Category: Teachers

What is design?

“Most people make the mistake of thinking design is what it looks like. People think it’s this veneer – that the designers are handed this box and told, ‘Make it look good!’ That’s not what we think design is. It’s not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.” 

-Steve Jobs

    When design principles are applied with both strategy and innovation, the success rate greatly improves. Design thinking involves creativity, cognition, planning, learning from mistakes, visual, tactile, aural, and olfactory experiences.

What does it look like?

    Is your student trying to solve a problem? That is a great place to start. Is your student trying to help the environment? That would involve empathy. Consider emotions of child and the reason for the desire for this process:

• Child-centered
• Focuses on the process over products
• Shows instead of tells
• Involves action, and re-action
• Can be collaborative
• Includes empathy of the world around
• Allows for insights and re-design

The Process

1. Research: help your students through the research process to find needed information before beginning. Is it a new idea of an improvement on an existing idea?
2. Brainstorm: consider the information found and what direction your child wants to take with the project; younger children need added support. Scaffold the support as needed to help your child learn the process. Back away as the child is able to accept responsibility.
3. Conceptualize and Sketch: child sketches design; not looking for artistic excellence; just looking to get idea on paper to begin to think.
4. Prototype: gather materials and make a rough design that can be created from materials readily available: string, tubes, hammer, nails, soft wood pieces, cardboard, glue, boxes, ruler, pencils, foam, fabric, craft sticks, and whatever else is needed; trouble-shoot and improve. This process should be relatively quick and cheap.
5. Build: (helps with tenacity and resilience) as many attempts will be needed to improve and correct to make design.
6. Transform: need not be perfect; make presentable and share with others

Pause to Ponder

Assess and reflect – verbal or through journaling:

• What did you learn through this process?
• What would you do differently next time?
• Which was more important in your learning, product or process?
• How is your product meaningful to you or someone else?
• Can you critique your own process without being judgmental?
• How did your curiosity help you through this process?
• Did you see any patterns?
• Do you think this process would be easier alone or with someone else? Why?
• What did you like best about this experience?
• What do you wish after finishing this experience?
• What if…

The Elves and the Shoemaker

Readers’ theater with activity

Based on the classic fable. Adapted by K5 Teachers.

Teacher Instructions: Allow children to choose parts. Read aloud.

Shoemaker:

I worked very hard and was very honest, but still I could not earn enough to live upon.

 

Shoemaker 2:

At last all I had in the world was gone. I had saved enough leather to make one pair of shoes.

 

Shoemaker 3:

Then I cut the leather out, put the leather aside to begin my work early the next morning.

 

Shoemaker 4:

My conscience was clear and my heart light amidst all my troubles.

 

Shoemaker 5:

So I went peaceably to bed, left all my cares to Heaven, and soon fell asleep.

 

Shoemaker 6:

In the morning after I had said my prayers, I sat myself down to my work.

 

Shoemaker 7:

When to my great wonder, there stood the shoes already made upon the table.

 

Shoemaker 8:

I knew not what to say or think at such an odd thing happening.

 

Shoemaker 9:

I looked at the workmanship; there was not one false stitch in the whole job; all was so neat and true, that it was quite a masterpiece.

 

Customer:

I went in to the shoemaker’s shop. The shoes suited me so well that I willingly paid a price higher than usual for them.

 

Shoemaker 10:

With the money, I bought leather enough to make two pairs more.

 

Shoemaker 11:

In the evening I cut out the leather, and went to bed early, that I might get up and begin my work at dawn the next day.

Shoemaker 12:

I was saved all the trouble, for when I got up in the morning the work was already complete.

 

Shoemaker 13:

Soon in came buyers, who paid me handsomely for my goods, so that I bought leather enough for four pair more.

 

Shoemaker 14:

I cut out the work again overnight and found it done in the morning, as before; and so it went on for some time.

 

Shoemaker 15:

What I had prepared in the evening was always done by daybreak, and I soon was thriving and well off again.

 

Shoemaker 1:

One evening, in mid-winter, as my wife and I were sitting over the fire chatting together I told her my idea.

 

Shoemaker 2:

I should like to sit up and watch tonight, that we may see who it is that comes and does my work for me.

 

Wife 1:

I liked the thought; so we left a light burning, and hid ourselves in a corner of the room, behind a curtain that was hung up there, and watched what would happen.

 

Wife 2:

As soon as it was midnight, there came in two little elves wearing ragged clothing.

 

Wife 3:

They sat themselves upon the shoemaker’s bench, took up all the work that was cut out, and began to ply with their little fingers, stitching and rapping and tapping away at such a rate.

 

Shoemaker 3:

We were all in wonder, and could not take our eyes off them.

 

Wife 4:

And on they went, till the job was quite done, and the shoes stood ready to sell upon the table.

Wife 5:

This was long before daybreak; and then they bustled away as quick as lightning.

 

Wife 6:

The next day to told the shoemaker that the hardworking little elves had made us rich, and we ought to be thankful to them, and do them a good turn if we can.

 

Wife 7:

I am quite sorry to see them run about in their ragged clothes; and indeed, they do not have proper clothing to keep away the cold.

 

Wife 8:

I’ll tell you what, I will make each of them a shirt, and a coat and waistcoat, and a pair of pantaloons into the bargain; and do you make each of them a little pair of shoes.

 

Shoemaker 4:

The thought pleased me very much; and one evening, when all the things were ready, I laid them on the table.

 

Shoemaker 5:

We went and hid themselves, to watch what the little elves would do.

 

Wife 9:

About midnight in they came, dancing and skipping, hopped round the room, and then went to sit down to their work as usual.

 

Wife 10:

When they saw the clothes lying for them, they laughed and chuckled, and seemed mightily delighted.

 

Shoemaker 6:

Then they dressed themselves in the twinkling of an eye, and danced and capered and sprang about, as merry as could be; till at last they danced out at the door, and away over the green.

 

Shoemaker 7:

We saw them no more; but everything went well with us from that time forward, as long as we lived.

Let’s talk it over

    At the beginning of the story, the shoemaker was working hard and trying his best. However, he was getting the same outcome. If you keep trying the same thing in math or at school and get the same outcome, and it is not the outcome you want, is it enough just to keep trying hard?

    What could the shoemaker have done differently to get a better outcome if the elves had not come to offer assistance?
What can you do if you try and try and do your best and it is still not working out? What can you try instead to get a different and better outcome?

    If you get a challenging math problem in class, and you don’t know what to do, you try: making a model, working with a friend, or solving different ways with numbers. Do you need to be embarrassed if you don’t know how to do something? Of course not! You go to school to learn new things. Capable students have to struggle and work hard to learn new things, too.

The sooner the better

    Empathy can be taught from an early age. Young preschoolers are very “me” centered, but it is not too early to teach kindness and compassion daily.  Elementary school aged students can learn and should have the opportunity to practice in a school setting. Home is where learning begins. Parents often reach out to teachers on how to help their children at home. Parents should be encouraged to teach empathy at home with family members, especially siblings who test patience from the day we are born or as soon as they arrive. Modeling is a great way to teach empathy. “Your sister seems sad because she dropped her ice cream cone.” “Your little brother is sad because he was not tall enough to ride the roller coaster.”

Looking Beyond Self

    Empathy involves looking past one\’s own perspective in any given situation and understanding the needs and experiences of another person. We don’t want our children to be self-absorbed, caring less about others’ lives.

    Most of our students attend elementary schools in mixed-ability classrooms. That means learning to work with advanced learners, typical learners, and children who have learning needs. Children can be taught to be kind and thoughtful with all other learners, even those who are different from self.

Tolerance, Acceptance, and Understanding

    We want our children to grow up with recognition, acceptance, and understanding of others, because it has become a way of life and not for what they will receive in return. 

    I believe that our non-disabled son will tell you that growing up with a brother with autism was not easy, especially in the pre-school and elementary years. However, that experience, I believe has made him a kinder, more patient, and compassionate person, appreciating all people with differences.

Practice

    How do children get better at anything?  They practice. You don’t have to have a planned time to teach empathy. Just embed it in your daily activities. If you have the luxury of having circle time in the mornings as your school day is beginning, talk about empathy, and how it can be practiced throughout the day, especially at recess. Encourage your students to observe while playing on the playground and reach out to any child who may need some kindness.

Pause To Ponder!

    Check out our free lesson you can use to teach your students empathy – coming to this blog soon! Language arts time is a great time to develop reading and writing skills, while also developing emotional intelligence. Enjoy!

What is Dyslexia?

    According to the Mayo Clinic, students with dyslexia have difficulties identifying speech sounds and learning how they relate to letters and words causing reading difficulties. Although they have average ability and normal vision, they may struggle at school because the reading and writing difficulties cause frustration in other subjects that require reading, such as math, science, and social studies.

early indicators

    Before school, the child may be late speaking and may learn new words slowly. They may have difficulty forming words correctly. During pre-school years, they may have problems naming letters and may have trouble with numbers and even colors. Learning nursery rhymes can even be difficult to learn. 

Classroom Difficulties

    By the end of kindergarten and first grade, the child may be reading below level. They may have been in RTI groups and making little progress in reading. 

    They may also have difficulties processing and understanding what they hear or difficulty finding the right word when speaking and forming responses to what they want to share verbally. 

    Another sign is problems remembering things in sequence. They may also have trouble seeing similarities and differences in letters and words. 

    When trying to decode, they may not be able to phonetically sounds out unfamiliar words. They may learn sight words through memorization, and the dyslexia may be masked.   

Complications

    A child with dyslexia may have frustration and embarrassment that can cause he/she to avoid activities that involve reading, even games.

    By second grade, students are starting to read to learn and are moving beyond learning to read.  This causes a child with dyslexia to be at a disadvantage. Without early intervention, the child’s reading difficulties cause difficulties in every subject area.

    Dyslexia may cause a child to feel frustrated and less capable than peers. He/she may be embarrassed to share or read aloud when called on.  

How can I Help?

    If you have a reading specialist in your building, follow the procedure for referring the child for evaluation. If the child is not making the necessary progress through RTI intervention, consider if the child might benefit from special education reading or writing services specific to the child. The child might qualify for an individual education plan where trained special educators can give the child small group, individual, or a specific reading program. Then follow guidelines to provide the modifications and accommodations for the child’s learning plan.   

Readers\’ Theater

    How can Readers\’ Theater help the child with dyslexia? Readers\’ Theater can help all types of readers to gain confidence when reading aloud. Parts can be differentiated allowing each child to have a part at just the right reading level. Everyone gets a part, from your strongest reader to your most reluctant reader. You can use Readers\’ Theater to create a safe non-judgmental environment where everyone is comfortable reading aloud.

    When reading aloud in whole group, give the student a chance to practice ahead if you know you are going to call on them to read. Reader’s Theater is excellent for this. If the child knows what part he/she will have, or can choose a preferred part, he/she can practice and read beautifully when taking a turn. 

    All readers can be successful and proud to take a part if they get a chance to practice in advance.   Often students with dyslexia are most expressive readers when taking on the persona of the character. 

    Use Readers\’ Theater to help build confidence in your students with dyslexia and your reluctant readers.

Free Resources

    Watch our site for readers’ theater passages to use in your classroom.

Pause To Ponder!

    Dyslexia may be an obstacle to overcome, but it is not something that should be educational orlife limiting. A long list of brilliant people have been known to have dyslexia: Albert Einstein, Mozart, Alexander Graham Bell, Winston Churchill, Benjamin Franklin, and many more.

    What can you do to help your student overcome the dyslexia obstacles?

Struggling Student?

    As teachers we must intervene with our struggling students. Response to Invention (RIT) has a distinct learning plan in small groups for those children using research-based resources.

The rest Of The Class

    What are the remainder of the students supposed to do when the teacher is busy with those struggling learners? Maybe a better term for the Response to Intervention time would be What I Need “WIN”. 

    For each student to get what they need during RIT, the teacher needs a plan. Other students should not be stuck with busy work. They also should get what they need.

    How does a teacher juggle it all? Create challenge folders for all learners. Challenge for a struggling student is going to be different for a typical learner and different for an advanced or gifted learner.

Challenge Folders

    What is in a challenge folder? Using data, the teacher can find a starting point each student in order to create a challenge folder.

• A beginning reader might need phonics or short passages. 
• A typical student might need word work or reading comprehension passages or contextual math work. 
• An advanced or gifted learner might benefit from logic puzzles, more advanced reading comprehension passages, or more advanced contextual problems. 

    When a student gets what is just right at his/her instructional level, he/she will feel challenged and eager to complete the work!

    You start with a limited amount of material in the challenge folder. After the student completes their challenge folder, you review it to determine if the material was too easy, too hard, or just right. Based on that you put the next set of the material in the challenge folder. 

    Challenge folders not only work during RTI, but anytime a student might complete their work before the other students. Shortly after school starts each year, discount stores often sell three-hole folders for a very low cost. I purchase whatever they have and store them in my cubbies for when I need them. Sometimes I make two for each student, one for language arts, and one for math. 

Free Resources

    We\’ll be sharing free original resources that your students can look forward to completing in their challenge folders! Make sure to regularly visit K5Teachers.com for more!

Pause To Ponder!

    During time set aside for Response to Intervention, can every child in the class say,  “I am getting What I Need?”

Fun Foam

    Fun Foam is a great resource. You can cut any single color fun foam for consonants for each Kindergarten student.  Take the fun foam to the paper cutter and cut the pieces into one-inch squares. Use a permanent marker to write lower case alphabet letters. Put dots along the bottom of each piece so that students will be able to easily turn them the correct direction and won’t get some sideways or upside down.

    Choose a second color for the vowels. Have the students put them in a, b, c order. As they become proficient, have them make simple words such as cat, fat, hat, bat, rat, using the letters. Put each child’s set of fun foam into a baggy with his/her class number on it.  Have fun with fun foam! 

A first person account

    My name is Aaron Kirby, and I\’m the graphic designer and animator for this website. I\’m here to give my first hand account of growing up as a gifted and anxious child.

Erasers & fingernails

    Anxiety and perfectionism often walk hand in hand. Swinging between them, legs off the ground, is my younger self, reluctantly dragged along for the ride. There’s never been a time in my life where I haven’t voraciously chewed my fingernails (and never for nutritional value, mind you), nor have I ever had a pencil eraser that\’s lasted more than a few precious days.

In retrospect

    My parents playfully remind me I drove AT LEAST a few of my elementary school teachers into early retirement, due to my relentlessness. With that said, it’s only in retrospect that I’m able to fully appreciate the patience of my teachers (and family, of course) and their ability to help channel my drive/energy into challenging and creative learning experiences. Similarly, I encourage every educator/parent to give the gift of patience and encouragement to your high-strung learners. If not for that, my lifelong passion for learning and education would never have been fully nourished, and I\’m deeply grateful it was. Also, I have nothing but the highest regard for all the erasers who bravely gave their lives for my cause… may flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.

A tip from Reggie the dog

    Reggie the dog here to remind you to find a few moments each day to play and relax! You can’t take care of others if you don’t take care of yourself, as well. Personally, I like to chase squirrels, birds, and even bark at any animal that appears on my TV. You have to find your own fun in small things… like I do!