Anticipation Guides

I like to use anticipation guides prior to beginning a novel or play. The anticipation guide consists of a series of statements for the students to consider, then they must mark whether they agree or disagree with each given statement. The students then choose three statements they felt especially strongly about, and they write a short explanation of why they answered the way they did (typically a paragraph each). Finally, we go through each statement raising hands for agreement and disagreement. On each question, I ask students who felt strongly about a statement to share their response, and it often leads into a short discussion, and sometimes debate, over the topic. I have the students fill these sheets out prior to reading and again after reading. After they read, they are supposed to reevaluate the statements using the new knowledge and perspectives they have gained through the reading.

I really enjoy using these anticipation guides as it exposes the students to many themes they will see in the book. It gets them thinking about the book before they even crack it open. Typically the first session of the anticipation guide goes very well. We usually have some great discussions. However, the final session where they fill out their answers after reading the book, doesn't go so well. I notice that the students typically just leave their answers the same. It seems they aren't applying their new knowledge, which is the ultimate goal of this activity. Any ideas of how to get them hooked into delving deeper into the final product?

Ideas!

My mind is overflowing with ideas to implement in my classroom next year. That's right...I got a job! I'm so excited to be given such a wonderful opportunity. I will be teaching 7th, 8th, and 9th English and 8th Reading. I can't wait to get started! As the days creep by, I'm finding it harder and harder not to think about my classroom. It's always on my mind! I've already purchased a bunch of stuff for it, too...and I haven't even seen it yet!

Out of the zillions of ideas floating around in my head, there are two that I am pretty sure I will implement. First, I want my students writing everyday. My plan is to have a daily writing prompt on the board each day as they walk in the door. They will write for the first five minutes of every class. If they don't like the prompt, they don't have to write about it. They can write about anything, so long as they are writing. I will read the entries each Friday. It'll be a little time consuming, but it's a good way to get the students writing, while also getting to know them better. Plus, bellwork is a good classroom management tool.

Second, I plan on implementing a day dedicated to recreational reading. I think recreational reading is so important. It is what fosters a love for reading. There is so much wonderful young adult literature out there. I'm pretty sure it will be Friday as it's the end of the week, and it will be a nice break for the students (and myself!). However, the entire period won't be dedicated just to reading. We will also do book talks! I love book talks. They're such a fresh idea. So much better than a typical book report. They're active and engaging. So my plan is to start the period with the writing bellwork, move into a couple of book talks, then silent reading, and finally a book response.

Well, the hubby just finished dinner. More on my ideas later :) If you have any ideas to contribute, please feel free!!

Taking Vaca Early

My juniors have decided to take an early vacation. Although summer is still 35 school days away for them, they have apparently decided to check out early. I need some ideas of how to get them back on track. It seems all of my activities are of little interest to them at this point as they have mentally checked out. Any ideas out there?

Lacking Motivation

My freshmen students seem to be lacking motivation when it comes to their weekly writing task. Each Monday, I give the students an optional journal prompt. They are supposed to write me 1-full page by the end of the week. I give them 15 minutes of class time to do this. If they don't like the prompt I give them, they are allowed to write about their weekend or anything else that they would like. It's a great way to get the students writing, and it also gives me a chance to get to know them a little bit better. And to top it off, it's an easy 10 points for them. However, for some reason, each week without fail, I have a handful of students simply not complete their journals. It's so frustrating!

I'm looking for ways to get them motivated to enjoy this writing task more. I read every journal and write comments back to try and engage them. It works for some of them. I've had comments like, "I love when you write back to me!" and "I like reading your comments!". However, it doesn't seem to work for all of them.

One thing that I know I need to change is that I need to write WITH my students. That was a big thing that was stressed in my undergrad classes. It's so important to write with your students because they need to see you doing it, too. Maybe me writing and sharing my writing with the students will be motivation for them to do the same. I'm going to give it a shot. Any other ideas out there?

It's been a long time...

I've been really bad at blogging...as in I haven't written in three weeks bad blogging! It's not that I don't have time to blog (most days) or that I don't want to (most days). It's more that I worry about what I can share and what I can't. Obviously I wouldn't share any real names of students, but I still hesitate to share specific stories and assignments. A lot of it has to do with the teacher that got in trouble for blog bashing her students. Obviously I would never do anything like that, but I still worry about how much is actually okay to share over the internet. Especially when what you put on the internet is available for anyone and everyone to see. Anyway, now that I have explained myself, let's get to what has been going on.

My freshmen just finished up a Greek Mythology unit. I created the entire unit by myself, and I'm actually pretty proud of how it turned out! Of course there are things I will change next time to improve it, but overall, I think it went very well. I heard from numerous students how much they enjoyed it, too. That's the big plus right there. Knowing that the unit actually made a difference for them! I had lots of students do well on the final test, but I also had a handful do pretty poorly. They all wanted a test redo. As a teacher, I don't really believe in test redos (unless, of course, it is due to my teaching that they did poorly on the test). However, I do believe in improving your score and showing me you know the information in another way. Therefore, I created an alternative assignment for them to do which I will average with the test grade, for a new final grade. Some of the students were a little peeved at how much "work" the new assignment was, but I believe they should have to earn their grade, especially being the second time around.

My juniors are just finishing up a unit over The Crucible. Unfortunately, they did not enjoy the play very much. However, I didn't enjoy it the first time I read it either. It took me three or four times to actually enjoy it. So much happens so fast that it's just hard to wrap your head around it. Although you can imagine the looks of horror I would get if I told the students we were reading it three or four times! I have yet to find a way to teach the power of rereading effectively. That's something for me to work on...Anyway, we are watching the film version next week, so I hope they enjoy that, and in turn, better understand the play.

For The Crucible unit, I created a series of assignments to complete during the reading of the play. Meaning the students had almost a month to complete these assignments...three easy, completion graded assignments. However, I had a handful of students turn them in blank. I was very disappointed. And it definitely showed in the test scores who completed the assignments and who didn't.

Anyway, that's just a small overview of what we've been doing in my classroom lately. If you are a teacher and would like to borrow any materials for Greek Mythology or The Crucible, please let me know. I'm always willing to share :) Enjoy your weekend!

Feeling the Pressure

I'm finally starting to feel the pressure of this whole student teaching thing. Up until now, I've had a good hold on things. However, Monday my students turned in their research papers. That leaves me with 75 papers to grade over the weekend. At a pace of 5-6 an hour, it is taking me quite some time. I am getting quicker at it, though.

Not only do my papers leave me with a busy, fun-filled weekend of grading, they also leave me with a messy house and a hamper overflowing with dirty laundry. The papers aren't completely to blame, however. We also had two long, grueling days of parent teacher conferences. We had our regular school day, followed by 4 hours of conferences. That resulted in getting home just in time to go to bed, and do it again the next day.

Conferences were a good experience. It is interesting, though, that the parents that attend are really the ones you don't need to talk to. I think we saw all the parents of our A students, but hardly any of the parents of our struggling students. The parents had no complaints, only good things to say, so that is a plus.

This weekend will be a busy weekend. On top of the research papers, I also have a wedding shower to attend, a concert to attend, and a baby shower to attend. It should be busy, but fun-filled. I'm looking forward to shopping for the baby shower. I love picking out baby clothes, especially for baby girls!

Total Savings for the Year

After my last blog post, I got some giggles and some comments such as "you crazy girl!". But I take those as compliments. Until you try couponing, it probably does seem a little crazy. But once you do it, you'll understand. Getting a good deal at the checkout is a huge adrenaline rush! Getting a product for free? Ammmaaazing feeling!

Since I started taking couponing seriously at the beginning of this year, I've been meaning to track my savings. However, once I get home from the grocery store and finish putting away all of my goodies, I always forget. After the big savings today, though, I was motivated to start tallying. I scrounged up as many crinkled receipts from the bottom of my purse as I could and broke out the calculator.

Minus a few receipts that didn't make it out of the bottomless pit that is my purse, my total savings from coupons so far this year is.........$132.80!