Introducing the Identity Unit

Ms. Baldwin's class has a yearly unit revolving around identity.  At the beginning of the unit, she tells the class that there are so many aspects of identity that it is hard to even narrow down what to look at in the unit.  However, there will be a range of activities and lessons, and the students can dive into parts that they are most interested in. 

Wednesday's class incorporated the Myers-Briggs test.  This revolves around four main categories: where individuals get their energy (introvert or extrovert), how they process information, how they make decisions, and how they choose to live their lifestyle.  Ms. Baldwin stressed the importance of telling the students that no category is better or worse than another category, and straddling different categories is totally fine.

The students got excited about this activity.  Much of the value of the lesson lay in forcing the students to turn a critical lens on their own behaviors.  They had to decide what they would do in situations, how they act and react, and what things they like.  It wasn't rare that a student would say something along the lines of: "I guess I do do that.  I never thought about it before."

The test is a little outdated, so some of the language had to be broken down and analyzed.  These instances of analysis were teachable opportunities.

One important aspect to stress is that some answers in different categories actually contrast or conflict with each other.  This is not a bad thing.  Human beings are complex, and the answers can change based on many different factors.

I'm teaching in this unit!  It's coming up!!!

Half Day with the Seventh Grade

Practicum was interesting today. The students were only having a half day so the classes were shortened. It started off today with two back-to-back seventh grade classes. They had root word quizzes.

Root word quizzes in Ms. Baldwin's classroom does not revolve around spelling. Rather, students use root words they studied during the week to create sentences where they incorporate the root words into other words. For example, students put the root word “psyche” into sentences like, “My favorite subject in school is psychology because I am interested in the mind.” There were some very creative sentences.

TEAM EXTREME had a team meeting with all four main content teachers-- English, Social Studies, Science, and Math-- and all seventh and eighth graders from the team. They discussed team policies-- some of which defer from other team's policies. I was interested to see how many of the eighth graders voiced rules and policies for the seventh graders before the teachers even discussed them. I think it brought another dynamic into the group when students were teaching their peers.

The end of the day was spent with Ms. Baldwin and I have a planning period. We discussed differentiated instruction and unit planning, mostly. Ms. Baldwin assured me that the process gets easier with experience. She said that using the standards was actually very effective, but they became more easy to incorporate and integrate into the classroom.

Course Reading on Vocab and Grammar

I have been looking into incorporating vocabulary and grammar into the classroom in non-traditional and more effective ways. My biggest takeaway so far is that incorporating vocabulary and grammar isn't as difficult as I originally thought. There are ways to seemingly incorporate and integrate vocabulary into a lesson.

One activity I am especially fond of for vocabulary lessons is called the “scramble.” Students put lanyards around their necks with one vocabulary word on it. They are to be experts on that word for the day. Throughout the lesson, the teacher will provide opportunities where the students have to arrange themselves with each other based on the relationships between those words. It's basically like a concept map using bodies. They then explain to the class why they arranged the way they did. Of course, this activity can be done on an individual basis, too. Students can have individual decks of cards with vocabulary words. They can create a visual representation with those decks, arranging them in relation to each other in a way that makes sense to them. This works as a great strategy for progress monitoring and formative assessments. We can use their individual concept maps to identify and address misconceptions that they have surrounding the vocabulary. “Interactive opportunities,” according to the book Word Nerds, helps students to “process word meanings at a deeper and more refined level.”

I've only begun to initiate research into grammar. I'm reading the book Engaging Grammar: Practical Advice for Real Classrooms by Amy Benjamin with Tom Oliva. The teachers interviewed in the initial chapters expressed that grammar was typically the most boring aspect of the English classroom. However, this book argues that we can incorporate and integrate grammar education into our regular curriculum seamlessly. It does not have to be a separate unit. There's no reason why we can't identify sentences splices in student writing and even reading. This makes it more real and related, anyway. Students seeing prepositional phrases being used effectively or ineffectively provides them with a better understanding of the role of the phrase than a simple definition on a whiteboard.

My next questions concerning grammar is HOW? How do I effectively implement grammar without simply dropping terms in isolated ways? How do I make it engaging?

Independent Reading Projects

Ms. Baldwin's Mantra is "Independent Reading is Essential."  This impacts nearly everything she does.  The students have been working for a few weeks on creating projects based around their summer independent reading book.  Some students completed posters.  Others completed movies.  Others did slide presentations and acting.  The essential question was: "What is the purpose and importance of independent reading?"  As long as the students addressed that question somewhere in the project, they could explore other topics.  One student talked about how he would have ended the story differently than the author.  One student talked about how the author's life influenced the content of the story.  Today was presentation day.  The students presented to the class after filling out self-assessment rubrics.

I really appreciated this project.  I have been looking into the importance of independent reading when it comes to vocabulary learning and other avenues.  I appreciated, also, that the students could think about their books through different lens.  Rather than merely summarize their books, they had to exercise analysis of the text and provide opinions on characters, structure, etc.

One student, Mason, shared a presentation about the book he read, A Bridge Over the River Kwai.  He talked about history in which the book was set.  He talked about WWII conditions and geography and the story presented in the book in contrast with the real life story.  It was obvious that he was engaged with the material because he was passionate about it.  That passion was even translated on the student spectators.  They asked him questions and he went with it.  Even Ms. Baldwin was asking questions.

There was a broad range of texts and subjects pursued in the class.  The students really seemed to be engaged with the material and their projects mirrored some of their personalities and interests.   One set of students worked together to make a movie about the Harry Potter books.  They acted out the characters and really brought out their own senses of humor.

I asked Ms. Baldwin how she came up with the idea for these projects.  She expressed that she didn't always see the value in making all students read the same textbooks all the time.  They interacted with material more and learned more from exploring their own interests and finding ways to present those interests to the class while still addressing the essential questions.

Another important observation from today came from the group setting up technology before presentations.  The students seemed to be the experts.  More than that: Ms. Baldwin let them be the experts.  She let them set up the wires and the speakers and connect their iPads to her computer Bluetooth.  She continued to call on one student, Elton, for assistance in the technology area.  He seemed to really enjoy that role.

I'm finding that Ms. Baldwin's classroom management style is not as traditional as what I'm used to.  However, I feel far more comfortable with it than any other classroom management style so far.  She is relaxed and lets the students pursue questions and ideas.  She is respectful to them, and they are respectful right back.  I feel very at ease in this classroom.

Vocabulary Instruction

The eighth graders went on a field trip today, so I did not have my regular hours in the classroom.

Instead, I focused on researching the area of vocabulary instruction.

Many of my experiences with vocabulary instruction have been the same: the teacher writes the word on the board and provides a definition, and I copy the material into a notebook to be quizzed on later. This a regular activity for many teachers. However, studies show that this vocabulary practice is not truly sustaining education. If the material does not provide a rich sense of the word in many contexts and a deep understanding, it rarely makes it's way into the student's social vocabulary for future or current use.

I began reading Word Nerds: Teaching All Students to Learn and Love Vocabulary by Leslie J. Overturf in order to further investigate the issue of vocabulary instruction in the classroom. A goal for teaching vocabulary is for students to be “taking ownership” on the words (3)--that is, they are understanding a deep understanding and can use that word effectively and confidently.

There are several strategies for increasing vocabulary. One is independent reading. Studies show that students are exposed to a variety of words in different contexts through independent reading. As I've already been interested in the value of independent reading in the classroom, this is an exciting connection.

In order to really build a strong word schema for the students, they need to have time to work with the words in a variety of ways. Wide reading, as mentioned, is one way. Beyond that, classroom discussions in a language-rich environment can be helpful. We need to create an environment that is playful with language, encouraging the students to use words and feel safe exploring new words. Other strategies include word play, drama, and music.

Vocabulary can't be put on the back burner to other content. Conversely, it should be made a priority. Vocabulary instruction is transferable to other content areas, and is directly related to real-life. It should be a hallmark in and out of the classroom. Teaching vocabulary should be “intentional, transparent, useable, personal, and a priority” (17).

Individual word instruction can be maximized by word learning strategies, word consciousness, and, eventually, rich and varied language experiences where the student owns the word.

Encouraging vocabulary instruction should really be happening every day. It shouldn't be a scenario where students are introduced to vocab on Monday, not using it until the quiz on Friday. It should be intentional and useful in everyday classroom conversations.

I began reading initially about activities that will be infused with vocabulary instruction. Shared reading, writing workshops, small group guided readings, and free reading are all examples that I plan to look into more as the semester progresses.

Vocabulary and Group Dynamics

I know many ELA teachers in particular who dread teaching vocabulary.  It seems like nothing but rote memorization and engagement is difficult.

On Wednesdays and Fridays, Ms. Baldwin teaches two eighth grade classes back to back.  It was interesting to see how the two groups responded to traditional vocabulary learning in very different ways.  The first group- comprised of a variety of high flying students- remained relatively engaged with the material.  At least, they participated and followed along.  They offered examples to go along with the root words (hyper, morph, poly) and wrote the words on flashcards.

The second group is heavily comprised of boys.  They all sit on one side of the classroom and tend to distract each other.  Ms. Baldwin threatened to separate them after many interruptions and disruptions.  Because she had to stop and address so many behavioral distractions, I felt the conversation between the class lagged considerably.  They did not ask about some of the words as much as the first class and it was harder to keep track of their progress.  In fact, Ms. Baldwin even had to directly tell them to write the assignments in their assignment books, checking to make sure they did-- something that was not explicitly brought up in the first class.

As teachers, we will obviously have a variety of groups.  It's interesting to see how much of a role group dynamics play within the classroom and strategies to work with those group dynamics effectively.

The classes are working on independent reading projects.  They can choose how to display their understanding of their individual reading books.  Some students made powerpoints. Some made movies.  Some made collages and posters.  They all had to address the essential question:  What is the purpose and importance of independent reading?

The students of both classes seemed engaged in these projects.  They were approaching the same question in different ways.  Students could collaborate with each other and offer input.

Frazzled Friday

Ms. Baldwin brought in a group of five eighth graders to lead small group collaborative learning.  These eighth graders broke off with sections of four seventh graders and walked them through the capabilities and resources provided on the IPad driver's test.  Before the seventh graders were allowed to take these Ipads off of school grounds, they had to demonstrate their skills in opening documents, downloading apps, and using school resources like Schoology and Notability.

This was a hectic time.  Ms. Baldwin had to repeat the instructions for signing in, choosing passwords, and setting up accounts several times.  Once the process got rolling, however, the eighth graders took over.  They had to write their own initials as a check-off when the seventh graders in their group exercised the identified skills on the rubric.

A large incentive for getting through the tedious tasks that day was the promise of library time for independent reading.  Ms. Baldwin structures a lot of her curriculum and time around independent reading.  The students disperse around the library, using the online library available on their Ipads as well as hard copies provided in the school library.

Ms. Baldwin regularly allows students to fill out cards, recommending their independent reading books to other students after they have finished reading.  Students appear to appreciate picking books out for each other based on the student's interests.

I liked that even Ms. Baldwin and I got to bring out individual reading books and model independent reading alongside the students.  The general quiet time served well as readers reacted to books that interested them.

It was an exhausting day in the seventh grade today, but a lot of business was taken care of.  Seventh graders are now well on their way to participating with school resources online.

Critical Thinking, Independent Reading, Alternative Conceptions

I began reading "Teaching to Exceed the English Language Arts Common Core State Standards" (Beach, Thein, Webb) this semester.  The opening chapters of this book were particularly useful when it came to considering the issue of text selection in class.  I've been musing on the subject of classic literature and the relevance in the classroom.  This chapter spoke directly to that issue.  While there is nothing directly wrong with classic literature- The Odyssey, Shakespeare, etc.- we cannot only be providing this form of literature in the classroom.  These books traditionally came from prominent, white, male writers in either Europe or the United States.  We should be broadening our cultural scope far greater.  One suggestion was made in the book to not first look at the texts required and then how to apply it to our students, but first look at our students and select texts based on that. 

One perspective is never enough for a whole picture.

If students only "encounter...beliefs and attitudes that reinforce their existing ideas," it is far less likely that they will "engage in critical inquiry"(11).  If we are, in fact, wanting our students to think critically and REALLY grasp our learning targets, we need them to work with a bit of information that challenges them and helps them to grow as learners.

As teachers, one of our goals should be to help students "reflect on the limitations of their own beliefs" (17).  Students bring misconceptions and different beliefs and mindsets into the classroom all the time.  We should be providing avenues for them to discuss those differing perspectives, and allow room for them to change their mind.

When I think back on my period of learning in middle and high school, I see myself as a student who felt comfortable with the routine.  The traditional learning environment.  The traditional texts.  I did not feel comfortable when new insights were brought into play that challenged my thinking.  However, as I grow and learn more, I'm recognizing that there is a far bigger world out there to see than the one I was settling to see.  There were other issues to uncover.  There were other points to consider.  I wish that I look more into alternative perspectives on so many topics when I was younger.  As a result, I'm passionate about creating opportunities that are authentic and real challenges for my students to help them expand that comfort zone and see new things.

So why should my students all read the same materials?  It's not like they all come from the same backgrounds and have the same interests in those materials.

But how do I gauge what the students are really getting out of their individual reading?  How should I monitor?  Free writes?  How do I facilitate book discussions when everyone is reading different things?  Small groups?  Partner reading?

As I'm nearing student teaching and eventual full-time teaching, it is really important for me to put real action and methods to my theories.  The big question, then, is HOW?  It's a little imposing to consider.

While I'm considering the issue of independent, critical thinking and misconceptions in the classroom, I came across the following clip that got me thinking a little.  WARNING: some expletive language.

Scene from Movie About Challenging Thinking

The Renaissance Star Reading Test & Other Events

Another three hours in the eighth grade classroom came coupled with lots of activity.  The students completed the standard reading assessment, Star Reading, to assess their individual reading level. Ms. Baldwin showed me the results of the assessment.  Used as a non-graded formative assessment, the Renaissance Star Reading Test breaks down different components of reading.  Students are individually asked separate questions about vocabulary, reading comprehension, and skills pertaining to fluency.  Not surprisingly, within a class of ten students, a wide range of skill levels existed.  Two students tested within the second grade reading level category.  Two other boys scored in the twelfth grade reading level category.

I asked Ms. Baldwin how she uses the information from the test results.  She discussed the difficulties of picking texts to use in the classroom on a whole-class reading basis.  Fortunately, Ms. Baldwin's curriculum uses a lot of independent reading, allowing for flexibility of reading levels and interests.  Students use a variety of different texts to achieve their goals and reach the standards.  She told me that two or three students are pulled from classes during short periods to work on literacy intervention.  It's a school policy that teachers are not to teach new curriculum during these short periods, so students do not fall behind in core classes.

Students went on to complete an Ipad "Driver's Test."  They needed to demonstrate both responsibility and the ability to complete tasks on the Ipads in order to bring the Ipads home.  Demonstration of skills included downloading apps, accessing Schoology and Notability, uploading PDF documents, etc.  If they could not demonstrate these skills, they had to receive a little more individualized instruction before being able to bring the Ipads home.  In this way, they truly had to exercise technological literacy.  They could ask peers for advice while completing the task.

Ms. Baldwin's agenda for the day was very business and task oriented.  Classroom management was key to accomplishing the lengthy amount of tasks.  Fortunately, the students generally stayed on-task.  Ms. Baldwin allowed them several breaks to get up, walk around, eat, etc.  During the classwork, as a result, the students really maintained a task-oriented mindset that helped to get a lot accomplished.

Thoughts about Selecting Literature for the Classroom

How does classic literature fit in the ever changing, modern day classroom?  Where does ANY literature fit in the classroom?  How do I know what texts to select?

I keep thinking about these questions.  I was reflecting on how students all across the board read what seems like the same books in the secondary English classrooms.  Will there ever be a classroom that DOESN'T read To Kill a Mockingbird or Hamlet?

I'm not discrediting these books.  In fact, To Kill A Mockingbird remains as one of my favorite books.  I just keep considering the possibility of introducing new literature to the classroom.  Will there be room for that in my curriculum?  How do I know which books to incorporate and how to do it?

I was beginning to read Beach's Teaching Literature to Adolescents where he and his colleagues are raising these very issues.  Teachers are mandated to stay within state standards and school/district curriculum.  However, it is also important to bring in other resources in order to meet the current students' immediate needs and interests.

As a teacher, my goal is to encourage students to become critical thinkers and progress in writing and reading skills.  When we select our literature, we should constantly be thinking of not only what we pick but how we present it.  How will we incorporate Hamlet- for example- into a language and concept that will both reach and challenge the individual student set?  What cultural/societal/socioeconomic aspects should I be considering when I choose and then introduce texts?

Content discussed in the literature, of course, is important.  Selecting texts is a really long, complex process-- but a rewarding one if done correctly.  As I explored the website for the National Council of Teachers of English, I read many posts about selecting texts and incorporating them effectively.  All of the posts had a common theme: select texts that provide rich material in MORE THAN ONE SPECIFIC WAY.  How does it fit in with other texts for that unit?  How does it fit in with the students' interests?  How does it work with activities and projects?

I found a few resources that are proving to be really helpful so far:

Diagram of Anchor/ Chain Texts' Relationship

As well as ideas like Socratic Seminars and small group work discussed briefly in this teacher-to-teacher blog:

Socratic Seminars and Small Group Work

I plan to continue looking into this subject of selecting texts the more I read.  This is only the beginning :)

Thoughts about Selecting Literature for the Classroom

How does classic literature fit in the ever changing, modern day classroom?  Where does ANY literature fit in the classroom?  How do I know what texts to select?

I keep thinking about these questions.  I was reflecting on how students all across the board read what seems like the same books in the secondary English classrooms.  Will there ever be a classroom that DOESN'T read To Kill a Mockingbird or Hamlet?

I'm not discrediting these books.  In fact, To Kill A Mockingbird remains as one of my favorite books.  I just keep considering the possibility of introducing new literature to the classroom.  Will there be room for that in my curriculum?  How do I know which books to incorporate and how to do it?

I was beginning to read Beach's Teaching Literature to Adolescents where he and his colleagues are raising these very issues.  Teachers are mandated to stay within state standards and school/district curriculum.  However, it is also important to bring in other resources in order to meet the current students' immediate needs and interests.

As a teacher, my goal is to encourage students to become critical thinkers and progress in writing and reading skills.  When we select our literature, we should constantly be thinking of not only what we pick but how we present it.  How will we incorporate Hamlet- for example- into a language and concept that will both reach and challenge the individual student set?  What cultural/societal/socioeconomic aspects should I be considering when I choose and then introduce texts?

Content discussed in the literature, of course, is important.  Selecting texts is a really long, complex process-- but a rewarding one if done correctly.  As I explored the website for the National Council of Teachers of English, I read many posts about selecting texts and incorporating them effectively.  All of the posts had a common theme: select texts that provide rich material in MORE THAN ONE SPECIFIC WAY.  How does it fit in with other texts for that unit?  How does it fit in with the students' interests?  How does it work with activities and projects?

I found a few resources that are proving to be really helpful so far:

Diagram of Anchor/ Chain Texts' Relationship

As well as ideas like Socratic Seminars and small group work discussed briefly in this teacher-to-teacher blog:

Socratic Seminars and Small Group Work

I plan to continue looking into this subject of selecting texts the more I read.  This is only the beginning :)

Students Brainstorming Self-Direction and the Language of State Standards