Category Archives: Strategies to Add Some Zip

Shhh…We’re Thinking!

Erika Bogdany, Strategies to Add Some Zip December 21, 2013 Comments: 3

Our Compass Shifts 2-1  As we near the end of 2013, there is an exuberance that has sprinkled itself all along the United States as Winter Break has arrived.  Holiday lights decorate homes.  The unbelievable smell that emanates from wood burning fire places gently floats through the chilly night air.  The streets are bustling with last minute holiday shoppers.  Celebratory gatherings have begun.  The decadent hot chocolate, whose heat, penetrates our gloved hands.  Yet I have cuddled into one of my favorite nooks on my oh-so-comfortable couch to think…reflect…and wonder, “How will 2014 be a year that embraces the power of introverts?”

Random?  No.

Understanding the world of introversion has been very prevalent, as of late.  My principal finished Quiet by Susan CainQuiet:The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain during Book End (our school wide reading program) and placed it in my hands for my own research and understanding.  As I started flipping through the piece, I felt compelled to do more research because the concepts surfacing were a detailed description of how I  move through the world.  Before I allowed my vulnerability to take over and believe everything I read in this book, I wanted to know exactly who Susan Cain was.  As an introvert, deep and thorough understanding of theoretical ideals feeds my soul.  Just saying.

After watching Susan Cain: The Power of Introverts, I felt this overwhelming sense of needing to message this information to my students.  I know, in my own journey as an introvert, there have been moments of painstaking chaos when all I needed was time.  I needed time to gather my thoughts; time to sift through all of those insights; time to expand my ideas; time to understand the surfaced layers of complexity…  I recognize students suffering through the same struggle in room 382 as well.

All students who struggle to find their voice in writing, reading, and communicating need time to build confidence and skill; and this does not necessarily mean they are introverts.  A safe space to explore is essential.  Risk-taking allows students to recognize their mistakes and empowers them to find ways to feel success; and only happens when they know their vulnerability will not be taken advantage of.  We, as educators, are aware of this.

However, the idea of knowing who our introverts are would not stop gnawing at me.  Which students find comfort and growth utilizing outside factors and people to fuel their creativity? (Extroverts)  Which students are comforted by finding their ‘nook’ and looking inside of themselves to embrace their creativity?  (Introverts)  So I decided as a community, we were going to get to know the ‘real’ personalities learning in 382.

If you haven’t already, I highly recommend taking the Myers Briggs Personality Test to gain insight into your own world of learning and understanding.  I introduced the concept to students, passed out laptops, and off they went…embracing an activity that was soon to explain why they are who they are!  Chuckles along the way made the process that much more beautiful.

Students read all about their personality type and were captivated by its accuracy in some circumstances, and inaccuracy in others.  That’s the beauty of this experience; people are “not all or nothing” in any circumstance, this one included.  However, the assessment allows us to be privy to the dominant features of our personality.  This information is priceless.  I love having a better understanding of who the procrastinators are in the room because it’s my obligation to direct anti-procrastinating skills at these students.  Who needs just those few extra minutes when free writing in our Writer’s Notebooks in order to complete a detailed thought?  What students will ‘go with the flow’ because it’s innately who they are?  What students thrive on making decisions with their own best interest in mind vs. the students who think of the impact on others based on their decision?

To understand who is occupying 382 daily; we physically moved to one side of the room or the other as we debunked each category and made sense of what it all means.  It was insightful to see students embracing who they are as young adults; and most importantly, as part of humanity.  Students went on to create posters filled with insight, activities, and “Aha!”s that described the four categories of one’s personality.  The buzz throughout the room was infectious and not one student sat this one out.  Because, when students are invested in learning about themselves, each other, and the world that surrounds them; they thrive.

As students moved about the room, I had a moment.  I was shocked to see 2/3 of my students as introverts!  What?!  Shocked.  I had rationales as to why there was chaos ensuing as the new cycle (and new infusion of students) just started.  I know that deficiencies in literacy typically lead to behavioral concerns if not managed.  I know a two hour intervention course pushes students to limits.  Yet, I had NEVER contemplated that the majority of my students could be introverts.  I mean, the room is always so loud…and chaotic.  Introverts?

Yes. Introverts.

It was at that moment that I realized the loud, chaotic vibe encircling us all was simple.  Students’ innate needs were not being met.  Students did not have the time they needed to think, write, and communicate.  So, after the activity we took straight to our Writer’s Notebooks and reflected.  One student proudly announced, “Many people who think they know me think I’m an extrovert.  They’re wrong.”

So, as I continue to ponder (in awe) about the world of introversion, I can’t help but wonder: How will 2014 be a year that embraces the power of introverts?

Christmas Miracles

Books, Pedagogy, Presentations, Readers Workshop, Readers Writers Workshop, Shana Karnes, Social Networking, Strategies to Add Some Zip, Twitter, Writers Workshop December 14, 2013

ocs

December has traditionally been my least favorite month of the school year.  Something about it bogged me down, without fail, every winter–the dark, sunless days…the mountains of papers to grade…the looming specter of exams–to write, administer, and grade.  I hated my job in December.  From old journals, I know that I was consistently unhappy in the twelfth month of the year, and I wanted to quit teaching every time it rolled around.

This December, though, things couldn’t be more different.  I am LOVING my job!!  Last week, I found myself completely caught up on grading–something that literally hasn’t happened yet this school year.  Somehow, I had plenty of time to plan great lessons, confer with students with no back-of-the-brain worries, AND reorganize my classroom library.  I was a productivity machine–and it didn’t stop at school.  At home, I found the energy to assemble Christmas cards, decorate my apartment, and make some holiday crafts.  As I type this, my fingers are still sticky with powdered sugar from the big batch of cookies I baked this morning.  What’s with the freakish perfection, you ask?  One little, made-up, three-week-old, hashtag of a word:  #nerdlution.

nerdlution-button-tiny-01

Teachers across the country made nerdy resolutions that would be kept for 50 days.  They could be anything–write every day, exercise, a more robust reading life.  A Thanksgiving day Twitter chat gave rise to that wonderful idea, which I hope will become an annual tradition.  Still riding my NCTE13 high, I resolved (nerdsolved? nerdluted?) to spread professional ideas about English teaching any way that I could, every day.

IMG_1036I started by leading an epic two-hour workshop for my English department.  We book-passed (a la Penny Kittle) the entire contents of my professional library, shared best practices in a “gift exchange” of ideas, and made our own heart books (a la Linda Rief) of things we wanted to try.  Afterward, Kristine, a 20-year veteran with a reputation for pessimism, approached me.  “I used to have your energy,” she said.  “I don’t know what happened, but I haven’t had it…for years.”  She teared up, then borrowed Blending Genre, Altering Voice by Tom Romano, a balm for her troubled teaching soul.  Other books from my NCTE haul were checked out, too–Georgia Heard’s brand new Finding the Heart of Nonfiction was battled over by two first-year teachers, Penny Kittle’s incredibly dog-eared and highlighted Book Love and Write Beside Them were taken by veterans, and Tom Newkirk’s well-loved Holding On To Good Ideas in a Time of Bad Ones was checked out by our department head, who has held his position since 1972 (I’ll let you do the math on that one).

I was elated, and my colleagues’ willingness to try new ideas didn’t stop there.  The next day, a friend came and talked through some ideas about having her students do mini multigenre projects on Greek gods.  Enthused, I told her I couldn’t wait to see the results.  The following morning, Kristine, the tired veteran who’d borrowed Tom Romano’s book, stopped me in the hall.  “I came to school every day this week with a new attitude.  I feel the spark again,” she told me.  I nearly cried after we went our separate ways.

IMG_1313The following week, it all seemed to be coming together–our entire English department was on board for trying something new, especially the workshop model.  They wanted to see it in action.  In five days, I was observed eight times by fellow teachers, and they saw my students doing amazing things.  With heads down and pens on paper, their extended narratives were growing to eight…twelve…twenty-six pages long.  They were BEAUTIFULLY written, and on an incredible variety of topics–hunting, car crashes, detectives, breakups, death.  One male student wrote a narrative about rape from a woman’s point of view after hearing me booktalk Speak.

IMG_1314As my colleagues listened in, my students conferred with me about their writing like the confident, thoughtful, reflective authors they are:  “I want it to read like a Rick Riordan story,” Kenneth told me.  “Do you think the pace is too slow?” Nora asked.  “I just need to zoom in a little more on this,” Tevin realized.  “I’ve resorted to writing in my vocab section because the rest of my notebook is full,” Adam admitted with a giggle.  I ended every class with a smile and a feeling of pride threatening to burst out of my chest.  My colleagues were stupefied.  “How are you getting them to read so much?  To write so much?  To work on this stuff in study halls and for homework?”  They were flabbergasted, but all I had to do was point them toward that professional bookshelf, full to bursting (but with more and more empty spaces!!) with the brainchildren of so many of my teaching heroes.

So, my #nerdlution, as well as this little workshop experiment that Emily, Erika, Amy, and I have been trying out, is going beautifully.  The two are combining to bring me the most peace I’ve felt during the holiday hustle and bustle in a long time–and that, for me, is a Christmas miracle.

Rethinking: Real World Learning

Heather Cato, Strategies to Add Some Zip December 11, 2013 Leave a comment

life

I can’t say that I’ve ever posted an assignment to readers of my blog before, but I do promise this is not an exercise in futility. It will be worth your time.

After reading this article:

These Are the 30 People Under 30 Changing the World

Ask yourself:

  • What are you doing in your classroom with teenagers that is really pretty trivial in the scheme of life?
  • Is dissecting Silas Mairner for the 83rd time really necessary when kids in your classroom are quite literally curing cancer & making millions in real life?
  • How might you bring real life into your classroom and make learning relevant for kids?

I know when most educators say, “I’m trying to prepare these kids for the real world,” they are referring to the “real world” as the time when students have graduated high school or college and are living on their own, but let’s be real with ourselves. The world that our learners are currently living in is the real world. Why do they have to wait until they are 18 years old, or older, before what they are learning in school becomes relevant?

Personally, I was blown away to think about all the things that young people are currently doing to change the world in which they live, and I immediately began to think about how we could be doing school differently to support the ingenuity and innovation of our learners. Hopefully you will take a minute to think about that too.

 

Photo credit: Werner Kunz / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Multi-purposing My Quickwrites

Amy Rasmussen, AP English, Books, Readers Writers Workshop, Strategies to Add Some Zip, Writers Workshop December 2, 2013 Comments: 3

Photo Credit: Jennifer

At NCTE last week, Penny Kittle reminded me of the need to consistently share beautiful language with my students. If I ever want them to be able to read it, understand it, and use it in their own writing, I must make conscious choices about voicing that which is lovely. I do a fine job of this right until my students choose their own topics and begin their compositions. Then the room gets stale, and the feeling of “what a chore” begins.

No wonder. I stop sharing short texts and poems. I stop having students respond in their notebooks. I stop allowing them to share their thinking.

While in Boston, I stole a moment with Penny and asked her about my problem, and she simply said, “I keep sharing beautiful language every day.” I must do this, too.

I made a list in my notebook of the things I need to do better when I return to the classroom. Continuing to share poetry and short passages that students can respond to sits at the top of my list, but I want to try to multi-task this activity.

My students are in the process of writing a feature-length article. They chose topics and began drafting before the break. I want them to think about ways to make what they are writing pop into 3D on the page; I want them to see vivid verbs and colorful word choice, and all kinds of devices that they might include in their own writing. My goal is to use poems and passages from now on that will serve several purposes:

1) rhythms of beautiful language,

2) models for sentence structure,

3) examples of figurative language,

4) built-in book talks,

5) questions that aid student thinking about things that matter in their lives.

We will read, and we will respond. We will notice author’s craft as we craft ourselves.

I know, I know, I am slow on this boat. Good planning would make this possible with all my quick writes.  I get that. Thus far, I’ve been a bit disjointed because I struggle with doing it “all:” Independent reading time, quick writes, mini-lessons on craft, grammar, mechanics, student-to-student reading response, reading and writing conferences, book talks. . . I keep most plates spinning, but more and more are crashing lately. My #nerdulation is to do better. (Search that hashtag on Twitter if you don’t have a clue.)

Here’s the passage I will use today. I think it’s appropriate to read a beautiful passage about books since I got a ton of new ones at NCTE. My classroom library welcomes them, but it’s screaming “crowded.” I gotta get a new shelf.

From Broken by C.J. Lyons: 

Kids fill the hall from wall to wall. Despite the unfamiliar press of bodies, I don’t panic. Instead, I let them steer me, like running with a herd of wild, untamed horses. At the end of the corridor, the herd separates into two, leaving me alone in front of a high glass wall.

The library.

Footsteps and lockers banging and voices colliding barrage me. Then I open the door, cross over, and step inside. I’m greeted not by silence, but instead by a hushed burble, relaxing, like the sound of a water fountain. I stand, enjoying the sensations, and take a breath.

School smells so much better than the hospital. And the library smells the best of all. To me, a good book is hot cocoa on a stormy winter day, sleet battering the window while you sit inside, nestled in a quilt.

A room filled with books?

I inhale deeply, a junkie taking her first hit. Sweet, musty paper. Ebony ink so crisp it threatens to rise off the pages and singe my nostrils. Glue and leather and cloth all mixed together in a menage a trois of decadence.

Another breath and I’m drunk with possibilities. Words and stories and people and places so far from here that Planet Earth is a mere dust mote dancing in my rearview mirror.

Hugging myself, containing my glee, I pivot, taking in books stacked two stories high, couches and chairs strategically positioned to catch the light from tall windows lining both sides of the corner, like the bridge of a battle cruiser, broad, high, supremely confident, and comforting. In here, I dare to imagine that I might just survive high school after all.

Respond in your notebook:  Describe a place where you find  peace or refuge?

How do you revision your instruction when you know something isn’t working?

Teaching the Lessons of #NCTE13

Books, Pedagogy, Shana Karnes, Strategies to Add Some Zip November 23, 2013 Comments: 4

ocsBeing in Boston with all of these excellent minds has been a balm for my bedraggled teaching soul.  Something about November wears me down every year, as both my students and I yearn for the holiday breaks that are dangling just out of our reach.  Every year, I just pray for the second quarter to speed by so it’s out of the way and over with, but this year, that is not the case.  Reinvigorated by NCTE, I’m now filled with wonderful new ideas that I can’t wait to introduce my students to, and I’m wishing for more time before winter break so I can squeeze more of them in!!  I know without a doubt that my winter is now going to be much more pleasant, but it’s no longer me I’m worried about–it’s all the other teachers, those who are still suffering in the winters of their discontent.

According to the census bureau, as of last year there were 3.3 million public school teachers in America.  Three million, and that’s not including private and charter schools.  Yet, I’ve heard that only around 10,000 of us will attend the NCTE Annual Convention.  That’s an abysmally low percentage, and even assuming there are another 10,000 out there who will access the materials on the Connected Community, that’s still not enough.  We need more teachers aware of the best practices shared here, more educators experiencing the energy of this conference, and more students benefiting from the meetings of great minds.

IMG_0891

Teachers converse between talks by Carol Jago and Kelly Gallagher

I’m normally a very optimistic person, but I really don’t think enough people know about some of the wonderful teaching mentors in our country.  Yesterday while walking through the Heinemann booth, I watched a woman pick up Penny Kittle’s Book Love, glance at the back, and then replace it on the shelf.  WHAT??!!  I simply had to intervene.  “That’s an amazing book,” I told her, and she turned toward me, interested.  “It completely changed the way I teach, and my students are reading more now than they ever have.”

“Really?” she said. “Well, that’s a ringing endorsement.”  I smiled and urged, “Read it.”  She added the book to her little pile.

IMG_0886

Nancie Atwell sits on the floor to listen to Romano, Rief, and Heard

I felt a small sense of victory–I’d introduced her to a new mentor!  A wonderful set of best practices!  A beautiful book about the love of reading!!  But over the next few hours, the sense of discomfort returned to me.  There are still far too many teachers clinging to antiquated, alienating practices.  There are still too many teacher education programs whose students have never heard of Cris Tovani, Louise Rosenblatt, or Ralph Fletcher.  There are still too many attendees of this conference, even, who don’t understand the elation I felt as I sat on the floor beside Nancie Atwell, Tom Newkirk, and Katie Wood Ray while listening to a talk by Linda Rief, Tom Romano, and Georgia Heard.

Why do so few people know about the insane genius of Penny Kittle? Don Graves? Peter Johnston? Teri Lesesne, Richard Kent, Jim Burke?  These, my teacher heroes, are unknowns to too many.  How can we spread their ideas around?

My hope is that others will do what I’m going to do, and share these findings formally with our departments, districts, and colleagues.  We’ll blog about them, and tweet about them, and most importantly, practice them, so that they spread as rapidly as possible.  So if you’re here at #NCTE13, share these ideas.  Spread the love.  And enjoy the rush that you will ride on for weeks to come.

The Unexpected Trio

Erika Bogdany, Strategies to Add Some Zip, Writers Workshop November 9, 2013 1 Comment

Our Compass Shifts 2-1“Miss Bogdany, isn’t writing a narrative the same thing as writing a story?”

“Yes, it is.  However, we’re going to spend time exploring writer’s craft by infusing a few strategies.  We’re going to be in tune with our five senses; explore the power of short sentences; and work through personification all while sharing an important moment in our lives.  Ready to play?”

Over the course of the next two weeks, the playing had begun. My students were charged with the task of choosing a moment in their lives that has, and continues to, shape them as individuals.  As students took to their Writer’s Notebooks and scribbled words and ideas as they began to chronicle the very moment that guided their paths – struggle, strength, and empowerment; you could feel the intensity.

***

Since my time at UNHLIT13 this summer, I have been experimenting with ways in which to inspire my students’ writing.  While asking students to ‘play with’ their five senses, short sentences, and personification may seem like a tall order, or at the very least, completely random; I realized they were willing to try.  (I’m still not exactly sure why I grouped these three concepts together.  I’ll chalk it up to trusting a whim!) As each skill was introduced, it was partnered with Mentor Activities and/or Mentor Texts so students could see how other authors used these strategies.  Take a peek – Craft- Mentor Texts, Activities and Skills

I know giving students the time to think through what they’re thinking (I love this concept!) is vital to building their self trust, worth, and importance as writers.  So, I made sure to do just that.  I took each concept and taught it as a separate entity so students could narrow their focus to just one concept at a time.  We started with the five senses.

And yes, while the five senses have been part of their writing journeys for the last ten years, I was asking them to do it in a way that was elevated – full with adjectives and adverbs – so we could start with the fundamentals and work our way through.  A mentor activity involved pairing students together so they could collectively guide their readers on a vibrant, sensory tour of a destination.  Giving students access to this foundational, yet imperative, practice empowered them.  They made the leap from understanding the descriptive power of touring a destination to the descriptive power in bringing their own moments to life.  Here is an excerpt from one young woman’s journey:

I remember picking her up off them white sheets on the hospital bed and laid her on my white spaghetti strapped dress that was then covered in the blood that fell from baby N’s mouth.  I rocked her and rocked her until she got cold and stiff.  I held her hands.  Her little fingers got hard around my finger and I couldn’t even get my finger out of hers. 

I breathe deeply.  Saniyyah’s use of setting and color infuses wonderfully into the stark reality of what is happening.  You can’t help but to be invested, and then saddened, through this experience.

*

This summer, I also had the luxury of moving through Dave Cullen’s work (Columbine) with my ever- wonderful book group consisting of Amy, Emily and Lauren; and it could not have been a more exhilarating experience.  For the first time I was combing through a text, peering in with the scope of a writer not a reader.  This was formative in elevating my own view on literature and imperative for my students.

So, when we started studying Mastering the Short Sentence, I brought Columbine into our community and shared how beautifully (and masterfully) Cullen utilizes this technique.  (How could I not?!  It was where my own literacy scope shifted profoundly.)  The short sentences were highlighted prior so when students received their copies the ‘skill’ jumped out at them immediately upon first glance.  We took our time in debunking their individual power.

I also showcased some of my own writing with Day One Disaster? to show students where and how I played with this technique.  When I have writer’s craft questions, I secretly wish I had the opportunity to converse directly with the author who made the decisions, yet in most cases I’m left to my own analysis.  So sharing my efforts (albeit scary at times); affords students the opportunity to engage in dialogue around specific techniques, writing, and literacy as a whole.  Here’s an excerpt from a writer who is willing to take risks:

“I have a confession… I like you more than a friend and I think we will make a great couple”, he began to say. He stutters and chokes on his words. It was so cute to see him choke on those words.

My body starts to fill up with all sorts of amazing emotions. It’s unexplainable. I can’t think straight. He asks me what I think about him. My plan was to say I feel the same way.

Or, so I thought.

The next thing that comes out my mouth changed my whole life completely.

My heart and soul is working against each other like the U.S. vs. Vietnam. Blood and Crips.  A war against Heaven or Hell.

“I think I love you Sherwin”

Everything stopped. Everything except my heart.  Beating ever so loud at that. Boom, boom. Boom, boom.

The court case: Ife’s heart vs. Ife’s mind is finally over. My heart wins.

I’m Free.

Do we not all remember specific encounters with love?  Ife uses the power of short sentences to bring us into her piece; shares her inner-most thoughts with us, and affords us the opportunity to watch her play with mastering the use of short sentences.

*

If you haven’t had the chance to read I AM MALALA by Malala Yousafzai, make it a priority.  This piece is so beautifully written that I found myself rereading excerpts just to hear the words (and arrangement) over and over.  Beyond the craft, you can’t help but to take this young woman (and her journey) home with you, on your morning commute, to a coffee house on a rainy afternoon…or into your classroom to book talk and indulge in during independent reading.

I burst into class the day we started studying personification with MALALA and projected, “M’s, p’s and k’s were all enemies lying in wait.”, a line so eloquently phrased I read it three times over and each time students were awed that Malala chose to chronicle her father’s speech impediment so carefully, precise, and through the use of personification.  They couldn’t wait to try it out in their writing:

Cue me, seven or so years old standing on the flat of the plateau that was my grandfather’s land. A red hillside dirt road leads to a house, body made of wood and a roof of zinc. Being in front of it after all those decades of it being desolate, you almost felt as though the termites couldn’t eat away at it faster than the unfilled silence of children turned adults.

Kurt explores the use of personification while journeying his readers through this historic moment in his life.  “The body made of wood”…wow.

 

I am in awe (you can see why).  I am awed by students’ bravery, courage, and commitment to developing their moments and their crafts.  Who would have thought that the five senses, mastering short sentences, and personification would prove to be a beneficial trio?  While I was riding the wave of a whim, students were firmly grounded in their trust – trusting me to guide them and trusting themselves in taking risks.

What skills and techniques have you (accidentally!) combined to challenge and motivate students to push beyond their limits in writing?    

Calling All Principals!

Erika Bogdany, Strategies to Add Some Zip, Writers Workshop October 12, 2013 Comments: 2

ocs    “I’m curious.  Tomorrow as you wake up and head out the door to start your day, you are faced with the reality that all educational institutions have been permanently shut down.  How does this impact your lives?  And, most importantly, what are you going to do about it?”  

As I set out to write this piece, I internally chuckle as I reminisce about the beginning of the school year.  Three weeks ago, if you had peered into room 382 to see what my Social Justice and Student Voice class was up to, you’d be welcomed by silence and quizzical looks replacing the vibrant and eager-to-learn sparkle in students’ eyes.  This off-the-cuff question became the catalyst for an unplanned three week project.  Here’s how: 

  1. I happened to be curious about something.
  2. Students couldn’t stop talking about it.
  3. All other plans were pushed aside. 
  4. Then, magic!

At that very moment, eleven principals were born.

From Dr. Collins to Principal Senat, students decided the only way to ensure that all human beings are given a fair shot at pursuing their dreams and goals is to reconstruct our educational system.  And they were very clear about this – the system needs to be customized to meet the needs of students far and wide.  Who better to do so then those most versed on the issue?  Vision, passion, and commitment ooze out of these change agents as they take to the process.  

As students have welcomed and emerged themselves in taking on this charge, there’s not much room for me in the process!  The way in which I sliver my way in is by providing guidance and options regarding organization.  Here’s what it looks like:

* Write!  Just write!  There need not be any organization at first.  Students glanced at me through the corners of their eyes, caught each other’s eyes, glanced back, and repeated this eye game various times.  When they noticed I was not giving any further guidance they realized “she’s serious”.  And they tried it.

* Get dirty!  (Again, the eyes.)  When I explained that getting dirty means you can tell Principal Gordon “has been here” because he’s ruffled up his thoughts, he’s playing with his words, and he’s continuing to shift around his ideas…they liked the sound of others knowing “they had been there”.  Armed with highlighters, post-its, and colored pens.  Again, they tried.  

PP - self-edits

* Now, let’s start to organize!   I know I know…it feels a little backward, but without students feeling as though they have to write in boxes, this process frees them.  They write first, organize next.  Yes, the key to the Writer’s Workshop! Write down the main topics in which you have decided to write about.  (See loose leaf)  Partner a topic with a color.  Each topic deserves its own post-it with the same color.

PP - color coded paper

*Once topics are color-coded and placed on post-its, now students have freedom to move their topics around! Literally.  Students have a holistic scope on all of the topics they have written about and now move post-its around in the order in which they want to introduce (and discuss) their topics.  

PP- color coded more pencils

 *Now, go into your paper using the color you indicated for each topic and underline wherever you find ideas about the topic!  Many times students enjoy seeing the same color throughout additional parts of the paper.  This visual guide helps them realize that their writing is (while sometimes scattered) valuable, and even though they (unintentionally) drop the topic into various parts of the paper, they have the power to locate it, restructure it, and reorganize it.  

*Would you like to take a look?  Students, when comfortable, reach out to other students to peer review their work.  This is a wonderful opportunity for students to talk practice, content, and work through ideas together.  I provide them with guidelines on how to productively, and respectfully, provide feedback.  (Pardon the red marker.  Students gravitate toward them!  Next up: using gentler colors for all revisions!)  

PP- peer edits

*When all of our drafting has landed in a comfortable place, we take to formalizing “Best Drafts”. (Thanks to Penny Kittle for this wonderful and inviting phrase students and I have comfortably adopted).  Each principal now makes themselves cozy in their “offices” and takes to their visual presentation.  Our principal and assistant principal will be in the audience when students present their projects next week.  Students have expressed some nerves, but little do these experts know we’re all here to borrow a few ideas from them!  

PP- Office

 

Eleven principals, three weeks of hard work, and one wildly proud educator makes for quite the beginning-of-the-year journey.  While finding the moments in which I can guide students along their writing paths, and support them individually in the way in which they succeed best; I can resort less to asking how to educate, and listen to what they are offering.  They are whispering to me through their vision.  These educational leaders have invited me to understand their views on what an educational system, derived on justice, looks like.  I am now the student.  

Could We Just Get Students to Read and Write in All Content Areas?

Amy Rasmussen, Readers Workshop, Strategies to Add Some Zip, Writers Workshop October 9, 2013 Comments: 5

So one of the problems on my campus is the fact that students don’t read. Oh, I know some do, but by and large, the majority of our students are not readers. As a school we are struggling with this new problem of practice, trying to define “complex language.” We’ve spent hours with this already, and have yet to come to a consensus. In frustration last week, after discussing this for two and a half hours, my colleague wrote on the bottom of our PD group’s thinking sheet:  “Could we just get students to read and write in all content areas?”

Really. It could be that simple.

A few years ago, our campus began whole-school reading. Built into our daily schedule is a 30 minute Advisory time, where a good number of minutes could be used for independent reading– if only teachers would enforce it. Most students like to read when they are given their choice of the right books. But if teachers are not reader themselves, it’s no wonder they don’t care if their students read.

Mine do, but that’s not surprising. The students in my English classes read for 10 minutes at the beginning of every class. So, if their advisory teachers are mandating reading, my students should be reading at least 25 minutes during every school day. That’s not a lot, but it is something.

Of course, independent reading will not solve all our problems. Students need to think deeply about texts, not just increase their fluency, and non-readers will abandon a book rather than struggle through it. That’s why if we really want to get our students to develop complex language skills, we must get them to practice complex reading. This is the kind of reading teachers must do with their students. You know, modeling close reading, modeling thinking about a text? And I think English teachers who know how to do this need to be given the opportunity to teach math and science and choir and business teachers how to read closely with all students.

We can talk about complex language all day as a staff. We can define it and put the definition on the walls of our classrooms, but that won’t do a thing until all teachers in all content areas start reading complex texts with their students. (And maybe it’s too much to ask, but imagine the growth if every student wrote in every class every day, too.) Hey, friends in other content areas, I’m glad to show you how.

 

Does your school have a wide reading program or other reading initiatives that include reading and writing in all content areas?

 

Starting Close Reading with Mexican White Boy

Amy Rasmussen, Readers Workshop, Strategies to Add Some Zip September 9, 2013 Leave a comment

Matt de la Pena is scheduled to speak at TAIR in Denton, TX on September 30. If things work out, he’ll be coming to my school to speak on the 28. I am excited for my students to hear Mr. de la Pena’s story. It is so similar to their own.

Mexican White BoyMexican White Boy is the first de la Pena book I’ve read. Ball Don’t Lie, We Were Here, and I Will Save You are rising on my TBR pile. I imagine my students might get at them first.

A passage from Mexican White Boy made me take note. It’s a great read aloud, but it’s also a great piece for a text study. It’s packed with literary and rhetorical devices and would be ideal for close reading for concrete vs. abstract details. Or, tone. Or, syntax, Or, all of them.

It all hits him as he stares at a half-finished love letter. No matter how many words he defines or love letters he composes or pieces of junk mail he reads aloud to his grandma while she waters spider plants potted in old Folgers coffee cans he’ll still be a hundred miles away from who he’s supposed to be.

He’s Mexican, because his family’s Mexican, but he’s not really Mexican. His skin is dark like his grandma’s sweet coffee, but his insides are as pale as the cream she mixes in.

Danny holds the pencil above the paper, thinking:   I’m a white boy among Mexicans, and a Mexican among white boys.

He digs his fingernails into his arm. Looks up to see if anybody’s watching him. They aren’t.

Sometimes he’ll just watch his family interact in the living room. The half-Spanish jokes and the bottle of tequila being passed around with a shot glass and salt. The laughing and carrying on. Always eating the best food and playing the coolest games and telling the funniest stories. His uncles always sending the smallest kid at the party to get them a cold sixer out of the fridge and then sneaking him the first sip when Grandma isn’t looking. But even when she turns around suddenly, catches them red-handed and shots, “Ray! Mijo, what are you doing?” everybody just falls over laughing. Including Grandma.

And it makes him so happy just watching. Doesn’t even matter that he’s not really involved. Because what he’s doing is getting a sneak peek inside his dad’s life (89-90).

My students will start the year with a study of narrative writing. Thanks, Mr. de la Pena for this accessible piece to get us started.

Do you have any similar short texts that you use for close reading? Please share.

“Why Should I Trust You?”

Erika Bogdany, Pedagogy, Strategies to Add Some Zip August 17, 2013 Comments: 3

Our Compass Shifts 2-1Every year at this time just as I’m about to focus on, and plan for, this upcoming school year; I remember a very powerful moment I keep with me – always.  This moment, and more specifically this very innocent yet profound notion, continually resonates with me.  I make sure to put myself back in my Day One shoes, standing in front of my class comprised solely of eager male high school freshmen looking to challenge me, test me, but ultimately, accept me (as their educator).

*****

“Good Morning!  I’m Ms. Bogdany.  I am…”

(And we’re off!  This introduction (being oh-so-carefully crafted and rehearsed) had a very distinct mission: do not lead on to the fact that this moment marks your very first day educating in Brooklyn, one of the five boroughs of New York City; the most comprehensive public school system within the United States.  Breathe.  Just keep breathing!  You’ve got this!)

As my introduction was coming to a close, it was time.  Questions.

“So, does anyone have any questions for me?”

At that, I see one particular student’s hand confidently emerge into the air.  This unique student coolly, and wildly presuming, asks:  “Why should I trust you?”  (Wait, Wait, Wait.  Wait!  No one prepared me for this!  Ok.  Just keep breathing, Erika…I mean Ms. Bogdany.  I mean…   Breathe and answer the question.  Quickly, all eyes are on you.) 

I found myself simply replying, “You shouldn’t.” (Did I just say that?!)

 At that, he put his hand down, smirked, and the weight in the room (for all of us) lifted.  The truth surfaced.  I realized what I just admitted.  This unique student was satisfied.

 *****

Throughout the years, I’ve come to realize that Day One truly defines and shapes the journey we all embark on together as a class community, so I need to be ready.  While each year presents unforeseen opportunities and obstacles, I ask myself endless questions before the school year even commences; before I know who my students are; and way before I know how our community is going to function as a whole.  Annually, I will probably continue to do so; yet I always end up finding my way back to this guiding, eight-year-old question, “Why should I trust you?”  Once this question rests its reassuring presence on my question-filled mind, I settle back into the comforts of the same revelation: It’s simple, in order for students to trust me, I need to trust myself.

Disclaimer:  Starting the school year needs to feel authentic…for students and educators alike.  In answering my student’s question for him and the students in that same class; and for all of my students to come…I am not certain of much, but I am certain that the following three intangibles prove to create trust among all of the communities in which I have been fortuitous to be a part of.  For me the most authentic success resides largely within the art of teaching, not the science. 

Create the classroom you’ve always dreamed of!

See beyond the institutional green walls and peeling paint.  Do you see the mismatched desks, tables, chairs, bookshelves…?  You shouldn’t.  This is your canvas so paint it.  There are limitations to all of our working environments, and we know it.  Take charge…change it around…move things…turn things upside down…whatever it takes.  Students know when we’ve invested our time and energy into our shared space; and they are appreciative of it.

Students are less resistant to become a part of a class community when they know educators are doing the best we can to make them feel welcomed in a space that lends itself to learning, teaching, challenging, questioning, struggling, and movement.  Give them the paintbrush, they’re sure not to disappoint.

Where’s the library?!

The inquiries students have about the world never cease to amaze me.  They internalize their own struggles, or struggles of their families and friends, and don’t often know how to process what they’re experiencing.  Hill Harper guides our young men and women via Letters to a Young Brother and Letters to a Young Sister as Esmeralda Santiago does in When I was Puerto Rican.  Other times students want to explore worlds beyond their own; they want someone to guide them through the land, culture, religion…differences.  The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho takes them on quite the journey.  Sometimes students want to just escape; don’t we all?  Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson is comical, relative to students’ lives, and wildly crafty.

Despite the content area in which we educate, it is powerful beyond measure to have literature lining our walls, stacked on tabletops, and accessible to students.  Teaching math this year?  Stock up on biographies of mathematicians such as Emmy Noether: The Mother of Modern Algebra.  Science educators, have you thought about The Hot Zone by Richard Preston or The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch?  Art and Music educators, books with visuals, lyrics, memoirs, and struggles of artists (of all kinds) are empowering for our young emerging artists; it makes it real.  Howard Sounes takes on an enlightening journey with Down the Highway: The Life of Bob Dylan.  History.  Non-fiction heaven!  Night by Elie Wiesel, A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah, The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley.  There are more…

Make a decision! 

There are so many unknowns we face daily as educators: We take risks before we even realize we’re doing so.  We find ourselves as the ‘go to’ when we know we don’t have answers.  We internally battle if students should leave their ID card in return for a writing utensil.  We wonder when to push a student verse when they have truly reached their limit (for the time being).  We grapple with riding the waves of a ‘teachable moment’ or tossing aside our planned lesson.  We all know, the list is endless.

Rest assured.  When we allow ourselves to make decisions we are giving ourselves permission to trust ourselves.  We are setting the tone for students that while decision making can be difficult, we must trust ourselves in the process, and make students privy to the journey through this process.  Because here’s the reality, when we model our own decision making, students start to follow our lead.  When we exhibit our ability to be independent thinkers and change agents, students are inspired to do the same.  Before we know it, students are showing us the way.

And so, as we all gear up and find ourselves in the midst of the ‘get ready whirlwind’; let’s think about how we can answer (so our students don’t have to), “Why should I trust you?”