Animoto

Animoto is a great presentation tool!  There are many different ways students can share their work using this site.  Here is a haiku, written by one of my students, set to music and paired with pictures (compiled by me in Animoto).

The Bird in Flight

Web 2.0 Tools

It's becoming increasingly important for teachers to adapt to the ever-changing world around us.  The same old projects and activities from 20, or even 5 or 10, years ago just won't cut it anymore.  If our job is to motivate students to learn, we have to speak their language, so to speak.  And for most of them, their "language" is anything related to technology.  I'm keeping, and adding to, a list of Web 2.0 tools that I have experimented with and hope to incorporate in my classroom in the coming school year.  Check out my dynamic list list in the sidebar!

What's on your reading list?

I think every teacher looks forward to those two magic words: summer break.  I also think that every teacher (well, every dedicated teacher anyway) does much more work over summer break than he or she intends.  Call me crazy, but the thought of planning for a new school year with no other commitments (grading papers, sponsoring club meetings, calling parents, etc.) hanging over our heads is almost exciting.  This summer I plan to focus on two things:  incorporating more technology in the classroom and becoming a better teacher of writing.  I feel the coursework of this class has given me tons of great ideas for the former.  As for the latter, I plan on reading some professional books that will hopefully guide me toward strategies that will help me help my students hone their writing skills.

To that end, there are a few books I hope to read:

• Write Like This: Teaching Real-World Writing Through Modeling and Mentor Texts by Kelly Gallagher
• Writing Reminders by Jim Burke
• Teaching Argument Writing, Grades 6-12: Supporting Claims With Relevant Evidence and Clear Reasoning by George Hillocks, Jr.

Voki...A Unique Presentation Tool

A Voki is an animated avatar; Voki creators can provide their own voices or a computer-generated voice to narrate a presentation or include a voice on a blog or website.

I was first introduced to Voki a few semesters ago.  I took an online course, and one of the assignments was to write an article reflection, but post it online via Voki so my classmates could hear me explain my reflections of the article, not just read my words.  I forgot all about it until this semester.  This would be a fun way for students to present their reflections of novels, short stories, poetry or any other piece of literature.  The uses of Voki in the classroom are limitless!  This is definitely a tool I plan to share with not only my students, but also my colleagues, as Voki can be used in all of the content areas.  Check out my Voki in the sidebar!

www.voki.com

Edmodo

As the end of the school year nears, I find myself reflecting and thinking about what I will change, revise, omit or repeat the following year.  During the course of this semester, I have encountered numerous ideas about how to better my teaching and how to become a more efficient, effective instructor.  One tool I came across is Edmodo.  Edmodo is an online classroom, a place where teachers can assess student progress through student surveys and polls, create discussion topics for students to respond to, collect assignments, and so much more. 

The idea of students creating their own discussions as a way to extend the classroom discussion is very appealing to me.  Through Edmodo, students can achieve that in a private setting (blogs are public and thereby susceptible to potential inappropriate content).  Additionally, blogs are blocked in most school districts, but because Edmodo is designed specifically for educational purposes, it is readily available in schools.  Another benefit of Edmodo is that it allows the goings on of the classroom to be visible to parents, other teachers, and administrators, so it’s always clear to all involved what is happening in the classroom.  This allows students to get additional support not only in school, but also at home.

I am eager to explore this tool even more and to implement it in my classroom!

Replacing Shakespeare

I recently read an article in Time magazine titled "How I Replaced Shakespeare."  Naturally, I was intrigued.  The author, Joel Stein, writes about his realization that language arts teachers have begun to assign non-fiction texts in efforts to satisfy the new Common Core standards, as the reading and comprehension of non-fiction text has become a major focus in education.  Stein admits that he was astounded to find that teachers were assigning his work (he writes regularly for Time), and he "regularly get[s] emails from students asking about [his] use of anastrophe, metonymy, thesis statements and other things [he has] never heard of."

In his humorous, at times sarcastic essay, he argues that the best way to improve his writing is by reading something that makes him think, namely literature.  He quips, "teaching language through non-fiction is like teaching history by playing Billy Joel's 'We Didn't Start the Fire'."  His point of view is an interesting one.  Yes, it's our job as educators to prepare our students to be productive citizens in the workplace, but are we doing them a disservice by guiding them away from great literature?  Stein argues that "school isn't merely training for work; it's training to communicate throughout our lives."  There is no question that kids need to enter the workforce knowing how to read and comprehend non-fiction text; but, it shouldn't come at the expense of the texts that teach us something about ourselves and the world around us.

Glogster...Creating Multimedia Posters

A "glog" is really just a multimedia poster.  On this platform, students can add pictures, text, backgrounds, and video clips, and use it to create a style and concept that will fit virtually any topic. 

I implemented a Glogster assignment in my one of my classes.  Ninth grade students enrolled in my Intensive Reading classes were assigned to choose a character from Romeo and Juliet (a text they are all reading in their English I class) and create a glog for that character.  Students were asked to incorporate pictures and quotations from the character and to decorate it using a theme and style appropriate and fitting for that character’s personality.  I believe this was an excellent way for students to not only reinforce their understanding of the character they chose, but also enhance their understanding of other characters through their viewing of their classmates’ glogs.    View a student sample.

The English Teacher's Companion: An Overview

As a project for my Methods in Teaching Language Arts class, I created this dynamic presentation using Prezi, an online presentation tool, highlighting what I believed to be the most important aspects of Burke's The English Teacher's Companion.  Also check out my Google site and click on "Professional Reading" to view an online newsletter containing my reflections on the book and important quotations.

Thinking from Different Perspectives

In this short video clip, Jim Burke, author of many professional books, such as The English Teacher's Companion, Tools for Thought, and Reading Reminders, discusses a specific strategy for teaching students to think about literature from different perspectives: the conversational round table.

This strategy, along with many others, are included in Burke's Tools for Thought.  In this book, he not only provides useful strategies for helping students comprehend and respond to literature, but he also includes student artifacts so readers may see the strategies from the students' perspective.

Teaching Writing

I must say that one of the biggest challenges I face as an English teacher is teaching writing.  Ninth grade students come to me in August with a vast range of abilities in all aspects, but writing is one of the most prominent areas of discrepancy.  Some students write like a college student (or beyond), while others can barely string together a coherent sentence.  Writing comes naturally to some students; to others, it is a chore, and because of that, they don't practice enough to get better.

In Jim Burke's English Teacher's Companion, he devotes an entire section to teaching writing.  Reading this chapter has helped me immensely, and I have gotten a great deal of inspiration on how to incorporate an effective writing curriculum in my classroom.  In his book, he explains what a good writing program should include, which involves giving students ample time and opportunity to practice writing and also expose them to other students' writing to help guide them.  He suggests teaching students how to write a meaningful and well-developed paragraph, which will make stringing multiple paragraphs together a bit more manageable.

A couple of innovative ideas Burke suggest include a group essay and having students write in response to various texts of their choice, both literary and visual.  Both of these ideas provide students with a fresh perspective about writing, making them more willing to both participate and become engaged in the activity.

Teaching writing, a once daunting challenge for me, is now something I have begun to look at with a fresh perspective.  The more excited and enthusiastic students are about writing, the more interesting and enjoyable their writing will be for me to read!

Thinking about teaching and learning

In the second chapter of Jim Burke's The English Teacher's Companion, he discusses four components of effective teaching and learning: construction, occupation, negotiation, and conversation.  Not only does he explain these four components, but he describes what each component "looks like in the English class," and gives examples of tasks and activities that encompass each of the four components.  For example, he defines construction as "not only making things but also studying how they are made and how they work."  He goes on to explain that construction can be exemplified by manipulating words to change their meaning and constructing, deconstructing, or reconstructing texts to better understand how they work and what they mean.

Burke has meaningful things to say about each of the four components, but the component that most appeals to me is negotiation.  In this component, teachers create an environment that allows students to think of the classroom as theirs.  There is a great deal of buy-in from the students, and they take ownership of their learning.  Burke states, "Negotiation challenges those teachers who see the class as 'their' class.  My students remind me that by inviting them to share and think about their lives, the English class necessarily becomes a communal space where the students assume control as they progress toward independence."  When I really thought about this particular quotation, it made me realize that English teachers have the unique ability to really get to know their students in a way that a math or science teacher doesn't.  In English class, we talk about how texts relate to our lives, and by that means, we have the opportunity to get to know our students as people, not just students.  Because of this, students have the opportunity to feel that they have control and choice, and it's up to us to foster that.

At the conclusion of this chapter, Burke suggests that readers view a movie about inspiring teachers: Dead Poet's Society, Freedom Writers, Stand and Deliver, and The First Year.  I have seen most of these films, but all before I became a teacher, and I think it would be interesting to view these movies through the eyes of a teacher.

The English Teacher's Companion...A Fitting Title

Why didn't I know about this book in 2006 when I started teaching?  One complaint I have with many professional books on education is that they are mostly theory with very little information that can be brought directly into the classroom.  I cannot make that complaint about Jim Burke's The English Teacher's Companion. He writes in a conversational tone, and I found myself relating to his comments and experiences from the very first chapter when he writes, "It's August when the dreams begin again, each one signaling summer's end and school's beginning."  He also refers to summer notes he's made as "hopeful notes of someone who believes that this year I will do it better, get it right."  When I read this, I thought "he understands me and how difficult our job can be!"  Instant credibility.

After scanning the remainder of the book, I discovered that Burke includes not only advice to new and veteran English teachers, but case studies in which he shows and explain exactly how that advice can be implemented, complete with student artifacts as evidence.  I think this book will definitely be exactly what it claims to be: a companion for English teachers.

New Semester, New Challenges, New Content

This semester, I am taking two additional courses, both of which will fuel the content of my posts over the next few months.  While my previous posts were dedicated mostly to young adult literature, posts over the next few months will be about methods of teaching secondary language arts, including posts about professional books and articles I will be reading.

Making the Shift: YA Lit 2.0

In our ever changing world, it’s important that educators stay in tune with the cutting edge technology that is available.  Many times, students are more in-tune with this technology than we adults are, and if we want to speak the same language, so to speak, we have to be on their level.  This article from Voices from the Middle, gives a multitude of ways students can share a novel they have read, like wikis, book trailers, fan sites, and podcasts.  Multimedia projects are interesting, engaging, and sometimes much more practical that breaking out the old poster board and construction paper.   I currently have students who could probably whip up a pretty impressive book trailer, complete with voice overs, music, and special effects.  If this is the capability students have, we should make the shift and make our projects and authentic assessments technologically-friendly.

But, to do that, we have to be technologically savvy.  This will be my goal in the upcoming year.  I want to be able to teach my students how to create these types of projects, not just hope they already know how.  I think that embracing technology may be one of the most challenging ideas, especially for older teachers whose idea of technology is an overhead projector.  The more we utilize technology in the classroom, the better product we will get from many kids.  If they are doing something they already enjoy, they will buy into it so much more and perhaps we will see amazing creations!

Reference:

Hayes, S (ed.). (2010). Making the shift: YA lit 2.0. Voices from the Middle. 17(4). 50-52

Sharon Draper

Sharon Draper has written a multitude of young adult and children's literature.  This prolific author has a novel that will please any reader.  Not only does she write high interest, engaging novels that students can't seem to put down, but it's clear that she is just as interested in the education behind it.  She wants kids to read her books in school, and she makes it easy for teachers to teach her novels and ensures that students get the most out of them.  Draper’s website has a multitude of student activities including discussion questions, project ideas, and cooperative group activities, all separated into parts.  In order to teach this novel, all a teacher would need to do is visit Draper’s website for more ideas for activities than she could possibly ever use. (sharondraper.com) 

I had the pleasure of seeing Ms. Draper speak at a conference a few years ago, and it was an incredible experience to watch her perform excerpts from some of her novels.  She didn't just read; she put so much passion and emotion into her delivery, it was clear that she had created these characters with love and her entire heart was with them.  She truly has a gift, and I love the fact that I can share that gift with my students.

I have not read all of her novels yet, but of those I have read, Copper Sun is my favorite.  It is the story of Amari, a happy young African girl who suddenly is taken by slave traders to be sold.  She is forced to serve a cruel teenage boy, but meets unexpected allies in her search for freedom.  This is a story of unexpected friendship, survival and hope, and the reader learns about the inhumanity that many people endured during this awful time period in American history.  

I highly recommend her novels, as they are inspirational and touching, and the stories stay with you for a long time.

(Click on the video bar in the right sidebar to see interviews other clips of Sharon Draper)

By Teens, For Teens

Recently, I was introduced to a publication called Teen Ink (www.teenink.com).  This is a monthly magazine in which students can read poetry, short stories, nonfiction articles, book reviews, and interviews written by their peers.  Because publication relies solely on contributions from teenage students, and because the contributors are teenagers, the content of the writing is very easy to relate to and engaging to high school students.  I can’t recall how many times I've chosen what I thought was a high-interest article, just to be met with groans of boredom from my students.  Before purchasing a subscription, I did a test-drive.  I copied a couple of articles from a sample edition of Teen Ink and the feedback was positive. The students said that it really mattered to them that the authors of the articles were their age; they bought into it so much more.  I was thrilled with their response to the magazine, and needless to say, I have purchased a subscription for my students!  

No Child Left Behind?

I recently read an article by Christine Weber, titled “Let’s Not Leave Advanced and Gifted Readers ‘Behind.’”  It’s interesting that educators put such a large emphasis on elevating struggling readers and improving their reading comprehension, but at the same time, risk providing enrichment for the advanced readers.  It has to be frustrating for our struggling readers to just not “get it,” but it is also frustrating for our gifted students to feel unchallenged.  One of the most enjoyable things about reading is to be exposed to ideas and characters that are thought-provoking and insightful, and to be forced to read text that is below their level is disappointing.

I am of the opinion that it is better to push the limits of the struggling readers and hope that with reading comprehension tactics, they will be able to understand the same texts as the more advanced readers, but finding time to provide that extra instruction is always a challenge.  Weber suggests the use of instructional level groups, and that “the challenging content and instruction provided to the groups that makes this an effective strategy” (58).  These instructional groups provide differentiation for different reading levels, and if novels with similar themes and concepts are utilized, students will be exposed to the same themes and ideas and can still engage in whole class discussion, using their specific books as support.

What other strategies exist that will help to solve this problem?

Reference:

Weber, C. (2010). Let’s not leave advanced and gifted readers ‘behind’. Voices from the Middle. 17(4). 56-58

Ray Bradbury and I would have been good friends...

“I still love books. Nothing a computer can do can compare to a book. You can't really put a book on the Internet. Three companies have offered to put books by me on the Net, and I said, 'If you can make something that has a nice jacket, nice paper with that nice smell, then we'll talk.' All the computer can give you is a manuscript. People don't want to read manuscripts. They want to read books. Books smell good. They look good. You can press it to your bosom. You can carry it in your pocket.” - Ray Bradbury

“You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.” - Ray Bradbury

If I were to include every quote I love by Ray Bradbury, this post would go on for pages.  I'm not the kind of person who idolizes celebrities or would even care to meet anyone famous, but I would have loved to have met Ray Bradbury.  What an insightful, thoughtful, forward thinking man he was, and he had such a fresh outlook on the world.  If there were more people in the world like him, our world would be such a better place.

I love reading Fahrenheit 451 with my students.  It is one of my all-time favorite novels, and I sort of take it personally when a student tells me he doesn't like the book or that it's boring.  I feel like shaking him and yelling, "Read it more carefully!  Think about what Bradbury is saying!  He's brilliant, and there are so many thought-provoking ideas in the story!"  If I had a captive audience and a class full of students willing to discuss it with me, I could spend an entire semester picking out and talking about the "golden lines" in the novel.  There are so many connections to our current society it's almost scary, and when people give this novel a chance, I think they really appreciate the beauty of this story. 

For those that haven't read it, Mildred is protagonist Guy Montag's wife, and she is the epitome of idiocy. She represents the non-thinking, empty-minded, simpletons that make up the bulk of society in the novel.  I warn my students "Don't be a Mildred. How would you like to live in a world of Mildreds?"

Here is a video of Ray Bradbury speaking about his love of reading and Fahrenheit 451.  He was truly an inspiration, and the world will miss him.

“Magical. Enchanting. Spellbinding. Mesmerizing.”

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern is unlike any novel I've read.  It is strangely compelling, and although it is very dark, it is a love story at the same time, and it's difficult to put down.  In this story, Marco and Celia, two illusionists, are unwittingly pitted against each other in a mysterious competition.  Le Cirque des Reves, or the Circus of Dreams, is the arena for this competition.  No summary of the novel can effectively prepare the reader for this haunting, suspenseful, strange, wonderful story.

One of the most interesting aspects of the novel is the fact that it is told from many different perspectives and points of view.  At times, the story is even told in the second person, as if to draw the reader in and make him a part of the circus and feel as if he is really there.  First person and third person points of view are also present within the story, and this novel would be exemplary in a lesson on point of view.  As enticing as this novel is, it is written in a sophisticated fashion that would be appropriate for older or more advanced readers.  Struggling or reluctant readers may be turned off by the elevated style the author uses.

Check out the book trailer here:

Student choice in sharing their reading

A couple of weeks ago, I posted about students' resistance to read and write.  I completely agree that it is enjoyable to be able to just sit down and read a book without having to write about it as well, but I tell students it is important that they share what they are reading, and the best way to do this is by creating and presenting some sort of project to the class.  Of course, this is also the way I assess their progress and hold them accountable for reading.  In order to make this less painful for students is to allow them choice when deciding how they will share the novel they've read.  It's always something visual, so that other students will be drawn in, and hopefully persuaded to also read the book, and it is usually something creative and fun to create.  Some of the choices I've offered include story boards with important quotations from the novel, book trailers, collages in which students include and explain important symbols in the novel, and movie posters, to name a few.  When students listen to their classmates' presentations, I make them take notes and write down the titles of books they are interested in reading next, and this way, they have a list of novels they might read for future novel assignments or even for leisure.