Invasion of the Education Snatchers

     In the movie, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, when people fell asleep, their bodies were taken over by alien beings that replicated their bodies. They looked the same, but they were the aliens who had no feelings. Now, I know that people have not been taken over by creepy aliens from another galaxy, but there is one part of the movie that reminds me of the atmosphere that has been created. When these people encountered other people who had not changed, they would point their fingers and use a high-pitched scream to warn the others. This part of the movie reminds me of education at this moment because of the disrespect of opinions, misinformation, and the disinformation.
     I confess; I like the common core standards for the high school level. If we want our students to be successful at the college or career level, then we should teach at a higher standard. Are they perfect? No, I found that out when I analyzed every standard over spring break. They are redundant, they do not include ideas for career readiness, and they are disorganized. They should be rewritten, added to, changed, and reorganized. If I proclaimed my enthusiasm for these standards in front of an audience, I feel like everyone would point their fingers at me and scream. The problem was never the standards; it was the testing and federal control that was attached to them. Even if we get rid of the standards, federal intrusion into Oklahoma education would exist. We do receive federal money for various reasons, and we would have to follow NCLB. We need to think about the repercussions to be ready to give solutions. My solution is to rewrite the standards with more parental and teacher input.
     The misinformation about public education has gotten out of control at the local, state, and national levels. I am tired of hearing talk radio personalities, bloggers, and newscasters ridicule public education and teachers. They  point their fingers at us and scream about  us when they receive copies of common core math problems or writing assignments that do not make sense. They make it appear that all assignments are this way. They help distort the public's perception of education. I suggest they look on the Cache Public School website, go to the Mid-High page, click on my name, and find Curriculum Maps. Then, they will see how the standards can be used to create acceptable curriculum. Another example of misinformation was high school seniors reading 70% informational texts in the ELA class. The truth was that they should read that percentage of informational texts all day long, not just in one class. I went to a conference where the lady repeated the misinformation over and over again. She either did not understand what she read, or she lacked communication skills. My solution is for teachers to create their own curriculum and share their ideas with parents. Teachers have more power when they have autonomy.
     In the world of education, we have to follow the money trail and understand who wants the power. The use of disinformation, the intentional use of false information, has caused an educational chasm to open up across the country. The disinformation transcends the Democratic and Republican parties. An example would be the constant attacks against public schools in favor of charter schools. They are like the body snatchers in the movie when they point their fingers at public schools and screaming about how bad they are. I would like to see the research that supports this. The only research that we see relates to their agenda. My solution is do the research and find out who gets the money and who wants the control.
     Therefore, there will be repercussions to what happens in the next few months. We have to be proactive not reactive. Think about the problems that might happen and develop a plan NOW. We cannot wait! Communication is important with all the stakeholders. Too much misinfomation and disinformation has clouded the truth about education. We are the teachers who make a difference, and we need to work together to find the right path to take.


S. Mellott

Rewriting the Standards

 

 

What is the proof for your argument?

 10. RI. 1: Support your arguments/answers with citations from the text. Follow the M.L.A. format for citations and works cited.

                Ideas to Add to the Standard for Rigor and Relevance:

Relate the arguments to current events or college/career choices.

                                                   Strategies:

A.P.E., Schaffer Paragraph Method, Socratic Circles, and Write, Pair, & Share

                                         Possible Student Artifacts:

argumentative/persuasive paragraphs, short-answer responses to questions, note cards/source cards, works cited, and debates

 

 

What is the text's main idea?

 10. RI. 2: Read the entire text to help you figure out the main idea. Pay attention to the whole text not just parts of the text.

                  Ideas to Add to the Standard for Rigor and Relevance:

Add a reflection to the summary. Relate the main idea to historical or current events at the local, national, or world  levels. Include a works cited page documenting the source for the summary.

 Choose a text that relates to the college/career choices of the students to make it more relevant to them.

                                                    Strategies:

5W's with a so what, C.U.S.S., Sticky Note Summaries, Outlining, Cornell Notes, Two-Column Notes, and Think, Pair, Share or Think, Tweet, Share the current events, make a news report, or watch news reports

 

                                                   Possible Student Artifacts:

Outlines, Cornell Notes, Two-Column Notes, Summaries with citations, Blogs, Tweets, & Note cards

 

What did the author say?

 

10. RI. 3: While reading the author's analysis, break  apart the text into the ideas or events it discusses, and pay attention to the order of points, the introduction and details, and how the ideas connect.

Ideas to Add to the Standard for Rigor and Relevance:

This standard relates to the writing standards that discuss argumentative or informational modes of writing. Have the Students create an outline analyzing an issue and share it with the group. Relate the text to the college/career choices of the students.

                                                      Strategies:

C.U.S.S., D.O.G.S., Outline, Two-Column Notes, Create Puzzle Pieces, Socratic Discussions,  Blogs, Tweets, & Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

 

 

 

How do word choices affect the tone/meaning of the text?

10 RI.4: Before reading a text, know the differences between figurative, connotative, and technical meanings. While reading, identify and figure out the meanings of the figurative, connotative, and technical words used in the text.

Examine the word choices and decide how they affect the meaning and tone of the text.

Ideas to Add to the Standard for Rigor and Relevance:

I broke this standard into two parts because students should learn the terminology first before they can apply that knowledge to understanding how the word choices affect the tone/meaning of the text. Have them look at three different types of text: informational, narrative, and argumentative to help them see the differences with the word choices used in each text.

I also think this standard should cover career choices of the students. If the students read about their career choices, then they would be more interested in the terminology used in the text.

Strategies:

Flipped classroom, Stick Note Vocabulary, Stump Your Classmates, 4-Corner Discussions, KWL, Songs, & Movie clips.

 

 

 

 

D.O.G.S. : A Strategy to Use During Computer Testing

At the beginning of the year, I showed my students the C.U.S.S. strategy as a way to help them understand and keep up with what they were reading. Since the students will be tested on the computer and not paper/pencil, I created another strategy to help them on the test. They are allowed to use scratch paper on the EOI English II test.


Define any rhetorical devices or academic words to clarify meanings.

Observe the structure of the text-fiction, nonfiction, or poetry.

Go over the questions and write down what they are asking you to do.

Summarize the main ideas for the paragraphs or the sections.



The students will make four sections on the paper and label them.

This strategy does not have to be followed in order.

Grammar Time with Comma Rhymes!

I am going to share some rhymes that I created to help my students remember some of the grammar rules.

Sing this one:
A sentence has a subject and a verb,
                         a subject and a verb,
                         a subject and a verb.

A complete thought must be heard.

Series Comma Rule:
Three or more words in a row, add two or more commas where they need to go.

Compound Sentence Rule:
Two sentences joined with a conjunction, add a comma to complete the function.

and, but, or, for, nor, & so
These are the conjunctions that you need to know.

Adverb Clause Comma Rule:

When a sentence begins with an adverb clause, add a comma after the pause.

Prepositional Phrase Comma Rule:

Two or more phrases in a row, add a comma where it needs to go.

Two phrases that begin, add a comma where the last one ends.

Adjective Before Noun Comma Rule:

Two adjectives before a noun, if and sounds correct, put a comma down.

Appositive Phrase Comma Rule:

A group of words renaming a noun, before and after, put a comma down.

An appositive phrase that begins, add a comma where it ends.

Conjunctive Adverb Comma Rules:

Begin a sentence with a conjunctive adverb, add a comma where the pause is heard.

A conjunctive adverb in the middle of the sentence, add commas before and after, or you will regret it.

Transition Comma Rule:

Begin a sentence with a transitional word, add a comma where the pause is heard.