Whiteboard Word Wall

Just an idea...

Word Wall, pref on a whiteboard but that large paper sheet would work too -- students add words, can add definitions, syn/ant, illustrations, draw arrows/bridges to connect to other words, list examples of use/quotes from text -- fic or nonfic. Can even add word/def in native lang for ELs.
When board/paper/space is full take a pic and add to a slide show (accessible thru Google docs?) for viewing/study/reference.

Hmmm... I think my sons need to work up an example of this. They love summer projects!

Reading for my GATE Cert. class sometimes leads to too many ideas/distractions, but I guess I'd rather be distracted by ideas than be bored and finish quickly.

History of English Language

Cool little video on where our words come from.  I'd show it in class (6th grade and up) but prob skip the slightly naughty bit (end of part 6, I believe).

 and here's the original on the Smithsonian page

Classroom Photos

Too much? Too cluttered? Too yellow?

Bonus points for finding WHERE the events from CNN Student News or anything else covered in class actually is. Twenty push-ups if you cannot find where you live.

I like maps.

Thank you Wonderopolis for the Spring Break Homework inspiration.

 That's as clean as it was gonna get. Eww, hope I didn't leave the apples there.

Finding a ton of great ideas here:

http://missnoor.visibli.com/share/SrZfJq

and here:

http://missnoor28.blogspot.com/

Twain's "Robot Jim"

Reporting From the Front Line...

Shhhh... I'm surrounded. My first post from the classroom, live as learning occurs at this very moment ! At least, I hope so.

Actually, they're taking a test. I finally got the printer hooked up to this beat up old Mac I liberated from my former school (since I'm not in the system as a real official teacher yet I can't use class laptop or Promethean Board. ug. grrrr.) and I'm looking up material for topic sentences, research papers, etc.


This has been a useful site for essay stuff. So has this one.
And this one has samples for letter writing.  Purdue U's OWL never disappoints; I know it's college level and slightly over the head of 5th graders, but I don't want to shy away from higher level material. They've probably had similarly simple/corny letters for several years now. Or am risking losing them?

Uh-oh, gotta go. The natives are restless...

March Madness

By the time my SDSU Aztecs defeat those damn Dukies this weekend, I should have this figured out: a bracket/tournament of children's books to mirror the college basketball "March Madness" -- here are a few ideas so far...

• kick it off with Dr Seuss birthday celebration and students presenting and talking about favorite books
• need a simple, expedient voting process (higher grades could be online)
• each round (sweet 16, elite 8, etc) can focus on a specific aspect, such as characters or theme

any ideas? seen it done anywhere?

Drowning in Scraps and Doodles

Funny thing is, I've started this post/project umpteen times lately and never quite finished. And so the pile grows...

Love post it notes. I go into panic attack mode if there is not one near by when needed.  Even without a pen handy, I can carry around several blank sticky notes just to remind me of what I'll forget as soon as I find that pen. Let's see what I can uncover and decipher this morning...

"Kurt SAT" -- oh lordy, is my oldest really that old? No, 16 is not really old, but next comes 18, then 21, then 28, it just doesn't stop, does it? Dang, another hair just went gray.

"Hula hops w/ strings" -- probably "hoops" for a lesson on planetary orbits; tie strings to hoops to demonstrate orbits, earth hoop connects to sun hoop, moon hoop to earth hoop, student holds/stands in center of hoop... hmm, might be one I need to try out w/ my lab rats (sons).  Also, strings/cords of varying thicknesses to show level of gravitational pull? I love doing the moon rotation lessons, and props plus student movement seems to help.

"Crawdaddy Simone" -- song title?

"sardonic" -- word of the day/week up on a poster with room for students to write what they think is the definition/use it in a sentence, points or prizes given at end of week, extra credit for defining root words, etc.

 "show me 5" -- heard a teacher say this when getting class attention; I think the five were eyes, ears, smile, hands in lap and legs criss cross.

"Time Line" -- I love time lines, and I know students have issues conceptualizing the When of events, eras, etc. My son lumps the Revolutionary War, King Arthur, Ancient Egypt all into "way back when" so I want him to raw out his own timeline and fill in what he is interested in at the appropriate space on a long roll of paper (calculator/receipt paper?). Could be done as whole class project and add people/events as the year goes on. Works with across all subjects -- fractions/measurement, science, literature...

"Connections" -- I'm all about the connections, I want students to be able to access as much different information in that computer on their shoulders as possible. Just like the word bat (it's a noun! a verb! a creature with fangs!) I want them to see all the possibilities in a lesson -- how can this Math be used in Science, the "real world", and what is the who and when behind it? How does this book connect to our Social Studies lesson? I think even younger grades can learn how to take notes, writing down everything they think of when I say a certain word or phrase so they expand the "search" and bring more connections, more background knowledge/prior experience, more opportunities for new information to stick.  Isn't there a board game where you list everything related to a word or phrase?

"46 across, 5 letters, Submarine" -- I like crossword puzzles.  I want to use them in my class, and not as time filler for students who finish early. They're connected to making connections -- could "submarine" be a noun, a verb, a...?

"boys (swords, wool) girls (emot, love triangle)"  -- not sure what this one means

"Reading First" -- free.ed.gov

Cool, that was a good sized stack reviewed, sorted, crumpled and tossed!

Deconstructing Penguins

by Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone (2005)

As one who has loved books all my life (thank you, Mother!) I am regretfully weak in the whole theme/subtext/metaphor/etc. angle of reading.  I've always been more of an "enjoy the story" kind of guy, which led to much embarrassment in college courses when I repeatedly failed to catch important foreshadowing clues or understand what the author was really saying.

This book is one I will keep on my desk.  I suppose I can't only teach the books the Goldstones talk about, but they give clear, usable examples, especially of protagonist vs antagonist and the authors' reasons for writing what they do, which should help students (and me) build a critical eye.  Books they discuss include Charlotte's Web, Babe, Phantom Tollbooth, The View From Saturday, Animal Farm, and The Giver (most of which I've popped straight to the top of the Library Request list)...

Now if only someone could explain The Giving Tree to me...

Superheroes = Super Readers

Comic Book Literacy *

I like comic books, my kids like comic books, and I want my students to read/like/appreciate/create/etc. comic books.  Oops, I forgot I'm supposed to call them "graphic novels" or "illustrated classics" now, especially if trying to use them in a classroom.  Reading is about enjoying to read, wanting to read, cooperating eagerly with reading time instead of grudgingly flipping through whatever book happens to be nearby.  I've seen middle school classes turn the pages of tired, over-perused National Geographics without so much as a courtesy glance at the text (and barely allowing the images to register in their turned-off minds) during "Independent Reading" -- and I'd much rather they were reading a comic book!

On the other hand, I also see (mostly boys, mostly struggling readers) the "reading" of comics as simply a picture walk.  I'll allow comics, even strip collections like the inimitable Calvin and Hobbes , but I want to verify comprehension, I want vocabulary, questions, and predictions -- proof you actually read the words inside those balloons!  Would this work to check comprehension: white out some of the text, entire balloons or panels, and have the student fill in his/her own words, phrases, descriptions of action. Comics could also be used as a voice-over type of Reader's Theater, almost like classic radio shows or silent movies with the images up on the screen?

* Probably going to miss ComicCon this year, but checking out this site now...

playing telephone

I could not for the life of me figure out why this student had a U-shaped piece of pvc in her desk, and after telling her to put it away three times during the day I finally asked -- what are you doing with a U-shaped piece of pipe in your desk?!?!?

Then half the class ran over to a big cabinet drawer full of the white plastic mysteries, and showed me how they read to themselves holding the pipe like a telephone (although a much larger phone than any of these digital children have ever used!) -- their whispered voices went right into the pvc and around the bend to their ear so they could perfectly hear what and how they were reading. Amazing!

I certainly do not recommend using anything that has been attached underneath your sink, and I'm sure there are copyrighted name brand models in those educational supply catalogs, but this teacher had simply bought bright white 2" P-traps and let the kids start reading!

reading list

btw, found a great book, especially if you like 6 page long lists of homonyms! I have barely cracked the spine but already know it will be on my desk for a long time...

The Reading Teacher's Book of Lists

10.30.08

43 6th graders.

I shoulda brought candy.

1st 3 periods went well, good discussion with lots of "explain it to me" review, mixed a lot of students in the convo or showing me what needs to be done.

large crowds -- stay in one place, moving around allowed the tables/talkers behind me to get started up again; table by table reading of the text? teams to answer questions? nothing to get them too loud -- group work at tables than each share an answer/evidence? Or at some point just give up on the lesson plan and ask what they are interested in? Bribe with free time at the end if they can stay quiet AND get through the lesson...?

did have good result from a few defiant/smart alec students that I gave the stern "need you to cooperate" talk, then went right back to them to explain an answer and find evidence

The VP came in and went over SLANT -- Sit Straight, don't Lean, A...?, Nod at the teacher, Track the teacher as he/she moves around the room... I'm not sure I got those right, have to check the district/school's website.

seriously, need to hit Costco for suckers and jolly ranchers to keep those mouths busy with something other than yakking