Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
Homework
The image to the left is a picture that I took in the corner near the door to our classroom. It is basically our homework station. The olive green contraption on the far left holds the papers that need to be returned to students. The light green, purple, pink, and blue boxes are today's homework assignments. (Green is for American Literature, purple is for 7th grade Language Arts, pink is for 8th grade Language Arts, and blue use to house the homework for the 9th grade Survey of Literature students' homework before they were rescheduled to another teacher.)Above the chalk board is a sign reminding students to find their homework assignments on twitter and the agenda for each class is posted daily, on the chalkboard, below the twitter sign.
Integrating Technology
Monday the middle school students took a test over their first unit, Tuck Everlasting. Tuesday and Wednesday they were supposed to watch the movie version of Tuck and Thursday I was to introduce the second lesson but because of last minute scheduling changes from the administration we had to push back the unit introduction to Friday which worked out okay.
Before we began reading, I wanted the students to gather some background information on the setting for our novel, Esperanza Rising,a historical fiction novel set during the 1930's in Mexico and California. I also wanted to integrate a new way for the students to access background information other than direct instruction and their textbook. I also wanted to start integrate more technology into the units, so I made a mini Web Quest that included a pre-assessment, introduction to the novel, and historical background information on the Great Depression and Mexican Revolution. You can find the pre-assessment and Web Quest at: (You will not be able to access the pre-assessment at this time because I've closed it so that users outside of my classroom students will not skew the results.)
https://sites.google.com/site/esperanzarisingunit2/
While they were gathering background knowledge over the setting, I asked them to fill out a study guide that I gave them before we entered the computer lab. The study guide was designed to help them pick out main points in the readings as well as highlight certain events in history that play an important role in our novel. Familiarizing students with this information should help give context to our reading and help students understand some of the motives of some of the characters.
On the other side of the study guide I also created a tutorial to help students find their way to homework site on Twitter that my teacher created. I love this idea of having a web-based homework site so that if students are gone for any reason or forgot to write down their homework, they should be able to find their assignments if they have Internet access. This is one of the brilliant ideas I will steal from my coop and use in my future classrooms. (You can find the study guide and tutorial as an attachment on the "Resources" page.)
My goal for each class is to expose students to at least one new way of working with technology during each unit. I think it is important to continuously expose and familiarize students with new forms of technology no matter what level of comfort they may have using technology. For many of my students, both testing and gathering information from the computer were new to them. Some complained about it but most caught on. If they were confused or didn't know how to navigate through the Web Quest it was because they weren't reading the information on the site. Simply reading the computer screen and following directions was a new skill they were developing.
Before we began reading, I wanted the students to gather some background information on the setting for our novel, Esperanza Rising,a historical fiction novel set during the 1930's in Mexico and California. I also wanted to integrate a new way for the students to access background information other than direct instruction and their textbook. I also wanted to start integrate more technology into the units, so I made a mini Web Quest that included a pre-assessment, introduction to the novel, and historical background information on the Great Depression and Mexican Revolution. You can find the pre-assessment and Web Quest at: (You will not be able to access the pre-assessment at this time because I've closed it so that users outside of my classroom students will not skew the results.)
https://sites.google.com/site/esperanzarisingunit2/
While they were gathering background knowledge over the setting, I asked them to fill out a study guide that I gave them before we entered the computer lab. The study guide was designed to help them pick out main points in the readings as well as highlight certain events in history that play an important role in our novel. Familiarizing students with this information should help give context to our reading and help students understand some of the motives of some of the characters.
On the other side of the study guide I also created a tutorial to help students find their way to homework site on Twitter that my teacher created. I love this idea of having a web-based homework site so that if students are gone for any reason or forgot to write down their homework, they should be able to find their assignments if they have Internet access. This is one of the brilliant ideas I will steal from my coop and use in my future classrooms. (You can find the study guide and tutorial as an attachment on the "Resources" page.)
My goal for each class is to expose students to at least one new way of working with technology during each unit. I think it is important to continuously expose and familiarize students with new forms of technology no matter what level of comfort they may have using technology. For many of my students, both testing and gathering information from the computer were new to them. Some complained about it but most caught on. If they were confused or didn't know how to navigate through the Web Quest it was because they weren't reading the information on the site. Simply reading the computer screen and following directions was a new skill they were developing.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Thursday Night Madness
I'm currently watching the Husker Kansas State game. Taylor Martinez has forced our Kansas roommates into hiding in backrooms of the apartment. They are pretending to be busy grading papers or writing lessons. Meanwhile, I'm putting the finishing touches on my study guide for next week's reading assignments and listening to the Secret Service helicopters roam and rumble above our neighborhood. The Obamas are back home in Hyde Park. Their red brick mansion is just blocks away from our apartment.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
I'm the substitute!
Thursday was my first day to be in charge of every class. My coop had to attend a professional development day on curriculum mapping so I subbed for all of the classes. Naturally, I was nervous to work with the sixth period sophomores but after I had spent time delivering the same instructions to first period, working with the seventh, eighth and senior AVID classes, sixth period had lost some of their intimidation.
I actually had more problems with the first period sophomore class. They were supposed to fill out a reflective survey on their writing process quietly and individually but many raced through the worksheet and talked to their neighbor anyway. I struggled to keep them quiet. (I feel like this is my biggest struggle in general!) Keeping them from talking while I'm trying to give instructions or while they should be working individually. Because many of them finished before the bell, I told them to work on other homework or read. No one did this. Instead they kept talking. (I find this really frustrating!)
Because first period talked so much, I decided to rearrange their desks into rows instead of pods, where their desks face each other. I hoped that would minimize talking. It worked. Also, I more or less bribed sixth period. Because most students were done with the reflection before the bell during first period and talked most of the period despite my repeated directions, I promised sixth period I would allow them to talk at a reasonable level for the last five minutes of class if they were quiet and worked the rest of the period. I am not an advocate for bribing students, nor am I a proponent of letting them have talk time during class but I felt somewhat trapped. I thought they would talk anyway and hoped this would keep it to a minimum. I wished I could think of something else to get them to work. I also wanted to use a type of reward, time to talk, rather than a punishment, threatening grades or phone calls home, especially because this wasn't my class yet. I don't know these students as well as my middle school students because I haven't worked with them as much. Looking back, I wish I would have found another way to get them to work quietly.
I actually had more problems with the first period sophomore class. They were supposed to fill out a reflective survey on their writing process quietly and individually but many raced through the worksheet and talked to their neighbor anyway. I struggled to keep them quiet. (I feel like this is my biggest struggle in general!) Keeping them from talking while I'm trying to give instructions or while they should be working individually. Because many of them finished before the bell, I told them to work on other homework or read. No one did this. Instead they kept talking. (I find this really frustrating!)
Because first period talked so much, I decided to rearrange their desks into rows instead of pods, where their desks face each other. I hoped that would minimize talking. It worked. Also, I more or less bribed sixth period. Because most students were done with the reflection before the bell during first period and talked most of the period despite my repeated directions, I promised sixth period I would allow them to talk at a reasonable level for the last five minutes of class if they were quiet and worked the rest of the period. I am not an advocate for bribing students, nor am I a proponent of letting them have talk time during class but I felt somewhat trapped. I thought they would talk anyway and hoped this would keep it to a minimum. I wished I could think of something else to get them to work. I also wanted to use a type of reward, time to talk, rather than a punishment, threatening grades or phone calls home, especially because this wasn't my class yet. I don't know these students as well as my middle school students because I haven't worked with them as much. Looking back, I wish I would have found another way to get them to work quietly.
White Sox vs Red Sox
Wednesday turned out to be a great night. A few of my roommates and I, as well as some other student teachers in the Chicago Center program, went to the old Comiskey Park to Watch the White Sox play Boston.
The Plan and Explore tests
Tuesday was testing day so I didn’t teach my eighth grade class. One would think there would be little for me to report on this day because it is pretty boring watching students take tests all day. In reality however, this was one of the most stressful and upsetting days that I’ve had since student teaching. Our sophomore homeroom class was testing in our classroom for three hours and although they were told many times, by multiple teachers about the importance of these tests, as well as the rules for taking the tests, there were multiple students who didn’t take it seriously and decided to talk to their neighbors, read a book instead of take the test, and create unnecessary noise just to spite either the test or my coop, maybe even the whole system of education…I don’t know. They were simply rude and defiant just to be defiant. I couldn’t believe it! I realize that these test are not the actual ACT tests, but it has been strongly stressed to these students that they are important and that they have to work independently and quietly. I don’t understand why they acted in this way but it was extremely frustrating and disappointing.
Wednesday: September 29
One Wednesday morning, both my coop and I talked to the sophomores about what happened during testing the day before. I brought up the point that even if these tests do not directly effect their admittance into college or scholarships, that they are a practice for the ACT and that by practicing certain behaviors during these tests they are more likely to demonstrate those same behaviors while they are taking the ACT. I am 100% positive that about four of the students would have had their tests taken away from them during the test period and the rest of the group might have had their tests taken away at the end of the time limit when tests were still out and they were instructed not to talk but did anyway. It was extremely disappointing to see them handle the situation so lightly, without care when the stakes are so high for them. The school has projected that this particular class will struggle even more that past tenth graders. There are 3-4 students projected to get a 20 on the ACT, out of the whole class.
Wednesday: September 29
One Wednesday morning, both my coop and I talked to the sophomores about what happened during testing the day before. I brought up the point that even if these tests do not directly effect their admittance into college or scholarships, that they are a practice for the ACT and that by practicing certain behaviors during these tests they are more likely to demonstrate those same behaviors while they are taking the ACT. I am 100% positive that about four of the students would have had their tests taken away from them during the test period and the rest of the group might have had their tests taken away at the end of the time limit when tests were still out and they were instructed not to talk but did anyway. It was extremely disappointing to see them handle the situation so lightly, without care when the stakes are so high for them. The school has projected that this particular class will struggle even more that past tenth graders. There are 3-4 students projected to get a 20 on the ACT, out of the whole class.
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