Wrapping it up

Students should be finished with the research portion of their nine paragraph essays and move on to typing.  All essays are due by midnight Friday the 17th of December.  Students should be posting them on their blogs no later than then.  If your student does not have access to the internet, then the paper is due by the end of school on the 17th.  Students were also told that they can hand write the paper neatly if they do not have access to a computer this week.  There should be no reason for excuses. 

I want them posted on the blogs so the students can get feedback before winter break is over.  I don't know about you, but I hate turning in something that I worked so hard on and then having to wait forever to find out how I did.  I won't post their grade on the blog, but I can give them feedback that will give them some idea of how they did, and give them the chance to edit their post and fix things if they so choose before grades are finalized upon our return.  Typically, I do not lose things, but collecting such a large assignment right before break makes me nervous.  A lot of things get moved around my house over the holidays as I catch up on cleaning and then reorganize for the new stuff my kids get.  I expect this to be even greater this year since I have been in school nonstop for the past year and a half.  I would like to have as many assignments posted on the blogs so I can't lose them (and don't have to carry them around with me). 

Make sure student continue reading over break.  So many of them have made such wonderful progress towards their goals, that I hate to see them fall behind.  There are a couple of announcements that I have about books and our classroom:

1)  Every year, I offer candy for books.  This is a chance for students to dig around the house and find any of my books that have been hanging around for a while.  I then offer one piece of candy for the return of the book.  We are very blessed to have so many books to choose from in our school and I firmly believe in spreading the gift of literacy.  Therefore the other aspect of "Candy for Books" is donation.  Students can donate new or gently used books of any grade level in exchange for a piece of candy.  Any books that are not used in the teacher classroom libraries, go to children's homes.  In the past we have donated them to Marygrove.  If any parents have another children's charity that would appreciate the books, I would gladly divide them up.  This is a good chance to clean off those bookshelves and make room for new literary adventures.

2)  The other thing I do every year is keep my own reading log along with the kids.  I track my pages just like they do.  This year they have a head start on me because of school.  At the end of the year, any student who has met or beaten my number of pages read is invited to a pizza party after school--my treat.  So far I am at 1,100 or so pages (most of which I read this weekend because I have missed reading for fun so much).  Encourage your students to keep reading!

Have a wonderful holiday season.  I wish you all well.  When we return, we will begin looking at the elements of literature and literary analysis.  Your students will feel like they are in a college literature class (I hope).  I love this unit because the kids really grow so much and begin to look at literature in a different way.  They will also help me revise the book I am writing as they learn plot structure, theme and point of view.  then apply it on their own as we get into descriptive writing.  I can't wait!

Book Talk

Monster by Walter Dean Myers.  This is a really good book. Check it out.

Let the Production Begin

Okay, I know it has been awhile, but there has been little of interest to report as we have been going through the nitty gritty of organizing expository writing. Now that the students understand how to write a topic sentence, support it with a supporting detail or fact and then tie it together with an example, they can repeat this pattern for the entire paragraph until they are ready to conclude it. We learned that our paragraphs will be well structured and organized as long as we sandwich the supporting details and examples with a topic sentence and conclusion. Learning this structure has been challenging, so watch for struggling as your child writes this week. It is one thing to write a structured paragraph about your day or something you know a lot about, but it is another to write about a civilization you have never heard of until this assignment.

Just to make sure you have the answers if your student happens to forget what this assignment is, let me explain. Students selected a group of ancient peoples. They then have been asked to research this group, looking for information on the seven characteristics of civilization, and prove whether or not the group they chose is a civilization. This is somewhat similiar to the paper they did in Social Studies earlier this year. The exceptions are: this one is longer (9 paragraphs), this one is researched and very organized, and this one will also be graded based on the student's use of revision techniques.  One last bit of information you may need is the seven characteristics of a civilization. They are as follows: government, food supply, art, religion, technology, social structure and writing. Students should write a paragraph describing how their people displayed evidence of each one.

To prepare students for this essay, we have done many things. Students have learned paragraph structure and research plans. On Friday, Mrs. Ruebusch, our librarian, presented information on how to use databases and the district's online library resources. She also told us how to determine if we are looking at a reliable source online. Now that students have all of the background, they are researching and writing.

The essay is due (final copy) on the 17th of December.  I have asked students to write at least one paragraph each night this week, leaving them halfway done and the other half to be done over the weekend. However, I did suggest that they would be in better shape if they did two each night. Everyday this week, we will be reading and giving feedback in partners. Students will then use this feedback to revise and write the final draft next week.  To see the scoring guide, click on the title of this post--it is a hot link.

Key components of expository writing

Today we learned these key components of expository writing. Over the next several week we will be learning to use these as we write a research essay. It is important that the students master these components so they can focus more on the writing. Students should study these each night as they will be quizzed over them.

 Expository writing defines, persuades, informs and/or explains.
 Introductory or lead paragraph invites the reader to explore the topic.
 Thesis/Topic statement reveals overall purpose of the writing.
 Body consists of three or more points, descriptions, or examples.
 Concluding paragraph restates the thesis and offers the reader the
opportunity to reflect further on the topic.
 Contains a topic body and closing paragraph

Our vocabulary words this week are: apprehensive, destination, jostle, meander, meticulous and narrator

Welcome Trimester 2

As trimester one wraps up, we can look back at how far we've come. This year so far we have learned how to summarize both fiction and non-fiction texts, explored our past literacy experiences as we wrote a narrative, learned how to truly revise our writing, came to understand the benefits of previewing a text and most importantly, we learned why we should read! And read we have! The district reading initiative sets a goal of 1400 pages per student for the year, and so far we have 23 students who have met or surpassed that already. We can't forget the 26 students who are very very close to this goal and will surpass it by Winter break!

I am so proud of all of the students. Each day they come in ready to do their best. One of the best parts is, if they're not ready that day, they are willing to let me push them. This shows true resilience!

Over the next trimester, we will be exploring the structure and purpose of expository writing. With this will come more practice with revision. We have 100 vocabulary words to learn (more if we finish those), similarities and differences to look at, figurative language to explore and the elements of literature to learn. Hopefully, you will see us grow as you read our blogs and hear our voices. Please continue to give us feedback as you read our writing.

As we drift into that busy holiday season, please keep books in mind as gifts. Kids like having the latest book all to themselves. There are plenty of links on the class blog that will help you find the latest and greatest. I will also be sending Scholastic book orders home next week.

Keep your kids reading and if you have questions or feedback, please let me know.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Benson

(I am currently reading "It's Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini)

Poetry Contest

Vote on the poll for your favorite poem.

Poem #1

Silent but lively
another place
just for me
glistening and soft like fabric
talking to sea life like it's my second language

A world doused by water
with the radiant life under the sea
bright like the heavens
bubbles pop and squeak
the current moves ever so lightly

Calm but life taking
waves crash and bash
yin and yang in perfect harmony
living in this place is carefree
just the right place for
destiny

Breathtaking to see
more beautiful than Angelina Jolie

flying faster than a bee
more weightless than space itself
that's what living in the sea means to me

Poem #2

So much adversity
Weighing me down
My heart aches all over
But here; I seek immunity
Under the water, I am wispy
Free, floating

Perched on this underwater ledge,
Feeling the cold current,
I ponder our divergence
Seeking release from the sorrow

Glowing, warm, waves of light
Ripple beyond the water
Mimicking a giggle and grin,
Conflicting my descent,
Encouraging me to return

Inevitably, waves crack,
Staining the life above with turmoil.
Cold, grips my heart
And the weight recaptures me
Even the peace of the water
Can’t make the damage recede
Unwillingly, I resurface for air

Persistent in my pursuit,
I return to the depths
Until nightfall; a final resurfacing
Finds pale moonlight
Casting hope on the shore

I see love and reach
Yet, it is too far
Unable to see me
Unwilling to hear me
Dictating isolation

What's Important?

This week we worked on most important word summaries with non-fiction.  As we read a piece of non-fiction text, we chose the most important word or phrase from each paragraph.  Then we use those words to help us construct a summary of the text.  This strategy was a bit challenging and awkward at first, but once we got it, it proved to really help us understand what we were reading.  Finding only one word or phrase is challenging at first and the students really had to talk it out with each other to be sure they had the correct and most important one. 

After practicing this, we used this strategy as we took the October Tungsten test.  One of the articles was on symbiosis which is a concept that we are not entirely familiar with, making this month's test challenging.  Students were required to use the summarization strategy before they answered the questions for that part of the test.  This seemed to help.  Many students kept their scores in range of where they were last time or rose them--both a great sign for a test as challenging as this month's was.  Take some time to look over your child's Tungsten with them and discuss their answer selections--both right and wrong.  Ask them to explain how/why they answered the way they did.  If you need a reminder, the web address is linked to this post--all you have to do is click on the post title and it will take you straight there.  I will place it in Places to Investigate links too.  Your child should know their user name and password.  If not, please let me know and I will e-mail it to you.

assessments.edisonlearning.com

I am so proud of the work I see each and every day from your children.  They are so ready and willing to stand up to whatever challenge I give them.  In fact, it is so obvious that they come to school everyday hoping to be challenged.  Thank you for all you do to support them.  I hope you have had time to check out the student blogs to the right.  The kids work hard and really want to be heard.  The best way to show them they have been heard is by offering them feedback to grow from.  Ask them questions and share what they are doing with your family, friends and neighbors.  All of their work has been self motivated with the exception of the literary histories and that proves how much they want to be heard.

For next week, be on the look out for our first poetry challenge.  George has challenged me to write a poem about underwater.  I will be posting both of our poems on the class site for voting.  They will be anonymous, so you won't know whose is whose.  May the best writer win.  Make sure you read them and vote.

Read over the weekend.  Don't forget your reading goals! 

Field Trip

We had a great time and learned a lot more about St. Louis and its history; especially how the Civil War impacted the city.  On a restroom detour, we saw this poster in the window that looked just like Alea, so she posed next to it.  Tell us what you think, does this look like Alea or not?

Welcome to Conferences

Your student will be leading you through their progress so far this year.  These are some points they should be discussing with you:

• What is your reading goal and what progress have you made towards achieving it?
• What have you learned about revising your writing?  How is it different from editing?
• How does previewing a text help you?
• What strategy can you use to help you summarize a text?
• How they have used their blog so far and their plans for the blog.

Good is not Enough

A long, long, long time ago, I too was in Middle School.  Around 7th and 8th grade, I was inspired to write poetry.  This became what I would do in class when I was supposed to take notes, what I would do at home when I was supposed to do homework and, well, what I would do.  I have several journals filled with poems from then until now. 

Those journals are rarely cracked open.  I use them to introduce myself to the kids at the beginning of the year, but I do not let students read them.  I guess you would say I am a bit guarded.  Well, the kids asked why, and I couldn't answer this.  I've thought about it and thought about it.  Recently, the answer hit me~ I've never revised my poems.  As I was planning for our revision lesson, I was wishing I had some student work that hadn't been revised, so I began to look for some poems in my journals that we could use.

I have to admit I was a bit sick as I pulled that first poem up this morning.  Twenty plus 12-13 year olds were not only about to read my work, but they were going to critique it.  I could only imagine how similar each student must feel each time they share a piece of their writing.

I did not tell them that the writing was mine, but they figured it out when I did not tell them who the author was.  They liked the poems and had a hard time at first looking at them critically.  Once I reassured them that my feelings would not be hurt (and made the first change myself) the kids took off.   You can check out their work by clicking here.  The kids want to have a little contest, so please take the poll on our blog that will help us measure which block you think revised best.

After all of their hard work, the poems are no longer mine.  It is now OUR poem and it is a hundred times better.  I am proud of this writing now.  Today we all learned.  I learned to put myself out there a little, just like I ask the kids to and the kids learned to revise.  They saw the value in their changes and discovered the fun in playing with words, organization, verb tense, repetition and rhythm.  Now, they need to use these skills in all of their writing. 

Our literary history paper guidelines will be finalized tomorrow and an official due date assigned.  I expect that students will spend time with their writing, practicing their new revision skills.  We will take class time on Monday to work on this, so they can get some help, but I still expect time on task at home.  It took us an hour to revise one poem, and there were many of us working on it.  Tuesday will be Tungsten and Wednesday is the field trip to the History Museum. 

We hope to see you later next week for conferences.  Please call the 7th grade office to set up your appointment time if you haven't already.  The number is 953-7532.

How it all begins...

This has been an exciting week.  Challenging, but exciting.  We have partnered with Ms. Heineman's Social Studies class since the students are writing essays in both classes to explore and attempt a variety of introductions.  Yesterday, while my classes hosted Ms. Holland, the counselor, for one of her lessons, I taught with Ms. Heineman.  Today, our classes went to the library together and had a combined seminar-like class.  Both days we explored the value of essay beginnings, looked at several examples and then attempted several different kinds of beginnings on our own. 

If you talk to your student about their essay beginning, I bet they will tell you it was hard to write.  They should also be able to tell you why essay beginnings are so important.  We discussed how some employers will ask applicants to write an essay as part of the interview process and as students apply for scholarships and to colleges, writing strong essays will be important too.  Students seemed to know all of these facts, however the realization that their writing didn't just have to be good to be accepted did not appear to come as easily.  We explained to the classes how their essays would have to stand out as exemplar so they would be accepted over the numerous other candidates applying for the same positions or scholarships.

Once this was realized, students understood why the development of their introduction paragraph was so important.  In groups, we explored numerous examples of essays to study how the authors developed their beginnings.  Students chose three or four of their favorite beginnings and modeled their essay beginnings after these.  Once students had several different beginnings, they chose the one they liked the best, the one that made them want to write more. 

I watched as students went from confused, to trying, to frustrated and ready to quit and then to persistence.  With a little encouragement and feedback, students kept writing and rewriting until...THEY GOT IT!  They were so happy and proud of themselves.  It truly has been two days of repeated confirmation of why my job is so amazing. 

I realize that some students may still be struggling with the concept or exactly how to write a strong and interesting beginning.  I will continue to work with them on the essay for my class as we revise and edit.  I fully expect that one to be much easier because the writing piece is about themselves.  Please ask your child about the essay beginning they have for Social Studies.  I am sure they would love to talk about the experience they had today.

I wanted to give a few shout outs:  Calah S., I know you were frustrated and ready to give up.  I am so proud of your effort.  I think you came up with some good writing today.  Nakayla, I was very impressed and could tell just how hard you worked when you asked me to read your introduction and told me, "I'm kinda loving it."  Jordan D., your intro was so strong that I want a copy of it for an example for next year.  There are so many more of you who impressed me with your efforts and hard work today.  Hold your heads high...you guys did something great today.

We Changed Directions

Technology is a wonderful thing when it works, but when it doesn't, well you have to do your best.  We were going to go on to non-fiction summarization and post reading strategies, but our Promethean board has decided to take a mini-vacation, so we are changing plans slightly until it can be repaired.

I moved up our personal narrative/writing process unit so we could move forward.  We will come back around to the summarization lessons once we can use the Promethean and all of the activities I had already planned that utilize the technology available to us.  (In other words, I worked hard on the lessons we were going to do and I am excited to see how the kids like them and the technology played a big role in those lessons.)  So, that means that students should be talking about their past experiences with reading and writing instead of summarizing things they have read. 

They may appreciate a few reminders of what they were like as beginning readers, so they have more material to work with.  Tomorrow I will be checking to see if they have made some progress on their rough draft as Mrs. Holland, the counselor is in doing her lesson.  I will also make sure that everyone is caught up with everything.  Later this week students may ask to interview you about their progress as a reader and writer has been from a parent's perspective.  This will help them add more specific details to their writing.  for a good example of what students will be writing, please check out the amazing short selection written by Alexis on her blog, Alexis soccer girl 15.  Her piece is titled, "The First Time I Wrote my Name".

Homework:

Read 30 minutes and work on the literary history rough draft.

Parents:

Don't forget to sign up for parent/teacher conferences October 13th-15th.  Call Mrs. Kroll in the 7th grade office at 953-7532 to schedule.

SchoolTube - Beastly

Modern twist on Beauty and the Beast

SchoolTube - Beastly

SchoolTube - Wish You Were Dead by Todd Strasser

This is a very cool, very current book that highlights web safety and the various impacts of current social technology.

SchoolTube - Wish You Were Dead by Todd Strasser

SchoolTube - Dirty Little Secrets by C.J. Omololu

Looks like an interesting book about hoarding.

SchoolTube - Dirty Little Secrets by C.J. Omololu

Helping Your Kids at Home

I have had a couple of parents ask how they can help their student be successful.  I wanted to share the information with everyone, because what I have learned this week is very cool.  There have been changes made to Tungsten that will facilitate your efforts to be an involved and supportive parent in a more content specific manner.

1) Tungsten has changed the format to a Web Based system called eValuate.  This means that you can now access completed tests from home and review them with your child.  This will show you their score for the month, allow you to review the test and discuss their answer choices with them and analyze their data personal strand data.

2)  The personal strand data will show you your child's content strengths and weaknesses.  You will be able to determine what their struggling points are in both reading and math.  From there, you can ask the teachers or even research strategies for helping your child in these areas.  Students in my class will become very accustomed to using this data to improve their learning as the year progresses.

3)  To access this information you go to https://assessments.edisonlearning.com/ where you will be prompted to enter a user name a password.  All students should know this information.  If they do not, please send the teacher an e-mail and they will be able to provide it to you.

When working with your students on improving their performance there are a few key strategies that have proven helpful in the classroom that I would like to share with you.  Reminding students to set small, realistic goals, this gives them the opportunity to see improvement and feel success which builds up their confidence.  Make goals specific.  A goal such as, "I want to do better,"  doesn't give the student an idea of what they need to know and do to make this goal happen.  Goal statements that are more like, "This month I want to increase my score by 5% by rereading the text before I answer the questions," is a lot more specific and will help the student focus their efforts.  Students can also set goals based on a certain strand they are struggling with.  "This month, I will practice summarizing a text so I can increase my performance on the summarizing questions by 10%."  These goals give the student something tangible to work with to increase their learning and performance.

Please let me know if you need any additional support or information as you explore this learning tool with your students.  As a parent, I've been playing with my son's Tungsten.  We had a great discussion about his choices last night and he now wishes I didn't know how to get to this information because these conversations will happen often.

Homework:  Read 30 minutes.  Students in 4th and 5th block are still working with vocabulary words from last week.  They need to study for the test on Friday.  The words are noble, insinuate, integrate, eloquent, shrewd and cynical.

Vocab Masters

Today we really attacked these vocabulary words.  Students utilized context clues to help them figure out what the words meant.  At no point have they been allowed to look the words up in the dictionary or thesaurus and yet they should know at least three other words that mean the same thing as the vocab word.  These kids are also learning that they are smarter than they thought.  Camille had an amazing moment today when she connected the prefix inter-  with the word integrated to figure out that it meant within or together.  This was so very cool!  I think she stood a little taller the rest of the day after that one.  Other students in all the classes put their Science vocab to good use when we were talking about the word insinuate.  They said it means to hypothesize.  I was so proud of them for applying their knowledge from another class.  We will be predicting and questioning tomorrow and Friday we will read The Noble Experiment, the story of Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey.  There is also a vocab test on Friday over our six words.

Homework:  Read 30 minutes and complete the Shabooya Raps 

Previewing

Today we explored the use of previewing a text before reading it.  All week we will look at the different pre-reading strategies that strong readers use when they approach a new text.  Today we looked at how the special features of a text help us make some determinations about the content of the text before we even read it.  This really wasn't so hard once we realized how much we could learn from just a few captions.

When you see your child begin to read a new non-fiction text, ask them what they think it is going to be about.  If they can't tell you, they are not ready to begin reading it.  They should look at the headings, maps, captions, graphs, pulled-out text, bold type and other highlighted texts.  Then they should be able to give you an idea of what they are about to read.  Doing this will help them begin to think of questions, make predictions and connect the text to any background they have about the topic.

We have begun exploring new vocabulary words.  We won't learn definitions exactly; we will focus more on synonyms of the new words.  We do this because it is easier to learn a word faster if you attach it to a word you already know.  Students will know how to correctly use the new words through this strategy as well.

Here are our words for this week:  noble, insinuate, cynical, eloquence, integrated, and shrewd.

Homework is to read for 30 minutes.  Check out our blogs!  The kids are creating some great stuff independently and would love feedback.

We Are Public

Many of you may have noticed the increase in student blogs to the right.  Over the past few days we have been creating and posting our sites for the world to see.  Please take some time to read and enjoy the writing of our class.

We would like feedback and comments as we are growing as public writers.  If there is anything you want more of, please let the authors know.  As their teacher, I ask that you be kind and praise the courage it takes to create for a public forum, but also offer guidance when you see places that require growth.  There have been a few guidelines given to the students.

Students need to remember that their blogs are attached to my site which is attached to the school website.  This means that their work directly represents our school, our values and our academic performance.  This is a huge responsibility that should be handled with maturity.
1)  There should be NO text talk unless the piece they are writing is about texting.  If you see it, please point it out.  This has become such a dominant part of how they write, they may not even notice they are doing it.

2)  The blogs are for respectful dialogues and we must follow the old adage of, if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.  Feedback should be constructive, allowing the writer to learn and grow.  Mean comments will not be helpful or tolerated.

3)  Spelling, homophones and capitalization need to be checked closely.  So many students are slacking with these rules that we need to focus on them, so keep your eyes out for these mistakes.

4) Any use of material that does not belong to the student must be cited. You may not put the work of someone else on your blog without giving them credit for that work. A citation should include the author's name and the source/location of where the work came from.


Mistakes will happen and we hope to support one another as we learn to watch for these.  If you see any problems or concerns with the blogs, please let me know.  We hope you enjoy reading what we all have to say about the world and that you help us with our journey to become budding writers.

This is Growing Up

For three Sundays, James had found himself hiding in these bushes by the pond. Taking cover was purely instinctive; he was used to hiding when he heard someone coming. The first time, three weeks ago, however, he was caught off guard. He had not realized how close he was to other people until the sound of their laughter had already disrupted his focus, causing him to drop the rocks he had been levitating. Startled and disappointed for letting his guard down, James hid behind the large evergreen bushes near the shore of the pond. Trembling in fear, he listened to the voices, trying to hear if the intruders had caught a glimpse of him before he could hide.

Hearing nothing that sounded like surprise, James mustered his courage and peered through the bushes to see who had almost discovered him and his secrets. He saw two kids, about his age; crest the top of the hill on the other side of the pond. Their formal dress made them look very out of place in the secluded area. “Maybe they have run away too,” thought James as he considered his situation. The two children played around, talked and skipped stones while they visited the pond. James could hear their voices, but he could never make out what they said. After a while, the boy pulled out what looked like a pocket watch and the couple climbed the hill, disappearing from sight. James had kept up his guard, waiting for them to return, but it was a full week before he heard them again. They seemed only to visit the lake on Sundays.

This Sunday, the fourth Sunday, James still sat in the bushes, but he had a plan. He had observed the boy and girl for an hour or so during their past three visits and decided that there was something special about them. He argued with himself about this decision because he was unable to say what it was that he found unique, but for some reason he kept feeling as though they could be trusted. Crouched in the bushes, he went through the dialogue of this self-talk one more time only to be interrupted by the sound of voices approaching the hilltop. It was now or never.

Anna and Ian crested the hilltop laughing and calling to each other as Ian dropped to roll down the grassy decline. “Come on Anna! What, are you too good for a roll down the hill,” sneered Ian as he positioned himself carefully.

“No!” she replied, indignant. “You know I can beat you down this hill anytime, but I’ll be in enough trouble for skipping Sunday school and running off from Granny like that. Besides, I don’t want to go back grass stained and muddy,” Anna stated absently, pushing her long hair off her face.

“Say what you want, I know you’re chicken,” grinned Ian. He knew he had pushed enough to make her mad.

“Ian! Your mom could care less what you do. You just don’t get it…”simpered Anna as she dug her toe in the grass. Granny was always pressuring her to behave more ladylike and Anna had lately found herself struggling to resist the urge from within to comply with Granny’s requests.

Ian did not witness Anna’s little tantrum, he had already decided rolling down the hill was more fun than picking on Anna. The hill was steep, fast and a bit frightening. Every time he rolled down, he was sure he would pick up enough speed to land him in the pond. Even though he secretly hoped he would “accidentally” fall in so his mom would notice him, the hill was only half of the reason Ian skipped out on Sunday school with Anna. The two had been best friends since they were babies. They grew up laughing together, sharing secrets and finding adventures filled with trouble together. She had been like all of his other friends except she was easier to talk to and trust. Ian noticed moments of awkwardness between the two of them lately, and, somehow, he knew their relationship was changing as they grew older. He wanted to spend every minute they still had before the change was undeniable.

James sat, alert, in the bushes across the pond. He started a bit as the boy picked up speed down the hill. The boy had made his entrance the same way the last three times, but each time, but James was still certain the reckless boy would roll right into the water. As the boy came to a stop and brushed off his Sunday pants, James wondered when and how the situation would allow him to reveal his presence. He had still found it necessary to hide in case the two did not come alone as before. Revealing his existence felt daunting, but also necessary for some reason. Watching the girl take her time, pacing her steps down the hill as her white Sunday dress flounced at her knees, James somehow felt reassured that he was making the right choice.

James saw the boy turn, pretending to look for a skipping stone as he stole a glance at his friend holding her hair against the slight breeze. Then the boy stood up and skipped a stone across the surface of the water. The pond was relatively small and the boy a good rock skipper. The stone skipped five times and had almost landed on the shore near James’s hiding place. Observing the boy’s throws a couple of times, James considered his strength and decided this was how he would do it. That way, he would know for sure if they could be trusted.

Anna finally arrived at the bottom of the hill where Ian was looking for another rock to skip. “You skip rocks like a girl,” she said, challenging him. She picked up the perfect, flat, smooth skipping stone that was resting on the boulder in front of her. Climbing up on the boulder, she positioned herself just so, grasped the rock between her thumb and index finger and flung her right arm towards the water. She threw so hard that she lost her balance almost falling in the small, sparkling pond. Ian was put off a bit by her overbearing competition, but before he could throw his rock to put her in her place, Anna screamed.

“What, did you break a nail,” Ian whined and glanced up at his friend perched on the boulder. He was startled. Anna’s face was transfixed on the water and pale. He whipped his head around in time to see the stone she had just launched across the surface of the pond gliding delicately back in their direction. “Anna,” he whispered, “are you seeing what I am?” He heard no response, but could see her shadow slightly nod. Anna sat mesmerized.

“Why…wha…how…” she choked after the rock had begun to gently spin in mid air. The two of them gaped at the impossible occurrence in front of them, neither daring to move or breathe if they could help it, as the stone moved closer. The rock rested itself gently on the shore at Ian’s feet and still the two did not move. It was Anna who first flinched. Shakily, she grabbed for Ian’s shoulder to steady herself as she climbed down off the boulder. Ian tugged on her hand to hold her back, but she knelt down rebelliously to investigate what she had just witnessed. The skipping stone felt unusually warm and she felt the sort of shock you feel from static electricity when her finger touched the smooth surface of this stone she had earlier chosen to skip. She hadn’t noticed anything strange about the rock when she had initially pick it up to skip it, but she had been so intent on showing off that she also had not taken the time for observations. “Maybe it is a trick stone,” she thought, trying for any rational explanation.

James had carefully studied the reactions of the two young people as he performed his stunt with the stone. He saw the two of their eyes meet in fear as they realized what they had seen. He recognized the look as one from his past and it made his stomach ache. He had been wrong; these were not the right people to reveal himself to. He sighed to himself as he watched them look around, bewildered. He knew they would not tell anyone, they were too unsure of the experience they had just shared. James lost himself in his own thoughts of disappointment but he felt no self pity as he absently gazed out at the pond. “Would he ever find others like him?” he sadly wondered. He glanced out at the two kids as they grew louder, arguing about what they experienced. Somehow he knew, and this time he was sure, he would find the others like him. Disappointment may come again, but he would find happiness eventually. For now, he decided, for now he would continue the journey he had begun months earlier and focus on perfecting his skills.

Anna continued to accuse Ian of setting up the trick and she pressured him to tell her how he had done it. Ian, of course, had no idea what he had just seen, but he knew he had never seen Anna look at him like this. Her eyes sparkled in the sun and her smile seemed to lift him out of all of his fear of what he had seen and his dark feelings about his mom. It wasn’t a deliberate thought, but he accepted it anyway and went along with Anna’s assumptions. Either way, they would never be the same and this new emotion felt better than the fear he had been feeling.

Anna pressed again for an answer, and Ian shook his head and grinned at her. Until that grin, she hadn’t been convinced he had done it but had no other way to explain what she witnessed. Quickly, she turned her eyes away and looked back down the hill at the water. She felt the changes coming more quickly and she wanted to look out at the pond one more time before the appearance would change forever. Anna knew that things would be different between her and Ian. “Somehow,” she thought as they reached the top of the hill “this place will be different too.” She turned back to Ian and smiled, catching the calm in his eyes, and felt a peace come over her. She no longer needed the truth about his prank.

Truth can be stranger than fiction

Welcome back from the long weekend.  Results are in on the fiction summarization and we have that task figured out.  This is not to say that it is disappearing.  Students will be using this skill throughout the year.  That is why it was so important that we get it early in the year. 

We are ready to move on to non-fiction reading.  Today, I showed the classes all of the texts that I have to read this semester for grad school (it's not pretty, I should have some buff arms after lifting all these books).  I asked them to help me figure out how I can do all the things I need to do and still get my homework reading done.  I asked for strategies that might help me finish the work and make sure I understand it.  Once we got talking about it, we were able to figure out that I could skim and scan the text looking for key words, and details.  I could identify the main idea of the selection and make sure I wrote down any questions about the concept so I could add those to the discussion in class.  I could summarize the selection to make sure I had a grasp on the big ideas before I went to school.  I should evaluate the contents of the chapters to determine if I already know about any of it and how much of it I need to read. 

Once we realized we did not have to read the whole thing word for word, we practiced.  Students read and took combination notes on 4-5 pages from our text book.  These pages discussed the different types of non-fiction texts we might come across and strategies for reading these texts.  The students had 20 minutes to work as a group to take Cornell notes over this selection.  Then they had to summarize it.  Our table captains were responsible for making sure we only spent 5 minutes per page so we could finish.    By the end we all had a good handle on what was important in the selection.  We will practice this some more, so have us try it at home with the newspaper or any other informational text.  We need to work on skimming and scanning for the important text in the selection.

HOMEWORK: Read 30 minutes and choose 5 prompts/questions from the literary history list that you may want to talk about in your personal narrative piece.  Tonight I want you to write about 2 of the ones you choose in your comp book.  I will check for them tomorrow.

Link to  Literary History Prompts:  https://acrobat.com/#d=Myy9bekTwdNZDothqwX4ow

Proving What We Have Learned

Okay, so I know the blog has been a bit silent this week, but we have been busy with learning.  After learning about story maps, we looked at point of view summaries.  We took a text, and broke it down into a RAFT.  RAFT stand for role, audience, format, topic  (ask your student and see if they know this.)  After we sorted elements of the fiction story into the raft, we were able to write a summary of the story from a different perspective.  As we wrote that, we had to be careful that we stayed on topic and focused on the details of the text.  By doing this, we had to really look close at the piece so that we gave an accurate summary.  This was challenging, but fun because we got to pretend to be someone else and try to think like them. 

Today we put all of these skills to the test.  Mrs. Benson read the story, Seventh Grade by Gary Soto, and we had to choose one of the summarization strategies we learned to summarize the story with.  After we wrote our own summary, we answered a multiple choice question that required us to choose the BEST summary of the story.  We did so much better than last time.  We were able to separate ourselves from the story, even though we made lots of connections to it.  We still struggled between one of two answers, but we had very intelligent and well thought out arguments about why one or the other was right.  This was a sign of true learning! 
 I am so proud of our budding bloggers.  Be sure to read about George and his adventures in reading and Calah and the best friend she misses, Bradley and his dreams for his future and Camille with her tribute shout out to a musician she admires.  They are all independent assignments.  None of this work was assigned to them!  That is what learning is all about.

Read 30 minutes--Book orders due September 16th (don't forget you can order online or by check).

So, how do I know I have it right?

Since summaries of a fiction text can vary so much, it can be hard to know if you have it right.  Today we looked at story maps.  Story maps help us organize the information from a piece of text into a summary without accidentally infusing our own connections or perspectives into the summary. 

Here is how we did it.  After reading a story (this would work for a chapter too probably) we organized the information into categories: characters, conflict, 3 events from the selection that support/offer evidence of the conflict and solution.  Once our information is organized, we know we have the right summary because the events match the conflict.  We can then write the summary using either the frame Somebody Wanted but So or just by paraphrasing what is in our story map.

This would be a great activity to have your student do after they have done their reading homework.  You don't even have to have read the book to know if it is right because the events should match the conflict.  If they don't, your student either got the wrong conflict or the wrong details.

Homework: Read 30 minutes.  Make sure you have at least finished a chapter of your book for our Somebody Wanted But So quiz tomorrow.

Finally the Library

Read, Read, Read.  We went to the library finally today and the kids were amazing!  I am energized by the reading enthusiasm.  We talked favorite titles, how we choose books and what we are interested in reading about.  The kids were almost begging for time to read and I gladly gave it to them.  They should have no trouble reading 30 minutes today.

Many of the kids were looking for specific books and the supply ran out quickly.  Book orders have been sent home and there is a link to online ordering on the blog.  If your student is disappointed that they didn't get a certain title, you might be able to find it on the book orders.  All book orders are due by September 16th.

Homework:  Read for 30 minutes and make sure you have that plastic folder with pockets and prongs and the five dividers as soon as you can.  We will be making those data files very soon.

Wow! We Can Write.

Today we mimicked the MAP test.  In 7th grade our MAP test has a writing prompt.  HSD kids have been doing writing prompts since kindergarten, so they are familiar with the concept.  However, in 7th grade we do things a bit different.  The students have the entire class period and no more to complete the writing prompt.  At the end of class, they are collected and assessed as is (with the idea that this is a sample of on demand writing).

Today's prompt will give me a baseline for the skills and concepts that students have mastered and what is emerging.  I can then plan our writing lessons in a way that will support what we know and develop our weaknesses.  I've only glanced at 1st block so far (I left early today because my son is getting braces), but I am pleased with what I am seeing.

Homework:  Read 30 minutes and comment on the blog if you happen to get on just so I can get an idea of how many and who is using this resource.

It's all about the future

Ask a student if they feel they should be paid to go to school and you may be surprised by their answer.  I know I was.  Today all three of my classes reminded me why I teach.  Our warm-up required the students to list the pros and cons of getting paid to go to school, then they had to state their opinion. 

All three of my classes determined that being paid to go to school would be a negative thing!  I was amazed!  The kids brought up amazing points about taxes, school funding, crime and teacher salaries.  I was impressed with the maturity that the kids brought to the discussion.

We followed the discussion with a lesson about how reading is like making a deposit in your banking account.  Ask your students about how reading will help them make more than 1.2 million in their lifetime.  This number should spark their memory.  Students created reading goals for the year and a plan for meeting these goals.  This may be something else you want to ask about.

The fiction summary strategy we are working on is called Somebody Wanted But So.  Ask your student to tell you a story or summarize a text using this strategy.

Homework: Read 30 minutes, students if you have created your blog, please e-mail the link (web address) to me so I can add it to the class blog.  Anyone unable to do this at home will be invited to come up at lunch on Friday to work on it.  Let me know if you need help.

Sorry if this post is shorter and less detailed than others, I am going to my first class tonight, tomorrow night and Thursday night.  After this week, I will be in class Wednesday and Thursday nights (and one Tuesday each month).  I will do my best to keep up with things. 

Monday 8/23/10

We are back at it.  Today we began some vocabulary work.  Our words this week are rigor, gratify, proficient and standard.  These are four key words from an article we will be reading later this week.  Please try to use these words as much as possible in conversations with your child and have them explain what they mean.  The students will not have homework related to these words (at this time), but we will be working with them everyday in class.  Tomorrow we will be looking at synonyms and antonyms for the words so we know what they are and are not.

This week we will be doing a lot of acknowledging where we are in our learning and then looking at where we want to be by the end of the year.  After exploring new reasons for reading (as we all know, they change as we get older and 7th grade begins that shift), we will be setting reading goals, demonstrating our writing through the district writing prompts and then analyzing our data from last year so we know how far we need to grow to meet our goals.  Be sure to ask your student about their goals for the year and how they plan to reach them.

Book orders are coming home tomorrow and are due back by September 16th.  You can also order online by that date.

I need a parent who has some time to come in and laminate the name tags the students made and then cut them out.  This may even be a two parent thing.  Let me know if you have a day this week that you are available.  I will be out Wednesday afternoon because my son is getting braces, but you can still come in and help.  I will be there until 11:30.

Homework: Read 30 minutes.

FRIDAY!! We survived the first week

I know this week has been long and arduous, but everyone has hung in there nicely.  Today we took the district Maze assessment.  It is a 3 minute timed reading test.  Every seventh word of a grade level text has been replaced with a selection of (dogs, words, students) and the student is to choose the correct word.  At the end of 3 minutes, students must stop where they are.  I will grade these over the weekend.  The results will tell me how fast and how accurate each student can read a grade level text.  Students choosing fewer than 15 correct words in a 3 minute test will be screened to determine if further interventions are needed. 

After taking this assessment, students worked at their tables creating nametags that would tell us all more about them.  I know this seems like all we have done this week, but truly these tasks have allowed me a great deal of insight into what students already know and can do.  I have two writing samples that tell me if they can structure a paragraph correctly.  I have heard them read and have tested their ability to summarize fiction text.  I have assessed their reading rate and accuracy.  And best of all, I have been able to get to know who they are and how they fit together in our class.  Knowing who each child is will help me build that relationship and trust that is needed to motivate, inspire, encourage and teach.

Homework:  Read over the weekend.  Some students need to finish their nametags because they did not get to in class.  Most of first block will need to do this because we had a tornado drill today. 

Check out our ambitious writers on the blog.  Damarea and George have already created a blog and done some writing.  I am so proud of the initiative this took.  I can't wait to see what else your students do!

Thursday 8/19/10

What's in a name? 

Today as we explored the importance of a person's name and how we can honor it, we practiced some reading strategies.  I gave the students a group of words that came from our story "Names Nombres" by Julia Alvarez and asked them to categorize them into characters, settings, problems, solutions and unknown words.  As they worked in teams to complete this sort, I added another task.  Students had to analyze the words and create a gist statement that predicted what the story was about.  Students asked three questions about the story based on the unknown words and their gist statement. 

I was so proud of all three classes as they volunteered in rapid succession to read aloud to the class even though the story had a great deal of Spanish in it.  When we were finished reading, we took a one question measure of our summarization skills.  You can take it (or at least look at it--I know you haven't read the story) and have your child explain to you why all of the responses are true, but only one is BEST.  Overall we did well with summarizing a fiction text.  I plan to check this skill a few more times after teaching a strategy called, somebody wanted, but, so.  Your student will have notes on this strategy next week and you can begin asking them to show you how it works.

A special thanks goes out to Eimmi, who was gracious enough to read the entire story to 5th block so we could hear all of the Spanish words correctly.  That was a special treat and we were all impressed with the Spanish sounds and the fluency of her reading.

Homework:  Read 30 minutes.  First block should be completing the collage, as it has been explained to them now.  A few students asked for an extra day so they could improve the work they already started.  Because of their display of responsibility, I have given those students until tomorrow.  All collages should be turned in by Friday.

Wednesday, 8-18-10

Here was our objective today: Today I am learning about the people in my class and my teacher. This will help me understand the people who are here to support me.

Finally, we get to talk about our favorite topic-- ourselves!  As we are beginning Communication Skills we are learning about each other.  Students began by examining artifacts that I gave them to represent me.  They discussed with their table what they thought they could learn about me from these items.  The class shared out predictions and then I clarified.  the students did a great job making inference about who I am.  Through this activity, I was able to observe team work, the class understanding of symbolism, verbal expression and inferences.  The students were able to understand who I am and my philosophies on teaching (including why I do what I do) and classroom management.  We then worked together in each class to develop classroom expectations.

Here are our class rules:

Come to class prepared to work hard and learn.

Take ownership of your mistakes.

Listen carefully to others in the classroom and make only thoughtful responses.

Homework:  Read 30 minutes and create a collage of pictures or words that represents who you are.  Then write a paragraph or two that explains how these things demonstrate who you are.  This should be completed on an 8x10 piece of paper.  Students may draw, cut and paste, or use the computer to complete this assignment.  All collages are due tomorrow.

Please Note: 1st hour ran behind due to great conversation and questions about symbolism.  They may work on the collage tonight, but it is not due until Friday because I did  not have an opportunity to go over expectations and answer questions about the assignment.  4th and 5th hour is expected to complete the assignment tonight.

Tuesday, August 17th

Today was a bit more fun.  Although, I guess if I write that everyday, it will lose its charm.  Truly, today's information was a bit new for the kids.  We looked at different ways to think about our four Panther Paw Laws as we are going through our day.  We also had a close game of PBIS jeopardy that Mason M. so kindly hosted for us.  Ask your student what the four Paw Laws are and to give you a few examples of each.  If they can't, they can go back through their PBIS handbook that they were given and study up. 

In 4th block, we checked in with our imaginations so we could better understand how they can help us with creative thinking.  Each student created the world's strangest creature and then made sure it was useful.  We talked about how we could use this strategy for pre-writing, how it related to creating characters and developing new products.  As students shared their creatures we practiced our Paw Laws.

In fifth block, students in all 7th grade classes took some time to examine the Hazelwood Behavior Guide, discuss them and ask questions. 

Please make sure that you and your student sign the behavior guide on the last page.  Students should tear out the last page and return it to their 5th block teacher.

Homework tonight is to read for 30 minutes.  If your child still has not chosen a book, they can read the behavior guide for 30 minutes and use it to create a plan for success this year.

First Day of School

We had a great first day.  Today we went over the PBIS expectations to make sure both old and new students realize the importance of common expectations.  Today we reviewed planners (everyone should have written homework and have a stamp from me), transitions/hallway behavior, bus expectations, voice levels, tardies and a few more.  Be sure to ask your student about how we do some of these things.

Students should read for 30 minutes tonight.  This should not be a problem since all of their teachers probably sent home things to read.  If they don't have a book yet, they can always read their PBIS student handbook they got today.

Today was good, but admittedly, mostly review.  Tomorrow's lessons are geared more specifically for 7th graders.  Can't wait to learn more about your amazingly charming children.

Mrs. Benson

Parent Volunteers Needed

Parents or Guardians,

Learning is something that spans a person's lifetime and can impact an entire community.  Learning paired with high expectations is definitely how I would describe the way things run at North Middle.  The more we pull together as a community, the better the results will be.  Because of this, I am always looking for classroom volunteers.  In our classroom there are plenty of ways you can help-- and not all of them require you to be in the building. 

One area that we could use a lot of help is book orders.  Each month, Scholastic sends out book orders for the kids.  These orders usually offer good deals as well as provide us with an opportunity to expand the classroom library.  In the past, my execution of book orders has been sporadic.  I could really use a parent or two who would be willing to separate the order forms, place the orders and help manage this system overall.  There is a way that we can set up online ordering, but I haven't had time to look into this.  This job would require you to come in once a month to place any orders that were not submitted online and make sure the order is closed out.

Another area that we could use help is when we are doing station work.  I have never facilitated such a regular use of literacy work stations.  I am worried that organization will become an issue.  I would love to have a few volunteers for these days that would be able to help maintain the organization and even offer support to students in the stations if you feel comfortable enough.  As of right now, I am considering station work every Thursday and it may pick up, as we all get used to it.  I say a few volunteers because I realize that your time is valuable as well and you may not be able to commit to an entire day.  The work can certainly be split.  If the students are taught right away how to keep the stations organized, then the learning time can be maximized.

Maximizing learning time is always important.  If you would like to come in to work with a student or a small group on their reading or writing skills, we can work out a tutoring schedule. 

I am always looking for ways to honor the community contributions that our students are making.  If you see an article highlighting a student from North, please send it in to be posted on our Community Helpers bulletin board.  Anyone who would also like to help maintain this board is welcome.

From time to time there is laminating to do, bulletin boards to update and small things like this.  I am confident that between the teachers, there would be plenty of little jobs if you have some time.  Just let us know when you might be available and we will get it all together.

If you have more ways you feel you can help in our class or the school in general, please let me know. 

Thank You for all you do for the kids.

Mrs. Benson

Writing

Interrupting my self-oppression
Anxious feelings become welcomed strangers

Is this what freedom feels like

So raw, so familiar

Timidly I explore all of my desires
Feeling my own feelings
I’m in control (is that okay?)

My God, where have I been?
I’m a stranger, stretching into my own skin
My hands ache for the crinkle of this paper, this scratch of the pen

It’s been a long time and although

I’ve remembered you now and again

This is different, real

Permanent

Fear kept me running

But I’m no longer afraid

It’s okay to stand still in the comfort of warm light

Finding my joy as my heart and soul reunite.

Starting to Think School

It is kinda strange that the whole time I was teaching Quest, I really wasn't thinking about my fall planning.  I was a bit panicked about the new Promethean Board to tell you the truth.  But now, after a bit of training, I'm ready to get my head out of the clouds (and my Master's homework) and back into planning.  I've purged all of my files and am ready to organize them according to Tungsten strands.  I will then align these to the "Big Rocks" as well as the curriculum.  This will make my data team process so much easier and it will be easier for the students to set individual learning goals.  Look out '10-'11 here I come.

Books I must read before school starts:
Finish reading Eat, Pray, Love
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Shiver
Just Listen

I thnk that gives me one book a week.  Can I do it?

SchoolTube - Six Rules of Maybe by Deb Caletti

Looks like a thought provoking read--I can think of a few students who would love this book.

SchoolTube - Six Rules of Maybe by Deb Caletti

SchoolTube - Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Great Book Trailer for my fans of Twilight

SchoolTube - Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Naked Reading by Teri Lesesne

Looking for appropriate books for your child, check out Lesesne's book complete with annotated book lists.  Her lists are marked with reading levels as well as ratings like you see on tv shows and movies.  This way you can help your child determine if they are ready for a certain book.

Need help getting your adolescent to read--here are some suggestions:

Places to look for Favorite Literature:
Subliterature: comics, graphic novels, manga and series
Non-fiction: awards Orbis and Sibert Medals
Horror, Suspense and Supernatural
Humor
Mystery: http://www.mysterywriters.org/ and Edgar Award

To motivate kids as lifelong readers they need to have:
Trust
Access
Response-don't get in a rut, change up responses, character acrostics, reading A-Z, annotations, chalk outline(put info about character in appropriate body locations), exposed or undercover, genre exchange(reformulate text), blogs, sticky note poetry, PPT booktalks, shelf markers and talkers(kids record info about a book on greeting card recorders and place this on the book shelf), s-w-b-s-t
Guidance-never forget the power of your coaching or guidance for a stuck child, connect to their interest
Enthusiasm-make it interesting and let your passion show
Tween/Teen Appeal-make interesting book covers/allow students to remake covers

Higher Expectations Chapter 16

I didn't know there was a term for what I believe and how I teach.  Pedagogy of Confidence is exactly what I bring to my classroom everyday.  Each year, I set an expectation that all of my students will learn and demonstrate growth, and I fully believe in my goal.  If a student does not learn, I believe there was an external cause for that (personal situations, classroom environment, societal situations, relationship gaps), I never presume that the student did not learn because they can't.  That is just a ridiculous thought for anyone going into teaching.  If you believe that, don't teach.  However, I believe there is more to this pedagogy than belief--actions, systems and a shift in perspective is included.  I agree with the text that it requires a shift from what is taught to how it is taught.  This chapter does a beautiful job of breaking down the steps of what must be done to take what is learned and apply it to everyday literacies.  I think that I need to do more with the Thinking Maps and making learning real in a more consistent manner.  What are your beliefs about students and learning?

Welcome to Middle School

I have enjoyed meeting all of my Quest students.  I believe we are going to have a wonderfully amazing year in 2010-2011.  As you got to know the building and how middle school works, I wonder what was going through your head.  What has been the best thing about Quest?

George Lucas's Project Based Learning Site

10 Strategies Anyone Can Use in Their Class

We created a 10 Strategy Tool Kit for class, so I thought I would share it with you.  None of these ideas are mine, we just had to consolidate them into one quick reference.  If you have questions, please reference the books listed or post a comment.  What are your favorite/most effective strategies for promoting literacy?

I'm After the Heart as Well as the Head

This phrase from Tom Romano about intellect and compassion rings so true for writing.  You can teach students all of the mechanics and rules of writing, but if they can't write from their heart--from their pure creativity--then the writing will fall flat.  Offering different genres and authentic purposes gives young writers the opportunity to discover and write what is in their hearts. 

What Tom says about writers not truly knowing where they are going until the words take them there is another truth.  I don't know how many times I thought I was writing a paper about one thing and by the time I was done it was about another.  The words just took me there.  In fact, when I took the C-Base test, I ended up in tears during the writing section because halfway through I realized that the words were taking me to the opposite side of the argument than I had started on.  I feared I wouldn't have time to complete the essay and do it well enough to pass the test.  Words can betray us like that, expose us to what we really think and feel.  Imagine if students never experience this.  If they never have the words take them somewhere new, exploring and learning as they go.  What a tragedy that would be.

Making it Matter Through the Power of Inquiry

Creativity.  I think this is the key word for this chapter.  Students perform better and have greater self-efficacy when we foster their creativity.  I loved having the inquiry based broad questions and then allowing students to discover the learning associated with the question.  The question I have is how do you develop the inquiry questions?  We are so stuck in standards and GLE's that I am not sure how to step back from that and find the big question.  I want to know how to do this.  I want this kind of learning in my classroom.  Partnering inquiry with multi-genre writing, student blogs and goal setting would be the ideal classroom set up.  The problem is, I need the support.  I need a mentor. 

I need to use creative problem solving to figure this out--to find my flow.  Anyone have ideas on how to do this in your classroom?

Writing to/with Students

Harvey Daniels and I have a lot in common.  We both see great value in writing back and forth with our students, a concept made invaluable by Nancie Atwell.  I, too, tried the responding to everything.  I can vividly remember-- cause it was the last two years--stacking and restacking composition notebooks trying to psych myself into responding.  What I didn't love was how to manage this.  What I did was "reward" the class with the highest participation by giving them the next week off.  However, students who didn't do it were required to make it up.  This way my classes rotated and I only had two classes a week (40-50 students instead of 70-75).  This was still too many.  This year, I tried to change it up.  I made it a more formal critique of what they had read and they were to turn it in upon completing a book --which I expected at least once a month.  This did not work either.  I like the idea of doing five or so a day--I have considered this, but never done it.  Maybe this year, I will try this method.

One way I have considered changing this task is by involving technology.  What if I have students Blog about their reading?  Could that work--keeping an online reading/writing journal?  What do you think?

Chapter 17--Assessment

This was a meaty chapter with much to say about the practice of assessment.  Many of the arguments I had heard, but there were a few worth pointing out as critical. 

The concept that different assessments have different audiences or clients is huge.  I fully agree with this line of thought.  I can use the MAP scores as a guide at the beginning of the year (once they come in) to who I need to look at more closely.  This is about all I can do with these numbers (other than to give myself a pat on the back or a chastising as I look at the scores of my previous students).  Once I have an SRI, Tungsten and Writing score on my students, I can then narrow my focus more and determine who needs to be in my Academic Excellence for further specialization.  From there though, I have to use more personal, more specific assessments and conversations to determine how my kids are progressing.  The rest of the scores---they end up more valuable to the building, district or state once I know my kids.  They have little to know impact in my instruction at that point.

I live the idea of the process papers.  What a great gauge of metacognition.  I have had the students help design a scoring guide by comparing two pieces of work.  This made a remarkable difference in the quality of work and the level of engagement and apparent understanding.  The assignments or assessments I have used this technique with end up becoming so much more meaningful to us all.

The final thing that I absolutely loved was the articulation of the four intertwining roles of a reader:

1. code breaker (cracking the code or cipher that maps spellings to sounds and vice versa)
2. meaning maker (focusing on the message of the text, including the knowledge required to understand it)
3. text user (focusing on the pragmatics of use-- what function does a text serve in a social context?)
4. text critic (A critical competence that entails unpacking the social, economic, and political assumptions behind and consequences of using a text)  (Underwood, Yoo, and Pearson, in press)

I fully agree that we do a relatively good job at teaching to the first two roles.  But as a community we do not get to the other two roles.  In college, I know that the other two roles have been left for me to consider--high school as well.  With the types of literacy the students find themselves using today, the second two are of critical importance.  I can almost see the four of these roles being the reading GLE's I need to focus on--strongest emphasis on the last two.

Scratch | Project | Bad Music

I am learning how to use Scratch, a basic programming site from MIT. This is a free site where students can learn to program and animate. They can make their own stories and animations. It is very cool, but I am very much a novice. Check out my first project titled, Bad Music.

Scratch Project Bad Music

ELL and scaffolding

The format and dialogue in chapter 8 was effective and charging. For a long chapter, the flow of conversation took you through it quickly. One thing I have struggled with when it come to reading and studying ELL instruction is connecting. In my district, all ELL students are concentrated to the West side of the district, so I have little to know interaction with this type of student. The few students I do have who are bilingual have already "graduated" from the ELL program. The biggest issue I see is vocabulary acquisition, punctuation (I have at least one Arabic speaking student a year) and reluctance when it comes to speaking in class.

There were strategies in this chapter that I found affirming, like allowing students to write, then partner share and then whole group share. I do that for all of my kiddos anyway. So, while this was not the most useful chapter for me, the format was exciting and allowed me to engage in a conversation the likes of which I have not been privy to in the past.

Resources Abound

Teri Lesesne knows what she is talking about when it comes to YA literature. After reading her chapter (Chapter 6) I feel a combination of confidence that I have been doing some good things for kids and recharged with more tools to help me reach the kids I have struggled with in the past. Her multiple resources are amazing as well as her insight on how the evolution of YA is impacted by technology today. We are teaching in an exciting time, so many options for so many different students.

I was so impressed with her comparing multi-genre literature with synthesis and multi-narrator with collaboration. This was a very compelling discussion of how these books can challenge advanced readers while still remaining relevant to their lives. I also saw so much value in what she said about multiple narrators, truth and our democratic society. Her plethera of book examples are enough to inspire any English teacher to expand their own horizons. I will post links to the resources she suggested tomorrow for my followers to explore.

If you have not yet started to read, Adolescent Literacy Turning Promise Into Practice, you are missing out on a wave of currency that will change your classroom and practice.

What if the book was invented after video games?

The readability of this chapter was challenging, however, the concepts brought forth by Donna Alvermann can begin to change the way you think about scientific reading instruction. I was following her rationale without great contemplation until she added the section from Steven Johnson's, Everything Bad is Good for You where he challenges you to imagine how we would respond to books if they came along AFTER children had been playing video games for centuries. His scenario was so susinct, placing us in an alternate society that you could not refute. This is the kind of information and line of thinking that will stick with me and creep up on me when I find myself struggling with a student. The relevance of technology in the classroom can no longer be denied. I feel like I want to write a grant to bring my classroom current. The overhead seems insulting to the learning processes of my students after reading this book.

Readicide- Kelly Gallagher

What I wish I would have known in August

I have to quote Sara Kajder, "We're past the point where we can keep doing old things with old tools, or old things with new tools. Students simply won't allow it." I have to say that I could have used this information at the beginning of this year. The kids I have this year are extremely technologically motivated, however I did not recognize the extent of this motivation and learning opportunity until the last month of the school year. As we learned propaganda, I gave my students the chance to develop their ad campaign on Windows Movie Maker or Power Point or whatever other new form of technology they wanted to explore. I told them that I would not teach them how to use the technology, but that they were allowed to use whatever they could figure out. The kids produced some fabulous ad campaigns for their fictional products and proved to me that they understood how to use the various techniques to reach the intended audiences. I had no behavior problems during this time. Students were motivated and focused. If something disrupted our learning, the kids were asking when they could finish their projects. Not only did the technology make it easier for me to teach, the students learned much more than in previous years. They were truly proud of what they did.

Had I known information from this chapter back in August, things might have been different this year. I might have had an easier time. This was one of my toughest years of teaching--engaging the students was a great challenge. This was a social group with a collected disenfranchised mindset. Had I known how to use the technology to engage them, more learning could have occurred.

I intend to utilize more of the technology with my students in a way that engages them and takes their learning to a whole new level. No longer will technology be used primarily as a reward for reading or improving scores. It will be used to support reading and improving scores. How can you use technology in your classroom?

Once again, a timely read.

As the year is winding down, I am able to see cumulative data and really analyze the growth of my students. As I have explored the Aims Web data, I have realized that essentially, my students can read. The problem is they struggle with comprehension. I'm realizing that even some of my strongest students have some comprehension difficulties. I was trying to figure out what the problem is. Then I read chapter 7 in Adolescent Literacy.

Janet Allen makes a strong argument for the role vocabulary plays in comprehension. She also brings forth the same issues I have dealt with in vocabulary instruction--boring, out of context and memorization. I don't want to do anything with these qualities, so why would my students?

The strategies Allen demonstrates in the chapter are so simple. I can see the potential for growth in using these strategies. They are similar to some of the Sharokky Hollie strategies, and they extend beyond what he taught me. This is yet another piece that I was looking for. I loved the strategies I had, but I didn't want to use them so much that they lost their effectiveness. I now have tools I can add to my toolbox that will be equally effective. The more you have, the further you can stretch them. I am excited to rework my vocabulary teaching for next year. I like the word wall in the classroom as well as the individual student word walls. I think this will be a more effective method for organizing our personal thesaurus. Now I just wish I could find a list of tier 2 words.

Alan November - 3 Skills Students Need to Succeed

SchoolTube - A Vision for k-12 Learners Today

SchoolTube - A Vision for k-12 Learners Today

How do I make what I envision a reality?

As I began to read chapter 20, The Role of Handover in Teaching for Democratic Participation, I was annoyed. The idea of making my classroom a political forum agitated me. What if the kids don't share points of view on an issue? What if parents don't understand the process? Then I kept reading. I came to realize that the whole class scenario initially described was that of a beginning, but not one that promotes transfer. Randy Bomer goes on to describe how to develop a writer's workshop environment that promotes social action in which each student has a voice about what they are passionate about.

Just as I was making the connection between his ideas and the multi-genre writing of Tom Romano and reading, Bomer began to list the variety of genres that would be required to develop a social action project. I found myself trying to rework what/how I would work things in my classroom. Could I find a "buddy room" to blog with? Could I find a teacher that is already working this out or is willing to go the distance with me and make this work? The ideas are buzzing in my head right now. Combining a book with a research, multi-genre social action project. I don't even know how many GLE's that would be?! I am super-stoked to make this work.

This book offers more links and ideas than I know what to do with. Each chapter is like going to a great conference and leaving recharged for the year. However, I have to be careful that it doesn't push me in so many directions that I can't make learning make sense for my students. When I get excited about what I am learning and I begin to visualize the equivalent of a movie classroom in my head, I tend to lose the cohesiveness and consistency needed for middle school.

I think this is where I need to remember my last post--I need to synthesize and maybe find an explainer. How do you bring social action into your writing classroom?

Questioning--is it the same as critical thinking?

I am so glad that Kylene Beers chose to put the Robert Probst article after Ellin Keene. She had some great ideas, but as I read on, there was something about her tone that felt elite and was turning me off of her ideas about understanding. As I read the Probst chapter, I felt more comfortable with the concept. It amazes me how vocabulary choices can impact the reader so much.

I loved the tools that Probst offered teachers as stepping stones into teaching questioning to the kids. They are user friendly and easy to tier to a variety of reader levels. (I fully plan on using Find the Poem to put my students into their seating charts.) His strategies reminded me of a technique from the Kylene Beers book, When Kids Can't Read, called "Say Something". It is very similar. We tried the say something strategy this year, but it was challenging. I think that using some of Bob's techniques to scaffold to Say Something would be helpful. I agree that questioning and working for understanding are some of the most challenging aspects of reading for my kids.

At times I feel that they lack stamina when reading and that's why they give up, but I am realizing that it is not so much an issue of stamina as it is a lack of knowing that you have to struggle to understand. They feel that struggle means stupidity and they quit before they ever get the reward that comes from struggling.

I think video games would be a good analogy for teaching this. I was watching my son play a new game this weekend. He tried and failed and tried and failed, yet he never quit and I never heard him saying he didn't understand. He did comment that it was hard, yet he kept at it. Once he got it, he knew there would be another challenge coming. Why do kids like to simulate the struggle of learning, but they do not enjoy doing it for real? He was able to analyze his mistakes, question how to fix them and then act on the corrective action. To me, this was critical thinking or creative problem solving. Is there a difference between this and questioning for understanding?

What does it mean to REALLY understand?

Whenever I read an article by an "expert" or learn a new strategy at a workshop, it always seems that they make magic with a text. Really, I have to say, they just were aware of a meaty text. I have learned that once I find these strong pieces, I too can work magic with the strategies I already know. So what does this mean for me as an educator? I need to be well read. I have been trying to decide what my other elective will be, and I'm starting to think it should be a Literature class of some sort. How did these "experts" come to collect all of their tools? Is it experience, lots of collaborating, education or a combination of these?

This was the first thing that came to mind as I read Ellin Oliver Keene's chapter in Adolescent Literacy, The Essence of Understanding. As I read on, she asked readers to pause and reflect on a time we were exploring a complex concept or trying to understand an overwhelming amount of information. She then asked, "What contributed to your eventual understanding?" Choosing just one time is difficult, but I would have to reflect on my recent challenges with data team cycles. Although I am not sure I have come to an eventual understanding, I am trying. I am asking questions as we go through the process and I am having meaningful conversations with my team. We first had to admit that we didn't get it before we were willing to ask for help and support. We have struggled through the process together, tears and all. We had the stamina to keep going when it felt fruitless and we tried even when we were afraid it was wrong. Without this experience, none of us would be this much closer to "getting it." Reading her dimensions of understanding list, I feel more confident that I will "get it" because she described exactly what we have been doing and what I have been feeling through the process.

Try it, think of a time you explored a complex concept. What contributed to your eventual understanding? Take that one step further...how would your students react when they experienced those same feelings as they struggled? How could you help them "get it?"

Who is your favorite teacher?

OK, chapter 2 of Adolescent Literacy, titled "Flying Blind" is written by novelist Chris Crutcher and should be read by every teacher at the beginning and end of everyday. In his chapter, he reminds us who is in our classrooms and what they bring with them. He states, "Favorite teachers save lives."

I have to say, from personal experience, this is true. I had a few teachers in my life who, for no other reason, were my favorites because of a look, or a well wish about my personal life. The ones that proved that they SAW me and knew I needed a nudge or a reassurance are the ones I remember. I remember them more than the grades I got or the things I learned. I also have a life lasting love for those subjects and a greater confidence in my abilities in those classes. How many English teachers can say they LOVE chemistry? I can, all because of Mr. Wilson. He just knew when I wasn't OK and his guitar playing while we worked made it better everytime. I'm sure it wasn't all for me, but he had a way of making sure he checked in on you when your body language suggested you were not ok.

He is just one of many that I learned from and try to emulate as I teach in my room. In years past it has been successful...this year, my focus was wrong. This year, my focus was on school (Masters program) and data. It shows in the motivation and relationships in the classroom. It hurts. I find myself wanting to loop, just so I get the chance to "get it right" and make a positive impact in my kids. They deserve better than they got from me this year. Chris Crutcher's article will be read many times by me.

This book seems to be a must read for every teacher, regardless of the content you teach. It reminds you that the kids are the puzzle, not the GLE's and the best way to get the test scores you want.

Who were your favorite teachers and why?

It takes a risk...

This article on becoming a leader is timely, not only for me, but also for my students. As eighth grade looms for them, so does taking on new leadership roles. Roles they may not expect. My best advice is to look within and believe in what you see there. With the willingness to try comes the greatest learning and reward.

What advice do you have for future (very near future)leaders?

Suburban Journals | Opinion | OPINION SHAPER: Becoming a leader turns fear into quiet confidence

Suburban Journals | Opinion | OPINION SHAPER: Becoming a leader turns fear into quiet confidence

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What is success?

Just finished chapter 1 in the Kylene Beers book--Adolescent Literacy and the first thing I have to say is WOW! There is no holding back here. She jumps right in attacking AYP and how schools measure success. From there, she basically states that in order to redefine success, we have to restructure schools.

I love this woman and her courage to go out there, believe what she believes and articulate these beliefs in a way that makes one think so much. I remember when I started teaching and felt the pressure to conform. I fear that if I were to stop learning, I might fall into that conformity--to accept things as they are. That is when I am done--when I succumb to the ideas around me stopping my forward progression.

She challenges the education system's definition of success--"teachers distributing information and then students giving it back." As soon as she has you down, realizing that you are a part of a broken system, she poses a ton of what-ifs--"what if schooling looked different?" This is where she echoes many concepts and thoughts I had as an education student working towards my certificate. Mine were not as articulate as hers (how could they be?)but they had the passion and the fire. They had that, "try and tell me I'm wrong and that this can't be done," attitude. The kind of visions that veteran teachers find laughable because they have seen/heard the passion so many times from new teachers and then watched it fade as those first few years wear on.

She makes you ask, "What IS my definition of a successful education?"