stepping forward

I've spent the last 3.5 years preparing to be a teacher, and I'm about to be. The thought consumes me, both of excitement and of fear. I have to remind myself to relax and breathe more than I would like to. I feel like once I get in there, however, that it's going to be the perfect match. I filled out my planning book today with dates and the block dates/workdays and days off. Somehow this validated me in my feelings that I can be a teacher. Not sure why... not sure exactly how to use it but...you know.

The days from now until then creep by or race by. I wish there was an in-between.

students and death.

In ten days, it will have been three years since I've lost my friend in an Avalanche. In ten days, it will also be my birthday. When Patrick died, I was a day into 19, and my life has never quite been the same. While contemplating this fact today, I began to think about the deaths that will inevitably happen when I am a teacher. I continually tell people that the loss of Patrick is a lot harder than the loss of my grandparents. I loved my grandparents, and I miss them a lot, but they were old and have lived a full life...and they were supposed to die. Patrick was 18, and his death came as a total shock to my entire system. Students will face the death of a friend at some point in my teaching career, and I need to be able to help them get through that anguish somehow. The problem? I have no idea how. I don't even know how to get myself through it.

When I was a senior in High School, I lost a classmate in a drunk driving accident. I didn't know him personally (there were over 400 students in my class) but I was still affected by his death. I remembered today that Brandon has a facebook page that was set up by one of his friends our freshmen year of college. Today, there were multiple posts of people writing to tell Brandon that they missed him. Although Brandon doesn't directly get those messages, but I know it makes his friends feel better about his absence.

Every year, I donate money to search and rescue so that perhaps someone else's friend can get pulled out an avalanche alive. I also let my birthday balloons go in hopes that somehow they make it all the way up to mountains in the sky.

Each student will be different, and each death will tough each student differently too. I do think that it is important for teachers to be there for kids when they need someone to talk to. Although we can by no means make the pain go away, we will be able to help kids get through it, as it is a part of life.


Heart shaped tears
Sunshine drips like honey
Over snow-capped mountains
deep breath, girl.

Let go.
Let go of the birthday balloons
so they can become
confetti in heaven.

keep climbing, my friend
help the sun change colors
and the stars find their places
Remember that I love you.

The value of peer editing

I've been working on a paper now for several months regarding Abigail Adams and her place in history. The more I've worked on it, the less I see that is wrong with it, and thus, I run out of things to fix. Tonight I dragged my buddy with me to Starbucks where for the price of a cup of coffee I got a lot of help and insight into my writing.

When I got home, I took a moment to think: it was THIS helpful for me...a college kid who has always written fairly well then how helpful would it be for students in a classroom?

I remember not really liking 'peer editing' but there are ways to make sure that it is helpful for both the writer AND the editor. I think that it will be really important for me to continue to figure out ways for students to understand that it is okay to ask for help from people when it comes to their writing.

How can we as teachers help students to have opportunities to have peers review their writing?

What are some ways that we can encourage students to have others review their writing even when it is not required?

What forms might help students give helpful and insightful comments to other students?

The Long Goodbye

So.
I've been coaching a group of lacrosse girls for three years now, and tomorrow is the goodbye.

I started with a team of 35 girls from 5th-8th grade....more than twice the size of number of players that can be on a lacrosse field at once (12). I spent 8 or so hours a week with them trying my best to figure out how to substitute that many players...and how to coach my two goalies and run a team practice all while trying to manage behavior issues and parent communication. I decided if this was going to work, we had to have a team motto, so I created one. We, as a team, ended practice with it every day, and the sounds of my girls will forever resonate in my heart.

"Love each other, work hard, play hard"

Perhaps the moments where we find ourselves falling in love are the most special in our lives...and as we watch the little love grow into an enormous tangled bush it seems impossible to ever get it to let go of anything. If that is how it happens, then I am for sure in love with these girls. I find myself staring at the door with tears ripping my heart to shreds, barely able to turn the handle thinking to myself "you could have prevented this pain".

To my Havoc girls:
Without you, I would not be the person I am today. I have never fallen in love with a group of people as I have fallen in love with you. On my hardest, day I always knew you'd be waiting for me on the lacrosse field, effectively lifting my heart up and back into its usual smile. I admire your hearts - the way you treat each other and the way you have always treated me as well as the way you treat your opponents. Watching you learn to pass and catch, shoot, save, score, and defend has been the highlight of my years in Fort Collins. The proudest moments in my life come not from my own accomplishments, but rather watching you succeed and grow as both players and people. I laugh to myself every time I think of THE practice in the snow where I heard a never ending chorus of "But LIZ! My brother didn't have to go to practice today!" and readily informed you that you were tougher than the boys. I have never smiled in the face of so many 'tricks' or learned so much about sharks, Taylor Swift, fashion, lacrosse, or myself as I have in these past several years. I can't find the right words to express how much I love you all.

<3


I'm not ready yet.

Reading Speed

I feel like I have about 2348972938472938423 things to learn before I should be allowed in the classroom. However, I'm glad that I don't have to learn that many because then I wouldn't be allowed to teach for at least another 50 years. When I'm in a class of any kind now I notice all kinds of weird things that normal people wouldn't notice. I've always been super observant about tons of things, but I feel like once I put my heart toward education that my brain just takes over and finds things to think about. Today's interesting observation has to do with reading speed. In Methods, we were reading a set of articles/documents and I finished them all in the allotted time. three other students finished close behind me and everyone else was still reading. This made me think of several questions regarding what to do in the classroom when you make kids read.

How do you decide how much time students get to 'read' the material? Too much time, and kids who are finished are bored...too little time and many kids don't get the information you're trying to pass along. When groups of kids begin to finish, they can tend to become bored which leads to behavior that is 'bad' in many cases. How can we create activities to keep the 'finished' kids busy?

Finishing reading things before is not a new phenomenon in my life...in fact I got my lamp taken away from me in elementary school because I would not go to bed due to reading. By 6th grade, my reading level was off the chart, literally, as I was labeled as a 12th+ . Reading does not come easy to all, and some people just read more slowly, and need to, and that is perfectly fine. But, it makes in-class reading a difficult thing to balance.

I have no idea what the answer is to this - which is normal since I rarely know the answers to things that I want to know the answer to. Just something to think about.

Role Model-ization

I think that we, as adults (I still have yet to actually accept this role completely. To myself I am still little enough to not be the "a" word...) often forget that we are important role models for kids. I am in the process of speaking with one of my lacrosse kids via IM, and she just told me that I'm her hero. That means more to me than I ever have hope of expressing through words...especially written words...but it made me think of a lot of things. I didn't set out to be her hero - just her coach. It was my goal to make sure that she was the best goalie that she could be, that she learned to love lacrosse, and enjoyed spending time with her team. I'm leaving a set of girls that I've grown really close to now (my going-away party is next week) and it tears me up inside. But, I think that for some of them ... losing me is harder on them than it is for me to lose them. She is worried if I'll remember them - and her, and will I tell my new teams about her and the team? It got me thinking of the role models and heroes I had when I was in middle and high school...and I think that these people are who I owe my life as it is now to in many ways...

Mr. Perfors, Mr. Kipp, and Mr. Gorr - A whole host of fantastic history teachers that made me love the subject and helped me develop confidence in myself.

Russ- A former music teacher who worked with me a lot in marching band...and was always a great friend to me. He's now the dean at the school that I'll be working at, which rocks!

Sean- My lacrosse coach who always pushed me to be my best and even wiped away my tears when I was one of the last kids cut from Team Colorado.

Although there were many more...these five men really helped shape who I am, and I am thankful for that.

I think that teachers need to make sure that they're helping kids when they need it. Kids have tough days (and tough months, years, and lives) and they often need someone to help them get up on their feet and stay there. I want to strive to be that person as often as I can.

breaks and homework

So, I'm home for my last Thanksgiving break as a student, which is kind of weird. Anyway, I have massive amounts of homework to do - thus taking away time that I get to spend with my family and/or friends that I haven't really seen that much since I moved to school. Why do teaches insist on assiging homework over breaks. Yea, the students have time to work on it, but shouldn't they be allowed to relax? I'm pretty sure that is why a break is created for kids - and teachers...just to give some time off so that school can be more productive.

When I was a freshmen at CSU, a good friend of mine was killed in an avalanche. I've dealt with deaths before - of people I care about from my own grandparents, to a friend's mother, as well as a few aquaintences...and nothing has hit me as hard as losing Patrick. I can't think of a single day that I don't think about him and his family. Although this isn't directly related to giving homework, I've never treasured life on earth so much as the years following the death of my friend. Life is sometimes too short, and you never know when something might hit like that...it makes me think that the time that students get to spend with their families is that much more important ... and although we all love our subjects - sometimes it is the simple things in life that are the most important. As teachers, I think we owe some time to the kids.

that's all for now.

Concert found poetry

So last night I attended the CSU Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band concert. I love music (this is the second semester since the sixth grade that I haven't been in the band) but sometimes I struggle to sit completely still in concerts when I'm listening. It makes my mind soar and I become crazy creative, so I think that my problem stems from all of my creative whatevers being stimulated. Usually, I bring some paper and draw or write poems as the inspiration hits me. Last night, while going through my usual concert-attending regimen, I was reading through the descriptions of all the pieces and composers. Suddenly, I was hit with a truck of thought that made me think...if we can do found poetry with primary source documents, why not with anything? So...I tried it, and I think it came out super super well.

Here is one from Percy Granger (a composer...1882-1962...super fascinating and weird if you want to look him up) write up...

Australia's
Sensational pianist
Innovation and experimentation
WWII outbreak
toured and promoted
folk music

The following is from a Concerto For Bassoon by Gordon Jacob (1895-1984)

Bounding Bassoon
Beautiful
Sustained
Suspending movement
quick and different
thick, crisp melodies
burst
ENTHUSIASM

The last one is from Gustav Holst's (1874-1934) First Suite in Eb (which, as a side note is one of my favorite pieces of all time - I got to play this horn solo for an honor band I was in sophomore year in high school. I really great to like it a lot and it is definitely worth listening to you ... as are the planets if you haven't yet listened to that)

Holst
Composer and Friend
Leading cornerstone of thrilling style
Played exceptionally
Variation on wind
Lyrics and themes
British Music

So, what the heck does this have to do with history? Well, a few things. First of all I think it is really important that music is shared with students in the history classroom. I may have said it before...but students understand music. As soon as they can get their ipod in their ears, they're all about it, constantly sharing things with their friends, etc. If we want to connect with our students, we need to find things that connect to them. Although they may not be into classical music, this may help them paint a picture of the past in their minds which is very important when it comes to them actually understanding history.

Secondly - I think that it shows that found poetry can be 'found' almost anywhere. These bios of pieces and composers were short...two or less paragraphs, but they reflect the ideas presented in the paragraphs. I really think that the more times students engage in activities such as this, the more they will be able to understand the material.


I am really attracted to all of the ways we've learned to bring poetry into the history classroom. Part of it, I think, is because I think it is 'new' and not something that I've ever done with history before. The other part is that I've been writing poems of various forms since I was in fourth grade - so it is something that feels comfortable to me, and I like mixing my love of history with the love I feel for poetry.

Ready to go?

So the countdown to my student teaching began when I first came to CSU in 2005, and it has been slowly moving semester by semester. Now, the number is down to a month and a few weeks which leaves me in several states.
1. Excitement
2. Complete and utter panic

I suppose these feelings are normal, but that doesn't mean that I enjoy being panicked. In fact, the most frustrating thing for me is not knowing what is going to happen to me after May, which oddly enough panics me more than anything. So, I go home for winter break and stay there through May, and I have two preps and four classes - that's fantastic. But then what? I have no clue. I want a high school job very much so. I love working with my junior high kids when I'm coaching, but I don't like them as much as I do high school kids. High School kids have issues with just about everything that you can think of...and I like that. I like helping them pick themselves up and reach higher than they thought that they could. Which I know is not for everyone, but that is always where my heart has been.

I am so excited to be in the classroom all the time. In fact, I have approximately a thousand things to do for my classes right now, but I can't think about the stuff I have to do without defaulting to my lesson plans for January. I'm going to get the class on day one, which is awesome and terrifying, and I need to finish all the stuff that I am doing before I start thinking about that (too much, anyway).

Perhaps one of the best things about the spring (besides getting to teach) is that I have the opportunity to coach as well. This is going to create a lot of work, but hopefully I'll get a coaching job along with my teaching job, so it is something that I feel like I should be experiencing. Besides, life for me without lacrosse would be somewhat destroyed and strange. The total upside is that I get to be head coach of an 8th grade team and be an assistant coach for the high school program that I went thorough which is awesome. I have a lot of respect for my coach and feel some sense of honor that I get to work with him again - on the other side of the line. He taught me a lot, and I am looking forward to what else I can learn from him.

The feelings of being really really excited and really really nervous leave me nothing but tired. I feel like I'm going to do just fine, but sometimes feeling that solves nothing.

Geography

So - when I was younger, one of my MOST HATED things was the five themes of geography. I remember in 8th grade, sitting in the class going over the five themes and having to memorize them etc. I was thinking about that today, as we are going over things in methods class on how to run a geography class that is effective - and I spent part of my drive home today thinking about why I hated the five themes SO much.

I think the biggest reason was that I didn't understand what they were. All I understood was that there were five of them, and they had kind of weird names and it was boring. I think the essential question here is - what are ways that we can make the five themes make SENSE to kids...it should be interesting, yes, but they also need to understand what they are, and what they mean.

By far the hardest two for EVERYONE to understand is: PLACE and LOCATION
Who the heck came up with those names? I mean, seriously, if a room full of history ed majors can't distinguish very well, how the heck are middle schoolers supposed to understand? How can we make the two understandable to students? I think we should begin by teaching place. Have kids draw a picture of their room - that is a special place to them...or just their favorite 'place'. Later, you can find the location of that place...if that makes sense. Coors Field is my favorite place...its location? 20th and Blake Street in Denver, CO. It seems simple, but to me it made sense, and I think it will to kids too.

Movement is fairly easy - we discussed it in class today. There are a lot of ways that you can connect movement to the other social studies disciplines...history with trade routes, immigration, etc...

Human Environmental Interaction is probably my favorite to teach kids as the concept is fairly simple, but the words are really huge. I think that, younger kids especailly, feel a sense of accomplishment when they understand and learn the meaning of big words. I can still rememeber learning to spell "Mississippi" when I was young and I think I ran around the house spelling it about 218665464 times before my mother finally was able to shut me up. By then, I had found my new favorite word "ColoradoRockies" - and no, I could not spell one without the other... and there is this strange little tune I made up that I sang all the letters to.

Region can be tough, but fun. I think students can learn fairly easy to understand what those things mean - especially when they look at things that are relevant to THIER life. For example, if you asked kids what region Colorado is in, many of them (living here of course) would say 'west'. While this is how WE identify ourselves, many other places aroudn the US would qualify us as 'midwest' or 'southwest'. Students could be asked to explain how we could fit into ALL of the categories. They could also look at a map of a specific area and try to create as many different regions as they can...among other things.


I think geography could be a lot of fun to teach. I would actually love to teach a class on culture someday - introducing students to four or five different cultures over the course of a sememster where they learn simple words - facts about the country or countries/religions - how they dress - customs- foods- etc. I think it would be wonderful to find people who are from a culture to come in and speak with the students. I think this sort of a class is really missing from our schools and that American students tend to be wayyyyyyyyyy too ethnocentric sometimes. I learned a lot when I was teaching in Japan, and I hope that someday I can get kids immersed in other cultures - even if it just happens though a school and a classroom...it could really help their future as an American and as a citizen of the world.

Teacher's edition text books

For next semester... I am taking on two classes.
1. Honors World History
2. U.S. History

I'll have two sections of each, and I was given books by the teachers I'll be working with. For the U.S. history course, I was given the teacher's edition which is about the size of Alaska. I am amazed at what is inside this thing! I guess from a lot of the books that were teacher's editions that I've been able to look at - I drew the idea that there wasn't any information inside that would be helpful. However, inside they've got a 'pacing guide' with activities that have been "Teacher Tested" and then lists the teacher and the location as well as the instructions on what you're supposed to do. How helpful is that? They also have different activities laced throughout...some specifically for normal scheduling and some for block periods. Not all of these things are ideas that I would use, but some of them are outstanding. Reading through the different activities has also helped me get my head around block scheduling a little more.

Above all, there is one thing in this that I love more than anything. They have, every chapter or so, a list of books for the teacher. What an easy way to find a book that will help deepen OUR knowledge of whatever subject we're teaching about.

So far, that is my only revelation of the day...although I'm sure that there will be more soon :)

here we go

Coming up with new activities for classrooms is one of my favorite things in the whole world. I get really nervous sometimes though - as I worry things will blow up in my face. I suppose I shouldn't be nervous about that because things are going to blow up. It has happened in lacrosse, and it will happen in the classroom - although I hope it happens as few times as possible. As I think about student teaching ... and teaching ... I get a little apprehensive. However, through that, it is nice to have friends and other peers who I know are the same situation...and I know that we'll be able to share lessons and units, which makes the entire situation not so daunting.

I think that technology is amazing, and one thing I look forward to is being able to use that technology to integrate my history classroom with other history classrooms. My friend K and I have spoken about having our students communicate with each other using the internet. What a great opportunity will it be for students to work with each other at different schools :)

Right now, I am working on my Revolutionary War unit for Teaching History. It is fun to put together, but frustrating. It also shows me what my workload is going to be like in the spring, and makes me wish that I had picked something that I'll be teaching in the spring...but this unit will be of help when I get my first job net fall (hopefully!) I wish that I knew the kids I was planning this unit for. It has a fair amount of group collaboration, which I think is important. However, if the students really don't respond well to working in groups...it will have to be tweaked...which is really no big deal. I wish that I could try this out on students and see if it actually worked :)

Student teaching gets closer every single day, and I get a little bit more nervous every day. I will be teaching and coaching lacrosse, which will be a reality for me - but it will be tough this spring. I'll be working with a 7th and 8th grade team as a head coach, and then I will also assistant coach at the high school I'm working at. This will be the first time I'll be back to lacrosse 6 days a week since I played in high school myself...and it will be nice. I always feel better when I can get out and run around. Plus, I love the coaching environment - and actually feel more comfortable there than I do when I'm in a classroom as of right now. I'm going to visit my new students this week...which should be fun. I am nervous that they'll be upset about having a student teacher, which I guess is a legitimate concern, but I am hoping that everything will go smoothly. I'm really excited about the two teachers I am working with - I think I am going to learn a lot, and they are going to let me loose, which is nice. It would be really difficult for me to try to fit into someone else's style I think.

I suppose that is all for tonight. Time to get some sleep so I can keep plugging away tomorrow!

:)

I love LOVE LOVE working in the classroom.
Every Tuesday and Thursday when I come home from working with students, I am so excited to get in there with my OWN kids ALL the time.

Nothing profound today...just this interaction that took place in the US history classroom I work in.

Student to Teacher: Hey, did you know that guy?
Teacher: Who? (Turns around to look at a poster) Sitting Bull?
Student: Yea.
Teacher: haha...no.

That's all.

Found Poems

So, apparently my favorite mode of content things are poems. I think that's because I've always loved poetry - and I remember keeping a poetry journal when I was little...especially fourth grade for some reason. Anyway.

These are really good to use with a primary source. Today K and I worked on the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. You read the document and select 50 words, and then create a poem from that.

Here is ours.

Assisting Security
Communist threat to freedom
Political desires in Asia
Necessary force against attackers
President
Obligations to promote peace
Concurrent ambitions in Vietnam
Security
National defense
Deliberate Resolution
To prevent territorial agression


Pretty cool, huh? I think so :)

Election Tuesday!

I love being wrapped up in future history. Like right now, we're in the center of it with this big election. I've been following and chronicling for many many months now, and it is really hard for me to believe that it is about to come to an end. As I was pondering a lesson I may be teaching on Tuesday in a history class, I don't wonder if we should all take a moment to talk about the election in our classes?

Last thursday, I spent nearly an hour explaining political parties, the electoral college, and other election-related things to kids in the US history class I work in. It was amazing to me that they knew as little as they did about our political system...but then I thought for a moment and came to this realization: I know so much about the government because I love politics and government! By the time kids are in high school, chances are they will have had four or five presidential elections go on IN THEIR WHOLE LIFE! This isn't a yearly thing by any means ---

By the time we're adults...we get sick of the advertisements and constant "breaking news" that isn't breaking or news, and we want the election to come so we can vote, become happy or sad, and move on with our lives. Some students feel that way too, no doubt. However, there are a lot of kids who just want to understand what is going on...so my question is this:
Why not spend some time in ANY classroom helping kids to understand our system of government? Won't this help their education ... and their want/need to vote?

Here is a list of things the kids thought on Thursday about our system of gov't (they're juniors in HS)
-If you register for a political party, you HAVE TO vote for them when you cast your ballot
-Electoral College = Popular vote
-You have to register with a party when you register to vote
-You have to tell people how you voted when they ask (esp. parents!)
-The states that are "blue" or "red" will FOR SURE go that way in the election
-What do you mean that Bush didn't win the popular vote in 2000??? (this made me feel old)
-There are only two political parties that have ever mattered
-It is not ok to be an independent voter
-You can't change your political affiliation once you register
-What happens to you if you don't vote?
-What happens if you get in line and then the polls close?
-Does everyone get the same ballot?
There were more, but I can't think of them at the time.



That's all for now...but I'm still thinking!!

Student Teach Much?

Today I get to go meet with the teachers that I'll be student teaching with. I'm really excited to have two - I think it will allow me to learn a lot...seeing two different styles and such.

I had one teacher in HS and really loved his class(es). I think that he is one of the reasons that I grew to love history as much as I do. From the time that I was little I think that I have wanted to be a teacher in one way or another...at least spaced with Vet (when you don't want to put down dogs, that dream ends pretty fast) or and aerospace engineer like my grandfather (interesting how that blows up when you hate math...haha). But, I think that my teachers in late MS and HS helped me fall in love with the past. That aside, I'm really excited to work with him. He's always been a good mentor for me, and I'm already comfortable in his classroom. I think that I'll be able to learn and grow immensely in the semester following January.

I also get to work with a teacher that I never had, which is good too. He teaches US history (vs. World...that'll be my other classes) and used to coach. I want to coach lacrosse, so working with someone who has taught and coached will help me to understand the time commitments and how to better figure out the balance of the two. It will also be nice to have someone that I've never met to interact with - and I am really looking forward to it.

Plus, I've got some coaching stuff going on which makes me happy. I've got a new little 8th grade team, which I am excited about...and I'll also be helping out at the HS level. Although I know it'll be tough to balance the two, I want to know what it feels like, and my teachers are okay with it, so here we go. I figure, my new little lax team won't know any of my drills and stuff, so working with them will be pretty easy as far as practice planning and stuff...they won't be bored of my stuff yet!! : )

Sometimes it is hard to be in school still. Hard to focus - hard to go to 'regular' history class. I find myself wayyy more interested in my education classes right now, and that makes it hard to make room for my Slavery in the Americas class. The class is interesting, but I really can't stand some of the people in there who continually talk and answer questions and ASK questions about everything ALL THE TIME! Although frustrating...I've learned that I've got to be in control of students like that when I'm teaching so that other students don't get totally wound up.
Hahaha.

Controversial Issues In The Classroom...

With the election right around the corner, we had the opportunity to discuss in methods class about bringing controversial issues into a Government or Civics classroom.

I really feel like students need to learn how to deal with controversial while they're in school. It may be hard for a teacher to regulate - but I believe that it is essential that the kids learn how to function. When they're adults, the world isn't going to be a happy place where everyone believes the same thing. However, as teachers, I think we're responsible to help students learn how to deal with their ideas and emotions in a calm and collected way.

If a 'debate' of issues is going on in the classroom, I think that it is important that ground rules are set. When a discussion is going on and ground rules don't exist, the potential for ugly things to happen very quickly.

Another thing to think about is if teachers should reveal their political beliefs to their students. I don't know how I feel about this to be completely honest, and I suppose that it will take being in a classroom for a good amount of time before I figure that out.

If we tell students what we are, they'll be able to see through and bias that we might have. They'll also quit wondering what you are, and stop asking. I think that sometimes when kids don't identify politically with someone, that they can still learn that you're a good person. On the other hand, when the kids don't know...it is easy to play devil's advocate. Not only that, but it keeps the kids guessing, which can be very beneficial.

Sometimes I think there are so many things to think about...and Government classes bring up oh-so-many more.

Unit Planning, the Model Citizen, and Life in General

Today in Methods class we learned (more) about unit planning. One student brought up the question of how long we should plan for each unit, which I am glad, because I wonder that too. It is hard to imagine what we're supposed to be doing when we don't get the opportunity to do it. Although, the unit that I'm putting together is helping some, and so are the lessons that I'm putting together for 450 class. Sometimes I think putting together my units is the thing that is most scary to me. BUT...I am determined to get it! :)

We were also asked today to write about the Model Citizen...and what that means to us. Sometimes I think better in lists, so here are the things that I think make a good citizen:
-They VOTE!
-They understand what they're voting for
-Participating in their local communities (schools, volunteering places, etc.) to help their communities remain strong.
-They understand how our government works
-Have a basic understanding of our nation's history
-Understand their state's history
-Patriotic

I think some more on that...I know there are more things I think about citiziens...


So, in the past year, I have been able to witness many important political events. This year is the first year I can vote in a presidential election. That being the case, I have been excited for next Tuesday since Bush was re-elected my senior year of HS. I have participated in everything I can possibly think of... partly because I want to do it...and partly so that my students will understand what the heck is going on.

It all began with the Democratic caucus in Colorado Springs. The Springs is a little on the psycho conservative side...and by psycho, I mean totally insane. It is, however, an environment that I was raised in, so I am somewhat comfortable with it. That being said, I didn't expect there to be THAT many people at the caucus. Boy was I wrong! There were hundreds of people of all ages and races, having discussion about Obama and Clinton. I clearly remember a few older women being for Hillary and talking to them about how energized the young people are for Barack. I could see the desire for a woman to be in control (something that I at times desire as well), but also an understanding of the power young folks can have. Ultimately, my group, and almost all of the others gave our 'vote' to Obama, much to my joy. I sent texts to my roommate who was in FOCO, and talked about our experiences. It made me proud to have participated. It was worth the random drive down to the Springs for the evening :).

In August, I was ever more excited that the DNC was in Denver. Slightly annoyed that class began that week and I couldn't sit perched in my living room listening to all the speakers and getting excited for November. However, we were lucky enough to get to go to Invesco and see Obama accept the nomination. I don't think that I have ever been in a stadium that has been quite that excited save the Rockies winning the play in game dramatically in the fall of 07. That, in all honesty, could have just been my own amped up excitement. Anyway, we got to see many great speakers including some of Martin Luther King Jr.'s children and Sheryl Crow sang. It was a day that I will never forget.

This past weekend, something that I think is quite amazing happened. Nine or so days before the election, Barack Obama came to Colorado State. A little town in northern Colorado and a little state school that doesn't have HUGE standing in the world. I was so excited!! C, S, K, and I stood in line beginning at 8:45 am. We then waited and waited and waited until we could get in to the oval. Bill Ritter spoke, and so did Betsy Markey. Everyone was completely energized, and when Obama came on stage, the oval pretty much erupted. It is amazing to feel the energy that follows Barack, and how excited so many people are about his potential to lead our country. This is the closest I've ever been to him, and I wish that I could have talked to him...but don't we all? Haha.


I'll finish my journey this January when I attend the Presidential Inauguration in Washington D.C. Regardless of who is elected, I am really excited to be a part of that, a once in a lifetime opportunity, I do believe.

entirely almost an eternity

It feels like forever has passed me by twice since I've written, which is somewhat of a shame. I love to write, but sometimes life gets in the way of that. Especially school, and stupid mid-terms. Today I don't have much time to write, but in class this week we've been talking about stories, and how they can help to shape your class(room). I've decided to post a few of my very favorites here so that anyone can have a look. Later, perhaps (if I don't forget), I will go into a little more depth, and figure out how to use them to help my students.

Balto

The 1980 'Miracle on ice'

Jackie Robinson

Apollo 13

John and Abigail Adams' letters

Rocktober (of course, you knew it had to be...)

Native American creation stories

Berlin Wall collapse

and now, I must retire to continue studying. Oh, what a joy.

High Trails

So, last week, I was fortunate enough to spend 4 days in the mountains teaching 6th graders about Ute Indians. The professor that we had said that the experience would be one of the most influential of our education, and for some reason, I didn't quite believe him. Turns out however, that I indeed learned far more than I expected to - and grew leaps and bounds as a person. Here are my highlights:

Hiking with the CSU students up "B Bluff"
On the first day there, the director of the camp took us all up a bluff. We climbed through this chimney up to the top, and once up there talked about reasons for being at High Trails for the week and what we hoped to learn. I mentioned that I wanted to learn from the 6th graders as I felt they had a lot to teach. It was nice listening to other people's goals as well :) . The director also talked about what we would do the following day, and talked about the 'special spots' that the kids would find. Once they found a spot, they would be responsible for writing in their journals and thinking quietly. One thing that really caught my attention was when he said "Some kids will sit there and think and be reflective, and some will play with sticks, and that's okay too" I never want to forget that...I think that too often we forget that not everyone is the same and that we need to recognize that.

Setting the Mood Activities
We did a few things with our 'group'
1. Hiked up to an aspen grove...had them taste an aspen leaf and pine needle...touch the ground, smell things, etc.
2. Put the kids into 4 groups of 4 with a High School counselor
3. Sent them on a blind hike with their HS counselor who dropped them all off at a tree...picked them up from it...took them back to their starting place and then allowed them to find there tree (all of our kids found their tree!!)
4. Let them find a special spot...write there and think and/or play with sticks
-They were also to write a quote here

Indians Discovery Group
I was in this group all week, which was awesome! We got to let the kids name themselves and paint their faces, which they really seemed to enjoy. My name was "Ram who hunts buffalo" ...haha. Then, we took them on a fairly short hike to "Tipi Village" where they learned about Religion and Rituals, Village Life (my segment), Archery, and Games. We had help from the HS counselors, and the kids really seemed to enjoy it. In the afternoon of the first day, I was able to lead the entire set, and a teacher from Challenger filled in for our wonderful High Trails Staff. It was fun leading the kids with the help of another CSU student who mostly focused on archery...I think it went smoothly and the kids had a good time!

One night was the "discovery cookout" where the kids did archery and played games...I helped cook and also took on a homesick girl which was a huge challenge for me. I'm not very good with the criers - but by the end of the night she was doing much better, which made me happy.

The last day was an "all-day" discovery group...meaning we could do more things with the kids. I ran the normal village life...which turned into a history lecture due to some earlier mess-ups...and the sweat lodge. I thought the kids would think that the sweat lodge would be a little stupid, but they loved watching the steam come off of the rocks. We even talked about why steam is made...which they liked.

It was a really fun group to be in!

CSU Bonding time
We spent a lot of time in the evenings bonding, which was awesome. I didn't know very many kids going in, but I feel like I have a set of wonderful new friends. We had to kind of put ourselves out there, which is always hard - but worth it when you're with a good group of people.

We had to share our goals both personal (selfish ones!) and professional with the rest of the "class" and reflect upon our time there. Everyone seems a little stressed out and worried about student teaching (among other things) and it was nice to have some company in that department. One evening we went through everyone and our professor said something good about all of us - which felt amazing - and four other people also said things about us - which also felt amazing. It took a long time to get through everyone, but I think it was well worth it and it is something that I'd like to get into my classroom somehow. I'm not sure how yet, but I think that it is important.

Interbarn
So, this place is awesome!! They have all of these "stations" that the kids can visit (they get to pick 3) and I worked at the furs station. Before the kids are released, we do commercials for them to get to come to the station. We did a rap and the kids loved it!

I put this pelt of a fisher on my arm and danced like some strange rapper as we sang

(me): On my arm is a fisher
(HTstaff): In my hand is a trap
(all): If you want to know more, just listen to us rap!
When it's cold outside, don't say "brrrrr"
(HSstudent): Just come on down and put on my fur!

I loved that fisher.
They eat Porcupines...isn't that weird/cool??

The Hoedown
Okay, perhaps one of the best things we did because we got to:
-Dress up in costumes
(I wore yellow rain slicker overalls, a grass skirt, and a mining helmet)
-Dance around weirdly
-Watch 6th graders cringe at having to choose to dance with a member of the opposite sex!
(This was really funny!! I can laugh too, because I was just as, if not more awkward when I was at High Trails!!)

Closing stuff
The entire staff and students went on a silent hike to the Sunday Rocks where everyone climbed up and sat. Reflecting in the quiet was wonderful! Then, the staff read some of the quotes that the 6th graders wrote about nature, and they were awesome! After that, one of the staff members sang a song:

"The World's Greatest" R. Kelly
Who´s the worlds greatest
Who´s the worlds greatest
The worlds greatest

I am a mountain
I am a tall tree ohh
I am a swift wind sweeping the country
I am a river down in the valley ohh
I am a vision and I can see clearly

If anybody asks you who I am
Just stand up tall
Look 'em in the face and say


I'm that star up in the sky
I'm that mountain peak up high
Hey I made it
Mmm..
I'm the world's greatest
I'm that little bit of hope
When my backs against the ropes
I can feel it
Mmm..
I'm the world's greatest
the world greatest,
the world greatest, forever



I am a giant
I am an eagle ooh
I am a lion
Down in the jungle
I am a marching band
I am the people ooh
I am a helping hand
I am a hero


If anybody asks you who I am
Just stand up tall
Look 'em in the face and say

I'm that star up in the sky
I'm that moutain peak up high
Hey, I made it
Mmmm...
I'm the world´s greatest
I'm that little bit of hope
When my backs against the ropes
I can feel it
Mmmm...
I'm the world´s greatest


In the ring of life, I'll reign love (I will reign)

And the world will notice a king (Oh Yeah..)
When there is darkness, I'll shine a light (Shine a light..)
And mirrors of success reflect in me
I'm that star up in the sky (uh, uh)
I'm that mountain (peak up high) peak up high
Hey I made It (hey I made it)
I'm the worlds greatest (I'm that little bit)
I'm that little bit of hope (uh, uh)
When my back's against the ropes (oh yeah
)
I can feel it (I can feel it)
I'm the world's greatest

oooohhhhhhhhhhh
I'm that star up in the sky (star up in the sky)
I'm that mountain peak up high (oh yes I am)
Hey I made It (I made it)
I'm the worlds greatest (I'm that little bit of hope)
I'm that little bit of hope (ohhhhhhohhhh)
When my back's against the ropes ohhhhhh (when my back's against the ropes)
I can feel it ( I can feel it)
I'm the world's greatest (repeat)

It's the greatest
Can you feel it
It's the greatest


I saw the light
At the end of a tunnel
Believe in the pot of gold
At the end of the rainbow
And faith was right there
To pull me through, yeah
Used to be locked doors
Now I can just walk on through
Hey, uh, hey, hey, hey, yeah
It's the greatest
I'm that star up in the sky


I'm that star up in the sky
I'm that moutain peak up high
Hey, I made it
I'm the world´s greatest
I'm that little bit of hope
When my backs against the ropes
I can feel it

I'm the world´s greatest

I'm the world´s greatest
I'm that little bit of hope
When my backs against the ropes
I can feel it

I thought it was a powerful song - and I can't stop thinking about what a good choice it was.




This isn't the only song to define my trip...on the last night there, all of the CSU students sat in a "clump" and were silent for time, feeling the energy of our peers - all future teachers - about to embark on a journey that will define our lives. It was one of the most powerful things I've experienced in my life to date, which sounds odd in some ways, but it is quite true. After sitting in silence for a bit, we then listened to the following:

"What about everything?" Carbon Leaf
Holiday quiet on these streets, except for some stubborn leaves
That didn't fall with the fall, and now they clatter in vain
Holiday sky, midnight clear
Wind is high, hard to steer
Old muffler rumbles like an old fighter plane
In search of some rest, in search of a break
From a life of tests where something's always at stake
Where something's always so far
What about my broken car?
What about my life so far?
What about my dream?
What about.....

What about everything?
What about aeroplanes?
And what about ships that drank the sea?
What about...
What about the moon and stars?
What about soldier battle scars
And all the anger that they eat?
I am not in need

Get away and come with me
Come away with me and we'll see
If I was right on that night, that a future was made
Before time takes each year, like a knife cuts it clear
It's school, then work and then life that just sharpens the blade
I think about time for fun
I think about time for play
Then I think about being done, with no resume
With no one left to blame
What about fortune and fame?
What about your love to obtain?
What about the ring?
What about....

What about everything?
What about aeroplanes?
And what about ships that drank the sea?
What about...
What about the moon and stars?
What about soldier battle scars
And all the anger that they eat?
I am not in need

Holiday quiet on these streets, except for some reason me
The hometown harbor lights bright, the sailboats clatter in vain
Holiday sky, midnight clear
Wind is high on this pier
I find it hard to complain when compared with what about...

What about everything?
What about aeroplanes?
And what about ships that drank the sea?
What about...
What about the moon and stars?
What about soldier battle scars
And all the anger that they eat?
What about...
What about aliens? What about you and me and...
What about gold beneath the sea?
What about...
What about when buildings fall?
What about that midnight phone call...
The one that wakes you from your peace?
Well, I am not, I am not, I am not in need



I liked this song so much I had to go buy the CD and it is now resident in Jack (my car).


I wish I could write for hours about this, but I can't.
I have to do work for other things... but it was very powerful.

I feel more confident and more at peace with my life and my self than I did when I left.

Oh, the things we learn in methods

I always feel like I come away from methods class with a huge amount of valuable tools that make my teaching future seem brighter - today is no different.

We finished up a discussion on simulations with a second simulation. We were learning about "separate but equal" and how that isn't really the case. We all drew colored paper from a hat...and there were three possibilities...

Purple=Privileged
Salmon=Semi-Privileged
Yellow=Non-Privileged

Our professor emphasized using something for them to draw rather than using something of their own body like eye or hair color. She cited the third grade experiment that went terribly wrong. Anyhow, I (of course) drew the yellow sheet and thus became the model for the kids who do not have the things that they need. The final event was a quiz over several countries in Africa - something that the materials we had didn't enable us to be able to do well if at all. Although I knew what was coming, and what would happen, I couldn't contain my feelings of frustration, anger, sadness, and hopelessness. Amazing how well this simulation might work in a middle school classroom where students didn't exactly know what was coming.

That said, we went over the simulation after it was finished and talked about our feelings and what we went through, a shining example of what kids could get out of this emotionally. It is also important to make sure that they know that it is a SIMULATION. I like them : )


Today was also fun in that we did some different discussion models:
1. Talk show host
2. Concentric Circles
3. Inner circle/outer circle

Talk show host
In this model, the teacher is able to act as the host of some TV show, and presents different points of view on an issue and then asks for comments. There is a "microphone" involved to control student participation, as well as allow the teacher to control the way the discussion is moving. We also practiced using "Talk Moves" which help to push and lead the discussion

Concentric Circles
Two circles set up - one on the inside and one on the outside
Participants face someone from the opposite circle
Instructions are given for one of the members to talk, ask questions, listen etc.
Information can travel along with the circle that is moving
When one 'set' is done, the teacher can tell the inside circle to rotate 4 to the left etc.

Inner Circle/ Outer Circle
This is similar to the concentric circles, but different.
The inside group sits in the middle of the room and is smaller than the entire class
The inside group discusses a certain topic etc. among themselves
They are evenly balanced regarding the issue
IT IS NOT A DEBATE!!
The outside circle can have many jobs
*Coach one of the inner circle members
*Ask questions/give feedback when asked by the teacher
*Evaluate how prepared inner students are with their materials
etc.
***Students who are to be in the inner circle will have material prepared somehow...perhaps they know that they'll be in the inner circle, perhaps not - etc.



After a day of lots of learning I have two feelings:
1. I want to be in the classroom all the time NOW. I am tired of going to classes on how to teach and I want to get in there and do it!!
2. Gosh I have a lot to learn! I want to be the best I can be, and I don't feel like two more months is going to do it for me.

How is that for a study in contradictions?


On another note, we talked about some interesting things in class...
-Does competition have a place in the classroom?
-Should teachers share their political views in classrooms?

Interesting to think about ...

The Jefferson Lesson (Part ONE)

For my 450 class, I am doing a lesson on Thomas Jefferson. I'm not sure if I've said this before, but I am saying it now.

Boy oh boy. I think that when I student teach and when I get a job, I will spend approximately 53486794653 hours a day planning lessons. I create about half the lesson, and then - for unknown reasons - I decide that I hate it...delete it...and start again. Now, does that sound like a good idea? No. Do I do it anyway? Yes. How many hours have I spent working on my Jefferson lesson thus far? Tooooooo many. Oh well, hopefully it will be good.

-Pre and Post assessments will be journal entries with questions yet to be determined
-I've created a note worksheet that has years and then the "private" and "public" sector, and they get to fill in the timeline. I am also creating a power point full of pictures.
-Then we're going to go over some letters that John Adams and Jefferson exchanged, followed by the kids re-writing them in the language of today.

I'm excited about it, and hopeful somewhere in my soul that I can create a lesson that I like the first time and not play this evil game of "create and delete" all day long.

The Library of Congress

So, today I am working on my assignment(s) for Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) and also on a lesson that I am going to give on Jefferson after I return home from High Trails.

TPS is really, really cool. We're getting a wonderful opportunity to not only take our 477 class, but also this TPS class along with it. The first few assignments have really helped me understand how to use the Library of Congress (LOC) website. Sheesh there is a lot of stuff there! I've been before, but it always seems a tad bit overwhelming...probably becuase it is : ) But through the assignments that we've had to do, I find myself spending lots of time just gazing at a letter, or as the case was this morning, a drawing that Jefferson made of a plow design. One of our first assignments is to fill out this worksheet for a specific time period...the one we are doing for our unit. I'm not only doing a unit, but also my capstone paper on Abigail, so you can imagine my complete elation when we learned how to use this site and a bazillion more sources immidately became availible to me.

Problem: The LOC site is having problems right now and it is angering me. I feel like someone has locked the toybox, and I am anxiously awaiting someone to fix it. Anndddd, I just checked and it's still telling me "WARNING" instead of sending me to wonderful maps, letters and paintings of the Revolutionary war.

So, since I have some time, I thought that I might discuss yesterday, and the lesson that I was able to observe. In my 450 class I'm assigned to a US history class. When I was in school I took AP, which is offered, along with IB at the school I work at. I am fortuante to be in the "normal" class as I didn't take the "normal" history classes when I was a student. That said, the kids are relly talkative, but the energy is mostly positive. Their assignment was to reserch a specific part of the American Revolution ... i.e. "women" and present what they found along with a monument that they created. My mentor-teacher was explaining to me that he came up with this when there weren't any monuments to the Revolution.

Anyway, the kids spent several days in the computer lab in groups creating their project, and yesterday we were able to see the finished results. I was glad that I got to be in the classroom for that, to see how he made the extremely talkative kids be quiet...and he did so by taking away points from their presentation (although silently...he didn't metion it to anyone, just wrote their names down on a piece of paper...). The projects spanned the entire spectrum from outstanding to missing the boat a little bit, but I was able to see how once you assign something, and see it come into action, how the rubric may need to change. I feel like sometimes our job is never ending. I guess I feel like that becuase it is. Haha. The monuments were really good, and the kids had some really creative ideas. I like when they come up with things that you never think that they would have. One of them was a monument to the American Women and was a statue of a cannon representing the war with the names of influential women on the spokes of the wheels demonstrating the support that the women provided.

I'm going to High Trails next week, so I am getting ready for my lesson on Jefferson that will take place the week after. I'm a little stuck, but perhaps finishing up my other assignment for TPS will help a bit. I love T.J. and it is hard to figure out what the kids might want to know, and how in depth to go. All part of the learning process, I suppose : )

I think the LOC has decided to stop being stupid now, so I am going to go work on that now.
: )

Apparently Wednesdays are better than Tuesdays

Today there were lots of good things going on in my classes, so that is good. This morning we went over some things in teaching history to help with after-reading. Monday we did poems...
Cinquains and Bio-poems...

Here are mine:
(Cinquain)
Founding Father
Specticled, intelligent
Writing, fighting, caring
Poor Man's Almanac, freedom, liberty, family rift
Benjamin

(Bio Poem)
Abigail
Strong, intelligent, caring, passionate
John, John Quincy, Stillborn
Freedom, children, God
Lonely, proud, duty
Her children, her country, the British
Equal Rights, Patriot victory, more of her husband
Massachusetts
Adams


Hooray : )
Today we did Haikus as well. They're Japanese and follow the 5 -7-5 syllable pattern.
Here is mine for today...

Cold British Soldiers
Patriots provoking them
Some dead in Boston

Then, we read through Wallace Stevens' poem "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird" and changed the words of the poem around...although nouns replace nouns, adjectives for adjectives, etc. I wrote two, and here they are

(from III.)
The general rode in the winter storms
He was a major part of the victory

and

(from XII.)
The British are coming
The man must be riding

Simple, yet highly effective I think.
In fact, so effective that after class in our one hour break, my three friends and I devised a whole new poem based on Wallace Stevens' poem.

Here it is...

Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Slinky (by Liz, Kurtis, Katie, and Dylan)

I.
Among twenty steep stairs
The only bounding thing
was the coil of the Slinky

II.
I was of three minds
Like a Slinky
In which there are three kinks

III.
The Slinky danced in the child's hands
It was a small part of the laughter

IV.
A man and a Slinky
Are one.
A man and a Slinky and stairs
Are one.

V.
I do not know which to prefer
The beauty of silver
or the beauty of springs
The Slinky bouncing
Or just after

VI.
Children filled the long hallway
With ecstatic laughter
The spirals of the Slinky
Crossed it to and fro
The mood
Traced in the spirals
In inequaled happiness
VII.
O thin wire of Poof-Slinky
Why do you imagine Silly Putty?
Do you not see how the Slinky
Falls between the hands
of the people about you

VIII.
I know plastic dolls
And small, bumpy bricks
But I know, too,
That the Slinky is involved
In what I know

IX.
When the Slinky fell out of sight
It marked the edge
Of too many stairs

X.
At the sight of Slinkies
Rolling in fluorescent light
Even the strictest of parents
would cry out joyfully

XI.
He rode over oceans
In a cardboard box
Once a child held him
In that he understood
The meaning of his existance
As Slinky

XII.
The escalator is moving
The Slinky Must be crawling

XIII.
It was dark all day
It was raining
And it was going to rain
The Slinky sat
On the closet shelf


We did a simulation today.
In 465, and that was good, and fun.
I don't have time to really write about that now - but I want to remember that it happened.
I remember one we did in HS too, in Kipp's class.

Here is to Thursday being around the corner : )

Better now than before : )

So,
I've had an entire day to think about my morning issue, and I've come to the following conclusions:

1. I should have remembered that there was a possibility of having a deaf student in my class
2. It wasn't my fault this time, and I can improve
3. Next time I teach in that class, I'll make sure I have her notes filled out so she can just "listen"
4. I need to stop beating on myself, and thinking about this like I have been all day
5. Today threw me a curve ball, and although it sucked, and I was frustrated and embarrassed this morning, I did learn a lot. There are a lot of things I can be learning while I am working in the schools right now - AND THAT IS WHY WE'RE THERE to learn.

That said. Perhaps I'll feel better in the morning. I wish I knew sign language myself. Maybe I'll work on that.

So, we don't have to keep this for class anymore, but I've decided that I'm going to keep up with it. I really have felt like it is helping, and making me think about WHY I am doing things and how they'll help my students. Now that it doesn't apply just to HIST 477/492 I'll be able to share things from my other experiences from my other education classes and my future teaching endeavors.

Boom. I'm enjoying the path and career that I've chosen : )

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Okay.
One of my worst fears realized. Today. Awesome.

I've been working on this lesson for a World Geography class. They're sophomores, which really translates to "freshmen" in my past experiences...since they're 10-12 instead of 9-12. Anyway - I made this notes worksheet for the kids and learned about Tibet, etc. Then today, we had a guest speaker in OUR class, got out a little late, which is not what I wanted for my first HS lesson as being late really sends me off kilter. Then, I get into the classroom, and there is a girl who hasn't been in there ever since I've been in there - and she is deaf. I thought it would be okay, but in some ways I feel like I crashed and burned in so many ways...

I talk fast anyway...not because I'm nervous, but because I just do...so the signer had to slow me down, and eventually, we had to stop and wait for the girl who is deaf to finish writing after watching all the words I was saying. I don't mind waiting, and I understand why it is hard...but I didn't know what to do when we were all waiting. The silence was killing me. I felt so unprepared, even though it wasn't my fault.

I'm still flustered...but I learned a lot today. Like, if I knew she was in there, I would have given the girl who was deaf a worksheet that was filled out so that she could just watch the signer and learn.

okay.
I survived.
: )

Venn Diagrams and Time-lines

On Wednesday, we covered Venn-Diagrams and Time-lines.

Time-lines are obviously important in a history class, so it is important to me to know how to use them correctly - or most effectively. We read documents in the Revolutionary War packet, and used anther strategy. K and I used Questioning the Author. I did a little better with it on Wednesday, but I still don't like it. Anyway. After everyone was done with their reading, we made a time-line as a class putting the documents in order, as well as writing down details that could be important for the document. It really helped put them in context. I read all the documents, looked at the dates, thought about the dates and the sources, and it still helped me exponentially.

Now, I have images of worksheets dancing in my head, and projects, and class activities. All to do with time-lines. This is something that could be hung up in the classroom when the kids are done, and then they would wander over to it and see what it says and learn even more I think. Besides, I think it is sort of fun. I'm not sure if the kids would see it that way, since I like them anyway, but I think it would be fun for them. At least - as far as school goes : )

We also did Venn Diagrams which I HATED as a kid. I don't hate them so much anymore. We used the same documents to fill out the VD. On one side we did the British, and the other the Patriots. One fun thing we did with that was to put up all the different names of the British and the Patriots...Redcoats vs. Provincials...etc. It was cool to see all the different names up there, and I think that is something that the kids could enjoy too.

We talked about the three way VDs too, and I like those a lot. The one concern I have with all the VD is that I think the circles are hard to write in, and I often draw the middle too small. I'm thinking about trying to create a version of them where the shapes are squares or something so that there is more room for the students to write. I don't ever remember using them in history clsses, just science and occasionally English. I want to try them out with some students and see how well they respond to them in the history classroom. : )

On other notes....
I missed Monday and we went over cornell notes. I'm going to look them up and try them as I know I did them in HS but don't remember the entire process...and today (FRIDAY!!) we're going to the lab to start on our work there and I am stoked. I think it is going to be really fun! This class has so many things that are amazing about it and I feel so fortunate that I kind of found it by accident.

Journals from 9/15 week...now typed : )

9/16

I can't believe how much I liked the write to learn. Since I wasn't feeling well then, I decided to write my thoughts here, even though I'm not near a computer...

I feel like with the write-to-learn, students are really engaged with what they are doing. I think that the connections that they learn how to make are really important and I really enjoy the fact that they can read and understand articles. The more I think about it, the more I want to use these in my classroom. I think they are incredibly valuable for so many reasons and i can't imagine how far kids could go. Especially after a little practice!! : ) I am trying to figure out how to bring this into the classrooms that I am working in for EDUC450. Perhaps I can find a lesson that will work, as I am really anxious to try it.

I didn't like the b-k-w-l as much, I hate k-w-l's. However, I think that the newer version with the background knowledge is good.

9/17

WE DID THE COOLEST THING TODAY!!!
So, an elementary student does this with her classes, and I think it is amazing!! We got a short reading about the Revolutionary war, and then we had to go through and circle the "important" words from the article. After that, we made a list on the right hand side of the paper of all the words we circled (in order). Next, we had to write summaries using those words. I could not believe how amazingly easy it was to write a summary after doing this. I always have to think about summaries, as I want to write tooooooooo much, but this seamed really really really easy! No wonder the elementary kids can do it so well!! I will be using this in my classroom, no question. I think that there are some other things that might work too using a similar premise - perhaps with primary documents.

We also discussed direct vocabulary, which was interesting. I often forget that kids don't know al the words in the English language, and because of that, I often forget to help them. Direct vocabulary is when you show the kids what the words mean right then and there. You don't say "un-happy" means "not happy" but you tell them about what it means, and ask them questions and get involved.

I was talking to an elementary teacher who is the parent of some of my lacrosse kids, and she was telling me about how she uses that in the second grade. They do a form of KWL for all of their units, but since the kids are small, they do what they THINK they know and then, when they're finished with the unit (and actually know things), they move all of they think they knows into "Truth" or "Misconception". She's taught them the meaning of "misconception" using direct vocabulary, and I guess the kids get really excited about it since it is such a big word. Her KWL chart goes on a board, and there are post-its stuck to it. I think that would be a great way to get kids involved in a jr. high classroom. I'm not sure if it would work for the HS kids, but it is a good jumping off point for me : )

I wonder why more teachers don't use the things we've been talking about? Are they just lazy or do they not know about these and/or where to find them? Are they just stuck in their ways? OR do they not think that they work?

I'm guessing probably a pretty big mixture of all of them.


9/19

Today we learned about Questioning the Author-and I think it is useful - but it is the hardest for me in the stratagies that we've done. Basically, the teacher would read the text and make marks where she/he wanted to write a question. They would ask things like:

What does the author mean by saying _____?
I wonder why the author isn't mentioning ________?
I wonder if they'll tell us more about _____?
I think the author just made a contradiction by saying ________ and ________.

This happens while the kids are reading out loud, and I guess I don't really like it. It interrupts the reading, which sort of makes my brain freak out...and I forget what we're doing. I'm not sure if I will use it in my classroom or not ~ but I do want to get better at it so that I can use it. I think that the kids need to know that they are ALLOWED to question someone who is writing something, and that the person writing it isn't god. One really good thing about this is that the kids are participating in actively questioning what is going on. For some kids, this may not come naturally, so it is important for them to learn how to do it in class. Some students may be like me and not do well, but not all students are going to do well at everything all the time.

I can understand how the kids might feel though as we read material that was at our level and not at the level of younger students. It is difficult. I did feel like I learned though, even though I didn't like it much, which speaks a lot for the strategy I think.

-------(later in the day)-------

I was thinking about it more, and I think this activity would be good for students when they're writing too. THey could exchange papers and have other students "Question" their work. I think that often, kids forget that the audience doesn't really know everything that they do. If they had an opportunity to share with their peers, then that is good for them I think - they could get some feedback and improve as writers too.

Class today and other things I wish to write and think about...

Well. I enjoyed today's class. We talked about Writing History and everyone seemed to like it. We all thought it was useful, and could be used in our classrooms - or to help our students in the future. I'm really glad that I got to read that book before my capstone ~ I think it will help a lot. Having the opportunity to talk about those uses in class with my peers was nice though.

We also did some more reading strategies which I liked. We looked at immigration pictures, listened to a story, and read several articles to be able to to a B-K-W-L-Q and a write to learn activity. Both were successful and useful.

I am sick. So, I am tired and don't remember as much as I want to, but more later hopefully...when I'm up to it.

TWO articles : Things to think about

So, for today (Monday) we were to read two articles.
1. Am I the Only One Who Can't Make a K-W-L Work? Literacy Paths to Content Knowledge
2. Taming the Text: Engaging and Supporting Students in Social Studies Readings

I absolutely LOVED the K-W-L article, because I've never liked them. I had to use them in 340 with groups of students and I never felt like they were working as we were told they would. There was almost a "magic" about them when we first learned how to use them...but the kids didn't seem to like them much, or respond very well to them. It was nice to know that "real" teachers can't always make them work either. : )

The story she presented about her students and the Civil War was hilarious, but I think it also makes us think. How many times are we teaching lessons that don't make sense to kids b/c they don't have enough background knowledge? In a sense (at least to me) we're failing our students if we give them lessons they can't do b/c they don't have enough pre-existing knowledge. When she wrote about the "Writing to learn" strategy I was blown away!! I want to make worksheets like that ~ however, I was puzzled about why no one ever filled in the "connection" blank... But, what a great way to get students thinking and processing!! Just reading the info in the article, I felt like I learned more than I would have if I just read the poem and I STUDY HISTORY!

I thought the information about the 'readabilty' was also interesting. I didn't really know that the system that decides that is somewhat crazy and not quite accurate. When I was reading about when the kids assigned numbers, I was interested to see what they wrote. However, my favorite thing (of possibly all time) from this article was the Reader's Theater of "The Lonely X" and the "Scientific Method". I really dislike math, and I'm not too big on science, but when I read these, I was somewhat inspired to solve equations or scientific problems - which is really saying something! I immideately brought those ideas into a history classroom, and I can't imagine what great things kids could do with it. WOW. : ) !

Article #2
This article didn't "wow" me as much as the KWL article, but I really liked it because it made me think. Throughout my reading, there was some kind of something running around in my head constantly asking "HOW CAN WE CREATE INTEREST IN THE CLASSROOM?" Although this reading was about reading I really couldn't control myself in thinking about the rest of Social Studies : )

I liked the first chart which was a graphic organizer, but I am horrible at creating them. I'm not so visual in that respect (as a learner) so it would be hard for me to create. However, I am going to have to learn as I think it would be good for my kids in the classroom.

The second figure was of a Herringbone activity that explores who, what, when, where, and why...including a summary. I really liked this - and could see how it could be modified to fit older and younger leaners.

The Retelling Checklist, Word Maps, and Story Pyramid were also all good. They made me think when i was using them, and I think that they could be used rather effectively in a history classroom. My favorite from the set was the word map. I like kids to know words, and I could also change it up to create a "people" map that could be used for historical figures - OR I could create an "event" map that could be used for historical events : )
-In this section of the article, it also mentioned picture books, and I thought that was great. I don't know of a single person who doesn't like a picture book now and then, and it might be just the thing that a HS classroom needs for a change of pace.

The authors also discussed timelines ~ this is something I've always intended on using in the classroom, so not much new information there except instructions on how to do it : )

BIOPOEM!!
Obviously, from the caps and !!!, my favorite one. Here is the template to be followed in poem lines (so...1. = line one, 5. = line five etc.)

1. First Name
2. Four Traits that describe the character
3. Relative (Brother, sister, mother, son etc) of...
4. Lover of....(List 3)
5. Who feels....(List 3)
6. Who needs ...(List 3)
7. Who fears...(List 3)
8. Who gives... (List 3)
9. Who would like to see...(List 3)
10. Resident of...
11. Last name

SO COOL! I'm going to do one later : )

and moving on...
ABC books were the last thing. I did them in MS and HS, and liked them. It was good too, but just not nearly as exciting after I nearly lost control over the bio-poem. I feel like such a nerd right now...haha. But that is okay. It is fun to be this excited over a "strategy" but I can't stop thinking about it!!



I feel as if my toolbox is just shy of exploding. : )

PRE-READING!

Today we went over and experimented a little with some pre-reading strategies. It was fun. We went through SQ3R and one where you write down all the headings etc. and try to predict what was coming next. I found it to be really useful, although writing the headings felt rather tedious. I am guessing with some thought that I'll be able to use some of those strategies in my classroom.

The one that captured my attention the most was the drawing one - we were asked to draw anything in US history. I drew the declaration of independence and it was really funny, and I enjoyed it. I felt like I learned a lot too - even though it was just a simple thing. I think there are lots of places I could go with that in the classroom ...I just have to think : )


I wish our class period was longer...and we got a cool binder that I am going to go explore now.

477: Something I noticed ...

So, I was thining about this all yesterday, and am now just getting to writing it down...

In my 'Slavery in the Americas' class we have a number of reading assingned each week, as does anyone in a history class. Our assignment is to make one notecard for each book we are reading each week, and turn them in. There is no requirement about how much has to be on the notecard or what the content has to be. Then, for the midterm, we can use all of the notecards we produced.

I tied this in to what we were learning on Wednesday about remembering things and taking notes. I thought that it was a great thing that could be used in varying ways in the classroom : )

477 - Remembering things

Today in class we talked about lots of things...we had a "pop" quiz over some reading that we did for Monday. We didn't discuss it on Monday, and I thought that was all we were going to do with it...so I did nothing but highlight and underline - citing useful information. In our quiz, you were allowed to use any notes that you've taken, but I didn't have any...

Our professor talked afterwards about how writing something in your own words can make a big difference in your ability to remember things. So here I am...writing that in my own words so that I'll be able to remember it. : )

We also took a pre-test. It involved 15 questions from US history. Boy did it make me feel dumb. I know that I know a lot of things about American history, but I couldn't come up with all the answers. Some were within the area I really like...early US history, and I did better at those. But, there were many from later times that I knew I KNEW but couldn't come up with them. Many of my classmates also felt the same way - I can't imagine what I would have felt like if there had been points associated.

I wonder...what other ways could I give pre-tests so that the kids don't feel test anxiety? How can I help make tests less scary for students? How can I make sure that my tests give students enough time to finish? AND - Is there any value in giving a test with different parts, and having students choose 3 of 5 or something similar? - would it help them to feel at home?

Sometimes I feel like I'll never be able to learn all I need to know to be a great teacher. However, every day when I leave class I feel more and more confident in my abilites ~ and that my "toolbox" is getting filled just a little more each day.

477: The Brain

Today in class we learned something that I often enjoy learning about : our brain. I'm not really into science things very often, but I think that how and why we think the way we do is really amazing. I enjoy learning about it, even when I'm learning the same things.

One of the most interesting things that we did today was look at these pictures that had two different thinkgs you can see...the most popular one is the "old woman/young woman" picture. I have always seen the young woman first...but when I see pictures like that, I flash back and forth, and it almost makes me sick to my stomach. It is interesting though, and fun to see who sees what.

I love to learn how the brains of others work - and I hope that I can continue to do this so that I can be a better teacher.

Today, we were asked to think about a memory we have in education - and then our class was surveyed about whether that memory was good or bad. I was surprised that most of the kids in class related to a bad memory. Mine was good...but I guess I've always really liked school and had good experiences. I think that is why I like schools so much, and why I want to be a teacher. However, for some people, I could understand how having a rough time in school would be the reason that you'd want to be a teacher...so that you can be better for kids in the future. Motiviation comes in all forms for all people I guess.

I wonder what the connection between the actual school facility has on people? If the environment was continually cold, or the desks were always broken...what would that do to people? Would it help them remember things they learn or distract them from what was going on in class?

So, as uninteresting as it may be...here are my memories good + bad. I'll try to add to them when I find or think of more. If I remember... : )

GOOD
-Math folders in Kindgergarten, and moving up to almost the end...getting to take them home to work on over the summer.
-Learning cursive in 3rd grade
-The zoo project, where my mom helped me to build my diorama in 3rd grade...I did the rhino (even though I badly wanted the hippo)
-French class after school enrichment
-Around the world day in Elementary School
-Making the "chorus" in Elementary School (a special singing group)
-Honor Bands
-Getting to pick out the French Horn as my instrument
-Advanced Reading class in 6th grade
-Sports teams
-Mr. Perfors' Social Studies class
-Honors and AP history classes in HS
-Lacrosse
-Getting to spend time with teachers who cared about me outside class...after school or when they came to my sports stuff or music things.
-Marching Band...and its sense of community



BAD
-Moving to a new school...I was really scared, not to mention furious with my parents
-Being chosen as a "dancer" for the 5th grade play by the music teacher I hated when I wanted to be a speaker...I told her "no thank you" for that position and she yelled at me...It was really hard for me to get up the nerve to tell her no, and I tried to be really nice, and she told me I was irrisponsible (even though I told her no thanks the day after the lists were posted)
-Having to pull a card in 4th grade, I was talking, but I was trying to help my friend Sarah...or she was trying to help me. I cried...
-Being told I couldn't sing.
-6th grade English...I had a teacher who treated me poorly
-Most math classes past 6th grade...the instruction and information was always difficult.
-Mr. Calvano not keeping my grades well - and having to get involved with that
-A coach encoraging me to cheat, and when I refused, yelling at me

I'm sure there are more for both the good and the bad.


How do we as teachers create GOOD emotional experiences for our students, and how can we refrain from creating BAD ones??