OMG! (These are letters straight from the mouth of my students.) Today was the longest day of my life, also known as the Writing TAKS! It all began around 8:15 this morning and didn't end (in my classroom) until 2:15. I spent the day "actively monitoring" 18 students sit in their desks reading and writing. While following all 1,000 of the very strict guidelines of a test administrator, I became bored out of my mind. They don't teach you how to stare at a classroom full of kids for an entire day without talking or saying encouraging things while you're in teacher school.
I know how bored I was and I also understand how bored kids were that finished before the others. I had one student using goldfish (the snack crackers) to write out names of every student in the class. He asked if he could take a picture of them even, too bad we were testing, cause I totally would have. The best part of it was that the letters in each person's name he made with the crackers looked like his handwriting.
One high point of today was that I sat with them at lunch. This is something that doesn't happen very often and I enjoy it when I get the chance. Although I'm not eager enough to sit with them every day...once a while in nice. Instead of being the teacher, we get to talk about non-school stuff. I find out what things they like (the vegetable sticks from the cafeteria) and what they don't like (the boys when they act weird). I found out that: one kid only likes fish sticks, but not any other kind of fish (very similar to when I was a kid); they all love strawberries and cantaloupe; one kid is tired of selling Girl Scout cookies; they love being in my class; one kid has an adorable little brother that is going to have a birthday soon; and the boys have a group called "The Boys' Club".
All in all, I'm so glad tomorrow is back to regular teaching. I get to teach volume, ecosystems, the Underground Railroad, book clubs, and no more of this writing to the prompt. I don't know if I've ever been so excited about poetry. :)
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
I broke her!
I'll start with the good news. This is part of an e-mail that I received from a parent today. To be specific, it was from Elliot's father. If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know that I've had lots of trouble with Elliot's behavior. He's had emotional and angry outbursts, and often gets mad because I'm reminding him to work. Things have changed in the last few weeks and the message from his father confirms it. This message is referring to writing camp.
"Loved the Hobo stick. Interesting camping ideas.
Seems to have captivated his imagination and attention.
Keep up the good work. I heard him tell me that he LIKES the writing homework where he corrects sentences. Wow!!!"
Seems to have captivated his imagination and attention.
Keep up the good work. I heard him tell me that he LIKES the writing homework where he corrects sentences. Wow!!!"
This makes me feel good and know that all the hokey camp things we are doing this week are really changing attitudes about writing.
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On the other hand, today I passed back the compositions that were written yesterday. On the back of each composition, I wrote a compliment for their writing and something they need to work on, along with a score based on the TAKS rubric. Like I said yesterday, all but one kid passed. The one who didn't pass was an unusual case. I was very surprised to read her writing and knew that it wasn't reflective of her as a writer.
So I passed back the compositions and almost immediately, tears began flowing. I knew that she was very upset with her score. I tried talking to her about it and she said, "But I did stay on topic." I had to tell her that I was sorry and unfortunately the organization and intended meaning wasn't conveyed in her writing.
Off we went to lunch and recess and I was hoping she would begin to understand and get over the disappointment. I was wrong. She cried all afternoon. She didn't write a single word on a paper all afternoon. She used a whole box of Kleenex to dry her tears. Great...just what I need 4 days before TAKS...a kid shutting down who is capable and usually proves her excellence. What in the world was I going to do to help her get through this roadblock and begin writing again?!?!?
The wonderful teacher that I am took her outside for a heart-to-heart. We sat next to each other and talked about her fantastic writing in the past and what I knew she could do in the future. In fact, she's going to write at home tonight about whatever she wants and we're going to meet tomorrow to talk about the great things she did in that writing. She seemed okay with this idea. It is a non-stressful environment in which she can write anything and we'll boost her confidence again tomorrow by talking about the highlights of the writing. I've got Plan B and Plan C in store if this doesn't work out. I'll keep you updated on how this goes and if anyone has any suggestions, please let me know...I need to fix her!
Lesson Learned: Never give a score point 1 back to a child. Lie about it and claim it's a barely 2 or just pretend you forgot to score it and talk to them about it later.
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On the other hand, today I passed back the compositions that were written yesterday. On the back of each composition, I wrote a compliment for their writing and something they need to work on, along with a score based on the TAKS rubric. Like I said yesterday, all but one kid passed. The one who didn't pass was an unusual case. I was very surprised to read her writing and knew that it wasn't reflective of her as a writer.
So I passed back the compositions and almost immediately, tears began flowing. I knew that she was very upset with her score. I tried talking to her about it and she said, "But I did stay on topic." I had to tell her that I was sorry and unfortunately the organization and intended meaning wasn't conveyed in her writing.
Off we went to lunch and recess and I was hoping she would begin to understand and get over the disappointment. I was wrong. She cried all afternoon. She didn't write a single word on a paper all afternoon. She used a whole box of Kleenex to dry her tears. Great...just what I need 4 days before TAKS...a kid shutting down who is capable and usually proves her excellence. What in the world was I going to do to help her get through this roadblock and begin writing again?!?!?
The wonderful teacher that I am took her outside for a heart-to-heart. We sat next to each other and talked about her fantastic writing in the past and what I knew she could do in the future. In fact, she's going to write at home tonight about whatever she wants and we're going to meet tomorrow to talk about the great things she did in that writing. She seemed okay with this idea. It is a non-stressful environment in which she can write anything and we'll boost her confidence again tomorrow by talking about the highlights of the writing. I've got Plan B and Plan C in store if this doesn't work out. I'll keep you updated on how this goes and if anyone has any suggestions, please let me know...I need to fix her!
Lesson Learned: Never give a score point 1 back to a child. Lie about it and claim it's a barely 2 or just pretend you forgot to score it and talk to them about it later.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
I'm so proud!
On day two of writing camp, all but one kid in my class finished their first composition. I was hopeful. This is the second to last practice composition before the real thing next week. We've learned so much about writing and come so far in our writing abilities. I've been worried in the past because they have learned so much and when we took a writing benchmark, they forgot everything!
When I read the compositions today, I smiled. I had no other response, but pure happiness. I read some great papers. I had kids write like they've never written before in a wonderfully fabulous way. According to my grading scale, I had all but one kid pass. And the one kid was unusual. She misinterpreted the prompt and just went in the wrong direction. Her normal writing is well above passing. In all other cases, I was glowing with excitement and telling everyone I could what a wonderful job my class was doing on their writing.
The biggest highlight of today was reading one of my student's composition. When I read the composition, I couldn't stop smiling. My response when I was finished was, "WOW!" I've not felt that very often. I have often described a 4 on the TAKS Writing as reading a paper that gets a "WOW!" when you're finished. It's also a paper that you are unable to find a place for revisions. This was how I felt. I did not have any kids in my class score a 4 last year, so that is my goal this year. When the thought of a kid writing a 4 came into my mind, it reminded me why I do this. I reminded me that I have taught them these writing skills. Most of them came to me with little to no personal narrative writing experience, and to see how much they've grown amazes me.
Today made me excited for next Tuesday. I'll still be terrified come Tuesday at 8am because I don't want them to throw all of their writing strategies out the window. I'll keep my fingers crossed and give as many reminders about what I expect as possible in the next three days.
When I read the compositions today, I smiled. I had no other response, but pure happiness. I read some great papers. I had kids write like they've never written before in a wonderfully fabulous way. According to my grading scale, I had all but one kid pass. And the one kid was unusual. She misinterpreted the prompt and just went in the wrong direction. Her normal writing is well above passing. In all other cases, I was glowing with excitement and telling everyone I could what a wonderful job my class was doing on their writing.
The biggest highlight of today was reading one of my student's composition. When I read the composition, I couldn't stop smiling. My response when I was finished was, "WOW!" I've not felt that very often. I have often described a 4 on the TAKS Writing as reading a paper that gets a "WOW!" when you're finished. It's also a paper that you are unable to find a place for revisions. This was how I felt. I did not have any kids in my class score a 4 last year, so that is my goal this year. When the thought of a kid writing a 4 came into my mind, it reminded me why I do this. I reminded me that I have taught them these writing skills. Most of them came to me with little to no personal narrative writing experience, and to see how much they've grown amazes me.
Today made me excited for next Tuesday. I'll still be terrified come Tuesday at 8am because I don't want them to throw all of their writing strategies out the window. I'll keep my fingers crossed and give as many reminders about what I expect as possible in the next three days.
Please stop singing!
To start off writing camp each day, we meet around the "pond" and "fire" in the middle of the classroom to sing our two writing camp songs. Today we started with "Write and Shine" sung to the tune of "Rise and Shine" (the church song). We attempted to sing the song and it was terrible. When the song was over, all I heard was...
"Ms. L, you ruined that. You shouldn't sing with us."
"Can we sing it without you next time?"
"You aren't singing the right tune."
"You just need to listen to us sing."
If you know me well, or at all, one thing you do know is that my class couldn't have been more right. I was ruining the song. When I allowed them to sing without me, the song was beautiful. They did tell me that I was allowed to do the rap song to the tune of "Ice, Ice Baby". The exact words: "Ms. L, you're allowed to rap because you're not bad, but you just can't sing with us."
If I were a teacher who didn't already know what a terrible singer I am or another person listening to my class tell a teacher this, I would be very upset. However, I am not that person. I like the fact that my kids know they can tell me that I shouldn't sing and know I won't get upset because I know it's true. The know that a comment like this is not crossing the line, but others not related to my singing might be. :)
"Ms. L, you ruined that. You shouldn't sing with us."
"Can we sing it without you next time?"
"You aren't singing the right tune."
"You just need to listen to us sing."
If you know me well, or at all, one thing you do know is that my class couldn't have been more right. I was ruining the song. When I allowed them to sing without me, the song was beautiful. They did tell me that I was allowed to do the rap song to the tune of "Ice, Ice Baby". The exact words: "Ms. L, you're allowed to rap because you're not bad, but you just can't sing with us."
If I were a teacher who didn't already know what a terrible singer I am or another person listening to my class tell a teacher this, I would be very upset. However, I am not that person. I like the fact that my kids know they can tell me that I shouldn't sing and know I won't get upset because I know it's true. The know that a comment like this is not crossing the line, but others not related to my singing might be. :)
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
They make me proud!
The main idea of our writing lesson today was "Show, Don't Tell!" My kiddos are having a hard time understanding what that means and today's lesson was created to address that issue.
I made a chart with emotions on one side: surprised, sad/depressed, nervous, love, and proud. On the other side of the chart, we were listing things that you feel and look like when you are feeling that emotion. For example, if you are surprised, you might see: wide eyes, open mouthed, hands over mouth, screeching/squealing, etc. We did this for each emotion. Love was quite funny. You would have thought the kids would shy away from sharing how this looked/sounded. Yeah right!! Their hands shot up faster than anything we've done before.
- "Hearts shoot from your eyes!" (think cartoons)
- "You stutter!"
- "No, you become speechless!"
- "Your cheeks turn red...blushing."
- "Your heart starts pounding."
- "You become breathless."
- "Your eyes get really big."
And so many others. They could have gone on for days telling me what it looks/sounds like to be in love. Another one that stood out was being proud. As we were describing what it looks/sounds like, we started talking about when you are proud. I told them, "When you guys do something well, I feel proud. When you guys don't do well, I feel bad about not preparing you." They responded with, "If we don't do something well, it's not because you didn't teach us, it's because we didn't do what we were supposed to. Don't blame it on yourself." REALLY?!?! Do I have them brainwashed this much? I was impressed.
I made a chart with emotions on one side: surprised, sad/depressed, nervous, love, and proud. On the other side of the chart, we were listing things that you feel and look like when you are feeling that emotion. For example, if you are surprised, you might see: wide eyes, open mouthed, hands over mouth, screeching/squealing, etc. We did this for each emotion. Love was quite funny. You would have thought the kids would shy away from sharing how this looked/sounded. Yeah right!! Their hands shot up faster than anything we've done before.
- "Hearts shoot from your eyes!" (think cartoons)
- "You stutter!"
- "No, you become speechless!"
- "Your cheeks turn red...blushing."
- "Your heart starts pounding."
- "You become breathless."
- "Your eyes get really big."
And so many others. They could have gone on for days telling me what it looks/sounds like to be in love. Another one that stood out was being proud. As we were describing what it looks/sounds like, we started talking about when you are proud. I told them, "When you guys do something well, I feel proud. When you guys don't do well, I feel bad about not preparing you." They responded with, "If we don't do something well, it's not because you didn't teach us, it's because we didn't do what we were supposed to. Don't blame it on yourself." REALLY?!?! Do I have them brainwashed this much? I was impressed.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
The Mystery Present
Rattle! Rattle! I heard from the box as I shook it. I was determined to figure out what could be inside the wrapped box. It was not very heavy or big, but did make a lot of noise. I listened to the rattling every chance I could, hoping to figure out what could possibly be inside. "I don't remember asking for anything that matched this description," I uttered to my mom. "I know," she replied with no exaggeration. "Come on Momma, give me a hint!" "No," she responded and walked out of the room.
Christmas Day finally arrived. I was more than excited to open my presents, especially that mystery box. It felt like slow motion as my sister handed me each of my presents. "Is she ever going to pass me that noisy box?" I wondered. "Here you go, Katie," she said as she handed over the box I had been so curious about and known I didn't ask for. I shook it one last time before quickly ripping the ribbon and wrapping paper from the box. "Oh, thanks Mom," I said as I discovered the answer to my mystery. What I saw in the box was a bunch of sticks.
"Fire starts for your fire place. I thought you might need them so it won't be so difficult to start your fires. I just saw them at the store and though of you," my mom explained. I wasn't quite sure how I felt about this gift, but I was relieved to finally know what rattled inside that box.
Christmas Day finally arrived. I was more than excited to open my presents, especially that mystery box. It felt like slow motion as my sister handed me each of my presents. "Is she ever going to pass me that noisy box?" I wondered. "Here you go, Katie," she said as she handed over the box I had been so curious about and known I didn't ask for. I shook it one last time before quickly ripping the ribbon and wrapping paper from the box. "Oh, thanks Mom," I said as I discovered the answer to my mystery. What I saw in the box was a bunch of sticks.
"Fire starts for your fire place. I thought you might need them so it won't be so difficult to start your fires. I just saw them at the store and though of you," my mom explained. I wasn't quite sure how I felt about this gift, but I was relieved to finally know what rattled inside that box.
Monday, January 5, 2009
It had to come to an end...too soon!
Today was the first day back from Christmas Break. I have always and will always believe that we should not start back with kids on a Monday from our long breaks (summer and Christmas). There are school around mine that only had staff development today...that would have been nice.
But, we didn't. The kids came with smiles on, happy to be back, and I was happy to see them again as well. I wasn't ready to jump right back into our normal schedule quite yet, so I planned something else. I knew each child would be very eager to tell me about something that happened over their break. Instead of sitting and listening to each child's story, they would write about it. This wasn't just a journal entry, their assignment was to brainstorm ideas, do a picture plan, a rough draft and finally publish their story.
As they were working on their stories, I was working on one of my own that the kids chose for me to write based on titles. Mine was "My Mystery Present". They chose that over "The Surprise Present" and "Golfing". I think they chose the best. They thought the present was going to be something amazing. (I'll try to my story tomorrow.) They asked for clues throughout the day, and knowing they would never guess the present, I gave the clues they asked for. It starts with a F and ends with an S. Some guesses were, "fine watches" (after they saw my new watch), "fire hoses", "fierce snakes", and some other very ridiculous things that didn't start with f or end with s.
Overall, I was very pleased with today's behavior and work ethic. Not everyone finished their writing pieces, but everyone worked very hard. I was able to conference with every kiddo and see where they thought they were struggling and also see where they were really struggling. This was also a good checkpoint to see their writing stamina that will be tested in less than 2 months. It's nice to know that writing is coming along okay, especially after receiving our Science Benchmark scores today and seeing how poorly we did. Did I say poorly, I meant terribly, atrocious, embarrassing! But, that's a whole other blog!
But, we didn't. The kids came with smiles on, happy to be back, and I was happy to see them again as well. I wasn't ready to jump right back into our normal schedule quite yet, so I planned something else. I knew each child would be very eager to tell me about something that happened over their break. Instead of sitting and listening to each child's story, they would write about it. This wasn't just a journal entry, their assignment was to brainstorm ideas, do a picture plan, a rough draft and finally publish their story.
As they were working on their stories, I was working on one of my own that the kids chose for me to write based on titles. Mine was "My Mystery Present". They chose that over "The Surprise Present" and "Golfing". I think they chose the best. They thought the present was going to be something amazing. (I'll try to my story tomorrow.) They asked for clues throughout the day, and knowing they would never guess the present, I gave the clues they asked for. It starts with a F and ends with an S. Some guesses were, "fine watches" (after they saw my new watch), "fire hoses", "fierce snakes", and some other very ridiculous things that didn't start with f or end with s.
Overall, I was very pleased with today's behavior and work ethic. Not everyone finished their writing pieces, but everyone worked very hard. I was able to conference with every kiddo and see where they thought they were struggling and also see where they were really struggling. This was also a good checkpoint to see their writing stamina that will be tested in less than 2 months. It's nice to know that writing is coming along okay, especially after receiving our Science Benchmark scores today and seeing how poorly we did. Did I say poorly, I meant terribly, atrocious, embarrassing! But, that's a whole other blog!
Monday, November 10, 2008
Just an ordinary day...
There wasn't anything special about today. We did have a bit of a schedule change, but that was the most excitement there was. The kids were their usual selves and things went along well. I had a few kids out with illness, which made for a quiet day...if you can figure out who one of those kids might have been, you will understand why it was a quiet day.
Today was kind of a good day for one of my students to not ever mentally check into my classroom, because I had some extra time for him since another student was absent. I'm not saying that I ignore him usually, but I don't always have time to refocus him every 2 seconds. Elliot is a very difficult student to keep focused ON ANYTHING! He was not able to work during math because he chose not to. I LOVE to help students who want help, but Elliot is not one of those students. He will occasionally admit he needs help, but it is impossible to help this child when he's not willing to be helped. I have purposely placed Elliot at a group with very helpful students. They are very on top of things and on task about 98% of the time. I thought this would be a good place to encourage good choices. Man was I wrong! He HATES HATES HATES his group. He has moved away from them and only works with them when it's not a choice.
Today we started writing with our usual writing warm-up in our Writers' Notebook and then gathered on the carpet for today's mini lesson. Today's lesson in a nutshell was, "What are you working on as a writer?" I talked to the kids about what that meant and their goals for today's writing and sent them on their way to write. Elliot comes up to me as I'm making sure everyone is getting their spirals out to write, "What am I supposed to do?"
Me: "Look around. What do you see?"
E: "Working."
Me: "What do you think they are working on?"
E: "I don't know."
Me: "What time of day is it? What do we always do at this time?"
E: "I don't know."
Me: "I think this would be a good time for you to go ask Alicia what you are supposed to do."
E: "Not her."
Me: "She is a very good friend who could help you be on task right now."
He walked over to Alicia's desk and stood there for a few minutes, appearing to muster up some courage. He finally asked, "Alicia, what am I supposed to be doing right now?" And she told him. It looked like one of the most painful things of his life and I got pleasure out of watching it...I know that's terrible. I don't mind the students who ask what they are supposed to do if it happens every once in a while or if they were concentrating and still don't know, but it really bothers me when he doesn't know what to do ALL DAY! I am not a person to say that a parent needs to put their child on medicine, but if I've ever seen a candidate for ADHD medicine, this is one. Good thing I still have 25 weeks to figure out how to get him to focus for more than 2 seconds in a row.
Today was kind of a good day for one of my students to not ever mentally check into my classroom, because I had some extra time for him since another student was absent. I'm not saying that I ignore him usually, but I don't always have time to refocus him every 2 seconds. Elliot is a very difficult student to keep focused ON ANYTHING! He was not able to work during math because he chose not to. I LOVE to help students who want help, but Elliot is not one of those students. He will occasionally admit he needs help, but it is impossible to help this child when he's not willing to be helped. I have purposely placed Elliot at a group with very helpful students. They are very on top of things and on task about 98% of the time. I thought this would be a good place to encourage good choices. Man was I wrong! He HATES HATES HATES his group. He has moved away from them and only works with them when it's not a choice.
Today we started writing with our usual writing warm-up in our Writers' Notebook and then gathered on the carpet for today's mini lesson. Today's lesson in a nutshell was, "What are you working on as a writer?" I talked to the kids about what that meant and their goals for today's writing and sent them on their way to write. Elliot comes up to me as I'm making sure everyone is getting their spirals out to write, "What am I supposed to do?"
Me: "Look around. What do you see?"
E: "Working."
Me: "What do you think they are working on?"
E: "I don't know."
Me: "What time of day is it? What do we always do at this time?"
E: "I don't know."
Me: "I think this would be a good time for you to go ask Alicia what you are supposed to do."
E: "Not her."
Me: "She is a very good friend who could help you be on task right now."
He walked over to Alicia's desk and stood there for a few minutes, appearing to muster up some courage. He finally asked, "Alicia, what am I supposed to be doing right now?" And she told him. It looked like one of the most painful things of his life and I got pleasure out of watching it...I know that's terrible. I don't mind the students who ask what they are supposed to do if it happens every once in a while or if they were concentrating and still don't know, but it really bothers me when he doesn't know what to do ALL DAY! I am not a person to say that a parent needs to put their child on medicine, but if I've ever seen a candidate for ADHD medicine, this is one. Good thing I still have 25 weeks to figure out how to get him to focus for more than 2 seconds in a row.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
A back that looks like a beard...
Today we had an author visit by the name of Matthew McElligott. Our librarian suggested we read some books before he arrives so that our kids would be familiar with his work before he talked to them. I read aloud Backbeard: Pirate for Hire and The Spooky Book. While I was reading these books aloud, I didn't think much of them...they weren't all that special. The kids enjoyed the ridiculous humor in them and that was good...isn't a book a good place to have some ridiculous humor?
Today during his visit, he really showed kids how much perseverance it takes to be an author. He talked about how many times he rereads his books, edits and revises before he can ever think about sending it off to the publisher. (Which was good because our kids think it's perfect after their first rough draft.) He talked about how many times the publisher might ask him to change things and then he has to rewrite again. I hope the kids picked up on the message that even though he's a professional writer, it's rarely perfect, even after 15 revision sessions.
One thing that truly interested me during the visit was his use of technology. I apparently did not notice while reading his books the real-ness of the illustrations. It turns out that he takes pictures of textures in his life and then uses Photo Shop to import them into his sketches. He demonstrated how he did this today with 3 kids from the audience. He took pictures of their shirts and then imported them as tablecloths, jackets, and a dress for a grandma. It was probably one of the coolest things I've ever seen. His website gives a more detailed description of how he actually goes about this...it's worth checking out.
Overall, I enjoyed his visit. Parts of it were tedious and a bit boring, but I think the kids really did enjoy what he had to say.
http://matthewmcelligott.com/wordpress/?cat=15
Today during his visit, he really showed kids how much perseverance it takes to be an author. He talked about how many times he rereads his books, edits and revises before he can ever think about sending it off to the publisher. (Which was good because our kids think it's perfect after their first rough draft.) He talked about how many times the publisher might ask him to change things and then he has to rewrite again. I hope the kids picked up on the message that even though he's a professional writer, it's rarely perfect, even after 15 revision sessions.
One thing that truly interested me during the visit was his use of technology. I apparently did not notice while reading his books the real-ness of the illustrations. It turns out that he takes pictures of textures in his life and then uses Photo Shop to import them into his sketches. He demonstrated how he did this today with 3 kids from the audience. He took pictures of their shirts and then imported them as tablecloths, jackets, and a dress for a grandma. It was probably one of the coolest things I've ever seen. His website gives a more detailed description of how he actually goes about this...it's worth checking out.
Overall, I enjoyed his visit. Parts of it were tedious and a bit boring, but I think the kids really did enjoy what he had to say.
http://matthewmcelligott.com/wordpress/?cat=15
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
OMG...is this for real?
Some of these are too good or sad not to share.
It was hard for me to get over what had happened to my aunt Lila. It all started out when my mom, grandma, grandpa, and brother went to the doctor. My aunt and my cousin and I stayed home. My aunt told my cousin and I to go wake up Lila because my aunt was going to the store so Lila could watch us. So we ran up stairs to wake her up. She was laying face down on her pillow. We tried tapping her but she wouldn't wake up. Not we tried whacking her with her pillow. Finally my cousin noticed something on the pillow, a face shaped oval. We went downstairs to show my aunt. My aunt ran upstairs because we could say anything. We waited for her to come back downstairs. We slowly walked upstairs to see what had happened. The door was shut where my aunt was. I opened the door and hear my aunt crying. "What's wrong?" I asked in a scared voice. "Your aunt Lila is....dead." We started pouring with tears all day. My cousin Genny came home and heard what had happened to her mom. A week later after Christmas, we had her funeral. Over four-hundred people that were family showed up. Lila was an important member of our family.
My grandma told me a story about my aunt Lila and I want to share it. My mom, Lila, aunt Erica were playing on the stairs. They were running up and down the stairs chasing each other. My aunt Lila slipped and rolled down the stairs bumping her head on each and every bar. My grandma said, "She banged her head really hard and she had a seizure (a bruise on her brain). She didn't get a long life because she only like 29 years. She means everything to me because she gave me everything I wanted. Now she is going FOREVER. Father wanted her.
It was hard for me to get over what had happened to my aunt Lila. It all started out when my mom, grandma, grandpa, and brother went to the doctor. My aunt and my cousin and I stayed home. My aunt told my cousin and I to go wake up Lila because my aunt was going to the store so Lila could watch us. So we ran up stairs to wake her up. She was laying face down on her pillow. We tried tapping her but she wouldn't wake up. Not we tried whacking her with her pillow. Finally my cousin noticed something on the pillow, a face shaped oval. We went downstairs to show my aunt. My aunt ran upstairs because we could say anything. We waited for her to come back downstairs. We slowly walked upstairs to see what had happened. The door was shut where my aunt was. I opened the door and hear my aunt crying. "What's wrong?" I asked in a scared voice. "Your aunt Lila is....dead." We started pouring with tears all day. My cousin Genny came home and heard what had happened to her mom. A week later after Christmas, we had her funeral. Over four-hundred people that were family showed up. Lila was an important member of our family.
My grandma told me a story about my aunt Lila and I want to share it. My mom, Lila, aunt Erica were playing on the stairs. They were running up and down the stairs chasing each other. My aunt Lila slipped and rolled down the stairs bumping her head on each and every bar. My grandma said, "She banged her head really hard and she had a seizure (a bruise on her brain). She didn't get a long life because she only like 29 years. She means everything to me because she gave me everything I wanted. Now she is going FOREVER. Father wanted her.
No I in "team"
Here's another one...
I lived to play kickball and everybody loved how I played. One day we had a tournament against the greatest team. I played. I was the catcher. It was really hard running after the ball. The girls kick very hard and when I caught their ball, they hurt my arm, but I know I'm dong good and my family knows I'm doing good. Then I got enough strength to keep playing this game and still I will not give up on my team. There is not an I in team is there? So I'm not going to give up on my team. I have been on that team for years and never gave up on them, so I hope they don't give up on me because I never will give up on them or on anything, so that's why you keep trying. Not bad stuff, but good. It was hard, but you will get through it.
Part of this paper sounds a little like an inspirational speaker http://www.dallasisd.org/keynote.htm from Dallas.
I lived to play kickball and everybody loved how I played. One day we had a tournament against the greatest team. I played. I was the catcher. It was really hard running after the ball. The girls kick very hard and when I caught their ball, they hurt my arm, but I know I'm dong good and my family knows I'm doing good. Then I got enough strength to keep playing this game and still I will not give up on my team. There is not an I in team is there? So I'm not going to give up on my team. I have been on that team for years and never gave up on them, so I hope they don't give up on me because I never will give up on them or on anything, so that's why you keep trying. Not bad stuff, but good. It was hard, but you will get through it.
Part of this paper sounds a little like an inspirational speaker http://www.dallasisd.org/keynote.htm from Dallas.
Devil Stuff
This was written as part of a composition for a writing benchmark:
"It's about to be Halloween! When it's Halloween you can dress up as a scary person. Like me, I dress up as a scary person, or not. the only thin that I hate about Halloween is that some times people dress up more scarier than me and I go crazy. But the real part that I really hate the most is...I'M NOT ALLOWED TO GO TRICK OR TREATING SOME TIMES! Because my mom and dad are Christian, that's the good thing, but since they are Christian, I can't go because they say that Halloween is like devil stuff like dressing up as a devil, scaring smaller kids than you, pretending that you are really the scary person that you're dressed up as, scaring kids when they try to get candy out of those buckets that you put candy inside and once you put your hand inside and touch the bucket, a scary hand comes out grabbing your arm and scream like a little girl in a party being drunk. And sometimes they say that bad people put like bad things in the candy so when the kids eat it they get suck. But I guess kids don't know that, that's why they trick or treat. But what I do when I can't go trick or treating is I watch scary movies, play with my toys at home, go for a family hang out at stores and just hang out outside, buy new things at the store and the most fun thing is...GO TO SLEEP! And you know why I go to sleep? Because I'm lazy at my house, but I have to do my homework and do all sorts of things at home. And it's kind of fun at my house so that is what I do at home. It's kind of fun without going trick or treating and hanging out with my family.
I hope you found as much humor in this paper as I did, without me having to point out specific moments!
"It's about to be Halloween! When it's Halloween you can dress up as a scary person. Like me, I dress up as a scary person, or not. the only thin that I hate about Halloween is that some times people dress up more scarier than me and I go crazy. But the real part that I really hate the most is...I'M NOT ALLOWED TO GO TRICK OR TREATING SOME TIMES! Because my mom and dad are Christian, that's the good thing, but since they are Christian, I can't go because they say that Halloween is like devil stuff like dressing up as a devil, scaring smaller kids than you, pretending that you are really the scary person that you're dressed up as, scaring kids when they try to get candy out of those buckets that you put candy inside and once you put your hand inside and touch the bucket, a scary hand comes out grabbing your arm and scream like a little girl in a party being drunk. And sometimes they say that bad people put like bad things in the candy so when the kids eat it they get suck. But I guess kids don't know that, that's why they trick or treat. But what I do when I can't go trick or treating is I watch scary movies, play with my toys at home, go for a family hang out at stores and just hang out outside, buy new things at the store and the most fun thing is...GO TO SLEEP! And you know why I go to sleep? Because I'm lazy at my house, but I have to do my homework and do all sorts of things at home. And it's kind of fun at my house so that is what I do at home. It's kind of fun without going trick or treating and hanging out with my family.
I hope you found as much humor in this paper as I did, without me having to point out specific moments!
Monday, September 29, 2008
Editing
Today we talked about editing and peer conferences. I introduced the 3 steps we were going to use for editing and how to go through each step. Using the 6 traits of writing, they would first look in their paper for certain things for ideas and organization, then word choice and voice, and lastly sentence fluency and conventions. Each step had some steps within. They were to do the steps themselves, then with a buddy, and then conference with me. It seems pretty straightfoward, but of course, there were always more questions. I don't mind questions because then I know the kids are trying to understand. I 100% prefer it to the students who sit at their desk because, "I don't know what to do." Unfortunately, I have a questioner who never gets anything...even the answers I give him.
R: "What do I do now?"
Me: "You need to look at your paper for these things. Once you see them and check for mistake or things you need to change, sign your name on that line."
R: "So, I just sign my name on this line?"
Me: "No. You need to check for these 3 things in your paper first. Do not sign your name until you have done that."
R: "I'm going to sign my name."
Me: "NO. You need to read your lead, conclusion, and the middle first."
R: Moves to sign his paper.
Me: "Wait! You need to underline your lead in red."
R: Underlines whatever he feels like (or so it looks).
Me: "What did you underline? Where is your lead?"
R: "What are you talking about?"
Me: "Remember last week, we talked about engaging leads. We even hung a poster on the wall and looked for them in books we were reading. We were all supposed to be writing our leads for our paper last week."
R: "What do you mean?"
Me: "Does your lead (I point) use one of our types listed on that poster?"
R: "What poster?"
Me: I go point and begin reading some of them.
R: "What am I supposed to do?"
Me: "You need to read the lead types and figure out which you want to use. How about dialogue??" (I give example specifically for his paper.)
R: "Where am I supposed to write it?"
Me: "Right here between the lines. We leave these lines to have space for changes later."
R: "But I can't write there, I have to write on every other line."
Me: "I know, but that space is there so we can use it when we need it...like right now."
R: "What?"
Me: "Go sit down and ask a friend what you're supposed to do!"
R: "What do I do now?"
Me: "You need to look at your paper for these things. Once you see them and check for mistake or things you need to change, sign your name on that line."
R: "So, I just sign my name on this line?"
Me: "No. You need to check for these 3 things in your paper first. Do not sign your name until you have done that."
R: "I'm going to sign my name."
Me: "NO. You need to read your lead, conclusion, and the middle first."
R: Moves to sign his paper.
Me: "Wait! You need to underline your lead in red."
R: Underlines whatever he feels like (or so it looks).
Me: "What did you underline? Where is your lead?"
R: "What are you talking about?"
Me: "Remember last week, we talked about engaging leads. We even hung a poster on the wall and looked for them in books we were reading. We were all supposed to be writing our leads for our paper last week."
R: "What do you mean?"
Me: "Does your lead (I point) use one of our types listed on that poster?"
R: "What poster?"
Me: I go point and begin reading some of them.
R: "What am I supposed to do?"
Me: "You need to read the lead types and figure out which you want to use. How about dialogue??" (I give example specifically for his paper.)
R: "Where am I supposed to write it?"
Me: "Right here between the lines. We leave these lines to have space for changes later."
R: "But I can't write there, I have to write on every other line."
Me: "I know, but that space is there so we can use it when we need it...like right now."
R: "What?"
Me: "Go sit down and ask a friend what you're supposed to do!"
Friday, August 15, 2008
THIS JUST IN...My Classroom is Complete!
I went to my classroom today to complete some last minute ideas. Of course, I'll always find something else I need to do, but for right now, I'm happy. I know that I didn't need to do everything in order for the kids to successfully learn, but things need to be interesting, inviting, and fun in order for kids to WANT to be at school and interested in learning. (Of course this does not apply for all kids, but it sure speeds up the excited feelings they'll have when they see my room.) P.S. - I made my own curtains...which I'm very proud of. You all can make your own too with some $1/yd fabric and iron on hem.
Below: Across the top of the board are our school's Life Skills (such as caring, patience, cooperation, respect, trustworthiness, etc.) My carpet area will be in front of the board so we can use the easel. Below the white board are Texas History documents and state information.
Below: My desk! I like a space to call my own...considering that some days I spend over 10 hours in this room. That is my ME bulletin board...I add to it throughout the year. The kids love seeing what I've been up to besides asking them to stop talking. By the time they are in 4th grade, they know teachers don't live in the school and want to see proof. The day my mom visited last year was equivalent to my meeting with John Mayer in excitement!
Below: Boxes and boxes of manipulatives. Unfortunately in portables, there isn't very much storage space...and my OCD didn't allow me anything less than nicely organized and labeled tubs. This is just going to make my life easier when I'm looking for something.
Below: Classroom Library - Fiction books are organized by author or genre (unless I don't really have enough to put in a tub...see library rack). Nonfiction books are sitting on top of shelves by category. Ideally I would have room for another shelf for only nonfiction books...ideally! The short table is for working and reward. FYI: I got many of my books after "bribing" my class with a reward if they brought in books. It worked like magic...in days I had an entire library.
It's a relief to know that children (and their parents) could walk into my room at any moment and I would be prepared. Unfortunately, those feelings might change at 7:45 on August 26th...we'll see.
If you are a new teacher or any teacher who is setting up a classroom of their own, I wish you luck. I don't call myself an expert in classroom design by any means, but I am pretty good at it. I've offered my advice to many friends and of course, learn as I go. If something doesn't work, I change it. No need to suffer with it for an entire year.
Below: A wide angle shot of the room. The class library is off to the right, my desk to the left. I figured out last year that I wanted my desk in front of the kids. While they are working independently and I'm working on something else, my presence behind them was like I was not in the room. In order to prevent a reoccurrence, I've changed my strategy. I think the spaces are well divided and the kids will be able to move easily throughout the classroom. There are different working spaces in the classroom that can be utilized at any time.
Below: Across the top of the board are our school's Life Skills (such as caring, patience, cooperation, respect, trustworthiness, etc.) My carpet area will be in front of the board so we can use the easel. Below the white board are Texas History documents and state information.
Below: My desk! I like a space to call my own...considering that some days I spend over 10 hours in this room. That is my ME bulletin board...I add to it throughout the year. The kids love seeing what I've been up to besides asking them to stop talking. By the time they are in 4th grade, they know teachers don't live in the school and want to see proof. The day my mom visited last year was equivalent to my meeting with John Mayer in excitement!
Below: Boxes and boxes of manipulatives. Unfortunately in portables, there isn't very much storage space...and my OCD didn't allow me anything less than nicely organized and labeled tubs. This is just going to make my life easier when I'm looking for something.
Below: Classroom Library - Fiction books are organized by author or genre (unless I don't really have enough to put in a tub...see library rack). Nonfiction books are sitting on top of shelves by category. Ideally I would have room for another shelf for only nonfiction books...ideally! The short table is for working and reward. FYI: I got many of my books after "bribing" my class with a reward if they brought in books. It worked like magic...in days I had an entire library.
Below: Information for my students (lunch count, calendar, newsletter, rewards), the Light Bulb Lab (for enrichment), and reading bulletin board. The Light Bulb Lab is where students can go when they've finished their work. There are mini research projects that can be done independently and other individual learning activities. To the left of this table is the Wonder Wall. Students can write their questions on card and clothespin them on the board. They can research the answers at a later time and the answers will be hung up as well.
Below: Science Process and supply shelf. If they don't have it in their desks, it can be found on this shelf. The pocket chart to the right is for stations.
Below: Small group/guided reading table...I don't think I need to give any more explanation.
It's a relief to know that children (and their parents) could walk into my room at any moment and I would be prepared. Unfortunately, those feelings might change at 7:45 on August 26th...we'll see.
If you are a new teacher or any teacher who is setting up a classroom of their own, I wish you luck. I don't call myself an expert in classroom design by any means, but I am pretty good at it. I've offered my advice to many friends and of course, learn as I go. If something doesn't work, I change it. No need to suffer with it for an entire year.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
I wasn't born to write poorly.
If you know me, the title is obviously about me...but, I didn't say it. As I was talking to one of my students today about his scrapbook, I mentioned that he should write his journal entry the way the character would have written it. "BUT MS. L, I WASN'T BORN TO WRITE POORLY." I wasn't necessarily referring to the character's handwriting, but that's how this student understood my comment. This is a kid who will redo something if he made one mistake, just so it's perfect. He doesn't like when he has to erase or scribble. The best part of this is that I completely understood his thinking. I had this problem in school as well. I still do. I was made fun of in school because I couldn't do "hurried or sloppy", but I could write a note from someone's parents (which I never did, but was told I could). I've also been praised for my handwriting at every level. In fact, if I had a quarter for every time someone complimented my handwriting, I sure wouldn't need to be teaching right now. I of course would still be teaching because I love it, but I wouldn't be checking my bank account on a daily basis. haha!
Anyway, there are 5 days of school left!! I'm beyond exhausted from the last few weeks. They've been tiring. During this week alone, I've had a meeting everyday during my planning time, running late to lunch because of behavior problems, and packing up my room during any down time. That and waiting for my only nephew to be born...which he was last night at 9:50pm.
Anyway, there are 5 days of school left!! I'm beyond exhausted from the last few weeks. They've been tiring. During this week alone, I've had a meeting everyday during my planning time, running late to lunch because of behavior problems, and packing up my room during any down time. That and waiting for my only nephew to be born...which he was last night at 9:50pm.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Sam
While at Barnes and Noble, I discovered a WONDERFUL book. It is a perfect book to get kids started on writing. I think every teacher should have it for every age. There are also plenty of creative activities that you could do to get your kiddos psyched about writing and being authors!My kids will soon be finding books from Sam the Library Mouse in our classroom library. I am grateful that I found this book and now want to share it with everyone that I can.
"A small creature offers his big voice for aspiring authors everywhere. Every child can be a writer—and Library Mouse shows them how! Beloved children’s books author and illustrator Daniel Kirk wonderfully brings to life the story of Sam, a library mouse. Sam’s home was in a little hole in the wall in the children’s reference books section, and he thought that life was very good indeed. For Sam loved to read. He read picture books and chapter books, biographies and poetry, and ghost stories and mysteries. Sam read so much that finally one day he decided to write books himself! Sam shared his books with other library visitors by placing them on a bookshelf at night. Until there came the time that people wanted to meet this talented author. Whatever was Sam to do? The joy of reading, writing, and sharing is brought to life in this warmhearted tale. "
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Another book to get kids started on writing...I've used this one previously and the kids enjoy it.
"An exciting new story about a teacher who motivates a class to become inspired.
It was an ordinary morning when the ordinary boy woke up, and it was an ordinary journey to school. But when Mr Gee bounced into the classroom, everything changed. “He’s bonkers,” the children whisper. “What’s he on about?” But Mr Gee plays rousing music that thunders round the classroom, and asks what it makes them think of. Stampeding horses! Racing Cars! Elephants! “Write a story about it,” laughs Mr Gee. And the ordinary boy began to write, and the words tumbled out of him pell-mell. It was extraordinary!"
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