LWW Color Symbol Image

CSI Reflection from Courtney Humphreys on Vimeo.

Ever since I learned about the thinking routine "Color Symbol Image" at Harvard this summer, I have been excited to try it in the classroom. I wasn't sure how the boys would respond to this routine because it seemed like it might be too complex, but yet again, I was wrong. The routine involves choosing a color, a symbol (a very simple icon), and an image to represent a concept. The only way I have used it so far is to have the boys choose a character from the novel we are reading. We started with a character from Frindle (they chose either Mrs. Granger or Nick Allen), and today they chose either Aslan or the White Witch. The boys wrote their colors, symbols, and images on Post-its, and we arranged them on butcher paper. We talked through the responses and found connections among them. I was impressed with the complexity of the students' responses-- after doing the routine just once, they demonstrated a deeper understanding of character traits. I've encouraged them to go "beneath the surface", and I definitely saw that today. The video above is one student's reflection on the routine and how it enhanced his understanding of the characters.

Highlight of My Week

Yesterday we were discussing chapter 11 of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in class. I've been trying to change the way I approach our novel discussions. Instead of me "filling" my students with the information I think they need to know, I want them to form their own understanding and create their own meaning. I am often reminded of that, "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." --William Butler Yeats. I watched this happen yesterday, and it was truly incredible.

The boys are marking their books independently in an effort to become "active readers." This is new for all of them since they have completed novel packets in the past, and I knew it would take time for them to see the merit in reading actively. They mark things such as figurative language, character traits, and new vocabulary words.

The boys were very engaged in our discussion (I saw "shining eyes!"), and I had to stop myself from pushing forward to "get everything in" and move on to the next thing. (This is the inclination I have to fight the most as I attempt to develop a culture of thinking in my classroom.) One student noticed that Edmund's heart was changing (for the first time, he feels sorry for someone besides himself.) They were all excited to realize they had all put "stick people" (our symbol for character) next to that part in the book. I realized they are beginning to understand the element of character in a new way, and they are now actively looking for ways that characters in the novel evolve and develop. One student pointed out during our discussion that he really likes marking his book because he reads in a different way now and understands the book better. He said he sees things differently now. (How I wish I had my Flip camera ready for that comment!) I don't think there is anything more satisfying than witnessing my students' excitement and ownership of what we are doing in the classroom. I didn't get to everything I had planned for the day, but I am realizing how little that matters-- because it takes time, more than anything else, to develop a culture of thinking in the classroom. It's not going to happen if I plow through as much material as I can.

Sort It Out

Today in class I tried a game with my boys called Sort It Out, which I learned about from a colleague who went to Project Zero this summer. I didn't get to experience the excellent mini-session where she learned about this and several other routines, but I observed her sixth grade class using it a couple weeks ago. I gave each group of boys the same set of VA and spelling words (about 30 words total), and they were to sort the words into categories. I didn't give them much guidance beyond this, and it actually was more successful than I imagined. Even I would have had a hard time finding categories to fit all these words, so I was impressed with their ideas. One group sorted by parts of speech, one by where the words came from (spelling or VA), and the two other groups sorted the words by meaning. (example: one group put reproach, accuse, and presume together and provided an excellent explanation for the reason behind it). Obviously the groups that sorted by meaning were satisfying the goal of the game more than the others, but this was a good start to use this in the future. I had a spokesperson for each group explain how they sorted their words and gave time for others to ask questions. I plan to use this in the future for VA words especially because it gives the boys an opportunity to learn from each other and to develop a better understanding of these higher-level vocabulary words. I am curious to ask my colleague about other ways this game can be used. I might try sorting characters from novels they have read because hopefully this would be a great way to draw connections from text to text.

Sort it Out 4C from Courtney Humphreys on Vimeo.

Sort it Out Reflection from Courtney Humphreys on Vimeo.

My Goals

This year I will be blogging about my professional development goal to develop a culture of thinking in my classroom. After attending Harvard's summer program, Project Zero, I want to integrate what I have learned into my classroom. This is much easier said than done, I realize, and there are far more things I want to do than I am able to do. I hope to narrow my focus and make some very tangible changes to the way I understand teaching. I hope that at the end of the year, I will be able to look back and say that my true focus was my students' understanding, not what technology we used or what projects we did. I hope that I will be able to say that my language with my students evolved into a conditional and communal language of thinking. I hope that I will look back and see that I incorporated thinking routines, gave my students a sense of agency in the classroom, and made it less about the answers than the questions. This feels like a lot, but I plan to take it a step at a time. I will post reflections (mine and my students') that will hopefully reflect the way the culture of our classroom changes throughout the year.