What I Know About Flipping 3rd Grade . . . TODAY

This is Week 6 in Third Grade and I have quickly learned that flipping does NOT look like in did in my fifth grade class!  Here's what I know about flipping 3rd grade . . . TODAY:

1.  My videos have to be short,  real short.  I mean 3-5 minutes short.  Closer to 3 minutes.

2.  My videos must be straight to the point.  I am almost taking notes for them.  I actually say "Step 1...., Step 2...." and "write this down"( Now that I think about it, I probably should have said that all along).

3.  I remind them to write the date, title, and important info. during the video a lot.

4.  I also went back to using a graphic organizer and having them glue it into their math notebooks.  and finally . . .

5.  Crystal, I revised your W-S-Q.  "S"  now stands for "list the STEPS" instead of summarize.  So they W-watch the video (write the title ), S- list the steps, and Q-write 1 question they have.

Here is an example of 1 of my student's notes from a video.  I just took a picture of this one because it was an excellent example of what their notes should look like.  I know, we still need to work on coming up with a higher level question.  :-)  I will share some others later.

Oh yea, another big difference . . . for the most part the students are watching the videos in class while I am working with other students.  I also use the video after I have done a "quick-teach" (I think I just made that up) or face-to-face preview of what they will learn in the video.

Update:  Here are some other examples of WSQ notes:

Pretty good, huh?:-) 

Place Value and TodaysMeet

Student Journal

Last year I made a place value chart and glued those orange wooden base 10 blocks to the chart to represent ones, tenths, and hundredths.  You know the ones I'm talking about.  If you teach primary, you probably give the tiny cube a value of "one" while in intermediate (or at least in fifth grade) that tiny cube represents "one hundredth".  That can be confusing to some kids.  That's why it is important to stress the value you assign to each block and to model what that looks like.  Anyway, back to the chart . . .

For homework the students watched a  Study Jams Place Value video and my Decimal Place Value video that I posted on Edmodo.  Then in class I had them use decimal grids to create a place value chart in their journals. By doing this the kids could really see that one tenth or .1 was completely different from 10. Next, we made a class chart and went to the thousands place.  It was easy to see that if you start at the decimal and move to the left, then “each place is 10 times bigger”.  Just like the song says.  

Once the chart was finished (it actually took two days to make) we used  TodaysMeet to discuss what we noticed about our place value chart. Using TodaysMeet really makes the students think about their thinking.  Now when we have our WSQ chats one student in the group has an iPad and they post the group's thinking during the chat.  After we finish the WSQ chats,  we meet back together as a whole group and use the transcripts from TodaysMeet to "see" what the smaller groups were thinking. I have the transcript projecting on the white board the entire time. 

Using TodaysMeet is so easy.  Simply go to the website, name your "room" and then start "talking".  You can choose how long you save your group.  I decided to save my group for a year.  Imagine, I will have a transcript of our math thinking for the entire school year!  Each time we log on, we enter the same address and we are reconnected to our ongoing chat.  It really is powerful to see their thinking and hear the conversations that result from reading the posts of others.  I guess you could say we are Rockin' the Standards!

  

 

I Love Math!!!

That message was posted by one of my students after submitting their assignment on Edmodo. This couldn't have come at a better time. And here I was feeling a little overwhelmed because a little video was not loading properly.  Not to mention the fact that after re-reading Delia Bush's post, "How am I Making This Work?", I have come to the realization that I need to create a calendar, a chart or something with their assignments and video schedules for the entire unit. Which means I need to plan ahead... way ahead.  (and if you know me, you know that is really out of my character).

If you are thinking about flipping your class, I would also recommend you check out Crystal Kirch's FAQ's on her blog.  I have mentioned before how her students use WSQ when completing their assignments.  I really want to give a "shout-out" to Crystal for commenting on my last post!  Just those little suggestions you made have made a big difference in such a short time with my students.  Thank you!

Now, I really need to get on that calendar.  Ugh!



Using Egg Cartons to Add Fractions
1/2 + 1/3





And the answer is . . . 5/6!

 


This activity came from  Actions With Fractions
1998 AIMS Education Foundation



P.S. I just finished a fanstastic webinar with Crystal Kirch! I can't tell you how excited I was to learn that I don't have to have the entire chart filled in before I give it to the students. I can't say how important it is to "hook up" with other teachers if you are flipping. Whether it be in person or online; it is so important to have a resource you can learn from. Thanks again Crystal!

I've watched the video, now what?

I don't know how else I need to say it or what I need to do to help my students understand they are expected to complete a WSQ reflection (Watch, Summarize, Question) each time they watch a video. This idea came from Crystal Kirch.  After the assignment has been posted, I will usually get 1 or 2 posts on Edmodo asking if the WSQ is optional or do they even have to do a WSQ.  I have said it over and over. I have even written it as part of the instructions for completing the assignment. Granted, I don't write it every time. I really shouldn't have to, should I?

I have given them the choice of using a Google Document or completing the form in their math notebooks. I am also thinking whether or not students should be required to use the Google document each time or should they just write their responses in their notebooks or type them on a Word template and then print and glue them in their notebooks.

I am starting to think that requiring them to use the Google Document is more for my convenience than it is for their benefit since I can quickly check their response online rather than looking at 24 spiral notebooks.  The downside is when they use the Google Document, they don't have their video notes with them... And aren't the notes for them to use? 

What are your expectations for your students once they have finished watching the video? 

Reflecting

The first 9 week period is over.  I really should be working on my report cards but working on my blog is a welcome distraction.   So I figure this is a good time to reflect on what things have gone well and what things I will revise?

The WSQ Form

I got this idea from Crystal Kirch.  It is a way for students to show what they have learned from watching the videos.  I still have some children that prefer to write their WSQ responses in their notebooks rather than type them and attach them online.  This means I have to physically check their individual notebooks rather than checking their assignments on line. On our last assignment  I attached a Google form with 3 questions they had to respond to.  I like having all their responses in 1 place.  This is something I will continue to use.

Videos

I still have a few students that are not watching their videos at home.  About 3 of them do not have Internet access at home and the other 2 or 3 always seem to forget.  Right now, when they first come in class in the morning they use the desk top computers to complete their assignment.  I will also let some of them go to the media center to work on their assignment.  When I post a video, I usually give them 2 days before the assignment is due.  That helps but there are still some students that I have to speak with individually about completing their assignments.  I have a feeling this would probably be true no matter what the assignment.

When I started flipping this year, I focused mainly on math.  I have used screencast-o-matic, Educreations, and Smartboard to record my videos. I like Educreations for explaining math concepts. The screen is small on the IPad, but you can have more than 1 page in your video.  The down side is that you can not edit your videos. When I watch the video I usually find some silly mistake that I've made (like calling the dividend the divisor).  In class you can correct your mistake and move on but on a video you have to rerecord the entire video, and being the perfectionists that I am I rerecord the video.  There have been times  when I have recorded the video 5, maybe 6 times before I was satisfied.  I got a 30 day trial for Camtasia, but I have not had time to try it out.  It allows for editing.  I am anxious to see how using this software will make a difference.  I ultimately want to record my videos with picture in a picture technique.  That will come. 

One suggestion I have is to watch the entire video before posting it to Edmodo as an assignment.  I usually post assignments later in the evenings, so I can make sure it is correct before my students view it the next day.  What I didn't realize was every time I create an assignment my parents get an email.  When I delete and re-post the assignment, they get another email. One night I had deleted and re-posted the assignment so many times that a parent sent me an email because they thought someone had hacked into my Edmodo account. 

Moving On

Eventually I want to add a form so the students can check off their videos and WSQ forms as they complete them. I would have the concepts for the entire unit along with the assignment.  This would allow students to work ahead if they wanted to.  I recently participated in a webinar hosted by Crystal Kirch and she shared a form that she uses.  She has the entire unit mapped out with the videos and assignments in advance.  This will take some discipline on my part.  But it is something to work towards.  Now back to those report cards!

In memory of Sweet Sadie