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FREE 7 Keys to Effective Feedback Printable Infographic

7-keys-to-effective-feedback

Also, check out the complete
Simplified Coaching Planning Kit…

including 6 different sections

Simplified-Coaching-Planning-Kit-6-sections

with 5 different cover options and the following tools to help you get organized, plan and prepare to be an awesome coach:

COACHING CONVO PLAN
COACHING LOG
COACHING SCHEDULE
DEBRIEF TOOL
COACHING WORKPLAN
GRADE LEVEL NOTES
IDEA TRACKER

KICKOFF MEETING
LIST IT
MEETING NOTES
MONTHLY MAP
NOTES
OBSERVATION TOOL
PASSWORD KEEPER

PD PLANNER
PD GOALS
PROJECT PLANNER
RESOURCE CHECKOUT
SMALL GROUP OBS. TOOL
STUDY GROUP CONVO LOG
TIME TRACKER

Get your Coaching Planning Kit Today!

How to Tackle Your Time and Skyrocket Your Productivity: 3 Step System

Goals and Motivation, Instructional Coaching, Organization, Teaching Tips, Time Management

You know that old Rolling Stones song that goes like this…(imagine me singing) “tiiiiiiime is on my side, yes it is!” If not, it’s a good one. You should listen to it.

Although the song says it should be true, it sure doesn’t always feel like time is on my side.

Sometimes I just wish I had a personal assistant (one at school and one at home), a private chef, and one of those Google self-driving cars. Or maybe I just need a magic wand to help me get it all done.

Ya know what I’m talkin’ about?

Well, since I’ve got some big goals on my list this year, and magic time giving wands don’t really exist, I knew I needed to get some systems and structures in place to help me really make the most of my time this year.

So I sat down, grabbed my notebook, and started working out a plan for myself.

The plan is pretty simple really, just 3 steps – List It, Map It, Block It.

Taking this bit of time to really think things through and get everything laid out on paper, has really helped me see my weeks and days more clearly, and therefore helped me be more productive with my time. And better productivity means more time with my Sommie dog!

Alright, enough chit-chat. Let’s start tackling some time!

STEP 1 – LIST IT

First things first. We’ve got to List It all out. And don’t be shy here.

On a daily and weekly basis, what are all of your need to-dos, want to-dos, or even forgot to-dos? Just list it all out on this handy printable. Everything from getting ready for school, to coaching prep, to food prep, to PD prep. You might want to put in a pill right out there to help you stay focused. A lot of safe options on BuyModafinilOnline and a lot of people swore by them!

STEP 2 – MAP IT

OK I know, we’re not stress free yet. Because now you may be staring at this giant, scribbled out list and thinking “Ahh! I seriously have too much to-do!” Don’t freak out, we’ll sort through it. And remember. This should not be a giant task-list. There should also be want to-dos for yourself, and your priorities and goals. Like going for a run before school, reading that professional learning book that’s been on your shelf for months, or going out for a coffee with friends.

OK? OK.

Now look at your list again. Is there anything on there you may be able to cross off? Delegate to someone else? Yes, there are a few. Find em.

Next, look at the items that are left, and highlight those that you really want to make sure you have time for on your schedule.

Got it? OK. Now categorize these most important to-do’s by day, priority, or project. For example, you may frequently have a lot of copies to make, or errands to run, or a big PD coming up. Separate each of these into a different category.

This is your Map It step, and will help you carve a clear time tackling path.

STEP 3 – BLOCK IT

Great job! Let’s keep going. We’re just about there.

Now that you’ve mapped out your to-dos, it’s time to block it! Time blocking is a proven time management strategy that will help guide your decisions and how you manage each day. This is where you officially claim your time and align your actions with your goals and priorities.

So take a look at the to-do categories you just mapped out, and find the ideal time slots in your week where it would make the most sense to plug them in.

Use this as your “Ideal Week” template. Keep it somewhere as a reference tool. It will help you plan out each week a bit more quickly, and guide you in what to say yes or no to when deciding what to take on.

And for long range time blocking and goal mapping, you can use this ready to go calendar!

I know I said there were only three steps, buuuuttt…there’s actually one more…

STEP 4 – WORK IT!

Now that you’ve put this awesome plan into place, you’ve got to take action!

Do everything you can to follow-through and maintain the commitments you’ve just made to yourself, and your goals and priorities. Work hard to defend it, and remember this isn’t a perfect process, so revise and adjust as needed.

For the ultimate planning tool that follows this exact system, check out the Time & ToDo Planner!

And for a few free printables to get you started….

If you’d like to add the Daily Schedule and Portrait Calendar to your tool-box, you can find them in my shop.

YOUR HOMEWORK

First find 20-30 minutes of time this week, and block it off on your calendar for “time tackling.” Then…

List It
Map It
Block It

And BOOM! You’ll be well on your way to better productivity and less stress.

Let me know how it goes, or what questions come up, in the comments below.

PS – If you have friends who may need some time tackling tips and tools too, I would greatly appreciate if you shared this post using the buttons below. Thanks!!

10 Great Gift Giving (and Getting) Ideas for Educators

Goals and Motivation, Organization, Teaching Tips, Time Management

Happy Holidays! It’s a SNOW DAY(!!) here in Denver, which has really got me in the holiday spirit. I’ve got my eggnog latte in hand, feet kicked up, and a fire blazin’. So if you’re looking for the best gifts for your friends and family you can go to sites as ForSale.plus to find the best products for the holiday season.

As I was checking through my holiday gift list, I got to thinking about the Gift Guide I put together a few years ago and thought, “Hey! I should do another one of those!”

So here it is, 10 gift giving (or getting) ideas for educators…

1. Time & ToDo Planner 2016

I’m planning on putting my planner together next week, and am psyched! We weren’t able to print a bound version of the planner for the calendar year, but are excited to have a digital version available AND the colorful academic planner!

We’ll print it for you on thick, smooth paper with a full color-bleed, and ready to bind on your own. No hassling with printing or forking over a bunch of money at a print shop!

If you already have a planner, or won’t be in the market for one until the next school year, we’re looking forward to releasing a bound version of the Time & ToDo Planner with some featured upgrades to the existing design.
Get the Time & ToDo Planner!

2. Tea Infuser Mug

I’m normally all about coffee, coffee, coffee, but am changing it up this year with an option for the tea lovers. I’ve just been venturing into the world of Yerba Mate, and this little guy has been a handy way to brew a yummy mug at school.

3. Frixion Erasable Pens

Oh man. When I first discovered these pens, I had no idea how I had ever gone so long with out them. I mean, you can write in pen, AND erase! So cool. They’re the only pens I can use with my planner, since I’m frequently switching things around in my weekly schedule. You’ve got to try them!

4. Gold Pen/Pencil Pouch

I carry my pencil pouch with me everywhere. It holds all my erasable pens, some wash tape, and whiteout. This would be a great, inexpensive gift for a teacher friend.

5. NeuYear Wall Calendar

I just ordered this calendar, and it’s sweeeeet! I plan to use it to map out my big goals and plans for the year. It’s large and in charge, so I’ve posted on the wall in my home office so it’s always staring me down, and reminding me of where I should be headed. No excuses!

6. Swell Water Bottle

I always have to throw a water bottle in the mix, and this one is my new fave. It comes in a great size and shape to easily fit in your bag, and the color and style options they offer are super cool.

7. Arc Notebook

How about a new Arc Notebook for your Coaching Kit and/or planner? Levenger has come out with some nice new options, and I’ve always loved this quilted one from Staples.

8. Adult Coloring Book

When Luke ordered one of these a month or so ago, I kind of thought, “Huh? You ordered a coloring book??” But then I checked it out further and they’re actually really neat. They’re supposed to be especially helpful for stress, so the next time you’re having a stressful day at school, maybe just whip out your coloring book at lunch to help you bring it down a notch or two.

9. Instacart

There may not be a better gift you can give a friend, or yourself, than the gift of time. That sounds kind of cheesy, but really it’s true! Instacart has saved me a good two hours each weekend on grocery shopping, and I love it! It’s becoming available in a growing number of areas, but if they’re not where you’re at yet, maybe you can think of another way you can do some outsourcing in 2016 and save yourself some time.

10. Audible Subscription

Give the gift of learning! I’ve read/listened to so many great books on Audible, and mostly while on my commute or walking Sombra! Listening to books is a terrific way to sharpen your saw and maximize your time.

Hope this post gave you a few good ideas.

As we wrap up this week and head into a few weeks off from school, I’m wishing you warm snuggles by the fire, golden champagne, and all the joy and happiness this season brings.

Thanks so much for sharing some of your valuable time with me this year, and I’m looking forward to a great new year!

6 Tips for Effective Meeting Facilitation

Instructional Coaching, Organization, Teaching Tips, Time Management

Pop quiz time. Ready?

What is the number one, most valuable resource for coaches and teachers?

a. Coffee
b. Time
c. Post It Notes
d. Technology

And the answer is (I’ll bet you guessed it)…b!! TIME! (although maybe this could have been tied with a)

As you know, we really need every single minute of it to get done everything we need to get done in our busy days.

So there’s nothing worse than when our time is wasted.

And you know what one of the biggest culprits can be? Meaningless Meetings.

Sure, meetings (planning meetings, PD meetings, business related meetings) are an essential part of working in a school. But if run poorly, they can be a huge waste of time.

But good news! As coaches there’s something we can do about this.

We facilitate lots of meetings, so let’s make sure the ones we’re responsible for leading are meaning-FULL, not meaningless.

I thought it might be helpful if I walked you through a case study of what it can look like to put this plan into action.

OK. So earlier this week I facilitated a curriculum planning meeting with our fourth grade team. Here’s how I went about making sure I had all my ducks in a row and the meeting was a meaningful use of this team’s time.

1. Identify Outcomes and Create an Agenda

To help me identify an outcome for our time together that felt supportive to the team, I sent out an email the week prior to meeting with them. After I received their response, I was able to create a purposeful agenda aligned to their needs.

2. Provide Helpful Resources

I always try to think about what resources (books, videos, examples, planning templates, etc.) would support teachers in the work they’re setting out to accomplish. In this particular case, I thought it would be helpful to give them a planning template they could use to help them with the logistics that go into planning a Celebration of Learning.

3. Use Google Docs

In curriculum planning meetings, there’s frequently a good amount of collaborative work and thinking going on. Google Docs/Drive makes it super easy for me to capture this work and share it with the team afterwards.

4. Listen First, Talk Second

I have lots of thoughts and ideas I’m excited to share with teachers in planning meetings. But I zip it up, and listen first. Then I can guide the discussion as needed with follow-up questions or suggestions.

5. Track Time and Keep it Tight

As the facilitator, it’s my role to track time and keep the team’s work on track. Since we only have 45 minutes for these planning meetings, this is super important. Including the estimated amount of time for each part of the agenda helps with this.

6. Identify Next Steps and Follow-Up

Don’t forget to leave 5 minutes at the end of your time to review what was covered and identify next steps. AND set a time/day for when you’ll follow-up.

And BOOM! You’ve got yourself a meaning-FULL meeting.

If you have an upcoming meeting to facilitate, hopefully you can use these tips as a roadmap to get you started and check your work.

Have a question, or maybe a tip I didn’t include? Share it in the comments below.

Enjoy your weekend and I’ll talk to you soon!

P.S. If you liked this post and found it helpful, I’d GREATLY appreciate if you helped me spread the word using the share buttons below. Thanks!

A Goal Setting Tool Made Just for You

Teaching Tips

Do you know what you want to get better at this year?

Like specifically?

Have you taken the time to honestly reflect and evaluate your practice as a coach? What you’re feeling really good about, and any areas where you could probably work to be better?

I know what you’re thinking: “But I have too many other things to do Kristin! I don’t have time to goal set. C’mon now!”

Or wait, maybe you do really want to set some goals for yourself this year, but you’re thinking: “I don’t even know where to start! How do you write your goals anyway?”

I know what you’re thinking because I can relate. Goal setting is hard. So sometimes we postpone it or just avoid it altogether. Honestly, if I hadn’t had my beginning of year goal setting meeting a few weeks ago with my supervisor, I may not have taken the time to slow down and give it any attention either.

But once I did, I was glad I did. I’m a big time goal setter in all other areas of my life, and I invest in the process fully, because I know how powerful it can be.

When you have a clear aim, a vision, for where you’re headed, your good friend Mo (otherwise known as Mr. Motivation) falls in step right beside you, and you start to worker smarter and harder.

Are you with me?! Ready to set some goals?!

Sweet. Now back to the creating the “clear aim and vision” part. Well you know me…I’m always here to help!

That’s why I’ve put together this free workbook made specifically for you and your go-get-em, goal setting self.

Get the FREE Goal Setting Workbook

Don’t worry, it’s not the looooong and super detailed rubric I needed to complete last week as part of my goal setting meeting. There is a rubric though, just a friendlier one! And a few other handy forms to help you assess and evaluate where you’re at, plan where you want to go, then act and track! (did you see how I was inspired by the Teaching Learning Cycle there?)

The workbook is designed to help you smile and have some fun with this whole goal setting thing.

Ooo, and no goal setting jam session would be complete without some good beats in the background. So I put together a playlist of some of my favorite songs for you. Woot woot!

It’s 27 minutes long – the perfect amount of time for a goal setting session. Use the first song to look through the workbook, the second and third song to work through the rubric, then crank up the last few songs and write some goals!

And while we’re on the subject of goal setting, I wanted to take this opportunity to share one of my big goals for this year with you. Drumroll…

To provide tons of great resources, content, and value for YOU! My fellow educator and friend from afar.

So I’ve put together an easy to fill out survey, because your input is super important to me. You can finish in 3 minutes, and your feedback will help me create content and resources even more interesting, relevant, and supportive for you and your work.

To get your free Goal Setting Workbook, all you need to do is complete the 3 minute Reader Survey. Then I’ll send it over in an email!

Print the workbook this weekend then grab some fun pens, turn on your goal-setting tunes, and get to work on crafting a vision and plan for where you want to head this year.

I’d love to hear what your goals are in the comments below. Go for it – share one goal and one next step.

Thanks for investing in yourself and the MsHouser community!

Get the FREE Goal Setting Workbook

Talk to you soon,

A Day in the Life of Ms. Houser

Goals and Motivation, Instructional Coaching

I keep a running list of blog post topics and one that has been on there for awhile is a “Day in the Life” post. I secretly love learning about the rhythms and routines of other people’s everyday schedules. When I’m out walking my dog at night, I’ll even walk a bit more slowly past open windows so I can peek inside. Is that weird?

Anyhow, I got to thinking that most of the posts I’ve written on this little blog of mine, have been more professional and less personal. I haven’t really shared much about the gal behind MsHouser.com. And I know that one of my favorite parts of reading a blog is making a connection with the person writing it. So in an effort to get to know each other a bit better, I’m opening up my window curtains and inviting you to take a peek inside.

My morning and evening routine is pretty standard, although my coaching days are always different. This day though {Wednesday of this week} reflects a pretty typical coaching day. Alrighty, let’s take a peek.

4:30am WAKEUP

The alarm goes off and my chocolate lab pup jumps on the bed to greet/lick me good morning. I’m a super early bird, so I don’t mind the 4:30am wake-up time. It gives me a few extra minutes to enjoy a cup of coffee, write in my journal, and map out my day. Starting the day this way, helps me get focused and organized for the day ahead.

5:15am EXERCISE

Most mornings I’ll head out for a long, brisk walk with the puppy, Sombra {spanish for shadow}. He’s pretty much the cutest thing ever, don’t you think? And he gives me a pretty good workout.

6:45am DRIVE IN

I hop in my car and head off to school, which is about a 25 minute commute. I’ll usually listen to a good podcast or audiobook on the way there.

7:20am SET-UP FOR THE DAY & BREAKFAST

I head into my coaching office, unpack my bag and get set-up for the day. I’ll have my breakfast while I check a few emails and see if there any changes I need to make to my schedule or anyone I need to get back to right away.

7:45am COACHING VISIT

I’m working fairly intensively with a kindergarten teacher right now in the mornings. So I’m in there longer than I would normally be in a classroom. We’re digging into rituals and routines. We’re both learning a ton and enjoying it! Kindergartners are pretty funny.

10:00am COACHING PLANNING

I always build some time into my daily schedule to review my coaching observation notes and plan for my debriefs with teachers. I think it’s important to be prepared for when you meet with teachers, just as you would be prepared for teaching a lesson. Teachers are sharing some of their limited planning time with you, in the hopes that you can help them and their students grow, so it should be worth their time!

11:00am COACHING COACHES

This isn’t a usual event in my schedule, but it was a fun one to add in! I chatted with a group of coaches about scheduling, the instructional coaching tools I use, lessons learned, goal setting and some Q&A at the end. Some of my lessons learned…be prepared and always be honest with teachers! It’s okay not to have all the answers and it’s okay to honestly talk through sticky situations.

12:00pm LUNCH {usually}

I always make time to eat lunch, but at what time that happens…it just depends on the day. As much as I love structure and routine, different things may come up during the day and coaching requires you to be flexible. When it is time for lunch, I’ll check in on email or do some reading.

12:45pm WORK ON DISPLAY

Its’s College Friday in Colorado, and I’ve been working hard all week on creating a “college dreams” wall for our kids. This is the center of the display, and it extends down the hall. Creating different displays or walls such as this throughout our building, is something I enjoy doing, and offer to help out with on occasion.

1:15pm FACILITATE VISITORS

A few times a year, we host groups of visitors from other schools. Today I facilitated a site visit for a group of 7 teachers, with a focus on identifying instructional practices that support the engagement and achievement of students.

2:45pm MEET WITH CHELSEA

Chelsea and I are just kicking off our coaching cycle together and are meeting today to review her updated assessment data, so we can set a goal and identify some instructional strategies for the focus group of students we’ll be working with.

3:45pm DRIVE HOME

Time to head home for the day. Another podcast plugged in, a snack to munch on, and I’m home!

4:15PM PLAY TIME!

This is one of my favorite times of the day. Sombra is crazy excited when I get home and I’m pretty dang excited to see him too. Luke, my fiancé, hears the commotion upstairs and comes up to greet us {he works from home}. Then we all head out back for some bone throwing and chasing time.

5:00pm PREP FOR NEXT DAY

This time includes unpacking my bags, making breakfast and lunch for tomorrow, cleaning up the house a bit, picking out tomorrow’s outfit, mail…all that kind of stuff.

6:00pm DINNER AND FAMILY TIME

We try pretty hard to have our meals planned out for the week and enjoy spending some time together in the kitchen cooking healthy meals. Tonight is one of our favorites, chicken burrito bowls.

7:30pm BIZ WORK

I’ve been working super hard on my side business, so I’ve been using this time to hustle. I’m in the process of launching a new, unique weekly planner designed for educators and other busy professionals. It’s been a long time dream in the making and I can’t wait to share it with you! You’ll hear more about it in the coming weeks.

9:00pm GET READY FOR SLEEP

I like taking a hot shower before I go to bed, just to wash the day off and relax. Then I’ll do a little fiction reading to help me get my mind off work stuff. Right now I’m reading The Maze Runner, and really liking it!

9:30pm LIGHTS OUT!

Thanks so much for taking the time to get to know me a little better. I hope this post also gave you a better idea of what an instructional coaching day can look like. I know that’s something I’m always curious about.

Now it’s your turn!

If you’d like to send me a note or introduce yourself in the comments below, I’d love it!

Have a happy weekend and I’ll talk to you soon.

How to Structure a Close Read Lesson

Instructional Coaching, Teaching Tips

Have you been digging into Common Core and Close Reading lately? Us too. I’m actually in a coaching cycle right now, with a goal focused on supporting student independence with informational complex text. And man, this can sure be tricky to do well.

We’ve used a few resources that have been super helpful. The first is a book I’ve mentioned before, Transformational Literacy. This book helped us learn more about using close reading as an instructional sequence that helps all students access complex texts. We also referred to this video to help us get a visual of putting it all together.

Dina {my coachee} learned a ton in the process and so did I. This visual is a reflection of our learning.

And speaking of learning, I just saw a lesson in Dina’s room this week, where it all fell into place. All the bite sized next steps we worked to implement throughout the coaching cycle, came together and were reflected in her lesson. Kids were engaged and sharing their thinking while grappling through a complex, worthy text. Text based questions were used to guide student understanding and support critical thinking. And students synthesized their understandings at the end of the lesson using evidence from the text. Way to go Dina and Dina’s students!! Thanks for allowing me to learn with you.

Thank you cards from Dina and her class! What a great way to end a coaching cycle.

What Would be in Your Perfect Planning Tool? And a Giveaway!

Goals and Motivation, Organization

When you close your eyes and dream up a vision of your perfect planner, what do you see?

Would it be professionally bound and ready to go with a stylish cover and a sturdy inside pocket? Nice paper to record your meetings, notes, and to-do’s on would sure be nice too. And how about a ribbon bookmark to neatly mark your place?

It’s fun to think about isn’t it?

Well I’m gearing up to begin designing and building The 2015-2016 Simplified Teaching/Coaching Planner and I want to make sure it’s better than ever. I’m ready to get creative, think big, and design just what you need.

But I need you and your ideas to help make this happen.

Because Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and I want to share some love with you, my fellow coaches and teachers, in exchange for your ideas, I’m offering up a pretty great giveaway. So if you’re preparing something up for you and your special one, having the right food and decoration is important for this day, and using linen chair covers could be the best option for decorate this special event you’re planning.

A 2015 Monthly Calendar, pre-printed in color on high quality paper, punched for your planner AND mailed right to your doorstep!

Just let me know what you would love to have in your ideal planner.

Valentine’s Giveaway!

Answer the questions below for a chance to win a printed, punched and shipped 2015 Monthly Calendar. The calendar includes a Year at a Glance spread and January 2015-December 2015 Monthly Planning spreads. The days within each month are lined to provide more clarity and organization for the listing of your important meetings and monthly deadlines. Use the shaded spaces for recurring events or extra important monthly reminders!

Winners will be announced by February, 16th.

Congratulations!

Congratulations to the winner to the giveaway above, which has now officially ended:

Jennifer Malarcher

Thank you to everyone else who took time to provide your input on what you’d love to have in a planner – I’ve got a plan! And please, feel free to email me with any additional recommendations you may have.

New Year New Gear

Goals and Motivation, Instructional Coaching, Organization, Teaching Tips

It’s that time of year for spicing up your teacher gear! I couldn’t be more excited for the start of a new year. It’s the perfect time to reflect, set goals, and celebrate a fresh start!

Over the break I did some New Years Resoluting, and I’ve got some pretty good new goals worked up for myself this year. Maybe you do too? Well, one tip I’ve found to be especially helpful in goal setting and maintaining, is to make it a treat! And who says the treat part has to come at the end? I’m all for treating at the beginning, as I really think a little something special tied to new goals or habits you want to build into your lifestyle, can really help with getting and keeping the ball rolling. So here’s a peek into a few of my treats.

one / two / three / four / five / six

– one –
I’ve always loved a good workout in the morning. Whether it’s running, cycling, yoga, or lifting weights, starting your day off with some movement and a good sweat is a great way to prep yourself for a successful and happy school day. But somehow last year, I let my mornings get away from me and my workouts became less and less. And then like none at all. Well not this year! I’m getting married in July {yeah!}, so I’m bound and determined, committed to building this habit back into my schedule. Because I prefer working out in the morning and school starts pretty early for us (7:20), I needed a plan for being super efficient with my AM time. And this plan includes gear. Enter the most organized toiletry bag ever. I found it at the Container Store, and it helps me get in and out of the shower at the gym in 20 minutes. No time to dig around for shampoo or make-up on a teacher’s schedule! So far I’ve been to the gym three mornings this week. Sweet!

– two –
Something else you need if you’re going to be working it out at the gym and then later at school, is plenty of properly chilled water ready to guzzle down. I’m a water-bottle-aholic, and maybe I didn’t need this one, but I really love it. It holds plenty of water for a full day, and keeps it super chilled all the way until the end of the day and into the next, if you need it to. There’s different tops available if you don’t like the wide mouth variety, and plenty of colors to choose from.

– three –
OK. So, I thought long and hard about this one. And then I decided to just pull the trigger already. Stitchfix is going to be my new personal shopper to help me out with stylizing and professionalizing my wardrobe for 2015, and I’m psyched about it! I have too many random t-shirts, boring colors, and outdated pieces in my closet. What you wear can send a message, especially when you’re in a leadership role, and I’d like to spiff my message up a bit. Stitchfix is a site I’d heard about from several friends, and after getting my first “fix” this past week, I’m totally hooked. They do the shopping for you, and send you five different pieces to try out. Keep what you like, send back what you don’t! Love.

– four –
When I was teaching, something I always dreamed about was a big window in my classroom that would let in lots of bright sunshine and refresh my room with a nice breeze. So when I moved into my coaching office, you wouldn’t believe how excited I was to see…a window! I walked over to my window, thankful that my dream had come true, and then discovered…that my window didn’t open. Sad. Yes, I had some sunshine, but no fresh air. Well I decided to spruce up my office space a bit this month, and part of that sprucing up will be to add a little breeze to the room. Even if it’s not fresh. This little fan is super quiet, and helps circulate the air, which is real nice, especially in the afternoons. I’ve heard a fan in your office supports your health and may even make you more productive. We’ll see!

– five –
I love coffee. The way it smells, the way it tastes, the way it gives me a little pick-up when I need it. Given that pumping up my fitness and health is going to be a goal of mine this year, I thought maybe I’d give up coffee. Think, think…nah! Although, I am going to switch up my afternoon coffee routine a bit to include my new favorite drink, a dirty chai. Just mix up a little coffee or nespresso with some chai tea in your new Vessel sippy-cup, and boom! You’ve got yourself a stylin’ afternoon drink.

– six –
The start of a New Year is a great time to freshen up your planner and planning system. I think about what’s working well, what isn’t, and from there what improvements I may be able to make. For me, I’m pretty good with day-day and week-week planning, but when it comes to long-term, big picture planning, I’ve just never taken the time to do it well. And that big picture piece is so important for making your weeks and days come together with greater purpose and intention, so this was an improvement I wanted to make. Because I’m a very visual planner, I created a Year Planner for myself and a new monthly calendar template. First I mapped out everything I wanted to accomplish on my Year Planner, then I’ll use my monthly calendar to outline when I’ll get everything done.

You can grab a free copy of the Year Planner here! For the monthly calendar, you can check out my shop here.

So how about you? What are you thinking about for 2015? Whatever it is, I know we’ll make this year awesome.

I hope your holiday was great and your New Year is off to an amazing start!

Planning for Guided Reading

Instructional Coaching, Organization, Teaching Tips

I’ve been teaching literacy in a 4th grade class this first quarter and having a blast! For an hour and a half each morning, I hop over to Susie’s room while she supports another teacher in math. After fall break, I’ll be going back to full day coaching, but I’m so glad I was able to dip my toes back into the teaching waters. It helped me reconnect to the work I’m coaching teachers on and rebuild my street cred.

Anyhow, part of that 90 minutes involved supporting a few groups of kids with differentiated literacy instruction using the structure of guided reading. Because you may be thinking about adjusting or freshening up your guided reading system {or supporting coachees with this} for the second quarter, I thought I’d share a few tips and resources for how I plan for guided reading.

1. Organize Your Data

You’ll be grouping students primarily by their reading level and you’ll want a way to track their growth throughout the year and adjust your instruction accordingly. Beth Newingham is one of my hero teachers who I’ve been following and learning from for a long time. This is a tool she offers teachers on her website that I’ve always used and love.

Click Here to Download

2. Form Your Groups and Schedule

I’ve found I’m most successful and efficient with my instructional time when I have up to five reading groups, although six is doable. Above that though is really pushing it. I like to use a planning template such as the one below to help me plan when and how often I’ll meet with each group.

Click Here to Download

3. Create a Planning Template {or use mine!}

Planning templates are a bit like good checklists in that they help you attend to all the important components of a lesson without having to drain any mental energy remembering what they are. Which in turn improves your planning efficiency! This is the one I most commonly use, although here is a link to another one made specifically for working with Transitional readers if you’d like to check it out too.

Click Here to Download

4. Grab a Binder

Now that you have your progress tracking sheet, weekly schedule sheet, and planning template it’s time to pop it all into a handy binder. With a nice cover of course, which I’ve included as a free download for you here.

Dividers with pockets work well for keeping everything organized. You can label your dividers by group or by student.

5. Select Your Books

I like to have all of my guided reading texts for the week selected the week before and placed in a bin so they’re ready to go.

{image via Scholastic}

And finally…

Also, check out the complete Simplified Coaching Planning Kit…

The plan is pretty simple really, just 3 steps – List It, Map It, Block It.

STEP 1 – LIST IT

STEP 2 – MAP IT

STEP 3 – BLOCK IT

STEP 4 – WORK IT!

Do everything you can to follow-through and maintain the commitments you’ve just made to yourself, and your goals and priorities. Work hard to defend it, and remember this isn’t a perfect process, so revise and adjust as needed.

For the ultimate planning tool that follows this exact system, check out the Time & ToDo Planner!

YOUR HOMEWORK

Let me know how it goes, or what questions come up, in the comments below.

7. Arc Notebook

9. Instacart

As we wrap up this week and head into a few weeks off from school, I’m wishing you warm snuggles by the fire, golden champagne, and all the joy and happiness this season brings.

What is the number one, most valuable resource for coaches and teachers?

So there’s nothing worse than when our time is wasted.

We facilitate lots of meetings, so let’s make sure the ones we’re responsible for leading are meaning-FULL, not meaningless.

1. Identify Outcomes and Create an Agenda

2. Provide Helpful Resources

3. Use Google Docs

4. Listen First, Talk Second

5. Track Time and Keep it Tight

6. Identify Next Steps and Follow-Up

Do you know what you want to get better at this year?

When you have a clear aim, a vision, for where you’re headed, your good friend Mo (otherwise known as Mr. Motivation) falls in step right beside you, and you start to worker smarter and harder.

That’s why I’ve put together this free workbook made specifically for you and your go-get-em, goal setting self.

The workbook is designed to help you smile and have some fun with this whole goal setting thing.

To provide tons of great resources, content, and value for YOU! My fellow educator and friend from afar.

To get your free Goal Setting Workbook, all you need to do is complete the 3 minute Reader Survey. Then I’ll send it over in an email!

I’d love to hear what your goals are in the comments below. Go for it – share one goal and one next step.

4:30am WAKEUP

5:15am EXERCISE

6:45am DRIVE IN

7:20am SET-UP FOR THE DAY & BREAKFAST

7:45am COACHING VISIT

10:00am COACHING PLANNING

11:00am COACHING COACHES

12:00pm LUNCH {usually}

12:45pm WORK ON DISPLAY

1:15pm FACILITATE VISITORS

2:45pm MEET WITH CHELSEA

3:45pm DRIVE HOME

4:15PM PLAY TIME!

5:00pm PREP FOR NEXT DAY

6:00pm DINNER AND FAMILY TIME

7:30pm BIZ WORK

9:00pm GET READY FOR SLEEP

9:30pm LIGHTS OUT!

Now it’s your turn!

When you close your eyes and dream up a vision of your perfect planner, what do you see?

But I need you and your ideas to help make this happen.

A 2015 Monthly Calendar, pre-printed in color on high quality paper, punched for your planner AND mailed right to your doorstep!

Valentine’s Giveaway!

Congratulations!

1. Organize Your Data

2. Form Your Groups and Schedule

3. Create a Planning Template {or use mine!}

4. Grab a Binder

5. Select Your Books

Let’s get to teaching!

Also, check out the complete
Simplified Coaching Planning Kit…