Problems in Writing

All good writing has problems, lots and lots of problems, with lots and lots of details. The more problems in a narrative, and the more descriptive the writing, the more the reader will be engaged. Problems are what give the story a body. They create the interest by getting the reader to insert himself into the story, to think of solutions, and to root for a character to succeed or fail.

Today, students brainstormed a list of problems that could occur in the setting where their scary story takes place. Each partnership came up with problems that might fit in a horror story. These problems had to be realistic enough to be believable, but "sick" enough to fit into a scary fictional narrative.

Once each group came up with a list of 8 - 10 problems, we came to the circle, and shared ideas. Then students revised their essays, inserting new problems and adding details. As we continue writing and improving these stories, I am sure the final drafts will be excellent and eerie.

Carinval of Education

Thanks to Bellringers for including this blog in the latest Carnival of Education. This is a series of posts hosted by rotating blogs, that feature educational blogs.

Two Person Journal

One journal, one topic, one file, but two writers make a Two Person Journal. Students were partnered with a peer from another class. A folder with a file was created on the Laurelville server. The page was divided down the middle using a two column table. For the rest of the school year, students will write each day about a different topic.

This system has an advantage over a regular journal in that the writer has an audience. Everything written will be read daily. Also, with a peer to share ideas, comments, opinions, and information, it means more. Whether students write about books, school, friends, hobbies, family, or any other topic, they know a reader cares about what they have to say.

I originally did this project with composition notebooks that students shared. Now, with the technology available in Reading Workshop, students keep a common Open Office Word file saved on our file server. They can each write to the file from anywhere in the school. Because there is a computer for each student, they can access their file during class each day, read their partner's post, and respond.

This is a great motivator for students. After all, what does every writer want? To be read, of course.

Where am I #4?

Once again, back by popular demand, everyones favorite post, Where am I?


Don't let the sun set, without this view, at the end of the day.
If you think you know, grab a seat and guess away.
If the day was bad, or just okay,
Reading a book here will whisk my troubles away.

You might think that it's a place to pray,
That's sometimes true, depending on the day.
The Church of God are where most guesses lay,
But you better swing some other way.


There is a field in front, you could say,
With horses grazing through the day.
I might soon go there, but not today,
Although this spot will keep the rain away.

In fact, it's a nice spot for a mini soiree.
Or, to get over a school day filled with disarray.
Me and my diet Dew overcoming the fray,
Of wrong guessing students at school today.

Just looking at the picture is no way to play,
Think about what the clues convey.

Dillon was so so close guessing yesterday,
But, close doesn't win this game we play.
Congratulations to the KW's because hey,
They guessed it right, I may be there today.

How Do You Feel About Reading?

Today's post is a guest post by Shayna T. She is a sixth grade student at Laurelville Elementary.


If you don't already know, reading is an important part of your education. Reading can give you knowledge and entertainment. If you don't read you probably can't comprehend some of the most basic Social Studies, Science, Math and Writing skills. The only reason why you can't do these things is because you don't read enough! I know some people don't like to read, but sometimes you have to do things you don't want to do!

As I said earlier, some people don't like reading, but I do! Reading has helped me get A's in all of my school subjects. When I was in 3rd grade I didn't enjoy reading that much. That was before I found out about the Harry Potter books! After that I started to try more and more books until I found the right genre. The genre that I like the most to this day is realistic fiction. Realistic fiction is like where the things that happen in the book can be real, but they are not proven facts.

If you want to know where to get some really good realistic fiction books I would look in Mr. McGuire's bookshelf. Some of the best books that I read were The Outsiders, Party Girl, Define Normal, Kira Kira, Star Split and the Watchers series.

To end my post I wanted to ask you some questions about your reading habits.

1.What kind of books do you read?

2.How often do you read?

3.Do you like reading?

4. Do you read as a hobby?

Role of Technology in Education

I first viewed this on Betchablog.



Parents, students, and teachers, how should technology be incorporated into education? What would the ideal Reading Workshop look like? What would reading and writing instruction look like? What processes would we follow? What activities would take place in this "ideal" classroom? What would determine success?

Learning Styles

What kind of learner are you? North Carolina State University has a test you can take to find out how you learn best.

Just follow the link, take the test, and then print out the results.

Felder and Soloman, researchers for NCSU look at four areas of learners in their report of Learning Styles and Strategies. Listed below is a breakdown of the areas.

Active and Reflective Learners

Active learners tend to retain and understand information best by doing something active with it--discussing or applying it or explaining it to others.

Reflective learners prefer to think about it quietly first.

Sensing and Intuitive Learners

Sensing learners tend to like learning facts, intuitive learners often prefer discovering possibilities and relationships. Sensors often like solving problems by well-established methods and dislike surprises.

Intuitors may be better at grasping new concepts. Intuitors tend to work faster and to be more innovative.

Visual and Verbal Learners

Visual learners remember best what they see--pictures, diagrams, flow charts, time lines, films, and demonstrations.

Verbal learners get more out of words--written and spoken explanations.

Sequential and Global Learners

Sequential learners tend to gain understanding in steps, with each step following logically from the previous one.

Global learners tend to learn in large jumps. Global learners may be able to solve complex problems quickly or put things together once they have grasped the big picture.

My Results

The chart below shows the results from my test. As you can see, I am strongly an intuitive, global learner, with a tilt towards visual learning. Basically, this means I tend to work quickly, always looking for new ideas, and need to see the whole concept. I need to picture an idea to understand it.



What is your learning style? What does this tell you about how you learn best?

Why Blog?

Why? Why? Why?

Brain Teaser

A student from Chicago was a very good runner, so he went to France to enter a race. A French web site reported that the student won the race, averaging a speed of 25,750 kilometers per hour. Back home, his classmates were impressed but confused. When they plugged 25,750 into a kilometer/mile converter, it seemed that their friend raced at the brisk speed of 16,000 mph. How is this possible?

New School

Will we ever get a new school? Do we need one? Would it improve the quality of education for Logan Elm students? I was reading the Blue Skunk Blog when I saw this picture. It just made me sit and daydream about seeing a sign like this on S.R. 56.

As the Logan Elm Local School District searches for a new superintendent, the leading candidate, Mrs. Jan Broughton, current superintendent, Portsmouth City Schools, helped her current district achieve this. Logan Elm currently ranks 371 out of 612 districts by the Ohio School Facility Commission for matching state funds. Most of the schools up through the first 300 either already have new schools, or are in the process. We will soon be eligible.

Almost every district in our area has new buildings. You will see new buildings if you drive by Amanda, Southeastern, Adena, Huntington, Teays Valley, Canal Winchester, Logan Hocking, Unioto, Westfall, and many others.

Are our one hundred year old building good enough? Do we need air conditioning? Would it help if classrooms were bigger, so students would have more room? Would Laurelville Elementary students learn more in a new setting? Would more students succeed?

Achievement Test, Some Took it, Some Didn't

Great job to the students that took the Ohio Sixth Grade Reading Achievement Test. Sorry to those that didn't get to take it, but your version of the test hasn't arrived yet. In an unbelievable move last week, the Ohio Department of Education told our district that students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) had to take a certain "version" of the test. And, because we hadn't received these yet, these students could not take the test with their peers. Even though most of these students spent every minute of every class in the regular classroom, they are excluded from testing until "their" version arrives.

Now, supposedly this test is no different that the other versions ( of which there are several), but for some reason, which was not explained to the district, all IEP students must take this specific test. These will then, without a doubt, be graded as a group.

For more information regarding this law read the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, also know as No Child Left Behind. Basically this law requires schools and districts to focus their attention on the academic achievement of traditionally under-served groups of children, such as low-income students, and students with disabilities. The whole purpose of this act was to guarantee that all students achieve and are treated equally. It makes a teacher wonder why our Ohio Department of Education claims to be supportive, but then forces IEP students to all take a specific version of the OAT. Oh, and by the way, students will take the test whenever they arrive.

You can read more about this in the Columbus Dispatch's article State Goofs, Prints too Few Tests.

Teen Writing, r u lol

How has the use of electronic writing affected you? How has it helped? What problems has it caused? With only one month left in the school year, should language arts instruction be changed to reflect this? And if so, how?

Pew Internet & American Life Project researched Writing, Technology and Teens. The study looked at the effect of modern technology on students' writing.

This is a significant issue based on their conclusion that 85% of teens ages 12-17 engage at least occasionally in some form of electronic personal communication, which includes text messaging, sending email or instant messages, or posting comments on social networking sites.

This table summarizes some of the findings of the study.


The complete findings of this study can be viewed here.

Are texting, IM'ing, MySpace, Facebook, blogging and email ruining the next generation of writers, or will they make them the best ever?

A Sure Sign of Success

How do you know when you are reaching your students? How do you know they are motivated? How do you know they are putting forth extreme effort? How do you know they are working hard to succeed? How do you know your students are buying into your message?




Well, they always make sure you know. Thanks to Amanda for sharing some love for The Reading Workshop.

Secret to Success

Success is not brain surgery. The obvious thing to do is usually the right thing to do. And the right thing to do generally isn’t all that hard. I’m not saying you should do anything to be successful. I’m just saying that you have to get your priorities straight. Be clear about what you want to do. Then have the courage to roll up your sleeves and do it.

Dean Rieck, wrote this in his blog, Copyblogger, discussing the secret to success in his post The "Chicken Plucking" Secret of Success.

So the questions are, do you have it in you to be successful on the test? And, what do you have to do personally to perform at your best? What is your plan for success on Monday?

Achievement Vocabulary

Tune up that achievement vocabulary. "What," you say, "is achievement vocabulary?" Certain words are contained in Achievement Test questions. Now, I am not going to say that their only purpose is to challenge students, but they sure make the questions harder to understand.

Why say: How does the ending show what the writer felt?

When you could say: Analyze how the author's purpose is defined throughout the conclusion. Use detailed description to illustrate your position.

Now, I get that this is a reading test, but geesh, ask the question! It almost seems like the test writers from the Ohio Department of Education find the most difficult way possible to ask a question.

Anyhow, today we looked at specific words necessary to understand test questions. You can view most of the words at the Reading Workshop Wikipage. Students studied in rotating four person groups and then we had the big challenge. Students played Around the World, defining the words.

Congratulations to the winners: Shayna T., Micah L., Connor H., and Shelby C.

Achievement Test Tips

Laurelville sixth grade students compiled a list of the top 10 Achievement Test Tips.

Here is the Real Top 10, Baby!

1. Go to bed early, and get a good night’s sleep.

2. Eat a good Breakfast.

3. Come prepared (three sharpened pencils, erasers, highlighter, SSR book)

4. 10 Questions every 30 minutes

5. Read the questions before you read the passage, so you know what you are looking for.

6. Skim the article

7. Highlight the important information in the article and the questions.

8. Reread questions and look for key words. DON’T GUESS if you don’t know the answer to a question. Take a deep breath, read the question again, and look back into the selection.

9. Restate the question and number your answer

10. When you are done, go back and double check your answers.

Fantastic Commenter

GOOD JOB!

Congrats to the KW's for being selected as the Outstanding Commenters for April. Katie and Kari consistently post with great comments that are well written. You can find their opinions all through the blog. They were two of the first to comment, and continue to join in on almost all discussions.


Congratulations to Trevor S. for also being selected as the Fantastic Commenter for the month of April. He was selected due to his well thought out comments and clean, easy to understand commenting (And his mom posted too).

Trevor S. said...

I think bringing a CD into school and listening to it for the day is awesome. Listening to music helps me focus on my school work or any work. I got a high percentage in the accelerated category on my OAT test. I know that is not as I high as some people in this class but I tried. However I did better listening to music than I had ever done. My mom was not so sure about letting me bring in a CD to school, until she saw the blog. Thanks Mr. McGuire for letting us do such a cool thing.

Trevor S. said...

The reasons why I come to school are...

1. Well I have to by law

2. Learning is is fun to me.

3. I get to play basketball.

4. I get to talk to friends.

5. It will help me get a good job in the future.

6. How are you going to get smart just sitting at home. (Home school does not count).

And his mom said:

Mr.McGuire,

I encourage both of my boys (Trevor & Brayden) to learn all they can now while they are in school. I think all parents want that for their children. Your knowlege will get you everywhere you want to go in the future. When you grow up it is a tough world out there. And it just keeps on getting tougher! Take advantage of the time you have now to learn all you can. When you get out in the real world there are no free lunches! Go to school and learn and have fun. You are only a kid once so enjoy it!

P.S. I'll have my eyes peeled for the McGuire family when we go out to eat!!

Steph Swackhamer

Stay tuned as I will feature the intelligent thoughts of other commenters soon.

Special thanks to the Dangerously Irrelevant Blog for the idea and the certificate!

Achievement Test Success Ahead

Hang in there!


I know you have been working hard to prepare for the Achievement Test. One week from today, you will have the opportunity for success. And, SUCCEED YOU WILL!

Listen While You Work

"You can put on your headphones, play a CD, and listen to music as you work." Students almost fell out of their seats when I told them they could start doing this on Monday. They had never heard of anything like this. First it was singing in the class. Now, we are experimenting with this in language arts. Due to the fact that each students has his/her own computer, each has a CD ROM at their desk.

There are a few rules:

1. You put a CD in the computer at the start of class, and leave it for the entire class.
2. You cannot play it loud, or bother peers.
3. Once you hit play, you must work.

There are several benefits when students play background music while they study, read, or write:
1. increase attention levels
2. improve retention and memory
3. extend focused learning time
4. expand thinking skills

In the brain there is a band of white fibers connecting the right and left halves of the cerebrum called the corpus callosum. Very recently researchers have discovered that the corpus callosum increases in size when humans are exposed to music. This increases communication between the two halves of the brain which increases learning efficiency.

Yiftach Levy of the Department of Educational Technology at San Diego State University studied the use of background music in the classroom. This is part of his finding.

Davidson and Powell (1986) took up this exact subject in their study of American fifth-grade science students. They reported the observations of on-task-performance (OTP) of children in the classroom over 42 class sessions, with data recorded every three minutes (10 times) per session. Treatment, in the form of easy-listening music, was delivered in between two control observations (i.e., 15 sessions without background music, 15 with, and 12 without, in that order). They determined a significant increase in OTP for the males in the classroom, and for the class as a whole.

You can read the entire report HERE.

Students have the opportunity to listen to music as they work. How will they respond?

Haiku

Haiku poetry originated in Japan. It has a strict format that includes:

1. Three lines with 17 syllables in the pattern of 5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables
2. Only one topic
3. Traditionally about nature and/or seasons
4. Does not rhyme
5. Written in present tense
6. Stirs the imagination


Sunshine by J. McGuire

Breaking through treetops
filtering golden beauty
bringing in the day

Spring By Alina S.

Spring is here today
Daffodils and crocuses
Blooming everywhere

When it Rains by Josh P.

Clouds roaring with fierce
Lightening attacks with anger
Peaceful when rain stops

Spring Flowers by Connor H.

They are violet blue
they are purple and yellow
they are spring flowers

Mushrooms by Sean C.

walking through the woods
see those mushrooms, see them.
go and pick them please

Wildfire by Shelby C.

Bright like a wild fire
suddenly stepping forward,
out of plane nothing.

Jumping Flowers by Justin H.

Flowers jumping up
out of the rich dark brown soil
their bright pedals glow

Hot, Nice Day by Dimitri H.

Walking outside, oooh
look at the big sunflower
what a hot nice day

Morels by Mrs. Bower

Hunting for mushrooms
Delicacies hiding low
cool, damp, sunny day.

Carpenter Bees by Mrs. Bower

Angry, droning pests
Aggressively drilling holes
wood chewing insect.

An Arch of Color by Jennie B.

Rainbows have colors
Pot O' Gold at the bottom
An arch of color

Walking in the Woods by Brittany M.

Walking in the woods
alone looking for a waterfall
it's close when it's cool.

Dancing Rain by Haley E.

Rain dancing outside
Around and around it goes
Going on forever

Wolves by Kari W.

Mistaken creatures
Wandering through the forest
Gentle animals.

Grass by Amanda K.

long, soft cut, pokey
green, soft, rough, up in the air
falling all over

Clouds by Dillon Y.

Clouds, drifting like ghost
in the sky so high above
Fly by day and night.

Birds by Brianna G.

birds fly in the air
cardinals and red tailed hawks
what beautiful birds.

Trees of the Forest by Jacob T.

The trees of the damp
forest move swiftly by my
eyes with great beauty.

Hard Working Students

Where is this student? Well, he is not in Reading Workshop. On our sixth day of school this week, I couldn't be prouder of the effort put forth by the sixth graders at Laurelville. Great job to all of the hard working students, giving it all to be successful!

Brain Teaser

Mrs. Griffey pulled up to a gas station. An alien landed a spaceship beside her. She noticed the spaceship said U.F.O. on the side. Mrs. Griffey asked the Alien, "does that stand for unidentified flying object?"

The alien said, "no, it stands for . . .?????????????????"

Are You Smarter Than a 7th Grader?

Everyone has heard of Fox's show, Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? hosted by Jeff Foxworthy. In Reading Workshop, I didn't settle for that. I wanted to see if students are smarter than a seventh grader.

Yesterday, students were given an assignment straight out of the Ohio Seventh Grade Reading Achievement Test. As I told them from the start, "this is seventh grade work." The grandmother of Connor, a Reading Workshop student looked at the work and said, "this looks like 12th grade work to me." Obviously, this assignment was challenging.

You can view the test at the ODE website. Just follow the link to the 7th reading March 2006 Full Test. The answer key is there also. Students read a haiku poem and a passage, Do You Want to Write Haiku.

The passage had seven multiple choice questions and two extended response. As students worked on the passage yesterday, they put forth tremendous effort and concentrated on their work. Tension was high today as students scored their answers.

Student success was determined based on cut scores from the Ohio Department of Education, that determined reading proficiency for Ohio students in the seventh grade. Remarkably, in the two classes, 38 out of 43 students passed! I am amazed by such a successful sixth grade class!

Relay for Life

The Sixth Grade class at Laurelville Elementary is moving forward with our plan for a Relay for Life. The purpose of a Relay is to raise money to help in the fight against cancer. The tentative date is set for June 3 @ 2:00. Hopefully the entire student body, parents, grandparents, and friends will join us as we walk through Laurelville and around the school grounds.

VanCuren's Graphics will be offering T-shirts for sale. Each shirt will be $10.00. For each shirt sold, they will donate $5.00 to the cause. These will be gray shirts with a Laurelville Elementary/Relay logo. The T-shirt sale will be May 5 - 9. Shirts will be delivered on June 2 so we can wear them at the Relay.

The Laurelville PTO is going to work with the sixth grade as we organize this event. They will be contacting area businesses and individuals to help with the Relay.

Lisa Deluse is helping to organize the parents and volunteers. If you are willing to help in any way, please email her at Ldeluse@aol.com.

You can find out more about the Relay for life in a previous post.

Blog Etiquette

A student asked me on Monday, "Mr. McGuire, are there rules for commenting?"

I replied, "there are no rules but there are expectations of etiquette." Needless to say, that took some explaining. So, here goes.

Commenting Etiquette

1. You can argue, but don't be argumentative.

2. You can disagree, but don't be disagreeable.

3. You can contradict, but do so cautiously.

4. You can compliment, but please do so sincerely.

5. If you want to complain, type it up, save it, but don't post it. If you still feel the same way a week later, type it up, save it, but don't post it . . .

6. Commenting about a comment is expected, but use consideration and kindness in your words.

7. Correct a comment once you become perfect. Until then, DON'T!

8. Use correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Do this for yourself and for the reader.

9. Remember, the blogger (in this case, me) appreciates the effort it takes to comment.

Why Do You Come to School?

Megan dipped into the conversation at the table beside us. This guy said, "kids should want to go to school because they want to learn." Megan gave me a funny look and said, "How many kids go to school because they want to learn?"

On Sunday afternoon, we were at the Millstone BBQ in Logan eating BBQ left over from last night's rush. Laura and I took Megan, our 16 year old daughter and our niece, Lauren. We had just ordered, and our conversation wasn't keeping Megan too engaged, so she dropped into the next table to see what they had to say. And that is when she overheard this guy talking about students and their reasons to go to school.

Naturally, Megan's question caused me to think about my students and their motivation. How many show up because it is a law? Because they have to? Or because their parents make them? Do they really want to be there? How many are there because they have a ticket on the love boat, and they just want to see their crush? I know a few guys just want to play B-ball at recess in the intramural tournament. Who is showing up just to see their friends? How many are coming just to hear their teacher's funny jokes?

So, why is a twelve year old, sixth grade student coming to school every day? And what are they getting out of our school, this reading workshop, and our time together?

Riddle me this, what makes school worthwhile?

Journal Responses that Count

Each day I read aloud from a fictional book. Currently, I am reading Double Identity written by Margaret Peterson Haddix. This story features the main character, Bethany, that unexpectedly gets dropped off at an aunt's house that she didn't even know existed.




Students journaled about the topic, "If I was Bethany." Here are samples from students' work.


Kari W.
Why did they keep Elizabeth a secret? They should have told me a long time ago. It's not like I would have been too disappointed. I wouldn't be crying all the time like Mom. I would like to know this kind of stuff. Are they keeping more secrets from me? If so why don't they tell me? I thought parents were supposed to tell their kids everything.

Kyah H. Bethany is a girl who has been spoiled since she was a little girl. Her life was great until one day she was dropped off at a relative's house. She never met this relative and her parents are leaving her with Aunt Myrlie. All of these things are happening in the book Double Identity.




Katie W.
I'm kind of mad at my parents for keeping a secret from me for thirteen years. I also feel bad for them because their daughter died. I don't know what to feel right now. I mean I never thought that they'd keep something like that from me. I'm just confused. First Mom calls and keeps saying I'm Elizabeth, then Myrlie tells me Elizabeth is my sister who died. Since they kept that from me I can't help but think what else could they have kept from me?



Baylie M.
I feel like my stomach and insides are coming up through my throat. I also feel like I have known Elizabeth for a long time. I just wish that my parents would have told me sooner so I would not have to come here to Myrlie's. I'm wandering why my parents didn't tell me about my sister. I am afraid to sleep, now that I'm wondering about Elizabeth. The more I wonder the more I feel like it's my fault for Elizabeth's death. Now I know why my mom was saying, “Elizabeth don't go to that amusement park. I fear that something bad is going to happen.”



Micah L.
I feel lost, like no one is watching over me. I feel alone stuffed in a box that someone sits on. I don't know what to do. Nothing is helping. I away feel so depressed. I can't keep my head straight. My dad will not talk to me and I'm weirded out about my parents.





Molly V.
Today, I found out that I had a sister, whose name is Elizabeth. I still don't understand. What I don't understand is why have my parents kept this from me? I don't understand why they haven't told me all these years.





Shayna T.
Shayna had an excellent example that must be in some folder far, far, away, never to be seen again. The closest anyone can figure, the journal thieves got it. If they are brought to justice, then maybe her writing can join that of her peers.




These are excellent examples getting into the character. Way to go girls! Oh, by the way, the boys did this assignment too. Hopefully we can showcase their work soon (which will happen as soon as they step it up).

Rule Breaking is OK, or Not

Will Richardson, in his blog, weblogg-ed tells a story of a student in in-school suspension. This student, while under suspension, texted a teacher for help on homework. School policy says no cell phones in school. The story as told:

She was checking her email and received this message from one of her students. It read: “Hi Mrs. Smith. This is John. I had a question about the Hamlet homework you assigned. I am texting you from my cell phone in [in-school suspension].”

The school has a simple cell phone policy: “No cell phones or text messaging during class.” The policy holds true when you are in [in-school suspension] because it is on school grounds. You are in [in-school suspension] to do school work, that is it; no socializing, no talking, no sleeping, no listening to I-pods, and no texting.

The student received 2 extra days of in-school for violating school policy, and for refusing to give up his phone.

Here are my questions:

1. Is it OK to violate school policy if you have a good reason?

2. Did the student really want help, or was he just pretending, just to break school rules?

3. If the student really wanted help, couldn't he have just asked to in-school monitor?

4. Should the teacher have just helped the student (and then violated policy herself)?

5. Should teachers not follow the rules, if it will help a student?

6. Should a parent encourage rule breaking if their son is in the right?

Lots of questions, no sure answers. Your thoughts?

Getting the Achievement Question, Part 2

As we continue to work on getting the questions, students are beginning to show remarkable progress. You can read about previous work from the Do You Get the Question post.

This is an example from Luke that demonstrates the before and after.

GREAT JOB, LUKE!

Just Suggest It

Thanks to those that have commented in response to the survey. If you haven't commented yet, please jump in there on the survey post. In response to some well-thought out advise, I am going to try to update more frequently and include more student work. I also added a section at the top left of the blog for each day's events, and the homework due.

We are slowly building a wiki page. Feel free to check out the start of the Laurelville Elementary Language Arts Wiki. Eventually this will include all of the student's writing and reading notes, and many of the handouts. We may also use it to list many of the books that become student favorites.

Do You Get the Question?

This week, we are focusing on questions. Students are not even getting to see the passage that a question goes with, but they are expected to begin their answer. Sound impossible? Well, it is difficult but our students are proving they can do it.

Last week, Mrs. Stevenson, Mrs. Caudill and I scored the practice run of the Ohio Achievement Test that students took on March 18. Students did well, especially on the multiple choice questions. As we scored the tests, the amount of effort students put forth, clearly showed.

One area that I noticed as an overall weakness, was in setting up short answer and extended response answers in a way that would make 2 or 4 points easy to attain. With this in mind, our instruction for the next two weeks, will focus on using the question to set up the best answer possible. This will help students as they take the Achievement Test, and even more important, as they move up through jr. and sr. high school.

Each day, students receive a paper with one or two questions. They must set up their answer, without being able to use the selection as a resource. Below is a typical question, and the beginning of an answer by Trevor S.

Reader Survey

Dear Readers,

Please give me a hand. I have been publishing this blog for about eight months now. Yesterday was a great day - the blog passed 5,000 hits. It is pretty remarkable to me that this blog has been viewed 5,000 times this school year. I appreciate the interest. Now, please help me make it better.

I see it as having three roles including:

1. Informing parents about events, activities, and news from our Reading Workshop,

2. Providing a forum for discussion about our Reading Workshop, reading instruction, our class, and our school,

3. Making us think, me as a writer, and hopefully, you as a reader and writer.

With this in mind, I would like your help - how can I make this blog more useful for you?

Here are some areas you might like to comment on:

• Topics - are there topics (specific or general) you’d like covered? What topics would you like to see more of? less of?
  
• Types of Posts - recaps of daily events, class instructional goals and reports, student response posts, guest posts, upcoming events…. have your say about what you’d like most/least
• Posting Frequency - too many posts, not enough, just right?
• Blog Features - what would make your reader experience better?
• And - what else do I need to know about the blog?

I would especially like to hear from parents and teachers. I appreciate the enthusiastic commenting from students, but my goal is for this blog to serve as a tool for communication with parents and teachers as well.

Saturday School and Loving It

Well, after a million and a half snow days, today we paid the price. Yes, we're in school on Saturday. And it feels different. For some reason, today is just a little more relaxed. It seems like the pace is a little slower, and people are talking more. Students this morning seemed a little extra friendly. The discussion had a bit more of an edge or alertness, with everyone involved. And really, there hasn't been much complaining. As Mrs. Stevenson said, "you know, it really hasn't been that bad."

There are some students that missed due to prior commitments. Scotty is at the state wrestling meet (good luck and bring home the gold). A few students skipped out. One parent told a teacher, "Saturday is kid's day, and kid's shouldn't have to work." What kind of a load of crap is that? What about the ten school days that his kid missed during the bad weather?

Overall today has been quite a success. Students are working hard and learning in Language Arts Workshop. People seem to be smiling. Most everyone here wants to be here. The sun is shining in Laurelville. Who would believe it, Saturday school and loving it. Maybe we should do this more often. . . .NNNNAAAHHH!

Active Reading

Are you an active reader? Or do you snooze along? Do you "dog it?"

Have a listen as a fourth grade student explains his view on how to be an active listener. Cooper, from The International School of Bangkok, in Thailand discusses the reading process.




Would these strategies help you as a reader? Which of the four steps--mark-up, visualize, predict, and question do you need to focus on personally? What are the implications for you when you take the Achievement Test?

Once we watched the video, and discussed it, students took the essay below, written by Roald Dahl and did the following:

1. Skim and then mark the article,
2. Describe two visualizations (things you could see as you read),
3. List 2 predictions you had as you read,
4. List 2 questions you have after reading.

Boy: Tales of Childhood
Roald Dahl

1 On the first day of my first term I set out by taxi in the afternoon with my mother to catch the paddle-steamer from Cardiff Docks to Weston-super-Mare. Every piece of clothing I wore was brand new and had my name on it. I wore black shoes, grey woollen stockings with blue turnovers, grey flannel shorts, a grey shirt, a red tie, a grey flannel blazer with the blue school crest on the breast pocket and a grey school cap with the same crest just above the peak. Into the taxi that was taking us to the docks went my brand new trunk and my brand new tuck-box, and both had R. DAHL painted on them in black.

2 A tuck-box is a small pinewood trunk which is very strongly made, and no boy has ever gone as a boarder to an English Prep School without one. It is his own secret storehouse, as secret as a lady’s handbag, and there is an unwritten law that no other boy, no teacher, not even the Headmaster himself has the right to pry into the contents of your tuck-box. The owner has the key in his pocket and that is where it stays. At St. Peter’s, the tuck-boxes were ranged shoulder to shoulder all around the four walls of the changing-room and your own tuck-box stood directly below the peg on which you hung your games clothes. A tuck-box, as the name implies, is a box in which you store your tuck. At Prep School in those days, a parcel of tuck was sent once a week by anxious mothers to their ravenous little sons, and an average tuck-box would probably contain, at almost any time, half a home-made currant cake, a packet of squashed-fly biscuits, a couple of oranges, an apple, a banana, a pot of strawberry jam or Marmite, a bar of chocolate, a bag of Liquorice Allsorts and a tin of Bassett’s lemonade powder. An English school in those days was purely a money-making business owned and operated by the Headmaster. It suited him, therefore, to give the boys as little food as possible himself and to encourage the parents in various cunning ways to feed their offspring by parcel-post from home.

3 “By all means, my dear Mrs. Dahl, do send your boy some little treats now and again,” he would say. “Perhaps a few oranges and apples once a week”—fruit was very expensive—“and a nice currant cake, a large currant cake perhaps because small boys have large appetites do they not, ha-ha-ha . . . Yes, yes, as often as you like. More than once a week if you wish . . . Of course he’ll be getting plenty of good food here, the best there is, but it never tastes quite the 1 On the first day of my first term I set out by taxi in the afternoon with my mother to catch the paddle-steamer from Cardiff Docks to Weston-super-Mare. Every piece of clothing I wore was brand new and had my name on it. I wore black shoes, grey woollen stockings with blue turnovers, grey flannel shorts, a grey shirt, a red tie, a grey flannel blazer with the blue school crest on the breast pocket and a grey school cap with the same crest just above the peak. Into the taxi that was taking us to the docks went my brand new trunk and my brand new tuck-box, and both had R. DAHL painted on them in black.

4 As well as tuck, a tuck-box would also contain all manner of treasures such as a magnet, a pocket-knife, a compass, a ball of string, a clockwork racing-car, half-a-dozen lead soldiers, a box of conjuring-tricks, some tiddly-winks, a Mexican jumping bean, a catapult, some foreign stamps, a couple of stink-bombs, and I remember one boy called Arkle who drilled an airhole in the lid of his tuck-box and kept a pet frog in there which he fed on slugs.same as home cooking, does it? I’m sure you wouldn’t want him to be the only one who doesn’t get a lovely parcel from home every week.”

This essay was copied from the Ohio Sixth Grade 2007 Reading Achievement Test.

D.A.R.E

DARE class began today. Students are instructed by Deputy Dale Thomas, the Pickaway County Sheriff Department's 2007 Deputy of the Year. Deputy Thomas has taught students about resisting drugs and peer pressure for the last 11 years.

According to the DARE website:

This year millions of school children around the world will benefit from D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education), the highly acclaimed program that gives kids the skills they need to avoid involvement in drugs, gangs, and violence. D.A.R.E. was founded in 1983 in Los Angeles and has proven so successful that it is now being implemented in 75 percent of our nation's school districts and in more than 43 countries around the world. D.A.R.E. is a police officer-led series of classroom lessons that teaches children from kindergarten through 12th grade how to resist peer pressure and live productive drug and violence-free lives.

DARE is a great opportunity for all students. This class is also everyone's favorite. Deputy Thomas does a super job helping students learn valuable life skills, in a fun and interactive way.

Where am I?

Call your friends! Call your classmates! Text your boo! Get the word out!

C'mon, smarty pants, amaze me. I know I have some of the most brilliant students of all time in my class. SSSSSSOOOOOO, WOW me. When you come back on Tuesday, come back with something that makes your teacher think. What? I don't know--a joke, a riddle, a mystery, a quote, or a fantastic fact. Make me laugh, or make me cry. But, do not bore me. When we come to the circle on Tuesday, make me ponder your prose but don't make me puke at your patheticness.

By now you are saying, "what does he mean?" I don't know. I don't care. A cereal box back might work, or a quote from Abe Lincoln. Whatever you do though, don't be boring!


P.S. For about 5 million bonus points, where am I in this picture?

Where am I #3?

OK, the last one was just too easy. Maybe this will be a little more of a challenge.


Washington D.C. is not the only place for a vacation. We left for somewhere else.

Where am I #2?

Back by popular demand, the ever popular, Where am I?


I thought about offering a prize of a dollar to the first person to correctly guess, but I decided to offer a piece of candy instead.

Spring Has Sprung

As Freak said in Freak the Mighty, "spring has sprung, and so are we." We are out of school for four days, from March 21-24. And, you won't believe the good news. We missed so many days due to snow, we get to come next Saturday.

Enjoy the long weekend and come back ready to learn!

Practice Makes Perfect-Achievement Test Preparation

Today we took a practice run at the Ohio Sixth Grade Achievement Test. We tried to make today as similar to the actual test as was possible. The test format was the same. Passages and questions were from a previous test. The time allotted and class structure was the same as when students will take the reading test on May 5.

On March 28, Mrs. Stevenson, Mrs. Caudill, and I will score the tests using the same score sheets/rubrics as the state used. I will share the results with students on the week of March 31, and we will review areas of difficulty.

The practice today serves several purposes. When students take the actual test in six weeks, hopefully they will be familiar and comfortable with the process. This should allow them to perform at their highest level. The data from the test results will help me intervene on an individual and classwide level. I will be able to see specific academic areas that need addressed, and other areas that students have mastered. I can tailor instruction to best help the students learn what they need to learn.

The Ohio Department of Education has set up a website with a lot of usual information. There is a section just for the Ohio Achievement Test. Students can practice using test passages and questions from previous years. They have a choice of setting up an account to save their results, or they can Take a Test without Logging In. Parents and students can see what is expected, scores, and what they mean.

Students worked extremely hard, and with their accomplishments, the results will help us do the best job possible in preparing for the test, and learning what students need to be successful in upcoming grades.

Great job to all of the sixth graders for their effort!

Tell Me About A Great Book

I know you have read a book this year that is the best book you have ever read. So, tell us about it. What made it great? Why is it your favorite? Who would enjoy reading it? Give us some details, but don't give away any surprises or the ending! See the Book Letter post for ideas.

Your reward? Why how funny you should ask--a lot of extra credit. Just post in the comments. BUT, be sure you have correct spelling, punctuation, and capitalization.

Snow and More Snow

Well, we are out of here at 1:15 today (Friday). Once again, Ohio's weather has attacked us. At least we got in enough time to count for a school day. Laurelville students (and staff :) ) are moaning about the make-up days already. The state allows 5 calamity days, but we have used 9. Three days will be added to the end of the year, and one day will be made up on Saturday, March 29. I think it will be interesting to see our attendance when everyone has Saturday school.

This is the view looking out of our classroom at 12:00.