Before the "great minds" determined that much of the testing begins in April, this month of rain showers and flowers used to be solely known for poetry. If you look around, you can find poetry everywhere. It's on greeting cards, commercials (jingles), newspapers and, of coarse, music! How many times have you gotten that tune and words in your head and you just can't get rid of it?
This is a genre that lends itself to be expressed in various ways and intelligences. It can be expressed verbally, visually and kinetically. Almost any way you can think of communicating, you can express poetry.
There are many ways to communicate with poetry. The poems of e.e. cummings and poems that are written in the shape of their content (i.e. fish) can be very imaginative. There are acrostic poems - kids love to use their names or favorite foods.
If you do a web search of "types of poetry", you'll find a variety of sites dealing with your level of student. A few of these sites are:
1. http://www.familyfriendpoems.com/other/
2.http://www3.fsdb.k12.fl.us/~coopers/FOV2-0000EB9E/poemtypes.html
Why not extend poetry month through May? I'm sure you have poetry lessons in your curriculum but maybe it could be a reward for all the effort put into those "meaningful" tests. I think it's important to make learning fun and connect it to the things you already enjoy, like music or art. Take a vacation form data and let your imagination let loose!
Monday, April 22, 2013
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
"Opt Out" and sharing data
On the front page of The Post Standard (Syracuse, NY) newspaper, there is an article about parents telling their children not to take the standardized tests. Also stated is the argument from the people in favor of the testing. I don't think they make much sense but you can make up your own mind. Also mentioned is the possibility of sharing this confidential information with the tests' publishers. Often times, data equals money! Please check out this article by Diane Ravitch and decide for your self.
http://dianeravitch.net/2013/03/26/who-owns-your-childs-data/
http://dianeravitch.net/2013/03/26/who-owns-your-childs-data/
Sunday, April 14, 2013
References
People have sent me some great references relating to the ideas I've been talking about. I wanted to share these with you to show that there's many people that think things need to change in education.
Happy reading and listening!
1.http://www.wgrz.com/news/article/167080/13/Opting-Out-Of-Standardized-Tests
2.http://seattleducation2010.wordpress.com/2011/04/19/how-to-tell-if-your-school-district-is-infected-by-the-broad-virus/
3.http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html
4.http://signon.org/sign/give-new-york-state-parents
Happy reading and listening!
1.http://www.wgrz.com/news/article/167080/13/Opting-Out-Of-Standardized-Tests
2.http://seattleducation2010.wordpress.com/2011/04/19/how-to-tell-if-your-school-district-is-infected-by-the-broad-virus/
3.http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html
4.http://signon.org/sign/give-new-york-state-parents
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Comprehension for all
It never ceased to amaze me the lack of back round knowledge many of my students exhibited. The references, saying and comparisons that we take for granted are unfamiliar to many children. As teachers, we are constantly trying to "fill the holes" left by the lack of certain experiences. Teachers do this in various ways. Here are a few of my "tools of the trade".
Whether you're doing a lesson in ELA, Math or any other area, you students will always need to understand the basic vocabulary. I'm going to use an ELA lesson for an example but I've used this model in other content areas.
The best way of retaining information is to connect it to a memory. So, if most of the students had no knowledge of the subject matter, I might use another medium to expose them or connect them to it. Example: if we were talking about a lesson involving an ocean, I might show them a visual about ocean life.
Then, we would go over some vocabulary that would help with the basics of the topic. We may find the meanings of the words and/or make predictions as to their meanings. I would have everyone record this in a composition book where all of the work would be kept. When reviewing these words, we might discuss: parts of speech; multiple meanings; and antonyms/synonyms.
Next we would read the material, usually together. Previously, I might have them read it silently. They may listen to the text, follow along, or have a student reader. Students were encouraged to visualize a movie of the text in their mind - a great way to internalize the content. We would stop periodically to refer to the vocabulary or any questions.
When we were finished, I would display questions dealing with comprehension, recall, inference and predictions. Sometimes I would have students write in their own questions. They may answer them or ask them to other students. Another option was to use a story board approach. I would give students a series of excerpts from the reading and they would draw pictures to show the content. Really interesting! It was good to change the evaluation techniques to include some other "intelligences".
I would accept possible answers depending on the student's functioning level. Some students could use a word bank and others might be able to draw their answers. I tried to allow for differentiated methods of answering whenever possible. If a student could defend their answer with accurate information, I might accept it.
I guess what I want to tell you is to use your instincts. The reading series tells you how to do everything but is it what you know your students need? Do what your heart and your brain tells you to do. You know your students and how they learn best. Share your ideas with other teachers and learn from each other. You can be your students' best resource!
Whether you're doing a lesson in ELA, Math or any other area, you students will always need to understand the basic vocabulary. I'm going to use an ELA lesson for an example but I've used this model in other content areas.
The best way of retaining information is to connect it to a memory. So, if most of the students had no knowledge of the subject matter, I might use another medium to expose them or connect them to it. Example: if we were talking about a lesson involving an ocean, I might show them a visual about ocean life.
Then, we would go over some vocabulary that would help with the basics of the topic. We may find the meanings of the words and/or make predictions as to their meanings. I would have everyone record this in a composition book where all of the work would be kept. When reviewing these words, we might discuss: parts of speech; multiple meanings; and antonyms/synonyms.
Next we would read the material, usually together. Previously, I might have them read it silently. They may listen to the text, follow along, or have a student reader. Students were encouraged to visualize a movie of the text in their mind - a great way to internalize the content. We would stop periodically to refer to the vocabulary or any questions.
When we were finished, I would display questions dealing with comprehension, recall, inference and predictions. Sometimes I would have students write in their own questions. They may answer them or ask them to other students. Another option was to use a story board approach. I would give students a series of excerpts from the reading and they would draw pictures to show the content. Really interesting! It was good to change the evaluation techniques to include some other "intelligences".
I would accept possible answers depending on the student's functioning level. Some students could use a word bank and others might be able to draw their answers. I tried to allow for differentiated methods of answering whenever possible. If a student could defend their answer with accurate information, I might accept it.
I guess what I want to tell you is to use your instincts. The reading series tells you how to do everything but is it what you know your students need? Do what your heart and your brain tells you to do. You know your students and how they learn best. Share your ideas with other teachers and learn from each other. You can be your students' best resource!
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Intermission
There will be an intermission in the "Purple French Fries for Teachers" blog due to a change in geographical location. In other words, I'm going out of town and not sure I'll have internet service. I'll be back on the job the week of April 8th. Hope everyone has a good holiday and is ready to finish out the school year with gusto. (or at least some renewed energy)
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Learning the art of negotiation
According to Webster, to negotiate means: to try to reach an agreement or compromise by discussion with others. In our current world, this is an extremely important skill. Unfortunately, our politicians seem to have forgotten this definition and the importance of reaching agreements.
It's important to practice this skill as early as possible. The ability to use discussions to try to get what you want in a non-violent way is invaluable. It can be used in social, educational and vocational situations. Example: students take a test and some earn grades lower than they expected. As a teacher, I have observed students dealing with this in various ways. Here are two scenarios I've witnessed.
One student was visibly upset and asks to speak with me about this. He demands that his grade be changed because he knows that his answers are correct. When we review the test, he has difficulty explaining why his answers are accurate. As he becomes frustrated, he accuses me of never liking him. He tells me that I was out to "get him" from the beginning of the school year. This is not a successful negotiation!
Another student was also visibly upset and asks to speak with me. He has calmed himself down and appears relaxed. As we go over the test, he explains his answers referring to his study guide. He has done a good job of explaining why he put down certain answers. I agree to accept some of his answers and change his grade. He has negotiated well, compromised and earned a higher grade.
The important aspect of this skill is realizing that you have to compromise. You won't get everything that you want but you'll get more than you had before. You both win. Practicing these types of situations and strategies with students using role play can help them navigate life's situations successfully. Using these strategies can help students gain a sense of confidence and accomplishment. Maybe our politicians should go back to school and practice their role playing. Definitely!!!
It's important to practice this skill as early as possible. The ability to use discussions to try to get what you want in a non-violent way is invaluable. It can be used in social, educational and vocational situations. Example: students take a test and some earn grades lower than they expected. As a teacher, I have observed students dealing with this in various ways. Here are two scenarios I've witnessed.
One student was visibly upset and asks to speak with me about this. He demands that his grade be changed because he knows that his answers are correct. When we review the test, he has difficulty explaining why his answers are accurate. As he becomes frustrated, he accuses me of never liking him. He tells me that I was out to "get him" from the beginning of the school year. This is not a successful negotiation!
Another student was also visibly upset and asks to speak with me. He has calmed himself down and appears relaxed. As we go over the test, he explains his answers referring to his study guide. He has done a good job of explaining why he put down certain answers. I agree to accept some of his answers and change his grade. He has negotiated well, compromised and earned a higher grade.
The important aspect of this skill is realizing that you have to compromise. You won't get everything that you want but you'll get more than you had before. You both win. Practicing these types of situations and strategies with students using role play can help them navigate life's situations successfully. Using these strategies can help students gain a sense of confidence and accomplishment. Maybe our politicians should go back to school and practice their role playing. Definitely!!!
Monday, March 25, 2013
Brain exercises
There seems to be a lot of emphasis on physical exercise and I think that's great. Only lately have we heard about exercising our brains. As us baby boomers advance in age, we're learning that doing things that stimulate our brains keep us mentally sharp. As a teacher, I wanted to have my students learn strategies to be observant and aware of details. Here are a couple ways I tried to expand those mental connections.
One of the ways we would "exercise", was by using various cards with shapes on them. I would have 10 cards with increasingly complex shapes and difficulty. We would have a sample to make sure everyone was aquainted with the activity. The sample would have, maybe 2 dots and 3 wavy lines. I would display it for 5 seconds and then take it away. The students would have to draw the figure from memory. After 1-2 minutes, I would disply the figure and they would judge if they copied it correctly. Almost everyone was able to copy the sample.
The emphasis was on learning from your mistakes and participating in the activity. Everyone that participated received something - stickers, extra points, a homework waiver - something. Before that actual activity started, we would discuss various strategies to use. Many kids tried to look at the shape, draw a little and look back. We talked about how this wasn't the best method because you lost valuable observation time. Looking at the whole shape and making connections with prior knowledge seemed to be a good method. For instance, part of the shape might look like an animal or a number. Using that connection brought better results than looking up and down. It was very interesting which students were good at this task and was fun at the same time.
I also used word find puzzles to get students thinking. We discussed clues that might help find the words (double consonants, unusual letters or blends). Again, some of the students who had academic issues, did very well with this activity. Sometimes I would have one student give clues to another in order to find the words. It was a great way to start the day and get those thinking juices flowing.
Besides helping the students to be more analytical, it also helped them with certain behaviors. We talked a lot about dealing with frustration, how people learn differently and cooperating with each other. If we had a few minutes at the end of a lesson, we could pull out these activities instead of losing precious learning time.
I'm sure that all of you do certain things in your classrooms to stimulated and engage your students. Why not share your ideas with each other? One of these activities may be the one bright spot someone remembers from their school days. Wouldn't that be great?
One of the ways we would "exercise", was by using various cards with shapes on them. I would have 10 cards with increasingly complex shapes and difficulty. We would have a sample to make sure everyone was aquainted with the activity. The sample would have, maybe 2 dots and 3 wavy lines. I would display it for 5 seconds and then take it away. The students would have to draw the figure from memory. After 1-2 minutes, I would disply the figure and they would judge if they copied it correctly. Almost everyone was able to copy the sample.
The emphasis was on learning from your mistakes and participating in the activity. Everyone that participated received something - stickers, extra points, a homework waiver - something. Before that actual activity started, we would discuss various strategies to use. Many kids tried to look at the shape, draw a little and look back. We talked about how this wasn't the best method because you lost valuable observation time. Looking at the whole shape and making connections with prior knowledge seemed to be a good method. For instance, part of the shape might look like an animal or a number. Using that connection brought better results than looking up and down. It was very interesting which students were good at this task and was fun at the same time.
I also used word find puzzles to get students thinking. We discussed clues that might help find the words (double consonants, unusual letters or blends). Again, some of the students who had academic issues, did very well with this activity. Sometimes I would have one student give clues to another in order to find the words. It was a great way to start the day and get those thinking juices flowing.
Besides helping the students to be more analytical, it also helped them with certain behaviors. We talked a lot about dealing with frustration, how people learn differently and cooperating with each other. If we had a few minutes at the end of a lesson, we could pull out these activities instead of losing precious learning time.
I'm sure that all of you do certain things in your classrooms to stimulated and engage your students. Why not share your ideas with each other? One of these activities may be the one bright spot someone remembers from their school days. Wouldn't that be great?
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