Notes from Saturday, January 25 with Emilie Hard from Tahoma School District

HOM are taught one per month. Principal announces it on the intercom at beginning of month. Teachers incorporate the HOM in their lessons. Awards are given at month end.

Ribbons that say “I Use Thinking Behaviors at Manson Elementary”

Schoolwide ideas:

v integrate into class rules, class discussions, letters home

v integrated into assemblies

v coupons for a whole class to reinforce a HOM “This class is ___________in________” For example, This class is outstanding in their persistence in solving this problem.

v authors or guests are honored on a bulletin board for a Thinking Behavior they exhibit

v Deeds of Kindness Wall that focuses on students showing empathy—students can write on the wall of a time when they saw someone being empathetic

v Student Evaluation—teacher part to fill out and student part to fill out

v ideas given to parents for how to use HOM at home

v Class meetings where compliments are given to those who are risk takers or those who are persistent

v show a video or read a book and give the character a report card—scoring them on one of the HOM

Math Lesson format

1. Read the problem and talk about key words

2. Offer ideas for strategies

3. Think time—give students 5 minutes to “Mess Around” with the problem, not to find and answer, but to explore ideas of how to solve it

4. Bring back together and share (NO answers yet) their ideas, do some modeling on the overhead

5. Give 5+ minutes for solving the problem with partners (solve with partners until March, then move to individual solving)

6. Share and solve together

7. Show anchor papers—a paper that would score a 4, a 3, a 2, or a 1 (use names for the rubric like a 3 is Right On Rita, a 2 is Getting there Gavin, a 1 is Not Yet Nora)

8. Have students write to explain their thinking to solve the problem

As a school, it is important to look at the whole picture and agree to work for the good of the whole. Skills and thinking become a core focus which kids transfer across grade levels and across content areas.