Group items tagged

Here is an article from the IRA with great mentor text suggestions for Writer's Workshop.

I love this topic. I have always believed that using picture books beyond elementary school is a great idea. Mitali Perkins will be our visiting author this May. Her latest book Open Mic: Riffs on Life Between Cultures in Ten Voices might be another useful resource for teachers interested in working with short texts. I believe she only edited the stories that were picked. I have not read it yet, but I just copied and pasted the information from Mitali's website for you to look over. The public library will be ordering mulitple copies and the middle school will hopefully do the same. Though we lack a funding source, it might be a consideration for some type of all school (middle school) read. "Listen in as ten YA authors-some familiar, some new-use their own brand of humor to share their stories about growing up between cultures. Edited by Mitali Perkins, this collection of fiction and nonfiction embraces a mix of stayles as diverse as their authors, from laugh-out-loud funny to wry, ironic, or poignant, in prose, poetry, and comic form. With contributions by Cherry Cheva, Varian Johnson, Naomi Shihab Nye, Mitali Perkins, Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich, Debby Rigaud, Francisco X. Stork, Gene Luen Yang, and David Yoo."

I'm glad that I'm not the only one looking for quality mentor texts, and am also glad that others found the information from the IRA helpful. Thank you for adding information of your own. It's all so informative. There are some great resources out there!

We have just started teaching informative writing. This guide has great information, some of it grade specific, on why and how to teach this type of writing.

Thanks for sharing this, Jan. I can see how it will be a helpful tool. I like the Thinking Maps that apply to different writing purposes - reminds me a bit of the EmPOWER writing program.

This reminds me how much I respect K-3 and elementary teachers in general. The fundamentals are so important. Thanks for posting this. I'm excited that Common Core emphasizes expository writing. I find it somewhat disingenuous that a lot of high school language arts curriculum is based on analyzing fiction and works of literature, and "proving" theses that are up for interpretation. Expository writing can be so interesting and when inspired by passion for the subject matter, powerful.

Interesting article that discusses augmentation of the writing process with using the iPad. I think I need to try MindMeister with some students!

Written by a professor at Framingham State. A nice reflection of the benefits and pitfalls of blogging in the classroom. Something I need to work on is how to continue to assign writing (the more practice they get the better they get at it) without making it so overwhelming for me to give meaningful feedback. Also, he talks about how it is hard to get students to comment on one another's posts and how to monitor it online.

This was great to read (and a little satisfying) as these are exactly the same stuggles I face using blogs with my students. Practice has always been a main focus. We always talk about giving students as many "at bats" as possible, but like it was mentioned, with more writing offering quality feedback for every piece is sacrificed. I've experimented with different methods to offset this, but nothing is sticking yet. The student commenting piece is also frustrating because so much scaffolding and monitoring needs to be done for students to do it well that you have to set aside more class time than you have. I would have thought at the college level this would be easier to manage, but apparently not.

Thought provoking article that stresses even more that developmentally Kindergarteners are not ready for the curriculum that they face.

Kerry, thanks for sharing this. This article was well worth reading. It makes me sad to think of what we are continuing to do to young kids, and scared for their future. Just thinking back to when I was in kindergarten, I remember lots of time to explore and play in different stations, including building and dress up stations. We did plenty of learning through play, and still all learned to read and make it through school. I'm in the middle school and don't always know exactly what's going on in the lower elementary schools, but it does seem like things are continually being pushed to younger and younger ages. The math that the sixth graders are doing now is similar to what I did in 8th grade algebra. Many of them are not developmentally ready for it, and then feel like failures if they can't get it. At an even younger level, I'm seeing it with my nephew who's 3 1/2 and in preschool. His teacher told my sister-in-law that he's behind because he can't write his name yet. Now she's concerned about it of course, but I'm thinking that's a little premature. And the last thing he needs at this age is someone trying to force him to write his name - he'll already be on a track to hating school..... I'm going to share this article with her. Also, when they talked about learning to read, I loved the quote about kids who learned to read later showed better understanding because they had had time to develop more language at an earlier age.Thanks for sharing.

Another great post - I agree with so much of what this article states, and I hear so many other educators and parents expressing concern about the trend that has been developing in all elementary grades, but especially kindergarten. The question is, if we all agree that it's not working, how do we change it?

This is a great site for teachers to teach students about copyright and begin conversations about intellectual property.

I've been using this site with middle school student for a few years to help teach copyright. It's written in kid-friendly language (middle school) and has lots of resources for teaches who might need a refresher course for themselves. There is an interactive quiz that sparks lots of conversation around intellectual property and fair use. The site is easy to navigate though beware there seem to be a few broken links.

Thanks for sharing this Robyn, I found this site informative and I like that the language is appropriate for middle schoolers. I just took the "Copyright Challenge" quiz and ended up learning a few things! For example, I didn't realize that an essay you write is protected by copyright law as soon as you write it down because that makes it "Fixed in a Tangible Form of Expression." I understand that Fair Use is a defense to copyright infringement but I am still a little unsure about how much of a work you can use before it can no longer be defended by fair use. I guess there is no easy answer to that question because it depends on the situation. I can definitely see myself using the interactive quiz with my students.

For those of us who are teachers of writing, or participating in the Writers' Workshop training this year, here is a resource that may be helpful as we navigate teaching the literary essay. This comes from a Michigan school district, but is based on the Writers' Workshop model. This particular unit is sixth grade, but it lists expectations and areas of focus for a range of grade levels. Teachers can also find resources for various grade levels by searching around the main site. I love that it also outlines several useful mentor texts. I haven't read them yet, but certainly plan to as I start my planning of the literary essay unit.

This is a presentation put together by some middle school English teachers in the UK. There are some good ideas and interesting graphics-based resources for teaching and structuring various writing activities.

AnneMarie, This presentation is a good way for anyway who is thinking about class blogs to get started. It has some good ideas on how to begin and what to emphasize with students. Another idea is to participate in the Student Blogging Challenge this March. My class just finished the fall challenge. I would be happy to share our experience, if you are interested. http://studentchallenge.edublogs.org/category/september-2013/

This is so well written and so well explained that I feel like I want to drop everything I'm doing today and share it with my students

Steve, I'm so glad you came across this, and shared it. I especially love the Nonfiction sentence frames that can be used in the classroom. It gives the kids a structured start to looking at the language used in nonfiction writing. I also like how the article writes about empowering the reader through being able to discern the point of view and bias that may be present. It reinforces the message that just because something is in print, doesn't mean that it's true, and also forces students to interact with the text not only to make meaning, but to truly understand the purpose behind what they're reading.

You said it bro. Uncovering bias is a very sophisticated skill, probably the hardest to teach because bias can be so subtle. My 9th graders will love this. Thanks for sharing.

I heard this on the way to soccer this morning. It speaks to the idea of "fake writing days" that create for the sake of data. - Steve. "Want to do well on the essay portion of the SAT? Just make it up! Scott Simon speaks to English professor Anne Ruggles Gere of the University of Michigan who says that the college entrance exam is turning out a generation of bad writers who are fast and loose with the facts."

This is a persuasive blog on what we should strive for in our classrooms each day. The author, Starr Sackstein - a NYC high school English teacher, suggests that we strive to graduate students "life-ready." My favorite sentence: "Proficiency in reading, writing, speaking and listening as well as technology and media integration illustrates a readiness for adult life."

Janet, thanks for sharing this important reminder about the core of what we're doing. I get nervous sometimes for my LLD 10th graders and MCAS, but that's mostly because the stakes are so high for them. They are engaged with the literature we read, questioning, challenging, connecting to their own experiences, and this is, of course, what I would hope for. I am counting on this depth to take them through MCAS - it is really hard not to worry, though!

Nothing earth shattering in this article, but a good reminder to think outside the box when it comes to asking students to demonstrate understanding of what they're reading. I love the movie trailer idea, and the kids have shown they can do some amazing things with iMovie. I'm also interested in exploring some of the apps that the author says would allow students to put characters into new settings - it may be a neat way for them to demonstrate deep understanding of character's personality and motives.

Julie, I agree that these projects are interesting and also that kids like doing them. But...always...I wonder... do they really get kids more interested in reading or do they really just help kids get through the monotony of assessing reading? I think the latter goal is a worthy one and I do feel that kids get something out of these projects.researching, writing and collaborating. Even when I was a student, I used to wonder about these questions. Outside my school life, my reading was so rich and varied. English classrooms to me seemed places devoid of books and the discussion of books that took place in my home. So I don't think think this is a new question, but I like to think of the primacy of helping kids finding books they love as well as giving them a place to discuss them.

This is a great article about brain health and how diets that include large quantities of gluten have been linked to maladies such as Alzheimer's, anxiety, depression, chronic headaches, ADHD and others. The book, Grain Brain: The surprising truth about wheat, carbs, and sugar; your brain's silent killers has been on the best seller list since September. It's being published in 15 countries. The New England Journal of Medicine has also conducted numerous studies and supports some of the claims of the book, though there are differing opinions in the medical field and at the end of the article, the author is not convinced that gluten is dangerous to most people. We see a tremendous numbers of students in our schools that suffer from some of these ailments. The article is suggesting that nutrition is absolutely linked to our neurological health. A few years ago our food services changed the menus in our schools. Children in middle school can no longer eat 6 cookies and 2 ice creams for lunch. Though lunch duty isn't my favorite responsibility, it gives me the opportunity to see the changes happening in our cafeteria. In my observation, kids are actually ordering and eating the healthier options that they are offered. I recently experimented with changing my diet to be gluten free and I've never felt better. I didn't lose weight, but I lost my craving for carbohydrates after a few days and my focus on everything else seemed to be a little keener. It lasted about 6 weeks and I only fell off the wagon with my mother's bread stuffing at Thanksgiving. I instantly felt cravings for all things with flour. If I try it again I will pay more attention to see if I can tell if my diet really does effect my brain.

This is very interesting. I saw Dr. Perlmutter on the Dr. Oz show last week. Dr. Perlmutter suggests that we need to stay away from most carbs including many fruits, grains, rice and root vegetables. He talks about how our low fat, high carb diets are actually shrinking our brains causing more instances of alzeheimer, dementia and ADHD. Simple life style changes of going to a higher fat, low carb diet will reverse this trend. We have to be careful that people don't translate this recommendation of adding fat to our diets into raiding the cookie aisle and super sizing at MacDonald's!!

Wow! Thanks for the helpful info. on gluten and other foods that can impact our brain health.

This article explains how advancements in technology have enhanced the humanities. The digitization of texts combined with statistical analysis software has enabled literary scholars to analyze literature in a whole new way. The unprecedented techniques mix algorithms and written expressions to detect the frequency of word usage, nuances in the structure of sentences, and common thematic elements in and among texts. The digital analysis of literature provides a new type of lens for scholars to examine works to learn more about the cultural contexts in which the pieces were written.

I frequently find myself "defending" the impact of the Internet and technology on students' desire and ability to read and write. To me, it seems that the Internet has increased the amount of reading students do now, especially outside of school. Sure formats have changed but mostly in the direction of concision, something English teachers have been championing forever. Gone are the gatekeepers around who gets to publish (i.e., be heard, gain international attention for a cause, etc.) Never mind the access to ivy league courses...

I use this website and some of the videos in my freshmen advisory classes. Later we write down our questions and concerns and bring in Officer Santasky for some Q & A.

Useful information on measuring student growth. (Pre/Post, Repeated Measures, Holistic, Post Only)

Thank you for sharing this, Steve. I found it very useful and I'm going to pass it on to the other 6th grade ELA and special education teachers. This guide works well with our focus for the in-service day on Tuesday. We decided that our focus during the morning sessions was going to be on scoring samples of student work to make sure there is consistency among how we are scoring, and then use the second block to determine anchor papers that represent different levels of achievement. As a special education teacher, I was initially apprehensive about this process of DDMs. This was addressed in the guide, as many teachers who teach students with learning differences are concerned about being evaluated on student performance. However, if the DDMs truly look at student progress, based on where they started, and keep it focused on the individual's growth, then I do believe that it will be a more equitable measure for assessing teachers. One question that still remains is what accommodations are allowed when administering DDMs. In sixth grade there were questions about whether it was strictly MCAS accommodations, or whether we were allowed to read the articles to the students since we were measuring writing. It's something that still needs to be worked out in this pilot year. Thanks again for making this available for others to use.

A Somali student writes a guest post for a blogger I follow. She explains that social media is already present in schools, whether teachers are using it or not. Teachers have an opportunity to help students broaden their understanding of any topic through social media, and they should take advantage of it.

If you use Google Drive this is probably one of the best search tips... so useful!

I agree, so useful, and I had no idea about it! I've been using Google Drive a lot for myself, and to share/collaborate with colleagues. Within the last week, I've been using it with students so that I can have access to their writing folders and give feedback more efficiently, or see from home what they've been working on, without having to have access to the school server. In just that one week, I was getting a bit overwhelmed with all of the files and trying to keep them organized into folders for easy access. It's great to know that if I can't locate something I can try this out. Keep the tips coming!

This is a quick way to compare different blogging platforms that can be used with students in the classroom. Seventh and eighth grade teachers have had a lot of success with Edublogs at Parker, and we've been looking into beginning blogs with the sixth graders. I've also heard good things about Blogger, from Google, and wonder if others have used it? The students already have Google accounts and use Google Drive regularly to save and revise writing assignments. I believe it's also free, which is the right price in the world of public education, but often free accounts also come with limits. Curious to hear about others' experiences.

The chart mentions a $39.95/year fee for an Edublogs Pro user to access a lot of the features. A partial work around for this is to buy a bulk upgrade for $99 dollars. This gives you 5 credits to update accounts to Pro accounts. They roll over from year to year, so you could update your own blog account for 5 years for half the price.

I love Tumblr as a blogging tool, also. It's easy to use and provides a very polished looking site.