TEACHING.LEARNING.GROWING.
Below you will find a link to a BuzzFeed article. In it, teachers talk about lessons they learned while teaching that made them change some of the rules/policies in their classrooms. I found them so important that I decided to share with you.
Teacher Experiences With Students That Compelled Them To Change Their Teaching Policies
‘I never teach my pupils; I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn.’ –Albert Einstein.
Inevitably it's going to happen. You'll get sick in the middle of the night...or your kids will. Your car won't crank. You have a flat on the way to work. Something will happen at the last minute to prevent you from getting to work on time. What are you going to do? What are your students going to do?
This sort of thing would happen at my school with annoying frequency. And what would the admin do? They'd ask the other teachers to come up with some lesson plans to get through the day. Ugh! Nothing I enjoyed more than using my planning period to get something crappy thrown together for a fellow teacher.
Please. Please. Get some emergency lesson plans for your classroom, so that if this does happen, you can just say, "My emergency plans are located...blah...blah...blah." An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! Your fellow teachers, admin, and students will thank you.
You can find emergency sub plans on Tpt. In fact, I have some myself. They are linked below. But it's also pretty easy to throw together your own. Before I made some, I would just pick some stories from the literature book that I never taught. Then I would build a little lesson around them.
Read the story aloud.
Answer the questions at the end.
Go over them.
Write a response.
It's really not that hard to create some emergency lesson plans...or buy them. And you'll be glad to have one less thing to worry about when you have an actual emergency.
MY EMERGENCY LESSON PLANS ON TEACHERS PAY TEACHERS
MY MOVIE BASED SUB PLANS FOR EXTENDED ABSENCE
A thoroughly revised and updated edition of Thomas C. Foster’s classic guide—a lively and entertaining introduction to literature and literary basics, including symbols, themes and contexts, that shows you how to make your everyday reading experience more rewarding and enjoyable.
While many books can be enjoyed for their basic stories, there are often deeper literary meanings interwoven in these texts. How to Read Literature Like a Professor helps us to discover those hidden truths by looking at literature with the eyes—and the literary codes-of the ultimate professional reader, the college professor.
What does it mean when a literary hero is traveling along a dusty road? When he hands a drink to his companion? When he’s drenched in a sudden rain shower?
Ranging from major themes to literary models, narrative devices and form, Thomas C. Foster provides us with a broad overview of literature—a world where a road leads to a quest, a shared meal may signify a communion, and rain, whether cleansing or destructive, is never just a shower-and shows us how to make our reading experience more enriching, satisfying, and fun.
This revised edition includes new chapters, a new preface and epilogue, and incorporates updated teaching points that Foster has developed over the past decade.
I hate a dreary classroom. How many times have you walked into a teacher who had white walls, a few tacky old posters stuck up randomly, and a blank bulletin board with maybe a lunch menu posted and nothing else? Ugh! I don't know how the students stand it. And for me, personally, if I'm going to be stuck in a space all day long, I'm going to make it a place I enjoy being. Most elementary teachers understand this, but high school teachers sometimes seem to think it is beneath them to decorate their rooms. I say, they are wrong.
How do you transform a blah classroom into a wow classroom with not much money? It's really not that hard to do. Here are some ideas:
1. Cheap posters: You can get some cool posters for not much money. You can even make your own if you have a pretty decent materials center with one of those printers that print on poster size paper. Or print small ones on your computer and group them together for an interesting display.
2. Colorful notebooks: I kept a lot of my unit materials in three-ring binders. I made sure when I went to purchase new binders, I got the ones that were red, green, blue, etc. I avoided the white and black ones if I could. When I put them on my shelves, they added a lot of gorgeous color.
3. Colorful duct tape: You can find duct tape in all kinds of colors and designs these days. Add strips to your filing cabinet or your teacher desk. Cover a cup holder or clipboard. The possibilities are endless.
4. Dollar Tree: Buy cheap letters and border to use on your bulletin board. You can find all kinds at Dollar Tree, where they are only $1 per set. There are lots of other things in the Dollar Tree. Check out the school supplies aisle, but also the plastic storage containers which you can use to corral papers, makeup work, etc. They come in all sorts of colors.
5. Student work: Fill your walls with original work done by your students. Let them create posters that have to do with your subject matter and then display them. The kids will have a sense of pride/ownership, and your room will look wonderful!
6. Contact paper: Just like with duct tape, you can find all different patterns/colors of contact paper that is usually used to line drawers. But it works just as well across the front of a metal desk or down the side of a file cabinet.
7. Fabric: I've used this to create banners, drape from ceiling tiles, and cover old teacher chairs. You don't even have to be able to sew. Use hot glue. It works!! lol!
8. Cheap area rugs: You can get inexpensive area rugs from Walmart or the dollar store. Set your desk on one. Or your podium. Create a reading nook.
9. Paint the walls: If you're really lucky, your school administration will allow you to paint your classroom walls. That's not always possible, but it is sometimes allowed.
You're only limited by your imagination when planning a fun and color-filled classroom.
I hope this gives you some ideas on ways to make your classroom inviting and colorful. Showing students that you take pride in your teaching environment can only have positive results on their attitudes and the overall tone of your classroom.
Happy teaching!
boys
We talked about the fact that it was more than one boy but that they didn't own/possess anything. In order to make them own something, we had to put an apostrophe after the "s" that was already there.
boys'
But in order for it to need the apostrophe, the boys need something to possess. What could they possess? Balls of course. And let's use it in a sentence while we're at it.
VOILA!!
THE BOYS' BALLS ARE RED.
Yes, of course they are. And so is my face.
Here's another quick and easy meal for the tired teacher. 😀
One of the biggest mistakes I've seen teachers (both rookies and veterans) make is trying to pretend like they know all the answers. CLUE: They don't. No one does. 👿 If you are flummoxed by a grammar question, tell your students. Say, "That is a tough one. Honestly, I'm not really sure. Let me find out." If you can't figure out the symbolism in a particular story, ask them if they have any thoughts. (Of course, being well-prepared for class helps, but sometimes you can get blindsided by something you hadn't even thought of. Been there. Done that.)
I've learned that students appreciate your honesty. And if you try to fake your way through, someone always knows. If you misspell a word on the board or make some other error on a test or handout, and a student catches it, give 'em a reward. Say, "That's awesome!!" 👍Give them bonus points. Or a free homework pass. Whatever you have. I used to give out stickers. Yes, even high schoolers like to get stickers. lol! And you can see the pride on their faces that they have caught something the teacher missed.
When my students would spot an error I had made, even if it was just a typo, I used to say, "I always make one mistake a year, that that's it." Then when it happened again, I'd say the same thing. It would become a running joke in the classroom, and the kids appreciated that I could laugh at my own errors. 😎 They thought I was cool.
Teachers who get angry with students who correct their mistakes are teachers who lack confidence in their abilities. And students see that right away. And they will rapidly lose respect for teachers who act like that.
They need to see that you recognize you are not perfect. It makes it easier for them to accept corrections of their own errors. 💁You are modeling for them how to handle being corrected. Let them see it's not the end of the world to make some errors. It's just life.
I can't tell you how many times I'd take an item from the grammar textbook in the hall and consult my fellow ELA teachers. And you know what? Sometimes none of us could figure out the right answer. 👀
This is all a part of creating a climate in your classroom of mutual respect and honesty. You don't want an antagonist relationship with your students. The best classroom management occurs when students know that their teacher is there to help them learn and grow.
It's the time of year for getting rooms set up for the coming school year. One thing I always looked for when setting up my room was some way to give my room a bit more oomph. I am 100% in favor of personalizing your classroom to make it more interesting and comfortable. For me, there is nothing more boring than going into someone's classroom who has done nothing but add a few ugly posters to the wall (which are covered with dust) and posted rules/procedures on the bulletin board. Ugh! I mean, come on. You have to stay in there all day. Decorating and personalizing helped save my sanity, and my students liked it, too. It helps establish a tone for your class. Students know you take pride in your space, and they tend to be a bit more respectful of it.
I used clipboards regularly in my classroom. They're a great way to have a mobile writing surface, especially if you're someone who moves around the room a lot. So, one thing I did was a little DIY clipboard activity. I can't remember where I first saw the idea, but I jumped on it immediately. Let me start by saying, I am not the greatest DIYer around. lol! So this is a VERY EASY craft.
Here is what you'll need:
1. a plain clipboard: You can get these in a variety of sizes and for pretty cheap. There are even some clear acrylic ones that you can use.
2. something to decorate the back: This can be scrapbook paper, contact paper, wrapping paper, even paint, etc.
3. some way to apply the paper to the back: If you're using contact paper, it is generally self stick, but scrapbook paper or wrapping paper will have to be adhered to the back. I used Mod Podge. It is very easy to use and can be purchased at Dollar Tree for a buck. If you're painting, you might want to Mod Podge over it for protection
4. ribbon, charms, string, etc.: whatever you want to add to the clip to jazz it up a little. Obviously you can be as simple or as elaborate with these as you like.
I made this one with some contact paper that I fell in love with. It was ALL over my classroom. lol!
So, give it a try. And don't be afraid to let your students see your personality coming through. A big Disney fan? Go for it? Collect frogs? Ribbit!! The possibilities are endless. Just go for it. I think you'll like it.
I am a big proponent of using discussion questions on tests. I think they are the best way to allow students to be thoughtful in the way they are approaching literature.
However, one of the biggest frustrations for me when it came to discussion questions is the wildly differing amount of detail that students were giving me. One would give me a list. (How is that discussion?) The next would write five pages. (Ah...ain't nobody got time for that! lol!)
I decided that I was going to have to actually spend some time TEACHING my students how to answer a discussion question in my class. I created a handout, which you can purchase here, and spent a few minutes each day reviewing my expectations and modeling the type of answer I was looking for. Students practiced writing answers to discussion questions in groups, in pairs, and finally, on their own. My model requires a one paragraph answer using the format that I expect my students to use when writing informative essays. This gave them practice in constructing topic sentences, adding details, and giving commentary. They became comfortable with the format before they ever had to write their first essay for me. This saved us all a lot of pain and suffering when the time came to dive into something longer than a single paragraph.
Even if you don't like the way I taught my students to answer a DQ, I think it is important to ensure that your students are clear on your expectations for answering discussion questions. The time you take in class to teach and model the type of answer you want will pay off in better writing.
Win/win.
Need a quick meal after a long day? Try this quick and easy recipe. Just throw it in the crockpot before you leave for work.
4-6 pork chops
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can water
1 package dry ranch dressing
Lay pork chops in bottom of crock pot. In bowl, mix together soup, water and ranch dressing. Pour mixture over pork chops. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Great over rice with your favorite sides.
We were told to pair ourselves up with someone who was interested in working on ONE particular teaching skill/idea/weakness. We had to get our area of improvement approved by the principal. Then we had a set of dates we had to schedule to meet with the principal and discuss how things were going. We had to do research, implement ideas, log what did/didn't work, re-implement. We met with our partners to discuss what we were going to try and how it was going. Then we did a final evaluation with our principal to discuss how things had gone and what we had learned.
My partner and I decided to focus on integrating an SSR program into our classrooms. WOW!! It completely altered my attitude about reading in the high school classroom. It also allowed us to focus on what we felt was an area we wanted to improve and gave us a partner we were comfortable discussing things with.
This was so much more helpful than those stupid observations where the principal would come in one day and judge our teaching based on that dog and pony show one day. Principals need to be able to trust their veteran teachers to be able to implement this plan. And if there are veteran teachers who don't follow through or who are identified as weak teachers...put them back on the traditional model.
I learned more when we were using this method than in any of the other teacher observation models I have ever been part of. Try it. Run it by your principal. I think you'll all benefit.
Let's talk.
One of the things that has frequently bothered me about teachers and students is the fact that some teachers seem to get some kind of strange joy out of overloading students with homework. I don't get it.
I ALWAYS tried to remember what it was like to actually BE a student. Students have anywhere from 3 to 7 classes in addition to your own. They also have after-school activities that we encourage them to be in like sports, band, clubs. Many have jobs and/or chores when they get home. And don't forget they need some free time just to be young.
Please, teachers, try to remember that students do have a life outside of your classroom. We want them to be well-rounded individuals, and yet, all too frequently we don't give them the time to do that.
Think carefully when assigning after school work. Make deadlines reasonable. Don't just give work for the sake of giving work. Ask students when they have other upcoming tests/deadlines/commitments and do your best, if possible, to schedule around those. It's not always possible to do it, I know. We've all been there. Sometimes the test HAS to be on that day, or the project MUST come in that week.
Talk to your students about it. Let them see that you CARE about them and that you are doing your best to help them be successful. They will appreciate it. And, really, it's the fair thing to do.
Here are some awesome quotes to use in your ELA classroom to inspire student writing.
"If you have a minimum of talent, but you sit at the typewriter long enough, something will emerge. All I had was this burning desire to be a writer and all these emotions." Robert Cormier
"Write what makes you happy." O. Henry
"Every writer I know has trouble writing." Joseph Heller
"The moment of change is the only poem." Adrienne Rich
"There's no rule on how to write. Sometimes it comes easily and perfectly: sometimes it's like drilling rock and then blasting it out with charges." Ernest Hemingway
"Don't say the old lady screamed. Bring her on and let her scream." Mark Twain
"If you wait for inspiration to write, you're not a writer. You're a waiter." Dan Poynter
If there is any one book that I think helped me re-think my teaching methods,
it is In the Middle by Nancie Atwell.
This is probably one of the more idiotic moments I've had in the classroom.
I had a student who turned in a paper to me, and in it he had written the word "fake" only he spelled it "faque." I called him to my desk at the back, kinda laughing at the mistake because...well...really? lol!
I told him how to correct the error. Then he asked, "Well, what does this spell?"
I said, "Maybe fu-q?" And I just kept saying it, trying it out in different ways.
Slowly the other students would turn and sneak looks at me as if I had lost my mind. And well...say it out loud and I think you'll see why. When I realized what I had done, I turned beet red. Ugh!! I had to tell my principal about it in case any parents called to express concern. Luckily none did.
Seriously...FU-Q???????
