Apple Blossom Teachers

These are 3 common novel study and read aloud no-no's, all 3 that I've definitely done myself!

1. Teaching the BOOK, not the READER.
2. Choosing a book that doesn't resonate with your current readers.
3. Choosing a book that will take too long, OR taking too long on a short book.

Today's episode shares what we can do instead that will increase student engagement and propel their learning forward.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Dr. Sandra Kaplan's Icons of Depth & Complexity: An introduction from Kern County's Reagan Elementary
• Ian Byrd - Byrdseed - critical thinking strategies and intro to Depth & Complexity for teachers
• Upper Elementary Novels mentioned in this episode
• Listener Survey and coffee giveaway - Winners drawn on Nov. 7, 2022. I appreciate your feedback!
• Additional upper elementary engagement strategies: appleblossomteachers.com/real

Want 5 simple ways you can support a strong reading culture in upper elementary, and surprisingly have some strong classroom community building as a bonus?!

1. Allow for reading choice
2. Make time for book talks & reading life chats
3. Use reading journals instead of traditional reading logs
4. Incorporate reading conferences to individualize reading progress
5. Share novels primarily for the love of reading!

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Reading Journal "Bookself" visual
• A More Powerful Reading Journal - Teacher Guide and Templates
• The Book Whisperer book by Donalyn Miller

Your no-prep action item this week is to share pieces of your own reading life with your students.

This can be a memory from your own elementary reading, a current or recent book you've loved or loathed and why, a time you ditched a book, the reason you chose a book, other things you've read that aren't books, and more!

Make it your goal this week to connect with one student's reading journey each day, or with your whole class, by sharing a bit of your own reading journey that relates.

Help me, help you! (And maybe get some coffee on me!) Take this quick 2-question survey so I can better plan the upcoming podcast episodes with your needs in mind. I truly appreciate your input! Winners drawn on November 7th.

You've heard of speed dating, right? What if I told you that model works for efficient and pretty thorough peer editing, too?!

"Speed Proofread" eliminates some of the challenges and pressure that come with exchanging papers with one peer, and shifts proofreading and revisions to a whole-class, collaborative effort where everyone supports everyone's growth.

The best part? It can be done in just 15 minutes!

Grab the table tents and a written description of the activity here, and be sure to share this with a fellow teacher who would find it helpful.

This is a simple, no-prep method for helping students give authentic, skills-focused feedback on peer projects.

Having students set up art projects, STEM designs, etc. around the room in a gallery format, then having students leave sticky note compliments around peer projects using content-specific vocabulary we were focusing on.

Check out examples here and here of how we've done this with an art project!

Don't forget to share this episode with a friend who would find it helpful, and catch you next week for another of may favorite peer feedback strategies!

Short on time, but still want students to regularly practice formally presenting to peers? Enter - Gallery Walk Presentations!

This is a great strategy for building students' presentation confidence, and great for assessing peer listening comprehension. Listen in for a quick run down of what this can look like in upper elementary.

Links and Resources:

• Biography Presentation Listening Comprehension Rubric - snag it now before the price increases as more project types are added!
• Want even more student engagement ideas? Grab your FREE on-demand video training at appleblossomteachers.com/real
• Ready for a personalized student-centered back to school plan? Kick off your year of Relevant, Engaging, and Lasting Learning. Join me THIS THURSDAY for a live, interactive virtual workshop. For more information, and to register, visit appleblossomteachers.com/summer

Accommodations aren't just for inside our classrooms, and Erin Castillo of @AffirmationsAndAccessibility is sharing some insight on how we can make all parts of our school year engaging and accessible to all our learners.

This is such an important conversation full of eye-opening considerations. You will leave this episode feeling empowered to support each and every student during things like field trips, assemblies, group projects, and so much more.

Erin and I would love to hear your biggest takeaways, questions you have upon reflection, and if you'd like us to dig deeper into accessible education. Take a screenshot of the episode, share it to your stories or feed, and tag us in your thoughts over on Instagram:

Erin: @affirmationsandaccessibility

Lorraine: @appleblossomteachers

💻 Looking for simple ways to take learning from ROTE to REAL? Grab the free video training here, plus a print-and-go planning template for weaving guest presentations into your content!

🔗 Links and resources from this episode:

• Connect with Erin on Instagram and Facebook
• Check out Erin's resources on TPT
• Grab the FREE virtual training: 5 Lasting Ways to Increase Student Engagement in Upper Elementary

💜 Lastly, don't forget to share this important episode with a colleague or teacher bestie so every student has access to a well rounded school year!

Guest speakers can be an easy way to make learning relevant, help students build value for skills, topics, and disciplines you are covering, and form partnerships that can open even more learning opportunities within your community.

Ready for more? Join me on July 28th for a half-day, virtual, interactive workshop! I am so excited to help you collaboratively design your student-centered classroom...a place where your students will be eager to continue learning, sharing their knowledge, and have the teachers down the hall asking "how the heck do you do that?!"

I promise it's easier than it sounds, and in this workshop we will cover the basics PLUS give you actionable tools and strategies to kick start your best school year yet!

For all the details, and to register before we reach capacity, head to AppleBlossomTeachers.com/summer.

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Guest Speaker Planning Template FREEBIE - download available as part of the FREE 5 Keys to Increasing Engagement in Upper Elementary video training.
• Register for the summer workshop: Upper Elementary Engagement Academy

Short and Sweet Episode Week 3: This is a strategy called "Step In - Step Out," which I originally learned from Michael Friermood, AKA The Thinker Builder. You can learn more about his version HERE, which is awesome for building a deeper understanding of a narrative text, as well as the impact of authors' choices.

I also have a few ideas for how we can do something similar but more focused on nonfiction texts. Listen in for my two ideas, plus a little announcement about an incredible interview dropping on July 12!

💻 Looking for more? Grab the FREE on-demand video training: 5 Lasting Ways to Increase Student Engagement in Upper Elementary

Got a burning teaching question? Send your Curriculum Conundrum to me here, or just DM me over on instagram @appleblossomteachers. Can't wait to support you!

Welcome to week two of our Short And Sweet Summer episodes! Each week I'll share one quick-win engagement strategy for your third through sixth grade classroom, along with a brain dump of ways YOU can use it!

These SASS-y episodes are great for a quick listen while running errands, or to save up for a big binge on your upcoming flight or road trip!

💡I'm sharing my two favorite "quick scan" activities for kicking off a unit. These are intended to activate students' background knowledge and give you a glimpse of where you'll need to invest the most effort during the unit. They're also a great way to compare student confidence with the vocabulary before and after the unit.

*I origninally learned this strategy from one of my favorite PD books in my credential program, 50 Strategies for Active Teaching: Engaging K-12 Learners in the Classroom. The colored dot rating and class continuum scale are just two of the 8 quick scans they share in the book, and the quick scan is just the first of the 50 strategies!

🌟🌟🌟 Want a more specific game plan for your grade level, content area, and the students in front of you? Join me for the Upper Elementary Engagement Academy on July 28th, a half-day interactive virtual workshop where we will create your student-centered game plan and fill your tool bag with tons of actionable engagement strategies! Visit appleblossomteachers.com/summer to register.

Welcome to week one of our Short And Sweet Summer episodes! Each week I'll share one quick-win engagement strategy for your third through sixth grade classroom, along with a brain dump of ways YOU can use it!

These SASS-y episodes are great for a quick listen while running errands, or to save up for a big binge on your upcoming flight or road trip!

💡Today is all about concept attaintment - a way of getting students to think deeply about the content you will be studying, before you even tell them what it is! These example and non-example sorts can be done with no fancy materials, using photographs or clip art printouts, or even with tangible objects. I promise you will pique student interest, get them curious about the unit or lesson ahead, and give them an anchor to which they can connect learning with as you move forward. Ready to make that learning stick? Let's jump in!

*I origninally learned this strategy from one of my favorite PD books in my credential program, 50 Strategies for Active Teaching: Engaging K-12 Learners in the Classroom. This book is worth 10 times it's weight in gold, and has strategies for every stage of your units! (P.S. This is not an affiliate link, I just truly love this book!)

🌟🌟🌟 Want a more specific game plan for your grade level, content area, and the students in front of you? Join me for the Upper Elementary Engagement Academy on July 28th, a half-day interactive virtual workshop where we will create your student-centered game plan and fill your tool bag with tons of actionable engagement strategies! Visit appleblossomteachers.com/summer to register.