Submitted by Katie Lark
5th Grade Teacher, Rodgers Forge Elementary

Throughout the second unit of Social Studies the 5th graders learned about the events leading up to and during the American Revolution. Throughout the lessons students were engaged and motivated by the opportunity to role play, discuss and write about what they were learning.  In light of the mannequin challenge trend we decided to create a Revolution Mannequin Challenge. Groups of 5th graders designed props, created sceneries, and directed their classmates to pose and represent the event they were assigned.  Each group also wrote a narration to accompany their mannequin challenge scene.  The final product will be a complete retelling of the Revolution.  Here is what students had to say about this project:

• “This is the most awesome things ever because we get to be creative and it’s historical and it’s fun!” -Carter
• “It’s a different way to have a test and it makes learning awesome and fun!” -Charlie and Olivia
• “A fun way to better understand events in history and to actually know what it felt like for it to happen.” -James
• “The Mannequin Challenge was a fun experience because it was an assessment turned into something fun that all of us liked!” -Maddy
• "Doing a mannequin challenge for our assessment in Social Studies was awesome!  Instead of BORING a paper and pencil assignment we get to do something active and fun.  Who heard of a fun assignments before this?  It was awesome!" -Elliot

Submitted by Rachael Berke
Special Educator,  Fort Garrison Elementary School

In my classroom, it is uncommon for me to be teaching one kind of learner.  I work with many different grade levels and students of varying abilities. You see, I am a special education teacher.  There are only two of us in my building.  Each year I have a different set of kids and am learning a different curriculum.  At times when these students are all in a classroom at once, it is difficult to find new ways to keep them engaged in our lessons.  With the devices, I can make a whole group lesson for them to follow on their own active inspire lesson.  They enjoy having the control in their hands.  I also utilize the devices as a way to work with each of my students in a one on one setting. 

Much of my role and time is used to work with the students on their individual goals. To do this I use the device as a center in my classroom. I can either use games (relating to our whole group lesson) or individualize some Wixie or ActivInspire for the students to complete on their own (or in a group) while I rotate working with students individually on a reteach or goal work. 

In the beginning of the year, the students need time to get used to doing certain technological things independently.  At the end of last year I really saw the students’ confidence rise in completing their independent work independently. 

Many of the students I serve have OT and/or weaknesses in their writing ability.  Having the device at their fingertips in the classroom environment has gained them access to so much more. 

​When I think about where my students will be in the future, I think that they will be able to use typing and technology to compensate for some of their other weaknesses.  If and when they can learn to type, this will be an amazing way for them to contribute to our real world.  I do practice with them focusing on staying in their “home base” with their fingers.  They slowly exercise those fingers in order to type certain letters in isolation.  I know the more the feel more comfortable with it, it will get easier for them.  With the typing program and programs such as word Q (word prediction software), it really makes learning accessible to more kinds of learners that we service.  I only hope to learn more with this technology as it is changing every day.  I know how the kids feel when they have to learn something new.  I try and remember that as I learn each day.

Submitted by ​Diane Fontinell
​Library Media Specialist, Halstead Academy

​Allowing for student choices in the classroom environment requires students to make purposeful choices regarding their education and learning.  Recently in the media center, a fifth grade student asked if she could sit with her friend to complete an assignment.  When I asked her why she would be successful making the change, another classmate told her, “You’d better not…you’re going to just play around if you sit by her.  Truth card.” 

Both girls are part of Halstead Academy’s Girls with Pearls group.  The mentoring group, led by Halstead’s school counselor, Ms. Michele Coleman, is growing female leaders among the fifth grade classes.  Janiya, one of the group’s members, explained that the girls are learning to be accountable for their actions toward others.  They want to act as though “Michelle Obama was in the room with them.”  One way that they’re doing this is with truth cards, index cards given out during meetings to honestly share how the girls are dealing with peer conflicts, drama, and other issues that pop up in school. Upon hearing the news, Ms. Coleman commented, “We are always proud to hear of how our Girls with Pearls young ladies are taking steps to hold their peers accountable for their actions and behaviors within the school setting. Seeing them transfer and apply the learned skills and lessons from our club meetings to real life situations, lets us know that they are internalizing the content in a way that is meaningful to them.”  

Being able to make positive choices is a vital part of creating a student-centered environment.  It was a winning moment to hear the girls transferring the lessons learned in Girls with Pearls to the media center.  

Submitted by Beth Grapes
P.E. Teacher,  Fort Garrison Elementary School

Who would have ever thought that technology could play a role in PE? Certainly not I, since I’ve been doing this for so long without them. But I tried to keep an open mind and decided to give it a shot to enhance the learning that takes place in my classroom. One of the first ways I included the devices in class was when we had the heart adventure course set up and at the brain station one of the activities was to watch a BrainPop video and do the games associated with the heart and circulatory system. The students enjoyed learning through a different medium and were able to show concepts that are hard to teach. The Kahoot program is another great way to include technology in PE since they are easy to create and the students love using them to review facts and test their knowledge.

One of the best experiences with the devices in PE was when we had the movement education equipment, which is a variety of climbing apparatuses that can be arranged so many different ways. Students in the 5th grade were assigned to work in small groups to collaborate and create a new way to set up the equipment. Students used drawing apps on their devices to complete the design and then I used their ideas to recreate the course the following week. The students were extremely engaged in the fact that they were helping to create the next week’s work. Although we do not use the devices often in class, I do try to make those times count and still keep the students moving as much as possible.

Carly Yeagle, seventh grader at Ridgely Middle School, recently completes an assignment in her science class worth bragging about. The project is the Living Environment Project. Students create presentations that detail the behavioral patterns and internal and external features of an organism, plant or animal. Carly selected the Toucan. “Mrs. Houchens gave our class a choice in how to present our information. I chose to create a pamphlet, but we could have chosen to create a poster or use any other approved format.” (Science teacher Mrs. Rounsaville-Houchens knows the rewards that come with allowing some student choice.) The project gets graded on criteria such as accuracy of information, images, and correctly-cited sources, both print and database sources. Carly explains that this assignment taught her a lot of things, including “to learn how systems, such as digestive, circulatory, respiratory, etc. help the organism carry out life functions.”
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Mrs. Rounsaville-Houchens carefully plans this project to scaffold the information needed to fulfill the requirements. Students spend some time in the library to review the use of Destiny in order to search for print materials. Also, the library media specialist, Mrs. Cook, demonstrates the process of citing sources, using a user-friendly digital tool Easy Bib. Mrs. Cook also reviews the databases available to students in the BCPS One portal. Last, she shows students how to locate brochure templates in the most recent Microsoft applications.

“Our laptops add a lot of options for us when we have assignments like this.” Carly said. The device provides accessibility to a number of resources, something some students have never had. Research is conducted, sometimes, from the comfort of their own homes, allowing students to demonstrate knowledge in a variety of ways.  Carly says, “I really like using OneDrive, too, because I can work on my assignments at school or at home, and it always saves my work, even if my device dies or I forget to click save.”

Milana explained that students are given a scenario about the need to raise public awareness on the topic. She shares that there is extensive criteria to provide in a PowerPoint or no-tech option. The criteria includes, “a description of the disease, causes, incubation period, communicability, signs and symptoms…,” she adds. The list goes on. Also, students are to identify affected body systems, the present state of research, and how the disease progressed through history. The impact on family adds a personal touch to the project, according to the student. In many cases, students went to neighbors or loved ones to get a personal perspective on the topic. “Someone in our group has a mom in nursing, and my parent is a pharmacist, so they were able to weigh in with some personal experiences,” Milana said.

The actual process included receiving instruction from the library media specialist around research and citations. Then, it is up to the students to gather information. Milana explained that students are expected to save notes on all the criteria, rather than dividing it up. “Mrs. Houchens said that all of us should research all of the criteria because we are reading different articles. She didn’t want us to miss anything. Microsoft 365 allows us to share our notes with each other, and it also allows multiple group members to edit our PowerPoint at the same time. It’s definitely better than facetiming on our phones.”
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Mrs. Rounsaville-Houchens and her colleagues at Ridgely are making students 21st century-ready. Learning with critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity is making a difference for our students. 

Submitted by Lisa Scherr
​Guidance Counselor,  Church Lane Elementary School

In effort, to prepare students for college and the workforce, Church Lane Elementary students participated in their first Church Lane Elementary College Tour.  Fourth and Fifth grade teachers and their school counselor collaborated in effort to promote college readiness and a general understanding of the college experience.  Through classroom guidance, students were introduced to and discussed the need for college and vocational training.  With support from their classroom teachers, students in 8 classrooms worked hard and obtained information about a specific Maryland College. Each class created a display highlighting information about their specific Maryland College.  Using the student created displays, students took a “College Tour”.  Students read for information and completed a “scavenger hunt” to gain knowledge about college programs, tuition and extracurricular activities.  All students upon tour completion received badges that said, “I am on the road to success”.  Keeping with that theme, students then reflected and wrote on posters about what would STOP them on their road to success and what help them GO in the right direction.  Prior to the College Tour, students had the opportunity to meet with 16 college students.  In a panel discussion, 4th and 5th graders were able to ask questions to current college students and gain understanding about education and career options in their future.  Students enjoyed the hands on and engaging opportunity to experience college using technology and discussion. 

Submitted by Jessica Whorton
S.T.A.T. Teacher, Church Lane Elementary School

Twitter chats have become my new favorite choice PD for my staff. I will admit, I was a little taken back by the chaos that can sometimes come with Twitter and its posts. However, being someone that tweets on a daily basis about my school’s journey, I felt it was the natural next step. I started by hosting a mock Twitter chat during a Tech Tip Tuesday. I encouraged teachers who already had Twitter accounts to attend and see what all the buzz was about. Teachers were engaged, motivated, and ready to give it a go! We selected a hashtag - #cletschat and voted on what our first topic would be – Formative Assessments. The evening had come for our first Twitter Chat and I was a nervous wreck. I decided to go to the gym to ease my nerves and participate while I was on the exercise bike. There was the awkward virtual silence of me waiting for my teachers to join. Within 5 minutes into the chat, I had 4 teachers join! I couldn’t wait to get the conversation started. The chat was so engaging that I ended up being on the exercise bike for a while hour! I was so engulfed into everything my teachers were talking about. Various grade levels were sharing ideas, pictures/photos were being shared, and plans were being made. This increased our in school communication in a way I had never imagined! Since our first one in March of 2016, we have Twitter chats at least once a month. Take a look at the first Twitter chat by clicking HERE. 

For 2017, I was looking to add some spice to our Twitter chats. Enter the teachers of Mays Chapel. Katie Cox, STAT teacher of Mays Chapel Elementary, and I planned a combined Lighthouse school Twitter chat that would focus on New Year’s resolutions for teachers. We gathered at one of the planning sessions during our S.T.A.T. conference to curate the questions and potential answers for ourselves. We set a date and started advertising this PD opportunity to our staff immediately. Katie and I were both pleased with how well this Twitter chat turned out. With using the hashtag #bcpslhchat, teachers from both schools chimed in on answering questions and responding to each other. Ideas were shared, bonds were formed, and resolutions were made! The beauty of a Twitter chat is that you can multitask while participating. Teachers can decide when to chat and when to take a step back! The possibilities and topics are endless with Twitter chats. I can’t wait to see the journey that #cletschat takes us on!