tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7069887650940566532024-03-08T10:32:53.380-08:00Education CelebrationA place for HS ELA teachers to share innovative ideas to propel collaboration among fellow teachers. Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-706988765094056653.post-40176350733718523632018-02-18T08:29:00.001-08:002018-02-18T08:32:14.776-08:00Open Doors<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;">
by Leslie Lucas, Hoggard HS</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MpTDw245CJo/WomokPxzdpI/AAAAAAAACBg/tzYbJYYE7IAfSoAhPlxC_oeC79PDyfgRgCLcBGAs/s1600/education%2Bcelebration%2Bblog%2Bimage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="788" height="324" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MpTDw245CJo/WomokPxzdpI/AAAAAAAACBg/tzYbJYYE7IAfSoAhPlxC_oeC79PDyfgRgCLcBGAs/s640/education%2Bcelebration%2Bblog%2Bimage.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m so comfortable cloistered in Room 228, venturing out only when necessary. But when I read the recent blog post by Xan Mays & Taylor Thomas entitled <a href="http://educationcelebrationela.blogspot.com/2018/02/making-space-for-todays-poets-role-of.html" target="_blank">Making Space for Today's Poets: The Role of The Beatles, Beyonce, & Bruno in the ELA Classroom</a> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">about engaging students with song lyrics, a visit to Xan’s room became necessary. Two days later she and</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Florence and the Machine</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> were shaking up my classroom. </span></span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Students whose voices I’d never heard discussed how a buried horse symbolizes letting go of the past and how the author’s tone evolves from overwhelmed and rebellious to optimistic. After the lesson, students volunteered to help me find song lyrics rich with imagery, metaphors, parallelism, personification, tone, and symbols that help convey the theme(s). Later, I’ll gravitate to my choices (Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, Jackson Brown), but Xan showed me that I need to meet my students where they are. And if that means I have to listen to Taylor Swift, well, I’ll make the sacrifice. </span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"></span></b><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Teaching is about sacrifice. Giving up something. Surrendering. Teachers like Xan who put themselves out there, sacrificing their time and energy to teach teachers ways to engage kids inspire me. I’m learning to reach out to other teachers </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(okay, I reached out to one, but it’s a start) </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">instead of hiding during my planning and lunch with coats covering the door’s window and the door closed</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (okay, locked),</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> excusing myself from others because, according to my INFP personality, “</span><a href="http://www.personalityperfect.com/16-personality-types/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> [I] like spending time alone in quiet places where [I] can make sense of what is happening around [me],... lost in [my] imagination and daydreams, always drowned in the depth of [my] thoughts, fantasies, and ideas</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.” Yep, that’s my goto excuse. Funny, right? Who do I think I am? Buddha?</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Still, I’d rather give up </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Which Wich</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">®</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for Lent than to surrender all my solitude at school. But, how about this: I’ll leave my unlocked door cracked open and venture out a little more.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/jGqZRFkeScwqiUDjL9aa8Eu2XBb12m_eOx4xKM_tnc8xwkuXG38dxVeVFInenU66xCRYuryUnlb9tmLezGfV3CjvHvZc9yQyJXIK4IZOGCVCXQRvyd5fhPJ8UWNSDqvBUd4fv6l4" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Related image" border="0" height="198" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/jGqZRFkeScwqiUDjL9aa8Eu2XBb12m_eOx4xKM_tnc8xwkuXG38dxVeVFInenU66xCRYuryUnlb9tmLezGfV3CjvHvZc9yQyJXIK4IZOGCVCXQRvyd5fhPJ8UWNSDqvBUd4fv6l4" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Thank you, Xan, for infusing my classroom with your ideas, inspiring my kids, inspiring me, reminding me that we all need a stretch break, and helping to uncloister my little corner of the world. Before I read the post you wrote with Taylor, I was uncomfortable attributing my name to a<a href="https://educationcelebrationela.blogspot.com/2017/09/teaching-beautifully-imperfect.html" target="_blank"> previous writing</a>, but if my words could invite someone to reach out to me for encouragement as I reached out to you, it’s worth giving up the safety of anonymity.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-706988765094056653.post-25778598382342920242018-02-03T07:26:00.000-08:002018-02-03T07:26:04.325-08:00Making Space for Today’s Poets: The Role of The Beatles, Beyonce and Bruno in the ELA Classroom<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;">
by Xan Mays (Hoggard HS) & Taylor Thomas (Ashley HS)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9Jyu0sqAf8w/WnTeBEr5xeI/AAAAAAAAB_Y/T5TIH1JfjhQNruN6-zMI1QHB34xSRk0GQCLcBGAs/s1600/Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="788" height="324" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9Jyu0sqAf8w/WnTeBEr5xeI/AAAAAAAAB_Y/T5TIH1JfjhQNruN6-zMI1QHB34xSRk0GQCLcBGAs/s640/Capture.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It’s common in ELA classrooms across grade levels for groans and feelings of dread to arise when poetry is mentioned. Students tend to see poetry as confusing and boring, which immediately puts them at a disadvantage when they are asked to read and analyze any poem. Rather than forcing more poems from the textbook down the students’ throats and hoping that </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">this time</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> it will click, why not take a more inventive approach--one that meets students where they are and reveals to them how they are already more familiar with poetry than they realized. </span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Ms. Xan Mays (Hoggard) and Mr. Taylor Thomas (Ashley) have been using popular song lyrics as poetry in their classrooms for years. The two educators presented a session on the topic at 2017’s New Hanover County School's Summer Institute for Instructional Innovation conference. Below, they discuss their thought process behind the activity:</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"></span></b><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">What inspired you to start using lyrics in your classroom?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Mays</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Well, to be perfectly honest, Taylor Swift’s </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Red</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> album came out and I was desperate to incorporate it into my classroom. I also wanted kids to see poetry as something engaging and memorable using something familiar rather than foreign. Originally, we were just going to do a few Taylor Swift songs, but it went so well the concept expanded across artists and genres. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Thomas</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> My friends (especially Ms. Mays) and I regularly spend time listening to music and geeking-out over profound lyrics...just for fun. Students typically have extremely adverse reactions to poetry, so talking about lyrics to songs--even ones they already know and love--as “regular” poetry, helps make this cumbersome task more accessible to students.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">What do students actually do with the lyrics?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Mays</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> My students receive a new set of lyrics every Monday and the song acts as our bellwork for the entire week. We listen to the song, identify and label examples of figurative language, complete a SOAPSTone analysis, identify and draw examples of imagery, and we discuss theme, mood, and diction. At the end of the week, students take an EOC style quiz on the lyrics; just like the test, they are able to use the lyrics and any notes they have taken throughout the week to help them on the quiz. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Thomas</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> We also receive a new set of lyrics each Monday. My students read and analyze the lyrics independently, then as a large group, we discuss figurative language observed and the overall meaning of the lyrics. The students complete a SOAPSTone analysis of the lyrics. They construct what I call a “theme statement” where they identify a prominent theme from the lyrics, explain how that theme is presented, and support that theme with textual evidence.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">How do you choose the songs to use in your classroom?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Mays</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> The most important thing about choosing songs is to find ones that have a lot of figurative language, will be enjoyed by most students and that are school appropriate. It sounds like a daunting task, but we already have a huge working list we are happy to share. I also have a song request board in my classroom that students can use to write down songs they think would work well for class. This also creates student buy-in.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Thomas</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> For me, the focus shifts each week; for example, one week I may choose a song that relies heavily on imagery, such as “All Too Well” by Taylor Swift. Another week I may choose a song that relies heavily on the use of allusion, such as “The Cave” by Mumford and Sons. The songs can also be chosen topically; for instance, we have analyzed “The Times, They Are A-Changin’” by Bob Dylan during a unit when we were exploring social justice and progression.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Any advice for a teacher wanting to use lyrics as poetry in the classroom?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Thomas</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: It is important to choose songs that you know have poetic merit to offer. Have fun with the process, do whatever you are comfortable with and what you know will best benefit the students! If you are skeptical about using lyrics, you can sneak some traditional poetry into the mix. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Mays</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: It is a process. Give it time to sink in. The first time they connect with the lyrics might not be the first song you choose. At first, students won’t be able to locate figurative language. They won’t remember what a metaphor is. They won’t recognize personification. Take the time to teach the terms again; they have been learning them for years, but we all need a refresher. During the first few weeks, students will need your guidance. Encourage them to work together and talk it out. When they shout an answer that seems crazy, give them the opportunity to provide evidence. The way you hear a song and relate to it, may not be the same way they do. Be open-minded and allow the discussion to flow naturally. You will be surprised at all they bring to the table.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GDQbxZ5BHzfBpl2JFgCC2FK4hFHeX-Me/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Click here</a> to view the slides Thomas and Mays used at their conference session, which includes a ready-made list of songs. Here are the <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MGgNoyQFmJVuQQk4ZYWvQ-NSWBJAmssl/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">specific activities</a> used each week including a student guide to <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1emIwA00JrJpFIl-s_56w_gYnrl0flMES/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">SOAPSTone</a> and a quiz for Florence and the Machine’s “Shake it Out.” </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7WqA1Oefh8M/WnTehy9sQsI/AAAAAAAAB_g/-_ny5-38Ac0mDJwcYtYWvy1X1AGuiG97QCLcBGAs/s1600/Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="567" height="316" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7WqA1Oefh8M/WnTehy9sQsI/AAAAAAAAB_g/-_ny5-38Ac0mDJwcYtYWvy1X1AGuiG97QCLcBGAs/s320/Capture.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taylor & Xan have been collaborating on ELA lessons for 8 years. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-706988765094056653.post-81672399019536362982018-01-27T10:19:00.001-08:002018-02-02T14:15:41.398-08:00Navigating the Teaching Roller Coaster: Bringing Your Inner Hero to the Rescue<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;">
-by Susan Hitt</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EcNfSK2G27o/Wmy_7O3ETzI/AAAAAAAAB-k/aJ420x14nOgIaT0wXUXTyNpyZtE6X3Y1gCLcBGAs/s1600/education%2Bcelebration%2Bblog%2Bimage%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="788" height="324" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EcNfSK2G27o/Wmy_7O3ETzI/AAAAAAAAB-k/aJ420x14nOgIaT0wXUXTyNpyZtE6X3Y1gCLcBGAs/s640/education%2Bcelebration%2Bblog%2Bimage%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">Superman. Wonder Woman. Spiderman. All to the rescue! Except, we as educators can’t rely on fictional characters to save the day. We are the superheroes of the classroom. As we hit the mid-year mark, it’s easy to fall into that post-holiday slump. The festivities have come and gone, and springtime’s long, warmer days seem forever away. So how can we speed past the disillusionment phase and soar on into rejuvenation and on into reflection? </span></span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-37b206ad-38ce-f315-2101-83f4b40983b5" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></b><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">For this post, I’ll be referencing the research by Ellen Moir from the New Teacher Center (illustrated below). Her research shows that while a new teacher begins the school year filled with anticipation, she/he quickly turns to survival mode. Survival mode turns into disillusionment, and then, just when things can’t seem to get worse, the trajectory changes and the teacher begins the journey back up to greet the end of the year with anticipation for the next. </span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; clear: left; color: black; float: left; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="385" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/hYPxbt8PkOtYc0XMP_Q15T6UvHtBgw8rkGrOGgvYemBqGYTbXumrViFRAGOoHpsjZaiQalmI8vw-FKO_DXqKiiQt3Fk3TGdLPzW-Qd_XMUe3ihgfWwwNqo2CH8H4VjRkJ4HYGnGv" style="border: 2pt solid rgb(53, 28, 117); transform: rotate(0rad);" width="624" /></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I think it’s safe to say that it’s not </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">just </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">first-year teachers who experience this roller coaster of emotions. Am I right? I think this journey is one many teachers find themselves experiencing whether they’re in year one, ten, twenty, or thirty. </span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As I was studying the above image while working on this post, I decided to find a way to different way to capture each of those emotional stages. As I have recently learned how to easily embed gifs into documents using the chrome extension- GIPHY (#LifeLongLearner), I decided to have some fun. And what could possibly be more fun than scrolling through hundreds of cute doggie gifs trying to pick the perfect six? So, without further ado, here is </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">my </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">interpretation of the Teacher Emotional Rollercoaster via Gifs: </span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Anticipation</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;"> It’s that beginning of the year feeling. Brand new school supplies. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">The smell of freshly waxed floors. Clean whiteboards and fresh Expo markers. </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">A world of potential awaits! </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img height="200" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/rwHYnef3nd9p9iWZqLxOkxQExs45YHAyqLWPWfQcuFevZ-_1VjJBApPFrMMpuuA1TeZyEwhJEhcg7tpTDzybZh5Z1sJER9EnELkZyUplz6UuIwlUcJatSUEIHVM1mIMnZWFV3gFX" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="200" /></span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Survival</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">October has hit. Midterms are around the corner. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">Grading is piling up, </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">and lesson plans need to be made. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cold germs abound. Gotta keep up!</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img height="145" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/mm18shsB8VB5KPi41C8zXozyb49eH-irpLc2Uy3GT52vZX3gOzTRIYQSA7J8f60xOQx1c7Rdaqh9EZXFAxm9-KbIdy1jVU2ov9o3zcUzkcpKYwksHvCKZDW7kIX8z7dN2aj088p0" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="200" /></span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Disillusionment</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">Planning period? What planning period? </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">Parent meetings. Emails. End-of-Semester grades. Phone calls. Cranky students. </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">Holidays are over. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">Driving to school in the dark, and leaving in the dark.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img height="200" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/0jtLPcsO2yd25LG_mb1L-Dj7c548hEOO7DTox8IUt2WryFCHbnuvNs170A29iDx9jnLwtRnFZPFhbMVewN_lTdYaFY42D_FRxwodB35Gq475Oi1GgYk9IKe-d5x-itNtci6Uq0fS" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="200" /></span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rejuvenation</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">The sun is out, the weather is getting better! </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; white-space: pre-wrap;">Going outside for class. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; white-space: pre-wrap;">Still lesson planning, but </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; white-space: pre-wrap;">the </span>overwhelming <span style="font-family: "times new roman"; white-space: pre-wrap;">feeling is dissipating! </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; white-space: pre-wrap;">A happier </span>teacher,<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; white-space: pre-wrap;"> makes for happier students.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img height="276" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ENq8Yy6pQHIZO865BYxcnCUTBZBNm13dPg99iH5giCyPWO9CeWCY8gfIdKiHbDjBFjiTK_4yVRW7qWJLnhy4dqaFf-HDKTZrSq-IGat3ASjKHyNtOnJ4RnKISNcAqR9rEmmzQAKs" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="467" /></span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Reflection</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">Whoa--the year’s almost over? Hmmm...What went well? </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">What would I have done differently? Hey colleague, </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">want to meet & collaborate? </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">Oh, that’s a great idea, let me add that to my to-try list!</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img height="200" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/5U7IaJF73gtJAZLRic--dNzRkHi-4TDLtJQrzfUlYNkLSv4T9LygToCFnld0lgXt2GVtIzADejk70YbcMsKPhYUSoplkXkWV15Y3qeYUbkIPCikoKFNM6z-s5Ao8smAhBt_u8tm3" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="200" /></span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Anticipation</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">Summer, summer, summer! </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">Back-to-School sales? Lemme just go buy some supplies!</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">Bought a brand new planner? Well, let me just write out this quick idea I had. </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">Oh, it’s going to be great! </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">Come on school year! Let’s go! </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img height="195" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/JyJUPY4S7uMOj8NnBjSOLbMV6eI2Twc0_wNkYzzSQ1D9lJ0PZwFeH_lC5A8e8wA092sOmGpDCzuty04bNyG9jy33Mzy1it6wFLap3v_VFJ4ma2KXImqXa29m2_qxOU7XHCID-4R2" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="200" /></span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And so the cycle goes, year after year. I think the only difference between a new teacher and a veteran teacher, is that a veteran teacher knows the cycle. They are familiar with it. They know that eventually, disillusionment will turn to rejuvenation. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. A veteran teacher knows there will be those magical years in which they won’t even dip into the disillusionment stage. But for the first-year teacher, this roller coaster is so </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">very </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">hard, because it’s a ride no college course can prepare them for.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My point is that teachers need to remember on the hardest of days-- those long, dark, cold, February days--they are still superheroes. Your students need you. Your colleagues need you. Your administrators need you. As winter flounders</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and spring is still a long ways off, we veteran teachers need to be able to show newer teachers how to pull themselves out of the depths of disillusionment and start heading back up the track towards rejuvenation. For example, when things in my classroom started to feel out of control and I could feel the disillusionment set in, I for one, always relied on my organization skills to pull me out of a slump. If I could just keep my desk clear, clean, and organized, I felt like I could take on any problem that work could toss my way. Extra lunch duty? No problem! Stay later for a parent meeting? Okay, can do! Why? Because I wasn’t running around frazzled feeling like I didn’t have control over anything. So when disillusionment sets in, seek out the one thing that if you can control, and everything else runs smoother. Maybe it’s achieving inbox zero (if so, please send me your secret!) or maybe it’s packing lunch the night before. Whatever small task you can do that helps make your day run smoother--do it! Take over the wheel and speed your roller coaster up to higher land! </span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So I ask you, dear reader, fellow educator: What helps </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">you </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">navigate that roller coaster year after year? What advice do you have for your fellow educators who feel stuck in the depths of the disillusionment stage? Maybe you can’t fly or jump burning buildings, but </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">you are</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> the hero within your classroom. Remember: Teachers </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">are </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">superheroes! </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, my friend, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">are </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">a hero! So charge forward, and conquer the rest of the school year! </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img class="gif giphy_gif seen" data-animated="https://media2.giphy.com/media/CadhjL8Itxaxi/200w.gif?cid=5a38a5a25a6ccc256631743463ce8ad5" data-downsampled="https://media2.giphy.com/media/CadhjL8Itxaxi/200_d.gif?cid=5a38a5a25a6ccc256631743463ce8ad5" data-id="CadhjL8Itxaxi" data-shortlink="https://gph.is/1sEw8vJ" data-still="https://media2.giphy.com/media/CadhjL8Itxaxi/200w_s.gif?cid=5a38a5a25a6ccc256631743463ce8ad5" data-tags="dogs%super%perro%heroe%superheroe" height="320" src="https://media2.giphy.com/media/CadhjL8Itxaxi/200w.gif?cid=5a38a5a25a6ccc256631743463ce8ad5" style="background-color: #00e6cc;" width="236" /></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-706988765094056653.post-23026971690886256902018-01-21T12:53:00.002-08:002018-01-21T12:55:21.889-08:00Pineapple Tidbits: a little of this and a little of that<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;">
-by Susan Hitt</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0Qng4nmuXLg/WdrPPEyFQVI/AAAAAAAABvw/ZdHmJvOFT44Om2DOMNMqJbXPr5qWcWHPwCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Pineapple%2BTidbits%2B%25281%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="657" data-original-width="689" height="305" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0Qng4nmuXLg/WdrPPEyFQVI/AAAAAAAABvw/ZdHmJvOFT44Om2DOMNMqJbXPr5qWcWHPwCPcBGAYYCw/s320/Pineapple%2BTidbits%2B%25281%2529.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Not surprisingly, the land of the Internet is filled with amazing resources and inspiration for educators. However, it goes without saying that finding the time for teachers to sit down and sift through the overwhelming amount of videos, tech sites, blog posts, podcasts, etc. is a daunting task. Plus, who has the time to do that? Well, grab your coffee (or hot tea, which is my own preference) and scroll down to see the resources I've curated for this today's Pineapple Tidbits! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;">Psssstt: Want to understand the reasoning behind the name of this resource series? <a href="https://educationcelebrationela.blogspot.com/2017/10/pineapple-tidbits-episode-1-little-of.html%20Done" target="_blank">This post</a> explains it! Like what you see? Check out the other post <a href="https://educationcelebrationela.blogspot.com/2017/11/pineapple-tidbits-little-of-this-and.html%20Done" target="_blank">here</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Now, without further ado, feast your eyes on the following resources and inspiration:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Once again Jennifer Gonzalez is on point with her blog post <a href="https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/6-tech-tools-2018/" target="_blank">6 Tech Tools to Try in 2018</a>. I was so happy to see that one of my favorite tools made the list: FlipGrid. I've dabbled a bit with Book Creator, but some of the other ones she listed are brand new to me. I'm looking forward to diving in over the coming months to try them out. Are you familiar with any she's chosen? If so, I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comment section. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KEPXaXeI8jI/WmT4ffkRoII/AAAAAAAAB9Y/cKWkv4wDYnAtv_ahOJuYNa1XvEkAx0qUQCLcBGAs/s1600/6%2BEd%2BTech%2BTools%2Bto%2BTry%2Bin%2B2018%2B%2B%2BCult%2Bof%2BPedagogy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="559" data-original-width="432" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KEPXaXeI8jI/WmT4ffkRoII/AAAAAAAAB9Y/cKWkv4wDYnAtv_ahOJuYNa1XvEkAx0qUQCLcBGAs/s400/6%2BEd%2BTech%2BTools%2Bto%2BTry%2Bin%2B2018%2B%2B%2BCult%2Bof%2BPedagogy.png" width="307" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">If you haven't already stumbled across the <a href="http://creativeedtech.weebly.com/templates.html" target="_blank">Template Palooza</a> on CreativeEdTech's site, you must take a moment to scroll through all the FREE offerings! Below is an example of the Instagram template. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pTywGu0g2rw/WmT8mRUhxvI/AAAAAAAAB98/DNTrW6Gu8c4JQZh1S0V_EI_HzDFTxL-FgCLcBGAs/s1600/Templates.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="307" data-original-width="469" height="261" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pTywGu0g2rw/WmT8mRUhxvI/AAAAAAAAB98/DNTrW6Gu8c4JQZh1S0V_EI_HzDFTxL-FgCLcBGAs/s400/Templates.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">If you're like me, and spend a lot of time in your car, think about trying out a podcast or two. My all-time favorite podcast for education is the <a href="http://googleteachertribe.com/" target="_blank">Google Teacher Tribe podcast</a>. It's hosted by Kasey Bell (check out her blog <a href="http://www.shakeuplearning.com/blog/" target="_blank">here</a>) and Matt Miller, author of Ditch That Textbook (check out his blog <a href="https://ditchthattextbook.com/" target="_blank">here</a>). Each Monday a new episode drops and the 30-45 minute episode is jam-packed with Google tips, tricks, ideas, and inspiration. Check out <a href="http://googleteachertribe.com/google-slides-gains-new-superpowers-gtt025" target="_blank">episode 25</a> where they talk about Google Slide's superpowers! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s3rsjt7gZVE/WmT2esHWfyI/AAAAAAAAB9M/TCW4FlAX_msug0YUeo-VpZ_rD_vpUGLmgCLcBGAs/s1600/Google%2BTeacher%2BTribe%2BPodcast.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="276" data-original-width="1195" height="145" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s3rsjt7gZVE/WmT2esHWfyI/AAAAAAAAB9M/TCW4FlAX_msug0YUeo-VpZ_rD_vpUGLmgCLcBGAs/s640/Google%2BTeacher%2BTribe%2BPodcast.png" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Have 3 minutes? Below is one of my favorite TedTalks. It discusses how being the First Follower is just as important as being a leader. Also, the dancing is quite entertaining! </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/V74AxCqOTvg/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/V74AxCqOTvg?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">And finally, let me encourage fellow tweeters to check out the #CelebrateMonday movement. It's a great way to start off the week with a fresh perspective! Here's one tweet that stood out to me: </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UxNzKBlbhJ8/WmT9YsxBS-I/AAAAAAAAB-E/ICRB1E1YxE026dsYF0Lzs84PJVxX6-abQCLcBGAs/s1600/celebratemonday%2B%2B%2BTwitter%2BSearch.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="541" data-original-width="582" height="371" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UxNzKBlbhJ8/WmT9YsxBS-I/AAAAAAAAB-E/ICRB1E1YxE026dsYF0Lzs84PJVxX6-abQCLcBGAs/s400/celebratemonday%2B%2B%2BTwitter%2BSearch.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Thanks for stopping by! </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-706988765094056653.post-86239441876811800992018-01-09T10:22:00.001-08:002018-01-09T10:29:42.547-08:00Instead of...Try This<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: right;"> -by Andrea Raines, BT & Staff Development Specialist </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VPsFSOh5gVM/WlUH73tRs9I/AAAAAAAAB7c/X1PZR-0Tt2cPAUdaAzaTxhX8QvkLfweSACLcBGAs/s1600/Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="414" data-original-width="921" height="286" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VPsFSOh5gVM/WlUH73tRs9I/AAAAAAAAB7c/X1PZR-0Tt2cPAUdaAzaTxhX8QvkLfweSACLcBGAs/s640/Capture.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<i>This post originally appeared on the blog </i><a href="https://achievethecore.org/aligned/instead-of-try-this/" target="_blank">Aligned</a><i> on October 3, </i>2017<i> by Andrea Raines.</i><br />
<br />
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Each year as I set up my ELA classroom, I always strive to arrange it so that it allows all students to be successful. As educators, we are continually exposed to new strategies and research to implement in our classrooms. Over the last few years, I have found several strategies that help me encourage my students to be successful within ELA standards.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Use Ungraded Classroom Assessment Strategies and Mini-Assessments</b><br />As a beginning teacher, I felt the urgency to grade everything my students submitted. I quickly became burned out and the assignments lost value when I had a stack a mile high to grade. I felt my students would only find benefit when an assessment was graded. I have since learned the value of varying the means by which I learn about my students’ progress. Through the use of exit tickets, quick checks, and strategic questions, I have learned more about my students’ continuing misconceptions, learning needs, and current progress toward mastery than I did through traditional graded assessments. Consider using <a href="https://www.plickers.com/">Plickers</a> as a digital, interactive way to conduct instant formative assessment as a class. Achieve the Core’s mini-assessments also serve in this capacity and allow my students to show their learning without its being attached to a grade at the top of their paper. The mini-assessments can be used in a “quick-check” capacity instead of a grade for the grade-book. I could then use them to inform my instruction rather than a grade.</span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7Iz0z8LSBV8/WlUGPB8XjrI/AAAAAAAAB7Q/P9tZCyz17AYAYiQaplsvtHTLatZqkrGgwCLcBGAs/s1600/Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="366" data-original-width="660" height="353" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7Iz0z8LSBV8/WlUGPB8XjrI/AAAAAAAAB7Q/P9tZCyz17AYAYiQaplsvtHTLatZqkrGgwCLcBGAs/s640/Capture.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Use Classroom Discussion to Support Collaboration</b><br /><br />Students can often serve as the best teachers within our classrooms. It is our natural teacher tendency to use whole group lecture to ensure that all students hear the correct information regarding a specific topic or subject. However, at the end of the day, it leaves us exhausted and many times our students walk away not owning a concept. Incorporating classroom discussions can allow students to take ownership within the ELA classroom. Think-Pair-Share, <a href="http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/jigsaw">Jigsaw reading</a>, and literature circles allow students to share ideas and begin to form their own conceptual comprehension. Research indicates that students demonstrate greater understanding when they are able to teach a concept. Activities like Jigsaw reading (and other opportunities for students to use language to convey new information to one another) are especially helpful for English Language Learners. This technique can also be used in math (see Mathematical Language Routine 4 “Information Gap” on page 12 of <a href="http://ell.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/u6232/ULSCALE_ToA_Principles_MLRs__Final_v2.0_030217.pdf">this document</a>). By providing opportunities for classroom discussion, you can foster a collaborative environment in your ELA classroom that allows students to build their learning.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v4cSMTUjKD4/WlUHX9fh-eI/AAAAAAAAB7Y/lTnyIgc2l1EfXM5vWWukxmr5rBWpVP4owCLcBGAs/s1600/Capture1.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="394" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v4cSMTUjKD4/WlUHX9fh-eI/AAAAAAAAB7Y/lTnyIgc2l1EfXM5vWWukxmr5rBWpVP4owCLcBGAs/s320/Capture1.PNG" width="252" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /><br /><b>Ask Text-dependent Questions to Deepen Understanding</b><br />When I used to work with my struggling readers, I tended to ask basic questions students could answer even if they hadn’t fully comprehended the text. I did this so they could feel successful, but I quickly learned that I was not helping learners grow as readers. Instead, I began to incorporate text-dependent questioning in my instruction. Although my less-prepared readers would need additional scaffolding, I saw their confidence grow and that they were able to access complex text successfully. Through the use of text-dependent questions, my students were able to use evidence to support their answers. As a result, readers gained a stronger understanding of the text.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><b>Allow Student Choice</b><br />As a novice trying to manage my classroom, I felt that all my students needed to read the same text at all times. In that way, I could control our pace and how we progressed through the standards. Many of my students, though, would lose interest in what we were reading and I saw a huge lack of motivation with many of my readers. I became concerned that my students would lose their love for reading if I did not change my practice. By introducing student choice as a component of my literacy instruction, I still was able to manage the class’s pace as students progressed through the standards while encouraging reading motivation.Give students more choice in what they read to boost motivation and engagement.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;">To everyone’s credit, I found more collaboration as book talks and reading circles developed around shared interests in my classroom. The greatest benefit came when my students felt empowered through their ability to have choice within our classroom.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3O8i6M8wc1k/WlUG7MW9XlI/AAAAAAAAB7U/P8olMTQJaDwb-yH1jMyD6UW0vvKw-pTzwCLcBGAs/s1600/Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="417" data-original-width="632" height="422" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3O8i6M8wc1k/WlUG7MW9XlI/AAAAAAAAB7U/P8olMTQJaDwb-yH1jMyD6UW0vvKw-pTzwCLcBGAs/s640/Capture.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-706988765094056653.post-76585561277818204082018-01-02T11:59:00.003-08:002018-01-03T10:29:20.715-08:006 Word Resolutions<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;">
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">by Susan Hitt</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-23cL56u2ssA/WkvkUFupa-I/AAAAAAAAB6k/1Y0X2T1TNvA8bm0LvSLCHJbzrOflAJZ7gCLcBGAs/s1600/education%2Bcelebration%2Bblog%2Bimage%2B%25286%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="788" height="323" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-23cL56u2ssA/WkvkUFupa-I/AAAAAAAAB6k/1Y0X2T1TNvA8bm0LvSLCHJbzrOflAJZ7gCLcBGAs/s640/education%2Bcelebration%2Bblog%2Bimage%2B%25286%2529.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;">
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">Every January, as I settle into the New Year, I enjoy reflecting on my personal and professional goals from the previous year and determining goals for the new year. While many like to make their resolution on December 31st or January 1st, I myself like to take my time. Like with shopping, I tend to browse and try on different options, determining what I think best suits my life now and what I think I would most benefit from in the future. </span></span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-ab34509e-b852-21b7-804f-c702906073a2" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></b><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now, I know don’t know about you, but my social media outlets have been flooded with everyone’s One Word Resolution for 2018. I can’t check Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter without coming across these beautiful graphic designs with one word in a fancy bold script. While I love the idea of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Still</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, or </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Focus</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, or </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Breathe</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, or </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Patience</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, I, personally, need </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>more </b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">words. I’m chatty, aka loquacious, aka verbose, and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">clearly </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">one word to capture what I want out of 2018 just isn’t enough for me. So I’ve never chosen one word. BUT I’ve always wanted to capture my goals in the same beautiful way I see the one-word resolutions shared on the Internet. </span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">A few days ago, I was drinking coffee and perusing Twitter and happened upon this resolution tweet from my friend Tom Mullaney: “Not Too Late, There’s Still Time.”</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></b> <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="249" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/POYvexATkKdC36vtMpJJrr7A_nCIxsgrlFD_byU1JFHHk6yx8oYVAlHc52Lxft6qCfR7wwxIBrc-0WhrVvJqbJxz3WZiFUeISo4s84BYVwo47ryulTzO-AMWPSxZrDCYTs-JD5y6" style="border: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="624" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Check out @TomEMullaney on Twitter</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></b><span style="font-size: large; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Immediately, my reaction was one of excitement! YES! Finally, a resolution format I can get on board with. Not </span><span style="font-size: large; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">one </span><span style="font-size: large; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">word, but </span><span style="font-size: large; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">six</span><span style="font-size: large; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Be still my chatty, happy heart. You see, I’ve always been a huge fan of six-word memoirs. In fact, I often used the six-word memoir format as an icebreaker activity when I was in the classroom. There’s no better way to get to know your students on day one of class than by having them pen a six-word memoir. </span><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">So I decided to make my 2018 professional goal and turn it into a six-word resolution. And as a bonus, I used google slides to make a pretty image. As Tom points out in his tweet, Canva is an easy-to-use graphic design program, but I’ve fallen head over heels for using Google Slides to make my graphic images! So without further ado, here’s my 2018 Six-Word Resolution:</span></span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="548" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/PNep2jH6JcHzjpXVZ8WOkKd6SKjFsB4vFNqrr4tXNovEuV7XuVnc4fUFh2To-YkcSzWlMjJfVRTZ_Blhw0pc6xNT4BsmllxGQ2uiE9KdI5BMAK6mE4vDYOHbY2kFwCvm177PzyK3" style="border: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="546" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lifelong Learner: Reading, Learning, Creating, Sharing </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">This goal is twofold for me. First, I’m starting graduate school this semester for Instructional Technology. Returning to the role of a student for the first time in 12 years will be a big change for me, but a change for which I’m very much excited about! This path towards my master's will be filled with reading and learning new material, but I anticipate being able to share what I’m learning with other educators with whom I work. In addition to what I’ll be studying in graduate school, my job, in general, is comprised of constantly learning new material and then sharing it out with other English teachers. I’m constantly reading everything from educational blog posts, magazine and journal articles, or books. I thrive on seeking out the new and noteworthy and finding ways to creatively share that information with my colleagues. </span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">Now that I’ve shared my 2018 goal with you, I would love to hear what your resolution is for 2018. Whether it’s one word, six, or twenty! I am a firm believer in sharing our goals and resolutions so we can be each other’s cheerleaders as we spend the next 12 months to turn our goal into an accomplishment. I'd love for you to add your own resolution to the Padlet below! </span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></b> <br />
<div class="padlet-embed" style="background: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 2px; border: 1px solid rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.1); box-sizing: border-box; overflow: hidden; position: relative; width: 100%;">
<div style="margin: 0; padding: 0;">
<iframe frameborder="0" src="https://padlet.com/embed/1scnyxv74hx4" style="display: block; height: 608px; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%;"></iframe></div>
<div style="margin: 0; padding: 8px; text-align: right;">
<a href="https://padlet.com/?ref=embed" style="border: none; display: block; height: 16px; line-height: 1; margin: 0; padding: 0;" target="_blank"><img alt="Made with Padlet" height="16" src="https://resources.padletcdn.com/assets/made_with_padlet.png" style="background: none; border: none; box-shadow: none; display: inline; margin: 0; padding: 0;" width="86" /></a></div>
</div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></b> <b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Also, did you really think I would leave you without some resources?! Check out this <a href="https://www.sixwordmemoirs.com/community/contests/" target="_blank">excellent site for Six-Word Memoirs</a>. Each month they post a prompt for participants to respond to using, you guessed it, six words! These would make great journal prompts! </span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img height="387" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/4sXxHtQuivepiJkqB4MWzKu1KKWjIOH0KISn8QQTCfHD9EjVkK1t6h149UykWF1CDLf09gY1kXmw8KIoTqM0R9Rtluss15BAQSxj21nHpSQzzWlqJwtvPKuXOYj7A_3VhbQK9B7g" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="624" /></span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Are you a fan of Hyperdocs? I am! Here’s a <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1v9i8kKS5E2lm-gg5IkAte-lVPOQjlNxXPuOCJWlDGGE/edit" target="_blank">great hyperdoc lesson </a>you can use with your students (bonus: it even has tutorials on how to use Canva!) </span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img height="427" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/pL7vhp28NleX4P4to7hdqQE_9P56Xr-VufJKvvhP0YE-lWVCAJB52PtVLvEzGMkK_PhwQI7konMRElfwV1p0zZbQ3puh5uqTwlVM6nYt7DRRbF-75fGHuFnrm4-k_4RkP6YjsZVx" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="624" /></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">And finally, I invite you to watch this short video comprised of high school students’ Six-Word Memoirs. Maybe you’ll be inspired to try it with your students: </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/fUdoRIfFT9g/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fUdoRIfFT9g?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-706988765094056653.post-6866611701177276982017-12-19T10:48:00.002-08:002017-12-19T10:49:59.730-08:00Top 5 Blog Posts of 2017<div style="text-align: right;">
by Susan Hitt</div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">As 2017 comes to a close, I thought I'd take a moment to highlight the top 5 Education Celebration blog posts from 2017. </span><span style="font-size: large;">So without further ado, let's take a look at the top 5 posts of the year:</span><br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">#1: Musings from a First Year Teacher, by Alex Schaivone from New Hanover High School</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #38761d;"><a href="https://educationcelebrationela.blogspot.com/2017/05/musings-from-first-year-teacher.html" target="_blank">Click Here</a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-P-3oF7-Uoy8/WcZUs8K6E_I/AAAAAAAABrU/sIRvGZ4HksAXRaYH6i9Xbch2MXwJ-m8wgCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/education%2Bcelebration%2Bblog%2Bimage%2B%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="788" height="162" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-P-3oF7-Uoy8/WcZUs8K6E_I/AAAAAAAABrU/sIRvGZ4HksAXRaYH6i9Xbch2MXwJ-m8wgCPcBGAYYCw/s320/education%2Bcelebration%2Bblog%2Bimage%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">#2: Padlet: A Must-Try Digital Tool for Your Classroom, by Brenna Sheehan from Laney High School</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #38761d;"><a href="https://educationcelebrationela.blogspot.com/2017/05/padlet-must-try-digital-tool-for-your.html" target="_blank">Click Here</a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gEaInFzw-6Y/WcZc0ocKFgI/AAAAAAAABs8/iQW76BjQiJ0ExTjmZ3GmeXpJhxgRhFuHgCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/education%2Bcelebration%2Bblog%2Bimage%2B%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="788" height="162" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gEaInFzw-6Y/WcZc0ocKFgI/AAAAAAAABs8/iQW76BjQiJ0ExTjmZ3GmeXpJhxgRhFuHgCPcBGAYYCw/s320/education%2Bcelebration%2Bblog%2Bimage%2B%25283%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">#3: Engaging Students to Think Outside the Box with Flipgrid, by Hannah Moon from Laney High School</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #38761d;"><a href="https://educationcelebrationela.blogspot.com/2017/03/engaging-students-to-think-outside.html" target="_blank">Click Here</a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xrc29mFMS-I/WcZaz-0G8bI/AAAAAAAABsc/c6dR_mEaGdgWJesbsyCviChWXb8wWfZvgCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/education%2Bcelebration%2Bblog%2Bimage%2B%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="788" height="162" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xrc29mFMS-I/WcZaz-0G8bI/AAAAAAAABsc/c6dR_mEaGdgWJesbsyCviChWXb8wWfZvgCPcBGAYYCw/s320/education%2Bcelebration%2Bblog%2Bimage%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">#4: Building Teacher Advocates: An ECET2NC Reflection, by Kylee Maarschalk from New Hanover High School</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #38761d;"><a href="https://educationcelebrationela.blogspot.com/2017/10/building-teacher-advocates-ecet2nc.html" target="_blank">Click Here</a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ExWN32jKqac/Wfd7ccc-Z0I/AAAAAAAAB1E/FGqXuF5_m1k6rtgolTd9Y72NNYp4djxKQCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/education%2Bcelebration%2Bblog%2Bimage%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="788" height="162" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ExWN32jKqac/Wfd7ccc-Z0I/AAAAAAAAB1E/FGqXuF5_m1k6rtgolTd9Y72NNYp4djxKQCPcBGAYYCw/s320/education%2Bcelebration%2Bblog%2Bimage%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">#5: The Magic of Blended Learning Part III: Implementation, by Emily Perez from Laney High School</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #38761d;"><a href="http://educationcelebrationela.blogspot.com/2017/04/the-magic-of-blended-learning-part-iii.html" target="_blank">Click Here</a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0iVViceZnms/WcZZt05BGBI/AAAAAAAABsQ/bExZZuua8Ms6drieoEgCWgG9XH7uR_DtACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/education%2Bcelebration%2Bblog%2Bimage%2B%25281%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="788" height="162" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0iVViceZnms/WcZZt05BGBI/AAAAAAAABsQ/bExZZuua8Ms6drieoEgCWgG9XH7uR_DtACPcBGAYYCw/s320/education%2Bcelebration%2Bblog%2Bimage%2B%25281%2529.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Thanks for spending your time with us here at Education Celebration! Have a wonderful holiday season, and I look forward to seeing everyone in January 2018! </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-706988765094056653.post-28959435608468563672017-12-11T06:58:00.000-08:002017-12-11T07:03:25.963-08:00Four Reasons to Try Actively Learn <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;">
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">-by Hannan Moon, Laney HS</span><br />
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">@MrsHanMoon</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fiCSu7pHOx4/WibG8XErf4I/AAAAAAAAB5M/js6_JIrRTys6Lp1mQMc5cyDY865OUVaygCLcBGAs/s1600/Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="788" height="324" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fiCSu7pHOx4/WibG8XErf4I/AAAAAAAAB5M/js6_JIrRTys6Lp1mQMc5cyDY865OUVaygCLcBGAs/s640/Capture.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">In my <a href="https://educationcelebrationela.blogspot.com/2017/03/engaging-students-to-think-outside.html" target="_blank">last blog post</a>, I mentioned a college professor who always encouraged teachers to keep students engaged and learning outside of the 4 classroom walls. In an effort to keep the learning alive after class hours, I’ve been searching for programs and activities that are easily accessible to students, easily manipulated by me, and easily gradable. The latest program that I’m using is Actively Learn. This program meets all my criteria: easy for me, easy for students, and keeps the learning outside of class. </span></span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-745d7755-22c2-c32a-827f-01f319c1a5f2" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"></span></b><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">In a nutshell, Actively Learn is a free reading comprehension program. Teachers can choose from a bank of texts with pre-made questions (tied to Common Core standards) or teachers can upload their own articles and create their own questions. Then these texts are assigned to classes within the program.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Here’s why I love it: </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>1. The bank of texts is not only thorough and interesting, I can choose a piece based on Lexile level, page count, and grade level. </b></span></span><br />
<b><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">2. The questions are tied to the Common Core. If I choose to add my own questions, I simply assign a standard to my question from a drop-down menu. </span></span></span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">3. The grading is easy. Each question is tied to a rubric and all I have to do is select whether the response is zero, incomplete, basic, proficient, or advanced. Then, the program gives me a score. </span></span></span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">4. The program is extremely user-friendly. After the first use in class, my students know how to manipulate Actively Learn and there have been no problems. </span></span></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">To keep the learning going outside my 4 classroom walls, I’ve assigned Actively Learn articles as homework. I can upload nonfiction articles based on the novels we are reading. Or, I choose related pieces from their bank of texts. Then, the next day, we not only analyze the text, but the students have a grade and we both know what standard they are struggling with. I’ve also assigned Actively Learn as extra credit for struggling students--the more they are reading outside of the classroom, the better! Actively Learn has helped me assign readings in my classroom, and, by being able to choose the pieces based on my specific class dynamic, I can ensure success for my students. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Check out Actively Learn here: <a href="https://www.activelylearn.com/" target="_blank">https://www.activelylearn.com/ </a></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Also, if you're in New Hanover County, did you know you can earn CEUs for using Actively Learn? Check out our BeAwesome program by <a href="http://jlagarde.wixsite.com/nhhslearningactively" target="_blank">clicking here</a>. </span></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-706988765094056653.post-45078756109784599242017-12-04T08:47:00.001-08:002017-12-04T08:48:32.576-08:00Leadership Roles: A Siren’s Song<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: right;">
-by Taylor Thomas, Ashley HS</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TT2v4eOTcG8/WiV4oa0FH2I/AAAAAAAAB4s/ETKguYdQdroAL16u3ZZEp5zjxyI7zuyOQCLcBGAs/s1600/capture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="788" height="324" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TT2v4eOTcG8/WiV4oa0FH2I/AAAAAAAAB4s/ETKguYdQdroAL16u3ZZEp5zjxyI7zuyOQCLcBGAs/s640/capture.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Becoming a leader as a classroom teacher is a challenging road to navigate, one that requires finding balance in how you devote your time because, as we all know, our role in the classroom reigns supreme. Or, at least, it should. This is a realization I had to learn the hard way.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<br />
<a name='more'></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">When you find your first teaching job after college—when you are bright-eyed and overly idealistic—you are, unknowingly, a prime candidate to take over a myriad of leadership roles. You will be approached with an opportunity to serve on attendance committees, to give feedback on a new tardy policy, to become the new advisor for the woodworking club.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">“You have no experience with woodworking? No worries! It will be fine! We just need a faculty member to sponsor the club on paper. It will only require a monthly meeting, maintaining communication with the members, organizing fundraisers, handling public relations for the group, making sure all paperwork is submitted to the County in order to operate as a school-sponsored club….”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">You will agree to it because if you don’t, who will? The students <i>need</i> you! Your résumé will grow! And you will be so proud of yourself for <i>finally</i> being recognized as the distinguished and promising leader that you are!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Unfortunately, your well-meaning desire to better your school and “really help the students” will blind you from considering the fact that these positions have been left abandoned by much wiser and more seasoned educators than you.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Now, not only are you learning how to plan for and assess the learning of your 80+ students, you now have to juggle keeping all of these new—and impressive!—leadership responsibilities so that you don’t let anyone down. Before you know it, you have less time on your hands, you’re behind on grading, you’re stressed about what you may have forgotten to do, and, worst of all, you aren’t enjoying your job.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The reason is simple: you’ve lost focus.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I see it happen every year. Energetic young teachers enter the classroom with high hopes and so much promise. They are using effective instructional strategies I have never seen before, they have more content knowledge than they know what to do with (in a good way), they aren’t jaded by standardized tests and “that kid” behaviors. These young teachers want to help so they volunteer for this committee and that extra duty, thinking they can balance it all effectively.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I was this teacher.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">My first year teaching, fresh out of college, at the ripe young age of twenty-one, I was assigned to teach on-level and remedial (year-long) English I, which was an EOC-tested course at the time. This is already a challenge in itself. Before the first nine-weeks were over, I began serving on a student support team, helping with student government, working with a committee to revise our attendance policy (just to name a few), and…get ready for it…advising the dance team.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Now, I can hold my own on the dance floor of a wedding reception, but this 6’3” lanky frame has no business trying to be the advisor of any organized dance group. But the students <i>needed</i> me; no one else would commit to sponsoring their club. I couldn’t let them down!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I was blinded by the ego stroke of being singled out for leadership roles. In my mind, the more the merrier—or, at least, the more impressive. Perhaps it was my subconscious desire to prove my worth and establish myself as an integral part of the faculty. However, I soon found myself spending more time fulfilling responsibilities for these various leadership roles than I was trying to craft effective lessons to help the students for whom I was responsible for educating every day. It took a few conversations with colleagues I greatly admired to realize that I was overworking myself and expediting potential burn-out.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Now, I by no means am trying to say that teachers should not take on leadership roles within their schools. The important lesson I learned is to find the leadership opportunities that capitalize on your skills and <i>add to</i> your life as a teacher rather than drain it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">From that first entertaining and eventful first year to now my seventh year at the same school, I have tried on various other leadership roles, seeing how they fit and assessing whether or not I was the man for the job or if someone else could do it better. I am now the Lead Mentor for my schools Beginning Teacher program and serve as a co-chair for our English department. And that’s it! What I am now left with are titles that I find true value in, focused on the <i>quality</i> of leadership roles rather than <i>quantity</i>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">If you are in the position of being offered leadership roles, or you are seeking ways to improve your rating in the “Standard I: Teacher Demonstrates Leadership” field of your observation, my advice is to not jump on the first opportunity you come across. Think critically about what you can bring to that role and whether or not you are able—or willing—to give it your all. If you aren’t, no one benefits.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">We as educators need to position ourselves to be as effective as possible, and sometimes that means doing less and simplifying our focus to remain within the four walls of our classrooms. -by Taylor Thomas, Ashley HS</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-706988765094056653.post-81700262678229757512017-11-12T09:09:00.004-08:002017-11-12T10:00:38.587-08:00How Choosing One Thing on Which to Focus, Makes the Rest Fall into Place<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mO--yk60AJM/WghzFjxDLWI/AAAAAAAAB1o/upuTs2PJyrEcoj1C1ZWmevt6v6S8uby-ACLcBGAs/s1600/education%2Bcelebration%2Bblog%2Bimage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mO--yk60AJM/WghzFjxDLWI/AAAAAAAAB1o/upuTs2PJyrEcoj1C1ZWmevt6v6S8uby-ACLcBGAs/s1600/education%2Bcelebration%2Bblog%2Bimage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="788" height="324" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mO--yk60AJM/WghzFjxDLWI/AAAAAAAAB1o/upuTs2PJyrEcoj1C1ZWmevt6v6S8uby-ACLcBGAs/s640/education%2Bcelebration%2Bblog%2Bimage.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">by Susan Hitt</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">As educators, we are often our harshest critics. We hold ourselves up to the "Pinterest-teacher" standard where classrooms are perfectly decorated and there is never an item askew. But we all know learning is messy. Teaching is messy. From uncapped highlighters rolling around to a whiteboard covered in 30 different handwritings, we know evidence of learning is not "picture perfect." But that's okay. In fact, that's what we as educators embrace. We have to learn to pick and choose where we want our focus to lay, and I, for one, long ago gave up on the idea of perfection. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">But we still need a focus for ourselves, and when perfection is taken out of the picture, what does that leave? A few years ago, I was encouraged to choose my "one thing." The one thing that if I put all my energy into achieving, everything else would fall into place. My mind was spinning on overdrive--<i>I could only pick one thing? </i>But so many things were important to me, how could I narrow it down to <i>just</i> one? My mind raced from students to curriculum, to professional development, to networking, to blended learning, to pretty much any educational topic you can imagine. Just as soon as I thought I had narrowed it down to one, I would think of something else. This seemingly simple task quickly turned overwhelming. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">So I made myself stop. I cleared my mind and went back to the original idea, what one thing could I focus on that if I gave it my attention, all other things would fall into place. So what was my "one" thing, you might be wondering? <b>Collaboration</b>. You see, at that point in my career, I had just left the classroom after 10 years of teaching high school English and was venturing into my new career as a district lead English teacher. I had been on the instructional team for a mere six months when I was encouraged to pick one thing on which to focus. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">At it's most basic definition, collaboration is the action of working with someone to produce or create something. </span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">How could I bring together all the high school English teachers so that they would collaborate as a district unit? I was in the unique position that I knew all the engaging things teacher A was doing at School A and the unique things teacher B was doing at school B, but how could I get them go outside the four walls of their classroom to share? Teachers by trade are often humble and shy away from highlighting what they're doing. I've found that it's not because they don't want to share, it's because they feel like if they're doing it, then everyone else is, too. That is often not the case. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-47jqk0XZMwY/Wgh4CGfme4I/AAAAAAAAB2U/qr70f2cR_OknEoxgaGwldgnmvq5TibDvgCEwYBhgL/s1600/Untitled%2Bdrawing.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="837" height="226" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-47jqk0XZMwY/Wgh4CGfme4I/AAAAAAAAB2U/qr70f2cR_OknEoxgaGwldgnmvq5TibDvgCEwYBhgL/s320/Untitled%2Bdrawing.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">So I had my one thing decided upon, but what did I do next? How could I provide a platform to encourage teachers to collaborate across the district? I started small. First, I created a district ELA hashtag for teachers who were on Twitter to share ideas and lessons. I hosted a networking hour for new ELA teachers from all the high schools to meet-n-greet with other ELA teachers. I brought teachers together for professional development opportunities and encouraged them to get to know one another and share contact information. I even had a district December holiday meeting where I forwent the normal agenda and asked everyone to share their favorite lesson with the others--and I brought cake, because well, it's cake and cake makes people happy! And finally about ten months ago, I had this hairbrained idea of starting a blog. <i>Education Celebration</i> is meant to do just that. Celebrate all the wonderful things going on in the ELA teachers' classrooms in our school district. My hope is that when one teacher shares out a unique, impactful lesson, that other teachers will reach out to that teacher to collaborate. To share and discuss. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">As Helen Keller said, "Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much."</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">We all know teachers have an insanely hard job. A teacher's job begins well before the students enter the classroom and runs long after students have left the classroom. In my mind, collaboration is the key to helping teachers manage their time. Teacher A has a great lesson, Teacher B has a great lesson. They share and their lesson base grows! It's as simple as that. So finding a platform in which to get teachers to share is where I see my role. Thus, collaboration became my "one" thing. </span><span style="color: white; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: x-large; text-align: right; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Featured on </span><span style="color: white; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: x-large; font-style: italic; text-align: right; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">EducationCelebrationELA.blogspot.com</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F5D4PcHBJlI/Wgh7AyrBJJI/AAAAAAAAB2k/UI-tQSfIU8QCiP-5_4ZCEaqBYq3NFEpQwCLcBGAs/s1600/Untitled%2Bdrawing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="746" height="427" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F5D4PcHBJlI/Wgh7AyrBJJI/AAAAAAAAB2k/UI-tQSfIU8QCiP-5_4ZCEaqBYq3NFEpQwCLcBGAs/s640/Untitled%2Bdrawing.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">I write this post not to just share my one thing with you, but to encourage you to pick </span><i style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: xx-large;">your</i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"> "one thing." But be warned, it's not enough to simply identify it. To see it come to fruition, to see the impacts, you have to roll up your sleeves and dive head first into it. When I was encouraged to choose my one thing, I was also encouraged to set aside time each week to work on and reflect on that one thing. Each week, I needed to do one small task that worked toward encouraging collaboration across the district, and whether that was small or large it kept me focused. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">So whether you choose student engagement, student feedback, digital tools, professional learning network, blended learning, formative assessment, whatever your focus may be, identify it and find time weekly for reflection. I'd love for you to share your "one" thing in the comment section! </span><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-706988765094056653.post-24589861203327756242017-11-05T16:02:00.000-08:002017-11-05T16:02:22.258-08:00Pineapple Tidbits: A little of this and a little of that for the classroom teacher! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;">
-by Susan Hitt</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0Qng4nmuXLg/WdrPPEyFQVI/AAAAAAAABvw/ZdHmJvOFT44Om2DOMNMqJbXPr5qWcWHPwCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Pineapple%2BTidbits%2B%25281%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="657" data-original-width="689" height="305" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0Qng4nmuXLg/WdrPPEyFQVI/AAAAAAAABvw/ZdHmJvOFT44Om2DOMNMqJbXPr5qWcWHPwCPcBGAYYCw/s320/Pineapple%2BTidbits%2B%25281%2529.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Welcome to another installation of Pineapple Tidbits. If you're wondering about the quirky name of this series, check out the <a href="https://educationcelebrationela.blogspot.com/2017/10/pineapple-tidbits-episode-1-little-of.html" target="_blank">initial post </a>which explains it in detail.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Let's dive into this week's tastiness from the web:</span></span><br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/speaking-listening-techniques/" target="_blank">The Big List of Classroom Discussion Strategies</a> by Jennifer Gonzalez (featured on her blog <i>Cult of Pedagogy</i>) is broken up into 3 categories ranging from high-prep to low-prep techniques. I especially love her idea of using a Hot Seat for a student to take on the role of a character during class discussions.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AXTD4_5vtqE/WfDcYM1egKI/AAAAAAAABzs/ceeIUa-EIsgaNmK3sFzRSi6frWyfeL2lwCLcBGAs/s1600/Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="660" data-original-width="486" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AXTD4_5vtqE/WfDcYM1egKI/AAAAAAAABzs/ceeIUa-EIsgaNmK3sFzRSi6frWyfeL2lwCLcBGAs/s400/Capture.PNG" width="293" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Have you ever found yourself asking "What If"? Jennifer from <i>The Compelled Educator</i>, poses some excellent "What if" questions. <a href="http://www.thecompellededucator.com/2017/10/the-importance-of-what-if-questions.html" target="_blank">Take a look</a>.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Dr5tg5NRN0A/WfDca7Zk99I/AAAAAAAABzw/uwhWHY1boUU4rM1CFo9nhhP2qmEMVtNAwCLcBGAs/s1600/Capture1.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="362" data-original-width="645" height="222" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Dr5tg5NRN0A/WfDca7Zk99I/AAAAAAAABzw/uwhWHY1boUU4rM1CFo9nhhP2qmEMVtNAwCLcBGAs/s400/Capture1.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Have 5 minutes and want to learn a series of <b>Gmail Gems</b> from the <i>G Suite Show</i>? Tune in and enjoy this quick video:</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/eT_xYZtmjM8/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eT_xYZtmjM8?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Check out this creative activity I came across on Twitter shared by @MHS_MrsG (Lauren Genesky). She had her students engaged in this Quote Carousels activity for <i>Beowulf</i>! </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ho1hPRcESus/WfDbOJ-U1XI/AAAAAAAABzg/VSD5DQl8gg4DcnryR8QVoGBON-nqMdQDwCLcBGAs/s1600/Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="687" data-original-width="568" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ho1hPRcESus/WfDbOJ-U1XI/AAAAAAAABzg/VSD5DQl8gg4DcnryR8QVoGBON-nqMdQDwCLcBGAs/s400/Capture.PNG" width="330" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Looking for writing prompts? Check out this list from <i>Edutopia</i><a href="https://www.edutopia.org/article/50-writing-prompts-all-grade-levels-todd-finley?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=socialflow" target="_blank"> "50 Writing Prompts for All Grade Levels."</a></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cj6XpLjDp2g/WfDdgUxUQVI/AAAAAAAABz8/bNRcEgSxI_A_R5E04BIhqCk258pIT45UwCLcBGAs/s1600/Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="519" data-original-width="917" height="226" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cj6XpLjDp2g/WfDdgUxUQVI/AAAAAAAABz8/bNRcEgSxI_A_R5E04BIhqCk258pIT45UwCLcBGAs/s400/Capture.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Do your students love writing stories? Watch this video to see how to turn Google Slides into an <i>interactive</i> story: </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/3J8lDHapPRs/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3J8lDHapPRs?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><br />And that's it for this week's Pineapple Tidbits! See you next time! </span> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-706988765094056653.post-24572491564407553512017-10-30T12:31:00.000-07:002017-10-30T12:31:53.533-07:00Building Teacher Advocates: An ECET2NC Reflection<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-by Kylee Maarschalk, New Hanover HS</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: x-small; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ExWN32jKqac/Wfd7ccc-Z0I/AAAAAAAAB1A/lRBbEbHsD30fWqo59o-ZbVRQdXIonkhxwCLcBGAs/s1600/education%2Bcelebration%2Bblog%2Bimage%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="788" height="324" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ExWN32jKqac/Wfd7ccc-Z0I/AAAAAAAAB1A/lRBbEbHsD30fWqo59o-ZbVRQdXIonkhxwCLcBGAs/s640/education%2Bcelebration%2Bblog%2Bimage%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: x-large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ad·vo·cate </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">noun</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> 1. a person who publicly supports or recommends a particular cause or policy</span></span></blockquote>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">Teacher advocates are few and far between in today’s culture. When the opportunity to tell someone my pride of working in education arises, I happily take it on without question; however, the responses that teachers receive from the public as we share our joy in the profession is one of “Oh, wow! How do you do that?!” or my favorite southern expression, “Bless your heart!” which the last time I checked, meant I was a little more than left of center on the crazy scale. All too often, the teaching profession is viewed as glorified babysitting, regardless of grade level taught.</span><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></b><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Teachers who succeed rarely make headlines. Raising EOG scores, surviving a week with both Friday the 13th and a full moon, keeping a clear hallway in a high school in October, and facilitating a Paideia Seminar without wrinkle are all great teacher successes that go unnoticed by the public. Why is that? We give one another high-five’s in the hallway and nods of understanding when the days are long, so much said in a bob and furrowed brow, but do we share these proud moments with others? </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b> </span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One of the most impactful conversations I’ve had in my teaching career happened in a round-table deep dive session at <a href="http://ecet2nc.weebly.com/" target="_blank">ECET2 NC</a> in Charlotte. I was surrounded by fellow New Hanover County Schools teachers, along with other educators from the mountains and Triangle area, all with a wide-range of years of experience, North Carolina Core Advocate Captain Joanna Schmizzi, and National Board for Professional Teaching Standards President and CEO Peggy Brookins. Our discussion began with exploring posts written for </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.nbpts.org/blog/" target="_blank">The Standard</a></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> the blog of NBPTS and led to our thoughts on what we could also write about in the future. It was through this discussion that I recognized that I was not alone in my combination of feelings of faith, frustration, and fatigue regarding the future of education in America. Our table dialogued on the continuous number of hats teachers today are wearing. On an average day, I play the role of nurse, comedian, psychiatrist, cheerleader, friend, event coordinator, detective, zookeeper, and educator. Through the constant switching of hats, we are responsible for molding young people into becoming productive, intelligent members of society ready for college, careers, and military. This is no small feat. So again, why don’t people celebrate our successes along with us? I believe that it is because we don’t celebrate our successes loudly enough. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: x-large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ad·vo·cate </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">verb </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1. publicly recommend or support</span></span></blockquote>
</div>
<a href="https://www.ednc.org/voices/" style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">EdNC Voices</a><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="https://www.teachingquality.org/" style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">Center for Teaching Quality</a><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="http://www.ncae.org/" style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">NCAE</a><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="http://www.pencweb.org/" style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">Professional Educators of North Carolina</a><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="http://hopestreetgroup.org/" style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">Hope Street Group</a><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="http://www.nbpts.org/" style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">NBPTS </a><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">and more are all incredible resources for advocating for teachers and sharing what’s working and what needs improvement. Session after session at ECET2 NC I heard representatives from these organizations speaking on behalf of teachers across the state and asking for input on what can be done. What? Teachers having solutions to problems in education? Who would have ever considered that we can be our own advocates? </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b> </span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fortunately, within New Hanover County Schools, we have a great group of teacher advocates for our Beginning Teacher Support Program. The team focused on longevity in the career diligently works together to put systems in place to support teachers in their first three years in the profession. We currently have 9 schools with a Support on Site model in place to regularly bring beginning and veteran teachers together to collaborate and solve problems while learning how to better balance the 15 hats worn each day. </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I fully believe that teachers can begin to carry the same esteem as other well-respected professions in the world, if and only if we begin to find a positive outlet for sharing our observations and experiences. The world is unaware of our day-to-day, and if we don’t share about it, who will? We can bring policy issues to the table. We can fight for our students that struggle with reading and math due to their environment. We can provide a perspective so unique from our daily interactions with students to protect their futures. We can connect beginning teachers and veteran teachers to promote longevity in this great profession. We can form bonds with our peers around the county, state, and nation. Together our voices can be heard. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Find ways to support all teachers in your school and district. Speak out in your community about the needs and concerns of your classroom full of young people. Promote teacher advocacy groups to your peers around the country through social media. Or take a bold, outside of your comfort zone step, and accept the opportunity to use your own words to share about your own experiences and passion, and write a blog post to celebrate your successes. Teachers can become advocates while advocating. Let’s do this together!</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-706988765094056653.post-62646890059338544732017-10-25T10:27:00.002-07:002017-10-25T12:05:57.635-07:00Remember Your Why: A Dyslexic Teacher's Journey from a Student to a Teacher<i>Note: I spent an amazing weekend at the Elevating and Celebrating Teachers and Teaching conference in Charlotte, NC last weekend (ECET2NC). I was asked to give a Cultivating a Calling Speech, which I decided to also publish here (with a few edits) as this week’s blog post. -Susan Hitt</i><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jCbb3nXCLoM/WfC04SgMQMI/AAAAAAAAByo/Y8FlKt6frj0moeBJNcOjdK0boG0loP3cACLcBGAs/s1600/why.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="788" height="324" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jCbb3nXCLoM/WfC04SgMQMI/AAAAAAAAByo/Y8FlKt6frj0moeBJNcOjdK0boG0loP3cACLcBGAs/s640/why.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Let me begin introducing myself. I was a high school English teacher for 10 years and I am currently the Lead High School English Language Arts teacher in my school district. I am passionate about education. I am an avid reader & tweeter. I am a planner. And I am Dyslexic.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">When I was first approached to give a Cultivating a Calling speech, my immediate reaction was while I was honored to be asked, I couldn't help but wonder what in the world I could share with a room full of educators. Plus, if I’m being honest, I was very intimidated by the idea of speaking in front of such a large group. But never one to shy away from a challenge, I accepted the challenge.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Let’s talk about that for a minute. Challenges. My life has been one challenge, after another. I think it’s important to recognize that everyone faces challenges. Some of the challenges we might be going through are easily seen by others, but other challenges may be deeply personal and hidden within.</span><br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Dibxsf9HCjw/WfCvGmyV5GI/AAAAAAAAByM/lc5wZSIsYqc2nFQd0X5DDiskgNoeyEPAwCLcBGAs/s1600/me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="554" data-original-width="315" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Dibxsf9HCjw/WfCvGmyV5GI/AAAAAAAAByM/lc5wZSIsYqc2nFQd0X5DDiskgNoeyEPAwCLcBGAs/s320/me.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">This is me in one of my first school pictures. First grade is where my own personal challenge began. I loved school. I loved my friends. I loved my teachers. But I didn’t love my innate struggle with school work. I was too young to understand what was going on. I just knew something wasn’t right, but what that meant I didn’t know. This is the face of a child facing a major inner challenge. Why couldn’t I excel like my sister did in school? Why did my friends finish their homework so quickly and still have time to play? Why did I spend hours studying for a spelling test, and <i>still </i>fail? Why did I feel like crying when walking into a place that I loved. Because I really did love school.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">My parents spent conference after conference with my teachers and the principal advocating for me. My parents heard time and time again that “She’s just not going to be an A student” and “Not all students excel in school.” But my parents knew my nightly tears and frustrations were not stemming from a student who “ just wasn’t smart," so they had me tested for a learning disability. By the middle of first-grade, I had my diagnosis: Dyslexia. Now, remember, this was in the 80s. Education for students with learning disabilities wasn’t then, what it is today. </span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JkPretc7Q8w/WfCthQfR_vI/AAAAAAAABxw/KwDNTdpFrWocXgEVnlbE24trS-zE-XnUgCEwYBhgL/s1600/dyslexia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JkPretc7Q8w/WfCthQfR_vI/AAAAAAAABxw/KwDNTdpFrWocXgEVnlbE24trS-zE-XnUgCEwYBhgL/s640/dyslexia.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Dyslexia is often misunderstood. Many think it just means writing letters backward. And while that does happen, the effects of dyslexia run much deeper. It impacts reading comprehension, memorization, and spelling, just to name a few.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Getting diagnosed was just the first challenge of many. It was comforting to know why I was struggling so hard in school; however, it was not comforting to know that this would, in turn, be a life-long hurdle I would continue to jump, at times when least expected. Thankfully, not only did I have the support of my parents and tutors, I was lucky enough to have a series of wonderful, nurturing teachers who worked hard to cultivate the perfect learning environment which fostered my love for school.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I have vivid memories of sitting in my tutor’s house working on phonics flashcards (after already having been in school all day), and wishing with all my heart that I could go outside and play or go to that week's Girl Scouts meeting. But I also understood that this time with my tutor was necessary. For example, one of the coping mechanisms students with dyslexia are often taught is to write in cursive. Writing in print causes one to pick their pencil up off the paper while crafting each letter. This slows the writing process down, while one’s train of thought continues to flow quickly, leading to letters and words being left out of a child’s writing. On the other hand, writing in cursive allows the pencil to stay on the paper, making it easier for a child’s writing to keep up with their train of thought, making it less likely for words and letters to be left out. Because of this, my tutor worked tirelessly to help me learn cursive the summer before 2nd grade. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I remember the day my second-grade teacher announced to the class we were going to start learning our cursive letters. I was <i>so excited</i> because for once I knew something that my friends didn't know how to do. Up until that point, I was used to always being behind my peers. This was a new feeling for me, and I remember vividly squirming in my chair with excitement as I raised my hand to explain to my teacher I knew how to write in cursive. I was beyond thrilled when that wonderful, encouraging teacher let me go around and help my peers as they practiced their letters. You see, for once in the classroom, I felt useful-- I felt special--I felt smart. Looking back, I think it was at that moment when I realized I liked teaching others.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I continued to face challenges year after year, but I still loved school. Though I can't claim everything was rosy all the time and that I had supportive, patient teachers all the time because that wouldn't be truthful. Just as I had some teachers who work to build me up, I had other teachers who just didn't understand this<i> so-called label</i> of dyslexia. Thankfully, those teachers were few and far between. But my sixth-grade teacher...sigh... I still remember not only her name but <i>exactly </i>what she looked like. She didn't believe that dyslexia was really a thing. I'll never forget the day she called me up in front of the class and asked me to write something on the board. When I struggled to complete the task, she berated me in front of everyone, and I cried. I'm sure you all can imagine what it's like to cry in front of your peers in 6th graders--simply mortifying.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">But what's life without ups and downs? Those lows help us appreciate the highs even more. That one teacher who refused to understand me and people like me made me value my wonderful teachers even more. Looking back, I think that it’s that sixth-grade teacher, and it was that moment of crying and berating, that made me think--I can do this better. I can teach students better. I will build students up and not break their spirits.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">What's ironic is that as much as I struggled with reading and writing I still loved it. I enjoyed it so much that in high school I knew I wanted to be an English teacher. I admired my high school English teachers. I thrived on the passion and creativity they brought to class every.single.day. So when I graduated high school I enrolled in UNC-Wilmington's education program. I knew I had something I could bring to the table, so to speak. You see a lot of teachers teach what comes easiest to them. For example, let me circle back around to that sixth-grade teacher. Her subject came easy to her and she just couldn't understand why it didn't come easily to me. So in college, I knew I would be able to support the students in my class who had learning disabilities because I had been there and done that. I understood their struggles.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Let me illustrate something. This is the writing of 2nd grade me. You can see that while I failed a test with a 65, instead of being upset, I was excited about the opportunity to try again.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8YHGxZb2zlw/WfCuUisx86I/AAAAAAAAByA/Rv1reTFQ9QY7aartdRlL_VcnEV8lcCHCgCLcBGAs/s1600/journal%2B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8YHGxZb2zlw/WfCuUisx86I/AAAAAAAAByA/Rv1reTFQ9QY7aartdRlL_VcnEV8lcCHCgCLcBGAs/s640/journal%2B1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">This is tomorrow. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VO2r6-LqDgw/WfCuO-28glI/AAAAAAAABx8/5LXfzyHqTv0l4NgdV9yTPhcfxG1kr42yQCLcBGAs/s1600/journal%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VO2r6-LqDgw/WfCuO-28glI/AAAAAAAABx8/5LXfzyHqTv0l4NgdV9yTPhcfxG1kr42yQCLcBGAs/s640/journal%2B2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I clearly didn't do better, in fact, I </span><span style="font-size: large;">did much worse! </span><span style="font-size: large;">But yet again, I did not feel discouraged. You see </span><span style="font-size: large;">I was excited to learn. I was excited to do better, and I knew I could. This was in the same class with the same teacher who encouraged me to help my peers as they learned their cursive. This teacher had a choice. She could have given up on me after the first or second failing test grade, but she didn't. She made me feel like I could conquer anything if I worked hard enough. Her support helped me many years down the road as I myself was becoming a teacher. We as educators have a responsibility to teach everyone. Our job is to help build students up so that they have the confidence to conquer their own life’s challenges. This second-grade teacher provided me with confidence, the confidence which that sixth-grade teacher tried and failed to rob from me.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Let me revisit the message with which I started this post, which is on life’s challenges. As I said, we <b>all </b>have challenges we face. But we as educators are in a position to help. To help our colleagues who might be struggling with a difficult class. To help our students who might be struggling with a new concept--or even a concept we’ve taught over and over again. If we're going to succeed in this profession, we have to be open and honest with one another. Everyone struggles. That's nothing to be ashamed of.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fNauIBBH3bY/WfCub-WCe-I/AAAAAAAAByE/ApglE6q9XjkAXfj80jlAm3vsubmscd7aACLcBGAs/s1600/why.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fNauIBBH3bY/WfCub-WCe-I/AAAAAAAAByE/ApglE6q9XjkAXfj80jlAm3vsubmscd7aACLcBGAs/s640/why.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;">As times for teachers get tougher, I challenge you to remember why you wanted to be a teacher in the first place. Like anyone, we can get overwhelmed, we can feel unappreciated, but we need to remember our why. My why was that second-grader who realized what it felt like to teach someone something. My why was that sixth-grader who felt ridiculed, and thought--I can bring compassion to the classroom. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Your why is your most important thing to remember. I challenge you to write your why down. Write it down and keep it somewhere when on your hardest days you can pull it out and remind yourself why you entered this profession in the first place. We need to share our why with our peers. Celebrate our why. And remember that no matter what challenges life tosses our way, our why is the key to our success. We are not in this profession alone. We are in this together! Always remember your why! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-50wZV5qCSMM/WfDJNEvPGII/AAAAAAAABzE/YXubuIAlg-UDA2UsqXQPAvbVH4dK7cHDQCLcBGAs/s1600/Untitled%2Bdrawing%2B%25289%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="391" data-original-width="552" height="451" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-50wZV5qCSMM/WfDJNEvPGII/AAAAAAAABzE/YXubuIAlg-UDA2UsqXQPAvbVH4dK7cHDQCLcBGAs/s640/Untitled%2Bdrawing%2B%25289%2529.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">-----------------------------------------------------</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</span><br />
Below is a video of my speech, though the quality isn't the best and it cuts off about 2 minutes early. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/x0XT9E2F1Uw/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/x0XT9E2F1Uw?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-706988765094056653.post-41647030133406019292017-10-15T09:39:00.003-07:002017-10-17T07:20:27.928-07:00Blended Learning: The Station Rotation Model<div style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: right;">
This post originally appeared on <a href="https://achievethecore.org/aligned/blended-learning-the-station-rotation-model/" target="_blank">Aligned</a> on September 6, 2017, by Susan Hitt.</div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IzhvOJlUJ2E/WeOOuBO1J1I/AAAAAAAABw0/alRHzB7lrzgEs_CbdqIHe0aLHrJGvKacQCLcBGAs/s1600/education%2Bcelebration%2Bblog%2Bimage.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="788" height="323" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IzhvOJlUJ2E/WeOOuBO1J1I/AAAAAAAABw0/alRHzB7lrzgEs_CbdqIHe0aLHrJGvKacQCLcBGAs/s640/education%2Bcelebration%2Bblog%2Bimage.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="color: red;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Differentiation. It’s a commonly used term within education, but just because it’s a common term does not mean it’s easy to accomplish. Differentiation means altering instruction to meet the variety of needs students bring to the table during a class period. As teachers, we know we need to meet the needs of each of our students; however, when working with a classroom of 25 or more students, this is often a daunting task for even the most seasoned of educators.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: x-large;">I knew there had to be a way to make differentiation more approachable for teachers, so I started digging into various resources. I knew I was onto something when I first came across <a href="http://catlintucker.com/" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit; color: #25a56a; font-family: museo_sans300; letter-spacing: 0.1px;">Catlin Tucker’s blog</a>, focusing on incorporating blended learning into the lesson planning process. I devoured her blog posts and ordered two of her books. Inspired by what I was reading, I began to see how I could more easily manage differentiation within the classroom. Though she is a high school English teacher, her blog and books focus on blended learning for all grades and subjects.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span> <span style="color: #38761d; font-size: x-large;"><b>What is Blended Learning?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: x-large;">Through my research, I discovered that blended learning elevates basic stations and centers by incorporating technology. Blended stations allow teachers to provide differentiation and also work with students on a platform that students might find more engaging. Goodbye worksheets, hello collaboration and 21st-century activities.</span></div>
<div style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">
<img src="https://achievethecore.org/aligned/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Transform-Your-Stations.png" /></div>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><b><br /></b></span> <span style="color: #38761d; font-size: x-large;"><b>Planning for Blended Learning</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: x-large;">Many teachers might find planning stations for blended learning daunting when they first begin. What made it click for me was when I realized that blended learning takes your vertical lesson and turns it into a horizontal lesson. What do I mean? If you think about your normal lesson, your plans run vertically. Your 1st task is followed by your 2nd then the 3rd task, etc. With stations, you can take your vertical lessons and simply run them horizontally so that they are all happening at the same time throughout the room.</span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<img src="https://achievethecore.org/aligned/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Vertical-to-Horizontal.png" /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-size: x-large;"><b>Enter Differentiation</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: x-large;">So where does the differentiation come into play? The great thing about blended learning is that you can have a teacher-led station in the mix of independent stations and collaborative stations. So this enables teachers to have small-group instruction and work on whatever standards those 4 or 5 students might be struggling with. Upon the next station rotation, the next group of students might get an entirely different experience at the teacher-led station based on what their needs might be. With strategic grouping on the teacher’s part, this is a huge benefit to blended learning lessons.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: x-large;">For example, if a teacher gives a mini-assessment and realizes that students 1-4 need help with R.L.10.4 but students 5-8 need help with R.L.10.2, then the teacher can strategically group those students together. At the teacher-led station, he/she can have resources ready to help each rotating group based on the data the teacher received from an assessment.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: x-large;">A blended learning station could be a collaborative station. For example, if students have read an article, they can work together on a shared google doc to analyze the claims the author makes within the text. But a blended learning station could also be an independent station, where students could complete an online assessment or view a pre-selected <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks">TED Talk</a> video providing background knowledge for the current unit.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: x-large;">Truly, there is no right or wrong way to go about setting up blended learning stations. Stations can run from start to finish during one class period or can run the span of several days. Also, contrary to what many believe, stations do not need to happen daily. Many teachers I know opt to use them to introduce a new unit or at the culmination of a unit. That’s the beauty of blended learning–you make it work for you and your students. With that said, the important part of stations is the pre-work. Yes, it may be a lot of planning up front, but the benefit is a classroom full of engaged students. When a student has to be up and moving every 20 minutes or so, it’s much more difficult to sit in the back of the room and disengage.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: x-large;">Not One but TWO Digital Tech Tools to Help Facilitate Blended Learning</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: x-large;">Here are two free digital tools to try if you are interested in trying blended learning: <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #50524f; font-family: "museo_sans300"; letter-spacing: 0.1px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.1px;"> </span></span><a href="https://www.activelylearn.com/" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit; color: #25a56a; font-family: museo_sans300; letter-spacing: 0.1px;">Actively Learn</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #50524f; font-family: "museo_sans300"; letter-spacing: 0.1px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.1px;"> and </span></span><a href="https://edpuzzle.com/" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit; color: #25a56a; font-family: museo_sans300; letter-spacing: 0.1px;">EdPuzzle</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #50524f; font-family: "museo_sans300"; letter-spacing: 0.1px;">.</span></span></div>
<div style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">The Actively Learn site will let you upload an article that you want students to explore and then you can insert standards-aligned questions for students to answer as they read. Actively Learn also helps teach students annotation skills. EdPuzzle is a similar tool, but it uses videos. You can upload any YouTube or TED Talk clip and then break it up at strategic points by inserting multiple choice questions or discussion questions. In order to progress in the video, students must answer the question. Both of these tools are great to try out in blended learning because they allow you to get immediate feedback on how your students are understanding the video and/or article while allowing you to focus on the students at your teacher-led station.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<img src="https://achievethecore.org/aligned/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Actively-Learn.png" /></div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">I encourage you to give blended learning a try. Jump in with both feet and you and your students will fall in love with the process. Blended learning offers so much more than simply rotating around the room for students. It enables you to meet the needs of every one of your students with strategic planning for differentiation. Not only that but blended learning also allows you to cultivate those all-important teacher/student bonds from running your smaller teacher-led stations. And finally, it allows you to incorporate a tech element into your lessons, thereby increasing student engagement; another bonus is that, with only one tech station, you only need four laptops instead of a class set of 25! Grab a pen and some paper and start planning. Your students will thank you!</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-706988765094056653.post-42108810647322380502017-10-09T09:45:00.002-07:002017-10-09T09:45:40.365-07:00Pineapple Tidbits: Episode 1: a little of this and a little of that<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aYgDg1Qpahc/WdrC6yPydlI/AAAAAAAABuY/GFTevmy8hBU-AhZTwgF8tuhcOb9K2RB-gCLcBGAs/s1600/education%2Bcelebration%2Bblog%2Bimage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aYgDg1Qpahc/WdrC6yPydlI/AAAAAAAABuY/GFTevmy8hBU-AhZTwgF8tuhcOb9K2RB-gCLcBGAs/s1600/education%2Bcelebration%2Bblog%2Bimage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="788" height="324" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aYgDg1Qpahc/WdrC6yPydlI/AAAAAAAABuY/GFTevmy8hBU-AhZTwgF8tuhcOb9K2RB-gCLcBGAs/s640/education%2Bcelebration%2Bblog%2Bimage.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
-by Susan Hitt</div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">One of the <a href="https://educationcelebrationela.blogspot.com/2017/08/pineapple-potluck-your-invitation-to.html" target="_blank">reasons I started this blog</a> was to foster collaboration among fellow teachers by providing them a platform to share their successes in the classroom. Another reason I wanted to start this blog is that there is So.Much.Good.Stuff out there in the land of the Internet! Every time I check Twitter or my email I'm inundated by the latest and greatest TedTalks, YouTube videos, educational newsletters & blog posts all filled with tips and tricks for the classroom.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Don't get me wrong, having so much information at my fingertips is amazing. I remember those old card catalog days, laboriously sifting through hundreds of cards with tiny print which then sent me on a scavenger hunt around the library. Thankfully, now, with just a few keystrokes and a wifi connection, I can access with ease whatever topic for which I'm currently seeking more information. </span><br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">So welcome to a new series I hope to feature frequently: Pineapple Tidbits. A place for me to highlight some of the useful, inspiring, motivating, and interesting articles and videos I come across as I traverse the Internet aka the World Wide Web aka the virtual universe consisting of all that we might need to know and all that we never even <i>knew</i> we needed to know. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i>Easy desserts in a coffee mug? Yes, please! </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">I'm sure you know how easy it is to fall into the rabbit hole of a well-intentioned Google search. A quick search for a lesson on "Cask of Amontillado" turns into time spent looking at harrowing pictures of catacombs. That search sends you to YouTube where you watch a crew of spirit seekers search for restless souls. This somehow reminds you that your hall light is out and next thing you know instead of planning a lesson on "Cask of Amontillado" you're on Amazon buying light bulbs. Time is short my friends, and before we know it that well-intentioned Google search has ended with reading about a little of this and a little of that and buying that lightbulb to light the way. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Now, that's enough rambling. Let's focus back on Pineapple Tidbits. As I've mentioned on this blog before, Pineapples are the universal sign for welcome. But not only do they symbolize all readers are welcome here, let's face it: Pineapples are pretty darn tasty! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">So once a week or so I'll curate a small variety of articles and videos I think might be inspiring, motivating, surprising, & educating. It's easy to get overwhelmed with all the resources and information at our fingertips--hence resulting in falling down that aforementioned Google rabbit hole. So this is me, trying to help the readers of <i>Education Celebration</i> navigate through the educational garden called the Internet and find the tastiest tidbits. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0Qng4nmuXLg/WdrPPEyFQVI/AAAAAAAABvs/9iJit54UZMk9Mj_E7Qg10vrZQghvnU-dACLcBGAs/s1600/Pineapple%2BTidbits%2B%25281%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="657" data-original-width="689" height="381" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0Qng4nmuXLg/WdrPPEyFQVI/AAAAAAAABvs/9iJit54UZMk9Mj_E7Qg10vrZQghvnU-dACLcBGAs/s400/Pineapple%2BTidbits%2B%25281%2529.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: x-large;"><b>So without further ado, here are this week's Pineapple Tidbits: </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-size: x-large;">Love google drive, but have a hard time organizing it and finding certain files? Watch this quick four-minute clip filled from start to finish with tips and tricks to navigate and organize your Google drive. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br />
</span> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/zNkH908ETH4/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="400" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zNkH908ETH4?feature=player_embedded" width="600"></iframe></div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-size: x-large;"><br />
</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/undeserved-blame/" target="_blank">Dealing with Undeserved Blame</a>: Frustrated with being blamed for something that's not your fault? This article by Justin McCollum (featured on Jennifer Gonzolez's blog <i>Cult of Pedagogy</i>) features 6 great tips for when you're the focus of the "blame game."</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-size: x-large;">Breakout Boxes are all the rage right now. Though fun and engaging for students, it can be costly for the teacher to gather the needed boxes and locks. This teacher created an <a href="https://www.readitwriteitlearnit.com/single-post/2017/03/16/ELA-Escape-Room" target="_blank">ELA Escape Room</a> that began with the standards and ended with high student engagement--no expensive locks needed. #winwin</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-size: x-large;">We all know that in a successful ELA classroom, quick, intentional feedback is key. However, finding the time to make it happen can be tricky. Here's a combo blog post <b>and </b>video from author Catlin Tucker: <a href="http://catlintucker.com/2017/07/shortcuts-in-google-docs/" target="_blank">Faster Feedback: Create Editing Shortcuts in Google Docs </a></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Sj9wtXLIs-o/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="400" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Sj9wtXLIs-o?feature=player_embedded" width="600"></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">And finally, a little English teacher humor: (image via Twitter)</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--Tb-eEigzJw/WduklHabYGI/AAAAAAAABwM/LO6rAnHNXNomguJX8guYVAEBnXuG9ZjnQCLcBGAs/s1600/Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="744" data-original-width="675" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--Tb-eEigzJw/WduklHabYGI/AAAAAAAABwM/LO6rAnHNXNomguJX8guYVAEBnXuG9ZjnQCLcBGAs/s640/Capture.PNG" width="579" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br />
</span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-size: x-large;"><br />
</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-706988765094056653.post-2385928085512478482017-09-30T10:00:00.000-07:002017-09-30T05:24:38.999-07:00The Power of Paideia Part II: Paideia in Practice<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;">
-by Alex Schaivone, New Hanover High School</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uhSLxe4Mv98/Wc58AERPdhI/AAAAAAAABtk/RMcuCucYzYgCZb9foPAIr9ZJJ0d-aVPGACLcBGAs/s1600/education%2Bcelebration%2Bblog%2Bimage%2B%25283%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="788" height="324" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uhSLxe4Mv98/Wc58AERPdhI/AAAAAAAABtk/RMcuCucYzYgCZb9foPAIr9ZJJ0d-aVPGACLcBGAs/s640/education%2Bcelebration%2Bblog%2Bimage%2B%25283%2529.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Catch up with Part I of Alex's blog post here: (<a href="https://educationcelebrationela.blogspot.com/2017/09/the-power-of-paideia-part-i-im-believer.html" target="_blank">The Power of Paideia Part I: I'm a Believer</a>)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After a month of anxiously waiting to dive into my first Paideia seminar, I struggled to find a text that would do the process justice while also appealing to my students. I perused the Paideia Institute’s website (which is a fabulous resource if you’re just starting Paideia seminars for the first time), scouring the lesson plan archives for just the right seminar for my students. As a teacher of seniors, I knew that this lesson had to be good. It was the beginning of their last year of high school and I was determined to start the year off on the right foot.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"></span></b><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I searched and searched for the right text when I finally came across Alfred Lord Tennyson’s “Ulysses.” If you aren’t familiar with “Ulysses,” it is the perfect text for those about to embark on their next great adventure. With powerful lines like “Some work of noble note, may yet be done,” “Come, my friends,/'T is not too late to seek a newer world,” and “One equal temper of heroic hearts, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">/Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will/To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield,” I was confident that there was something special about this text that my seniors would be able to connect to. Even now, I am convinced that there isn’t a better poem to read at the beginning of the end of their high school careers. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b> </span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Prior to our first seminar, I had students read and annotate the full text of “Ulysses” for homework. In an ideal world, we would have been able to go through this process together, but limited time calls for flexibility. When students sat down in class on the day of our first seminar, I explained that while we have had discussions in class before, the Paideia seminar would be slightly different. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b> </span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While I was nervously anticipating a rocky start to implementing such a new type of discussion, the Paideia process is incredibly easy to follow. Utilizing the lesson plans provided online made the first seminar simple and stress-free. I was amazed by the level of depth and understanding students were conveying after only a few minutes of discussion. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b> </span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After reading “Ulysses” and following the Paideia format for discussion, my seniors were exploring poetry with more insight and depth than they had ever done before. While a simple annotation and traditional discussion would have allowed for minimal depth, my students were using textual evidence to discuss the speaker’s motivation, the relationship between poet and the work, and the intricacies of poetry. We were exploring themes of contentment and conflictedness, discussing intertextuality, and analyzing the modern cultural relevance of a work published nearly two centuries ago. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b> </span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At the end of the seminar, I asked students to rate the poem’s level of difficulty. Many students admitted that “Ulysses” was far above their comfort level; however, through the seminar process, they tackled a difficult text with confidence. I was officially a believer. If the Paideia process allowed students to tackle Tennyson with ease, I was convinced that there was nothing it couldn’t do. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b> </span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Since then, we have utilized Paideia seminars as an introduction to our study of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Great Gatsby</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, focusing on the essay “The Social Me” as a platform to discuss characterization and how the idea of personal identity relates to Fitzgerald’s novel. Over the next year, it is my goal to continue these seminars at least once a month. I couldn’t be more pleased with how approachable the process is and I am still blown away by the results it produces. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b> </span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you’re interested in trying out the “Ulysses” Paideia seminar, you can find the lesson plan here- </span><a href="https://www.paideia.org/lesson-plans/ulysses/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.paideia.org/lesson-plans/ulysses/</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><b>Have you tried Paideia Seminars with your classes? How did it go? We'd love for you to share in the comment section below! </b></i></span></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-706988765094056653.post-42625080994317530742017-09-24T11:57:00.000-07:002017-09-24T11:57:27.873-07:00The Power of Paideia Part I: I’m a Believer<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "cambria";"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">-by Alex Schaivone, New Hanover High School</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vme3whac3wY/WcQT0w28iCI/AAAAAAAABpo/j5w_tCI91qsn7RWvd3IDQr5q-rMjFdzXgCLcBGAs/s1600/education%2Bcelebration%2Bblog%2Bimage.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="788" height="323" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vme3whac3wY/WcQT0w28iCI/AAAAAAAABpo/j5w_tCI91qsn7RWvd3IDQr5q-rMjFdzXgCLcBGAs/s640/education%2Bcelebration%2Bblog%2Bimage.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "cambria";"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As an AP English teacher and a notorious chatterbox, I like to talk. A lot. I love the exchange of words and ideas and thrive off of debate and civil discourse. I could talk for hours, and I have been guilty of dominating conversations on more than one occasion. Since I was old enough to speak, my mother has always said that I could talk the paint off a wall. To put it simply, my life revolves around words. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"></b></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Considering my affinity for language, it only makes sense that I have come to rely on conversation as the driving force in my classroom. I prefer to use class discussions as the main mode of transportation to arrive at the “so what?” moments when analyzing writing and literature. I truly believe that conversation should be the foundation of any great English classroom, but unfortunately, this works better in theory than in practice.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b> </span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the past, I have tried to structure my classes in a manner that is conducive to interactions amongst peers. My students come into class every day and sit in a circle of desks, facing each other rather than staring at a whiteboard. They are instructed from day one that sitting silently is not an option. But somehow, our conversations always fell flat or turned from productive to chaotic in a matter of seconds. As a teacher, I struggled to maintain a balance between having a lively, energetic classroom full of students who can eloquently convey their thoughts and ideas and having a group of rowdy fast-talkers who could quickly become overzealous and carried away. For some reason, talking about weekend plans or television shows always seemed to be a bit more interesting to them than the poem or essay we were originally discussing. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b> </span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Although I was frustrated that I hadn’t truly found the perfect balance with class discussions, I consider myself to be quite the persistent person and wasn’t going to give up quite so easily. I was determined to find a solution to the organized chaos of class discussions. As fate would have it or maybe it was divine intervention, the solution I was searching for happened to fall right into my lap. Over the summer, I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to attend the</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Introduction to Paideia Seminar Institute </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">at UNC Wilmington. When asked to attend, I blindly agreed, having never actually heard of Paideia before. However, what started as a two-day conference with a few other teachers from my district turned into a powerhouse of conversation amongst teachers from all over the state. Almost immediately I had that “ah-ha moment” that, as a teacher, I have come to love seeing when something finally clicks for my students. This was what I was looking for. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><b>"However, what started as a two-day conference with a few other teachers from my district turned into a powerhouse of conversation amongst teachers from all over the state."</b></span></span></blockquote>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b> </span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Paideia Seminar is “an approach to Socratic seminar that is rooted in the Paideia method of education, which encourages active learning. A Paideia Seminar is a collaborative, intellectual dialogue facilitated with open-ended questions about a text.” It takes the idea of the traditional Socratic seminar a step further, encouraging student-driven discourse with hands-off teacher facilitation. The Paideia School prides itself on taking students beyond simple memorization and into a deeper level of thought, encouraging critical and creative thinking. While the structure of the typical Paideia seminar follows a rather formulaic approach to discussion, the result is both powerful and productive. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b> </span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">During the two-day workshop, teachers were encouraged to become students. The traditional workshop setting (a speaker, teachers frantically note-taking, minimal discussion, etc.) was quickly rearranged and we found ourselves working with one another, modeling the typical Paideia seminar and diving head first into discussions. While I was skeptical at first, believing that our participant-driven seminars were only successful because we were, in fact, teachers, I was still anxious to try out these ideas in my own classroom. I quickly pulled out my lesson planner and penciled in “Paideia Seminar #1” during my first week of school. If I was going to make the power of conversation work in my classroom, I wasn’t going to waste any time. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span> <span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i><b><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Stay tuned for Alex's follow-up blog post </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The Power of Paideia Part II: Paideia in Practice which will be shared next week. </span></b></i></span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-706988765094056653.post-50731606722070300392017-09-18T06:19:00.000-07:002017-09-18T06:20:05.563-07:005 Google Classroom Tips to Help You Work Smarter<span style="font-size: medium;">Delia is a High School English teacher at Hoggard High School. This post first appeared on her blog <a href="http://mshermanisrelatable.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">rELAtable</a>.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QJinPTUa3Bk/WbwobTZv1JI/AAAAAAAABpE/apJo4R3qklMQyUi30MDi4lKD2JB8F8YCgCLcBGAs/s1600/Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="788" height="324" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QJinPTUa3Bk/WbwobTZv1JI/AAAAAAAABpE/apJo4R3qklMQyUi30MDi4lKD2JB8F8YCgCLcBGAs/s640/Capture.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">When I first set up my Google Classroom, I wasn't sure how I would incorporate this new tech tool into my teaching repertoire. I am not a fan of using technology simply for the novelty of it, so I hesitated to use Google Classroom until I learned how it could help my students and me. Over the past school year, I was able to experiment with this blended learning platform, and I was always impressed by how it made my life easier and made learning more accessible for my students. Here are 5 things I learned:</span><br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><b>1. Assign work digitally</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">This sounds obvious, but it wasn't until this year that I realized Google Classroom provides a "Make a copy for each student" option for assignments. This means that you can upload any template, and Google will make a copy of the template so each individual in your class can complete the worksheet without having to make a copy themselves. Don't worry, there's no need to reinvent the wheel because teachers are sharing their templates online. <a href="http://ditchthattextbook.com/2015/02/19/15-free-google-drawings-graphic-organizers-and-how-to-make-your-own/">Click here for 15 free graphic organizers from Matt Miller's Ditch that Textbook.</a> (a few are shown below)</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gsB4ym6x8dA/WbwjUDPMowI/AAAAAAAABog/XJ3VlnnJB6QMvfdhpPu-7PZpskGLJZi_gCLcBGAs/s1600/Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="691" data-original-width="722" height="611" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gsB4ym6x8dA/WbwjUDPMowI/AAAAAAAABog/XJ3VlnnJB6QMvfdhpPu-7PZpskGLJZi_gCLcBGAs/s640/Capture.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><b>2. Facilitate an online discussion</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">With the "Create Question" feature, you can have students answer a question and respond to each other. I usually ask students to respectfully respond to a peer they disagree with to help build counterargument skills. As with all Google Classroom assignments, you can select certain students to answer the question. I like to break my students into smaller groups, so it's easier to follow threads. As an added bonus, students put forth more effort when they know their peers will be reading their work.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><b>3. Upload class notes</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">If you've written notes in class that you want your students to have access to, take a picture and upload it to Google Classroom. I'll do this if my students did an activity that required them to write on posters in groups. This works as a reference for all students but is especially helpful for students who missed class.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><b>4. Create a self-grading quiz with Google Forms</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Google Forms provides a quiz option that will grade results for you. Google Forms will provide basic data for you, but the Google Chrome add-on <a href="http://www.flubaroo.com/">Flubaroo</a> can provide more detailed statistics. Although helpful, Flubaroo is not necessary for grading Google Forms.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7MAuCqc75J4/WbwkUiU-aCI/AAAAAAAABos/6VYg95Ck9ykZ-SldVozFOjJc1BbC8mDQACLcBGAs/s1600/Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="277" data-original-width="440" height="251" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7MAuCqc75J4/WbwkUiU-aCI/AAAAAAAABos/6VYg95Ck9ykZ-SldVozFOjJc1BbC8mDQACLcBGAs/s400/Capture.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><b>5. Differentiate</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">When creating an assignment or asking a question, you can uncheck "All students" and individually check off the students you want to receive the assignment. That means you can upload different materials for different students, allowing you to differentiate appropriately. </span>-Delia Herman, Hoggard HS<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><b><i>What are your experiences with Google Classroom? Have you found this to be a useful classroom platform? Do you have a helpful tip to add or a helpful online resource for those starting out with Google Classroom? Please share in the comment section below! </i></b></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-706988765094056653.post-47033386250870072262017-09-11T05:53:00.001-07:002018-02-15T15:58:52.327-08:00Teaching: Beautifully Imperfect<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">-by Leslie Lucas, Hoggard HS</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tG1DkGv9PdA/WcQUhR74DgI/AAAAAAAABpw/Hu3F1jwUprgA4LOWEoiYn8ZOzt-Lap-1gCLcBGAs/s1600/capture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="788" height="324" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tG1DkGv9PdA/WcQUhR74DgI/AAAAAAAABpw/Hu3F1jwUprgA4LOWEoiYn8ZOzt-Lap-1gCLcBGAs/s640/capture.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the middle of July, it’s easy to imagine that we’ll be perfect teachers with perfect plans. Our students will be perfect students with perfect attitudes. They’ll have zest, grit, and growth mindsets. And to top it off, we’ll be able to make as many copies as we want. I call it July bliss. The July bliss before the August abyss. The calm before the storm.Literally. </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-3a53e71d-6282-c020-3d3c-ee485923216b" style="font-weight: normal;"></b></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And, if we’re wise, we know before the end of the first day back to school that we aren’t perfect, our kids aren’t perfect, and even though we don’t have unlimited copies, we have enough...most of the time. Most importantly, we and our students are enough. </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b> </span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And if we’re foolish, we continue to strive for perfection and end up perfectly discontent. Author Anne Lamott claims, “Perfection is shallow, unreal, and fatally uninteresting.” My worst teaching days have been when I expected perfection from my students and me. </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b> </span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Those summer composed plans do have value if they are designed to contour to the students’ needs, but in the middle of July, I didn't know Michael’s needs. I didn't know he’d be sixteen years old with an elementary school reading level. I didn't know he'd be disruptive starting day one. I went through the motions with the warnings, phone calls home (two in the first week), the documentation I knew I would need on his third strike. We didn’t even make it to the end of the first week before I was ready to call him out. </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b> </span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thank goodness for three day weekends. </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b> </span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The weekend gave me time to realize that I was insecure about my ability to teach him. I also learned that Michael is a Kobe Bryant fan. So tomorrow is a Kobe Bryant day in honor of Michael. They’ll watch a clip of Bryant’s last three minutes of playtime, then they’ll see another side to him as they <a href="http://www.sportsnet.ca/basketball/nba/kobe-bryant-performs-dear-basketball-composer-john-williams/" target="_blank">listen to Bryant perform his retirement poem</a> and watch the animated film to the tune of an orchestra conducted by John Williams. </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b> </span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m hoping Michael will be game to seeing another side of himself, too. Striving for perfection would never have allowed me to extend grace to Michael and to myself for being so imperfect. </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b> </span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I gravitate now to the resources that value the imperfection and mistakes that lead to remarkable writings and projects. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rethinking Rubrics in Writing Assessment </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">by Maja Wilson challenges the necessity to provide rubrics to those students who are so grade-driven. Their need to complete the task and land in the right rubric box can supersede taking the risks that lead to deeper learning. The rubric driven writers miss the kind of writing Flannery O’Connor applauds. O’Connor describes her purpose for writing this way: “I write because I don’t know what I think until I read what I say.” Students are anxious when I ask them to write with a pen instead of a pencil. They want to erase mistakes. I want them to be secure enough to make mistakes. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UvIGtcqRAlM/WbLYMoruOCI/AAAAAAAABnI/HtzofFxS7FYaQCBSHb2_r-lghMzF-Yk7wCLcBGAs/s1600/Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="254" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UvIGtcqRAlM/WbLYMoruOCI/AAAAAAAABnI/HtzofFxS7FYaQCBSHb2_r-lghMzF-Yk7wCLcBGAs/s320/Capture.PNG" width="211" /></span></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b> </span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Other books that promote the “epic failures” that lead to growth include </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Launch </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Empower, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">co-authored by John Spencer and A.J.’s Juliani, the gurus of inquiry projects. Inquiry projects can get a bad rap because of those teachers who partially launch them. I know because I’ve been one of those teachers, a partial launcher who has empowered </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">some </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">of the kids </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">some </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">of the time. Stands to reason then that I’ve loved teaching </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">some</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> days more than others. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sGKypO1VsDA/WbLYfFVxdMI/AAAAAAAABnM/oxE0FrM94So-xlsO8_35ZSx4oh3YdBrDwCLcBGAs/s1600/empower.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="223" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sGKypO1VsDA/WbLYfFVxdMI/AAAAAAAABnM/oxE0FrM94So-xlsO8_35ZSx4oh3YdBrDwCLcBGAs/s320/empower.PNG" width="209" /></a><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mfGBchlq9s0/WbLYfOVenoI/AAAAAAAABnQ/hJHRJQIeKrgcEPu2Cn-y_1IZwePJgRyZwCLcBGAs/s1600/launch.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="230" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mfGBchlq9s0/WbLYfOVenoI/AAAAAAAABnQ/hJHRJQIeKrgcEPu2Cn-y_1IZwePJgRyZwCLcBGAs/s320/launch.PNG" width="215" /></a></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But this year I aim to love teaching all days. I will purposefully empower my students and get the heck out of their way. My students and I will make a lot of mistakes, but I choose grace over perfection.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-706988765094056653.post-55244500061509833732017-09-05T09:12:00.000-07:002017-09-21T15:29:09.731-07:00Setting S.M.A.R.T. Goals as an Educator<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">This post originally appeared on <a href="http://achievethecore.org/aligned/setting-s-m-a-r-t-goals-as-an-educator/" target="_blank">Aligned</a> on August 11, 2017, by Susan Hitt</span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_4LOo0Yq6MY/WcQ9G5PA62I/AAAAAAAABqM/nGPaKP7TpAQVWMiHeDQ0uIaouYtDoyYsACLcBGAs/s1600/education%2Bcelebration%2Bblog%2Bimage%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="788" height="324" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_4LOo0Yq6MY/WcQ9G5PA62I/AAAAAAAABqM/nGPaKP7TpAQVWMiHeDQ0uIaouYtDoyYsACLcBGAs/s640/education%2Bcelebration%2Bblog%2Bimage%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Every August, as the summer days wind down and the school year approaches, I find myself reflecting on the previous year as I make plans for the new school year. What went well that I’d like to maintain? Or, perhaps even more importantly, what would I like to improve upon?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-size: large;">Just being aware of the goals we want to achieve isn’t the same thing as making those goals happen, however. I’ve learned that the act of putting my goals down on paper for the new school year really helps me stay focused. But what’s the best way to do this? Year after year, I tried different goal-setting methods, but I found it always seemed to be like those New Years’ resolutions: Such a great idea in January, but long forgotten by February.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">So how could I map out my goals in August and stick with them month after month, no matter how busy my day-to-day schedule might be? After doing some research, I came across the S.M.A.R.T. goal format. While this goal-setting approach is most often used by those in the corporate world, with a few tweaks here and there, they can easily become the educator’s new best friend.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-size: large;">Have you heard of the S.M.A.R.T. goal format? Here’s a quick breakdown:</span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QJLHKgD_4to/WZMvG9u9qJI/AAAAAAAABlE/nI7fBzDmufYDDn7qhn_ix02_PM4Jb5kowCLcBGAs/s1600/Blog%2Bvisual%2Bfor%2Bgoal%2Bsetting%2B%25281%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QJLHKgD_4to/WZMvG9u9qJI/AAAAAAAABlE/nI7fBzDmufYDDn7qhn_ix02_PM4Jb5kowCLcBGAs/s640/Blog%2Bvisual%2Bfor%2Bgoal%2Bsetting%2B%25281%2529.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<span id="goog_284485428"></span><span id="goog_284485429"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Now, for those of you, who, like me, learn better from examples, here’s one of my own S.M.A.R.T. goals for this new school year, which revolves around the following:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">Strengthening My Professional Learning Network (PLN)</span></b></div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="color: #274e13;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">S</span></u><span style="font-size: large;">pecific</span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;">: To extend my professional learning network. Why? Having a collaborative network of educators to engage with, both face-to-face and </span><span class="" style="font-size: large;">virtually</span>,<span style="font-size: large;"> is pivotal to continuing my own learning as an educator. Talking with my peers or on an online forum about the best way to implement a certain standard or a creative way to engage students with a piece of text is much more enjoyable than insisting on working solo.</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><u>M</u></span><span style="font-size: large;">easurable</span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;">: I will participate in at least two Twitter chats a month (one being the monthly #CoreAdvocates chat), find and follow one new educational blog each month, participate in one book study (whether virtually or face-to-face) each semester, and join and engage with Google+ communities.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">A</span></u><span style="font-size: large;">chievable</span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;">: To achieve this goal, I need to do several things. I need to schedule the time on my calendar for Twitter chats so I don’t forget to participate. I also need to research how to use Google+ communities as this online PLN is relatively new to me.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">R</span></u><span style="font-size: large;">elevant</span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;">: One of our district’s goals is to promote lifelong learning. By extending my own professional learning network, I’m embracing the district goal by making it a personal goal. Daily, I’m able to glean helpful suggestions and ideas from my PLN whether it’s on Twitter, Facebook, or by chatting with my colleague across the hall about her new lesson she’s working on.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">T</span></u><span style="font-size: large;">imeline</span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;">: August 2017—June 2018</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-size: large;">When I sit down to create my goals year after year, I always keep my teaching standards in mind. At the end of the day, my job is to support student learning. Because of this, it’s important for me to ensure my own personal classroom goals align with what’s best for my students. So while expanding my PLN might not necessarily seem as though it’s focusing on the standards I need to teach, in reality, the two are very much aligned. When I have a problem, it’s my PLN who can help me. If I’m struggling with finding an engaging text to teach a reading literature standard, I can tweet out a request for help or I can walk down the hall and ask a team member. It’s important to me that we all remember we’re in this together. Our job is to not just to support our students as they continue their learning from year to year, but to support our peers in their learning venture as well. Without my PLN, I might have never discovered my best lessons. And that is why I’m focusing this year on expanding my PLN. I refuse to stop learning, because if I do, not only do I suffer but so do my students.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-size: large;">You may be thinking that creating a S.M.A.R.T. goal is time-intensive. Why go to all that trouble? The answer: while it’s easy to just verbalize a goal with your colleagues or to jot out a goal on a post-it note, eventually you and your colleagues will get bogged down with the day-to-day tasks in the classroom and forget about your goal. The post-it note will get covered up with other post-it notes. This is why I utilize the S.M.A.R.T. format because identifying not just a goal but creating an in-depth plan of action to achieve that goal is what makes S.M.A.R.T. goals work. While I often have to grapple with identifying all the pieces to my S.M.A.R.T. goals, I find that, because of that productive struggle, I’m much more vested in seeing my goal through to the end. Unlike those New Year’s goals that are long forgotten by February, I’m much more likely to find success with my classroom goals now.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-size: large;">So, I ask you, what’s your S.M.A.R.T. goal going to be this year? Find a pencil, pour a cup of coffee, and get started with goal-setting using <b><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxbXacTNWEWmSU1POVduQ2JnTVU/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">this S.M.A.R.T. goal template</a>.</b> I encourage you to tweet your S.M.A.R.T. goal to me using my Twitter handle <span style="color: #274e13;"><b>@susanhitt</b></span> and/or include it in the comment section below so we can work as a community to support each other in our ventures. </span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-706988765094056653.post-52627106611509818052017-08-21T06:18:00.000-07:002017-09-22T05:58:28.656-07:00Pineapple Potluck: Your Invitation to the Table<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">-Susan Hitt</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vZCWONO2LtE/WcUI6wuJFmI/AAAAAAAABqo/ePBWkv5o_pgRNS_I2NlR4YWRcAKk9qeGwCLcBGAs/s1600/capture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="788" height="324" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vZCWONO2LtE/WcUI6wuJFmI/AAAAAAAABqo/ePBWkv5o_pgRNS_I2NlR4YWRcAKk9qeGwCLcBGAs/s640/capture.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">Last February when I first decided to create this blog, I spent much longer than I’d rather admit trying to come up with the perfect name. My favorite contender was Pineapple Potluck, but I found over and over I had to explain the name to people. I couldn’t have a blog with a name no one understood, so back to the drawing board I went and finally landed on Education Celebration. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE the name Education Celebration because to me it symbolizes all that I want this blog to be--a place to celebrate all that you as educators are doing in your classrooms. </span></span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-9e41202c-b93a-015c-c9b5-0eb20270ec9b" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></b><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">But Pineapple Potluck. I just can’t seem to move on from that. Have you figured it out yet? The meaning behind it? If you haven’t, let me explain. You see, pineapples are the universal symbol for welcoming people. And if you’ve ever been to a potluck dinner, you know it’s where all invited bring something different to the table, and generally what they choose to bring is their best dish to showcase their cooking talent. A dish for which everyone begs for the recipe. That secret ingredient.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PEJGerdqhGo/WYd_bM0xHCI/AAAAAAAABkM/O3p0qqPJ58g30unxVj43pWUl1XRLzmZwACLcBGAs/s1600/recipe%2Bcard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="653" data-original-width="943" height="276" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PEJGerdqhGo/WYd_bM0xHCI/AAAAAAAABkM/O3p0qqPJ58g30unxVj43pWUl1XRLzmZwACLcBGAs/s400/recipe%2Bcard.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">So in my mind, Pineapple Potluck summed up the perfect feeling for what I wanted this blog to offer. A welcoming platform for teachers to showcase their very best lessons, ideas, practices, etc. Their secret recipes for others to try in their own classrooms. </span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">As the school year kicks off, I encourage you to identify your best practices, that dish you’d showcase at a potluck, and share it. Share it with your grade level cluster, with your department, your school, and, yes, I’d love for you to reach out and share it on this blog. Even if you aren’t willing to share here-- yet-- I encourage you to subscribe to this blog. Each week will feature a new post from a different colleague of yours throughout the district. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">And while this blog may always be known as Education Celebration, in my heart, it’ll be Pineapple Potluck. <span style="color: #38761d;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">So consider this your official invitation to join us at the potluck table weekly, to gather and share ideas and inspiration. I also invite you to think of the blog’s comment section as your dinner table dialogue with the host. Come, engage, and spread the invitation to all who might want to join! </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">Do you have an idea for a blog post? Please contact Susan Hitt. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vDKPO3Ubq0E/WYeAmFwDGtI/AAAAAAAABkY/-tX4ExHW41kIJOLlDBswt5xGkfURKi9ywCLcBGAs/s1600/pienapples.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="713" data-original-width="891" height="256" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vDKPO3Ubq0E/WYeAmFwDGtI/AAAAAAAABkY/-tX4ExHW41kIJOLlDBswt5xGkfURKi9ywCLcBGAs/s320/pienapples.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-706988765094056653.post-24810111540275901412017-05-30T11:28:00.000-07:002017-09-23T05:30:50.399-07:00Summer Reading: For Fun! (last post until August)<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">-by Susan Hitt</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HjReMNanT84/WcZT7pHvNmI/AAAAAAAABrI/PBfkwxtyA_48CCnv5_mgkrKPWHsTjtkiwCLcBGAs/s1600/education%2Bcelebration%2Bblog%2Bimage.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="788" height="324" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HjReMNanT84/WcZT7pHvNmI/AAAAAAAABrI/PBfkwxtyA_48CCnv5_mgkrKPWHsTjtkiwCLcBGAs/s640/education%2Bcelebration%2Bblog%2Bimage.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">With summer vacation just around the bend, I thought it would be the perfect time for us all to share some great summer reads! I created the Padlet below and would LOVE for you to add either a book or two you're planning on reading or a book or two that you've read and would recommend to others. Check back frequently to see what pieces have been added--whether it be a mystery, a memoir, a romance, a western, historical fiction, the skies the limit! Plus, podcasts are a welcome addition, too, for anyone gearing up for long road trips! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;">In addition to our shared Padlet of ideas, I wanted to share my favorite blog for finding great reading inspiration. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">If you've not checked out the blog <a href="http://modernmrsdarcy.com/" target="_blank">Modern Mrs. Darcy</a>, you really should! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3c03gkUoDxs/WPZdizD9cCI/AAAAAAAABFs/bYSIdZDJhJgOKf_7jqhvCLSepIXhqh5vwCLcB/s1600/Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3c03gkUoDxs/WPZdizD9cCI/AAAAAAAABFs/bYSIdZDJhJgOKf_7jqhvCLSepIXhqh5vwCLcB/s640/Capture.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Each summer she curates the perfect summer reading list, with several categories each filled with her top choices. Some books are new releases but others are "oldie goldies" so you can usually find some at your local library for free if you don't want to pay for a new release.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Her <a href="http://modernmrsdarcy.com/summer-reading-guide-2017/" target="_blank">2017 release</a> has lots of goodies, but also check out her other Summer Reading Guides for tons of some summer reading inspiration:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Modern Mrs. Darcy's Summer Reading Guides for </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> <a href="http://modernmrsdarcy.com/2016-summer-reading-guide-landing/" target="_blank">2016</a>, <a href="http://modernmrsdarcy.com/2015-summer-reading-guide/" target="_blank">2015</a>, <a href="http://modernmrsdarcy.com/2014-summer-reading-guide/" target="_blank">2014</a>, <a href="http://modernmrsdarcy.com/2013-ultimate-beach-reading/" target="_blank">2013</a>, <a href="http://modernmrsdarcy.com/2012-ultimate-beach-reading/" target="_blank">2012</a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">The blog will take a summer hiatus but will be back in full swing in late August. Hope to "see" you back here then and in the meantime, HAPPY READING!!!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Here's our collaborative Padlet. I've added some of my choices, and I'd love to see what you add, too! If you're intrigued by Padlet and want to know how you can use it in your classroom, check out this post by Brenna Sheehan which appeared earlier this year on the blog: <a href="http://educationcelebrationela.blogspot.com/2017/05/padlet-must-try-digital-tool-for-your.html" target="_blank">Padlet: A Must-try Digital Tool for Your Classroom</a></span><br />
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="padlet-embed" style="background: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 2px; border: 1px solid rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.1); box-sizing: border-box; overflow: hidden; position: relative; width: 100%;">
<div style="margin: 0; padding: 0;">
<iframe frameborder="0" src="https://padlet.com/embed/6ggkqnsf66fz" style="display: block; height: 608px; width: 100%;"></iframe></div>
<div style="margin: 0; padding: 8px; text-align: right;">
<a href="https://padlet.com/?ref=embed" style="border: none; display: block; height: 16px; line-height: 1; margin: 0; padding: 0;" target="_blank"><img alt="Made with Padlet" height="16" src="https://resources.padletcdn.com/assets/made_with_padlet.png" style="background: none; border: none; display: inline; margin: 0; padding: 0;" width="86" /></a><a href="https://padlet.com/?ref=embed" style="border: none; display: block; height: 16px; line-height: 1; margin: 0; padding: 0;" target="_blank"><br /></a><a href="https://padlet.com/?ref=embed" style="border: none; display: block; height: 16px; line-height: 1; margin: 0; padding: 0;" target="_blank"><br /></a></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-706988765094056653.post-89268937934824367672017-05-22T07:37:00.002-07:002017-09-23T06:13:32.339-07:003 Key Takeaways from the Core Advocates National Convening <div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">-by Susan Hitt</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5vf38SnsV2I/WcZd8b7mVCI/AAAAAAAABtE/SuzbydrS2Cs-CKwKBpoyIRrYi8mTyfM2gCLcBGAs/s1600/education%2Bcelebration%2Bblog%2Bimage%2B%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="788" height="324" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5vf38SnsV2I/WcZd8b7mVCI/AAAAAAAABtE/SuzbydrS2Cs-CKwKBpoyIRrYi8mTyfM2gCLcBGAs/s640/education%2Bcelebration%2Bblog%2Bimage%2B%25284%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">No one understands the life of a teacher better than another teacher. This knowledge helps form instant bonds between near strangers when opportunities to meet and discuss our profession arise--like at conferences. </span><span style="font-size: large;">I had this opportunity just a few short weeks ago at the National Core Advocates convening in Denver, Colorado. It was an incredible weekend of learning and networking.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><span style="font-size: large;">For me, after attending any educational conference, I return to work excited to share with anyone and everyone all the helpful tips, tricks, and tools I learned. It was hard to pick just three from my most recent conference, but I narrowed it down to the following as my favorite, most impactful sessions:</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #274e13;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">1.) Mini-Assessments from AchievetheCore.org (</span><span style="font-size: large;">presented by Jenni Aberli and Rob Woodworth)</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-size: large;">First, these mini-assessments are amazing! They are aligned to the standards, are based on texts you probably </span><span style="font-size: large;">are</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">already using in your classroom, and even come with built-in rubrics to make grading even easier and more streamlined. Take a quick look at sample one dealing with <a href="http://achievethecore.org/page/938/pride-and-prejudice-by-jane-austen-mini-assessment" target="_blank">Pride and Prejudice</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7i4qM9bhoUE/WSHFBV8vaHI/AAAAAAAABLw/k0Ey_BtyaPMnYFhcqwMnPrTbnGFm5RwJQCLcB/s1600/Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="393" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7i4qM9bhoUE/WSHFBV8vaHI/AAAAAAAABLw/k0Ey_BtyaPMnYFhcqwMnPrTbnGFm5RwJQCLcB/s640/Capture.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">A few things to consider about the mini-assessments:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: large;">•Some mini-assessments are attached to a sample lesson on</span><span style="font-size: large;"> Achieve the Core. In these cases, teachers can conduct the lesson and then use the mini-assessment as a culminating activity (in conjunction with the writing prompt from the sample lesson). </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: large;">•Other mini-assessments stand alone and are not associated with a related sample lesson.</span></blockquote>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;">This video illustrates how to find and filter Achieve the Core's mini-assessments to use in your classroom. And it's FREE! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/njqysaOrNS4/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="399" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/njqysaOrNS4?feature=player_embedded" width="480"></iframe></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><b><br />
</b></span> <span style="color: #274e13; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">2.) Tweet, Tweet, goes the Twitter Bird! </span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-size: large;">Another session I attended had one of our district's very own members as a co-presenter, Andrea Raines! If you don't recognize the name, Andrea works with the beginning teachers in New Hanover County Public Schools and is phenomenal at her job! Andrea and the other presenters (Jeff Crayton and Claire Rivero) evaluated and discussed just how impactful twitter can be as an educational tool for teachers. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-size: large;"><i>Why is social media important for teachers</i>, you might wonder? Just take a quick minute to watch the <a href="https://www.betfy.co.uk/internet-realtime/" target="_blank">Internet in Real Time</a> and you'll see why. Fascinating, right? In fact, leave that window open while you finish reading this blog post and then check back to see how quickly the stats have changed.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QSWbCmXM1UQ/WSHeVW0WlEI/AAAAAAAABNU/iDqNRlw6HxoHx8FCSqIg_B1mEa0UIKEzwCLcB/s1600/Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QSWbCmXM1UQ/WSHeVW0WlEI/AAAAAAAABNU/iDqNRlw6HxoHx8FCSqIg_B1mEa0UIKEzwCLcB/s640/Capture.PNG" width="468" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><span style="font-size: large;">Let me stress that we can and should rely on our co-workers across the hall for help. Those relationships are essential to cultivating a happy and healthy school culture. But why not ALSO tap into the world of social media, in addition to those face-to-face relationships. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-size: large;">I know that we, as educators, are hesitant to jump on the Twitter bandwagon. In fact, while I'm now a huge advocate for Twitter and all it has to offer for educators, I used to be just as big of a nay-sayer. <i>Who needs that</i>, I thought? <i>It's just for celebrity gossip</i>. Well, I'll be the first to admit that I thought wrong. It turns out I did need Twitter. And no, it's not just for celebrity gossip. 😊</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">Why should you embrace social media as an instructional tool? It allows for:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">Sharing ideas</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">Partnering with other schools</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">Gaining information</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">Developing as educators</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">Networking worldwide with other educators</span></li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-size: large;">Achieve the Core has an impressive twitter presence. I encourage you to check them out at<span style="color: #274e13;"><b> @achievethecore </b></span>and <span style="color: #274e13;"><b>#coreadvocates</b></span>. They're constantly updating educational materials on their site and subsequently sharing them via twitter. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Want to learn more about Twitter for teachers? I'll be devoting an entire blog post focusing on this topic soon! Yes, Twitter deserves a blog post all to itself. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><b>3.) Blogging for Educators</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><b><br />
</b></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Considering I'm relatively new to this whole blogging thing, this session, Blogging for Instructional Advocacy<b> </b></span><span style="font-size: large;">(presented by Bryan Drost, Sarah Galasso, Bob Janes, Claire Rivero, & Marni Greenstein) </span><span style="font-size: large;">was one I was probably the most excited to attend. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-size: large;">If you're thinking of starting your own educational blog, I walked away with some very helpful tips that I thought I'd share.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-size: large;">First, it's important to know why people read blogs:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4zXLNVNaYns/WSHYVl8uLlI/AAAAAAAABMM/64VL9UF1yCgaQL1rhMgvDZYkf_FFemNrQCLcB/s1600/Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="481" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4zXLNVNaYns/WSHYVl8uLlI/AAAAAAAABMM/64VL9UF1yCgaQL1rhMgvDZYkf_FFemNrQCLcB/s640/Capture.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Then it's important to remember these Best Practices for Blog Posts:</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h_IJdMjjWp0/WSHYm726luI/AAAAAAAABMQ/JMneg7pPXO4OMAZ9xv5MHWpfPHvqniEWQCLcB/s1600/Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="481" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h_IJdMjjWp0/WSHYm726luI/AAAAAAAABMQ/JMneg7pPXO4OMAZ9xv5MHWpfPHvqniEWQCLcB/s640/Capture.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-size: large;">We also learned these tips on how to decide what to write about:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VXK1BzyvBqI/WSHZ9jJPYWI/AAAAAAAABMc/cuK8H-ZduJQ_G85qrJB_nnZuT9qYMWzHACLcB/s1600/Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="475" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VXK1BzyvBqI/WSHZ9jJPYWI/AAAAAAAABMc/cuK8H-ZduJQ_G85qrJB_nnZuT9qYMWzHACLcB/s640/Capture.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-size: large;">Finally, I thought I'd share with you Achieve the Core's blog: <i><a href="http://achievethecore.org/aligned/" target="_blank">Aligned</a></i>. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-size: large;">Here are a few posts I thought you might enjoy. </span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="http://achievethecore.org/aligned/limiting-teacher-talk-increasing-student-work/" style="font-size: x-large;" target="_blank">Limiting "Teacher Talk," Increasing Student Work</a> </blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="http://achievethecore.org/aligned/five-places-for-trusted-resource-recommendations/" style="font-size: x-large;" target="_blank">Five Places for Trusted Resource Recommendations</a> </blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="http://achievethecore.org/aligned/four-apps-to-redefine-your-language-arts-curriculum/" style="font-size: x-large;" target="_blank">Four APPS to Redefine Your Language Arts Curriculum</a></blockquote>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-size: large;">If you have an educational blog, I'd love for you to share it in the comment section below! Or if you have a favorite blog you go to week after week for ideas and inspiration, please share that, too. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<b style="color: #274e13; font-size: x-large;">Psssttt: Now, take a look at that tab you left open showing the Internet in Real Time. Amazing, right?!</b><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><b><br />
</b></span> <br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">-Susan Hitt</span></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-706988765094056653.post-57500165183590350642017-05-15T05:56:00.000-07:002017-09-23T05:34:21.191-07:00Musings from a First-Year Teacher<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<div style="text-align: right;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: x-small; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Today's post is written by Alex Schaivone, an English teacher at New Hanover High School. To learn more about Alex, check out the section entitled Educational Contributors. </i></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P-3oF7-Uoy8/WcZUs8K6E_I/AAAAAAAABrQ/Vn3-n6AR4no9TQt7Zsqw1-J1uN8al2rsQCLcBGAs/s1600/education%2Bcelebration%2Bblog%2Bimage%2B%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="788" height="324" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P-3oF7-Uoy8/WcZUs8K6E_I/AAAAAAAABrQ/Vn3-n6AR4no9TQt7Zsqw1-J1uN8al2rsQCLcBGAs/s640/education%2Bcelebration%2Bblog%2Bimage%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">During my internship, I was blessed with a wonderful partnership teacher who taught me more about teaching than I could possibly learn in any education class. In that year, I learned how to teach my content, but I also learned much more. In the first few months of my internship, my partnership teacher passed along a wonderful essay from the blog </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Cult of Pedagogy</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/marigolds/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Find Your Marigold: The One Essential Rule for New Teachers.”</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> This essay centers around the need for new teachers to find their marigolds, or those teachers who are “encouraging, supporting and nurturing growing teachers on their way to maturity.” It warns of walnut trees, those who may have become bitter or hardened over the course of their careers, and instead encourages young teachers to seek out those who provide support and positivity. The ideas presented in this essay have stayed with me through this year and have proven to be both true and incredibly valuable. </span></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">This year, I have encountered both marigolds and walnut trees. I have learned a great deal about teaching, and almost as much about simply being a good person. In fact, some of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned weren’t related to teaching English at all but somehow made me a better English teacher. Here are a few pieces of knowledge that I’ve gained this year that will endure far beyond the last day of school.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</b> </span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #38761d; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Don’t judge a book by its cover.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This may seem quite apropos as an English teacher, but it resonates with me far beyond the literal idea of books and their respective covers. Coming into the school where I completed my internship, I had formulated quite a few preconceived notions about the students, other teachers, and the school community based on the opinions of others. Despite this, I tried my best to approach this year with an open mind and was pleased to find out that most of these notions were actually huge misconceptions. In fact, many of those “bratty students” have turned out to be some of the most wonderful people in the world and have impacted my life tremendously.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</b> </span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #38761d; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It’s okay to be human.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I learned very quickly that you will become emotionally invested in your students. Laugh with them, maybe even cry with them, and always celebrate their successes. Embrace the highs and the lows equally. </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</b> </span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #38761d; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Never underestimate the power of a compliment.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One of my favorite moments from this year came in a phone call with a parent. While discussing her student, the mother let me know that every time I compliment her daughter in some way-- maybe it’s about her cute shoes that day or perhaps it is an “I’m so proud of you!” after a presentation- she comes home excited and eager to tell her. It was in that moment that I realized the power of something so small. </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</b> </span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #38761d; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You can’t pour from an empty cup.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I will be the first to admit that I once was a self-care skeptic. I rolled my eyes through the required self-care class I took in graduate school, thinking I had much more important things (like lesson planning and grading) to do than take time for myself. I didn’t think that those things could wait, but this year has taught me otherwise. My “me time” has become just as important to me as my work because, at the end of the day, you really can’t pour from an empty cup. I hit a point this year where I realized that if I am drained- physically, mentally, or emotionally- I am no good to my students. You have to fill your own cup first.</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: "arial"; font-size: x-large; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"My 'me time' has become just as important to me as my work because, at the end of the day, you really can’t pour from an empty cup."</span></div>
</blockquote>
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">Find your tribe.</span></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have often heard other teachers talking about “finding their tribe,” but I never truly understood how important this is. I couldn’t have survived this year without having a tribe of my own. Surround yourself with colleagues who care about you and support you. Find people who laugh with you on good days and make you laugh on bad days. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Looking back on this first year, I would certainly be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to say thank you-- thank you to the mentors, the friends, and the colleagues, the ones who answered countless questions (some of which probably were quite silly looking back), the ones who were there to talk (and vent) after a long day in the classroom or a lesson that didn’t quite go as planned, and the ones who have reminded me day in and day out that yes, being a teacher is hard, but worth it.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</b> </span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To the veteran teachers who have taken newbies like myself under your wings, continue to seek out opportunities to help nurture and guide those who are just beginning. Continue to be patient, open, and honest with us. And most importantly, continue to be the teachers, mentors, and friends that you once needed as a first-year teacher. Even when it’s easy to become a walnut tree, continue to be the marigold.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</b> </span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To the brand new teachers, those who have just turned those tassels and are ready to embark on your next great adventure, embrace your first year of teaching with open arms. You will feel overwhelmed at times, but you, too, will survive. You will learn to love and laugh more than you thought possible. You will bend until you feel like breaking, but your own resiliency will amaze you. And when all else fails, have confidence in knowing that even on your worst days, you are still important, valuable, and perhaps even some child’s best hope. As you enter your building for the first time (and continue to walk through those doors for the next 184 days), seek out those marigolds. Let them instill in you love, passion, and a zest for teaching. Those marigolds will get you through the next year when every textbook fails.</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">"And when all else fails, have confidence in knowing that even on your worst days, you are still important, valuable, and perhaps even some child’s best hope. "</span></span></blockquote>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And lastly, to my fellow</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> first-year teachers</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> almost second-year teachers, we survived! Whether it was a good year or a bad year, your first year has almost come to a close. It’s time to relinquish that “first-year teacher” title and pass it on to someone new. It’s now your turn to be someone else’s marigold. Continue to carry with you the lessons you have learned over the course of this year and never stop finding new reasons to love your craft and your students. -Alex Schaivone, NHHS</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>What advice do you have for first-year teachers? I'd love for you to share in the comment section below. </i></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><br />
</i></span></span> <span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Also, if you'd like to read the article mentioned by Alex, check it out here: </i></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><a href="https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/marigolds/" target="_blank">https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/marigolds/ </a></i></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span></span> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2qg_8Ho4ypE/WPjuB3ap75I/AAAAAAAABGg/Mqk0ztFQ-mEHG9vAxxgkr7FIZgf60r-bgCLcB/s1600/Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2qg_8Ho4ypE/WPjuB3ap75I/AAAAAAAABGg/Mqk0ztFQ-mEHG9vAxxgkr7FIZgf60r-bgCLcB/s200/Capture.PNG" width="133" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><br />
</i></span></span> <span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><br />
</i></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-706988765094056653.post-41164877607850176462017-05-08T11:38:00.000-07:002017-09-23T06:09:02.297-07:00Padlet: A Must-Try Digital Tool for Your Classroom<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">Brenna Sheehan, Laney HS</span></span></i></div>
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gEaInFzw-6Y/WcZc0ocKFgI/AAAAAAAABs4/rmNZflDn-wkKsoV_BDrDoIJK13PJFFuGACLcBGAs/s1600/education%2Bcelebration%2Bblog%2Bimage%2B%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="788" height="324" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gEaInFzw-6Y/WcZc0ocKFgI/AAAAAAAABs4/rmNZflDn-wkKsoV_BDrDoIJK13PJFFuGACLcBGAs/s640/education%2Bcelebration%2Bblog%2Bimage%2B%25283%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Padlet is a digital canvas to create beautiful projects that are easy to share and collaborate. It acts like a virtual pinboard in which students can post video clips, photos, links, comments, etc. This awesome digital tool is not just for students to use! I’ve used it to create an introduction to </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Kite Runner</span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;"> that serves as the base of a webquest </span>(scroll down to see this Padlet)<span style="font-size: large;">. You can also create a group Padlet for several people to collaborate. This would work really well on a group project or simply serve as an inspirational pinboard for your class. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">As a culminating assignment for an independent reading novel, I assigned my students with the task of creating a Padlet based on their novel</span><span style="font-size: large;"> (instructional slides are included below)<span style="font-size: medium;">.</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"> Their Padlet needed to include a related design theme, articles related to their novel’s characters, themes or the novel/author, relevant photos, and videos. Once the student finished his/her Padlet, he/she shared with me the link so I could access it.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-87fd9ee2-e893-82cc-9200-f9d0099951a6" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></b> </span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">This project really encouraged my students to think outside the box as far as larger scale themes and motifs. For example, instead of reading about the novel’s perspective on physician assisted suicide, the student has the opportunity to research this topic, find other articles relating to this topic, and include it on the novel’s Padlet. I was really impressed with the research conducted by them. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></b> </span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Instead of having each student present their Padlet to the class (and with classes of 35, that could take awhile!), I printed off the QR codes associated to that student’s Padlet and posted them inside and outside of my classroom. I purposefully left off the novel titles so that my students would not be tempted by a fancy or clever title. Each student chose one QR code to scan using their phone and took the time to read through that given Padlet’s novel. (Fun Fact: If the student does not have the QR Code Scanner app installed on their phone, then Snapchat on iPhone scans QR codes!) When they returned, I gave them index card, students wrote down (a) the title of the novel, (b) three facts or themes about the novel judging by the material posted, and (c) state whether or not they would want to read this novel and why. I then did a quick whip around the room and asked each student to share about the novel of the QR code they scanned.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This was a really fun and interactive lesson! Not only did my students have the opportunity to delve deeper into their independent novel and explore the overarching themes and messages, but they also had the chance to view a classmate’s Padlet and, hopefully, find a new interesting novel to read. Too often students glance over a novel they read and do not take away insight or meaning, so this assignment really encouraged them to dig deeper and find purpose in their novel.</span><span style="font-family: "arial";"> </span></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> -Brenna Sheehan </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Check out the Padlet Brenna created as her introduction to her Middle Eastern Unit: (referenced above)</span></div>
<br />
<div class="padlet-embed" style="background: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 2px; border: 1px solid rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.1); box-sizing: border-box; overflow: hidden; position: relative; width: 100%;">
<div style="margin: 0; padding: 0;">
<iframe frameborder="0" src="https://padlet.com/embed/w4c8zfdwpmee" style="display: block; height: 608px; width: 100%;"></iframe></div>
<div style="margin: 0; padding: 8px; text-align: right;">
<a href="https://padlet.com/?ref=embed" style="border: none; display: block; height: 16px; line-height: 1; margin: 0; padding: 0;" target="_blank"><img alt="Made with Padlet" height="16" src="https://resources.padletcdn.com/assets/made_with_padlet.png" style="background: none; border: none; display: inline; margin: 0; padding: 0;" width="86" /></a></div>
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-size: large; vertical-align: baseline;">And here's the project assignment instructions she gave her students: </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span> <iframe allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="389" mozallowfullscreen="true" src="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1VVx951J6etwjJ1s-mE5KgGNBOxAzSgluYqdkrQtLBCQ/embed?start=false&loop=true&delayms=15000" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="640"></iframe></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">Are you interested in trying out Padlet? Do you work within New Hanover County Schools? Then give this digital tool a try AND earn CEUs in the process! Click <a href="http://nhcsdtl.wixsite.com/nhcspadletbadge" target="_blank">here</a> to be redirected to the Be Awesome page to learn more.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="165" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U325deRvovY/WRCJst0XmwI/AAAAAAAABJM/iix4UlOveMkAIjJtE-sQ3g158LDdofzEQCLcB/s200/Capture.PNG" width="200" /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Also, here's a great article from the</span> <a href="http://www.coolcatteacher.com/how-to-use-padlet-fantastic-tool-teaching/" target="_blank">Cool Cat Teacher</a> <span style="color: #274e13;">blog with tips on how to use padlet within the classroom. We'd love to hear your thoughts about Padlet in the comment section below!</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0