4 weeks into the school year!!

My goal is to write weekly but I have a good excuse for missing last week. My Anne was getting ready to leave for a year job as a teaching assistant in a French ES and much of the weekend was spent helping her (which now I can type that she has successfully arrived in Chambery, France!!). Then I worked late Mon-Wednesday to leave lesson plans so I could join Brian on his conference trip La Jolla, CA. So now, as I relax in a truly beautiful spot in the world, I have time to reflect on my first 4 weeks of teaching as a 5th grade writing teacher.

I know I love my situation this year, but why? I saw a graphic of ingredients for great teaching and it included 3 things: knowing content, engagement with students and ___ ( blanking on 3rd part of graph right now?). But I do know that I am confident every day because I know and love teaching writing. And being in a school that follows a responsive classroom management approach gives me the structure to have kids engaged. They are happy after we play a game or do morning meeting. I love my situation because I feel successful at it. Sure, it isn't all perfect but I feel safe to teach and learn with my students and staff while sharing a content I've become good at teaching!!

I'm proud of my 5th grade writers. Last Thursday, our 13th day of school, we held our first publishing party. Three of the days were on-demand assessment days and 10 were days the kids got to go through the writing process (immerse, generate, draft, revise, edit and publish). During a Symphony Share, all read aloud their favorite part, some the lead, some the heart, some the ending. All participated and together we celebrated with a candy treat and watching a film clip. Then I hung all the work in the hallway and Friday we reflected. All in 11 days!!

I think the nature of Writing Workshop makes my job so great. It is a defined process that requires time to work at it. But through planning I decide and share the tips I think they could use in their writing, teach the mini-lesson and then confer. We keep moving through the process and we know the publishing date from the start. The process is concrete and through my lessons involving mentor text I try to make it visible and doable. And after 4 weeks of teaching 80 students, I feel it is working.

Nine Days Down with Kids!

As Friday, the 9th day of school, was ending, I told my writing classes how proud I was of them! Already they had done so much writing work. They had many small moments drafted into their notebook. They had picked one that was meaningful to them. They had drafted that one story out of the notebook. Then Friday they worked on being a reviser - they revisited the lead and many tried writing multiple leads to pick the one that they liked the best. Many found the heart of their story and revisited it to stretch it out. They added actions, inner feeling and sound words. So exciting to be a guide to Writing Workshop in a school where the kids have been learning in a workshop for their entire elementary experience. Now, as 5th graders, they respond so well to my guidance. I can't wait to go to work on Monday! I'll guide them to write a strong ending and edit and then publish with a celebration!

My co-teacher, who joins we three days out of six, brainstormed with me how the publishing party might go. I want to have a Symphony Share. But I really didn't want to "make" them take their messy draft and have to rewrite it to hang on the bulletin board. That task can cause some to hate writing. Together we decided that we'd let each student rewrite just their favorite part - maybe the lead, maybe the heart of the story, maybe the ending. And THIS will be made public on the bulletin boards! It is only 9:30am on a Sat and I have the last revision and editing lesson planned and I'm excited to go to work on Monday...yet I still get to enjoy the rest of today and tomorrow.

So far this year feels so different to me. FINALLY, I am in a school that values all I know about the teaching of writing learned over the past 6 summers at TCRWP! Planning is fun because I can draw from my past stories written and past lessons taught. But can also add new mentor texts and new responses to how the kids are writing. I like having a co-teacher to brainstorm with.
I LIKE MY JOB!!

I still need to figure out how to strategically conference with students.
I still need to figure out how to document and use my conference notes.
I still need to know all 80 kid's names!

But for now, I'm going to celebrate the fact that I have found an amazing school where I get to confidently teach with a smart community of students, teachers, and parents.

And I got paid yesterday!!!
Life is good!

September 1, 2014

I have had 10 PD days with DCPS/DC3 and 5 days with students as the 5th grade writing teacher. So far, so good!!

Today, the Sunday of Labor Day Weekend, my goal is to process all the information shared over the past 3 weeks. I plan to spend time doing the following:
* look closely at the school calendar and understand the important dates occurring at Janney overall and specific with the 5th grade.
* read the Personal Narrative On-Demands completed on Tuesday by the 5th graders and be ready to make a plan with my writing co-teacher (yes, 3 days during our school's 6 day week, I have another adult in the room! The other 3 days she supports the 4th grade writing teacher).
* add my notes and words of wisdom heard at the 14th Annual National Book Festival to my other blog. I so enjoyed my day yesterday that began with author Kate DiCamillo and ended in song with the author of Pete the Cat!! I can't wait to share all I heard with my writing students!!
* plan out the powerpoint lesson plans for Tue-Fri of next week! I have been using this format to help me ensure that I say the same info to each of my 4 classes. I'll admit that by the 3rd rotation, I start to question if I've said something so the ppt is mostly for me to clearly start the teaching lesson of each day. The ppt also helps my co-teacher know what I did on the days she is not in the room and helps her to see what I'm planning for those days she is in the room (C, D, and F days!).

I think I better stop blogging and get to work! But as I remarked in my last post, I can't wait to go to work on Tuesday!! By then I'll be well planned, I'll be teaching a writing unit that I'm used to teaching - personal narrative; I'll know my writers strength and needs and have a beginning plan to help them grow based on their On-Demand; and I'll be returning to a Responsive Classroom school where the students are used to sharing and playing and working collaboratively together.

I have been telling my friends from the district that I left that this school seems too good to be true...will it continue to be what now I think of as "my dream school"? Instead of spending time thinking about it, I'm just going to appreciate all that I know about Janney now and place lots of energy into getting my To Do List done today so Tuesday is another fun day of teaching!!

August 16 - First week as a newbie in DCPS/DC3

What an amazing week!

Monday and Tuesday I reported via Metro to my new school - Janney ES. I am one of 14 new teachers and we spent two days learning the vision of the school and how this matches with my beliefs. We took time to get to know each other. Daily we started and ended the day with a Morning Meeting/Closing Meeting. I was asked to reflect and share and after two days I felt so lucky to be in a school that matches my beliefs so well and a place where I feel valued and am heard!

Wed I met the discrict head, Chancellor Henderson and again I was impressed. I love that one of the goal of DCSP is to get kids to want to come to school, to like school! The fact that they named it as a goal is impressive to me. They aren't taking it for granted. They know things need to be in place to make people want to show up. As I returned home on Wed, I thought how much I wanted to go to work on Thursday. The Janney staff in just days created that for me!

Thursday I learned how I am part of a collaboration of DCPS schools who together will grow as professionals during our shared professional development days. Very cool!

And Friday I had time to meet with the Instructional Coach to learn the suggested order of writing units and then time to set up my classroom.

Again, I can't wait to go to school on Monday! I find out my students' names tonight as it is being posted to the school website. Then Monday I will meet the entire staff and have time to work with the 5th grade team.

I choose this school because I get to be the 5th grade writing teacher to 80 students. I get to teach the subject I know very well all day long to 4 classrooms of students. I know there are many pluses and minuses to this model but I'm excited to report back here each Saturday to share how it is going.

After a refreshing July break, I am back in the classroom - this year a 5th grade classroom at a new school called Janney in a subset of a the disctrict called DC3 which is a part of a new district for me -DCPS.

The 2014-15 school year has officially begun!!

Final Letter to my Students

June 25, 2014

Dear Room 121 Fourth Grade Friends,

            As we end our year together, I just want to take a moment to reflect on a few things I have learned with you. My favorite part of being your classroom teacher was the many read-alouds. Lucy Calkins says “Books can inspire us to reach toward becoming the kind of person we want to become.” I do think the characters in the books we read together gave us inspiration. I will never forget what the following books taught me this year and I encourage you to always:

(book cover images HERE of Where the Wild Things Are, Ish, My Name is Maria Isabel, Flora and Ulysses, Wonder, The Julian Chapter, and The Book Of Elsewhere: The Shadows)

Remember Max, a boy with a fabulous imagination who taught us that books (and teachers) that are 50 years old are still OK.

 Remember Marisol, Ramon’s sister, who taught us to see beauty around us and showed us the importance of giving compliments.

Remember Maria Isabel, that very shy girl who blossomed by reading Charlotte’s Web and by putting her big ideas into writing. I hope we will also jot down our big ideas in order to change our world when needed.

Remember Flora and Ulysses, the 2014 Newbery Winner. Flora, her dad, her mom, Peter Spiver, and Ulysses all seemed a bit lost. Yet together, they find their way. If they can do it, we can, too!

Remember Auggie and Julian, who taught us to be kinder than is necessary. However, if we do make a mistake and act unkind, we must apologize and mean it.

Finally, remember Jacqueline West, the author of The Book of Elsewhere: The Shadows who visited our school. And remember Olive, who taught us to be curious, observant, and brave, even when strange things start to happen around us.

In the Broadway Musical, Wicked, the Good Witch Glinda and the Wicked Witch from the West, Elphaba sing together. One line in their duet is “Because I knew you, I have been changed for good.” I deeply believe that I am a better person because I have known you and had the honor to teach you this year. You have taught me so much that I will carry with me next year and for the rest of my life.

As this 4^th grade school year ends, know that I am so proud of you. You have grown as readers, writers, mathematicians, scientists, historians and as kind friends. Now enjoy your summer, taking some time to read and write! I can confidently state that WE ARE ALL READY to do well next year in 5^th grade!

Fondly,

Mrs. Donnelly

PS – Do stay in touch – sally.donnelly11@gmail.com

Week of June 9th...reflecting a few days late instead of Sat AM

I really wonder if I could do this job if I still had my children at home to raise??

This passed weekend I drove to Charlottesville early Saturday morning so no time to blog here. A day was spent taking college furniture to underclassmen apartments and to Goodwill. My daughter needed to vacate her apartment and my Subaru wagon was called into in to help. Once all the furniture was dispersed, we could load up her "stuff" and sadly, it did not all fit. So we drove the 2 hours home on Saturday to Arlington. Then Sunday morning back on Route 29 to retrieve the final boxes. Absolutely NO school work got done. Luckily, end of year lessons were already planned so Monday morning wasn't too chaotic. But I do wonder, could I be doing this job if all my weekends were distracted by my own children?? Looking back, it seems that weekends were the times to get organized, plan, read writing drafts over many hours. So much time is needed to do this job well.

Last Friday I sent this letter to my parents:

Dear Parents of Room 121 students,
What a fabulous week!I loved seeing the students run a Farmer’s Market.  So many steps were followed by the students, who:

·         Grew some of the product ingredients

·         Researched and wrote about how plants grow

·         Spoke up and advocated for a product to be made and sold

·         Worked collaboratively to produce, package, and price the products

·         Persuasively advertised the Farmer’s Market and each product

·         Cleverly wrote a song or a skit to show on the Morning Broadcast

·         Respectfully greeted customers, encouraged them to shop and handled sales at the tables

·         Chipped in to set-up and cleaned-up during the two days of the marketI am so glad I was on the Fourth Grade Team this year!!  I loved being a part of the Farmer’s Market Inquiry Project Team!!

As this week ends, we have just eight  more days of the 2013-14 school year.

I want to share my news with you so you hear it from me. I was offered and have accepted a job as the 5^th grade Writing Teacher at Janney ES, a DCPS school located in Northwest, Washington. I met teachers from DCPS while attending Institutes at Teachers College and learned that a group of schools in DC follow the Reading and Writing Workshop model, the model I use to teach literacy. Though I am sad to leave FCPS after 13 wonderful learning years, I am looking forward to beginning a new professional chapter of my career, just across the Potomac River. And I am very excited that my sole focus will be to guide ten and eleven year old writers during Writing Workshop.

I shared this news with your child today (a few missed due to absence or Patrol training). I honestly told them that because of them, I feel very confident to take on this new job. The 27 wonderful writers in Room 121 showed me how to be a better writing teacher this year and for this I will always be grateful.  I am equally grateful I could spend this school year as a part of your family. Though you won’t see me at CRS next year, know that I will never forget you and your amazing child who has taught me so much.

REQUEST: If you know your child will be missing any of the final days of school, please send me an email letting me know.

Now on to enjoying our last full week and three days of school together!
Fondly,
Sally

PS – PLEASE come to Room 121 for our Monday, June 16 Belated Mother and Father’s Day Party

We made an amazing movie to view. Moms, dads, grandparents – you are ALL welcome!!

8:10 – 9am BRING nothing….maybe a tissue to use while viewing our video!!

Monday –           S Day – bring in a favorite stuffed animal (no bigger than your backpack, please)

Tuesday –           T day – Twin Day; coordinate with a friend to wear the same color clothes or do your hair the same!
Wednesday -     U Day – USA…wear red, white and blue!
Thursday -           V Day – we will watch a video
Friday -                 W Day – watercoloring time!

Rereading this update reminds me that I am doing SO much as a teacher. I love it!! I am grateful I have the time to focus on these 27 kids and just a bit on my own 22 and 25 year old daughters.

Week of June 2-6

I really need to work on my report cards so here's a quick entry about an awesome week!! It really was a fun week - why? Maybe we all know we only have so many days left together...maybe we are more relaxed because state testing is done...maybe it is the warmer weather and sunny skies...maybe it is that each day we have taken time to PLAY through our ABC Countdown (I - write with ink pens; J - jump rope; K - say kind things; L - eat lunch in classroom with a movie, The Aristocats; M - more of movie with M&M treat). Maybe I am finally realizing how to handle the management of 27 students. I think ALL of us are feeling more confident, more in control of our actions. All are trying more to be kind and choose wisely - reading Wonder REALLY helped us understand HOW to treat others.

We also had an author visit - Jacqueline West!! So fun!!! I'll add more on this after I get the report cards done and paper work filed correctly into their literacy folders.

I hope this doesn't take my entire weekend...

But thoughts of attending the Reading Institute the week of June 29-July3 and having the whole month of July off to read and write and rest will keep me going!!!

Then I begin a new adventure as a 5th grade writing teacher in DCPS!!! More about that later, too.