WHEN GROWTH JUST ISN'T WHAT YOU EXPECT - STRATEGIES AND IDEAS

There is nothing like that terrifying moment when you come to the realization that the student growth that you have come to expect just isn't happening. Have you been here?  I have had moments in my career when the growth wasn't present for a handful, but I haven't faced such a scary disparity as I did last year. The picture below shows writing over the years during the end of the first and start of the second trimesters.  The obvious "problem" picture at the top was from December of last year . . . and I didn't search for the cruddiest picture to prove my point either. This was one of the better products as all of my writing assignments looked like this or even worse - GULP! Needless to say, it was absolutely evident that something had to be fixed immediately.  

When such a problem occurs it is so important to break free of the emotional side of it - questioning your favorite teaching practices and ideas or doubting your abilities as an educator is absolutely TOXIC. This will break your heart, dull your spark, and drive you mad in the process.  Even the most experienced teacher can get down in the dumps and slip into the negative self talk. We just can't help ourselves sometimes . . . I think it's our caring side that can get the best of us from time to time.  I'll be honest.  I got here and dwelled in the pit for a week or two last December before realizing that I had forgotten my own rule of thumb -- You can't take it personally.

Now, before I get into my "fix it" process and overall methods, let me quickly give you the backstory on this one. {I promise to make it quick . . . if you know me, you know I can be a real talker.}  

Last year I was dealt a tough hand in the class department.  My crew was pretty darn cute, but the majority of them were well below benchmark in ALL subject areas (we're talking like 65% of the kids in my class . . . HEAVEN HELP ME). They were especially struggling in the writing department. The littles just weren't growing as I had hoped and/or expected. My tried and true writing routine just wasn't cutting it (we were SO behind when comparing our work to previous years). I had to quickly figure out how to "shift the sails" in an effort to catch some sort of sentence drafting momentum as January is that make or break month . . . especially in first grade.   

So, how did I fix it you ask?  Well, after breaking for the holidays last year, I was able to rid myself of the negative self chatter and look at the situation logically. The lack of growth wasn't due to my perceived "crappy ideas." This crew simply needed something different. Different is okay .  . . you just have to make an adjustment. 

When attempting to make "adjustments," I suggest sitting down in a cozy atmosphere with a notebook. Think about the true source of the classroom or academic problem and list all of the different ideas that pop into your head. Some will be too difficult, while others will prove to be not quite enough. However, one idea will most likely be just about right.  Oh, and spitballing with a co-worker in a similar situation can also be a HUGE help. You know what they say about that whole TWO HEADS thing :) 

Now, when it came to tackling my own writing problem, I used two of these tactics. A few ideas were sketched out in a notebook after chatting with my 1st grade teammate. I quickly realized that we didn't have a ton of extra time to devote to writing.  Therefore, I needed a QUICK daily ditty that added some additional MEANINGFUL practice.  

This is when the idea of Sentence Writing Warm-Ups popped into my head (a derivative of an idea on my list).  What is this packet about?  Well, it is a LEVELIZED set of sentence writing pages that are low-prep, target individual needs, and can fit into a VERY small time slot.  

We began implementing these immediately - the first Monday back in the saddle after Christmas Break. (Just think . . . that's exactly one year ago tomorrow!) After a few days of direct instruction, from this day forth, the kiddos completed a LEVELIZED (yep, there is that key word again) SENTENCE WRITING WARM-UP as their morning job. They had about 10 minutes to get their sheet completed before our awesome SIPPS assistant walked in and we had to jump start morning groups. Depending on their ability level, students would just copy a decodable sentence (beginning set), add details to a basic sentence (emerging set), or use a word bank to draft their own sentence (developing set). 

**Someone asked me how I implemented this new tactic after I walked away from this monster post.  Let me back up and insert this here as I didn't even think to include it -- When I introduced this new writing idea, I went slowly and HELD their hands by explicitly teaching how these should be completed. I strongly suggest doing this when you implement any new strategy to improve growth.  I DID NOT teach this whole class or give it the first thing in the morning right off the bat. That would have been a nightmare as these pages target different needs. Instead, I taught these levelized sheets in small groups.  Sure, I had to give up some priceless teacher reading rotation time, but fixing the writing "slump" was more important in my eyes. It only took about half of the group time too.  The first day, I showed them a sample and helped them come up with ideas by suggesting situations.  I pushed quality work, handwriting, and punctuation.  I also helped them understand the early finish component of these pages as all of the levels have one.  They are to complete it if I haven't called time . . . it's not a choice.  So, if I had to sum up that first day of instruction, I would say it was all about modeling, modeling, modeling.  

The second day, I let go a bit more and had them come up with the ideas with little coaxing.  They knocked it out of the park.  By the third day, these pages were transitioned into morning work for all of the groups.  I posted samples of each on the big screen and let them fly. Only one or two needed a little extra support at the pages were designed to be right on level.  Now, if my students wouldn't have been ready, I would have kept it in small groups for another day or two.    

I believe the above is good practice for all intervention strategies. When growth isn't happening, small group and individualized instruction is ALWAYS BETTER. One of my favorite quotes I have picked up over the years is . . . Go slow to go fast later.** 

When I started, all but 4 of my sweet kiddos started out on the ground floor (copying sentences).  By the end of the year, all but 4 kids were using the word bank! In 5 months, we were able to use these to help teach our kids how to draft a detailed sentence and finally build upon it during our writing block. Practice really does make perfect. 

When I moved to my new school, I kept creating monthly packs and decided to bring it over with me.  I started this with my babes in mid-September as they didn't receive a lot of sentence writing work in Kinder. I wasn't sure how it would turn out, but these ditties worked like a charm with these kids too.  And, it produced results SO MUCH FASTER. Alas, a positive verdict is in . . . after a full year of use with two different crews . . . these classroom tested and kid approved warm-ups will forever be in my teaching arsenal.  To learn more about this particular writing strategy, click here.

Alright, DOLLING!!!!  Enough yammering on about my beloved creation, I have three final soapbox thoughts before I exit today. These are for all you amazing teachers out there who recently jumped into the "game" and/or seasoned educators who might be stuck in that dreaded emotional response. 

First, if this idea wouldn't have played out, I wasn't afraid to re-evaluate it and make some changes . . . or even scrap the whole dang thing. That's the funny thing about teaching. What works for some groups, doesn't work for others. And, what may work for awhile with your students, might not work a few short months later.  With all this said, my thought here is to not lock yourself into ideas.  Let 'em morph with your crowd.  

Second, DO NOT trash those old ideas. A new crew will walk in the next year and those awesome tried and true activities will fall right back into place. You know when you have a "winner" . . . just safely pocket it until the next year.

Finally, don't be afraid to fail. As we all know, teaching is all about trying new things. You'll win some and you'll lose some. We just have to let go of the dock and catch that "wind" that are kids are creating.

There you have it. A LONG as all GET OUT post (with way too many capitals and ellipses) that outlines my thoughts on what to do when the growth you are seeing just ain't what it used to be.  

Thanks so much for taking the time to visit me today.  I'll be back again soon with a little math share :)