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Checklist and Choice Boards for the Win!

3/17/2023

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Increase student engagement by providing student choice and voice in the blended learning classroom setting. The Field Guide showcases examples of how to gradually move both the students and the classroom teacher to deploying higher order choice activities.  Below explore how to gradually incorporate creation, collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and connecting activities into the learning studios.

Getting Started With Student Ownership (Choice)

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The White Belt Strategies for Student Ownership introduce the teacher and the students to creativity, collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and hands-on connection activities. The white belt strategies are designed to showcase how to work with partners with various learning opportunities. The engaging learning activities are tied to the daily learning objectives and should take about eight to ten minutes to complete.
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Increase Ownership with Extended Projects

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Moving to a two-day checklist with the students will provide ample time to complete larger projects in the Future Ready studio, which will help promote higher levels of student engagement and ownership.  A multiple-day activity could include time to brainstorm with the partner, time to design the project, and the ability for the students to record a short video or voice recording explaining the project.  Again, the idea of the two-day activity is to increase student ownership within twenty minutes.  We are still training the students during this phase of the deployment process.
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Overview Video on Choice Boards and Checklist

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Differentiated Small Group Instruction Made Easy

3/14/2023

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When I am asked to put the twelve elements of student engagement and ownership in order starting with the most important, I always start with small group instruction. Small group instruction is the backbone for developing data-driven learning environments, building student relationships, customizing the learning paths for individual students, and providing learning opportunities in multiple learning styles. If a classroom teacher can successfully deploy small group instruction regularly, the rest of the eleven elements will be easier and more efficient to deploy within the classroom setting. 

Start Small

The best way to get started with small group instruction is to try to deploy small groups for review days.  The day before the test, break the class into three groups.  Group A will meet with the teacher to reteach the big concepts that might be missed on the test.  Group B will be working in Independent Practice learning studio completing a review sheet.  Group C will start in Digital Content learning studio explore videos or online resources that will help to increase the understanding of the unit concepts.  The teacher will set a timer for ten minutes.  At the end of the timer, the students will rotate to the next learning studio.  Coaching Note: If you have a large class, you might want to set up a total of six groups.  See the diagram to the right to run the learn studios. 
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Collect the Data

Make differentiated small group instruction with the deployment of a "Teacher Data Tracker". The teacher data tracker is a printed-out classroom roster that the teacher utilizes during small-group instruction.
Explore the following steps to generating a Teacher Data Tracker. 
  1. Print out an up-to-date classroom roster. Note: Find the student roster called "Student Scores - Printable."
  2. Place the roster on a clipboard 
  3. Keep the clipboard at the small group location
  4. When the students attend the small group studio, keep track of how the students answer the questions during the lesson. 
  5. I use a 4, 3, 2. 1 system to track how well the students did during the small group lesson. 
  6. Continue to use this same system with formative assessments and small group lessons. 
The data from the data tracker will eventually be used to help drive data-driven small-group instruction. However, for now, collect the data!  
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Use The Data

Step 1: Start to deploy small group instruction 
Step 2: Collect the Data 
Step 3: USE THE DATA
Now that the classroom teacher has deployed small group instruction and collected the data with the teacher data tracker, it is time to use the data to drive the small group instruction while the students are working in learning studios.  To accomplish this start by pulling back the high flyers first.  They will meet with the teacher to learn or enhance the learning target for the day while the struggling students start in the digital content studio where they are relearning the concepts from a teacher created video.  Coaching Note:  This teacher generated video should be short and to the point, no longer than five minutes in length. The second group that the teacher will bring back would be the struggling students while the on level and high flyers move through the learning studios at their own pace with the daily checklist.   
By using the data to drive which group of students come back to the small group, the teacher can differentiate the amount of time spent in the small group and can start to differentiated the small group instruction.
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Sign Up for the Summer Workshop on Data-Driven Small Group Instruction Made Easy 

We are offering virtual and onsite workshops on how to deploy data-driven small group instruction.  The workshop showcases how to get started with deploying learning studios, how to start to collect the data from formative assessments, online programs, and small group responses, and how to use the data to differentiate the small group instruction.  This hands-on workshop provides a step by step guide as well as take-aways that can be implemented into any PreK-12 classroom.  Sign Up Today to Save Your Spot. 
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Upcoming FREE Webinars

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Purchase the Field Guide

Grab a copy of the Field Guide written by Marcia Kish!  You can purchase the Field Guide in our Store, on Amazon, or we through a Purchase Order.  (Email Marcia Kish for a proposal and information for the Purchase Order)


Learn more about the Field Guide and the 12 Elements of Student Engagement and Ownership 
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Low Prep Student Creation Activities

3/6/2023

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One of the most commonly asked questions that I receive from classroom teachers is, "What suggestions do you have for low-prep Future Ready activities?" My answer is to add creation and collaboration projects for the students to complete over the multiple-day checklist. Below is a suggested creation rollout that can be housed inside the student checklist.  

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Overview Sample One: Sample one mini-project is a two-day choice activity in that the students will spend ten minutes each day working on the mini-project. By the end of the two days, the students will have made a poster on Canva.com or a physical mini-poster (11X17) 
Overview Sample Two: Sample two showcases a choice board, brainstorming time, and three days to work on the mini-project with a partner. By breaking the mini-project into chunks, the students will gradually build, design, and work on the activity over four days, with fifty minutes dedicated to the creation project.  â€‹

Sample One

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Sample Two

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The low prep activities start by providing students time to create and collaborate with choice creation activities. Please take a moment to explore some of our favorite creation websites, offline creation activities, and even phone applications that the students can pick from for the next partner mini-project.​ Click here to grab your copy of the choice activities. 
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Learn More and Join in the Conversations 

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Buy the Field Guide

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Also on Amazon!

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Getting Started with Small Group Instruction

3/6/2023

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Coaching Notes from Marcia Kish: "Start Small". If you would like try to deploy small group instruction within your classroom setting, think about start out with only three learning studios.  
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Setting up small group instruction can seem overwhelming if the traditional form of teaching is whole group delivery of the content. To bridge over to small group instruction, try to break apart the lesson into three different learning studios. The three learning studios include a Small Group Studio with the teacher, Independent Practice Studio, and Digital Content Studio. A third of the class will attend each studio for about twelve minutes. The timer will go off, and the students will rotate to the next studio. Another twelve minutes will go by, and the students will move to the last learning studio for the day. By breaking the lesson into three learning studios, the students and teacher will become accustomed to delivering the content through small group instruction. 

Watch And Learn More about Getting Started with Small Group Instruction 

FREE March Workshops- Sign Up Today

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We are booking Spring, Summer, and Fall Workshops and Coaching Sessions 

We are offering the following Workshop and Coaching Sessions for 2023.  Click here to learn more! 
  • Introduction to the 12 Elements of Student Engagement and Ownership 
  • Coaching Workshops
  • High School Small Group Instruction Made Easy 
  • Mixing in Technology for Middle School
  • A Twist to Centers for Elementary Teachers
  • STEAM Activities 
  • And More 
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Blended Learning In Action

2/13/2022

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Have you ever wondered what Blended Learning looks like in a High School setting? Then take a moment to watch the video from CyPark High School. CyPark High School is located in CyFair ISD in Katy, Texas. If you have any questions after watching the video feel free to post to this blog post.

Direct Link to the video
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How to Build and Use a Phase Three Checklist

2/12/2022

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What is the difference between a Phase One, Phase Two and Phase Three checklist?  This video will quickly cover the difference while also showcasing how to build a Phase Three checklist.  

Direct Link to the video
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How to Build and Use Choice Boards

2/12/2022

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If you are looking for ways to increase student engagement and ownership in the classroom?  Then try to add in choice board to the checklist or lessons.  In this video, I am going to share out how to get started with choice boards, how to Differentiated checklist, and where to find sample checklist.  

Direct link to the video: 
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Jenga: A Future Ready Activity

2/6/2022

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Weekly Blend August 26th, 2021

8/27/2021

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Welcome to another school year and another edition of the Weekly Blend with myself, Marcia Kish. I am excited that you have found this blog and hopefully subscribed to our YouTube Channel. My goal is to share, guide, and be the idea person for Blended Learning that you are looking for to help support your classroom, school, and district. 
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With the Hybrid teaching behind most of our schools, I am looking forward to implementing Blended Learning into the onsite and virtual classrooms again this year. As I move forward with Coaching the Three Phases of Blended Learning, I remind teachers that even though the COVID shutdowns effective our classrooms, that Hybrid Teaching was challenging, and that moving back into a social distance classroom is complex, that all educators are true heroes. Without our educators being brave and willing to try something new, the children would have suffered. So first and foremost, thank you. Thank you for being Brave. Thank you for sticking your neck out there and trying. Thank you for failing and trying the next day again. Thank you for being the amazing human beings that are guiding support for our children. Thank you. 
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Getting Started with Blended Learning 

Wow, what a summer of professional development learning opportunities for schools across the country.  With both virtual and onsite options, I was on the road meeting people for the first time, introducing myself to educators that I worked with for 365 days, and connecting again with educators from pre-COVID days.  It feels great to be back.  

In this weekly edition, I will be sharing out ideas for
  • Getting started with small group instruction with our Weekly Deployment Plan 
  • Phase One in action from Splendora ISD
  • Organization Tips and Tricks 

Getting Started with Small Groups

The idea of adding in one thing to another hectic year is unreasonable.  However, small group instruction could actually eliminate some of the stress from the "COVID Slide" or Learning Gaps.  In this section of the Weekly Blend, I am going to talk about how to start small with breaking apart the lesson and meeting with groups of students while other students are working on independent practice or digital content.  I call these different activities learning studios. 
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Studios Explained


The Small Group Studio is conducted by the classroom teacher with a small group of students. The classroom teacher pulls back four to eight students to reteach or teach the content standards. During the small group studio, the teacher will look for misconceptions and teach new content to the group of students or even to an individual student. The teacher will showcase the content standards through anchor charts, manipulatives, dry erase boards, sample reading passages, and so much more. Throughout the Three Phases of Blended Learning, the teacher will eventually include quick exit tickets, use data to drive the instruction, as well as use the small group studio time for a data meeting with each student to explore progress, data from online programs, and to set individual academic goals.
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The Independent Studio provides time for the students to practice, explore, research, read, and process the content that has been provided through other studios, during whole group instruction time, or from previous lessons. Examples of independent learning activities can studio include silent reading, practice problems, writing, researching topics, extended response questions, online games like Kahoot, GimKit, Blooket, Quizizz, and BoomCards. ​

Now let’s take time to explore the Digital Content learning studio.  Out of all of the learning studios, I find myself explaining what is and what is not consider digital content.  The definition of digital content according to the Three Phases of Blended Learning is a learning environment where the students are learning, relearning, or using an adaptive online program that aligns with the small group standard.  A digital content  website or application should also provide the teacher with some form of data.  That data then could be used to help form the differentiated small group studios.
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Are you ready to learn about the Future Ready Studio? For whatever reason, the Future Ready Studio tends to be one of the biggest hold-ups for educators while deploying the Three Phases of Blended Learning. But let's take a moment to explain, showcase, and provide concrete examples of future-ready activities deployed in the studio. It might make the studio a little bit easier to create.  
According to the Three Phases of Blended Learning, the definition of future-ready activities states that the studio contains an aspect of creativity, collaboration, communication, critical thinking, or connection to self, school, city, county, state, country, or the world. The future-ready skills are the Four C's of learning. ​

Deployment Plan

What I am about to showcase is a GUIDE and a RESOURCE.  I am showcasing examples of how to deploy small group instruction through the Three Phases of Blended Learning Model.   Please use the is Deployment Plan as it aligns to your curriculum and pacing guide.  If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out to me for help. 
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Week One:
  • Start out slow - Pick One class, one Prep, or one subject area to try out the Blended Learning Studios 
  • Try to Deploy Two Studios two different days 
  • Make sure to include Small Group Instruction each Studio Day
  • Add a checklist for the students to mark off as they travel through each studio

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Week Two:
  • This week try to implement another type of Studio. (I recommend Digital Content)
  • Continue to practice routines with the students 
  • If your groups are too big, you can always run two sets of studios at the same time.  Meaning, Groups 1 and 2 are one side of the room and Group A and B are on the other side of the room.  Both groups are running through the same studios. 

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Week Three:
  • The day before the test, try to deploy three studios. 
  • Before the test think about adding in a mini project that allows the students to showcase the learning and understanding of the content through a Future Ready Activity. 
  • Make sure to set the timer for 10 to 12 minutes for each studio. 
  • Good Luck, You've Got This.

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Week Four:
  • Once you tried three studios, try them two more times. 
  • Talk to the students and explain the studios
  • Reinforce the classroom procedures
  • Don't for get to generate a checklist for each studio day. 

The Deployment Plan for the rest of the year will be posted through out upcoming Blogs and in the Three Phases of Blended Learning Guide Book. (Coming Soon) 

Phase One in Action

My first onsite coaching session of the 2021/2022 School year was at Splendora ISD in Texas. I had the pleasure of visiting with High School, Middle School, Intermediate, and Elementary classroom teachers. For only three weeks into the school year, these teaches were rocking checklists, learning studios, and so much more. I am so proud of the hard work that they all accomplished in such a short amount of time. 
My journey with Splendora ISD started in July with a three-day workshop with a cohort of educators. Together we went through getting started with Blended Learning, Phase One, Phase Two, and using data to drive the small group instruction examples. We even had time to plan together a lesson to be used at the end of August. 
​Below are examples and photos of all of the educators' hard work. 


ELAR Classroom In a Phase One 

All of the Splendora ISD Blended Learning Cohort Team did an amazing job.  Each team member earned their Phase One Blended Learning Sticker. --- Congratulations.  

Below I am showcasing one classroom that had all four studios up and running.  This is a quick view of Ms. Martin's 7th Grade ELAR classroom. Some of her key elements of her Studio Day include: 
  • Studio Experts
  • Checklist 
  • Small Group Instruction 
  • Future Ready Activities
  • Flexible Seating
  • Data Trackers
  • And so much more. 
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Weekly Blend Summer Edition Week Two

6/24/2021

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Welcome to Week Two of the Weekly Blend

Thank you for joining us again this week as we continue to provide Tips and Tricks, Resources, and Guides for the New Blended Learning Classrooms. This week we broke the videos into three parts to make them easier to view, take notes, and explore the content. Part One video will showcase my favorite, the blended learning deployment plan. Sometimes, it is tough to transition into a new teaching style, but with this deployment plan, we make it easy by demonstrating how to start slow. Watch Part One video to learn more. Part Two video defines Blended Learning "Studios." This video will walk you through Centers vs. Stations vs. Studios and why I came up with the idea for Studios. Finally, Part Three video will showcase technology tools, Future Ready Ideas, and the Blended Learning Starter Kit. Let's get started with Part One of Week Two of the Weekly Blend with Marcia Kish

Weekly Blend Part One: Deployment Plan

Thank you for joining us this week.  This week, we will explore a deployment plan for getting started with the New Blended Learning classroom.  NOTE: this is a suggestion on how to get started.  You can move faster or slower to meet your personal needs. We just recommend that you get started with a gradual release rather than jumping into all four studios if you have not implemented the blended learning model before in the classroom setting.  Let's Do This!  
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Weekly Blend Part Two: "Studios"

What are Studios? What is the difference between Studios and Centers? Are Studios the same as Stations? These are a few of the questions I get when I showcase the Three Phases of Blended Learning. In this video, I will walk you through Centers vs. Stations vs. Studios and why I named the learning activities Studios. Part Two video is a short but suitable video to watch to understand those critical terms used in our Blended Learning model. Let's Get Started.
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Weekly Blend Part Three: Tips and Tricks

Thank you for staying with me as I share and provide Tips and Tricks for the Blended Learning Classroom. In this video, I will share NINE of my favorite technology websites for all subject areas. I will explain WHY I like the website, HOW to use the website, and WHAT the cost is for the websites. Next, I will share ideas for thinking forward with Future Ready Activities by going to Garage Sales. Finally, I am introducing for the FIRST time the Blended Learning Starter Kit. To get your Starter Kit, email me at marcia@blendedlearningpd.com, and I will send you a quote for you, your grade level, your building, or your district. Don't wait until September; grab your Starter Kit today. 
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Preview for Week Three of the Weekly Blend

Wow, what a fantastic week of resources and ideas for getting started with Blended Learning. Next week on the weekly blend, we will break down all four learning studios and talk about what activities can be found in each studio. Make sure you subscribe to our YouTube channel, so you don't miss any videos that we post. Have a fantastic week! --- Marcia ​

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Weekly One of the Weekly Blend 
Did you miss the Week One of the Weekly Blend Summer Edition?  If so, don't worry, we've got you covered.  Click this link for the Blog Post or click here for the direct link to the video.  

Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube Channel so you don't miss a video. 
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