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These are the slides from the keynote I gave at the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project on August 11, 2015. The topic is shifts in literacy education

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Teachers, Profs, Parents: Writers Who Care

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by Ken Lindblom Many students dislike writing in school, and it's no wonder. Five-paragraph essay formats, predictable essay questions on books they didn't choose to read, all written for a teacher (or faceless exam scorer) who knows more about the subject than they do. Who would find this "schoolish writing"--as Anne Elrod Whitney has called...

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Article

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This is the second post in a two-part entry. Read part one.

In the first part of this entry, I discussed the process of achieving greatness as educators. In this part, I want to share some of the greatness I have seen in my career. One of the privileges I have had is to be able to go into the classroom and witness teacher greatness in a variety of forms:

I have seen a teacher treating her students like adults, and those first graders responded accordingly by doing fourth-grade work and mastering parts of speech as if they were in high school.

I have witnessed a brand-new teacher vividly and effectively demonstrate the three states of matter by having the students be molecules and act out what the molecules are doing in the different states. Because of this, the second graders easily used the scientific method to establish the three states of matter in a hands-on experiment.

I have seen self-assured and responsible eighth-grade students catching the vision of how school can be a stepping-stone for college and careers in an AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) class. They learned the unspoken curriculum of how to overcome fear and doubt and how to effectively work with their teachers. Everything about this class empowered them to actually believe that through individual determination, they truly can advance.

I have struggled to follow the swift movements of students fluently speaking the language of logic with hand motions that their teacher had taught them in order to aid them in remembering the AND, OR and XORs.

I have been amazed as a teacher's chemistry students demonstrated their knowledge by doing the chemical dance showing how covalent bonds are made and broken in chemical reactions.

I have witnessed a teacher expertly using the smart board to show pictures, words, and symbols to help English speaking and ELL students to understand the algebraic properties of equality.

I have stood in awe as a teacher mesmerized a group of rowdy 5th graders by creating a project based learning pizza parlor to help the students understand proportionality and the dreaded math of fractions.

I have tapped my foot to the rhythm of fourth-grade science students enthusiastically chanting the vocabulary and concepts related to mixtures and solutions.

Greatness can be found on every campus and in every school. Perhaps you are one of those teachers on your campuses that exhibits greatness in such abundance that others aspire to be like you. Greatness is not always found in the most flamboyant or gregarious teachers. For example, a regular, everyday English teacher, Mary Catherine Swanson, was the one that started AVID because she wanted to help her students be truly successful and to be able to find and believe in their own greatness. In doing so, she demonstrated her greatness. (If you want to learn more about it, read Wall of Fame, by celebrated journalist Jonathan Freedman.)

In my wonderful visits to the classrooms of great teachers, I have seen many other elements of greatness in both the students and the teachers. This privilege has helped me come to the conclusion that if we have progressed to the self-actualization stage in our careers, we should all believe that our students are the best in the entire world and that they are capable of being great. It is their right and our responsibility to help them achieve it.

This thought, brings me to the point of my post: How can we expect the students to aspire to be great if we are not also aspiring for greatness? As demonstrated above, we all have a certain amount of greatness that we demonstrate frequently, but according to Jim Collins, author of Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap . . . and Others Don't, the biggest enemy of success (greatness) is an attitude of "That's good enough." In that spirit, I would like to inspire all of us to do some self-reflection.

Consider these questions:

These are also great questions for you to discuss with a friend in your department, with a partner teacher, with your professional-learning communities, and at grade-level meetings. If you can spare the time, I would like you to answer the following questions, at least to yourself. But I welcome you to share your responses with the Edutopia readership in the comment section below.

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Pride of Profession: Striving to Become a Great Teacher

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This is the second post in a two-part entry. Read part one. In the first part of this entry, I discussed the process of achieving greatness as educators. In this part, I want to share some of the greatness I have seen in my career.

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"Never miss an opportunity to keep your mouth shut."

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"Never miss an opportunity to keep your mouth shut."

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Commentary

There is an old saying, "Never miss an opportunity to keep your mouth shut." It's good advice for us teachers, I think, because it is well documented that we talk too much. When students do speak, there is often a recitation pattern that goes like this: (1) Teacher asks question; (2) student is recognized by the teacher; (3) student answers; and (4) teacher evaluates the answer of the student. Then on to the next question, the next student.

The proportions are pretty obvious-even when students are raising their hands to respond (not always the case), the teacher has two out of every three turns. Some students choose not even to bid for recognition, often because they aren't quick enough.

As teachers, we fall into this pattern so easily. I know I do. It is the default setting in classroom talk.

So what is wrong with this picture? This pattern works if the purpose of classroom talk is to have students share fully formulated responses-and to be judged by the teacher. But this doesn't work if the purpose of talk is to develop that response. The response can convey understanding, but it can't create understanding.

How many of us, after all, say what we really want to say on the first try? Rather, exploratory talk loops back again and again, as we formulate a thought, refine it, extend it, and complicate it. It's messy. And we usually do this exploration in the presence of a sympathetic and interested audience that is not pressed for time. In this inviting space, our memory seems to work better-details are recalled, stories and other points of view mysteriously become available. That's the gift of talk.

We can break this typical pattern with what I call the "blank turn"-a refusal to evaluate the student response and go to the next student. It sounds like this, "Say more about that." Or this, "Yes, go on." Or like this ... just silence. Sometimes the student apologizes, "Boy, I'm just rambling on." And if I'm on my game, I say "Keep rambling."

Particularly as a writing teacher, I need students to hear what hasn't been written. It's pointless to write on a paper "expand this" or "more detail" if the student doesn't hear the detail he or she might add. They need this second text-the alternative story that they create orally. Then and only then can they see how the written one could be different.

This doesn't go on forever. Given time constraints, it can't. But after a stretch of free talk on the part of the students, I can re-enter and reflect back what I have heard.

Is there a new idea, a new focus, or new details that might be included in the paper? If we are talking about a big project ahead, what directions seem promising and exciting to the writer?

A colleague of mine has a variation when she gets the inevitable "I don't know" in response to a question. She responds, "I know you don't know, honey. But if you did, what would you say?" It feels like nonsense, but it works.

It sounds easy, but listening and waiting can be hard work. Harder than talking. Talking, after all, is a form of self-stimulation. When I am tired, I tend to overtalk, create brilliant mini-lectures, or digress into personal experience, as the student sinks into silence and passivity.

Maybe we all harbor, somewhere, that model of the brilliant, charismatic teacher that we want to be. One who is dazzling and eloquent and impressive. But teaching, I am convinced, is not about us being brilliant; it is about students being brilliant. It's about them, after all. And the only way they can do this is to give them that generous gift of time and receptivity. There are few generalizations that hold for all good teachers, but I will hazard this one: Good teachers never appear rushed. Or make students feel rushed.

I had good models for this in my own family. It was soon after World War II, and no one had much money in our small town. Entertainment was visiting each others' homes, usually unannounced. Our home was filled with stories, of the war, of events at the local college where my dad taught, of the stupidity of opposing politicians. In all this, my parents were not the tellers, but the audience.

At the time, they seemed passive and less talented than the great storytellers who stopped by. Only later, I'm embarrassed to admit, did I understand how they helped create these stories. How they brought them out. How they listened. And why they were such popular hosts. I missed all those vital cues.

So, in this age of high-tech and expensive teaching programs, let me offer up this simple and powerful intervention: the blank turn. It costs us nothing but our attention. It is built on the rock-solid principle that we need talk, and a receptive audience, to build understanding and to know what we know.

In Bernard Pomerance's play "The Elephant Man," the deformed main character, Merrick, has the experience of being listened to for the first time-and he finds he can speak: "Before I spoke with people, I did not think of those things because there was no one to think them for. But now things come out of my mouth that are true."

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Commentary There is an old saying, "Never miss an opportunity to keep your mouth shut." It's good advice for us teachers, I think, because it is well documented that we talk too much.

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2 Composition books - 1 for reading, 1 for writing/grammar

Teacher book for each class - construct under doc cam

First 3 pages: Table of Contents

Elmer's school glue

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I've been doing more thinking about how to use Notice and Note: Strategies for Close Reading to invite students to write. Since my last post on the subject, I've thought about how this would actually work―practically speaking―in my classroom. (If you are new to Notice and Note, read more about it here.)
My thinking so far:
PRE-WRITING: Beginning in our notebooks. Before officially talking signposts, we'll take some time to do some notebook work. Doing so early will set the stage for the regular writing students will do in their writer's notebooks all year. I'll weave in quickwrites that address the signposts, though the students won't know it yet. Some ideas:

List of the best/worst advice you've ever gotten (Words of the Wiser)

Favorite memory of the summer (Memory Moment)

List of things you've learned in the last year (A-Ha Moment)

I'll likely just focus on the first three signposts at this stage, as these seem the most immediately accessible to students. Eventually, I'd like to generate a long list of N&N related quickwrite prompts (future post?).

. I plan to introduce the signposts with the first piece of literature we study. In my 9th grade world literature course, that's the Epic of Gilgamesh: A Verse Narrative, translation by Herbert Mason. To get started thinking about the signposts, I could do a little flipped learning and ask students to watch this wonderful set of videos made by teacher Brent Peterson.

LITERATURE. The next day, students can work together to apply the signposts to Gilgamesh. It turns out that all six signposts are illustrated in the story:

WORDS OF THE WISER

Probably the epic's most significant moment, on his journey to seek everlasting life, Gilgamesh meets the wise man Utnapishtim. Utnapishtim tells Gilgamesh that "there is no permanence," that as much as he fights against it, Gilgamesh cannot avoid his fate as a mortal to die.

MEMORY MOMENT

During his grief over losing his friend, Enkidu, Gilgamesh recounts memories that the two of them spent together. These memories are important to Gilgamesh because they reveal not only the depth of his grief, but the depth of their friendship.

A-HA MOMENT

By the end of the epic, Gilgamesh realizes that the way to achieve immortality is through his actions, that he can be remembered for his good deeds as a wise king.

CONTRAST & CONTRADICTION

Gilgamesh's immense grief over losing his friend contradicts the insensitive tyrant king we met at the beginning of the epic.

TOUGH QUESTION

The epic asks perhaps one of the biggest "tough questions" of all literature―and life―when Gilgamesh experiences the anguish over his friend's death: how can we deal with grief?

AGAIN & AGAIN

Gilgamesh's hunger for power and his hubris are repeatedly emphasized in the first part of the epic - which makes his transformation by the end that much more meaningful.

As we review the signposts in Gilgamesh, I can also use this time to discuss how the signposts might apply to other stories―books (summer reading?), television, movies―so that students can see the universal quality of the signposts. Additional video clips from key WoW scenes from familiar movies would also be useful here (like this one from The Hunger Games featuring Haymitch).

NOTEBOOK WORK. This is the point at which I'll ask students to think more deeply about how the signposts may apply to their own lives. As Beers and Probst point out in Notice and Note,

We think that these signposts show up in novels because they show up in the real world. Fiction does imitate life, and as a result we shouldn't be surprised to find that the patterns that help us understand the world around us also help us understand the world of the book in front of us. (74)

For the first signpost-inspired writing assignment, we'll zoom in on Words of the Wiser. I'll start with WoW because it may be the most relatable to students' lives (plus the WoW in Gilgamesh is one of the most significant signposts in the epic). I don't know of a single adolescent who hasn't heard advice from the adults in their lives―parents, older siblings, grandparents, teachers, coaches. I'll also refer back to their previous readings. For example, I know that my 9th graders read To Kill a Mockingbird and The Giver in middle school. Reminding students of wise figures like Atticus and the Giver would be instructive here.

At this point, we'll do some writing in our notebooks. Because students have already generated a list of the best/worst advice they've ever received, they can revisit their notebooks and begin the initial phase of exploring and drafting, what Kelly Gallagher calls the "down draft." In addition, students could get ideas from the advice that others have received, as in this Business Insider piece. Instead of a piece of advice from a specific person, students can also identify WoW from something they've read and write about how those words ring true in their own lives.

MENTOR TEXTS. Now that students have some idea of what they may want to write about―in this case with WoW, which piece of advice they'd like to explain and explore―they can consult real-world, authentic mentor texts that also illustrate the signpost. For example, for WoW, below are few mentor texts that students could read:

"The Real Me" from This I Believe. In this essay, a high school student recounts the advice given to her by her mother many years ago, and now understands that "hiding your true self can do more harm than good."

"Never Give Up" from This I Believe. In this essay, the writer remembers her father's advice on the "importance of perseverance. What surprised her as an adult was how much he lived his "never give up" message toward her when she needed him the most."

"Charmed" from the NY Times Magazine Lives column. In this essay, a mother recalls her experience "taking [her] Moroccan grandmother's advice for warding off the evil eye."

"Life Advice from my 99-year-old Grandfather―Still the Coolest Guy I Know" from the Huffington Post, an essay in which the writer describes the most important pieces of advice she's received from, you guessed it, her grandfather.

As a class, we would read at least two of these essays and analyze each for its craft―How are the essays organized? What types of details given? Where is the advice located? How is personal experience included? Where and how are elements of narrative writing included? What is the writer's tone? Which sentences stand out, and how can we use these sentences as mentor sentences? Because each of these essays varies in style and structure, students can see that there are multiple possibilities for response.

After reviewing two mentor texts as a class together, students can explore additional models individually or in groups.

WRITE AND REVISE. Finally, it's time to write and workshop essays through multiple drafts and authentic feedback in peer response groups.
Some additional thoughts―
I'm hopeful about this structure, mostly because while it is structured, the process allows student choice throughout and the opportunity for students to develop their voice as they write about something that is personally relevant to them. The entire process begins with a close reading of the text, and from that, students are able to draw meaningful connections to their own lives, examine real-world mentor texts, and finally put everything together in an essay (or other text) that reveals their learning. I can also imagine directing students back to the beginning and to use The Epic of Gilgamesh as an allusion in their final essays.
Extension into independent reading―
It's immediately after Gilgamesh that students will begin their independent reading endeavors. By this point in the year (a few weeks in), I would have booktalked several titles and taken students to the library for a tour. This Epic Reads video that features 7 "Words of Wisdom" quotes from YA titles would be perfect after this process to transition.
Considerations―

In order to be successful, students will need a lot of time in class to write, write, and write some more, beginning with the initial quickwrites in their writer's notebooks, extending and reflecting on their ideas in continued notebook work, and the drafting, writing, and revising stages.

Again, more time will be needed to make sure that students can have ample opportunities to brainstorm, discuss, and respond to each other in groups.

Lots of modeling by me, as their teacher, at every step. Probably more modeling than I would usually do since this will be our first time through the signposts. This means I'll need to write beside them and compose my own essay to share. I imagine by the time we reach the third signpost for writing that students will be more independent.

I'm not sure if I want to require a specific signpost essay after this initial WoW one. Our next whole-class text is Much Ado About Nothing. Several signposts apply. Last year, I had students write a short literary analysis on how one of the signposts applied to the play. They could choose which signpost, which worked out well. I think I will continue to do that essay, but add these personal essays in as well (I already have other mentor texts in mind for the other signposts!).

As we move through our "regularly scheduled literature" units, I'l build in writing workshop time for students to complete these personal essays. I see this as an ongoing process―one that culminates in a portfolio of Notice & Note -inspired writing.

As I did last year, I will give students the option of using the signposts as their area of focus for their independent reading reflections (last year, students could choose one signpost per week and wrote about how it applied to their IR books).

Whew - that was a lot. If you have any ideas, comments, questions, suggestions, please let me know in the comments below!
UPDATE: Part 3 of what has now become a series of N&N posts is here, where I discuss quickwrite ideas. 🙂

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Notice & Note, then Write: A Blueprint

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I've been doing more thinking about how to use Notice and Note: Strategies for Close Reading to invite students to write. Since my last post on the subject, I've thought about how this would actually work―practically speaking―in my classroom. (If you are new to Notice and Note, read more about it here.)

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Noticing when things occur again and again in a text and using this to help us understand our books at a deeper level. -- Created using PowToon -- Free sign up at http://www.powtoon.com/ . Make your own animated videos and animated presentations for free.

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Increasing Literacy Across the Curriculum Through Mobile Learning

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ReadWriteThink.org recently released a new app: Word Mover. This video demo shows you how it works. Currently it is only available for iOS, but the Android version is releasing early in 2013! An updated version of the Word Mover also appears on the website: http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/student-interactives/word-mover-b-30964.html

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Stay on top of your game with free PD webinars

Summertime is here! It's time to kick back, relax, and enjoy some quiet time before the craziness of back-to-school is upon us. We hope you're taking some time to lounge by the pool! And while you're there, you can fit in some quick professional development time. Join the 10,000 other educators who signed up to learn the latest research on comprehension, fluency, ELLs and much more! Sit back, grab a lemonade and check out our "Best of 2015" recorded webinars. Enjoy!

The Role of Automaticity in Reading

Presenter: Timothy Rasinski, Ph.D.
Length: 40 minutes

Reading fluency is often defined in terms of reading speed. This has resulted in the unfortunate classroom practice of "timed reads" where students are encouraged to read as fast as they can within a given period of time. Rather than speed, the more appropriate goal for fluency instruction is automaticity in word recognition. In this webinar Dr. Tim Rasinski will explore the nature of automaticity and why it is so important for reading - not just fluency, but also comprehension. He will share engaging and authentic instructional approaches for developing this critical competency for reading.

Build the ELL Brain

Presenter: Martha S. Burns, Ph.D.
Length: 45 minutes

Despite educators' best efforts to teach students English as quickly as possible, many never develop academic English fluency. Join Dr. Martha Burns as she reviews the newest research on the ELL brain, the advantages of true bilingualism, and how effective technological adjuncts can build the English brain, quickly, moving ELL students to proficiency.

Autism: New Research & Interventions

Presenter: Martha S. Burns, Ph.D.
Length: 45 minutes

New research on the underlying neurology of autism is exploding as is information on the most effective interventions available to drive positive neurological changes in children on the autism spectrum. Join Dr. Martha Burns as she discusses the new research and shares data on neuroscience-based interventions that have been shown to enhance language, attention, and social skills in children on the autism spectrum.

Inside the Brain of a Struggling Reader

Presenter: Martha S. Burns, Ph.D.
Length: 45 minutes

While home environment, access to books, and social and economic factors all play a part in literacy development, brain differences also play a crucial role. Join us to learn what's different about the brains of those students who struggle to read and what you can do about it in your classroom, school or district.

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Summertime is here! It's time to kick back, relax, and enjoy some quiet time before the craziness of back-to-school is upon us. We hope you're taking some time to lounge by the pool! And while you're there, you can fit in some quick professional development time.

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Supplement A Lesson Before Dying with Between  the World and Me

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Supplement A Lesson Before Dying with Between  the World and Me

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"I've been wondering who might fill the intellectual void that plagued me after James Baldwin died. Clearly it is Ta-Nehisi Coates. The language of Between the World and Me, like Coates's journey, is visceral, eloquent, and beautifully redemptive. And its examination of the hazards and hopes of black male life is as profound as it is revelatory. This is required reading." -Toni Morrison

"Powerful and passionate . . . profoundly moving . . . a searing meditation on what it means to be black in America today." -Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times

"Really powerful and emotional." -John Legend, The Wall Street Journal

"Extraordinary . . . [Coates] writes an impassioned letter to his teenage son-a letter both loving and full of a parent's dread-counseling him on the history of American violence against the black body, the young African-American's extreme vulnerability to wrongful arrest, police violence, and disproportionate incarceration." -David Remnick, The New Yorker

"Brilliant . . . a riveting meditation on the state of race in America . . . [Coates] is firing on all cylinders, and it is something to behold: a mature writer entirely consumed by a momentous subject and working at the extreme of his considerable powers at the very moment national events most conform to his vision." -The Washington Post

"An eloquent blend of history, reportage, and memoir written in the tradition of James Baldwin with echoes of Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man . . . It is less a typical memoir of a particular time and place than an autobiography of the black body in America. . . . Coates writes with tenderness, especially of his wife, child, and extended family, and with frankness. . . . Coates's success, in this book and elsewhere, is due to his lucidity and innate dignity, his respect for himself and for others. He refuses to preach or talk down to white readers or to plead for acceptance: He never wonders why we just can't all get along. He knows government policies make getting along near impossible." -The Boston Globe

"For someone who proudly calls himself an atheist, Coates gives us a whole lot of 'Can I get an amen?' in this slim and essential volume of familial joy and rigorous struggle. . . . [He] has become the most sought-after public intellectual on the issue of race in America, with good reason. Between the World and Me . . . is at once a magnification and a distillation of our existence as black people in a country we were not meant to survive. It is a straight tribute to our strength, endurance and grace. . . . [Coates] speaks resolutely and vividly to all of black America." -Los Angeles Times

"A crucial book during this moment of generational awakening." -The New Yorker

"A work that's both titanic and timely, Between the World and Me is the latest essential reading in America's social canon." -Entertainment Weekly

"Coates delivers a beautiful lyrical call for consciousness in the face of racial discrimination in America. . . . Between the World and Me is in the same mode of The Fire Next Time; it is a book designed to wake you up. . . . An exhortation against blindness." -The Guardian

"Coates has crafted a deeply moving and poignant letter to his own son. . . . [His] book is a compelling mix of history, analysis and memoir. Between the World and Me is a much-needed artifact to document the times we are living in [from] one of the leading public intellectuals of our generation. . . . The experience of having a sage elder speak directly to you in such lyrical, gorgeous prose-language bursting with the revelatory thought and love of black life-is a beautiful thing." -The Root

"Rife with love, sadness, anger and struggle, Between the World and Me charts a path through the American gauntlet for both the black child who will inevitably walk the world alone and for the black parent who must let that child walk away." -Newsday

"Poignant, revelatory and exceedingly wise, Between the World and Me is an essential clarion call to our collective conscience. We ignore it at our own peril." -San Francisco Chronicle

"Masterfully written . . . powerful storytelling." -New York Post

"One of the most riveting and heartfelt books to appear in some time . . . The book achieves a level of clarity and eloquence reminiscent of Ralph Ellison's classic Invisible Man. . . . The perspective [Coates] brings to American life is one that no responsible citizen or serious scholar can safely ignore." -Foreign Affairs

"Urgent, lyrical, and devastating in its precision, Coates has penned a new classic of our time." -Vogue

"Powerful." -The Economist

"A work of rare beauty and revelatory honesty . . . Between the World and Me is a love letter written in a moral emergency, one that Coates exposes with the precision of an autopsy and the force of an exorcism. . . . Coates is frequently lauded as one of America's most important writers on the subject of race today, but this in fact undersells him: Coates is one of America's most important writers on the subject of America today. . . . [He's] a polymath whose breadth of knowledge on matters ranging from literature to pop culture to French philosophy to the Civil War bleeds through every page of his book, distilled into profound moments of discovery, immensely erudite but never showy." -Slate

"The most important book I've read in years . . . an illuminating, edifying, educational, inspiring experience." -Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center

"It's an indescribably enlightening, enraging, important document about being black in America today. Coates is perhaps the best we have, and this book is perhaps the best he's ever been." -Deadspin

"Vital reading at this moment in America." -U.S. News & World Report

"[Coates] has crafted a highly provocative, thoughtfully presented, and beautifully written narrative. . . . Much of what Coates writes may be difficult for a majority of Americans to process, but that's the incisive wisdom of it. Read it, think about it, take a deep breath and read it again. The spirit of James Baldwin lives within its pages." -The Christian Science Monitor

"Part memoir, part diary, and wholly necessary, it is precisely the document this country needs right now." -New Republic

"A moving testament to what it means to be black and an American in our troubled age . . . Between the World and Me feels of-the-moment, but like James Baldwin's celebrated 1963 treatise The Fire Next Time, it stands to become a classic on the subject of race in America." -The Seattle Times

"Riveting . . . Coates delivers a fiery soliloquy dissecting the tradition of the erasure of African-Americans beginning with the deeply personal." -Minneapolis Star Tribune

"[ Between the World and Me] is not a Pollyanna, coming-of-age memoir about how idyllic life was growing up in America. It is raw. It is searing. . . . [It's] a book that should be read and shared by everyone, as it is a story that painfully and honestly explores the age-old question of what it means to grow up black and male in America." -The Baltimore Sun

"A searing indictment of America's legacy of violence, institutional and otherwise, against blacks." -Chicago Tribune

"I know that this book is addressed to the author's son, and by obvious analogy to all boys and young men of color as they pass, inexorably, into harm's way. I hope that I will be forgiven, then, for feeling that Ta-Nehisi Coates was speaking to me, too, one father to another, teaching me that real courage is the courage to be vulnerable, to admit having fallen short of the mark, to stay open-hearted and curious in the face of hate and lies, to remain skeptical when there is so much comfort in easy belief, to acknowledge the limits of our power to protect our children from harm and, hardest of all, to see how the burden of our need to protect becomes a burden on them, one that we must, sooner or later, have the wisdom and the awful courage to surrender." -Michael Chabon

"Ta-Nehisi Coates is the James Baldwin of our era, and this is his cri de coeur. A brilliant thinker at the top of his powers, he has distilled four hundred years of history and his own anguish and wisdom into a prayer for his beloved son and an invocation to the conscience of his country. Between the World and Me is an instant classic and a gift to us all." -Isabel Wilkerson, author of The Warmth of Other Suns

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social science / discrimination & race relations

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Hailed by Toni Morrison as "required reading," a bold and personal literary exploration of America's racial history by "the single best writer on the subject of race in the United States" (The New York Observer)#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER | NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNE...

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About Paul Holimon

Paul Holimon taught high school English, Writing 1 & 2, Creative Writing, Latin 1 & 2, Intensive Reading, AP Language & Composition, and Advanced Communications Methodology for about a decade, first in Louisiana, then in Lee County, Florida, and finally in Collier County, Florida. After four years supporting teachers and shaping policy as a district coordinator of secondary literacy and world languages, he has returned to the classroom at the middle school level, where he is passionately encouraging his students to use curiosity as a catalyst to explore our world from new perspectives. An ardent fan of poetry, baseball, and punk rock, his wife and son laugh at most of his jokes and tolerate the rest of them with extraordinary patience and good will.

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Paul Holimon | Teengagement® Practitioner Network (TPN)

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Paul Holimon taught high school English, Writing 1 & 2, Creative Writing, Latin 1 & 2, Intensive Reading, AP Language & Composition, and Advanced Communications Methodology for about a decade, first in Louisiana, then in Lee County, Florida, and finally in Collier County, Florida.

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Notice and Note Signposts as Writing Invitations

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Notice and Note Signposts as Writing Invitations

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I 've been rereading Notice and Note: Strategies for Close Reading as I look to teach and apply the signposts with my 9th graders (we introduce the signposts within the first few weeks of school). At the same time, I've also been reading the 3rd edition of Atwell's In the Middle. Atwell's book is so dense with wonderful ideas that it's been taking me some time to work through it all. I find myself being constantly challenged as I read through both books, as I am forced to reconsider my past teaching practices and find inspiration for future ones.

I was in the middle (pun intended?) of reading about Atwell's list of writing territories when an idea occurred to me. What if I adapted the idea of writing territories from Atwell and connected it to the signposts in Notice and Note? In other words, instead of using the six signposts as tools for close reading, I could also use them as invitations for student writing. In this way, I can also capture some of the spirit of the writing territories Atwell points out are so important for students to develop as writers.

Here's a rough sketch of what I envision:

WORDS OF THE WISER

Write about the best advice they've ever gotten: who did it come from? why was it given? how was it useful? what did they learn?

Describe an important role model in their lives-a "wise person"-from whom they've learned something significant.

Write a thank-you letter to a role model in their lives, detailing how that role model has affected them, what they've learned, etc.

Find "wise words" from something they have read (a book, online quote) and explain how these words hold true in their own lives.

MEMORY MOMENT

Write about an important memory from their chilldhood: what makes this memory important? how did it influence them to become who they are today?

A-HA MOMENT

Describe an epiphany they've had: what brought this epiphany about? what did they learn? how did they change? (I currently do something like this already with my students when we read the graphic memoir, Pesepolis. Students write a graphic essay on an epiphany they've experienced. Details here.)

CONTRASTS & CONTRADICTIONS

Describe a time they did something that was unexpected, or something that was contradictory to how they might have otherwise acted: what were the circumstances? why did they act this way instead of another?

Write a poem that captures contrasts and contradictions in their personality. This could be a modified version of the "I am, I come from" poem exercise in which students write "I am..." statements next to "But I am also..." statements.

Embrace a paradox in their personalities and write about it. For example, students could describe how they can be both quiet and loud. For ideas, students could look at research on the paradoxical traits of creative people.

Draw a picture representing their divided selves, similar to what Penny Kittle does with her notebook work with All True Diary of a Part-time Indian. Students can consider, for example, the contrasts between who they are privately versus who they are publicly, at home versus school, etc.

TOUGH QUESTIONS

Write about something bothering them, some tough decisions they might face, questions they've been pondering. For example, students might write about the "tough questions" they face as they think about applying for college. Or the issues they faced around a recent decision they had to make.

AGAIN & AGAIN

Write about something meaningful in their lives that has come up "again and again." For example, students could write about a particular activity or sport has influenced who they have become. Or they could write about how they are drawn to the same types of books "again and again" (or anything else) and what that says about them.

Describe and reflect on the significant patterns in their lives-patterns of behavior, friends, decisions, habits, etc.

What I like about the using the signposts as invitations for writing is that the writing builds naturally on what they've already been doing in their reading. In other words, because students have been using the signposts to read closely in their reading, they've been analyzing and collecting their many "mentor texts" along the way. I imagine myself saying, "Remember how we talked about how important that memory was for Jonas' character in The Giver? Now think about a memory you have about an experience that shaped you." Or "Remember when we were shocked by Pip's treatment of Joe in Great Expectations? Now think about a time that you acted in a way that shocked others, or even yourself."

This writing is also personal and reflective.

What I also like about writing assignments like these are that they ask students to write in a variety of modes, especially narrative. This writing is also personal and reflective. Each of the writing assignments above requires that students write stories about themselves and their worlds and experiences. Students can use the novels we read in class-and even their independent reading-as mentor texts for the stories they will write about their own lives. For example, Dickens' use of color to describe Miss Havisham in Great Expectations can serve as a mentor text for students when trying to describe a role model in their lives using the "Words of the Wiser" signpost.

Using the signposts in their writing can crystallize students' conceptual understanding of the signposts when they are asked to think about how to apply them to their own lives. After all, the metaphor of "life as a novel" works naturally here-students easily see themselves as the protagonists of their own stories, and just like the characters we read about in literature, students deal with internal and external conflicts, experience flashbacks, face crisis moments, and resolve problems (or not).

As I write this all down, my mind is still pondering the possibilities. And of course, there are questions, too-How will I introduce these assignments? In what order? At what point? How much structure will I give? What form will the essays take, individually or together? My initial thought is to introduce this as a portfolio after students are already comfortable with seeing the signposts in their reading. I might list all the possibilities, similar to what I've outlined above, and tell students that they should choose 4 of the 6 signposts to "write from." Working on this portfolio could be what constitutes their regularly scheduled writing workshop time. Structuring this as a portfolio makes this writing an ongoing process: students might take weeks or months or even the whole year to complete this, in any order. Once students finish one assignment, then can move on to the next.

So much to think about... and a lot of work, but it's the kind of work that energizes and I'm excited to see where this takes me and my students.

And if you're reading this and have any ideas or comments, I'd love to hear about them below. What do you think?

UPDATE: I shared this post on the Notice and Note Facebook group where there has been some good conversation, including a much appreciated comment from Kylene Beers! If you're not already part of the N&N Facebook group, I highly suggest it!
UPDATE #2: Read this follow-up post with my step-by-step plan on how to implement these ideas.

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I 've been rereading Notice and Note: Strategies for Close Reading as I look to teach and apply the signposts with my 9th graders (we introduce the signposts within the first few weeks of school). At the same time, I've also been reading the 3rd edition of Atwell's In the Middle.

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Connect to Douglass and Tubman -- slave newspaper pleas to reconnect with family

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After emancipation, many freedpeople used newspaper advertisements to try to contact their family members. The Historic New Orleans Collection has made available a digital collection of more than 300 "Lost Friends" advertisements that appeared in the city's Methodist Southwestern Christian Advocate newspaper between November 1879 and December 1880. The collection is searchable by name or location, but you can also browse advertisements at random.

In her book,Help Me To Find My People: The African-American Search for Family Lost in Slavery, historian Heather Williams writes that advertisements like these were an ad hoc community measure made necessary because the federal government was largely unprepared to help separated families reunite during Reconstruction. (Willliams was a guest on episode 4 of our Slate Academy podcast, the History of American Slavery; a few weeks ago, Slate published an excerpt from her book.)

Some agents of the Freedmen's Bureau did work to help people find family, but there were many obstacles to the project, including a lack of financial resources to conduct searches and the scanty documentation kept by slave traders. The result was that many people were unable to reunite and placed newspaper ads for years after the end of the war-sometimes seeking relatives they hadn't seen in decades.

The Southwestern Christian Advocate prefaced each Lost Friends column with this announcement. Pastors expanded the reach of the printed advertisements by reading them in church. The 50-cent charge for the ad would have been no small matter. "Even at 50 cents," Williams writes, "placing an ad required a significant monetary investment, as a recently freed person in the South could expect to earn between $5 and $25 a month as a field hand working six days per week."

This advertisement shows how the prerogative of slaveholders, which allowed them to name and rename people at will, made it even harder to find separated relatives.

Henry Tibbs included an unusually detailed separation story in his ad. Williams writes that the placements seemed to serve two purposes-a way to find relatives and a "public airing of freedpeople's memories and hopes."

Crecy Stepto was looking for a husband last seen more than three decades before-a circumstance not unusual among those who chose to advertise. "It is likely that those who searched after a long time had created other significant relationships in their lives," writes Williams. "They may have remarried or had other children, but the memories and the caring lingered."

Rufus Rollins' ad tells of a family separation that took place right before the war. He writes that he was "run to Texas"-an expression that might refer to the practice of "refugeeing" enslaved people during the war, or removing them to places far away from the reach of the Union Army.

Williams writes that she was able to find only a few instances of successful reunions coming from the placement of a newspaper ad. Every once in a while, however, it worked. The Christian Advocate wrote about one such result in 1877. "We published in this column a letter from Charity Thompson, of Hawkins, Texas," the editors reported in March of that year. "The letter ... was read in the First Church Houston, and as the reading proceeded a well-known member of the Church ... broke into tears and cried out 'That is my sister and I have not seen her for thirty three years.' The mother is still living and in a few days the happy family will be once more re-united."

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The Hopeful, Heartbreaking Ads Placed by Formerly Enslaved People in Search of Lost Family

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After emancipation, many freedpeople used newspaper advertisements to try to contact their family members. The Historic New Orleans Collection has made available a digital collection of more than 300 "Lost Friends" advertisements that appeared in the city's Methodist Southwestern Christian Advocate newspaper between November 1879 and December 1880.

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Watching Snape's Scenes in Order Tells a Totally New Story

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Here's the whole story behind Severus Snape. View "Every Major Snape Scene - in Chronological Order - Tells a Totally New Story" and more funny posts on Dorkly

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Share in Week 1.

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MIDDLETOWN, Ohio -

Ohio's 12th District Court of Appeals ruled in favor of punctuation and sanity, according to reports by The Washington Post.

On June 22, Andrea Cammelleri won her appeal against the Village of West Jefferson, Ohio, which was centered around none other than the comma.

Cammelleri's case for proper punctuation, which lasted more than a year, all started when she was cited for parking her pickup truck on a street in West Jefferson, Ohio.

Cammelleri parked her car in an area that banned parking "any motor vehicle camper, trailer, farm implemented and/or non-motorized vehicle" for more than 24 hours.

Apparently, the ordinance's error was the absence of a comma, which would separate motor vehicle and camper as two different objects.

Cammelleri didn't consider her truck to be any of the prohibited vehicles listed in the ordinance, and argued in court that "the ordinance did not apply because the language prohibits a motor vehicle camper from being parked on the street for an extended period of time."

Judge Robert A. Hendrickson of the Middletown court ultimately decided in favor of the punctuation-conscious appellant, as outlined in his decision.

"By utilizing rules of grammar and employing the common meaning of terms, 'motor vehicle camper' has a clear definition that does not produce an absurd result," the decision said. "If the village desires a different reading, it should amend the ordinance and insert a comma between the phrase 'motor vehicle' and the word 'camper.'"

The moral of the story? Knowledge really is power. More specifically, knowledge of proper punctuation can directly translate into the power to successfully dispute parking tickets. At least in Ohio.

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How understanding basic punctuation got an Ohio woman out of a parking ticket

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MIDDLETOWN, Ohio - Ohio's 12th District Court of Appeals ruled in favor of punctuation and sanity, according to reports by The Washington Post. On June 22, Andrea Cammelleri won her appeal against the Village of West Jefferson, Ohio, which was centered around none other than the comma.

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King of the Mild Frontier

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Student Talk Chart: Monologic vs. Dialogic

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Student Talk Chart: Monologic vs. Dialogic

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Reading, authoring, and publishing platform allowing storytellers to structure and contextualize stories.

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"Some failure in life is inevitable. It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all -- in which case you failed by default."

And

"Unlike any other creature on this planet, humans can learn and understand, without having experienced. They can think themselves into other people’s places."

Harvard Commencement Address 2008

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vocabulary from classical roots book a (grade 7)

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Vocabulary from Classical Roots Book A (Grade 7)

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This five-book series teaches junior and senior high school students words derived from the most important Greek and Latin roots. Every lesson introduces up to fifteen words derived from two or more classical roots. A dictionary-like format provides all the necessary information, including related forms of the word and sentences illustrating each word's correct usage.

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Week One: Friendly Letter from Last Year's ELA Teacher

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Week One: Friendly Letter from Last Year's ELA Teacher

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Introductory Friendly Letter with Review Comments (1)

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1. Be Passionate.

2. Be Curious.

3. Be Kind.

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How Do You Take Cornell Notes?

Despite having explained thirty-eight times how to take Cornell Notes, I still saw the same problems and had to answer the same stupid questions over and over, ad infinitum, repeatedly, and forever more. Right as I was about to jam a ball point pen into my fibula, an amazing thought stayed my hand:

"I have a persuasive essay rubric, a general essay rubric, a news article rubric, a process essay rubric, and a notebook rubric and they all raised the quality of work in my class. I think I should make a Cornell Notes Rubric!"

And I did.

NEATNESS

A: Handwriting is legible. Lines are straight or a computerized template has been used. Date is easily readable. Topic is easily readable. Paper has not been scrunched, put through a blender, used as toilet paper, been placed in a bird cage, or used as a weapon and covered with blood. The format is correct.

B: Handwriting is mostly legible. Lines are mostly straight. Date is easily readable. Topic is easily readable. Paper has not been scrunched, put through a blender, used as toilet paper, been placed in a bird cage, or used as a weapon or covered with blood. The format is correct.

C: Handwriting is mostly legible. Lines are mostly straight. Date is written. Topic is written. Paper has not been scrunched, put through a blender, used as toilet paper, been placed in a bird cage, or used as a weapon and covered with blood. The format is correct.

D: Handwriting is partially legible. Lines are crooked. I think the date is written. I think the topic is written. Paper has not been scrunched, put through a blender, used as toilet paper, been placed in a bird cage, or used as a weapon and covered with blood. The format is correct.

F: Paper has been scrunched, put through a blender, used as toilet paper, been placed in a bird cage, or used as a weapon and covered with blood or the format is not correct.

NOTES

A: Notes take up the entire section. Main points are captured. Keywords are clearly written. Notes are notes and not a word for word reporting of what was said or read.

B: Notes take up the entire section. Most main points are captured. Keywords are written. Notes are notes and not a word for word reporting of what was said or read.

C: Notes take up the entire section. Some main points are captured. Some keywords are written. Notes are notes and not a word for word reporting of what was said or read.

D: Notes take up the entire section. Notes are a word for word reporting of what was said or read.

QUESTIONS

A: Notes contain at least 5 relevant questions, three of which require higher level thinking skills. All necessary information can be found in the notes.

B: Notes contain at least 5 relevant questions, one or two of which require higher level thinking skills. All necessary information can be found in the notes.

C: Notes contain at least 5 relevant questions, none of which require higher level thinking skills. All necessary information can be found in the notes.

D: Notes contain at least 2-4 relevant questions. All necessary information can be found in the notes.

SUMMARY

A: Summary contains 2-5 sentences and shows an understanding of the material. It does not begin with "These notes are about...," or "Today I learned..."

B: Summary contains 2-5 sentences and mostly shows an understanding of the material. It does not begin with "These notes are about...," or "Today I learned..."

C: Summary contains 2-5 sentences but shows a poor understanding of the material. It does not begin with "These notes are about...," or "Today I learned..."

D: I'm not sure exactly who you were listening to during the notes, but it probably wasn't me. The summary does not begin with "These notes are about...," or "Today I learned..."

Teaching Students How to Take Notes

It's an important skill that teachers falsely assume students can do, but there's more to taking notes than rattling off a few facts and hoping students learn it. Note-taking is a process that requires outside preparation, in class listening skills, and systematic review for teachers and students.

1. Lesson Ideas: Teach Students How to Take Notes

2. Helping Your Students Take Great Notes: Teaching Techniques

3. Teach Your Students to Take Great Notes

4. Teaching Students How to Review Notes

5. Make the Best of Class Time with Cornell Notes

6. Cornell Notes: A Rubric For Language Arts Teachers

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Cornell Notes Rubric: Put an End to the Stupid Questions With This User-Friendly Rubric

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Despite having explained thirty-eight times how to take Cornell Notes, I still saw the same problems and had to answer the same stupid questions over and over, ad infinitum, repeatedly, and forever more.

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Have students create this.

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Close Reading: Anthology Alignment Project

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Close Reading: Anthology Alignment Project

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Edmodo

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Modifiers are words, phrases, and clauses that add information about other parts of a...

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Analyzing Famous Speeches as Arguments - ReadWriteThink

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Students are often asked to perform speeches, but rarely do we require students to analyze speeches as carefully as we study works of literature. In this unit, students are required to identify the rhetorical strategies in a famous speech and the specific purpose for each chosen device.

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All in all, this year was tough but I made it through. I learned a lot about culture, society, and religion. Society shouldn't determine who you are as a person because who [can] judge us? We as individuals can only judge ourselves.

The end of the school year is a time of conflicting needs. We are all exhausted, yet this is the most fertile time to process a year's worth of learning, struggle, and change, and to bring closure to our work from the year.

One way that I attempt to help make meaning of a year, give students the final word about their learning, and achieve a collective sense of completion is by assigning a portfolio project as the final major assignment of the year.

Portfolio Overview

With or without access to technology, final portfolios are opportunities for students be creative as they reflect on, describe, analyze, and interpret their own work and learning from the year. Instead of being told what they should know, students have an opportunity to articulate their learning and their realities in their own words as they create a product of personal and emotional value.

This class has really made me think about where I fit into the world, and how I can use my position in the world to incite change.

At first I never knew stepping out of my comfort zone would make me feel like a new person.

The Process

I begin the process by having students read over their work from the entire year. Each student sits, claiming a section of table to her/himself. Spread in front of them is their work from the year -- papers spilling out of graded work folders, worn journals overflowing with entries, large pieces of chart paper, and many open tabs on their laptops display assignments, docs, and websites that they have created. This first stage reminds students of all that they have accomplished. "Remember this? I forgot all about it!" is a frequent refrain. At times students are impressed by their work, and at other times disappointment is clear: "Ugh. I didn't do so well on this."

I want them to read through their work and notice multiple things that they may not have previously realized. For this reason, I don't tell them all the details of the project at the outset. Instead, I ask them first to record at least fifteen quotes of interest from their own work. The quotes must be from different assignments and significant to them for some reason. (Maybe one quote contains a powerful idea, another is something they now disagree with, a third is a quote where they appreciate the style of the writing, etc.) By completing this first assignment, they are beginning to develop larger ideas and insights into their learning from the year.

The next day, with their collection of quotes in front of them, I ask them to sit in groups and create a list of General Understandings that begin to summarize their learning from the year. I make it clear that they can think about both what they learned and how they learned. I give examples to get them started:

Multiple perspectives help develop different understandings of reality.

Discussions can lead to insights and learning not possible for an individual.

Struggle is a necessary part of transformation.

I am intentional about modeling with complex and varied General Understandings. For each General Understanding, I have students take notes about units, assignments, projects, and memories of class activities that can be used to support the statement. During this stage, each student contributes ideas, and group wisdom helps develop individual ideas farther. Ultimately each student will choose his or her own General Understandings based on the wealth of ideas and possibilities that each group has generated on the chart paper hanging in different parts of the room.

Incorporating Creativity and Individualization

The next step is for students to draft and write the portfolio essay, the introduction to their selected body of work from the year. For my high school version of the project, students write 500 words focusing on two to three General Understandings. Each General Understanding must be supported by quotes from their own work throughout the year. By using their own work as sources, students continue to review, acknowledge, and accept the authority, power, and connections in their work from the year, while also identifying where there is room for growth.

If technology is available, portfolios can be created as blog posts. Quotes from student work can link directly to pages with those assignments. I require that students include links to at least five different examples of their collected work.

With or without technology, artwork can be a powerful element in portfolios. I have had students use a word cloud generator to create word art that represents their learning from the year. Students can create many different expressions this way.

Final Thoughts

Every year, final portfolios give my students a structure for evaluating themselves and articulating the most important aspects of their learning and growth. The day that the portfolios are due, we sit in a circle and hear an excerpt from each student. The range and variety of essays is a poignant reminder of the value of creating individualized learning experiences.

Final portfolios can be a reflective tool not only for students, but also for teachers. Reading portfolios rejuvenates me, helps me realize and understand things that I had not realized about different students and their experiences in my class, and helps me to identify my own areas for growth as I continually work to refine and improve my teaching practice. Creating structure that encourages students to develop individual, insightful voices can provide a powerful reminder of why the work of teaching matters.

There's different sides to ourselves that we don't really see at a first glance. Those parts of us can be brought out when we create poetry and view things about the world in different lenses. We not only learn about ourselves, but we learn sides to people surrounding us and people who are thousands of miles away. Throughout the year, I've been able to see parts of myself that I haven't seen before. Some parts surprised me and some parts led me to believe that there is something inside of me worth searching for and worth continuing beyond [the] classroom.

If you would like to read more final portfolios from 2013, click here or here.

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Final Portfolios: Ending the Year with Meaning | Edutopia

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All in all, this year was tough but I made it through. I learned a lot about culture, society, and religion. Society shouldn't determine who you are as a person because who [can] judge us? We as individuals can only judge ourselves. The end of the school year is a time of conflicting needs.

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"A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, said Jojen. The man who never reads lives only one."
― George R.R. Martin, A Dance with Dragons

These are powerful words, and they speak to the power of reading to open doors to empathy, adventure, and learning. A love of reading doesn't happen automatically though. It needs to be nurtured and guided until it flourishes into a well-read, well-rounded human being.

That's why we put together a presentation of some of our favorite ways to help kids learn to love reading, gathered from the contributions of Edutopia's educators and parents.

As we compiled this presentation, we noticed four major themes:

Choice: Children are more likely to read when their interests are taken into account and they have control of how and what to read.

Availability: Opportunities to read should be plentiful and books (and other reading material) available in all the places children visit.

Safety & Support: Safe, comfortable reading spaces encourage visitors. As do confidence in being able to find the right book and having a reading buddy to read to.

Creativity: Reading a book doesn't have to be where the story ends. Kids can have fun creatively expressing what they've read, and they don't have to know that they're also demonstrating their comprehension. :)

You'll find all the tips in the presentation below:
37 Ways to Help Kids Learn to Love Reading

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37 Ways to Help Kids Learn to Love Reading | Edutopia

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"A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, said Jojen. The man who never reads lives only one." ― George R.R. Martin, A Dance with Dragons These are powerful words, and they speak to the power of reading to open doors to empathy, adventure, and learning.

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When making classroom policies, rules, or guidelines, it's essential to be able to answer the question: what's the bottom line? When we go beyond our content, curriculum, or instructional methods: what is truly important about this space and this community as a place of learning?

The bottom line can be framed in a few different ways:

Classroom mission statement. With your students, examine the mission statements of popular companies, nonprofits, and even your school. Invite small groups to propose a mission statement and then combine or take a vote.

Shared values. In my classroom, we used a values cloud worksheet (PDF) to consider which qualities we each valued in school and then shared with one another so we could find some common ground. Some examples: cooperation, trust, honesty, leadership. We took a "fist of five" tally to see how strongly each person felt about each value (holding up one finger meant not very strongly, all five meant "this is so important!").

The values cloud worksheet can be used in other ways: students can circle the characteristics they value, cross out the ones they don't, and highlight/star/underline for varying degrees of importance. The worksheet can also help with conflict resolution. Two students independently mark up what they value and then a facilitator helps them to trade sheets and recognize the places where they actually agree on the "big stuff," which helps guide resolution about the small things.

Just the essentials. In the absence of a more collaborative process, you can identify for yourself as the teacher/facilitator what the true essentials of your classroom are for you. For me, my two essentials are safety and respect. We can always add to these or elaborate upon them, but I know at the end of the day I will feel good if I've fostered those two things.

Once you've identified your bottom line, now it's time to communicate it. Invite students to craft signage or art for your classroom that proclaim these values visibly in your space.

Classroom management is complicated when you reactively create rules and consequences based on particular behavior that comes up. Which consequence did I set for which behavior, and why, and what happens if a behavior falls outside my specific rule? When, instead, we take the time to identify the bottom line, our decision-making streamlines. Instead of blanket "no cell phones," "no gum," or "no side conversations" rules, I create a "yes respect" and "yes safety" environment. When students clearly know and agree that safety and respect are the bottom line, any behavior can be contextualized against what's important, rather than a seemingly arbitrary set of rules.

For example, if a student is on her cell phone playing a game while another student is giving a presentation, we can decide as a class that this doesn't constitute respect and develop a plan for what we think would better show our respect to the presenter. However, another student might let the class know at the beginning of the period that she will be texting her mom about halfway through class to check on how her dog's vet procedure went, and we might all agree that this type of cell phone use, paired with the student's proactivity, does indeed constitute respect to our class.

When we involve students in identifying what's important, communicate these values clearly, and invite students into the process of upholding these values, we democratize what can otherwise turn into a power struggle. We make students carriers of a positive culture. We teach them how to be in community.

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Identify the Essential in Classroom Management | Edutopia

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When making classroom policies, rules, or guidelines, it's essential to be able to answer the question: what's the bottom line? When we go beyond our content, curriculum, or instructional methods: what is truly important about this space and this community as a place of learning?

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Old twists on new tunes, every Thursday.

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Have this printed professionally at Smiley Graphics -- 3 ft. x 2 ft.

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effective grading: a tool for learning and assessment in college

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college students - rating of - united states

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educational tests and measurements - united states

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grading and marking (students) - united states

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grading and marking (students);united states.

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education / teaching methods & materials / general

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education / teaching methods & materials / general

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Effective Grading: A Tool for Learning and Assessment in College

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The second edition of Effective Grading-the book that has become a classic in the field-provides a proven hands-on guide for evaluating student work and offers an in-depth examination of the link between teaching and grading. Authors Barbara E. Walvoord and Virginia Johnson Anderson e...

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Watch these over the summer.

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notice and note strategies for close reading video study guide

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A virtual study guide for Notice & Note: Strategies for Close Reading that provide the backdrop for how the book came to be, the organization of the content, tips on implementing the signposts, and more.

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The story of students who resisted the Nazis.

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A 2005 Academy Award Nominee for Best Foreign Language Film, Sophie Scholl - The Final Days is the true story of Germany's most famous anti-Nazi heroine brought to thrilling, dramatic life. Sophie Scholl stars Julia Jentsch in a luminous performance as the fearless activist of the underground student resistance group,

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In November 1960, all of America watched as a tiny six-year-old black girl, surrounded by federal marshals, walked through a mob of screaming segregationists and into her school.

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Use these with "literacy windows" (shop ticket holders).

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EXPO 1884309 Low-Odor Dry Erase Markers, Ultra Fine Tip, Assorted Colors, 8-Count

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Present your point in a brilliant fashion without stinking up your space with these easy-on-the nose dry erase pens. Intense colors take center stage even from a distance. Get the bright, vivid color you expect from EXPO with better-erasing ink. Specially formulated low odor ink is ideal for clas...

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Student-generated Question Technique - Kylene Beers

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Apply for grant in January 2016.

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Independent Reading

Writing

Journaling -- choose excerpt to share

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National Gurus on Better Literacy Instruction copy

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by Suzy Pepper Rollins

Students file into class.

"Your warm-up is on the board," we announce. Two students fish for pencils in backpacks, one begs to get water, another needs to see the nurse, and attendance needs to be entered into the computer. "Ok, so let's go over the warm-up now," we call, "and then we'll look at last night's homework."

More minutes pass, as students dump out backpacks and empty pockets in a panicked search for a scrap of paper they swear was secured last night. Others, who quickly knocked out the homework on the bus ride home, wait patiently for classmates to catch up. It is perhaps time to rethink our expectations for the opening minutes of class. Warm-ups or bell-ringers largely serve a classroom management purpose during hectic opening minutes. By getting students quickly occupied and in their seats, administrative tasks can be handled.

But the opening minutes are also the time when students' brains are their freshest and they tend to remember more of what's been taught during this period than any other time of the learning episode. In addition, student motivation can increase if they realize that the concept being taught today connects to their lives and has value.

These precious minutes can quickly establish a prior knowledge connection, vital to maximizing learning. Even the "best" lesson is worthless if students aren't engaged, or don't believe they will be able to complete the work. At the beginning of each lesson, students need some kind of foothold.

Rather than begin class with a passive warm-up, success starters have the power to get every student motivated about the lesson and successful right from the bell. Starting off on the right academic foot in the opening minutes can pay dividends throughout the lesson by sparking intellectual curiosity about today's concept. Students get the message early that, "Hey, I think I can do this!"

We've shared 12 Interesting Ways To Start Class Tomorrow before. Here are a few more strategies that get students involved in new learning right away.
1. Facts and Fibs 4 Easy Teaching Warm-Ups To Start Class Tomorrow
Create facts and fibs about the upcoming topic on strips of paper. In groups, students discuss each of these and separate into piles. For example, if students will be learning about the desert, one strip might say, "Deserts are always hot." Another: "Desert animals often have long periods of dormancy to survive." As students learn about deserts, they rethink their facts and fibs, repositioning the strips. Were the group's answers correct?
2. Survey
In math, fact and fib strips might say, ".61 is greater than 0.064" or "There is not a number between 5.4 and 5.5." Facts and fibs facilitate talking about math.

It's hard to beat surveys to answer the question, "What's this got to do with me?" About to embark on a government unit? A short survey in which students respond to questions about driver's licenses, voting, marriage requirements, etc. can get every student involved.
3. Question Cards
Tackling a piece of text about a character in a tough predicament? Survey questions inquire about ways in which students might handle these situations. Students are more likely to be motivated to read when there is a personal connection to the text. They are now wondering, "Hmmm, I wonder how the character will get out of this mess?" (Before the survey, students were likely thinking about lunch.)

Pass out index cards to groups with "What? Who? When? How? and Where?" written on the cards. Students "play" their cards by creating questions about the topic.For example, if the upcoming lesson is on snails, a student might inquire, "Why are snails so slimy?"
4. Alpha Brainstorming
The next student's query might be, "Where do snails live?" During the lesson or reading, students answer the questions they have created during the opener. Question cards facilitate questioning by every student, not just the few in the front. Plus, it's much for engaging to seek answers to questions students have developed themselves rather than those from a publisher.
A Quick Checklist for Successful Warmup Activities
On a chart from A-Z, groups brainstorm everything they know about a topic. For example, "Write everything you know about electricity." This process taps into prior knowledge and gets everyone on topic in just a few minutes. After the lesson, students can revisit their list, "Now, what can be added to what you know about electricity?" (A math example might be, "List everything with a perimeter from A-Z.")

Success starters have the power to get students intellectually engaged and successful right at the bell. By tweaking our instruction in those critical minutes, teachers can set-up today's learning goals beautifully in just a few minutes. With these strategies, students become authentically engaged right away, and teachers can still quickly handle critical administrative tasks.

A checklist for success starters:

Is intellectual curiosity about today's learning goals piqued?

Does the activity tap into real-world or personal connections?

Does the task foster success in ALL students for today's learning goal?

The opening minutes can be so valuable in getting student excited about today's lesson. Success starters have the power to get every student open to new learning right at the bell, not many minutes later.
Suzy Pepper is a passionate life-long educator whose mission is to create academic success in all learners by instilling instructional practices that provide widespread accessibility to academic rigor. She consults and trains in districts across the country. She can be reached via her website www.mathinfastlane.com or [email protected] ; image attribution flickr users woodleywonderworks and skokinorthshoresculpturepark; The Precious First Few Minutes: 4 Easy Teaching Warm-Ups To Start Class Tomorrow;
For more information on success starters and other next-day implementation strategies, see Suzy's book, Learning in the Fast Lane: 8 Ways to Put ALL Students on the Road to Academic Success (ASCD, 2014). You can also find more ASCD resources for Creating Inclusive Learning Experiences.

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by Suzy Pepper Rollins Students file into class. "Your warm-up is on the board," we announce. Two students fish for pencils in backpacks, one begs to get water, another needs to see the nurse, and attendance needs to be entered into the computer.

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Create, Print, and Laminate this for the classroom wall.

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Provide students with choices!

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Ceremonial Certificates for effort, civility, helpfulness, and respect.

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Five per quarter

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Record readings via screencasts and invite students

to replicate them, matching the pacing, tone, and intonation.

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Teengagement Units Connected to Textbook Units

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Teengagement Units Connected to Textbook Units

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Malala

#Activism

Standing Up to Bullying

Thrill Seekers (Adolescent Brain)

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Teengagement is the project-based teen literacy solution addressing the essential skills needed for success in college and career for the 21st century. Purposeful, relevant, rigorous, engaging units of study, form the basis of this unique literacy solution. See how Teengagement can transform literacy on your campus.

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Establish these Week 1.

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Read and discuss a poem every Monday. Use Billy Collins' Poetry180?

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Start class with a nature video to calm the mind.

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Visit CBS Sunday Morning 'Nature' on CBSNews.com. Watch videos, view picture galleries, profiles, and more.

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Large poster on the wall - students will place sticky notes about signposts they've identified.

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Signposts Image - Beers - Notice and Note