To demonstrate the authentic value of chuckles and thrills that I mentioned in the last post, I present here a few "oh man, you just had to be there" moments in the informational text carousel:
Every class has a funny guy, right? The student who loves attention and amuses his or her peers endlessly. This was the exact person who chose the penguin book with a chapter title "Jackass Penguin" boldly emblazoned across the page to share when I asked for volunteers to show "interesting visual text" from their books.
Every class has students who love cats and students who love dogs, but one class has a cat lover who shared extremely adorable cat and kitten photos from the book he chose. I promptly oohed and ahhed over every one in total agreement even though I don't love cats (or dogs), but a dog lover in the class insisted that every single cat in that book and in the universe was UGLY. This same dog lover then found a photo of a hairless cat in another book to emphasize her point, SEE? End of story.
Well, all that doesn't sound very funny when I tell it here, but like I said, you had to be there!
Friday, January 11, 2013
Thursday, January 10, 2013
How wide and how deep is your love of public education?
In the informational book carousel, everyone finds at least a few interesting books even though most of my students don't like to read, don't want to read, and/or don't think reading is cool. A variety of books is critical to holding student interest in the lesson itself, which is usually a reading and/or writing skill practice. It also exposes students to the Big Wide World of Life that's typically more than they see in their own life and in the social media they choose to ingest. Additional benefits: physical activity for students, quiet classroom for teacher sanity.
Two main carousel complications:
1. Set-up of materials takes time and effort, but the payoff of solid planning is excellent. Invest in authentic reading material, and keep the paper/writing materials simple. I usually write my own questions, based on the goals for student learning and student needs. If I don't have stellar school library resources, I would borrow public library books since I can monitor student use closely.
2. Managing the flow of students through stations requires constant vigilance. I try to vary the the questions based on learning goals/needs, but there will always be some students who work quickly and some slowly.
Say what we will about the ills of high-stakes standardized tests, but the vast majority of students who score below grade-level proficiency and have to take my class are not strong readers, meaning (to me) they don't read deeply or widely. A small minority may enjoy reading a narrow range of genres or topics ("Do you have any more Wimpy Kid books? The Hunger Games? Football or hockey?), and they tend to read for chuckles and thrills. Both are authentic reader experiences, but neither wide nor deep reading.
How wide or deep should students be reading? I'm not sure that's the right question, considering generally low to mediocre expectations of academic character in American society. Let's focus on excellent academic character, emphasize the value of struggling through challenges with hard work and determination to realize long-term goals. Sometimes working harder is smarter - apply Malcolm Gladwell's 10,000 hour "outliers" rule.
As for the use of standardized tests to scapegoat educators and bankrupt public education, I bet the enterprising folks pocketing insane millions of tax dollars (Pearson, I'm talking about you and your buddies) are happy with their 10,000 hour investment in the study and practice of making money. How wide and how deep is your love of money compared to your love of public education?
Two main carousel complications:
1. Set-up of materials takes time and effort, but the payoff of solid planning is excellent. Invest in authentic reading material, and keep the paper/writing materials simple. I usually write my own questions, based on the goals for student learning and student needs. If I don't have stellar school library resources, I would borrow public library books since I can monitor student use closely.
2. Managing the flow of students through stations requires constant vigilance. I try to vary the the questions based on learning goals/needs, but there will always be some students who work quickly and some slowly.
Say what we will about the ills of high-stakes standardized tests, but the vast majority of students who score below grade-level proficiency and have to take my class are not strong readers, meaning (to me) they don't read deeply or widely. A small minority may enjoy reading a narrow range of genres or topics ("Do you have any more Wimpy Kid books? The Hunger Games? Football or hockey?), and they tend to read for chuckles and thrills. Both are authentic reader experiences, but neither wide nor deep reading.
How wide or deep should students be reading? I'm not sure that's the right question, considering generally low to mediocre expectations of academic character in American society. Let's focus on excellent academic character, emphasize the value of struggling through challenges with hard work and determination to realize long-term goals. Sometimes working harder is smarter - apply Malcolm Gladwell's 10,000 hour "outliers" rule.
As for the use of standardized tests to scapegoat educators and bankrupt public education, I bet the enterprising folks pocketing insane millions of tax dollars (Pearson, I'm talking about you and your buddies) are happy with their 10,000 hour investment in the study and practice of making money. How wide and how deep is your love of money compared to your love of public education?
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Close reading workshop (?!)
Last week I started a short unit on close reading of informational books (borrowed on a cart from the school library). The first lessons involved writing summary paragraphs of books they chose from the cart based on personal interests. The lesson-within-the-lesson was how to generalize from specific details. For example, in a book about pugs, don't include details about taking care of the pet in the book summary, just include the sentence, "This book explains how to take care of pugs."
The next lesson was using the index to find information. I chose books from various nonfiction genres (natural science, technology, history, cooking, sports, arts and crafts), one book per station per student, and wrote a question that required students to use the index to answer. My largest classes have 13 students, smallest 6.) Students worked independently at each station for about three to four minutes, then moved to next station. Managing the flow of the stations "carousel" was tricky, since no matter now hard I try to equalize the question difficulty, students work at different paces, so I need to encourage the fast ones to do a thorough job (and practice patience) and the slow ones to move along (with nudges toward the right path of discovery as needed).
The third major lesson will be using maps and charts in informational books (by this time, I have traded in a fresh set from the library). I'm writing multiple choice questions to prompt students to read visual information and related texts carefully. I'll use the stations/carousel format for this.
Based on the terrific selection of books available, thanks to a fantastic Library Media Specialist, I've been challenged to study internal combustion engine diagrams, solar-powered turbine towers, how to draw manga faces and poses, graph charts of how many professional baseball games are completed by starting pitchers over the past hundred years, just to name a few. This unit is an interesting blend of reading workshop and close reading practice. I think we are enjoying it!
The next lesson was using the index to find information. I chose books from various nonfiction genres (natural science, technology, history, cooking, sports, arts and crafts), one book per station per student, and wrote a question that required students to use the index to answer. My largest classes have 13 students, smallest 6.) Students worked independently at each station for about three to four minutes, then moved to next station. Managing the flow of the stations "carousel" was tricky, since no matter now hard I try to equalize the question difficulty, students work at different paces, so I need to encourage the fast ones to do a thorough job (and practice patience) and the slow ones to move along (with nudges toward the right path of discovery as needed).
The third major lesson will be using maps and charts in informational books (by this time, I have traded in a fresh set from the library). I'm writing multiple choice questions to prompt students to read visual information and related texts carefully. I'll use the stations/carousel format for this.
Based on the terrific selection of books available, thanks to a fantastic Library Media Specialist, I've been challenged to study internal combustion engine diagrams, solar-powered turbine towers, how to draw manga faces and poses, graph charts of how many professional baseball games are completed by starting pitchers over the past hundred years, just to name a few. This unit is an interesting blend of reading workshop and close reading practice. I think we are enjoying it!
Monday, December 31, 2012
100 books read in 2012!
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
May your days be merry and bright
I didn't receive any books for Christmas, unlike this man here, but I do have to read nine more by December 31st to complete the Goodreads.com goal I set of 100 books. Happy reading!
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Let's rest and recharge
Snowflakes fell in earnest around the same time we were heading home from school. Ten days of rest sounds luxurious, but I think we need every single moment of it.
My "close reading of a novel" unit was a hit with students! When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead truly captured their interest, and the guided reading format helped my struggling readers to grasp the tricky back-and-forth-in-time narratives.
This unit is just about the opposite of reading workshop, which I still firmly believe helps students build a strong literacy foundation. The classroom novel unit supplements reading workshop, especially in my course, which is in the "AIS" (academic intervention services) category and designed to supplement English Language Arts instruction.
In addition to class discussions about plot development, characterization, and other narrative elements, I gave short answer questions for students to answer at the beginning or end of each class. I used the 2-point scoring rubric used in the state assessment and provided "model" and "anchor" responses. Student answers gave us (including students) feedback about how deeply they read the novel and the level of difficulty to expect on this year's state assessment.
I have been thinking and reading a lot about the recent tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut. All of it hurts my mind and heart, another good reason for ten days of rest.
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Close reading of literature
I'm going to try "close reading" (of the Common Core Learning Standards infamy) of literature this week, using a book that has intrigued me ever since I read it last year, When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead. I will attempt a read-aloud, mainly because I don't have extra copies of the book (yet), but also because students enjoy read-alouds. This book is a good choice because the dominant question in my mind when I was reading (and enjoying) the book was - "How would my students make sense of this novel, with alternating time/narratives, unfamiliar setting (1980s New York City, which were my own stomping grounds), and surprise ***SPOILER ALERT*** fantasy element?"
By the way, recently I read Rebecca Stead's new novel, Liar and Spy. It packed quite a punch, but I wasn't really interested in the story until halfway through. AGAIN - how would my students ever get to the GOOD part on their own? Readers like my daughter, who would read a book just because her teacher (or mom) assigned it, would have no trouble with it, but my "too cool for reading" students? Guided reading may be a good way to go.
By the way, recently I read Rebecca Stead's new novel, Liar and Spy. It packed quite a punch, but I wasn't really interested in the story until halfway through. AGAIN - how would my students ever get to the GOOD part on their own? Readers like my daughter, who would read a book just because her teacher (or mom) assigned it, would have no trouble with it, but my "too cool for reading" students? Guided reading may be a good way to go.
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Close reading of informational text can be a thing of beauty
Meaningful work gives me energy to continue working. Yesterday afternoon I pushed paper at work in a frenzy, and it was not meaningful work, just work. Rest gives me energy! So these four days of vacation should help me swing back into school with a spring in my step, right? I have plans to visit with family and shop small local stores.
I've been using the "Shallow Seas" episode of the Planet Earth series (Discovery Channel) to teach "close reading" comprehension of informational text. The text we use is the narration itself, beautifully presented by Sigourney Weaver, full of figurative language. I transcribe the narration and write the questions, which students preview before watching the video and answer after watching.
The video itself is just a thing of beauty, with built-in opportunities to show students (most of whom profess to hate school in general) some good reasons to stay in school. "Wouldn't it be cool to shoot this scene with high speed cameras on a boat near Australia?! Well, the longer you stay in school, the more options you have to get cool jobs like that."
Clips of the Planet Earth series are available on the Discovery Channel web site, though my school is fortunate to own the DVD set. Each time I watch it, I remember why I love to teach, to show students the wonders of the world and encourage them to grab every chance possible to be part of this wonderful world. Happy Thanksgiving!
I've been using the "Shallow Seas" episode of the Planet Earth series (Discovery Channel) to teach "close reading" comprehension of informational text. The text we use is the narration itself, beautifully presented by Sigourney Weaver, full of figurative language. I transcribe the narration and write the questions, which students preview before watching the video and answer after watching.
The video itself is just a thing of beauty, with built-in opportunities to show students (most of whom profess to hate school in general) some good reasons to stay in school. "Wouldn't it be cool to shoot this scene with high speed cameras on a boat near Australia?! Well, the longer you stay in school, the more options you have to get cool jobs like that."
Clips of the Planet Earth series are available on the Discovery Channel web site, though my school is fortunate to own the DVD set. Each time I watch it, I remember why I love to teach, to show students the wonders of the world and encourage them to grab every chance possible to be part of this wonderful world. Happy Thanksgiving!
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Too tired to blog
Here's my excuse for not blogging:
"The exhaustion of the American teacher" by John Kuhn. He explained it perfectly.
"The exhaustion of the American teacher" by John Kuhn. He explained it perfectly.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
News story summaries
Informational text is all the rage, yes? Hmm, depends on whom you ask. This article presents opposing points of view: "Fiction vs. nonfiction smackdown".
We've been studying news stories and how to summarize them, using articles from TweenTribune.com, my go-to source for informational text that engages student interest and are easy to use in instruction. Last week I chose 4 short articles, divided students into 4 groups, and gave each group an article. I modeled how to pull out the key details - who, what, where, when, why/how - and present a summary. The groups worked together to read, identify key details, and present summaries. This week students worked independently and used computers to search for articles on that web site. I insisted that each student in the class had a unique article. Students searched, read, identified key details, and presented their summaries to the class. During presentations, they stood next to the SmartBoard that showed the article on the web site, which showed a photograph and allowed us to "fact check" on the spot.
I've taught this unit before, and it always highlights student interest in news stories and struggles in identifying key details. Since this is a news story unit, I teach them to look for narratives that feature some newsworthy current event. Their two main challenges are identifying the newsworthy event itself and understanding cause/effect relationships in the story.
We've been studying news stories and how to summarize them, using articles from TweenTribune.com, my go-to source for informational text that engages student interest and are easy to use in instruction. Last week I chose 4 short articles, divided students into 4 groups, and gave each group an article. I modeled how to pull out the key details - who, what, where, when, why/how - and present a summary. The groups worked together to read, identify key details, and present summaries. This week students worked independently and used computers to search for articles on that web site. I insisted that each student in the class had a unique article. Students searched, read, identified key details, and presented their summaries to the class. During presentations, they stood next to the SmartBoard that showed the article on the web site, which showed a photograph and allowed us to "fact check" on the spot.
I've taught this unit before, and it always highlights student interest in news stories and struggles in identifying key details. Since this is a news story unit, I teach them to look for narratives that feature some newsworthy current event. Their two main challenges are identifying the newsworthy event itself and understanding cause/effect relationships in the story.
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