The Final Count Down!

Ha ha. This has to be one of my favorite blog titles. It just reminds me of that song from the 80's.

 

Either way, this is the time of the year where most teachers are looking up ideas where the students can have fun, get messy, and not turn anything in to grade.

It is called

The End Of The Year! (If only I could pull off some sound effects right now...)

 

This year is a little different for me compared to my other years. This is my last year at my current school.

(Down sizing, financial changes, enrollment, etc...) Either way, I won't be back here next year.

 

That gives me a lot of wiggle room when working with my students these final days. Here are my ideas so far. (Mostly for 8th grade, granted.)

 

1. Career scavenger hunt

2. Class Predictions/Awards

3. Info graphics

4. Memory Board

5. Cedar Point Trip

6. Graduation video

7. Free Labor...

 

Sorry the last one isn't really a fun activity for students. It's more of a mind numbing job to help pass the time during the final days.

 

Either way the first few a pretty good.

 

Career scavenger hunt:

 

1. Have the students write in large bold letters what they want to be when they grow up on a sheet of paper.

 

2. Take a picture of the student holding the paper.

 

3. Have the student go around the school looking for props or things they can make props out of to demonstrate their choice career.

 

4. Take a picture of their great imitation.

 

Example: I have a student who wanted to be a vet. He will write the word veterinarian on a legal sized piece of paper and we will take his picture. After that, I will send him around the school looking for something(s) to help him imitate a veterinarian. Like a Styrofoam cup, ear buds, and a stuffed animal. (The cup and ear buds can be put together to make a stethoscope and he could be examining the stuffed animal.)

 

That is just one example. I can't wait to see what else my students come up with.

 

Class Predictions/Awards

 

These are the things that you always see in high school year books. Think "Most likely to succeed." Either way, I still need more pictures of my students for their graduation video. Here's my plan:

 

1. Have class vote on pre-set awards

• Most likely to succeed
• Most likely to become a farmer
• Most likely to take over the world
• Best athlete
• Most likely to have a town named after him/her
• Most likely to invent something
• Best smile
• Friendliest Person
• Most likely to become a star

2. Announce the winners to the class and take their picture while they demonstrate why they won that award.

 

To be clear, there are nine awards because I only have nine students. If there were 20 students I would have 20 different awards.

Also, if you are looking for ideas, be careful. There are suggestions of awards like "Most likely to be incarcerated."

 

Info Graphics

 

There is a new form of non-fiction taking the internet by storm.

THE INFO GRAPHIC! (Again, sound effects would rock here.)

 

Either way, our students should be exposed to these things. I love this idea that I came up with in the shower this morning. (That's where the best ideas come from, isn't it?)

 

Yesterday, two of my three classes discussed and looked over several info graphics. Now they can pick any topic their hear desires and create an info graphic. They can do this on the computer, by hand, however they please.

 

Memory Board

 

This is something that I keep seeing different versions of on Pinterest. I figured, we have extra poster board, why not do something like it.

 

I'll have all of my classes write their favorite memory for the year on one poster board. (It'll look like  a large collage.) We can hang it up in the hallway so the students can see what each other wrote.

 

Cedar Point

 

When I started at my current school two years ago there really was no major thing for our graduating 8th grade class. I figured, let's do something extra special so they can just spend a day being kids.

 

Since we live in northern Ohio, Cedar Point became our main idea.

 

From that point on (this is our third year) we take our 8th graders to Cedar Point for one last fun day together.

 

I have to admit, some of my favorite memories come from these Cedar Point trips.

 

Free Labor

 

The end of the school year comes with all sorts of mandatory duties. Normally we put a movie on and take care of these duties while our students are talking over the movie. (I'm not gullible enough to think they actually pay attention to it.)

 

This year, I'm enlisting help with my inventories and cleaning duties. Since I'm leaving this year too, I will be using their help to pack up my stuff and my car. (What fun, right?)

 

Those are my great ideas for this school year's closing. I hope that they get us through this last week that is coming.

 

After all, there's only 6 more days left.

Try It Out: Roman Art

I love having my students read about the different art forms and then give them a try in my class. I think that art history tell us as much about world history as a primary resource. I also believe that it is an opportunity for our students to become more hands-on and involved in the civilizations that we're reading about.

My latest one is something that I have been doing for a few years now. I have my sixth graders create mosaics with construction paper and poster board. 

Here's how we do it: I show them my PowerPoint presentation on Ancient Roman Art and Architecture. Then we discuss the different things that they have seen that show Roman art today. Finally, I give them a full pack (per class, not each child) of construction paper, glue sticks, scissors, an envelope, and a blank paper/poster board and show them how to make a mosaic.

The best way to do it is to have the students create an image on the poster board. (Remind them that the large the image the easier it is to fill-in.) Then have the students take the construction paper they need and cut up the squares on their own. This allows them to cut round corners and odd shapes that cannot be easily filled-in with squares. 

Here is just one of the mosaics from this year's group of sixth graders:

I know that it's kind of yellow. That's just the lighting in my room. Her monkey was too cute for words. I'm excited to see the others when they finish this year.

Reciprocal Teaching

I'm going to start by saying that, as a middle school teacher, I am not a fan of Reciprocal Teaching (RT). 

However, I have been included in a training for this since January this year. When we first went I gave it a good go and I was really positive. And, granted, there are some really good parts to it. It should train a student to think while they are reading. That is a great thing. 

I do find it limiting, though. For example, when I taught my students to summarize I taught them according to Lori Oczkus' method of limiting it to 20 words. This is what was taught at the professional developments and what is taught in the book: Reciprocal Teaching by Lori Oczkus. This limited my students to how many words they would write for any summaries. Come their state exam time their summaries were only 20 words. They ended up missing some of the major parts of the readings. 20 words is not enough to give a cohesive summary that the state is looking for. 

Despite all of this, there are still some good points to it. Getting the students to think while they are reading a long work is a good idea. It stops students from "zoning out" and forces them to pay attention while they are reading. 

One thing I came up with while driving to work at 5:00 in the morning was a new way of doing Oczkus' "Fab Four." My students are so used to doing the same thing, they needed a new way of seeing something old.

Here's what we came up with:

It's a Reciprocal Wheel. I have the students create two circles: one 10" diameter and one 9" diameter. I then have them fold both circles into quarters and pit them together in the center with a "brad." 

After the circle is assembled, I have the students label the larger circle with the four parts of the RT method: Predict, Summarize, Clarify, and Question. On the smaller circle I have them cut out a piece of one quarter. 

When they turn the smaller wheel they are able to see their predictions, clarifications, questions, summaries. It also limits them in their writing so they cannot be as wordy as normal. It is also extremely visual for my IEP students. They tend to remember what they wrote more because they can associate it with a specific movement. 

RT does require a portion of buy-in. I didn't fully buy-in, but at least I was able to take something from it.

End of Year Jitters

The end of the school year is coming closer! (Some say not fast enough, but hey, to each their own...) This is an exciting time for us because it also means graduation for our 8th grade students. This year is really special because we will not have the fifth graders graduating with the kindergartners and the 8th graders.

That was always a confusing thing for our older kids. There used to be a reason for the fifth grade graduation: our one school was once two! That is not the case anymore. Now the fifth graders are not moving up to a new school, they are just moving across the hall.

I can say that I am very proud of my 8th graders. They worked so hard for me all three years. It's like a proud Mama watching her babies grow-up. (Granted, some grow-up faster than others.) 

Either way, congratulations to my 8th graders and good luck in high school. 

Teaching Mood and Tone

The hardest topics to teach to my students are mood and tone. A lot of this has to do with a lack of empathy students have now for others. However, that is another topic for another day.

While I was searching for a new way to teach mood and tone to my students I came across an interesting Prezi presentation. (If you've never seen or used Prezi before, you are missing out. It's like PowerPoint on steroids.) You can find the presentation here. This was made by a teacher for other teachers and students. The video clips are a little corny, but still get the point across in an interesting way.

This led me to my new idea of how to teach mood and tone. My students aren't able to listen to music or watch a movie clip to find the tone and mood of a reading so they have to hear it and then read it. Here's what I did:

1. I gave every student three index cards.
2. I told the students to, while I was reading different poems (one at a time), to write down words that show the tone and the mood of the poem.
• For this I picked four famous poems: 
• Acceptance from Langston Hughes
• Ain't I A Woman? from Sojourner Truth
• The Bells from Edgar Allen Poe
• A Bird Came Down from Emily Dickinson
3. Finally, after I read the poem I have the students show their index cards with the moods that they were able to take from the readings. We discuss what they have written and move to the next poem. 

Seems easy enough, however, we still have the problem of empathy. I found that one of my students cannot identify the mood of a story that isn't scary or angry because he lacks empathy. 

Now if only there was a way to fix that problem. ;)

Said is Dead?

This has become a common phrase for many teachers. They even have a funeral for the word said. The point being to get the students to use different words. 

However, when you have a class with students who have been through something traumatic surrounding the subject of death (like a group of students who watched their father get murdered) saying a word is dead is not a good idea.

The question now becomes how do I introduce new vocabulary to my students without making a horrible situation worse? 

There are a few answers:

1. Word walls. Introduce new vocabulary through the use of word walls. This is cute for elementary students. However, middle school students have seen these for so long now they pay little attention. Also, the amount of vocabulary that would need to be placed on these walls is too large for older students.

2. Writer's note book. This is great for teachers who have their students writing daily (which they should be doing) and always coming prepared. We did this for a little while in my class, but I noticed that my students forgot they even had a resource in their notebooks to use.

3. Overuse. I have seen teachers who purposely go through the reading material and point out synonyms for certain words that are beyond common in writing (for example said). They start to use these words in their own speech patterns to help the students become more acquainted with them. However, they get the said syndrome in the end - now they are just as over used as said so become boring for the students to use too.

Here's my solution - The Family Tree.

I want my students to know that said, pretty, and thankful are okay to use sometimes, but there are a lot more options out there. Said doesn't die in my class, he just introduces his family.

Here's what we do:

First I take a story from one of the best books ever written:

The Stinky Cheese Man and other fairly stupid tales.

I read the story to the class using "said" each time there is a quote from one of the characters. Afterwards, I ask the students what they thought of the story. Most will laugh a bit at the story because they think it's childish or just silly. Most will notice that "They be sayin' said a lot."

This leads into a discuss of what words could they have used instead of the word said. What other words are over used? What happens when one word is overused in a writing? The conversation tends to grow from there naturally. After the conversation dies down a little I put the word "said" up on the board and ask the students what words can we use instead of said. Then I have them use a thesaurus to find even more words. We repeat this process for several other common words.

Next I give the students some poster paper and split them off into groups. Each group makes a "Family Tree" for a common word.

Here is an example on of the one for Said:

These turned our pretty well. My students are even proud of it. We were able to get some synonyms up in the room and keep a positive spin on the lesson.

Oh, the Attitude

There is this problem that most middle schools have. It is called an attitude problem. The students come in with it, it rubs off on the teachers, everyone leaves angry.

There is little that a teacher can do to change the attitude of her students except for being up-beat themselves. If a teacher can get students excited that's the best feeling in the world. Students want to learn more, teachers want to teach more, and everyone forgets that they're supposed to have a chip on their shoulder.

The magical question is how does a teacher, who is being bombarded with negativity  change that into something positive. 

I had one professor answer this question by saying, "It is easier to catch flies with honey." I laughed an thought, she's never met a seventh grade girl!

All joking aside, there are a few tricks I learned over the years that I have been in the classroom. The first being smile. New teachers are told not to smile until after winter (Christmas) break. I say smile on the first day. If you're working with inner city kids, smile as they are walking in the building. These kids need a happy face to see everyday. They get enough trouble at home, they don't need more from a grumpy teacher who is spouting off rules left and right. 

The best advice I ever received was from my Bible. 

¹⁹ Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; ²⁰ for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. ²¹ Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word,which is able to save your souls. ²² But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. ²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. ²⁴ For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. ²⁵ But the one who looks into the perfect law,the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
²⁶ If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. ²⁷ Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
James 1:19 - 27

Our students need that listening ear first, sage advice second, and a screaming banshee last. I have found working with urban area students, most just want a listening ear. Someone to say, I hear what you are saying and I understand. Many don't even want advice, they just want that person to talk too. Teachers often times hear something these students are telling us, though, and over react to one part and miss what the students are trying to say. That is why we need to be quite and listen sometimes.

However, there are times when being nice just is not cutting it. So, what's next...

Well here's what has always been my second step - loving discipline. Many times loving discipline shows itself through a look (AHH! The dirty teacher look!) other times it is just a couple of short words. ("Please stop." "Knock it off.") Loving discipline also shows itself  through consistency. If I allow a child to speak horribly to me one day because they're having a bad day, I better expect them to do the same on the next day. The students will try being nasty every day to see when your (the teacher's) break point will hit.

We really don't like having to deal with the same behavior daily. Little ones do need that daily reminder of behavior. Yet, by sixth grade they have been practicing for seven years on how to behave in a classroom. They know better. I like to give the blanket warning at the beginning of the year. I also make sure that my expectations are posted around the room and that they have a copy of them in easy access. Middle school students need to learn that they only get one shot, after that all bets are off.

The last step I take is removing the students from class. This step is for students who are so disruptive they need a time out or who are causing a problem for the safety of the other students. Removing a child from the classroom should never happen because you, the teacher, are angry. All that does is get your frustrations out on the student and the problem is left unresolved.

Just as a side note since this is being posted a few days after I started writing it, my students that I mention in the beginning have started a rumor war with me. They figure that the teachers will turn against each other and  the once internal struggle of the staff will come back. What they don't know is that we already know their game and really don't pay too much attention to what they are saying. (Seventh grade girls. >: Þ )

Teaching Reading that Works

One of the hardest parts of being an English teacher in the middle school is getting students to read. Doesn't sound so bad at first. Most people just say, "Well force them! They don't read they should fail." How simple that seems.

One struggle with this theory or method (which ever pleases you) is the knowledge that I have students who made it to 6th, 7th, 8th grade and cannot read. If there is one thing I can do as a teacher it is to help families who are reading this prevent this horrible situation for their child.

Let me explain the ramifications of a student making it to middle school without being able to read. These students have been passed along by the system that is meant to teach them. They have been over looked or just pushed on so the teacher didn't have to deal with behavior problems. These kids are now placed in a situation where they hate school, they do what they can to get out, and they are just fighting to keep their head above water.

If these few tips can help prevent this than I will consider this posting worth it.

Read. That seems pretty obvious doesn't it? Well for some it is more obvious than others. However, the way we read matters too. A child learns how to do things based on mimicking their parents. I have a three-year-old at home. He mimics my behavior and my husbands. It's like I have a four foot mini-me. If I am reading he'll get a book and "read." I know that he isn't reading, he is only looking at the pictures. However, this is a precursor for reading. Children first learn to read not by phonics, but by associating pictures with words. 

It is also important that a child sees his parent reading. And by reading I'm not talking about on an IPad or Kindle. E-readers are great to help organize a full library and they only take up a tiny amount of space. Yet, children who play on IPads and Kindles (and like devices) don't realize that you aren't playing a game when you're on your device. You're reading a book. If you are truly against picking up a physical novel (for whatever reason) I highly recommend you read books to your child on your device. This will create a different association with the child.

Sing. I know this is about reading, but a certain song is important to your child's reading skills. The ABC's need to be heard by your child at a  young age. Your child will start to memorize the song and then will be able to associate the letters, later on of course, with the song. There are also great books out there that allow for a child to sing along with the reader. 

Play. Children learn through play. This includes reading skills. Many of us take our children outside to play in the snow and to climb, jump, and run. Why not play a literacy game with your child outside? Use sidewalk chalk to practice writing skills on the driveway or sidewalk. You can use flour, salt, sand, and even shaving cream to practice writing letters. You can even have your child help you with a task and ask them what items start with what letters. Check out pinterest for some great literacy games to play both indoors and out.

Ask. Ask your child questions while reading. You'll be surprised at how well they do answering your

questions. There are four different types of questions that you, as a parent, should ask your child while reading:

1. What do you think will happen next? (Predict)

2. What does [x] mean? (Clarify)

3. Can you tell me why [character] did [action]? (Question)

4. Can you tell me what happened in our story? (Summarize)

These are skills that many take for granted because we are used to doing them naturally. Yet, students are not used to this anymore. They have been taught to read quickly and move on. Not a good habit to be in! We need to teach our children to slow down as they read and think about it.

Expose. Keep your child interested in reading by exposing your child to different reading material. If you know that your child likes dogs find different books about dogs. They all don't have to be fictional, but if a dog is a main character your child will be interested.

In the same regard, make sure you involve your child in the selection of books. Giving your child a choice is a HUGE deal for him. Young children like to make choices. Passing this decision making habit onto choosing a book will help the students associate a positive action with an activity. (Seems small, but makes a huge difference.)

If a parent starts young and works through the years with their child, by the time a child reaches middle school they will be a top reader. Consistency is a key when working with children. Stay consistent and your child will grow. 

Major Writing Assignment: The Final Exam

I love teaching students how to write. I think that it is one of the most essential things in this world. Students need to know how to communicate beyond a quick "ttyl8er."

One of the things I do, since I am required to give a final exam, is make my final exam a written test. By written I mean that my students get to publish a fictional writing. This year I have chosen to give my students a great amount of freedom in their writing assignments. 

If you have never heard of The Chronicles of Harris Burdick I highly recommend looking into it. Harris Burdick is an artist that tells stories through his pictures. The interesting part about his pictures is that they come with a title and one or two sentences. That's it. I give my students these pictures (throughout the year) and ask them to write short stories based off of what they see. It is a nice formative assessment to gauge their writing progression throughout the school year. All of their requirements are the Common Core State Standards according to the state of Ohio.

For their final I gave each class their own picture with the following requirements:

• Use the writing process. 30 pts
• Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context, point of view, and introducing a narrator and/or characters. 10 pts (Exposition)
• Organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally and logically. 10 pts
• Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, and clauses to convey sequence and signal shifts from one time frame or setting to another. 10 pts
• Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to capture the action and convey experiences and events. 10 pts.
• Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on the narrated experiences or events.  10 pts (Resolution)
• Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to the task, purpose, and audience. 10 pts (Author’s Purpose)
• Have paper reviewed by 2 peers and 3 adults to help support, develop, and strengthen writing. 5 pts (Edit/Revise)
• Use technology to produce and publish writing. 5 pts (Typing and word formatting)
• Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. 10 pts (Grammar/Usage/Mechanics)
• Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English capitalization. 10 pts (Capitalization)
• Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English punctuation. 10 pts (Punctuation)
• Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English spelling. 10 pts (Spelling)
• Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. 10 pts (Figurative language, Analogies, Connotation/Denotation)

How in the world are these students going to adjust to these standards and make them work? There are a couple of ways. The first is through the writing process. My little pencil buddy here gives a visual representation of the process. Students are able to easily move through and know what to expect at the next level. This knocks out 30 points of their requirements. 

The way this is set up is after each student completes a step they move their clothes pin down to the next step. However, they cannot move their clothes pin down until I give them the "stamp" of approval.

In the world of teaching it is best to know where the students are going and let them know where to be at the end. Think of it like a mouse in a maze. If the mouse knows where the cheese is, the mouse gets to the cheeses faster and in a more efficient way.

The other way that my students will be able to track their progress is through the old fashioned check list method. As they complete each requirement they are going to be marking it off. This means marking with my initials. Not by just their own reasoning. The students need a map to follow and this is the beginning of that map. 

One thing that I am noticing is that the students who are stronger in their writing abilities are taking this opportunity to be creative and enjoy the task are doing well. All of the others are more concerned about getting word/page count. They are focused on all of the minor details instead of the big picture.

For example, I have a student who is so focused on what I want that he isn't even thinking yet that this is his story and not mine. I gave him all that I want (everything technical) he wants me to give him the creative side too. 

This leads into a comment that I say daily: I cannot go with you to high school and college to do your work for you. It is time to think for yourself a little bit. 

I am excited to see how it all turns out in the end. I can really see this developing into a full year project instead of just a final exam.

Camp Week Chronicles: Working in Centers / Student Lead Learning

Yesterday was a pain lot of fun. Thankfully Yet, today we are back to the original plan of working in stations. I have several stations set-up around the room: History, English/Language Arts, Art, Math, and Science.

I am thrilled that I am actually able to work with my students (pictured to the left.) These are the students who were not able to go to camp this week for one reason or another. A couple had parents that believed it was not safe (which I fully agree with) and others who just thought that there was no academic credibility to the program and didn't want their children to be away from them for five days. I actually had a parent say that there was no reason for a child to be away from their family for a week unless there was real academic credence to the work. (Of course this was all said in Arabic because he is not fluent in English yet.

I find it funny that the students didn't argue or moan about what was being asked of them. They liked that they were able to pick what to work on and to what degree they wanted to put effort in. Most are done with at least one or two of the tasks. They just dove in and are really enjoying themselves. 

My ones who need enrichment are able to push further than the others. The ones that need help aren't fighting a whole class for my attention. They're all busy and learning!

The idea behind student lead learning is that students are able to guide themselves. When a child reaches middle school they are bucking the system just to make decisions on their own. They want to grow-up faster. (Poor naive things.) This lends itself well to that want to make decisions. I am noticing that my students who struggle try the easy stuff first and then work towards the harder stuff. My students who are ahead start with the harder stuff and finish with the easier stuff. One even said, "I'm getting my work out of the way so I can have fun later while they're still trying to figure it out."

They need to have the ability to make decisions. While the activities are structured to what they need to be doing, they are still working hard and able to get my attention quickly for help. I am better able to differentiate (or teach at different academic and learning levels.)

Since there is no school for students tomorrow, Thursday we're going to take a few minutes to talk about hyperbole and some grammar. They have a hands-on project to do for both. I'm excited to see where this takes them and I am trying to see how I can incorporate these stations in my classroom full-time starting next week.

Camp Week Chronicles: A Day in Kindergarten

Welcome to Camp Week. This week most of my students are up in somewhere Michigan doing Lord knows what to learn I'm not sure. I'm not going so I wasn't given the details. Meanwhile, I am back at the building with the eight students who, for whatever reason, did not go. I'm just going to be talking about all of the fun I have this week with my eight lovelies.

To begin, I have a new respect for Kindergarten teachers after this morning. I always respected teachers who worked with the very little ones, but that respect has become admiration of believing that they walk on water next to Christ himself!

Here's what happened: the substitute teacher that was here on Thursday and Friday was so awful that she was asked not to return. The kids were running like they were mad, she left them unattended in the hallways and at dismissal, and even allowed them run the classroom instead of doing their work. 

I walked in the office to sign-in this morning and one of the administrators looked at me and told me that she loved me. (I know something with fishy at that point.) The conversation went:

"And why do you love me?"

"Because you'll fill-in for kindergarten until the sub gets here."

"What time is the sub coming?"

"I don't know." 

Jesus help me PLEASE!

Anyway, I took my eight students into kindergarten this morning to help me teach a little about weather. There was nothing for them to do! The lessons just read science and gave a list of three vocabulary words. I was clueless so I went hunting and found some kindergarten activities for them to do. 

I was only in there for an hour and I was losing my mind, so were my students. I think they went to gym with a tick. They were excited to hear that they could help me clean my room instead of going back to the kindergarten room. 

Either way, back to business on my end. We're doing our classes a little differently this week. I have Iheartradio playing and my wonderful students are working on a math packet. I wanted to put them in stations, but, because of this morning's adventures, I'll have to start the stations tomorrow. Right now they just need the down time to work a bit and get their bearings again. 

I'm praying that this will be a great week for them. One week where they are leading their own learning and having a good time doing it. It doesn't sound like something out of the ordinary, but this is my group that most consider the hard workers and "good" kids. I just need to get pictures of my stations. :)

Excited For an Assignment

My students are excited. A little too excited, if you ask me, about their up-coming assignment. 

One issue I noticed with my children is that they have difficulty holding their own opinion. (WHAT! A tween without an opinion? Call the news station this is HUGE!)

All joking aside they really need help finding their voice. For so long these students have been taught that it's not okay to have an opinion in school. Just take what the teacher gives you and spew it back out on a test. With the new testing system in Ohio (PARCC) students will be expected to think and not just take a test that they have memorized the answers to. (Totally new concept, right?)

Either way their assignment starting today is to create an advertisement to persuade people toward their opinion. We're going to be talking about different persuasion techniques and connotation/denotation. 

I have picked a few decent sized issues for them to tell their opinion about:

1. Television is a bad influence.

2. School should be year-round.

3. Students should not take standardized tests.

All of these hit home with the majority of my students. Their topics are going to be chosen randomly by a great program called Super Teacher Tools: Instant Classroom. I like this site because it will create groups, seating charts, classroom arrangements, etc. Great resource.

Anyway, my students are looking forward to creating these advertisements because someone, for once, is not telling them to be quite and just say yes. Someone really wants to listen to them. I'm thrilled to see their excitement and to watch them work on these projects. I hope that they use this opportunity to their advantage.

Where It All Began

This is my first ever post on here. I'm a bit nervous that it will not take off like I would want it to, but all in God's hands and in God's time.

Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Sara Cart. Mrs. Cart to those I work with in my classroom.

Yes, I said classroom. I am a middle school teacher at a charter school in Toledo, Ohio. My students need a loving guide with some good ideas to keep them engaged.

When I first started teaching people would ask what grade I taught I would say 6-8. (This is no lie, I do teach 6-8th grades. Then the face would fall and dark shadows seem to cover their eyes. That would be followed by one of two comments:

1. "Oh you poor thing..."

2. "Are you asking for punishment?"

I don't think I'm a poor thing, I'm just poor. (Occupational hazard.) And I really don't view my students as a punishment, just a challenge on some days.

I hope that blog will help spread some ideas for ways to teach middle school students who just don't want to be taught. I am also hoping that this will help me release some of my stress.