Treasure Chest of Thoughts

You are cordially invited to peruse my students’ blogs and read their latest poetic creations in honor of National Poetry Month and our current thematic units.  (Poems should be posted by Friday!)

• English 11:  Click here to go to a list of this class’s blogs.  Their latest poetic posting is a haiku commemorating the Holocaust and what they have learned thus far in our Courage to Be Responsible thematic unit.  By the way, Holocaust Remembrance Day is today April 21.  Tomorrow, this class will learn about fate of the butterflies each has created in memory of a child who was a part of the Terezin Concentration Camp…(will post tomorrow about this…with pictures of fluttering creations).  Each student’s butterfly is based on a poem taken from I Never Saw Another Butterfly. These butterflies will now migrate to the Holocaust Museum in Houston, TX, where they are attempting to collect 1,500,000 butterfliesto commemorate the children killed in the Holocaust.
• Again…thanks to Dr. Pezz for inspiring this project through a blog post of his.
• Pre-AP English 10:  Click here to access this class’s blogs.  Today we discussed William Carlos Williams’ poem “The Little Red Wheelbarrow” and how this poem aptly fits into our Utopia vs. Dystopia unit.  Then, to my delight, I assigned each to write a poem using this one as a model.  (Please click here if interested in reading this poem and checking out my PowerPoint I used with this discussion.)  Such a powerful poem!

Happy National Poetry Month!

It’s beginning to look a lot like a kindergarten class…at least, in room 16!

I have to confess:  I am a project-based learning teacher at heart.  Not a master of this method, by no means, but a definite wanna-be.

Pictured here is the work (in progress) of my English classes.  Journey with me, please, as we peruse this recent work by my students.

On the left bulletin board are the masks created by each student upon completion of our initial discussion of the terms utopia vs. dystopia, a reading of Paul Lawrence Dunbar’s “I Wear the Mask,” and the writing of an essay which revealed to the reader why each student is who he/she is…digging into the “why” behind each selected personal characteristic.  The mask displays to the world (our class, of course!) the colors that best represents each student…no words or symbols were allowed! 

They loved this assignment!  “We want to color more!”

This assignment was the prelude to our reading Anthemby Ayn Rand and writing and submitting an essay for the contest on this novel.  Now, that after Spring Break, we will continue the discussion of our thematic unit Utopia vs. Dystopia with the reading of Animal Farm.

The bulletin board on the right is a display of Wordles of the students’ initial thoughts on the Holocaust in a multi-genre unit entitled The Courage to Be Responsible.  Again, they appreciated the creativity and, of course, the use of technology.  Following this activity, each student selected a sub-topic on the Holocaust on which to write an essay requiring one primary and two secondary sources.  In essence, the class as a whole is writing a research paper; each student is just in charge of one component (or one Roman numeral).  Before reading Night, each will present his/her topic to the rest of the class, using PowerPoint with embedded links (and maybe video).

Next time?  Pictures of the butterflies created to commemorate the children in the Terezin Concentration Camp.  Have seen two of them so far (they are due tomorrow)…wonderful (and colorful) tributes to such a horrific time.

They loved this assignment!  “This is so much better than taking the End-of-Level Exam!”

Yes, there is definitely time for creativity.

My juniors spent three-fourths of their day on Tues./Wed. taking the Arkansas End-of-Level Literacy Exam.  Lots of reading, reflecting, and writing.

When given the opportunity to reflect on the exam the day following the test’s administration, one student sums up her thoughts in this Wordle graphic display.

The first word that jumped out at me was easy. 

Then I noticed the word thought.  This makes the teacher feel better!  For weeks, I had been doing by absolute best to persuade my students to just try…”if you will just try, you will score proficient on this test.”  This equates to checking and re-checking their work and just taking the test seriously.

Then I noticed the word proficient.  Yes! 

Now we wait to mid-summer for the results…with the confidence of knowing they scored proficient!

March 12…the first day of school.  The first day since I entered near panic-mode about our End-of-Level Literacy Exam scheduled for March 10-11.

Yes, I know that this exam really tests what they have learned since grade 9, but about a month ago, the entire weight of this test felt as if it had fallen upon my shoulders, and we went into review-overdrive!  The kids and I are so ready for this test to be over!

Then I became a cheerleader…my nine-year-old cheerleading daughter would be so proud.  I have cheered and praised and encouraged and bribed rewarded, for I do believe that if my students will just try…and try again…that they can only score proficient.

To encourage our students to just try, our school offers those who score proficient one-half extra personal day during their senior year…and no remediation class!

To encourage my students to just try, I offer my students food (today, they planned their menu!) and two test grades (one for each day) if I am convinced they “just tried.”  (This second part was the deal I made with my students after reading them Mr. Teacher’s “The Million Dollar Test” from Learn Me Good.)

To encourage his students to just try, our principal has created the “Lucky 7″ checklist, and for just trying, each student who receives the seven checkmarks obtains two passes to leave campus for lunch in town on two Fridays.

Are we doing the right thing by offering so much?  Maybe?  I just know that the food, grades, and passes for an off-campus lunch has now made this test “real” to them.  It’s not about the scores printed in the newspaper or placed on their transcripts nor the numbers reported to the Department of Education; it’s the ownership, their commitment to “just try” because I became what I should have been all year:  a cheerleader.

So on Thursday, March 12, I will work to maintain this energy.  On March 12, I will be a cheerful teacher as we can now go back to have real school…and the weight of that test is gone!

Tony Wagner in The Global Achievement Gap reports that schools are doing what I have been doing the last few weeks…”teaching to the test”…and while I completely agree with his sentiments…

They’re a lot more worried about their school or district making what’s called “adequate yearly progress” so they’re not stigmatized as “failing” (p 13).

I am a little concerned that Mr. Wagner may not truly understand the teacher’s perspective, for the weight of the test is mighty, bigger than what I can possibly control; therefore, I succumb to its weight for a short while and teach to the test, not for survival but for comfort.  You see…I have to be able to lay down at night and know that I have at least attempted to “adequately” prepare my students for all this testing that we force upon our students. 

Life is about tests.  I have experienced, lived my fair share of them, and now I so look forward to March 12 when I can go back to better preparing my students for the real world, for how to deal with life’s real tests, which is what Tony Wagner then discusses in his newest release.

Now, maybe, I will have more time to read his book!

This week, my English 11 began the research process…with a cross-curricular connection:  this paper is both for our class and their US History class, as well as for possible entry into the National History Day competition.  Ah, the possibility of a trip to Baltimore, Maryland, and Washington, DC!

The topic:  The Individual in History.  What person has had a significant impact on society, on history?

The assignment:  Gather four sources, create the bibliographical information, annotate the article, and determine whether each article is a primary or a secondary source. (This resource can be found at the above link.) Could be sources on four different individuals; could four sources on just one individual.  The student determines the variety as he/she finalizes the selection of the person who is to be the focus of the research paper….or documentary or exhibit or performance or website, for the student also chooses the format in which to present.

The reaction:  Everybody likes a good deal, right?  A two-for-one deal.  A grade for English, as well as for history class.  The light bulbs began to go off when I mentioned that!

I was really proud of their reactions.  For while I struggle with how to fit all aspects of the Language Arts curriculum within my allotted timeframe, I also realize that these are some very important skills that my students must learn to utilize:  to learn how to learn.

Thanks to Mr. Kevin at  NCS-Tech for the tip that Bullying Awareness Week is Nov. 16-22. 

How timely!  My English 11 is right in the middle of The Bullying Mentality thematic unit.  Next week we begin The Crucible.

Next year, I would like for my students to create Podcasts/videos that we could show during Channel 1.  Just do not think I can pull this together in a week.  Maybe we could colloborate with our broadcasting class…brainstorming!

We can script announcements for the daily announcements.  We can study cyberbulling (a topic on which I want to discuss more).  We can wear blue one day to symbolize peace.

The beauty of creating units?  A unit is never complete.  New sources.  New contacts.  Evolving.  Learning.  Sharing.

Not bullying.

Another new adventure for me…reading a novel with one lit circle group within each of my English 11 classes.

First, to the group that assigned 175 pages for the first reading…let’s just say this is a good reminder of what being assigned homework is like…and what it feels like as I wait too long to begin the next assignment!  Don’t worry!  I’ll make it!

Right now, both of these classes are reading historical fiction, a genre I have not read in some time.   My in-class library needs some help here also…not enough choice and not near enough novels on our reading levels!

Here’s a list of what we are reading for our “A Pioneer Never Quits Unit”:

• Indian Captive
• The Sacrafice
• Fever 1793
• Caddie Woodlawn:  I’m in that group!
• Black Storm Comin’
• The Glory Field:  This is the group that assigned me 175 pages for the first assignment!  Good book, though!

Yesterday, we met for our first club meeting.  Reinforced  the fact that lit circles should assist in retention of content and a much deeper reading.  I am a sticky-note user (saves writing in my class books and my annotating choice of the day), so I showed the class my novel…one quickly sprouting pink wings (Caddie Woodlawn)!  Today’s group (The Glory Field) will see how I am using sticky notes to divide the book as the author has done…by segments of time.

Next time?  We adopt our roles and report accordingly.  Each person assumes a different role for each club meeting (of course, no two may have the same role on the same day).  Uh, oh…what role was I assigned? 

1. Discussion Director
2. Illustrator
3. Wordsmith
4. Summarizer
5. Travel Tracker
6. Vocabulary Enricher
7. Connector
8. Conflict Connector

The assigment includes having their role ready to discuss, then taking notes on the other roles as each club member discusses his/her findings.

Yes, reading deeper!  Need to find that extra package of sticky notes!

Question:  How might one create a digital totem pole?  Or should one?

Despite my goal to promote Web 2.0 within my classroom this fall, with this project, maybe non-digital is the way to go.

A few nights ago in a conversation with my husband about what I was reading, we discussed the totem pole as one of the original means of communication within our nation. 

Thus, this is where I go next with my English 11 students as we begin our first thematic literacy unit “A Pioneer Never Quits.”  One of the projects for this unit is for the students to create a literary totem pole.

1. Each student determines the main “chunks” within his/her life.  Each chuck is represented on a card.  For example, the chunks in my sample literary totem pole are family, education, school, church, and hobbies = my totem pole consists of five cards.
2. Each card contains a description, whether through the use of pictures, words, 3-D objects…whatever that student wants to use to represent that facet of his/her life.
3. Yes, each card represents what a bear, a whale, a raven might have represented on a “real” totem pole:  what is important or meaninful in one’s life.
4. The cards are scored; each turned in opposite directions and then small slits are placed on the bottom of each card (except for the bottom one!) and slid over the card below it.  As they interlock, the pole is built.
5. This year the totem poles will be built around a paper towel cardboard center for added support.  The ones built last year would stand but were quite wobbily!
6. Then we create our English 11 Museum of Modern History.

Digital?  No, I don’t think so…unless the student chooses that method.  Some of the originality, the creativity, the uniqueness might be lost, just as unique as the original totem poles.

Unless, of course, someone knows of a tool to create these literary totem poles and not loose the 3-D effect.  Ideas?

English 11 students are creating various genres to present their research on their chosen topics in place of writing the tradition formatted research paper.