Ideas to Inspire

The other day my husband commented that with all the emphasis on web 2.0, at what point do the students learn to craft on paper and get to experience the physical nature of writing? Writing on the computer is not the same as writing on paper.

That’s true, but whether students write online or write on binder paper, they still need to learn how to craft their writing, and good writing instruction is still good writing instruction.

Therefore, having a student respond to a blog with “nice,” “good,” “great job,” is just as bad online as on someone’s paper. So how do teachers push the learning connections and stretch students to use their critical thinking skills to make a difference in each other’s thinking and learning, thereby expanding the universe and creating a classroom where teachers are mere facilitators and the students are teaching each other?

Students can create very thoughtful responses if they just get some modeling and some kind of framework from us. These comment starters are very old. I’m sure you have them in your files too, and they were created for critiquing someone’s writing, but it works just as well as a way to respond to a blogged topic or online writing piece too.

• This made me think about…….
• I wonder why…….
• Your writing made me form an opinion about…….
• This writing (post) is relevant because…….
• Your writing made me think that we should…….
• I wish I understood why…….
• This is important because…….
• Another thing to consider is…….
• I want to know more about…..
• I can relate to this…….
• This makes me think of…….
• I discovered…….
• I don’t understand…….
• I was reminded that…….

How do you teach students to respond? Leave a comment and let us learn too.

Kapua and Amy have their students respond on their blogs, so check out their blogs for some ways to push learning and thinking beyond the classroom. In this division we are even more blessed to have Kerry as our tech guide and speedy problem solver. So take advantage of using your blogs not only as a “teacherly” site where things like homework, daily agendas, and due dates are posted, but as a dynamic site where students can interact with you and each other, where students can learn from others even if they are not in the same period, and ultimately, students can get feedback and mentorship not only from our classroom teachers, but from the world of experts.

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is the graphic novel version of Coraline and there is a good balance of text and art to make it interesting without making it a poor excuse of a read. Basic story is that Coraline lives in a large house with her parents and other boarders. Her parents basically don’t have time for her so she explores and finds a secret door. The secret door leads her to her other mother and father and all creepiness ensues.

Even if your child is in middle school, it’s not too early to start preparing for college. College board.org

is a great resource for parents and students who want to start getting information on college. They have newsletters geared for parents, and even though the parent newsletters start for parents of freshman and above, take a look at their resources, including college information, scholarships, and testing information.

What I find valuable as a parent is the SAT question of the day. You or your child will get an SAT question through your email. They alternate between math and verbal questions. Just press the option that you think is correct, and it will take you to  the answer site. If you’re correct, it will tell you why and if you’re wrong, it will ask you to try again. It’s a good way to practice questions with your child (I tend to delete the math ones because I’m a former English teacher, and my son is already beyond my math abilities now that he’s in trig.) Still, it helps students familiarize themselves with the way the SAT questions are presented and what the logic is behind the answers.

Have you ever been in class and referred to something that to you is a “modern” reference and the students give you that glassy, blank look? It could be that they’re not paying attention, or it could be that they’re just too young to get it.

Take 9/11. It is as significant an event to our generation as the assassination of John F. Kennedy was to the former generation. We all know where we were and what we were doing on 9/11/01. But for our students, they were 4, 5 and 6 years old. When I visited New York last March with my 5th grader, I had to explain 9/11. It was a strange feeling to try and explain that as we’re standing at ground zero.

Our 8th graders were born in 1995 and our 6th graders were born in 1997. Some of us have been teaching longer than these kids have been alive, and some of us were actually in middle school when these kids were born. Our world changes so quickly that it is just a wonderful and dynamic time to be teaching! Kids make meaning by attaching their prior knowledge and experiences to the new information, so it’s always interesting to get a perspective of what they know. Next time when you get that “look,” don’t be discouraged. They’re just waiting to learn.

Some events to refresh your memory:

1995 (8th graders): O.J. Simpson’s criminal trial opens (1/24) not guilty (10/3); Timothy McVeigh blows up the Oklahoma City Federal Building (4/19); Academy Award for best picture goes to Forrest Gump; UK scientists clone the first sheep.

1996 (7th graders): “Mad cow” disease hits UK; FBI arrests Unabomber (4/3); World Series - NY Yankees defeat Atlanta Braves; HDTV unveiled; Tupac Shakur shot in a drive-by and dies six days later; approximately 45 million people are using the internet; Academy Award for best picture goes to Braveheart; scientist believe there’s life on Mars.

1997 (6th graders): Hong Kong returns to Chinese rule (6/30); Heaven’s Gate cult members commit mass suicide in California (3/27); J.K. Rowling’s first Harry Potter book published in UK, comes to America in 98.

I will be the first to say that secondary teachers that do not teach Language arts are NOT expected to be reading teachers. However, you ARE expert readers of your own subject area. So no, you are not expected to teach your students how to read, but it would be wonderful to give your students some insight into what a good reader in your subject area (YOU) does. Modeling your thinking using your textbook, or even talking out loud about your strategy for understanding your text is a great start.

If you want other ideas, I’m attaching a handout I used before. It lists some common elements of most textbooks and it lists some before and during activities that you can do with students to familiarize them with your particular book.

As always, if you want more information on something, let me know.

textbook-handout.pdf