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.