunity to practice their writing skills for the unit summative writing assessment. The process is a bit different for my dual credit classes, where I use discussion boards to check for understanding over primary documents or important concepts. Dual credit requires some independent learning and a faster pace, so formative assessments focus on the ability to analyze information and to express critical thinking. Formative assessments scaffold instruction, building to a summative assessment, but also scaffold a variety of learning skills. 

Go Raiders!

Kerry Green is the U.S. History teacher (11th Grade) at SHS, and has been with Sunnyvale since the high school opened (formerly known as Mrs. Cookston). She has four sons: J.W. (graduate 2012), Wade (senior), Ryan (sophomore), and Wyatt (8th grade). 

Formative Assessment in the Middle School

Transform your classroom and the educational journey of your students by consistently using formative assessments.  They take many shapes, and teachers must develop their own style.  Formative assessment includes oral language and questions, projects or performance assessments, written components, movement and gesture activities, technology tools, and more.  The practice of using formative assessment allows a teacher to reward students for their competency and skills, and it highlights those students in need of extra help in their learning journey.  The teacher, with feedback, can make decisions about the next instructional step.  

Besides the teacher having valuable data on their students' understanding, formative assessments aid the students by empowering them to take ownership in their learning journey.  They can gauge their own level of understanding and seek further assistance with this knowledge.  Students can increase their capacity for success.  As the students feel a part of their own learning process, it becomes more meaningful and relevant to them.

Great teachers know their students, make adjustments, and empower their students to participate in the educational process.  That creates a truly transformational journey for everyone.

I was born and raised in Dallas, and I graduated from Texas A&M University in 1985.  Two years later, I married my husband, Pete Fitzgerald.  We have three boys, Dale, Curt, and Luke.  After living in College Station for sixteen years, we moved back to this area in order to be closer to family.  I have been in Sunnyvale since 2091, and I feel like this is home.  

Laura Fitzgerald

Formative Assessments in the Elementary School

Formative Assessment (dramatic pause with thoughts of the voice of Edwin Starr) , what is it good for?

Absolutely nothing!  Sing it again, sing it again!  Formative assessment, uh-wooh, what is it good for… okay I’m just joking, absolutely EVERYTHING! Bless my heart for trying to connect E Starr to formative assessments! A teacher can try for cryin’ out loud. Okay honestly for the first 8 years of my 12 years teaching, I had little to no idea what to do with formative assessment. What was this mystical word that principals encouraged me to use and why did I need it?  I grouped this type of thing with my pile of “ geez, another thing I need to grade” category or I convinced myself (you don’t have to twist my arm about it ) I’ll save that for figuring it all out during my summer months when I have all the time in the world.  Cough, yeah right. Data was a check box on my teacher to do list that I rarely looked over twice. Yes, I really did rat myself out.  Seriously folks, I was counting my grades and making sure I had enough, if you know what I mean. Personally my value for formative assessments was nil and I had no use/time for it in my classroom.

About 4 years ago I moved out of Texas to Colorado. There I had twice as many students per teacher and twice as many needs. In the school district I was in, teachers have little resources and tons of students, and have to develop individual learning plans (the two words I don’t like to say too loud, measurable date).  I was in desperate need to find help and find it quick. There was a course that was available to me because I was a new professional to the school, so I signed up.  The class was working through a book called, 7 Strategies of Assessment for Learning.  The evasive formative assessment had followed me all the way to the Rockies. Fine, fine, I catch on quick.  The author, Jan Chappuis, has equipped me to look at what it is and what it isn’t. My first common major mistake was plain ol’ misunderstanding. Formative assessment is not an instrument or an event, but a collection of practices with a common feature: they all lead to some action that improves learning (pg. 4).  In the words of Mrs. Chappuis, this kind of assessment is essentially feedback, it is immediately used to make adjustments so as to form new learning (pg. 4).

The light had come on. A new dawn had come. I was blind but now I see. Yada, yada, needless to say I had a new, deep understanding of formative assessments.  Whereas my old teacher ways had formative assessments in the trunk of my educational car, now my new teacher ways has formative assessments as my passenger. The more I practice this way of teacher feedback, the more time and understanding I have of my students. It’s not just my teacher gut (which by the way all good teachers have) but, now I can prove it with data. This new way for me is empowering and has built me stronger and more effective as an educator.

All good teachers want to improve learning for their students. Formative assessments allow students to self-monitor, close gaps, clear up vague understands, and have targets to focus on when struggling with a variety of contents. This is for all grade levels and all abilities.  

Data is a friend to all teachers.

Karye Boyer is a girl who likes to equip people with the things they need to love life, love learning and to love themselves. She’s been teaching for 11 years in public schools and hopes to one day grow up to be like Gretchen Barnabei. Her family is happy to live back in Texas.  She teaches 4th grade ELA/R and Social Studies. She thinks teaching is fun!

October's Topic

This month's posts on Raider2Raider will all focus on use of formative assessments.

We will learn from Karye Boyer from the elementary school on Wednesday, October 14th.

We will learn from Laura Fitzgerald from the middle school on Wednesday, October 21st.

We will learn from Kerry Green from the high school on Wednesday, October 28th.

High School - Parent Communications

To be quite honest, from a teacher’s perspective, communicating with parents can be stress inducing, particularly if you have to broach a difficult topic. However, parents are our most important allies on this journey to create students who are fully prepared to move on from us and live productive, successful lives. 

In my experience, I have found a few things that are very important in parent communication:

1.  In any communication, start with the positive.  It is two weeks into this 2015-16 school year, and I already have a sincere affection for my students.  I am enjoying getting to know them, and I think we are going to have a great year.  It was that way last year, and the year before that, and so on. My students are the best part of my job by far.  For most teachers, I think this is true.  In any communication or conference, start there.  Parents need to trust that you value their child and want what is best for them. 

2.  As often as possible, communicate good news about their student, not just the problems or concerns.  Due to time constraints, this can be incredibly difficult.  I have approximately 115 students.  You can do the math.  Last spring, I ordered some postcards, personalized them, and made them pretty.  I randomly selected students and sent notes to parents just to say something positive about their child.  Unfortunately, I did not get to all 115 students in the spring semester.  This year, I am starting earlier, and my goal is to send at least one note of appreciation and admiration to the parents of each of my students. 

3.  I hate confrontation, but sometimes problems or concerns arise that need attention. It is also important to remember that confronting something does not (and in this case SHOULD not) be hostile.  It is important to address issues so that you can, as the sage Barney Fife said, “nip it in the bud.”  Approach these issues honestly, but with grace and respect.  Listen to the parents and recruit them to partner with you to solve the problem.  You are on the same side, after all. At the risk of sounding too “mushy,” as a teacher who is also a parent, I try to remember that we are dealing with someone’s baby- even if they are 16.

4.  Be transparent.   Make it easy for parents to access any information that is important to their children’s success.  The many technological avenues available to us can be a great benefit in this area.

Kris Williams is the wife, daughter, daughter-in-law, and mother of educators.  I am entering my 18th year as an English teacher, and I can't imagine doing much else(although I've always thought being a spy would be cool). I am blessed to live this life.

Middle School - Parent Communication

"Communication leads to community, that is, to understanding, intimacy and mutual valuing." -  Rollo May

I communicate with parents in 3 different ways:

1. Email - Every Monday, I send out an email to parents titled "This Week in Texas History".....that mentions the general topic of what we are learning that week.

2. Remind 101 - I remind parents a week ahead when an important project/homework is due or a test is scheduled.

3. Website Calendar - I direct parents/students to my website calendar for upcoming events, lesson, and test. I plan one to two weeks in advance and update my calendar daily.     

Andrew Navaja is a 7th grade Texas History teacher at Sunnyvale Middle School.  He is a Varsity Football and Powerlifting coach. This is his 4th year in Sunnyvale and 15th overall year in education.

Elementary School - Parent Communication

The primary way that I communicate with my parents are through my website (that we update weekly), emails and my students' daily folders.  It's my students' "job" to take their folder home, have their parents look at it and bring it back the next day!  In the folder is: completed work, notes/information from me, PTA, the school, etc. and a calendar with everything that's going on that month.  This calendar is also where their behavior/conduct is recorded for the day.

Another means of communication that I love is Remind101 messages!  This allows me to remind my students and parents about upcoming events or deadlines through a text message.  As a parent, I love receiving these at night or in the morning to remind me of something when my child is present - not while I'm busy at work and will forget again!

The main thing I stress with my parents is to ALWAYS communicate and ask questions!!   No question or concern is too small, silly...  I would rather be over informed and have too many questions.   Here's a real life example-  your family pet is sick and you know you're going to have to make that tough decision.  Your child is going to be sad, may loose sleep, have questions...  Send me a quick email and let me know. Then, I can help them cope at school too.


My primary goal is to create life long learners and kids who LOVE to come to school!  The more we talk and communicate the easier both of our jobs are!



Michelle Wilson graduated from Texas A&M University with a B.S. In Psychology, Minor in Management.  After graduating she worked in the "corporate world" for 12 years and realized that was not what she wanted to do for he rest of her life. So, she got her teaching certification and has been teaching Kindergarten at Sunnyvale since then (this is her 9th year).  Michelle, her husband Ken and her their 2 daughters have lived in Sunnyvale for 14 years!  Their daughter Taylor is a freshman at Texas A&M University (Whoop!) and Madi is a sophomore at Sunnyvale High School.  They are very proud Sunnyvale Raiders!!!

September's Topic

This month #R2R will cover the all important topic of parent communication.

We'll hear from Michelle Wilson from the Elementary School, Andrew Navaja from the Middle School and Kris Williams from the High School.

Michelle's blog will go live Wednesday, September 9th.
Andrew's blog will go live Wednesday, September 16.
Kris' blog will go live Wednesday, September 23.

Join in the conversation in the comments to let us know how you communicate with parents!

#CofL (community of learners)

Getting to know students & building a positive classroom culture

August's question: What's your favorite way to get to know students and build a positive classroom culture?

To me, a positive classroom culture means having a class that students feel safe and encouraged, so safe and encouraged that they are willing to take risks. Mr. Williams asked teachers on Monday, in one word, what would we hope to be described as? I said accepting. I think it’s really hard to be a middle schooler, to fit in or find their place, to figure it all out. I can remember when I was in middle school, the first day was so exciting, I was all ready for the year, wearing a new outfit, new shoes, had a new backpack and I couldn’t wait to see all my friends that I had missed all summer.  Lots of excitement for one day! I try as a teacher to not forget that those talkative, excited and energetic kids are also nervous! Each of them with a new schedule of classes with teachers they don’t know much about, filled with a classroom full of students, just trying to figure it all out. So, to ease them into the school year, I start the first week with lots of “get to know you” and team-building activities. Some of these activities challenge them to share about themselves, or express themselves in various ways. This builds trust between the students, and helps them learn the culture of my room. As they do these activities, they are learning about each other’s personalities, likes, dislikes, boundaries, comfort zones and they are creating their own unique classroom culture without even realizing it, and, as all this happens I am observing and learning about them as well.

Also, as students come into my room, I make them feel welcome with a high five, hug, a pat on the back, or a simple hello. The first day, I tell them about myself and they get to see that I am goofy and that I am excited for them to be in my class. I share with them that I used to be shy, and that I had a teacher in middle school that challenged me to get out of my “box” and it was hard, but if they take risks, they will be so proud and surprised about who they can become and what they can learn about themselves. We discuss how everyone’s “box” looks different and I tell them we are going to help and challenge each other to get out of those boxes. One of my favorite quotes, on a poster in my room is by Oscar Wilde, “Be yourself, everyone else is taken.” I tell students, it’s cool to be who you are, and to be proud of who you are, whether you are laid-back, quirky, athletic, artsy, reserved or outgoing, you be you. I set the expectation that we respect and learn from each other’s points of view, and we don’t always think alike and that’s okay. I encourage diversity of thinking, of learning, of doing, it allows kids to be creative with their own thinking and strengthens their acceptance of others. In theatre we have a motto, “we’re weird and we know it.” And in my class, it’s okay to know it and show it!    

Rae Harvill is the theatre teacher at SMS, and this is her 6th year teaching, 3rd in Sunnyvale. She has a B.S from UNT and is working on her master’s degree at Lamar University. She and her husband have been married for 6 years. Rae also performs in many community theatre productions throughout the DFW area.

Getting to know students & building a positive classroom culture

August's question: What's your favorite way to get to know students and build a positive classroom culture?

My favorite way to get to know my students is to create a family feel in the classroom. I let them know that we are one big family, and that we are to treat each other accordingly. From there, I take time to truly listen to each of my students to find out what makes them who they are and how they are motivated. I try to enter their world by going to at least one (if not more) activities that they are involved in whether it be soccer, football, piano, or drama. This builds quite a strong relationship between me and my students as well as with their parents. It requires time, effort, and patience, but it has been worth it for the last 17 years!

Pam Schultz - Sunnyvale Elementary School 3rd grade

Pam teaches third grade math and science and have been in education for 18 years. I have taught 2nd,3rd, 5th, and 6th grades as well as been a science instructional specialist. I have been married to the love of my life for 25 years and have four beautiful daughters and three perfect grand blessings!

Getting to know students & building a positive classroom culture

August's question: What's your favorite way to get to know students and build a positive classroom culture?

My favorite way to get to know students is with a fun "first day of school" activity.  Since I teach chemistry we do an activity where students must make up an element for the "Periodic Table of Students" that represents them personally (i.e. name, symbol, birthdate, characteristics, etc).  These allow students to be creative, share a little about themselves, and display for their peers.  It also allows me a chance to read through and get a peek at my new student's personal selves.
As the year goes on, I feel like it is important to take what you learned about them on the first day and build.  Ask about the extra-curricular activity they participate in, their siblings they mentioned, their hobbies they expressed interest in, etc.  Show up to things they are involved in if you can; be a visible supporter.
I think building a positive classroom culture stems from the openness you can show your students.  There has to be respect, but also a level of transparency.  If I want to get to know them and for them to open up to me, I have to return the favor.  I tell them stories about my kids, my weekend, my "glory days" in high school, etc.  I build up a rapport so that when/if major challenges arise later in the year (content or personal) they trust me to help them work through it.
Anastasia Armstreet - Sunnyvale High School Chemistry
This is Stasia's 7th year teaching; 4th year at Sunnyvale, HS Science composite. She has a BA Sports Medicine from Austin College and a MS Secondary Education from TAMU-Commerce. 

Welcome!

Welcome to Raider 2 Raider!  Sunnyvale ISD is committed to creating a community of learners. This blog will be an avenue for teachers to learn from each other across our 3 campuses.

Each month, we'll pose 1 question to 3 teachers - one from each campus.  Teachers learning from each other across campuses, subjects and grade levels.

If you have a question you'd like to see answered or if you'd like to write a response to a question, please contact Aimee Bartis at the Middle School.

Go Raiders!