THANK YOU FELLOW LEARNERS!

A big thank you to everyone who contributed to this book study blog. I appreciate your sharing reflections, experiences, and ideas with the group. The more we, as educators, engage in professional dialogue about our craft, the better we become.
I look forward to blogging with you again.
Keep it rigorous!
Carla

Final Post

I loved the example of the graphic organizer on page 142. In my class I have previously used the "spirit" of the idea of the graphic organizer. I try to encourage the student taking responsibility and making corrections to a test on a separate sheet of paper where they will show all of the work or some other explanation for why they missed the problem, as well as the new solution. The benefit is two fold - 1) the student is rewarded for making the appropriate corrections by receiving half of their missed points added back to their score, and 2) I know that they are putting time and effort into correcting the problems and understanding the concepts so that they can avoid future errors. This is more valuable to me than cramming for a test and forgetting the material as soon as they walk out of the classroom. I am definitely going to adapt the organizer on page 142 to my chemistry class. Since chemistry is very close to math in concepts, I won't have to make very many changes to the organizer itself, I would just reformat it for multiple questions (not 1 page per missed question).

While on the subject of grades, I agree with Ms. Blackburn that the students should not just be assigned busy work and work that is graded for "completion" or "effort". While I believe that students need to be challenged with a rigorous amount of work, I do think that the work assigned must be emphasized as important to them and then followed up as important to us by taking the time to actually grade it. I know we all get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of time/effort it takes to grade a class set of papers, and the tendency is to give each paper a once over, and give a completion grade. I personally have done this and am trying to move away from assigning work that is essentially "completion". Chemistry takes a lot of practice and I am still trying to work my way out of grading for completion and not accuracy and understanding. I would enjoy the opinions of others on how they accomplish this.

Final Assignment

I think that the graphic organizer on p. 142 could be adapted to any subject in the upper grades. I think that if the students feel like they have a say in school, they are more interested in the process. As a follow up after an assignment, I think the organizer would give students an opportunity to assess themselves. I really like the way it requires students to explain hwy they know they have the right answer.

Review strategies in chapters 4-8. Pick three specific ideas to try.

Complexity with Vocabulary. I take for granted words I assume a 5th grade student has been exposed to--I'm continuously amazed at words they have never heard or do not comprehend. It has been my goal for the last year to find ways to increase vocabulary--to simply find time to implement a plan of action to achieve this. I do not like memorize and regurgitate-that tells me they can memorize. I like the graphic organizer on pg 72 but have found one that flows better [Laura Candler's page on the web] and is continuous -this way I can use it in a center on a daily/weekly basis. This g. organizer will be kept in their reading folder to refer back to when writing so they can use these new words. Also, I plan on meeting with our literacy coach and have her help me implement/plan how to utilize this center and use it on a daily/weekly basis. I hope to have this in place when the students return from fall break. I already have a daily vocabulary center set up and the pages laminated thanks to a parent helper this week. Now I begin the planning and implementing and I'm very excited. I want to use terms from all subjects in addition to other words a 5th grade student should be familiar .

Another idea I would like to try is Complexity in Review Games. I already implement Jeopardy as a review, and I'm working on higher order thinking questions to implement into the review. In addition, I am working on incorporating our own version of Are you Smarter than a 5th grader. I hope our principal will volunteer to come in a review with us when I have this in place. I also have a parent/other teacher volunteer form I will be sending out. Also, I want the students to have ownership of their review so I am allowing them to search and compile their own questions for review. This is mentioned on pg 76 and I think the students will enjoy hearing their questions read.

Lastly, The graphic organizer for math word problems in Chapter 5, pg 83 looks like something I will try. We complete a daily word problem at the beginning of math instruction. I always have them write what they know and what they need to find out on their paper-but they still struggle. Perhaps this graphic organizer will assist them in their quest for the answer. Also, this will give them practice in writing as they are required to write a sentence explaining the solution. Orchard is set up this way and they struggled with the benchmark as they had to explain why they chose an answer or how they came up with the answer. Even if they arrived at the right answer, many could not tell me how. I think this organizer will be a great tool.

How I give my best to my students. Keeping a positive attitude towards all of my students in one way I give my best. I teach 5th grade and at this age students are going through so many changes it is important to always be positive in attitude and demeanor. It is essential to build their self confidence on a daily basis.

In addition, I have high expectations for all my students, regardless of previous academic history. If I know a student can perform at a certain level, and they don't, I have a one on one conference with them where we discuss study habits, always doing our best on every assignment and then we set goals on how to succeed. Lastly, they are required to redo/rework or retake the assignment. Further, some students are required to research and write a report on a social studies or science topic to help them understand the topic better and receive points on their grade. This allows them to demonstrate mastery in a different way. All math errors are corrected. This lets them see their mistakes and learn from them. I also utilize small groups across the curriculum. This allows all students to receive the support they need at all times within all subjects. Granted, by the end of the day I'm worn out because I've met 20 times with small groups-but it is a good worn out feeling.

My students feel comfortable answering questions even whey they aren't 100% positive about the answer because all responses are considered "stepping stones" to the correct answer. If they are completely stumped they have "life lines". They can phone a friend, look in a book or receive a teacher prompt. This has increased student participation as they know they will receive assistance if needed and not feel embarrassed about not answering correctly.

I also share my failures as an adult and as a student. This lets the students understand that we don't always make that A-but it is o.k. as long as we are always doing our best. I tell my students they all have the potential to be top students and we set goals on how to reach the top and succeed.

I do not allow incompletes or F's on any assignments or tests. There are consequences in place until all work is turned in and all concepts are mastered. They know and understand this from day one and this sets the tone throughout the school year. It also cuts down on being "lazy" with work.

Final Assignment/ 3 strategies

I spend a great deal of my day teaching vocabulary. Students with a strong vocabulary are more successful. Presidents, CEOs,
and CFOs all have one thing in common. It is a strong vocabulary. I have used a variety of techniques to enhance the student's knowledge. Looking at the Riddles graphic organizer, I know my students would enjoy this activity. The love laughing. I also think using the question starters would help students. I could see using this with vocabulary as well as during a novel study.

I also liked the activity on page 69. It was short and with a new novel might help engage the students. Using it as a springboard and helping students to peek their interest.

I look forward to trying these activities as well as several others that are used in this book.

Final Assignment/Giving students your best

I expect my students to give their best. I want my students to see their potential everyday they walk in the classroom. One thing I do with my students is we have one on one meetings to see how they can improve. I explain it takes so little to be above average. They just need to spend 5 more minutes, or read one more page each day, or ask one more question in order to be above average. I want them to see that each step will lead them to accomplish their very best. We look for best answers and I tell them I want their very best.

Each time I call on students to answer questions, I have students that always want to answer and they continue to raise their hand. I know that is intimidating to student on the point. I have the other students put their hands down and reassure the student that is trying to answer the question that I know they can do it. I then help guide them to the answer. Usually their is one student that wants to answer each time, and to keep from discouraging them, when the student answers correctly I will ask this student if they are correct.

I loved the section about learning not being an option. I have students retake quizzes or redo sections for mastery. Some students would rather take the lower grade than redo until they redo it successfully. We discuss how much better it feels to pass the test and learn the skill. Sometimes I let a student who is not as successful teach another student the concept. With a little pushing they both learn the skill and the student that is doing the teaching probably learned the most.

I also loved the idea of a victory list for students. We all have them.

Final Blog

Giving the Best: Sometimes I get so busy with the 'administrative' part of the job, it becomes very difficult to give students the best of me. Perhaps the greatest gift I hope to give my students is my BELIEF in their ability to perform at a much higher level than they are sometimes expected to. I believe that all my students can turn in homework on time, and expect it in every student without excuse. I continually try to raise the expectation for my students through requirements that I believe to be essential, yet so many see as weird and a waste of time. Students often are shocked that as a Social Studies teacher I require them to capitalize all proper nouns, write in complete sentences, and I count off for spelling on their tests. While it seems obvious to me that these things should be counted off for in every class, students and parents sometimes have a difficult time understanding how I can grade such things in a history class. Also, most of my tests don't have a word bank, but they are fill-in-the-blank and essay. It is how I can truly see what they know, and what they don't. By the end of the year, I have so many students who are writing better, using better study habits, and are more confident in their ability to write in every subject. While it takes time, encouragement, and commitment in the beginning, the students and parents do buy-in and are grateful for the results when they go on to high school.

Implementing Rigor: I feel like I am constantly battling low expectations for our students, and teachers and parents who consistently give excuses as to why our students can't or don't perform to the level required to be truly 'rigorous'. I disagree with many of the initiatives that seem to do just that including the no zero push in our schools... I am very thankful to work with teachers who share similar philosophies on issues such as no late homework, no work/no credit, etc. When teacher teams, schools, and even systems have a united vision of high expectations for our students, the kids and parents benefit and eventually buy-in. When one teacher allows late homework or doesn't give zeros, it allows the whole group to take a hit and look like the 'mean teacher' referred to on pg. 5. We can raise the expectation in our classroom, and we do it by encouraging each other and continuing to learn, experiment and at times, fail.

Final Discussion

"It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might have not lived at all-in which case you fail by default."- JK Rowling

I put this quote on my registration welcome letter. I believe in the power of failure and the wonderful things it leads us to in life. I make sure my students understand that it is okay to make mistakes as long as we learn from them and don't make the same mistakes over and over. Often my students don't have much experience with this. They are only 8 and many come from families that do not allow them to fail. Since I do feel so strongly about this, it is imperative that I allow my students ample opportunities to use their failures to grow. I let students "check" their own work so they can get immediate feedback. If we don't, most will only look at the final grade and never look at what they missed or give a second thought to what the right answer is. I always go back over it and check it myself after they "check it". I do allow them to correct their tests sometimes for 1/2 credit. It depends on the circumstances. I really like some aspects of the graphic organizer on p142. I like having the students think about why they missed a question. I might change or leave out some of the choices just because I know some of my students will choose things like "I thought it was right" or "I studied but I forgot" without really thinking. I am going to give this a little more thought and implement it somehow at least on an occassional basis.

After 13 years of teaching, I am sick and tired of "I don't get it." Before I read the book, I decided and announced to my class that they were not allowed to say this. They could say things like "I don't know this particular word in the direction" or "I am having trouble with the second step" or something that is specific to what they "don't get". I try to encourage them to be problem solvers and independent thinkers. Usually the ones who say this the most are those that are working on a higher level, and I've given something more challenging and thought provoking to them. When the answer doesn't come immediately, they come running to me for the answer.

My parents don't always agree with some of my philosophies. I have three children of my own, and I try to teach them the way I want my children to be taught. The ultimate goal is for them to be independent, responsible, problem solvers that welcome challenges, can fuction with a little failure now and then and ultimately become stronger and wiser.

Last post

I enjoyed the chapter on giving students your BEST. I feel I am already practicing these methods, but there is room for "tweaking." I do express belief in students, and I do use the method of "guiding" students to come up with better answers. I also use follow-up probing questions and often ask for elaboration in a tone that expresses confidence and matter-of-factness that they will have something relevant to say. I have become more conscious of "wait time" for answering questions, however.

I do offer encouragement by smiling and nodding, making positive remarks, and writing positive remarks on their papers. I even use stickers. I often remind the students that I am available for extra help particularly before or after school, thus offering support and time.

A specific idea I would like to try is exploring points of view through the "Two Voices" poems. I often have students write poems anyway, and this assignment would work with many works of literature that contain characters with contrasting viewpoints. A good example would be Brutus and Cassius (in Julius Caesar) in their attitudes toward Caesar. The foils Finny and Gene in A Separate Peace are other examples.

I model instructional behaviors. For example, when students write, many times I write as well. I like the modeling ideas of "What to Do When You Don't Know a Vocabulary Word." The suggestions listed on that chart would make a good poster for the classroom. It will take discipline on my part not to reel off a definition when someone asks for one. They really do need to do this for themselves.

Another idea I like is the "Think-Pair-Share" method of asking questions.

I will continue to minimize negative aspects of grading , paradoxically, by taking many formative grades so that one or two grades do not generally wreck a cumulative grade.

I will repeat this mantra--success leads to confidence leads to more success leads to more confidence. . . .

Final Post

Question # 1 One way I show my students that I believe in them (B) is by calling on each of them throughout the day to answer questions and participate in the whole group lesson. At the beginning of the year, each students is assigned a number for their mailbox, locker, etc. I write those numbers on tiles and pull them from a box to answer questions daily. Students are well aware that they may be called on at any time. I do not use it as a form of punishment, but rather to ensure that each child is given a chance. I praise them for giving their best effort. I encourage (E) my students is both verbal and non-verbal ways. I often say things such as.."I like the way that ____________ is working so hard on their math journal problem. In addition to verbal praise, I give my students high fives and we do cheers for students that attempt difficult tasks even if they fail. I provide support (S) for students in various ways. First of all, I modify tasks to meet various learners needs. When I call on students in class, I may change the question to a multiple choice or yes/no answer depending on the student. We talk about how to use resources in the classroom first before asking for help. In order to know how much time(T) students need to complete tasks and answer questions I first have to get to know my students. For some students for example, I know I have to count to 15 in my head before I can expect a verbal answer. I also have students close their eyes and think about their answers before raising their hand. By using the number tiles, I can also control how much wait time I give because students are not raising their hands to answer.
Question #3 I think creating a poster like the one on page 127 would be a great exercise to do with my students at the beginning of the school year. Some words/phrases I would like to exclude from my classroom are "I can't." "This is too hard." "Ugggghhhh." "I hate school." "I hate math, etc." Things I would like to include are : 1. give praise to at least 3 other classmates today. 2. "I can do this." 3. "I will try my best." 4. " I will use my resources first before asking for help."

Final Assignment

It was a little overwhelming to look at all the possible activities when I decided to find three specific strategies to try in the next few weeks. There is so much information there. It made me feel good to see that some of the activities are very similar to ones that I already use ( tic-tac-toe, p. 107). I am definitely going to use the Two Voices Poem with a novel that I am currently reading. It will work well to help the students understand different perspectives. I am also planning to use the Design for Vocabulary/Concept Graphic Organizer( p.75) for a nonfiction selection when we get back from fall break. Vocabulary instruction can be so difficult. I like the idea of the organizer because it gives the students greater variety in how to define the term. How I remember a word may be different from someone else. The reinforcement with the organizer will help. I also like the Question Matrix(p.96) idea presented. I could see using the one as well as making up my own questions.

Final Blog Thoughts

In regards to assignments and their worth and assigning zeroes for work not turned in I am torn. I believe assignments hold a multi-pronged role. My content area is math and often times assignments (especially homework) are viewed as busy work. My response to this complain is metaphorical. I explain to my students that math is like playing the piano (or any instrument)....the more you practice the better you will play/perform. They understand that homework has a purpose above and beyond busy work. As for the not giving a grade of zero I am torn. My projects generally are authentic and correlate the math to the real world. The real world has deadlines. If you go to your boss and ask for an extension that is one thing but just not turning it in doesn't cut it. Is your principal going to say "that is okay.....turn it in later" NO. Mine isn't. My students are give time in class to work on project and ask questions but ultimately they must take responsibility for their own work. I give zeroes. It is a last resort but if a student just refuses to do the work they will not be rewarded with a grade with no effort.

In looking at Popham's levels I fall somewhere between level 2 and 3. We use formative assessments in my class quite often. At the beginning of each semester my students take a MI survey so that I can find out their learning styles and they can realize where their strengths lie.
I also do a good bit of controlled floundering especially at the beginning of new units to review what we already know and to discover what we need to focus our efforts on during the course of the unit. I admit most of my formative assessing comes more in the form of pre-assessment and I still use traditional summative techniques; however, my classroom dynamics have changed because of the use of these formative techniques, and I think for the better.

Final Blog part 2:

Complexity with Vocabulary on page 71. I remember when I was in school how difficult it was for me to memorize my vocabulary words. I hated it. I try so hard to make it fun with my students and my own children at home. With 1st graders, it seems that the children do not get talked to as much as in the past. I don't feel that there are family discussions like their used to be. Therefore, students do not get the understanding of words like we did when we were growing up. When I say a vocabulary word and get a funny look then I know it is time to have a discussion. I say the word and then ask the students what they think the word means. Then I use it in a sentence and ask again. I keep giving clues until someone understands what it means. Then as a whole class we repeat the meaning. I then have different students use the word in another sentence until we all understand the meaning. Later we might go to our seats and write the words and draw pictures to help us remember what the word means to us. I try to have the students relate the word to their personal self. We also write sentences using the words. We will sometimes read our sentences out loud to help another student who is having trouble understanding. I do this weekly with all the new vocabulary words in reading as well as in science and social studies. When in reading groups, some of the words might be difficult to sound out. When the student finishes reading, I ask the group what they thought a certain word meant in the story. That is another way of helping with vocabulary. It is not just about vocabulary, there are others areas where you need to help students understand meanings.

I use graphic organizers with the 1st grade. Ours are much simpler than upper grades, but it helps the students to see that there can be many ways to understand things.

Final Blog:

In chapter 7, I use encouragement, always expect the best out each and everyone of my students, support them, and give them the time needed to help them succeed. I call them to my desk or walk over to their desk to give extra help. If I call on a student to answer a question and he/she is having trouble, instead of calling on another student, I give little clues or hints to the answer. If we are reading orally, I help the student sound the words out or we, as a group, read the words together first. It helps the slower student feel more accomplished. I believe that there is a way to show all students how to succeed and make them feel proud of themselves and their accomplishments. I use a lot of Dr. Jean's positive rewards and sayings, ie. kiss your brain, put a gold star on your head, etc. I teach 1st grade and that works with the younger students. They would do anything for a class cheer or to be recognized. In quantum learning they teach you that you can accomplish anything. I teach my students that we can make our
brains grow with all the knowledge that we put into it. At the end of the day, we recap what we learned. We evaluate how much our brains grew for that day. The children get so excited, thinking that they will be smarter than other students.
When grading papers, if a student did poorly, they obviously did not understand the assignment. Instead of giving a bad grade and being upset with that student for not trying, I call them over to my desk, we discuss what happened, and I give the student another chance to fix the work. I don't like giving grades to the younger students, however it is required. I try to make it less painful for a student who has a lot of difficulty learning. We work together and go over and over the material to help then student succeed.

Final Blog

Barbara Blackburn's work in Chapter 7, entitled "Raise Expectations supports the work done by Dr. Jayson Nave and Danny Hill in their work, "The Power of ICU". Both pieces of literature support the belief that it is the teacher's responsibility to create meaningful, engaging, and challenging assignments. High expectations are the norm forBarbara Blackburn's philosophy. Grades reflect the real capability of the students not just what the students have or have not done. While teachers are responsible for student learning of performance standards, students are held accountable for completing all assigned work. It is the teacher's responsibility to see that students learn the standards that have been handed down in the performance standards issued by the state. It is imperative that the teaching profession move toward an atmosphere and school-wide culture of monitoring students' assignments and expressing the importance of these assignments and expressing the importance to students, parents, and the community. If we value and esteem our assignments both in classwork and homework, our standardized achievement scores will follow. The assignments must exemplify rigor and motivate students to understand the standard tracking progres toward the meeting of that standard. Students once thought of as non-motivated or lazy can perform at accepted, healthy levels when policies of student completion of class work and homework, participation in extra help, and not yet grading policies are established in the classroom.

Three specific strategies that I plan to implement over the next three weeks include: the question matrix utilizing a chunking strategy, complexity with vocabulary, and complexity through projects. The first activity I have completed in class with the novel "Danny, Champion of the World". I was able to chunk this activity which made it much more doable in the classroom. the first chunk of the activity required that students randomly selected six questions from the question matrix. (I used baggies for this). They were to complete this chunk as an individual. The students were to write six questions that reflected anything we had read in the book. In this level I gave them 15 minutes. The next chunk required the students to practice each of the six questions within their groups. Students could then practice and rewrite any questions that may have been unclear. The final chunk required the student to present questions to the class. Each student was required to present at least 3 questions. This activity took about two days to complete. The students just loved this!!! The next strategy I plan to implement is complexity with vocabulary. The next novel my sixth grade class will be reading is "The Devil's Arithmetic". I have decided to have the students build a yiddish word journal. This will include an entry page for each yiddish word or phrase. The entry page will have a place for the definition, a sentence, and related words. Students will make a visit to the computer labe where they can here the terms pronounced. The third strategy will include complexity through projects. This strategy will involve the use of reflection journals the students respond to events of the holocaust. One strategy that I would like to include in the future is the more choices strategy. Students would be provided with different learning opportunities. This concept would reflect more of the knowledge and interest of the individual.

Ms. Blackburn continues in Chapter 7 to discuss assignments (p. 121). She states, If something is important enough for you to assign it, then it should be important enough for a student to complete it. Let me clarify a key point. This is not just about the student's responsibility. You play a major role in his or her success. (Emphasis added.) First, it means we design assignments that are valuable, not just busy work. In addition to helping students understand the value of the work, we hold them responsible for completion. ...but requiring students to complete something means you also provide a structure and support to ensure they finish. What is your opinion of Ms. Blackburn's statements? Please justify.
I try to make my assignments and what we do each day as meaningful as possible. Yesterday we did a squiggle and this became their 3 min writing for the week. We also do as much hands on work as possible. As far as paper and pencil goes I do not have that hard of a time with completion but when I do the students do not earn extra recess or center time until their work is done. I assign little HW mainly b/c it does not always come back and a lot of my parents work nights. When HW is assigned I give a few days for them to finish it. I want everything I do to tie into other things and I also want students to build on new work with previous work. I would say this happens 95% of the time.

The author refers to Robert Marzano's The Art and Science of Teaching in Chapter 7, when she talks about teacher expectations. She encourages us to give our students our BEST: belief, encouragement, support, and time. Discuss ways you give your students your best.

When I walk in the door each morning I let whatever happened between the time I left the day before and that morning leave me as best I can. I have found that if I am grumpy my kids ask me what is wrong and they then become grumpy. I also found that giving them snack, a hug, and asking about what they do and like makes them more engaged. My kids know that I am their number one ally here at school even when things are rough but I will also be there biggest foe if they do not give me what I feel is there best even with harder challenges in life and academically.

Final

In response to 'creating the culture' in my room, I feel very strongly about projecting a positive atmosphere. I want my students to feel confident and capable of doing the work. I have a poster in my room that says "Think you can...Think you can't...Either way you're right." Next to it is a poster that says "I think I can!" I've talked with my students about "can't" being a word we don't say. In order to achieve this, I regularly let my students know that I am there to support them. If they are showing signs of distress because of struggling with a skill or something we are reading, I have them stop for a moment and remind them that we will work it through together.
I am interested in the comments made by Robert Marzano (p. 114) about giving students your BEST (Belief, Encouragement, Support, Time). All of the students I am working with are struggling readers. I know that some of them are self-conscious about their difficulties with reading. I try every day to build each of them up. I point out things that they are doing well, and help them work on things that they are having problems with. I make sure that each of my students get multiple opportunities to answer questions. I expect all of them to work and participate in our groups. If any of them have difficulty with something we are working on, I may have another student help them with the answer, but I always come back to that student later in the lesson to review.
I have some strategies that I would like to try very soon with my reading groups. First, I will write a letter for myself to envision what I would like to have accomplished throughout this year. Then I would like to have my students write vision letters to imagine what the school year has been like for them. I think this will be a very positive goal-setting experience for all of us. I know that it will take quite a bit of support since almost half of my students are in the first grade, but I think that even at six years old, these students have goals they would like to accomplish. Writing the goals down should make students more likely to focus on achieving those goals.
I would also like to utilize the RAFT strategy. We have reading programs that we use, but I think that this could be incorporated into the writing portion. Giving struggling readers and writers a specific purpose and audience should help them narrow their focus. If students practice writing this way, hopefully they can transfer the skills they learn to other writing assignments.
I wish I had heard of the Guide-O-Rama when I was a classroom teacher because I think it is such a fantastic idea. I still plan to use it in my small reading groups. My students can really benefit from the modeling of the thought processes. I like the fact that you can take readers through a selection step by step, while giving them some independence. It is a great way to encourage metacognition. I am excited about the ideas I have gotten from this book. I think that I can take these and really make a difference with my students.

Final Blog

First Question - I had already written down some strategies I wanted to try in the next few weeks, so this was an easy one to answer. I teach 6th grade Language Arts, and the first strategy I am going to try is the RAFT (role/audience/format/topic strategy) on p.66. I think this model will give the students a more realistic and interesting reason to write. I also want to ulilize the 'sample points of view' chart on p.103 as a writing tool. I think that by having students write from the different points of view, they will find the assignment more meaningful and relevant to the real world. I feel it is often hard to get students interested in writing, and these two activities add some meaningful reasons into why we write. I also like the 'vocabulary chart' on p. 72. I am always trying to come up with different ways to teach vocabulary and make it interesting. I have several different activities I currently do with vocabulary, but this would be another good activity to add. I also found the Tic-Tac-Toe model on p.107 to be interesting. One of my daughter's teachers (11th grade) is using a similar model this sememter in her class. My daughter is finding it difficult to do (probably because it is something totally new to her), but it seems interesting to me. It is definately making her more responsible for her own learning.

Second Question -- I found it very interesting what Ms. Blackburn says on p. 121 about "requiring students to complete something means you also provide a sturcture and support to ensure they finish" and "allowing students to take a zero reflects lower expectations." While I agree with what she says, I have such a hard time implementing it. I try to only assign work that I feel is necessary and valuable; therefore, I really want the work to be completed. However, when students do not complete their work, I have a hard time finding the opportunity to 'make' them get the work done. I wish there was a time in our day where we could require students to work on missed work, yet not have to delay other students' learning to wait on them to catch up.

Final Blog

Popham's Levels
I'm going to relate this concept specifically to writing.We are TCAP assessed in fifth grade, and when the time comes, I want my students to feel confident and excited to write their narratives. I use the six trait model to drive my instruction. I never put a letter grade on a writing assignment. We focus on one trait at a time, and when I review their final draft, I write comments specific to that trait.For example, when we studied word choice, I underlined examples of vivid words and praised them for using "quality" words. I would consider myself at level three, which emphasizes evidence gathering to make adjustments. I keep all of my students monthly writing samples in a folder, and we review them both individually and as a group. I have asked for permission from students to share his or her work with the rest of the class, and they are so proud to do so! For me, writing is such a personal experience, and placing a letter grade on it at this level does not feel right. However, I do know that those who have mastered a skill should be recognized, and I use the scale of S or E to evaluate. On page 132, the author discusses using a check or check plus system, so I feel that I'm on the right track.

Graphic organizer pg. 142
I agree with the concept that students need to be given an opportunity to correct their mistakes, especially in math. I offer half credit for each corrected answer on my weekly math test. I give the students the chance to do this in class because I feel it is so important to get their thinking on the right path, instead of making the same mistakes over and over. I like the form on page 142, but it is too involved for me. Currently, I have the students do their "fix up" on a separate sheet of paper, and attach it to the test. I intend to make an overhead of the seven reasons listed on page 142, and require students to write the reason next to their new answer.This step will make them think about their thinking!

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Final Blog

"It's Your Turn of p. 126: How do you want to change the culture in your room?What do you want out of your class (words such as "can't")? What do you want in your class?

I definitely related to these questions because my school is currently in the process of changing our culture as a whole and in each classroom. We are utilizing the case studies and philosophy of The Power of ICU by Danny Hill to help transform our culture. In short, we will no longer support an environment that allows students to say, "I can't" or "I forgot". The focus is on student learning and growth and not allowing students to continuously take the easy way out by earning zeros for assignments. Our administration has organized this well for our staff so that it is not cumbersome, and I have already seen an impact on some students within this first 9 weeks. Students are asked to complete the incomplete or missing work during various times of the day, and I have heard several students comment on the fact that they know we believe in their ability to do their best and will provide support for that to happen. We have stressed to our students that learning is the priority. Testing re-takes for students with failing test grades are also given during these times. Our assistant principal has even been completing study guides and working with some of these students failing tests to prepare them for the re-take. I definitely can't go into the whole premise or plan here, but it was certainly a challenge at first for all of us teachers to not focus on "the way we've always done things" or "deadlines" and focus on student learning being the primary focus.

Relating to this issue is also the discussion of assignments (p. 121) in Chapter 7. I do agree that we are sending a message to our students through the type of work we assign. Students can see the value of an assignment and respond accordingly. "If something is important enough for you to assign it, then it should be important enough for a student to complete it." That is a very valid point, and we also have to provide the structure and support to ensure they finish. The above reference to the ICU Program certainly has changed my actions and views in this area as well. Students will basically perform to the level that I communicate through my expectations (verbal and non-verbal). So, if I do not value their completed work and care enough to assign relevant, valid assignments, then some of my students will reflect that notion.

Week 2 Response

Power standards have truly transformed the way I teach. With the overwhelming curriculum expectations, it is increasingly important to identify vital skills that are crucial to the future academic success of students. Also, there are some skills that, when mastered, will provide a foundation on which students can use to acquire some of the other curriculum skills that might not have been mastered as well without the power standard foundation. Power standards allow me to clearly identify a teaching plan that most effectively continues to incorporate key learning skills throughout the year. I feel much less overwhelmed with a clear set of prioritized skills, and I share this concept with my students. Even though I know the power standards from the curriculum after studying them myself, I actually let my classes join in the narrowing down of the power standards. For the most part, the list ends up looking exactly the same, and my students have more ownership and knowledge of what is expected of them through the 7th grade Language Arts curriculum. Also, they know the vital skills that we will incorporate often through the year.

Keeping students engaged is certainly not always an easy task, but it is an essential element to in-depth, active learning. I try to do this in several ways. First, I structure my lessons in chunks of teaching, partner/group activity, teaching, active engagement/practice, and closure. I also find that by having a well-planned working group activity that covers several curriculum standards at the end of a unit or subject really does give me a very good alternative assessment opportunity that I use in addition to classroom tests. Just observing students while working and seeing the final products of their work provide a solid testament to their understanding, and the students are also able to review these concepts while being actively engaged for further cementing of the material. Partner teaching also seems to engage my students well. I use games, projects, and student choice of assignment. This is the first year that I have allowed students to choose from a list of options, and I have been very surprised at their willingness to complete the task since they chose.

FINAL BLOG DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Consider the seven questions below. Select at least two of the questions to answer. Post at least one comment to another person's response. Complete this activity by Friday, October 2.

• The author refers to Robert Marzano's The Art and Science of Teaching in Chapter 7, when she talks about teacher expectations. She encourages us to give our students our BEST: belief, encouragement, support, and time. Discuss ways you give your students your best.
• Ms. Blackburn continues in Chapter 7 to discuss assignments (p. 121). She states, If something is important enough for you to assign it, then it should be important enough for a student to complete it. Let me clarify a key point. This is not just about the student's responsibility. You play a major role in his or her success. (Emphasis added.) First, it means we design assignments that are valuable, not just busy work. In addition to helping students understand the value of the work, we hold them responsible for completion. ...but requiring students to complete something means you also provide a structure and support to ensure they finish. What is your opinion of Ms. Blackburn's statements? Please justify.
• From the It's Your Turn on p. 126: How do you want to change the culture in your room? What do you want out of your class (words such as 'can't')? What do you want in your class ('quotes, etc.')?
  
• If you were to use Popham's Levels (p. 131) to describe formative assessment in your classroom, at which level do you find yourself? What steps will you be required to take to increase rigor through the use of formative assessments to drive instructional decisions in your classroom?
• Refer to the graphic organizer on page 142. First, share your opinion about using a graphic organizer such as this to help students gauge their own learning. Then, explain how you might need to modify the example to make it work with your students.
• It's Your Turn (p. 148): Review the strategies in chapters 4 through 8. Pick three specific ideas you would like to try in the next three weeks. Make those your top priority. Now list any other specific activities you want to use later.
  
• The author offers three suggestions for working alongside teachers who do not support your efforts to increase rigor in your curriculum and in your classroom: First, try to keep a lower profile. ...Next, seek out other teachers with similar beliefs. ...Finally, remember your focus. (p. 152) How much resistance do you anticipate from your colleagues? What actions are you prepared to take in order to prevent yourself from surrendering to mediocrity?
  

Week 2

3) How do you use scaffolding to support your students' learning?
The first thing that I do is look at a KWL chart and then we discuss what we know about a particular subject. For example in LA we know about puncuation and capitilization but we may want to know what specifically has to be capitalized and the appropriate puncuation. One game I have played is human sentences where the kids will make a statement and then someone else will respond with the appropriate end puncuation. Another idea is that you can write sentences on white boards and match up with the person who has the right end puncuation.
I also break steps down and have students repeat what was said to them back to me and then to each other. We also play a lot of board games to go with what we are studying, hullabaloo has been a favorite and helps with our listening skills and social skills.
4) What are some specific, intentional steps you take to promote student engagement?
Asking them open ended questions that they must give me more then a yes/no answer to, having them greet each other in the morning, giving younger ones harder work so that the older ones will want to help them and the younger ones feel more challenged. Acting as if I do not know the answer to a ? that I know they will know or saying a word wrong (this can backfire)

Week 2

I have felt in recent years, our standards have increased and yet time on task teaching seems to be growing smaller. Two many distractions on our students. We do need to streamline and teach students mastery. We also need to hold students up to a higher standard and expect more. A parent was upset this week that I put previous taught material in a current test.
I explained that each lesson is cumulative as well as the tests. I want students to know the material for a lifetime not just for a test. Vocabulary is meant to build and also for them to know the works weeks, months, and years later. I think we have allowed students to become more and more complacent in regards to academics. Parents will drive across town, stay up late, pay all kinds of money, and all kinds of time for athletics and then expect
students to master academics without practice.

Scaffolding is a term that good teachers have used for many years. We didn't call it that but we used it. When I am teaching a new skill I go back to this systematic way I learned which included this technique. We didn't call it that.
We work together to have students feel successful. After this technique I tend to use games to reinforce the material. The students love to play games. They enjoy winning. They know that on Thursdays we will play some type of vocabulary game. Bingo, Around the World, jeapordy, and many others. For the vocabulary they must know the words in order to be successful. I find they are willing to put more effort in the vocabulary in order to win the game.

September 28, 2009 8:24 AM

Week 2

I introduce vocabulary through a short story. I have been modeling and they are now starting to take over using context clues combined with any prior knowledge to verbally give a definition. Many times, it lends itself to discussion of multi meaning words or words that may sound similar. I model looking for word parts that may also help us understand the word and then we brainstorm other words with similar word parts so they can see the relationship. (Example: ped-foot) At one of their reading stations, they play vocabulary dominos. The first domino has a start sign and a definition. They have to find the card with the word on the left and a different definition on the right. This continues until they reach the stop sign. They then use these cards to complete a writen assignment either matching words to definitions that are worded slightly differently or using them in a sentence. They then have the opportunity to complete a vocabulary quilt where they can draw a picture representation of the word. Additional activities include use of other graphic organizers.
I use many games in my class. I have and do use Jeopardy on occassion. I bought "Eggspert" a couple of years ago which adds to the authenticity of the game requiring them to buzz in. Everyone gets a chance come up to the podium and compete against members of other teams. If the first person who buzzes in and does not get the answer correct, they loose points and the others are given a chance to buzz in allowing more think time for those that need it.
I use "Who Has" frequently for review. This is similar to the domino concept. Each student gets a card with a word on one side and a detail or quesiton on the other. The student with the "start" card goes first reading thier question or detail. The student with the correct answer will say they have it, stand and read their question or detail until we reach the "stop" sign. I time them, and we do it several times to try to beat our old time. Everyone must be engaged and listenting for their question to be read. Even those who have already gone are engaged because they want to try to remember what word goes with which question in case they get that card the next time. They are also very well behaved because they do not want to distract their classmates since the whole class is on the same team.
I also use FROG games, Apples to Apples, Mad Libs, Logic Links, and many other games to try to present the information in an engaging way.
I use white boards on a daily basis to actively engage my whole class and it is a wonderful way for me to assess immediately who is mastering the skill and who needs more practice. As each student demonstrates mastery on a skill, I have enrichment activities prepared for them to do as I continue working with those that need more practice. I can also use this to modify my plans and determine what I do in small groups.

Week 2

Week 2
What strategies do you use to teach the academic vocabulary: I take academic vocabulary and use it on a weekly basis in multiple ways. Students use new vocabulary terms and previously vocabulary terms in a center. The students are required to complete a word web which includes the term, definition, synonym/antonym if applicable, and then use the word in a sentence. In addition, there are activities to complete at this center: abc order of terms, using a choice of 5 to write sentences and or paragraphs that demonstrate the meaning of the terms and flash cards for partner study and review. Also, I incorporate the terms in my daily dialogue with my students whether in whole group instruction or small group work. Further, students use the terms in journal entries which demonstrates [to me] their comprehension of the terms/concepts.
How do you use scaffolding to support your students' learning? When introducing a new concept, I begin with whole group class instruction through a mini lesson. We work with the concept/skill for a day and then I assign some type of classwork of 5-10 problems to assess where they are in their mastery/understanding. This assessment might simply be teacher observation through whole group work or observing their work on a dry erase board as I walk around the class. It isn't a graded piece of work, simply to a quick assessment to see where each student stands. I then begin small group work where students receive instruction and support at their current learning level/ability. This instruction is adjusted daily as ability/understanding increases. This also allows me to challenge the students who are ready to move on. This instruction continues even though I have moved on to the next concept. This allows the student to become more self confident in areas where they need it the most and also helps with retention of information.
Use of games: I use games on a weekly basis for all subject areas. These games might be Versatile reviews, FROG games, Quizmo or Take it to your Seat games. The students love playing them and don't realize their are learning because they are having fun. The even ask to play these games if we have inside recess. Versatiles offer a different avenue to engage students in a review and they are self checking. FROG games also accomplish the same goal. I have two different levels of FROG games which allows all students to participate . They are working together to find answers and help each other find answers. Students are collaborating and using their vocabulary which sometimes gets the point/skill across quicker. Students are fully engaged as they discuss questions/concepts/skills that are being utilized. I also create Jeopardy type questions to play with my class prior to a test. This is a great way to review which allows me to observe their readiness for a test without having them complete a pencil and paper quiz.

Week 2

I teach high school--tenth grade. Honestly, I am more interested in pragmatic ideas that I can try (and possibly adopt) right away than I am in the research behind the philosophy of the ideas. That is why I am enjoying the book more now. Regarding the use of games--I did try a "Jeopardy" style approach this week as a review activity before a unit test. I allowed the students to generate questions corresponding to the categories on the board. In two classes, I observed good enthusiasm and co-operation along with good responses. One class couldn't handle the more informal nature of the activity. The two classes who "played" successfully had higher scores on the test the next day. These are not scientific results, yet. . . .

For the academic vocabulary terms, I generally define the term and offer examples. I ask students to look for other examples in the texts we are reading. For example, when we studied King's "I Have a Dream" speech as an example of persuasive literature, I asked them to highlight examples of antithesis, parallelism, repetition, metaphor, simile, etc. Jacque Scarbrough sent some good ideas for teaching academic vocabulary. I especially like the "Word Wall."

The dry erase board/paddle idea also appeals to me especially for review activity.

Student Engagement and modeling

As a Title I teacher, I am using a new system this year that really promotes student engagement. We do a variety of activities for each lesson including working with letters and words. The students manipulate magnetic letters, read new books and reread books previously introduced every day, and do some type of writing activity on most days. Usually, the writing pertains to what they have read that day or the past few days.   The activities are brief and require students to be engaged as we move from one thing to another.  With  the small sizes of the groups, it is easy to determine if all are participating and giving their best effort. 
I have been working quite a bit on modeling the thought process when discussing what students have read.  One little girl in particular has a problem with rambling answers that don't show an understanding of the question that was asked.  I have modeled concise answers and non-answers to help her see the difference.  Then I have the group practice answering questions about what they have read.  Yesterday, when asked about the story we had just read, she summarized it in one clear sentence.  I felt like we were actually on the right track!  Modeling can really help students see things in a different way.

Week 2 response

I try to incorporate games to review as often as possible. The main way I do this is to utilize a class set of white boards ($15 shower board purchased and cut to 1x2 individual sections at Home Depot). I pair up the students (draw names or decide groups for themselves) and let them develop team names. Then we play Jeopardy type question/answer sessions. I usually give points to every team that gets the correct answer, but they only get one chance to answer for points. I have had mixed results for this tactic - where most of the students really enjoy the interaction and relaxed atmosphere of the review, but other students end up getting discouraged and tend to stop participating at the same level as everyone else. I would love to get some other ideas for games that are engaging and helpful for reviews!!

Week 2- Chunking the Task

When I assign a large writing project in which the students include several essays dealing with a common theme, I walk them through every essay. The students get the requirements and rubric at the beginning of the project as well as examples. Every individual essay has a due date and requirements for that essay. It is much easier for them to manage, and by breaking it down this way, I can assess each piece as they do it. This makes grading the whole project much easier for me. I think chunking also works great for research.

Week 2

This year I started using post-it note activities in my classes. The kids love it. It enables me to do more engaging small group activities. It also allows me a fun way of pre-assessment as I do it oftentimes before the introduction of a new topic or unit. I can assess what they remember without simply asking questions or assigning ordinary problems.

Week 2

I really like playing tic-tac-toe with the students for vocabulary review. I divide the students into two teams. It works best in a class that has between 20-25 children. Each team has a captain, who is the only person I take answers from ( to discourage call-outs). The team must confer and give their answer to the captain. The part that the students really like is that they are the X's and O's. I use masking tape to set the board up on the floor of the classroom and when a team gets an answer right, one of the team members goes and stands as the letter on the board. The students are very competitive and enjoy playing.
The first time I played it this year in an inclusion class, an autistic student that normally wants to be left alone got right in the middle of the group and participated just like everyone else. My assistant and I looked at each other amazed at how he became a part of the team. It was great!

Week Two

I have taught 6th grade English for several years. The first few years I really struggled with keeping the students engaged because, let's face it, grammar is not always the most interesting of subjects. When the author of our book said students get tired of just sitting and listening to teachers lecture, I thought the same can be said for adults. I am sure all of us have been in those classes where all you do is sit and listen and try to stay focused on what is being said. The last few years, our 6th grade English teachers have been using a different approach to teaching English which promotes continuous student engagement. We do oral vocabulary, sing jingles, 'classify' sentences as large and small groups, have student led lessons, etc. The students stay engaged, for the most part, throughout the whole class period. I have been asked a few times by students why the class seems to go by so quickly, and I believe it is because they stay engaged in their learning. I also believe that modeling expected behaviors as well as desired outcomes promotes students' success. I try to model my expectations to the students in various ways such as 'thinking' aloud through a problem or assignment and having the students role-model. I think even as adults we like to 'see' what someone expects of us so we will feel successful in our accomplishments.

I teach all subject areas with all different levels 1st graders. I use a website, "Starfall.com" with my 1st grade students. It has many different levels of reading skills from beginning letter sounds to difficult reading material. I also challenge my students by tiling. We have mats with all the letters, vowels, digraphs, and blends on them. The students have 2 songs to match each tile to the letters on the workmat. Then I will say a word and the students listen to each sound and will then spell out the word w/the tiles. You can make this activity as easy or a difficult as needed. I incorporate many different blending and segementing of phonemes. We also tap out the sounds heard in each word. It helps the students with reading skills as well as spelling skills.

I also do many different math activities using foods, such as teddy grahams, gold fish crackers, etc. We add, subtract, and pattern with these different snacks. I find that it holds the students interests as well as making it a fun way to learn.

I have noticed that over the years of my teaching career, that it is much harder to hold a students interest in todays's society. If you can make learning fun and also engage the students as much as possible in the lessons, it helps the students. I like to teach with a lot of hands on activities.

Reading for Independence

This is one area I stress to my students. I am forever telling them get a book you like but one that is on your reading level. For many that is hard b/c they are embarresed that they have to read easier books. What I have done is check out books for them that way they can read independently and nobody knows who they are for. Challenging kids to become indpendent thinkers is difficult in our society and finding that perfect balance is something many pay tons of money to find.

Another item I liked in this part was on pg 50 where the girl stopped the author in the hall to discuss that they reviewed way to much. When I taught HS and pulled out the biology book my kids hated it becuase they had the same text the last two years (Spec Ed grades 11-12 with a few freshman) so I changed and taught Marine Biology. We did the normal stuff plus dissection and my kids loved it.

I find challenge is a good thing even in our own lives and the more we challenge them the more it challenges us.

Week 2 Response

I use games to motivate my students frequently. One game I use pretty consistenly is just called "The Paper Plate Game." It can be used for various topics. This is how the game works. You decide on a topic (ex. nouns) and write that topic in the middle of the paper plate. Students are divided into groups. I have my students arranged in table groups and that works well for this. The class is given a certain amount of time, 5 minutes or less. The paper plate is passed around the group and each person adds to the paper plate. I used this game last week as a review of nouns. I allow my students to write in crayon if they prefer, just to make it more fun. I have some sort of reward for the winning team. I also read aloud every word on the winning team's plate. We play several math games in my classroom. A great game for place value is called "I Am the Greatest." If you want to know more, just google the game. We also play an egg carton addition game. Most of the games we play serve as a review of skills we have already been practicing in class.
Modeling is a teaching strategy I feel I use constantly. Many times I tell my students to pretend I am a student just like them. I sit at a desk and model for them what I want them to do. For example, I walk over to various areas of the room and turn assignments into the correct places. At the beginning of the year, I model for them what to do when they get to school in the morning. I do a lot of modeling in my whole-group and small-group reading lessons as well. While reading a book or story aloud to my students, I tell them to "spy on me" and I use self-monitoring strategies or use context-clues to figure out the meaning of vocabulary. Recently I have been modeling decoding strategies in reading groups by using a "guess the covered word" strategy. I am now noticing my students using that strategy while reading.

week 2 response

I found a great resource on the Jefferson County website to help me with creating games for different grade levels. It has a game board creation feature, as well as cards to use for the game. I laminated seven game boards and made seven sets of the fourth grade science cards. I teach all of the fifth grade science, so I thought this activity would be a great informal assessment of their knowledge from the previous year. It was great fun, and I was able to see some areas where they struggled. I extended the activity the next day by creating overheads of all of the questions and had the students use whiteboards to answer the questions.I felt this step was crucial, so I could clear up any misconceptions.
I also like to incorporate games with vocabulary study. As a TCAP review, we play a form of charades using Marzano's word lists.I organize the class into two teams, and alternate between acting and guessing. I have found it helps to write the word list on the board for those who need extra support. My ERC students participated last year and did a great job!

p42. Valuing Depth

Valuing depth is something I have really tried to put a major focus on recently. As I read this book, it reinforces these ideas. After attending an inservice this summer, I pledged to implement "Less is More" and "Slow Down to Speed Up" as a driving force behind my planning and teaching. We are only a few weeks into this year, and I already feel myself being sucked back in to teaching quantity over quality. My team has mapped out the days until the TCAP and determined how many days per lesson/chapter/unit we have in order "to cover" everything we are expected to cover. I have always felt I hold all of my students to high standards and expect nothing less, but I think my expectations may have been misplaced. Catagorizing vocabulary and concepts as critical, useful but not critical, and interesting but not very useful will be the best way for me to start. Incorporating focus questions will be my other undertaking. I felt I always did this, but somewhere along the way it got lost. I feel this overwhelming urge to teach more than I need and in turn expect my students to learn more rather than learn depth.

Week 2: Games, Engaging Learners, Vocabulary

I try to use games at times in the classroom, especially for certain concepts. One unit in 8^th Grade Social Studies is European Exploration. I have my students divide into groups and they create a board game on the travels of various explorers. The games must be historically accurate, and they utilize various resources (mainly Internet) to research obstacles that the explorers faced on their journeys. It is amazing to see their creativity in the board games, but even more important is seeing the application of knowledge they have taught themselves and they don’t even realize it!

Another ‘game’ I like to use that is useful for teaching vocabulary is playing a memory game. Usually, I split my class into two groups (desks in a circle around the game on the floor) and have a competition between the two groups. I put words and definitions on pieces of construction paper and turn them facedown in the floor. Students then go around in a circle flipping over cards with either terms or definitions on them. As the game goes on, students must remember the location of the words, but must also know the definition to get the match and earn points. It is simple, takes very little preparation and it is easy to manage. Plus, the competition adds a little more excitement to a basic game.

Engaging students in American history is not always the easiest task due to all the facts to which they should be exposed, but there are a few things I intentionally do in order to increase student engagement. I try to utilize the Quantum Learning principles: Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic (VAK), in every discussion/lecture I do with my students. For example, when we discuss the Pilgrims crossing the Atlantic on the Mayflower: I utilize a projector to allow students to visualize notes and pictures. Also, we orally discuss as I ‘lecture’ over the story of their crossing the Atlantic. Finally, to conclude the lesson we turn off all the lights and make a rainstorm in the classroom by snapping, then patting their legs, then stomping their feet to simulate the storm that blew the Pilgrims off course. The rainstorm is a little cheesy, but they love it… and usually they go through the rest of the year asking “let’s make it rain like on the Pilgrims.” Success!

The discussion of vocabulary and the ‘trap’ we fall into on Page 71 was very beneficial for me. I have become frustrated with so many teachers around me resorting to the same method week after week to teach vocabulary: flash cards, draw a picture for each word, write definition five times, write a sentence using the word, etc. While these techniques are useful in moderation, they contribute to the feelings of apathy and pointlessness from our students. “Students are very insightful; if you give them busy work, they immediately recognize it for what it is.” (Pg. 31)

Week 1

In response to It's Your Turn on pg 42, I find myself thinking that I tend to try to cover as much information as possible in the course of a semester. I would describe the state standards for a chemistry course "a mile wide and an inch deep." There is so much that needs to be covered, but the balance that I am trying to make is this - since everything in chemistry builds on the previous topic, how can I be sure that there is enough true understanding on a deep enough level to move on? It is completely obvious when a student doesn't understand the underlying concepts because it translates into not understanding the next topic, and the next, and so on.

Week Two Assignment September 17, 2009

Respond to at least two of the following questions: 1) What strategies do you use to teach the academic vocabulary terms (provided by the state) for your content area? 2) Take time to meet with a colleague, mentor, or instructional coach to generate a set of rigorous questions you can use in an upcoming lesson. Try to incorporate language from the New Bloom's Taxonomy or from Webb's Depth of Knowledge. 3) How do you use scaffolding to support your students' learning? 4) What are some specific, intentional steps you take to promote student engagement? How do you know they're fully engaged? 5) Share your perspective on power standards. How do you drill down to the core things your students must know? 6) How can you incorporate RAFT in your content? If you try it, share your findings. 7) The use of games has been touted as a creative way to motivate students and promote engagement in the learning. What are some games you have used in your lessons to motivate students? How successful were they in accomplishing your goals? 8) If you're willing--try the Guide-O-Rama with a student or group of students next week and share your observations. 9) I do, we do, you do is one way to look at modeling the learning for our students. Give examples of times you have used modeling successfully in your classroom. 10) Chunking is a strategy that often works well as a modification for some students. As you think ahead to your next major assignment, how can you chunk the process to help your students be more successful? (Your Turn, p. 91) CONTINUE TO RESPOND TO OTHER GROUP MEMBERS' POSTS.

Covering Information

The "It's your turn" on page 42 deals with just "covering information". As a math teacher I often feel this way. Of course, depending upon the course I am teaching I have to cover information on the EOC test (or formally the Gateway). I felt like I was just pushing info down their throats at times to make sure they were exposed to it before the almighty test. This year I teach Geometry and it allows me to strive to get into the "meat" of our work. We delve into "why?????" so much more and I love it. I find myself incorporating more focus questions and also applying the content to everyday activities and answering the favorite teacher question "when will I ever use this???"

Page 30 and the Success Cycle

I love this circle !!!!!
My students strive to do the work of their non-disabled peers and actually want to be challenged above and beyond what they are able to do. I feel that the more they are willing to work and reach a higher level of achievement the more they will move towards inclusion and regular classes FT. I give them my full support whether they get the answer right or wrong and also encourage them if it is wrong to look at it a different way to try and get the right answer.

Week 1

I have enjoyed the book and value the chance to reflect upon my teaching practices. I have utilized the new Bloom's Taxonomy to incorporate varied cognitive dimensions and increase rigor as my students learn, but I have not utilized Ciardiello's Four Types of Questions. My students create a chart at the beginning of the year using Bloom's and sample quality questions on varied levels so that they can refer to this chart when asked to create classroom discussion questions. However, I think that Ciardiello's chart would be easy for them to understand.

In response to the "It's Your Turn" application on pg. 42, I do feel as though I have to carefully watch not to get caught up in the amount of standards and just cover information without valuing depth and the quality of learning. I fear that sometimes the amount of information that is covered in each grade level via the standards is causing our students to be "jacks of all trades and masters of none" unless the quality and depth of learning are present as well. I would also like to comment on the thoughts presented on pg. 31 of the text. The type of work and rigor that we set forth for our students communicates respect and value for them. Students do recognize non-valuable work for what it is, and they often respond to that level. However, authentic, high level work that is engaging will reflect our belief in their ability. In turn, the students will respond to that level.

Week One - pg. 34

It is without a doubt that rigor is impacted by the students engagement and motivation to learn. I enjoyed participating in the activity on page 34 where it asked us to reflect on a lesson that was taught recently. I reflected on a lesson that I taught recently using a power point presentation along with completing the questions in their workbook. During this lesson, I lectured while the students took notes, ask questions throughout the notes, and they also did individual writing while completing thier workbook assignment. I found that many of the students enjoyed taking the notes from the pp while others did not. I cannot wait to see how the test scores turn out!
I also agree with another individual who wrote that they would like to improve on the questions that they ask during a lesson. I also would like to work on my questions to ensure that they are directly related to the lesson and also that they make my students think more logically. I enjoyed reviewing Ciardiellos's model on page 23.

Week 1

In the 'Rigor-Related Recommendations From Dropouts,' (p.4) I found it extremely interesting that 81% of these students called for more "real-world" learning opportunities. This seems like it would be so easy and logical to include in our teachings; however, I know I often find it difficult to do so. I do know that the times that I do give a good, 'real-world' reason as to why we need to learn certain materials, the students are much more receptive to the learning. Students, just like adults, like to have a logical reason for doing something, yet we often teach them information (many times because we have no choice) for which they have a hard time understanding the importace of learning.

I teach 1st grade and I always engage my students in learning. If I did not do this, I would lose their attention very quickly. I also use a lot of the quantum teachings. I remind my students of the keys and how we can learn more and make our brains grow. On page 34, this book talks about engaging students, motivating students, and getting more out of students. I think if we expect more, then students will give more. We have to do this in a fun, exciting, positive way. Students like to be challenged. I also use a lot of music in my classroom with motion. My students seem to learn better with this technique.

pg.34 derricash

I agree with the author's contention that rigor is is impacted by student motivation and engagement. This is the heart of quantum learning, which our county has embraced. So far, this book is supporting all that I learned in my five day quantum learning experience.Page 34 asks us to reflect on a recent lesson focusing on student engagement. I read a book a few years ago which suggested planning/teaching is five minute chunks. This has helped me develop mini-lessons which lead to more student engagement. I try to present the content, model it, practice it, and assess it.(written or oral)
One of the areas I would like to improve in is asking better questions. I thought Ciardiellos's model on page 23 was succinct and useful. I don't want to rely on using memory questions, and could use some guidance.Hopefully, the book will give some concrete examples in the chapters to come.

Sept. 11

So far this is pretty overwhelming. From the statistics/studies Blackburn cites, our American educational system needs an overhaul. Maybe this "RIGOR" initiative is part of the solution.
I am looking forward to reading about pragmatic ways to incorporate some of Ms. Blackburn's ideas into what I am currently doing. I was relieved to read that teachers can make use of the new ideas without scrapping everything we're doing. I am also curious as to how much she will discuss vertical alignment since my department is focusing on that currently.
One key factor that struck me is how students who go into the work force need "Rigor" as much as the college bound.
The characteristics of good questioning will be very helpful to me personally. I feel I am already using many of them. Good stuff.
Ms. Blackburn states that sole responsibility for success or failure of our graduates cannot fall on high schools. I do think, however, that the general population would hold high schools most accountable.
Arlene

Rigor Week 1

The attempt to define rigor as outlined in Chapter 1 was very beneficial for me as I begin this book study.  The perspective of "Rigor" and what it actually means is often misunderstood among stakeholders within the school community.  Teachers have their definition, parents have theirs, and students definitely have an opinion.  I like the comment from the five year old: "Rigor? Isn't that what mean teachers do?" (pg. 5)  With such diverse opinions surrounding the word itself, an increased knowledge of what rigor looks like in the classroom becomes much more beneficial, as we try to see what it looks like when applied to an education setting.  

What I took most from the book's explanation of the definition is that we need more quality, rather than quantity. (p. 15)  As an 8th grade Social Studies teacher, finding the balance between these two is sometimes very difficult.  There is so much in the time span of American History I must cover, I often have to 'skim over' some names and events like they happened in a flash rather than getting deep into the topic.  Rather than going with the 'inch deep, mile long' approach, I think it may be more beneficial to go 'deeper and a shorter distance' to get the quality of thought and perspective our students need and desire.  Keeping this balance is an increasing challenge with more standards, but I think this is the best approach to see our students succeed not only on TCAPs, but also as we prepare them for high school, college, and beyond. (p. 10)

Post a response to one of the following: Final Insights, p. 7; It's Your Turn, p. 34, p. 42, or p. 56. Comment on at least one other participant's post.

Chapter 1 Rigor

I was shocked by some of the Silent Epidemic findings. Since all of my experience has been with teaching middle school students, I never really encountered high school drop outs. I assumed that they were unmotivated or just overwhelmed with personal problems that kept them from performing in school. I never thought that boring classes could be a reason to quit.

I was also struck by the author's comment that rigor is doing more with less, not necessarily assigning more work.

After reading Chapter One, I agree with another blogger that rigor is defined by several different meanings. I especially enjoyed the findings from The Silent Epidemic and the percentages that were mentioned. I feel that many of the ideas that were mentioned in Chapter One were beneficial; however, I sometimes feel that we have to teach to TCAP, which makes learning more RIGOR!

I teach Geometry this year and it is a VERY rigorous math topic. It requires such logical thinking and processes that students generally do not encounter every day. We have ALL learned to "short-cut" our way through so many things and Geometry does not allow for short cuts. It is also requires you to defend yourself which is rigorous in and of itself. Students don't like to be asked "why did you do it that way?". I have finished Chapter 1 and am almost through with Chapter 2. I am looking forward to finding new ways to integrate the rigor of my subject area in ways that the students do NOT dread it :)

I found the first chapter very interesting in making the case for a rigorous course of study. I think what I found the most impacting sentence in the entire chapter was found on page 6. "It is important for us to challenge our students, but we must do so in a way that ensures their success, rather than reinforcing their negative feelings." As a chemistry teacher (so I apologize in advance for the lack of correct grammar in my posts), I feel that there is so much negativity surrounding the subject matter that it is incredibly important to be upfront about the rigorous nature of the course, but to also be encouraging and supportive throughout the semester as well.

After completing the first chapter in the book I am asking my fourth graders about how they feel when I instruct them to complete an assignment that may be a bit more challenging than what they are used to. I will share my findings in upcoming posts.

I got my book today.

I have just read the first chapter. It seems like the word "rigor" can be used to mean different things. I believe it describes the willingness to study a concept in depth, using an idea or a book as a jumping off point.

I received the book on Thursday. I'm looking forward to the study. This is really a new (to me)way to earn in-service.

I'm looking forward to blogging about this book and learning! This will be my first "blog"

Welcome!

Welcome to the Rigor is NOT a Four-Letter Word Book Study Blog. You should receive your copy of the book, Rigor is NOT a Four-Letter Word, in next week's courier. In order to earn professional development credit, each participant is required to post to this blog at least one time each week for the duration of this book study. Participants may respond to questions, share observations or insights, or ask questions of your own. We will have one face-to-face meeting at the Teacher Center on September 29. Until then, enjoy the book, share your reflections, and look for ways to apply your learning to your teaching assignment. Your first question will be posted by September 10. Carla