0 Sticky Note Fever!

Wow...haven't put up one post since school started. Things are going great, but pretty busy and overwhelming. I've talked on my blog before about sticky notes and using them to assist with reading comprehension. I did it with my middle school students a couple of years ago, but did not continue with my high school students last year. It worked out really well for the middle school students and allowed for authentic and engaging conversation about the books we were reading, so I decided to start it up again. First off, I asked every student to bring in one pack of stickies. I think I'll have enough.....

  

 During the first lesson in order to teach students the different comprehension strategies to use while doing sticky notes, we analyzed each class's notes to determine which strategy they were doing the most often (prediction, inference, question or connection). 

 

Each class had a different spattering of strategies used.  The sticky notes will be used to assess student comprehension and use of active reading strategies while reading text in class. That's all for now....stay tuned for more from the beginning of my year!

0 Inspirational Quotes for the Classroom

Hope everyone is having a great first few days back. Just wanted to blog a little about how I have been decorating my classroom. I keep finding so many cool things on Pinterest and there's not enough room on my walls for everything I want to put up! Like I said this is the first year I've actually gotten to decorate for real. I like to use quotes from literature since I'm an English teacher. I've put up a few and I keep finding other ones I want to use! I also like to put up humorous things to show my students my fun side. Here are some that are in my classroom now:

Harry Potter!

Hanging on the door...haha

Hunger Games! Some students recognized this the first day!

Of course...T Swift

lol

I'm sure I will find tons more...just actually find some from my favorite book To Kill a Mockingbird that I have to put up.  What quotes do you have in your classroom?

0 Three best ideas from conference days....

 "Classroom teaching…. is perhaps the most complex, most challenging, and most demanding, subtle, nuanced, and frightening activity that our species has ever invented….The only time a physician could possibly encounter a situation of comparable complexity would be in the emergency room of a hospital during a natural disaster."-Lee Shulman

This week has been a huge blur. Monday started with teacher orientation followed by conference days today and tomorrow. A lot of information is being given out to me in such a short amount of time...which makes for a very overwhelming week and sleepless nights. However I am discovering amazing new resources and tools that I hope I can start implementing in my classroom soon. Here are my favorites:

1. Charlotte Danielson Rubric:
Some schools are using this rubric to fit into the evaluation piece of the new teacher evaluation system. Reading performance indicators on the rubric on each 'domain' of teacher performance, I can easily understand what I can be working towards; and which behaviors to change. For example, one aspect of the rubric is "Demonstrating knowledge about how students learn".
An unsatisfactory behavior for this is :

The lesson plan includes a
teacher presentation for an entire
30 minute period to a group of 7-
year olds.

I chuckled at that one. A distinguished behavior for this category is:

The teacher plans to provide
multiple project options; students
will self-select the project that best
meets their individual approach to
learning.

I just think this rubric really spells out what actions indicate effective teaching. 

2. My Big Campus: my district will be using this website and I can't wait to learn how to use it! You can do blogs, wikis, post homework and even have online tests! I am so excited. I have always wanted to make a 'school facebook'....and this application would basically take the place of that. 

3. Edutopia: This is a great professional development resource that I had no idea existed. There are countless videos and webinars on every aspect of education. Watching some of the videos I was amazed at the activities some teachers were executing in their classrooms around the country. I no longer have to go to a day-long workshop to get professional development. 

It's good to know I am getting something very useful out of the time I've spent at conference days. Can't wait for the kids!!

 

I've also started a teacher Twitter account...follow me! @MissBurgwin

1 How to set up your classroom to support the Common Core Standards

       I've been pretty busy last week and this week preparing for the first day of school and setting up my classroom. I've actually NEVER had my own classroom so this is all new to me. I've never had to deal with organizing, putting up posters, setting up different areas of the classroom, etc. I feel like I want to have everything perfect and set up before the first day but I know it's not going to happen. I have found a lot of great ideas on Pinterest, and I know I will find more as the year progresses. I just always had an idea in my mind that I would be so organized and have everything set in stone about how my classroom will run and what it will look like, but it's not the reality. You try things...then it turns out it didn't work. You can't just have everything set and expect it to work. 

    This year I am focusing on setting up my classroom to help students adjust to the new Common Core National Standards. All the teachers I know are going into major stress mode about these new standards! A couple of important things I've noticed about the shifts for literacy are the emphasis on text-based questions and answers, close reading and non-fiction. So my students will be enjoying a very non-fiction heavy year :)

 I found (then made) this poster on Pinterest to emphasize students to pull evidence from the text to support their answers:

 

I also designed this poster myself to highlight key words to help students with analysis, summarizing and reading strategies:

I've also been using the sticky note strategy for a couple of years now. The first year I did it I had a poster with sticky note starters and students used it frequently when stuck. That poster got ruined in the many classroom moves I've had to do over the years, so I wanted to design a new format for this display. I ordered the poster in the middle from Really Good Stuff, then I created the sticky note starters and cut them out in 'think' bubbles.

                                                          

Another new thing I am really excited about in my classroom is my 'missing work' pocket folder. I have NEVER had my own classroom as mentioned before and therefore was in many different classrooms so couldn't really have a 'hub' for students to grab work if they were absent. I can FINALLY have a station for students to self-advocate and get missing work when they are absent. I ordered the pocket chart from Really Good Stuff and labeled it with the days of the week. I always have piles of extra copies after doing a lesson so I am planning on just putting the copies in the corresponding folders and students can grab what they need and then ask me after school for clarification on certain things. Let's just hope that A. students use it and B. I can keep up with adding things!

I took the picture before I added the days of the week

I hope to continue to find new things that support the common core in my classroom! Until then I am anxiously awaiting the first day of school. Only a week and a half left!!

0 First Day of School Activities!

I can't believe there's only 2 1/2 weeks until I start school again! Summer went by in a flash, as usual. It seemed like it was even faster for me because I had a move and I will be starting my fourth English teaching job in 5 years! God forbid I am at a school for more than a year...and this is not by choice! Anyways, I have been brainstorming and planning for activities for the first day of school. I decided to do a variation of a couple of things I have done before.

First idea: 'Toilet Paper' Ice Breaker Activity
Many teachers (especially middle and high school teachers) will start out the class describing the syllabus and going through the rules....yawn. I plan on covering that material, but starting off class with something a little more fun.
I'm planning on having instructions for students as they come into the room for them to locate the roll of toilet paper at the front of the room and take 'as much as they think they need'. This creates a humorous and confusing atmosphere as some students try to roll out the whole roll, and some; trying to look cool, take a couple of sheets. The directions are purposefully ambiguous. After all the students are in the room and everyone has their TP, I will let them know that for each 'square' of TP, they have to write down one fact about themselves.  Some students will groan when they realize they've got quite a biography to write!

After giving students time to write, each will share. I will share a fact about myself too, but will save most of the important info for the second activity.

Second idea: Get to know the teacher listening activity
This is a great idea to let your students get to know you and allowing them to practice their listening skills. Just prepare a short biography of yourself (or create a '25 fun facts about Ms./Mr._______________) with accompanying questions for students to answer. You could even have them guess the questions to some of the answers before you read the bio to see if any of the students can correctly guess facts about you. Or, tell students to take notes as your read the bio. Optionally, allow students to look at the questions and answer them as you read it a second time. Then have the students work with partners to make sure they got the answers to all the questions.

Those are two activities I will be doing for the first day of school this year; will let you know how they go! I'm sure they are a million more creative things a teacher could do but I find these simple and they don't rely on intricate technology or expensive supplies!

0 ABC Review

It's finals and Regents time! What ways are you helping your students review for their final? Believe it or not I've finished regular instruction in both of classes and started reviewing for the final. This was one fun way that I reviewed the literature we read in class this year. It is called ABC review. 

Students were put into groups of 5. I gave them each a piece of large white butcher paper. The students write the entire alphabet down the left side of the paper (grouping XYZ together). Students had to think something for every letter of the alphabet from any of the pieces of literature we've read this year (characters, literary elements, titles, themes, authors, etc).

Student Example

A section of the ABC review

           When they were done, each group shared their poster.

This can be adapted to any grade level or subject! Great for general, fun review. You could even have each group do a different piece of literature exclusively; then have the groups jigsaw. What other ideas could you use the ABC activity for? Post below! 

0 Greek Gods Facebook/Resume Project

Most of my students are on Facebook...or at least know what it is. It is important to me to find ways to connect to my students and find ways to motivate them. Technology is definitely something that is ingrained in students' lives....and mine! I'll be the first to admit I'm not capable of putting down my cell phone any more than my students can. Using technology is sometimes limited in my district, so I do what I can. This project was something I adapted from various ideas I've heard and seen on the internet and from other colleagues.

This project began our unit on The Odyssey (a unit I initially dreaded). It turns out learning about the various gods and goddesses and reading and teaching the myths was very interesting! I started the kids with a Prezi presentation on the Greek gods. Students were given a packet with descriptions of various gods and goddesses that were important to the narrative of The Odyssey. Students had to choose one of the characters and complete a Facebook page or a formal resume for that character. I gave them examples of each and time in class to complete the project. I limited the amount of time given to work on the project in class...I've been noticing students like to waste time when given time in class to do work.....so....I stopped giving them so much time. Students did really well right off the bat with the project! They already knew the parts of the Facebook page (wall, friends, info, photos, etc) and they used the resume template to complete the resume. Students had to be creative to think of a character's email address, contact information like phone number and address, and skills and abilities. Students who chose the Facebook option had fun creating the 'wall' with conversations with the other gods and goddesses.


I think they did well with this because it was something that they could relate to. Even students who normally don't complete work got right into this. The project could literally be adapted to any book and any character....or even people in history. Here are some student samples:

Medusa's Facebook Profile

Resume for Hera

Rubric for the project was :

Creativity/Neatness: 5 points

Effort/Participation: 5 points

Amount of info given: 5 points

Accuracy of info given: 5 points

There are also actual websites that allow you to make a mock Facebook profile. I didn't have access to computers for the class, so I just had them draw the profile out. But if you can get your class to a computer, I'm sure they would love these tools too!

My Fake Wall

Fakebook