Student Created Rubrics-Tried It Tuesday & Show & Tell

It's Tuesday! Time to link up with my friend Holly for Tried it Tuesday and Denise for Show & Tell Tuesday!

 One of the things I wanted to improve in my practice this year was student created assessments/rubrics. I wanted to hold my students more accountable for their learning. We started by creating kid friendly definitions for the rubric score of 1-4. My students came up with these terms:

4...overachiever

3...proficient-got it

2...stuck in the middle

1...lost (not sure if I like this one, but they came up with it!)

This helped them understand the expectations/guidelines for each score. We started with something most students know...making the bed. Breaking down the criteria for this familiar chore gave them a better idea of what "criteria" meant. See sample below:

 

 

  

What about those rose petals??!! haha

Here's another sample from reading (character analysis).

In 3rd and 4th grade, students have to refer back to the text to support answers, while in 5th grade they have to quote text to support their answers (which is why my fourthsters listed this criteria for a rubric score 4). Creating their own rubrics gives them ownership and a better understanding of what's expected. It sets them up for success-they know exactly what to do! We do not create a rubric for every assignment, but we have used them in all content areas, and they get better and faster at it every time! It makes me happy to see my students enjoying their learning and setting high expectations for themselves! Creating their own rubrics really stretches their thinking! Give it a try!

Don't forget to start thinking about ONE way you motivate your students to link up with me on Saturday!

Five For Friday and Show & Tell

Five for Friday!

1. The winner of my 100 Follower Giveaway is....Christina Marie! Congratulations and thank you to everyone who supported my giveaway! I am blessed to have such generous bloggy friends and followers!

2. Bulletin Board- linking up with Sunny Days for spring bulletin boards. This is a spin off from a Scholastic activity. My students had to select 4 food idioms (from their list of idioms in their writing folder and/or a Google search), draw/label on the paper plate, and use correctly in a sentence on the "napkin". One of my students came up with the title "We're Hungry For Idioms!", cute right? I bought the tablecloth material from Hobby Lobby.

 

Here are some close-ups of their work:

3. I am Head Over Heels For Teaching! Here is a picture of my "high heel" collection-I have a few more in my classroom, but these are on "display" (tape dispensers, banks, ring holders)-the custodians LOVE dusting this shelf!

 

Isnt' this sign fantastic?

4. Favorite pin of the week and future project! I found some foam flowers on clearance after Valentine's Day and plan to make a bouquet for both of my children's elementary teachers for Teacher Appreciation Week. What a great keepsake!

5. We have a Teacher Duty Day on Monday-trying to make a to do list so I can keep focused-very hard for me, I like to talk! Any ideas/suggestions on how to make the most of a teacher work day??!!

 

Check out Show & Tell at Sunny Days for spring bulletin board ideas and Five for Friday at Doodle Bugs Teaching!

Show & Tell Tuesday-Read Alouds

 I'm excited about linking up with Denise for Show & Tell Tuesday-Read Alouds (so many great recommendations)! Without a doubt, read alouds are my favorite time of the day!!! The rich discussions, deep thinking, and collaboration that goes on during this time in my classroom makes my head spin...literally! I have so many favorites, but I'm going to condense my list to 3 picture books and 3 chapter books. I guess this gives me another thing to post about at a later date! I'm very fortunate and have a big massive collection of books and can't read them all in one year, but my "MUST-HAVES" include:

 Faithful Elephants is a true account of the war in Japan during WWII told from the perspective of the zookeeper.This book is as incredible as it is sad. It shows children the impact of war without violence, but may be for an older audience. This book will definitely tug at your heart! That being said, the passion and emotion I get from my students writing responses to this book is incredible!

Warning: I've NEVER read it without crying!

 A must read for February: Henry's Freedom Box is a true account of the Underground Railroad. It's inspiring and touching. This short narrative has gorgeous illustrations (Caldecott Honor) and keeps you on the edge of your seat to see if Henry makes it!.

Just read this one last week! It seems like I'm recommending a lot of heartbreaking stories (my students say EVERY book I read is sad!), but they spark so much emotion, which makes for great lessons in reading and writing! This narrative is also about the Underground Railroad, but is told from the rag doll's perspective. It's a creative book to teach students about this subject. 

 

 OMG! Stumptown Kid is such a suspenseful action-packed novel! You and your students will find yourselves cheering out loud during this read aloud! It sparks many feelings: from outrage to extreme delight! Although it has a baseball theme, boys and girls love it! It's set during segregation and teaches kids about equality. This book fits so many themes: overcoming challenges, equality, teamwork, believe in yourself, friendship, the list goes on and on.

An all time favorite! (Love Jerry Spinelli) Just finished this novel last week-it has a twist ending, leaving us up in the air. As much as my students begged me to read so we could finish the book, they didn't want it to end! The main character has so much weight on his shoulders and has big decisions to make for a 10 year old. Students can easily make connections with this book because they can relate to peer pressure, love for animals, secrets, and fitting in. You won't be sorry if you read this one! We're working on a project that I'll be posting by the end of the week. It's my latest creation and my students are thrilled about it! (Stay tuned so you can learn more!) 

 A classic-Hatchet. Every time I read this book (at least a dozen times) I find something new and interesting! It's a story of survival (physically and mentally). Brian struggles with giving up and losing hope, but soon realizes his positive attitude is his key to survival. Gary Paulsen's craft is easy to spot in this book and I love that my students start copying his style in their own writing...makes me so happy!

 

These are my LBBs (little black books) for my classroom. I hope you will use one in your classroom! I've love to hear your favorite read aloud. Please share below.