Who Is Malala-The story that continues to Continue.....

I first exposed my students to Malala Yousafzai's story with a packet I created from a few articles from the web, interspersed with questions I created. I added images, as I always do and some important background information they desperately needed. Also, an article on the Taliban, to describe the terrorist group who was responsible for the attack on her. A prior knowledge question proved that not one of my 28 students knew who Malala was. None knew about the Nobel Peace Prize. Only one had heard of the Taliban.

I was shocked, as I always am, that with so much information about this topic in our news daily, and their instruction in social studies classes, that they were clueless. Thus began what I believed would be a 4 day assignment at best....which turned into several weeks now. We read and answered questions. We created notes. We watched the ABC 20/20 Diane Sawyer special-Who Is Malala, and continued to develop notes. We organized those notes using graphic organizers in preparation for writing a 5 paragraph essay. We completed an 'Art Connected To Text" assignment where students would take a Big Idea and present it in an artistic form adding in Big Idea words. Finally, we are in the midst of the Persuasive/Argumentative essay. The essay is tedious at best. None have ever done such an assignment. They all want to dive into the story as a summary. This has been quite the challenge and I've modified the Painted Essay to be a 5 paragraph essay model, shifting some of the colors and maybe stirring some feathers also. This has been quite the adventure...and we are not even close to being done....but we are not stopping until we reach our destination...

My students keep saying, "This is hard!!" and I reply, "Yes it is, but we are getting there." Sometimes I am not sure....other times I am charged up and believing...'I think they can...I think they can....."

Their artistic representations floor me...I love them and each of them spoke volumes not with their voices but with their art...

What Are We Doing?

Designing instruction daily can be exhausting. I am constantly searching the web and finding pertinent stories, video clips, news articles, infographics, opinion pieces and images to develop my unique lessons. Common core programming is clear, and we must develop students' thinking skills, collaboration skills, and improve their ability to read deeply and with analysis. How do you do this effectively with students who never choose reading in their free time? You build their skills, which are not grade level to begin with, without it seeming like a chore. Common core tells us, without question, this is what is to be taught at each grade level. How we accomplish that is our task. Some teachers teach the same novels, poems, and short stories for 20+ years. That is not what we should be doing. I never do the same exact lessons more than one time. Each year, the news changes, my knowledge grows and I develop more personally and professionally. My class design and structure is my own creation. My current graduate class is following what I do and how I do it. My presentations at Christa McAuliffe conferences for 4 years in a row draw educators from around the state to me to learn how to design instruction like I do. My passion is to create dynamic relevant and topical lessons. Every year my pallet is new, as the world is new and opportunities to read expands. Whether it's reading a novel or a web page, reading is a skill that can define us and determine our futures and that is why my instructional design grows, breathes, and is alive...

It's so Cold Outside...

It's so cold outside and the snow makes it even more chilling. Now back from our dog walk, dog boots off, dog jacket taken off, too, we settle back into the warm living room. I am watching The Waltons, where some of the residents are stressing over World War II,and the new German citizens on Walton's Mountains. Fear has always with been us in various forms. What people do with their fears can ignite a war, cause some to flee, cause others to hide.

Some of the best instruction and skills we can offer students is various coping mechanisms. So many students today lack these basic coping skills. When I was in junior high school, I had to walk a mile to school. There were no cell phones and there were no houses of safety. I walked by myself daily to school with a heavy book bag. I had to develop and strengthen my personal coping mechanisms and deal with my fears. There were many incidents with cars, and loose animals, however I was on my own. There were no cell phones. There was no way to call for help or have anyone to assist me. I had to cope on my own and figure out an alternate route or a way to keep moving without being attacked by a loose growling dog.

Many students, the same age as I was are lacking these coping mechanisms. They quickly turn to their parents for help. They text when they can't talk. They have an endless umbilical cord from which they use to help them cope with this or that. By reaching out to parents constantly, they are not developing their own coping mechanisms and their own problem solving skills, which we all know are absolutely vital to develop when we are young and fine tune with each subsequent year.

Fears can override the best of us. Fears of the German invasion during World War 11, the Japanese invasion, the Cuban Missiles Crisis, the race wars and race riots, Vietnam and other devastating effects all residual effects based on fear. Today's fears are based on economics, health, terrorism....but all fears are the same and they can paralyze us or force us to make decisions based on those fears. We need to help students develop some basic problem solving skills and exercise their coping mechanism muscle. We need to encourage deep thinking and thinking of alternative responses. These skills may not be specifically considered Common Core, but the integrated deep thinking and problem solving are. Why not create some activities where we challenge students asking how they would cope with this or that, if their cell phone service and all cell phone service went down for days at a time. That would put them on equal footing with those of us who grew up without this digital umbilical cord.

Creativity 3.0

I've been thinking a great deal about creativity. How do you inspire creativity? How do you find it yourself? How do you teach in creative ways, allowing others to stumble upon their own creative venues. For years I've lacked hands on creativity. I went from writing a book, yet unpublished, to then throwing myself back into the daily teaching grind and all that it encompasses. Creative teaching takes time. It consumes my thoughts. My creative teaching process never shuts down. All of my energies go to creating content, anticipating behaviors, managing behaviors, creating content that will reap the most success for the majority of my students. Oh, how it would all work better if they were all on board and knew the cost of their actions today. They will never have this intense structured reading and writing instruction again. High school, their next hurdle, will not provide them with this small group, catered instruction. They will not be able to ebb and flow getting this level of intense instruction designed just for them to improve their reading, and writing skills. They will not get another teacher who scans the news, finding the best and most relevant articles with topics that literate young people should know about, creating reading and writing activities for them to bust out of their reading and writing challenges. Some students don't regard this instruction as special and important. Perhaps years down the road they will find and discover what they once had and didn't embrace.

Can I make every student happy and creative in this learning environment we call school? No, and I am aware that the best that I can offer them is opportunity. I can offer them opportunity to improve, develop, learn, create, and embrace knowledge. I can offer them opportunity to use these 21st century tools of ipads, apps, smartboards, digital learning Haiku-LMS. I can offer them creative outlets and some choice in learning. I can offer them a path that they don't presently have in other parts of their daily educational experience. Of course I am trying to engage them, because only engaged and ready learners will be available to learn. Test scores are like shadows that they don't even realize are following them. Any school in the future will be looking closely at these new test scores. They will be scheduled into their high school classes, levels, by these test scores. They will have opportunities come and go based on these test scores, in this new era of testing. Unfortunately, there is little that I can do about that big picture of test, test, test. 

However, I bring to them my desire to help them learn. I create and use all my digital resources to make that happen. I teach then using digital images, videos, examples of writing, and engaging topics. I use art whenever I can to connect their learning. Creativity is never found in a closed box or a closed classroom. Creativity is unique to each of us. That two day activity of creating a visual image and key words connected to their novels produced the most dynamic and creative images. I love that they hung them all around my room and they stand there today, duct taped onto my walls for me to see everyday. 

Creativity, 3.0, that is my desire. Connecting learning, to creativity and engagement. Learning is not static. Learning should ebb and flow. It moves and it's quite alive. Learning is awesome and watching it happen is a grand gift that I get to see and feel everyday. 

              

                                                                   
                                           

The New School Year is in Full Out Swing...and We Are Swinging!

Every school year is unique. Every class period has it's own unique beat, rhythm and energy.  I love the energy of each class period. Finding the rhythm and interests of each group is like a treasure hunt for me. I give my students a Welcome Survey and ask them to fill it out. It gives me insight into who they are. I can learn so much from this survey. Here is the survey link: Welcome Student Survey

We began the year with an exploration of a textbook. We discussed text  features and how they differed from novels. Both were on the table, and we discussed the differences and similarities. I also discussed the challenges of the textbook and any informational text or article. They are designed to offer a great deal of information is a small amount of space. They are 'dense' with information making textbook reading and informational reading somewhat harder at  times. Students compared both the novels and the texts. Then I released them and they began their Textbook Scavenger Hunt.Students worked in teams to scavenge for the text details and components. This hunt would  teach them actively and engage them, as well as build their collaboration and technology skills. It was a fun activity, but did take longer than I had planned. It was time well spent as the post test, proved they understood their social studies textbook better than prior to the activity.

Students have chosen their novels and are working  in  their reading groups. They have ownership in their novels because they all had a hand in choosing it.As a result, students have much more of a "buy in" and high levels of engagement to read, discuss literary concepts of character, setting, themes, conflicts, and resolutions. Additionally, I connect the mini lessons of literary devices: Alliteration, Metaphor, Simile.....to their novels and students add their noted examples of these literary devices right in the pages of their novels on the ipads. Connecting these literary concepts that can be seen as quite abstract and difficult to recall. By connecting the concepts initially to images I take when out and about and walking my dog, and using it in my  mini lesson instruction, students connect at a higher level.Then, I have them write a metaphor or simile or the like, in their novels relating to: characters, setting, plot, etc. This transfers the abstract into concrete for them as they take the ownership of the concept through their own application of it! I know the spelling isn't perfect but I am focused on the application of the concept!

 Here is a visual image of the concept mini lesson in my Haiku opener each  day. Images are from my walk-concepts are connected to my images...

Students have also been responding to  prompts I post on a Google + page which I  have secured and locked  down for safety.  They find their novel's front cover image and the prompt, then they post their response. Knowing that their audience will be their peers, they can choose to share or not, however having an authentic audience ups the challenge and importance a bit. The prompt is at the top and the students post under the image of  their novel. They use their initials only to identify their posting.

Each new day brings new opportunities  for me to structure and devise lessons that engage these incredible learners.They don't even know how incredible they are. I am hoping my class helps them find their academic voice and academic power. It's always nice to come back to my room and the lingering student who I  was  trying to rush out, left behind a very important message for me. Unsolicited, and so very  powerful....these  are the moments that will warm any teacher's heart!

Summer 2013-It WAS All About Me!

Altered Art Book-Connecting To Text

Altered Art Sign-Inspirational

Every Morning-5 days a week this was where I was-7:15 AM

Berries picked

Wild Blackberries

Daily Dog  Walking

Reclaimed co-op signs painted altered art classroom signs

My summer was great! Instead of spending time working on college classes all summer, even though I completed one more graduate class, it was completed by the middle of  July leaving me lots of time to really enjoy my summer. Notice my pictures above.These are hints to the things I spent my time doing.

First  and foremost, I swam. I decided to swim 5 days a week every week all summer. I swam laps in the pool alternating between swimming the breast stroke and swimming with a lap board-doing intervals. Eventually, I built up to swimming with more intensity. I am very proud of  how I stuck to it. It wasn't always  easy. In fact, in the beginning it was downright painful and difficult. There were parts of me who wanted  to give up and go back to bed. Those parts fought me, put doubts in my heart and soul and even tried to undermine my efforts. Sometimes we can be our own worst enemies.However, I can say I was successful in beating back those parts of me that were hoping I'd fail. I didn't fail. I didn't stop. I didn't give in. There are lessons found in these experiences. It's all about keeping  your eye on the prize. The prize for me was to feel healthier, more energetic, and alive. I reached those rewards. On my last official day of swimming, the other regulars bid me a fond farewell and applauded me for my transformation they witnessed.

Berry picking taught me so much. You might wonder, "what the  heck can you learn  from berry picking"? There is a great deal to learn from life all around us all the time if we are just wise enough to notice. This time I was. I noticed some wild berries growing over my fence. They came spewing over my fence from the woods, wild blackberries. There they were just there one day.  I began picking them and we ate them. Picking those berries became part of our healthy routine. Daily, I'd go to my wild berries flowing over the fence and began to pick them. Now, if you know anything about blackberries, their branches are loaded with stickers. Some stickers are small but many are huge and unforgiving. As you move to grab onto one berry or another the branches with those darned stickers almost reach out, grab onto you and stick you. Lesson, the things you want, you desire most won't come easily most of the time. Oh there are times I reached for many  berries and got them without a hitch. However, many other times, the ones slightly off behind some leaves as I reached for them, I paid the price with a stab, a hold, or a scratch as I pulled away. It was a lesson that taught me that sometimes there are prices to be paid, dues to pay, even  when you think you are getting something for free. And those berries over the fence, there for the picking only I couldn't reach them.They were right there if I could only just.....but alas they were too far away. Lesson-sometimes what seems right in front of you, cannot be reached no matter how hard you try. 

Next, I noticed  the same blackberry bushes along the roadside where I walked Hopey everyday.  How is  it I never noticed them before? I began to pick some berries on every walk, adding to our berry gathering. Some of  those berries were easily accessible and some like at my house were teasing  me, but maintained their distance up on a hill. The berries were the tasty treasures of our summer forays. 

Finally, my local co-op grocery store was giving away small co-op signs they didn't need anymore. I decided to grab them, not knowing what I'd do with them. One day, I decided to create some altered art signs for my classroom. I painted,glued, and drew with the intention of hanging them around my classroom. They are not great works of art. Some may think they are less than masterly created. I agree with that. I am not a great artist. I haven't created art since I was 13 years old, and was told I was not a good artist. Reclaiming and rediscovering art now in my 50s is a fun and enjoyable activity. Lessons-all that is tossed away is not garbage. What others say and feel about you need not define you. You will be evolving throughout your life and that means you can do anything you want. Don't be afraid to try some new and some old things-you might be surprised to find joy in what was left behind....

My Book-The Beginning The Middle and The End

In my book, A Three Dog Life, Abigail and Richard suffer a catastrophe. Their ordinary lives are soon changed forever. In one minute, Richard becomes a new man who will never ever recover. A simple task of walking the dog, turns into a life change for Richard and Abigail. What once was, could never be again. Their lives forever changed.

As Abigail tries to forge a new life, she soon realizes that her life with Richard, as she once knew it, would no longer be. She goes through many changes. First, she connects back with friends who she hadn't seen much of before Richard's tragedy. Second, she buys a cottage in the country. She adds another dog to her family and then one more dog. Finally, she finds a comfortable pace of life, moving between Richard's home in a rehab center and her home in the country.


After Abigail moves from the city to her country home full time, she finds a peace she never knew before. Once again connecting with her dogs, her country home, and Richard when he visits the cottage, she finds a new rhythm of life. Acceptance of this new life, begins the process of healing for this married couple. Once the ebb and flow of their lives change, surrounded by the greenery of country living, the dogs, and Richard's weekly visits, they are once again whole, but in a new way.

A Three Dog Life taught me that life's episodes of change are always present, but that doesn't mean you can't survive them.