jessica's Notebook

I recently added some of my Social Studies activities (Slides & Pear Deck activities) from the beginning of the year. You can find these on my Social Studies Resources page if you'd like to explore what my 8th grade US History students have been doing.

11.5.20 Teaching World History Thematically by Rosalie Metro

Teaching World History Thematically: Essential Questions and Document-Based Lessons to Connect Past and Present is filled with focused, targeted lessons that offer history teachers lots of seed ideas! Even if you don't teach the specific units provided (and there are many!), Rosalie Metro gives readers a guide for including the essential ingredients for adapting lessons. Be sure to browse the units to get a sense of the variety of source types given as examples to spark your own lesson creations. Most importantly, readers will be inspired by the many ways they might give students space to think, communicate, and act related to issues important to them.

11.3.20 Using Pear Deck for Assessment

Check out this video for how we might use Pear Deck for Assessment in Remote Learning! (IPSD log-in required.)

Assessment During Virtual LearningCheck out this Flipgrid!

11.2.20 Stories about Cultural Identity

Hyphen-Nation from The New York Times asks regular folks these questions and records them. They are powerful, moving, and important messages for our young (and old) people.

What makes someone American? How do you define American identity? When do you feel most American? Or least? Nine American citizens describe their struggle to belong in a nation that both embraces and rejects them.

Check out the videos at https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/storywall/hyphen-nation.

10.23.20 Classroom Bookaday in 8th Grade US History

This year, we are participating in #classroombookaday!* With my 8th Grade US History class, I call it "Meet a Game Changer." It's how we kick off each class (we are in a 100% remote learning model with a block schedule, so we meet 2x a week). We are currently in a thematic unit about Power, Revolution, and Governance, but we kicked off the year with some identity work. We will also weave in current events and cultural heritage month celebrations. We also look at books with a critical eye, examining representation and historical accuracy. These titles are both fiction and nonfiction, and I usually spend a few extra minutes to highlight excerpts from the backmatter. I tell my students, "I know a little about a lot, because I've read hundreds of informational picture books!" Here's a taste of what we've read so far.

*Read about #classroombookaday here.

9.28.20 Our Digital ELA Notebook for 2020

Since we might be transitioning to a hybrid or face-to-face model with our students, I decided my and my students' ELA notebooks would be digital this year. This format means students can access their literacy work no matter where we are learning together. They always have the option of writing on paper and inserting their work into the file.

Our first day with the notebooks was spent decorating the cover, updating our To Read Next lists, and visiting our Reading Record. Thanks to Slidesmania.com for the awesome template and instructions on editing the Master Slides to ensure some content can't be edited (or accidentally deleted!).

Digital ELA Notebook Master

8.25.20 My First Read Alouds of the Year

Having a stack of picture books nearby will be crucial to a smooth start to the school year for me! I landed on a few for the first days of school:

Where Are You From? and The Day You Begin for 6th grade ELA

Blue Sky White Stars for 8th grade Social Studies

7.9.20 We Want to Do More Than Survive by Bettina L. Love

We Want to Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom by Bettina L. Love left me with titles to add to my reading list and the fire to want to do better and be better for kids. There were many self-reflective moments, but none bigger for me than: "Freedom dreaming gives teachers a collective space to methodically tear down the educational survival complex and collectively rebuild a school system that truly loves all children and sees schools as children's homeplaces, where students are encouraged to give this world hell. This is why deep study and personal reflection on the history of the US is so important to abolitionist teaching. When an educator deeply understands why meaningful, long-term, and sustainable change is so hard to achieve in education because of all the forces antithetical to justice, love, and equity -- such as racism, sexism, housing discrimination, state-sanctioned violence toward dark people, police brutality, segregation, hate-filled immigration policies, Islamophobia, school closings, the school-to-prison pipeline, and the prison-industrial complex -- that is when freedom dreaming begins."

You can hear Bettina Love speak more about abolitionist teaching in this webinar from Schomburg Center and Haymarket Books, "Abolitionist Teaching and the Future of Our Schools." She is in concert with Gholdy Muhammad and Dena Simmons.

7.6.20 Illinois Civics PD Opportunities

I've been exploring the professional development opportunities offered through IllinoisCivics.org, and this summer there are some really incredible sessions. Don't you just want to sign up for all of them? Check them out at https://www.illinoiscivics.org/resources/calendar.

6.2.20 Cultivating Genius by Dr. Gholdy Muhammad

I recently finished Cultivating Genius by Dr. Gholdy Muhammad, and if you are interested in revisioning school systems, curriculum and instruction, and student-teacher relationships, I highly recommend this as a starting point. If you'd like to read more about Historically Responsive Literacy, check out this author interview from Education Week, or this blog post written by Dr. Muhammad herself on the We Need Diverse Books site.

6.1.20 Teaching Hard History: American Slavery

The Teaching Hard History: American Slavery Podcast from Teaching Tolerance is an incredible resource. Particularly these episodes with thinking from Dr. Ebony Elizabeth Thomas (author of another incredible resource, The Dark Fantastic: Race and the Imagination from Harry Potter to The Hunger Games) around using children's literature to teach enslavement. Important question from the conversation: Why is it important to teach enslavement, even to our youngest learners? Listen to learn! Then, check out Teaching Tolerance's resources for K-5, 6-12, and professional development.

5.21.20 Kid Lit Frenzy's 2020 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge

I was recently on the hunt for nonfiction picture books to add to my list for teaching US History and I remembered Kid Lit Frenzy's Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge. I love that Alyson Beecher shares new titles each month to explore! Check out her blog here!

5.11.20 The Yarn Podcast "Donalyn Miller and Colby Sharp Talk Book Access During This Pandemic"

#114 Donalyn Miller & Colby - Book Access - The YarnIn this episode, host Colby Sharp talks with Donalyn Miller (The Book Whisperer) about a topic close to both of their hearts - book access for kids.This episode is sponsored by Heinemann and their professional book A TEACHER'S GUIDE TO READING CONFERENCES by Jennifer Serravallo

I always enjoy The Yarn podcast from Travis Jonker and Colby Sharp for its fascinating interviews with kidlit creators about their work. This episode let us in on a conversation between Colby and Donalyn Miller (co-authors of Game Changer: Book Access for All Kids) about book access in the time of a pandemic.

5.7.20 Everywhere Book Fest!

With book festivals and literary conferences cancelling across the country, authors Melanie Conklin, Ellen Oh, and Christina Soontornvat wanted to find a way to connect readers with authors. The Everywhere Book Fest debuted on May 1st. The free virtual book fest was geared toward young readers of picture books, middle grade novels, and young adult novels with a focus on inclusivity. You can still watch every session, archived on the Everywhere Book Fest YouTube page, or click on the images below to see any of the 90+ kidlit authors and their sessions from Days 1 and 2 of the festival. Watch a session that sparks your interest, and share it with the young readers in your life!

5.4.20 #TheEdCollabGathering

The Spring 2020 EdCollab Gathering, hosted by The Educator Collaborative, offers free, virtual PD for educators every Fall and Spring. These sessions are always uplifting and eye-opening. As a volunteer tech host, I was able to view many of the sessions, and I wanted to share some here. I look forward to viewing many of the others I couldn't see on the day of the Gathering.

4.28.20 Professional Read: Breathing New Life Into Book Clubs by Sonja Cherry-Paul & Dana Johansen

Breathing New Life into Book Clubs: A Practical Guide for Teachers by Sonja Cherry-Paul and Dana Johansen (Heinemann 2019) is a must-read for any educator who needs a refresh on book clubs or those who want to start carving out time for book clubs. There are so many quick tools for reigniting energy during book clubs and smart strategies for rethinking the traditional book club activities to move towards student agency and joyful independence. You can watch a short video from the authors here.

4.27.20 Professional Learning During Distance Teaching

Two of my favorite recent resources for professional learning during distance teaching have been Penny Kittle and Kelly Gallagher's Daily Chats and Amy Ludwig VanDerwater's "Keeping a Notebook" YouTube series of videos.

Penny and Kelly have curated their resources in this Padlet and Amy's site on Sharing Our Notebooks is fantastic!

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