Art Project Bins

My students always love it when they get to color in class. lol! Activities that involve students in drawing, coloring, cutting along with finding textual evidence, reading closely, and working in groups hit a lot of different learning styles along with giving students a break from normal classroom routine.

I try to have an activity of this type in each of my literature units. When I do, it's nice if there is some type of organization to distributing materials. Otherwise...well, madness springs to mind.

I put together ART PROJECT BINS for my students for just such occasions. Students are put into small groups and put their desks in a circle. Even if they're working individually, they will share the ART PROJECT BIN.

Each bin is labeled with a number and filled with the following: color pencils, crayons, color markers, several black expo markers, a couple of pairs of scissors, a couple of rulers, small plastic pencil sharpeners, and glue sticks.

Students are responsible for making sure that lids on markers are put back on and that all items are returned to the bin.

This idea was stolen from a kindergarten teacher/friend of mine. lol! I'm sure lots of others do something similar. I like to use the plastic shoe boxes for bins that you can get from Dollar Tree. I usually put together eight of them, but you should judge based on your largest class size. Since I like my groups to ideally be 3 and not more than 4 students, I calculate based on that.

Teaching Writing...aaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrgggghhhhhh!!!!

If I were to pick the one thing that I think is the hardest thing to teach, it would have to be writing. I have never felt more inadequate as a teacher than I have trying to get my students to understand how to improve their writing. Or to even get them to actually put words on a page.

Writing is hard. Really hard. Teaching writing is also hard.

This is the class I want when I teach writing. 

This is what my class feels like when I teach writing.

Ha Ha!! Okay, maybe it's not THAT BAD. But it can be pretty challenging.

As an English teacher, I have come to realize the following:

1. Some students will enter my class as born writers. There is not much I can do to help them. They are gifted. Their words sing. I just hope to do no harm.

2. Some students will enter my class as adequate but uninterested writers. They will do just enough to complete the assignment. They will ignore  most of my suggestions. They are happy with where they are. I'm lucky that even a little of what I say gets through.

3. Some students will enter my class as struggling writers. Their attempts at completing assignments are painful. It's not that they don't want to get better, but they have a hard time understanding even the basics of what I am asking them to do. These students are generally struggling readers as well. I can help them a little if I use very formulaic methods of writing, but the grammar and the spelling often defeat them.

4. Some students will enter my class really wanting to become better writers. They know their weaknesses, and they listen to my suggestions. I watch them improve and grow as writers because of something I've told them or shown them. It's an amazing thing to see.

Now, if I had each of these different types of writers in separate classes, I could probably be a lot more successful than I generally am. The reason I'm not is that all too often, they are all in the same class TOGETHER.

The challenge then is to meet the needs of all these learners. How do you do that? I still don't have all the answers, but what I do know is this. You need lots of time. And you need lots of energy. And you need lots of patience. It's easy to get bogged down in trying to help the really struggling kids. It's easy to neglect those gifted writers. It's a balancing act.

The first thing you need to do is BEG, PLEAD, CRY to your administration to separate these kids. I've heard all the arguments for heterogeneous grouping, but I say...it sounds great in theory but is not so great in practice. If that doesn't work, get with the other teachers in your department. I guarantee they're having the exact same issues. Maybe you could work out a way to separate the kids amongst yourself for some of your writing activities. Another suggestion is to run a writer's workshop type of writing instruction. That way the work is more individualized.

Whatever you do, just remember that you're not alone. There are loads of other teachers out there having the exact same experiences you are.

For an easy step-by-step method for teaching the literary analysis essay as well as other classroom writing ideas, check out these products on my TPT store. Just click here.

Good Luck!!

EASY MEALS: Crockpot Taco Soup

It's tough teaching and then coming home and being expected to whip up a meal when you're so completely drained. A few years back I discovered the joys of crockpot freezer meals. About one weekend every month or so, I spend prepping several crockpot freezer meals. Then, on days when I need a quick meal idea, I just pull out the freezer bag the night before and put it in the fridge to thaw. In the morning, I put it in the crockpot. When I get home, voila...instant meal. I can add a quick veggie or two if I need it.

Here is one of the recipes for a favorite meal: Taco Soup

1 can kidney beans, undrained
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can whole kernel corn, undrained
1 can Rotel tomatoes, undrained
1 packet taco seasoning mix
1 packet ranch dressing mix
1 lb. browned and drained ground beef

Throw all of this together in a large freezer bag. Be sure to label and date it!

Directions for Preparing:
Thaw the night before.
Put in crockpot on low for 8-10 hours.
Add shredded cheese, tortilla chips, etc., to individual servings.

Enjoy!!

NOTE: You can easily double or even triple this recipe when prepping freezer meals to give you several days' worth of dinners.

Timing Tests-Oh, yes, I do!

So, when I first started teaching I didn't even consider timing my students' tests. I wanted them to have the maximum amount of time needed to make a good grade. It gradually began dawning on me, however, (yes, I'm slow sometimes) that some of my students were just holding onto their tests even though they were finished because they didn't want to have to do any work. Brilliant, right?

I finally started timing all my tests. The way I do it is simple. I don't just tell them, "You have thirty minutes to take this test." Instead, when most of the class is finished and only a couple of stragglers are left, I'll say something like, "Okay, you have five/ten minutes to finish." At the end of the five or ten minutes, I'll tell them time is up and to pass papers in. 

Now, on occasion, you will have that one student who is just the slowest worker ever. That has certainly happened to me. When the issue becomes apparent,  I always call home and have a conversation with the parent. After all, you can't let one students hold up the whole class for an extended period of time. I have found that most parents of these kids are aware of the situation because it has been happening for years. We simply make arrangements for him/her to come before school, after school, or during a break to finish the test. 

We don't want to be unfair to our students, but we don't want them to play us, either. Try this method in your own class if you're having this problem. I guarantee it'll work wonders.