A Different Direction Reflection 6 and 7

Chapter 6 pages 73 to 84 We Won’t Get Fooled Again

start 9:15 pm end10:00 pm

Testing is discussed.  Testing is good testing tells us what the students know and don’t know.  Manatory testing takes at least 30 days a school year away from instruction.  High stakes testing.  Ok Rafe’s point of view and mine are similar.  Questions are :

Is all this testing helping them learn?

Is it helping them become the citizens they should be?

Is testing helping them reach their potential?

Can we honestly say that there are consequences for students if they do not succeed?

Pages 80 – 82 Test Taking Skills How he teaches them.  I like this idea and I do something similiar when I can.

Chapter 7 pages 85 to 95  What a Wonderful World  start 10:00pm  end 10 :45 pm

This chapter is about Social Studies and History.  The author makes the statement that this is the most under taught subject today.  I agree, since it is not tested it is not considered to be important.  Page 86 discusses how he teaches geography, the use of worldatlas.com and a game that is played after the students have learned all the continents and then countries of the world.  I like this idea I maybe able to modifiy it for my students. Page 89 begins his discussion of the use of movies.  He shows them before and after school and the movies relate to what he is teaching.  I like this but do not know how it would work in my school.  Page 92 is an idea for parents.   This idea is to order and use the book available from the National Parks service.  another mmm.  Page 93 is Room 56’s Favorite History Project.  This project is the study of each U.S. state and the final project is a license plate for and of that state.

Combine time for both chapters start 9:15 pm end 10:45 pm on 4/4

Progress of peace

So far I have made enough progress that it is time to make my sandwich and start quilting.  The basic design has been designed, cut and appliqued by machine.

Let’s start from the beginning.  This quilt is a wall hanging.  The design has changed several times and has gone from a huge one that involved the entire school to the small one that it is now.  This has been a 2 month process to this point: initial design was thought of one day when I was tired with grading papers and lesson planning.  When this happens, I take a 5 to 10 minute break and either walk around or drift into quilting day dream land.  PEACE is the big thing in school.  I drew some quick drafts of what was in my head and showed them to the people that are ;in charge’.  I then came home and thought for a few more days until the weekend.  I went through my fabric and could not find anything I liked to use for this.  I did have some white/off white fabric that I liked the pattern in it in my scrap bin that was the right amount for what I wanted for the applique.  But this was not the correct color.  Off to the store I went and looked at fabric dye after a few minutes of thought, I came up with the 2 colors that are the school uniform – dark blue and burgondy.  Home I went and tie dyed the fabric, the burgondy first and the blue as an over dye.  It turned out perfect.  Someone may ask why tie dye?  This is a peace sign.  The peace sign comes out of the 60’s and 70’s when tie dye was every where.

At the same time as the fabric was soaking, I drafted the design on newsprint. Why newsprint? It was the only paper in the house that was large enough to handle what I wanted.  This took several hours to finish in order for perfection. Breaks were taken to finish the fabric.    I then cut it out, placed it on the fabric and base stitched to the fabric.

At this point I needed to cut the fabric into the shape needed and the paper template was the guide. Once this was finished came the hunt for the background fabric. Once again nothing. Off to the fabric store on the hunt.  After about an hour in the fabric store of bliss (yes I have the fabricholic problem) I found what would work.  Home and fabric prep.

Machine applique and I was ready to start the quilt.  Then came the resign again and again and again.  The eureka moment came in school.  2 of the boys were doodling on the board while they were waiting for their slower classmates to finish the assigment.  I loved it.  Parts of the overall doodle will be the final product.

This comes to today.  The orginal design had the peace sign off center and the new design needs to be centered.  The background fabric was not square on any side.  After several attempts to square this off, I folded it another direction and behold I was able to square it up.

I have decided to use some nonexpensive muslim.  I am donating this after all.  After a few minutes of stash looking it is found.

Next step is sandwhiching and quilting.  Still need to do some design work for the letters.  Quilting will be free hand.

A Different Direction Reflection 5

Chapter 5 Add It Up pages 62 to 72 start 9:45 am end 10:15 am

This is about teaching math.  Pages 62 to mid 64 are about the fear of math.  Starting on page 64 is a game that the author uses to practice facts.  The game is Buzz.  One number is omitted and must be substituted with the word BUZZ.  The basic game is just a straight count from 1 to 100.  Any time the forbidden number occurs the word is said and if it is not then that student is out.  As the year progresses the type of facts are used – multiplication, etc.  I like this game and may use it for number word vocabulary.

Pages 66 to 71 discuss Marcy Cook and her mental math warm ups.  This is interesting and I can see the use of it not only for math but to review number facts in other subjects.  I can see (with a lot of work, time, and thought) a way to adapt this for vocabulary.

Mid page 71 and 72 Rafe discusses a time that he had taken his group to Chicago and a visit to The Hard Rock Cafe.  The waiter saw a group of children and got them the standard crayons and paper to keep them amused while waiting.  They told him that they didn’t need it and proceeded to teach him how to play Buzz.   This is true carry over into the real world.

Hours needed The Math

I need 30 PD hours:

I had 23.

The following hours all were completed over Spring Break 2012.  They come from the book:

Teach Like Your Hair’s on Fire, The Methods and Madness Inside Room 56 by Rafe Esquith.  Penguin Group, New York, New York. 2007.

add in 30 mins chapter 1

75minutes (1hour 15) chapter 2

1hour chapter 3

I now have: 25 hours 45 mintes

I now need 4 hours 15 minutes

Leadership hours:  add in the 30 minute conversation with Haynes, the 15 minute email, and the 15 minute emails w/Haynes  still need 5 more hours

Add to PD   1 hours.   Now need 3 hours

Add 30 minutes more, now need 2 1/2

Combine time for both chapters start 9:15 pm end 10:45 pm on 4/4 1 hour 30 minutes now need 1 more hour.

add 2 hours for chapters 8 to 11  I am finished with the PD requirement and am over by 1 hour. 

add 5 more hours for the completion of the book and reflection;  

12.75 hours for this book

36 PD hours done.

Both books that I have read have done their purpose: The first book gave me lots of  ideas on how to improve my instruction and the second has given me not only some ideas but has given me the kick in the pants that I need. 

A Different Direction Reflection 4

Chapter 4 Writing pages 44 to 61

Start 2:00 pm end 2:30 pm  restart 3:30 end 4:00 pm 4/3

The first few pages are a timeline of how writing instruction has changed since 1982 to 2004.  This is a huge decline in how writing has been taught.  Writing is no longer important as is grammar.  The only thing that is important is reading and that is skill based not for enjoyment.  Most adults over the age of 40 were taught to love to read, the pleasure of books for themselves and not for skills.  However this chapter is about writing.

Page 49, Step 1 Start me up Grammar In the author’s classroom he starts each day with 30 minutes of grammar.  This is similar to my class in that we start 3 out of 4 mods with grammar.  He uses an assignment on the board and a 20 question worksheet. He states that the students see themselves improve and feel comfortable with mistakes since they know that no one will make fun of them.  This is what is in my classroom as well.  He gives a 5 minute lesson then the students have the rest of the time to practice.  I do the opposite because I use this as a pretest to know what they know.  The mini lesson comes at the end.  This is important for ESOL children so they know how to write and communicate their thoughts in English.  Often times my students know grammar better than their English peers.

Page 51 Steps 2 and 3 Essay of the Week and Monthly Book Reports.

This is where I am thinking.  Rafe assigns the Essay of the Week on Friday with topics that range from the serious to the silly with on topic in content area work.  The students are required to use proper grammar, sentence structure, spelling, and organization.  He discribes how he handles this assignment.  He uses the student work without names to have the class evaluate what is correct and what needs improvement.  I do this also to a small degree when I am able to teach writing. Page 53 starts the Monthly Book Reprt.  This is something that I am going to consider for next year.

Page 58 Step 4 Paperback Writer THe Young Authors Project.  This is project that allows atudents to write, illustrate and publish their own book.  This is a very powerful project that I wish I could use but is outside of my curriculums.

My thoughts are being formed.  I was asked what I wanted to do with the new Zero Mod.  I think I want to try writing instruction with my students and book reports.  I know that I will not be allowed to do the book reports.  The writing instruction I may be able to pull off.  I will need a lot of support to do this.  The Westing Game was listed as a book in this chapter.   I am thinking Number to the Stars

Spring Break 2012

So far I have slept, spent time on FB, tried to make Irish Soda Bread (huge fail), repaired the wrap and a pair of pants, fixed the vacuum cleaner.  Next is to

go back to the store – get what is needed for the bread and redo it

Work on peace and house

sleep more.

What are my goals this week?

Finish the PD hours needed by reading my book and blogging the reflection.

Finish the Peace Quilt

Work on the home quilt

Bread

Sleep

water problem under control.

A Different Direction Reflection 3

Part Two

The Method

pages 29 to 44 start 2:15 am  end 3:15 am  4/3/12

Chapter 3 Reading for life

The chapter discusses the torture of staff meetings because of the endless hours of ‘Why Juan Can’t Read and how to fix it.’ The school has not made AYP and has literacy coaches.  Page 31 has a list of reasons why Johnny can’t read that all lay within the realm of adults:

Powerful forces of mediocrity have combined to prevent perfectly competent children from learning to love reading. These forces include television, video games, poor teaching, poverty, the breakup of the family, and general lack of adult guidance.

I agree that these are the forces that have an affect.  But there are so many more that take place that lie in the realm of the child, the most important one is the unwillingness to want to try.  As a teacher I can teach, show, introduce my students to the joys of reading but they have to want to try.   The author also states that the curriculum is such that demands that we teach the same skills to the whole class at the same time.  My problem with this is that in all my years of education as a student, I can not remember ever having direct skill instruction in reading.  I must have been in reading groups and must have had instruction but I can not remember it.  What I do remember is the reading that I did outside of the classroom.  This is the reading that I remember.

page 32 A Different Focus = This goes back to my previous statement.  The reading I remember is the books I read outside of the classroom, the grocery sacks (yes sacks it was always 2) that I would check out of the book mobile, the public library.  The most frustrating thing for me was that no matter what library it was I was limited to the number of books I could read.  I had the joy of reading.

page 33 The Adult as a Guide  I wish that I could do this.  My 7th grade students in Texas learned to love to read because I was able to give them classic literature repeatedly.  I did not have to use the text and when I did it was as if someone turned off the magic in the room.  We had book talks and studies.  Rafe, the author, teaches like this.

page 37 Choosing LIterature= Book lists, yep I could get into that.

page 39 = Students who can not read=  On level material, constant explanation, written work in class, student selected books at their level.  Everything listed is used in my class except for the last one, time comes into play.  When can I give them the reading time and teach wh at I am told to teach.  If I could do it all then the magic of reading would happen.  This is why I look forward to after MSA.  I can/could teach like I know how to and do what works.  That is not happening this year.

page 40 Middle and High School Teachers= Not sure why this is here except to say that there are so many books on content areas that those teachers should teach reading also.

Page 41 Assessment = www.novelties.com has so many books with questions already created.

Page 41 Making Things Relevant= Rafe states that when children read for pleasure then they learn about the world around them.  I so agree.  He brings in that plays are available to go see, movies are available also.  That leads into what I hear from my students and adults around me :Why read when I can go see the movie?”  Ok just yesterday my daughter went to the movie The Hunger Games.  After I picked her up she discussed the movie.  Her first statement surprised me that this movie was a better adaptation than Harry Potter.  I do believe her because not only has she read all of Harry Potter several times and seen the movies but she has also read the Hunger Games books and now the movie.  She compared and contrasted the movie with the book.

Page 43 Laughter and Tears  = What is the goal of reading? Making lifelong readers that make a connection to the real world and the understand what the magic of reading is.

Ok what does all this mean?  It means that the way that we teach reading is not doing its job.  Isolated skills is not making these children want to read.  This is my problem in that how do I make them learn to read and make them enjoy it and teach them English at the same time.  The last few months after testing is when I did that.  That is not going to happen now.

A Different Direction Reflection 2

Chapter 2 Searching for Level VI pages 13 to 26

start 10:45 pm end 12:00 am  total 1 hour 15 minutes.

Teachers lead the class but the students determine if a class is outstanding or mediocre. pg 13

There are 6 levels of Lawrence Kohlberg’s Moral Development.

Level 1 I don’t want to get in trouble. This is the level that most students live in.  They behave because they do not want to get in trouble and are in fear of what the teacher will do.

Level 2 I want a reward.  Students complete work if they are rewarded for good behavior – getting the work done.  This teaches that a reward is the prize but isn’t the prize suppossed to be the knowledge gained?

Level 3 I want to please somebody.  Why do they do this?  Getting someone else’s approval is important but is it the main goal?  Learning to please someone else is good but what about doing the best that you can to please you?

Level 4 I follow the rules.  Following the rules is good.  But why?  Levels 1, 2, 3 are in place here.

.Level 5 I am considerate of other people.  Being considerate of others is important.

Level 6 I have a personal code of Behavior and I follow it. This is where we want to be.

Ok what does this mean?  For me personally, it hits home hard.  I am stuggling with level 3 which is impacting levels 4, 5 and 6.  I need to know that someone recognizes that I am doing a good job.  For me in my classroom. I need to work on level 5 with my students.  I am seriously affected here when I am tired or sick or in pain.  I like to think that I am at level 6 at all times but I am not.  For our school,  levels 1 to 4 are there for most of our students, but the few that are not there cause the problems and cause the most headaches with everyone.  I can fix me but I do not know how to fix an entire school.

A Different Direction Reflection 1

Teach Like Your Hair’s on Fire, The Methods and Madness Inside Room 56 by Rafe Esquith.  Penguin Group, New York, New York. 2007.

start 10:00 pm end 10:30 pm pages 3 to 12

Topics were

trust. Trust is earned through honesty between teachers and students. If the classroom is filled with trust then learning is able to occur.  I agree with this.  If students trust the teacher they are willing to learn.  If the teacher trusts the students then the teacher is willing to teach to level that is needed.

Discpline must be logical.  Discipline must fit the misbehavior and the setting in which it takes place.  This example given is that if the misbehavior is in a science experiment then ban the student from the experiment.

Role Model.  The statement is made that teachers must be advocates not tyrants that get upset over everything.  I agree.  I find that when I advocate for learning that things go so much better while on the other hand that when I am a tyrant and get upset over little things then nothing goes well.

A Different Direction

3-11-2012

Start 9:15 p.m.  end 10:45 pm total 1 hour 30 minutes

The last few weeks have left me physically and mentally exhausted.  This time around the infections have taken a huge toll on my physical being and that has left me mentally exhausted because I can not do what I want to do and know what I have to do to have my students prepared for testing.  At this point all I can do is what I can and go on.

That said I have decided to take my professional reading into a different direction.  I started the Fifty Strategies book and could not go on with it.  Part of that problem was that the TPT book was so good.  It was well written and an easy read.  I learned a lot from it.  I have started using some of the techniques in class with each group and they are working.  I am surprised that some of my colleagues are refusing to read it.   50 Strategies will be read just not now.  I need another direction than strategies/techniques.  It has been no secret that this year has been hard on me, not only because I was/am so ill, my personal life has been a learning experience from my love  life to that of relearning how to parent both at home and over the internet, but also my classes this year (as every year) are so different.  ESOL 1 is a constant concern because of the wide range of their abilities and how each student is at what stage in being a newcomer/ESOL 1 student.  I am so proud of each of them, they have learned so much.  ESOL 2 is all boys.  Boys learn so differently from girls and I have had to reassess my teaching and how I look at things several times this year.  They have been a challenge in more ways than one.  ESOL 3 is so different compared to the others.  They are quieter but come to me with a different need than I have ever faced before.  Most of them are lifers.  That is they have been in ESOL since kindergarten/first grade and are not progressing out of ESOL for several reasons that the world of ELL professionals are just now looking at.   These students will probably not be exiting out of ESOL this year because of the new test.

The book I have chosen to read is Teach Like Your Hair’s on Fire, The Methods and Madness Inside Room 56 by Rafe Esquith.  Penguin Group, New York, New York. 2007.

I admit that I have owned this book for some time but have never read it before. Every time I have started it before it was at the beginning or the end of a school year when I have either been fired up to start school and did not need some inspiration or it was June and school was 8 weeks away and didn’t want to think about it for a while.   This time I want to read it and need some inspiration for the next few months.   So far I have read the prologue, pages ix to xii.  Rafe made some interesting points in this, real teachers don’t get enough sleep, they lay awake thinking about certain students and how to reach them.  That is certainly me.  I worry about each of my students especially the ones that have made a deep impression on me.  He makes a the statement about energy sappers – parents, administration, politics that affect the school-house,  racism, poverty, and ignorance.  All of these affect my sense of achievement with a strong influence from ignorance and administration.  I need to feel support and be acknowledged in what I do, that is a strong motivator for me and I am not feeling it this year.  Most of the prologue is about a lesson that he was doing that literally caught his hair on fire (the title comes from this).  This description includes the statement that even though his hair was burned, the lesson was successful and he was happy.  I need to start me on fire.  I am looking forward to this book.