6. Submit a Log

Using the UO with teachers went well. The UO helped organize the vast information. We also discussed uses of the UO in their rooms.

edna-black Over 5 years ago

Log

What went well - Why?
Students took to them quickly and engagement was high, especially in my advanced classes. The students use of them encouraged and reminded me to keep making them part of the routine. Students referred back to them during Socratic Seminar and it quickly caught on in the entire class.

What was a challenge - Why?
My traditional students did not like to fill them in as readily and it took some rewards to get students engaged with the device. It took longer for them to see the value of it and some students had lots of attendance issues which made keeping up with it more difficult. While in my advanced class students who missed days used their UO to catch up, in my traditional classes this didn't seem to work as well. I think that many students have been conditioned to not try to do work because it is often too difficult for them, so even when it isn't too difficult for them, they don't want to try it. I had 8th graders who were reading at a 2nd grade level, so I can understand why they might hesitate to participate our of fear they won't be able to do it.

What you will do next time
I will continue to use the UO with my traditional classes, but I will be faster on the reinforcement of participation. Once it was established that students were rewarded for answering questions and filling in the boxes the students started to participate more.

What adjustments you made
I adjusted for traditional by reinforcing participation with rewards. I also put the UO on the Elmo and would write words, since spelling was a big hang up for some students. I had some students who still struggled and I would give my UO to them to copy, so they at least could have a copy for themselves in their notebook.

Ideas generated for issues encountered
I wonder if doing the UO on two pages instead of front/back might be easier for my traditional students. I think it would make gluing them into their notebooks easier. The only other issue I really ran into was time to review and create UO for the classes. It was tough at times, but collaborating with other teachers helped speed the process when time was short as did working with a coach and using the provided work sessions after school hours.

swochs Almost 6 years ago

Self-Test Questions and responses

·         What current practices complement or compete with SIM routines/ strategies?
  The district uses other graphic organizers that would complement the SIM strategies.
·         How do teachers teach and provide sufficient practice in selected SEL learning strategies as part of core curriculum courses?
Social and Emotional learning strategies are part of our best practices and should be provided daily to students.
   ·         How will routines become routinely used in my work/schools? The strategy of a unit organizer can be consistently used at the beginning and throughout a lesson.
·         How will coaching guide our efforts? Coaching will assist us at becoming better equip to assist schools/teachers with the strategy, which will impact the students in the classroom.

msturgess1 Almost 6 years ago

Smart Moves link

Google Docs

PPS MOVES Thurs.docx

msturgess1 Almost 6 years ago

Log of implementation

This was a very well received device. I had a large amount of student engagement throughout this unit. This can be a very difficult subject matter and my students did not have the usual amount of hesitation that comes with such a daunting material. I firmly believe that their comfort with the unit organizer allowed them to open their minds to this new information in such a way that they were learning without fear.

The information contained in this unit is quite challenging, but by having this device and its frequent use my students were able to overcome most of the difficulty and achieve success. We did have to go back and review the previous material before moving on to the next, but the device made this a very easy task. Students even began to review on their own as we approached the closure of the unit.

I will in the future allow for more time to review the more difficult topics as many students stressed that this was very helpful for them.

sstrickland About 6 years ago

Successes and Challenges

My co-teacher and I both feel the UO has been very good for the students in focusing them on the bigger picture. We found that we frequently cue students to think about/look at the UO when during instruction and class discussions. They are pretty successful in linking the information back. We can definitely see how it helps "pull them back" from the details and think about how the information is connected in the bigger picture.
One challenge for us has been keeping our students motivated to use this routine. We also use the Framing Routine for all notes, and the LINCing Routine for important vocabulary. Because the students use the Framing Routine about once a week, they see the similar structure in the UO and perceive it as another layer of information---we are working to keep variety and motivation!

tammie29 About 6 years ago

Log

https://docs.google.com/a/spotsylvania.k12.va.us/document/d/12gHXrTMvJFu1wlrDsZMpTKvETyY9kZDpMEHeodF4ErM/edit?usp=sharing

mclark Over 6 years ago

Log

The students seem to enjoy the organization of the unit. Students did well to follow along and fill-in the information missing on the unit. Students also asked appropriate questions as we walked through the organizer. And the students did well to locate information in the review process. The challenge was delivering so much information at one time. Next time, I will only introduce the information which we will need right away. And then I will gradually release new information as we see it throughout the unit.

md Over 6 years ago

Hoxie Self-Reported Data (dated as originally posted)

2/26/16 The students responded well to the chance to take ownership of the unit organizer. In all classes, a student led the process and recorded the information on the SmartBoard. They are also responding positively to completing the unit organizer using "hot potato." I play music while students pass around a stuffed hedgehog toy, and when the music stops, whoever has the toy has to answer the question or provide the information on the unit organizer. Once they answer, they sit down until everyone has had a turn. This is forcing all students to be up, paying attention, and ready to provide an answer.
2/29/16 The students were very excited and engaged about going over the unit organizer today. They seem to really like the hot potato game a lot. As a matter of fact, students were asking me if we would get to do that as part of class today, and were audibly enthusiastic when they found out that we would be doing so.
3/1/16 Once again, students were excited about completing the unit organizer with the "hot potato hedgehog" game. They came in asking if we would be able to do that activity. They are also actively volunteering to be the "writer" or the one who is asking the questions. All I really have to do is tell them to get in the circle and they know what to do from there. Occasionally, I make a suggestion of how to ask a question, but overall they have primary ownership. I am really impressed with how much more interested my higher classes are now when it comes to this routine. Additionally, in my 2nd block (highest students) we started a new unit (and therefore, a new unit organizer). Not only were they able to do a fair bit of the construction themselves, but we also had good discussion about how the bigger picture ties together, how the unit map, self-test questions, and relationships are all connected, and how the "is about' statement forms a complete thought/sentence with the subtopic bubbles. Overall it was a highly successful experience.
3/2/16 Students in my other two classes got to begin work on their new unit organizer today (still using the "hot potato hedgehog" version of the game). Overall it was very successful - student led and enthusiastic. I am still having some difficulty getting EVERY student to engage fully, but it is improving as a whole. Additionally, we had further discussions about the complete thoughts (current unit, "is about" statement and bubble topics) and also looked at the connection between unit map, self-test questions and relationships.
3/22/16 Students are becoming more and more engaged. They are learning how to ask each other questions, provide clues as to the connections between different parts of the unit organizer, and are wanting to participate more as a whole.
4/12/16 Students are still excited about the unit organizer activity. Additionally, the FRAME was a useful tool for teaching some probability content today. I was especially pleased with the improved focus on the So What statement and the extension of understanding
4/7/16 Observation from Luray Middle Admins and SIM professional developers went successfully. Students were enthusiastic, participatory, and taking ownership of their own work with the U.O. 9/7/16 Students are taking well to the unit organizer game. Also, co-construction of the FRAME on word problems in algebra went very well today. Kids seem to be comfortable with the process and are already prepared to take more ownership of the game. Students have been recording information on the unit organizer, and will soon begin to ask the questions, too.
9/9/16 Students took quizzes today in both Math 8 and Algebra 1 based upon the material covered in our unit organizers and framing routines. Overall, scores were exceptional - well over 90% average in algebra and roughly 90% in Math 8. This seems to indicate promising results from the integration of content enhancement routines.
9/8/16 Students and I collaboratively went over how they can use their unit organizers and FRAMEs to study for their quizzes on Friday (in both Math 8 and Algebra). We discussed unit self-test questions, our "so what" statements on the FRAME, and how those questions might be presented as part of their quiz. I also taught the students possible ways to study the information (such as making it into a song, picture, hand motion, etc.). We will see how the results turn out tomorrow on the quiz to assess learning of both the content and the study skills.
9/12/16 I will be using both the unit organizer and a FRAME in my 2nd block Math 8 class (as well as the standard unit organizer in algebra). We will be working on the real number system in Math 8, and I think the FRAME will be an excellent tool for my struggling learners in that class.
9/16/16 We went over both unit organizers and FRAMEs as part of review for an upcoming quiz in math 8. It was a great way to discuss study strategies with my lower level students. I sent their SIM materials home with them in a folder and told them how and what to study over the weekend. We will see how the results turn out on Monday.
9/28/16 In Math 8, we did final review for the unit test (which will be on Thursday). The students and I discussed the unit organizer and the FRAMEs we have done in this unit, and how specifically they could use those tools to study for the unit test. We highlighted how each FRAME connected with a particular self-test question and could be used to answer that question correctly. I will be interested to see how the results of the test turn out.
9/30/16 The results of my Math 8 Unit Test are nearly complete (two students still need to finish). The class average was just shy of 70%, and nearly 70% of students scored at least 60% or higher. This 'pass rate' includes five students with disabilities, four of whom scored above 72%. While I look forward to even greater improvements in the future, for a group of students who did quite poorly on their 7th grade SOL, I was quite pleased with these results, and I believe that the Unit Organizer and FRAMEs (among other factors) definitely contributed to their success.
10/28/16 Unit Organizers and FRAME routine continue to be successful, especially in my lower ability group class. I find it helps keep them organized and engaged. Assessment results also seem to be positive in conjunction with these devices. Today we are launching Unit 3 in Algebra with a new UO. Unit 2 Test results were very solid (80% or higher in most cases).
11/17/16 The students took their Unit 2 Test on operations with real numbers. For a group of learners who have struggled in the past on their Math 7 SOL (and many other prior year SOL tests), they did an exceptional job with this test, especially since it is extremely reading intensive (an area in which they still struggle). I have no doubt that the FRAMEs we used throughout the unit, combined with the unit organizer, were one important component of the success that I saw on this test. The class average overall was roughly 70%, with 19 out of 23 students scoring 60% or higher and 15 of 23 students scoring 70% or higher. In fact, 8 students scored at least 80%, which is very impressive for a unit that spanned 7-8 weeks worth of class time and eight different types of problems, mostly word intensive. I was extremely pleased with the results, and I look forward to seeing how these students continue to progress as we move ahead with the rest of the school year.
12/7/16 In Algebra today, I had the students work in groups to fill out a blank unit organizer and answer the self-test questions in preparation for their unit test tomorrow. It seemed to be a productive activity, and served as a formative assessment for me.
12/15/16 Math 8 students took a quiz on solving equations today (multi-step with variable on both sides). Prior to taking the quiz, I had them write down complete sentence answers to the first two unit self test questions (on how to solve and how to check their solutions). The class as a whole was not only able to correctly write out the steps (which was a unit relationship of ours), but they also did exceedingly well on their quizzes. Out of the 18 quizzes submitted, the average was roughly 92%, with 16 of those 18 scores being over 90%. This clearly indicates that students understood the answers to the self-test questions and were able to apply them to correctly solve the problems. The vast majority of their answers to the self-test questions were thorough, organized, and detailed, even including key vocabulary like "variable" and "coefficient" on numerous occasions. I was extremely excited and impressed by their work, especially considering that they have all struggled in math throughout their entire lives. What a phenomenal success!
1/3/17 We started our 6th unit organizer in algebra, with great success (especially as an activity to get us back "in the groove" after winter break. In Math 8, we started doing a concept comparison table about algebra sentences. It seems to be going well so far. We will be finishing that process in class tomorrow.
1/23/17 We will be kicking off the new semester by not only going over our current unit organizers, but also revisiting the course organizers to update course progress, discuss community principles, and dialogue about several course questions. This will occur in both Algebra 1 and Math 8 classes today, and I hope it will help us to refocus our energy and attention for the rest of the year ahead after all the hectic days of breaks, snow days and SOL testing.
2/1/17 In Math 8, we will be starting our new unit on functions, and so much of class will be spent making sure we co-construct our new unit organizer, making use of the course organizer as a reference point to put the whole thing in context. Depending on student response to the function vocabulary I introduce today, we may utilize a LINCs table in the near future.
2/27/17 I will be launching my new unit in 2nd block, which means the majority of class will be spent going over the unit organizer. The course organizer will be a tool which the students can use to remind themselves of the greater context into which this unit organizer falls. This is now Unit 5, so I hope that the students will be able to take significant ownership of the process.
3/20/17 In my Algebra 1 classes today, we started our 7th unit with a new unit organizer. This time, I gave it to them ENTIRELY blank (no bubbles or anything). I had them research functions from Google and in some textbooks for about 20 minutes. Then we came together and had conversation. We built the unit map, unit relationships, and self-test questions (as well as reviewing the bigger picture and last, current and next units). Overall, I thought that it generated some excellent discussion about the purpose of the unit organizer (which many had forgotten) and about how the different pieces connect together. My exit ticket for the day in 1st block was to reword some of the self-test questions we had formed to include the unit relationships. In 3rd block (where we didn't get quite as far) I had them write a self test question or two of their own. I was especially pleased with how the Algebra stuff worked out. I see further improvements that can be made in Math 8 to keep students engaged, but overall the SIM routines are working reasonably well.
3/27/17 We discussed the Unit Organizer on 2D Geometry, reviewing what we have already completed and using it as a bridge into the new topic (composite area and perimeter). We then completed a FRAME on that new topic, drawing on information the students knew from past years, as well as earlier this year (equations, for example). Overall, I thought it went fairly smoothly. The students were active in the co-construction, seemed very confident in the routine, and know how to use the device to help them with their practice problems.

smiter02 About 7 years ago

Unit Organizer Year in Reflection

What went well - Why?

The implementation of SIM went smoothly in the beginning of the year. The understanding of the importance of the Routine stood out to me and more importantly to my students. They knew that if they could master the self-test questions as well as the material displayed on the expanded map, that they were prepared for the assessment. I also believe that the co-construction that I worked into by the middle and end of the year made the Routine even more effective for students. This was more effective when I gave them the chance to be the designers themselves and not relying on myself to complete the information for them.

What was a challenge - Why?

The biggest challenge for me was trusting that my students were able to complete the Routine in the manner that I wanted. Unfortunately, it is difficult to give over contol to students, but they handled it quite well as we co-constructed throughout the year. Another challenge involved the issue of student keeping up with their UO. To overcome this challenge, I gave each student a clear, plastic, sheet protector to keep all their UOs in throughout the year - this work VERY well.

What you will do next time

For next year, I will be teaching a total of 10 classes. I am hoping to be able to spend a good bit of time over the summer to map out the skeletons of the UO for those classes, so that when it is time to start in the Fall, I am ready. Additionally, I think that I will start out with more co-construction, even with students that are not used to the Routine because each student's voice and ideas are important to include.

What adjustments you made.

I made adjustments throughout the year. In the beginning of the year, the Routines were provided to students with the majority of the front complete; however, as the year progressed less and less of the front was completed for the students and it became a class activity to think through the curriculum to determine the schedule, unit relationships, and the major topics that would be covered. The construction of the expanded map also changed throughout the year. In the beginning of the year, I was definitely more invovled with what I wanted the students to record; however, the students demonstrated that they did not necessarily need me to guide them towards the "right" information, they knew it and were able record it themselves. So by the end of the year, I was using Think-Pair-Share and independent thinking time to class sharing (as demonstrated in the video) to complete the expanded map.

Ideas generated for issues encountered

The best ideas were the sheet protector for students to used to keep their UO in their binders. The use of posters to record a class copy of the UO on the wall for any student that was absent could not miss out on the completion of the UO that occurred when they were gone. Most importantly, I believe that the idea of making the UO completion engaging and meaningful to the students and NOT just another task for them to complete.

ayankey Almost 8 years ago

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