"Read In" Reviews

Less than an hour ago, I posted what one of my girls wrote about how she felt regarding my 8th Annual Read In.

As I continue to read the papers, I came across additional statements that let me know the experience was hitting home.

"After that we went to lunch. My class was talking about it at lunch."

From another student:

"The Read In was pretty cool. It wasn't as much as I thought though."

Still yet from another:

"Mr. Flemming's mom came. We all forgot what the name of the book was called, but I do know one thing, everyone didn't want her to leave."

Of my college-age nephews, one young lady remarked,
"...they were cute."

"I felt like I was important..."

Back in December, before Christmas break, I hosted my 8th Annual Read In. When we got back from the break, I had the kids write about that experience. One girl at the end of her essay

"And I had so much fun. I felt like I was important. I'm thinking everybody had an amazing time together, especially me."

"Mr. Flemming, remember..."

Last week I caught up with a former student at dismissal.

"Mr. Flemming, remember when we analyzed High School Musical?"

"Yeah, and we really analyzed it too!!"

"Uh, yeah! And we hated it when you kept stopping it to ask questions," said the former student as he recalled the memory with a smile.

Mission accomplished!!

Another former student said recently, "I don't look at movies the same Mr. Flemming!! I'm always analyzing them!"

Mission accomplished!!

A Class Periscope Story

This school year is the first year that I'm using Twitter's Periscope app at various moments during the school day to bring learning events live to the parents and families of my students. I don't broadcast events every day, just at special moments.

Well, today there was a "brought a smile to my face" moment....

Today a student was running a bit late for school. I started today's broadcast as I had two of my students teach two Nikki Giovanni poems to the class. I turned on the Twitter notification. Later, in walked the late student. "My mom told me to hurry up to class because you were broadcasting live on Periscope, so I ran upstairs."

Insert "smile" here!!

Another "Yoooo!!" Moment When Teaching About Ruby Bridges

There was that familiar gleam in their eyes, followed by sounds from their mouths that went something like "Yooo!!!! Wow!!!"

In the beginning of the school year, we read The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles. Each child had his/her copy and we read, discussed and enjoyed!

Today, we boomeranged back to Ruby Bridges with the film itself. The session began with a brief review and then the film. When the actor portraying Ruby's psychologist came, I asked a few times what his name was (this was intentional). The kids responded each time. On target so far. Get his name in your brains boys and girls (said Mr. Flemming to himself).

I strategically stopped at a few different points to discuss what we were seeing and the reality of life for Ms. Bridges at the time. But that's not the focus of this post as it was the focus of our talks today, which were insightful, by the way!!

I already had my Google Chrome taps marked with: the cover of the book we read, "Robert Coles", "Mrs. Henry, Ruby Bridge's teacher" and Norman Rockwell's The Problem We All Live With. I showed them the cover of the book. They remembered. That generated a little chitter chatter. I, then, asked again for the name of "Ruby's doctor", they said "Robert Coles." That was followed by my zooming in on the cover of the book and my asking them to tell me who the author was....there was that familiar gleam in their eyes, followed by sounds from their mouths that went something like "Yooo!!!! Wow!!!"

So much occurred after that moment, including a discussion on the validity of what we read back in the fall and the clear impact that this third person point of view* had on at least a few of them.
Q: "How could he have written it when he wasn't in it," asked one insightful student.
A: "Ahhh!!! So let's talk point of view..."
And we did!!
Then again, there was that familiar gleam in their eyes, followed by sounds from their mouths that went something like "Yooo!!!! Wow!!!"

My name is Mr. Flemming and I'm a THIRD grade teacher in a Philadelphia PUBLIC SCHOOL!!

*They were already familiar with point of view. This was not new. The application of the impact of the point of view took our conversation into deeper literary waters.

Designing Our Learning Experience

My students and I are ecologists as we navigate our current science learning experiences. We were entomologists and now we've 'metamorphed' into the broader scientific field of ecology, studying ecosystems.

Yes, it is still broad.

So, for the first real time I decided that the students will decide how we should proceed. After introducing some basic terminology and concepts (e.g. the terms ecosystem, producer, consumer, decomposer, herbivore, etc. etc.), we discussed how we should go about studying the various ecosystems. As they talked, I had a Word document opened on the 'big screen' and typed as they talked.

Here is what they said so far (and I'll keep you updated):

Mastery is to Spoiled Brat...

Mastery Charter Schools was finally told "NO" this past week and their reaction is like that of a spoiled brat throwing a tantrum in the supermarket!!

BACK IN THE FALL (wow), Dr. Hite proposed that three schools be converted to charter schools beginning next school year.

This past week, after push back from parents and others who believe and know that real public schools can succeed if truly invested in, the Wister Elementary decision was reversed.

Mastery has about 17 schools in Philadelphia.

You have to wonder why they are reacting the way they are because the district finally said NO!!

Many district schools have been told "NO" for years on music and art teachers, clean and welcoming buildings, reduced class sizes, nurses, updated technology, financial and human resources, shall I keep going?

What needs to happen now, in my opinion:
Huey Public Community School
Cook Public Community School

Philly has done the charter thing, to our financial detriment. Let's try the community schools "thing". Let's try making our neighborhood schools even stronger anchors in our communities that they can be!!

With Mayor Kenney and Governor Wolf, I am a little more hopeful!! I'll be even more hopeful once my kids and I experience the results, of the "resource" variety, stream into our schools instead of being cut off at the knees and being criticized for not winning the marathon!

Shoutout on Youtube! I'm humbled!

So, it's a Saturday evening and one thing that I'm involved in had me looking for pictures of John B. Kelly School online since my phone was being all technological!! {angry emoji}

As I was perusing the Internet, I happened upon a video and recognized the parent of one of my former students on Youtube. So I clicked! I can't tel you how much this video almost "messed me up" in my eye area!!

It's less than four minutes, watch til the end!

Ms. Kane, you are more than welcome!!!
Aden was such a joy to have!! I wrote about him last year this time! He's THE resident historian of the class!!

Winning With An Older Kid

There's a lot that can be said of my being the only black male teacher in our school. I am certainly not the only positive black male influence in our school. I could say more, but for now the purpose of this post...

For any number of reasons, there is a kid, from another grade who many thought would be a perfect match for the style and structure that yours truly has to offer. Firm yet fun. No nonsense, still yet full of all kinds of ebullient antics that make for a great learning experience. A person who looks like him who is a teacher and may be a uniquely qualified to be a mentor.

What I quickly discovered were his artistic abilities and his innate proclivity for organizing "stuff". Note: I'm one of "those" teachers with the messy desk and work area. I try. {sigh} Seeing that, he went to work organizing stacks in one of many of my work areas. Nicely done!

Two things really struck a chord.
1.  One was his reading of an assigned book by his ELA teacher of record. In the corridors, reading. On his way to lunch, reading. In my room, reading. YES!!!! #Winning

2.  Recently my class and I started a read-aloud experiential series, #207ReadsAloud. He asked, "Mr. Flemming, I can read to ya kids?"
WHOA!!!!! YES!!! #Winning

All will be well!

#207ReadsAloud

I am in my second year as a third grade teacher, having been reassigned to the primary grades from quite a few years as a teacher of middle school students (primarily 6th Grade ELA). It's been quite the adjustment and quite the journey. I honestly believe I'm becoming a better teacher because of it. This, because I want to be! Based on my observations and the feedback that I get from current and former parents of my third graders, the kids are learning quite a bit.

With each passing year and with each group, the classes are different, even when I taught the upper grades!

This year...
"Mr. Flemming, can I be the teacher tomorrow?"
I have been asked this question more than once this school year and by more than one of my third graders. I finally figured out some way to begin working in the "student as teacher" idea on a small scale.

Read Alouds.

Teachers do it all the time. It's pedagogilese for "reading a story" to the class. "Fore-word" it with "interactive", Interactive Read Aloud, and you have pedagogilese for:

• asking questions along the way
• having conversations throughout the reading of the book
• having intentional stopping points.....etc etc.

Today was day one of our classroom read aloud series, hashtag #207ReadsAloud. It is completely voluntary. There are no grades. No extra credit. No zeros. No pressure. No hype.....well, maybe a little hype!

Young Mr. ABCDEFG (obvious pseudonym) went first and it was great. He wanted the kids on the carpet. Check! He took his place in the chair. Check! He read the book while holding it open for the class to see the pictures. Triple check!!

It all began continued (since they were the ones who started it by asking to be the teacher) yesterday with my asking for volunteers to read to the class. They each picked a date in January. I put their name in my Google calendar. They will pick a book that can be read in one sitting and they'll take the reigns of reading and go for it! Each day at 9am, #207ReadsAloud!

They're becoming the teachers!! My students...

Today was the first day back from winter break. It was freezing cold, but what my kids had to say today warmed my heart something serious!

First, one of my kids told the class that there are times when her baby sister just jumps up and yells "FICTION!! FICTION!!" whenever she hears something that is untrue. Smiling, I asked, "And how does she know to yell 'fiction'?" "Because I taught her what the difference is," replied my student. Teacher smiles.

We have extensive conversations about genres and the types of books and articles they choose to read during SSR. We also keep a genre tracker, where they write the date, title, and genre of what they chose to read that day. As I expose them to different genres, their options for identifying the genre of their book increases.

The second thing to warm my heart came during social studies. I gathered them on the carpet to interact with them. Change of pace. We were discussing the Boston Massacre. This is one stop on our journey through American history. (By the way, I don't teach the 'pretty' and whimsical version. I teach the ugly truth.) We already learned about the events leading up to it, so today we discussed the event itself and figures like Crispus Attucks and later John Adams, I told them that I would ask them some questions tomorrow, many of which we already discussed and they were able to answer today.

To hear a kid say, "I'm going to go home and teach my mom this stuff" made me grin from ear to ear!

THIS is what it's all about!! It can't be tested, neither do I want it to be!