Mrs. Slaviero's Blog

 After a few months of virtual classes we are now back to hybrid learning (teaching both in-seat and virtual students simultaneously). It is once again going to be an adjustment. One bright spot is that, even with another schedule change my students know that we are working on our National History Day projects. This consistency amidst change has been helpful.  Projects are due next week. That has the potential to cause stress in students, at least until I clarify how close they are to a completed project, before they feel they've started. We have worked on their final project for weeks now, my students just haven't yet realized it. The assignments at the end of first quarter focused on the context of their project. Students had to research and use the engineering design process to learn and explain the context of their historical event. This piece of the project took a few class days to complete.  The second assignment was this year's National History Day graphic organiz...

 My students' National History Day projects are coming along, better than expected, if I'm honest. There are a few factors that are definitely helping--these students created projects last year in their Ancient Civilizations class. How fortunate that our 7th Grade teachers saw the value in these projects last year! It makes this undertaking less daunting for these now 8th Graders. It's just as challenging a project, but my students know what to expect and that makes a huge difference. The wealth of incredible resources from the National History Day and state History Day organizations make my role run so much more smoothly. These historians help teachers focus on guiding our students through their studies and I couldn’t do it without their help. Another factor is that the foundation has been set and my students understand I am there to support them. The student-centered classroom I strive for every year has been replicated as much as possible in the virtual environment. I am...

I have to always remember who I teach. I work with teens that want nothing more than to spend time with peers. That, of course, is something that has fallen to the wayside most of this calendar year, and almost all of this school year.  Building community has been a focal point of my classes before 2020, now it's imperative but quite challenging. Students will talk to one another, but mostly stay quiet and prefer to work in small groups, or alone. Being at home tends to make them feel more reluctant to share and speak up, unfortunately. My Social Studies colleagues introduced me to Gimkit last year. Gimkit is a gamified review that my students have really enjoyed. The company has come out with a version similar to an incredibly popular computer game and we played this version in class last week, as a review of the Constitution, Three Branches of Government, and the Bill of Rights. My students loved it and they came alive during our classes. I was overjoyed to hear them hollering (a...

At the start of the school year I reminded myself to focus on the "WHY"s this year. Now that we are at the end of first quarter it's time to take stock.  Building community is a central focus, especially now. Calling each student by name when they enter our virtual or physical classroom is important. We frequently discuss norms for breakout rooms (this is actually a much bigger issue than in the physical class) and I give students specific activities while in breakouts, along with deciding which student leads each part of our activity. (Not giving students the option to choose who should lead is helpful for students--they can just get started on tasks, rather than wait for someone to take initiative. Taking initiative is something I would emphasize if we were all in-seat, it's something that will most likely come with time in the virtual environment.) This has really helped students to work together and they're getting more comfortable and staying on-task. I rotat...

First Quarter has been a blur of events. New schedules, updated schedules, updates to the updates, virtual teaching, and now hybrid teaching (teaching students virtually and face-to-face simultaneously). I haven't had the time to post an update and honestly I'm at a loss as to what to write.  I am grateful for my colleagues and our ability to work to our strengths and provide our students opportunities to learn deeply. I will once again provide my Historians the time and structure to create a Gratitude Journal this November. I still see student aha moments, though now through a screen or partially hidden behind a mask.  We have started our National History work, with more progress to come next week. These positive moments mean more now than ever. 

  I can't believe we are already a few weeks into the school year. My 25th year. And yet I'm feeling like a first-year teacher in so many ways.  There have been big changes, any one of which would've thrown me for a loop if I'm honest.  Block scheduling.  Teaching virtually.  Pivoting for hybrid learning.  My colleagues and I are leaning on each other. We are taking this one day and one week at a time. I'm incredibly proud of the work we are doing.  I've made a Bitmoji Classroom (sorry, not sorry--it's a fun way to introduce myself to my students but it's not central to the work we're doing). The classroom contains links to our school website, National History Day Symbaloo Webmix, and other links. It also holds a daily agenda slide. I've upped my tech game by creating it. Housing the classroom in our Schoology page was an tech accomplishment for me, too. I update it daily with an agenda slide that updates when I complete it in Google Slides. My B...

  The 2020-2021 school year is ready to begin. We teachers report back next week, our students the week after. I have been very, very quiet this summer because of all that is happening in our world. If I'm honest, I'm usually the one to make small talk or fill in the space when there is a lull in conversations (that's for better or worse--my intentions are good, though). This summer has changed all of that. I've spent these months listening and starting to process the multitude of events that have changed our country and our world--stepping back has helped me to somewhat prepare for this school year. Educators are called to be flexible, more flexible than ever before. With everything happening and changing fast I must pull back, quiet myself, and think. I must make time for this solitude this year. Thankfully this week has helped me feel more ready to start the year than I thought I would be.  I went in to organize my classroom. It felt good to refresh the space. It was...