Surrounded by Professionals

I really enjoyed the NCTE conference last weekend for a number of reasons, but one of the main ones was the fact that I was surrounded with enthusiastic thoughtful English teachers from all over the US. It is good to get out of the BCLA bubble every once in a while and see what issues and questions I share with others, and what teaching ideas I had not even considered. It was refreshing and invigorating to re-think readers workshop and to hear some speakers share how they used popular fiction to teach the skills students would need to use to understand The Oddessy. I had really forgotten the power of sharing best practices. Since this was so exciting, I was really wondering how we could do this more in our own department. After the conference I decided I wanted to find more time to talk to other English teachers about what they were doing in their classes. I'm going to try and take more time to be really present in our meetings, and to start some informal conversations about what is working in everyone's classes rather than constantly focusing on the next little thing I have to do to make it through the day. In that spirit, please share any great ideas or things you have done in your class this year that you see working (or are at least excited about!)

Formative Assessments and Supportive Classroom Climates

This article had some interesting food for thought on assessment

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/LeaderTalk/2009/11/formative_assessments_and_supp.html

High Expectations - on accident

I am just finishing up teaching The Color Purple in my class, and I have seen a very interesting phenomena in my classroom. Because of a time-crunch I had students reading the book WAY more on their own than I had planned for. At the same time I was trying out a reading log system for students to use to select quotes and respond to the book. What I found during this process was that students were thinking about the book WAY more critically than I had ever had students do independently before. I had students selecting quotes from Nettie and making the connection back to Celie's experiance without any prompting from me - this, frankly, amazed me. Now, as I look back, I realize that I assumed, at some level, that students needed me to scaffold for them to get to some of these deep ideas. And, this experiance has shown me, that some students do. However, the students who were struggling with this much independent reading and thinking were the ones who were, honestly, struggling more with the reading itself. As I think about the implications of this, I that if I had spent more time on general reading strategies, and then launched into this way of reading the novel, complete with more student-student discussions, I would have had some very fertile ground for students to develop interesting and insightful ideas. I think that accidentally making them do more on their own, I had higher expectations for them and they responded accordingly. This is the first time, in all the times that I have used the term "high expectations" that I am starting to feel like I can see it and see how it works. Maybe its lame that it took me this long to get to this realization, but it is definitely influencing how I think about my teaching.

High School Literacy - it works!

An Alabama High School Makes Literacy a Schoolwide Job
Literacy Woes Put in Focus

Hey, we're not alone in our AI2-ness!

I thought this article laid out what I think AI2 is trying to do nicely - without the confusing acronyms.
Editorial: Improving Learning One Kid at a Time

Text Sets

This is an interesting idea - I could see how you could adapt it for more sophisticated research, but really give students the experience of finding information using their critical thinking skills.
http://trevorcairney.blogspot.com/2009/09/reading-to-learn-using-text-sets.html

Writing Ideas

Here is a list of interesting writing ideas from the National Writing Project:
30 Ideas for Teaching Writing

This is a test

I am on a hunt to figure out how to easily post documents to this blog. This is a test - feel free to ignore it.
Levey's week 1 reading

Google Lit Trips

Ever had trouble trying to explain the setting of the book to the student? This seems like a great way to make the book come alive - use google earth to take a tour of the setting(s) of the book! Check it out at: Google Lit Trips

To give or not give homework?

Homework is always something I have struggled to think about and design. This post was interesting and inspired me to re-read Chapter 3 of "The Art and Science of Teaching" Homework post

Ideas for groupwork

While I may not fully agree with this article or school wholeheartedly, it does offer some interesting and valuable ideas for thinking about structuring groupwork.
http://www.edutopia.org/project-learning-sacramento-group-dynamics

Turning Failure into Opportunity

This e-mail from a literacy specialist listserve was helpful for me when I thought about how to bounce back from a rough day:

It's not enough to fail. You have to come to feel your failure, to live it through, to turn it over in your hand, like a stone with strange markings.

James Fenton

How do you get beyond failures in your teaching, and yet still make sure you take the time to learn from them? This is one of the greatest challenges we face. A disastrous study group or difficult teaching year can make you want to retreat to the comfort of what has worked in the past. But doing the same thing over and over again is going to lead to failure in the future, too - just of a different variety.

Most educators have a built-in pause button for reflecting on failure - the summer months. Even if you are on a full-year contract or working a second job during off months to make ends meet, the change in the season brings a new perspective. It's easier to think about that gap between what you expected and what happened, without wallowing in it, when you have some distance of time and space.

What's gone wrong this year? What relationships will you have to work to rebuild next fall, or try yet again to establish in the first place? What's the silver lining of learning, so that you can move forward next fall stronger than ever? It's a funny thing - making a conscious decision to set aside some time this summer to think through troublesome moments from the year can actually free you up from spending lots of unconscious mental energy sorting it all out now.

Study Examines Cooperative-Learning Results by Race

This article discusses some interesting findings of how students' performance differed by race when students worked with different versions of cooperative learning. I encourage you to check it out:
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/05/05/31group.h28.html?tkn=VMVCi%2B6WT2kMPPGM56xKUq%2FSke6SCaTSdL7k

Question to consider

Hi everyone. If you just made it to the blog, congratulations!! I have a question that I would love people to respond to (you can this by clicking "comment" below). As I was working with the 10th grade team on our year long plan on Wednesday, I got to wondering what, exactly, people in our department think students should be able to do on their own when the get to college. I know this is a) a big question and b) we discussed this quite a bit at the start of the school year. But I feel like I'm just now getting to a place where I understand the workings of BCLA enough to better understand everyone's opinions and thoughts. So, if you want, post your thoughts to this question: What do you think our students should be able to do independently when they get to college?

Why We're Still 'At Risk'

OK, I swear I did more this break than just read posts and articles about education. But there is a lot in my e-mail inbox that I am now sorting through, and I can't help but post the ones I find interesting. This article was about some of the current assumptions in educational reform that are faulty. I really liked the explanation of assumptions 1-3 and thought they were relevant to us and our school. http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/04/22/29wolk_ep.h28.html?tkn=MY[FZNG6Vojb3JhdxssBnq%2BYp8q9lJUgnTak

Ideas for Summer Reading

I just saw this from the" choice literacy" webpage, and I thought it was especially timely for our summer reading discussions. Here is the link: http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/345.cfm but I have copy-pasted the text below as well:. I know that these examples are for younger students, but I think some of the same ideas could be easily tweaked for our students:

Jumpstarting Students' Summer Reading: Classroom Strategies and Activities to Promote Independence

Franki Sibberson

I keep a reading log tracking the books I read each month. When I look at the log across the years, I notice that there are patterns to my reading. There are some months (September, especially) when I don't get much reading done. There are other months (July especially) with so much reading. I have come to accept the fact that I cannot expect myself to read the same number of books each month. And I have come to look forward to the months that getting lost in a book seems easier.

I seem to save longer, more complex books for the down times in my life. I know if I am to read a book like The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver or The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, I need more time each day to read and be lost in the world of the book. So, I always keep a stack of books that I save for summer and vacation reading.

One of the children's literature blogs that I read consistently is Mother Reader. (www.motherreader.blogspot.com) Mother Reader started the 48 Hour Book Challenge two years ago and is preparing for the 3rd annual challenge in June. She invites fellow bloggers to read as much as they can (and blog about it) in a 48 hour period. It is a type of contest, but that is not the draw for me. For me, this 48 hour book challenge is a great excuse to drop everything and read, to give myself the gift of an entire weekend dedicated to my own reading, to catch up on my ever-growing stacks. Last year, I was amazed at how much people could read when they put everything else on hold--how nice it seemed to give myself the luxury of extra time to read.

As a reading teacher, I want to prepare my students for these times in life that invite extra reading time and the ways in which these times impact their reading lives. I have learned that summer is the perfect time to learn to enjoy the extra time. I am opposed to "summer reading lists" and required summer reading. Students usually see summer reading as an assignment, and often put off the reading until the week before school starts. I have found that my upper elementary students and my own children respond more positively when they see summer as a great time to catch up on the reading they haven't had time to get to during the school year.

There is so much we as teachers can do to support summer reading, and to help our students look forward to a summer with time built in for catching up on those books we've been looking forward to reading.

Things I Do to Invite Summer Reading

In mid-May, we usually do a class Book Share. Every student chooses a book that they don't think many people in the class know much about--a book that they think others would enjoy. We go around and share books. Everyone comes to the circle with a pencil and paper, jotting down titles of books that they might want to look at in the future. I also encourage them to put down the name of the classmate who recommended a book they notice, so that they can ask more questions if they need to.

Every year, the librarian from the public library comes to share information about the Summer Reading Program. She always shares information about the program, prizes students can earn for reading, and new books at the library. Since I am not a big fan of prizes for reading, I always ask my students to carry sticky notes and pencils to jot down the new books that she shares. Our conversation when we return from the visit focuses on the books they saw that they might want to look for when they visit the library.

Students have a place in their reading notebooks for keeping track of books they want to read. I usually have a minilesson where students go back to this list to determine whether any of those books on their list would make good summer reading.

I invite students to make a written plan for their summer reading. Giving them time to think through the kinds of reading they hope to do is usually very effective in building interest in and enthusiasm for summer reading. I ask questions like:

Is there a series that you've started that you'd like to read more of?
Is there an author that you really like right now?
What type of books are you in the mood for?
Is there a book you've heard of from someone else that you've been wanting to read?
Is there a longer-than-usual book that you've been wanting to read when you had extra time?
Are you going on a long plane or car trip that will give you extra time to read?
Where do you think you'll do most of your reading this summer?

Students can write responses to these questions, and then use them in our discussions. I've included a one-page template for summer reading planning at the link below:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/summerreadingtemplate.pdf

I share some books on tapes or some of the new Playaways we have gotten in our library, reminding students of the value of this type of reading for long car trips this summer. I share some of the books I've listened to on tape when I've driven long distances.

I encourage students to talk to others who like to read similar things, and to set up some times to chat about books they are reading over the summer. These informal social meetings often keep kids reading all summer long.

I usually do a minilesson with students titled Sharing My Own Plan for Summer Reading. I share the stack of books I have been collecting to read, as well as book reviews or advertisements of books I've heard about that I want to read. This year, I will share books like Burning Bright by Tracy Chevalier because she is an author I love and this is her new book. I'll also share Study Driven by Katie Wood Ray, a professional book I've read but want to reread this summer. I tell my students that I don't hold myself to these books. Who knows? I may find something that moves to the top of my piles as I visit bookstores and libraries. But I do share my expectations of my reading life this summer. I expect to catch up a bit on books I have not been able to fit in during the school year.

Celebrating Summer Reading

Instead of giving stickers or candy to students who return in the fall with completed reading logs, I like to find ways to celebrate our summer reading as a school. Students aren't sharing their logs to "prove" to me that they read. Instead they are sharing their reading because they know how powerful it is to talk to other readers.

Some years, I have created whole class or whole school boards to celebrate our summer reading. Sending home a page asking students to take a picture of themselves reading somewhere over the summer and to write a few sentences about their summer reading becomes a great bulletin board for the entrance of the school early in the year. It also starts conversations about books and reading right away when school begins.

What did you read this summer?
Where did you read this summer?

I usually write to my students once or twice during the summer months. I make sure to include information about my family, things I've been up to and the books I've been reading. After sharing a bit about my own reading, I then take some time to share new children's books I've found that they might enjoy.

Summer Reading Plans

As teachers, most of us look forward to the summer, when we have more time to catch up on our own reading. We may be a bit more relaxed. For our students, summer offers similar opportunities. By treating summer reading as an opportunity instead of an assignment, we can help kids read more and build a habit of summer reading.

Task to Aid Self-Esteem Lifts Grades for Some

I am very skeptical that something so simple (having students do short writing prompts about their values) could have such a large impact, but it seems that this study brings ups some interesting ideas and makes me wonder if there are some small changes I could make to improve some student's performance without having to face the Herculean task of changing all the inequities in the world. Basically, this article made me think of the saying "Don't do nothing because you can't do everything." http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/17/science/17esteem.html?_r=1

Introducing Shakespeare (Ms. L-P)

So, I tried an activity from Folger’s Shakespeare website on Monday and Tuesday in order to meet my objective for the week: SWBAT read and annotate Shakespearean language in order to summarize it. This week we were starting Othello, but I wanted my students to practice finding meaning in Shakespeare’s language even when they struggled with it. So, here is the activity they did in groups with sonnets 40, 57, 61, 87 :

Activity Description:

1) Read the Shakespearean sonnet that your group has been assigned by reading one line at a time out loud round-robin style (each person takes a turn and it goes around the group). As you read, point out any words that are unclear to you; as a group, figure out what the sonnet is attempting to say about either JEALOUSY or PASSION.

2) Present your sonnet to the class as a series of at least 3 tableaus (these are frozen images in which the people use their bodies to wordlessly act out the imagery of the sonnet). Students should be sure to choose images that reflect the sonnet's attitude toward passion or jealousy. While your group is acting out the tableaus one student will read the sonnet. Everyone must participate! Make sure to rehearse your tableau before presenting!

In one class, this went rather well – the groups followed directions by reading it aloud and then going back to find specific lines that they did understand, or at least understood part of. In this class I heard students asking other students what they thought something meant, and trying out ideas with each other in an attempt to find places that talked about Jealously or Passion. In the other class it was pretty disastrous, mostly because students refused to get into their randomly assigned groups and when they were in their group they wanted to jump right to step 2.

If I were to do this again, I would

a) Make sure to do it in one period only – we lost some serious momentum on the second day.

b) Give more instructions on reading through the sonnet once and then, independently, going back and highlighting parts that you could feel emotions in the words, and then explaining them independently in the margins. This could have been done before the students go into groups.

Keeping in mind that my point was to familiarize them with the language and to build some confidence, I would be fine if the students don’t end up with a super deep understanding of the sonnet. But I also liked this activity because I saw how it could be tweaked in different ways.

Report: English-only program doubled Boston's ELL dropout rate

Check out this article - its interesting to consider for our ELLs. I think a few other teachers also sent it out by e-mail.
- Marie
http://www.smartbrief.com/news/ascd/storyDetails.jsp?issueid=25F9416B-2A64-4FD0-BE3D-5987FDF6EF71&copyid=7B8833C6-34D2-434F-A99C-32DFC29C73A1&sid=32570833-c2a4-4250-88aa-6a2e8156c317&brief=ascd