Process

We've been talking a lot about process in my research class so I've been
thinking about it in terms of a lot of things, including the way I come up with mini-units. I thought I'd show my process. This is a picture of my whiteboard right now.



We're going to start talking about heroes next week, getting ready to read The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan.

In related news, the student (not from my class) who had The Red Pyramid now has The Lost Hero. The school librarian thinks I'm stealing business. Just because I have books that the library doesn't have in.

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What is Reading?

Today, two other colleagues and I were talking about what makes a struggling reader. My response was, "it depends on your definition of reading."

Here's the situation: a colleague's student (we're taking a literacy assessment class and tutoring elementary students) is struggling with oral fluency. Even though he is having issues reading aloud, he has good comprehension. Colleague #2 says that this student is a struggling reader because he struggles with one aspect of reading.

What do you think? Should he be labeled a struggling reader?


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Frustrations

I teach Read180, and this year I feel like there are more restrictions on my time. Read180 was designed for a 90 minute block of time, where our class periods are only 70 minutes long. I've made some modifications to the schedule so that students get time on the computer, time to read, and the full class instruction I'd previously sacrificed so they would have that computer time. It's taken a little over a week to settle into the routine, and as long as I stay on top of the organization of it, it'll be okay.

Here's the difficulty:

Since the beginning of the semester, seven pairs of headphones have been destroyed. These headphones are at least $30 a pair. Two microphones have been taken apart.


So this morning I bought three new microphones--the kind that look like mini-boom mics. They have been taped to the table, and each student is now assigned a specific computer. I hate micromanaging, but $210 in headphones and we're two weeks into the second six-week period? I don't think we can afford that, really.

Students are also now asked to provide their own headphones. I rigged the tables so there is a headphone jack right next to the microphone, eliminating the problem of headphone wires being too short. Some of my students are a little incredulous, but I have provided them with everything else, including their composition notebooks, so I don't see this as such a stretch (they can get headphones in the library for $1).

It has worked out fairly well today, though students have until Monday to have their headphones.



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Word Challenges

In our last unit, one of the target vocabulary words was "abandon." In keeping with meaningful use, students were asked the following question:

If you had to evacuate,

• What would you definitely abandon?
• What might you abandon?
• What wouldn't you abandon?

Here are some of the most common answers...

 

Definitely abandon

• school
• cat
• clothes

Might abandon

• clothes
• dog
• friends
• make-up

Could never abandon

• four-wheeler/motorcycle
• family
• pets
• cell phone
• parents
• laptop

 

Review: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum


I've wanted to read the Wizard of Oz for years but didn't want to pay the money for the text. Because of Project Gutenberg, I didn't have to, which was cool. My interest in the story came from wondering what the difference was between the text version and the original film version. I was excited to see right away how the filmmakers made the choice to make Kansas black and white and Oz in color. I also think the choice to make Dorothy's entire visit to Oz a dream (in the film) was a way to end the movie without having to turn the other books into films as well.

I also read Gregory Maguire's retelling, Wicked, and became even more curious about the aspects of the story Maguire used from the original stories. Already, the character of Boq showed up (Maguire has interesting treatment of this character). All 14 novels from L. Frank Baum are available on Project Gutenberg, so you'll be seeing my thoughts on them here soon.

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Review: Thirteen Reasons Why

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was putting off writing a review for this book only because I gave it to a student as soon as I was done. It was one of those books that I walked past in the bookstore for ages, wondering what it was about... 13 reasons for what? This is Jay Asher's debut novel, and I must say, I'm incredibly impressed. As I was reading, I felt the same anxiety that Clay Jensen did, wondering what part he played in the suicide of one of his classmates. The novel follows one student as he tries to figure out why the tapes (the novel is essentially the following of an elaborate suicide note left to 14 members of Hannah Baker's class).

This novel is sad. There's no two ways around that one. It deals with bullying, and suicide and its aftermath, but it's told with a hint of mystery. I have to admit that as I was reading this one, I was secretly hoping that in the end it would all turn out okay.

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Additionally, check out the Jay Asher's website. The link I've listed here is the link to the page with the video/audio recording of Hannah Baker's tapes. The book is essentially Hannah's tapes with Clay's commentary, so a big part of the story lies solely in these tapes. If you don't want to cry, don't listen.

http://www.thirteenreasonswhy.com/tapes.php

I feel light today

Mondays aren't usually hectic days. Already today has been a hectic day in the best of ways. I'm wandering around the front of the building looking for a custodian (I left my work keys in my other bag) and I run into one of my second hour students. This student finished An Abundance of Katherines by John Green on Friday during 4th, came and picked up Perfect Chemistry by Simone Eckles before 5th period. I figured she'd be a solid quarter of the way through it today. She tells me that she's finished the entire book and read the beginning of the second one published in the same volume. So it looks like I'm picking up Rules of Attraction soon.

But that's not all. Three other students came to me today ready for another book to read, and they all wanted to be able to take it with them. One,
A friend of the girl who finished the Eckles piece, picked that one up at her friend's recommendation. The gentleman is reading American Born Chinese because he wanted another graphic novel. The third student is going to be the one to tell me about 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson.

But wait! That's not all. There is a student who I've worked with for spelling bee who I friended on Goodreads (one of my colleagues uses it with her class). She walks into my room right before third with a huge grin, then hands me a note from her mom giving her permission to read Kick-Ass (by the way, her mom appreciated the fact that I made her ask). So that kid is excited too.

So far, awesome morning.


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