Kindergarten Comics and Doing Dominoes

 There are only three weeks left of the 2021-22 school year left; counting today, Monday June 13, that's 14 teaching days. As the intensity of finalizing report card marks subside, the question of "what do we do in the meantime" surfaces. Many of these late June activities won't be able to appear on the report cards because of time constraints, but learning shouldn't be dictated by what can and cannot be included on those final evaluations.

Two sets of tasks that were able to make it onto that official document we are also able to continue for our final classes in kindergarten and they have to do with comics and dominoes.

Comics

For our library periods, the kindergarten students and I have been looking at comics. During free time, there are some students that choose to read graphic novels instead of play with toys, which delights my teacher-librarian heart. We went over some of the basic codes and conventions of comics and then got into teams to create our own comics. The teams told me how many panels and what shapes the panels had to be on their large chart papers. The results demonstrated to me why the kindergarten program is two years long.

Some students understood the concepts right away. They merged ideas. They experimented with making their own speech bubbles and filling them with words their characters said. Some even had a narrative structure, with a beginning, middle, and end. (Naturally, I took photos of the ones that impressed me the most.)

Then there were students that have made significant gains over the year but aren't quite there yet. They drew people in their panels but didn't understand directionality, so they were sideways and upside-down. Others drew people but when I came to assist them with their speech bubbles, they had no idea who the people they drew were, or what they could be saying. The idea of continuity between panels hasn't developed yet for them.

Then there were students who just scribbled or coloured in the boxes and shapes. 

I'm glad we have a few weeks more so we can continue to have time to explore comic creation, read some comics, and teach.

Dominoes

In media, we focused on agency and decision-making. We looked at some games to determine how much player agency they allowed. The students, with some prompting, began to realize that certain games, such as tic-tac-toe, give players the power to make decisions. Other games, such as Chute and Ladders or Candyland, can proceed without the players making any choices of their own because the probability tool (cards or dice) make all the decisions for them. It's interesting to note that many board games targeted at young children rely on probability rather than player skill. I am teaching the students how to play dominoes, both with online and face-to-face resources. I bought a huge wooden set of dominoes (with my own money) to use in the library. I noticed that most children only know about lining up the dominoes to knock them down in a pattern, rather than using the pips to actually play the game. It's going to take us several times of playing for the students to grasp the game rules and strategies. It's also great for math (number sense and even geometry as they turn the tiles to match the numbers) and for cooperative skills (turn taking, consulting with team members about the best tile to place). Here are a a few photos of the students in action.

As part of their media evaluation, I asked them which method they preferred to use - the online dominoes or the in-person one. The students also had to articulate what techniques drew the players in to get them to keep playing. It was fascinating to see that many of the learning-in-person students commented on the computer version's attraction, whereas the learning-online students (who only could see me and their ECE playing the physical version together via their screens) tended to suggest that the face-to-face model was more appealing. I also find that their patience for the length of a game is quite short. 

I'm glad I can introduce the game of dominoes to the students. My parents used to play dominoes with a set that they brought up with them from Guyana and there are some fond memories associated with the game.

What makes a good assessment or slide deck?

 This week has been peppered with preparation and evaluation. I've been making several presentations (for my June 9 talk for AML's Media AQ course, for the June 14 ONLibChat event promoting TMC, and for a June 27 session for IMLRS [International Media Literacy Research Symposium]). Educators in my school board did not teach on Friday, June 3 because we had a report card writing day; even though I am no longer a classroom teacher, I still had plenty of things to mark to get ready for calculating those final grades. It got me thinking about what makes a good assignment for assessment and what makes a good online presentation. 

Good Presentation Slides - Tips

When I took my Presenter's Palette workshop with ETFO in 2016, I learned a lot about structuring professional learning. One of my favourite take-aways was the difference between offering content and allowing processing of ideas. The facilitators called it "giving the gum" and "time to chew". Learners of all ages (and especially now, with Zoom fatigue and increased distractibility) cannot be lectured at for long periods without something for them to "do". I believe that Mary and I have designed an engaging, fast-paced talk for this coming Thursday. Our topic is "Comics, Cosplay and Consoles: Worthy Media Texts". There's lots of "gum" and lots of "chewing". I hope the AQ participants agree.

Neil Andersen taught me not to be stingy with my slides. He has shown me big images and words, without a lot of clutter on the screen, can lead to big impact. Duplicate a slide and use shapes to highlight something you want your audience to notice. Our presentation, on Practical Media Literacy Teaching Strategies, has a lot of information to impart. We pared down the amount of examples but used lots of slides as evidence.

For more suggestions on making good slide decks, check out the TED Talk blog with 10 tips for better slide decks, or the 6-6-6 rule explained by Helen Jane Hearn on the American Express business website.

Good Assessment Tasks - Tips

There are some assignments that I dread marking. The ones that I don't dread marking (and that even can be fun to mark) have some shared characteristics:

• the marking criteria is very clear (and developed beforehand) - for instance, the Grade 1-2 students and I determined how both our clay cakes and real cakes would be marked. We had it on a big piece of chart paper so there was no mystery about how the grades were generated.

• processes that can be automated are - the final tasks for my social studies classes were some Google Form quizzes. Since they were all multiple choice answers, the students received their results immediately after completing the evaluation.
• creative individual results make it entertaining for creator and evaluator  - I loved watching the fake news in Francophone communities video assignments that the Grade 6-7s and 7-8s made. I'm excited to see the Grade 3 animated figures from communities in 1780-1850 and the green-screen paired inquiry videos. 
• the students are set up for success - the tasks are not so hard to complete that excelling is a rare event. The social studies inquiry projects were structured with ample time to finish and easy entry points (drawing for the Grade 1s, almost Mad-Lib level fill-in-the-blanks for the Grade 2s). Some of the Grade 2s did very poorly because they did not follow the simple directions (or complete all the requirements properly). The Grade 1 health task did not make it necessary for students to read words, only to use numbers to label body part locations on a blank form. The Grade 2 health task just involved them placing sticky notes with descriptions on the drawings that indicated various life stages; they only had to write their name on the sticky note and place it on a picture.

When I searched online for suggestions related to this, one site (that automatically downloads a Word file with the information, so I don't recommend clicking it) says:

• has clearly stated goals/objectives
• lack of a pre-determined outcome: you learn something new
• personally relevant and memorable
• uses real-time, current data
• logistically do-able (for both students and instructor)
• synthesizes prior information and concepts
• no clear right or wrong answer - open-ended

Hope this helps!

Icing on the Cake: Return of Quiz Bowl and Red Maple Marketing

 This past week was filled to overflowing with events. I'm going to comment on three.

Media Lesson - Cake Decorating with Grade 1-2s

On May 26, the Grade 1-2s trooped up to the staff room (where some had never before ventured) to decorate real cakes as part of their media unit studying cakes. It was hectic but enjoyable and impressive.

I have to thank the adults who lent a hand: Kris Luk, Kerri Commisso, and Lydia A. It wouldn't have been possible without their assistance. Many of the students remembered to bring their plans and some actually referred to their plans while decorating. Change was permitted and several students were overcome with the choices of colours and types of sprinkles. Their final creations ran the gamut from a messy pile of sugary blobs to some really incredible, detailed, artistic cakes.

Intermediate Division Reading & Media - Red Maple Marketing Event

Also on May 26, the Agnes Macphail PS Red Maple Marketing team met in the school library to listen to author Philippa Dowding give a virtual guest talk. Following Philippa's engaging presentation, the teams from Agnes Macphail PS, Macklin PS, and David Lewis PS jumped on a different Zoom link to compete in the xxxth Red Maple Marketing Campaign. We were so fortunate to have three volunteer judges from Manifest Com - Jack, Rachel and Paige agreed to listen to the ten-minute promotional campaigns (increased from the previous limit of five minutes because we only had four teams). Credit should also go to Jennifer Houston-Douglas and Samantha MacInnis-Villalon for helping their student teams prepare for the event and coordinating all the required permissions at the school-level.

Big congratulations to the second team from David Lewis PS that marketed Eric Walters' book, The King of Jam Sandwiches, for winning the competition.

It was very different holding the event online. Benefits included a more efficient use of time - the event, which usually takes an entire day, only took two-and-a-quarter hours. Costs were reduced as we didn't have to travel to a central location. The use of technology went smoother than usual, although we still had issues. The disadvantages included a lack of "buzz" in the air that used to accompany the gathering. The students didn't get a chance to interact with their peers from other schools. This may be a result of the pandemic, but I also found that it was harder for students to sit and listen. Because cameras were off during the author visit for recording purposes, and because only the presenting team had their cameras on during their presentations, I noticed that students felt free and were inclined to wander around or get distracted by other things. The other unfortunate part of holding this event virtually was that we were unable to take any photos of the proceedings. I only have this shot of the mock Instagram pages my school team created for their focus book, From the Roots Up: Surviving the City Volume 2. The other books marketed were Firefly, and Tremendous Things. 

Junior Division Reading & Oral - Quiz Bowl Competition

On May 27, three teams from Percy Williams Jr PS, Macklin PS and Agnes Macphail PS met online for a friendly competition related to the 2022 Silver Birch and Yellow Cedar nominees. This was a much trickier event to coordinate and there were a few snags. One other school had to drop out. We planned to use Google Meet but turned to Zoom at the last minute because we were having troubles; Zoom gave us a new set of troubles because it doesn't track whose hand raises first like Google Meet, and it was inconsistent between screens. Every school had two computers running - one for the competitors to use and one for the teacher coordinators to broadcast from and use for reading questions and monitoring responses. Some of the computers at the different sites wouldn't allow audio. At my school, one of the students accidentally unplugged the laptop that we were using halfway through the fiction competition (the one laptop that happens to completely shut down when not continually attached to a power cord) so they had to share the one I was using to broadcast. We were going profoundly overtime and had to only ask five questions instead of the usual ten. One of the books didn't have questions composed for it and we had no time to quickly write any replacements. We were twenty minutes late for our author visit with Leslie Gentile. The ice cream truck cancelled their appearance due to the weather.

Despite all these challenges, the students really seemed to enjoy themselves. Competitors were nervous and excited to enter the "booth" to answer questions. However, they were delighted with themselves when they were able to answer correctly. Take a look at the tweet below to see the results.

The excitement in the Library! @PercyWilliamsPS Ss brought home the Silver Birch Fiction and Yellow Cedar award in the @ForestofReading QuizBowl Competition! The screaming could be heard down the hallway! @TDSBLibrary Thank you @MzMollyTL @jhouston212 ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Iox80tQSnN

— Salma Nakhuda (@nakhuda5_tdsb) May 27, 2022

Big congratulations to Percy Williams Jr PS, who won both the fiction (Silver Birch) and non-fiction (Yellow Cedar) contests. Again, big thanks must go to Salma Nakhuda and Jennifer Houston-Douglas for organizing the teams, writing the questions (helped by Kim Davidson), and being wonderful teacher-librarians. Appreciation also extends to Jennifer Brown for helping us arrange our author visits.

I was really tired after all of these events. I went to bed at 8:30 pm on Thursday night and slept soundly until 7:00 am Friday! However, my teacher-librarian and media educator heart is happy knowing that some serious memories were made this week at school.

Sick

 Don't worry - it's not COVID.

Last Monday evening I had a dentist appointment. In addition to the cavity I'm going to need to fill, I had to wait a while before I could eat to let the fluoride treatment kick in. I became involved with other tasks at home and eventually ate some unrefrigerated pasta carbonara with old apple cider at 9:00 pm for dinner.

Big mistake.

I woke up at 3:00 am feeling awful and vomited. I stumbled back to bed and slept until 6:00 am when I woke again and violently vomited over and over. It wasn't one of those "puke and get it over with" deals - I felt like I was run over by a truck. No school for me that day. 

Are other educators like this? I felt guilty because I actually used this sick day to get better. Part of me foolishly thought I could squeeze in a bit of marking but this just wasn't possible. I was sick. I slept. Then I woke up, feebly drank a bit of water, and slept again. Sleep. Hydrate. Repeat. That was the day.

I dragged myself to the computer to help with AML's presentation for OTF, called "Media Literacy is Serious Fun". I kept my camera off because I just rolled out of bed but I was still somehow able to participate.

I feel so much better now. I haven't gotten my appetite back yet but I was able to get back to school the next day and go to the gym AND host my Forest of Reading Celebratory Lunch AND host a Zoom meeting for my Grade 1-2s to get ready for their cake decorating lesson next week.

Now that was "sick" (and sick in the terms of "crazy cool"). It was so awesome to have a group of students together in the library. We only just ended cohorting outside a couple of weeks ago, so congregating in mixed-class groups is quite the novelty. They ate pizza and partook in a taco bar and watched part of the OLA Forest of Reading Award results online.

Big congratulations to this year's Forest of Reading winners. Although I did not have as many students qualify this year, it's a season for rebuilding, and that works for me. (It's the topic of one of my Treasure Mountain Canada 7 papers.)

I was pretty "lucky" that my illness only lasted a day and did not prevent me from continuing the fun events planned. I guess if I had to be sick, that was the way to do it.

*********************

And this is where the post-within-a-post begins.

A common set of words to pair with Sick is the phrase is "Sick and Tired". This phrase applies to how some individuals or groups act and react without consideration for others

I've "buried" this part of the blog post because I don't want the critics to come out en masse again. The beginning of the week brought some surprises to me via Twitter. I retweeted someone who mentioned recent current events (he originally phrased it Palestine, Buffalo, Peterborough) and iterated the need for education and the ability to discuss these subjects. I quote-tweeted this person to point out that I didn't want to center myself in this discussion but that I thought his point was good, so I instead amplified him. Both he and I were attacked for this post. I was called a coward and that the post was "disgusting modern blood libel". Commenters said I don't stand up for Jewish students. The person I originally quoted apologized to the critics and explained, "I'm so sorry for the miscommunication. I never intended to compare the three cities. I was saying that incidents that occurred in all 3 need to be addressed. I absolutely condemn any form of anti-Semitism, and would confront it the same as any other form of oppression". My reply wasn't as polite; I said, "Genuine question: how so? I thought assaulting pallbearers at a funeral was improper, to say the least."

I really believe at times that you are "damned if you do, damned if you don't". If you are on social media and you don't comment on a recent tragedy or anniversary, then you are wrong because you are silent on an important issue. If you are on social media and you comment on a recent tragedy or anniversary, then you are wrong because you are bandwagonning or putting yourself and your feelings as the focus for the distress another group is experiencing. I wrote an article for AML a while back called Reining in Rapid Righteousness, about the need to slow down before reacting on social media. The points are still true. 

There's this, and there's the frustration of making do with exhausting and nearly-intolerable situations when the system is broken, the supports aren't there, school autonomy is removed while school responsibility is increased, and no one's needs are satisfactorily met. Add that to fielding concerns/complaints about offered bonuses that were missed when the blame for the omission feels misplaced ... that's when you get "sick and tired" of making extra effort. 

I'm not miserable, far from it, but there are moments when you wonder why you bother. Then you get the kindergarten student who says, "I love you Mrs. Mali" that reminds you that it's not for the praise but because it's the right thing to do.

Buying Together, Building Together

 This past week was busy but fun.

GTA Resource Fair

On Tuesday, May 10, 2022 I was able to participate in a wonderful annual event - the GTA Resource Fair. It's been ages since school library professionals were able to browse multiple vendors and touch physical copies of books prior to purchase, all in one convenient location with easy purchasing processes. I took students with me - fewer than usual, because I have a smaller car now - and they seemed to enjoy the trip. It took a while for them to get into the swing of buying but they adapted quickly. It took them 90 minutes at a single vendor to choose $300 worth of books. By the end of our day buying together, we spent a good portion of my yearly budget and selected some amazing resources for the school library. 

The extra-special part of this year's trip, in addition to it being the first since 2019, was that I was provided with coverage so that I could spend the entire day at the fair with the students. This gift of time meant that we were able to have the books barcoded while we were at the fair by the wonderful people from TDSB Library Technical Services. Everyone was just so appreciative of the opportunity to attend the Fair.

It is so great to see everyone today at the GTA Library Resource Fair. Even got a thank-you card! @MzMollyTL

We are here again tomorrow 8am-5pm with lots and lots of books.@tdsb @TDSBLibrary @saundersbookco pic.twitter.com/0waCqobvGg

— James Saunders (@saunders_jamesd) May 10, 2022

Media Cakes

The Grade 1-2 students finished up their clay cake designs for media class. We co-constructed the assessment rubric and I'll begin marking them next week. Some of them did a phenomenal job. I'm looking forward to our upcoming guest speakers - parents that run a cake decorating business, who will teach the students how to ice real cakes!

Build Challenges

I mentioned two weeks ago that the Grade 8s had a Keva Plank building challenge. Not only did I try the same activity with the Grade 6s (who loved it), we offered a second building challenge to the Grade 8s - build a structure using straws and connectors that would touch the ceiling of the library. I couldn't get them to leave the library when it was recess because they were so invested in the task!

The wonderful thing about the building challenges is that it was "just because". It was a completely optional activity and the students opted in. Many different strategies were used to accomplish the same goal. (For example, the last photo was of a structure that was built on the ground first and then tilted up to use the ceiling as a counter-brace.) Other students passing by marveled at the large towers in the library. 

Big thanks to all the students who built together and bought together this week. 

Expressing Need

 People who need the most love, often ask for it in the most unlovable ways.

- paraphrased quote attributed to Russel Barkley

The timing of this post is quite apropos. Yesterday was Mother's Day. Parenting children, like teaching learners, isn't a matter of following the same script. What works for one might not work for another. I have two children and I used to explain that they each took a different type of parenting energy; one of my children was like driving a SUV (takes a lot of gas to get places) and the other was like driving an electric hybrid. (By the way, you don't have to be a parent to be an educator. I think about my friend Usha, who has been very public about her fertility journey and the assumptions and thoughtless comments that people direct at her.)

This week, I spent a lot of time with a few students. I can't tell you what they did because I need to respect their privacy. Sometimes it's hard to give the level of attention certain individuals demand (or need), especially when there are so many other students in the class, or their needs seem to be so great. Sometimes, you just get tired of dealing with the same behaviors repeatedly, or maintaining your composure when young people are losing theirs. 

I'm writing this as a reminder to myself that when students want to hang out with me, or exclusively talk with me for long periods of time, that it's a sign we have a positive relationship. They might feel like "time/energy vampires" but malice isn't their motivation. Students don't like to "get in trouble" - they just don't yet know how to stay out of trouble. I just need to help them learn how to express their needs in more socially acceptable ways. This isn't meant for me to pretend to be their " white savior" - that is a trope that should be retired permanently. I'm not their parent and I'm not the only person who cares. I just need to do my best to help them be the best they can be. I'll end with yesterday's "Google Doodle" because the visual fits.

On Top of Things - How Possible?

 I am worried that by writing this observation down, I am going to "jinx" things. It's like wishing on a dandelion seed but spoiling it by saying the wish out loud. 

Just last month, I commented that I needed a time-turner so that I could catch up on all the work I needed to accomplish. I was swamped.

Now it's May. There's only two full months left of school. Despite the countdown, I have to quietly admit that I'm not feeling the same sort of stress that I did just a short time ago. In fact, this weekend, I got completely caught up on all my marking. I finalized a few great partnering units with classes (Grade 3 Social Studies and Grade 7 Geography), am about to finalize one more (Grade 7-8 French), and have completed all assignments related to my own class "deliverables" (Grade 1 and 1-2 Social Studies, Grade 1-2, 2-3 and 3 Health, and K-1-2 Media). There's still plenty to do, like prepare for Quiz Bowl, Red Maple Marketing, the Early ON sessions, TMC papers and new partnering units, but the anxious urgency isn't present or overwhelming. I'm good!

How is this possible? Usually April, May and June are a flurry of actions and deadlines. I think it has to do with a few things.

• Completion of massive projects = in late March, I was neck-deep in revising the Part 1, Part 2, and Specialist TL AQ courses for York University. That was HUGE. The pace was frantic and the quantity of material I had to produce was immense. In comparison, everything else now seems like small potatoes

• Possession of a "partner in crime" = There are 30 TL AQ candidates in the Spring 2022 session for York. I would be utterly swamped if it wasn't for my co-instructor, Francis Ngo. He is making our processes more efficient and sharing the responsibilities means that the course candidates are actually getting more attention and feedback.

• Ability to do my own job = There were many absences this week at my school but my administration did not simply presume that the specialist teachers (or specifically, the teacher-librarian) would automatically fill the gaps and cover classes. I did have to step in and become a classroom supply teacher but with some creative scheduling, my timetable was not completely thrown out the window.

• Time during the weekend = The weekend is often earmarked for certain errands; this has not changed but other alterations this week meant that I had uninterrupted moments to sit down and evaluate student work

• Few to no demands for housework = I have constantly maintained that the main reason why I am able to participate in so many different organizations and activities is due to my husband, who takes care of all the major household tasks. He cooks. He washes the dishes. He does the laundry. I do contribute but in different ways, like finances and transportation.

• Happiness = I am generally a happy person but certain things have made me even more happy. I had my eyebrows waxed and my nails done last Friday. Neil Andersen and I booked our flights for a conference we will be attending in the near future. I was accepted to be part of a writing team for the Ministry of Education. I had a delightful lunch with my husband at a favourite restaurant. I found time to scrapbook, a hobby I love. We bought candles and the various scents floating through the house perked me up. There have been a lot of fun moments at school too with the various students, from a Grade 8 Keva Plank building challenge to the realization of personal reading goals for students as we ended our Forest of Reading season with our school-wide voting. 

I'll let you know in a few weeks if I've completely ruined this positive feeling by sharing it. ;>