Blogging Through the Day
I am lucky enough to be visiting Warsaw, IN today for the ALL WRITE!!! conference. It is one of the best conferences I’ve been to and I’ve been coming for the past few years. Will I see you? If you will be here today or tomorrow let me know in the comments below and maybe we can say hi!
Now, here is where this post gets interesting. I am, for the first time, using the WordPress App to blog through my day of sessions and share my learning. This is the first time I’ve done this and though it sounds really cool, it is a bit terrifying if it doesn’t work. Bear with me as I attempt to share all the fun here in Warsaw and send my learning your way!
Get ready for my stream of ideas!
Starting the day with breakfast and Dana Murphy!
Listening to keynote speaker Greg Tang on THE ART OF SMART!
“Math is a platform for developing people’s minds.” ~Tang
What does it mean to be smart?
- They know a lot about a lot of things.
- They see connections.
- They love analogies.
Look for connections in your teaching to find the one thing that makes sense to the kid that can’t make sense of what you are teaching. This applies to everything!
Greg Tang is stretching us to think in smart groups and break problems apart.
Listening to Jen Serravallo talk about GOAL-DIRECTED INSTRUCTION, based on her new book!
Jen started by talking about how her 5 year-old daughter is learning to tie shoes and she needed a list of step-by-step strategies. She also explained that even though she watches her tie her shoes following these steps, she’s still looking for the skill. Can she tie her shoes yet? Can she do it quickly? And maybe someday, can she tie them without looking?
Strategies should be a recipe of steps, but students should outgrow these steps and have easy access to the skill after becoming anchored to the strategies and steps.
“You’ve got to connect the new information to the known information.” ~Serravallo
Jen shared some great prompts for readers (I could use these for writers too).
- Compliment–Name exactly what they did well
- Directive–A command
- Re-Direction–Don’t do this, do this instead
- Question
- Sentence Starter–Give them some language to use and repeat
I’m staying with Jen to hear about small group work with readers!
“Before teaching…know what to teach.” ~Serravallo
Make sure everything you teach connects back to your overall goal for what you want the child to take away.
Compliment conferences build trust and motivations with the reader. When you do a compliment conference, it is 90 seconds at most and you are quickly researching the reader, deciding what to compliment and then clearly and explicitly complimenting the skill or strategy they used. You can also collect a lot of information and follow up with a more formal conference or a small group if you notice trends among students.
Make the kid their own model instead of always demonstrating what you want them to do.
Lunch at Cerulean!
Back from lunch and ready to go!
Learning with Mary Helen Gensch and Tammy Shultz about THE TOP TEN PICKS FOR MINI-LESSONS AND READ ALOUDS, with a few more thrown in!
Here’s the list:
Count the Monkeys by Mac Barnett
Flashlight by Lizi Boyd
I’m a Shark by Bob Shea
Pitter Patter by Martha Sullivan
Build, Dogs, Build: a Tall Tail by James Horvath
Lacey Walker, Nonstop Talker by Christianne Jones
Old Elm Speaks by Kristine O’Connel George
Raindrops Roll by April Pulley Sayre (I recently got this book and love it. It is absolutely gorgeous)!
Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Robin
Turtles by Grace Hansen
Sizing Up Winter by Lizann Flatt
Born in the Wild by Lita Judge
Bang by Leo Timmers
Spike: Ugliest Dog in the Universe by Debra Frasier
Good News Bad News by Jeff Mack
You Never Heard of Willie Mays?! by Jonah Winter and Terry Widener
Laugh Out-Loud Baby by Tony Johnston
Ending the day with a trip to the vendors to pick up two books by the amazing Jen Serravallo and then Dana and I are grabbing coffee! Long day of learning.
Thanks so much for sharing! Exciting–live blogging! Wish I could have been there, too… Maybe next year? Happy writing!
Wow! Feels like the need to have a “slicer” section at “All Write” . . . maybe plan ahead for 2016?
I am super impressed that so many teachers are dedicated to their work even when they are supposed to be on vacation. The world needs to know more about how devoted teachers are to becoming even better teachers…on their own time! Glad it’s such a wonderful experience…enjoy!
Jen is amazing (as is her new book). She zeroes in such a focused manner. Love this takeaway:
“Make sure everything you teach connects back to your overall goal for what you want the child to take away.” Wow, that is the challenge!
The list of read alouds is really helpful! Enjoy, enjoy and keep blogging!
Thank you!
Julieanne
Thanks for sharing….sounds amazing!
I love this Betsy! I’m so glad you did your post this way–it’s awesome! I felt like I was vicariously there with you! I want to go for real next year!
Love the ‘Hot off the Press’ post, thanks so much Betsy for sharing your gems from the conference. Glad you got time for some socialising too. 🙂
Thank you for sharing Betsy! I appreciate you taking the time to do this!
Thank you so much for sharing the knowledge you are gathering today!
I like how you have a quote with each section. Good to be here at All Write and encourage you in person when I run into you! 🙂
I love your adventurous spirit and that you will share your learning throughout the day.
Yea for a co-author breakfast!
You’re ambitious for committing to liveblogging Betsy. Can’t wait to read all of the thinking that comes out of All-Write today!
Looking forward to learning from you!
I can’t wait to hear all about it! Have fun..
Wow- I am excited to see how this goes for you. Like Fran, I’ve just written posts after the fact when I was at TCRWP. And I used Twitter to share during the days. Enjoy All Write. I’ve had my eye on that for a couple of years now. Really hope to go someday.
This is a lot more permanent (and ambitious) than tweeting, isn’t it? I don’t think I couldn’t hack it, but I’m glad Betsy is willing to try.
I’m so excited about this! Thanks for taking the risk!
Have a blast🎉 I loved the experience there too, but not this year. Glad you’re keeping us connected👍🏻
Betsy,
I would love to know more about theory press app. (And what device or tablet are you using as well?) I’m used to just using a regular post at TCRWP for example. All Write is definitely on my bucket list.
I believe Betsy is using the WordPress app on her Chromebook today. I know you can upload blog posts to WordPress from Evernote, but I haven’t tried it yet, Fran.
Oh, Stacey, another good idea! Being more proficient on Evernote is on my list for July. Evernote and grandson – though NOT in that order!
This is so exciting Betsy! I’m so glad you are going to blog your ideas and writing at the conference throughout the day! I’m still up to my eyeballs in end of the year marking and packing up as we finish school here on the 25th. Love how you are being brave and trying something new for all of us to experience. Can’t wait for the posts!
Thank you for doing this Betsy!!! I’m looking forward to sharing in all of your learning! I have to find my way to All Write sometime soon!!!