Using Children's Literature in the High School Classroom

 

Kid's books in high school? Sound crazy? Think about it. There are some amazing children's stories out there, and they all (well, many) contain elements that we want our high school students to understand and recognize. Plot, character, setting, point of view, conflict, theme. Okay, I'm sure you get the idea. And they are very short reads. You can even read them aloud to your students. You might be surprised to learn that high school students LOVE to be read to. They'll recognize the stories. You can point out things they missed when they were children. 

Some great stories to use with your high school students:

Stellaluna by Janell Canon

Fly Away Home by Eve Bunting

Exclamation Mark by Rosenthal and Lichtenheld

Unspoken by Henry Cole

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka

Tuesday by David Weisner

There are many many more. Check out the Caldecott and other award winners here. Try it. You won't be sorry!!

5 Day Movie Units-Substitute Friendly

 

We all have those unexpected occasions when, for whatever reason, we need to fill in several days at the end of a unit or quarter, or we have to call in for a substitute for multiple days at the last minute. I always like to keep a lesson plan available if either of those things happen so that I am not scurrying around trying to throw together something that will keep my students occupied and out of trouble and that will also be a legitimate educational experience and not just busy work.

The plan in these units use the 2001 film Shrek (the first one) starring Michael Myers and Cameron Diaz, Emma starring Gwyneth Paltrow, and A Series of Unfortunate Events starring Jim Carrey. I absolutely love these films and so do my students. They are easy, fun, and keep students engaged while at the same time allowing for some close analysis. Hopefully, you won’t feel like the time was a complete loss. There are FIVE days of activities here for each film, plus some additional ideas if you wish to extend the unit. The lessons are designed to last approximately 50-55 minutes each.

Each film is divided into four sections, which last from 20-30 minutes each. The first four days follow the same basic format:

a.      Students complete a previewing activity. The first day this consists of getting some of their ideas about fairytales. Every other day, students complete a type of mad-lib activity which serves as a review of the previous day’s viewing. (This is helpful especially for students who are absent on any of the viewing days. It helps them catch up on what they missed.)

b.      Students view the section of the film for that day and answer some during viewing questions. These are easy questions designed to keep students paying attention.

c.      After students have finished watching the assigned day’s section, students complete the after-viewing questions. These questions require a little more thought and serve as a great springboard for a whole class discussion. Students will need to be able to defend their answers.

d.      Students will complete a different focus activity each day. 

The fifth and final day students will complete a project of some type.

Additionally, there are a pages of writing topics and  of additional projects that students can complete if you wish to extend the unit. T

If you use these with a substitute, there is a letter for him/her with detailed instructions for implementing the activities. Since this unit is a no-prep one, it is pretty to use with a substitute if you're going to be out for several days.

Click on each link below to see and/or purchase each unit.

Shrek

Emma

A Series of Unfortunate Events

Books That Help Make You A Better Teacher: Literature Circles by Harvey Daniels

BLURB:

Two potent ideas - independent reading and cooperative learning - come together in this practical and exciting book.

This unique model of literature circles was developed by a team of midwest teachers who combined local inventions with models appearing in the national professional literature. Daniels and his colleagues have been especially concerned with the issues of management, the preparation of students, and enacting the principles of classroom democracy and group dynamics. Their special contribution has been to add to literature circles the key formal elements of collaborative learning-particularly through the varied roles used to guide students in newly-formed groups.

The book presents a particularly effective way of getting started, using temporary role sheets to create quick, successful implementation of student-led discussion groups. Also offered are a variety of structures and procedures for managing literature circles over the long run, strategies which solidify and deepen the contribution which this special activity can make to balance the curriculum across grade levels.

Drawing on stories from twenty-two classroom teachers who work with students from kindergarten through college, this book delivers ample guidance and inspiration for teachers who want to implement literature circles for themselves.

This book is an easy-to-follow guide on how to get literature circles up and running in your classroom. Students are divided into groups and each student is given a role that changes with each session. There are handouts and instructions on how these roles should function. 

I used this with each group using the same book and also with each group reading different books. The kids enjoyed directing their own discussion and reading assignments.

The one caveat I have for using lit circles is that if you have a high rate of absenteeism, it is going to be more problematic. I had more success with advanced classes simply because their attendance was better.

I will say that this book made me look harder at how I was assigning independent reading and how I was leading discussions. I love the idea of giving students some autonomy over what happens in the classroom. It isn't always possible, of course, but this book offers a great way to do that.

EASY MEALS: Crockpot White Chicken Chili

 

Here's a delicious hot meal that's quick and easy.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces

2 15-oz cans white beans (undrained)

1 15-oz can white corn (undrained)

1 cup chopped onion (I like the frozen chopped onion you can buy. So easy!)

1 clove minced garlic (I like the bottled chopped garlic. Again, easy peasy!)

1 pkg chili seasoning

1 7-oz can green chilis

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can chicken broth

--------------------------------------------------------------

tortilla chips

shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Combine all of the ingredients above the dotted line in a crockpot. Mix well. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours. Remove lid and shred chicken pieces. Use potato masher to mash up mixture. Consistency should become thick and creamy. Serve over tortilla chips and top cheddar cheese and other favorite toppings, like sour cream, bacon bits, etc.

Yum! Delish!

Making Contact With Parents

 

I always dread calling parents about their children. I've had some real doozies in my years of teaching. But the truth of the matter is, you'll save yourself a lot of trouble if you just do it. A few pieces of advice about a phone call home:

1. Do NOT use your personal phone. This gives parents your personal contact information which they can and will use outside of school hours. Don't make yourself a slave to these parents. Call from a school phone during business hours. If they do not answer, leave a message.

2. Keep a record of all contacts with the date, time, what was discussed, what the results were. Be especially sure to keep any negative feedback/conversation. If you leave a message, document that as well. You don't have to write a dissertation, just basic notes. Make sure you keep this somewhere you will not lose it. 

3. Be pleasant but firm. Keep your comments to specifics. Examples: Katie has not turned in a single homework assignment and her average is now a 55. Joe continually interrupted my class today by talking to a neighbor. He will be in detention tomorrow after school. Nick's grades have been going steadily down hill, and he made a 34 on his last test for me. 

4. Make positive phone calls as well. When students do the right thing, let their parents know. I would try to make at least one positive call home for every five negatives. Obviously you don't want to spend all your time on the phone, but an occasional positive call is much appreciated by parents.

Although, honestly, it doesn't have to be a phone call. 

My school district wanted us to contact every parent each nine weeks. I came with some alternatives to phoning home just to keep my sanity!

1. Letters: Yes, the mail still runs and you can mail letters to parents. Your school will probably pay the postage as well. Ask for a parent signature and return acknowledgement of receipt. Document, even if you don't get a reply.

2. Email: Most school districts nowadays ask parents for email addys when they register their kiddos. I know not everyone has an email, but I guarantee you MOST PARENTS DO. Ask for a parent response and document, even if they don't send you one.

3. Newsletters: At the beginning of the year, create a group with all the parents in a particular class/grade. It can be a bit time consuming at the beginning to get everything set up, but after that, it is a breeze. Each grading period I would send out a group newsletter about what was going on in class. It would include upcoming test dates, projects, units of study, grading scales, class routines, etc. Again, ask for parents to respond. Asking a question like, "What's something I can do to insure (your student) is successful in my class?" increases the odds of getting a return reply. Be sure to document, even if you get no reply. (You can also do this one via snail mail though it is a bit more time intensive.) This is also something you can have on hand for Open House nights. 

4. Class Website: Some schools provide pages for teachers to develop a class webpage. I made my own using Blogger, which is totally free and gives you the option for multiple pages. I would post upcoming test dates, project due dates, holidays. I would include the units we were studying, vocabulary word lists, contact info, etc. At the beginning of the year, I would send home a letter with the web address. Students were constantly reminded about the website, and I would include the web address on all information I sent home to parents. Make sure you go in and update pertinent information frequently.

Well, there you go. Hope I've given you some ideas about contacting parents. Believe me, you won't be sorry you did it.