Two Views from the "TOP(ic) of the Week": CCSS/Infusing and Increasing Nonfiction in Literature Lessons

On Wednesdays, my posts will be focused on a "topic" for the week and how it looks from two views (the past week and the upcoming week).

A look back on the past week's lessons:
As part of the "challenge" put forth by my district, each teacher has been given the task to infuse existing lessons with nonfiction (or vice-versa if they are content-area teachers if their focus previously was primarily on expository text).

I teach 7th and 8th grade Literature so by following the distribution set out by the Core Standards, my goal is to instruct using 45% literary and 55% informational text. 

At the start of this week, my 8th grade students were reading "Raymond's Run", a short story by Toni Cade Bambara found in most junior high textbooks. (I use Holt McDougal Literature.)

The basic textual information that I planned to use are as follows:
           "Raymond's Run"          Short Story Literary Text
           "PBS Quiet Eye"  Video Nonfiction video segment
           "Hydrocephalus"               Article                   Nonfiction scientific article

On Monday, I introduced key vocabulary and previewed the story. Students then completed assignments related to vocabulary development and read the story independently.

On Tuesday, I opened discussion on the problems the main character, Squeaky, faces. In this story, she has both clear external and internal conflicts. On the surface of the story, Squeaky simply wants to win the upcoming race. As the reader quickly learns, she also struggles with the added responsibility of taking care of her brother, Raymond, who's disability is attributed to hydrocephalus. We focused on the training and goal of winning first. 

I showed the video clip and as a class we discussed how Squeaky would use the "quiet eye" in her training. 

Mid-week, I wanted to focus on the second conflict: Squeaky's struggle to find a balance with her brother, Raymond. The "Hydrocephalus" article from medicinenet.com elaborated on a few points that were not relevant to the story, so I simply had students cross these out once we printed the article. 

I used this article as another opportunity to review ANNOTATING skills. After I modeled the skill and led them through the beginning of the article with the purpose of understanding Raymond's disability, I allowed them to work in pairs to continue throughout the text.

A plan for the future:
Tomorrow (Thursday), the plan is to bring it all together. My students will be using their annotations, the notes taken while watching the video clip and their notes on character motivation to construct a written response explaining how Squeaky's motivation to win and her desire to provide the best care for her brother led to the outcomes in the story.

This is essentially how I've used this particular short story for the past eight years. 

HOWEVER... How has CCSS changed my instruction/lessons? 

First of all, I'm FOCUSING more on the nonfiction and skills such as annotating. I'm also DIRECTING my students to analyze using BOTH nonfiction resources (before, they cited evidence from only one), and I'm CHALLENGING my students to think beyond the story. I want them to be able to apply all three "text" into the context of their lives/learning. 

I'm still teaching story-plot, character, theme, etc. The difference now is that I'm SHIFTING my focus from those literary elements to the nonfiction connections.

The formula I used: 

Literary text + multimedia + informational text

      worked well for the "challenge" of meeting CCSS shifts. 

Now, my thoughts for the next few weeks include solving the problem of how will I apply this to the E.A. Poe texts that are part of my curriculum. Check back soon to find out what I decide!

Meanwhile, check this out! It's a short video/reminder about how to shift focus using Literary Nonfiction. Click to find the video here.

Monday Motivation: Alliterative Adverb Artworks

Isn't it a marvelous feeling when the stars align and a lesson goes off perfectly? (Did you catch the adverb I slipped in that sentence?)

That's how yesterday worked. I knew we would be tackling sentences with adverbs in them this week. (How is an adverb used? Where can it be placed in a sentence? How can I intensify the meaning by using adverbs? etc.)

But I wanted to start out with a bit of "word-play" to get my students motivated. In my language arts classrooms, my students and I play with words frequently. When I want the students to use a part of speech, it's important that they have examples of how it can be used effectively. They must understand how each part of speech and each word they choose can lead the reader along different paths.

For example, take the adverb, stupendously.
                               Stupendously, the actor read his lines.

Had the word been stupidly, clumsily, articulately, the sentence would take on an entire new meaning.

I give my students this warning: Not every word can be used so serendipitously.

Back to the Marvelous Monday...

This year, after reviewing the general rules of adverb use and jotting this details and examples down in their notes, I read from the mentor text, Animalia by Graeme Base.

I specifically chose pages that used ALLITERATION and ADVERBS. (Such as the "Bees" page.) After clarifying how alliteration works (two or more words with the same beginning sound), I set them to work. Their assignment, simple--create a NEW page to include in Grahame Base's book.
Requirements:
Students had to create a silly sentence
Use alliteration for the subject noun, action verb and adverb
(they could alliterate more if they wanted to)
Sentence structure must be correct in form.
The subject MUST be a creature
The illustration must accurately portray the action described in the sentence
The sentence MUST be correct in spelling and punctuation (but I allowed them to capitalized for sake of artistic vision)
It had to be in color,
and it had to be completed neatly 

Here are a few more examples of what they came up with. Needless to say, on Tuesday, they had no problem coming up with new adverbs!

 

Back to School! Bulletin boards-Gallore!

School-wide (Our school mascot is the "Bombers" and our new principal is Mr. Baumberger!)

First Grade

It's almost that time again, and this year, we have a few new teachers who like to "up the standards" when it comes to trying out new ideas on their bulletin boards.

Second Grade

Third Grade

As a veteran teacher with 20 years of experience, I LOVE it! The energy and inspiration that the younger teacher share is so invigorating!



Fourth Grade

Special Education

Speech

Junior High

PBIS -- Schoolwide

P.E.

Title Reading

I thought I'd share a few of the boards we have around the building at the start of the school year. (Keep in mind--some are waiting for student work to fill in the spaces!-- I'll update these later!)

Fourth Grade

Fifth Grade

Fifth Grade

Special Education 

"Thor's Day" Reading: A Book Blog Tour & Give-Away! - One Smart Cookie by Kym Brunner

 One Smart Cookie by Kym Brunner 

Age/Genre: YA Contemporary

Published: July 15, 2014 by Omnific Publishing

Synopsis:
Sixteen year old Sophie Dumbrowski, is an adorably inept teen living above her family-owned Polish bakery with her man-hungry mother and her spirit-conjuring grandmother, who together, are determined to find Sophie the perfect boyfriend.

 

But when Sophie meets two hot guys on the same day, she wonders if this a blessing or a curse. And is Sophie's inability to choose part of the reason the bakery business is failing miserably? The three generations of women need to use their heads, along with their hearts, to figure things out...before it's too late.

 From the moment I read the beginning of this book, the opening scene drew me in. Now that's it's available for purchase, I'm so excited to share this book with potential readers! The author, Kym Brunner has cooked up a success and a wonderful YA read with this book!

The novel starts with Sophie (our MC) taking a relationship quiz in Cosmo magazine:

         "'What's Your Guy-Q?' Given that I've only gone on three dates in my sixteen years--one with a moron, one with a liar, and one with a perv--I'm pretty sure my knowledge of guys will rank somewhere between dumbass and totally clueless."

Sophie has a lot on her plate. Besides the Polish pastries that her family-owned bakery serves up, her daily intake includes a dash of meddling from her Mom (who's flirtatious attitude takes the cake), a pinch of protectiveness from her Busia (grandmother) with her fill of faith and reliance on spirits, and a sweet-but-sometimes-sour relationship with her best friend, Teegan. Add to this mix two unbelievably scrumptious boyfriends (Nick and Giovanni), sweet but Oh-so-unexpected! and now you have the mixture of characters that make this book a satisfying read!

 Sophie's serious struggle to find the sweet-spot between work and play mixes well with the high-flavor of her Polish background that the author has masterfully sprinkled throughout. Although I don't remember ever having the pleasure of eating in a Polish bakery, I found myself dreaming of paczki and kolaczki and all variations of sweets dusted with powdered sugar! That's just the sprinkles on the cupcake! The reader won't easily forget the most important ingredients: Nick and Giovanni! O Moj Boze! (Which means, "Oh My God!" in Polish but sure sounds like you're saying "Oh, the Boys," doesn't it?)

Like any good recipe, the combination of sweet and bitter ingredients, like sugar and salt, that aren't compatible on their own, work wonderfully in this story! One Smart Cookie is a delicious read!


By sure to check out the rest of stops on the tour! Click the ATOM icon for more info.

OH! And there's a giveaway too! http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/f6237fd5449/

Want to know more?
 

• Find more about Kym Brunner and her books here: http://www.kymbrunner.com/
• She tweets! https://twitter.com/KymBrunner
• And she's on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/kymbrunnerauthor

 

Monday Motivation: Looking for Alligators (And Teaching Students to Read and Write)

The True Story:

     This past week my family vacationed in the Charleston, South Carolina area. During the nature boat tour at Magnolia Plantation, the seven children aboard probed and questioned the guide relentlessly about the alligators. Apparently the gator population in the fields is near the upper 300s. That's a lot of lizards for roughly 100 acres! Yet he warned, it's hot. Gators are cold-blooded therefore, they leave most of their body underwater. We may not see much of one, if any, during our tour.

     During this lengthy and well-focused explanation, the adults near my side of the boat spotted three gators lurking together, quietly unseen, nestled among the reeds. Their eyes watched us while their spines rippled near the surface of the water. We pointed and whispered to one another so as not to seem rude, but the gators were there, waiting...

     ...like the children.

     Birds, ducks and a turtle scuttled by as the tour slowly passed through the marsh area. These distraction kept the tourists on their toes, shifting from a view on one side, to the view on the other.

     Our trusty guide, "Captain May" (Accept Tips) graciously shared his knowledge of the former rice plantation and the difficulties faced by choosing to plant rice near a salt water inlet.

     Occasionally, a curious child would interrupt. "When will we see an alligator?" Their bright eyes shined, and their plea was urgent but polite.

     The captain would respond, "I haven't had a tour that hasn't seen at least one." And he continued to tell his stories.

     Meanwhile, the children darted from front to back, searching. Ever searching.

     The first official spotting was claimed by a high pitched scream from one of the older boys, "There's one!"

     The captain conferred and shifted to a full stop. He warned the children that he would need to back the boat cautiously so the gator wouldn't startle. The captain succeeded.            

     The 6-foot gator left his head and a portion of his body out long enough for the adults to snap pictures and the children to debate whether or not they should be worried about being so close to the edge.

      Now the search was on in earnest! Our wonderful "Captain May" continued to fill the adult attentive minds with facts from the plantation's history while the children questioned the existence of gators at every turn.

     We spotted around 12 alligators overall (counting the first three). Pretty good for a day when they "may not be seen."

     But the big reward came at the very end of the journey. The dock was nearly in sight.

     A horrid sound interrupted the captain's final chapter of the plantation's rice-field story. There was obviously a struggle, but from where?

     Even the captain showed genuine curiosity. He slowed the motor and inched the boat closer to the reeds.

     It was an alligator! A huge American gator! With his body, fully visible, his head tilted upward, he swallowed and gulped on one of the precious snake-birds we had spotted earlier. The gator was massive! He was at least 10 feet in length. As we veered closer, he stopped mid-chomp and slid slowly into the water.

     The children were silent. They watched and waited.

     The gator didn't retreat completely, and he didn't continue his meal either. He remained, momentarily stunned.

     The good captain let the boat sit until it became obvious that the gator wasn't going to give in and put on a show for us.

     As the engine started up again, and we pulled away, the children returned to their seats without being told. Their curiosity had been satisfied. The trip was a success.

How Does This Relate to Teaching?

     I tell this story because it reminds me of the struggles students (and adults) face when reading and writing.

     Experience in "noticing" led me to spot the first three alligators, but until their focus was established and masterfully honed by our captain, the children and some of the other adults weren't ready.

     This demonstrates why it's so important not to simply think that handing a child a book will solve a struggling reader's problems. Like the captain baiting the visitors on the voyage, it's our job as teachers and parents to guide them through the process. We have to start with small glimpses, pique their interests and model our personal methods of finding meaning.

     I'm not sure how much of "Captain May's" gator stories were rehearsed lines, but I suspect, as a guide of boat-loads of "students," he recognized the pattern important to a successful boat ride a long time ago. "Captain May" had given us the tools to find the gators, practiced with us, demonstrated what to look for, and then, after many false sightings and close calls, we were rewarded with a successful alligator view. This is how we should be teaching. 

     Later, as my family continued through the plantation's gardens and marshes, we kept an eye out for alligators. We knew what to do, we knew how to find them, and we had been rewarded with a success. We often ran into a family with three of those children from the boat tour. They were also looking for hidden alligators.

     As teachers we want the hunt to continue; the strive for learning to persist. We have to make our students' tasks relevant, engaging and rewarding. Once we get that right, our students will be seeing alligators everywhere!

What Worked and what Didn't--Two Weeks in One!

Part 1: Reflective Journaling.
What a complicated two weeks. My school district's teachers have worked without a contract since the end of July, and the stress is starting to show in my face. I'm glad I was able to find a few days to smile in my teaching-ware photos despite the stress and turmoil that is going on in my mind. 

The stress of the economics of my job are easy to keep out of the day-to-day lessons though. (Despite the bags under my eyes...) In fact, I've prepared my next few weeks out to the every-minute-detail. This helps. With the chaos (that I love) of NaNoWriMo and the Tuesday/Thursday night scholastic bowl matches (of which I am the HS coach), it's hard to find spare time in November to get anything done outside of the school day.

What DID work: On Sunday, I went to the school and copied everything I need (or anticipate needing) which frees me up to working one-to-one with students and other teachers during my prep time. It was nice not to worry about what I still needed copied or what materials I needed to set aside or pull from the cabinet.

I changed the project my 7th grade students have completed after reading "Names/Nombres" by Julia Alvaraz and I LOVE the results! In the past, we made computer-generated name splashes. This year, I wanted to ditch the computer (yes, I ditched electronics for crayons!) The projects were great! The sight-impaired student in my class was able to complete the assignment by making bookmarks with his six nicknames in braille for each student. It was a huge success and a great way for him to share his nicknames as well.

"Names/Nombres" Names Project

What DIDN'T work: In all my pre-preparations, I failed to notice that this was a short week. Essentially, I had to drop a lesson that I had planned and modify a quiz at the last minute. Really, a small "fail" in the great scheme of things.

Part 2: Teachingware.
I'm behind a week or so. But I WORE the SKIRTS! Last week was a short week and it was COLD! I resorted to leggings a lot and at the beginning of this week it looked like I may not make it (I'm missing my pants in this cold November!) Thankfully, the weather has warmed up a bit again, and next week might be the last week I'm able to "bare" leg!

Week 7 (November 4th-7th)


 <= Monday--This is a perfect example of why I'm doing this. I loved this skirt....until I saw this picture. It's too long for my short little legs. Maybe it would work with a different shirt and boots, but since I can no longer wear high heels, some of these skirts just won't work anymore.

My rating: 3 Sadly. I will miss this one... (replacement search!)

<=Tuesday--Awe, drats. I really liked the idea of these two colors together, but the shapes didn't work together. I love the comfort of this dress (I have already worn it in brown) but if I wear it again, I need to rethink the shirt.

My rating: 4 (skirt) 2 total outfit....Might need to take pictures BEFORE I leave for the day!

<= Wednesday--YES! Don't I look happy! This is what a good skirt and the right shirt for the right person looks like! Once I realized I needed more patterns and colors in my tops, i ran out to the local thrift store and picked up this VeraWang shirt sold at Kohls. LOVE it! and the skirt is perfect! 

My rating: 5! No pockets but this one has lace trim on the bottom edge and just enough detail in black fabric to make it different!

<= Thursday--Some days have just become too hectic at school to find the time to sneak into the bathroom at school to take a photo. Unfortunately, neither the top or skirt/top combo nor lighting is flatterning. Good thought, bad execution!


My rating: 4 for the skirt. I want to try this one again. The length is right, the shirt is not.



Week  8  (November 12-14th)
Monday--VETERANS' DAY!

<=Tuesday--Again, another busy day w/o opportunity to snap a picture. This was a completely comfortable skirt/shirt/sweater combo for a freezing cold day, but I felt a bit "too comfy" for school. Maybe for a winter stroll in a park, but the sweater (as much as I love it) didn't work and made me look old...not good.

My rating: 4 This is not a good picture, but I wore this skirt comfortably until 10 p.m. that night! If I can make it that far without a complaint, it deserves a 4!

<=Wednesday--KICKED IT! Love, love love this skirt! It was a last minute pick from the "winter" storage container. (Yes, there are MORE skirts in storage...) I completely forgot what the detail kick-pleats were like on the back. I will buy another skirt like this!!!

My rating: 5 Such a different skirt! Spices my wardrobe up and despite the lack of pockets, it was a dream to wear!

<=Thursday--This one makes me happy because I made it! (Well, actually, I combined a black skirt w/a red skirt to make this one.) And despite the mistake I made by not seaming the pockets, the skirt was really comfortable. It was mostly cold throughout the day though, so I kept the jacket on 80% of the time. (Or the "robe" as one student called it...guess it might not be as great as I think...)

My rating: 4 Nice and warm (almost 2 layers!) and very LONG pockets! Plus...the color blocking worked!

Thor's Day-- UPDATE: NaNoWriMo Day 14!!!

Last weekend, the students and I got together for our first Saturday write-in. From 10 a.m. until nearly noon, we wrote, updated our status on the http://ywp.nanowrimo.org website, challenged each other with a few rounds of writeordie.com word sprints and had a nice break to create our annual NaNoWriMo writing journals and a few totem octopi.

The students that are showing up to the after-school, lunch and Saturday write-ins are a committed group. Even the high school students that are working on their own this year are making great progress!

I've included a few pictures of the journals some of the students created and a list of a few of the "mustache challenge" entries from our after-school write-in on Wednesday.  (The mustache challenge is a 10-minute word-sprint that is not won by word count, but on the best use of a mustache in your story. The winners won mustache-themed mini-notebooks.)

We still have sixteen more days of intense writing! I hope to get back to the normal routine of blog posts by the end of this month!

KEEP WRITING!

MUSTACHE CHALLENGE ENTRIES:

Alex, the bartender, "What is with the mustaches? They are kind of creepy."
"It's an annual thing. Last year, you missed it by a hair."
"That is the cheesiest pun ever."
"I know that's why you love me."
"Well, it's weird and I don't think I can handle this level of mustache."
"Very funny. I get off in about ten minutes. We could go to the club down the street."

I saw a faint outline of a bushy mustache that was plastered onto a man's face. This man I recognize as one of the leading workers in my queen's land As soon as I saw the mustache, in all it's burliness glory, I quickly get a glimpse of the bright blue eyes and the pale sweaty face.

He had a mustache. It was red, like his hair. It looked weird and almost like an orange color. It wasn't shaved so it was all over the lace. The weirdest fact about his mustache is that Justin only looked to be about 17.

The students were surprised to find the multi-colored mustache saying "good morning' and flying around the room, shocking the kids.

A pig with a mustache was carrying a taser, which also had a mustache.

Finally, the ambulance and fire truck come. Apparetnly one fire resucer likes mustaches He was wearing a "I mustache you a question. But I'll shave it for later" shrit, and he had a hairy mustache too. I mean who wouldn't liek a mustache?

The dealer his mustache is a bright neon, purple with white hairs dyed obviously, but it was in a cool way. But he didn't look a day over 20.