Cleveland Free Tech Conference

On February 10th & 11th, I attended Smart Ed's Cleveland Free Tech Conference. I was eager to take advantage of this opportunity-- because this was ENTIRELY FREE. However, you do not get what you pay for. In fact, you get so much more.

I have been working with Smartboard and Smartnotebook in my classroom at Coventry. It has been a trial and error kind of learning experience. It was wonderful to have these enthusiastic representatives there that could answer all of my questions and give me so many great ideas.

Aside from Smartboard, I was also eager for my 7th grade team to hear Dr. Kist speak. He demonstrated many strategies from "The Socially Networked Classroom" and presented several lessons and projects that were brand new.

One of my favorite presentations was about teacher websites and wikis. I am so excited to use these new technologies in my class and use them to supplement my instruction!

Professor and the Madman

• I can honestly say that I've always wondered how on earth the dictionary was produced. I always wondered how every word could be thought of and defined. I was intrigued to find that volunteers contributed. This will help when I compose my slang dictionary for our final. I can ask my students for slang words that they use, however, I have observed several. Just by talking with them and listening to them in the hallways, I can pick up on so much. I love my students and I love talking with them about their interests. I honestly communicate with them as much as I can. It is always school related, but some students like to just talk to me about their home or family, which I welcome. I will have no trouble composing my dictionary, so I doubt I will need to call for volunteers!
• At the beginning of this story, I kept thinking: "How did this lunatic become a doctor?" But then I realized, people are shaped by their environment and experiences. I do think that there was always something a little bit off about W.C. Minor and I think that was apparent since he was a child. However, his life undoubtedly caused his insanity. I was particularly saddened by his parental situation: his mother dying when he was child must have affected him psychologically and being sent away from his travelling family back to the United States is troubling. He must have felt horribly neglected and unwanted. I think that we need to be aware of these situations with our students and always make them feel welcome and appreciated, because horrible outcomes come from these feelings. It seems that the war was the biggest cause. I just read Kurt Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse-Five" for another class and I have concluded that absolutely nothing good can come from war. I was saddened when I read that even the author seemed to think that his madness was "triggered" by his experience as a surgeon where the brutality of war was visible.
• On a more positive note, he really was smart! I think that I can actually learn something from his genius. Clearly, I already know that reading increases vocabulary and I am obviously an advocate for the power of reading. But I was surprised to see that you can likely link Dr. Minor's intelligence to literacy and exposure to ethnic diversity as a child. Winchester says that "his father's printing tasks gave him access to literature and newspapers" and that he traveled a lot as a child, which resulted in learning many languages. Even in his room at the asylum, he built up a library and never stopped his interest in literature. I think it is incredible that one man compiled that many words to contribute to the OED. I guess he really stayed busy in there until his Schizophrenia got the best of him. How sad! However, that is an interesting history for his extended family to discover!

Follow-Up on "The Help"

I have finished! A while ago, I posted a blog about the book that I was currently reading, "The Help," by Kathryn Stockett. What an incredible story. My aunt, a school administrator, has requested that I tell my fellow INLA majors that she strongly advises you all to read this book, because many schools will be requiring students to read this for summer reading or even implementing it into their curriculum.

The story of these women and the mystery that unravels is just compelling. This is undoubtedly one of the best books that I have ever read. The movie (of course there is a movie!) is set to be released in 2011. The cast is composed of stars such as Twilight Saga: Eclipse star Bryce Dallas Howard, Sissy Spacek, and Emma Stone.

Please read! I promise, it won't let you down!

Image Grammar Ch. 9

• · Noden gives a scenario: Ms. Latimeer says, “Be sure to proofread. I won’t accept anything that isn’t thoroughly edited,” student Harvey Sloopwater glances at his three-hundred-plus-page grammar handbook in horror. I think that this happens to often! I remember teachers saying: “Make sure you proofread!” But we need to teach students how, using all of the “essential dimensions of revision,” and not just edit for conventions.
• · The short checklists were phenomenal. Noden provides the reader with so many tools. The combined checklist was great. I know that my students at Coventry would love this, because they LOVE knowing exactly what they have to do to get an A!
• · I wanted to point out that Mark Jamison, the teacher Noden talks about on page 185, is a teacher in Coventry, where I am student teaching. Although I am at the middle school and he is at the high school, my cooperating teacher has arranged for me to observe him for a few days. My cooperating teacher has told me that he is a phenomenal teacher, so his KSU student teacher, Sarah Beth, will go to my class and observe while I am in her class. Just an interesting little factJ.
• · Out of the strategies given, I loved strategy #2: Punctuate That That Is Is That. I think that my students would love this and it truly inspires thinking. This would really allow students to think about the meaning of a sentence and how punctuation shapes a sentence.

Image Grammar Ch. 5

• · The opening “experiment” on page 94, in which the reader is supposed to “mark the sentence as either C or I,” is so fun for the reader. This activity would be a fun way to show students that when you know the rules, you can break them. The sentences are great examples of how authors add power to their writing by playing with punctuation to create special effects
• · I’m not a professional writer, but I tend to use dashes for effect. I use medium separation (the dash) in emails, text messages, blogs, and informal writing
• · I have used maximum separation (the period) for dramatic effect, especially in Creative Writing stories. Last semester I wrote: “I looked at him. He looked at me. Tears filled my eyes. And he knew that I knew.” Clearly, I am no pro, but I think that breaking the rules helped me to create this special effect.
• · I love these strategies. All of them. I think that he makes it so easy for all of us who want to teach grammar in a fun way. My favorite from this chapter was Strategy 1: Play with Fragments and Run-ons. My cooperating teacher has a similar activity, because this is great for using description! Also, knowing how to use run-ons and fragments for effect may help students to understand when they are not appropriate to use.

Image Grammar Ch. 1

• · Noden states that “writing is not constructed merely from experiences, information, characters or plots, but from fundamental artistic elements of grammar.” I have been wondering for a while when we were going to really dive into this element, rather than focusing on generating writing and creativity. Noden says that students can employ the five basic brush strokes (1. The participle 2. The absolute 3. The appositive 4. Adjectives shifted out of order 5. Action verbs) to learn “the art of image grammar.” My cooperating teacher really works on adjectives and action verbs with our students. We play “verb charades” and write descriptive paragraphs that elaborate on a simple sentence, such as: “The kitchen was dirty.” Mrs. Sukie always welcomes my ideas, because she wants to make grammar as interactive as she can. This book and its strategies will be a great help to me!
• · Strategy 2: Explore Images from Films of Best-Selling Novels is such a fun activity. I’ve found that students really get excited when you incorporate movies, internet, or gaming. I used a Youtube clip and did a project using Facebook in my class, which really excited them. I loved seeing my students that energized and eager to learn. I liked the example using Jack London’s “Call of the Wild,” because it is something I’ve read! Since my students will be reading Rick Riordan’s “Lightning Thief,” it would be really fun to use the new movie, “Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief.” I’m sad to see that it won’t be released until the summer, but I can always find a great clip from the theatrical trailer!

Hungry Minds

• v This article shocked me when it stated that 1 in every 6 are hungry. How sad! One day when I was in second grade, my teacher asked me why I looked so sad and couldn’t do my work. I told her because I was “starving.” Honestly, there’s no way I was starving. My mother would never have sent me to school without feeding me. However, I remember the feeling! I had a headache because I was so hungry and all I could do was stare at the clock and wait for it to be lunch time. Mrs. Bosko didn’t allow that. She sent me down to the cafeteria with $.75 and told me to buy a cookie and some milk. Now that I am teaching, I think about Mrs. Bosko very often. I need to try to be that attentive to my students and know that they may be too hungry to sit in class. Perhaps it is just because they were super active the day before, or maybe they are in need like the people who went to the soup kitchen. I know many schools provide breakfast for this purpose, but the school I am placed in currently does not. If I do notice a student who cannot focus or tells me he is hungry, I can always give them a “Chewy” bar! They’re yummy, have nutritional value and are inexpensive!
• v I was interested in the proven topics that they wrote about in the workshops. I would have liked to see more of those.
• v I think that writing can be very therapeutic. I think that by using writing as a way to let my students relieve feelings, I will be better able to know them and meet their needs more efficiently.
• v Finally, I loved how they use a writing workshop to “kindly criticize” one another’s writing. That’s truly how you improve and build your writing. Also, a class anthology of students’ work is a great idea. Students can keep it to remember their own work, read the final works of their peers, and I could use it as modeling in the following years.

My Unit :)

I just wanted to share with everyone how much I LOVE TEACHING LANGUAGE ARTS! The most rewarding moments are when I see my students enjoying my lessons, or hear them in the hallways STILL actively discussing Greek Mythology. I am blown away when I ask students to summarize what we did the previous day, and they can do it. Not only that, but they are asking me questions and begging me to extend on Greek gods.

At this point, I am very comfortable teaching. My students are now comfortable with me, too. They freely ask me questions during work time and are eager to talk to me in the halls in between classes.

I encountered several problems in my lesson yesterday, all of which I worked through. I realize that this is going to happen while I'm just starting out, but unfortunately, they occurred during my first observation! Mrs. Stroh was understanding. She assured me that this unit is meant to be a learning experience and that I was being very hard on myself. However, I wish she could have seen today's lesson. It went SO well. I had timed everything perfectly and the students were fully engaged for the entire period.

I still have seven more days left, but I cannot wait until I am at Erwine every day next semester!

I finally feel like a teacher...

As I have mentioned before, I am so lucky to be at Erwine Middle School. The staff truly treats me like a I am a professional. I never feel like a student, except for when I am learning from them. Particularly my co-operating teacher, Mrs. Sukie.

Mrs. Sukie is wonderful. Every strategy that we are instructed to teach, she manages to incorporate into every lesson at all times. I was extremely flattered when Mrs. Sukie offered to let me teach some days prior to my unit in order to get acquainted with teaching the students. I was honored when she told me that she trusted me to teach her class far more than a substitute. Because of the grant Erwine received, Mrs. Sukie has had to be out several times. I have taken those opportunities to teach on my own! I have loved it.

I now know the students much better than I would have from just observing and I am familiar with their learning styles. Even though Mrs. Sukie has left me lesson plans, she has given me so much freedom to adapt anything. Because of this opportunity, I am comfortable and ready to start teaching my own lessons!

Koch- Chapter 1: "Beginnings"

• Two sentences in the introductory paragraph resonated with me most out of this entire book: "You've already got in mind some human situation that matters to you. You need nothing more," (3). In my Introduction to Creative Writing class last semester, my instructor used several prompts and exercises to help us find something to write about. I want to dot his, but focus on finding issues that students care about and want to write more about.
• Koch says to use a notebook "as a seedbed," (10). I would like students to have notebooks in class that students can use to produce informal writing, such as journals and responses to the prompts. However, I have talked about this with my mom, who was a high school English teacher prior to getting her Master's degree in Special Education. She said sometimes students would shock her with what they wrote in their journals, so it may be best to stick with prompts.
• Koch inspired me to think about my own childhood and what stories I can create from my childhood memories, since he says: "Childhood is, in every sense, the cradle of narrative." I can think of several moments in my childhood that have defined me, bothered me, inspired me, or just became a lasting memory. This is also a great place to begin with students in order to inspire some creative writing.
• Creating characters is something that can be very fun. Koch inspired me to think of some activities that my class can do with creating characters, such as: the entire class creating a character with a character web. The most important part would be to follow Kurt Vonnegut's advice about giving characters some sort of motivation, even if it's just the character wanting a glass of water.

Pleasure Reading

Although I am usually EXHAUSTED by the end of the evening, I usually read a page or two of whatever book I am reading at the moment. The book I am reading is not related to any of my classes, but it is just phenomenal. I needed to tell everyone about it!

I am currently reading "The Help." I have been told that soon enough, many high schools will use it as required reading. Lake High School in Hartville is one of those schools. It is about different women in the 1960's. It covers race, class, and gender struggles from each woman's account. Each of the women also have some kind of secret that keeps you anxiously turning each page.

If I wasn't so tired every night, I'm sure I would have flown through this book much faster! Has anyone else read it? It seems that this book is going to be very important!

Atwell- Chapter 1 (Always Beginning)

What I love most about Atwell is that she gives her students "freedom of choice." I'm learning how important that when working with 7-12th graders. In our class, when we did that rubric activity with cookies, we discussed why we should do that activity with students: to give them some power and some choice. Before Atwell dove into the writing workshop process, she asked her students: "Could you do this? Would you like to?" I think that giving students that kind of power helped the workshops to succeed.

Atwell states: "We found out that in-school writing could actually be good for something--that it could serve kids as a way to solve problems and see the world." That is the ultimate goal! I would love to do in-class writing that results in this way. However, Atwell explains that this was sort of a honeymoon phase and that it eventually gets more difficult. That's when she would ask them what they care about and I think my students at Erwine would really respond well to that. I'm sure many of my students have something to say to their reader and I think that they would tend to their editing so that the reader paid more attention to meanings.

My Dream.....

I felt like I was behind in some YA Lit, so I decided to do some summer reading. I read several Young Adult books and, surprisingly, liked all of them. I was not eagerly anticipating Harry Potter, because I had tried reading "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" when I was younger and decided that I didn't particularly care for it. After avoiding Harry Potter for nearly a decade, I decided it was time to try it again.

Well, I fell for Harry. I have never loved any piece of literature as much as I love Harry Potter. I read the entire series from late May-June, without stopping for a second. I even re-read the final three, just to soak it in, again!

My dream is to teach some of the Harry Potter series and then (drumroll, please) go on a field trip to THE WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER! I watched the opening ceremony and cried my eyes out. I wanted to be there so bad!

Can you imagine anything better? I can taste the Butterbeer.... sigh.

Atwell- Chapter 6 (Minilessons)

Nancy Atwell writes that giving short minilessons is similar to a pez dispenser of wisdom. Her analogy made me giggle, but her minilessons excited me! Atwell says that a minilesson is a "forum for students to share what they know and for us to figure out collaboratively what we know--to think and produce knowledge together and lay claim to it as a community." This is PERFECT for my 7th graders at Erwine. These minilessons were lessons that she used with her own 7th and 8th grade classes.

At Erwine, Mrs. Sukie has three groups of students that she sees for two consecutive periods a day. The first period is Language Arts, while the second is Reading. I will be teaching the Language Arts period for my unit, while Mrs. Sukie teaches the Reading Period. The students will be reading "The Adventures of Ulysses" with Mrs. Sukie, so she has asked that I create my Language Arts unit with a focus on Greek Mythology. I was THRILLED to see Greek Mythology and Philosophy minilessons on Atwell's list!

There were a few ideas that I especially loved:

• Reading myths (and translations) aloud
• "Read and discuss poems that allude to myths"
• Greek stems in English words
• "Listen to, discuss, write scripts for, and perform ten well-known myths."

• (This is the book that Mrs. Sukie will be teaching)
• (This book will directly follow)

Student Teaching

I love my school. I am lucky enough to be at Erwine Middle School working with the best mentors I could have ever asked for. My mentor teacher recently applied for a technology grant for the building and the school was given $250,000 to spend on technology! My classroom has an entire cart of brand new net-books to use. I was telling my mentor teacher about our Facebook project and she loved the idea. She wants to get started right away on a similar unit.

Right now, the students are reading Incident at Hawk's Hill, which I had never heard of. However, I am enjoying it and so are the students! I am so optimistic about this year. I am so thankful for this experience. I will continue blogging about my time in the classroom and I hope all of you will, too! I'd love to read about your experiences!

M. Myers- Recitation Literacy

From reading this blog, I understand that Recitation Literacy was meant to suit the social environment and needs of the time. However, after all that I have experienced at Kent State and from my few experiences in the classroom, I cannot fathom how anyone thought that recitation meant understanding. Experience based learning was second or third in the hierarchy. I can picture this classroom scenario, with students standing and reciting lines or writing lines repeatedly. That would be a horrible way to learn, because memorization means next to nothing.

I can remember going to a bible camp that would give you a candy bar if you could recite every book of the bible. Well, I did it... but I can remember about 1/4 of the books today. I have no idea what these books were about of what the names meant (but at least I got my Hershey bar).

I think that recitation still exists. Diagramming sentences and copying sentences is probably still done. However, I really hope we all know that experience and hands-on-learning is how we can help our students understand and apply meaning. Teachers are no longer authoritative sources of all wisdom, but guides to learning and discovery.

Jago Chapter 7- Literature, Knowledge, and the High School Graduate

In Jago’s Chapter 7 of Classics in the Classroom, Jago explains that she tried to make lessons meaningful to students’ lives. Jago states: “I look for ways to engage students in lessons where they apply what they learn from literature to more familiar circumstances, for example, an election.”

I loved that Jago had her students evaluate the characters of Julius Caesar as if they were possible candidates. This shows students what they would look for in a president. Since these are high school students, they will soon be voting and need to know how to evaluate a candidate. Also, giving specific examples from the text supporting their decisions is a necessary skill in analyzing literature.

I loved Jago’s text. It really inspired me to think about my teaching and my purpose as a teacher of English. I feel like Jago and I share the same beliefs about teaching English. Thank you for selecting this book, Dr. Pytash! I will miss you next year! Thank you for everything!

Final Reflection- Teaching Literature in Secondary Schools

This semester in Dr. Pytash’s methods course, I found my true teaching philosophy. Until this semester, I was petrified of student teaching. I truly was not prepared to teach and I felt horribly uncomfortable writing a lesson plan. However, I really did learn so much about creating lessons and teaching effectively.

I owe most of my discovery to the teaching metaphor. I tossed around different ideas all semester, but I did not love any of them. I thought they were all so impersonal and generic. Then, my dear friend Amanda Cox made it all clear to me. She said: “Just do something you love! Like running!” Well, I do love running! I made so many links between my teaching philosophies and running that I uncovered a few aspects of my philosophy I never even realized that I had.

What really eased my fears of student teaching was making lesson plans. I had made one lesson plan prior to this class, so it was such a relief to find that lessons don’t always have to take a week (or two) to create! This is not to say that careful planning does not go into making a lesson, but it is not as intimidating as I thought. I am so much better equipped with all of my resources and experience now!

I loved our classes on facilitating discussion. I think that I honestly know how to have a meaningful classroom discussion. The video with Yvonne Divans Hutchinson helped so much. It also helped to see her ease in the classroom!

I did my discussion with Lauren, and at first, things weren’t going as planned. I thought I had failed as a teacher for the first three minutes! However, I learned the importance of modeling. If Lauren and I would have shown what we expected, then it would have been much clearer and the beginning of our fishbowl discussion would have gone much smoother. Our discussion, once everyone figured out what we were doing, ended up being incredibly successful! Perspective taking seems to be my favorite way to analyze plot and character.

With all of the lessons that I created, the lessons of my classmates, and all of the online resources that have been shown to me, I think it is safe to say that I am ready to teach The Great Gatsby. I am so confident that I will be able to teach that book, because I know it inside and out! Jago gave so many strategies, too, that will help me to teach any novel.

The Literary Theory as Strategy assignment was so meaningful for me. It got me to think about what I want students to see when I teach a novel. I did Social Class, which actually revealed many of my beliefs that I truly was not aware of until this assignment. Somehow in the midst of writing this essay, I found my true feelings on our government, our society, capitalism, law and even immigration. This was important for me to make myself aware of my beliefs, but it was more important because I found that these strategies can enlighten students on their own beliefs and inspire them to be critics of their world. Which is what this semester was all about for me—I found that my ultimate goal is for students to be sophisticated readers and critics of their world.

Multi-Modal Literacies- Final Reflection

At the beginning of this course, I was not sure why I would be blogging on pop culture. Although, since I keep up, I did not have a problem with it! I later learned that everything multi-modal is text—books, movies, music, games, etc. I came to this realization through our Multi-Genre Autobiographies. That was one assignment that had several purposes. Since I am preparing to student teach in the fall, I am highly considering using this assignment. This project will allow me to get to know my students and what they like. I can also show them that they are all involved in literacy and literacy applies to their lives everyday.

I loved the activities that we did at the beginning of each class earlier in the semester. There were several others found in Dr. Kist’s book, also! I loved fun activities that get students moving, conversing and engaged in literacy. I was always scribbling the activities down as fast as I could so that I can use them when I teach! While “Pass the Pen” was hilariously fun, I loved the simulation game, the five clips with women, and the postcard pass the most. These activities, in my opinion, were a lot like critical literary analysis, especially the five clips of women. I would love to use that as a way to teach the “gender lens” of literary analysis. The Film Study Guide assignment did the same thing and is a great way to get students to think critically.

When Michelle Cahoon spoke to the class about Autism, I was thrilled to know that multi-modal literacy is a great strategy for students with Autism. After this class and Michelle’s talk, I feel like I am more equipped to teach students with disabilities.

The Wiki was one of the most meaningful assignments I have had at Kent State. I love that I looked for important qualities in the lessons that I want to teach and that everyone else did the same. It is also great that we can use them! I have already gone searching for some good ideas!

At the beginning of the semester, I was horribly afraid of student teaching. Yes, I am still nervous. But I have made tremendous strides in finding my beliefs and my teaching philosophies. I feel that with all of the materials that have been given to me and with my preparation, I am not only ready to take on student teaching in the fall, but I am ecstatic for my first day at Erwine Middle School!

Speaker: Michelle Rhoades Cahoon

In just 45 minutes, I learned so much about Autism. I work at a day care and I have had several children with Autism in my care. I have never been trained on how to work with those children, so it was sort of frustrating for me. Since my shift was in the afternoon, I was there for "play time," when the scheduled school day was over. There was no structure, just ripping the room apart as best as the kids could! I think that any child care provided needs to be provided with tools and resources in order to help the child maintain a comfortability and in order for the teacher to not lose her mind, because it is honestly frustrating when you don't know what to do.

I didn't realize how many people are affected by Autism. It showed me that I need to be prepared for what lies ahead, so that I can actually help ALL of my students learn.