Many Apologies For Lack of Posts - Getting Ready for Rotator Cuff Surgery On Wednesday

I must apologize for not posting for the last several days.  I have been trying to get everything ready for major surgery on Wednesday, September 3 - that will leave me with only my left hand able to operate.  I've already been practicing living with only one hand being able to lift, open everything, close everything, wash, shave, dry my hair, open medicine bottles and it has been a learning experience.  I now know that I have had little or no real appreciation for what it is like to be really handicapped.

As educators, I hope we can remember that students often have handicaps that aren't visible. Emotional needs are just as debilitating as physical ones and often, in the press of the "official business" of teaching, we lose perspective of our humanity. I hope to have time in the next two days to post some of the exciting finds I've made before I have my surgery.  My surgeon says that I will be able to type with my arm in a neutral position at some point and I do have the Dragon (types what you talk) software.  However, he is quite a dragon himself (the surgeon) and has made me swear not to move any part of my right arm or hand without his express permission.

I hope things are going well for those of you who have started teaching and for those of you who go back on Tuesday - best wishes for a safe, happy and special school year.  Be kind to yourself!

What Will Your Three Personal Growth Goals Be for This School Year and You Must See This Impressive Presentation About Technology and How We Should Be Teaching . . .

Usually at the start of the school year, teachers are asked to identify three areas for personal growth.  I was reminded of this in the oddest place Wednesday, my tanning salon.  Two moms with children in two different high schools and one in middle school were at the front desk and we started a conversation. (Apologies for the few days break, but I broke my toe and was an angry person for a few days and not able to focus.  My rotator cuff surgery is scheduled for next Wednesday, September 3rd, so I'm trying to think through all the changes that will entail. Now, back to your regularly scheduled blog.)

One mom was explaining that her local high school sent her child home with an IPad and two pages of do’s and don’ts.  She wasn't sure what the IPad was loaded with - presumably her child’s text books.  I told her that I was blogging about this very topic as a retired school teacher.  I shared that from what I had learned most tablets came with the text books and specified apps that would help build vocabulary, writing, math, and science skills. But wait there’s more . . . teachers could customize the tablets with a variety of apps and probably had received training.

My concerns were that tablets without teachers working across the curriculum could be ineffective.  She was worried that there was no insurance available to replace the tablet if it got lost, stolen or broken.  I shared with her that I had read about two different scenarios – one high school where the tablets were hacked and stolen in the first two weeks.  It was a nightmare.  In the other high school things went smoothly and everyone was happy, but it was a private school or charter school.  One other thing I noted was that I would like to see a program like this start with a small group of tech savvy teachers who got to work out the bugs and then expand the program. I have a friend who is working on a B.A. group project and he said the Federal Regs for protecting the information on these systems must be robust and he was most concerned about the magnitude of the issues surrounding issuing this technology.

The other mom, loved her children’s experience both at the middle and high school level, but no tablets were issued.  We talked about the fact that a robust technology program could be created and offered at school without having to send home either textbooks or tablets.   I told them that if I sent home a reading assignment in the text, most students didn't do it and they copied the answers to the chapter questions anyway. 

Personal growth area number one:  Make homework assignments something students can do independently or as part of an outcome-based-learning project – be sure any homework you assign you would be willing to do yourself.

Personal growth area number two: Investigate building a tech friendly classroom using sites like Vimeo and others that will help students learn core subject information and skills and apply them to “safe” technology sites.  Refer to the academic research paper I shared in an earlier blog

Personal growth area number three: Take a class, workshop or indulge in some activity that is just for you, but it is something you are unfamiliar with – it should challenge you perhaps more physically than mentally.  I’m dancing up a storm for my physical health, but the gains in my mental health are evident. 

When I worked, I did my “Combosizing” – my own form of exercising every morning before coming to school and treated myself to a wonderful cup of coffee on my cool down. Visit www.jjcombosize.com to find out how.  

I left the moms in the tanning salon with the following thought – it doesn't matter whether you have super computers or use a quill pen and parchment – if a teacher is well-trained and passionate, then the child will have a great learning experience. Be sure to visit your child’s teacher and teachers, now that you have your personal goals – usually, the school division has figured out your professional goals for you. Check off one task and get a cup of Joe and relax this weekend.

One last add-on and this is very important.  I’m part of a storytelling group on and was asked to like 21^st Century School’s Facebook page.  My visit there turned into an epiphany of finding a presentation  from Michael Wesch that covers two areas of important information for teachers facing how to implement technology in the classroom appropriately and dealing with the reality of just how ineffective the strategies we have been forced to adopt to educate our students.  I realize the time investment for watching this presentation is a lot (over an hour), but it is very important for educators to take the lead in reforming how we deliver instruction.    

Common Core and Frequent Testing Increasingly Unpopular!

"The results of an annual poll by Gallup and the Phi Delta Kappa educators' organization provide more evidence that support for the Common Core State Standards originally adopted by 46 states and the District has faded in recent years." Shapiro, T.. Rees. "Poll Common Core support has eroded across the U.S." The Washington Post: A3: 20 Aug 2014.

Rees continues in the same article: "On average, respondents said they thought highly of their neighborhood schools.  But the poll showed that close to 80 percent of Americans disapprove of the nation's public schools at large. The poll also showed that 68 percent of public school parents believed that standardized tests are not helpful for teachers measuring student achievement."

The contradictory opinions of the American public with respect to local schools verses public education as a whole are not surprising given the reporting of the overall test ranking of our students compared to other industrialized nations. For the entire text of the article visit the site and enjoy having your private concerns confirmed.

Pushing Kids? Early Childhood School Dilemmas - Remember Real Learning Takes Time!

My hero, my first principal, would counsel his staff and parents about putting five-year-old children in kindergarten class - especially boys - he didn't advise it. He could often come across as acerbic, because he didn't like sappy people or impractical meddlers. He also had a very low tolerance for "sheep". He felt that young children needed to play, play, play and play some more.  Especially boys, whom he described to me as puppies needing to tumble, nip and growl and avoid being in too formalized a learning setting which might get them labeled as aggressive, ADHD, language delayed and possibly these days: autistic. Plus, he took time to explain to me that children develop and learn over time - not at the same rate.

The decision to place a child in preschool or kindergarten should depend on a number of factors, but parents and educators should AVOID pinning labels on children. Instead shift teaching strategies and recognize that gross motor control, fine motor control, cognitive awareness, social interaction and leaning age-appropriate skills is a lot to ask of any child. Depersonalize the outcome (or comparisons), if possible, and realize that your child or your student will catch up - the test score(s) is/are really irrelevant in so many ways.

My goodness The Washington Post is all upset because instead of adopting the Common Core, Virginia has redesigned its tests - having students plot data on a bar graph (how useful) and in 2013, directly insert punctuation marks inside passages. Ha! In my class, with the pizza paragraph, students also had to identify the grammar rule. Please do take the time to visit some of the Common Core test prep sites - they are really tricky questions and I found myself ready to argue with some of the so-called correct or "best choice" answers. (I promise - now that I see teachers will need the Pizza paragraph as a pre-assessment tool to redo it - you guys will owe me.) So parents and teachers, please breathe! Your child has such a short time to be a child - try not to buy into the hype - see anecdote below.

I remember all too well how I agonized over my daughter's inability to ride a tricycle after she had learned to walk ahead of her peers. The pool moms (like soccer moms only our children were on the swim team) took time to brag about, compare, worry over our kids. Although the child is swimming for a team, his or her results are individual and ribbon and award ceremonies are very public affairs. No worries, my daughter caught up on her trike and is now doing very well in local triathlons and half marathons. See what I mean about catching up and then some. RELAX, EVERYONE PLEASE!!

I do have a link from Dr. Gupta about not rushing to put kids in school and his expert advice about catching up so it isn't just from my hero principal and my own observations. While I'm exercising and awaiting my September 3rd - rotator cuff surgery, I see parking lots full of cars at local schools, good luck and best wishes. Please send me any requests for research that I can do to make your life easier. That is my goal - if I can help you or any of your students in any way - I'm in the Metro area and willing to lend a hand.

See VBlog Poem of Personal Credos as Poetry to Open the School Year - Please Use Student Samples As Models . . .

VBlog link is down the page - in the fourth paragraph after the words: "Just One Day"

This year teachers are faced with many troubling current event issues that will be difficult to avoid.  In many ways teachers are looking for ways to help students find "safe" ways to express some very toxic emotions. In many ways writing can be the start of a healing process. Students may often feel powerless, fearful and voiceless in many situations. Never have the words: "The pen is mightier than the sword." been true.  

If you'd like the reference for the phrase - never fear - wikipedia has the answer: Assyrian sage Ahiqar, who reputedly lived during the early 7th century BC, coined the first known version of this phrase. One copy of the Teachings of Ahiqar, dating to about 500 BC, states that "The word is mightier than the sword."^{[8] The actual phrase coined by:} Edward Bulwer-Lytton in 1839 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_pen_is_mightier_than_the_sword (accessed 8/18/14)

When I worked with students and modeled writing poetry - I often heard that it could be difficult for students to relate to the modeling because: sure it was easy for me, the teacher to have the words flow onto the paper - I was the "teacher"!

That's why I'm sharing Kenneth H.'s powerful poem: "Just One Day" as a VBlog example of the type of student writing that any student can create given the right moment and encouragement.

Here is the text of his poem:   

Just One Day

There are two days in every week about which we need not worry.

Two days which need to be keep free from worry and apprehension.

One of these days in YESTERDAY, with its mistakes and cares, its faults and blunders.

All the money in the world cannot bring back YESTERDAY!

The other day about which we need not worry is TOMORROW, its large promise and poor performance.

TOMORROW is also beyond our immediate control.

TOMORROW's sun will rise either in splendor or behind a mask of clouds, but it will rise.

Until it does, we have no stake in Tomorrow, for it is unborn.

That only leaves us one day - TODAY - anyone can fight the battles of just one day.

It is only when you & I add the burdens of these two awful eternities: 

YESTERDAY & TOMORROW that we break down.

It is not the experience of TODAY that drives us mad.

 It is the remorse or bitterness of something that happened YESTERDAY and the dread of what TOMORROW might bring.

Let us therefore journey,

But only one day at a time!

Written by Kenneth H.

Good luck helping your students find a powerful Credo or statement of Personal Power so that they can realize they are not puppets to be controlled by someone else, but strong individuals with bright futures living each day - one at a time. 

                           

Two Important Links About the Use of Technology!!! Plus a Bonus Interactive World Map With Causes of Death

I view blogging as a chance to renew my ideas and ideals.  I believe the overuse and misuse of standardized testing has created a great deal of confusion in multiple stakeholders' minds. What about the role of technology and charter schools verses public schools? How do you (the collective you - in whatever role you play) determine the value of a school district's mission and vision, a school's environment, the principal as leader, an individual teacher and figure out what exactly your child/student is learning and why it's even relevant?

Faced with a world filled with violence, disease and poverty it is simply an overwhelming task. Recently I tearfully told my twenty-eight-year-old daughter, I would understand if she and her husband chose to only have a dog, like my wonderful rescue, Cassie pictured below, and forgo having children.

Proof that violence exists is evident in this interactive map. Click on the side drop down menu and it lets you choose from a long list of maladies and ways to die and you can see how each area of the world ranks.

I have strong feelings about the misuse of technology in schools because unless it promotes social gains and authentic use it will lend itself to isolation and idealize individualized learning at "one's own pace".  The problem is that this  can still create a mindset where the technology is a tool - not a vital part of organizing the learning act.

One of my academic feeds had an interesting studying decrying the standard approach to decoding teachers use in early literacy transactions favoring print and text rather than a more interactive approach.  The study has many interesting ideas and I can recommend it from an ethnographic approach instead giving it my wholesale approval.  The idea of communication and community is the focus for teachers and parents as a takeaway.

The other feed I want to recommend is so jam packed with ideas and recommendations that it blew me away.  I want to try everything recommended in this presentation myself because even though it was for "low" level learners, it could be transformed for any learner. I have been asking people about animation and now I have a site that provides me the juice to get it done. For those of you looking for a site to give you the gist of a tech program this is it. 

Have a wonderful weekend and if you don't have the tech tools you need - you have the sample grant to get you started. I also want to thank you for being teachers it is one of the best jobs ever and one of the hardest and you have to fill your heart with love to be able to get the job done. I've seen many cars in the local school parking lots  - surround yourself with friends during the coming days and get ready for a new year and a new start.

Think Big - Sample Grant Proposal for Distance Learning Now's the Time to Write One ...

In my high school, we had a magnet program. It was Bio-Tech and any student from Prince William County could apply with the recommendation of his or her science teacher and a grade of "B" or "A" in math or science.  The program was advertised as team taught meaning that the core subject teachers got together and figured out ways to put STEM related elements into their history, English and other related courses.  Even the Art, Computer Science and Business Departments figured out ways to implement Bio-Tech topics in their curriculum.  The librarian was very supportive of the program supervisor and any teacher connected to the program and any teacher who wanted to help out.

The problem was that many teachers tapped for the program didn't have the interest in manipulating their curriculum to fit a specific mission.  It seemed to them to be a square peg - round hole issue.  It didn't help that the students coming into the program were placed in advanced history and English courses and they didn't have the skills or aptitude to meet the demands of an advanced course.

That meant the teacher in charge of humanities for ninth-grade Bio-Tech (me) had students who lacked basic writing skills, study habits and were many times behavior problems despite the "glowing" recommendations the science or math teachers had written for the eighth-grade darlings. I had high achieving students ready for college-level work and students who didn't know how to paragraph or the proper use of capital letters.

One of my remedies was to try and create competition or a school within the magnet school.  Only the brightest and best would get a "free" laptop and these students would form research teams that worked to present two programs using distance learning each year.  By the time these teams reached their senior year (8 presentations later), I hoped that big-league schools would be clamoring for them to apply because their products would have won awards and they would have picked up skills in multiple areas.  I've given you the link to the (sorry gang it's old, but grant formats haven't changed that much) draft grant proposal so that you can use it as an example.

Students are incredibly savvy and I believe offering a school within a school research competition could spark incredible outcome-based projects that then could be streamed live. The quality of Video Conferencing provided by Tandberg may be dated by now, but the presentation I attended was amazing. No personal microphones were needed - the ceiling had mics installed so presenters could move freely about the room.  A monitor allowed the presenter to have instant feedback and scale back movements and facial ticks if they became too hot. It was a super experience just to be part of the presentation.  I wish every teacher could get this kind of instant feedback.

So, if you have low-income or special needs population and want a home-run grant - then take a look at this and up-date it because it has legs. Students need a direction, an audience and a purpose for their research and working in teams makes them even more marketable. The leaves keep falling - I hope you are taking care of yourself and still excited about the new year ahead.


Sample Grant Proposal

What Can You Do for R & R Before School Starts?

Teachers are notorious for taking care of everyone else.  I have known teachers who not only bring their best to the classroom every day, but then volunteer as scout leaders, literacy volunteers, work with inmates, work in neonatal units, help with clubs, coach and the list of the extras that these selfless teachers do is amazing.  They are fantastic role models for their students.  However, before this year starts please make a plan to do something for yourself. I've been in your shoes and made excuses - no money, no time, need to get ready for the start of school. Then by Thanksgiving, I'd start to feel really tired and wish I had used some time in August to put together some fun time for me.

I hope you will find some time to surf local Groupons or other deals and grab a massage, a quick weekend away or just binge on some movie nights and veg out. One thing I love to do is to grab the Vamoose Bus from D.C. to New York City which is only $50 round trip.  After boarding the bus in Roslynn, Virginia, around 7:30 am, you arrive after four hours right at Penn Station in mid-town Manhattan or around 1:00 pm.

You can load a Metro card and ride the subway to an inexpensive hotel in the theater district. I find great deals on the various Internet sites. There's a reason I stay in the theater district - I go to a free taping of the "Late Night Show" (it used to star Jimmy Fallon, but now it's Seth Meyers). I have my camera and spend time roaming Central Park, Times Square, Washington Square, Canal Street and go wherever I feel called to spend quality time in the "Big Apple". The theater district makes it easy to walk to Rockefeller Square and other destinations. Plus catching the Metro is easy - just avoid the express lines.

Inexpensive theater tickets are available in Time Square or if you like Broadway on Facebook you can find discounted tickets. I walk to dinner, my show and take in museums and sometimes other television shows that are being taped. I've even gotten $400 in free merchandise from the Dr. Oz show.

When you take mini vacations or feed your passions, you build knowledge and get some R & R.  This makes you a better teacher and you'll make it to Winter Break knowing that you took care of yourself so you could take better care of your students.

Measuring Success is it a Test ? How do Teachers Know When Technology is Getting in the Way?

Learning tools are proliferating and teachers are being challenged by multiple research designs and programs to create classroom environments that produce successful students.  How exactly do we measure success?  Is it a one-off test given at the beginning of the year to establish a baseline and then an end-of-the year measurement that determines growth with controls that add points if a student is a product of an economically disadvantaged background or some other potential “X” factor that inhibits forward progress?  Just reading this opening gives me hives because so much rides on these high-stakes tests. Two recent news articles caught my eye this weekend and they are relevant to the readers of this blog – if you are a teacher, I hope you will share these thoughts with the parents of your students.

Item one – a pediatrician wrote an op-ed about a parent bringing a two-year old in for a visit.  The child had his own cell phone.  The diagnosis was an ear infection.  The parent spent the visit paying more attention to his phone rather than either the doctor or his child.  Once the diagnosis was given, the child asked “Siri” for information about ear infections (like an audible Google search).  How clever, cute, or rather how frightening is this example of parenting?  The pediatrician was concerned because of the obvious lack of social interaction between parent and child.  Additionally, he was concerned because the parent was modeling specific behavior.  Instead of demonstrating how to clarify symptoms and ask questions of the “human” expert the parent was distant and unavailable.  Every day – we unconsciously model behavior for our students/children.

 http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/parents-put-down-the-cellphones/2014/08/08/0fb48ba4-1db8-11e4-82f9-2cd6fa8da5c4_story.html (date accessed 8/11/2014)

Time spent on machines, no matter how interactive we make them does not replace the give and take of social interaction.  Being a parent means thinking of activities that don’t stress your budget, but do provide a banquet of learning opportunities.  Here’s a short list – plan on: reading aloud; arranging play dates, visiting “children centered” spots and creating experiences outside of school that enrich your child’s life.  The paper is full of free activities every week that can spark a life-long interest in your child.  I call it the “Aha” moment when you see your child is fully engaged, wants more and you are an observer on the sidelines. The same thing happens in the classroom if a variety of assignments are provided.

Item two - The chief executive of Prince George’s County Public Schools, Kevin M. Maxwell, has chosen a book “Great by Choice” by Jim Collins to use as a guide to turn around the school system which is the second largest in Maryland.  The main points of the book which examines why some businesses succeed and some fail are to: map out a strategy, follow it while meeting goals, don’t try to do too much and realize “you can’t solve every problem today.” http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/prince-georges-county-public-schools-great-by-choice/2014/08/10/909414d0-1f19-11e4-ab7b-696c295ddfd1_story.htm (date accessed 8/11/2014)

How do you measure success? This is a much more difficult question to address. Former students of mine sometimes have brilliant careers and sometimes don’t. Most speak of some unique time in the class that they remember in great detail and some most of the time it has nothing to do with anything I taught them.  Today, I ran into a young man and I wasn't really his teacher, but he remembered me because of the computer work stations I created in my high school classroom – he would come in the morning before class and at lunch and play various games with one of his friends.  He was surprised to find out that I had purchased all the computer stations using my own money.

He brought up a former student, who went to a Virginia state university, as he had and graduated.  Both of them have jobs, but nothing like one of my students, who is an architect for computer platforms and another, who is a female lawyer. However, he’s happy, has friends, is employed and could carry on a lively conversation and was well-versed in current events.  He’s a bartender and I’m sure he’s earning as much as I did as a teacher at his age. Successful, yes – I’d have to say that he’s successful and happy.  

Testing in its current form is not a valid tool for measuring teacher quality or student success.  It takes four years for a teacher to become competent and many teachers leave the field before reaching that mark. I think that I would love to see the results of teacher satisfaction survey comments – the negative ones.  If only we had a Yelp for teachers, so that they could be completely unfiltered and say what needs to be fixed. 

 Kudos to Prince George’s County Public Schools for looking at a model that acknowledges that positive growth, takes time and patience and analysis. Mr. Maxwell, you would be doing yourself a big favor if you would find a way to let your teachers, the real experts, get stuff off their chests without fear of reprisals  and then come up with some solutions.  One more thing Mr. Maxwell, most surveys always arrived in my mailbox at the end of the year or at the very beginning when I was overwhelmed with work.  I just didn't have the energy to write all the information in the comment sections that I had to say.  Take an in-service away, let teachers have some free time to have some coffee, treats, kick back, talk and then have them write comments as individuals or groups. Who knows, you might get some creative feedback and some workable solutions.

Conversations With Kids - How to Know You Were Born To Be A Teacher . . .

Do you ever wonder if teachers are born, made or a combination of both? I decided in sixth grade to become a teacher after having an earnest conversation with my dachshund, Rusty. I wanted to be a middle school choir director because Ms. Thout was so beautiful and I idolized her, but when I found out I would have to pass a test on three different musical instruments to qualify, I decided that being a regular sixth-grade teacher would be just fine.

I had a great sixth-grade teacher, Mr. Collins, who made it snow and taught us poetry.  He was one of my favorite teachers of all time.  I missed a lot of school because my parents divorced that year and I was living with my mom.  We fought all the time and I was out of control. Seventh grade was even worse. The four things I remember about that year are: President Kennedy was assassinated while we were having a football game; John Klima, me and three other kids had a secret spy ring and passed notes in code in different classes; I had a crush on Ms. Thout, and I sang a folk song - "Blowing in the Wind" in the talent show - the flood lights blinded me, but I did okay.

But I knew I was going to be a teacher.  I went back to live with my dad and stepmother for eighth grade and didn't know until later they'd nicknamed me "Hamlet" - the dark prince of Denmark because I was always moodily reading in my bedroom. I thought my Civics teacher was cool, but my science teacher that year was so obese, he died in the classroom sitting in his chair.  He had a heart attack.

So what's the point? I had teachers I loved because they were passionate about what they taught. That's what I realized as an adult looking back.  Whether I "learned" the curriculum or not wasn't really all that important - I was a person to them and they made their subject important to me. They knew how to talk to kids.

Today I met a precocious four-year-old and we had a great conversation -at first she said: Too much information because she thought I was talking too much.. But then I asked her about her shoes and then her favorite color and on and on. One question led to another and then she had some questions for me that were related to what I had asked her.

I also pointed to or touched objects in the beauty salon and encouraged her to (safely of course) touch and show me things, too. One of the stylists said, "You must really like kids."

Yes, I thought enjoying my honest and fresh conversation with the eager four-year-old. I really like kids and that's how you know (and how I knew) you were born to be a teacher.  You just get such a kick out of the honest exchange or conversation you can have with kids. So spend some time enjoying your students - just chat with them or just have some random conversations with kids you meet as you go about your day - it can be a renewal of your commitment to your career. You'll remember why you wanted to be a teacher in the first place.

Samples of 8th Grade Student Writing: Prompt About Change; Personal Narratives - Variety of Voice - Can You Improve Author's Voice in Prompt Response Writing?

The student writing that I am sharing is a tale of two topics with distinct differences in tone and voice. When we train students to respond to prompts, we generally teach them the traditional, five-paragraph essay format.  If you examine the anchor papers for The Common Core, you will see a faithful representation of the model essay. The writing tricks used in these papers are evident to English teachers and language arts teachers.  If we sat down together, we'd put a poster on the classroom wall with a checklist demonstrating the items that generate a "good" score.

The checklist would ask students to write their opening and closing paragraphs first. Students would be encouraged to check the first sentences of these paragraphs for impact. Use of vivid vocabulary, alliteration and/or starting with a subordinate clause would be encouraged to demonstrate sentence variety or control of stylistic devices.

To be on the safe side - students could be taught to create an outline structure within their first paragraph to let the reader know what was coming. This checklist and frequent use of writing prompts throughout the year would help students score: pass proficient.

When you read my student's sample - you can see, these are some of the tools I used.  However, the writing is FLAT! There is a lack of transition between paragraphs and the conclusion is adequate, but not inspirational. However, the thesis is clear, has supporting details and shows a fair command of the essentials of grammar, but the overall effect of the piece doesn't make me a happy English/language arts teacher.

I had the formula for teaching students to pass proficient or advanced proficient down pat and sometimes it even produced some writing with passion, but most of the time it was FLAT and a chore to evaluate.

Here is the sample: (Sorry for the poor quality reproduction - but this was a timed prompt done in class - no computers and I couldn't figure out a way to edit the bleed through of the other side.)

The following sample was produced and evaluated with my standard rubric. You will see that the writer paid attention to most of the conventions - but the best thing is she got our attention right at the start of her piece. Her voice, the voice and tone of an eighth grader recalling an event that was very dramatic is on the mark. Could she elaborate? Yes. Could she have played around with alliteration, metaphors - used some stylistic devices to amp up her narrative? Yes. Do I feel that this piece is authentic and with some peer review, revision and edits have become a superlative piece of writing? Yes. Here is her sample:

The checklist/rubric/formula for "super" writing is well-developed and students of all abilities can amaze teachers, friends, parents and the general public when they find their topic. That is where the teacher can work some magic - even with the deadliest of prompts. The greater joy, however, is to find out the true passion of your students and that is like pushing a peanut up a mountain with your nose. I spent days on my knees next to students asking questions, doing guided imagery, sharing my own writing - you name it - I tried it to open their minds to some idea that grabbed their imagination.

I presented prompts as a game/challenge.  How can a student visualize the reader of the essay?  How can he/she amuse, amaze, confound and challenge him or her with our writing? Isn't it fun to think that when the scorer comes to the piece I've written that it will wake him or her up? Or if a computer is scoring my sample - isn't it great to think that I've beaten the algorithm? Every time I taught test taking skills, I always presented it as a challenge - it was little-old-me against the Goliath of the test designers and I wanted to beat them at their own game.

This year - try to encourage your students to see the tests as a fun chance to get back at "the man". This may be a mythical battle, but if ever there was a time to encourage imagery and use it to arm your students to use every "weapon" you've given them to WIN - this may be the time to get a battle theme going.  I hope you win any contests you have this school year.

Great PBS Website on YouTube For Educational Ideas -

What Kind of Fairy Tale is Disney's "Frozen"?

If you are looking for a channel that hands you lots of researched information in a quick, graphically rich manner - I suggest you give this PBS sponsored YouTube URL a visit. Every Wednesday Mike Rugnetta posts a new video.  The videos demonstrate/examine connections between pop culture, technology and art. 

I subscribed to it because I found it gave me many references that if I were still in the classroom could prove useful sources.   

VBlog - How to Make Puppets to Spark a Outcome-Based Project - It's Worth the Effort . . .

How to Make Puppets  Now you can click on this link and it will take you to the VBlog - it was in the wrong format so it wasn't showing up for you to download.  Found Elmer's Art Paste for you to use for this or any other paper mache projects - it has the utility that I wanted to find for you. Notice this reviewer's last comment - you can mix up a batch in a plastic container with a cover and use it for weeks without problems.
Please be sure you cover it tightly - if you don't it will develop a bad smell.

Cheapest Mix = Elmer's Art Paste $2.80  -Comments about Elmer's Art Paste:
i make large paper mache projects....base for costumes. i have made larger than life flowers, heads (to be covered with fabric), full bodies...can't create these without my elmer's art paste....is the best and easiest to use product i have found. i can mix up a batch of paste in a plastic container with a cover and use it for weeks without problems. difficult to find but glad blicks carries it....  

Blick's (clickblick)

Monitoring Students' Reading Comprehension - How Can We Assess What They Comprehend?

The latest scores from the District of Columbia schools both charter and public reflect some small growth in reading proficiency, but the statistics I quoted in my post detailing the lack of reading post graduation from high school and college is chilling.  Add that to the inability of the general public to respond to basic knowledge questions on late night television shows and you're left with a dismal view of the majority of our citizens' ability to retain basic concepts and keep up with important current events. So what tools, teaching methods and assessments can teachers use to give us confidence that students can read?

What we must give them are tools to last a lifetime that work in multiple settings. Before I go to the next paragraph - I do have to say that I communicated the following to my students: I had a contract with the school system which required that I teach specific concepts so that they scored well on any tests now and in the future. That requirement created boundaries that I respected and I expected them to respect them, too because life is not predictable. Young people may hate particular material and assignments and in retrospect see some value in them.

I also want to emphasize that I love learning, thought that I should be a role model of that love - I loved connecting pop culture, movies, fun books, plays and pretty much whatever it took to get students involved in class.  Many students were so discouraged by the time they hit eighth grade they just didn't care - it took a lot to convince them that this class was about easily learning the rough stuff and finding the joy in what they could do - not their failures.  Keeping that in mind - I do want you to visit this link because teachers must do both - keep learning accessible and meet standards - visit: http://www.cracked.com/blog/4-ways-high-school-makes-you-hate-reading/

I have a few ideas emphasizing practicality while teaching reading comprehension.  One year, I bought a class set of speed reading books with short passages and only 10 multiple-choice comprehension questions at the end of each passage. The books were set up to be done independently and scores and timing kept by the students. The passages were high interest and most of my students wanted to increase their reading speed and accuracy.  I could see this used in a competitive manner and in a centers approach.  The drawback that I found with the series is that because the answer key was contained in the book, students could game the system, but most students wanted the challenge of increasing their speed and since I only took a participation grade - their score didn't enhance their grade. Still trying to find the book - no luck yet, but I will keep looking.

Many outstanding teachers have vocabulary systems and there are apps for that.  I believe if the Great Books series is still available, that is an outstanding way to include volunteers in the classroom and because the rules are very clear, student discussions will naturally lead to an increased vocabulary - I'm not a fan of forced vocab lists.  The Great Books series could also be used in a centers or small group approach. In today's overcrowded classroom, teachers have to find ways to create small group instruction time and keep using a pattern approach to specific areas of comprehension.

I would love to recommend using my old friend - the outline, but not a rigid version. My version is user friendly - done in a reading circle - you don't have to have an B if you have an A. Students (and you) only write out the main features of the piece of work you want to analyze.

You can use this outline on an overhead, as a handout, as a chart, have students work in pairs to fill it in for discussion so that it becomes natural for them to look for these components in a story.  This also works with a film and hey - "Hunger Games" - a natural. Of course, with a novel - there may be multiple settings so you can divide the book into sections and have different student groups do the outline for those sections.

Don't let this become a thrill kill. It has to have some competitive feature - debates, panel discussions, open note tests, the foundation for a new version of the story and finding quotes to turn into poetry, art or graphic projects.
I. Setting
   A. Place -
   B. Time -
II. Characters (Protagonist/Antagonist)
   A. Main/Dynamic (include traits - what they do, say and others say about them)
   B. Minor/Flat/Foils -
III. Rising Action
      A. Incident one -
      B. Incident two -
IV. Climax
      A. Internal conflict
      B. External conflict
V. Symbolism
    A. Positive
    B. Negative
VI. Falling Action/Denouement/Conflict Resolution
    A. Incident one-
    B. Incident two -
VII. Theme/Author's Point of View

With some small changes - this same outline can be used on non-fiction pieces: Where; Who; Important Events/Facts/Statistics; Conflict; Outcomes and Opinions/Call to Action

If students see that the same elements repeatedly appear in an organized fashion in written and visual content, then they can use that pattern and graphic material to become exceptionally competent readers and media savvy. The other task teachers will have is teaching test taking skills which is why I bought a class set of speed reading books.  Students need lots of practice with various aspects of the reading process and if you love reading and sharing a wide variety of genres, there is no better recipe for creating a classroom of readers.