Progressively Unnecessary

stop the voices

2012-01-10T19:30:00.000-05:00

How do you handle educational chatter? Politicians, bureaucracy, rhetoric...I just can't always deal with it. When I was working, I mostly kept my head down and kept my attention on the kids & my lessons. Now I hear all that hot air, and I have a harder time grappling with it. Mostly I try to ignore it (as healthy as that may be). Because if I think about it too much, I get absolutely distraught and wonder whether I really do want to return to the mainstream HS classroom. I despair over the state of education, and I begin brainstorming ways to "have my cake & eat it too" when it comes to possible teaching positions.

How do you deal with it?

Review Games - Catch Phrase & Taboo

2012-01-06T19:30:00.000-05:00

On their own, Catch Phrase and Taboo are already pretty great word games; they really make students reach outside of their common vocabulary and think creatively to express an idea or concept. I'd often bring in my own copies of these on "educational celebration" days to help justify the day. Because every day is a day for learning, right?

You could adapt these to your classroom subject matter. I have to admit, this is not something I got a chance to do, so I can't say for sure how well it worked. But I planned to!

Catch Phrase would be a little less time intensive, since if you were to make Taboo cards, you'd need to come up with a list of words that can't be used for each one. So let's stick with Catch Phrase for now...

You could take any unit -- well, okay, this probably works best with a literary unit. If someone has an idea to adapt it for grammar, enlighten us! I'm not that creative at the moment. So, literary unit. Make cards listing names, ideas, etc. from the unit you're reviewing. That comprises your prep.

Split students into teams of at least two -- you might need to have simultaneous games going on in the room, depending on your size. I'm guessing that this wouldn't work well with teams bigger than 8 people, max. Get yourself a timer -- if you have a version of Catch Phrase, just bring in your own and use it as a timer (and for goodness sake, if you don't have a version of Catch Phrase yet, just go get one. For shame); the timer is set to random intervals, which just shakes things up a bit.

Set the cards in the middle. Form the two teams into a circle; each student should be next to members from the other team. Start the timer. On a turn, a student must get his team to guess the word on the card. The prompter cannot say "rhymes with...," "starts with the letter...," or gesture. The prompter cannot say any part of the word until one of his team members says it (i.e. if you're trying to get a team mate to say "Boo Radley" and they've already said "Boo," the prompter is now free to say his name also.) Once the team guesses the word, the student should say "Yes!" (or you can choose some other victory cue) so that the next player knows to draw a card and begin the process all over again. Keep going around the circle until the timer buzzes. When time runs out, whoever is currently playing loses that round and the OTHER team gets a point. For example, Kyle on Team B is trying to get his team to say "onomatopoeia" before the timer buzzes. It goes off, but his team has not guessed correctly yet. Team A now receives a point. Start the timer and begin again (play moves to the next person; do not start the round with Kyle). Play until one team wins 7 points...or however many works for your classroom.

Taboo would essentially be the same concept, just that you must come up with a short list (4 total, I believe) of words that the prompter cannot say when trying to get his teammates to guess the word.

If you have ideas for how to adapt these games to grammar, let me know! Or if you have other games to share, please spread the wealth!

Review Games - Board Games

2012-01-04T08:30:00.000-05:00

This particular review game takes a bit more prep than Fireline, but it could potentially last you for years.

The bottom line: make your own board game. There are websites out there with templates, but if you have Microsoft Word, it has a fair set of templates as well. Have fun with the game spaces: lose a turn, move ahead 2, move back 2, perform "I'm a Little Teapot,"etc. Glue your game board onto a piece of construction paper (and laminate it if you can); stop by the dollar store to pick up some cheap trinkets for each player. You could stop by a yard sale and buy old copies of various board games, throwing away the board game but keeping the pieces. You'll also need a die for each game board. I didn't have very big game boards, so I found someplace where I could make a die with only 1-3 on it. I used sturdier paper to make those dice.

Finally, you'll need to make the cards with review questions. I just made a nice sized table in a Word document that filled up a whole page, then typed up a question & answer for each card (as a result, someone has to be able to read the question to the player who must answer it). For longevity, glue the sheets onto construction paper before cutting out each card.

To play the game, students set up like any other board game, but on each turn, students have to answer a card with a review question on it; a player cannot roll the die until s/he answers a question correctly. Pretty simple rules!

I made about five or six sets of these game boards & cards (at the time, I had a student helper who cut out all the blessed question cards for me) and laminated the boards to last me awhile. Because the game takes so much prep, I only used this for BIG units with lots of info, so I had plenty of cards and could use them throughout the year (once for the unit, again for final review and state testing time). I even included grammar in there -- sentence corrections like pronoun/verb agreement or homophones. So, YES it's even possible to play games with grammar!

Review Games - Fireline

2012-01-01T21:13:00.000-05:00

Some of you will be returning to school soon in time for end-of-semester exams or even early state testing. And even if you're not, are you always on the look-out for review games? I know I usually am. Jeopardy is an easy standby but has lost its novelty since powerpoints are so 90s.

One game that I got from a teacher next door to me is called "Fireline!" and the kids loved it. You need 5 chairs placed at the front of the room; this is your "fireline." You need one student as your extra set of eyes (maybe two, depending on your class size) because speed matters in this game. The students' goal is to be one of the five people seated in a chair at the end of the game; I usually gave a couple points extra credit on the test as the incentive. Because the student acting as extra eyes can't participate, I also gave him/her a little incentive (a piece of candy and a little less extra credit). You read out the review questions and after you are done reading the question, the student who has his hand up first gets to answer the question. If s/he gets it right, s/he may take a seat on the Fireline. If s/he gets it wrong and has made a real effort to answer, s/he gets to choose someone on the Fireline to answer the question for him/her. If the person on the Fireline gets it wrong, that person gets to take that seat. If the Fireline answerer gets it correct, s/he has defended the chair.

Your extra set of eyes comes in handy in determining who raised a hand first after you finish reading the question and judging whether his/her peer made an honest effort to answer it. Because there is a chance of getting the chair even if the answer is wrong, it is important to make that stipulation about a true effort, just so kids don't throw up their hands and throw out any ol' response. I also sometimes used my helper to judge an answer as correct or not, if the respondent was close but not perfect. However, you can really only do this if you have the answer you are looking for previously written down. I found that this position worked well for two types of kids: the super-shy kid who wouldn't really participate anyway because s/he doesn't like competition or the extremely gregarious/goofball kid who is not afraid to challenge his/her peers for not making an honest effort to answer.

The nice thing about this game is that it takes little to no preparation. Heck, if you've already made the test, you've already made your review script!

I'm going to try and post a few other review games I've used -- feel free to share others you & your class have enjoyed!

Quit 'yer whining.

2011-12-07T19:43:00.001-05:00

The motivations for the last question about Lord of the Flies was born out of my frustration at the booklist for my next semester adolescent literature course. Of the 12 novels, only 5 belong to the most recent generation of YA fiction (Stargirl, Speak, Hunger Games, Monster, The Giver). All the others are books that are at least 40+ years old, one of which is Lord of the Flies. I am more angry than I should be at this list; most of the others I could accept, but that one just seems more out of place than the others. I never really cared for the book myself, but I appreciate that it has some complex, interesting things to say about human nature. I think that the intended audience is a large part of what defines the genre, and I really don't think Golding would say he intended this book for adolescents. You could argue the same about Fahrenheit 451, which is also on this list. In fact, you could argue that F451 makes even less sense, since at least the cast of characters in Flies are actually kids. I have to stop thinking about this. I am too close to the end of the semester to get my blood pressure up.

If the Education course were offered next semester, the books would be more progressive/newer. And how ironic is that? If anything, the curriculum & instruction department would have more reason to have a syllabi of older books, since that's mostly what is still taught in schools (unless motivated teachers campaign otherwise). The English department would be the place to explore new, emerging genres. Unfortunately, it is exactly the opposite in this case, and I'm terribly disappointed.

I guess I feel like if this is the booklist for the class, it might be a waste of time. I'm taking this class to help expand my understanding for my capstone project. I want ask what makes the genre what it is, how we define it, why it's growing so quickly, and can we find YA fiction that we think deserves the designation of "literature"? But with more than 50% of the syllabus comprising novels that are already canon -- it's just disheartening.

Quick survey

2011-12-06T21:05:00.001-05:00

Would you consider Lord of the Flies young adult literature? The protagonists are youngsters, and it's taught frequently in high schools, but would you call it young adult fiction or adolescent literature?

Keeping my head down

2011-11-09T09:06:00.003-05:00

Just a brief update:

Life unfortunately is a bit overwhelming at the moment. The week after Thanksgiving, I have a major presentation and 3 longish (15 page+) papers due. As you might expect, I'm focusing on getting ahead where I can. Furthermore, we recently had a death in the family -- a bit unexpected -- which is making it difficult for me to concentrate on the schoolwork at hand. At this moment, I would really like to hide and just not participate in society/the world for about a month. But, of course, real life doesn't quite work that way.

In short: as a result of both personal and professional distractions, you probably won't see me for awhile.

And then a little of both

2011-10-12T13:14:00.002-04:00

There's good news and bad news this week.

The good: Schedules are up for next semester already. This is also slightly bad because it means the semester is almost over. Yikes.

The bad: The teaching YA lit class is not being offered in the education department, as their catalog said it would. The catalog listed it as a spring class, it had been taught as a spring class for 10 years...and then this year they decided to do fall instead.

The good: There is an "adolescent literature" class being taught in the undergrad level. I can take it as a directed reading and do a couple extra projects for the class to bring it up to grad level intensity.

The bad: Most of the novels taught (if she uses the exact same syllabus as last time) are already canonical works. Are you ready for this? Fahrenheit 451, Lord of the Flies, Mockingbird, A Separate Peace, The Hobbit, and Catcher in the Rye [though admittedly, I've never read that last one, so that will be fun]. I'm pretty disappointed, though I guess I shouldn't be surprised. In my opinion, this list represents the general attitude of skepticism towards YA texts I've experienced here. For such a large school in a progressive area, their attitudes towards YA Fiction are anything but progressive. There are a few more recent works: Stargirl and Hunger Games. But the "newer" stuff is quite outnumbered.

A little of both: One of my extra projects will be to teach a class for one day. It will be a good dusting-off-the-ol'-teaching-chops for me

I couldn't decide on a title, either.

2011-10-04T12:04:00.000-04:00

I come to you again with the discussion of my research project. I think I'd like to tackle legitimizing young adult literature as a genre with valuable literature for study. It's a big concept, and I'm not sure I'd be able to comprehensively address it, but for now, I'm exploring the idea.

I'd like to argue that there are Young Adult Literature texts that are good enough to teach on their own merits, without any need forlegitimizing them as partner texts to canonical works. In order to do that, I think I'll take a novel and dig into it over the course of my discussion. I do have a couple options for this (The Hunger Games and The Book Thief first come to mind).

But since I'm delightfully indecisive, I'd also like your input (I readily admit I am nowhere near the YAL guru I'd like to be). If you were going to choose a novel that offered valuable themes and literary techniques to teach within a high schoolclassroom, a novel that you felt addressed not only the state standards butyour own as well, which text would you choose?

When I can't think of something to say, I let others do it for me!

2011-09-18T11:44:00.002-04:00

I know, I'm mostly MIA. And that's mostly because I'm in grad school. If I do get to spend any time thinking/hearing about teaching, it's mostly about how there will be no jobs by the time I graduate, and that all teachers are horrible anyway, so I may as well just homeschool any future offspring. Yaaaay.

But I do keep up with others' blogs when I can. Just when you think that the media has run out of negative things to say about teachers, someone finds a way to stir the pot again. Fortunately, The Nerdy Teacher found a way to respond to some negativity using sarcasm and wit. Just trust me when I say, don't bother going over to the original post he's responding to -- it will just make you mad, getting you nowhere since it's obviously one of those cases where you're not going to change this person's mind through cooperative dialogue.

Instead, when you're feeling the negativity, just read Nerdy Teacher's sarcastic response which can help you shrug it off with a chuckle.

So here's what I'm thinking...

2011-08-24T21:51:00.000-04:00

I've been feeling a little self-pressure lately to come up with a capstone project (i.e. the not-quite-a-thesis-but-similar-to-a-thesis required for my program). I strongly lean towards some kind of YA Lit project, though I get the feeling that YA is not widely respected throughout the department. I guess you could make the argument that any concentration is subject to disapproval, depending on a certain PhD's preferences. However, I'm particularly sensitive to the looks I get when I mention YA, and these looks are decidedly different from the looks given to someone who is interested in gender studies of 18th century poetry. Or whatever.

One thought I've had stems from the issue of the very name of the genre itself: Young Adult Literature. Is there any other genre that is so defined by its audience? All other genres are descriptions of a book's content: Fiction, NonFiction, Fantasy, Satire, Tragedy, etc. When picking up a novel based on those genre descriptions, you have certain expectations, certain tropes particular to that genre you expect to see. Young Adult Literature, however, is defined by its intended audience; within the "young adult" section, you might find any genre of fiction, from paranormal romance to crime dramas. I find that fascinating and wonder if YAL is more shaped by its audience than other genres, and if so what does that mean for this particular niche of literature?

I also wonder about this idea of YAL as being a "gateway" for young people to other "classic" literature. Honestly, that idea rather bugs me because the statement indicates that YAL doesn't have much substance to it on its own, it is merely a signifier pointing to something else, something "greater" beyond it. I want to know what are the merits of this genre on its own, and what is its place in our idea of literature if that is so.

And then my final thought goes back to this issue of audience in YAL. A connection to this might be a discussion on serialized novels: since serial novels enabled the audience to read and respond to the work in medias res, to what extent were they shaping the novel's progression, and can we see similar patterns in YAL, which, although not serialized, is a genre defined by its audience.

Some of these questions may not have any answers or they may even be too big of an issue to try and tackle in a 25-35 paper.

Starting a new semester

2011-08-22T21:12:00.001-04:00

After all that indecision about which class to take, I ended up in a totally new class altogether. Go figure, eh? I got to see the syllabus for the History of the Book class and talk to someone else in it, and I started to think...this might not be such a good idea. I had thought it would be a little less reading since it's not a literature class, but a recent grad of my program confessed that it was actually one of the more labor-intensive classes she took. Enjoyable, but a lot of work (or at least more so than other grad classes). When I learned that The Powers That Be added an extra shift to the buses, so the buses now run late enough for me to take just about any class I'd like. I started putting my feelers out for alternative classes.

A friend started talking up Modern African Lit - the professor is very enthusiastic, the readings will mostly focus on 6 novels all semester, and the first reading was already quite enjoyable. It's not a class I would have normally picked, but my fellow classmates swayed me. I sat in on the class this afternoon; I am still a little anxious because it is completely out of my comfort zone. Not only is it modern African lit, but it will be all female authors with a focus on gender/feminist issues, scholarly lenses which I'm not terribly comfortable with. Right now my concern is getting the novel read by Wednesday, but I'm determined. I might be pulling a late night on Wednesday.

Though the professor was hesitant to add me in, she did do it. Now I have to make sure she doesn't regret the decision!

Sidenote: there used to be a National Writing Project institute held on my campus, but last January they weren't able to raise enough money, so they had to let it go. Bummer. Anyone else out there done the NWP and want to tell me what I'm missing?

Word

2011-08-10T16:24:00.002-04:00

True Story.

Podcasts

2011-07-27T22:19:00.000-04:00

I might have mentioned before that I've started listening to podcasts pretty regularly. So much so that I'm listening to them more now than I am my audiobooks. Surprising, I know.

One of the podcasts I've picked up is Freakanomics; yes, it is from the authors of the book (books?) of the same name. It's kind of fun and interesting. One discussion point they've covered is education. I'm catching up on the backlog, so the most recent one I listened to was from October 2010 with a discussion of Race to the Top. Yes, including interviews and soundbites from our own dear Arne Duncan. That one was hard to get through. I think I strained my eyeball-rolling-muscles. There was another, however, that discussed an interesting experimental reform program currently being tested in NY. I plan to talk about these further, at some point, I've just been a little too preoccupied lately to sit down, re-listen, and string together some coherent responses. In good time.

The more I listen, though, the more I want to try and use podcasts in my class. Freakanomics could offer some interestingly weekly discussion/writing prompts, GrammarGirl some quick Grammar FAQ coverage...or have students make their own podcasts. Is this so 2007, though? How behind the times AM I?

Or do I really want to know?

English Major Geek-Out

2011-07-21T17:57:00.002-04:00

Many years ago, someone gifted me with a CD titled English Majors, which is a collection of skits/songs/stories to tickle the fancy of the literate heart.

I put it in once, wasn't quite in the mood, and it's been sitting on my shelf ever since. On a whim, I put it in today and discovered a true gem: a track titled "Red Rose Rose." But it is not merely a recitation of Burns' delightful verses, it is actually a mash-up of (parts of)Song of Solomon; My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose (Burns); Daffodils (Herrick); The Passionate Shepherd to His Love (Marlowe); A Drinking Song (Yeats); Time (Herrick); and (I think) Ode (Wordsworth)

It's beautifully performed by Keillor and Guy's All Star Shoe Band (are they part of the Prairie Home Companion? I don't know) to a traditional Danish tune (no, really, it's beautiful. Think not of clogs). I loved hearing these pieces fold into each other so sweetly and thoughtfully. Keillor isn't a great vocalist, but the sweet instrumentation and melody make up for it. It's quite lovely. And what potential for conversation about the universality of themes and motifs!

One point we discussed in my Comp class last semester was about getting readers to think of writers in conversation with one another. I think this could be a fun (and unusual) example of just that! Though poets may not be in actual conversation with one another like writers of scientific discourse might be, poets write to have conversation with humanity. There's bound to be similarities in ideas, be they physical, mental, or spiritual. Couldn't this be a fun project? Students could do something similar to Keillor's "Red, Red Rose" and "mash-up" poems they've studied (oh, maybe bring in some Glee mash-ups!) which they think have similar themes or ideology. They could put it to music or not, but definitely get them to talk about what their mash-up says or if the blending of poems & verses might bring new meaning to the texts.... the more I think about this, the more I love it!

2011-07-18T18:16:00.001-04:00

Are you on LinkedIn? Do you think it's necessary for teachers?

My husband reports that potential employers actually do look at LinkedIn profiles, which is why he keeps his updated and at 100% completion. He doesn't use it for much else. I'm beginning to wonder if it's a profile I need, too.

My common sense (and past experiences) tell me that so many schools & districts use their own online programs, so what's the point of this additional network? I think I registered as a member of about 4 different online job database resources when I was on the hunt. And that's just for one area. Additionally...I'm a teacher. A public servant. How much use is it really going to be for me, networking in this venue?

I'm lazy

2011-07-11T18:55:00.000-04:00

Have you heard of Tumblebooks? Somehow I've stumbled across this name in a couple places, but I don't know exactly what it is, how it works, or if it makes pizzas. I'm pretty sure not the latter, but hey, a girl can hope.

Since it's summer and I'm on semi-vacation, I'm too lazy to investigate it thoroughly. So I turn to you. Do you know what this resource is or how one would use it in a classroom?

Serial Comma For the Win

2011-06-30T17:34:00.004-04:00

I both love and despise grammar. I love the orders and rules of grammar, which attempt to make sense of the fluid, abstract being that is oral language. I also love playing with that grammar to add meaning to a text. I despise when people use grammar for evil, getting their panties in a twist about grammar and using it to condescend to others. There are some basic things that drive me crazy, sure, born mostly of a need for cogency (homophones come to mind). But to get into a hissy-fit because someone uses the incorrect pronoun for the antecedent "somebody" -- come on now. I am happy to find I am not alone in this.

I try to be open-minded about grammar and its changes. The serial comma is an exception to my I'm OK, You're OK grammar philosophy, and I feel a strange affinity for this blip of punctuation. Apparently Oxford University Press has officially dropped the "Oxford comma," aka the serial comma from their PR department. Their standard usage is now that in a series of items, a comma before the final item is unnecessary unless it is needed to avoid ambiguity (this book is dedicated to my parents, Ayn Rand and God teehee).

I shouldn't care as much as I do. I perceive this as one more of those exceptions to our language that makes things unnecessarily difficult. Is it really so confusing or time-consuming to put in a final comma? I know newspapers have long dropped the serial comma, but I'd still love to see the statistics from a newspaper on how much ink they saved by dropping serial commas. Oh wait, print newspapers would need subscribers for that, anyway!*

Anyone here pro-serial-killing? I just haven't heard a compelling argument to drop it, or maybe I'm too fanatically loyal to be swayed; I think leaving it out tends to elicit more ambiguity or at least more frequent opportunities for ambiguity than eliminating it would. I don't really accept the accusation of "clutter" as a valid one. Political correctness and commercialism possess more fault for our inflated purple language than the unassuming comma.

Can we just agree that either is fine, just be consistent? I usually talk to my students about the fluidity of grammar and point out rules such as this one which change or are stylistic choices. I tell them that grammar changes over time (e.g., "ain't" used to be perfectly acceptable during the Elizabethan court). In fact, I think it's only a matter of time before the plural, non-gender "they/their" is acceptable for indefinite pronouns ("Somebody left their comma here."). They may have teachers who tell them different things or prefer different styles: that's life. They're more on board - or I like to think they are - if I'm honest that sometimes grammar just is what the bigwigs say it is, and we have to accept that.

What's your take? What does your state standard guide tell you to do with the serial comma? And do you obey or practice civil disobedience?

*ok, that was mean. I do love newspapers and love print newspapers (for nostalgia's sake). I do wonder about the future and relevance of print newspapers in a digital age.

Ruby Oliver, can we be friends?

2011-06-27T17:46:00.003-04:00

Have you ever read a book where you told the fictional hero/heroine, YOU are my new best friend?

Lockhart's Ruby Oliver series is that for me. I've often wished BFF status about a particular author, but this is one of the few fictional characters I wish I could actually befriend. OK, who am I kidding -- I'd happily BFF Lockhart, too. I just finished the fourth and final (I'm pretty sure) book of this series, and in my opinion it's a YA must-read series. It doesn't necessarily have universal appeal, but if you enjoy endearing character-driven stories, it's definitely worth a look. The books are often laugh-out-loud funny, insightful without being too syrupy, and honest without being too brutal. I can relate to the self-deprecating, slightly cynical-yet-deep-down-romantic, sarcastic heroine.

#1 - The Boyfriend List
#2 - The Boy Book
#3 - The Treasure Map of Boys
#4 - Real Live Boyfriends

I will say these are not books to audio. Ruby likes to add amusing anecdotes or explanations via footnotes, which is just infinitely more fun to read than listen to. Do yourself a favor and pick up something just plain fun for the summer!

Summer reading

2011-06-25T11:59:00.002-04:00

Hopefully by now you are on summer vacation. Unless you teach at a year-round school, in which case, I don't understand you at all. Kidding. But really, what is the usual schedule for year-round?

I think many of us like to use the summer to get caught up on reading (in between professional development workshops) and that has definitely been the case for me. I have loved picking up books for fun and reading them at my own pace again. I'm relishing it until the semester re-starts.

I have a constantly growing to-read list, so I plan to tackle a few items from that, starting with some tried-and-true favs:

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Ruby Oliver #3 & 4 by E. Lockhart
Bubbles All the Way by Sarah Strohmeyer
The Vanishing of Katharina Linden by Helen Grant

I've already finished Mockingjay , Ruby Oliver #3, and Vanishing of Katharina Linden. And I'm ready to devour more. The hard part is just deciding which ones! What are you hoping to read this summer?

Thanks

2011-06-22T19:46:00.000-04:00

Thanks for the insight and sharing of my oh-so-desperate decisions. I am strongly leaning towards HotB as of now. The professor who teaches it has an interesting foot in both worlds: he specializes in middle ages literature and manuscripts, but he also teaches courses in digital media and book technology. This is obviously a class he will know thoroughly and likely enjoy. The Caribbean literature one, while interesting, I can explore on my own a bit, now that I have the list of readings. Obviously this is not the same as studying it in class with discussions from others or a learned professor, but sadly these are the kinds of choices I have to make!

Though once a YA Lit class is offered, my choices will be so much easier.

Scheduling, teil zwei

2011-06-21T14:31:00.000-04:00

Good questions, all, thanks!

These are classes I have to choose between as an elective for my own studies next semester. I am trying to keep in mind the fact that I am getting my master’s degree with the idea of expanding my teaching repertoire. Caribbean Lit seems more likely something I might be able to incorporate into a world literature or AP class, so it feels like the class I should take.

History of the Book intrigues me simply because it’s so different from the typical lit classes. I’m interested in the book-making process from the standpoint of a writer, as I don’t really know what the editor/publisher/seller process looks like. I’m intrigued by the idea of manipulation and the propaganda involved in sales (have I mentioned I love dystopian YA Lit?), and I would really like to know what kind of technological options are out there for books and what that would mean for the classroom. And I may have forgotten to mention there are field trips involved to publishing houses and special collections. Yes, I am a graduate student excited about a field trip.

I promised myself that I would take classes I want to take and scheduling be darned. But I have to admit that a three-hour (yes, it’s just once a week, but three hours *whine*) course is a bit of a turn-off for the Carib Lit. But one girl I met and got along with is taking it, so perhaps we could make it bearable. However, HotB’s scheduling gives me several hours to do homework on campus before my next class that afternoon and makes parking easier (i.e., free). It’s hard to completely discount the pragmatic scheduling issues, but I’m trying. So, I thought I'd throw it to the public, because I dearly care what other people think.

Scheduling

2011-06-20T18:40:00.000-04:00

If you had to choose between Caribbean Literature and History of the Book, which would you choose? Caribbean Literature would include authors such as Julia Alvarez, V.S.Naipaul, Junot Diaz -- authors I (er, you) have heard of but never read. History of the Book will not only trace the invention of the book from early manuscripts through Google Book and other digital forms, but it will also discuss the many roles involved in book-making, from author to seller.

Let's completely discount scheduling issues. Which would you choose?

Make your own Smartboard for $45

2011-06-17T07:40:00.000-04:00

Here's a new project for you: make your own smartboard for $45.

Have you heard/seen what Johnny Lee can do with a wii remote? It's pretty awesome

His website does indeed explain how to set it up and provide the necessary software to make it work. I did notice in his instructions that it requires a bluetooth, so I suppose that's an added cost if you don't have one. But hey, you could get yourself a bluetooth device and use it as a tax write-off!

And if you think it's too complicated, there's a video out there showing a darling fourth grader who created this interactive whiteboard as his science project. If Austin can do it, you can do it.

I don't currently have a whiteboard to set this up on. Someone do this and tell me how it goes. Do it.

I would of flipped my lid

2011-06-13T16:48:00.000-04:00

Do your kids have this problem: "would of" instead of "would have" or "would've"? Or could/should/etc.

This slip-up had never ever occurred to me before, but then one year I started seeing it littering papers of a variety of students. Have you seen this or is it simply localized in the South where words are cut short and allstrungtogether?

Not productive at all

2011-05-24T20:57:00.007-04:00

Cheerier, more exciting news. I just found out that one of my current favorite YA authors, E. Lockhart, has a blog. This gives me a little flutter of fangirliness in my heart, and I am excited to have one more blog to help me be unproductive.

I fully intend to read her third & fourth Ruby Oliver books this summer, and I may investigate what other gems Lockhart has in her repertoire.

Cyber-bullying... a teacher?

2011-05-23T17:40:00.002-04:00

Here's an interesting issue:

Student Suspended for Facebook Post

A thirteen-year-old posted a Facebook status which indicated that she wished Bin Laden had killed [her teacher] instead of the 3,000 people in the twin towers. Yikes. Dr. Drew -- (why him and what are his credentials exactly? I must admit, I am a bit skeptical of any doctor who goes by "Doctor FirstName" and has TV shows on MTV. I digress) -- Dr. Drew interviews the mom & kid and brings in a "former prosecutor" to comment on some of the legal aspects. The prosecutor makes a point (4:00) that with issues of cyber bullying, the law right now sums up 'net issues as such: "we don't care where the bad behavior happened, we care where the bad effects land." So, if it is going to influence the school community, then yes, the school has a right to step in. I thought that was an interesting and seemingly fair rule. Does the law need to evolve with the internet? Yes, certainly, it is not perfect -- it would be nice if laws provided schools with more clear-cut and decisive action plans, but that has not yet happened.

But about 4 minutes later (8:00), the girl dissolves into waterworks, and suddenly the tune seems to change. Now, she is the victim (Dr. Drew actually makes a statement to that effect at 10:18)! The girl tearfully defends herself saying that we can't judge her because we don't know the whole situation, and to some extent, I agree. But from the change of tune at 8 minutes to the end of the clip, the interview takes a decidedly anti-school/anti-teacher sentiment. No, a national news network is not the place to rub her nose in her poor choice, but still...she was the bully here! The prosecutor changes her tune as well, rehashing issues of cyber-bullying where the school did not step in and the dire consequences thereof (10:55). She says "Schools need to get it together" and to some extent, I agree. Simultaneously, however, I just shake my head, wondering how much more society wants to heap on schools' plates. When schools say they can't intervene because of free speech, they get harassed. When schools do intervene, however, they get harassed for being too heavy-handed. What do you want them to do?

As the clip ended, I was still just astounded at the unfairness for the teacher. If that were a statement made by one child against another, it would be included as bullying in any pursued legal case. So just because the teacher is an adult, it's not a big deal? Is it really outrageous for a principal to attempt to protect his/her teachers? Teachers aren't above the law -- we aren't saints by any means -- but at least treat us with the same dignity you would a threatened student! The phrase may not have been a "threat" per se, but it was hateful and hurtful, which sounds a lot like bullying to me.

No duh, Sherlock?

2011-05-14T16:58:00.002-04:00

This article recently came across the AP wire: It's Not the Teacher, but Method That Matters

In it, Seth Borenstein reports a study that followed two different Canadian college classes, one of which was taught by TAs with "interactive methods," the other taught by an experienced lecturer. Surprise! The class taught via interactive methods scored better on assessments. The physicist conducting the study concludes "there's nothing magical about a particular person."

I have some issues with this. My initial reaction is something along the lines of, "Uh. Duh."

Then the other part of me says, Oh holy mother of biscuits, this is all the evidence a county needs to mandate scripted teaching. I fear The Powers That Be see this study and say, "See? Any monkey can do it, you just have to know what tools to use."

Except, correct me if I'm wrong, isn't that what being a professional in any field means? I can't write computer programs because I'm not familiar with the proper tools. I don't diagnose illnesses because I don't know the proper tools. I don't extract teeth because (guess what) I don't know the proper tools. And I wouldn't presume to do any of those until I had the proper training to use all those tools & terminologies.

What makes you a good teacher is that you are out there, seeking, exploring, implementing new tools all the time. This study confirms that a lecturer with 10, 15, 20+ years of experience is not necessarily a good teacher just because s/he has done the same thing for 10+ years. S/he is a good teacher because s/he chooses to seek out those interactive strategies. So, no, there's nothing "magical" about a particular person. Just a lot of training, self-reflection, and hard work.

If I could dream

2011-05-09T09:30:00.002-04:00

The last day of class, my comp professor posed an interesting question to us:

Let's say you have an entire year paid sabbatical (via grant, miracle, etc) to do whatever you want to do. What would you do?

I wasn't sure exactly -- my first thought was read as much as I could about writing workshop so I could be an expert and hammer out a perfect (*cue laughter*) writing workshop procedure in my classroom.

But then I thought bigger. If I could, I think I would take a year to explore all the different technology writing/composing media -- ones created for the classroom or not, ones schools could actually afford or not. I would find ways to get my hands on the very newest stuff, to see what's coming. I would find out all the possible ways to use Smart/Promethean boards, writing pads, movie-making media...and all those other things that I know must be out there but I have no earthly idea what to do. I would compile my research into a giant Bible of Digital Media that cross-referenced every conceivable use of these technologies.

If there was one thing I came away with from that composition class was that I would really like to explore additional media for "composing." I'm not sure I'd be experimental enough to give students a choice between a written or digital essay every time, but I'd like to be able to let the kids play a bit more with media than I currently do with them. And part of the reason that I don't is because I feel so completely overwhelmed at the thought of what's out there and how little I know about it. So, there's my dream grant-funded sabbatical. What about you?

Cover Art FTW

2011-05-06T17:44:00.001-04:00

This might be totally superficial, but the first thing that I liked about this blog is the picture used for the profile, Fragonard's Young Girl Reading. A friend of mine gave me a beautiful print of it as a HS graduation gift, and I've always adored it. I would wax poetic about the picture, but suffice to say, once I saw that profile, I knew this blogger and I could be kindred spirits: OKP's Line 46.

And I haven't been far off. I have loved to keep up with OKP for a variety of reasons. One is that she posts pretty regularly, even if it's little snippets. She teaches at a high-performing school, and I find it interesting to see the challenges there as compared to not only my own experiences but also those of other bloggin' teacher-fiends. Some challenges are surprisingly universal, some are not. She is honest about the challenges she faces, but also honest about the way she challenges her students, and I love that. It's a nice blend of amusement, introspection, joys, frustrations. And when times get hard, she isn't afraid to post a picture of a bunny with a pancake on its head. I think that says a lot about a person, don't you?

Have you noticed that I tend to be attracted to blogs which have qualities I aspire to? Guess these are more like 'role model' blogs than just "favorite" blogs!

I like to keep you on your toes

2011-05-05T18:07:00.000-04:00

OK, this might seem strange to you, but one of my favorite teacher blogs is actually the "Homeschooling" section on Pioneer Woman's multifaceted blog.

Yes, unconventional for a public school teacher, I know. But it gives me a glimpse into a wonderful world where parents not only care about their students' educations (because anyone can just say they "care" Michelle Rhee), but they take active roles in it! I also love that they are constantly exploring new media, texts, manipulatives, etc. to bring to the classroom. Some of them are things we would be willing to spend money our own money on. They have a level of autonomy we only dream about. There are obviously a lot of factors that contribute to our teaching experience being so different from theirs, but this blog consistently reminds me about the magic of education -- those special "ah ha" moments of discovery for both teachers and students.

One Trick Pony

2011-05-02T12:04:00.003-04:00

Many of you are not in this position (thankfully!) and probably won't have to be for some time, but for those who are suffering the bane of job interviews, you may encounter this question which once tripped me up: Talk about a lesson (project/etc.) that went well or you're proud of.

I don't know about you, but I'm not used to thinking about positive things about myself all the time. If asked what are ways you would improve or things you could change, etc., I could give you quite a list of those! I think this is true of most people -- we have a hard time acknowledging good things about ourselves. Do we think it's bragging? Regardless, it's not a habit we often practice.

When I had this question, I could think of only two things, and one of those I had already talked about for a previous question. I talked about those two things, but I worried that they were going to think I was a one-trick pony!

A few weeks later, after my brain had calmed down and I was able to reflect clearly, I made up a list of possible responses to that question. I wanted to be prepared for next time. The list included the mock trial, literary analysis breakdown, booktalks, students-teach-the-class projects, writing workshop portfolios, reading cinema unit, and a historical timeline project.

How would you answer that prompt? Talk about a lesson/project/unit that went well or you're proud of.

Brought to you by...

2011-04-28T13:14:00.000-04:00

Today's blog entry is brought to you by: Full of Bees!

I think what I enjoy most about Full of Bees is that I can see/hear her classroom so clearly -- and not only because she is a great writer (which is true) but because I've been there. She teaches sophomores in a rural area and many of the experiences she shares sound like something that could have (or did) happen in my classroom. She is real but has a great sense of humor, too. The entry I linked to is a perfect example of that -- she shares her recent updates in haiku form!

I am not good at titles

2011-04-25T23:03:00.002-04:00

While I'm in the midst of finishing a crazy semester, I'll give you another fun blog to read! I haven't been following this one for very long, but I have a feeling it's going to be a staple in my blogroll in no time. You know I love YA Lit. And if you didn't, now you know.

However, Forever Young Adult makes me feel woefully inadequate in my YA Lit love. (Sidenote: I initially wrote that as "YA love," which my brain read as the full title and not the acronym. After thinking OMG! and giggling to myself, I decided I better throw in that "Lit" after all).

I love her book reviews -- her formatting is clever and engrossing, and her sense of humor is perfect. For a little glimpse of what I mean by this, here's a glimpse titled "What's your YA deal breaker?"
(for the record, it's paranormal. I've tried. Jus' cain't do it. Or eternal teen love after one week. *GLARES AT BELLA* There are other things that might make me roll my eyes, but I'm willing to give just about anything non-paranormal a chance).

Another Blog I Wish I Could Be

2011-04-15T22:43:00.001-04:00

Another blog I enjoy reading is Bluebird's Classroom. She is a middle school science teacher, which means we have just about nothing in common.

Honestly, though, I just like hearing about classroom experiences from another world. Middle school is, in fact, very different from high school, and I am frequently awed by the issues she meets and takes down in that world. She also taught in a geographic area roughly near my own, so I could commiserate with a lot of the experiences based on the area's demographics. There's a genuineness to her voice which I appreciate -- there's love for the kids but it's not syrupy; there's realism but it's not dire. A nice balance I hope I can one day master!

Move along, nothing to see here

2011-04-14T15:20:00.001-04:00

In the interest of letting you know I'm still alive, here's an update:

(my) Homework has taken over my life. I have 3 12-15 page papers due in the next two weeks. No, I haven't started writing any of them. Yes, I think this is a more valuable use of my time. Why do you ask?

Perhaps what I should do is link you to a few of my favorite teachery blogs. I'll let them do all the hard work, and I'll just link to 'em okay? Or even better, you could link ME to some of your favorite blogs.

Here, I'll start. I think I've linked here before, but Teenagers Are Ridiculous is one of my favorite blogs. It's almost frightening how many truly amazing gems of teen wisdom (read: hilarity) she has. Here's a favorite and a prime example of her quick wit which provides lots of fun banter with the kids: "It's a cause and effect thing..."

This is why we teach allusions

2011-03-22T23:06:00.001-04:00

"...the Oedipal energies of Drydenesque tragicomedy lose their original usefulness as a lever against Cromwellian tyranny."
Duane Coltharp, "Strategy and Ambivalence in Dryden's Tragicomedies"

Without any kind of context via allusions, this would be jibberish to the reader. In some ways, it still is to me.

You know how you get to the point where you're so mentally zapped that you read the same sentence over and over, and the more you read it, the less it makes sense? I daresay also, the funnier it gets? I'm there.

Compelling

2011-03-15T23:22:00.000-04:00

If there's one thing about this research in composition class that has served me in my pedagogical outlook, it is that I feel strongly compelled to use more writing in the classroom. I'm sure we'll never feel like we do enough, but I need to push myself (well, push the kids) to do even more.

I need to really use writing as a learning tool, encouraging students to write out ideas in order to share them or reflect on class. I want more pens-on-paper without requiring a grade, just to practice writing with no performance pressure. I want real, functional, writing workshops in which students learn from one another and hold each other accountable. I want more context for their writings and a recognition of the reality of an audience: have them send letters, essays, etc. to kids in other schools or the local newspaper or somewhere it would be read. I want to create an in-class literary magazine, where they can publish some of their favorite works and preserve them in my classroom for all time, for peers, parents and future classes.

More, more, more! I liked that I pushed my kids to really produce some deeper literary analyses. I like that I also allowed them to explore a variety of writing styles through writing workshop. But I could always do so much more. It's easy to shy away from writing because I think of how long it's going to take to grade. But maybe I should stop taking it up for a grade, which only reinforces the idea of Teacher As Audience, and instead have them share amongst each other or parents/guardians/mentors.

I know, I'm starting to sound like an idealistic first yearsie, aren't I? Mainly my point is: I need to have more writing.

Complete sidenote: Someone in our class mentioned an interesting way of grading formal essays. Give the essay two grades: one for mechanics, and one for content/argument. I really like this idea. Have you ever encountered something like that, either received a grade or given one like it? Thoughts?

Grammar Girl

2011-03-03T09:59:00.002-05:00

I knew she was out there and had even used her a few times myself for some quick grammar references. She has very easy-to-follow tips and her sentences are unusual (not as unusual as GrammarBytes!, but still, clever). I want to pick up a copy of her book to put in my classroom, right next to the dictionaries and thesauruses, so kids can learn that grammar has handy reference guides, too!

I had teased the idea of using her podcasts in the classroom, but honestly I didn't quite see the point. It felt like I would be using technology just for the sake of using technology, not because it actually enhanced any of the learning. How is her 7-10 minute quick lesson any different from my own mini-lesson? It's one the kids would only listen to. Perhaps I could give them a handout or put up a powerpoint to show the sentences she makes reference to, but again how is that different from my own?

The thought occurs to me that "it's different." Just by virtue of being not me, it could be interesting for the kids. Other than that idea, however, I have little else that springs to mind in strong support of it. Still, I think I'd like to use it, but I want to use it in a valuable way, not just for the sake of technology.

So, any of you used Grammar Girl or any other podcast in your room? How did you use it?

Must be doin' something right

2011-02-26T18:01:00.003-05:00

In my Restoration Drama class, Aristotle's Unities/Poetics, Greek drama, and the term "catharsis" have all come into our discussions.

I confess -- sometimes I fear that I'm watering down information for my students, due to time or age appropriateness. But I was practically glowing with pride when those issues came up in discussion because most of the questions the professor asked, my students could have answered. Granted, whether they still remember them or not a year+ later is questionable. When we studied Antigone, though, they could have! It made me feel like I'd been doing something right. In fact, when the term "catharsis" came up, there was more than a few in my class who didn't know the term or its relationship to Greek drama. And once again, I thought to myself, My kiddos could have told you that!

Sitting there in class, I performed a little interior dance of joy. I felt good about what I'd done. Though I worked with time constraints, standardized tests, and over-and-around pep rallies, I managed to do something right; I hadn't watered it down as I'd feared. I taught my kids something that they could have sat in a graduate class and answered questions about. I'm so proud of them, and they don't even know it!

img source: kevindooley

Say something real

2011-02-22T10:31:00.000-05:00

My most significant frustration with my writing/pedagogy class at the moment is that all the articles we've read are mostly theory. And those of us who have spent any time in a classroom know that theory and actuality are not synonymous.

I read these articles in which people postulate these ideas of composition, and I find myself marking the text with an all too familiar question: "OK, so how?" It frustrates me a bit that for all the class description threw around the term "pedagogy" we are doing little discussion of what that might look in the classroom. The class is structured around freshman comp, as it is a mandatory class for TAs teaching freshman comp. Even still, there aren't a lot of suggestions or strategies offered by the instructor or the readings. If I were a TA with no prior teaching experience (as many of the TAs in my class are), I would appreciate someone handing me a recipe and saying, "Here, try this."

But my point was not to complain. Rather, I am rejoicing in the fact that finally ONE guy said, "And if you want to see what I mean by this, check out my book [insert title]." Now, while my gut reaction is to say, "Hello, self-promotion," my pen was finally able to stop mid-question and turn "OK, so how?" into "OK, so check this book out at the library!"

I'm now flipping through A Short Course in Writing: practical rhetoric for composition courses, writing workshops, and tutor training by Kenneth Bruffee. Don't you love that title? PRACTICAL rhetoric! Glorious. I am looking at the original edition published in 1990, which does look a little outdated in parts. Still, though, if it's worth it, I'm going to add it to my Amazon to-purchase list, and I'll share with you all if I think it's a worthwhile resource.

Either way, I'm just glad to finally read something real.

RIP, Brian Jacques

2011-02-07T22:12:00.000-05:00

I will never forget the first time I read Mossflower by Jacques. I cannot even recall how I came across it, but I do remember the absolute magic that captivated me from the first page. Absolutely riveting! I followed that up with Redwall, Martin the Warrior, and some others. I never read as many as I wanted to, as other books inevitably called my name, but I have always held a fond place in my heart for this master of contemporary fantasy. The books appeal to all ages and are fantastic read-alouds (something I need to make note of for future classroom excursions!). If you have not yet discovered one of Jacques endearing masterpieces, do yourself a favor and pick one up. Don't be daunted by the size -- I assure you, it will read quickly.

On February 5, 2011 the world of readers lost a great man, Brian Jacques. I plan to pick up Mossflower and re-read it again sometime this year in his honor (appropriately, I also have Castaways of the Flying Dutchman sitting in my audiobook queue).

Irony goes to the dogs

2011-02-03T22:49:00.002-05:00

Let me just get one thing straight: I don't go around in my every day life and tell people they're using the word "irony" when they really mean "coincidence," "poetic justice," or some other word/phrase designating an amusing phenomenon. However, when I teach it, I want to make sure those kids really understand the actual use of the term. I tell them that "irony" is much like grammar: we say it incorrectly all the time, but people know what you mean. And that's fine. Because if you go around correcting people when they're trying to have a conversation, you won't have many friends left. But if you need to put it in writing and want your text to have any authority, ya gotta know. So, I'm always on the look-out for "Real" examples of irony. The more the better.

That said, here's a bonafide example. My cat is micro-chipped. As a result of her micro-chip, we subscribe to the provider's service which includes sending emails to people in your designated area when you lose a pet. Every pair of alert eyes helps, right? I received one such email today. True story:

Someone in my area recently lost her bloodhound and is asking for help locating it.

Awesome.

For the record, I do hope those people find their dog. But still...I'm grateful they provided me with this little gem.

Audience, or lack thereof

2011-01-23T16:59:00.006-05:00

I'll admit, audience isn't something oft-discussed in my classroom. The little thinking about it we do (actually, it's probably more implied than explicitly contemplated or discussed) is usually in reference to state mandated tests or future teacher-audiences my students will have. I'm more concerned about what kind of writing they will produce for the 11th grade teachers than I am about what they produce (sorry, process) for me.

How much do you talk about audience with your students, and in what capacity?

Elbow's article, "Closing My Eyes as I Speak: An Argument for Ignoring Audience" (which you can find on NCTE, if you're a member) talks about how the concept of writing for an audience influences students, usually to their detriment: when students are too focused on audience, their ideas tend to balk and/or qualify, altogether too concerned about meeting the audience's expectations. Audience needs to be taken into account in the revision state, but perhaps not before. A writer should allow the draft to fully consummate without any hindrances; after allowing himself the opportunity to play with and explore his ideas, then the writer may revise his medium for the intended audience. Several pedagogical implications weave through this article, most especially the value of student choice. I liked his take on audience. By and large I agree that students benefit from private, independent writing. In my own classroom, I feel like I worked pretty well to incorporate the social aspect of composition but perhaps didn't allow for enough private audience-less writing; I believe in moderation in all things, and if I'm developing social outlets for writing, I need to make sure those private reflections are nourished, too.

Of course, as secondary teachers, our immediate reaction is, "OK, but how do I grade it? How do I make this work?" How do we encourage (read: make) students keep private journals, a valuable writing practice, without holding a grade over their head (which would imply some level of reading, and thus, an audience)? And unfortunately, the article didn't fully answer the question of practical application for me. He sold me the house, but didn't give me the key.

As I read, I considered my writing workshop, and I actually felt pretty good about what I managed to do in my first few years of teaching. Though goodness knows I can see all the places I could have improved I also feel like I did well to attempt to balance the social aspect with some personal, safe writing (occasional writing workshop prompts as "bellwork" that I graded by participation - were students active during the appointed time or not? I never read these, so there was a "safe" place for audience-less writing [which could be a possibility of student safety, maybe worth another day's discussion?]). Interestingly enough, as I began thinking about writing workshop, I thought of additional social practices:

establish writing groups like literary circles, where students can approach peers and talk through an idea or ask for advice
leave 5 minutes at the end of class to share (no comments, just reading)
do more verbal pre-writing, model as a class with my own writing

The social aspect seems easy enough to come up with. How do we provide students with opportunities for the audience-free, "safe" writing, and get them to treat it as the beneficial tool it is?

source: photo by ~Cin~

And this is why I am not getting an M Ed

2011-01-19T18:16:00.004-05:00

Today my dear husband ran across some interesting dissertation titles while he was doing some other research pertinent to his own job. He knew I'd appreciate them, so he sent them along (just the titles/summation. Not the complete articles). And you, dear friend also reap the benefits:

Title: Relationships between classroom management, teacher stress, teacher burnout, and teachers' levels of hope
-Let me sum up: As all other levels increase, hope significantly diminishes. Survey concludes that the fewer years of experience teachers have, the more likely they are to be found cowering in a corner, drenched in their own tears at the culmination of a grading period. There. I just wrote your 50+ page paper.

Title: A study of the relationship between teacher burnout and their tolerance of disturbing classroom behaviors
- I'd say this is pretty straightforward. The closer it gets to the end of the year, the less I care about classroom arson & vivisection.

Why AREN'T we teaching this in high school?

2011-01-12T09:52:00.004-05:00

OKP, you are so right! I initially thought of the Restoration/18thc. drama as a class only used if I were fortunate enough for an AP class, if at all. But I was reading "The Country Wife" by Wycherley as my first homework assignment and realized these plays would be an excellent example for students to see that classic literature doesn't have to be stuffy or inaccessible. The premise of this play is that the main character (HORNer) has passed around a rumor that is a eunuch so men about Town will trust him with their wives. This arrangement makes it easier for him to seduce them with no suspicion!

So the real question is: why AREN'T we teaching these plays in high school?! Teens would love these raunchy, risque dramas!

The language isn't so very different from now. A definitive style, yes, and some words with different contemporary definitions, but that is easily glossed. These would be great fun to do in a classroom to study word play, satire, stock characters, the evolution of drama...and that's just what comes to mind based on being in class one day!

First Day of School

2011-01-10T21:50:00.001-05:00

Have you ever confessed to your kids that you get as nervous on the first day of school as they do? (well, they probably don't admit to it. They're too cool for school).

I had a flashback to first-day-of-school jitters yesterday and today...and this time, I really WAS the student!

Yes, folks, I've started my Master's degree in English Literature! I'm pretty jazzed about this, let me tell you. Well, in-between the jitters. Glad that first day is done. In undergrad, I took secondary education concentration, which meant I swapped quite a few English electives for pedagogy classes. I have actually NEVER taken a creative writing class. I find this ironic and perhaps hypocritical as I teach creative writing workshops with my kiddos. For that reason (and others, but that's the best summing-up), I wanted to get my Master's and find out what else I had been missing. What could I bring back to the classroom?

Admittedly, it's also indulgent. I have no fantasies of bringing Restoration & 18th Century Drama back to the high school classroom. But am I excited about that class? You betcha.

I am not taking the Education route (for a variety of reasons, suffice to say that mostly because I find that pedagogy classes make me want to inflict homicide on any and all in the near vicinity, a'la Medea-style), but I did sign up for one class this semester specifically because the course description specified a focus on pedagogy: Theory & Research in Composition. I had my first homework for it tonight, and I found it...oddly...surprisingly...horrifyingly...interesting. It gave a brief history of social context in the research of writing, and I was surprised at how very new many of these ideas or understandings about writing are. Ideas and ways of thinking that emerged during the 1990s, for merciful heavens. Weird.

Easier to ask for forgiveness than permission

2010-12-15T08:40:00.001-05:00

That last post on choosing books to include in a classroom library was a good little thinking exercise for me. Even though I'd hit the "publish" button and walked away, the question continued to roll around in my mind-vice.

I have to ask: why bother keep a classroom library or books for pleasure reading, anyway?

My response is to have books on hand that students can enjoy. The fact of the matter is that many of the books we read in high school weren't meant for consumption by teens or tweens; I somehow very much doubt that John Steinbeck or Ernest Hemingway were worried about what Justin Bieber might get out of their works. Though Shakespeare wrote for even the crude groundlings, his work has lost touch with the groundlings' modern equivalents from a pure linguistic evolution. So, bottom line is, even though these pieces are timelessly relevant or part of a cultural awareness, it's not always right for our kids*. Pieces that weren't written for them are turning them off to reading, making them believe that reading is an exercise that must be avoided when possible and (mildly) tolerated when not.

So, if my point of stocking the classroom shelves with "fun" books, should I really be "censoring" them? My gut says "no." I want to be able to hand a book to a kid and say, "Try this, you'll love it." OK, maybe it has a sex scene. OK, maybe the main characters engage in some illegal activity. But if s/he could like that one book and know that there is more out there, more to love...isn't that worth it? Besides, is one "clean" book really going to change a teen's mind about drugs/sex/etc.? Chances are, that mind has already been made up, more heavily influenced by their peer groups and role models. Note to self: Stop worrying so much about what the moral of that book is and just get the kid reading. They might not "get" that moral anyway, but if they enjoy the book anyway, isn't that the point?

I still wonder if a parent were to pick up this child's book and catch a scene with drinking/smoking/sex, how is that backlash going to affect me? (C'mon you know it's going to happen. How many times did you watch a movie as a kid and have a parent come in at exactly the wrong moment. For me, it was Eddie Izzard's "Dress to Kill" routine where he is imitating Robert de Niro and literally dropping the F-Bomb every other word. Cue Dad walking in. Cue hand to forehead) While you and I both know the parents could use it as a great conversation starter with his/her child, it is more likely going to be a controversy-starter, with the parent charging into my room, waving the book about and demanding to know just exactly where my ethical compass is. (Nevermind that these same students could have rented or attended an R movie with said parent just last week) I've been known to be a little too cautious at times. Perhaps this is one area in which I could take a risk, throw off my cautious restraint. Better to ask for forgiveness than permission, right?

I still think I'll lean more towards stocking my shelves with YA. It's written for them, so I can feel a little more confident about content. I also know it's going to be more immediately relevant to them. But if I read a book and think a kid might enjoy it - for whatever reason - I shouldn't be afraid to put my copy on the shelf or recommend it to a student.

*I don't think we should throw out those classics. There are certain pieces that are part of our cultural consciousness, and they might not be read outside of the classroom. They should be part of a balanced diet, pairing them with contemporary books with similar (or even contrasting!) themes. If we could just work more contemporary literature into our classroom at all, we might some significant headway towards regaining a love of reading.

Choosing a classroom library

2010-12-13T10:27:00.000-05:00

When is a book TOO controversial to put on your bookshelves?

Do you think any form of selection would be censorship or do you draw the line somewhere? And why?

I draw a line, mostly from a standpoint of What do I hope a student gets out of this novel? and How much trouble could this book get me in?

Unfortunately, the latter is more of a concern. I just quite frankly don't want to have to deal with some parent charging into my room, screaming at me about a book their child chose to read for enjoyment. (What kind of reinforcement is that for the kid?)

I am currently reading The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell. Now, honestly, I'm not sure if Bushnell intends for this to be a YA novel or just fun fiction for fans of Carrie Bradshaw in general. And I don't have a problem with sex in a novel (well, okay, I have some limitations with it, as I don't intend to put any Nora Roberts or other novels with descriptive sex scenes on a classroom bookshelf), but there is a lot of thinking & talking about sex in this novel but without a lot of clear messages.

Carrie is the only virgin out of her friends, but she doesn't really explain why she is waiting. She has opportunities, but has yet to fully articulate why she isn't ready. Another scene that comes to mind is when one of Carrie's friends threatens to get pregnant to keep a guy. Carrie is the voice of reason in the scenario, and (thankfully) the friend comes off as somewhat unhinged. Still, I'm not totally sure that a younger reader would remember that former scenario, when same friend mentions later that sex isn't a big deal, you finally have it and then wonder why you waited so long to do it. Again, friend has already been established as unsympathetic, but in the latter scene, neither Carrie nor any of her friends respond to Crazy Girl's proclamation. The opportunity is there for a discussion about why it is smart to wait, etc., but it passes on by. I'm just not sure what message a teen would walk away from this book with.

Or am I being overprotective? Should I just accept the fact that teens are already having sex and have probably already made up their minds about it? Would a book really have any impact on that?

How do you pick which books are worthy of your classroom shelf?

Professional Texts

2010-11-29T12:34:00.000-05:00

Do you read a lot of professional texts? I admit, I don't. I have picked up a few things here & there from various conferences but most of them I've been able to kind of graze through, picking out certain lessons or approaches. I'm not one for self-help or nonfiction generally, so the idea of reading dry pedagogy texts in my free time...well, it doesn't thrill me. I'd rather go to a conference where I can engage a little more with the material through the speaker, examples, or colleagues.

Still, I should probably do more of it.

This is currently my to-read list, all of which I picked up from teacher blogs...I think.

Gallo's From Hinton to Hamlet
Potter's Spilling Ink: A Young Writer's Handbook
Trenga's The Curious Case of the Misplaced Modifier

I spotted Harvey Daniels' Mini-Lessons for Literature Circles and want to give that a go. Anyone have experience with it or could recommend a book for Literature Circles? I really like the idea of LCs but have yet to really figure out an ideal way to use them -- kids didn't always stay on topic, treat the discussion seriously, or even speak up within their groups in the past. Better than I had feared, but still...it seemed like it was lacking something. So, there. Lit Circles. Any helpful texts or suggestions?

Vocabulary Football

2010-11-23T09:31:00.002-05:00

Here's a "Softball" entry to get started again. I got this one from one of my college roommates who is also an English teacher (3 of us lived together in one room for 2 years, all English majors and still BFFs. Truly a miracle).

Vocabulary Football

Setup: Print & cut out a picture of a football (sample provided). Probably good idea to laminate it if you can and adhere a magnet on the back. Draw a football field on the board, complete with 10-yard increments and endzones.

To play:

1. Flip a coin to see which team receives the ball first. Let them decide which side of the field they want. Begin at the 20-yard line.

2. Go down the rows and ask each team member a question. If the team member answers correctly, 10 yards are awarded. Be sure to move the football.

3. A FUMBLE occurs if the player gives the wrong answer. It becomes the other team's turn, and they get the same question (the football stays at the same yard line; it just moves the opposite direction).

4. An INELIGIBLE RECEIVER is a wrong player on the team giving the answer. It becomes the other team's turn, and they get a new question.

5. OFF SIDES occurs when someone on the other team answers. The team with the ball is awarded 10 yards and gets a new question.

6. It is time to PUNT when the ball is fumbled three consecutive times. Say, "Punt." The first person from either team to raise his hand and give the correct answer is awarded 10 yards and his team gets a new question.

7. If a team gets a TOUCHDOWN, award six points. The additional point may be earned by answering another question. If the team wants to go for three points, make the question more difficult. It now becomes the other team's turn at the 20-yard line.

She says she even had the football players loving English class on this day!

Source: BFF/Colleague

Blogging is a full-time job

2010-11-21T22:00:00.000-05:00

Or at least part-time.

I don't understand how some of these bloggers do it; blogging in and of itself seems like a full-time job, nevermind the job you actually get paid to do! If I had a classroom, I would probably be more motivated to write entries on a regular basis. This is mainly because I'd have a constant source of inspiration.

As it is, I have one-on-one kids who are mostly sweet and only occasionally say/do the craziest thing. I also don't have any freedom with the curriculum, so I didn't worry about coming up with interesting/new ways to teach the material.

I think being unemployed full-time has made me lazier. Granted, time management has never been a forte of mine. But I think it's gotten worse. I need to write better to-do lists. I still have a cache of ideas that I saved for blogging but have not utilized them, mostly because I spend my mornings doing Heaven knows what.

You can't stop me from breaking into song

2010-10-27T11:02:00.007-04:00

Forgive me, friends, if I seem a bit too cheery for a Wednesday afternoon. But I have the sudden urge to burst into song.

Do you have your kids sign your yearbook at the end of the year? I was too anxious to ask the kids to sign my yearbook - silly isn't it? - because who knows what they might say. But my kiddos this past year I really missed, so when May rolled around, I asked the gal who took over my classes to offer the book to my kids. She graciously agreed.

The transport of said book got a bit sidetracked, but I've finally gotten it. The comments made me laugh and cry all at the same time. The girls, of course, were a bit more effusive than the boys, some of whom merely signed their names. But there was one message that positively made my heart stop. A young man, one of those "still waters run deep" kind - somewhat reserved, smart, but shied away from his potential in favor of being "cool" - wrote me a short note thanking me for challenging him and always pushing him to do his best.

I wanted to hug him and burst into tears simultaneously.

One thing I hope to do with my own flesh n' blood children is encourage them (read: make them) to affirm and thank teachers they love or feel challenged by. I hope to make sure that even when my students are in high school, their teachers receive something (a note, anything!) on Teacher Appreciation Day, even if I have to send it by way of carrier pigeon to do so. We teachers don't get much affirmation but when we do, words can't adequately express our joy. Even the tiniest hint of it can keep us uplifted for weeks.

My prayer for you this week is that you too may experience some little sign of affirmation, just a little something to keep you going and remind you of why you do this.

Oh my gaw...

2010-10-21T07:11:00.008-04:00

Scene: Small office-turned-tutoring room in a tutoring center. High school senior and teacher sit across from each other at low tables, working on the essay portion of the SAT. Teacher introduces material in book presenting different ways to provide evidence to support your thesis. Book provides a sample outline to complete, so teacher asks student to take a side on the prompt, which is "Is violence ever justified?"

Teacher: OK, so can you think of a historical example that might help prove your thesis that violence is sometimes justified?

Student: a war.

Teacher: Good, okay. Which war?

Student [shrugs]: Any war.

Teacher [thinks]: Oh My Lord. [gulping down her terror, says] Well, pick one. Remember we want to be as specific as possible in our examples.

Student: The Iraq War.

Teacher [growing increasingly frightened]: OK, so why was the Iraq War justified?

Student: Because of New York.

Teacher [crying inwardly]: OK, what about New York?

Student: The planes.

Teacher: OK, I think I see what you mean. But can you explain better? Remember we have to be specific.

Student [looking at Teacher like she's an idiot]: Because the terrorists.

Teacher: So, because terrorists flew planes in New York, we went to war with Iraq? How is that justified?

Student: Because they're from the Middle East.

Teacher [momentarily stunned. Students' words hang in the air].

Teacher [gathers her wits]: So, because they live in the Middle East, we should go to war against them.

Student: Al-Qaida?

Teacher [seeing a light at the end of the tunnel]: And what does that have to do with Iraq?

Student: They were... there?

Teacher [grasping the thread of hope, whatever it may be]: OK, now we're getting somewhere. So the Iraq War was justified because terrorists from al-Qaida, which was responsible for violence in New York, were hiding in Iraq. See how we had to make those very specific connections? You can't assume your reader is going to know what you mean!

Student [relieved. Writes down connection in essay's outline]

Teacher [decides to suppress the innumerable frightening things about what just exchanged]

I didn't bother to set this kid straight because A. she's one of my lower-achievers and needed a little encouragement, not nit-picking. B. we clearly didn't have time for a history lesson. Hell, a modern culture lesson. She later in the session had no idea what a "jihad" was, which seems unbearably sad considering she is a teen in this millennium. Of course, in her defense, when asked "What might any world religion or group of people have to say about 'violence is sometimes justified'?" She didn't come up with the Crusades, Inquisition, "eye for an eye," or Cherokee war games either.

Let's watch a grown man cry

2010-10-15T17:41:00.005-04:00

Oh, Tony Danza.

Has anyone watched this special where Tony takes on an English classroom? I haven't yet watched it, but I intend to. I have seen clips in which he is in tears. I am strangely comforted by this sight.

Interview on Today show with Tony & Clips from the show.

Parenthetical citations don't have to be a pain!

2010-10-12T10:00:00.000-04:00

Let's see here...the kids have their topics, you've reviewed paraphrasing and note-taking, and have spent some time in the library. Next step -- writing!

My suggestion: plan to go to the library about three days total (in 50 minute classes). Take them 2 for note-taking, return to the classroom for some drafting, THEN go back to the library for final note-taking. Since they're new to this research thing, they don't really know what to take notes on when they get to the library. Then they begin writing the story and realize, "Oh, I could really use X information here!"

Before drafting, take a day or two to go over parenthetical citations and works cited. Depending on your group, you can do a works cited page FIRST and then go over citations, or vice versa. I've done it both ways, and I think you just have to know your kiddos. As you can imagine, either way will take a couple days.

Works Cited First
1. Print off some of the How To manuals from Cambridge Public Library's awesome resources(and yes, they're already updated with the new MLA formatting!). Number each packet to create your own class set of manuals. These stay on the desks from class to class and are the reference manuals students use as they create their source entries.

2. Pull up a short Works Cited powerpoint and go over the process. Direct students to these How To Manuals to make their works cited entries. Remind them that the final works cited is in alphabetical order. Do not differentiate between types of sources, sources that have authors or don't, etc. Make the citations, then put them all in alpha order.

3. Have them take all their source pages and make works cited entries for them. No, they haven't used them in the paper yet, but it will come in handy when you are going over parenthetical citations. When everyone has a drafted works cited page, continue to #4.

4. Go over the powerpoint on parenthetical citations and have them take notes. You can show them, "Look, the first item from your works cited is what appears in the parenthesis, EVERY TIME."

5. When they begin drafting and ask what to put in the parenthesis, you can direct them back to their works cited. In this way, they are constantly referring to the page and seeing how the citations and works cited work together.

5.5. On a certain day after drafting has begun, give them a quiz on parenthetical citations.

6. (Herein lies the problem with this method) At the end of the process, emphasize that a Works Cited page is a list of "works that you cited in the paper." On the last day of drafting, remind them that any source that is NOT used in their paper, must NOT appear on their Works Cited page. Say it until your face turns blue, because even still, some will not go back and trim the WC.

Works Cited Last
1. Introduce the powerpoint on parenthetical citations and have them take notes. In the ppt, I tried to cover the possible scenarios my students were most likely to encounter, knowing the materials they were working with. You may need to add more if your students will be using databases.

2. Practice with a short citation exercise they can do as a class. Review and make corrections.

3. Draft. (Herein lies the problem with this method) I found that students had more questions as they began drafting. I put a lot of time into those parenthetical citation notes & examples, and I got tired of answering questions that were literally spelled out on the page in front of them, so I made a policy: "You have to FIRST check your notes before asking me a question. If you ask a question that is ON YOUR NOTES, I will just walk away."

3.5 On a certain day after drafting has begun, give them a quiz on parenthetical citations.

4. When students have finished drafting, now work on the Works Cited page. Tell them to go through their paper and put a star on the source pages that they ACTUALLY USED in the paper. It might be good to have them make separate piles on their desk, just so you can get visuals to see if they understand.

5. Print off some of the How To manuals from Cambridge Public Library's awesome resources(and yes, they're already updated with the new MLA formatting!). Number each packet to create your own class set of manuals. These stay on the desks from class to class and are the reference manuals students use as they create their source entries.

6. Pull up a short Works Cited powerpoint and go over the process. Direct students to these How To Manuals to make their works cited entries. Remind them that they are only making entries for the sources they used in the paper. Also remind them that the final works cited is in alphabetical order. Do not differentiate between types of sources, sources that have authors or don't, etc. Make the citations, then put them all in alpha order.

Once your kids have some drafting done, return to the library for any supplemental notes they wish to add. Schedule a few days for peer review, nab a computer lab for final drafts, or assign them to finish it at home.

Hold yer horses

2010-10-07T17:21:00.001-04:00

But wait! Did I just send you off to the library without a refresher on paraphrasing?

Oops! That was my mistake my first year - silly me, thought a general review of the term "paraphrase" would be enough. When kids got into the library and started just copying word-for-word from the book, I realized we needed a refresher. So, learn from my mistake - make sure before you go into the library they remember how to paraphrase.

Since, in all honesty, paraphrasing should not be a new skill to 10th graders, even if they might need to brush up on it, I combined this lesson with one on media reliability. Again, I was going to send them off to the library, where they would naturally (and fairly) assume that in a school library, just about anything they pick up would be a reliable source. But I knew it wouldn't be long before they attacked the computers. Again, a good defense is a good offense! (or is it the other way? Whatever. Be prepared!)

Materials: Printed notes, PPT, Reliability of Source Pages

1. I had students do the "fill in the notes" practice with the first half of this powerpoint to save time. Hand these out.
2. Go over the Powerpoint regarding paraphrasing, emphasizing its importance in research. I introduce a short discussion of the value of paraphrasing in the first slide when I go over the definition.
3. Students fill in their notes as we go through the PPT. Stop on slide 3 for them do to the practice provided on the notes page.
....
4. Continue with a discussion on media reliability. I admit I stole this latter part of the PPT from a website, but I can't even remember who/where I got it. If the author wants his/her name on the latter part of the powerpoint, please speak up and I'll certainly give you credit here!
5. At the end of the powerpoint, I have students break up into groups to practice discussing media reliability, an activity I picked up from the Gateway Institute. Here is a list of possible sources for the stated activity: Media Reliability Exercise. Print each on the center of its own page, and hand each group a set.
Alternative: If you have a big enough class, give each student a source and reserve 3 or 4 students to place their classmates in order. In this way, the whole class can discuss together. Encourage the students holding sources to speak up if s/he feels s/he could be more appropriately placed.
6. There is no "correct" answer. When a group feels s/he is done, go over to their group and ask them about certain items, just to make sure they thought about their order. Ask them how easily they agreed on this order, or what items gave them the most trouble. If you feel strongly that they have missed a certain idea, correct them. But in general, if they can defend their reasoning, go with it.
7. As closure, give each student a post-it note after reviewing his/her group's order. Tell them to mark on the post-it note whether the group completely agreed with the final order and whether or not s/he would have moved one item.

Ready, Set...Write!

2010-10-06T17:10:00.000-04:00

While doing some blog housekeeping recently, I realized I left out some other aspects of the research paper I use with my kiddos!

After students practice creative perspectives with Waldo, select their topics, and read sample papers, we get ready for our research. I use my own method for note-taking which includes one full page for each source. It is basically a combined source card and notecard, expanded across an 8.5"x11" page. There are a couple reasons I don't do index cards: I am not required to make 10th graders use notecards, I find them to be onerous, and I never used them myself in college. If you want to get away from notecards and are interested in seeing my example, I've provided a link to a sample page at the conclusion of this entry.

After students have done a bit of research - maybe after a day or two, we do a hypothesis & brainstorm. This is usually just a simple homework assignment or even a closure after a day at the library.

Just some simple prewriting...
This paper doesn't have a "thesis" per se, but students have to have some direction to it. So instead, they get to develop a "hypothesis." They will choose ONE possible explanation for their mystery and use that to formulate the plot of their story. I give my students the following:

Hypothesis: On your own paper, copy this sentence, filling in the blank with information about your paper.
"I am telling a story about ____(topic)____, and I've decided the explanation I will focus on is _____________________________________________________."

For some reason, this can sometimes confuse classes. If you want to give them an example from a topic no one is working on, go ahead ("I am telling a story about crop circles, and I've decided the explanation I will focus on is that aliens make them in attempts to communicate.").

Then they must brainstorm possible ways to tell this story. Remind them of the different formats they saw from the sample papers. I give my students the following:

Brainstorm: List at least 4 different ways or perspectives you could use to tell your story. Circle the one you intend to use.

Again you can give them examples from a topic no one is working on.
Crop Circles: 1. a newspaper article about random crop circle appearances; 2. a short story about aliens creating the crop circles; 3. a first-person story about visiting my Uncle, a farmer; 4. a news report script/interview with farmers and experts

After you've made sure everyone is on the right track, then you can let them start drafting!

Source & Notes Page Sample

"Metacog" Reading

2010-10-04T17:53:00.000-04:00

Well, active reading is great and all, but what am I supposed to do if I can't write in the book or read aloud in class? They need to actively read at home, too!

Are you saying you don't follow each and every single student home and stand over their precious shoulders as they do their homework? No? Just me?

For all you slackers, I came up with my "Metacog" chart: a graphic organizer and active reading all in one! (and there was much rejoicing)

Check it out!

It's pretty straightforward. Just to ensure that my darling little angels are reading and reading actively, I require them to copy this chart into their notebooks and fill it in as they read. I used this for homework on assigned novels and booktalk books.

Remind them that they don't write in the first column - that is just the title for the row. They write in the second and third column. The second column should be a brief description of the scene ("Ruby is talking to her therapist") and page number, just so they can't make up any ol' thing, and the third column is whatever their prediction/question, etc. is. They must complete each skill over the course of that reading assignment. They don't have to do it in order, of course, just have to make sure they do one of each.

As kids get the hang of it, feel free to have them fill out the chart themselves. Make more rows, and have them fill in multiple predictions/questions/comments/connections. They could do 5 comments and 2 questions for all I care. I just want them to actively read! This chart is easy, doesn't require your making copies, and (I think) effective.

More songs, more fun!

2010-10-02T09:20:00.003-04:00

Over the summer a friend shared with me her extensive list of songs she uses to complement lessons on poetic and literary devices. She worked hard to provide a wide variety of artists and genres, and I should say she accomplished her goal! She also added a few new categories to my original list, including one for short story plot chart, so students could practice analyzing the elements of a plot (exposition, climax, etc.) through songs that tell stories! Awesome, huh?

Go take a look at the post now. It's burgeoning with fresh material, waiting for you to bookmark it!

And, as always, if you have anything to add, leave a comment and say so!

Poetic Devices & Music...

Active Reading

2010-10-01T10:40:00.004-04:00

If there's something I've learned about ordering people around, is that they want to know why they are doing something, students especially. Granted, they'll find a way to complain about just anything if it's that kind of a day, but in general I've found that if you can convince them that the work has value, they'll do it. Begrudgingly, but with a tad less resistance.

It is for that reason I give my students a short spiel about active reading, even introducing the term "metacognition." (I also find if you throw around scientific terms/studies to back it up, they will also begrudgingly accept the fact that, hey you know what you're talking about. They're all about the propaganda, those teenagers.)

Since I couldn't have students mark up their textbook for active reading, the next best thing is to do this orally, as we read together. I took a note from my student teaching mentor teacher and made little "Metacog" cards.

Preparation
Making "MetaCog"/Active Reading cards
1. You will need 3 or 4 3x5 or 4x6 (your preference) index cards.
2. You will need markers/fine-tip Sharpies of as many different colors as you have index cards (i.e. 3 or 4)
3. Using a different color per card, on one side of the card write:
Prediction
Question
Comment
Connection
4. On the other side, I write a giant question mark and make a funky border. You could do the same or write "MetaCog" or "Active Reading" or whatever fun quirky title you want to give this activity.

In Class...
5. Explain the idea of active reading/metacognition to students.

Sidenote: Explain however you so choose, but you will need to eventually lead explaining the skills that are on the cards.

Prediction - predict an event or plot twist or character development, etc. Make a guess as to something that will happen in the next few pages or in the next 100 pages.
Question - question the text. Are you confused about what is happening? Is there an unfamiliar word? Do you wonder what a character's motive/etc. is? You as teacher may choose to answer it or not. I usually don't unless they claim to have no clue what is happening, then I have a peer help explain.
Comment - comment on something happening in the text. This is the "freestyle" section. Anything from "I can't believe she just did that!" to "Don't go in there!" to "I wish I could do that!"
Connection - connect something from the book to anything outside of it, be it another book, movie, or life experience.

6. Explain that you are going to give the cards to 3 (or 4) random students.
7. As the class reads, you will periodically call out a color.
8. The student with the card of that color must then offer a prediction OR question OR comment OR connection on the text. Student's choice.
9. After s/he does so, student gets to pass the card to whomsoever s/he chooses. And next student must accept! (this invokes that slight element of cruelty that makes it a little fun to watch).
10. After the card has been passed, class will continue to read. At the appointed time, teacher will call out a new color, and the process repeats.

I make a little chart for myself ahead of time, tallying which colors I've called so I don't call the same one over and over or in the same order. Like to keep 'em on their toes.

Sing it with me: I love surveys!

2010-09-28T21:33:00.002-04:00

Oh, why not? So I added these questions to my previous survey, and now, because I love surveys, I will answer them.

If you had to choose...

1. Chalkboard or Whiteboard? Whiteboard. I would be the teacher with giant chalk prints all over herself otherwise.

2. LCD projector or ELMO? Tough call! If I had to choose...probably the ELMO. That way we can mark up student papers as a class.

3. Teacher on a cart or a Classroom with 3 bulletin boards? OK, so at first I thought "Cart, as long as I could have a filing cabinet somewhere" because I really hate bulletin boards. Really hate. But then I remembered you'd have to travel through the halls during class changes...and I sighed and accepted the bulletin boards. Final answer.

4. Computers in classroom or a computer lab? Computer lab. Maybe if I went to an in-service where they showed us realistic, useful ways to use stations with high school students, I might feel differently.

5. Fire drill or tornado drill? Fire drill. Mostly because it's a nice break, we get to stretch and get some fresh air, and it's not a big deal if the kids talk. Why fire drills are okay to talk through but not tornado drills, I dunno.

6. Field trip or pep rally? Pep rally. The idea of planning/running/being responsible for a field trip terrifies me.

7. Office volunteer or club sponsor? Club sponsor! The idea of answering phones and dealing with all that administration stuff: also terrifying.

8. Old quirky classroom or independent mobile/portable? Mobile. I've heard teachers say they enjoy it, plus I've had the old quirky classroom. The paint peeling off the walls, the threat of termites...no thank you!

9. Faculty meeting, PLC*, or In-Service? PLC definitely. I love to swap ideas with fellow teachers, and I liked my fellow 10th grade English teachers. Perfect combination.

What ONE thing do you want your kids to know when they walk out of your classroom at the end of the year? I want students to know the art of questioning and critical thinking: to know there is always more below the surface, and to explore those depths with enthused curiosity.

Oh, oh, I have an idea!

2010-09-27T22:36:00.001-04:00

Frivolous questions to add to teacher survey/meme:

If you had to choose...

Chalkboard or Whiteboard?

LCD projector or ELMO?

Teacher on a cart or a Classroom with 3 bulletin boards?

5 computers in classroom or a computer lab?

Fire drill or tornado drill? (and if you choose a Code 3/Lockdown, what is WRONG with you?)

Field trip or pep rally?

Office volunteer or club sponsor?

Old quirky classroom or independent mobile?

Faculty meeting, PLC*, or In-Service?

What ONE thing do you want your kids to know when they walk out of your classroom at the end of the year? Yes, ONE.

*professional learning community or whatever your school might call it.

Still alive

2010-09-26T18:41:00.003-04:00

Just going through a bit of a blogdentity crisis.

I have a stockpile of ideas that I collected in anticipation of "slow days." I expected to be able to still use my day-to-day experiences as motivations and discoveries and keep the stockpile for emergencies. But I didn't anticipate having a collection of No Days.

That and I just haven't been "feeling it," which I know (from telling my students) is no excuse.

So stay tuned as I give my rear a much needed kick in the pants.

10 Books for a (MS) Classroom Library

2010-09-07T10:38:00.000-04:00

These are some of the younger books that I just adore but probably wouldn't promote as "necessary" for a HS classroom.

1. Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee

2. The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

3. 100 Cupboards by ND Wilson

4. Tangerine by Edward Bloor

5. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

6. When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

7. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

8. Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney (or one of her more contemporary works, Code Orange)

9. White Fang by Jack London

10. Hitler Youth by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

10 Books for a (HS) Classroom Library

2010-09-06T08:01:00.002-04:00

10 Books for a Classroom Library (HS)

1. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

2. Looking for Alaska by John Green

3. Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson

4. Such a Pretty Girl by Laura Wiess / Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

5. The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart

6. Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns

7. American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

8. The First Part Last by Angela Johnson

9. Book of 1000 Days by Shannon Hale

10. Impulse by Ellen Hopkins

(ok, so it's technically 11...I'm not good at making decisions. Even still, I feel bad about leaving others out...but these would be a top 10 to give an adequate variety, I think)

10 Must Have Back-to-School Teacher Supplies

2010-09-03T07:41:00.000-04:00

10 Must Have Back-to-School Teacher Supplies

1. Band-aids

2. Ibuprofen

3. Chocolate stash

4. Post-Its. Many, many Post-Its.

5. Calendar with School Appointments/Events/Dates

6. Colorful pens (orange, bright blue, pink, green, purple...anything but red)

7. Legal pads for notes-to-self, faculty meetings, and professional learning communities

8. Dry erase erasers (I run out of these before I run out of markers)

9. Fine-tip Sharpies in a variety of colors

10. Color-coded hanging accordion files

What are your must-have teacher supplies?

10 Things

2010-09-02T07:26:00.004-04:00

Teacher Meme

1. I am a good teacher because… I constantly strive to make learning fun through researching creative & challenging lesson plans/strategies.

2. If I weren’t a teacher, I would be… a stay-at-home mom.

3. My teaching style is… centered on respect and student-empowerment. I respect them and expect respect (for me and their peers) in return. I give them opportunities to take ownership of their learning through responsibility and passion.

4. My classroom is… currently much smaller and without any personal touches.

5. My lesson plans… aren't always fantastic but generally reflect the amount of time and thought I put into making the material engaging.

6. One of my teaching goals is… ONE?! to strive to learn more and be a better teacher every year. And to try a variety of grade levels.

7. The toughest part of teaching is… not always reaching every kid, by either just not knowing how or just missing him/her in the crowd. (it's a tie between this and bringing the kids home with you, emotionally)

8. The thing I love most about teaching is… getting to know young people and working with a new generation, wondering who they will become.

9. A common misconception about teaching is… that we are done by 3pm, have free & easy weekends, and 3 months off. All real teachers know the truth of those myths, so I won't get into it.

10. The most important thing I’ve learned since I started teaching… has been two things: 1. it is possible to love them through strict/strong discipline (i.e. don't be too nice.); 2. Don't beat yourself up for mistakes/little things.

WOW!

2010-08-19T16:57:00.006-04:00

The Lords of Discipline by Pat Conroy

My rating: 5 of 5 stars ("Amazing!")

I've included this novel in my "ya lit" reviews because although it isn't technically YA Lit, I think young adults could relate.

An absolutely amazing novel. This book was recommended to me during an AP Conference, and I can certainly see why. This novel is easy to read no matter your age, but probably especially powerful for young adults who are seeking their own voices and identities.

Our protagonist, Will McLane, a cadet at the Carolina Military Institute (known simply as The Institute), answers the call to keep an eye on the new freshman, Tom Pierce, the first black student to enroll in the fall of 1966. This task sets Will to reflect on the current climate of the Institute. The novel unfolds in four parts, 3 focusing on specific and monumental events in Will's senior year, and one flashback to his own plebe year. All these events eventually converge in Will's present, forcing him to uncover the truths and demons of The Institute, including the possible investigation of a mysterious and dangerous society ("The Ten").

This is one of the few books that I am giving 5 stars to based purely on my holistic reaction. This book isn't without its faults, namely that I'm still not entirely sure why the storyline with Annie Kate was absolutely necessary. But I'm willing to forgive it and some of the other little faults simply because the total piece is so gripping, interesting, and compelling. As hackneyed as it may sound, it is true: I laughed, I cried... (it was better than Cats!)

Conroy is a master of suspenseful writing, that's for sure. I probably got more out of listening to this on audio simply because there were several scenes in which I was dying for information to come to light, where I found myself gasping in shock or gripping the steering wheel, telekinetically urging the narrator to read faster. If I'd had a novel in-hand, I probably would have sped-read through those pages and missed a great deal of his lush descriptions, apposite metaphors, and engaging characterizations. This is a book worth talking about, so don't read it on your own; grab a friend, book club, or classroom, and dig in!

Recommend: Yes, but it is a military institute in the 60s. There are obscenities including use of the N-word. This would be a great book for older grades.

Topics Discussed: Honor, Brotherhood, Loyalty, Truth, Class Divisions, Prejudice, Identity, Respect

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Another winner!

2010-08-14T11:42:00.004-04:00

Looking for Alaska by John Green

My rating: 5 of 5 stars ("Amazing!")

First thoughts: A great, thoughtful book with real characters and real dialogue.

Miles doesn't much have a niche where he "belongs" in school, so he finds it fairly easy to shift ground and enroll in a boarding school in Alabama his junior year of high school. He goes intending to seek the Great Perhaps, as inspired by the last words of Rabelais. At Culvert Creek, he instantly finds himself in a circle of friends who - consciously or not - are seeking the same. The title character, Alaska, is the central, enigmatic character around whom the boys cluster. She keeps the group together through her alternately ebullient nature and her mysterious distance. Miles experiences more than he perhaps ever intended to in that first year at Culver Creek, and he has Alaska to thank for it.

The book is definitely not for younger readers, but it will grip you from beginning to end. A real treat and honestly written by newcomer Green. This book inspired me to pick up others by him (e.g., Paper Towns).

Recommend: Yes

Topics Discussed: Identity, Existentialism, Relationships/Connectedness

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Here's a Five Star one...

2010-08-11T16:59:00.004-04:00

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 5 of 5 stars ("Amazing!")

Absolutely fantastic. Amazing. Gripping. I couldn't put it down!

Katniss, our protagonist, lives in a post-apocalyptic society. Years before she was born, a war raged and resolved, leaving in its wake the broken system currently in power. The Capitol is at its heart; ironically, the Capitol itself has no heart, as it maintains control of the states by mandating the annual play of The Hunger Games, in which each state must surrender one boy and one girl to fight to the death. Katniss lives in one of the poorer states, and Kat works hard every day to support and provide for her mother & little sister. When her sister is chosen for the Hunger Games, Katniss steps forward to take her place, determined to provide safety for her sister & mother. What unfolds is a riveting tale of cunning, survival, and power - both evil and good.

The first 25 pages or so seemed like they might be cliche ("Dystopian YA, like that hasn't been done before"), but once Katniss got to the Capitol, I was convinced this was anything but. Hunger Games is definitely a new classic - one of those rare YA books that could transition well into the classroom, as The Giver, The Outsiders, and Catcher in the Rye have done before it. Speaking of classroom lit, I think this could be beautifully paired with Fahrenheit 451; really, anything with a theme of man vs. society would work (1984 and Cuckoo's Nest also come to mind), but especially F451 due to the concerns of the individual and technology/reality TV.

Katniss's voice is captured expertly in her straightforward, down-to-earth diction and syntax. I think just about anything else I could say of this book would be repetitive of the many many glowing reviews already out there. Read it.

And have book 2, Catching Fire, on hand. And pre-order book 3, Mockingjay, which is released in a week.

Recommend: Yes!

Topics Discussed: Family, Loyalty, Dystopia, War/Violence, Corrupt Society, Power of Individual...there's a lot.

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Riot

2010-08-06T16:23:00.005-04:00

Riot by Walter Dean Myers

My rating: 3 of 5 stars ("Liked It")

In the style of a screenplay, Myers outlines the racial tensions - born of economic frustrations - of the 1863 riots in New York. Clare, our protagonist, must grapple with the issue of identity when her very being prevents her from knowing which "side" she belongs to. The audiobook version is presented with a full cast including soundtrack and effects; it is extremely well-done and works surprisingly well with the format. Some of Myers' scenes or characters don't feel perfectly cohesive with the overall story arc (namely a cameo by Walt Whitman and Clare's meeting of soldiers). In general, however, the book is well-told and an engaging read.

My only pet peeve with this book? It's too short! Myers starts a few days into the riots, but I think he lost a lot of climatic tension that way. It would have been interesting to see more build-up. Still, though, even Myers' average books are better than most.

This would be an excellent book in the classroom to accompany a unit studying cinematic techniques. And...oh, what's this? Why yes, I have fun ideas on just that!

Recommend: Yes, but mainly to middle school students

Topics Discussed: Race, Historic Events, Identity, Violence

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Such a Pretty Girl

2010-07-31T15:39:00.003-04:00

Such a Pretty Girl by Laura Wiess

My rating: 4 of 5 stars ("Really Liked It")

This is an gritty, raw book. Without getting too graphic, Such a Pretty Girl maintains an intensity and honesty in addressing the very real terror and fight for control of a young girl who has been raped by her father. The plot of the novel takes less than a week to unfold, as Meredith fights to regain control of her life, her body, and her identity when her pedophile father returns from prison. Though it packs quite a punch, it is not without hope or heart.

It has been a long time since I finished a book in under 12 hours because I just COULD NOT put it down. I am definitely interested in reading more by Wiess. There are layers to this book, full of symbolism & motifs that make it a rich read for adults who enjoy picking apart the literature.

Technically I found this book in the adult fiction section of the local bookstore, which brings up an interesting question of What makes a novel YA?. I would definitely warn students that it deals with a very emotional and powerful issue, but I think they would find Meredith's story awesome and inspiring. Not for younger readers, but definitely worth sharing with young adults.

Recommend: Yes but high school or older.

Topics Discussed: Sexual Abuse, Family Dynamics, Independence, Self-Respect

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Summer Book Review - When You Reach Me

2010-07-28T17:04:00.003-04:00

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

My rating: 4 of 5 stars ("Really Liked It")

Now THIS is the way it's done! I don't want to give away too much, but this book makes allusions to A Wrinkle in Time and let me just say, this is much better (I don't much care for AWiT). However, it is difficult to say what I like about the book without spoiling too much!

The book begins with a strange falling out between Miranda, our narrator, and her best friend Sal. Left without a single friend to fill the gap, Miranda has to readjust her world and life at school. In the midst of these new changes, she begins to receive - find, really - strange notes addressed to her. The notes are short, cryptic, and know a great deal about Miranda...including things that have yet to happen. The notes urge Miranda to not say anything to anyone, but reassure her that they are meant to save her friend's life. But which friend? When? And why?

The book unravels bit by bit as pieces begin to fit together. Readers can probably catch on to the mystery and conundrum before Miranda does, but only because we perceive the events within a narrowed scope, whereas she has her entire life's context to sort through. Miranda's honest and direct voice captures her audience from the get-go. I was surprised by how quickly I fell under the spell of this novel.

Miranda is 12 years old, and with such a young protagonist, it will probably most appeal to younger teen readers - middle school ages. I'm not entirely sure why it's necessary to take place in the 70s -- if anyone could speculate as to the contribution of the setting, I'd like to hear it.

Recommend: an enthusiastic YES!

Topics Discussed: Time Travel, Friendship, Honesty, Love

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Quick Note

2010-07-26T21:56:00.003-04:00

YA series I am currently enjoying: The Boy Book by E. Lockhart (book 2 of the Ruby Oliver series)

Children's Lit series I am currently enjoying, nay, falling in love with: Dandelion Fire by N. D. Wilson (book 2 of 100 Cupboards)

Summer Book Review - The King's Rose

2010-07-20T17:05:00.002-04:00

The King's Rose by Alisa M. Libby

My rating: 4 of 5 stars ("Really Liked It") (truly, 3.5)

If you know the mnemonic rhyme about Henry VIII's wives, you are already familiar with the fate of Catherine Howard. A young girl of only 15, Catherine is thrust into her family's play for power and wealth by accepting a marriage to the king. By this time, Henry is a good deal older and his age is beginning to become quite apparent through his failing health. It is imperative that she maintain the king's favor and deliver an heir. Though Catherine's first few weeks at court are spent reveling in new luxury, she does indeed feels this expectation from her first days as Henry's wife, driving her to choices that ultimately seal her fate.

Having read The Lady Elizabeth, I did not enter this book with a favorable opinion of Catherine, but Libby does the girl justice. Above all, the novel posits that Catherine was a mere teen more likely caught up in her own family's politicking than being power-hungry herself.

Perhaps Libby's best writing, though, is in the final 40 pages, in which we begin to see Catherine's status as Henry's beloved wife take a sudden plummet. Catherine's own mental state begins to unravel, which is adequately portrayed in her moments of confusion and terror.

Recommend: Yes, especially for fans of historical fiction

Themes Discussed: Moral choices, Historicism, Betrayal

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YA Lit request

2010-07-14T08:37:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I get into a rut with reading. Such is the case now, although it could be worse. I find myself more in the mood to read YA Lit than anything else. That's not so bad. But I'm having a hard time branching out and finding new/unique YA Lit.

So, I ask you...anything YA you could recommend? What should I be reading next?

Summer Book Review - How I Live Now

2010-07-13T08:00:00.001-04:00

How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

My rating: 5 of 5 stars ("It was amazing")

Rosoff's fascinating narrator tells a compelling story of the impact a modern war would have on the everyday teen. It's a little bit of an experience for many post-GenY teens (no, really, what is their generation's nickname?) who have no idea what it is like to have a war fought on their home soil. The narrator, Daisy, goes through an amazing growth and change throughout the novel as she fights for survival with her cousins. She recounts the early days of the war, when the scenario felt more like a game, to the later days when they hid in the wilderness and didn't know if members of their family were still alive. Daisy's transformation and character growth is well done, seeing her ushered from a self-pitying young teen into a clever, determined young woman.

What a truly amazing book! I listened to this on audio and found my jaw dropping at times. I couldn't get from CD to CD fast enough. The violence and utter destruction of war is aptly portrayed, as is the dispersion (and unraveling) of families and friends. The book is quick and easy to follow, and could easily appeal to boys or girls.

Recommend: Yes, but only to mature 8th graders and up. See Topics Discussed

Topics Discussed: Anorexia, War/Violence, Sex (Daisy has a relationship with her cousin...a little weird for modern audiences)

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Summer Book Review - Revelations

2010-07-09T08:03:00.001-04:00

This next installment is actually the third book in the Blue Blood series by Melissa de la Cruz. Previous reads are Blue Bloods and Masquerade .

Revelations by Melissa de la Cruz

My rating: 2 of 5 stars ("Eh...It was OK")

The thing about this series is that if you think too hard about the concept driving it, it starts to fall apart. So, my simple solution is: I don't.

For whatever reason, I find these engaging and fun reads. I think it's the characters. Though there are obvious moments of de la Cruz living vicariously through her characters (the modeling/fashion scenes), the young protagonist and her sidekicks (Bliss & Oliver) are charming, clever teens. I'm engaged with them and the mystery they are attempting to unravel. This book lost some of the "historical fiction" appeal that the first and second book had (moreso in the first), which is unfortunate, as it was an aspect of the books that I particularly enjoyed.

I would caution fans of the earlier books to not expect too much from this one. It doesn't have the more solid feel of the first or second novel, but it's still entertaining enough. For me, this is ultimately just a guilty pleasure; I know it's not terribly good, but I enjoy it anyway.

Recommend: For people who enjoy paranormal/vampire fiction, Yes, but with reservations - it's a guilty pleasure. Don't expect too much. And definitely read the previous two first.

Topics Discussed: Fantasy, Destiny versus Freewill

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Summer Book Review - Willow

2010-07-08T07:53:00.002-04:00

Willow by Julia Hoban

My rating: 2 of 5 stars ("Eh...It was okay")

This book started at four stars for me. Willow was a sweet, likable character whose experience in losing a parent at a young age is relatable for me. Some of the wisdom she shares about the power of grief and awkward condolences and peer relationships are so incredibly true, well-stated, and sensitive. At first I thought it would be a book about cutting. Then I thought it would be a book about grief. Then I saw how neatly they were intertwined for Willow, and I admired that feat.

Now, Willow was likable, but I wasn't always sure she was entirely believable. Having lengthy literary discussions at the age of 16? Pretty rare. It really appealed to my inner English major nerd, but I don't know that even I would have had a conversation like that at the age of 16. It was then I began to have doubts about these characters.

Willow lost a star rating when she just wouldn't stop whining. I'm sorry, but that's it. Putting aside the grief and and the guilt she feels, we get a LOT of whining from Willow. It is a pet peeve for me when characters torture themselves needlessly because of their own refusal to communicate with another character. Willow could have spared herself a lot of pain and loneliness if she had confronted her brother early on about the change in their relationship. Instead, she "tests" him in subtle ways, evaluating his responses in an attempt to read his mind. That really, REALLY bugged me.

*spoiler alert*

The other slight qualm I had was the fact that Willow & Guy manage to have sex without ever actually saying the word or any euphemism for it. Same goes for the use of a condom. I realize teens will be teens but honestly -- if you aren't even mature enough to SAY sex (or even use a euphemism! "make love" "sleep with", etc.) then you probably shouldn't be having sex. But that's just a drop in the bucket. By that point, the book had already dropped a star and had lost another half.

I rounded down to a two because my concern is that there's a subtle message of "get a boyfriend, solve your problems!" here. Numerous times I wondered if this would be better with a female friend or even a completely platonic male friend accompanying her on her journey. I just think it's a dangerous pit that hurting teens fall into - they can't rely on leaning on someone else to solve their problems.

Recommend: Generally, No. More sensitive-teen types will appreciate Willow, but few adults or more pragmatic teens.

Topics Discussed: Cutting/Self-Mutilation, Death, Grief

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Summer Book Review - Paper Towns

2010-07-07T08:07:00.001-04:00

Paper Towns by John Green

My rating: 4 of 5 stars ("Really liked it")
I was set to give this book a 3.5, but rounded up to four from the last part of the novel.

After a crazy night of pranking with Margo Spiegelman, Q wakes up the next morning to find her gone. This is something Margo has done previously, but her time spent with Q the night before both scares and stimulates him -- he needs to find her. Together with his best buds, they look for Margo, study a little Walt Whitman, and discover something about relationships and their own faults and strengths.

Green seems to have a thing for precocious, uninhibited thoughtful girls, as Margo reminded me a bit about the tragic Alaska in his award-winning novel, Looking for Alaska. Similarly, the guys in this novel are precocious nerds (not unlike the hero & supporting cast of Looking for Alaska), who seem to be too smart for their own good. Still, on the whole, the guys are fairly relate-able, finding enjoyment in typical male humor (balls!) and late-night video gaming.

I won't spoil anything, but I'll just say that Green does well to stay away from the formulaic - there were a few points in the novel I thought I knew what would happen next, and I was going to be very irritated if so. Thankfully, that wasn't the case. The last few pages of the book contain an extremely cathartic scene, which definitely makes the journey worthwhile.

Recommend: Yes, with a strong conviction to keep with it - the ending is worthwhile.

Topics Discussed: Finding Identity, Community of Human Nature

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Summer Book Review - Wake

2010-07-06T15:41:00.006-04:00

Hope you had a delightful Fourth-of-July weekend! We still have fruit and pasta salad leftover from our little (very little) party here.

Wake by Lisa McMann

My rating: 4 of 5 stars ("Really Liked It")
This book is as gripping as the dreams that capture our protagonist! The conflict challenging Janie is a unique one: she gets dragged into other peoples' dreams, forced to partake as a silent bystander in the dreams of friends and peers. This trait has been a part of Janie's life since she was a young child of 8, but as she progresses through the teen years, it begins to take a new life. Through repeated focus and concentration, Janie learns to take control of this supernatural ability. Though she studies what she can on her own, it is not until she receives some surprising help that she finally begins to take ownership of this talent/curse/responsibility.

It feels a bit rushed in parts, which is why I docked a star. I did find McMann's use of space on the page interesting. Typically authors use page breaks to designate a passage of time, as in a day or "meanwhile..." scenario. McMann, however, often utilizes the spacing on the page to prolong tensions and silences within a particular scene. Took me back to my studies on reader response critical theory.

It turns out this is the first book of a trilogy. Warning - make sure you have the other two on hand when you check this out from your local library. You'll likely devour this one in no time at all and be immediately hungry for more!

My reviews on Fade (book 2) and Gone (book 3)

Recommend: Yes, definitely

Topics Discussed: Alcoholic family members, self-realization, empowerment, being different

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Summer Book Review - 100 Cupboards

2010-07-02T08:14:00.001-04:00

100 Cupboards by N.D. Wilson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars ("Really Liked It")
Forgive the comparison, it will be made - this is a sort of modern Lion, Witch, & the Wardrobe. Well, OK, from the standpoint that there are other worlds of fantasy that can be entered through portals disguised as ordinary household objects. When Henry goes to live with his aunt & uncle in Henry, KA (yes, really), he discovers secret cupboards hidden away behind a wall of plaster. What are these strange doors? What are they doing? And...is that mail coming in one of them? With his cousin Henrietta to help, Henry discovers more about the house, his own history, and worlds of fantasy than he ever before imagined. This was a thoroughly enjoyable read. The characters are dear, and I would love to see more of them.

One of the special things about this book is that there isn't a slew of despicable adult characters. In fact, the adults in this book are on the whole very warm, charismatic, and trustworthy. I dare you not to fall in love with Uncle Frank.

The magical suspended reality is done quite well. With a 12-year-old protagonist, it's probably on the younger side of YA lit, but late elementary through early high school students would enjoy it. There are scenes that are downright creepy in that fantastic, engaging way of the imagination. The writing style had delightful turns of phrase and personification, which adds a delicious richness to the text suitable for adult palates. All in all, a fun book for a family to read aloud or listen to together.

I'll warn you now; it's the first book of a series, so be aware of that when approaching the end. It is probably the only reason that I deducted a star. Though I loved the book overall and can't wait for more, I think 100 Cupboards held back a bit, in anticipation of books to follow. (the second is Dandelion Fire and I intend to get my hands on it ASAP).

Recommend: Yes! I would definitely recommend it to younger YA audiences or for a family read.

Topics Discussed: Magic/fantasy, independence and courage

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Summer Book Review - The Luxe

2010-07-01T08:15:00.002-04:00

If you have questions about any of the books I review, ask away!

If you want me to read and review a book, make a suggestion!

If you want to argue with me about my interpretation, leave a comment!

The Luxe by Anna Godbersen

My rating: 2 of 5 stars ("It was OK")
Human nature hasn't changed much over 2000 years. This includes teen girls. These cunning, ruthless, and competitive late Victorian "ladies" could hold their own against the Paris Hiltons and Kristin Cavalleris of the 21st century. The Luxe, set in turn-of-the-century New York, recaps the deceit, betrayal, and pressures of several young socialities.

This book had long caught my eye mostly because of the lavish cover. That sumptuous dress commands the attention of your inner princess. Unfortunately, the novel didn't live up promises of its lush cover. It was a bit of a let-down. I had heard it was a take on Gossip Girl for the late 19th century, but the parallels are just too much. I could easily substitute certain characters for GG personas and the audience wouldn't bat an eye. Characters are just cliches, from the gay-best-guy-friend to the uptight, socially conflicted goody-good. Most of our understandings of the characters came from direct characterization, rather than allowing readers to deduce it from the unfolding action. The overall plot was also quite predictable. It was mindless fluff, but I'm not sure I'll be picking up the others. In general, I was pretty bored, merely trying to get through it as quickly as possible.

Recommendation: I would probably recommend it to teens who are fans of Gossip Girl or students who are interested in fashion or historical fiction.

Topics Presented: Social/familial pressures, historical attitudes, betrayal

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Summer Book Review - Confessions of Georgia Nicholson

2010-06-30T08:18:00.001-04:00

Confessions of Georgia Nicholson (#1 & 2) by Louise Rennison

Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson by Louise Rennison

My rating: 4 of 5 stars ("Really Liked It")
This first installment introduces Georgia Nicholson who provides us with a funny, snarky romp through the diary of a younger (brattier) Bridget Jones. Our narrator, Georgia, has the typical 'tude of a fourteen-year-old girl, but thankfully, we readers get to enjoy her snark and wit, rather than be a victim of it. I'll concede that at times Georgia is difficult to like, which probably costs this book a 5-star rating. In a slight defense of her, though: I know I was a complete brat from 13-14. Bad, bad times that I can look back on now with a slight shudder. And her relationships with her friends? Well, while they're not warm & fuzzy bonds, they are pretty typical of relationships with girls at that age. Why do you think teen girls seem to go through new groups of friends each year from 6th-9th grade? Despite the mean streak in Georgia, she still had me laughing out loud too often to dislike her tale. I will warn you, though, the ending is a killer, so make sure you have book 2 on hand!

Recommend: I would definitely recommend this book to younger teen or tween girls, from 5th through 9th grade and adults with a sense of humor who enjoy chick lit and YA lit.

Topics Presented: This is pure fun fluff about being a young (silly) adolescent, fighting with parents, drooling over boys, and trying to grow up.

And while I'm at it...

On the Bright Side, I'm Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God: Further Confessions of Georgia Nicolson by Louise Rennison

My rating: 4 of 5 stars ("Really Liked It")
Once again we get to join Georgia in her angst-ridden quest to avoid Kiwi-a-gogo with her family while simultaneously trying to hold on to her Sex God, aka Robbie. The former problem gets solved, but what about the latter? Is there trouble in paradise? And what is WITH her mother?

On the one hand, Georgia is as horrible & incorrigible as the first novel; because of that, I feel like I should dislike her...but I really don't.

A couple issues I had with this book are some strange characterizations. The first is her little sister Libby, who acts more like a 12-18 month old than a preschooler. The other strange characterization is that Georgia does NOT look forward to her developing "basoomers." Do you know any preteen girls who DIDN'T want breasts? I didn't know of any when I was in middle school! This little detail about Georgia strikes me as v. strange.

Other than those little points against Rennison, Georgia is still hilarious and an apt representation of a fourteen-year-old girl. She seems mean at times to her best friend, Jas, but really...what girls are actually good friends to one another at that age? All the girls are equally self-conscious and self-absorbed, so it works. I do worry, though, that with 8 more books in the series, Rennison will try to continually capitalized on Georgia's teenage selfishness and continually write from the perspective of an early teen rather than having any development from young Georgia.

There are a total of 10 books in the series thus far, and I think I will be picking up the rest. A true guilty pleasure for a thinking adult!

Recommend: I would definitely recommend this book to younger teen or tween girls, from 5th through 9th grade and adults with a sense of humor who enjoy chick lit and YA lit.

Topics Presented: This is pure fun fluff about being a young (silly) adolescent, fighting with parents, drooling over boys, and trying to grow up.

View all my reviews >>

YA Lit = Love

2010-06-29T16:52:00.003-04:00

Maybe over the summer I'll post reviews of recent YA reads. Lately it's been all I've been in the mood to read. Perhaps because it's generally a quick one or they're usually happy...I'm not sure. Well, they're not always happy exactly -- some deal with deep, heavy issues. But in general, even in dealing with those sobering topics, they usually end with a note of hope or wisdom.

I'll work on getting a new review up for tomorrow.

Victory!

2010-06-19T18:13:00.005-04:00

You are now reading the blog of the newly employed SAT-prep tutor! (critical reading/writing sections only)

It was all quite a whirlwind. I received a call this past Sunday (yes, Sunday), had an interview Monday morning, and received an offer that afternoon to come by on Thursday to begin training. I was there from 9 until 3, and I was mentally exhausted by the time I got home. The first day of training is always a bit overwhelming, right? Not only was I swimming in all that new information, I started the morning with a 2 hour test myself! (I had to take & pass the SAT reading/writing portion of the test first. Which, on the one hand makes sense. On the other hand, I've passed about a bajillion Praxis tests by this point, soooo couldn't those count?) I did indeed pass, which meant I can confidently say I have a part-time job as an SAT tutor.

It won't be very many hours during the week, at least during the summer. But that's perfectly fine, because I'm not quite ready to give up my independence yet. I had mentioned I was leaning towards going to get my master's, and the center's director seemed very pleased. He assured me that they had two people there currently working on graduate degrees and a third who just finished hers. When I start taking classes, I just need to let them know my schedule and they'll work with me accordingly. Of course it means I might not get as many hours I want, or I may have to take more evening sessions than I'd like...but it's great to know I could continue this job while going to school. It won't be much, income-wise, but it will be something. More importantly it will prevent me from getting rusty and it will be a nice addition to my resume for teaching SAT prep at a HS, who knows?

It can't hurt to apply

2010-06-04T11:18:00.004-04:00

Well, it's looking more and more like I'd be better off going to graduate school at the moment. Out of the three local counties I have looked into for positions, only one has just lifted its hiring freeze, and none of the schools I'm interested in have listings (yet). They are actually still in school for another week, so technically their school year hasn't even ended yet, so there's still the possibility of the whole summer for a position to open. The other two local counties are still in limbo, waiting to figure out budgets and positions. I wrote a thank-you email to the one middle school I interviewed with (she had mentioned email as a method of communication and so etiquette guides said it was acceptable!) and haven't heard back from her. Same with a principal I met at the fair - he gave me his card and told me to email him the following week, when he might know about English positions. Haven't heard back.

But I've submitted the county application and completed the state's online application program, so I'm all ready to go on that front! I decided to investigate local private schools, too. Most of them are parochial, though, with only one Catholic HS. The others are private Christian schools which is okay, but some require that you sign a particular statement of faith and since I actually am Catholic, I'm not totally okay with signing my name to some of their statements. So, I'll keep looking. There is a middle school Language Arts position available (possibly) and an Episcopal K-12 school with an upper English position; hubs is going to proofread/edit my cover letters and long-answer responses before I send those off on Monday. Still, I just get this feeling that I'm probably not going to get a job this year.

In which case, graduate school it is! (Hopefully) Which means I need to start studying for the GRE!

So I get a little social interaction, I need to take some kind of job for the fall. In the shower yesterday (so cliche, right), I realized I should look into local tutoring places. And if I couldn't find anything, maybe I could put an ad in the church bulletin or library...well, fancy this. I looked up Sylvan, and it turns out there's a center in one of the little towns nearby and low & behold, they have a center instructor position available (described as "part-time"). Another little perk is that they aren't open Fri-Sun, so I can keep my weekends, even if I work 30 hours Monday through Thursday. Look at me, jumping the gun. Basically, I wasn't expecting to apply for it today, but I did.

The application wasn't terribly in-depth -- for example, the three references it requested weren't required fields and even then the text box had limited characters. I couldn't even fit "former assistant principal." So, I'm not sure how thorough the interview process is. I know my credentials are great, though!

It would be nice to get to talk about English-y things again with a kid. And to have a little extra cash around the house. And to have a reason to get out of the house and do my hair.

Closure

2010-05-27T08:40:00.004-04:00

And now, the end is here/ And so I face the final curtain...

Confession: End of year closure - I never really did it. I would usually show Dead Poet's Society along with a discussion intended to get the kids to think about the life lessons they learn in the classroom. And then the final bell would ring and I would wish them well on their future exams (they had already taken mine - the state test) and a safe summer.

And then there were none.

Which, in some cases, was fine. By that time of the year, there were a handful of kids who I'm sure were glad to be rid of me, just as I was glad to be seeing them out the door. There were a few I'd miss, who would promise to come back and see me next year. And then others who were apathetic (sidenote: as big of a nerd I was, and as much as I loved some of my teachers, I rarely went back to them and said hello. I take comfort in this, knowing there are probably just as many kids who enjoyed my class and never said so as there are kids who tell me).

But in the future, I'd really like to do something that gives the year appropriate closure. Something that says "We've spent a lot of time together, made some progress, and that deserves recognition." Something that acknowledges I have enjoyed sharing a classroom with them.

I like the idea of writing little notes to all my kids individually like teachin' does, but with 120 students, I would probably have a hard time coming up with anything to say for some of them. But it's the effort, right? So, I'll think about it. Especially because some of these kids need to hear something good about themselves -- just like I want to hear what a good teacher I am, they want to hear what good kids they are! So perhaps that's a project I'll undertake.

But what else is out there? Are there any special projects or activities you do for end-of-year closure?

Positivity

2010-05-21T08:45:00.003-04:00

In this period of Blame the Teacher Policy Changing, I generally just avoid recent edu-talk in the news. A family friend sent me a link to this article from the Boston Globe, however, so this time it was rather unavoidable.

"Failure to Communicate"

You may have the same initial reaction I did as I started the article: Great, another All-Knowing College Professor (who may not have ANY secondary experience or pedagogy classes!) condemning the lazy High School teachers who aren't teaching well enough.

But since this family friend is someone I trust and who I know respects teachers, I bit my lip and read on. Thank goodness! Here, finally, is a positive piece that points out that the writing skills of our current generation is suffering, and it is NOT the fault of the teachers, who are likely overwhelmed.

The piece is short and only hints at the problem of teachers' full plates. I think any of us could easily fill in the details on all the aspects of teaching that take time away from good lesson plans: paperwork (IEPs, Committees, Documenting EVERYTHING), standardized tests, admin support (or lack thereof), parental contact/support, class sizes, clubs, coaching...

But anyway. Positive report for teachers. And we need a little of that right now.

awkward turtle

2010-05-19T11:06:00.005-04:00

Awkward Agonizing
No one is home, so I have to process this interview all on my own. Which means I will blog it.

Downsides to today's interview:

She asked me point blank what I would to do teach, say, inference. And my mind went blank. Couldn't think of a darned thing. I asked for a minute to think about it but I think she could tell that I froze because she moved on. Thank goodness.

She asked how I would start a typical lesson plan and I said probably start w/ vocabulary, practicing it in context and looking at it in-text. Then reading, I might do groups, whole classroom, out-loud...I usually try to maintain a variety of methods to appeal to different learners. I mentioned I would break reading into chunks. When we read, I would have them complete prediction-question-comment-connection (but I could only remember 2 of them! ack!). She asked what kind of work I've had them do in groups. I mentioned that I sometimes have them read, letting them choose how their group wants to read - outloud, silently, taking turns, etc. - and they could fill out graphic organizers or make posters. I just felt like I was rambling/pulling stuff out of my butt. I'd studied interview questions before going in, but I felt like I should have studied my BLOG here for ideas!

First question was "What do you know about middle school?" and I had no idea how to answer it. It was just so broad. I was expecting "WHY do you want to switch to middle school?" I flubbed around a bit, saying that I enjoyed my time with the sixth graders (who were end-of-year-nearly-7th graders) during a 6 week practicum, and that I had many friends who are middle school teachers who I can call upon should I need support and insight. Awkward.

She asked about discipline, but she phrased it in such a way that I wasn't sure where to start. I can't even recall the question. I kind of joked "Hm, how do I start?" and she made a more specific question about drama queen girls and how I handled that. I recalled an incident from last year about a girl who was constantly giving attitude to other kids in the room and that I pulled her out two or three times that year to mediate. The last time, I finally firmly told her "Get out of other people's business." And then gave her the option to go back in that room, keep her mouth closed, and get along with people -- or go up to the office and try her case there. I segued into my discipline idea of "choices" so students can feel like they're making a decision about their lives (since teens so love to be independent), and that 99% of the time, when given the choice, they slink back into the classroom. Bah. I liked how I ended it but I didn't like how I floundered through the middle part, trying to remember the incident(s) with Little Miss Thang.

I kind of forgot that I had to be impressed with THEM, too, and could feel myself putting on the "I so want to impress you" vibe.

She claims class sizes are about 30 for 7th grade (which is her current opening). That number does not excite me.

I felt okay with the principal. But I'm not 100% sold.

Upsides to the interview:
I got to peek into several classrooms. They look large and the desks are nice & big, too.

I emphasized that I came from a school that was very upfront about the fact that discipline was a top priority there. And that, as a first year teacher, I received invaluable support regarding classroom management and following through on policies.

I reminded myself several times as we started walking through the halls that THEY have to impress ME. I am still considering grad school and even leaning more strongly towards it. So, drop the "I want to impress you vibe" and put on an evaluative "You have to impress me" vibe!

Many of the other teachers are young, so I would likely be able to make many new friends.

Every room has a Smartboard - which she emphasized is not just for ppt presentations or a glorified whiteboard. I told her that I've seen them and had training with them, but haven't been able to actually USE one extensively. It would be rather neat to be able to put text up and have kids "mark it up" or use it to give wicked awesome group presentations.

They have pacing guides but you are just limited to completing that information within the 9 weeks. No shared unit tests, etc. which is good.

It's been a long time since I had an interview, and now I can say I've done one recently. I shook off some of the rust, and I'm proud of myself for that.

I asked good questions. I asked about class sizes, discipline policies, pacing guide restrictions, vertical teaming, electives like band (we got a little performance from a musical rhythm class. they were so cute!), and STEM education kits.

At the end of the interview, I got the impression that she liked me. Said she enjoyed talking with me and that basically, I'm what she's looking for -- someone young but with a few years of experience. She can't hire anyone right now, but please keep in touch with her via email, and she's hoping she'll know next week what kind of offers she can make. Please keep in touch, and so on. Who knows? I'm trying not to focus on the awkward bits.

I still have no idea if I want to teach middle school. They could be fun...but then again, I love teaching those upper level classes, too. But the outlook for teaching jobs just looks so bleak right now, honestly!

Oh, Irony

2010-05-17T21:47:00.001-04:00

Looking for an amusing example of irony? Here's one for ya...

Nostalgia

2010-05-15T22:25:00.004-04:00

Friday I drove 8.5 hours back to TN to witness the graduation of my very first batch of students. I doubted any of them would be looking for me (most stopped saying hello in the hallway after their junior year. They're so awkward. I say it with love), but I wanted to see them for my own sake. Imagine my pleased surprise that quite a few did notice me and were genuinely excited to see me, offering hugs without any prompting. Some of my students from this year were there and they were all waving and calling to me. Two from the band jumped up and ran over to me and gave me big hugs. Sweet, sweet girls. Back to the graduates. All the seniors had smiles permanently lighting up their faces. They were glowing and giggly and just so thrilled, as they should be. Some of these kids were the first to graduate in their family, which made the victory all the more sweeter. When the band struck up "Pomp & Circumstance," the teachers began ushering everyone into line. You could see everyone stand up a little straighter, and the smiles wobbled a little bit. Some from nerves, others from emotions, and I saw quite a few girls choking back tears. I had to turn away or I feared I would lose it!

Two years ago, they were little punky fifteen-year-olds. They were just babies! And now, they are high school graduates!! I have seen many of them grow up SO MUCH in those two years. Some truly amazing transformations. I was so incredibly blessed at this school with some truly amazing, wonderful, lovable students. I sometimes get hung up on the negatives - things I could have done better, students I failed in some way, or students that just drove me crazy. You know the laundry list. But I cannot forget I had so many more amazing, lovable kiddos.

I will definitely have to go next year also, since I worked harder to maintain relationships with my second year kids. I can't wait!

Blessed AC

2010-05-13T11:26:00.006-04:00

I could be outside, mulching & weeding our (very pathetic) front flower beds. I could be finally purchasing and planting those Black-Eyed Susans by our very lonely mailbox.

But it's hot. And I just finished mowing the backyard. So instead, I'll put the planting/weeding/mulching off until next week.

Speaking of next week, I have an interview for a 7th grade Language Arts position that was scheduled at the teacher fair. I figure I'll go and interview for the experience, but I'm not totally sure I would want to accept the job, should it be offered to me. Teaching middle school would be an entirely new experience. I enjoyed the little time I spent with some sixth graders, but that was ages ago and I wasn't doing a whole lot of teaching, mostly observing with a few mini-lessons thrown in.

*edit* Perhaps the sentiment that most influences my decision is that some of my favorite/most memorable teachers were from my middle school years. Teachers who I just adored because they were funny, creative, and caring. One was even a teacher I felt compelled to write to when I decided I would become a teacher, informing her that she was the kind of teacher I hoped to be.

Any words of wisdom from my middle school cohorts?

It ain't no Ren Fair

2010-05-10T21:20:00.004-04:00

If only the Teacher Fairs were more like REAL fairs: goofy booths where you can win prizes (like a job! yippee!), quaint but completely safe rides and maybe jugglers and unicyclists zipping around. We gotta have SOMETHING to keep us entertained while we wait in lines for hours.

Call me cynical, but I'm not totally sold on teacher job fairs. I suppose it's one opportunity for schools to collect many resumes all at once, rather than getting them in fits & starts via prospective employees mailing them in over time. You could argue that they get to put a face to a name, but to that I say: REALLY!?! It's a nice thought, but after they've seen umpti-billion brand new faces looking at a trillion different courses, do they REALLY remember my face or ANYTHING about me?

Maybe those principals put those resumes in a special pile as their "go to" file, with the idea that at least these people made the effort for some face time (as one principal there told me he did). I guess there is that. But still. The first teacher fair I went to was a complete catastrophe; the county had never done one before and grossly underestimated how many people would be there. Everything was just frantic and a tad hassled. The fair I attended today was at least more calm and organized, though my complaint is that it was held on a school day at a school. All these prospective job candidates are now competing with students, faculty, and visitors for parking spaces. I digress. Overall, it was still okay, but I just end up leaving and thinking, "Did that really do any good?"

Ultimately, a job fair means standing in line for approximately 2+ hours in order to get a total of (maybe) 15 minute actual face time with an administrator. They didn't really learn anything about me that wasn't on my resume, and I didn't learn anything about them, either. They probably won't remember my face if they do call me in for an interview. (If you haven't noticed yet, I'm naturally quite cynical.)

Have you ever attended a teacher fair? What do you think?

It's baaaaack!

2010-05-06T12:17:00.002-04:00

That's all very nice, you say. But I don't teach a film course. I teach ENGLISH .

I haven't forgotten! As previously stated, chances are, your standards include interpreting media sources, so adapt the film unit to your needs. Here's one way to make that connection between your reading and the film.

Back to storyboarding!

Introduction
If you haven't shown your classes a storyboard before, warm up with an introductory explanation of what they are, which I explained in one of my Harris Burdick ideas.

Once you've explained how to put together a storyboard, turn your attention to a story you've read recently. I recommend choosing a work with strong imagery, or a text that students especially connected to and enjoyed. My suggestions based on what we read in 10th grade: Animal Farm, "The Pedestrian" by Bradbury, "Lamb to the Slaughter" by Dahl, or anything by Poe. You could even read something short & entirely new for the purpose of this storyboard. Once you've decided on the text, start the storyboard!

It is up to you whether you want students to all storyboard the same scene or to let them choose their own scene. Storyboarding Activity

Synthesis
Option 1:
Choose a scene you think is particularly powerful or interesting or significant, and assign it to the class. Ask them to storyboard two pieces to this scene, filling in the appropriate details.

Option 2:
Allow students to choose a scene they feel is most significant or interesting...and so on.

Option 3:
Break students into pairs and assign them specific parts from the story, so that you end up with a complete storyboard including start to finish of the text.

And, with all the above, share and compare as a class! As students present, inquire about & discuss their choices behind their lighting/sound/angles, etc.

An interesting next step might be to combine students into groups to put together their pieces and look at similarities & differences. As a closing activity, groups could write up similarities in their storyboards and why; contrarily, they could also write up the differences and why.

Get the words, yo

2010-05-05T11:30:00.000-04:00

The storyboard clip made me wonder if I'd tackled a small film unit. If I had, I didn't tag correctly, because I couldn't find it, other than my reference to John Golden's book in my lesson on irony.

This is a fun unit, and I've had students come up to me afterward and say, "Mrs. P, I went to see New Moon this weekend, and I just kept thinking about angles!" At this point, I cackle and rub my hands in glee, proclaiming that My evil plan worked!

But srsly.

This is great for connecting reading and visuals, which can be difficult for kiddos. Reading isn't always real to them. "Reading cinema" gets them thinking about the movies they watch, seeing the WHY behind a technique; if you can sell that movies use intentional techniques (which is pretty easy--they seem to accept that directors use lighting,angles, movement, sound, etc. for purposes more readily than they do in a novel), you can sell them that novels are the same way. Authors don't just keep mentioning that cat for no reason. The cat MEANS something, contributes something to the theme, purpose, or character (yes, I'm looking at you, Ethan Frome).

I've waxed poetic enough. On with the lesson.

Knowledge
First, ya gotta know the terms. Golden offers several pages of them (defining, explaining, and exampling), but I narrowed them down to a manageable size for my kiddos. I offer up the terms via my Reading Movies powerpoint. I warn you: the powerpoint contains (primarily) definitions-only. As they copy, I also talk through the intended effects of presented terms (getting them to actually take notes on what I'm SAYING and not just what is in front of them is actually a skill I try to prep them for. Not sure that it's terribly successful, but I try). Slide 5 provides an example Golden uses from North by Northwest. We talk about the effect of each shot and why the director chose the original.

Understanding
After kids have the terms down, have them demonstrate understanding with a few still-motion pictures. Golden offers many in his book. (Brain Storm! Try using Harry Burdick here! I TOLD you that stuff was genius). Model a practice round as a class, and then perhaps do small break-outs, giving groups or pairs a picture they can "read" and then briefly describe to the class.

Applying/Analyzing
Once students exhibit adeptness at applying the terms and identifying their effects, practice a bit more with whole film scenes. You can probably guess my suggestion for this here: Golden's book. Lots of great examples, already broken down into appropriate scenes, and the movies are classroom-ready. You'll need to play the scene twice. I recommend whatever scene you show, encourage them to just watch and absorb, jotting down the terms they identify in the scene. The second time around, think about what effect those aspects have. My kids were ready to talk through the clip the 2nd time, so I would pause as we talked about the effects.

You've got the terms and uses down, so next is putting those terms and effects to your own use! Stay tuned.

Good teachers collaborate

2010-05-03T21:38:00.002-04:00

*tap tap* This thing on?

*ahem*

After looking at some of the Harris Burdick pictures, did you have any idea how you could use them in YOUR classroom?

Screenplays & Theater

2010-05-03T05:38:00.008-04:00

Oh, one more idea:

If you're doing a drama unit, you could also encourage students to write a screenplay or theater play based on a Harris Burdick work.

With my sophomores we talked about basic theater terms they needed to know for Shakespeare or a Greek tragedy, but since we didn't read more modern dramas, we didn't talk much about the use of scenery or costumes or detailed stage directions. Mostly we talked about the limitations of Elizabethan or Greek theater and how they worked around it! For us, this would be a great opportunity to stretch outside of that a bit and look at something modern (if you could get your hands on an original screenplay of a movie they know & love, how cool could that be?? I don't even know where you could look for something like that). If you already read something modern...well, lucky you!

So, get a modern text (screenplay/theater) in order to talk about the effects, stage directions, etc. then practice their own by using Harris Burdick pictures!

Summer Literacy Challenge

2010-05-01T10:05:00.007-04:00

Was my last post really on Wednesday? Oh dear. I must be losing it. I could have sworn it was Thursday.

Since I've neglected you two days in a row, I'll take a hiatus from my normal weekend hiatus and post a little somethin' somethin'. While catching up with my blogroll this morning, I encountered teachin's contemplations over end-of-the-year activities. She mentioned an idea which I love love love to combat the summer gap that puts the brakes on any momentum gained by June. This is one of those wonderful blog chain-letters, so to speak, in which teachin got it from Stacey who got it from Jen Barney.

The idea is to put together a packet of mini projects or tasks that will exercise and stretch those reading & writing muscles, preventing atrophy. How does the teacher motivate these students who s/he technically no longer has? By offering them a "survival pack" for next year's grade, which is awarded upon presenting a completed Summer Literacy Packet. The survival pack is mostly school-supply oriented, but with fun items like colorful pens, neat bookmarks, or anything you can find great deals on. (This is something that might be worth planning ahead: stockpile items in August/Sept/Oct from back-to-school sales)

I love this idea and want to query my fellow secondary teachers...how do you think this could work with high school? If you're doing grades 9-11, you will easily see the kids in the hallway again, so returning the packet to you shouldn't be a problem. I just wonder how motivated high schoolers would be to get that survival packet. Then again, I've heard it said that high schoolers often perform for the same/similar motivations that elementary teachers use, so maybe they would be interested in getting free stuff. I wonder...

Would it be possible to contact local businesses/retailers (movie theater, restaurants, etc.) to ask if they would donate any coupons or small gift certificates to these survival packs? (a free popcorn at the theater, free appetizer, 10% CD/DVD). Pizza Hut used to do it (do they still?) with reading programs all the time! Hm... okay, yes, I would definitely look into this.

I found ONE sample online that seems to be geared towards high school. It breaks items down into categories of one point to five points; there are MANY different items under each category. They could do any variety of those activities all summer long and then bring in the checklist (and proof) for extra credit at the beginning of the new school year. I really like this idea and am already considering implementing it should I go back to teaching this year. It might take some cooperation on the behalf of other teachers, since students don't know which teachers they will have until August(ish). Perhaps it could be something your department agrees to do together? The benefit of the packets that Stacey & Jen Barney created is that they are weekly challenges, which means students practice all summer long and not just cramming in the activities in the last 2 weeks, which could potentially happen with the upper-level sample I found.

Any ideas for how to adapt the Summer Literacy Challenge for upper levels?

source: photo1 courtesy of Canton Public Library; photo2 courtesy alex.ragone