Better pay attention! Why you ask? Because this isn't a teacher standing in front of the class and talking all day blah, blah, blah, blah, blah kind of class.
Have a look at this.
Now I am not going to teach quite like that (I hope) and I am not going to talk all day. This is a class with a five minute mini-lesson, and then students work hard and then work some more. As famous California educator, Dr. Harry K. Wong said, "the one doing the work is the one doing the learning." And of course, I want students to learn as much as is possible.
Please give me your attention. I'll keep it short.
Tom Brady, MVP quarterback and three time Super Bowl winner for the New England Patriots has worked hard to make the most out of his career. Last night on Monday Night Football he passed for a team record 517 yards in a win against the Miami Dolphins.
In this video he discusses his road to success.
In your opinion, how does his success relate to success in the classroom? How can his ideas help you, as a student learn more, earn better grades, and be successful?
Laurelville Elementary earned the rating of Excellence with Distinction on the Ohio Report Card. This is the result of high standards and much hard work by students and staff. This is the first year for this rating that follows several years of steadily improving scores on the Ohio Achievement Test.
Students at Laurelville are remarkable in the amount of effort they put into their assignments. Each year students amaze me with their effort and positive attitude. The great test scores from students in Reading Workshop year after year show a history of students' success.
So you could open one that leads you to the perfect road
Like a lightning bolt, your heart will GLOW
And when it's time, you'll know
You just gotta ignite, the light, and let it shine
Just own the night like the 4th of July
What about it Reading Workshop students? If you could accomplish anything, what would it be? Ditch the limits. Don't let anything stop you, because you can do anything if you set a goal and work hard.
I was sitting in the chair, getting my hair cut, having the typical casual conversation with the woman cutting my hair, when I noticed the post-it note with Nicole's weekly goals. As I looked it over, I started wondering about these goals.
Finally, I couldn't stand it any more. I just had to ask, and the following conversation took place:
Me: Did you write that?
Nicole: Uhhh, no.
Me: Your boss write it?
Nicole: Yes.
Me: So they tell you what your goals should be?
Nicole: Yep
Me: Hmmmm, I'll bet that motivates you.
Nicole: Oh, I don't really pay any attention to it.
And then I started thinking about students in Reading Workshop. I wonder how often my goals for them really don't have anything to do with their goals for themselves. When I am pushing my agenda of positive attitude and hard work equals success, I wonder how many students have other priorities?
As the teacher, I have a responsibility to have goals and expectations for my students. But if they are going to be meaningful, there must be some ownership on the part of the students and their parents. With this in mind, and reaching the halfway point of the school year, it seems appropriate to ask students to evaluate their year so far, and set some goals for the rest of the year.
How hard do you work? Would others around you agree? What do peers think of you as a worker? What do your parents think about your work ethic? Do teachers see you as a student that works your hardest? On a scale of 1 - 10, how would you score yourself as a worker?
As we study poetry in Reading Workshop, and look at To Be of Use, these questions came to mind. This poem is a favorite of teachers because there is absolutely nothing teachers admire more than a hard worker. This is also a character trait discussed frequently in Reading Workshop.
The people I love the best
jump into work head first
without dallying in the shallows
and swim off with sure strokes almost out of sight.
They seem to become natives of that element,
the black sleek heads of seals
bouncing like half-submerged balls.
I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart,
who pull like water buffalo, with massive patience,
who strain in the mud and the muck to move things forward,
who do what has to be done, again and again.
I want to be with people who submerge
in the task, who go into the fields to harvest
and work in a row and pass the bags along,
who are not parlor generals and field deserters
but move in a common rhythm
when the food must come in or the fire be put out.
The work of the world is common as mud.
Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust.
But the thing worth doing well done
has a shape that satisfies, clean and evident.
Greek amphoras for wine or oil,
Hopi vases that held corn, are put in museums
but you know they were made to be used.
The pitcher cries for water to carry
and a person for work that is real.
Comments are allowed to be in the form of poetry.
Image from http://darrenhardy.success.com/2009/06/hardwork/
Walk into the Reading Workshop classroom and it is so quiet. Students are intensely focused on their screens. About the only sound is the pecking on keyboards. Occasionally someone will ask a peer for help, which is quickly given because the helper wants to get back to their post. At times, students will skim through their book, looking for correct spelling, or a detail that will support a point.
Students created their blog the first week of school. A lot of the second week was spent learning the basics of Wordpress and blogging. As students begin posting, once again the value of integrating technology into the curriculum shows. Discipline isn't an issue. Everyone wants to get a post written so their peers can read it and comment on it.
Fake reading during SSR is limited. Let's face it, if you know all of your peers are going to read what you write, you better make sense. And how can you write about a book if you haven't read it and/or don't understand it?
Technology contributes in many ways to the success of students in Reading Workshop. The greatest benefit though is motivation. Students are working, doing their best to produce a great blog. And with the way they are working, I have no doubt they will succeed.
OK, so Martha has your test and answer booklet. She doesn't know you, and doesn't care to. In fact, she doesn't know about Reading Workshop, the name of the school, the town, or the state where you live. You are just a number in a stack. A tall stack of answer booklets that have to be graded before she can take a break.
Whether or not you pass this test means less than nothing to Martha. The things on her mind include sneaking out to get a diet coke, getting rid of this head ache, figuring out how to avoid listening to her sister complain about having to babysit, and about having to do laundry after work, or she will have absolutely nothing to wear tomorrow. She is also thinking about surfing and last summer's vacation.
Now it all comes down to you, the student, and your answer booklet. Will your hard work be in vain? Will eight months of learning be wasted? Or will you be a success story making yourself, your parents, your teachers, and your school feel proud using the Strategies you have been taught?
Did you write neatly? Can she read your responses? Did you write legibly? Trying to strain her eyes and her brain to read cat scratches is going to irritate Martha. She probably won't even take the time to sort through it. She will just give it a big, fat, zero.
Did you organize your answers to make finding key points easy? If you restated the question and numbered your responses, Martha can easily find key words and information. Using a rubric to score short answer and extended response answers, Martha is looking for specific words and answers.
Did you go back into the essay and find specific details? Going back and finding specific details in the passage is paramount. Any time a questions asks for specific details, they are looking for examples word-for-word from the text.
Did you use the passage to help you with your spelling? Another factor that makes grading easier is correct spelling. Most of the words that you need to spell are either in the question, or in the passage. It just takes a second to look back and find the correct spelling.
Did you use the basic test taking skills that you have learned in class?
Images from http://www.flickr.com/photos/kandyjaxx
As I read aloud Freak the Mighty written by Rodman Philbrick, in Chapter 21, Max questions his future. He wonders if he too might become an accident of nature like his father. He wonders if he might become violent like Killer Kane. This brought out the discussion of destiny in Reading Workshop.
Students pondered questions like, do you control your fate? Is your destiny in your hands? Do parents and teachers have control? What effect does making decisions have on your destiny?
The benefit of making good decisions, and working hard is control. When students don't work, parents must get involved, and teachers are forced to discipline offenders. The more good decisions students make, the more control they have over their destiny. Good choices lead to success in school, which means a better and higher education. This leads to more career opportunities, and a higher standard of living.
This leads to the question, do you control your destiny? What are you doing to steer your life towards success?
If I could measure students' output on a potential scale from 1 - 100, I wonder how most would score? If I could just reach in the top right desk drawer, pull out the Potentialmeter, and turn it on, what would it show?
I would be willing to bet that most students don't realize their potential. They underestimate their ability to think, read, write, and produce high quality work. Although they are working, they are not even close to maximum output.
Don't get me wrong. Students in Reading Workshop have really been putting forth a lot of effort. As we scream down the test prep road preparing for the Ohio Achievement Assessment on April 27, students have been working hard and showing excellent growth in their ability. However, I just don't believe they know the limits of their capabilities. And, I know they are not even close to putting forth maximum effort.
This became especially evident as I watched this video, Death Crawl from Facing the Giants in Mrs. Stevenson's class yesterday.
Students in Reading Workshop, how close are you to reaching your potential? What would your score be on the potentialmeter? What is your best and what can you do to reach it?
Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to the other, "You stay here. I'll go on ahead.
We had an Award's Assembly today for the first nine weeks. Many students received recognition for the hard work they put forth. In fact, 73% of the sixth grade students got their name announced, walked to the front of the gym while the audience applauded, and got a certificate that told of their success.
What about the other 27%? I guess they need to kick it up a notch and work a little harder. They are probably not the ones that are getting ahead (working to be successful). Hopefully by the next Award's Assembly they won't get left behind.
Her homework paper said she read exactly 30 minutes a day. She read exactly 10 pages each time. As I looked at the paper, I thought, "another fake reader. Why?"
The Read at Home assignment is meant to be low stress. All students have to do to get a good grade is read. And the more they read, the better the grade. And they can read any book they want. But still she chose to fake read.
I know grades do not matter that much to her. So why did she lie about her reading? I had already been watching her in class and could see that she does not like reading and has no interest in her book.
I wonder if she is a Will Smith fan? I wonder if she will believe him when he says she can succeed? I wonder if she has the guts to want to be something and the strength to chase it?
The student's task for the day was to pick one area that Will Smith discusses in the video and write a post in their blog. They could rewatch that piece of the video. The times are listed in parenthesis after the area.
It Can Be That Easy (1:00)
There's No Shortcut to Success (1:38)
Lay One Brick at a Time (3:00)
Focus on Making a Difference (3:48)
Represent an Idea/Possibilities/You Can Make What You Want (4:35)
You Have to Believe (5:00)
Nothing is Unrealistic (5:45)
Our Thoughts are Physical/Make a Choice (6:47)
You Really Have to Focus (8:08)
Attack Your Fears/"I Hate Being Afraid of Anything" (8:30)
Protect Your Dream (9:17)
You can check out their thoughts, ideas, and opinions by following the links to Student Blogs in the sidebar.
Students were given excerpts from the President's speech and asked to respond. Many of the comments were insightful, and showed a real understanding of what it takes to be successful.
Excepts taken from Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama
Back to School Event
Arlington, Virginia
September 8, 2009
And that’s what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.
Every single one of you has something you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide.
That’s why today, I’m calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education – and to do everything you can to meet them. (1)Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, (2) paying attention in class, or (3) spending time each day reading a book. Maybe you’ll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or (4) volunteer in your community. Maybe you’ll (5) decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all kids deserve a safe environment to study and learn.
Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it. But the truth is, being successful is hard. You won’t love every subject you study. You won’t click with every teacher. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right this minute. And you won’t necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.
So today, I want to ask you, (7) what’s your contribution going to be? (8) What problems are you going to solve? (9) What discoveries will you make? (10) What will a president who comes here in twenty or fifty or one hundred years say about what all of you did for this country?
Your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions. I’m working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books, equipment and computers you need to learn. But you’ve got to do your part too.
So I expect you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don’t let us down – don’t let your family or your country or yourself down. Make us all proud. I know you can do it.
Cierra:
Barack Obama talks about how he wants children to do their best in everything that we do, and I am inspired to do my best finishing assignments and turning everything in.
Hannah H.:
Kids should stand up for other people that are being teased or bullied.
Jacob P.:
I believe that if you work your hardest you can be successful, and to work your hardest you must set goals for yourself. My goal is to give 110% this school year.
Jacob A.:
I think that paying attention in class is important because if you don't pay attention, you will not learn anything, and you will not become successful.
Kasi:
If you work hard, do your best, set goals, and always have a positive attitude you will be successful in life. . . If you get a good education in school, you will be successful when you are an adult.
Shaylee:
When I read this I thought, "we can make a difference, and we can make the World a better place."
Kaylee:
I agree when he said, "spend time each day reading a book." I think this can help you learn more words and help you like to read.
Zach:
I think that if you start something, you should work as hard as you can until you finish.
Justin G:
I think that people should listen to the good things that Barack Obama has to say, even if they don't like him. I agree with him when he says that when the going tets tough, you will have to keep on going. I think you should try your hardest, no matter what.
Garrett:
You have to commit to what it is you are doing. If you don't, you will not succeed. That one word, "commit" means a lot and makes a big difference.
Hannah C.:
The part that really sticks out to me the most is where he said, "Every single one of you has something you're good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is."
Hadley:
I have a goal: Make every day better than the last!
Madison:
If you set a goal, and try to reach that goal, you are pushing yourself to do better. If you set and reach goals, people around you will recognize your progress and be proud of you.
How is winning a basketball game like passing an Achievement Test? It's all about using what you worked on in practice at game time. Students each year start to freak out as the test date approaches. They love to throw out those, "OMG, I am sooooo nervous!"
Give it a rest, already. Good test scores are a result of following procedures and using what you know. Students in Reading Workshop have learned all they need to know to prove their proficiency. When the big day comes, they will be ready to use the skills they have been practicing.
Going spastic and twitching nervously might give people something to laugh about, but it really doesn't have one thing to do with the test. It really just comes down to reading a few passages, and answering some questions. Being a fruit loop and stressing out yourself and your classmates is a total waste of time.
If you don't know the answer to a question, or don't know a word, deal with it. Use skills you have learned. Substitute an easier word, or use context clues to figure it out. If you can't, just miss a question. You will still pass. Basketball players miss shots all the time--no big deal. Miss one, but then get the next one right.
Work hard, work smart, and you will score well. You have spent all year proving your ability, so now just throw it out there one more time. This is your chance to spend 2 1/2 hours and prove that you are a success. *
OK, so Martha has your test and answer booklet. She doesn't know you, and doesn't care to. In fact, she doesn't even know about Reading Workshop, the name of the school, the town, or the state where you live. You are just a number in a stack. A tall stack of answer booklets that have to be graded before she can take a break.
Whether or not you pass this test means less than nothing to Martha. The things on her mind include sneaking out to get a diet coke, getting rid of this head ache, figuring out how to avoid listening to her sister complain about having to babysit, and about having to do laundry after work, or she will have absolutely nothing to wear tomorrow. She is also thinking about surfing and last summer's vacation.
Now it all comes down to you, the student, and your answer booklet. Will your hard work be in vain? Will eight months of learning be wasted? Or will you be a success story making yourself, your parents, your teachers, and your school feel proud?
The first thing, can she read it? Did you write legibly? Trying to strain her eyes and her brain to read cat scratches is going to irritate Martha. She probably won't even take the time to sort through it. She will just give it a big, fat, zero. Did you write neatly?
Next, if you restated the question and numbered your responses, Martha can easily find key words and information. Using a rubric to score short answer and extended response answers, Martha is looking for specific words and answers. Did you organize your answers to make finding key points easy?
Going back and finding specific details in the passage is paramount. Any time a questions asks for specific details, they are looking for examples word-for-word from the text. Did you go back into the essay and find specific details?
Another factor that makes grading easier is correct spelling. Most of the words that you need to spell are either in the question, or in the passage. It just takes a second to look back and find the correct spelling. Did you use the passage to help you with your spelling?
Did you use the basic test taking skills that you have learned in class?
Image from http://www.flickr.com/photos/kandyjaxx/82881549/in/set-1618327/
Image from http://www.flickr.com/photos/kandyjaxx/2487248468/in/set-1618327/
Some students work sooooooo hard. No matter what the task is in Reading Workshop, they give it their best. Where does the motivation come from?
At eleven years old, a sixth grade student doesn't consciously decide to be motivated and work hard. There must be some inner drive that pushes them to succeed. Even when the task is daunting, some students persevere.
In some cases I am sure students see it modeled at home. Parents that work hard are bound to influence their children. Many parents push their child to succeed in school. However, not all hard working students have this type of support at home.
Some sixth graders may be beginning to think about their future. Ideas of a college education and a successful career may start at this age. Also, watching someone else who is successful, might cause students to emulate behaviors.
Really though, it seems like in most hard working students, the effort they put forth is just part of their being. Something in their make-up pushes them when others would quit. In fact, I wonder if the hard workers even recognize how they are different.
What do you think? Can you explain the motivation to succeed? Is it something a person is born with? Can someone learn to work hard?
I just happened to be walking down the first grade hallway when I overheard one of the first grade teachers talking to a little boy. Although the teacher said it in a nice way, the implications were clear. It was time to straighten up. This little boy had better correct his actions or bad time were ahead (see the title).
This caused me to start to think about expectations in Reading Workshop. I had to be out one day last week. The students had an assignment to write a comment to a blog post. Although I usually don't assign commenting to a post, I decided this would be a great opportunity for a writing assignment.
When I started to read the comments, they were horrible. There were mistakes everywhere. Words were misspelled. Capitals were missing on proper nouns and to start sentences. The grammar was like something from a language arts horror film.
Needless to say, when I got back the next day, I was irked. Although I am usually a poster child for happiness and joy, I put on the ugly face. I screamed and shouted, grunted and groaned, and made all kind of mean remarks. I showed examples and made examples of poor work.
Amazingly, that day, I got the best work I have had all year. Words were spelled correctly, Sentences had correct punctuation and capitalization. Students' writing made sense and made the reader think and wonder. The overall quality was excellent.
What does this tell me? Students will work to the level of expectations. If I expect the impossible, and won't accept any less, they will raise the quality of their work all the way to the stars. Get ready kiddos--you proved to me that I need to expect the impossible, and you will come through!
There were two boys in a sixth grade classroom and they never watched the show, Who Wants to Be a Millionare. Every day in Reading Workshop, they got on a computer and did a session on Study Island. This is an online learning program that their school used to help them learn indicators that the state of Ohio's Department of Education deemed important.
Now both boys were hard workers, who did all of their assignments and got pretty good grades. They didn't cause problems in the classroom, treated their classmates with kindness, and seemed to be pretty good students. All of their teachers liked them, and saw them as role models to their peers.
One day, an intervention teacher pulled them out because their reading teacher noticed a weakness in a particular area. These boys obviously were not Millionaire fans, because they hadn't used their lifelines. As the teacher worked with them, she noticed that they kept missing the same types of questions, over and over and over and they never asked for help.
Now, being the smart person that she was, she asked them about it. Neither had ever asked anyone for help. In about 30 seconds, she explained how to correctly answer these types of questions.
If these two boys had watched Millionaire, they would have used their lifelines. They could have started with 50:50 and eliminated half of the answers that didn't make sense. Although the couldn't phone a friend, they could have asked a classmate for help. They also couldn't ask the audience, but they could have asked the teacher.
This story could be a fictitious account of what might happen in a classroom somewhere, sometime. There is a chance that it might have actually happened to students in a school somewhere. The point--if you don't get it, get some help. Ask the teacher, ask a friend, stop and think. Whatever you do, do something. Don't keep missing questions.
If you want to be successful at Study Island, and in life, when things are going wrong, figure out why, get help when you need it, and fix the problem!
As we return to persuasive essay projects this week, some students are still attempting to find more information to support their position. All good opinion papers have specific details, fact, and statistics to support their point of view. Finding and organizing the data is often the most challenging part of this writing project. This takes hard work, and some Internet savvy.
At some point during the school year, almost every student has jumped on Google to find information. Because each student has their own PC, they quickly become use to using them as a tool, whether they need to find information, as a dictionary, or thesaurus. However, when searching for specific information, it takes slightly different skills.
One area of focus is the use of key words. Students must try a variety of search terms, and skim through the results to find the most relevant information. Also, when searching for facts about a topic, using words that relate to for or against an issue is imperative.
Examples of words that show support of an issue include:
for, pro, benefit, agree, positive effect, good points, reasons for
Examples of words that demonstrate disagreement with an issue include:
against, con, no, disagree, bad, problems with, negative effects
Just including one of these words usually narrows search results, helping find usable facts and statistics to support an opinion.
In addition, students watched this video on Google basics.
A persuasive essay will only be as good as the research that supports it. To convince the reader that you are right, you have to have the facts to make your point. *
In a previous post, I discussed What Makes a Good Teacher. There was an overwhelming response with many interesting comments, and opinions on this blog, and several others. With this in mind, and help from well-thought out suggestions, here is another look at what makes a good teacher.
1. Knowledge of Content Effective teaching demands that the teacher be knowledgeable in the subject area. The teacher must have a detailed understanding of what it being taught. This includes an understanding of the entire course of study and how concepts should build upon each other throughout the students' education.
2. Mastery of a Variety of Instructional Techniques No two classes, or two indicators are identical. An effective teacher understands this and differs instruction based on what will assist the most students be the most successful. Key concepts are presented in ways to enable visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners grasp it.
3. Dedicated to the Craft The best teachers spend their entire career improving their ability to teach. They read and explore the techniques used by others in a never-ending effort to better themselves and their skill. The see teaching as a lifelong journey of continual drive to improve instruction.
4. Effective Classroom Manager Discipline is not an issue. Students understand class rules and expectations, and adhere to them. When discipline is necessary, it is not vindictive, but just a consequence when a student does not do what is required.
5. Individualized Instruction and Approaches to Students Every student is different, and at times their needs reflect this. To effectively teach all students, the teacher must understand this. The teaching and interactions with students must reflect the needs of each, with the understanding of each as an individuals.
6. Highest Expectation For the School, Teachers and Students Only the best is good enough. Quality is expected, and nothing less is acceptable. Passion for excellence is a driving force each and every day. A good teacher makes the school better by being a part of it. He pushes himself to be the best. Failure is not an option for the teacher or the students.
As I stated in the previous post, I would never claim to do all of the things in this list. All I can hope is that I spend each day trying to live up to these ideas. Writing a post like this is the easy part, living up to it is every teacher's challenge.
This blog reflects the thoughts and opinions of the author and is not, in any way, representative of any school or district. The purpose of this blog is to share information for educational purposes. Comments are the sole responsibility of their writers. The views expressed by commenters and those who link to this website do not necessarily reflect the views of this website.
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