Kistner's Kollection

I have been reading and reading.  So want to share some great titles to add to your collection or for your kids to read in class. The Shadows We Know by Heart by Jennifer Park This book is a mystery and romance all rolled into a big myth of the East Texas Woods.  Are the Sasquatches real?  Why does Dad only have one rule?  Don't Go in the Woods?  Leah longs to escape a home life filled with grief of her missing brother.  When she escapes into the woods and finds a boy who can't remember his past and has difficulty speaking. But he is living with the Sasquatches and she knows if she is not careful someone will find them and then who knows.  So she must be careful, but she also must find out what this boy knows or remembers.  But who else is watching? The Stacks of reading continue.  Next book I really loved this summer was Blooming at the Texas Sunrise Motel by Kimberly Willis Holt. "Soulful and Satisfying"- Kirkus Review and...

Starting this August 2017-2018 school year and I want to share more.  So I have challenged myself to share what I learned this year. I learn a lot every day.  I am an expert at nothing.  I know I learn new things every day about every part of my life. I presented the following presentation for I3 in Everman ISD.  Teachers across the district came to learn new tools to use in the classroom. I learned to work faster.   I forgot like 3 slides, one whole tool.  But we all learn from our mistakes.  I was thinking I wish I could tell them all this. That thought is what made me build this blog.  I need to start sharing my learning with others. Here is my presentation if you want to learn more:  Top 10 Tech Tools to Use in Your Classroom

Toss the Testing Negativity This year let's make a challenge to our teacher friends and students.  We will toss any negative talk about the TEST.  Here is what I have learned recently about this issue.   Life has tests.  We are all worried if we are good enough or not. But there is no reason to let that pull us down. I believe confidence is what will help us more than anything.  Our students look up to us and if we believe in them, their confidence will grow. I heard a teacher speak last week at a Writing Conference about how she addressed this in her class. Think about this scenario, if you are on an airplane waiting to take off, and the stewardess comes by like 10 times to check that you have put on a seat belt, because, "OMG we might have to test it"  We might need that. Please put on your seatbelt, it is the hardest ever this year.  Holy Cow another seatbelt rule.  Just keep practicing because that Seatbelt is so important you ...

Well since first of year resolutions have been tossed and a more realistic idea is shaping up through Future Ready Librarians, I have decided hopefully this will help the blog grow more.  We have a schedule to blog each week for the next 9 weeks of school.  This is where we can share ideas, and learn more from each other. I do know for this Month many are doing March Madness, but with STAAR on our campus, it will be tough for me to do that.  So my BreakOUT your Reading Skills will continue in the library.  Students were asking all about it last week before spring break.  They love it.  It has become so popular that I have asked my office aides to make /read/write questions from non-fiction text to help us have more choices in BreakOUT codes.  They love this idea because they get to participate and try to trick their friends.   One teacher came to me after school last week, and said, "Wow Mrs. Kistner, you really started something when my ...

I saw a Tweet today linked to a blog that gave a teacher 4 reasons how technology can help with classroom management. ( I'm trying to find it again to give credit). But I thought about how my students react to having the Chromebooks in their classrooms.  I have watched this happen in my own class, but when you hand a student a computer, iPad, or tech device, you send a message to this child. “You are worth it.” My campus is a title one district, some students deal with survival more than any student should.  But to some, by having their own device, it sends the message you believe in them. They know you want them to be successful, and you can help them learn needed skills for today's world.  It sends the message, you can be professional, you can learn, grow and we care. This is why students armed with technology are suddenly more engaged, they feel valued.  A valued child can then grow confident and safe making learning easier.  Less behavior problems happen wh...

 Break Out Your Reading Skills Challenge This challenge will ask our readers to READ a piece of non-fiction.  Then answer 5 questions to get a code.  If they get all 5 answers correct their code should unlock the snack box to BREAK out a snack for you and a friend.  If you get the first 4 answers correct you should have the code to BREAK out one snack for yourself.   So I have three cards of five questions each.  These questions are STAAR formatted to keep it familiar to students, and are based on 7th & 8th Grade reading TEKS. Each question tells you page numbers, so you really don't have to read the whole book but you can read parts of the articles or stories in it to answer the questions.  Like a short article, or quick story, no more than two or three pages each. Students try a story, to see if their code unlocks the lock.  I am using the following non-fiction books: The Queen's Shadow - A Story about How Animals See by C...

Blogging Goals A goal this year is to Blog twice a month at least.  So far, I have two written and will try to share more and more.   Recently met with my PLN and they were asking questions about how we are becoming so successful with the 20 min. Free choice reading in our classes.  This month is the sixth month mark for our campus.  Students read for 20 mins in every READING class each day.  So we have 940  -  7th and 8th graders who are reading 100 minutes a week.  Now you know you may have a few students not reading, but let me explain how I am seeing this change grow.   More reluctant readers are talking to me about their books, or asking for book suggestions than ever before.   Summaries about their books have more details suddenly. Teachers are reading also and talking more about books they have in their classroom or from the library. Teachers are asking for reviews, one 7th grade class has more than 400 boo...

So this year I am opening the library with a rap. (Students have now given me the "rap" name Special K. But as I am thinking of all the smart ways I can entice students to the library. I think I will rap once a week about a book or something of that kind going on in the library, each Wednesday. Such fun! Kids love it. I am hoping soon they will make their own and we can have a poetry slam this year! Yo, yo, yo - Listen Up... Joe! Grab your friends And stop on in, Because up its time To slay some Rhymes The library is open… For all who’ve been hopin’ The teacher’s been meetin’ And they want  --You  -- Readin’! To check out the cool books, Stop by before school to take a  look! I know what you're after So...See Mrs. Kistner for the next Chapter! DKistner16

So this is the first summer in a long, long time that I have taken weeks off at one time.  I will have to admit it was so nice.  This gave me many hours to read of course so I better catch up on some great books you might want to read soon. This book by Courtney Summers. I would give it 3 Stars. This was a quick read for me, I liked the story and I really could not figure out who had kidnapped the girl.  I did feel the main character was seriously stronger than some people and she had a few head problems, which after reading I understand why she was a little messed up.  She told people that she had been raped by the sheriff's son, but no one believes her.  She distances herself from the town and not until another girl disappears do people, start to think something is really wrong in this town, but who is it if the Sherrif's son is not in town? This is a High School /Adult book only.  I won't have it in my middle school.  I got it on Overdrive fro...

If you don't move forward you will always be where you are! This was a post recently on Twitter and it made me think.  I need to step it up. I loved learning more from others at iPad Palooza.  But I need to use what I know now and share it with those younger and beginning their journey.  Yes, mine may not always be perfect, but it will help someone and I know I can do that.  I have heard several times...we didn't want to ask you because you are so busy at school.  Well, I need to make it look like I am there for them, to help and be open to questions. It is kind of humbling to say, I need to make some changes and help others. So at iPad Palooza, I learned a lot about iMovie - or having students make movies about their lives.You can teach inferring with those videos. You can teach characterization.  You can teach tone and mood.  I want to have a group of students that I can do this with.   My mind wanders to things I could do with this and book...

Deeper thoughts after a session with George Couros! Innovative Mindsets  It is more than New & Better Not exactly Change all the time either, It is more of being better at what you do. You have to disrupt what you have BEEN doing, to be better. Disrupt your routine.YOU do it first. Have that meeting without paper if you want a paperless class to actually happen. He quoted: We need to find the best people & find job titles for them, not fit the people into the job titles. Think about this: 1. Show what you are doing in class each day. What if we tweeted one thing?  What would it do to the learning of everyone? 2. Connect with another educator of same grade and learn from each other.   It matters when you are sending it out to the world.   Suddenly you want to get it right.   The freedom is powerful to share. Same thing with kids. Rock Paper Scissors Game  - overcoming obstacles in a room when 500 educators play a...

If you are in the classroom, you know what the pressure is like.  It is like a four-letter word pressure.  It is constant, every three weeks Test and Test, over and over.  The questions fly at you.  Do your students get it?  Are they ready, will they know?  How can you help them more, how can you work more to help them score higher?  What are you doing that helps them score higher?   It's all about Testing, must have extreme instructional time higher scores and banners.    This is the biggest obstacle - Time to read, principal buy-in to support students actually reading.  This is like concentrating on one smart student  instead of the whole school.  It is like working out one muscle group and ignoring the others.  We are looking at ONE score, one passing, one banner to fulfill our feelings of success.  To stop the pressure, of failure, we think we must work harder, and find better ways to help students pa...

Sweet!!  Texas School Library Journal posted a blip about my program in the library on page 84.  So excited to be a real librarian now.  I love being in the room.  Favorite part of work, is when kids come in and say, "Hey, do you know that book, or have this book about ___"  and I can go find one for them.  It makes my heart dance a little!  Super smiles.  I love that students are really reading things for my library Rounds project.  This Friday, I had 12 pizzas to order, because students had completed 12 (8 books each) Rounds.  They love coming to pick up the pizzas and share with their friends, and they normally come back and get more books to read because NOW they are hooked into a series or reading for fun.  It isn't for the great pizza, it is the idea of sharing.  I love it.  So far since September 15 when I launched it, we have over 28 Rounds completed and that makes more than 224 books read, discussed, & wri...

Today was my 17th 'first day' in education. My 11th in public school at Everman I.S.D.  I am learning more and more every day.  The kids make it so much more fun though.  All summer I have been in and out of trainings, with some kids for summer school, and working the last two weeks with adults. Today was better because the KIDS were there. Some were scared and unsure.  Some were angry their sleep was disturbed.  Some were tired of the dress code already, but they were there.  I know in their heads they are saying to themselves, "this year, THIS IS the year I am going to be awesome, I am going to start off on the right foot, and make great grades.  I will be organized.  I will ace every class. Then there are the ones in lines with parents trying to just register and praying they have all the paper work required like at the D.M.V.  The constant paper work that ties us to places and people required to prove something.  I like the kids....

1. I might have to add this to my mottoes for teachers:   STOP TALKING, Start Listening. This article about BRAIN research from Kagan is awesome.  It tells teachers, that "Tellin' ain't Teaching" I wish I could YELL it to all teachers. http://www.kaganonline.com/online_magazine/spencers_thinkpad.php 2. Build Relationships First - Get to know them. http://www.bamradionetwork.com/edwords-blog/5-lessons-from-camp They are kids. They need consistency and love. They need to like school, just like Camp. "School is awesome."  I love playing games at the beginning of school to find the leaders, or shy students in the group, get them up, get them moving. Start with music something positive and happy.  Be happy to be there and love your content and they respect that. Make it about them, and their favorite things - then add in the content to those topics.  If they love video games, go online - grab some cheat codes and see if they can tell you how to score h...

TWO BIG IDEAS this week: My two ideas that are growing in my head for my library and how I can connect the library to the classroom; are Reading Rounds, and Trade4Grades cards.   I am so excited about my plan for enticing readers to pick great books with Reading Rounds that I have already started cutting circles - I may need 100’s of circles. #snoopyfeetslapping here! My other idea is the Trade4Grades bringing my non-fiction section of the middle school library alive.  I am hoping to collaborate with teachers on activities that students could choose to do with non-fiction books about the topics they are teaching in class - then students could use these activities as a grade in class - hence Trade 4 Grades.  Giving student choice in the library & classroom - #sweetskillsgrowing Plus continuing building my Wonder posters for my windows and encouraging reading.

This summer there are so many ways that I have learned new things.  From classes with Mr. LeBeau to National Conferences, to Twitter, and blogs daily.  There is just so much that my ADHD is just wallowing in it all.    I have learned that EVERYONE you meet knows something you don’t. I have learned: I must limit my time on Twitter because I will be there forever and reading so many blogs my eyes will cross. google forms can be used for exit tickets reading choice matters tons of reasons to help kids read and why I need a way to keep up with all the blogs that I read so I can share with others: This morning I read - great ways to reword you questions. Ways to reflect and keep a great summer going - http://connectedprincipals.com/archives/11720 How to motivate your life to get what you want out of everything - TED Talk Stop saying you are FINE - say Amazing!  I am Amazing! Say it. Epic Reads 8 Quotes that will mak...

Great teachers are always learning, or so they say.  I have always been an extreme nerd because I have always felt behind and not smart enough.  So I read, but lately if you aren't reading, tweeting, posting, researching, updating, iPadding, podcasting, youtube-ing,  asking, adapting you aren't learning.   It is a major media overload for me lately. I have created (become) a  media monster.  My desk, has 5 books, 2 magazines, one computer, one iPad, one iPhone, and two controllers for TV's and one actual old school iPod.  Just the screens are overload, but this is the second evening I have had four going at once. I was in a twitter chat (or rather reading an twitter chat #txeduchat) I had my iPad book open, but got an email that I had a new book from NetGalley to review, so I really wanted that to download.  I was talking to my sister on my iPhone about a horse she has, while the TV was playing Big Bang Theory in the background.  Granted ...

I recently listened to Richard Wells at iPadpalooza 2015 in Austin. He was incredible and I can see why New Zealand is 20 years ahead of America in the education field.  He made me want to move there. His article this week  about changing the lessons http://wp.me/p2KVKA-C6 Made me think, YES. We need to think as if we are the student! Teachers tend to think, it's all about me and my subject, my scores, and my knowledge, right?  I know I did, it was my students, my classes, my "smart" lessons of course, making me feel like I was so smart. After reading this article, I thought about the student's next hour is filled with another whole topic, teacher another lesson, switching gears totally to fit some schedule.  Is it because we have always done it this way? Could we work together to combine lessons, and schedules so students reading skills are targeted while they are reading in history class, or vocabulary is mixed into math and extend the days into two parts....