Are You the Annoying One?

It was almost time for Thanksgiving dinner.  We sat watching football, anxiously awaiting the turkey, mashed potatoes, and dressing.  Unfortunately we were having trouble concentrating because my 17 year old niece and 14 year old nephew were wrestling around on the couch.  Finally, their mom couldn't stand it anymore.

She yelled  Cut it out, both of you!

Luke whined: But mom

Leah whined: But mom

Luke whined:  But mom, she's so annoying.

Leah responded:  Get off of me!

Do you get the picture?  Leah had been sitting on the couch minding her own business when Luke came over and sat on top of her.  He started pestering her until it ended in the screaming match that got their mom involved.  But in his mind, she was soooo annoying.

Naturally this situation made me start to think about the students in Reading Workshop.  I know that their teacher is never annoying :) , but what about them.  Do they ever blame someone else, before looking in the mirror?

What do you think?  Are you the annoying one?

Image from http://www.vrkmphoto.com/sister/brother-and-sister-love/

Hey Students, Here's Some Thanks for You :)

Thanksgiving is here and there are a lot of turkeys in this neighborhood and I am thankful for all of them.  Well, I am thankful for most of them.  Well, I am thankful for some of them.  Well, I am thankful for a few of them.

Well anyway, the things I am thankful for include:

1. Sara's big smile walks in my door every day.
2. I have this really weird class that wants to be here.
3. I can do a little of the Cupid Shuffle with the class and I don't even need Advil.
4. Lucas #3 is just as nice as Lucas #1 & #2.
5.  I can blog and eat oreos at the same time.
6. Mrs. Scott stops by every day for a little aggravation.
7. I have some oreos.
8. Thelma is still cooking in the cafeteria.
9. Hines #4 (or is it #5) works just as hard as all of the others.
10. Ridge sings better than his siblings.
11. Megan, Tyler H., and Andrew really are that nice.
12. Brook and Dawn are actually starting to talk.
13. Kyra smiles and dances and shakes and makes all kind of weird motions when she sings.
14. Heath likes to read.
15. Caitlin has such a super attitude.
16. Jessica and Cassie are becoming a great writers.
17. Austin, Tyler, Alex, and Jakob are working so hard.
18. Dylan laughs at my jokes (at least he did one time).
19. Belle can still think even though she spends half her time upside down.
20. Danny's name keeps popping up in the lyrics of songs we are singing.
21. Shala is an assistant teacher and helps everyone with their blog.
22. The little Queen hasn't been too bossy.
23. Sabrina is in a good mood today, and yesterday, and the day before, and...
24. Students are selling candy bars for camp so I can put back on the pounds just in time for the hollidays.
25. Ms. Bowlby is still teaching here so I am not the oldest teacher in the building.
26. Ms. Fraley is teaching here so I am not the weirdest teacher in the building.
27. Mrs. Stevenson is still teaching here so I am not the grayest teacher in the building.
28. Mrs. Griffey is still teaching here so I definitely am not the biggest drama queen in the building.
29. Nick and Cade aren't as hot as they think they are (otherwise their chairs would catch on fire).
30. Students love blogging (that makes them work hard and they don't even know it).
31. We got some $$$ to buy new books.
32. Diet Mt. Dew is a health food.
33. The arm Mark broke chasing his girlfriend has healed.
34. Lindsey's brain transplant surgery was successful.
35. Heidi smiled at me last week.
36. The Bengals have the worst team in the NFL and T.O., Chad O., and Pacman play for them.
37. I can look out the window, from my desk and see two flags waving in the breeze.

Have a happy Thanksgiving!

Image from http://www.uvm.edu

Describe Yourself Based on Your Partner

What does the person I paired you with say about you?

Students in Reading Workshop are constantly working in pairs, and small groups.  Almost every project has at least one part that requires teamwork.   Sometimes this might be a brainstorming session.  Other times partnership might be for revising and editing a piece of writing.  Frequently it is just a couple of minutes to share ideas.

Although occasionally students are paired randomly, most of the time partnerships and teams are put together in a way to ensure success.  

Reasons students are partnered might include:

• A strong-minded uncompromising student is put with a similar student just to force both to work together to be successful.  
• Quiet, easy going students are put together to build leadership skills.
• Students strong in a certain area are paired with a student that is struggling.
• Students struggling might be partnered to work through troubles together.
• Students that don't care are partnered to force them to deal with common attitudes.
• Natural leaders are grouped in situations that allow them to utilize their strength.
• Creative students are placed together to stretch their limits.
• Creative students are separated to allow leadership and growth.
• Boys and girls are partnered so that differences in thought processes can increase chances of success.
• Reluctant learners are joined with enthusiastic students to motivate them.
• Enthusiastic students are partnered to allow them the chance to immerse themselves in a project.
• Friends are put together just so they can be with each other.
• Students that are not friends are put together to help expand their circles.

These are just some of the reasons students work together.  Regardless of the reason, working together and the cooperation this demands is an extremely important skill.  How students deal with a partner, or contribute to a group is always reflective of their attitude and work ethic.

What kind of a partner are you?  Describe yourself based on your partner.

Image from http://vik.podbean.com

Please Be Nice

"Did you have fun with your partner?" she whispered with a sneer to the girl in the seat next to her.  I just happened to be in the right place at the right time, because the comment wasn't meant for me to hear.

Shala just looked at her and shrugged her shoulders.  She really didn't know what to say.  It never occurred to her to be upset about her partner, or make fun of him.  And that is exactly why I put her with that student.  I knew that she would treat him with kindness and respect.  She would help him stay on track and both of them would successfully complete the assignment.

The students in Reading Workshop had been working on a letter writing project.  I wanted them to take a couple of minutes with a peer to discuss their letter--how they organized it, what was going well, and what parts of the project needed help.  I chose a partner for each student, forming teams that would succeed.  This is something we do frequently, and students are used to working with many different peers throughout the year.

This comment has banged around in my head ever since I heard it.  I keep thinking about the connotation behind, did you have fun with your partner.  This sneaky form of bullying, trying to get a classmate to join in ridiculing a student is what makes school so difficult for so many students.

I'm not really sure which student I feel most sorry for--the boy being laughed at, or the girl that feels the need to be so mean.  The boy is a bit of a social outcast.  Unfortunately, he irritates peers and causes them to loose patience with him.  He also tries to gain attention too often by acting out and saying things to set himself apart.  He isn't mean, but he does act that way sometimes when he gets picked on.

The big question to me is why the girl feels the need to be so mean.   She is no stranger to trouble, and I am sure teachers have talked to her about this behavior before.  Yet she continues to be hurtful, even enlisting a student like Shala who would not act this way under any circumstance.  Will she ever figure out that actions like this, and the negative attitude behind it will create problems until she finds the strength to be a stronger and kinder person?

Image from http://www.comicvine.com/forums/off-topic/5/the-creepy-thread/574156/

Letter Writing

I like getting letters, so the current project in Reading Workshop, write a Dear Mr. McGuire Letter on the topic of Reasons Why I Like the Book I am Reading for SSR is one of my favorites.   Plus I get to hear about the books students are reading and their thoughts and opinions on them.

Knowing the proper format of a friendly letter is important.  Also, students must set the tone in the opening, put facts and details in the body, and wrap it up in the closing. A good letter, like any writing must have must support with specific details.

Introduction/Beginning

This is a good example of a W's introduction.

This is Justin's beginning:

The book I am reading is called The White Fox Chronicles. The author's name is Gary Paulsen. Gary Paulsen writes a lot of action/ survival books. The main character's name is Cody Pierce. Cody is a 14 year old boy.

This is an opinion/persuasive introduction. 

This is Kari's beginning:

I am reading the book called The Revenge Of The Shadow King. I found this book to be extremely good. Especially if you are into fairy tales, mysteries, and thrillers because that's what it's all about. If you like those kinds of books you may be really attached to this book. I really liked it mainly because I like to read fairy tales and thrillers.

Body/Middle

Shelby does a great job comparing the main character from Heartbeat by Creech in this paragraph:

Another thing that Annie and I have in common is we both have baby brothers. We both love our baby brothers. I think that Annie loves her brother a lot because she was so scared that the baby would get hurt. Annie and I also were scared at first to hold our baby brothers. She was scared that she would drop him, I thought that I would not hold him right and hurt him.

Katie helps us understand the character Bookworm from Max the Mighty.

My favorite character is Bookworm. Bookworm is also called Worm sometimes. She is my favorite character because she loves books. Worm is about eleven or twelve years old. Worm doesn't like her step dad. She doesn't like him because he hates T.V and he hates books. I think that Worm plays a really good part in the story and I like her because she and her mom have to deal with a lot of problems, and somehow she always makes it through.

Conclusion/Closing

Molly does a fabulous job wrapping up her letter.

I would definitely recommend this book to others, because I think a lot of girls could really relate to the main character, especially most of my friends. Also I would still recommend this book to boys, because even though it's a girl's book, it's not about being girly, and all about girls. Some boys may be able to relate to the three boys in the story! The book Spells & Sleeping Bags is one out of my two favorite books. Also, I think the author is very talented with writing her books. She's my absolute favorite author. I think Sara Mlynowski is very talented because I can really get inside the characters mind, and really get into the book as if I were the main character.

Parts of Sarah's letter were shared in a previous class with excellent examples of an opening and closing on this post.

Letter writing is a skill that is used throughout life.  Although this project focuses on writing about a book, these basic skills will apply to any letter written for any purpose.

Image from http://www.flickr.com/photos/clarazamith/3552122301/sizes/s/in/photostream/

What a Relief, the Levy Passed

As said on the Logan Elm Local School District website.

Thank you voters! We appreciate your support. We promise to be good stewards of your tax money. Thanks for supporting the students of Logan Elm. What a great community to live in.

and

Levy Results     FOR: 2908( 58%)     AGAINST: 2093 (42%).

With so much hanging on the balance, this is such a relief.  Class size will stay at 20 instead of going to 30+.  Extracurriculars will continue and families won't be moving out of the district.  Academic programs that have led to Excellent Ratings will be continued.  Peers will not be losing their jobs and students will continue to have special classes like music, PE, and library.

Thank you to all who supported our school!

How Technology is Making Students Better Writers

Have you used Twitter lately?  Currently there are over 160 million registered users.  More  than 90M tweets are written per day.  Yet this communication tool that so many people have found so useful is similar to one that many teachers claim is ruining students.

It used to be adults worried about kids spending too much time watching TV, but those days are gone. Today, teachers worry about another type of screen time. Kids are either texting, IMing (instant messaging), or else on social networking sites like Facebook. Many educators are concerned about the impact technology is having on students' writing.

Should they be concerned? Is all of this time texting ruining the writing of students?  Some teachers feel that the slang, or casual language used extensively in texting and IM'ing will have detrimental long term effects. Most seem to ignore the fact that kids today are writing constantly. In fact, putting thoughts into written words is part of the natural lives of kids today. Anyone who cannot share their thoughts through texting is at risk of becoming a social outcast.

Students don't see the constant use of slang as a problem.  They know the difference between casual language between friends and formal language used in school and business.  According to Pew Internet's Teen Writing Survey, 83% of students feel there is a greater need to be able to write well in order to be successful now when compared to twenty years ago.   They also found that 85% of students write in school at least several times each week.

Another worry, especially at the secondary and collegiate level is how students spend class time texting instead of focusing on the lesson being taught. However, forward thinking instructors have begun to use this to their advantage by engaging students in real-time dialogue and assessment.

In many classes today, students are participating in online learning and communication using blogs and wikis, web-based collaborative projects using Google Docs, and various other computer uses throughout their school day. Often students are much more motivated in class where video and interactive Smart Boards are integrated into the curriculum.

Obviously, the students of today have lifestyles, both in and out of the class that are much different than in the past. Although some educators are concerned about the affects of these changes, some are embracing the changes and celebrating the advancement of education. Their goal is to open doors and encourage students to push forward using every tool available for a more interesting and challenging learning environment.

Everyone changes their spoken language based on the audience.  At a very young age children learn to speak differently to their parents than they do to their friends.  Doesn't this make it only natural to expect the same in their writing?  When students walk into a classroom spending hours each day putting their thoughts into words, it can only make them better writers.

Image from http://www.flickr.com/photos/outlandos/63607103/sizes/s/