Challenge for Change

"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek."  Barack Obama


“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”  John Quincy Adams
 
"The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.” FDR
 
Happy President's Day.
 
I know it is a bit unusual to post about President's Day on a writing blog but I have been thinking a great deal about leadership lately and what it takes to be a good leader.  I am sure that many will debate that many of our Presidents were/are not good leaders - others will argue that merely by virute of their position, they were/are.  I am not here to lead that debate - I am just here to have us think about our leadership in education.  Specifically - our leadership when it comes to technology
 
I don't think that technology is the silver bullet to change our educational system. Sure - it might lead to increased engagement of our students.  It might.  But if we still don't have concrete and rigor expectations of the content and skills our students need to know - whether they are engaged or not is not going to make one bit of difference.
 
But one power of technology that I have found is the power to push our thinking and therefore, push our learning.  I love to write.  I love to teach writing.  But I got to do so in a very small corner of the world.  With my participation in Twitter chats, through blogging and networking using a variety of other technology resources - I can share that passion with others, learn from them and make the work that I do in my small corner of the world that much better.
 
So on this President's Day - I am going to challenge you, dear readers, to push yourselves with the technology just a bit.  Reach outside your comfort zone to try something new - to learn something new - to connect with someone new.  Not sure how? Here are some suggestions:
 
1. Over on Two Writing Teachers, they will be beginning their Slice of Life Challenge soon.  Participate - expand your own writing in a public place.
 
2. Join Twitter, follow some educators and start a conversation.  Better yet - jump into a conversation via #edchat (Tuesdays at noon and 7pm EST) or #ecosys.
 
3. Check out some of the challenges over at Challenged Based Learning and use that model to determine how we can have students write using technology (or not!) in ways to increase collaboration and solve "real world" problems.

4. Start your own blog - on writing or on any other topic.  Start a classroom blog.  Either way - write, publish, ask for feedback.  If you create one - post the link in the comment section and I will follow you.

5. Read a book online! Whatever Happened to Language Arts? is available online from Stenhouse. "Noted educator and speaker David Booth draws on his 50 years in education to explore how literacy instruction has evolved and how innovative teachers are successfully integrating old and new in their classrooms. With contributions from a dozen classroom teachers, readers will find many new ideas to try, incorporating digital learning, graphic novels, literature circles, talking about writing, reader's theater, assessment, and more."
These are small suggestions - but for some they might be very big steps.  The focus is to push yourself, be a leader and learn from others.  Leadership is not just for Presidents or CEOs - it is for educators as well.
 
 
"Sometimes when I sleep at night I think of (Dr. Seuss's) 'Hop on Pop.'" -George W. Bush, in a speech about childhood education, Washington, D.C., April 2, 2002  (Sorry - couldn't resist!)

X-Ray Reading

Last week, I posted about "x-ray" reading and challenged readers to post on this blog about why the passage was so powerful.

This week, comments on the passage are posted and give great insight as to what readers see when an author writes. 

eReader Round-Up

Things I found this week on eReaders:

• Cool  Cat Teacher gives us 14 tips to get more from your Kindle.
• Kindlerama shares Calibre - an ebook library manager
• eReader in a World History Classroom
• Digitizng Education: A Primer on eBooks

Friday Inspiration

Imagine wanting to read all the Newberry Award Winners.

Now imagine that it is a goal set by a second grader. 

Now imagine that is in fourth grade and has almost accomplished that goal.

Don't imagine - meet Laura.

Add On: After the Deadline

I like to use Firefox for my online work as it offers all kinds of extensions to make work more efficient.  If you have students blogging, this add-on will be helpful for catching those pesky spelling/grammar errors and eliminate the need to create posts in a Word document first.



Via Lifehacker.

Tell Me What to Do

Seth Godin always makes me think.  And this time - he has me thinking about the feedback we give students on writing.  First - his words:

If you've ever hired or managed or taught, you know the feeling.


People are just begging to be told what to do. There are a lot of reasons for this, but I think the biggest one is: "If you tell me what to do, the responsibility for the outcome is yours, not mine. I'm safe."

When asked, resist.

Now - to my thinking.  How often have we taken a piece of student writing and circled misspelled words or incorrect punctuation? How many times have we commented to add more details or "tell me more?"

I know that we balance positive feedback with the "cool" but aren't we still telling the student what to do with their writing?  How do we teach them to more critically evaluate their writing - to find the places where consultation with a dictionary or the addition of details are needed?

The next time you want to add these kinds of comments to a paper - resist.

Tag This: WordItOut

Many teachers have already discovered Wordle, which allows you to convert text into a word cloud to focus on the most often used words.  It has proven to be a great revision tool for students when copying their own text - to see which words are used most often, what the general theme of a piece and many other applications.  You can find other uses for wordle on this post.

A new word cloud generator has arrived: WordItOut.  The word cloud I created of this blog address can be found here.

What's nice about WordItOut is that it allows you to customize the words that are not read in creating the word cloud, as well as customizing the font and the size.  I may start using this site more often as I explore the use of visualizing text to enhance writing.

What are your thoughts?

Tag This! Kate DiCamillo

Via squeetus, I found Kate DiCamillo's blog.

A fantastic, once a month published journal piece. 

I got chills reading it and the possibilities for using this blog are endless.

Go on - I betcha can't read just one entry.

Reading as a Writer

Like many writing teachers, I use mentor texts in my work as "models" of writing.  So often, we remember a great book or a great beginning or a great ending.  And we encourage writer's to emulate that in their own writing.

But emulate what? Sometimes I don't think we spend enough time dissecting why something worked (or why it didn't!)

I like the notion in this blog post of developing "x-ray reading skills" to improve writing:

"I've come to believe that writers see things in texts that are invisible to others. Moreover, I have a theory that the best writers are the best readers, possessed with a kind of X-ray vision that allows them to peer through the surface of a text, to see the machinery whirring underneath."

He goes on to share the opening two paragraphs from a novel and prompt us to answer the questions: "Why and how does this passage work?"

A great model for working with  mentor texts.  A great model for using blogging with our students.

Tag This: Kerpoof!

Always looking for ways to integrate visualization and publishing into the classroom.  KerPoof allows students to draw and create card, movies and books.  New to the site is that creations can be saved locally (on your own computer) and there are education accounts available.

Kerpoof!

Via iLearn Technology - some tips on use and integration into the classroom.
Scholastic also has some lesson ideas - including a great social studies one!

Funny Friday Poetry Challenge

For Poetry Friday, I thought I would share this blog post and the tricky poem it writes about to challenge your ability to speak (and understand) the English language!!

Enjoy!

Get to Know Your Semi-Colon

Those who have been reading this blog for a while know my abuse of commas and utter fascination with them at the same time.  It has, over time, expanded into the appropriate use of other punctuation marks.

So - with great humor, I give you the links to better know your semi-colon!

And in case that wasn't enough - would you believe that France has tried in the past to ban the semicolon??

Writer's Notebook Idea: Ogori

Via Seth Godin's blog, the idea of Ogori or generousity.

A cafe in Japan has some interesting rules:

In a nutshell, you get what the person before you ordered, and the next person gets what you ordered. Thus, if you’re in on the game, you can choose to be either a generous benefactor, and treat those that come after you – or try your luck at being cheap. Either way, it’s an interesting experiment that explores surprise, kindness and encourages interactions.


Read about the experience here.  Then ask your students what they would order or to try their hand at writing the story from the perspective of one of the other cafe customers mentioned in the blog post.

Writing Process: Phyllis Root

One aspect of writing that I think is important to share with students and developing writers is the importance of process.  It often works best when you can connect the stories to published authors, particularly those that they read in the classroom, as inspiration.

Via Wordswimmer, an interview with Phyllis Root, author of one of my favorite children's books "The Name Quilt" shares here process and thoughts on writing.

Some highlights:

• Root isn’t shy about admitting that her writing process is very messy. She’ll write pages and pages of the worst writing, she explains, because “all writing is practice,” and practice makes her a better writer ... and a better person. “I’m much nicer when I’ve been writing,” she says, “than when I’ve been avoiding it.”

•  On the best part of writing: "The excitement of a new idea, of trying to make it take shape on the page, of trying this and that to see what happens, to see what the idea might become, how it will change as I work on it, how the writing might change me (a sea change) as well."

Ideas and Writing

I found this via the Digital Media and Education blog and immediately my mind went to writing (although the topic is scholarship).

Friday Funny: I before E, ESPECIALLY after C

There are times when reading online that I just laugh out loud. (LOL for those texting fans!)  This post on the complexity of the English language rules and the integration of data just captured it for me.

Go on - I dare you not to laugh!

Tag This: YouPublisher

Publishing student writing is the ultimate goal - and I am really liking this site!!

YouPublisher: Makes PDF documents flippable and quickly loading!!

Imagine your anthology on your school webpage!!!

Opinion Time: Spelling and Texting

"u wld thnk txting might encourage poor spelling.

according to a study in the uk u wld b wrong."

Texting has been blamed for many things and I am always interested to see what "research" has to say on the topic.  Over at the Core Knowledge blog (quoted above) they link to a BBC report that indicates texting requires the same "phonological awareness" as spelling. 

I encourage you to read the full article and post your thoughts over on Core Knowledge or here.  Participate in the conversation!

Wish List Book: How to Clean Your Room

Helping students understand the need to include details in their writing can be tricky.  I have always found it easiest to do with "How To" writing.  C'mon - you all know you have done the peanut butter sandwich lesson at least once - much to the delight of students!!

In teaching writing, I have some favorite "How To" books - How to Lose All Your Friends among them.  But I am dying to get my hands on this one:

How to Clean Your Room by Eileen Spinelli

Not only will it bring back fond memories of cleaning your room as a child (each thing you picked up had a memory and it was so easy to get lost in the task and never quite finish!) but this book includes pop ups and spinners and fun things to engage the reader!!


Thanks to A Year of Reading for the link!

eReading

I received a Kindle for Christmas, after coveting my mom's for a very long time.  It seems I was not alone!!

Lately - we have been discussing the role that eReaders might play in classrooms.  After a recently technology committee meeting, I have been searching for more information on how folks are using them in classrooms and what benefit there is.  (We will put aside the other debate of which eReader for the moment.)

• Princeton ran an eReader pilot this fall. Their criteria for which courses they selected as well as the device they have chosen are interesting.  I've tagged this in my reader to find out the results of the pilot. (It is important to note though that several university pilots have been de-railed the settlement of a discrimination lawsuit against Arizona State University.)
• You can learn more about what middle level students think about using the Kindle in the classroom here.
• See how third graders are excited about reading in this article.

Aside from these sites, I found a lot of questions about how to integrate the use of eReaders.  For me - it still comes down to what do you want to do with them?  I can absolutely see engaging the students in what they are reading by having them annotate text (of course, Post-It note stock might go down!)  I can also see the use of both the dictionary and the audio reading functions for all students.  And of course - the technology itself will, at least initially, engage the students.

But there are many other issues I hear teachers and school districts raising; What happens when one is lost/damaged? How do we pay for the books? etc.  And - with many of the ebooks available via laptops - what is difference between equipping students with a laptop versus an eReader?

I am not sure what to think - but am interested in what you are thinking!! Leave a though or two!

More on eReaders:
If you are thinking about using e-books, this site will tell you how to get free ones for your classroom.  And if you are thinking about purchasing a Kindle and you like audio-books, check out this deal to get $100 off!!

One thing I do know is that I will not be taking my Kindle into the tub or swimming pool anytime soon so this gadget won't appear on my wishlist!!

Connecting Classrooms

Last week, a colleague and I hosted an afterschool session on Read Around the Planet and other collaborative opportunities.  We were joined by teachers from two districts, specifically literacy coaches, ELA teachers and a librarian.  What a powerful group of minds - as a result, we are going to attempt a regional collaboration of classrooms for the Spring. 

In the meantime, I thought I would share these resources that we have been using to connect classrooms via video-conferencing.

• Skype in Schools: I have been using Skype for a while now and I know that many districts are concerned with access but it has been a powerful connector.  In addition to this site, which gives ideas on integrating Skype, be sure to check out this resource to have authors Skype into the classroom.

• TWICE: A Michigan based site for video-conferencing, it offers many opportunities for educators to connect and use video-conferencing technology to connect and collaborate.  Most of these connections require use of a polycom (which for the readers in my WNY region usually also means participating in Distance Learning through BOCES)  Consider signing up and searching for collaboration ideas.

• Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration (CILC): A personal favorite because of the wealth of resources and variety of connection options (including Skype) - create an account and have topics for collaboration come to you or post your own.

Happy connecting!

Tag This: Games as Poetry

I think a lot about the use of games in education.  Our students now (our teacher as well!) are visual - are bombarded with visuals.

I found this post - and the links within - very interesting as they relate to poetry.

Happy Poetry Friday!

Top Writing Blogs

Since it is the awards season and many others are posting their favorite blogs, I thought I would share some of mine as related to reading and writing:

A Year of Reading: "Two teachers who read. A lot." 'Nuff said!

6 Traits Resources: Published sporadically but when they do - great resources!

The Picnic Basket: A great place to learn about, and maybe receive, new books sometimes before they are published!!

Two Writing Teachers: Writing models, notebook ideas AND they love Scaredy Squirrel as much as I do!!

WNY Education Associates:  As a disclaimer, I should note that Angela is both friend and colleague.  However, even if I didn't know her personally, I would be reading her blog which gives amazing tips and reflects her work as a literacy coach.

Writing Tools: Great tips on professional writing!

These are just some of my favorites - and I am always looking for more!! Leave me a few in the comments!

Stop Teaching Our Students How to Write: Your Thoughts?

I've been thinking a great deal about this particular blog post.  Even more compelling are the comments - which seem to keep coming and coming. 

While there are some elements I agree with, there are some I am still wrestling with.  In fact, I had some similar musings about cursive two years ago, almost to the day.

So - in the interest of fairness, I am wondering what others think.

Go ahead - post your comments on this blog or on that one.  Either way - weigh in.

Tag This: Free Audio Books

Many, many people I know received either an iPod Touch or a Kindle this holiday season.  I also know many districts who are purchasing or have available to them mp3 players of all kinds.  This resource is for free audio books that can be used with all of the above.

AudioOwl


Photo credit: Dysartian via Flickr

What is your sentence?

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr - I ask everyone to think about their legacy.

One of my favorite picture books is Martin's Big Words - inspirational and compelling it ends with his now famous speech in which he shares his vision for the world and which became his legacy.

Daniel Pink's new book Drive (which I have not read yet but it awaits me on my Kindle) poses two questions that could change our lives.  Watch the video - think about your answers - and if you are willing, post them in the comments section.


Two questions that can change your life from Daniel Pink on Vimeo.

Saturday Round-Up

• Seth Godin on the future of libraries made me think - how could we innovate a new use for libraries in a digital world?
• Story Sleuths - a new blog I have added to my feed.  The authors blog about what they are reading from the perspective of a writer.  Great stuff!
• A Year of Reading blog tries their hand at predicting the Newbury and Caldecott award winners - sadly, I have read none of the books they mention.
• An oldy but a goody - reading Will Richardson't thoughts on Aggregator as Textbook and thinking (again) about 21st century literacy.

Poetry Friday

Many blogs host "Poetry Friday" where the authors share a favorite poem or poetry resource. (Just Google "poetry Friday" and I am sure you find some great links!!)  I am not very good at that kind of regular posting so I have not (yet) disciplined myself to do a similar thing.  However, via A Year of Reading blog I did find this great resource that I just had to share.  The Tree That Time Built is a collection of poetery with a science focus - a great resource to integrate multiple curricula.

I Need My Teachers to Learn

You may have already seen this video but I think it speaks volumes to what we hope for all educators - whether it is embracing technology, learning about the newest research on reading/writing or simply trying new things to engage the students in their classroom all teachers are learners.  Or are they?

Tag This: ReFrame It

I teach online courses and my team has also been developing workshops for teachers and librarians on using web-based resources for research.  I like the description of ReFrame It here (thanks to Free Technology for Teachers blog!) and especially like the social networking aspect of the site.

Another video on using ReFrame It can be found here.

They say it's your birthday....

Anyone who has attended one of my writing workshops has probably read the short-story "Eleven" with me.  Sandra Cisneros is an amazingly vivid writer and this story from Woman Hollering Creek is one of my favorites.

As a result, I often see companion writing that could be used with this story - whether similar in style or topic.  And, thanks to my ever growing RSS feed, I found this one: 11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass.  It looks like a great storyline (and also reminds me of one of my favorite movies: Groundhog Day!!)

Who doesn't love a good metaphor?

I was going to make a great metaphor joke here - but honestly, being Monday, I couldn't really think of one!!

So instead - check out this link to Stenhouse, read about the contest, and think about picking up Rick's new book (it's on my wishlist!) or browse it online.

Tag This: 20 Most Common Errors in Writing

As a follow up to yesterday's Tag This! post on misspelling!

Easy Writer: 20 Most Common Errors in Writing: Interactive and visual tutorial on the most common mistakes in writing.

Tag This: 10 Words You Need to Stop Misspelling

Love this! 'Nuff said!

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/misspelling

What Does it Mean to be Literate in the 21st Century?

This question has been bubbling in my brain for almost a year now - and I am not sure that I have the definitive answer yet.  I do know that the definition of literacy has expanded as technology becomes a larger part of our lives.

I am hopeful as I anxiously await what my state (NY) will be doing with the revision of our ELA standards.  Hopeful that some of the "new literacies" will be embedded or at least referenced.  (It seems that we don't hold ourselves accountable for teaching things unless they are in a standards document or assessment lately!)

I am anxious to hear what others think as we participate in a book talk over on the English Companion Ning on William Kist's The Socially Networked Classroom. (There is a discount of 20% for EC Ning members!)  

And I hope to make these thoughts a bit more public in this space - with some feedback from readers of course! (I'll use literacy21 as the tag for those posts.)

This video gives the perspectives of some educators in the UK (seemingly ahead of the US in the work with literacy and technology) - give it a look and share what you think!!



NOTE: I found a new tool called SynchTube that allows people to watch videos and chat about them at the same time.  You can comment on the video and share inspiration and connections at the same time!  There is a current limit of four participants but this literacy vido seems like a great one to try it out with!! (And if you do - please let me know how it went!)

Tag This: Writing Paragraphs

Yesterday was about two word sentences - today about the power of paragraphs!

Use the Paragraph to Mortar Sentences into a Building Block:  "I've come to praise the paragraph, not to bury it. Such appreciation was not always my thing. The early instruction I received made construction of a paragraph seem so mechanical, so formulaic, so detached from my writerly instincts that I rebelled."

The author goes on to share several examples of paragraphs and the role that length and variety can play in writing.  Also included are some great Writer's Notebook tips!

Tag This: Two Word Sentence Smack Down!

Love this idea for writer's notebooks and for truly understanding sentences!!

Two Word Sentence Smack Down: In this week’s Quick Tip, Jeff Anderson demonstrates how his two-word sentence smack down activity helps students identify what is a sentence and what isn’t. This tip comes from Jeff’s book Mechanically Inclined: Building Grammar, Usage, and Style into Writer’s Workshop.

Risk Taking

My eldest niece Amelia is trying out for her school play this afternoon.  This is a big step for her - she is extrememly talented but at the same time extremely shy.  She wrote her own musical this summer (aptly named "Amelia: The Musical") but will only sing it for family members.  She giggles and tells jokes with the best of them - but strangers often wonder if she is capable of speech when they meet her.  You get the picture.

Taking risks can be scary - particularly when we are writing.  I have found this to be especially true with adults and teachers of writing.  When I ask teachers the last time they wrote something with and in front of their students to model for them - they often look at me as if I had four heads.  But the safest place to take risks, in my opinion, is in our writing.  We can write and revise and re-write and edit - we can experiment with voice and word choice - we can tear it up and start all over again from one line if we want.  The beauty of writing lies not so much in the finished product as in the process.

To honor that - I found this video snippet interesting:

Tag This! Writing Point of View

I love this site on using the 6 Traits - there aren't regular posts but the ones that do appear make keeping them in your RSS feed worth while.

The most recent post on writing for point of view really caught my eye - point of view can be something difficult to teach/understand but this lesson really nails it!

In honor of the post and going back to school after the holiday break - try one of the two prompts for this photo (taken by my friend Mike).

Prompt #1: You are a student/teacher on the Sunday before returning to school from winter break.  Explain how you feel about the picture below.

Prompt #2: You are the Superintendent of a school district that will be returning tomorrow after a holiday break.  Explain how you feel about the picture below.

Original photo posted here.

Tag It! Metaphors

I thought I would try a new way to blog on this site - since I have been so lax in the traditional way!! Twitter and RSS feeds and other avenues feed my information stream and until a giant writing thought comes out - I often leave the blog alone. But I realize that the entire point of blogging is to share what we learn in more than 140 characters but not too much more.

So - on ocasion, I will post a "Tag It" feature - something that I saw that I "tagged" on my delicious account that I want to reference later for use in writing. If I tag it for me - you might want it too!

Here we go!

Wonderful Teacher Leaders

I am sure that you all have them in your districts. Those teachers who rise above the others in their understanding of what works, how to reach and teach kids, how to make connections and who have a passion for teaching and learning. I am listening to five of them at a regional meeting as they share their work as literacy coaches. Three others are sitting with me in the audience, nodding their heads as they talk and picking up tips to take back to their districts. (Thank you Melodee, Karen, Jennifer, Darlene and Jill for sharing today!)


They are raising some very important points about the work but a pretty common thread is the support of administration. Good coaching takes time - time to build credibility and trust with the teachers, time to find out what works in the district and how to use that to work on the things that don't. Yet - in this time of financial crisis - these folks are often first on the line to have the positions eliminated. Don't worry about them - they will go back to their classrooms. But they will only impact 30 kids - not hundreds.

As districts prioritize budgets, I hope they continue to support these leaders!

Join us

I was pleasantly surprised as I checked the submissions for the local Gallery of Writing that I created. The authors of all the entries to date? Teachers. Principals.

I am still in awe of the pieces I reviewed yesterday. Poignant. Colorful. Amazing.

It makes me think about the conversations I have been having in and around schools lately about the teaching of writing. About folks reflecting that they are not good writers. About teachers being afraid to write with students because they may not be any good. About teachers being afraid without even knowing they are afraid.

Writing isn't always about a final product. It is about the process - the emptying out of our heads and our hearts onto paper or a computer screen or a napkin. It is about the magical interplay of words, the painting of a picture, the emotion that stays with you for days.

It is about false starts and scratch outs and sometimes silence. It is about sharing and polishing and tweaking. And even when it isn't perfect - it is about publishing. Putting our writing - and ourselves - out there.

Join us. Pick up your pen. Turn on the computer. Write.

Writing Round-Up

* Been procrastinating (like me attending to this blog)? This site will give you some tips - it really hit home for me on an article I need to submit!

* Local writer/teacher/coach shares updates from her Writer's Studio and this post on building a future generation of writing teachers is nothing short of inspiring!

* Great post on following your instinct with writing - and a list of writers who talk about their process at the bottom.

From the "So What Are We Going to Do About It" Department

As reported in the Chronicle of Higher Education, two studies on writing have reached a similar conclusion: students are writing much more outside of class and are much more vested in what they're writing outside of class than they are in their academic writing.

I don't think there is a single teacher out there who participates or observes the power of technology that doesn't already inherently know this. I also don't think there is a teacher out there who has seen students pass notes, keep journals or heard an amazing (unassigned) poem who doesn't know this. My question is what are we going to DO about it?

The Stanford Study of Writing is very interesting - both for the content as well as how it has been made available on the web. Unlike traditional academic writing that comes to us in reams of paper (my own bias - sorry!) this site is chunked accordingly and full of hyperlinks and graphics. Very compelling graphics! Very, very compelling graphics!

I wonder what a similar study of American high schools might yield? Of middle schools? Of elementary schools?

The NCTE paper on Writing in the 21st Century recognizes the challenges and opportunities we face as "people write as never before:"

1. developing new models of writing
2. designing a new curriculum supporting those models
3. creating models for teaching that curriculum

I am the first to admit that I don't know where to begin with this - except to think about how my own writing has changed over the past few years, reflect on my success and my struggles and to begin to integrate that into my work with teachers. But that is me - outside of the classroom. I am wondering how teachers are beginning, how administrators are beginning, how students are beginning.

So - what are we going to do about it?

Brainstormer

“Obtaining a small town surf shop had always been a dream of Callies and now that her mother was gone there were no excuses.”

Hardly going to be the next American novel but it is the first thing that popped into my head after playing with the Brainstormer – a random word generator that gives you three words/phrases to jump over writer’s block or stretch your creative muscles.

You can click the random button in the middle (which is waaay too much fun!) or spin each dial separately.




Not quite as fun – but definitely interesting is the back story to how this delightful idea generator was created.

Write on!

Wordnik

Combine a love of words with a love of social networking and what do you get? My favorite new obsession on the Internet: Wordnik!

Created by Erin McKean (editor in chief of the Oxford American Dictionary!), Wordnik is a dictionary that evolves as language does. Users can add new words and meanings, tag words with related expressions, see real-time search word results from both Twitter and Flickr AND discover how many Scrabble points a particular word is worth!! I haven't been able to stop going back to it each time I think of a new word to enter!

I started with searching the word "network" since I have been spending a great deal of time thinking and writing about social networks and technology. In addition to definitions, I got amazing (and somewhat wordy) examples from literature, I learned that at this moment the word had been looked up 16 other times so far, I saw it's use being updated in real time from Twitter, saw images with this tag in Flickr and what I loved most of all was this:



A chart of how often the word was used in a year!!! (Love the implications of the use of network gathered around the 21st century!!)

There is a great interview with Erin over on the TED Blog as it seems the idea for Wordnik came from her TED talk and came to life after that! When asked about linking to Twitter and Flickr as it didn't seem "immediately intuitive" she responded:

It’s funny because it’s completely intuitive to dictionary editors. How can we show how a word is really used? The other day I tried to find out if “pants” was being used as a suffix and I found a tweet for “awesomepants.” Twitter is like overhearing people’s conversations, which is exactly what dictionary editors have been wishing we could do for years.

Flickr -- well, if you’ve looked at dictionary illustrations you know that they tend to be uninteresting, and so small. With Flickr, you get a lot of abstractions too. What dictionary would have pictures of “honor”? When you look “honor” up on Wordnik, you get pictures of women named Honor, which tells you that it’s also used as a proper noun. You also get images of flags and different symbols of the military. Now you can see what feelings words evoke.

Go play - and tell us what you found interesting about the word you put in!!

What Student Writing Teaches Us

A book after my own heart!

From the Stenhouse Blog: "Read Mark Overmeyer’s new book online before it is published in mid-July and then join Mark and your fellow teachers in discussing this new, exciting title during a four-stop blog tour. Participate in our writing contest and win a free, signed copy of the book."

Visit the Stenhouse blog to see the blog "tour stops" where you can leave questions and engage in coversation, as well as to see details on the very interesting contest!

Summer Reading Fun

Quick reminder if you are looking for ways to encourage kids to read this summer! Both Barnes & Noble and Borders are offering incentives for reading just eight books!!

Uh-Oh Commas Again!

After reading this, perhaps I better rethink my position on commas!

Back to Blogging

In reviewing this blog since its inception, it seems I always go in fits and starts. Long gaps appear as I get frustrated with the blog or things happen in my life that take me away from the computer. But I always feel better when I write and so I always come back to the blog.

I have lots of posts in draft form as I cement my thoughts around things like using a writer's notebook, digital/connective writing, the revision of NYS ELA standards to include viewing and presenting and many, many other topics but I laughed out loud and felt the need to share when I watched this video by Scott Ginsberg, a prolific writer, who gives some pretty compelling reasons to blog.



What have you been doing if you haven’t been blogging?


Thanks to ConverStations for pointing the way to video!

Help Ban the R-Word!

Laura over at 25 Days to Make a Difference is an amazing young woman who continues to inspire those around her. I know she inspires me!! Today, along with the Special Olympics drive to end the use of the R-Word, she is hosting a "Blog Carnival" and you can read more details here. And maybe, you can win a little prize!

As a middle school teacher, I heard kids use lots of words. In fact, I think I may have even learned a few. One thing that I always stressed in my classroom is that words are powerful and therefore they must be chosen carefully. Name-calling and deragatory comments of any kind were simply not allowed. My "nails on the chalkboard" word was the r-word. It cut across race, gender, religion - it wounded everyone. More than that - it made those students with disabilities in my classroom feel excluded, even when it wasn't thrown at them. I worked hard to create a classroom atmosphere in which the differences that everyone had were accepted, where everyone acknowledged their learning difficulties and their strengths. That word, thoughtlessly thrown in anger or jest, threw up a fence each time it was used.

My family and friends also know of my disdain for the word - and yet somehow they think apologizing in advance for their use of the word ("I know you hate this word but that guy is really retarded") makes it OK. IT IS NOT OK!!

It is not OK to use any word that will demean or belittle anyone - and there are lots of those words out there! When we think about the history of some of the phrases and words people use today, many have their roots in prejudice and discrimination. Listing them here would only give them credence in a Google search so I won't - but we all know what they are.

Inspired by Laura, I decided to join in the Blog Carnival and to also take a bit of a risk. While I consider myself a writer, there are certain genre that I just won't touch. I'm changing that here - and below is my first draft of a poem to honor both Laura and the fight to end the use of the r-word:

Threaded carefully together they weave
A tapestry of emotion, of meaning
The smallest of them can evoke weighty feelings:
love, hate, never, always

Thrown about with abandon, carelessly tossed
They strike like hot iron against the skin
The smallest of them can evoke weighty feelings:
loser, bitch, fatty, retard

Words are the weapons of the powerful
Words are the weapons of the weak
Words are weapons
Choose them carefully

Technically Writing

I spent last week helping some of my teammates lead the regional scoring of the NYS Assessments in Mathematics. It was quite a relief to just have to "be there" this year as opposed to having to play an active role in the training! And that allowed me to really listen to and think about the conversations the teachers were having about student answers.

Being a social studies teacher with a passion for all things writing, I was struck by how much writing is required of students on the math assessments. Interestingly, it was often the writing that prevented students from receiving full credit on some of the answers. Many of the teachers complained about this, particularly as we moved onto the middle grade levels. Often, I heard comments like these:

"These kids clearly knew the answer - I don't know why we can't just give them full credit."

"These scoring guides penalize the students who can 'do math' in their heads and don't need to show their work."

I understand their arguments but I also know that NYS is trying to emphasize (through the standards as well as the assessments) the power of communicating in math. And in order to communicate well in math - they must do so using the very technical language of math. While these teachers found the issue to be one of math (and sometimes of reading), I really saw these as the students not being able to express themselves in the mathematical language. A few examples:

When asked to express their answer in exponential form, several students would provide the correct answer when writing "three to the sixth power" but could not receive full credit because they did not write it in correct form.

Some students would write to explain how they found a particular answer, but in a somewhat vague manner such as "because you have to find the straight 180 so you would subtract." Teachers would argue that it is evident that the students understood the notion of complementary angles, but in reality there is not enough detail in this statement. The straight 180 what? Subtract what? From what?

Writing in the disciplines is very content specific. I have long held the belief that each content area has its own literacy that goes beyond merely teaching students to use the English language. In social studies, students need to be able to read and communicate about maps using correct terms. They need to understand the symbolism in political cartoons and the trends in charts/graphs. In science, they need to understand scientific notation, the symbols in chemistry and how to write a chemical equation. I could go on and on but you get the picture. Each discipline requires a highly technical language and one that we must explicitly teach our students. Each of us truly is a teacher of literacy.

For my math friends, it didn't seem the appropriate time to share my thoughts about the difference between having students muscle through the math to come up with a correct answer and having them share their understandings of the process and relationship between numbers in written form. But you can bet that I will be learning more about the technical writing in other subjects so that I can help them teach writing there as well.

Cross-posted on Grand Rounds.

Round Up

There are no good excuses for having abandoned my blog writing for nearly a month but since I am taking a "staycation" this week and have finally caught up - I thought I would share some of what has caught my eye as it relates to the writing/reading world.

My friend and colleague Angela put a question out to Twitter recently about alternatives to the traditional book report and as a result, has created two amazing blog posts related to the answers. Not only are these some great things to think about to make learning more authentic - they show the incredible power of Twitter. Read - and share - these resources!!

Readers of this blog know my affinity for mentor texts. Just found these two great resources as mentor text for persuasive writing and student publication: Should There Be Zoos? and Should We Have Pets? I have traditionally used I Wanna Iguana when teaching about persuasive writing but I like the addition of real student work from these examples. With the advent of new and free Web 2.0 tools to allow for easy publication of work, these books are a nice addition to my collection. Thanks to A Year of Reading for the tip!

I've been spending a great deal of time reading and thinking about what the Web 2.0 tools that are available to us mean to writing - and in particular how we can write collaboratively. I love this idea shared at the Intrepid Teacher Blog for collaborative poems. Some nice use of tools featured here.

Finally, two of my favorite places to go on the web!! The Picnic Basket blog offers reader review copies of new books that are out there - a great way to increase your classroom library but also to learn about the new reads. And all you have to do is post your review of the book on the blog!! And the new English Companion Ning is a wonderful resource for English teachers. I am a big fan of Jim Burke's work and try to incorporate it into what I do - and now everyone can share their questions, lessons, and resources on this social networking site!!

Seven Things Meme

Kate tagged me for this meme and since I think that they make some great writer's notebook prompts for students, I am doing mine here. But as I have thought about the theme of the meme, I realized that my sharing via Twitter has resulted in many more people knowing much more about me than they probably should. Sigh!

First - the rules:

1. Link your original tagger and list these rules on your blog
2. Share 7 facts about yourself in the post–some random, some weird
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post
4. Let them know they’ve been tagged

Next - the disclosure:

1. I used to be a practicing attorney. I know - I was one of "those" and please, I have heard just about every lawyer joke there is. I have not regretted one minute of my life since changing my profession but I have also not regretted taking that path. It made me a confident public speaker, honed my writing skills and taught me to think analytically - all great qualities for a teacher.

2. I graduated from my undergraduate college in three years. Yes, I know there seems to be an over-achieving thread here but it really was the result of two things: AP credit from high school and summer courses after I switched my major because,

3. I entered college to become a physical therapist!! I did it mostly because my family had my illustrious career as an attorney already mapped out for me and because I wanted to show them that I could (sciences are not my strong suit!). So it should be no surprise to anyone that

4. I have an F on my undergraduate transcript - in organic chemistry. It didn't matter how hard I tried or how many tutors I went through I just did not get it!! Ironically, however that particular course (regardless of the grade) just happened to help me land my first job as an attorney where

5. I worked as part of a team that represented an insurance company in the Love Canal case. It seems that Hooker Chemical (later Occidental Petroleum) wanted to have the insurance companies pay for all of the damages they had to pay out as a result of the lawsuit and it was the task of our firm to show that in fact they did know they were burying hazardous chemicals in locations that would later be playgrounds. Apparently any background in organic chemistry is helpful!!

6. Slightly more mundane - I have played the flute since high school and still break it out on occasion because playing it actually relaxes me. And no - I never let anyone hear me play!

7. My uncle is the Valu Man. I know this might not have relevance to many people outside of Western New York but there it is - my deepest, darkest secret. And yes, he really does dance like that.


Finally, I am supposed to tag seven people but most of my blogging network has already been tagged. So - if you are a reader of this blog - link to your meme or give us one good fact no one knows about you in the comments!!

Wordle Meme

Angela tagged me and some other friends for a Wordle meme. Knowing how much I love that little tool - I was interested to see what would appear. Before the big reveal, however, some rules for the meme:

1. Create a Wordle from your blog’s RSS feed.
2. Blog it, and share your reactions: any surprises?
3. Tag others to do the same.
4. Link back to this post or the post where you were first tagged.
5. Share other uses you have found for Wordle.

The final result for this blog can be found here.

I am not terribly surprised that "writing" and "scoring" came up as words that are used most often. After all, Angela tagged my writing blog (as opposed to the others that I keep) and we have spent a great deal of time in the region the past year talking and thinking about assessments and scoring student work.

What did surprise me is the large "family" that appears on the left hand side. Skimming back through some posts, I realize that in this space I have revealed quite a bit about myself and my family in order to make connections and to connect to my writing. I think that comes from my using my writer's notebook a bit more in my personal life - a goal that I had set for the past year. But I also think that it reflects the time I have taken away from the computer to pay attention to my family. They are the center of all that I do - and I certainly hope that those tales haven't driven anyone away.

I am puzzled a bit my the large size of "one" and "always" - couldn't seem to find a trend in going back through the posts but I am starting to wonder if I am speaking too much in absolutes. Am I adovcating one method as always working? Am I counting on always being able to use one tool? Am I always seeing things in one way?I need to reflect a bit more on that and really search what that might tell me about my writing on this blog to make more sense of it. Of course, input from readers on this piece would be very helpful!!

Angela already stated, and readers of this blog already know, how I like to use Wordle. Wishing that I had someone who followed me around and transcribed all that I said so that I could see if what I say and what I write is similar. But that aside, one thing that using Wordle has helped me realize is that I need to use tags better in my blogs - they are good ways for me to compare what I think I am writing about with what comes up on Wordle.

Thanks Angela for the fun! I'll have to dig up some other friends who blog to see if they will meme with us!

Inaugural Poet

I returned recently from a conference in Washington, D.C. and while at the time the inaugural was well over a month away - you could sense the excitement in the air. People were upbeat and optimistic, inaugural specials were being adverstised, change was in the air. Colleagues and I debated whether we would want to be present at the inaugural - standing in the cold with crowds of people around us, not really able to see or hear much but being able to say that we were there. I put in for the "lottery" that our local senator held for inaugural tickets - and alas I have not won. Like many, I will be watching from afar.

As the inaugural program has been announced, much conversation has arisen about the selection of various personalities who will be there. As a social studies teacher, a writer and someone who appreciates words I am most excited to read that Elizabeth Alexander has been selected as the inaugural poet.

Many times over the course of the primary and the election, I have used Wordle and clouds to focus on the word choice that our presidential candidates used. Alexander has captured the beauty of those words and the words of the president-elect in the website announcement of her selection:

"Words matter. Language matters. We live in and express ourselves with language, and that is how we communicate and move through the world in community.

President-elect Obama has shown us at all turns his respect for the power of language. The care with which he has always used language along with his evident understanding that language and words bear power and tell us who we are across differences, have been hallmarks of his political career. My joy at being selected to compose and deliver a poem on the occasion of Obama’s Presidential inaugural emanates from my deep respect for him as a person of meaningful, powerful words that move us forward...

This is a powerful moment in our history. The joy I feel is sober and profound because so much struggle and sacrifice have brought us to this day. And there is so much work to be done ahead of us. Poetry is not meant to cheer; rather, poetry challenges, and moves us towards transformation. Language distilled and artfully arranged shifts our experience of the words – and the worldviews – we live in..."

Alexander's poems are thought provoking and powerful. They create images and make the reader think. Among my favorites are the ones written about the Amistad uprising - the various perspectives and her voice in the Southern Atlantic Quarterly article in which she describes the process through which she came to write the poems. Other poems are here - digest them slowly and one at a time, they are best taken in that way to capture the full flavor of her language.

And once you have done that - share them with your students. Encourage them to find the words that describe how they felt on election day - whether they supported the president-elect or not. Help them see how concise and vivid language can pack a punch. And most importantly - after the speeches and swearing in - listen to the poem that Elizabeth Alexander is writing. I am pretty sure it will be amazing.

Make a Difference!

Times are tough - the economy is a bit scary and everyone just seems a bit down. I know how incredibly fortunate I am in many, many ways and so it is only right to share that good fortune.

Last night, I read about the work of two incredible bloggers and what they are doing this holiday to "pay it forward." Over at the Fischbowl, Karl Fisch talks about a great way to support Kiva, which provides loans to entrepreneurs in impoverished communities. He is making his contribution but also purchasing two gift certificates for people to contribute as well. His hope is that the people he gives it to will "pay it forward" and do the same. But more importanty, since so many people read his blog and have seen his "Shift Happens" video - he has a chance through his PLN to make a real impact here. I am joining Team Shift Happens!

Laura started her "25 Days to Make A Difference" campaign again this year and little sister Nina is joining in!! Laura and Nina aren't going to be donating money on behalf of the winner this year - instead they will be doing service work and fundraising. This is a powerful statement about our students - and one that I hope many teachers will join her in promoting. Please consider having your classrooms join her here and spread the word!!

Laura and Nina aren't going to be making monetary donations this year - but I am going to on their behalf. Around this time of the year, it takes a little bit to motivate me to exercise as much as I should so for each day between December 1 and December 25 that I exercise at least 20 minutes a day, I will put $5 in a jar. On December 25th, Laura and Nina can tell me where they want that money to go on their behalf for inspiring me. I'll keep you posted weekly on how I do!! (And I promise I won't let you down!)

So what do you say readers - ready to pay it forward?



Cross-posted on Grand Rounds!

Thanksgiving Memories

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays - no worries about the right present or forgetting someone on your list. Just family, friends, food and football!! Does it get better than this?

As I sit on my couch this morning catching up on my feeds with a birthday cake in the oven and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade on the television as background, I am thinking about our family traditions with this holiday. Coming from a large extended family where every event was a party, as the years have passed and families grown larger the festivities seem to have scaled back a bit. But we have preserved pieces for the next generation that I hope will continue.

As children, while my mother was busy prepping the turkey and getting things ready for dinner, we would sit glued to the parade on television. I remember the balloons of my day - Underdog, Snoopy, Superman - and watching the amazing musical numbers that would play. Of course, we made sure my parents were always in the room when Santa arrived to remind them that Christmas was not that far away.

My mom is a firm believer in naps and has passed that along to her children. After "cleaning for company" we would have to head upstairs to "relax" - we were always allowed to read, it just needed to be quiet time but she always seemed to know we would close our eyes for one minute that stretched to at least sixty. We would almost always be woken up with the entry of my grandparents - my grandfather and his ever-present whistling sneaking up the stairs to "check on us" but really nudging us awake if we hadn't already gotten up to hide and scare him when he entered the room.

My grandparents came early to be the first of the extended family to be there - but also so my grandfather could be sure to have their car be the first trapped in the driveway and therefore the last to leave despite my grandmother's not-to-subtle yawns and stony looks. My grandfather loved nothing better than having family around him. Slowly- family members would arrive, usually bearing some baked good or another. We would fall into playing with our cousins, looking through Sears and JCPenny catalogs to make our Christmas lists and daring each other to do something we knew the adults would get annoyed at. Sometimes - we would put together a play or musical number to the latest music to entertain the masses.

After dinner, which was a jumble of following thirty different conversations and misinterpreting at least ten of them, thereby causing at least one minor argument - tea would be brought out (we didn't drink coffee in my family) and the desserts would be cut. Not long after that - the doorbell would ring and more relatives would arrive. Cousins of my parents who were off at college or who had moved away with their families, friends who were friends so long they just were considered family, and always there was someone new who was braving meeting the family for the first time (no mean feat I must add!). Sooner or later - the card game would start and we could hear the pennies jingling as the adults separated to play cards or move into another room to continue gossiping and catching up.

Thanksgiving was a magical day that kicked off an entire season of family and feasting and storytelling while we were growing up. It is a bit different now - the dinner table is a bit smaller as time needs to be split with in-laws and relatives are much more far flung. My grandfather has passed and while my grandmother is with us physically and now lives with my parents, Alzheimer's has robbed her of memories and leaves her confused if too many people come to visit. My sibilings and I plan the Black Friday shopping schedule and make sure that cell phones are charged so we can text from different stores to be sure we cover the list. Instead of the card games, the Wii will be out and we'll be boxing or skiing or bowling. What has not changed is that our family is together - as quirky and as dysfunctional as the next one. And for that I am, and will always be, eternally grateful.

Wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving with your traditions and hoping that you all find the peace and happiness that I find on this day.

On Scoring Writing

Last week, teachers in our region joined me to score the NYS Assessment in Elementary Social Studies. This test includes, along with multiple choice questions and open-ended responses called "constructed response questions" (CRQs), one of my favorite writing tasks: the Document Based Question (DBQ). Truly - this is one of my favorite writing tasks. In addition to having students write (one of my favorite past-times), it also asks students to think like historians. Well - at least when the task is well written.

Scoring this assessment can at times be very subjective. Who am I kidding - it is incredibly subjective!! While leading the teachers through the rubric, anchor papers and the use of holistic (vs. analytic) scoring - I ask teachers to put their "pet peeves" in writing on a piece of paper to remind them that we are looking for different elements of writing in scoring this assessment. We can't let our pet peeves distract us or get caught up in what the students did not do. Instead, for purposes of this assessment, we need to look for what they were able to do in this one moment in time.

Despite my best efforts, there are always some complaints about how the essays are scored. Claims of bias because the papers came from a small/large/poor/affluent school district or because the student had an IEP/poor handwriting/no clue how to answer the question but tried really hard are often heard when teachers discover how other teachers scored THEIR kids. I try to be sure that we all have the same understanding of the rubrics and anchor papers but I can't score them all myself. I go for the greatest amount of consistency and hope for the best each and every year.

It seemed serendipitous to read 'Standardized You Say? "Confessions of a Scorer" in my latest issue of EdWeek on the heels of this scoring adventure. This article surfaced my deepest fears about scoring - particularly when I read want-ads in the paper asking for certified teachers to score NYS assessments or hear a state ed official tout the benefits of "electronic distributive scoring." No matter what measures we put into place - scoring student writing will always be subjective.

Interestingly, while looking for new blogs to add to my reader (because 104 simply is not enough) I came across this post about a third grade teacher using automated essay grading with her class. What struck me most about this post was not that the automated scoring was such a hit but that what the teacher described in terms of the process was a perfect example of what several colleagues and I have been discussing for weeks now: formative assessment.

The tool may have made the record keeping easier but it didn't change the practice - that much is evident from the description of her class.That teacher likely did all of the things she describes and attributes to the scoring program before using the program - just in a different way. For her students to give scores that were very similar to the program shows that they understood not only the rubric, but their own strengths and weaknesses in writing. Not an easy feat!

Which made me think about what we are assessing to begin with. If we truly want students to do well on the DBQ - we need to teach them how to read and interpret documents, make connections and develop a thesis statement using the documents to support that thesis. And we might have to do that without actually writing for a bit! In my classroom, I scaffolded the student writing of DBQs. After years of reading poorly written essays and getting frustrated at the smallest of writing issues, I realized that I couldn't solve the problem by throwing more DBQs at them. Instead, I needed to pick apart what they needed to do and start S-L-O-W-L-Y teaching them how to do those things, step by step. I spent less time grading poor work, they spent less time creating it. Instead - we grew together as their skills and confidence grew.

I've been working to translate my hard won lessons with others to avoid them having to walk the same path, but I realized that the power of my learning came from those mounting frustrations and failures as a writing teacher. It was then that I realized I needed to be a better writer to understand how to help them become better. My scoring will always be different than yours - my pet peeves are not your pet peeves, my expectations are not yours. But if they are aligned to a larger goal given to us by the state and if we communicate it to the students, we can expect more in our classroom and get proficient results on a once a year assessment - no matter who scores it.

A Glimpse Inside Two ELA Classrooms

There are days that I love my job and there are days that I LOVE my job. Today is the latter. I spent some time with newer ELA teachers today in my district and got to talk about and think about some very powerful stuff!! Thought I would give you all a glimpse.

First - I was able to meet with the 7th/8th grade ELA teacher. We are lucky to have a visionary principal here who knows the value of middle level education and was able to carve a 7/8 team out of a 7-12 building. The team works well together and the kids are thriving! The NYS Assessment is looming and the teacher wanted to talk about preparing the 7th graders for the assessment. She was a little concerned about the comprehension skills of her students and we talked about the upcoming unit she has with the students reading My Brother Sam is Dead to go along with social studies. After reviewing the start of her unit with me, I asked her why we couldn't incorporate some of the test preparation strategies in with the reading of the book. I randomly flipped to a page and pointed out that we could take a paragraph from that page, insert some grammar/mechanics errors and use it as an editing passage practice. We could rewrite some of her writing questions as multiple choice following the state test format and insert them as smaller quizzes to review both content and test-taking skills. I created a sample quiz for her to use and she is going to work on some additional questions. It was very exciting to talk about a book that my students loved with someone again!! More importantly, I am excited to see how this works with the students!

Two periods later, I got to touch base with a grades 9/10 ELA teacher who wanted to go over some recent assessment results. This is an amazing teacher who has amazing rapport with his students. I have never been in an ELA classroom where I have seen boys as engaged as I see in his class!! But I digress! This teacher shared some sample papers with me and we talked about how he felt about the results. He then showed me what he did with the students after the test to help them understand their grades and what they needed to do differently. First - for each section of the writing test, he culled an example of "exemplary" writing from his classes and attributed that writing to the individual students. He then listed in 2-3 bullet points his thought about why that excerpt was exemplary. In each class, he read those pieces aloud and discussed with the students the finer points of the writing.

The students then had a "mistake manager" form in which they reflected on their individual writing and what they could do to improve it or in some instances, they were asked to actually revise it. At the end of the class, the students shared with a partner one lesson on writing they were going to take away from the activity and the partner shared that lesson aloud. Having this conversation with him really reinforced my belief that when done correctly, assessments can be used in BOTH a summative and formative manner. I can't wait to see how the students take these writing lessons and translate them into practice.

I give these teachers a great deal of credit - they shared openly and honestly about their practice. They asked questions and reflect a great deal about the choices they make and the students that sit before them. Instinctively, they are doing things that are great for kids and when they aren't sure, they ask questions and collaborate which is great for the profession. I know that not all teachers are comfortable in being this transparent (and if they don't read this blog they probably don't even realize how transparent they are!) but I think we need to share more when we see this kind of work to help break down the silos of education. And more than just share - we need to celebrate it!

Scaredy Squirrel and More

Last night was the school Book Fair for first and third grade niece. It is one of our favorite outings of the year - and who can resist buying books to help the school? We always start with a "One Book for Everyone" rule (including me!) but I never hold to it. I thought I would share some of our finds this year - the girls made some great selections!

Third grade niece loves, loves, loves to read books in a series (wonder where she got that from?) and so picked up Eve of the Emperor Penguin, a Magic Treehouse book. What was really great was that we also picked up a non-fiction companion book about penguins! I am pretty excited that she was really into the non-fiction piece and she noticed right away that the text structure and words were just like the other Magic Schoolhouse books. "You know," she said, "you call that voice all the time!" (Any wonder that I love her to bits?)

First grade niece is a huge fan of Fancy Nancy and loves, loves, loves to use the fabulous words she learns from her books (huh, another one of those odd coincidences!). So of course, we picked up Fancy Nancy's Favorite Fancy Words: From Accessories to Zany. After we left and started to go through it, I was bummed that I didn't get a copy for me!! I have always loved Fancy Nancy books for their word choice, but the idea of creating individual word choice dictionaries like this one put me over the top. Hoping she'll let me borrow it for a workshop!

Aunt Theresa just loves, loves, loves books of all kinds and so it was a little hard to find one that I didn't already have (I love book order time!) but I found a little gem! Scaredy Squirrel never leaves his nut tree because the world is a pretty scary place - and he is highly organized about how to deal with emergencies. One day, as a result of something very unplanned, he leaves the tree and learns to love venturing into the unknown (in a highly scheduled way.) Story aside - this book has so many great features. It begins with a summary of the story (how cool is that for teaching summary?) and has loads of different organizational strategies inside - bullets, lists, four-square, you name it!! I have shared it with two principals and three teachers today - and all want my copy!! I can't wait to use this in a workshop!

For the record, we also bought this and this because, well it's still reading right?

It's the end of the world as we know it......

History was made yesterday.

As we left the polling place yesterday evening, my five-year-old niece commented on quickly the voting took. Her seven-year-old and worldly-wise sister stated back, "We've been thinking and talking about it FOREVER!"

Last night was a night of conclusions in many ways - the end to a long season of campaigning, the mark of the end of a term of presidency. But in many ways, last night was also about beginnings. Beginning and endings go together in so many ways.

When I ask teachers their pet peeves in writing, conclusions always seem to come up. Much like Amelia's view of the campaign season, student essays seem to go on and on and on and on - lasting seemingly forever. When there is an end to the writing, the conclusions don't match the thesis or the content of the essay and instead, often take what I lovingly refer to as a "beach trip" or end with a simple "Thanks for reading my essay. This is everything I know about ______."

I've tried to teach my students many ways to help them understand that the endings of their essays should in many ways mirror or match the beginnings. That we are tying up their writing in a big, fat bow. We have folded paper, color coded sentences, played with sentence strips. And of course, revised, revised, revised. In the moment those strategies have seemed to have an impact - in the next writing moment, they have not.

A fifth grade teacher I work with recently invited me into her classroom to help her students with conclusions for the DBQ essays. After discussing things a bit - we decided to have the students go on a scavenger hunt for "good conclusions" using the newspapers that are delivered to her room. (Truth be told, the idea came out of the fact that the newspapers are soon to take over her room and we needed to use them!!)

After sharing three endings of stories that she thought were really good and brainstorming a list of characteristics for great story endings, I took over and talked about expository writing. We had hoped that when talking about the two kinds of writing, the students would identify us with each and it would make it that much easier for the lesson to be brought back while writing. The students went on their scavenger hunt and we again brainstormed the list of characteristics for a "good" conclusion in expository writing. The students then took out a conclusion they had written and then revised it using the characteristics we talked about.

It was a good lesson and most of the kids seemed to get it. I haven't seen the before/after conclusions yet but I am hoping they will tell us a lot about what stuck and what didn't. So in the interest of helping teachers everywhere - I am wondering how others are tackling the idea of conclusions with students.


History was made yesterday. As a nation, we were able to close some chapters and begin others. And that is everything I know about that. Thanks for reading my blog post.


;-) Sorry - I couldn't resist!