As a reading teacher I have always been a firm believer that there is a MAJOR difference between the reading "strategies" or techniques used to read non-fiction compared to those used to read fiction. As a reader, I have personally experienced this difference. However, I had an interesting experience today. I was told that there was virtually no difference between reading the two types of text, and teaching non-fiction in the classroom was not worth the instructional time.
This is the first time I have ever heard a reading teacher say this and I am very very curious as to others' thoughts regarding this topic. Opinions? Thoughts? I would love to hear your ideas . . . .
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Saturday, August 11, 2012
First Week Survival
Do a little dance, because we made it. Despite a hundred challenges that should have never happened, we survived.
The kiddos started this week on Monday, and I must say that I am rather excited about my class. I have never taught in a school where the same kids have stayed year after year. I can already tell a difference in these kids from last year's in terms of behavior, and am excited to see the progress they'll make. They already know the routines, schedules and expectations, now I just have to break some bad work habits!
Aside from the kids, however, this week was interesting to say the least. The copier broke last Thursday (before school even started), and didn't get fixed until THIS Thursday (yup, you heard me, 6 days with no copy machine). The laminator broke. My document camera broke. The second day of school I forgot my flash drive at home (that will NEVER happen again, all my precious documents are now in drop box). We had no preps this week. We all had lunch duty every day and only about a 20 minute break later in the day to actually eat our lunch. Then Thursday I woke up sick. This one was for the books.
Now that we have our prep schedule, I know things will get better, but geez I'm exhausted. If I were in Arizona right now, I would get up early and go for a hike in the mountains to release some of this steam. However, mountains are no longer available, so I'm going to walk up to the Farmer's Market instead and get a cup of coffee. Today will be spent shopping for a few last minute things for my class, and then tomorrow I will hit the books and finish up my unit plans for the next couple weeks. It will be very very nice to have all of those done. Off to the market. Who knows, maybe I'll buy some pretty flowers for my classroom!
The kiddos started this week on Monday, and I must say that I am rather excited about my class. I have never taught in a school where the same kids have stayed year after year. I can already tell a difference in these kids from last year's in terms of behavior, and am excited to see the progress they'll make. They already know the routines, schedules and expectations, now I just have to break some bad work habits! Aside from the kids, however, this week was interesting to say the least. The copier broke last Thursday (before school even started), and didn't get fixed until THIS Thursday (yup, you heard me, 6 days with no copy machine). The laminator broke. My document camera broke. The second day of school I forgot my flash drive at home (that will NEVER happen again, all my precious documents are now in drop box). We had no preps this week. We all had lunch duty every day and only about a 20 minute break later in the day to actually eat our lunch. Then Thursday I woke up sick. This one was for the books.
Now that we have our prep schedule, I know things will get better, but geez I'm exhausted. If I were in Arizona right now, I would get up early and go for a hike in the mountains to release some of this steam. However, mountains are no longer available, so I'm going to walk up to the Farmer's Market instead and get a cup of coffee. Today will be spent shopping for a few last minute things for my class, and then tomorrow I will hit the books and finish up my unit plans for the next couple weeks. It will be very very nice to have all of those done. Off to the market. Who knows, maybe I'll buy some pretty flowers for my classroom!
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Goals for 2012 - 2013
As every teacher does, once the school year ends our minds
immediately go to the upcoming year. So, this year I am creating my own
goal list (something I teach my students to do on a daily basis). So
here it is. My 2012 - 2013 Goals:
#1 Start using raffle tickets again: once a day for a piece of candy, once a week for the "treasure chest." I have noticed that this year I have moved more toward the negative and strayed from the positive. I need to go back to the positive. The kids love the raffle, and they are super motivated by food. Why not use this to my advantage?
#2 Use music to time things: Make playlists this summer of music for
working, music for chatting, etc. I think this adds a mood to the
classroom that encourages community and positivity. This is what I need
more of.
#3 Reward academic goals with food! Enough said.
#4 Grade at least 1/2 of papers the day they are turned in, this will lower my stress level by about 50%. I'm going to be able to reuse so many of my lesson plans this year, and grading was where I really fell behind (as always!). Next year, I need to get them back sooner so that we can discuss them and I can give them feedback. (PS - I'm using an actual gradebook next year instead of the stupid charts!).
#5 Create a web site for the class (facebook? Shutterfly? Suggestions?)
#6 Go to more extracurricular activities.
#7 Start Independent Conferencing with kids during silent reading. I have always done this in the past and this year I have let it fall to the wayside. Time to get back in the groove of things.
#8 Incorporate more vocabulary into my instruction. Not quite sure how to do this most effectively, but this was the area that they were lagging the most in their NWEA scores. Prefixes, suffixes, root words and using context clues . . . not my favorite thing to do in the world, but it must be done.
#9 Start celebrating not just the kids' achievements, but the kids themselves (i.e. birthdays, special occasions, etc).
#10 Incorporate 1 "Habit of Mind" into instruction every two weeks. This will be a focus of both of our classes and will be involved with everything. Create a poster to put on the wall each week, and as the kids see us doing these things they will add to the poster.
I think that's enough for now, maybe even too much. I have big hopes for next year, and hopefully I won't have to work quite as hard as I did this year :-)
#1 Start using raffle tickets again: once a day for a piece of candy, once a week for the "treasure chest." I have noticed that this year I have moved more toward the negative and strayed from the positive. I need to go back to the positive. The kids love the raffle, and they are super motivated by food. Why not use this to my advantage?
#3 Reward academic goals with food! Enough said.
#4 Grade at least 1/2 of papers the day they are turned in, this will lower my stress level by about 50%. I'm going to be able to reuse so many of my lesson plans this year, and grading was where I really fell behind (as always!). Next year, I need to get them back sooner so that we can discuss them and I can give them feedback. (PS - I'm using an actual gradebook next year instead of the stupid charts!).
#5 Create a web site for the class (facebook? Shutterfly? Suggestions?)
#6 Go to more extracurricular activities.
#7 Start Independent Conferencing with kids during silent reading. I have always done this in the past and this year I have let it fall to the wayside. Time to get back in the groove of things.
#8 Incorporate more vocabulary into my instruction. Not quite sure how to do this most effectively, but this was the area that they were lagging the most in their NWEA scores. Prefixes, suffixes, root words and using context clues . . . not my favorite thing to do in the world, but it must be done.
#9 Start celebrating not just the kids' achievements, but the kids themselves (i.e. birthdays, special occasions, etc).#10 Incorporate 1 "Habit of Mind" into instruction every two weeks. This will be a focus of both of our classes and will be involved with everything. Create a poster to put on the wall each week, and as the kids see us doing these things they will add to the poster.
I think that's enough for now, maybe even too much. I have big hopes for next year, and hopefully I won't have to work quite as hard as I did this year :-)
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Changes to the room. . .
The countdown has begun.
The last three days have been absolutely insane, as we have been sitting in meetings from 7:30 - 4:00 both days. In other words, I have spent every possible second before and after school trying to get my room put back together before we get kids on Monday. Chaos. Organization Madness. Monday with children. No wonder I haven't been sleeping well (not to mention I've just HAD to stay up and watch the Olympics!).
There are a few things I am changing this year, and am pretty damn excited to see how it works.
Change #1 - An Organization Center. After reading a post from Teaching in Room 6, I was inspired to add this area to my room. One thing I noticed yesterday was that my kids, even after thousands of reminders, seemed to get temporary amnesia when it came to finding things or putting things away. My thought was that if I had all supplies in one place and labeled, we will drastically reduce the number of "Where is . . . ?" questions. This is my hope anyway, we'll see how well it actually works.
Change #2 - Group bins for independent reading books. I know that a lot of younger grades keep their independent reading books in bags on their tables, and this eliminates the getting up and wandering around in search of your book. I figured if 8 year-olds can do it, so can we. Instead of bags, I created a bin for each group to house both class' independent books. I paired them up with supply boxes for each group and gave them their own home on top of the bookshelves. I would prefer that there were bins of organized books up there, but I think this is a relatively adequate use of this space as well.
Change #3 - Library organization. Last year each classroom received 500 books for an independent reading library from the network. These books have been separated from my own personal books since last May, knowing that I was going to reorganize things this fall. SO, I labeled each of my books with my own personal label, and color coded them (with sticky "dots" on the spine) according to genre. Then, I mixed them all together! I now have over 1000 book library in my classroom and it looks awesome (if I do say so myself). They will no longer be able to complain about not finding a book to read!
I'll be posting more pictures as this next week progresses and my room continues to add a little more personality on the walls! Only two more days until the kids come. Still so much to do . . .
The last three days have been absolutely insane, as we have been sitting in meetings from 7:30 - 4:00 both days. In other words, I have spent every possible second before and after school trying to get my room put back together before we get kids on Monday. Chaos. Organization Madness. Monday with children. No wonder I haven't been sleeping well (not to mention I've just HAD to stay up and watch the Olympics!).
There are a few things I am changing this year, and am pretty damn excited to see how it works.
Change #1 - An Organization Center. After reading a post from Teaching in Room 6, I was inspired to add this area to my room. One thing I noticed yesterday was that my kids, even after thousands of reminders, seemed to get temporary amnesia when it came to finding things or putting things away. My thought was that if I had all supplies in one place and labeled, we will drastically reduce the number of "Where is . . . ?" questions. This is my hope anyway, we'll see how well it actually works.
Change #2 - Group bins for independent reading books. I know that a lot of younger grades keep their independent reading books in bags on their tables, and this eliminates the getting up and wandering around in search of your book. I figured if 8 year-olds can do it, so can we. Instead of bags, I created a bin for each group to house both class' independent books. I paired them up with supply boxes for each group and gave them their own home on top of the bookshelves. I would prefer that there were bins of organized books up there, but I think this is a relatively adequate use of this space as well.
Change #3 - Library organization. Last year each classroom received 500 books for an independent reading library from the network. These books have been separated from my own personal books since last May, knowing that I was going to reorganize things this fall. SO, I labeled each of my books with my own personal label, and color coded them (with sticky "dots" on the spine) according to genre. Then, I mixed them all together! I now have over 1000 book library in my classroom and it looks awesome (if I do say so myself). They will no longer be able to complain about not finding a book to read!
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Life in a Crowded Place
If I am completely honest with myself, I will admit that this past year was not my most successful year in terms of building a community of learners. There were many things that I typically include in my classroom that seemed to disappear from my toolbox. Blame it on switching schools, or switching grades, or moving across the country. Whatever it was, I was not at my best. I am determined to change that this year.
About three years ago, one of my mentors in Arizona gave me a book called Life in a Crowded Place by Ralph Peterson. I read about half-way through, and then the year started and it was left on the book shelf (as so many books are). I picked this book up again yesterday and began to read. Many people would consider the ideas that he suggests as "fluff" or that it buys into that touchy-feely type of teaching (which typically caters more to elementary teachers). My initial reaction was exactly this, and I was hesitant to take it seriously, especially for junior high. However, my mentor was a junior high teacher and she recommended it, so I had to at least try. Boy was I wrong. I am a firm believer that good teaching practices can be applied universally, with a few modifications obviously. Consequently, I truly believe this book is applicable regardless of the grade level. The focus is on human survival in a community. What kinds of things do we as human beings do in order to be successful in a community environment? What types of things are unique to each culture, and yet strangely similar world-wide? What makes us successful when trying to survive in a "crowded place?" These are the things that he studies in depth, and then applies to a classroom environment.
My favorite part so far is his opening paragraph:
Life in classrooms is an intense social experience. For six hours a day, week after week, month after month, one teacher and anywhere from twenty-two to thirty-four students (sometimes more) live together in a space the size of a large living room. The older the students, the larger the furniture, the tighter the space.
Ain't that the truth.
In the first section of the book he focuses on creating a caring place within the classroom in order to create a successful intense social experience. Some of the things he discusses are to include, ceremony, ritual, rite, celebrations, conversations, play, routines, jobs and residencies. I have only made it through this section, but have already been reminded of so many things I did not include in my classroom. For example, using ceremony in the classroom for small things such as opening the day. These ceremonies can be anything from a read aloud to a class meeting to a song or dance. Now, as a junior high teacher, I would find it nearly impossible to open my day up with a dance if I wanted to be taken seriously at all (a kindergarten teacher on the other hand . . . ). However, a short read aloud may be just enough to get them focused on the tasks at hand for the day. I am also contemplating the idea of a 10 minute class meeting that includes some of the following:
About three years ago, one of my mentors in Arizona gave me a book called Life in a Crowded Place by Ralph Peterson. I read about half-way through, and then the year started and it was left on the book shelf (as so many books are). I picked this book up again yesterday and began to read. Many people would consider the ideas that he suggests as "fluff" or that it buys into that touchy-feely type of teaching (which typically caters more to elementary teachers). My initial reaction was exactly this, and I was hesitant to take it seriously, especially for junior high. However, my mentor was a junior high teacher and she recommended it, so I had to at least try. Boy was I wrong. I am a firm believer that good teaching practices can be applied universally, with a few modifications obviously. Consequently, I truly believe this book is applicable regardless of the grade level. The focus is on human survival in a community. What kinds of things do we as human beings do in order to be successful in a community environment? What types of things are unique to each culture, and yet strangely similar world-wide? What makes us successful when trying to survive in a "crowded place?" These are the things that he studies in depth, and then applies to a classroom environment.
My favorite part so far is his opening paragraph:
Life in classrooms is an intense social experience. For six hours a day, week after week, month after month, one teacher and anywhere from twenty-two to thirty-four students (sometimes more) live together in a space the size of a large living room. The older the students, the larger the furniture, the tighter the space.
Ain't that the truth.
In the first section of the book he focuses on creating a caring place within the classroom in order to create a successful intense social experience. Some of the things he discusses are to include, ceremony, ritual, rite, celebrations, conversations, play, routines, jobs and residencies. I have only made it through this section, but have already been reminded of so many things I did not include in my classroom. For example, using ceremony in the classroom for small things such as opening the day. These ceremonies can be anything from a read aloud to a class meeting to a song or dance. Now, as a junior high teacher, I would find it nearly impossible to open my day up with a dance if I wanted to be taken seriously at all (a kindergarten teacher on the other hand . . . ). However, a short read aloud may be just enough to get them focused on the tasks at hand for the day. I am also contemplating the idea of a 10 minute class meeting that includes some of the following:
- Outline for the day
- School or community announcements
- Acknowledging and appreciating someone at home or in the class
- Goal-setting
Monday, July 23, 2012
School supply shopping!
I have decided that a large percentage of the reason most of us became teachers is due to our obsession with school supplies. For me, today was one of the few days that I let the animal out of the cage and just went shopping. I sat down this morning and decided that if I only have one week left of summer vacation, and will be spending most of that time up north, I had better make the most of today and find the best deals. So, I made a spreadsheet. Yes friends, I made a spreadsheet. I looked up the sales at Target, Office Max and Staples and compared all three with the things I needed to purchase. (Just a quick side note, I have not found ANYTHING useful at Office Max in the past few years. How Staples has a 15% of School Supplies card that cost me $7.00 and I can
use it every time I go in from now until the middle of September! are they still open?) Then, I went shopping.
As usual, I had to be careful at Target because I can easily walk out of there with $200 worth of stuff(as I'm sure most of us could), but I had a list, and I stuck to it. The purchases included:
Then on to Staples where I found the greatest discovery yet! Staples has a 15% of school supplies card that cost me $7.00 AND I can use it every time I go in from now until the middle of September! Just my purchases today covered the price of the card. Genius. Simply Genius. Somebody's finally thinking up there. I didn't get as much of the little stuff at Staples, but they did have 5-packs of highlighters for $.50 (limit 4). I may go back tomorrow and get four more packs. I did however get some larger things that I am going to use to reorganize my room.
This morning I spent some time reading through Teaching in Room 6 and really liked some of her ideas for organizing. Specifically having an Organization Center that has everything the kids need, all in one place. I've noticed that when I try to designate different areas of the room for different things, they forget what goes where. I'm going to try putting everything in one spot this year and see how things go.
Happy school supply shopping friends!
As usual, I had to be careful at Target because I can easily walk out of there with $200 worth of stuff(as I'm sure most of us could), but I had a list, and I stuck to it. The purchases included:
- $.99 for 6 glue sticks
- $.99 for packages of big markers
- $.99 for packages of 8 bic mechanical pencils (I sell them in class to those 8th graders that have forgotten their writing utensils. Proceeds go to class parties.)
- $.99 for 12-pack of colored pencils
- $.49 for personal size pencil sharpeners
Then on to Staples where I found the greatest discovery yet! Staples has a 15% of school supplies card that cost me $7.00 AND I can use it every time I go in from now until the middle of September! Just my purchases today covered the price of the card. Genius. Simply Genius. Somebody's finally thinking up there. I didn't get as much of the little stuff at Staples, but they did have 5-packs of highlighters for $.50 (limit 4). I may go back tomorrow and get four more packs. I did however get some larger things that I am going to use to reorganize my room.
This morning I spent some time reading through Teaching in Room 6 and really liked some of her ideas for organizing. Specifically having an Organization Center that has everything the kids need, all in one place. I've noticed that when I try to designate different areas of the room for different things, they forget what goes where. I'm going to try putting everything in one spot this year and see how things go.
Happy school supply shopping friends!
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