Pernille Ripp's Blog, page 74
July 26, 2015
On the First Day of School
Today I was reminded of the stark reality that is the 45 minutes blocks of time that I teach in every day. As I sat and planned my first quarter, or at the very least wrote down some of the ideas I have, I kept glancing at that first day; the one that seems so magical. I have so many ideas. So many things I would like to do on that very first day. Yet, the 45 minutes really stifles a lot of creativity. The 45 minutes really forces me to see what is most important.
On the first day of school I don’t want to do activities. I don’t want to play games. Nor do I want to fake my enthusiasm.
On the first day of school I don’t want to force student into awkward ice breakers, while they hope the teacher will forget it is their turn next. I will not force them to bare their soul, nor to share their dreams.
On the first day of school, we will not have many things planned. We will not spend precious time listening to me drone on. We will not run around hectically trying to figure it all out.
Instead, on the first day of school we will sit quietly and listen to a book read aloud. We will have the time to speak to one another. We will cautiously start to feel each other out, find our friends, glance at the new people.
We will ask the questions about 7th grade that we have, not because we have to but because we will take the time if needed. Students will set the rules of the classroom, as always, and it will take as much time as it needs.
The first day of school is meant to be a great experience, but that does not mean we cram it full of things to do. That doesn’t mean that we put on our entertainer hat and try to juggle as many balls as we possibly can. Instead, it means that we take the very first step to get to know these students that have been thrust into our lives. That they take the very first step in trusting us and trusting the community. That can only happen in a genuine way if we take things slow. If we allow time to just be, to just sit, to just talk. So as you plan for the very first day of school, plan for the quiet, for the reflection, for the conversation. Don’t spend so much time planning for all of the things. Because this isn’t about how to prove how fun you will be this year, it is about showing the kids that you care.
I am a passionate teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin, USA but originally from Denmark, who has taught 4th, 5th, and 7th grade. Proud techy geek, and mass consumer of incredible books. Creator of the Global Read Aloud Project , Co-founder of EdCamp MadWI , and believer in all children. The second edition of my first book “Passionate Learners – How to Engage and Empower Your Students” is available for pre-order now. Second book “Empowered Schools, Empowered Students – Creating Connected and Invested Learners” is out now from Corwin Press. Join our Passionate Learners community on Facebook and follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.
Filed under: being a teacher, first day, new year, reflection, Student
July 25, 2015
My New Favorite Picture Books Part 2
As promised, I have more great new (to me) picture books to share. This collection of funny, moving, and stunningly beautiful books are a must add to any classroom, not just the middle school one. And yes, I purchased almost all of these myself, and yes, it cost a lot of money, but the experience it will provide my students with is worth it in the end. I only feel bad because I am not sharing them as much with my own kids.
The Day I Lost My Super Powers by Michael Escoffier is a book that tells a familiar tale of childhood imagination. I hope to use this to bring my students back to when they thought anything was possible and to reignite their passion for thinking they have the ability to make a difference in the world.
I love how A Perfectly Messed Up Story by Patrick McDonnell reminds me of Battle Bunny in all the best ways. I love the message of working through adversity and the book is just downright funny. My 3 year olds laughed at it, so I cannot wait to see what my 7th graders will do.
Orion and the Dark by Emma Yarlett is stunning. The story about a boy who is afrid of the dark is sure to elicit conversations about our fears and what we can do to conquer them. I cannot wait for my students to discover all the details of this book.
To the Sea by Cale Atkinson is a book about unlikely friendships and loneliness, a theme that is so important to discuss with students. I love the illustrations as well as they tell the story even more.
In the last 24 hours, we have read Shh! We Have a Plan by Chris Haughton 5 times. I think I loved it more each time. Again the amazing illustrations tell half of the story and the simple language means that my youngest can read it by herself as well while giggling out loud. You know a book is good when the minute you close it, the kids yell “Again!”
Language surrounds us all but by middle school certain words seem to lose their off limit-ness. That’s why I love Little Bird’s Bad Word by Jacob Grant. This book will give us a way to discuss what our language says about us as people and how our casual conversations can harm others.
I remember seeing a preview for The Cat, The Dog, Little Red, The Exploding Eggs, The Wolf and Grandma by Diane and Christyan Fox a year ago and then promptly forgot all about it. Rediscovering it on my wish list I took a chance and ordered it, and I am so thankful I did. This book is laugh out loud funny, even after you have read it once. It speaks aloud so many of the questions my students have when it comes to the original fairy tales and will be a perfect match with our gruesome fairy tale unit (even though this book is not gruesome at all).
An amazing wordless picture book by Jon Arne Lawson and Sydney Smith that tells the tale of Sidewalk Flowers and what happens when we are too busy to notice the world around us. As we discuss purposes for our devices, this will be a book to facilitate that conversation.
I am a passionate teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin, USA but originally from Denmark, who has taught 4th, 5th, and 7th grade. Proud techy geek, and mass consumer of incredible books. Creator of the Global Read Aloud Project , Co-founder of EdCamp MadWI , and believer in all children. The second edition of my first book “Passionate Learners – How to Engage and Empower Your Students” is available for pre-order now. Second book “Empowered Schools, Empowered Students – Creating Connected and Invested Learners” is out now from Corwin Press. Join our Passionate Learners community on Facebook and follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.
Filed under: books, Literacy, Passion, Reading, students
July 24, 2015
How About a Mystery Vox?
The power of Skype never ceases to amaze me and I have loved doing Mystery Skypes for many years now. So as I started to plan for back to school I knew I wanted to participate once more in as many Mystery Skypes as possible, but I also wanted to try a different approach; the mystery Vox.
What is Voxer? It is a free walkie-talkie app that allows you to leave messages asynchronously or even a 15 second video if you would like to other users around the world. For more information or to download it, go here.
What is a Mystery Vox? Using the power of Voxer, students would take turn leaving clues throughout the day, checking in when they could in order to try to guess the geographical location of the other classroom. The questions still have to be in a yes or no format and students may still not google each other.
Why do this rather than Skype? For me it allows multiple classes to collaborate throughout the day trying to piece together where a class is. It also works around the timezone issues that can limit where we do a Mystery Skype with. Students will not have designated roles like they do in a Mystery Skype; anyone can guess, anyone can ask a question. I also love that students can digest the clues before they ask the next question. However, I still plan on doing lots of Mystery Skypes too!
How will this work? Sign up below on the form and then go to the form responses to find a match. Reach out and set up the day or week you would like to do this in.
To see the form responses and find someone, go here.
To see more about Mystery Skype, go here
What will this look like in my classroom? I will have a running list of clues and answers on the board, as well as questions asked. I will probably have students do this for me. I may even put it in a Google doc. I will alert kids to it throughout the day and ask them to come up with a question and an answer. I will use my own voxer account as I do not feel like setting up another one, right now anyway, and my students will be the ones leaving the messages. We will try to have it guessed within a day. I think that is really it.
Any further ideas?
Filed under: MIEExpert15, student driven, technology
I Would Be A Liar
I would be a liar if I told you that I am not amazed at the amount of Twitter followers I have. I would be a liar if I told you I didn’t know how many people roughly subscribe to this blog. It has astounded me for a long time that anyone, other than my mother and my husband, find value in me. Yet, those numbers don’t mean much if I let them mean too much.
Because we are bigger than the follower count we have. We are bigger than the number of comments we get. We are bigger than the favorites, the mentions, and even the likes that we can garner in our lives. The more influence we artificially have on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram or whatever tool you use, the more we should be doing to lift others up. Because all of those people are the ones that are holding up the very platform we stand on.
I do not take my job as a teacher lightly. I do not take my job as a writer lightly. I do not take my job as a speaker lightly, nor for granted. When I get to speak to others, it is something that I value on such a deep level that I tend to get emotional, because I am put in a position where I can possibly help others. Help someone else not feel crazy. Help someone else not feel so alone. Help someone else by being a friend.
When someone reads my blog, I am humbled. When someone reaches out, I am honored.
So if you are a connected educator, whatever that may mean, I hope you are using your influence for good. I hope that you are using your position, no matter how small you may feel it is, to lift others up. To make connections. To help others share their voice.
We all started with 0 followers. We all started blogging for ourselves and no one else. We all started from a place of hoping that someone would notice us and make our worlds better. So make sure you are still noticing others, because this isn’t about us, it’s about the kids and making their education better. And sometimes it seems that we forget that in the midst of our own seeming popularity.
I am a passionate teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin, USA but originally from Denmark, who has taught 4th, 5th, and 7th grade. Proud techy geek, and mass consumer of incredible books. Creator of the Global Read Aloud Project , Co-founder of EdCamp MadWI , and believer in all children. The second edition of my first book “Passionate Learners – How to Engage and Empower Your Students” is available for pre-order now. Second book “Empowered Schools, Empowered Students – Creating Connected and Invested Learners” is out now from Corwin Press. Join our Passionate Learners community on Facebook and follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.
Filed under: Be the change, being me, new teacher
July 23, 2015
Have You Submitted Your EdScape Proposal Yet?
I first heard about EdScape a few years back when my Twitter feed exploded with knowledge during the weekend of the conference. For years I have wanted to go and be a part of this conference created by the amazing Eric Sheninger, but life seemed to continually get in the way. Well, this year is my year. Not only do I get to go to EdScape and learn with educators from all over the USA, I also am honored to be the opening keynote speaker.
So why should you come join me October 17th in New Jersey? Because this amazing conference is an incredible space for learning, allowing us all to not just be inspired but also to come away with tangible things to do as we change education. Because this conference is a one day don’t-want-to-miss event. Because during lunch there will be an EdCamp. Because this conference is $35 to attend – yup $35. Even better, if you present, your registration is free,
So if you have an idea that you would love to share. If you love presenting and meeting people. If you want to come and inspire as well as be inspired, come to Edscape. Submit your proposal before August 15th because I hope that you come and learn with me, I hope you come and share your amazing ideas, I hope that we can connect. I know I cannot wait.
To submit your proposal, go here
To register for the conference, go here
To see more about this amazing event, go here
Filed under: being me, conferences, connect
My New Favorite Picture Books Part 1
I Yam A Donkey by the incredible CeCe Bell. Why this book? Because it is laugh out loud funny while teaching grammar.
Wall by Tom Clohosy Cole. There seems to be a surge in Berlin Wall books right now (I am currently reading Jennifer A. Nielsen’s A Night Divided which is excellent as well). I love this picture book because it provides us with a way to broach a difficult topic with students. WIth a simple story and beautiful illustrations, I am excited to share this one.
Ben Clanton’s Something Extraordinary is just that – extraordinary. Once again a simple story unfolds leading us to rich conversations about imagination and how it can color our world.
The beautiful story of Last Stop On Market Street by Matt De La Pena is one meant to spur conversation about our lives, our assumptions, and how we view the world. But the illustrations? They tell an even richer story, one that I cannot wait to discuss with my students, many of whom have never ridden a bus or even been in an urban neighborhood.
How to Read A Story by Kate Messner will be one of the first picture books I share this year because it will open us up to a great discussion. I cannot wait to see how my students read their stories.
I am always in favor of a picture book that allows us to discuss how we treat others, aprticualrly when teaching middle schoolers. I love the story in Henry Hyena, Why Won’t You Laugh by Doug Jantzen and think it will resonate with many of my students.
You and Me by Susan Verde and illustrated by the incredible Peter H. Reynolds is a story that students will want to emulate. We will use this as a way to do our sociogram exercise which will offer me insight into who is connected in our class, and who is not. We cannot change loneliness for students if we do not know who identifies as such.
I have written before about Float by Daniel Miyares because it is an incredible wordless picture book about seeing the beauty in the world around us. This is a must add among must adds.
Beastly Babies by Ellen Jackson is a simple picture book and it is not for the words but for the illustrations that I love it so much. I love how wild they are and I think it will show students that you can be an artist in many different ways.
I debated whether or not to add The Newbies by Peter Catalanotta because I find it a bit creepy, and yet it is within the creepiness that the power of it lies. I think my students will immediately gravitate toward this book and what happens when your wishful thinking comes true.
I have more picture books coming, I will share them in part 2 in a few days.
I am a passionate teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin, USA but originally from Denmark, who has taught 4th, 5th, and 7th grade. Proud techy geek, and mass consumer of incredible books. Creator of the Global Read Aloud Project , Co-founder of EdCamp MadWI , and believer in all children. The second edition of my first book “Passionate Learners – How to Engage and Empower Your Students” is available for pre-order now. Second book “Empowered Schools, Empowered Students – Creating Connected and Invested Learners” is out now from Corwin Press. Join our Passionate Learners community on Facebook and follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.
Filed under: being a teacher, books, Literacy, new year, Reading
July 22, 2015
3 Beginning of the Year Surveys For Students And Parents
I believe in the power of a great survey and have been giving them to my students ever since I started teaching. This year, I am breaking them up for different days and will have students do them in class so I can gather them and mine them for information. One of these is for my entire team to use as well. Please feel free to use and adapt to fit your needs. The three surveys are
Beginning of the Year Survey. To see this survey, go here.
How are you as writer? To see this survey, go here.
How are you as a reader? To see this survey, go here.
To see all of the other forms I use, including technology permission forms, student-led conferences, and other survey tools, go here.
As far as parents go, I have a very simple survey. I ask them what their hopes and dreams are for their kids and then if there is anything else I should know.
(In the past, I have used a more extensive parent survey, to see that go here).
I am a passionate teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin, USA but originally from Denmark, who has taught 4th, 5th, and 7th grade. Proud techy geek, and mass consumer of incredible books. Creator of the Global Read Aloud Project , Co-founder of EdCamp MadWI , and believer in all children. The second edition of my first book “Passionate Learners – How to Engage and Empower Your Students” is available for pre-order now. Second book “Empowered Schools, Empowered Students – Creating Connected and Invested Learners” is out now from Corwin Press. Join our Passionate Learners community on Facebook and follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.
Filed under: being a teacher, new teacher, new year, parents, students, survey
6 Simple Ideas to Get Kids to Read
Loving reading, loving books, being a reader, and finding your own books to share are central goals in our 7th grade English classroom. And I spend every waking moment at times it seems trying to find ways for students to find that special book that will make them feel like they are a reader. I spend hours planning, prepping, buying books, and yes, reading them to make sure that I am the best teacher possible for all of my many students. Yet, sometimes we do not need a lot of time, nor a lot of work to inspire a love of reading. So behold, these are my 6 simplest ideas for getting students to fall (a little bit more) in love with reading.
Public Display of Book Affection
I believe in public displays of book affection every single day and on every surface allowable. When students enter into our team area (Go sharks!), they are greeted this year with our giant poster wondering how many picture books we can read in a year (Thanks Jillian Heise for the idea). They can also see what I am reading, as well as what my team is reading. In our room, there are books everywhere. Many are faced out and the displays change depending on our mood. Books are everywhere. Book love is everywhere. I take great pride and care in showing that books are central to our world. There is no willy-nilly displays allowed.
The 1 Minute Book Talk
I will start most classes with a 1 minute book talk highlighting the book I just finished, a book I cannot wait to read, or a book that I purchased for the classroom. As the year progresses I hope to hand this over to students. But think about it? 180 days equals 180 books talks. That’s a lot of exposure. since I have 5 English classes, there will be 5 different book talks every day. Once done, they go on the whiteboard ledge for anyone to grab.
The Repeated Question
I always ask students, current and former, what they are reading. Even when we are not in class. That constant focus on literacy coupled with the innate expectation that they are reading means that students start to think of their answer before they see me. And those that don’t read? Well, this question opens up to a discussion of why not and I can usually sneak them a book recommendation or two as we talk.
The Pushy Book Handler
I am always handing books to students (and colleagues too). Books do not get read by sitting on your shelf. Books do not get discovered by being in a bin. They get discovered and read by someone picking them up, flipping through them, and perhaps reading a few words. So we have to physically hand books to students if we want them to get excited. We do monthly (or sometimes weekly) book shopping in our classroom where piles of great books await the students. With their “To Be Read” list in hand, they take five minutes to browse the piles and find new books to read.
The Getting Out of the Way Trick
Easy access and check out to books is a must. Donalyn Miller and Teri Lesesne told us at ILA that if books are across the hallway they are too far away. We need classroom libraries in every room, not just the English classroom. We needs books at the fingertips of our students so that at any moment they can be inspired to reach out and find a new text. Books are not a distraction, they are a necessity in our classrooms and should be treated as such. This is also why I don’t have a check out system really. To see more about how I organize my classroom library, see this post.
The Guest Book Shopper
If you have that one child that will not read. If you have that one child that keeps reading that one book and not because they love it so much. If you have that one kid that never likes anything you have to offer, this is a great way to spark an interest in them. Simply hand them a book catalog. Get them on Amazon. Take them to a book store if you can and ask them to select a few books. Before the books arrive get them excited about their impending arrival. And then when they get make it a priority to get them to the student that day. It is a matter of urgency now that the books are here, so they should find their home right away.
Those are my top 6 ideas. Very simple indeed and take very little time. What are yours?
I am a passionate teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin, USA but originally from Denmark, who has taught 4th, 5th, and 7th grade. Proud techy geek, and mass consumer of incredible books. Creator of the Global Read Aloud Project , Co-founder of EdCamp MadWI , and believer in all children. The second edition of my first book “Passionate Learners – How to Engage and Empower Your Students” is available for pre-order now. Second book “Empowered Schools, Empowered Students – Creating Connected and Invested Learners” is out now from Corwin Press. Join our Passionate Learners community on Facebook and follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.
Filed under: aha moment, being a, being me, books, Literacy, MIEExpert15, Passion, Reading
July 21, 2015
3 Must-Do’s If Your School Purchases Curriculum
There seems to have always been pre-packaged programs available for districts to purchase. Whether they came as a kit, a textbook, or just a set of ideas they have been a part of education for so many years and will continue to be as long as there are districts searching for the right answer, searching for guidance. And there isn’t anything wrong with that. I am not an opponent to the purchased curriculum, I am not an opponent of buying resources for teachers. However, I am an opponent of buying a program, no matter how great it is, and then telling everyone to follow every single thing in it.
You see, we don’t teach the children that these researchers taught. Our students will never share the same experience, nor the same background. And that is important because if a program does not allow us to adapt it to our students, then it will not be as powerful as we need it to be. If we are chained to a curriculum map based on other people’s students, then we are not teaching the students in front of us.
So by all means; go ahead and purchase the curriculum out there. There are great ones out there that have a solid foundation, but if you do, please make sure you do the following three things as well:
Create an open dialogue. Teachers need to know that they can question the program and that they have a voice. There should be no sacred cow in our district. Make sure that this is not a top-down decision and that you constantly assess whether this program is what you need. Just because you spent money on something does not mean it is right for everyone.
Allow teachers to modify, adapt, and change as needed. That doesn’t mean compromising the program, but instead it means trusting teachers as the professionals they are to create an even better experience for their students. One that allows them to teach the very kids they are supposed to teach. That does not mean teachers are being subversive, it simply means that they are responding to gaps that they see and they are doing something about. No program will ever be the perfect fit for all of our kids, all of our teachers, and all of our schools. They are vast road maps, not step-by-step directions.
Ask the students. If students are losing their love of reading, writing, science, math or whatever program it is they are in, then we have a serious problem. It does not matter that the program may be the best for creating deep comprehension if students hate doing it. If a curriculum program is creating robots in our classroom then we should be worried. And we should take action and we do that best by asking the students what is going on. Then we listen and then we change.
So if you find yourself in the situation where you can tell that something is not working for your students, speak up. Do it kindly, but do speak up, because administration cannot engage in a conversation that they do not know is needed. Ask your students, involve parents, and collect your evidence. Start a conversation before a program becomes an educational barrier to success. Don’t stay silent if you see something harming students, the change starts with us and our courage.
PS: And if you are using money to purchase curriculum but not using money to buy books, then the priorities need to change.
I am a passionate teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin, USA but originally from Denmark, who has taught 4th, 5th, and 7th grade. Proud techy geek, and mass consumer of incredible books. Creator of the Global Read Aloud Project , Co-founder of EdCamp MadWI , and believer in all children. The second edition of my first book “Passionate Learners – How to Engage and Empower Your Students” is available for pre-order now. Second book “Empowered Schools, Empowered Students – Creating Connected and Invested Learners” is out now from Corwin Press. Join our Passionate Learners community on Facebook and follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.
Filed under: advice, being a teacher, courage, curriculum, MIEExpert15
July 20, 2015
What About the “P” In Your B.Y.O.D.?
The final quarter of last year, our classroom was a limited B.Y.O.D. zone, meaning yes, bring your own device but check it at the door unless we had a purpose for it. I instituted this because I felt we were getting distracted, myself included, we were having a hard time resisting the instant temptations that our smartphones seem to provide for us. So we left them out of the room and the students were just fine with it. I was too. In fact, there were times where I knew that our conversations, our reflections, our thinking traveled to deeper levels because we did not have a device nearby to distract.
Yet, I felt like I had taking the easy way out. That declaring our room a device free zone was limiting the students. So I have been thinking a lot about meaningful purpose lately, because much like I would not take a pencil away from my students unless I had to, I don’t think we should be taking devices either. What we need instead is purpose, and purpose starts with us. Especially in our literacy classroom where we have such an opportunity to use the devices to further a love of reading.
The beauty of students with devices is not just the instant access to information, but the ability to give them a voice even if we are not discussing. To give them a further purpose than just the immediate one in the classroom. To create a digital platform for them to share their voices with the world. Therefore, this coming year, we will not be device-free but rather device-purposeful. Together we will be deciding how to use, when to use, and what to do with our devices. There will be clear student-set expectations and they will be a natural part of our classroom, not something to always leave at the door.
A few ideas so far for the purpose part are: (For students with no devices we will have access to Chromebooks to do some of these things. )
An ongoing TodaysMeet backchannel. This idea, shared by Ira Socol at ISTE, means that I am creating a TodaysMeet room for each class and having that as a place for students to discuss, ask questions, and also to take the pulse of my classroom. Because, of course, students will probably veer off the prompted conversation, but will they do it all of the time? This will allow my shyer students a way to speak up, allow students to help each other, and also a way to leave me questions that perhaps they don’t feel they need the answer to right away. This backchannel will also allow me a way to assess to see engagement, interest, and confusion. All useful tools as I prepare and plan.
A Goodreads community. I plan on using Goodreads with my students this year as a way to log their books, share recommendations, and explore new books. It is the same tool I use for myself and so adding it will be a natural extension of what adult readers use. For those who teach younger students, you could use Biblionasium to do this as well.
A Padlet Wonder wall. I really want us to start being more curious and wondering more, so having a Padlet with things we wonder about will be another tool for the students to access. I plan on sharing a daily wonder as well, and may use Wonderopolis if we have time.
A Padlet book share wall. This idea shared by the inspiring Kristin Ziemke at ILA is having a place for students to post “Book shelfies” plus a recommendation of the book. I loved Kristin’s idea especially of opening this up to the world and having students around the world sharing their books as well.
Those are just a few ideas, but I am sure more will come soon. I cannot wait to discuss these ideas with my students and see what else they have to offer. What ideas would you add?
I am a passionate teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin, USA but originally from Denmark, who has taught 4th, 5th, and 7th grade. Proud techy geek, and mass consumer of incredible books. Creator of the Global Read Aloud Project , Co-founder of EdCamp MadWI , and believer in all children. The second edition of my first book “Passionate Learners – How to Engage and Empower Your Students” is available for pre-order now. Second book “Empowered Schools, Empowered Students – Creating Connected and Invested Learners” is out now from Corwin Press. Join our Passionate Learners community on Facebook and follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.
Filed under: assessment, attention, authentic learning, being a teacher, Literacy, MIEExpert15, student choice, student voice, technology
