Get Off The Dotted Line!: Recent Episodes
Dr. Paige Hendricks
Welcome to Get Off The Dotted Line! A podcast that gives elementary teachers simple, step-by-step tools, guidance, and advice on how to make teaching more creative without sacrificing high-quality content, instruction, skills, and amazing learning potential for your students.
Dr. Paige interviews Dr. Fran Spielhagen about their collaborative book, "Catalysts for Change: Baby Boomers Reflect on Their Legacy to Public Education." The book explores the mindset of the baby boomer generation and their commitment to giving back through education. The editors discuss how the assassination of President John F. Kennedy influenced the Boomer Generation's desire to make a difference. They also touch on the current challenges in education and the hope that their book will contribute to the dialogue on transforming public education.
Contact me!
paigehendricks.com
podcast #elementaryeducation
Connect on:
Facebook
LinkedIn
Instagram
Twitter @DrPaigeHGetOff
Thanks for listening!
This is a repeat podcast from August, 2022 that I believe, needs repeating. As we approach a new school year, I wanted to take a moment to say “thank you.” Thank you for getting your classrooms and work projects ready for a brand new year of eager students. This year is going to be great- Hopefully this podcast and other tools you have come across this summer will help you think about, plan, and create lessons and units that will enhance high-quality learning experiences for your students. Maybe some of this information will spark something in your planning that will help the accelerated student or the one who has a particular challenge. Regardless, I wish all of you listening today a wonderful, productive year of amazing learning!
Contact me!
paigehendricks.com
podcast #elementaryeducation
Connect on:
Facebook
LinkedIn
Instagram
Twitter @DrPaigeHGetOff
Thanks for listening!
Welcome to Season 2 and Episode 37 where today we are going to talk about what’s new for Season 2 and where we’ve been for the past few months. Season 2 is all about presenting different educational topics and unpacking them from various angles so that we, as teachers, can make the best decisions for ourselves and our students and create a space for the most informed and highest quality of learning potential to begin.
In Season 2, I also hope to bring in some of my amazing colleagues, friends, and those in the field who can share their thoughts and feelings on all of the many topics and challenges within the field of education for all of you hear too. It’s going to be exciting- so I hope you can listen and enjoy what is yet to come.
Visit paigehendricks.com to get an easy to read and sharable version of this podcast and sometimes a handout of the episodes’ highlights.
Contact me!
paigehendricks.com
podcast #elementaryeducation
Connect on:
Facebook
LinkedIn
Instagram
Twitter @DrPaigeHGetOff
Thanks for listening!
In this podcast, I will discuss each of the 4 Dimensions from the C3 Framework for social studies put out by NCSS. These Dimensions will help you plan for and create deeper, more connected learning experiences in social studies for and with your students. And I’ll include some additional tips and questions to help you get started.
So, by the end of this episode, I promise you will have a better understanding of 4 Dimensions within social studies that will help you, the teacher, have a role in what social studies is taught and how it is taught in your classroom, school, school district, and state.
Contact me!
paigehendricks.com
podcast #elementaryeducation
Connect on:
Facebook
LinkedIn
Instagram
Twitter @DrPaigeHGetOff
Thanks for listening!
The National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) states, “The primary purpose of social studies is to help young people develop the ability to make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world.” Social studies should be the study of:
-how citizens make decisions,
-the lives of others,
-the environment,
-how to use this knowledge to make wise decisions.
Without social studies, we are lost as a nation. Leming, Ellington, and Schug (2006) said, “While high levels of competency in reading, math, and science are necessary for a strong nation, these alone will not guarantee national survival. Civic and historical literacy are also essential if our republic is to flourish” (p. 325). I believe we owe it to ourselves and most importantly, our children, to continue to teach social studies on a very regular basis. Keep listening for ways to make this happen for your students every day.
Today, we are going to discuss the National College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards more in depth so that if you need them, these standards are useful during your social studies unit planning. The C3 Standards will also help justify taking the time every day (or almost every day) to teach social studies. Because our kids deserve it and schools nationally aren’t doing enough teaching of social studies.
So, by the end of this episode, I promise you will have a better understanding of the C3 Standards and how to use them in your unit planning. And the next few episodes of Get Off The Dotted Line! will help you understand how to easily use the tools I am talking about to teach social studies every day in your classroom. Because even a little social studies goes a long way in reaching our goals of creating informed and reasoned decision makers.
Contact me!
paigehendricks.com
podcast #elementaryeducation
Connect on:
Facebook
LinkedIn
Instagram
Twitter @DrPaigeHGetOff
Thanks for listening!
Today, we are going to discuss the teacher’s role in the social studies curriculum taught in schools. So, by the end of this episode, I promise you will have a better understanding of how you, the teacher, have a role in what social studies is taught and how it is taught in your classroom, school, school district, and state. You really have the power to define the social studies curriculum and I’ll give you 5 ways in which you can become a curricular leader in social studies and other content areas too.
Contact me!
paigehendricks.com
podcast #elementaryeducation
Connect on:
Facebook
LinkedIn
Instagram
Twitter @DrPaigeHGetOff
Thanks for listening!
You may already know the answer, or an answer to this question- Who controls the social studies curriculum? because it’s printed in the textbook you were handed to teach from or on the outside of the curriculum box sitting on your shelf as you’re listening to this podcast. But I firmly believe it’s important to go beyond the printed obvious and dig a bit deeper. Because who knows, maybe we are headed for a radical change in this sector of education in the near future (my humble prediction) and having this information will help anyone involved in education to make the best choices we can about what we teach our students, why we are teaching that topic, and what materials will best serve that purpose.
So, by the end of this episode, I promise you will have a better understanding of who controls the curriculum in social studies that we teach in public schools. And maybe this information will help you determine small steps that you will take in your classroom to ensure the social studies units and lessons you are teaching will be pertinent, purposeful, accurate, and appropriate for your students.
Contact me!
paigehendricks.com
podcast #elementaryeducation
Connect on:
Facebook
LinkedIn
Instagram
Twitter @DrPaigeHGetOff
Thanks for listening!
In Episode 31 we began our discussion of What is the social studies curriculum? by talking about its definition. Today’s podcast is going to deviate from our direct understanding of What is social studies? in order to better understand this term I keep using: “curriculum.” I think it’s important to understand this term because it dictates how social studies is debated, taught, and ultimately learned in our classrooms. As an added bonus- our curriculum discussion will help you unpack what makes up other curriculums you are given and instructed to teach; like science, word study, and mathematics.
So, by the end of this episode, I promise you will have a better understanding of the 8 types of curriculum that relates to the social studies curriculum that we teach in public schools. And this information will help you determine small steps that you will take in your classroom to ensure the social studies units and lessons actually resonate with your students.
In today’s podcast, we are going to talk about what social studies is- and fair warning- it may get a bit philosophical. This podcast is the first part in a 3-part series answering the following question: What is social studies ?
In today’s episode I’m going to talk about and unpack scaffolding and tiered lesson planning. We’ll discuss these two teaching strategies together because, well, they actually relate to each other. I’ll let you in on what scaffolding and tiered lessons are by breaking down their components and giving some tips on how to use them in your elementary classroom.
So, by the end of this episode, I promise you will have 5 tips that will help you understand and be able to use scaffolding or tiered lessons in your classrooms when appropriate for your students. And, stay tuned for the “Cut That Out!” section of this podcast, where I’ll give you access to a handout so you can remember the topics we talked about and use them right away!
As we look forward to an amazing new school year, I’m going to talk about something that came to my attention on social media but also resonated with me as a former first grade teacher. Today, I’m going to share some insights I believe all elementary teachers should consider before assigning a common back-to-school writing assignment.
And, stay tuned for the “Cut That Out!” section of this podcast, where I’ll give you access to a handout so you can remember the topics we talked about and use them right away!
In today’s episode I’m going to talk about orbital studies. I mentioned in passing the term “orbitals” otherwise known as “orbital studies” in Episode 22. I am a firm believer that in the field of education, we use and speak of many different terms and acronyms without fully and completely knowing what they mean, what they are, and how and when to implement them into our teaching practices. This episode will again break that trend.
In this episode, I promised to define orbital studies, describe the orbital study process, and provide some recommendations for orbital studies in grades K through 5. I also promise you will have 5 tips to help implement orbital studies into your classroom.
And, stay tuned for the “Cut That Out!” section of this podcast, where I’ll give you access to a handout so you can remember the topics we talked about and use them right away!
In today’s episode I’m going to talk about math rotations. I’m purposefully not calling them centers because they are true rotations of students from one station to another during your math instruction time. But maybe you could use these tips today as a modified version of your Language Arts Centers- although I have discussed at length Language Arts Centers in Episodes 5 Parts 1 & 2.
So, by the end of this episode, I promise you will have 5 tips to set up simple, math rotations for your classroom of students. And, stay tuned for the “Cut That Out!” section of this podcast, where I’ll give you access to a handout so you can remember the topics we talked about and use them right away!
Have you ever heard of the IES? Or the WWC? There are so many different acronyms in the field of education but I wanted to bring two of them to your attention today- particularly in the area of mathematics- but these resources can be used for all subject areas.
So, by the end of this episode, I promise you will know what IES and WWC mean, how to access them, what types of information you can get from them, and some real tips for teaching math in your elementary classroom. And, stay tuned for the “Cut That Out!” section of this podcast, where I’ll give you access to a handout so you can remember the topics we talked about and use them right away!
In today’s podcast, we are going to talk about the Cognitively Guided Instruction Model or CGI. This model was discussed and unpacked in a 1996 research paper by
Carpenter, Fennema, and Franke. The authors’ main purpose in this paper was to use the CGI model to help teachers interpret, transform, and reframe their informal or spontaneous knowledge about their students’ mathematical thinking. Simply, children come to school with some real, present mathematical knowledge and teachers may need to adjust their teaching to tap into this for each child before learning more math from a set curriculum. This notion is called pedagogical content knowledge (Marks, 1990) and it’s worth unpacking.
So, by the end of this episode, I promise you will have a better understanding of the Cognitively Guided Instruction Model (CGI) and 5 tips to help you, as the teacher, understand and break down the pedagogical content knowledge in your math classes to make your teaching and your students’ learning more robust. A real understanding of pedagogical content knowledge will help decrease any math fears and increase math confidence in both you and your students. And, stay tuned for the “Cut That Out!” section of this podcast, where I’ll give you access to a handout so you can remember the topics we talked about and use them right away!
In today’s podcast, we are going to talk about a series of 5 steps that when strung together, create a plan for your mathematics classroom that elevates the learning for all students, allows students to work at their own pace, and allows you, the teacher, the ability to know exactly where your students are mathematically. These topics are adapted from the Modern Classrooms Project. The Modern Classrooms Project is an organization that offers resources, professional development for teachers, and mentors to assist in implementing their teaching and learning philosophy that includes blended instruction, self-paced learning, and mastery -based grading. I highly encourage you to check out their website and resources- it’s epic!
So, by the end of this episode, I promise you will have a list of 5 steps that will create a pathway for you to set up the mathematics learning in your classroom that reaches all students’ abilities, differentiates instruction, and works toward mastery. Again, you may be able to implement these topics into any content area but we're in math class now so I’ll stay with math for the time being. And, stay tuned for the “Cut That Out!” section of this podcast, where I’ll give you access to a handout so you can remember the topics we talked about and use them right away!
In Episode 22, I tried to provide an important question to ask ourselves before we trouble-shoot why are students are finishing their work early in math class. I’m focusing on math class because that's where we are right now- still and for good reason. The question from the last episode was: Why is a student finishing their work early? In my attempt to answer that question with you, it’s important to have some tools to actually do something with this dilemma.
So, in today’s podcast, we are going to talk about simple (for you) options you can give your students when they finish their math work early- or any other work during the day for that matter. Maybe some of these tips will be helpful for any of the content times during the day- like during social studies or science class.
It’s important for you to keep the student moving forward in their learning but not at the expense of your preparation time. These tips should require minimal effort from you to plan and set up. Because your main focus as a teacher should be on preparing the content that actually needs teaching and not focusing on making multiple activities to accompany one lesson.
In today’s podcast, we are going to talk about what to do when students finish early in math class. I’m focusing on math class because that's where we are right now. But maybe some of these tips will be helpful for any of the content times during the day- like during social studies or science class.
I'm doing something a bit differently this week and addressing the question: Why is the student finishing their work early? because I think this is where we, as teachers, should start when thinking about what to do next n order to keep the learning moving forward.
In today’s podcast, we are going to talk about the connection between mathematics and storytelling. Right off the bat, you may be thinking, “Dr. Paige, now you want me to add a story to all of the math concepts and problems you want me to teach? That sounds like a lot of additional work.” Well, I’m here to tell you it isn’t really because many times the story appears all by itself- if you know where to look.
So, by the end of this episode, I promise you will have 5 reasons to add stories to your mathematical instruction and some real, easy tips to find those stories so as not to increase your workload. Because who needs that in their life?
In today’s podcast, we are going to talk about how elementary teachers can boost mathematical learning in early childhood. Even though I’m going to mention “early childhood” a lot today, this discussion will be good for all levels of elementary instruction as the tips are universal for K-5. In addition, some of these tips will focus on English-Language Learners and students struggling with mathematical understanding due to a deficit in their Pre-K instruction.
So, by the end of this episode, I promise you will have 5 ideas you can use to boost your students’ mathematical learning opportunities in your elementary classroom. And the sooner this can happen- the better!
In today’s podcast, we are going to talk about how important mathematics instruction is in the early grades and 5 mathematical instructional components you should think about and use to engage those young children in mathematics instruction every day. These 5 mathematical instructional components also come with corresponding practical classroom ideas you can implement right away! Even if you currently teach 3rd through 5th grades, this podcast provides information that is applicable for higher grades as well.
So, by the end of this episode, I promise you will have 5 mathematical instructional components you should think about and use to engage your students in mathematical instruction every day.
In today’s podcast, we are going to discuss how to better and more effectively talk about mathematics with your students. This podcast will give you 5 simple and creative phrases that you can implement into your mathematics instruction time right away! I’m also going to talk about the necessary steps to implement these phrases to help you and your students get the maximum benefit from them during instruction time.
So, by the end of this episode, I promise you will have 5 enhanced ideas you can use to help make mathematics creative, engaging, and culturally rich for your students.
And, stay tuned for the “Cut That Out!” section of this podcast, where I’ll give you access to a handout so you can remember the tips we talked about and use them right away! paigehendricks.com
In today’s podcast, we are going to talk about intentional mathematics instruction. This podcast will help you and your students move beyond memorization of math facts and drill -heavy worksheets toward really learning math in ways that are creative, engaging, and culturally rich.
And a bonus, these 5 ideas I will review today can be applied toward other content areas like science, social studies, and even literature studies in Language Arts. They are that important to do!
So, by the end of this episode, I promise you will have 5 enhanced ideas you can use to help make mathematics creative, engaging, and culturally rich for your students.
In today’s podcast, we are going to talk about 5 visual teaching strategies- those strategies your students can see, touch, and manipulate- that can help increase the mathematical knowledge of your students and help make mathematics more creative, engaging, and culturally rich.
So, by the end of this episode, I promise you will have 5 creative, engaging, and culturally rich mathematical teaching strategies for your students.
In today’s podcast, we are going to talk about why we, as elementary teachers, teach mathematics. This concept seems a bit juvenile to be discussing, however, today I’m going to discuss five reasons we should teach math, and teach it well, and 5 ideas you can use to help make mathematics creative, engaging, and culturally rich for your students.
So, by the end of this episode, I promise you will have 5 enhanced ideas you can use to help make mathematics creative, engaging, and culturally rich for your students.
And, stay tuned for the “Cut That Out!” section of this podcast, where I’ll give you access to a handout so you can remember the tips we talked about and use them right away!
In today’s podcast, we are going to talk about the Think-Pair-Share teaching and learning technique. Many of you out there already know a lot about this technique and use it in your classrooms often. Today I’m going to briefly define this technique but mainly discuss some ways to enhance this technique so that all of your students can benefit from it being used in your classroom.
So, by the end of this episode, I promise you will have 5 enhanced tips for implementing Think-Pair-Share into your classroom with your students. And, stay tuned for the “Cut That Out!” section of this podcast, where I’ll give you access to a handout so you can remember the tips we talked about and use them right away!
This episode is slightly different as I interviewed a 2nd grader... my son! I hope you enjoy hearing some thoughts about school, educating students, and future tips from someone who knows a lot about the topic. :)
In today’s podcast, we are going to talk about talking about book texts with your students. In Episode 11, I mentioned very briefly, about allowing for some part of your Independent Reading time during your Language Arts block to be dedicated to student-teacher conferences and/or small group book discussions. So I got to reading- and found that there is some literature out there on talking about books. Most of what I found had to do with talking about Read-Aloud books, or those books and stories that you read aloud to your students. Today, I am going to incorporate these strategies into the small group or individual conference idea. Because I think it fits here perfectly into a balanced Language Arts instructional approach.
Today I’m going to discuss what “talking about the text” really means, some pitfalls to avoid, and how to incorporate it into talking with your students about books they are reading- in an easy way, especially when you have so many students reading so many different books.
In today’s podcast, we are going to talk about independent reading. We have already discussed guided reading in Episode 9 and shared reading in Episode 10 and as part of a balanced approach to teaching Language Arts, independent reading completes our process. I’m going to discuss what independent reading is, how it fits into a balanced Language Arts instructional approach, why you should incorporate independent reading time as part of your instruction, and five creative, easy tips for making your independent reading super effective and worth the time in your classroom.
In today’s podcast, we are going to talk about shared reading or the act of reading that is shared between the teacher and the students. I’m going to discuss what shared reading is, how it fits into a balanced Language Arts instructional approach, why you should adopt shared reading as part of your instruction, and five things to do when you have students in a shared reading group in front of you. And, I’m going to give you some creative, easy tips for making your shared reading super effective and worth the time in your classroom.
In today’s podcast, we are going to talk about guided reading groups. I’m going to discuss what guided reading groups are, why you should have them as part of your Language Arts instruction, and a few things to do when you have those students in your guided reading group in front of you. And, I’m going to give you some creative, easy tips for making your guided reading groups super effective and worth the time in your classroom.
In today’s podcast, we are going to discuss the details, similarities, positives and pitfalls of both a Word Wall and a Sound Wall. This podcast is different from others I have done as there are no new tips for you to implement, rather, I just thought it good to have a discussion about these two types of Language Arts teaching strategies. So let’s dive in- the Word Wall and the Sound Wall.
In today’s podcast, we are going to talk about a Sound Wall- what it is, why you should make one, and how to use it. I’m going to give you some creative, easy tips for making your Sound Wall super effective, usable, and worth the time and space in your classroom.
In today’s podcast, we are going to talk about a Word Wall- what it is, why you should make one, and how to use it. I’m going to give you 5 creative, easy tips for making your Word Wall super effective, usable, and worth the time and space in your classroom.
In today’s Part 2 we will discuss center logistics including: a bit of content you can put into your centers and tips on how often the centers should change. Today, I’m going to talk about some example content for your Language Arts centers and possible times to change your centers in an easier, no fuss way!
In today’s podcast, we are going to discuss center-based learning in 2 parts. This podcast and the next will give you some great advice and tips for Language Arts centers. Part 1 will discuss: why use centers, why use centers for Language Arts instruction, and 5 basic tips to set yourself and your students up for success. So, by the end of this episode, I promise you will have 5, solid steps to set up your Language Arts centers that you can implement into your classroom tomorrow!
In today’s podcast, I’m going to talk about how a simple, 5-step morning routine- one that happens directly after the students enter into the classroom (or online classroom)- can be creative, fun, and get the job done!
In today’s podcast, we are going to talk about calendar time- or, if you are teaching upper elementary grades, maybe you call it morning meeting. Whatever you call it, this is probably the first time your students are coming together as a group to learn something and set the tone for the school day.
In today’s podcast, we are going to discuss routines- why we have them, why we like them, why they are good for our students, and some go-to routines in an elementary school classroom. And I’m here to tell you that routines can actually help you and your students become more creative.
Want to know who is behind the newest podcast for elementary teachers? And what’s with the title Get Off the Dotted Line!? In today’s very first episode, I’m going to introduce myself, share a bit about my background, and talk about how this podcast came to be and why you should listen.
Welcome to Get Off the Dotted Line! A podcast that gives elementary teachers simple, step-by-step tools, guidance, and advice on how to make teaching more creative without sacrificing high-quality content, instruction, skills, and amazing learning potential for your students.
In today’s podcast, we are going to start at the beginning- before the students walk into the classroom door- with a genuine way to greet your students each day. Sometimes being a bit more creative than a “hi” or “hello” in your greeting to your students will help make a bigger impact, engage those students who might not always be so engaged, and start the day off right!