Circle of Courage

I really felt like this was a perfect time to share the Circle of Courage because we are beginning to learn about creating communities in our classroom. I am a huge believer in the core values of this wheel, so I thought it would be nice to share. If you are interested in finding out more information, you can visit Circle of Courage or Circle of Courage - wiki.

(please note that you are really not supposed to write within the circle itself)

LLSS 436 Adolescents on the Edge Chapters 5-6

Writing is key to deeper thinking. One of my other books talks about how it is a natural process to read something, then want to talk about it, but it takes a whole other level to sit down and write about it. The section on peer editing was interesting because I've heard a lot of pros and cons about that process. Some people, like Baca, encourage this because it introduces another element of depth to a student's work. I think through peer editing students can learn how to analyze other's work and will read on other's opinions of the same work. It will also allow for depth in thought and writing as other's present alternative perspectives during the peer editing process. Though peer editing is seemingly a good thing, I have also heard cons. One from my little brother in 9th grade was that 1/3 of his grade was dependent on a grade that a peer gave him on his paper. He did not like this because his peers were correcting all of the grammar and missing the big picture ideas. Also, he mentioned that one time a student had a different opinion then him and because of this graded him low. Sure, it's possible that my brother really was trying to defend a bad paper by blaming his peer editors, but the fact is that unless there is a focus lesson on valuable peer editing, the process can blow up in some teacher's faces. I think students need to learn how to edit for content rather than mechanics or else this will be all they focus on. I'm also not too big a fan of having students assign a grade while peer editing. I think this can turn into friends playing favorites, or a focus on mechanics, or a low/high grade on something that doesn't deserve it. I think I would incorporate peer editing, but I would make sure that this followed a lesson on what to look for while revising and that the students would not be expected to give a grade but rather valuable feedback.

I think performance and reader's theatre is fantastic in the classroom. It allows for students to experience text in a completely different way. Poetry readings, acting out texts, freeze frames, different interpretations, same content different context. All of these are great ways to explore text and find meaning in a different way. Through this, text becomes so much more rich and alive. With great literature we experience aesthetic understanding, and to bring that to life for others around us is a beautiful thing. One suggestion I read about was to have students act out a certain passage, but have other students behind those exploring the thoughts that the characters are having. What a great way to explore character development and depth! I do not think that this should be the only strategy used in a classroom, but it is without a doubt a great way to reach students, especially those that are struggling to understand a text (ie. required Shakespeare).

LLSS 436 Adolescents on the Edge Chapters 3-4

I really enjoyed reading about the self-efficacy of a student and how to support this, but what really got me thinking was the challenge presented when we give students different genres of work. I feel that the common core standards really push non-fiction in the classroom and this leaves little time for other types of work. Sure, poems, essays, novels, movies, and songs can all be nonfiction and so I think providing this variation is crucial, but students miss so much when they're not exposed to fiction. One of the reasons I never read in high school was because I had not discovered a genre I liked. Even with books that were assigned, I would cliff note and spark note because nonfiction was just so boring. If my teachers would have taken the time to introduce a variety of genres and varying types of literature, I really think I would have enjoyed reading much more. Then again, I may not have acquired the "skimming" skills I have today :p. It seems so unfortunate to me that the common core does not allow much time for fiction because this type of literature also fosters creative thought which can translate to expanded creative writing. Thank goodness for creative nonfiction.

The chapter on group work was interesting. I feel like a lot of it has been talked about so much, but the feeling of unease is never going away from the participants of group work. I hear all time, "I hate group work" from college students, and it's usually because someone thinks that they'll end up doing all the work. What's interesting is that if everyone is complaining about the same thing (doing all the work), shouldn't people be excited to have 3 others in their group that want to contribute as much as they do? I think there is just such a negative stigma that a lot of people aren't willing to look at the benefits anymore. I'm glad Baca takes the time to outline how necessary group work is. I also have heard more times then once that assigning rules can be key to ensuring that all students are equally accountable. In my classroom, we have introduced group work by having students read parts of their book in groups. The next step was discussing the book in groups and doing small collaborative assignments that could be finished by the end of the class period. This is all leading up to having students work on a larger group project together at the end of the school year. For 8th graders, this has been a great progressive series in introducing them to group work and the expectations for working in a group.

LLSS 436 Adolescents on the Edge Chapters 1-2

"My goal is to keep their heads down." [grooooaaaaaan]

I loved that this chapter starts out with the importance of learning through communities. NACA's entire philosophy is based on community ties within and outside of the school community, and I think with these ties students feel so much more accountable for their own learning and the outcomes of their outside communities. Some of the outcomes this chapter outlines are increased morale, lower absenteeism, and sustain, transferable learning. Trust is so important to this process, and I couldn't help but think that a lot of my students may come from families that have a mistrust for Anglo institutions because it was not so long ago so many of them were let down themselves by teachers only seeking to anglicize their own communities.

I really like the idea of letting students make the classroom their own. The book suggests that the students have their own folders, bulletin boards with student work displayed, or allowing students to make decisions about due dates or procedures. My favorite was allowing students to write their favorite or most questionable/ thought provoking quotes on the whiteboard.

Engagement is different then entertainment.

Cambourne's Conditions for Learning as a Model of Engagement - I'm only going to talk about a couple of these since we are all reading the same book and summary is less necessary.
Immersion
If you want your students to be engaged, you must immerse them in what you want them to learn. This goes beyond providing lecture, but creating a community within the classroom that fosters and supports the learning process. Play music from a certain time period, include text other than novels (movies, poems, songs, drawings).
Responsibility
I really like the suggestions this section makes for having students take responsibility for their own actions, but I think a big one is also taking responsibility as a teacher for having students that are disinterested. Perhaps you are so tied to a book and love it so much you don't want to let it go, but what benefit is it to your students if 5 years into teaching the book only a handful of students really enjoyed it.
Approximation
I've heard this so many times as well, but stop focusing so much on right and wrong and allow students to learn through exploration. Teaching that mistakes are normal can be so beneficial to the learning process. One example of this is modeling for students. When modeling writing, students can see that even adults spell things wrong, or have to erase and start over. Once those barriers are knocked down, writing and discussing becomes so much more rich and rewarding.

LLSS 528 Getting Started With Literature Circles Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8: Extension Projects

Chapter 8 is the final chapter in this book and it covers possible extension projects when the class is finishing a book for their literature circle. Some examples include creating a book report, a book accordion (selecting 6 scenes from the book and recreating them), abc book, story quilt, or create a bookmark.

One of your first steps should be setting a purpose, planning for teaching, and setting a time frame. The next step would be planning and implementing presentations and assessment. The most important thing is that extension projects create the opportunity for reflection, interpretation, and possibly even re-reading.

The rest of the chapter reviews the process for creating story quilts and bookmarks. I think that these two projects are pretty self explanatory, but the book made a special note that the bookmark project can be one for both younger and older students. For younger students, the project may be a bit more lax, but with older students, the bookmark can focus on a specific character, theme, tone, or setting that is critical to the story. Though the book was for elementary age children, I can see how a bookmark project could be made more complex for older students.

Overall this book was good, however, it is important to note that literature circles are more geared towards younger children. It would seem socratic seminars are more for older students, but I can definitely see some overlap and how literature circles lead into bigger and more complex discussion groups. I think the core values are important to note and review at the beginning of the school year just so the expectations are set in stone. If you guys are interested in getting the book, it's available on Amazon at the following link:
http://www.amazon.com/Getting-Started-Literature-Professional-Teachers/dp/0926842978/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383519908&sr=8-1&keywords=getting+started+with+literature+circles

LLSS 528 Getting Started With Literature Circles Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7: Focusing Lessons: Incorporating Literacy Strategies

What is a focus lesson? A focus lesson targets instruction in one area and emphasizes strategies used in authentic situations. Another term that may be more commonly used is "mini lesson". Basically, this type of lesson teaches a critical skill, then allows time for students to practice that skill. One example from the previous post might be explaining the what the journaling prompts mean. Looking back at all of the previous chapters in the book (or the blog posts), the following can be turned into focus lessons:
Literature Circle Procedures
- How to choose a book
- How to start a discussion quickly
- How to listen attentively
- How to keep the conversation going
- The role of a discussion group member
- What to write in your response journal
- What to do when you don't understand
- What to do when your group finishes
- How to mediate conflicts
- How to spice up a lagging discussion
- How to tie projects back to the book
Reading, Writing, and Response Strategies
- How to predict what is going to happen next
- Asking yourself or the text questions
- Comparing and contrasting
- Choosing a topic for your journal
- Elaborating with details
- Developing criteria for effective writing
- Incorporating ideas from your post-it notes
Literature Qualities - Story Structure, Literary Elements, Memorable Language, Genre Characteristics
- Story structure (climax, endings, problems)
- Memorable language (action verbs, simile/metaphor)
- Literary elements (character, plot, tone)
- Genre characteristics (fantasy, poetry, legend, biography)

LLSS 528 Getting Started With Literature Circles Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6: Response Journals
This chapter starts out recognizing that it is more natural to talk about a book then writing about it. Though we may stop to tell someone how great a chapter is, it is less natural to stop reading to write about what is going on, but once this process is embraced, a whole new world is opened up.

To start out with journaling, a clear purpose must be established. Some teachers use journals as a way for their students to explore feelings, predict outcomes, or personally respond to the book. Because the form is so free in these type of journals, assessment is limited to participation points only. In any case, students should feel comfortable writing while group reading and discussing is happening at the same time.

Focus can be hard, especially with new writers, so a couple things to keep in mind are as follows:
Use open ended prompts
- I liked...
- I noticed...
- I wonder...
- I felt ________ because...
- I think...
- This story makes me think of...
- I wish...
- I was surprised by...
Use questions that come up in discussions
Use questions from outside resources
Consider other forms of response
- Draw an entry, feeling, or remembered passage
- Draw or write cause and effect relationships
- Letters
- Character web

One thing I really like that the book points out is that beginning journal entries will mostly look the same, "I like it" or "I don't like it". Don't let this discourage you, rather start to encourage entries to include the word "because"..."I like it because" or "I don't like it because".

For assessment, the book's first recommendation is a rubric. Though I'm not the biggest fan of rubrics, one teacher wrote a rubric with her student's suggestions that came from a similar conversation to student expectations for literature circles. They book also recommends self-reflection and sharing entries. My personal recommendation would be participation points and depth of writing/drawing/brainstorming as long as there is a progression over the course of the school year.

LLSS 528 Getting Started With Literature Circles Chapter 5

"Talking is one of our most personal and natural responses to reading."

I love how this chapter starts. Discussion is at the heart of literature circles and an effective discussion helps people experience literature in a more rich way so the question is, what are you trying to accomplish in your discussion? There should be goals for both yourself and your students and those goals should be known by all. If you're not sure on where to start with goals, why not just ask your students, "Why do we talk about books?" I bet 9 times out of 10 you'll get valuable and personal goals that can easily relate to the discussion. 

If this is a group that is new to discussion, you may want to start with a mini lesson on discussion skills where you address the following questions: 

What do I talk about?

How do I gather information to share?

How do I participate in a discussion?

Once this is established, the most important question for kids to answer is, "What is meaningful to you?" The book suggests straying away from the status quo questions because the whole point is for students to bring their own ideas, puzzlements, discoveries, and insights to the discussion. If you ask the same old, "What's the theme" and "What is the mood?" your discussions will get boring quick. Rather, have kids start by sharing their favorite part of the chapter or pose a question they want answered. One great and obvious way to start is, "What did you think of the story?" but to get a real conversation going goes beyond this by providing students with quotes and questions, prompts, guided topics, and student generated questions. 

Unfortunately it is not a reality that all students will get their own personal copy of the discussion book to underline and write notes in, so another great way to make notes as your read is with post-it notes. Another way is with bookmarks or discussion logs. I personally prefer the post-it method. 

Student must also be taught how to participate in a discussion so show through brainstorming what works in a discussion and what doesn't. Kids work in groups starting in elementary school so you'll be pleasantly surprised with the expectations the students set for themselves and let discussion guidelines stem from this. 

When assessing individuals during discussions look for:

Asking questions 

Listening actively

Thoughtful response

Predicting (noticing foreshadowing)

Retelling - main ideas and supporting details

Supporting ideas and opinions with text

Elements of literature (plot, setting, etc)

Making personal connections

Connecting to other books

Lastly, don't forget to ask your students what worked well for them during discussions and what was difficult. Then build on those answers during the next discussion. 

LLSS528 Getting Started With Literature Circles Chapter 4

Chapter 4 is all about choosing books for your literature circle. The beginning of this chapter seems pretty duh, but I suppose it should be repeated that a good book will be meaningful, have substance, and offers something worth talking about. Pretty obvious, right? But what is also important is mechanical stuff. How many pages does the book have? Is it broken by chapters? You may also want to choose something that explores multiple tones and moods, the characters are realistic, and if it's a younger class, make sure the pictures are vibrant and they support the story.

It is good to start with what is available in the classroom. Sure, it might be ideal to base a book off of your desired outcomes, but sometimes schools just don't have the resources we need, and so you will want to ensure that all of your students will have access to the book being read. Also, consider multiple items as literature, don't just limit yourself to books. There are journals and articles that can be photocopied. In this newer day and age, video clips, songs, websites and more can all be considered literature, and those things might be more easily accessible. The book gives a great resource for literature circles: http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/index.html. One question that is asked is how to obtain multiple copies of a piece of work. A couple ideas include sharing book sets with other teachers, use bonus points when ordering books, work with libraries, obtain grants, and search garage sales or other used book sources. One of my personal favorites is Savers because they actually arrange the books by category.

I really liked the suggestion that teachers should let go of the idea of reading at grade level. I think this is especially true with inclusive classrooms, and it's not to say give a bunch of 12th graders Dr. Seuss for the entire year, but the idea is that even with a range of readers at different difficulty levels, the students will help each other understand concepts.

I will leave you with this final thought. Let go of harping on finding the perfect book and let your students enjoy what you have.

LLSS436 How to Talk so Kids Can Learn Chapter 7-8 and Movie clips

I feel like the real classroom setting was an idealistic image of what we all strive for as teachers, and the mock classroom setting in the wire was actually the more realistic portrayal of a classroom, as far as the management goes anyway. With the real classroom, the students were on task and lost in the moment of discussion. The teacher facilitated an open discussion, much like that which has been discussed in class, and this allowed students to dominate the conversation and find their own meaning in the book. I feel like this would make for much better papers to grade. I also feel like this teacher pulled a class together of all of her best students, then filmed it, but maybe I'm just being a cynic. I find myself teaching more like Pryzbylewski in these first few months. I feel like I have no disciplinary or authoritative stance, and so it is hard for me to get the kids focused. Usually my CT has to step in to ask the students to be quiet, and this reminded me of the other teacher coming into Pryzbylewski's class telling the students that they were not going anywhere until the bus passes were given back. I also feel gullible when students constantly ask to go to the bathroom or get a drink of water, however, a few of my students did say that I was their favorite teacher. This moment came across when the kid helped Pryzbylewski open his car. Sure, unconventional and obviously a low income school, but the mutual respect and admiration was displayed, and this made me think of my own students. 

Chapter 7 and 8 were a nice way to wrap up How to Talk So Kids Can Learn. I admittedly got a small tear when Roy said he refused to join a gang in Chicago. It was nice to see how classroom management and relationships can really influence the pathways children take.

Chapter 7 really caught my attention because I think the disconnect between school and home is so large, I have a hard time envisioning those stereotypes going away. I think it’s natural for parents to blame teachers and vice versa, and that endless cycle of figuring out who is neglecting their duties never ends. My CT recently told me that one child’s relative was upset that the child had to call home every time he was late to the classroom. The relative did not want any calls home unless it was a life-threatening emergency. Another parent was upset that my CT was not calling home enough. She wanted a call every time the student had a missed assignment. I really found it interesting that these two parents were angry with my CT and demanding two completely opposite forms of involvement, all in one day. Chapter 7 really hit home to me because I’m already seeing how pulled a teacher can feel when it comes to school and home relationships. The parents in the books were ones that took the time to come to student teacher conferences, but the reality is only 5% of my classroom’s parents bothered to show up during parent-teacher night. I completely agree that maintaining relationships is vital, but I absolutely think that it will be a learned process rather than one that comes normally. A lot of people get lost in thinking that all families care about the progression of their students, and though some do, there are also a lot of students in the classroom that do not have positive encouragement in the home, which is only making our job as teachers more difficult. 

LLSS436 How To Talk So Kids Can Learn Chapters 5-6

I wanted to start this post in the same way I started my last one because I think the personal stories are what make these more relatable. Also, what follows is a sort of follow up to what I had mentioned in class about my CT not doing discussions in class. 

"As I'm reading through this book, I find that I am getting more and more disappointed that there is not discussions that follow the readings in class. My CT reads to her class, however, once she has read aloud, no discussion follows. Literally none. We just move on to the projects for that day. I asked her about it, and she advised me that since The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is an easier text, she doesn't feel the students really need discussion time to understand the reading. Though I don't really agree, and I feel that discussion is valuable no matter how easy or difficult the text is, she promised we would be doing more discussion with our future texts. Now that I have ranted, let's get into the book!"

Wow. I found it incredibly funny that chapter 5 started with a horrible evaluation with the principal. The principal was doing everything in that meeting that the books chapters had previously said not to do. He did not evaluate how the teacher felt, he did not acknowledge the good things the teacher did, but instead cut her and her lesson down. Absolutely funny that administration was described as missing the mark without actually saying it. On that note, it was also really interesting to hear about measured praise. I never really thought about praise making people feel inadequate, or like they have standards to now live up to. This really has to be a cultural thing, because I find that many desires stem from the need to be praised, however, it seems that there is a wrong and a right way to give praise. Never thought about this before. I can definitely see how specific compliments will generate a positive reaction, and also it seems that they would encourage intrinsic motivation in a student.  I've noticed I usually resort to "great job" on work that I've graded, but if I think back to papers I've written, I always appreciated when teachers made specific comments about my work so I will definitely try to do this with my students. 

I have a student that does not want to do any work, and it is extremely difficult to get him to participate. He makes a joke out of every assignment, and he has even gone so far as to write really vulgar things on one particular poem assignment we had. Thanking the student when he does participate does not really seem to help, so I'll be interested to see if this change of complimenting will elicit a different reaction in the child. In addition, chapter 6 really gave me a new perspective on how to talk to and treat this student. He seems to want to fill a class clown/ seeking attention/ me vs. the teacher role, and I think there have been moments in the classroom that both the CT and I have reaffirmed this role. I want to also change the words I use with this student to try and see if I can't change the role he might feel assigned. Even if this is a role he wants, it seems also possible that words can change his desire to fill a certain role and quite possibly set him back on the right track. 

LLSS528 Getting Started With Literature Circles Chapter 3

As I'm reading through this book, I find that I am getting more and more disappointed that there is not discussions that follow the readings in class. My CT reads to her class, however, once she has read aloud, no discussion follows. Literally none. We just move on to the projects for that day. I asked her about it, and she advised me that since The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is an easier text, she doesn't feel the students really need discussion time to understand the reading. Though I don't really agree, and I feel that discussion is valuable no matter how easy or difficult the text is, she promised we would be doing more discussion with our future texts. Now that I have ranted, let's get into the book!

Chapter three in Getting Started With Literature Circles is all about structure. Structure becomes sort of a broad subject, but this topic includes setting timelines, deciding how to formulate groups, what kind of responses you want the kids to practice (written or oral or both), etc. One of the most important elements when structuring literature circles is to have your groups of students choose the books they want to read. Sure, there has to be some structure, so a good way to do this is to provide your students with a list of books that their group can choose from. This allows you to control the type of texts they are reading, while still allowing for the students to have freedom of choice and take ownership for their choice. So the students are not going into a book blind, one of my favorite suggestions was to have a "book talk" where you introduce the different books with little blurbs. As you are doing this, have the students make a list of what books interest them most so in the end, their group can compromise on one group book. Another option may also be to form the groups after the students have provided a list of the top three books that interest them most.

Another important choice is deciding how much students should read for each literature circle. If your students are reading chapter books, it might be easiest to assign reading based on chapters, ie. 2-3 chapters per discussion group. Also, you need to decide how long each group will meet for, and at what times. Interestingly enough, the book suggests that only one group meets at a time while other students do journaling or writing so that the teacher can observe the group without bouncing from one to the other. Some options might be (as a teacher) to be a facilitator, or a group member, or even just an observer. Lastly, the book recommends that for primary grades, literature circles should happen once a week, where as for upper grades, they should happen more often.

LLSS528 Getting Started with Literature Circles Chapter 2

Chapter 2 begins by examining some rules for literature circles:
- Make clear what you value
- Infuse collaboration throughout the day
- Introduce skills of respectful interaction
These rules stem from a classroom that has both excellent readers, and struggling students, such as ESL students. By maintaining the above rules, you eliminate negative emotions such as students getting frustrated with the struggling ones. Though the book is written for a young elementary classroom, I think that the basic skills discussed are still of value. For example, teaching skills for independence are ones that will carry on throughout all years of learning. All students are asked to think about what they need to do that day, and this is asked each day.

Another important rule from chapter 2 is modeling. The author asks teacher to not only model reading aloud, but also to model appropriate responses. I think the reading aloud part is pretty basic and well known, but I thought it was interesting that a person's responses to the reading should be modeled as well. For example, if a student responds to the reading with a comment, the teacher will pause to point out the comment. This creates comfort with commenting in general, and also sets an expectation that comments are desired. I also think it helps in filtering all comments to those that are most desirable.

One teacher asks at the end of the chapter how she can incorporate literature circles when it's already May. The author reminds the teacher that reading aloud is already a part of the classroom, and as long as expectations are made clear, they can be incorporated at any point in time. Though full blown circles probably won't have enough time to develop, it is definitely something she can try with her next year's class.

LLSS436 How to Talk So Kids Can Learn Chapters 3-4

I have to start out this post with a short story. In my class today, we watched a video about using quotation marks. After the video, we had a short discussion in class about the 3 rules the video talked about, and I asked the students what they thought about the video. One girl said, "It was stupid," and instead of retorting back, I asked her to explain why she thought it was stupid. She then said that the video made the rules obvious and that the guy's accent (English) was funny. After class, my teacher complimented me for asking the student to expand rather than having a negative reaction to her comment. Thank you Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish.

I really liked the chapter on discipline. I am not a fanatic about spanking or not spanking so the whole anti-corporal punishment attitude wasn't really significant to me, but I did like the alternative suggestions that the book puts forth. I think it again really comes down to validating the student's problems, because through this the child is then free to see the error of their ways. If they are so caught up in the emotions, there is not any room for other thought. I loved the story at the end of the chapter from a parent whose daughter wrecked their car, but wrote a note apologizing and giving money for the repair. Yes, I got a tear.

Chapter 4 tied in nicely with 3 in that problem solving together not only helps dialogue between authority figure and student, but it also teaches compromise. Once we get past the validation, we can then move onto problem solving. I thought the idea of coming up with rules as a class was great because all together, students can decide on the basic ones and don't feel so bad about eliminating the silly ones.

LLSS528 Getting Started With Literature Circles Chapter 1

I have chosen to read Getting Started With Literature Circles, by Katherine Schlick Noe and Nancy Johnson. I really like that the introduction of this book structures it for meaning. Rather than having to read through the whole book to find answers to our questions, the introduction has possible scenarios that will show if you'll like this book. Also, there is a list of guiding questions and it outlines what chapters you can look in to find answers to those questions. Lastly, it of course explains what a literature circle is, and some underlying assumptions for the book.

Chapter 1: Building a Framework for Literature Circles
This chapter really outlines the fact that literature circles need to fit within the lesson and not be something that's forced. This is so they begin to feel natural to the students, which in my opinion really creates a safe a comfortable environment to discuss common literature. For example, when I was in 7th grade the entire class of 7th graders got to choose a group they wanted to be in, that group chose a book they wanted to read, and for 1 month, twice a week, the entire 7th grade would gather in our common area in our groups to discuss the books. These literature circles were great for facilitating discussions about books we got to choose on our own. The book says that you need to ask:
What's your goal?
Why is this an important goal?
How can I teach this goal?
This chapter was very short and the main idea was that a successful reading circle will have attainable goals. I want to end with my favorite quote:
"If we wish to open the world of literacy to our children, what they are asked to read should from the very beginning help them to understand themselves and their world."

LLSS436 How To Talk So Kids Can Learn Chapter 1-2

My first impression of this book is how personable it is. I love any chance to learn through stories rather than here's the facts, now make sense of them. I also enjoy that the book starts out recognizing that all responsibility should not solely be on teachers, but on families as well. I know I'm guilty of responding to students, and even my own siblings in a way that only encourages bickering. It will be interesting to try these new methods, for example, restating what the child is saying in a question form really seems to help communication. I disagree with the teacher that says this is going to take so much extra time because it seems that having a bickering session with a child takes just as long. I think the challenge is more so changing our natural, instinctual responses. Not very many people like putting the effort to make this kind of lifelong communication change, but it makes sense that there would be a benefit.

In chapter 2, I was really struck with the statement, "...the more orders I gave, the more resistant they became" (pp 62). I also feel this way sometimes in my classroom, but I feel like this is really attributed to the fact that my students don't see me as an authority figure. When my teacher is in the classroom, most of the students are quiet and focused. When I am in the classroom alone, the noise levels automatically raise, no matter how many times I ask for the voices to be lowered. The idea about handing students notes seems a little silly, but maybe it will work? I still feel a little lost about how to maintain open dialogue with a student, but I'm hoping I can maintain order. I definitely do not lecture or express disappointment when students are getting loud. I might try the "standing quiet until all conversations stop" method, but I also feel like this might eat up valuable class time. 

Common Core Standards

I have been hearing mixed opinions about the common core standards, and as I have not used them yet, I'm unsure about the validity to each claim. I'm not sure if there is animosity for the simple fact that yet another change is being enacted, or if they really do limit creativity in the classroom.

On the one hand, I think it is great that there is a standard across the states that allow for a child to move seamlessly from one school to the next and still be on track. I think this idea is especially important for students that want to apply out of state to college as they will be ranked academically in comparison to their peers. Having a common set of standards allows for more flexibility when it comes to overall mobility.

On the other hand, having a core set of standards does not allow for the cultural differences we see when comparing states. Mexican students in southern California may learn in a culturally different way then, say, Italian students in New York, so the cultural differences are not allowed for with a common set of standards. The same arguments against standardized testing can easily be applied here. In addition, I am in full agreement with Gallagher in that requiring a 5-paragraph essay leaves no room for creativity in the classroom, especially if a child can make their point in 3 or 4 paragraphs.

I'm still on the fence about the common core standards and am interested to see how they will be successful or unsuccessful. I think it is much too soon to form a concrete opinion one way or the other, so I much prefer to approach these guidelines with an open mind to see where they take us.

The Wizard of Oz Would Have Been a Lousy Writing Teacher

This is the last and final chapter in Gallagher's book. This chapter is a sum up of all the previous chapters, and is more of a reflection on his 10 core beliefs about teaching writing. He starts by explaining the chapter title, and the reasons the Wizard of Oz would be a horrible teacher is because "he hides behind a curtain projecting a false sense of expertise" (pp 224). What Gallagher means by this is that we need to model for our students. Model, model, model. The point of a mini lesson is to teach for 10 minutes, then model the writing project so students can see the struggles you, the teacher and the expert, work through while writing. Once faced with a model, students become more comfortable with their own faults, which allow for a better flow of creative juices.

I will not go through all 10 of Gallagher's core values, but another one I really liked is the importance he plays on background knowledge. Not only does background knowledge help you to be a better reader, but it also helps in becoming a better writer. This plays on the whole researching section of his book. Relating this section back to Gee, Gallagher is saying that the more information we have about secondary Discourses, and possible filtered in primary Discourses, the better writers we are. Students can become more creative in their writing, using better adjectives rather than generalizations. In addition, the more they know, the more excited they will be to share that knowledge.

I also loved core belief 5, which is "There is no such thing as a five-paragraph essay" (pp 230). Gallagher says that in the real-world, the five paragraph essay doesn't exist. Now, I personally think that the five-paragraph essay can be a basis in which to introduce essay structure, but spending too much time on this is a waste. It is limiting. Gallagher's response to this is that it is much better to teach the structure of having a beginning, middle, and end, because students may be able to write an effective essay in only four paragraphs. What really made me laugh is when he says that for school districts that absolutely mandate a five-paragraph essay, spend 95% of your time teaching authentic writing, and only 1 week on the five-paragraph essay. (:

Lastly, I must post the importance of core belief 7, which is having students continue to write by hand. Yes, we're a technologically based society. Yes, kids are playing with phones and computers earlier than 18 months old. Does that mean that penmanship no longer has a place? Absolutely not! Writing free hand can often times be more creative and visually appealing to a growing mind as opposed to staring at a computer screen and writing in Times New Roman. Writing is an art, and there is so much more appreciation for the loops of u's, and w's, and the squiggles of s'. Handwriting causes students to think with a different part of their brain, and sometimes you will find that creativity is limited when restricted to a screen.

Response to Matt's post

I absolutely had to repost this video Matt put up and a summation of my feelings. There's too much possibility for debate to not post it. You can click his name to view the original post, or click here.

"Oh gosh, I have so much to say about this; where to start and do I include it all...?

Well, first, perhaps standardized testing is a bit limited, however, without it how can universities then judge who to admit, or how can jobs determine the hard workers from the lazy ones from the ones who just get it or the ones who try hard but struggle harder. The thing is, we all want to be judged as individuals outside the limits of standardized testing, yet is is impossible for university admissions or hiring managers to know the entire history of an individual before they are accepted; there isn't enough time, money, or resources to immerse oneself into the full cultural, emotional, mental, and educational background of each applicant. There does need to be some kind of "standard" to determine qualifications. I think the question may be what should that standard be, and who gets to determine it? Perhaps some find the common core standards limiting, but at the very least they set some kind of guideline as to where a child should be in developing. Perhaps it is unfair and unjust to apply those same standards to every single individual, but I think it is also unrealistic to have a free for all in the classroom when we as teachers are going to be managing ~200 kids each week. 

I understand what the boy is saying in this video, and the message he is trying to address, but as a younger kid, I'm sure he also isn't thinking that some of those kids learning the pythagorean theorem are actually going to go on to be engineers who WILL use it to build a steady bridge one day. Or that some of the silly information he learns one day and "forgets" the next is actually a subcontext theory that he has to understand before he can understand something else. Maybe I won't have to ever use the water cycle in application ever again, however, learning about the water cycle helped me understand the world around me in a better way so that I know when I recycle I'm helping to prevent acid rain. 

I really just don't think anyone can value the simplicity of the lessons we sit through in school until we're developed enough to understand the simple connections they have to each other and how they in turn connect to how we understand the world. Best example, this kid's poetic words were made possible through his ability to learn and comprehend language. 

I think I'll cut off here, and I hope I didn't start a huge debate on your blog :/ but what I think this kid is suggesting is an apprenticeship type education where people are carted off to study the subjects they're most passionate about. Coming from someone who changed their major from math to english/math to english to journalism in my first 2 years of college, having core requirements are the best way for kids to explore every subject in an attempt to find what they're truly passionate about. How can you choose a passion when you haven't experienced everything there is the world has to offer."

Polishing the Paper

Only 2 more chapters left in Gallagher's book. The 8th chapter is called "Polishing the Paper" and is all about, yup, you guessed it, the revision process. I've found that every teacher has their own process, or acronyms to use when revising, and just like every other person, so does Gallagher. His method is titled RADaR and stands for Replace, Add, Delete and Reorder.

When using this method for a mock lesson for one of my other classes, I've had a week (2 days really) where the students were using RADaR on their own papers, then during the second draft students would use the RADaR method on their peers papers. I think peer revision is great because sometimes it takes a second eye to see edits or revisions, but I don't think the 2nd draft assignment should have shared grades because some students may be more invested than others.

The biggest point of this chapter is distinguishing between editing and revising. I know that some kids will be intimidated seeing so much red on a paper (all of the edits), and so revising may hold so much more value. Also, revising for content is less restricting and allows for a more creative process. I know when I focus so much on spelling or grammatical errors in my own work I lose train of thought or my ideas are less developed.

This chapter for me really jumped back to the example in class of Rachael. She in a way was editing her work by removing some pieces from her project, but more importantly she was revising by distinguishing which content was more valuable to her. I think if we can get kids more focused on revising and leave the editing to the end, the content would be much more developed and profound. I really do hope that the process of revising first and editing second is something that can be worked into my primary Discourse.

Take a Stand/ Propose a Solution

I think it was so fantastic that this chapter was introduced with the "Would you rather" game. "Would you rather be able to fast forward life or to rewind it?" or "Would you rather live in a world without cell phones or a world without [the internet]?" (pp 175) These type of questions introduce kids to taking a side, but the great thing is Gallagher asked his kids to write quick paragraphs taking both sides. For example, kids had to write about wanting to fast forward life AND about wanting to rewind it. By exploring what might be both sides of the argument, kids are better equipped to take a side a defend it. Jumping right into some of my favorite lesson plans...

Knowing both sides of an issue (pp 177) Kids pick a topic, or there is an overarching theme that they can choose a topic under (Theme = How the Media Affects Us and Topic = "Real" News versus Fluff). Then they make a 4 square chart exploring arguments. One side of the chart is where they write the main points of their argument. Below that they write what their counter-arguments will be from their parents/friends. Next they write what their main arguments are of their parents/friends. And below that they write what the counter-arguments are that they would present to their parents/friends. Filling out this chart is also a great way to practice conferencing with your students because more often than not they will tend to rush through the worksheet without fully considering the opposing sides of an argument. 

Drafting the Paper (pp 179) This is a large section which includes the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. For the introduction, Gallagher has his kids write two different introductions, then conference with the teacher/peers to help decide on the best one. For the conclusion (because we tend to ignore it or slap it together) Gallagher provides a list of dos and don'ts that kids can go through to ensure that they have an effective conclusion. Some examples include do point to broader implications, do express your hopes and don't simply restate your thesis or don't focus on only a minor point of the essay. 

Recognizing Problems: small to large (pp 192) This is a small mini lesson that has a big punch. This is another chart that has kids order problems from small to big. In the chart, kids start by listing local problems, then move to state problems, and on to national problems, and finally on to world problems. Kids may be provided with a newspaper to do this. Kids can make 24 hour observations to see if there is any change in the problems they charted. 

As a closing thought, Gallagher stresses the importance of developing within our students the ability to properly analyze a situation so that they can take a stand and propose a solution if the stance is about a problem. The real world consists of constant problems and debates so by giving kids practice in the classroom, the idea is that they can develop better critical thinking skills to one day better address the world's problems. 

Analyze and Interpret

The last chapter I want to cover today in chapter 6. In this chapter, Gallagher proposes a bunch of mini lessons to help kids analyze a subject and interpret its meaning. He starts by exploring the book Columbine which not only tells what happened leading up to, during, and after the shootings, but explored the question why. We want kids to go beyond summarizing and delve into exploring why something might be, or proposing solutions to change the thing. There was not too much theory in this chapter, so I will keep this post short and go right into some of my favorite lessons.

Interpretation Chart (pp 141) This project can actually be applied towards a literary topic, or can be just for fun to fill space, or can be whatever you want it to be. The idea is to have columns and rows where a student interprets a text or something in their own life.

Sorry the pictures are so small (I clicked extra large when uploading) but I think you get the idea. 

Interpret a Picture (pp 143) This project allows you to so a busy picture, like an iSpy picture, or one of Joseph Griffith's paintings, and let kids pick one element of the picture to tell a story, or describe what's going on. 

Interpret Song Lyrics (pp 171) Have kids listen to a song, for example one of U2s political songs, and have them interpret what is going on in the lyrics. Using music to interpret is great because it introduces a new medium and is inclusive for some special needs kids that don't learn in the traditional way. 

Gallagher's closing thought to this chapter was really inspiring. He said that teaching kids to interpret assigned books isn't enough. The real world is more complex than that, so we need to finds ways that they can interpret other "real world" texts as well. 

Inquire and Explore

As promised, I will be covering another chapter today, Chapter 5. This chapter is all about having the students inquire and explore. Gallagher starts by quoting the National Commission on Writing where they say that students need to double the amount of writing that they're doing, because right now, it's just not enough. Not only do we want kids to write because we as teachers want to know how much they know and how much they don't know, but Gallagher says that writing will often lead to ideas that we didn't even know we had. Through writing, we can use our imaginations in a creative fictional or nonfictional way. By limiting the writing we have kids do, we limit their creative process.

One of the best tests for this theory is to take a difficult passage, say from Dante's Inferno, and read it. Then give yourself a rating from 1-10 on how well you understood the piece. Read the same passage again, then rate your self a second time. Lastly, write the passage out (copy word for word), then rate yourself a third time. "If your score in the 3rd box is higher than your previous scores, you have discovered that the act of writing somehow deepened your level of comprehension. Being asked to commit words to a page generated new thinking." (pp 117) It is important to note, however, that there are different types of writing, and each type can deepen understanding in its own way.

Idiom Explorations (pp 124) Start by giving kids 4 options (a - d) of how the idiom "kick the bucket" started. Have them guess the correct answer. Once you go through a couple of idioms, you have kids think of their favorite, and write an origin story for it. You can find the true answers at the following wesites:
http://www.fun-with-words.com/etymology.html
http://www.etymonline.com/
http://www.redgage.com/blogs/sneaggles/etymology-of-idioms.html
You can also expand this lesson to include origin stories for other things more specific to your unit, such as the origins of books, soccer, political movements, etc.

Rumor Has It (pp 127) Similar to the one above, you can visit http://snopes.com/ to find out the truth about circulating rumors, such as Disneyland used to deny admittance to long-haired guests. You can use these examples to create origin stories as well.

What the Future Holds (pp 129) The last one I really like from this chapter has kids think about a unit topic, for example How the Media Affects Us, then explore a sub area of that topic, such as violent video games makes kids violent. You then ask the kids to think about what the core issue is of the topic, and creatively write about what the future might hold if this problem isn't solved. Some other topic areas might be careers, transportation, crime, pollution, housing, religion, etc.

In closing, the main idea behind this chapter is to continue feeding kids intellectual curiosity, even if they are older. Once kids stop wanting to explore is the day I want to stop teaching. It is important to keep their creative juices flowing so that the world can continue to be a better place. Essentially, you are teaching the underlying value of understanding the way things work to provoke some kind of change.

Evaluate & Judge

So as I'm reading through other people's blogs, I feel like I'm not moving through my book fast enough so I'll be making 3 posts today on 3 different chapters. Not only will I feel accomplished, but I'm hoping this will give me more free time at the end of the blogging assignment to do some reflecting.

Chapter 4 of Gallagher's book is all about evaluating and judging. We are introduced to these sub categories through side by side lists. You may be familiar with these same lists, as they are used to compare products when purchasing something on the internet. See example below:

Gallagher has his students make similar lists so they can get familiar with the evaluating and judging process, but also he does this so that kids can start to become familiar with our societies consumer culture. In addition, he says that our kids will one day be making some serious judgements, like what career they should pursue, how they might vote on an issue, where they might live after high school, and so many more topics, so the ability to evaluate, judge, and ultimately come to the best decision for the individual is imperative. Now that the serious stuff is out of the way, on to some of my favorite lesson plans in this chapter. 

Evaluate a print ad using propaganda techniques (pp 103) Gallagher has an amazing list of propaganda techniques used by the media the he gives us in the book. Some of the list includes "snob appeal", "fear", "vagueness", and "bandwagon". He uses this list to help kids determine which techniques are being used in different advertisements, which create an overall awareness to deeper messages within ads. 

YouTube Study (pp 106) With this mini lesson, kids will evaluate the effectiveness of a YouTube video. The point is to determine what the author's purpose was, and who the audience is supposed to be. Kids will always want to start evaluating their favorite videos and we should let them, but we should also shift gears and have kids explore more serious videos as well. 

The rest of this chapter is filled with other great mini lessons that use the teach, model, practice method and though I've said it a million times, I can't stress enough how much I recommend that you look into buying this book. If you're interested in the mini lessons I've talked about so far, or want to explore some others within Gallagher's book, it can be purchased here. 

Inform and Explain

Chapter 3 of Gallagher's book is all about informing and explaining. The truth is we will not all grow up to be professional writers, but the ability to proficiently write/ express oneself through writing is vital. I know I have personally written letters of complaint, sent friends and bosses emails, written instructions to a friend on how to take care of my turtle while I was out of town. The fact is, we need to know how to write.

Informing and explaining can be anything from the "How to" essay (how to tie a tie, how to make a peanut butter sandwich, etc) to explaining how something works, but if we want kids to write these kinds of essays, we need to make them more interesting. Gallagher starts the chapter with a list of 10 ways to botch something (it's a sarcastic list), and my favorite was to the new teacher (66-67). The list is as follows:

1. Assign, don't teach
2. Beat a topic until it's deader than a doornail
3. Talk and talk and talk
4. Don't explain your grading criteria
5. Come to class unprepared
6. Pretend you know stuff that you really don't know
7. Don't create any of your own lessons
8. Play favorites
9. Try to be "cool"
10. Jam your political views down your student's throats

Gallagher uses the above list as a model for his students, then asks them to make similar lists. Each item below the list has a brief explanation. The idea is to get kids thinking critically, and working towards the ultimate goal, which is the "explanatory" essay.

I also like the lesson, "Sometimes you Can judge a book by it's cover" (pp 72) which has kids explain how their _________ (fill in the blank) reveal(s) who they are. Some samples are cell phone, backpack, shoes, Starbucks order.

Another great one was "How to survive _______(fill in the blank)" (pp 86). This essay has students write explained lists on how to survive something, like a day at Disneyland, or the 9th grade. This list also has explanations below each entry.

The last mini lesson I loved was "Look closely" (pp 86) which has students look at a pictures up close and personal, and try to guess what it is. They will write a short story explaining what the item is.

The point of all these sample mini lessons, and the many more in the book is to get kids exploring the informative and explanatory essays. Gallagher says that it is unlikely kids will grow up and have to write an essay on Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, however, they will likely have to explain on a job application why they want the job or write to an insurance agency why the accident wasn't their fault. By giving kids the chance to creatively write explanatory and informative essays, we are doing them a great service.

Until next time, happy blogging!

Expression and Reflection

Chapter 2 of Gallagher's book is all about expression and reflection. Aside from the fact that I love love love how gallagher relates teaching back to experiences in his own life, this chapter talks about how students need to be able to express and reflect through writing for there to be meaning behind their work. Gallagher says, "Good reflective writing moves beyond recounting the past; it brings new insight to the writer" (24). He then goes on to define expressive writing as personal and reflective writing as both personal and exploring how the experience shaped the writer. The rest of the chapter consists of great mini lesson ideas for the classroom, and the following are some of my favorites:

Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life (27)
Using Amy Krouse Rosenthal's Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life as a mentor text, the teacher drafts entries for his own encyclopedia in front of his kids. An example might be Apple Pie - My grandmother's cinnamon apple pie sitting on  windowsill cooling in the late afternoon. Baseball Bubble Gum - Chewing the slivers of gum as I wait to bat on my sophomore softball team. And so on and so forth. Once the lesson is modeled, the kids get to come up with their own encyclopedias.

The Bucket List (35)
Reference the movie, The Bucket List, and perhaps show a short clip from the film. Draft items that might be on your own bucket list in front of the kids. Have the kids do the same. Once the list is done, have the kids pick their top item and write about it.

Reverse Poem (41)
Watch the YouTube poem "Lost Generation" by Jonathan Reed.

The great thing about this poem is if read forward, the author is very pessimistic about the world thinking there is no hope for the future, but if read backwards, the poem is very hopeful. Using this as a mentor text, teach the class about the beginning, end, and transitional phrases that let this be a forwards and backwards poem. Model the process for the students, and allow them to have input on what you're (the teacher's) poem may look like. Then let them make their own poems.

What my Childhood Tasted Like (44)
This is another creative writing project that explores lists of what one's childhood may have tasted like (grapes, pie, Cheerios, etc). The child then chooses one of these items to write about in more detail.

Top 10 Lists (55)
Start by giving a top 10 list to your kids. It can be David Letterman's Top 10 List, but just make sure the list is edited. :) Give a couple more examples, such as Top 10 Grossing Films of all Time or Top 10 Excuses Why Kids Don't Do Their Homework. Make a Top 10 List with the class, then ask the students to make their own Top 10 Lists. Students can then reflect on the project as a whole, or choose one item to write more about.

Though there were so many more great ideas in this chapter, the top 5 are listed above. As you can see, a majority of his ideas start with introducing a mentor text, then modeling the writing process for students, and finally giving the students time to free write. Gallagher seems to be of the strong belief that modeling is just as important as doing, and I love his examples as they bring life to the classroom. I think that when kids can see your own writing process, and that it's not perfect, you'll have more kids enthusiastic about writing.

Ha Ha. Couldn't help it.

A new start

Hello fellow bloggers!
Unfortunately, I was none too happy with my book so I have opted for a new one. I have chosen Kelly Gallagher's Write Like This: Teaching Real-World Writing Through Modeling & Mentor Texts.

As I am a day behind, I will delve right into the fascinating world of mentor texts and sample mini lessons. I have begun to read this book, and I can honestly say for all of you out there planning to teach middle school or high school English, please buy this book!! It is filled with excellent, updated mini lessons that will keep your kids asking for more.

Gallagher starts off in the first chapter explaining why writing is so important. He mentions that people may think writing is a dying deed with the introduction of technology, but those people are dead wrong. He says that writing and understanding the written language (I take this to be reading and comprehension) is at the core of every good career move. Our kids are graduating high schools with writing skills that are under college standards and the reason for this is that we do not give our kids enough time to write in the classroom. He says that only a small portion of time should be dedicated to lecturing and the majority of time should be spent mentoring and free writing. Kids should see us writing as teachers, and write themselves in mimicry of us.

Gallagher also mentions the common core standards (attests to the relevancy of this book) and how they are a bit limited. He says that teachers can easily get caught up in meeting these standards without allowing any flexibility for the creative mind. I, however, believe that we can adhere to these standards, and still maintain creativity in the classroom. The point is that we should never let these standards bog us down, rather, take them as a starting point and "stretch them into areas that can be readily applied in the real world" (7). In tune with stretching the core standards to be relevant for our kids, we also need to mentor through modeling. What this means is teach a lesson, model the lesson, then let the kids free write. Students need to let their writing express, reflect, inform, explain, evaluate, judge, inquire, explore, analyze, interpret, take a stand, and propose a solution. Writing will never be fulfilling if we don't allow kids to creatively express themselves in one of these ways.

I have to admit that when I first read the section explaining how to model writing for our students, I thought it was weird. Writing in front of my kids just sounded strange. All their eyes on me as I type, backspace, take time to think, revise, then edit. But then Gallagher explained that if a child sees an adult going through this process, they will understand that great pieces do not magically appear on a page, and they are only perfect after multiple drafts. If we show our kids that the creative process is a constant jumble of editing and revising, perhaps they will filter that this is "ok" into their primary Discourse (shout out to Gee).

Well folks, that is all I have for chapter 1. It seems as though a lot of the following chapters are sample mini lessons and what kind of use they have to students, so I will be sure to share some of my favorites, and perhaps you all will find some great ideas for your own classrooms. Again, I highly recommend this book!!

Happy Blogging,

Miss H

Getting Started

So I have officially started the book and I love it from the get-go. Wilhelm introduces the idea of enactment strategies as not theater, and explains that props, stages, rehearsals and acting skills are not needed. The idea of bringing a text to life is using your imagination as a learning device and using the same imagination to explore all interpretations of the text. Wilhelm gave many examples of this strategy, but the one I enjoyed most was having students act out a scene from Huckleberry Finn, then having students behind those initial students acting out what's written between the lines. For example, acting out why a character chose to ask a question, or play a prank on another character. These are things that are not written in the book, however, are things that can be interpreted.

The point is that not everyone learns the same way. A lot of students are not in fact traditional learners, and for them, the creative aspect behind assigned texts is beneficial. Enactment can both engage the student, and also help them retain information. What I really enjoy is this idea that enactments are not just public displays of excerpts from the text. I have not seen how enactments can transform into written work yet, but I'm excited to see where this idea goes.

I also really enjoyed learning that enactments are motivating. It is easy to encourage our students to read, but it is hard to ensure that this task is always done. Enactments serve as a way to get students interested in the text and gives them something to look forward to. They will often find themselves asking, "What happens next?", which motivates reading. As an endnote to the introduction, Wilhelm encourages the reader to take a small test exploring how good of a motivator are you. I have included the test below:

A Motivational Survey
How Good a Motivator am I? A Self-Reflection Checklist
(based on current motivation research: (Bandura, 1998; Csikszentmihalyi, 1990; Pajares,
1996; Smith and Wilhelm, 2002)
Usually = 4 points Sometimes = 2 points Never = 0 points
____1. I believe my students are trustworthy and communicate this to them.
____2. I believe a teacher should care about students and express this caring.
____3. I believe my students are competent and can become more competent with proper
assistance.
____4. I attend to student interests and provide some level of choice.
____5. I help students to do things and to know how to do things and to talk about how
to do things.
____6. I avoid labeling students.
____7. I send explicit invitations to succeed, both to my students as a group, and
individually.
____8. I listen to what my students really say; I noodle around trying to get to know
them.
____9. I make good use of student experts in my class - getting kids to teach each other
and share their expertise.
____10. I use heterogeneous groups and interest groups to build interdependence and to
highlight and use different students’ strengths.
____11. I avoid overemphasis on competition, rewards and winning -- though I may
foster a fun, gamelike atmosphere where every one can win and succeed.
____12. I help students to evaluate themselves; to build, articulate and apply their own
critical standards.
____13. I communicate high expectations to all my students
____14. I focus on future success vs. past failure.
____15. I name what students can do, focusing on their abilities and achievement; I
celebrate student expertise.
____16. I negotiate, help set, and communicate clear goals as I highlight focus and and
higher purpose to the work that we do.
____17. I provide continuous feedback to students about how they are doing, and create
learning situations that provide immediate feedback.
____18. I frontload unit work by starting with what students already know, activating
background and building interest and a sense of purpose.
____19. I foster connections to students’ current life concerns.
____20. I encourage the reading of a variety of different kinds of texts.
____21. I encourage fun, humor and laughter in the classroom, including the reading of
humorous texts.
____22. I use artifacts and concrete objects in my teaching, and ask students to design
artifacts and concrete objects that make knowledge visible and reasoning accountable.
____23. I welcome and encourage multiple responses to class questions and projects.
____24. I model the behaviors that I value for students (e.g. I read; I am pleasant).
____25. I am passionate about reading and about ideas and I model and communicate this
passion.
____26. I teach my students for who they are and who they might be RIGHT NOW in the
present moment (not for who I think they should be and be able to do sometime in the far
off future).
____27. In my classroom, we read texts that can be related to real world situations and
activity.
____28. The activities in my classroom allow students to identify and use their expertise.
Total - 98-110+ = You are a most excellent motivator! 88-97 = Good 78-87 = Fair
>77 Try something different!!!!

I thought this test served as a great introduction to what kind of a teacher you might be, and I encourage all you readers out there to take a brief 5 minutes out of your hectic schedules to test yourselves.

I have more to read, and more to report on, so until next time, happy blogging!

Action Strategies for Deepening Comprehension

I chose to read Action Strategies for Deepening Comprehension by Jeffrey D Wilhelm. I love the idea that we can make text come to life, so I chose this book as it is to have many engagement techniques we can bring to a classroom. I know that for me, whenever I read a novel (teen novels are my favorite) a movie plays through my head. Of course, this is only true with great authors, but I enjoyed the idea that this happens for most everyone reading a great story. My background is in creative writing, so the opportunity to learn more about bringing the pages to life really excites me. I will have more to come when I crack open these pages later today, so until then, happy reading!

Introductions

Blogging about blogging, huh? Well, for all the readers out there, this is the first post for an Education class at the University of New Mexico. I am 25 and and coming back to UNM for my Master's in Secondary Ed. Though the next many upcoming posts are required, the plan is to continue with this blog well into my teaching days to maintain a compilation of feelings, teaching techniques, and advice to live by as a secondary ed teacher.

The first step of the assignment was to explore Wikipedia's definition of blogging. Though somewhat interesting, I thought it much more fun to go out and explore other blogs to get a feel for what would be coming. I ventured across Blogger for a while skimming through the random "what I like to eat", "look at my kids" and "just because" blogs, and though they were all nice in their own ways, I was really looking for blogs that were more teacher specific. Can you guess what I did next? Only what every single other person with a smart phone in a time of information-needing crisis does - googled. I did a simple search, something like, "teacher blogs", and I actually came across the Top 25 High School Teacher Blogs of 2012 listed by Top Masters in Education. I was quite ecstatic to find this list because it was produced by a group interested in promoting further education for teachers. As a prospective high school English teacher, I have reviewed a couple of the English blogs below:

The first blog I clicked on was one entitled Mr. TeachBad. I thought the name was a little fishy but it had me curious all the same so onto Mr. TeachBad's blog I went. Turns out, the entire blog is dedicated to the highlights and pitfalls of teaching. From videos to stories, Mr. TeachBad has it all mapped out without any kind of censors. The blog is written in a satirical sort of way, and I thought it was absolutely fabulous! What better way to enter the field (I start student teaching in the fall) then to sit and read through a mockery of the profession (of course not in an offensive way). What I enjoyed most about this blog is that it seemed to be more of a release for teachers. There were stories and opinions of laws affecting teachers today, basic current events, and suggestions for teachers to take to their own classroom. One of the recent posts, for example, is entitled "Stop Data Rape!". An obviously inappropriate name, the post actually gives insight to how to teach data collecting/ teach data to students. This blog is obviously a teacher to teacher type, rather than a teacher to student type, and I really enjoyed the many different aspects Mr. TeachBad had to offer. 

The second blog I came across was entitled Stump the Teacher. Not going to lie, I clicked on it because I thought it would be a compilation of riddles, games, and other fun activities to introduce to the classroom, however, it turns out the reason the blog is named Stump the Teacher is because the owner of the blog is Mr. Stumpenhorst. Well, I still explored the blog and though I found it to be a little less relevant and spicy compared to Mr. TeachBad, I still enjoyed the many opinions on current events that Mr. Stumpenhorst had to offer. This too seems to be another diary-type blog. 

Overall, I think the best thing I can offer to the blogging world is a compilation of sorts. I think a good blog not only consists of opinions, but of news articles/current events, great lesson plans/ ideas, and laws that affect teachers. The reason a compilation is so necessary is because it makes the difference between reading someone's diary and giving something of value to your readers. If a blog consisted of solely opinions and day to day entries, it would be quite boring. As bloggers, we need to show our readers why they should care about our posts. When I do finally become a teacher, I would also like to link my blog to student blogs as well and integrate this type of writing as a year-round activity.