I have to be at Wal-Mart at 6:45am tomorrow morning (on a Saturday! *makes face*). We'll be taking about 20 kids shopping - there were 5 whose parents said no. I've already talked to some of them about it, and they are excited. We have three(!) siblings from our team and their older brother/sister and two others from our team who had siblings in other grades who were nominated. Plus assorted 7th and 8th graders (a few of mine from last year who are now in 7th...one of whom is the one I mentioned in the original post last year who came to school for a week with a hole in the crotch of his pants) and a few from the other 6th grade team (one of whom I have in reading class). It's going to be really great.
My final total of money I raised was $2215.14!!! This is about three times (!) what I raised last year. Three times! Crazy! Because of this the final total this year was about $3300, and the school has never raised more than $3000 before (and this is with less in-school donations than normal). And, really, it is all because of you guys, your friends, Williams people, and my non-LJ friends and family. I mean, I raised about double what was brought in through other school sources. We will be able to get the kids everything they need, without having to stop at a cap like last year, and we'll be able to get them something that's worth more than $5 for their something special, i.e. an "unnecessary" item.
I just am still amazed by everyone's generosity. This is what the Christmas/holiday season is supposed to be about. Whether it's Christmas, Chanukah or Kwanza, Solstice, harvest or December twenty-fifth, everybody should use the season to come together and work to make the world a better place, whether it's just for one kid or 5 kids or a tribe in Africa or a family in your city or just your spare change. And that's what all y'all did here. Everyone is so impressed with me at school, BUT I COULD NOT HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT ALL OF YOU. I did very little when you think about it - I just extended my hand and asked for some help. I begged and cajoled a little, but it is all of YOU that came through for me here. YOU ALL are the ones that deserve thanks. Whether you donated $10, $50, $100, or $500, or just passed the word onto your friends, you did something really good for some kids who have very little.
I thank you for that from the bottom of my heart. Peace be with you this season, and I extend that into the new year. BECAUSE YOU ALL SO TOTALLY DESERVE IT.
(P.S. One line is so totally stolen from Blues Travellers.
Friday, December 7, 2007
Friday, November 16, 2007
Wal-Mart Kids
I have plans for several topics about which I would like to post, but here is an important one.
They come to us from many backgrounds and many environments, but 80% of them qualify for free and reduced lunch. For some, the only food they get every day is what they eat at school. As I drove a student home one day, she revealed to me that since her step-dad's accident, they had no groceries in the house; they couldn't afford any. They live on what they get at school and donations from her aunt's church.
With so many worries about how to survive, clothing is often not a top priority. The students shiver in class because their parents can't get them sweatshirts. They come to school in the rain without anything to keep them dry and in the winter without hats and gloves or even winter coats. Some come in wearing the same clothes every day no matter how dirty they are, because they have nothing else to wear.
Because of this, every year before winter break, we sponsor a shopping spree for our neediest kids. If you can spare even a dollar, send the money to my kids. Cash or a check; American dollars, Canadian dollars, pounds, euros, whatever - we can use your money. Checks can be made out to Lassiter Middle School, and any funds can be sent to me (Ms. Rachel Davis) courtesy of:
Lassiter Middle School
8200 Candleworth Drive
Louisville, KY 40214
Write in the note on your check or in a note in the envelope that the funds are for the "Wal-Mart Kids." My kids - Lassiter's kids - need your help.
I also accept donations via PayPal to racheldavis7 [at] gmail.com
Tell your family, tell your friends, tell whoever you want. Give them my name and the school address (give them the story and this whole post if you want). My kids need your help. Money will be accepted until the shopping spree on December 8th.
They come to us from many backgrounds and many environments, but 80% of them qualify for free and reduced lunch. For some, the only food they get every day is what they eat at school. As I drove a student home one day, she revealed to me that since her step-dad's accident, they had no groceries in the house; they couldn't afford any. They live on what they get at school and donations from her aunt's church.
With so many worries about how to survive, clothing is often not a top priority. The students shiver in class because their parents can't get them sweatshirts. They come to school in the rain without anything to keep them dry and in the winter without hats and gloves or even winter coats. Some come in wearing the same clothes every day no matter how dirty they are, because they have nothing else to wear.
Because of this, every year before winter break, we sponsor a shopping spree for our neediest kids. If you can spare even a dollar, send the money to my kids. Cash or a check; American dollars, Canadian dollars, pounds, euros, whatever - we can use your money. Checks can be made out to Lassiter Middle School, and any funds can be sent to me (Ms. Rachel Davis) courtesy of:
Lassiter Middle School
8200 Candleworth Drive
Louisville, KY 40214
Write in the note on your check or in a note in the envelope that the funds are for the "Wal-Mart Kids." My kids - Lassiter's kids - need your help.
I also accept donations via PayPal to racheldavis7 [at] gmail.com
Tell your family, tell your friends, tell whoever you want. Give them my name and the school address (give them the story and this whole post if you want). My kids need your help. Money will be accepted until the shopping spree on December 8th.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Thoughts on Articles
So I've recently subscribed to ASCD's "SmartBrief," which sends you headlines and links to the "most important" education articles/news every day. I came across 3 different articles today that really made me think.
1) "Teaching Secrets: Organizing Middle Schoolers"
Organization is something I really struggle with. I tend to either be very disorganzed or hyper-organized to ensure that I'm not disorganized. I tried a new system this year to see if it would work better than just using a notebook last year. I asked them all to get binders, and that really fell through since the principal ordered the district-created workbooks (which I had said I didn't want but have actually been insanely convenient so far). A binder and a workbook was just too much to give them every day, as these are REALLY thick workbooks.
It's been a lot easier on me and them with the workbooks, as all the worksheets are already in there in order. Last year they would lose print-outs or would write in the notebook all out of order. Having the pages already in there makes it so much easier for me to grade and really keeps them from losing anything. Of course, getting print-outs in there is annoying - you either staple or tape and it just wastes time. So I ordered some of those 3-clip pocket folders, and I'm hoping to hand those out next week (or the week after, I think) to use for bellwork sheets and other worksheets that we work on. They can place the folder inside the workbook, and they can be collected together every day at the end of class and passed out the next day - I think that should hopefully work well. *crosses fingers*
Anyway, the suggestions in the article I thought were rather helpful, though some were ones I alread utilize.
1)I've fallen through on checking agendas, so I'm going to need to reinforce that soon, especially with the changes in the ECE (special-ed) workings. I'm going to have some new kids in that will REALLY need the organizational help, and so it will be a good chance to hit everybody and figure out who doesn't have an agenda (I think I know one in my homeroom already).
2) I've got the class website and the binder for make-up work, so that's good. It needs some re-emphasis, though, as there are some kids who are just not making up the work. When I collected bellwork sheets yesterday, though, I had several over at the computer at the last minute filling in the missed dates, so that's good - they were using it to get their work done.
3) I like the idea of the IOU board, but I don't have a lot of posting space in my room, and I just don't even know where I'd put something like that. And I just worry that I wouldn't be able to keep up with it. It's something to think on at least, especially for bigger projects (tests and the like).
4) In related news, I DO need to keep up with the table of contents sheet - I need to laminate a piece of poster board and post that to let the kids know what should be completed and where it should be. That will go along with getting them folders, but I think it will have to have 2 Tables of Contents - one for the folder and one for the workbook, which hopefully will not be too confusing for them.
2) "School Boards Debate Sex-Offender Access"
This was an interesting issue. Obviously as a teacher I worry about the safety of my kids - from outsiders, from insiders, from each other, sometimes even from their families. We have the "Stranger Danger" lady come in every year with members of her organization, and she talks to the kids about keeping themselves safe. It's incredibly important. But what about parents and their child's sporting/whatever events. Sex-offenders aren't just child molesters, and what if a person has totally turned their life around? What about how this is punishing the child for their parent's past criminal, horrible act? And then, on the other hand, a voice says in my head "are you freaking kidding me? Letting people around kids that we know can do wrong?" Of course, if that's one's thought - why are they even allowed around their own children? They have to stay away from all children but their own - that just seems really rather hypocritical. Overall, though, it made me think, but I'm really not sure what to think. Do they make exceptions on a case-by-case basis? Or no exceptions? Or all people with their kids? I really don't know.
3) "Creating Readers, Part I"
As a person who continually struggles while teaching reading (I know very little about how to actually teach it, as I'm a science teacher), this was something that just amazed me. 40 books! I don't even know what to say. It's an amazing expectation, and that the lowest any kid had ever read was 22 is even more so. I admire what she's done, and I really wish I could capture even just a little bit of that ability.
I like that she's got a huge classroom library, that she reads aloud books they like, that she gets them to read independently. But I was confused at how she balances out independent reading and shared reading (i.e. the whole class or a group reading one novel). At first it seemed that they only read independently, and then she mentioned "share-reading" where the students read along. So they obviously do both, but I would really love to know the logistics. I'm hoping to get novels so that we all start off the day with independent reading of the same book, but I don't really know how to balance out giving them a chance to read on their own, making sure that we/they can discuss the books (and so are thus at a similar place in the narrative), and modeling reading by reading aloud. How does one manage all 3 without having kids miss portions of the book or get bored because they've heard/read the same section multiple times?
1) "Teaching Secrets: Organizing Middle Schoolers"
Organization is something I really struggle with. I tend to either be very disorganzed or hyper-organized to ensure that I'm not disorganized. I tried a new system this year to see if it would work better than just using a notebook last year. I asked them all to get binders, and that really fell through since the principal ordered the district-created workbooks (which I had said I didn't want but have actually been insanely convenient so far). A binder and a workbook was just too much to give them every day, as these are REALLY thick workbooks.
It's been a lot easier on me and them with the workbooks, as all the worksheets are already in there in order. Last year they would lose print-outs or would write in the notebook all out of order. Having the pages already in there makes it so much easier for me to grade and really keeps them from losing anything. Of course, getting print-outs in there is annoying - you either staple or tape and it just wastes time. So I ordered some of those 3-clip pocket folders, and I'm hoping to hand those out next week (or the week after, I think) to use for bellwork sheets and other worksheets that we work on. They can place the folder inside the workbook, and they can be collected together every day at the end of class and passed out the next day - I think that should hopefully work well. *crosses fingers*
Anyway, the suggestions in the article I thought were rather helpful, though some were ones I alread utilize.
1)I've fallen through on checking agendas, so I'm going to need to reinforce that soon, especially with the changes in the ECE (special-ed) workings. I'm going to have some new kids in that will REALLY need the organizational help, and so it will be a good chance to hit everybody and figure out who doesn't have an agenda (I think I know one in my homeroom already).
2) I've got the class website and the binder for make-up work, so that's good. It needs some re-emphasis, though, as there are some kids who are just not making up the work. When I collected bellwork sheets yesterday, though, I had several over at the computer at the last minute filling in the missed dates, so that's good - they were using it to get their work done.
3) I like the idea of the IOU board, but I don't have a lot of posting space in my room, and I just don't even know where I'd put something like that. And I just worry that I wouldn't be able to keep up with it. It's something to think on at least, especially for bigger projects (tests and the like).
4) In related news, I DO need to keep up with the table of contents sheet - I need to laminate a piece of poster board and post that to let the kids know what should be completed and where it should be. That will go along with getting them folders, but I think it will have to have 2 Tables of Contents - one for the folder and one for the workbook, which hopefully will not be too confusing for them.
2) "School Boards Debate Sex-Offender Access"
This was an interesting issue. Obviously as a teacher I worry about the safety of my kids - from outsiders, from insiders, from each other, sometimes even from their families. We have the "Stranger Danger" lady come in every year with members of her organization, and she talks to the kids about keeping themselves safe. It's incredibly important. But what about parents and their child's sporting/whatever events. Sex-offenders aren't just child molesters, and what if a person has totally turned their life around? What about how this is punishing the child for their parent's past criminal, horrible act? And then, on the other hand, a voice says in my head "are you freaking kidding me? Letting people around kids that we know can do wrong?" Of course, if that's one's thought - why are they even allowed around their own children? They have to stay away from all children but their own - that just seems really rather hypocritical. Overall, though, it made me think, but I'm really not sure what to think. Do they make exceptions on a case-by-case basis? Or no exceptions? Or all people with their kids? I really don't know.
3) "Creating Readers, Part I"
As a person who continually struggles while teaching reading (I know very little about how to actually teach it, as I'm a science teacher), this was something that just amazed me. 40 books! I don't even know what to say. It's an amazing expectation, and that the lowest any kid had ever read was 22 is even more so. I admire what she's done, and I really wish I could capture even just a little bit of that ability.
I like that she's got a huge classroom library, that she reads aloud books they like, that she gets them to read independently. But I was confused at how she balances out independent reading and shared reading (i.e. the whole class or a group reading one novel). At first it seemed that they only read independently, and then she mentioned "share-reading" where the students read along. So they obviously do both, but I would really love to know the logistics. I'm hoping to get novels so that we all start off the day with independent reading of the same book, but I don't really know how to balance out giving them a chance to read on their own, making sure that we/they can discuss the books (and so are thus at a similar place in the narrative), and modeling reading by reading aloud. How does one manage all 3 without having kids miss portions of the book or get bored because they've heard/read the same section multiple times?
Monday, October 1, 2007
Testing
There are times when I can't believe my kids. In this case, it was in a good way. The district provides core content assessments (CCAs) for every content area, and I gave my first one a week ago on Wednesday. I graded the open response questions, bubbled in their scores, and then ran the sheets through the new scantron (which is an amazing piece of machinery for any teacher). I could not believe the results. I had gone in with the math teacher to promise the kids who scored proficient and distinguished a dress-down day.
I have 101 students that I tested, and 50 of them (50!) scored distinguished. For those of you not in the know, distinguished is the highest kids can score, meaning they are above and beyond what we expect. The push for better testing scores only requires the students to score proficient. And I had 36 students score proficient. I had 13 score apprentice and only 2 score novice (little/no understanding of the concepts). This is a huge, huge difference from my students last year - I was ecstatic on the last CCA last year to get about 15 distinguished. To jump to 50 distinguished students and 36 proficient is just absolutely amazing. I can hardly believe it.
I am just so amazed and proud of my kids. Talk about feeling triumphant.
(The question again is: is it being out of the first year? Is it being better at preparing us to study in class? Is it the modules making them better prepared from last year? Whatever the case, I am just a happy, happy teacher.)
I have 101 students that I tested, and 50 of them (50!) scored distinguished. For those of you not in the know, distinguished is the highest kids can score, meaning they are above and beyond what we expect. The push for better testing scores only requires the students to score proficient. And I had 36 students score proficient. I had 13 score apprentice and only 2 score novice (little/no understanding of the concepts). This is a huge, huge difference from my students last year - I was ecstatic on the last CCA last year to get about 15 distinguished. To jump to 50 distinguished students and 36 proficient is just absolutely amazing. I can hardly believe it.
I am just so amazed and proud of my kids. Talk about feeling triumphant.
(The question again is: is it being out of the first year? Is it being better at preparing us to study in class? Is it the modules making them better prepared from last year? Whatever the case, I am just a happy, happy teacher.)
Saturday, September 15, 2007
EE Conference
So, as my school is trying to become an environmental education magnet, I was given the opportunity to go to the Kentucky Association of Environmental Educators Conference this Friday and Saturday in Cave City (and by going I am now a member of the organization for the next year). It was an amazing experience, and I can only hope that I am able to go to the conference again next year. I came out of it with a lot of new ideas for my classroom, and I'm really quite excited.
Friday I went on an all-day off-site session called "Tying the 'ologies Together: A Hands-on Adventure at Mammoth Cave." We actually saw more than just the cave itself, as they took us across the area to three other sites where we were able to see the karst terrain that is geologically connected to the formation of the caves (which happen to be the largest in the world). We were able to see the sinkholes that form from the dissolution of limestone rock, just as the caves do, as well as a spring where water leaves the caves and runs to Echo River and a cross-section of the rock layers (with a few fossils in them!). The caves themselves were amazing - I'd never seen anything like it before. The miles and miles that water has carved out and dissolved away and the different features it leaves behind - wow. As well as the unique creatures that live there - didn't get to see any bats of salamanders, but saw cave crickets and blind (and transluscent) crayfish.
The Saturday sessions were, by and large (well, 2 out of 3), very good as well. The first was put on by a facilitator from Population Connection, where we got a CD full on great activities related to population growth, resources, and consumption. There was a great video that showed population growth across the world throughout world history - it really highlighted the rapid growth since industrialization. We "mined" for chocolate chips in cookies, played an activity that dealt with resource allocation and what happens when people don't consider the needs of others while they consume, and played another activity that dealt with the carrying capacity for environments. Good stuff.
The second was called "The Science Behind Global Warming," which was led by Doug McCoy of the Louisville Zoo (who does a lot else besides working at the zoo, it seems). There were a lot of great little activities that I hope to use with my students during our school's environmental kick-off week next year and possible later on this year as well. I learned more about global warming for myself besides, so that's good.
I of course came away with some books because I am helpless that way. When you add in the delicious food and the concert Friday night by Walkin' Jim Stoltz, it was an exceptional conference (the not so good final session I went to aside).
Overall, I was really pleased to see how many people are commited to improving environmental education - of course, we all struggle to teach our children about all this while trying to deal with the restrictive curriculum and testing we have to do. (I often find myself wanting to expand and include things and then gnash my teeth in frustration as a I cry, "but I don't have the time!") There are some people doing some really amazing things out there, and I hope to learn more from them as time passes. We really need to get our kids engaged and commited, for their own sake, our sake, and the sake of our planet (and the future). Not only that, environmental education engages them so much more and opens the door for better, deeper understanding of concepts. I really hope that I can figure out how to work this all out for my kids.
(And in a final note, as it must be said: I love conferences.)
Friday I went on an all-day off-site session called "Tying the 'ologies Together: A Hands-on Adventure at Mammoth Cave." We actually saw more than just the cave itself, as they took us across the area to three other sites where we were able to see the karst terrain that is geologically connected to the formation of the caves (which happen to be the largest in the world). We were able to see the sinkholes that form from the dissolution of limestone rock, just as the caves do, as well as a spring where water leaves the caves and runs to Echo River and a cross-section of the rock layers (with a few fossils in them!). The caves themselves were amazing - I'd never seen anything like it before. The miles and miles that water has carved out and dissolved away and the different features it leaves behind - wow. As well as the unique creatures that live there - didn't get to see any bats of salamanders, but saw cave crickets and blind (and transluscent) crayfish.
The Saturday sessions were, by and large (well, 2 out of 3), very good as well. The first was put on by a facilitator from Population Connection, where we got a CD full on great activities related to population growth, resources, and consumption. There was a great video that showed population growth across the world throughout world history - it really highlighted the rapid growth since industrialization. We "mined" for chocolate chips in cookies, played an activity that dealt with resource allocation and what happens when people don't consider the needs of others while they consume, and played another activity that dealt with the carrying capacity for environments. Good stuff.
The second was called "The Science Behind Global Warming," which was led by Doug McCoy of the Louisville Zoo (who does a lot else besides working at the zoo, it seems). There were a lot of great little activities that I hope to use with my students during our school's environmental kick-off week next year and possible later on this year as well. I learned more about global warming for myself besides, so that's good.
I of course came away with some books because I am helpless that way. When you add in the delicious food and the concert Friday night by Walkin' Jim Stoltz, it was an exceptional conference (the not so good final session I went to aside).
Overall, I was really pleased to see how many people are commited to improving environmental education - of course, we all struggle to teach our children about all this while trying to deal with the restrictive curriculum and testing we have to do. (I often find myself wanting to expand and include things and then gnash my teeth in frustration as a I cry, "but I don't have the time!") There are some people doing some really amazing things out there, and I hope to learn more from them as time passes. We really need to get our kids engaged and commited, for their own sake, our sake, and the sake of our planet (and the future). Not only that, environmental education engages them so much more and opens the door for better, deeper understanding of concepts. I really hope that I can figure out how to work this all out for my kids.
(And in a final note, as it must be said: I love conferences.)
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Praise, Differentiation, the Second Year of Teaching
I am already five weeks into the second year of teaching. Everything that everyone says about the transition from your first to second year is SO true - having that experience, having survived through that trial by fire, having an actual clue about how things work makes it so much better. As does having a good chemistry with your team.
The kids are still surprising me with how well they're doing. There are always those with issues (behavioral or otherwise), but - for the most part - their behavior is far better than a lot of what I dealt with last year. Of course, I have more experience myself, so that makes a huge difference as well. Their academic success continues as well. I think that the use of the modules in 5th grade made a significant impact on their understanding of science and deeper aspects of biology (even though most of them don't know what the word biology means). They have experience with more concepts and also the activities as well.
We reviewed the material for the test like crazy too. The vocabulary (individual, population, community, ecosystem, abiotic) was the focus of every bellwork question and multiple class discussions for the past two and a half weeks. I hammered the words into their skulls, and they practiced practiced practiced them. They matched the words to examples I gave and made their own examples for the words - over and over. They had a lot of time to make those words their own, to attach their own meaning to them.
I definitely put creedence to something I heard this past summer about just how many times it takes for kids, especially kids with parents with little post-high school education, to learn new words (they typically have far smaller vocabularies as well) - the repetition was necessary for a lot of them to understand the concepts. And some STILL don't get it - it wasn't enough repetition for them to hold onto the meaning, especially with the heavier concept attached to it (there are a few where the language barrier is clearly an issue...they have spoken/heard fluency but not reading/writing fluency, and there are specific terms I should be using here but I don't remember them).
Nevertheless, the fact that the average grade was a B was amazing in my eyes (6 questions, 10 points per question, 40 pt base to build on, and partial credit given). They had a far better understanding and far better performance than the average student I had last year. The same mistakes which were so prevalent last year were made by just a few this year. After consulting the answers they gave, I came up with a list of approximately 26 students that I need to confer with on their understanding of the concepts, some of whom only misunderstand one word and some of whom may have been more confused by the presentation of the FOSS module test than the concepts themselves.
I raved about them to our team social studies teacher, as well as the other 6th grade science teacher at school. I raved about them to our team ECE teacher. I would have raved about them to more people, but I just didn't have the time today. I am just so pleased with their performance. And then I was reading What Great Teacher Do Differently (Todd Whitaker) while I was waiting to be seated for dinner tonight, and something occured to me. I raved to everyone EXCEPT for the students themselves. To the students I pointed out issues that most students had and corrected mistakes and misconceptions. Other than a few great/good job comments on the 95s and 100s (and a few scattered "great!"s for particular answers), I did not praise them much. I didn't convey how excited I was about their performance. I raved to everyone but them. Why is that? They're the ones that deserve to hear it the most, you know? And so I plan to let them know how proud I am of ALL of them when I let them actually keep the tests on Tuesday (we went over them, but they had to pass them back as I still have a few that haven't taken their tests yet). That is what good teachers do.
In other news, I am a planning on teaching a differentiated lesson on Wednesday. Now we often learn the same concepts in different ways, but I don't often have different groups performing different tasks, and that is what I hope to do on Wednesday as we finish up with food webs (we/they start with them tomorrow). The module has a really great visual/kinesthetic lesson that we'll be doing Monday - they have cards and arrows that they use to lay out the food web on their desks (upon, thought, we may need to do some rearrangement so they have room for all the cards). However, doing the same food web once is not enough practice for them. Tuesday I'm planning on talking about the different levels of the food webs, as well as discussing the effects of changes/removal/addition of members to the food web.
Wednesday will be more practice, and I'm hoping to have them split into two groups (herein lies the differentiation). Using (hopefully) the team ECE teacher, I want to have small-group/one-on-one instruction for the kids who still need more basic practice with the concepts and then have a higher group who have achieved understanding. I recently received two copies of "Into the Forest: Nature's Food Chain Game" from a fellow teacher, and I am hoping to have the higher groups use these games to create their own food webs and then be able to have fun practicing the concepts they've learned. Of course, I am also debating whether the game might be more helpful for those who are struggling with the concepts. This requires further consultation with the team ECE teacher. Regardless of how it all ends up functioning in the end, I'm hoping that it works out for the best for the students. In most classes, I have a pretty large breadth of understanding of key science concepts, so differentiation could be a huge help to solve these issues.
Of course, I'm still not at all sure what to do with the kid who drew a food web for his representation of science image on the first day of school. He obviously understands the concepts, and I can't reall think of how to make food webs higher level. I feel like it's the sort of thing that you either understand or you don't, and he definitely understands. I know how awful it was to be bored in school all the time, and he likes science, so I want to do SOMETHING that will engage him.
The kids are still surprising me with how well they're doing. There are always those with issues (behavioral or otherwise), but - for the most part - their behavior is far better than a lot of what I dealt with last year. Of course, I have more experience myself, so that makes a huge difference as well. Their academic success continues as well. I think that the use of the modules in 5th grade made a significant impact on their understanding of science and deeper aspects of biology (even though most of them don't know what the word biology means). They have experience with more concepts and also the activities as well.
We reviewed the material for the test like crazy too. The vocabulary (individual, population, community, ecosystem, abiotic) was the focus of every bellwork question and multiple class discussions for the past two and a half weeks. I hammered the words into their skulls, and they practiced practiced practiced them. They matched the words to examples I gave and made their own examples for the words - over and over. They had a lot of time to make those words their own, to attach their own meaning to them.
I definitely put creedence to something I heard this past summer about just how many times it takes for kids, especially kids with parents with little post-high school education, to learn new words (they typically have far smaller vocabularies as well) - the repetition was necessary for a lot of them to understand the concepts. And some STILL don't get it - it wasn't enough repetition for them to hold onto the meaning, especially with the heavier concept attached to it (there are a few where the language barrier is clearly an issue...they have spoken/heard fluency but not reading/writing fluency, and there are specific terms I should be using here but I don't remember them).
Nevertheless, the fact that the average grade was a B was amazing in my eyes (6 questions, 10 points per question, 40 pt base to build on, and partial credit given). They had a far better understanding and far better performance than the average student I had last year. The same mistakes which were so prevalent last year were made by just a few this year. After consulting the answers they gave, I came up with a list of approximately 26 students that I need to confer with on their understanding of the concepts, some of whom only misunderstand one word and some of whom may have been more confused by the presentation of the FOSS module test than the concepts themselves.
I raved about them to our team social studies teacher, as well as the other 6th grade science teacher at school. I raved about them to our team ECE teacher. I would have raved about them to more people, but I just didn't have the time today. I am just so pleased with their performance. And then I was reading What Great Teacher Do Differently (Todd Whitaker) while I was waiting to be seated for dinner tonight, and something occured to me. I raved to everyone EXCEPT for the students themselves. To the students I pointed out issues that most students had and corrected mistakes and misconceptions. Other than a few great/good job comments on the 95s and 100s (and a few scattered "great!"s for particular answers), I did not praise them much. I didn't convey how excited I was about their performance. I raved to everyone but them. Why is that? They're the ones that deserve to hear it the most, you know? And so I plan to let them know how proud I am of ALL of them when I let them actually keep the tests on Tuesday (we went over them, but they had to pass them back as I still have a few that haven't taken their tests yet). That is what good teachers do.
In other news, I am a planning on teaching a differentiated lesson on Wednesday. Now we often learn the same concepts in different ways, but I don't often have different groups performing different tasks, and that is what I hope to do on Wednesday as we finish up with food webs (we/they start with them tomorrow). The module has a really great visual/kinesthetic lesson that we'll be doing Monday - they have cards and arrows that they use to lay out the food web on their desks (upon, thought, we may need to do some rearrangement so they have room for all the cards). However, doing the same food web once is not enough practice for them. Tuesday I'm planning on talking about the different levels of the food webs, as well as discussing the effects of changes/removal/addition of members to the food web.
Wednesday will be more practice, and I'm hoping to have them split into two groups (herein lies the differentiation). Using (hopefully) the team ECE teacher, I want to have small-group/one-on-one instruction for the kids who still need more basic practice with the concepts and then have a higher group who have achieved understanding. I recently received two copies of "Into the Forest: Nature's Food Chain Game" from a fellow teacher, and I am hoping to have the higher groups use these games to create their own food webs and then be able to have fun practicing the concepts they've learned. Of course, I am also debating whether the game might be more helpful for those who are struggling with the concepts. This requires further consultation with the team ECE teacher. Regardless of how it all ends up functioning in the end, I'm hoping that it works out for the best for the students. In most classes, I have a pretty large breadth of understanding of key science concepts, so differentiation could be a huge help to solve these issues.
Of course, I'm still not at all sure what to do with the kid who drew a food web for his representation of science image on the first day of school. He obviously understands the concepts, and I can't reall think of how to make food webs higher level. I feel like it's the sort of thing that you either understand or you don't, and he definitely understands. I know how awful it was to be bored in school all the time, and he likes science, so I want to do SOMETHING that will engage him.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Wonderful surprises
So my plan this week and next - along with the other 6th grade science teacher and the MMD teacher also teaching the 6th grade science modules - was to introduce the students to living things. Last year the students had a lot of trouble with differentiating between the "biotic" (living organisms and their products) and the "abiotic" (nonliving things) - one large issue was classifying plants as abiotic. They also had trouble with a lot of the vocabulary.
Using one of the old textbooks (Glencoe's Science Interactions: Course 1) we planned to go into a mini-unit on "what is life." In particular, there's an activity observing seeds and rocks in order to compare and contrast them. The idea is that they look the same/similar, and to get the kids thinking about what seeds do that make them living (that rocks don't). From there we would/will segue into the 6 characteristics of life (has cells, grows/develops, reproduces, uses food/water and produces waste, responds to stimuli, adapts to environment).
So today, after talking about the observations they made of living things, I moved into defining organisms. They all already knew the word. Color me shoked - and I'm serious. While they brainstormed in pairs after that on what characteristics living things have (I didn't use the word characteristics, though perhaps I should have), they were constantly surprising me. They knew vocabulary that I didn't expect them to know - "eliminates gas," "respiration," "cells" - and had a far better understanding of the concepts we'll be learning. I had to explain cells to my students last year in about 10 minutes as we began talking about genetics - these guys already know.
And so I find myself wanting to apologize for not trusting the 5th grade teachers to teach the modules (though I had heard from more experienced teachers that science often fell to the wayside in middle school). Once I realized how much they knew, I tried to ask each class to share a bit about what they'd learned the year before. They had done so much. They have a really good basis for what we'll be working on this year, and I'm really happy about that. It'll mean much more success for them, and so I'm hoping we'll be able to go into more depth with the concepts and that I'll be able to breeze by the simpler stuff and leave time for the more extended projects and more difficult concepts.
I'm already reaping the benefits of the modules, I think. Or at least I hope so. *knocks on wood*
Using one of the old textbooks (Glencoe's Science Interactions: Course 1) we planned to go into a mini-unit on "what is life." In particular, there's an activity observing seeds and rocks in order to compare and contrast them. The idea is that they look the same/similar, and to get the kids thinking about what seeds do that make them living (that rocks don't). From there we would/will segue into the 6 characteristics of life (has cells, grows/develops, reproduces, uses food/water and produces waste, responds to stimuli, adapts to environment).
So today, after talking about the observations they made of living things, I moved into defining organisms. They all already knew the word. Color me shoked - and I'm serious. While they brainstormed in pairs after that on what characteristics living things have (I didn't use the word characteristics, though perhaps I should have), they were constantly surprising me. They knew vocabulary that I didn't expect them to know - "eliminates gas," "respiration," "cells" - and had a far better understanding of the concepts we'll be learning. I had to explain cells to my students last year in about 10 minutes as we began talking about genetics - these guys already know.
And so I find myself wanting to apologize for not trusting the 5th grade teachers to teach the modules (though I had heard from more experienced teachers that science often fell to the wayside in middle school). Once I realized how much they knew, I tried to ask each class to share a bit about what they'd learned the year before. They had done so much. They have a really good basis for what we'll be working on this year, and I'm really happy about that. It'll mean much more success for them, and so I'm hoping we'll be able to go into more depth with the concepts and that I'll be able to breeze by the simpler stuff and leave time for the more extended projects and more difficult concepts.
I'm already reaping the benefits of the modules, I think. Or at least I hope so. *knocks on wood*
Monday, August 13, 2007
Classroom Photos: August 2007
The far side of the room: some of the student desks (note the buckets for materials: no need to get up and go to the pencil sharpener). The cabinets and the sinks. The tables are so big and the room so small, I had to put the tables right up against the drawers.
View of part of the class: the slanted E and tables against the wall, my environmental ed and lab bulletin boards, my desk, and my Williams banner.
My introduction to me bulletin board. Includes pictures of family and friends, a map that traces my route from NH to KY, and photos from my travels abroad.
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Starting Anew
I am hoping to keep pushing on with this blog, even though my classes are through. Therefore, "EDTP 620 Class Blog" has been renamed. I intend to use this blog as a place to reflect on my reading, as well as experiences in and outside of the classroom relevant to teaching. This will hopefully promote self-reflection and best practice.
Thursday, July 5, 2007
What makes us and our teaching effective?
While Richard Allington's "Effective Teachers, Effective Instruction," I decided I was going to respond about "managed choice" (p. 278) and the importance of self-reflection (p. 279, #1), but then I read the following line as I finished up the essay:
"We can continue to craft curricular plans that will ensure some students will have to struggle. Or we can craft curricular plans that reduce the struggle for almost all students." (p. 287)
This brought - unsurprisingly - the differentiated instruction conference to mind. This is what good teaching is about. As teachers of our students, we must recognize that they all come into our classrooms at different places, and that they have different prior knowledge and different abilities. We need to find out where they are and who they are in order to figure all this out. We can't teach toward the middle and hope everyone does okay or teach toward the top and say that our high expectations will win out. We need to have the same expectations for all (everyone can and will be able to know, understand, and do x, y, and z), but we need to scaffold them up from wherever they are. Give everyone an equitable fighting chance - they all deserve it.
However, I have to say that I disagree with Allington's wording here. Struggle in the classroom is not an innately bad thing - students can engage more with a topic and learn more about it if they have to struggle with the issues and their depths in order to gain an understanding. However, we must ensure that they have the tools, the abilities, the motivation, and the encouragement to make them capable of winning; we must ensure that they have the self-efficacy to know that they can win the struggle and also have the desire to do so. It's hard to find a balance - when is it too easy? when is it too hard? - when we are trying to differentiate for our different students, but I think that it is vitally necessary.
"We can continue to craft curricular plans that will ensure some students will have to struggle. Or we can craft curricular plans that reduce the struggle for almost all students." (p. 287)
This brought - unsurprisingly - the differentiated instruction conference to mind. This is what good teaching is about. As teachers of our students, we must recognize that they all come into our classrooms at different places, and that they have different prior knowledge and different abilities. We need to find out where they are and who they are in order to figure all this out. We can't teach toward the middle and hope everyone does okay or teach toward the top and say that our high expectations will win out. We need to have the same expectations for all (everyone can and will be able to know, understand, and do x, y, and z), but we need to scaffold them up from wherever they are. Give everyone an equitable fighting chance - they all deserve it.
However, I have to say that I disagree with Allington's wording here. Struggle in the classroom is not an innately bad thing - students can engage more with a topic and learn more about it if they have to struggle with the issues and their depths in order to gain an understanding. However, we must ensure that they have the tools, the abilities, the motivation, and the encouragement to make them capable of winning; we must ensure that they have the self-efficacy to know that they can win the struggle and also have the desire to do so. It's hard to find a balance - when is it too easy? when is it too hard? - when we are trying to differentiate for our different students, but I think that it is vitally necessary.
Writing Strategies
I thought that pairing the writing strategies from Content Area Writing: Every Teacher's Guide with new technology tools was a really effective way to encompass these important issues. All the new things that I've been learning have become rather overwhelming - differentiated instruction at the ASCD conference, technology from EDTP 504 and EDTP 620, reading/writing from EDTP 620, etc. It's so much new and exciting information that a girl can have a little trouble juggling it all.
Recognizing that we can pair these new (to us) strategies and tools together makes utilizing them a lot more feasible; it allows us to start small (the best way to make effective change) and still start off with more than one new idea. Additionally, it allows us to show our kids that these areas can be paired together, that reading and writing go hand-in-hand with technology, that they can go hand-in-hand and make what we do more successful than if we approached them separately.
I think that book trailers work in a similar way. They make a connection between technology and reading, and in this case technology does heighten the reading as it promotes it and can also send a message about reading itself. It opens people's eyes to let them see that we can respond to reading via technology - whether it's through blogging, podcasts, book trailers, you tube reviews, or anything else. The two (reading and technology) are in no way separate.
Recognizing that we can pair these new (to us) strategies and tools together makes utilizing them a lot more feasible; it allows us to start small (the best way to make effective change) and still start off with more than one new idea. Additionally, it allows us to show our kids that these areas can be paired together, that reading and writing go hand-in-hand with technology, that they can go hand-in-hand and make what we do more successful than if we approached them separately.
I think that book trailers work in a similar way. They make a connection between technology and reading, and in this case technology does heighten the reading as it promotes it and can also send a message about reading itself. It opens people's eyes to let them see that we can respond to reading via technology - whether it's through blogging, podcasts, book trailers, you tube reviews, or anything else. The two (reading and technology) are in no way separate.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Minomo and Brainstorming
Identify Tool: Mindomo
Identify Strategy: Brainstorming “is an excellent way to get kids started on a new topic by tapping into their prior knowledge.” (45)
Identify Content: Limiting Factors
Value-Added:
Easy to organize and reorganize as discuss (just pull it where you want)
Can save (don’t need to worry about erasing board)
Can easily make copies for all students
Can return to them and revise/add
Can insert pictures and diagrams into the map
Can look at from home/anywhere with internet access
Differentiating Instruction Conference
I had all these images of posting from the conference about the many, many, many things I learned. But conference sessions and school bonding got in the way a bit. There were so many connections to be made between our class and differentiation, and I was able to make some new mental connections as well as have some "a-ha" moments. For example, 2 other teachers at my school and the principal went to a session just on RAFTs, and I was able to say that I already knew what they were. The same with many of the technology applications - the LA teacher on the other team was much impressed with my and Kristin's book trailer.
But beyond these a-ha moments, I was able to make those new connections. I hadn't realized how easily so much of what we learned about reading, writing, and technology strategies could lead so easily into differentiated instruction. Different products allowed, different processes (allowing them to use different strategies), different ways of starting off. I really think that what we've learned in this class has just opened my eyes to the many possibilities that there are for me to use in teaching. I am really excited to implement them all as I piece together the way that reading, writing, technology, differentiated instruction, classroom climate/management, and my content all fit together - teaching for me and hopefully learning for my students will be a lot more interesting and successful next year.
But beyond these a-ha moments, I was able to make those new connections. I hadn't realized how easily so much of what we learned about reading, writing, and technology strategies could lead so easily into differentiated instruction. Different products allowed, different processes (allowing them to use different strategies), different ways of starting off. I really think that what we've learned in this class has just opened my eyes to the many possibilities that there are for me to use in teaching. I am really excited to implement them all as I piece together the way that reading, writing, technology, differentiated instruction, classroom climate/management, and my content all fit together - teaching for me and hopefully learning for my students will be a lot more interesting and successful next year.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Reading, Writing, and Science
I came to the conclusion today while reading about great strategies to improve the performance of underachieving adolescents* that I have some sort of block in my brain surrounding science and literacy. We have learned about so many great strategies in this class this month, and I am really excited about the possibilities of using them in my classroom. I want to make my science students better readers/writers in general, as well as better science readers/writers. And yet... Every time I read about something in the texts or hear about something in class, my first thought is: what a great idea for reading enrichment class. Not for my 4 sections of science, but for my lone reading enrichment class.
I'm not really sure what it is. I know that these strategies would work great for my kids in science, but I can never quite grasp how to utilize it. I believe this is the same for many science and math teachers. With all the content we need to teach, the basing of our testing around so many facts, and the way that we've been taught to learn science, we just can't make that final step to where we need to be in this world of 21st century literacy. I could say that writers need to include more examples from science and math classes (and I think they do), but in part it's me - us - just being stuck in how we were socialized to learn and teach our content.
The question I'm left with then is: how do I break free? Because I need to, and at the moment I just can't figure out how.
*(Yvette Jackson & Eric J. Cooper, "Building Academic Success with Underachieving Adolescents")
I'm not really sure what it is. I know that these strategies would work great for my kids in science, but I can never quite grasp how to utilize it. I believe this is the same for many science and math teachers. With all the content we need to teach, the basing of our testing around so many facts, and the way that we've been taught to learn science, we just can't make that final step to where we need to be in this world of 21st century literacy. I could say that writers need to include more examples from science and math classes (and I think they do), but in part it's me - us - just being stuck in how we were socialized to learn and teach our content.
The question I'm left with then is: how do I break free? Because I need to, and at the moment I just can't figure out how.
*(Yvette Jackson & Eric J. Cooper, "Building Academic Success with Underachieving Adolescents")
Podcast: Chew on This
Come view the podcast for The Science People on Chew on This.
Belated thoughts on podcasting below:
I really was impressed by what podcasting allows you to do. I really liked the idea of using it not necessarily to record the entire discussion but instead as a means for us to bring together our thoughts into one coherent whole and put them forth along with our ideas on "what now" for teachers and the book. I definitely think that - with my new (to me) classroom computers this year - I will be using podcasting as a means for my students to do what we did with our literature circle on Chew on This.
Of course, there are lots of other ways to use podcasting as well. Radio shows, audio newsletters, lab narratives, lecture notes for students who missed class, songs written by students about the material - the list goes on and on. I don't know that I'll get to all of them this year - trying to right off the bat would just be way too overwhelming - but I am excited and intrigued by all the possibilities.
Also, in EDTP 504 we made a podcast about podcasting - we brainstormed about some great ideas...and it is also quite humorous.
Belated thoughts on podcasting below:
I really was impressed by what podcasting allows you to do. I really liked the idea of using it not necessarily to record the entire discussion but instead as a means for us to bring together our thoughts into one coherent whole and put them forth along with our ideas on "what now" for teachers and the book. I definitely think that - with my new (to me) classroom computers this year - I will be using podcasting as a means for my students to do what we did with our literature circle on Chew on This.
Of course, there are lots of other ways to use podcasting as well. Radio shows, audio newsletters, lab narratives, lecture notes for students who missed class, songs written by students about the material - the list goes on and on. I don't know that I'll get to all of them this year - trying to right off the bat would just be way too overwhelming - but I am excited and intrigued by all the possibilities.
Also, in EDTP 504 we made a podcast about podcasting - we brainstormed about some great ideas...and it is also quite humorous.
Friday, June 22, 2007
Chew on This
I am going to try to keep this short(ish), in contrast to my general verbosity.
I really enjoyed the book - I had a really hard time putting it down, and now that I've been done with it for almost a week, I still keep thinking about it. It just really resonated with me, and I was just disturbed by the pervasiveness of this issue. There are just so many problems with it all: marketing to kids, "Americanization" of the world, obesity, animal maltreatment, the economic exploitation of farmers/ranchers/etc, the pollutive effect of bringing food from so far away...
It came to my mind while perusing the "nature market" and organic fruit/veg section at the Kroger. I was looking at some organic cherries, and they'd been shipped all the way from California. Wasting of gas and the inevitable pollution even though they were organic. And who knows what the working conditions of the pickers were and how much the orchard owners made before selling to the company. Even the Stonyfield Farms yogurt that I bought (which is made back home in New Hampshire with no artificial anything) used up a lot of resources getting here to Kentucky...I know the 2-day trip well. Though their business practices look quite good, wouldn't it be better - more environmentally concious - to buy local yogurt?
But is there even local yogurt? And for what local stuff there is (Kroger had bread made in a local bakery)...what do we know about the ingredients they use? Where did their wheat come from?
How can we possibly get it right in a world taken over by corporations and monopolies?
I really enjoyed the book - I had a really hard time putting it down, and now that I've been done with it for almost a week, I still keep thinking about it. It just really resonated with me, and I was just disturbed by the pervasiveness of this issue. There are just so many problems with it all: marketing to kids, "Americanization" of the world, obesity, animal maltreatment, the economic exploitation of farmers/ranchers/etc, the pollutive effect of bringing food from so far away...
It came to my mind while perusing the "nature market" and organic fruit/veg section at the Kroger. I was looking at some organic cherries, and they'd been shipped all the way from California. Wasting of gas and the inevitable pollution even though they were organic. And who knows what the working conditions of the pickers were and how much the orchard owners made before selling to the company. Even the Stonyfield Farms yogurt that I bought (which is made back home in New Hampshire with no artificial anything) used up a lot of resources getting here to Kentucky...I know the 2-day trip well. Though their business practices look quite good, wouldn't it be better - more environmentally concious - to buy local yogurt?
But is there even local yogurt? And for what local stuff there is (Kroger had bread made in a local bakery)...what do we know about the ingredients they use? Where did their wheat come from?
How can we possibly get it right in a world taken over by corporations and monopolies?
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
"Of Times, Teens, and Books"
I have to say that by the time I got to the end of this chapter, I was so interested and enthralled in the multiple ideas and changes described that I'd completely forgotten what I'd just read in chapter five. We had already talked in class about graphic novels, and I read Maus (books one and two) when I myself was in middle school (in social studies class, actually, even with us using an interdisciplinary unit with english class).
The change in the way young adult literature is written is just so amazingly exciting. Multimodal, multigenre, multivoice - YA writers and the teachers that use these books are revolutionizing literature itself. We are on the way to throwing "the western canon" out on it head. While there are canonical books that I do believe are incredibly worthwhile reads - Catcher in the Rye and The Lord of the Flies are two - the heirarchy of literature was just as bad as any heirarchy. By devaluing certan types of literature we were devaluing certain parts of culture and certain people. We were saying to our kids that they weren't readers unless they read x, y, and z. What a way to turn kids off on reading.
With works like the ones Lesesne describes, we are catching our students right where they exist and making readers out of them (or reinforcing their existence as such). This is 21st century literacy, baby - there's more to it than dusty old books. That is great for everybody, not just for our kids.
***********
Additionally, I really love the idea of book playlists - not only using the author-provided ones but having kids create their own. The former enhances the process of reading, comprehension, and understanding for our students, but the latter requires that higher order thinking that is so important for our students' success. They have read the book, "read" the music they listen to, and then find a way to connect the two. A person has to develop a in-depth understanding of character/scene/event/etc and the music to do.
This whole idea brings to mind a really great piece of fiction I came across online. There was the text itself, but there were also images, video, and music. The multimodality really enhanced the final product.
The change in the way young adult literature is written is just so amazingly exciting. Multimodal, multigenre, multivoice - YA writers and the teachers that use these books are revolutionizing literature itself. We are on the way to throwing "the western canon" out on it head. While there are canonical books that I do believe are incredibly worthwhile reads - Catcher in the Rye and The Lord of the Flies are two - the heirarchy of literature was just as bad as any heirarchy. By devaluing certan types of literature we were devaluing certain parts of culture and certain people. We were saying to our kids that they weren't readers unless they read x, y, and z. What a way to turn kids off on reading.
With works like the ones Lesesne describes, we are catching our students right where they exist and making readers out of them (or reinforcing their existence as such). This is 21st century literacy, baby - there's more to it than dusty old books. That is great for everybody, not just for our kids.
***********
Additionally, I really love the idea of book playlists - not only using the author-provided ones but having kids create their own. The former enhances the process of reading, comprehension, and understanding for our students, but the latter requires that higher order thinking that is so important for our students' success. They have read the book, "read" the music they listen to, and then find a way to connect the two. A person has to develop a in-depth understanding of character/scene/event/etc and the music to do.
This whole idea brings to mind a really great piece of fiction I came across online. There was the text itself, but there were also images, video, and music. The multimodality really enhanced the final product.
The Science Group: Semantic Feature Analysis
What It Is:
Semantic feature analysis uses grids that examine essential vocabulary and features/ideas. The Terms are listed verticially and different features are listed horizontally. Students can use check marks or pluses and minuses to indicate which features apply to which terms. Because of this, semantic feature analysis is a strategy that you would often use when students have already had an introduction to the content and terminology. Of course, this doesn't mean that there aren't situations where it couldn't be used as a sort of anticipatory activity.
Semantic Feature Analysis in Use (Our Example):
We examined the five kingdoms of organisms; all living things belong to one of these kingdoms based upon characteristics that they have.
We modified a reading and gave students a grid with the five terms they needed to know (the five kingdoms) and some of the features filled in. Leaving some spaces blank for students to add in their own features culled from the reading can enhance their reading and understanding. In this situation, they are the ones that determined what features were important.
What is also very important is to have students explain their rationale. Having them justify their choices ensures that they have a valid reason for connecting terms with particular features.
Why It's Helpful:
Semantic feature analyis helps students to
-understand/reinforce the meaning of a term
-compare terms and associate them with each other
-understand the similarities and differences between the terms
-differentiate between related terms
-catergorize and classify (which is especially important to us science folks)
It helps students
-engage
-explore concepts
-evaluate their own knowledge (and teachers can use SFA to evaluate students' knowledge too)
Examples in Other Content Areas:
Social Studies:
-examining key political figures (not the best in-depth examination, but you get the point)
-examining the different types of governments
Language Arts:
-compare myths and fables
Math:
-types of quadrilaterals
Art/Languages:
-uh, sorry...I'm sure you can all come up with something
Resources/Bibliography:
See this previous post
A black-line master
Book: Mary Lee Barton & Deborah Jordan. Teaching Reading in Science.
Semantic feature analysis uses grids that examine essential vocabulary and features/ideas. The Terms are listed verticially and different features are listed horizontally. Students can use check marks or pluses and minuses to indicate which features apply to which terms. Because of this, semantic feature analysis is a strategy that you would often use when students have already had an introduction to the content and terminology. Of course, this doesn't mean that there aren't situations where it couldn't be used as a sort of anticipatory activity.
Semantic Feature Analysis in Use (Our Example):
We examined the five kingdoms of organisms; all living things belong to one of these kingdoms based upon characteristics that they have.
We modified a reading and gave students a grid with the five terms they needed to know (the five kingdoms) and some of the features filled in. Leaving some spaces blank for students to add in their own features culled from the reading can enhance their reading and understanding. In this situation, they are the ones that determined what features were important.
What is also very important is to have students explain their rationale. Having them justify their choices ensures that they have a valid reason for connecting terms with particular features.
Why It's Helpful:
Semantic feature analyis helps students to
-understand/reinforce the meaning of a term
-compare terms and associate them with each other
-understand the similarities and differences between the terms
-differentiate between related terms
-catergorize and classify (which is especially important to us science folks)
It helps students
-engage
-explore concepts
-evaluate their own knowledge (and teachers can use SFA to evaluate students' knowledge too)
Examples in Other Content Areas:
Social Studies:
-examining key political figures (not the best in-depth examination, but you get the point)
-examining the different types of governments
Language Arts:
-compare myths and fables
Math:
-types of quadrilaterals
Art/Languages:
-uh, sorry...I'm sure you can all come up with something
Resources/Bibliography:
See this previous post
A black-line master
Book: Mary Lee Barton & Deborah Jordan. Teaching Reading in Science.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Understanding Language
In my 6 years at a small private school, I spent several years doing weekly vocabulary/spelling tests throughout the entire school year (except for 10th and 12th grades). We were given 10 words on Monday and went over them as a class. On Friday we were tested on our ability to spell the words, define the words, and use each of them in a sentence. I think this is a valuable activity that is getting lost in the morass of portfolios and testing skills. Our team language arts teacher started off with spelling tests at the beginning of the year, but she ended up not following through because "the kids just weren't doing well and so it was a waste of time" (in the words of our team special ed teacher).
But if Janet Allen is right, the study of words is important. More than just how to spell them, but learning what they mean as well. If our students don't understand key words in a text, how can they comprehend it? The answer is, of course, that they can't, not beyond the surface level anyway. Vocabulary is especially important in my own content, science, because there are so many specialized words...or, even harder, words that my students do know (like population or community) that aren't used in science in the same manner as they are in the wider (here's an example right now) educational community.
So we need to fnd a happy medium between the too and accentuate it with effective, efficient strategies. Not learning vocabulary at all is unacceptable and unhelpful, but learning 10 random words - or 10 words off of a "words that 6th graders need to know" list - isn't the best strategy either. We need to connect the vocabulary to the context of the current class topic of study as well as giving the words further real-world context; students need to understand that there is a real-world context/reason for learning vocabulary.
I have to say that I really appreciate this chapter because it not only shed light on my own education as a secondary school student but also on how the study of vocabulary was done in the structured Read XL class I taught this year (learn the word so you can do the reading). I really appreciate reading something that gives me insight on my own teaching practices. I just have to admit that while I find it very easy to apply all these readings to my reading enrichment class (Read XL), I'm still struggling with the issue of application in my science classroom.
But if Janet Allen is right, the study of words is important. More than just how to spell them, but learning what they mean as well. If our students don't understand key words in a text, how can they comprehend it? The answer is, of course, that they can't, not beyond the surface level anyway. Vocabulary is especially important in my own content, science, because there are so many specialized words...or, even harder, words that my students do know (like population or community) that aren't used in science in the same manner as they are in the wider (here's an example right now) educational community.
So we need to fnd a happy medium between the too and accentuate it with effective, efficient strategies. Not learning vocabulary at all is unacceptable and unhelpful, but learning 10 random words - or 10 words off of a "words that 6th graders need to know" list - isn't the best strategy either. We need to connect the vocabulary to the context of the current class topic of study as well as giving the words further real-world context; students need to understand that there is a real-world context/reason for learning vocabulary.
I have to say that I really appreciate this chapter because it not only shed light on my own education as a secondary school student but also on how the study of vocabulary was done in the structured Read XL class I taught this year (learn the word so you can do the reading). I really appreciate reading something that gives me insight on my own teaching practices. I just have to admit that while I find it very easy to apply all these readings to my reading enrichment class (Read XL), I'm still struggling with the issue of application in my science classroom.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
BPR chs 4&15: You need flow before you can (want to) understand
Wilhelm and Smith devote their chapter to the issue of inquiry. I find this particularly interesting because the science modules that I teach with in Jefferson County are based on inquiry learning. We are asking questions and finding answers. There's interesting hands-on activities that we do, but the question I have at times is "what is the question," the big overarching one? We would perform the activities and do the work, and it often seemed that they weren't really comprehending the meaning of what they saw. There was no over-arching question that held all this material together, and that left me struggling along with them, as I couldn't recall ever learning about geology (even when I was in middle school). This wasn't even real inquiry learning as Wilhelm and Smith define it; we were "just moving from one activity to the next," or at least the scaffolding and reinforcement I was doing wasn't enough to make it more than that in their minds (235).
Wilhelm and Smith have, in some way, illuminated the problem for me. I need to find the question, that thing that holds it all together, and make it something that seems relevant and genuinely important to my students. At the moment, I really have no idea how to do that with rocks, but at least it gives me a starting point. I can go from there to "build[ing] over time" (235) as W&S recommend to make the unit meaningful, engaging, and something that my students will actually understand (in the Keene sense) and remember.
Now if only Jefferson County would take into account that we need to "move beyond the idea that all students must study the same thing at the same time" (Keene, 37). Of course, the desire for them to do that all across the district is exactly one reason why they bought the modules in the first place.
Note: It occurs to me now that writing a post that is critical of the district I work for - and really love - is not the best thing to do. I really have no desire to get dooced.
But the modules really are handy - I love all the materials and movies provided with them, and they were a lifesaver for a first year teacher. We can only criticize what we care about, right? And considering all this should make me a much better educator in the future.
Wilhelm and Smith have, in some way, illuminated the problem for me. I need to find the question, that thing that holds it all together, and make it something that seems relevant and genuinely important to my students. At the moment, I really have no idea how to do that with rocks, but at least it gives me a starting point. I can go from there to "build[ing] over time" (235) as W&S recommend to make the unit meaningful, engaging, and something that my students will actually understand (in the Keene sense) and remember.
Now if only Jefferson County would take into account that we need to "move beyond the idea that all students must study the same thing at the same time" (Keene, 37). Of course, the desire for them to do that all across the district is exactly one reason why they bought the modules in the first place.
Note: It occurs to me now that writing a post that is critical of the district I work for - and really love - is not the best thing to do. I really have no desire to get dooced.
But the modules really are handy - I love all the materials and movies provided with them, and they were a lifesaver for a first year teacher. We can only criticize what we care about, right? And considering all this should make me a much better educator in the future.
Friday, June 15, 2007
Alterna-Lit
The experience with the RAFT assignments today was really intriguing (and fun!). It was interesting to hear about the different assignments: the apostrophe writing a persuasive letter to the comma on how it was just as important and could be just as formal; the color red writing to the public on its importance in art and life; a fetus writing a speech to its mother about mercury poisoning in fish (or the fish writing a letter/speech to the companies producing mercury waste). These were all really creative ways for kids to get engaged in a topic, show what they know, and express an opinion.
It would have stayed on my list of things to try in my classroom next year, and I might not have made any more mention of it until then. But then I heard Brad Paisley's "Alcohol" on the radio on my way home. It's a song written from the pov of alcohol about its influence not only on individual lives but history as well. It really got me thinking - these creative ideas are more than just ways to get our students engaged; they're out there in the larger world saying something to a lot more people than just class of students or someone's teacher. They got out there because this alternative format allows the information to get across in a different way that can have a much larger effect on an audience than a five paragraph essay.
Like the poem we read in class that was far better at achieving the final goal than the same student's five paragraph essay, or Taylor Mali's slam poem "What Teachers Make," these more authentic formats are what we need to have our students do. They are what we need to use to have our students learn. A textbook may be the easiest way to get across as much information as policy makers have decided our students need to know about science - or whatever our content area is - but that's not the best way.
It was a convergence of forces that made me have this realization about reading and writing in science. The coincidence of that song coming on the radio at just the right time allowed Brad Paisley to activate my new knowledge, my new schema, and make that connection. I don't have a typical textbook. I don't need a typical textbook. What I need is to figure out how to integrate these new aspects of 21st century literacy, these more authentic uses of literacy, into my science classroom - that's what I need to do.
ETA: examples (ideas from here)
R: planet
A: advertisement readers (or something more creative?)
F: personal ad
T: description of self
R: Mountain (landform)
A: Canyon (another landform)
F: Journal entry
T: How it was formed
It would have stayed on my list of things to try in my classroom next year, and I might not have made any more mention of it until then. But then I heard Brad Paisley's "Alcohol" on the radio on my way home. It's a song written from the pov of alcohol about its influence not only on individual lives but history as well. It really got me thinking - these creative ideas are more than just ways to get our students engaged; they're out there in the larger world saying something to a lot more people than just class of students or someone's teacher. They got out there because this alternative format allows the information to get across in a different way that can have a much larger effect on an audience than a five paragraph essay.
Like the poem we read in class that was far better at achieving the final goal than the same student's five paragraph essay, or Taylor Mali's slam poem "What Teachers Make," these more authentic formats are what we need to have our students do. They are what we need to use to have our students learn. A textbook may be the easiest way to get across as much information as policy makers have decided our students need to know about science - or whatever our content area is - but that's not the best way.
It was a convergence of forces that made me have this realization about reading and writing in science. The coincidence of that song coming on the radio at just the right time allowed Brad Paisley to activate my new knowledge, my new schema, and make that connection. I don't have a typical textbook. I don't need a typical textbook. What I need is to figure out how to integrate these new aspects of 21st century literacy, these more authentic uses of literacy, into my science classroom - that's what I need to do.
ETA: examples (ideas from here)
R: planet
A: advertisement readers (or something more creative?)
F: personal ad
T: description of self
R: Mountain (landform)
A: Canyon (another landform)
F: Journal entry
T: How it was formed
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Flattening the World thorugh the New Literacy
As a person with multiple blogs, a youtube account, a facebook account, a digital camera, two laptops, and many other assorted pieces of what make up our new technological world, I had realized the importance of teaching our students how to utilize technology. However, the idea that this technology itself is part of our framework of literacy is not something that had coalesced in my brain until just now. Jim Burke outlined that use of discussion boards in the chapter, and I remembered using something similar for English, Women's/Gender Studies, and Biology classes in undergrad; I thought of it then as a tool for discussion, and it is, but it's also more. Technology has its own type or branch of literacy, and it's extended our traditional understanding of literacy - or at least it should. I'm still struggling with this idea, of how it all really clicks together, but I think this process of stumbling to understand is important. Because when I finally do have that epiphany, that moment where it all clicks, it will resonate all the more after my confusion.
I think that all of our teachers need to grapple with this issue and the changing nature of literacy and all education and learning and thought and knowledge in our "brave new world" (165... the amazing Aldous Huxley before that). Alison said it herself in her EDTP 504 blog: "what is important is not always easy." In fact, what is important is often what's hardest for us to understand, and that struggle to understand adds an extra depth to our knowledge. The point I'm trying to make is that we as teachers need to struggle and work to expand our understanding of literacy so that we will be successful in this flattened world and can help our students be the same. We and they cannot afford to fall behind.
Of course, now comes the issue that Lauren brought up in her blog: how do we figure out what is "enough" for us to teach our students? How do we figure out what it is they really need to know? How do we stay on the "cutting edge" when we things change so fast that we can't figure out what and where the cutting edge is?
I think that all of our teachers need to grapple with this issue and the changing nature of literacy and all education and learning and thought and knowledge in our "brave new world" (165... the amazing Aldous Huxley before that). Alison said it herself in her EDTP 504 blog: "what is important is not always easy." In fact, what is important is often what's hardest for us to understand, and that struggle to understand adds an extra depth to our knowledge. The point I'm trying to make is that we as teachers need to struggle and work to expand our understanding of literacy so that we will be successful in this flattened world and can help our students be the same. We and they cannot afford to fall behind.
Of course, now comes the issue that Lauren brought up in her blog: how do we figure out what is "enough" for us to teach our students? How do we figure out what it is they really need to know? How do we stay on the "cutting edge" when we things change so fast that we can't figure out what and where the cutting edge is?
Semantic Feature Analysis
Note: This post is intended to be a research and brainstorming tool for the reciprocal teaching assignment, not a reflection post.
Indiana University Description
Brief Description from IU Link: "Semantic-Feature Analysis (Anders & Bos, 1986) is a strategy that helps reinforce vocabulary that is essential to understanding important concepts in a text. The teacher builds a grid in which essential vocabulary words are listed vertically and features and/ or ideas are listed horizontally. Students complete the grid by indicating with a check mark (ΓΌ) or minus sign (-) whether each word possesses the stated features or is related to the ideas."
"Develop word associations...elicit prior knowledge...monitor [own] comprehension"
San Diego U: Comparing and Constrasting
Use to divide/sort words by similarities and differences. The charts/grids in semantic feature analysis "help students explore how related words differ from one another."
The page outlines the procedure and gives a 4th grade science example (which could be used in my class!) - types of rocks and how they form (would really help them differentiate the types of rocks for the rock cycle).
LearnNC.org: Guided Comprehension
SFA is a "strategy that teaches [students] to identify characteristics associated with related words or concepts."
My Thoughts: Students will mark what features apply to the vocabulary words; this helps them create better connections between the word and the meaning. This would help them differentiate between concepts and words that do get mixed up. Thinking of: Metamorphic and Igneous rock. Heat and pressure vs. heat. A lot got confused on that point.
Investigating Science with Dinosaurs (on Google Book Search)
More than just what mentioned above. Students learn to categorize and classify as well as "identify relationships." Can model as a class first, have them split up to do it on their own, and then review as a class and complete the class chart (me: so have something for display?).
My thoughts: the FOSS individual, population, community, or abiotic activity is a semantic feature analysis (from the FOSS Module Populations and Ecosystems). It was a huge chart with a list of things (rabbit, squirrels, forest, birds and insects, rock, etc.): the students were performing a semantic feature analysis as they assigned each of these items to a category. Of course, it seemed to work in the opposite direction - the vocabulary was across the page horizontally (because there were less words) and organisms aren't what I would really call features, but isn't this the same premise? Using a chart to reinforce the meaning of vocabulary words and build more connections and relationships in one's own head - I (groups of) organisms aren't features, but it seems to me that it's still the same basic strategy.
The aspect of how to integrate the reading end of literacy in my science classroom - beyond the text - is still an issue not quite in the reach of my understanding, but I feel that I've been getting a much better grasp on the writing end of things and how particular literacy skills apply very well to my content.
This reciprocal teaching assignment on semantic feature* analysis has made me realize that I was incorporating reading strategies in my own classroom this past year without even realizing it (Kristin realized the same thing).
*Best link of 3
Indiana University Description
Brief Description from IU Link: "Semantic-Feature Analysis (Anders & Bos, 1986) is a strategy that helps reinforce vocabulary that is essential to understanding important concepts in a text. The teacher builds a grid in which essential vocabulary words are listed vertically and features and/ or ideas are listed horizontally. Students complete the grid by indicating with a check mark (ΓΌ) or minus sign (-) whether each word possesses the stated features or is related to the ideas."
"Develop word associations...elicit prior knowledge...monitor [own] comprehension"
San Diego U: Comparing and Constrasting
Use to divide/sort words by similarities and differences. The charts/grids in semantic feature analysis "help students explore how related words differ from one another."
The page outlines the procedure and gives a 4th grade science example (which could be used in my class!) - types of rocks and how they form (would really help them differentiate the types of rocks for the rock cycle).
LearnNC.org: Guided Comprehension
SFA is a "strategy that teaches [students] to identify characteristics associated with related words or concepts."
My Thoughts: Students will mark what features apply to the vocabulary words; this helps them create better connections between the word and the meaning. This would help them differentiate between concepts and words that do get mixed up. Thinking of: Metamorphic and Igneous rock. Heat and pressure vs. heat. A lot got confused on that point.
Investigating Science with Dinosaurs (on Google Book Search)
More than just what mentioned above. Students learn to categorize and classify as well as "identify relationships." Can model as a class first, have them split up to do it on their own, and then review as a class and complete the class chart (me: so have something for display?).
My thoughts: the FOSS individual, population, community, or abiotic activity is a semantic feature analysis (from the FOSS Module Populations and Ecosystems). It was a huge chart with a list of things (rabbit, squirrels, forest, birds and insects, rock, etc.): the students were performing a semantic feature analysis as they assigned each of these items to a category. Of course, it seemed to work in the opposite direction - the vocabulary was across the page horizontally (because there were less words) and organisms aren't what I would really call features, but isn't this the same premise? Using a chart to reinforce the meaning of vocabulary words and build more connections and relationships in one's own head - I (groups of) organisms aren't features, but it seems to me that it's still the same basic strategy.
The aspect of how to integrate the reading end of literacy in my science classroom - beyond the text - is still an issue not quite in the reach of my understanding, but I feel that I've been getting a much better grasp on the writing end of things and how particular literacy skills apply very well to my content.
This reciprocal teaching assignment on semantic feature* analysis has made me realize that I was incorporating reading strategies in my own classroom this past year without even realizing it (Kristin realized the same thing).
*Best link of 3
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
21st Century Literacy vs. The Current "Measure of Our Success"
I will admit that I left class with a similar feeling to Maria's as she noted in her blog tonight. I wasn't sure what we were meant to understand by "adolescent literacy" - I assumed that we would need to consider how reading other than what is found in textbooks and writing other than the answers to the questions at the end of those chapters. How would we incorporate stories and novels and such into my classroom? I thought about how I read The Magic School Bus: Lost in Space to my 6th grade science students before they began their planet projects, and I wasn't sure how you would ramp that up and how it would really fit in with the science modules Jefferson County mandates for their middle school science classrooms. And while I'm still unsure on the issue of how I will fit literacy into my own classroom, I recognize that it's far more than reading science-related stories together to enhance my students' learning.
In particular, it threw my issues with my reading enrichment class into a revealing light. I was assigned a group of students about 2 years below grade level in reading, and I was to use Scholastic's reading program Read XL to help my students learn the reading/writing skills they lacked. They were supposed to read through series of short stories, each section devoted to a different skill but with the exact same structure as all the previous sections. They were bored out of their minds and totally uninterested (as was I), and because of that they were not engaged in learning. Like with Collin in chapter 1 of Adolescent Literacy, my students did not connect with their subscribed "low-level" reading class. They sense that the administrator's - and by extension I as a new science teacher who had no idea how to teach reading - are "just completely out of it" and have "no clue" what they're capable of (10), and so they don't connect and they don't engage. Not only do we need to teach our kids more than simple academic literacy skills (i.e. 21st century literacy skills), we need to treat them with respect. Not only are these "catch them up" texts not engaging, they send a message that keeps our students turned off - "we don't expect you to be able to learn and utilize literacy skills in anything more complex than a short story." That doesn't do anything for their learning or their self image.
In particular, it threw my issues with my reading enrichment class into a revealing light. I was assigned a group of students about 2 years below grade level in reading, and I was to use Scholastic's reading program Read XL to help my students learn the reading/writing skills they lacked. They were supposed to read through series of short stories, each section devoted to a different skill but with the exact same structure as all the previous sections. They were bored out of their minds and totally uninterested (as was I), and because of that they were not engaged in learning. Like with Collin in chapter 1 of Adolescent Literacy, my students did not connect with their subscribed "low-level" reading class. They sense that the administrator's - and by extension I as a new science teacher who had no idea how to teach reading - are "just completely out of it" and have "no clue" what they're capable of (10), and so they don't connect and they don't engage. Not only do we need to teach our kids more than simple academic literacy skills (i.e. 21st century literacy skills), we need to treat them with respect. Not only are these "catch them up" texts not engaging, they send a message that keeps our students turned off - "we don't expect you to be able to learn and utilize literacy skills in anything more complex than a short story." That doesn't do anything for their learning or their self image.
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