So, there I am, watching the NBC Nightly News this evening. The "feel good" story at the end of the program, is about random acts of kindness. A school district in Tara Hoyt, Indiana had the Elementary and Secondary students write how people were kind to them on post its. They then put them on a wall and could see all the acts of kindness that were happening. What a great way to view positive interactions!!!
When the students were interviewed, they were aware of how, even the smallest act, can change a person's day tremendously. They discussed what power these acts have to change some one's life and have a meaningful impact on others.
Seems to me that the 11th post on this blog dealt with DAK (Daily Acts of Kindness). It is truly wonderful to observe that others understand the power of positivism. I wish people who have the the political and financial power in this country, would practice these acts. If they realized that the real power in life is affecting others in a positive way, they would know happiness beyond their dreams. I guess that this is my dream!!
Monday, May 6, 2013
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
The end is near .........
It's May 1st!! There are 6-7 weeks left in the school year and you're in one of two positions. Either your testing is almost over or you're gearing up for the end of the year testing. It can be a tough time in either situation - students checking out (cognitively) or freaking out with test anxiety. And you may be a little crispy around the edges from a pressure packed school year - principals, press, parents ( the triple P). You have more 2nd winds left in you because you are a professional and you know how to do your job. Ok - strategies!
The students may be as sick of the triple P's as you are so how do you keep that "forge ahead" spirit going? One suggestion might be to take a little breather from the academic pressure and schedule in some, dare I say it, "fun" time. I'm not sure if the "prescribed" educational curriculum allows for any of that stuff, but maybe you can slip it in somehow.
For Elementary classes, having fun with words is great. You could institute "Fabulous Phonics Friday" and play with decoding at the end of the week. You could review the rules, make up non-sense words and assign meanings to them. Then put them into a text and guess what the meaning is. You could take some words, maybe Memorial Day, and see how many words you could make out of it. You would be amazed at how many words you can make having word families add to the learning experience. This is fun for Secondary class, as well.
There are also a lot of Science topics that can be explored this time of year. One day a week could be "Experiment Day" and do a web search for some interesting experiments. Then there's always raising butterflies or prying mantis. It is truly amazing to see the development of these animals and then to release them into the environment. So cool!
As for the Secondary teachers, you know what your students are into. Maybe make up a Jeopardy game using content vocabulary or, popular musical groups. You could also do this with Hangman. There isn't a kid alive who doesn't love Hangman. It's important to have a diversion every so often which can also be fun, for you and your students. If you're not having fun, they're not having fun!
For the rest of the school year, I will be having fewer blog entries. Much of what I have been talking about has to do with techniques or ideas for the beginning or mid-year of the school calendar. Just know that you are doing a good job in a time when teaching and education is the political scapegoat. Take deep breathes and know that you make an impact with your students. You may not see it now but you'd be surprised to know how much your students will remember you.
The students may be as sick of the triple P's as you are so how do you keep that "forge ahead" spirit going? One suggestion might be to take a little breather from the academic pressure and schedule in some, dare I say it, "fun" time. I'm not sure if the "prescribed" educational curriculum allows for any of that stuff, but maybe you can slip it in somehow.
For Elementary classes, having fun with words is great. You could institute "Fabulous Phonics Friday" and play with decoding at the end of the week. You could review the rules, make up non-sense words and assign meanings to them. Then put them into a text and guess what the meaning is. You could take some words, maybe Memorial Day, and see how many words you could make out of it. You would be amazed at how many words you can make having word families add to the learning experience. This is fun for Secondary class, as well.
There are also a lot of Science topics that can be explored this time of year. One day a week could be "Experiment Day" and do a web search for some interesting experiments. Then there's always raising butterflies or prying mantis. It is truly amazing to see the development of these animals and then to release them into the environment. So cool!
As for the Secondary teachers, you know what your students are into. Maybe make up a Jeopardy game using content vocabulary or, popular musical groups. You could also do this with Hangman. There isn't a kid alive who doesn't love Hangman. It's important to have a diversion every so often which can also be fun, for you and your students. If you're not having fun, they're not having fun!
For the rest of the school year, I will be having fewer blog entries. Much of what I have been talking about has to do with techniques or ideas for the beginning or mid-year of the school calendar. Just know that you are doing a good job in a time when teaching and education is the political scapegoat. Take deep breathes and know that you make an impact with your students. You may not see it now but you'd be surprised to know how much your students will remember you.
Monday, April 22, 2013
Poetry Month
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!
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!
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)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)