Another attempt...

... at blogging about education and literacy.

I just completed my fifth year in the classroom and it really is a disservice that I am not sharing my lessons and ideas with the general public. Part of my summer goals include blogging regularly. I am going to try to blog a few times a week to ensure that I am sharing information with teachers.

Some things that will be featured:

- Podcasting: I am developing a podcasting course for our summer program -- I'm excited to let people know how it goes.

- Writing: I have some great checklists that I've developed for students and staff alike.

- Reading Comprehension: I plan to share charts that I've both created and have found, plus books/stories that have been successful and not so successful in my classes.

Here's to hoping for a consistent blogging experience!

Timing

It's been well over a year since I've updated this blog. With a new school and school year ahead of me, I am going to do my best to update this on a regular basis and share my great ideas on literacy with anyone who stumbles upon this page.

General Updates: At the end of last year, I decided to quit my job in Fairfax County Public Schools. For me, it was a decision that centered on my inability to discriminate against certain groups of kids. I have firm beliefs that ALL children are entitled to, and deserve, a quality education; and, personally, I want no part of their educational system. So, I began to look for jobs. Over the summer, I was blessed with the fortunate extension of a position at Southeastern Alternative School. I started this position in late August and am so excited: I enjoy coming to work everyday and actually feel like I'm impacting my students (a feeling I've not had since my teaching stint at Anacostia SHS in DC). At Southeastern, I am the ONLY English teacher (there's one teacher per content area) and I get to design my own pacing guide based off of the state Standards of Learning. This is a great opportunity and I look forward to sharing my thoughts, ideas, and reflections in the coming months.

The Bell Rings

I could not have asked for a better start to the school year! I think that the kids at Sandburg Middle are great. As the school year progresses, I know I will have a better understanding of my students' abilities; but as the first week comes to an end, I feel confident in my preassessments. I have had students complete a few informal writing assignments (where I don't even think they realize how much they end up writing). Yesterday and today have been/will be spent on informal reading assessments. Below are a list of activities completed:


1. "I Am" Survey -- this survey is to be filled out using a number of adjectives that describe the student.

2. "Soundtrack to Your Life" -- this survey involved students selecting 11 songs that they could relate to (through some type of connection). They had to write at least 2 sentences that explained how these songs applied to them.

3. "Interview & Bio" -- this activity involved students devising an 11-question survey to ask another student in the class. Once they complete their interviews, they had to write a mini-biography of their classmate.

The stories used for the informal reading assessments were/are:

1. Gary Soto's: Seventh Grade

2. Anna Quindlen's: Melting Pot



Next week, we are going to being working on the first unit: Narrative. We will be reading a collection of short stories, and each student will finish the novel, Touching Spirit Bear.

** I am trying to upload the lesson plans and agendas I have used with my students. If anyone knows how to do that, please let me know!**

Daily Routines

As educators, we all know how important it is for students to have daily routines. Over the course of the past two years, I have taught on a 4x4 80 minute block. Each block used the same daily structure:

Warm Up
Word Study (Vocabulary)
Read Aloud (Literacy Strategy Implementation)
Classroom Discussion/Socratic Seminar
Daily Lesson (As it applied to literature: Symbolism, theme, character, plot, etc)
Classwork (This would alternate between independent coursework and group work)
Closing (I have tried to use the closing as a time for students to leave questions in an exit slip, and review the homework assignment for the day)

This year, I will be working on a Modified Block. Because this schedule will take some adjusting for me, I have tried to come up with a schedule that is conducive to success for all 5 of my classes. The (mental) schedule that I've come up with for this year is as follows:

Monday: Monday is the only day of the week that I will see all five of my classes; therefore, I plan to use Mondays as a vocabulary day. I will introduce the vocabulary lesson for the week on Mondays; in addition, I will give students an overview of what will be taught during the week -- they will get an introductory lesson to the information that will be taught more in-depth as the week continues.

The routine for my Even/Odd Day classes will include a schedule similar to the one of last year's. Because my block classes will be between 96 and 110 minutes, I will use a similar class setup.

Warm Up
Introduction to Daily Reading (Pre-reading activities, reviews, literacy strategies, etc)
Reading Block (Read Aloud, Literature Circles)
Socratic Seminar/Discussion
Lesson Reinforcement and Activity
Classwork/Small group work
Closing (to include vocabulary reviews, homework assignments, questions/comments, student recognition, etc)

I am hopeful that this schedule/set-up will work well, but if it does not, I will come up with another section to add, or a way to rearrange the day so that I can find a method that helps move things along smoothly.

Touching Spirit Bear

Touching Spirit Bear will be the first novel that is taught to my students during the school year. I have already read the novel and have created an anticipation guide for my students, which includes activities centered on the introduction of the novel, and each chapter in Part I of the novel. Because the curriculum uses only Part I, I decided that my final project for the novel will include each of my students creating their own version of the ending of Touching Spirit Bear: Will Cole go back to the island (anyone who's read the novel knows that he does), Will he be reformed, Will he interact with the Spirit Bear again? Students will be able to pose their own questions and answer them in the form of a story.

I plan to use this tactic as a way to introduce (formal) writing into the course. The writing process can easily be used throughout this exercise, as can the active writing guide used by my school.

I will try to update this by providing information on how the students work with Touching Spirit Bear and all of the assignments detailed in the unit.

2008-2009 School Year

As last year progressed, I found myself falling behind in my posts. I am hoping that with my new position, I will be able to find new energy to continually blog my efforts to reinforce literacy strategies in my English Language Arts classes. This year, I am transitioning to a seventh grade classroom in the Fairfax County Public Schools district. I am hoping that my efforts in the D.C. Public Schools system were not fruitless, and will lead me to make as much of an impact with my students this year.

Last year, I was able to complete almost the full Elements of Literature text book, in addition with the three novels: The Pearl, Things Fall Apart, To Kill a Mockingbird, and one play: Romeo and Juliet. I made a 50-page anticipation guide for R&J; and, it helped the students work their way through the play by combining Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) with Read Alouds and process drama routines made through group-oriented projects. I plan on using the tactics used last year, which took my students from teacher-centered readings (The Pearl) to the aforementioned lessons used during our Shakespeare unit.

Teaching middle school will bring a new list of challenges, I'm sure, but I am looking forward to working with a new staff and a new group of students!

Year in Review

As the 2007-2008 school year comes to a close, I can't help but reflect on all my students accomplished and all that I have gained as a second year teacher. During my tenure at Anacostia SHS, I have had the opportunity to work with some amazing young people, who inspired me day-in and day-out. As their instructor, I chose which readings, writing assignments and projects were to be completed; I assigned homework tasks and presentations. And, most importantly, I never wavered.

While I wish I would have updated this site more often, I am going to try, over the course of the next few weeks, to give an overview of all you can accomplish with children in the realm of literacy, whether they are "struggling readers" or not.