Back to 5th grade

I had such a great week back in my main placement.  I was welcomed with many hugs (that almost took me down).  I was surprised to see just how different and more complex the classroom had become.  There are now 5 different reading groups and when I left there was only whole class readings.  Because there are now different reading levels everyone is able to learn at their own pace (for literature).  Each reading group works individually with the teacher at least 3 times a week.  (I am looking forward to seeing the reading groups in action.  I was unable because we had half day last week.)  Another thing that had changed in the class was the way the desks were set up.  They are now in groups of 5 and are named after colonies.  They are doing a survivor type of game in social studies and the groups actions in all subjects can gain or lose points for the colony.  This new game/activity I noticed has really helped with classroom management.  The students have started keeping each other on track and there is a lot less chaos during transition times.  There are a few things that I will have to learn about this newly designed classroom, and I am exited to be back with my 5th graders!

The battle between the turkey and the lesson plan

Consider me a glutton, but I love Thanksgiving.  I look forward to this one day of eating all year long.  I eat so much food all day long, that by the end of the day I am paralyzed by tryptophan and almost put into a food coma on the couch for multiple hours before I have the strength and will to get up and move to my bed.  This year was no different, but in the back of my mind was the looming unit plan.  As I lay incredibly uncomfortably on the couch it was not only my stomach that was bothering me, but my brain focusing on all the work that waited for me this weekend.  Be it ill planning on my part, or procrastination I am not willing to say, but my lazy weekend quickly became not so lazy.  While slaving away on this project I felt like I was following the rubric to the T, and I thought my work was well thought out.  The unit plan took a bit longer than I had anticipated, and interfered with my weekend long food hangover from leftovers, but in the end the lesson plan won out and I will just have to save my gluttonous weekend for the winter weeks off!

Debates

This past week the 8th graders in my dyad placement began a unit on debating.  At the end of the year there will be a select number of students that will be able to go to Olympia and participate in a state wide debate with hundreds of other 8th graders.  To get them prepared they will gradually build up their debating skills over a 20 week period of time.  The goal of of this unit is to slowly build up the students knowledge about debates without overwhelming them.  The first day was all about debating "fun" topics.  I do not think that the students even knew they were debating.  The topic was "Twilight" who is the better man Edward or Jacob? This topic was accessible to all students and they had to really back up the reasoning behind their responses.
Over the next few weeks the language and topics will become more serious and relevant to the world around them.  By the end they will create their own bill and fight to get it voted into a law by their peers.  I wish I could have seen how the unit and the students will continue to grow.
 

slam poetry

I have always been a fan of slam poetry.  There is just something about it that speaks to you in a way that no other type of poetry can. It is relatable and accessible to everyone, specially the students that do not think they enjoy poetry.  Because there is not format or rhyme to follow, just about anything can become poetry. The 8th grade block classes that I am working with are just about to start a poetry unit.  Everyone will have the opportunity to create a poem and present it in front of the class.  This at first may seem like a daunting task, but it become something that the student love to participate in.  Every class nominates students that they think came up with the best poems, and they will go on to compete against the other block classes.  In years past this has become on of the student favorite activities because there is no pressure to up with a certain type of poem.  This project allows all students to tap into a creative outlet that they usually do not get to use or even think about. 
I would start out by showing some slam poetry that I have enjoyed in the past to help the student relize that every idea can be turned into something brilliant.

Read alouds

I remember how much I loved read alouds when I was in grade school, and to be perfectly honest still love to be read to today.  Reading was always a stressful part of my schooling, and being read to allowed me access to many worlds and information that I could not get to on my own.  This year I have been forced out of my comfort zone a bit by doing the read aloud in my 5th grade placement every day, and reading aloud to my 8th grade dyad placement.
I thought I would feel a bit more comfortable reading to the 5th graders because they did not have the exact words that I was reading in front of them.  Because of that, I figured if i stumbled, no one would know but me.  When reading to the 8th graders, they have all of my text in front of them.  I thought I would going to sweat bullets.  But, to my surprise, my stumbles were noted just as much as the 5th graders without the text...not at all!  I think that just like me, everyone just likes to be read to.  They are not trying to be overly critical about my skills (or in the case my faults), but about what they are able to get out the reading when they are not under pressure to read it themselves. 
The more I read aloud, the more comfortable I become.  (Thank goodness!)

Conferences

Last week was a great opportunity to sit in on a few conferences.  I was surprised that the middle school even had conferences.  At the school I am placed at for my dyad all the conferences are student led.  They plan and build their portfolios for weeks before they meet with their first period teacher and their parent/guardian.  I think I would find it a bit difficult for the students that do not have one of their core teachers to start the day.  Some of the students had conferences with their PE, music, or other elective teachers.  Even though they are student led I would think the parents would want to have some insight from the write/reading block teachers, or math/science teachers.
For my main placement it seem like a pretty traditional set up.  With the students only have one main teacher (with the exception of specialists) the parents met with the teacher with the options of bring their child.
It was nice going back to my main placement and seeing some of the students, and being refreshed on what they were learning. All in all the conferences were a great learning opportunity.

Will it be the same thing over, and over, and over again?

I was a little nervous and excited about going into my 8th grade dyad placement.  My first thought was I love 8th graders and their sassy personalities.  But, shortly after my first thought came my second...How will I be able to sit through the same lesson 3, 4, 5, or even 6 times a day?  I was imagining myself sitting in the back of the classroom trying to keep my eyes open after I heard the same lesson, same readings, and same conversation for the 4th time.  Would the crazy energy of the 8th graders be enough to keep me awake?

I was surprised to find that every period had its own personality.  The first class was the challenge group (AP), and the 2nd and the 3rd blocks were 8th grade reading and writing.  It was amazing to see the direction each discussion and debate take for all three blocks.  The afternoon block seems to be the most lively and willing to express their ideas and thought.  It seems like the middle block has a few more character and the conversations seem to have a light and fun tone to everything, and the challenge block seems a bit more reserved than the other two, and pushed me to think on my feet more often.  With each block being different it does not seem like teaching the same thing over and over and over again.  While it is the same material, each student looks at in a totally different way and makes each block interesting.

Still overwhelmed...but should I be?

During the first video WEB 2.0 I felt very overwhelmed by technology once again.  There is so much we can do on the internet, and on our computers and I feel as if I am lost when it come to most of it.  I struggle to find what I am looking for, and then it takes me forever to get the hang of something once I do finally find it.  Then I watched the TED: ideas worth spreading and was so amazed by the children.  I knew that people much younger than I can fly through the internet and do all of the crazy things I wish I could do, but I always told myself that they were able to do all of these things because they were born with a computer attached to them at the hip.  Then the TED video...some of these kids had never seen a computer or ever used one, and they were still zipping through like they had always had one.  This made me think, do I stink at working technology because I am not skilled in this department?, or Do I stink at technology because I think I am not going to be able to figure anything out?  I am just now starting to think that it is the latter of the two.

food/activity journal reflection

I thought that the idea of the keeping a food journal and activity journal was going to really helpful experience for starting a healthy summer.  But, when I began to keep both journals I found that I was extremely unhealthy, and hardly active at all.  I did not eat nearly enough fruits and vegetables, and my water intake was pathetic.  The first week I did not feel so bad about this, because I was going to set a goal the next week and taadaa!...A new healthier me! It was not the case.  I did start to eat more fruits and veggies the second week, and I did drink less soda.  But, my activity level did not budge at all.  I found it very difficult to find that time to exercise.  Whenever I did have a free moment I used it to either relax for a few minutes, or hang out with friends.  I think that when I get into the classroom bringing a healthy lunch as a good example for my students is going to important.  My parents were very good at keeping healthy foods in the house, but now as an adult I need to leave the fast food industry behind!  When I was able to see good examples of healthy eating it was easy for me to eat the same way.  But, whenever I was around people (especially in college) who ate poorly, it was easiest for me to just eat whatever they ate too. 

I think it is very important to get students at least thinking about the things they are putting into their bodies, and the amount of physical activity they are participating in.  I was also thinking that setting classroom goals would be a good motivator to get the student wanting to live a healthier life.  For example, "This week are all going to try and eat a healthy snack at snack time".  Or, "At recess we are all going to try and play a game of..."  Have little manageable goals will allow the students to see that they are capable of making changes in their own lives, one small step at a time.

I think that this activity can led itself to many other fields.  With writing and English we could easily think about the things we eat and write reflective journals like we did in the this class, and we could also read about different ways that food helps our bodies (skin, heart, bones, etc).  I also think that it would be a fun way to incorporate geography.  Thinking about the different kinds of foods that other cultures eat, and how they impact their bodies, and maybe even being able to try new foods that some of the students have not yet been exposed to.  I think that this is a fun activity that really makes you reflect on how you treat your body and makes you want to do better, even if it is just one small step at a time.

Brain teasers!

I had so much fun playing with the brain teasers.  I thought it was a great way to get students interested in more complex subjects of the brain.  I think I need to spend some time and think about other ways to incorporate brain teasers into the class that might not have to do specifically with the body and health.  I can see how it is the most applicable with health classes, but I think that this is a great hook to get students interested in class, and get their brains thinking critically in a positive fun way.  Great activities!

teaching sex-ed

This was a topic that I did not think much about, because I did not know anything about it.  I was very unsure just how to approach this subject.  I did not know what we were allowed to teach, and what were topic that were totally taboo.  I found that teaching sex education through other means such as dissecting flowers, and looking at beans was a good starting point.  I like the idea of showing the students the purpose and result of flowers and reproductions and then letting them think about how that might apply to them.  Then, that could lead into the conversation of human reproduction etc.  I liked being about to see different ways to approach this subject.  :)

Mr. Yuk Box

I had so much fun playing and learning about the Mr. Yuk Box.  I thought that the box provided many useful tools to help control and inform our students and children about toxins and poisons in the house and classroom.  The candy and medicine activity was a good way to help the students really think about what they are putting into their body.  I liked how there were candies and medications that both had words, fruity flavors, and colors that could almost be interchangeable and see how the students react to these factors.  I would love to bring the Mr. Yuk Box into my classroom.

Abuse and Neglect

Wow! I thought as new teachers we already had a lot on our plates, and then we had Thursday's lecture.  I knew going into this program that I would be required to report child abuse to CPS, but I was not fully aware of the consequences.  I find it incredibly difficult to determine if the child is being abused, or if they are just kids being kids.  I would feel so terrible if I reported a case of abuse and there was nothing to it, but on the other hand my job and felony record is on the line.  The fine line of this situation makes our job very tricky. 

GLEs/EALRs

We looked over all the GLEs for all grade levels for health.  I thought it was very interesting the way the GLEs and EALRs built upon themselves and began to get more in-depth as the years went on.  From first grade safety, thinking about strangers and healthy bodies, to 8th grade, thinking about sexually transmitted diseases and taking care of themselves.  I like actually being able to see the progression of the grades and how each grade level approaches the subject of safety. 

Also I thought the microteaching groups that went on Wednesday were extremely helpful.  I like being able to see how a 1st grade lesson could be taught and the appropriate language to use.

what we eat

Before I started the Grocery Store Research I was sure that most of the cereal directed at kids were going to be full of sugar and were going to be far less healthy than cereals directed to adults.  I was wrong.  When looking at the labels I found that all cereals were about the same in sugar content and nutritional value, with some outliers.  I was shocked.  I am not one to usually read labels on my food, but I think I really need to start.  The food journal that we started on Tuesday should help me start this process.

relay race

We started our class last Thursday with a relay race.  The relay race was a way to start a lesson on bones. It was a good way to get the students excited about a new subject and also allows them to learn outside the classroom.  I liked this approach to starting a new unit.  This activity helped me think about the importance of hook, and the value of getting the students actively engaged with the material.

After we did the race we came back into the classroom and discussed lesson plans.  Looking at the GLEs and EARs with a group to start was very helpful.  I was glad to see how many different EARs can be covered in a single lesson.  I was concerned about hitting all the different EARs that are required in a year.  It seemed overwhelming, so going over this aspect of lessons plans in class was reassuring. 

journal #1

Today we discussed the importance of all types of health issue that need to be addressed in class.  Health is not just about physical health, but also about mental and emotional health. I think the most important thing I got from class was the first activity; the concept map.  I hope to get lots of different ideas about community building and initial engaging ideas to any subject that I will teach (in this case health). 

I feel like I will need more practice with concept maps until I will feel comfortable using it my own classroom, but I think it can be an effective tool to see the growth of students from the beginning to the end of a project.  Not only does it allow the students to show what they know, but also how it all connects.  I can see how the concept map could potentially be chaotic, but I also think that it is a good way for all students to be included and have an input. It will also help fill in gaps that other students may not have been thinking of.  For example, in my group's concept map we forgot about issues such as anorexia and bulimia.  But, seeing and hearing other groups we will be able to think about different ideas and subjects at the end of the quarter when we revisit our initial ideas.  

Posters

The purpose of teaching posters were brilliant! I loved to be able to see where we started, how we were able to grow, and things we can hope for.  I think this was a great way to see how much we have learned that did not require any tests.  I like to see how our whole cohort moved from a class of individuals to community.  Throughout the quarter we have been reading and discussing the importance of community and these posters not only showed what we thought about communities, but also helped up play a role in one.

I would like to keep these posters for the whole time we are in this program, and then make a final poster next spring when we finished.  It should be interesting to see how much more will be able to grow and expand our knowledge and understanding of our students in another year!

Lessons from thin air

I watched a video that asked students of all ages "Where does the matter of a plant come from?"  It first started by asking Harvard students at their graduation...from the sample of students that they asked most of them said that the matter was from water and nutrients pulled up from the soil.  Then they asked a group of 5th graders who just finished a week on photosynthesis.  They new that the plants made their own food that made up the mass of the tree, but also thought that what was needed for photosynthesis was the sun, water, and nutrients from the soil.  They asked other groups of students and kept coming up with the same answers. 

The students that were asked this question were able to pass tests on plant material, but were just unable to explain their reasoning when asked.  What does this say about the effectiveness of our classroom tests? Standardized tests?  If our students are only able to pass test, but not really know that material they are learning are we doing a good job?  I am excited for next year when we will be experimenting with different ways students can SHOW us what they know.  If the tests are not working, we need to start working on new ways find out what they really know.

If you are interested in seeing the video "Lessons from thin air"... CLICK!

Childrens lit

While taking the WEST-E I came across a question that asked me about what type of genre a certain author writes about.  This made me realize that I do not know as much about children's literature as I probably should.  I took a class at Western that was all about youth lit.  It was a class that made me read twilight (a book I had never heard of, but was very popular with many of the students at the middle school) and not but year later the book was turned into a movie that became a world wide phenomenon.  Then, working in an 8th grade classroom this year, I was able to talk to students who were more than willing to keep me up to date with the newest "it" books that they were all reading. 

I think this summer, whenever I am able to find a little free time, I need to start reading more of what my students are going to be.  Being able to talk to my students about books, and other things that they are interested in, is a great way to build relationships and community in a classroom.  It is so important to know what our students are interested in that I need to start taking more time to finding out just what they like.  Time to start reading!

Who belongs in K and First grade?

For  some reason I have this voice in my head from my mother that keeps telling me "kindergarten and first grade are not meant for little boys".  Being a very good daughter, I ALWAYS listened to my mother and knew that whatever she said must be true!  I thought about this quite a bit when I was in high school working with kindergartners and first graders.  I noticed that the boys did have quite a bit more energy and were not as able to sit still for very long.  It seemed like they just wanted to play, do their own thing and not be bothered much by this whole school thing.

I think I am leaning towards agreeing with my mother (oh no!).  I do not think we should be grouping students according to their age.  I like the idea of all students moving freely about the school in the classes that best suit their needs.  I also like the idea of students starting school when they are ready, and not when the state thinks they are old enough. 

So, who does belong in kindergarten and first grade?  Will our school system ever change to fit their needs?

Poems

While writing my reflective essay I kept coming back to the importance of creative writing in the classroom.  It is such a good way for all students to express some really important deep feeling and thoughts without feeling totally exposed and vulnerable.  Thinking back to the class when we read our Where I am From poems, I can remember lots of strong emotions in the room.  I think that was a day when our cohort really started to trust and open up to each other.  While I do not expect my students to have such a bonding experience with poetry, I hope I can keep creative writing in my class to at least promote play and exploration of self and the world at large. 

Here is my Where I am From poem one more time.

I am from a land of starry nights wearing a mask of silver clouds and dancing rain.

Alexandria R. Suchan

I am from ice cold sodas and otter pop stained clothes
I am from recycling before it was “green”
I am from hugs and kisses and glasses of water
I am from night time stories in bed

I am from flowers in braided hair and nail polished fingers
I am from bare foot stubbed toes on black lava streets
I am from piles of leaves and tree-houses
I am from jack frost mornings and frozen car windows

I am from “you’re not going anywhere young lady!”
I am from sneaking out front doors while parents sleep
I am from many perfect not close to perfection first kisses
I am from tears stains on my bunk-bed pillow cases

I am from respect, support, tough love, and sweet love
I am from a home that will always be a place I can call home
I am from a family that will cherish every memory we've shared together

The end of the year is here!

It is not just me who can feel summer coming.  Every Thursday when I arrive in the 8th grade classroom I see a countdown on the board letting everyone who passes through the room know just how many days until graduation.  Not only is there a countdown for the number of days, but the number of school days as well.  Homework seems like a thing of the past, and grades are starting to slip. "Who cares Ms. S? We already got into high school!" Do not even get me started on the few days where the sun is shining outside.  Talking is almost worthless, and the days feel like recess all day long. 

Now that the students feel like summer should have already started, and they think the last weeks of school are pointless, what are some tips to keep them focused?  I have found that little projects that have to do with them graduating and moving into the future is key.  To get the 8th graders to keep writing the teachers have them write thank you notes to their parents, and other special people in their lives.  There are still drafts, but because the writing feels relevant, even at the end of the year, so they are still willing to put in an effort to this assignment.

I can feel summer coming on, so the fact that graduating 8th graders (who have been in the same school since kindergarten) are producing work and paying attention most of the time feels amazing. 

Summer here we come!

Cyber Bullying

I have been working in an 8th grade classroom all year, and I have rarely seen any bullying going on right in front of me.  However, I hear a lot about the bullying that goes on outside of school.  I have been thinking a lot about making the classroom a utopia away from the rest of the world they will have to deal with, but what do I do when most of the hate is taking place outside of school?  Obviously the bullying that is taking place outside of the school grounds is affecting the students when they come back to school.  They know which one of their peers is talking about them online, or harassing them on the phone via texts, so when they come to school being around their peers is very uncomfortable. 
Thinking about facebook, and students with cell phones, and all the internet access that students have before they can even drive boggles my brain sometimes.  I feel like I would have been so overloaded as a student.  Dealing with peer pressure at school was bad enough, but adding in all the new extra ways that students can feel excluded and banished would be overwhelming.  It feels like students are able to hide behind the internet and express anything that comes into their head instantly.  They do not have to practice filtering the things they say because they did not have a face, a person, right in front of them showing them the effects of their words.  This generation of students, not having to face the consequences of their actions immediately, is becoming more and more bold with the things they say about each other.  How do we monitor our students on the internet? What can we do if most of the bullying is taking place outside of the utopia we are trying to create?

What happened to teacher support over the years?

When I was growing up I used to listen to stories my grandpop would tell me of his youth.  "I used to walk to school up hill both ways, in the snow, barefoot..." "When I was in school the nuns used to keep us in line with anything they could get their hands on and throw at us!"  While some of the stories he used to tell me were highly over exaggerated, some of them were truer than I could even imagine.  The teachers in his day were the absolute.  What they say went, and the parents were behind them no matter what.  I remember a story of a teacher throwing an eraser at my grandpop and when he told his mother that he did not actually do anything she said "well think of it as punishment for something you did not get caught for!"
Even when I was in grade school, if I got into trouble my parents were convinced I deserved whatever was coming to me.  With the readings we have been doing as of late I am worried that I am not going to have any support that I am used to seeing and hearing about.  I am by no means saying that we should go back to the days of throwing things at our students.  I am not a person who thinks that physical punishment solves anything, but I would like to see the support that the teachers received from that time.  I am wondering why over the years the amount of power the teachers had is decreasing and the blame is increasing?  Were we, as students brought up to think that teachers are always in the right, now rebelling through our own kids?  Do we need more control now because we did not have any when we were in school? Where did all the support go?

Graphic Novels

When I was in grade school I did not read a crazy amount.  I would ready everything that was required and then stop.  I think the only books that I ever sought out were the Harry Potter novels.  I found just about everything else that I tried to pick up boring, especially any non-fiction literature.  In college I started reading graphic novels.  I started with fiction and then went from there.  I read Maus, and Persepolis.  I believe this was one of the first times that I read a book about history and war and did not want to put it down.  I was learning by the words I was reading, and also getting very powerful images to read.  This was very intriguing for me.  A subject area in which I was never a fan finally became interesting.
I am such a huge believer in graphic novels.  We will be able to hook the students in and make them want to read more.  For all of the students that have a hard time reading, or are behind the rest of the class will have an opportunity to read pictures and think outside of the box.  I also think that the students will appreciate the break from the normal chapter stories that they are required to read for school.  I think it will help keep the students engaged in many ways.
Graphic novels can also be used in many classes other than just literature.  The examples of Maus and Persepolis can be used in history classes and current events classes.  There are so many different kinds of graphic novels that can aid you in just about any subject matter you are teaching.

So, my questions is: why don't more teachers use graphic novels in the classroom? Are we even allowed to teach new materials in the classroom, or are would I just have to suggest to students to look up different graphic novels on their own time?

Field Trips

In class last week we were talking about the importance of interactive learning.  Kids seem to pay more attention and get more out of lessons when it is relevant to them or things they are interested in.  Keeping their brains and their bodies active seems to me like the best way to teach and learn.  This got me thinking, not necessarily of the younger students, but the students in 7th and 8th grade and certainly the high school students...why do they get passed on field trip opportunities? 

I can remember learning about pumpkins and Halloween and then going to a pumpkin patch and seeing first hand the whole growing process that went into our fun Halloween traditions.  Or learning about fishing and the spawning of salmon and then going to a fish hatchery and seeing all the live fish swimming up the ladders to get home and spawn.  Or reading a novel and then going to see a play after to get a different perspective on the same piece of literature.  All of these things contributed to my learning of all subjects in a fun and engaging way, then one day it all stopped.

So, my question is why do we stop going on field trips? Is it an issue of money, or do we think that field trips are only beneficial to the younger students? If we are thinking the latter, why?