Back to the Future

      Back in 1990, I had to take a class called Audio/Visual Education. In this class, I learned how to make transparencies for an overhead projector. I had to write a paper about the equipment used in the classroom. Since Star Trek, the Next Generation was popular, I proposed the idea of a Holodeck. Teachers could program the classroom to project any period of time on the walls, holographic images of characters would be displayed around the room, and the students could interact with the characters.  I imagine the Globe Theater with Shakespeare and his entourage performing Romeo and Juliet.  Flashfoward 25 years later, and we have seen the development of the IMax Theater and the holograms of Michael Jackson and Tupac on stage. Would these ideas ever come into the classroom? It's too expensive to even consider it at this moment. However, if I could design my own classroom, called "The Ye Olde Literary Shoppe, what would it have in it? I would get away from the traditional classroom; here are my thoughts.
     As I walk into the room,  I see a stage located in the middle part of the room by the Smartboard. This stage is a replica of the one in the Globe Theater. Students use it to perform plays and to give speeches and presentations. The smartboard is used for displaying backgrounds and information. To the right of the stage, there is a collection of nonfiction and fiction books for students to peruse. It's a mini-library filled with poetry, classical novels, biographies, magazines, books about career choices, and Ipads. Surrounding the bookshelves are bean bags, tables, and chairs where students can sit , read, and blog. A Keurig is on a table so that students can drink hot chocolate or tea while they read. Marker boards are on the walls; students use them to plan out their ideas.
     On the other side of the stage, there is the technology corner. It has Macbooks and printers, and students work on essays, create books, design apps, work on an e-portfolio, or just create using technology. Again, a marker board is on the wall so that students can use it to make plans. The
Socratic Discussion corner finishes up the room. This corner has a big, round table with eight chairs scattered around it. Students would use this section for debates and discussions. Rules are displayed on the walls, and a marker board is also available for the students to use.
     There are no desks in the room, even for the teacher. The teacher is the guide in the room helping the students learn the information. There is another marker board that the teacher uses to finalize plans or wrap up the teaching session. Students choose their own learning paths to follow and have to meet the requirements during the year. I wish I could have a classroom similar to this one.

Lesson Plan Blog

Lesson Plan Blog

March 9th -13th, 2015

The purpose of this blog is to present my weekly lessons and reflections about them.



      My English II classes will read chapter one in the book, Lord of the Flies, by William Golding. As they read, they will create ten questions using the following words: contrast, identify, describe, interpret, summarize, and explain. For three of the questions, they have to use the APE strategy. On Thursday, we will have the "Stump the Classmates" tournament where they will use the questions that they created during the tournament rounds. For this unit, they will practice time-management assignments combined with the flipped classroom.

       The Pre-AP classes will complete a practice round for the "Dead Poet's Society" Tournament. This week, I will go over four poems: "Meeting at Night" by Robert Browning, "The Piano" by D.H. Lawrence, "Dream Deferred" by Langston Hughes, and a surprise poem written by me when I was a teenager. For each poem, they will complete one of these challenges: Socratic Discussions, "Act It Out," Poetry Connections, and Rhymin' like a Bard. This tournament will begin on the Monday after spring break.

                                                          Weekly Reflections                                                   

     The tournament started today in the English II classes. Let me just say that even though the debates were heated, I was impressed with how the students were using the book to prove their answers. I even had one student who quoted from the book without using the book. The other students were asking how he knew all these details. He listened to the book on tape and read the chapter two times.  They are also learning what makes a good question and what makes a bad question.  These questions are about chapter one; I can't wait when they discuss three chapters.

      In the Pre-AP class, I combine the Poetry Connections with "Act It Out." Poetry connections requires the students to relate the poem to a current event, historical event, and a idea from literature. They have to use their persuasive skills to convince us that their answers are correct. "Act It Out" requires the students to act out the poem, and they have to keep the idea in the poem. They can do a dramatic reading, a musical, or just act it out. 

 

March 23rd-27th, 2015

 

     The Dead Poet's Society Tournament has started in the Pre-AP classes. They will be reading two poems this week and completing the challenges. First hour read "Ballad" by Gabriele Mistral, and second hour read "Because I Could Not Stop for Death" by Emily Dickinson. They had to discuss the poem, take notes, and complete the Socratic Circle Challenge, create five questions and answer two of them using the A.P.E. strategy. Tomorrow, they will be in their discussion groups debating the questions. It was difficult for them to stay on task because of the long break they had.

     The second challenge is "Act It Out!" I used the same poems that we used yesterday for this challenge but gave both classes different poems. We are going outside to perform the interpretations of the poems. I had to give the students who will be gone for two days an alternative assignment for the one they will miss.

 

      The English II classes will be reading chapters 2 and 3 in the book, Lord of the Flies. They have to take notes about the conflicts, characters, settings, main ideas, and tone words in the chapters. They identify an example and explain why it fits that word. This assignment will be due on Wednesday, and on Thursday, they will have to answer my questions over those two chapters.
     I tried mixing it up today rather than just sitting in class reading the book. I took my classes outside. Some of them enjoyed it; some of them complained. I can't make everyone happy! Their notes are due tomorrow, and then they get to answer my questions.







The Teacher in the Mirror

             In Michael Jackson's song, "Man in the Mirror," he says "If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and then make that change." That is a true for me in education. If I want to make a difference in education, I have to be willing to try something new and to go a different direction. Therefore, I will reflect on my week as a teacher and my views about education. This blog is all about EDCAMP!
        I hate to use this word, surreal, because it has been used too much; however, it felt surreal for two reasons. For one, I attended the camp with two of my former students who are now my colleagues. I taught them when they were in 9th grade almost fifteen years ago. Also, recognizing people who I follow on twitter was an amazing experience. My regret is that I didn't have enough time to meet everyone.
        Now, let me discuss the sessions that I attended. The first session, "Ask the Students," not only gave teachers the opportunity to ask students about school, but it also let the students voice their opinions. They discussed how time management was a problem, that procrastination was a common occurrence, and the importance of finding your passion. As they were discussing these issues, I was thinking about the importance of time management skills at the college level, how to construct my curriculum to fit the interests of my students, and the benefits of helping students create a possible career path. Encouraging students to voice their ideas and opinions is an important part of school because it gives them ownership in their educational experiences. What if we asked them what they wanted to learn about and guided them down the path to take?
        "Blogger to Blogging" was my second session. I listened to the expert Oklaed bloggers discuss why and how they started blogging. I believe that Jason James said to find your passion and write about it. My passion will always be about education, and that will never change. During the discussions, I thought about some ideas to incorporate blogging into my curriculum. I tweeted "Have students reflect on what they have read or argue for or against something." My plan is to require my students to blog about what they have learned in a class or about a current event and discuss about it in class. As Kelly Anglley once said, "If students can discuss about it, they can write about it." I want my students to realize that they can make a difference, and blogging would give them the opportunity to voice their opinions.
         "Rocks vs. Sucks" was the third session I attended. I could use this with my students when debating current event issues or an idea from a literary piece. However, I was not able to give my opinion about why I thought homework rocks, so here it is! Time management homework assignments are important because in college they have those type of assignments to complete. They have to make deadlines! They need practice and lots of it.  Giving students a couple of days to read a few chapters in a book is a homework assignment. They could be ready for discussions using the flipped classroom style. Meaningless homework that does not relate to a "real-world" concept should not even be considered. If it is used correctly, homework rocks!
         The last session was about how to become an advocate for education. I will work on this starting today. If we do not speak up, then we will be only robots in the classroom. If I want my students to have a voice in any issue, then I better show them how I do it. "If I want to make a difference in education, I better step up and make that change!"

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.