teach. - Inclusion+Showbie=AHMAZING!
This school year, I'm providing full inclusion services for grades 2-5. For the past 2 years, I've provided pull out services for reading and inclusion services for math. Prior to that, I provided 3 years of full inclusion services at a different school in a different district. So, I've gotten my feet wet over the years. Luckily for me, my current school is a one-to-one school, so all of our students have access to their own iPad in the classroom.
If you're a special education teacher, more specifically a resource teacher, you'll understand when I say caseloads can get crazy sometimes. You begin wondering what the state's definition of small group is. In my case, I have 30 minutes for reading with each grade level. My smallest reading group in grades 3-5 is around 8 students, and their reading levels are a wide range. So, how do I do it? How do I serve these kids in 30 minutes and give them the most with the little time we have? TECHNOLOGY!!
In this blog post, I'm going to focus on ways I use Showbie to make life in the classroom easier for us all. Plus, the kids really like using it.
Side note: I only use Showbie with grades 3-5. I feel it could potentially be a little much for lower elementary students.
1. Anchor Charts
I actually mentioned this idea in a previous post. Heartbroken descries how I felt when I learned I'd be doing inclusion this year. I love Jennifer Serravallo, and I love her book of reading anchor charts! They have truly made a difference in my reading instruction.
So, I've been making anchor charts and taking a picture of them to upload into Showbie, or I make an electronic anchor chart using Google Docs or Microsoft Word. For the most part, I stick to Microsoft Word and save the chart as a pdf file. It's easier to upload this way. Each Showbie class has an anchor chart folder, and I upload all charts there. Students always have access to them.
If a student does not have internet connection at home, they can open the pdf file in Notability (if this is needed, I'd make a divider and subject for anchor charts for organization...Notability is another post). As long as the file is uploaded into Notability at school, the student will have access to it at home even without internet connection.
2. Word work
At my school, I use the Fountas & Pinnell LLI system for instruction. I really like the set up, because it makes planning and gathering materials a lot easier. However, I do tailor lessons to my students and supplement activities. As my students get into the higher levels in the blue and red systems, we spend several days on a book. I add a lot of comprehension and technology activities and try really hard to align comprehension skills with those being taught by the general education teacher. That being said, sometimes I don't have much time to spend on word work. I think word work is really important for my readers, but I also feel I need to spend most of my time actually reading with students and conversing with them about their reading. Not to mention, in all of my 3-5 grade inclusion groups I have two reading groups going.
Each Showbie class also has a word work folder. In this word work folder, I upload videos (that I create using Doceri) that teaches the word work for that lesson. The videos are typically 1.5-4.5 minutes long. At the end of each video, I leave some sort of practice assignment for the students to complete in their reading notebooks or on their iPad using a specific app. Sometimes, I have students upload their work into Showbie and turn it in, so I can check it at a later time. Sometimes, they bring their work to our reading group, and we quickly review it then.
Students like using the app and love hearing my voice on the video. They often say, "The person on the video sounds a lot like you." Well, it is me.
On the front end, making the videos can be time consuming. But, the silver lining is, once it's made, it's made and can be reused. Plus, it's just another way to differentiate instruction. Often times, the general education teacher allows this assignment to be one of my students' centers or allows it to be their independent work during independent reading (most of my students have a max stamina level of about 10 minutes right now, and this provides them something productive to do which is tailored to their needs).
3. Comprehension Assignments
Just like word work, I use Showbie to assign independent comprehension assignments. Sometimes, I scan a worksheet focused on a skill, or I'll type in an assignment related to the book we're reading.
For example: On page 7 of your book, place a sticky note and write a sentence or draw a picture about what you visualized when you read the author's words.
And, no need to worry about students being able to read your directions/assignments. Showbie also has a voice option. I use this option to read the directions, and my students can replay it as many times as they need.
Sometimes, I'll also upload a model assignment, especially if I'm expecting them to create something using an app like Popplet.
Again, this provides individualized purposes for reading, which I've noticed keeps my students more engaged during independent reading. Not to mention, it's giving me some good data and giving the students some practice following directions (they all need that, right?).
4. Running Records
The Fountas & Pinnell LLI system requires you to complete a running record every even lesson (typically every other day if you do one lesson per day). We all know how much time running records can take, but we also know how much data and insight it can give us about students.
I found myself getting one, maybe two, running records on each kid in each group every 9 weeks, if I was lucky. Also, I found myself losing a lot of instruction time. So, I got creative.
I've left open Fridays for running record day and/or individual conference day. I'll determine which students I need a running record on, and I'll assign that student to record themselves reading pages x-x on Showbie (the other students will read independently or complete unfinished work or complete another assignment). While this student is recording, I conference with another student. By the time I'm done with my conference, the student recording has finished. So, I can now pull that student to ask the comprehension questions about the pages he/she just read, and listen to their reading for miscues at a later time (like my planning time, yeah right...more like after school or on my couch at home).
This also provides a recording for the student to go back and listen to, which leads to a great conversation about fluency.
Over time, Showbie provides a portfolio of the student work because everything is saved there. Showbie does provide an option to create student portfolios which parents can view. I haven't played around with this feature, because most teachers I co-teach with use Seesaw for that. If you aren't familiar with Seesaw...familiarize yourself. It's also AMAZING!
Below are just a few screenshots of what Showbie looks like on the inside. :)
If you're a special education teacher, more specifically a resource teacher, you'll understand when I say caseloads can get crazy sometimes. You begin wondering what the state's definition of small group is. In my case, I have 30 minutes for reading with each grade level. My smallest reading group in grades 3-5 is around 8 students, and their reading levels are a wide range. So, how do I do it? How do I serve these kids in 30 minutes and give them the most with the little time we have? TECHNOLOGY!!
In this blog post, I'm going to focus on ways I use Showbie to make life in the classroom easier for us all. Plus, the kids really like using it.
Side note: I only use Showbie with grades 3-5. I feel it could potentially be a little much for lower elementary students.
1. Anchor Charts
I actually mentioned this idea in a previous post. Heartbroken descries how I felt when I learned I'd be doing inclusion this year. I love Jennifer Serravallo, and I love her book of reading anchor charts! They have truly made a difference in my reading instruction.
So, I've been making anchor charts and taking a picture of them to upload into Showbie, or I make an electronic anchor chart using Google Docs or Microsoft Word. For the most part, I stick to Microsoft Word and save the chart as a pdf file. It's easier to upload this way. Each Showbie class has an anchor chart folder, and I upload all charts there. Students always have access to them.
If a student does not have internet connection at home, they can open the pdf file in Notability (if this is needed, I'd make a divider and subject for anchor charts for organization...Notability is another post). As long as the file is uploaded into Notability at school, the student will have access to it at home even without internet connection.
2. Word work
At my school, I use the Fountas & Pinnell LLI system for instruction. I really like the set up, because it makes planning and gathering materials a lot easier. However, I do tailor lessons to my students and supplement activities. As my students get into the higher levels in the blue and red systems, we spend several days on a book. I add a lot of comprehension and technology activities and try really hard to align comprehension skills with those being taught by the general education teacher. That being said, sometimes I don't have much time to spend on word work. I think word work is really important for my readers, but I also feel I need to spend most of my time actually reading with students and conversing with them about their reading. Not to mention, in all of my 3-5 grade inclusion groups I have two reading groups going.
Each Showbie class also has a word work folder. In this word work folder, I upload videos (that I create using Doceri) that teaches the word work for that lesson. The videos are typically 1.5-4.5 minutes long. At the end of each video, I leave some sort of practice assignment for the students to complete in their reading notebooks or on their iPad using a specific app. Sometimes, I have students upload their work into Showbie and turn it in, so I can check it at a later time. Sometimes, they bring their work to our reading group, and we quickly review it then.
Students like using the app and love hearing my voice on the video. They often say, "The person on the video sounds a lot like you." Well, it is me.
On the front end, making the videos can be time consuming. But, the silver lining is, once it's made, it's made and can be reused. Plus, it's just another way to differentiate instruction. Often times, the general education teacher allows this assignment to be one of my students' centers or allows it to be their independent work during independent reading (most of my students have a max stamina level of about 10 minutes right now, and this provides them something productive to do which is tailored to their needs).
3. Comprehension Assignments
Just like word work, I use Showbie to assign independent comprehension assignments. Sometimes, I scan a worksheet focused on a skill, or I'll type in an assignment related to the book we're reading.
For example: On page 7 of your book, place a sticky note and write a sentence or draw a picture about what you visualized when you read the author's words.
And, no need to worry about students being able to read your directions/assignments. Showbie also has a voice option. I use this option to read the directions, and my students can replay it as many times as they need.
Sometimes, I'll also upload a model assignment, especially if I'm expecting them to create something using an app like Popplet.
Again, this provides individualized purposes for reading, which I've noticed keeps my students more engaged during independent reading. Not to mention, it's giving me some good data and giving the students some practice following directions (they all need that, right?).
4. Running Records
The Fountas & Pinnell LLI system requires you to complete a running record every even lesson (typically every other day if you do one lesson per day). We all know how much time running records can take, but we also know how much data and insight it can give us about students.
I found myself getting one, maybe two, running records on each kid in each group every 9 weeks, if I was lucky. Also, I found myself losing a lot of instruction time. So, I got creative.
I've left open Fridays for running record day and/or individual conference day. I'll determine which students I need a running record on, and I'll assign that student to record themselves reading pages x-x on Showbie (the other students will read independently or complete unfinished work or complete another assignment). While this student is recording, I conference with another student. By the time I'm done with my conference, the student recording has finished. So, I can now pull that student to ask the comprehension questions about the pages he/she just read, and listen to their reading for miscues at a later time (like my planning time, yeah right...more like after school or on my couch at home).
This also provides a recording for the student to go back and listen to, which leads to a great conversation about fluency.
Over time, Showbie provides a portfolio of the student work because everything is saved there. Showbie does provide an option to create student portfolios which parents can view. I haven't played around with this feature, because most teachers I co-teach with use Seesaw for that. If you aren't familiar with Seesaw...familiarize yourself. It's also AMAZING!
Below are just a few screenshots of what Showbie looks like on the inside. :)
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