Herd Huddles

Posted on August 25, 2016 by Rebecca Mantonya

This is take two, yesterday I had started this blog post and somehow I lost it, Grrr. Now I have the opportunity to write it again and it should be even better.

Every Wednesday morning at Brownell we have the opportunity to gather with coworkers to share something we are hopeful for and something we are grateful for. Since we started this in January it has been a gentle reminder that with all the stress and struggle we do have many things to be thankful for and we need to take time to reflect that we do have many blessings even though life may be crazy around us.  Yesterday I was grateful that I  have had the opportunity to work with most of my Brownell students for another year,  I have seen some incredible growth already this year and the consistency of having the same ELL teacher has paid off.  I am especially thankful that I already know my students so I’m am able to focus much of my energy on learning the new  Wonders EL curriculum so my students can be even more successful.

To go along with reflecting on our Herd Huddle questions,  I had a friend share that the word struggle should be replaced with blessing when there are challenges.  Since I have the pleasure of having two teenagers and a toddler at home instead of saying “I am struggling with my teens”, I am now thinking “It is a blessing that I have two teens.”  The power of optimism is such a great way to change a struggle into a blessing.   This is a valuable life lesson for myself and for my students.

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Technology Conference

Posted on July 27, 2016 by Rebecca Mantonya

As a part of our Building staff development many of the staff at Brownell attended a half day session at North Star to learn about different  uses of technology.  My 2 favorite sessions were about connection writing and technology and how to use Google Drawing.

In the onnecting writing and technology session we were introduced to Google Drawing as a tool that we can use to enhance our writing and our students writing.  As a part of  pre- writing we can use Google drawing to make digital templates.  In drafting if we make changes with different colors, typing could be faster than handwriting as the students get better at typing.   In revising, highlight and add a comment editing and publishing.  An important consideration for using Chrome Books is it going to enhance our teaching, what benefits will using technology help or hinder the writing process?  A bonus of using the computer in the writing process that as the students types and creates their writing, it may be a shorter process to have a final product to publish.

hand map for writing This could be sent to the students for them to brainstorm ideas through Google classroom A benefit that I have found using Google classroom is that papers or stories cannot be lost, they can be erased but not lost.

Another feature in using technology is using word cloud in Google Doc to help show the students and teacher what words are used or overused.Screen Shot 2016-07-27 at 2.50.19 PM

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Anita Archer

Posted on July 27, 2016 by Rebecca Mantonya

What is a great way to get ready to go back to school?  I chose to go to a 2 day workshop led by Anita Archer.

Day 1

4 Big Ideas for the day that deal with the Design of Instruction

Big Ideas #1 Focus on Critical content  “Teach the stuff and cut the fluff.”

Big Ideas #2  Break down complex skills

Big idea #3 Provided Systematic Instruction  Use a consistent routine to teach- always include in the opening, an attention-getter, review and preview, the main lesson and in the closing have a review, preview and independent work.  Don’t run out of time to do the closing

Provide Explicit Instruction of concepts (vocabulary)

Step 1- Introduce the word.  Show the word, tap out the word to teach pronounciation and fluency

Step 2 Present a student friendly explanations.  Tell the students or have them read the explanation

Step 3  Illustrate the word with examples.  Use different kinds of concrete, visual or verbal examples

Step 4 Check students understanding.  ask deep processing questions, have students discern between or examples or non examples,  Have students generate their own examples.

Big Idea #4 Provide judicious practice   A great way to help students learn spelling it is to have daily spelling practice and HFW writing practice on white boards so the teacher can monitor the students success and the student can practice the words accurately and correctly.

An interesting fact that I learned that English has the most words in the language and my friend, Allyn found a link with more  http://www.lingholic.com/how-many-words-do-i-need-to-know-the-955-rule-in-language-learning-part-2/

 

PEC! PEC! PEC! Praise, Encourage and Correct (Here I am trying to use Google Drawing:)

Anita Archer

 

 

 

Day 2

We started with a review of yesterday.

Here is a link to Anita Archer’s website on explicit instruction.   www.explicitinstruction.org 

Big idea #5 Elicit Frequent Responses

Why do we want Active Participation?  It contributes to a positive learning environment, it promotes learning and it is also an embedded formative assessments.   Active Participation promotes learning because it makes the students Rehearse- Retrieve- and Retain!!!

Big Idea #6 Carefully monitor responses

When students use a white board instead of paper, students learn better because they know the teacher will see their answer so they are held accountable to show their learning.

Looks like sounds like charts  for all activities are one of the best student management tools, they are even better than rules!

aa3-1

 

 

Big Idea #7 Provide Feedback

Big Idea #8 Maintain a brisk pace

Here is the link to the lps homepage and resources provided by the district and Anita Archer,  http://home.lps.org/cipl/anitaarcher/   for lps teachers to have access to.

 

 

 

 

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Summer learning

Posted on July 26, 2016 by Rebecca Mantonya

For the past 4 days I have allowed myself to be a student, 2 days at Eric Jensen and the last 2 days taking a graduate level Math as a Second Language class. I have felt first hand the successes and frustrations of being a student again. Luckily I had a great experience growing up of being a student so instead of shutting down or giving up when school gets hard, I take a break and then get up and try some more.  The math class was MATH 800T, Math as a Second Language.

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Eric Jensen

Posted on June 10, 2016 by Rebecca Mantonya

On June 9th and 10th, I had the opportunity to attend a conference led by Eric Jensen.  I was inspired to attend because I had co workers who attended his workshop in Texas and we have done all school  book studies of 2 of his books.

There was a great deal of new and review material to think about.

Some highlights for me  are

DNA is not your Destiny! Smart teaching changes brains.

Build Working Memory- with both sounds or pictures

  3 great climate builders 

1.HOPE, OPTIMISM & GRATITIUDE,

2.Mindset of Growth and Feedback,

3. Engagement

The 5 Questions to reflect on daily to  help with Daily Mindset changes

1.  How did I foster optimism and gratitude today? Was it my best effort?

2.  In what ways did I make this relevant? ( for me, our staff and students)

3.  How well did I manage my stress today?

4.  How was I fully engaged in helping each student (or staff) succeed?

5.  Identify How I grew and got better today. (personally and professionally)

Instead of calling students, students call them scholars

Instead of calling teachers, teachers call them change agents.

Older students mentor younger students.

Relationships matter!

Student expectations have a huge effect size of 1.44

S- E- A Strategy- Effort- Attitude  effect size of .74  add Attribution Training: Linking success to particular factor 1.42 effect size.

 

 

 

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Summer has begun and so has summer learning

Posted on June 10, 2016 by Rebecca Mantonya

School got out on a Friday, a weekend of camping flew by. Monday was filled with errands and on Tuesday I was back at school for CSI- Continuous School Improvement.   It was a time we were able to reflect on our successes for the year.  And I think I have one of my goals already figured out for next year with my ELL students.  Drum roll…..   Reading Fluency because  of the work that our LPS Reading Liaisons completed  this past year.  Some of he ELL students that I have been working with  and who I have the most concerns about are going into 4th and 5th grades and are reading at the 1st grade level, so I am really excited to take my reading to the next level in data collection.   Guided reading with Jan Richardson has helped us to get this far, but now we need to make the leap from learning to read to reading to learn.

 

Then on Wednesday I attended our yearly Multicultural Leadership Institute.  Our keynote speaker was Jessie Myles, the Coordinator of Diversity/ At Risk Programs at the Midwest Equity Assistance Center in Manhattan, Kansas.

 

 

To end our discussion we were able to listen Rita Pierson and her TED talk about the importance of relationships.  One of her stories she shared was that she had a very low class so she told her class “they were chosen to be in my room and  you were the best students and I was the best teacher. I am somebody… ” This totally tied in with our CSI conversation we had the day before.  Angie, our new coordinator shared that when she was the Dif teacher, she also pulled some literacy support students and the because she pulled the highest and low performing students and the the lower students performed even better becuase they got to go with the Dif teacher as well.   WE should have the same teacher pull the

http://Rita Pierson: Every kid needs a champion

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GRIT

Posted on May 17, 2016 by Rebecca Mantonya

The last week of school, the children and teachers are ready for summer but there is one more week of school to go.

GRIT, we have talked about it all year with the students and the teachers need to use their own  resources to get through this challenging week.

IMG_3604

 

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Trauma Training

Posted on April 21, 2016 by Rebecca Mantonya

We had our 2 day after school trauma training in March and April. Where do I start? First here are some websites
www.beyondconsequences.com

traumasensitiveschools.org

www.NCTSN.org

www.livesinthebalance.org

What can we do as educators?
Be aware and learn as much as possible. We have to check ourselves, we need to be a rational as an adult. Use a calm voice, low voice tone, be at eye level, supportive and nurture and tell the child what will happen next. Nurturing, caring and accepting helps students calm down much faster

There are 6 types of trauma.
Acute- a one time event
Chronic- poverty,
Complex-
Neglect- lack of food, clothing, shelter or love
Historical- usually done to a group of people such as Native Americans, refugees, etc
Traumatic- death of a family member, witness to a crime

 

This is only the beginning, as a teacher who works in a Title 1 school with children who live in poverty and with ELL students, my students face many struggles and this is a topic that I need to learn more about so I can help my students  develop a foundations so that they become successful adults.

Here is a pdf of the handout we  received.  NCTSN Child Trauma Toolkit for Educators.

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Equity meeting 11/14/13

Posted on April 21, 2016 by Rebecca Mantonya

 

*This post somehow got lost in my draft folder.

Equity Liasion meeting, November 14, 2013

LPS Social workers  Nora Treat Northeast High School  sponsor of the Gay Straight Alliance,

Sue Ditton- Lincoln High School  Social Worker sponsor clubs for the high schools.

LGBQ students Students are taking a big risk

Transgender male and female, Bisexual, Metro sexual,  Gender fluid, Hyper masculine are words to clarify and define.  If you are unsure about a word and it’s meaning, ask.

Build awareness and gain knowledge, starts in high school and filters down to middle and elementary school.

Guest Speaker- Pat Tetreault, Phd UNL LBGTQA Resource Center

 

Named a resource—– It’s Elementary, a DVD, talks about LGB at the elementary level and it has a curriculum guide.

 

What is Social Justice Education?  As it compares to diversity and multicultural education.  We do not track LGBT youth, like nationality, sex, and language,  Part of non discrimination, not part of graduation rates.  We really do not know true numbers, data on LGBT youth and adults.   It is a hidden minority,  that is not tracked and not talked or included in the equity conversation, but needs to be.

What is inclusive environment?   “If you do not intentionally, deliberately and proactively include, you are will unintentionally exclude- Joe Gerstandt

LGBTQA includes multiple and intersecting identities.   Some are visible some are not visible.  We have multiple aspects to our personalities.

Transgender people do not feel as safe as bisexual, lesbians or gay people.  Generally people/ students feel the safest at school, next at home or with family and rarely do they feel safe in work places or public.

Ally-       Safe Space  4 Stages of being an Ally

Awareness

Knowledge/ Education

Skills Development

Action

Pink Triangle is a symbol to remember the persecution of the gay men during World War II and a hope for the future.

Here are links to  helpful and informative websites on LGBT issues and topics.

https://genderspectrum.org/

Here is a graphic  of The Genderbread Person v2.0, http://itspronouncedmetrosexual.com/2012/03/the-genderbread-person-v2-0/  that breaks down gender identity, expression,  attraction and sex.

from the website http://itspronouncedmetrosexual.com  has tons of resources for education and social justice.

Cisgender – refer to people whose gender and behavior are consistent.  A male who acts like a male, a female who acts like a female.

Queer- gaining acceptance as an OK word

Questioning- people  are exploring who they are by

Asexual,  aromantic.

Heteroqueer

Language that build bridges not barriers.  If you are unsure of terminology, ask.

Gay and lesbian are better words than homosexual.  Transgender is a better term than transgendered.

Bystander intervention-  What is leadership?  Do you respond?  Direct and indirect approaches.

http://www.ted.com/talks/raghava_kk_shake_up_your_story.html

– Raghava KK  teach children multiple perspectives so they can be empathetic.

Guest Speaker-  Ellen James-  PFLAG Center Regional Center-   a variance of the human condition- transgender   orientation or gender identity  attraction  exceeds sexuality.

People have not been “gayed”, “straightened” or “transgendered”

She shared her child’s story.  It was very touching and emotional, but also highlighted how teachers can help students.

Famous Gay people in History

Alexander the great,  Socrates,  Lord Byron,  Tennessee Williams,  Michelangelo,  Leonardo Da Vinci,  Willa Cather,  Cole Porter,  Raymond Burr,  Aristotle, Julius Caesar

Having pink and blue was a marketing decision to help make more money by selling boy and girl stuff.   Used to be based on eye color.

If you would like more information or have other questions I have more information.  There  are support groups in Lincoln

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Bilingual Liaison Roles Lincoln Public Schools – ELL Program

Posted on April 21, 2016 by Rebecca Mantonya
  • I started this post  many years ago and it needs to be published.

As we are getting back to school and classroom teachers are looking over class lists and wait, the parents of my student does not speak English. What can I do, I can’t speak their language.

Bilingual Liaison Roles
Lincoln Public Schools – ELL Program

1. To help the non-English speaking, particularly, refugee/immigrant parents learn more about the schools their children attend. This includes school procedures, student rights and responsibilities, making ELL home visits in cooperation with the Family Specialists, and parent/teacher conferences or phone contacts by request of school staff.

2. To assist the staff of Student Services to set up a conference with parents in cases where an ELL student is being referred to the District Office for a higher recommendation of discipline action such as long term suspension or expulsion.

3. To help schools’ attendance office on a regular basis, contact ELL parents to ensure their students’ absences are reasonable.

4. To help school counselors contact ELL students, locate needed information, make decisions about career education and help students apply for college, scholarships and employment according to their skills and interests.

5. To help students, parents and school staff increase their understanding of different ways to learn English as a Second Language, understand cultural expectations, and respect cultural differences. Resources also to be considered are a quarterly ELL Newsletter and cultural presentations.

6. To assist the ELL office staff during the enrollment period of each school year by working to solve problems of schools, parents and students.

7. To help translate school information, both verbal interpretations and written documents in cooperation with the on-call translators and interpreters in different languages to ensure quality communication between home and school.

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