Mystery Feedback- Your students will be craving more feedback!

Feedback is a powerful tool, which can strengthen the learning experiences of all of your students.  In fact, when you regularly provide students with feedback, you will find they actually begin to ask for more of it!  Imagine that…students longing to know how they can improve their work!  Sounds like a dream, right?

Feedback comes in many forms, including verbal, written, and rubric styles.  It can be communicated through a variety of delivery methods, such as through teachers, peers, and even family members.  By providing valuable feedback on learning activities, students are made aware of what their strengths are, and the skills in which they need further instruction or practice in.  To gain more interest at the beginning of the school year, I tell my students that feedback and rubrics are the “cheat codes” for improving their learning.  What student doesn’t like a video game reference, right?!

Now that you’ve got them hooked, choose creative ways to deliver student feedback.  One of my favorite feedback activities brings in an element of mystery, which makes it highly engaging for students.  This Mystery Feedback Activity can be used with math problems, written responses, essays, visual presentations, such as PowerPoints or Prezis, or even verbal projects that have been video recorded, in which students have the opportunity to replay the video (i.e. speeches, presentations, verbal book reports, etc.)

Here’s how the Mystery Feedback Activity works…

1.     Record individual feedback on an assignment that your students have participated in.  I like to be specific with this feedback, as it will make the activity more valuable.  Be sure that this feedback is written on an area that is separate from the assignment, such as the bottom of the paper, on a sticky note, or typed out on an additional paper, as the feedback will be separated from the student work samples during this activity.

2.   After completing all of the feedback, look back through student work, and choose 4-6 examples that cover a variety of student successes, errors, and misconceptions.  For example, for an opinion writing assignment, you may choose examples that do not state a solid claim, are missing evidence from a text, have solid evidence, but are lacking in elaboration, are complete and well-supported, and are well-written, but include many grammar errors. You want to utilize a variety of examples from which all of your students can learn and grow from.

3.   Now, you will want the 4-6 pieces of feedback separate from the student assignments. If you wrote feedback on their actual work, then you will need to cut it off.  I like to make copies and then cut them apart so that the originals are intact and they act as the “answer keys”.  Make enough sets of these for small group collaboration.

4.   In small groups, your students’ task will be to match each piece of feedback to it’s corresponding assignment. To begin, tell your students that they have taken on the role of Mystery Detectives.  I love to have them actually put on their detective hats and shine their magnifying glasses (imaginary ones, of course) to get them into character.  Have each group select the reader of the group.  This student should be responsible, loud, and clear, as he/she will be reading or presenting each piece of work. 

5.   Give each of the remaining students 1-2 pieces of feedback.  Have those students read the feedback, silently to themselves, prior to the reader presenting any work.  This way they will be familiar with the feedback and be looking/listening for the work that corresponds to it. 

6.   Next, the reader will read/present one of the work samples.  If students believe that their feedback matches the work, then the group will have a discussion about it and come to an agreement.  There may be multiple students who feel that their feedback corresponds to the work sample, so they must have a deeper conversation about which feedback is appropriate and why.  Be sure that students are explaining WHY the feedback goes with the work samples, as this is the most powerful part of this activity.

                  

7.    After students have matched all of the work samples with their feedback, engage in a whole group discussion to reveal the answers, and speak to why those students received that feedback. 

As an extension lesson, students could improve each of the work samples using the feedback provided.  This is an effective way for students to apply what they have learned through this activity!

Now that your Mystery Detectives have solved this Feedback Mystery Activity, see what other content areas you can challenge them with.  I would love for you to share your experiences!

GO Words- Promoting Smooth Classroom Transitions, While Engaging in Academic Vocabulary Instruction...It's a Win-Win!

Transition time in the classroom can often be a nightmare, as students have more opportunities to socialize and not focus on the task at hand. I struggled with this in my classroom, so I decided to make a change. With a strong vocabulary focus in my classroom, I decided to create a tool that would assist students in transitioning from one activity to another, while engaging them in learning and using academic vocabulary.

The GO Word introduces students to an academic vocabulary word and its meaning, and the teacher instructs students on hand motions which align with the meaning of the current GO Word. After instructions have been given for the next activity, the teacher will say the GO Word aloud, and the students will repeat it back. Next, students will state the meaning aloud while engaging in the accompanying hand motions, which align with the definition of the word. Students are not allowed to move onto the next activity until every student participates in the GO Word routine, and they must remain quiet while they transition.  Sometimes we end up doing it a few times!  J

I know...you may be thinking that this sounds like something only primary kiddos would enjoy, and that’s what I thought, too, but my 6th graders LOVE it! So how did I get them to fully buy in? I let them compete to create the hand motions for each GO Word.

In my classroom, I have a GO Word wall, which includes the focus GO Word, the meaning, and pictures of teachers and/or students doing each hand motion for the word.  In order to be spotlighted on the GO Word wall, students must develop hand motions, by writing out detailed directions for each hand motion, or drawing pictures of what each hand motion would look like.  Check out these awesome ideas my students developed…

This activity usually gets assigned for homework or as center work during my Guided Reading groups, and when all students are complete, I have them demonstrate their hand motions in front of the class.  During this time, I am able to choose the hand motions that are most effective in defining the meaning of that GO Word.  It is also important to consider the students who worked hard on the assignment and could use the confidence boost. Sometimes I choose multiple students, and combine their hand motions. 

I always make sure to take pictures of the winners engaging in each of the hand motions, and put them up on my designated GO Word wall to celebrate their creativity, and as a model for the rest of my students to follow.

Using one GO Word every two weeks provides students ample time to engage in learning the word and to apply the word in their speaking and writing.  The included GO Word Exit Tickets allow students to practice and assess their knowledge of each GO Word.

The benefits of using GO Words are incredible and this tool has made such a positive impact on my students:

*Promotes smooth transitions from one activity to the next
*Provides academic vocabulary acquisition and practice
*Engages students of all ages and learning styles
*Elicits speaking, thinking, and writing
*Builds confidence
*Promotes a positive classroom community

You can check out my GO Words unit here.  I hope this tool assists you in calming the chaos of transition time.  I would love for you to share your stories and your students’ hand motion ideas, too!

Motivating Our Diverse Learners...Challenge Accepted!

As teachers, we’ve got our students all figured out, right?  Well, maybe not completely!  Getting to know your students on a deeper, individual level definitely requires a bit more time and patience, but once you understand each other (Yep, they need to know you, too!), chances are you will see an increase in motivation, effort, and growth.  Before we discuss strategies on how you can get to know your students, let’s first think about the types of students we are all familiar with...

1. The Natural Learner- These students find that learning comes easy to them. They participate in whole group settings, complete their assignments on time and as expected, and they usually don’t challenge us with negative behavior. They understand the importance of a good education and try to do their best.

2. The Complainer- I probably don’t need to describe these kiddos, but if you’re lucky enough to have a Complainer-free classroom, then this is for you. The Complainers are known for their whining (without the accompanying cheese). These students will whine about just about anything, including assignments, being chosen to speak in front of the class, or being partnered up with a peer they don’t truly know. Sometimes they will even whine before they know what is happening, simply out of badly formed habits. Too often, these students do not reach their potential, because they are too focused on what they don’t want to do before they even get the chance to do it. Complicated, right?!

3. The Silent Threat- You are likely to tread lightly around these students, as they tend to remain very quiet. In fact, you may not even realize that you don’t call on them to participate as much as your other pupils.  Well, these students may have pulled the wool over your eyes, because they know THE answer.  Yep, that answer that you have been trying to elicit from your students for a very long 3.5 minutes.  You have restated the same question in 19 different ways, in hopes that just one student would answer it correctly.  Well, The Silent Threat must know that this is confidential information, because why else would they not share it with their peers?

4. The Eager Beaver- The Eager Beaver lacks a very valuable virtue…patience.  When engaged in whole or small group settings, these students lack the ability to allow any other student to respond or even think about a response.  Otherwise known as “The Blurter”, The Eager Beaver is full of energy and doesn’t take the time to think about the fact that other students also need to learn.  Instead, in a state of oblivion, these students use their thievery skills to steal the learning from their peers.

5. The Gifted- Ahhhh…The Gifted Ones.  When these students enter your classroom, you often learn more from them than they do from you.  The conversations you engage in with these students could go on for hours, and they are often the first ones done with their assignments and begging to soak up more knowledge of any sort.  The Gifted Ones are also known for stumping you with questions you have no idea how to answer, leaving you feeling a bit self-conscious.  So how do you challenge these students who challenge you so frequently?

6. The Procrastinator- “I’ll start that in a second”, “I’ll get it done after lunch.”, “I can just do it in the morning before school.”, “Ms. Gray, I didn’t have time to finish my work. Could I please have more time?”  Enough said, right?

7. The Spotlight Kiddo- The Spotlight Kiddos have many strengths.  Some of them are charmers, always having a kind word to say about you, at just the perfect moment.  Others are quite humorous and LOVE to tell a joke in the middle of a whole group lesson.  And some Spotlight Kiddos are always in agreement with other students with what seems to be very similar reasoning.  These students are often in the spotlight, but not because they want to be.  The Spotlight Kiddos do not want the light shone upon them, because they may not fully understand what is being discussed or learned, and they lack the confidence to own it in front of their peers.  These are your lower achieving students who choose to use their spotlight as a shield to protect themselves from possibly being discovered.

8. The Defeated- The Defeated students are a challenge.  They believe that they cannot do it and there is no point in doing it, so they choose not to do it.  Somewhere along their educational pathway, these students developed a lack of confidence, animosity, and a fixed mindset.  Most likely, these students have experienced teachers, family members, and/or peers who did not believe in them, and now they do not believe in themselves.

 

So how do we motivate each of these diverse learners?  Here are some tips to assist you in connecting with and motivating these students.

1. The Natural Learner- These students love to please you and are often the students who offer you a helping hand during lunch, recess, or before and after school.  It is very important that you allow them to help you, whether it is stapling papers, filing graded work, or using their organization skills in your classroom library.  The Natural Learners gain a sense of importance and pride, knowing that they were able to make your task list a bit shorter.  Academically, these students tend to do well when pushed into leadership roles within the classroom and/or school community.  Provide The Natural Learners with small group leadership roles, call them up to the board to teach a math problem to their peers, or encourage them to speak up more in class (Natural Learners aren’t always the most talkative students). Try out these free Cooperative Learning Group Role Badges to encourage these learners to be "directors" during small group learning.

2. The Complainers- Reaching these students academically may take more time than you would like, and their whining can drive you crazy in the meantime, but be patient.  The Complainers just need to believe more in themselves, which is often not an easy task.  The stem of their whining could be deeply rooted, but once they feel success on tasks they regularly complain about, you will begin to see a softer side of these students.  The key is to continually build them up with compliments about the smallest successes and/or growth.  For example, if the student complains about elaborating on their ideas, then celebrate them when they tell you a bit more information about anything.  If they expand upon a story from their weekend, a show they watched, or an event that happened at recess, then celebrate them.  I also like to joke with these students when they do something they whined about in the past, and I always mention the fact that I knew they could do it, and now they know they can do it.

3. The Silent Threat often just needs some encouragement in being in the spotlight.  These students sometimes fear being “wrong”, instead of understanding that learning comes from conversations and the inclusion of both examples and non-examples.  As you encourage your entire population of students to take risks, and you praise them for doing so, your Silent Threats will begin to come out of their shells.  These students could also benefit from longer wait time when you call on them. Let them know that you are not in a hurry (even if you are), so they have time to think. Be patient and they will surprise you.

4.  Our Eager Beavers, or Blurters, need kind reminders that they are not the only students in our classrooms.  These students long for your attention, so give it to them.  I like to make it a habit to meet with these students prior to the start of instruction each day to ask them how their morning is going, compliment them on previous work, or tell them a joke, and I always make sure to sneak in a “blurting awareness” challenge statement, such as “I’m looking forward to seeing how well you listen to your peers today”, or “I’m challenging you to not blurt during whole group instruction today”.  You may also want to develop some sort of silent visual cue that could assist these students in remembering not to blurt, such as scratching your right ear, or winking at them.  In addition, you could also use speaking tokens, in which you give these students each 3 tokens, and they are only allowed to speak 3 times during whole group instruction, making them be thoughtful of what they want to say, and when they want to say it.

5.  Challenging your Gifted Ones is easier than you may think.  Usually these students are yearning to know more, and most of the time they develop questions during instructional time.  Have these students keep a list of questions that pop up in their minds, and then provide them opportunities to research those questions.  Give them a device, such as an IPad or laptop, to complete their research on, and then give them their choice of how they would like to apply their new knowledge.  Students could create a digital presentation, one-pager (i.e. wanted poster, brochure, etc.), a presentation board, a speech, a rap, or any other form of application that appeals to them.  The power of this enrichment activity is in the choice, and students may work on it when they are finished with their required assignments.  This will not take a lot of time on your part, but just have an awareness that your Gifted Ones will benefit from this enrichment.  Oh, and don’t forget to allow them to share their new found knowledge with their peers, as it’s a win-win for everyone!

6.  The Procrastinator is probably one of your most frustrating students, but one of the easiest to mold.  These students need to set goals with you…daily, weekly, and more long-term.  Meet with these students briefly, after providing students with an assignment or their daily work.  Using a system for recording goals that works for your students and classroom management (i.e. planner, sticky notes, goal planning graphic organizer, etc), have your Procrastinators record their daily goals, and then check in with them at the end of class to view their progress.  I also like to cruise by them during class to remind them that I am stalking them!  J Hold them accountable for any unfinished work, by having them do it for homework, or coming in at recess, before or after school.  Meet with them periodically to set weekly and long-term goals. It is essential that you hold them accountable for completing their work on time and that you check in with them on their longer goals.  This consistency will begin to break their bad habits in procrastination, and their grades will probably improve drastically, and in turn build up their confidence level.

7.  Assisting your Spotlight Kiddos in building confidence prior to whole group instruction is key to their academic growth.  A day or two before engaging in whole group content instruction, provide slower learners with the text you will use, a vocabulary list of words that are essential to the lesson, and/or a video to watch which will build some background knowledge for these students.  You may give them this work during a center, as a replacement for homework, or use it in a small group instructional setting with you as their support. This strategy makes the content more accessible for students, and when you begin the whole group lesson, you will notice your Spotlight Kiddos wanting to participate more, academically, instead of being silly and disrupting learning.  It literally builds their confidence and sets them up for success!

8.  Your Defeated students NEED to know that you love them and believe in them.  At the moment, you may also feel defeated with these students, as they are definitely some of the tougher students we need to educate.  First, take a breath, and remember that you became a teacher to make a positive impact on all students, so you’ve got this!  Now, these students will take a bit more of your time, but that’s ok, and the benefits will be worth it.  It may also help you to remember that you may be the ONE person in these students’ lives that believes in them, so it is important that they know that.  Start by finding time to have a one-on-one chat with them.  Let them know you love and believe in them and that you are a team.  In this meeting, make a promise to each other that you will both work hard towards the success of the student, and set some measurable, yet attainable goals.  And remember to say at least one positive comment to your Defeated Ones each day, whether it be about academics, their awesome new haircut, or the kind deed they did for their friend.  The purpose is to build up confidence in these students, so that they grow from having a fixed mindset to a growth mindset, and start believing that hard work pays off.  Try these free Teacher Love Notes, as a means of showing your belief in and love for them. You will probably continue to struggle with these students throughout the school year, but keep giving them the love and support they deserve.  I could go on forever on strategies to use with your Defeated Ones, but I’ll have to save that for another post…stay tuned.

Knowing your students and how to motivate each of them will have a great impact on their success and your classroom community, so make those connections and watch them grow.