How Did You Get Your Name? November 8, 2009
Posted by alwaysjan in Teaching.Tags: American Names, Angel Child Dragon Child, Art Lesson Using Name, Baby Names, Family Names, First names, Humor, Parenting, Teaching, Third Grade, Unusual Names
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I could have been named Susan or Barbara, but the relatives in California nabbed those first. So, I was named Janet. When I got married my husband started calling me Jan. I was fine with that. Because I was such a happy child, my nickname was “Jan-ny Gay.” But that was back before…oh, you know.
When I was in LAUSD’s District Intern Program, (but that was back when there was one), one Saturday morning, our class was asked to stand in a circle and tell how we got our name. It was fascinating exercise, as it was a diverse group.
There were two people whose parents had taken their names from rock ‘n roll songs. Several others had been named after a character in a book or movie. There were the usual biblical names, the juniors, and family names. One man had been named after his father’s best friend who had died.
Several Asians had decided their names were too hard to pronounce, so they chose an “American” name. I’m afraid my Susan, Barbara, Janet story seemed pretty lame in comparison. Why couldn’t my parents have been more creative? Years later when I was a sub in San Gabriel, I smiled whenever I met Elvis Wong (and there were FOUR of them). It reminded me of the book The Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson. The main character’s American name is Shirley Temple Wong.
Any teacher can recite an exotic list of names of the students they’ve taught over the years. There were twin boys, D’wayne and D’won, and twin girls, Eunique and Especial. Klinsmann. Toshiba. Cinnamon Jade. I could go on and on. Maybe it’s an Urban Legend, but teachers always swear they’ve heard of a girl named Chlamydia.
Several teacher friends are hoping to get pregnant. They want to do so before every name carries with it the image of a child they’ve already taught.
Recently, I did an art lesson on lines for my third graders using their names. This must be something that third graders have done since the dawn of time, because I remember doing it when I was in third grade. The pharmacist had typed my name as “Janette” on a prescription label. (That was when the pharmacist typed.) I thought “Janette” was was way cooler than “Janet,” so that’s how I wrote my name. My teacher was surprised. My mother was not happy. And me? I was just Janet.
For the “Names” art lesson, students first draw a border the width of their ruler on 8×10 paper. Next, they write their names and color them in with black marker. They use a variety of lines to fill in the background. Diagonal. Wavy. Zigzag. Organic. Have them fill in the lines with colored pencils, as using markers is overkill and you don’t get all of those cool details and colors.
This year, I decided to take the project a step further. We’d just finished reading Angel Child, Dragon Child about a little girl who comes to the U.S. from Vietnam. It was hard, at first, for the students to pronounce the Vietnamese names in the story, but they got better. I always tell children that it’s a sign of respect when you call someone by their given name.
My students’ homework was to find out how they got their name. I wasn’t concerned about the origin of their name. I just wanted students to talk to their parent/s about why they chose that name for their child. (I can’t tell you how many times I’ve said, ” Your parents spent a lot of time choosing your name, so you can at least write it on your paper!”)
The form I sent home is below. I was surprised that every child actually talked to a parent (this year every child is living with a parent) and returned the form the next day. Okay, one girl told me her name meant “African princess with chocolate colored skin.” She was so busted, but by the time I called home the next day, she was in the midst of a conversation with her mother about how she really did get her name. It’s a fun project. If only I had that girl Chlamydia in my class this year!
How I Got My Name
Last week we read “Angel Child, Dragon Child.” The main character was a girl named Ut, who was from Vietnam. We learned that “Ut” was her “at home name,” or nickname. We also learned that in Vietnam, people say their surname, or last name, first.
How did you get your first name? You need to talk to a parent and find out why they chose this special name for you. They had thousands of names to choose from!
1. Were you named after someone in your family?
2. We’re you named after someone famous?
3. Does your name mean something special?
4. Or, did your parents just like the sound of your name?
Find out how you got your name and write about it below. Do you an “American name” or a nickname? Use the back if you need to.
Photo Credit: Mark Shaver for The Times
Celebrating the Devil’s Birthday October 29, 2009
Posted by alwaysjan in Teaching.Tags: Education, Halloween, Halloween Celebrations at School, Halloween in France, Halloween is the Devil's Birthday, Holidays, Humor, Teaching, The Devil's Birthday, Third Grade
9 comments
It was just a matter of time. Sure enough, last week one of my students said, “My mom told me Halloween is the Devil’s birthday.” “Well, that can’t be,” I replied. “Cause my birthday is in April.” A quizzical look. Sometimes, I just can’t help myself.
I try to be hopelessly PC. ”Well, we all have different ideas and opinions. That’s what makes our world so interesting!” I say through clenched teeth. At my school, we arrange for alternative activities for children whose parents don’t want them to participate in the Halloween parade.
Several years back, I had a family who had called their daughter’s first grade teacher to suggest prayers for her. They’d also called to make sure that the teacher wasn’t planning on coming to school dressed as a witch on Halloween. I’m not going to even go THERE. I don’t have to worry ’bout stuff like that since I keep my broom parked in the corner. I tell the kids that’s my transportation. Hey, can’t you tell I’m kidding?
When I taught a bilingual second grade class, my students had no idea how much Spanish I really knew. (The answer was not much.) But one day I was sweeping up a mess and noticed two girls watching me. I said, “Una bruja, si?” (A witch, yes?) The look on their faces was priceless.
My one complaint about Halloween is that if I see one more Scream mask, I’m really going to scream. Okay, make that two. In Los Angeles, it’s usually hotter than Hades on Halloween. Herding a bunch of squirmy kids around in their itchy polyester costumes IS a devil of a job.
My school has a parade, though only children dressed as storybook characters can win a prize. So, we have a lot of grim reapers who are just plain grim since they can’t carry their scythes and pirates without swords. When it comes time to change into their costumes for the parade, I’m in charge of the girls. There is always a plethora of princesses. When I taught fourth grade, I couldn’t help but notice that one of the “princesses” looked more like a Vegas show girl. It was only later we learned she was actually 14! Ay carumba!
My friend Cathy sent me a link to a great story from The New York Times on how the French are starting to warm up to the idea of “Alowine.” Notice how it has “wine” in it. It’s called Pumpkin Eaters, and it’s hilarious.
Red Ribbon Week October 13, 2009
Posted by alwaysjan in Teaching.Tags: Drug Awareness, Drug Education, Education, Jellybeans Up Your Nose poem, Red Ribbon, Red Ribbon Week Ideas, Teaching, The Origin of Red Ribbon Week, Third Grade
3 comments
The first year I taught at my school, I was informed that my class needed to make a poster for Red Ribbon Week. Red Ribbon what? Something about “Saying no” to drugs. I was used to the DARE program that my sons attended in middle school. Never mind that by high school all the stoners wore their DARE t-shirts proudly.
The teacher in the classroom next to me had an adorable “Bugs Not Drugs” poster outside her door. I so love bugs, but THAT idea was taken. A first grade classroom had “Hugs not Drugs” featuring little children with outstretched hands. Can you say insufferably cute? So what was I going to do? One student in my class loved pugs….No, I don’t think so.
When I worked as substitute, I used to take pictures of interesting bulletin boards, or make notes when I saw cool stuff. I rummaged around and found a poem I’d seen in a high school classroom. I reread it and thought third graders could relate to it as well, as it’s all about peer pressure. It’s called Jellybeans Up Your Nose.
Not only did my third graders so “get it,” but they made a great poster and won the poster competition. When we talk about drugs in third grade, most kids think cigarettes. There are a few kids who confide that their parents drink beer. One boy confessed that his mother drank something called a Bloody Mary, not to be confused with the specter that haunts school bathrooms. I tell students that when it comes to alcohol, it’s all about moderation, so they don’t go home and give their parents a hard time. But I’ve also had kids whose lives have been torn apart by drugs and are all too familiar with crack cocaine and syringes. It makes for one very interesting conversation.
My students loved drawing pictures of the children with Xs for eyes and anime princesses with cigarettes dangling from their lips.
Jellybeans Up Your Nose
Johnny stuck jellybeans up his nose,
That’s a pretty dumb thing to do.
But the other kids said, “Hey Johnny’s real cool!
Let’s put beans in our noses too.”
Well, a kid can’t breathe with beans up his nose,
‘Cause they get all stuck inside.
So Johnny and the kids, well, I hate to say it,
But they coughed and they choked and they died.
That’s a pretty grim tale, I must admit,
And it may not all be true.
Still when somebody cool does something dumb.
You don’t have to do it too.
The origin of Red Ribbon Week is actually a pretty grim tale itself. To find out all about it, go to Red Ribbon Week on Wikipedia. It’s an interesting read. And it’s all true.
Being a G-Rated Teacher Sucks October 3, 2009
Posted by alwaysjan in Teaching.Tags: Dr. House, Education, Gay Students, House, Humor, Teaching, Teaching High School, Third Grade
5 comments
Third grade teachers don’t ever to go to the bathroom, and we certainly don’t swear. On some days I feel like Mary Poppins, when at heart I’m really Dr. House. But high school is a whole different ball game. When my son, Ian, walked into his art class on the first day of school, his teacher, Ms. Thurber, didn’t mince words. She’d been there, done that, and had the t-shirt to prove it.
She informed the class, “I don’t care who is gay, or who you think is gay. Just don’t carve it on the tables.” She continued, ”And if you feel like writing a note that says, ’F&ck Ms. Thurber,’ you can throw it over there on that pile with all the others.”
In a Dr. House vs. Ms. Thurber match-up, my money would be on the old girl. You gotta love a teacher who tells it like it is, but then I teach third grade. Would anyone like a spoonful of sugar?
Photo Credit: Dr. House by sweetxandxbitter on flickr.
The Homework Myth July 6, 2009
Posted by alwaysjan in Teaching.Tags: Education, English Language Learners, Homework, Homework Procedures, Teaching, The Myth of Homework, Third Grade
11 comments
I’m beginning to question the whole “homework reinforces learning and teaches responsibility” crap argument. Recently, I stumbled upon a Q&A with Alfie Kohn, author of The Homework Myth, that was published in the American School Board Journal.
Okay, I’ve still got to do my homework on homework (as in, buy and read the book), but according to the interview, there are NO studies that show that assigning homework in elementary school (grades K-3) improves achievement. I know what you’re thinking. At least it promotes self-discipline, right? But according to Kohn, there’s no scientific evidence to prove this is true either. Hey, is that my pig that just flew by?
I’ve always assigned homework. Your reading log must be signed by a parent every night. ”I don’t care if your parent is passed out on the couch,” I’ve been known to say. ”It’s your responsibility to put a pen in their hand and move it around!” Students who come to school without a parent signature are benched for morning recess. Okay, it’s only 15 minutes, and they can still use the bathroom, but it’s the thought that counts. I’ve had students weeping over the loss of that 10 minutes of runaround time. We spend maybe 15 minutes a day correcting homework and another ten minutes talking about the homework that’s to be done that night. It adds up.
For the record, I’ve spent two years designing and fine turning homework that incorporates the week’s spelling and vocabulary words, and English Language Conventions (read Skills) that we’re studying that week. But I’m not sure this homework actually helps the kids who need help the most.
I’ve taught a cluster of English Language Learners (ELLs) for the past two years. The other half of my students are English speakers, and last year I even had one boy who read at a 7th grade level. They’re all over the spectrum. In a perfect world, I’d be differentiating homework. But to be honest, I don’t have the time. I could ask my student from Mexico to practice her English sight words every night, but there’s no one at home who speaks English. And when I looked at the homework one of my Korean students turned in, I could see his father had translated it word by word and then written the spelling sentences for him.
I’m hearing more and more that it’s not “practice makes perfect,” but “perfect practice makes perfect.” So how does homework promote that? Or should it? Do students really need to work a second shift?
I do remember one homework assignment that yielded results. Our vocabulary word was “exist” and I had students ask their parents (or whoever was in charge) about things we have now that didn’t “exist” when their parents were in the third grade. Oh, the list we made! Cell phones, iPods, Invisalign braces – the list went on and on. Of course, one girl’s father told her toilets didn’t exist, but I chalked that up to him growing up in rural Mexico (or maybe he just didn’t understand the question).
I also sent students home with plastic straws and paperclips and had them construct right, isosceles, and obtuse triangles, which they had to “hand in” the next morning by sorting them into the correct piles. If only homework was always that interesting.
Once my students got the hang of Accelerated Reading (AR), I let them take home books from the class library so they could take the on-line quiz the next day. Talk about motivated readers! And my students can alphabetize their spelling words and draw a line between a vocabulary word and its meaning, but still…
I’ve only had a few parents over the years who asked for more homework. They tend to congregate in the GATE clusters. When parents do ask for more, I tell them their child would be better off watching the Discovery Channel or baking a cake. Some look relieved. Others are confused.
The week my students took THE TEST (the one that will determine who’s getting left behind), teachers were told not to assign homework.
A collective sigh of relief echoed through the hallways. No dashing down to copy homework only to find the copier was broken. No dashing down to find the copier had been commandeered by one of those upper grade teachers, who are always in the midst of printing out 35+ packets. Waiting to use the copier is a lot like standing in line at a Methadone clinic waiting for my fix turn. Fifty some teachers, two copiers. You can do the math. If life was fair, there’d be a technician chained to the copier 24/7.
To avoid this, I have all the homework on my computer at home and print it out on Sundays. Did I mention that Sunday has become my least favorite day of the week?
In my Master’s program, we had to pick a topic to do an Action Research project on over the next year. My cohort’s topic is…homework! No sooner had we decided on our topic than our district revamped its homework policy. The new guidelines cite the importance of daily homework to “reinforce learning” and report that “homework promotes responsibility.”
Okay, the jury’s still out, but it should be interesting to see what our research reveals. In the meantime, if you don’t have that parent signature on your reading log, you’re benched.
Playground Posse June 22, 2009
Posted by alwaysjan in Teaching.Tags: Education, Health, Hot Cheetos, Humor, Junk Food, Teaching, The Playground, Third Grade, Yard Duty
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As a “highly qualified teacher” it’s only fitting that I’m expected to do Yard Duty for 15 minutes twice a week. (Andy Warhol had the math wrong – It’s 15 minutes of fame 2 times a week for an entire school year!) This job is just too important to be left to amateurs, although my posse includes minimum wage employees.
This year we got to “choose” the days we wanted had to do yard duty along with the times. I signed up to do the “before school” shift, not because I’m an early morning person, but to get it out of the way.
I lucked out and got assigned to the climber and back basketball court. Whew! I managed to dodge the most dreaded of all Yard Duty assignments – Supervising the restrooms. That’s where the real action is. But assignments change each year, so I’m not counting my chickens.
When I’m on yard duty, I’m basically back on Sixth Grade Safety Patrol. Throw in a little Mall Cop and the LAPD’s “to protect and to serve” motto. You get the picture. A lot of school districts hire people just do to Yard Duty aka Playground Supervision, but not my district. This is not a job that just anyone can do.
Case in point. When my husband was in art school, he got a lunchtime job working as a Playground Aide at the local public school. He was fired after two weeks when he kicked a kid in the butt, after the kid spit on him. Unlike my husband, I take pride in my ability to maintain a cool demeanor when spittle is dribbling down my face. A police officer once told me, “I couldn’t do the job that you do – not without my gun.” That’s why us teachers get paid the big bucks.
Monday Morning. ”Hey you!” I yell. ”It’s Monday. First graders only on the climber!” “But I AM in first grade,” the boy protests. I look him over. This kid is HUGE. Freakishly huge. But several other first graders assure me he is indeed in first grade. Geez Louise. When Tyrano-boy runs across the bridge, the entire structure shudders. I decide to keep an eye on him. ”I’m watching you,” I say, just to let him know I’m nobody’s fool.
I spend an inordinate amount of time standing at the bottom of the slide repeating the mantra. ”We don’t go UP the slide, we go DOWN it.” I say this so often and to the same kids, that someone suggested we just have a recorded message. Hey, I came up with an even better idea. You know those metal spikes that puncture your tires when you drive the wrong way?
I also do a lot of conflict resolution which usually culminates with rock, paper, scissors or an insincere, “I’m sorry.” Every day it’s the same kids who get in trouble. Hmmm, I wonder.
And there’s always a small group of junkies students who huddle under the climber snarfing Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. NPR did a great segment called Kids Love Hot Cheetos But Schools Hate Them. We teachers know the signs. Red encrusted lips and the insatiable need to drink water.
At my old school, I was on Yard Duty on day when I got a report of illicit activity in the girls restroom. I slipped into the girl’s restroom and could hear the telltale rustling of the bag in the last stall. There I found three Latino girls standing on the toilet sharing a Family Size bag of Hot Cheetos. “You are so busted!” I said. I like to use that line of Kevin Spacey’s from American Beauty. In fact, I like it so much, I actually look for opportunities to use it.
Wednesday Morning. “Hey you!” I yell. “It’s Wednesday. Third graders only on the climber!” Since I teach third grade, I can easily sort these kids out. Third graders have typically graduated from Flamin’ Hot Cheetos to cell phones.
Personally, I don’t have a problem with kids having cell phones, as long as they keep them in their backpacks. But kids seem to have this need to show their phone to friends. They Show and someone Tells. That’s when I step in. “Oh, you are so busted!” I announce, as I confiscate the phone. What they don’t know, is that when I walk away, I can’t help but smile. Hey, I’m nobody’s fool.
The Party’s Over June 13, 2009
Posted by alwaysjan in Politics, Teaching.Tags: Budget Cuts and Education, California Budget Crisis, California Teachers and Budget Crisis, Class Management, Class Size Reduction, Economy, Education, English Language Learners, First Grade, Humor, Ranting, Second Grade, Teaching, Third Grade
4 comments
The notice was put in the teachers’ mailboxes today (Friday afternoon). The bottom line – Due to the state of California’s severe budget crisis, the gates of Hell have been thrown open. We’d already been told that class sizes in September were going from 20 to 22. But today we were informed that class sizes could go to 25, or as high as 31. Oh, and that there could be layoffs of teachers as late as August 15th. There was no Happy Hour today. The mood amongst teachers was bewildered, even somber.
My first year of teaching was in 1997, when the state had just reduced the class size in grades K-3 to 20 to 1. Oh, the stories the veteran teachers could tell – of teaching 35 of those wiggley, “I’ve got to go to the bathroom!” first graders. And they were still standing (the teachers that is). I’m afraid that 20 to 1 is all I’ve ever known. I did a stint of student teaching in the fourth grade where the class size is typically 30+, but those kids are big and can sit in a chair (okay, most of them). It took me three weeks just to memorize all of their names.
I’m not worried about my job. This is my fifth year with the district, but other colleagues, who are also my friends, aren’t so lucky. When the first round of RIFs (Reduction in Force notices) went out on March 15, teachers lower in seniority were put on notice. In years past, this was always a formality, and they were hired back come September, when the classes filled up. But these are strange times.
According to the local paper, 160 students at a local Christian school are leaving due to their parents’ own budget crises. I’m pretty sure those kids will be coming to a school near me, and it will have the word “public” in in. But, how this will sort itself out is anybody’s guess.
It didn’t help that the news came after a long day of trying to pack up the classroom while keeping the students busy engaged. I believe I am the only teacher in history to accomplish this without showing the students a movie. A group of boys constructed an Amazonian forest in a huge cardboard box, while another group of students was busy “stitching” on their burlap flags. Stitching is not to be confused with “sewing,” which is a girlie pursuit. I fashioned “needles” out of paperclips and the kids went to town and did a surprisingly good job. Only later another teacher informed me that there were in fact real big plastic needles the kids could have used. Oh. I’m big at reinventing the wheel,
I only mention this because none of these activities would be possible with 30 plus kids in the room. Someone literally might poke their neighbor’s eye out with that paperclip due to lack of elbow room. Come September, space in my classroom could be disappearing as rapidly as the rain forest in the Amazon.
This gives a whole new meaning to June Gloom in Southern California.
Photo credit: The Unruly Birthday Party by Jan Marshall.
Continental Thrift April 25, 2009
Posted by alwaysjan in Art, Teaching.Tags: Collage, Geography, Humor, Making a Physical Map, maps, Rhyme to remember 7 continents, Second Grade, Student Art projects, The 7 Continents, Third Grade
2 comments
I’m still working on my epic post about teaching Sex Ed, but wanted to put up a new post just to show off share the cool map my students made. They cranked it out in a day for our school’s upcoming International Day, and in case you’re geographically challenged, it’s South America.
I gave my students a pile of what I thought were G-rated magazines (Really, how racy could Family Circle be?) While I individually tested students’ reading fluency, the rest of the class sat out in the hallway tearing out pictures to match the colors on a physical map of South America in the atlas. (The finished map is 3′ x 6′.)
One boy took me aside to let me know he saw something “nasty” in one of the magazines. I asked him if he could be a little more specific. (I’m big on asking kids to be specific – That’s probably why one kid thought it was called the “Specific Ocean.”) The boy mumbled something about a naked woman. I told him it was probably health related and hoped I was right. But, in third grade, kids are easily grossed out. I was more grossed out by all the pharmaceutical ads.
That red strip is the Andes. I thought about sharing the story of Survived! with my students (a want vs. a need), but didn’t want to broach the subject of plane crashes and cannibalism – at least not before lunch.
Speaking of continents, (How’s that for a whiplash-inducing segue?) I found a rhyme that helps students remember the names of the continents.
The 7 Continents
North America, South America, joined in the West
Europe meets with Asia, and on Africa they rest.
Australia stands alone, floating down below
And Antarctica is the loneliest, where no one want to go.
The best part is acting it out. Ask for seven volunteers and assign each one a continent. Have the “continents” line up (left to right): North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. Antarctica sits in front of the group.
When we say “North America,” the child who is South America drops to one knee and the continents join by locking arms. When we say “Europe,” the child who is Africa drops to a cross-legged position. “Europe” and “Asia” shake hands above Africa, then lean over and place an elbow (gently!) on each of “Africa’s” shoulders.
“Australia” drifts off to the right and pretends they’re floating. (All teachers have a kid who’s a natural Australia.) Antarctica crosses their arms and shivers. The audience loves to get in on the shivering action too.
At the end of the year, I give students the rhyme, and they can fill in the names of the continents. Of course, then there’s the issue of spelling. Cue shivering.
Kvetching About Testing April 11, 2009
Posted by alwaysjan in Teaching.Tags: Education, English Language Learners, Humor, No Child Left Behind, Salary linked to test scores, Standardized Testing, Teaching, Teaching to the Test, Third Grade
3 comments
My favorite book about high stakes testing. The cafeteria serves students salmon because it's good for their brains. Available on Amazon.
Spring has sprung, and as teachers know, April showers bring May flowers testing. Yes, it will soon be time for The TEST. For students in California, it’s the CST. High stakes testing that will determine our school’s API (Academic Performance Index), an academic Scarlet Letter that we’ll have to wear in public for an entire year. Public stoning is a possibility, though for most of us, it’s more about self-flagellation. Yes, it’s “No Child Left Behind” (or only a few children and hopefully one of them is not yours).
All of the learning and teachable moments that I’ve shared with my students since September pale in comparison with their performance on The Test. It is the ultimate trump card and though I’ve taught my students every test-taking strategy on the planet (at least on mine), in the end they’re flying solo. Unlike in Second Grade, where teachers can read the directions aloud, in Third Grade, students read the directions by themselves. (Despite all my admonitions, I cross my fingers that they’ll bother to read the directions!)
We have only three more weeks to “prepare” our students for testing. On our first day back from Spring Break, we’re spending part of our Professional Development day making motivational posters to inspire students. This is the closest I’ll ever come to being a cheerleader. Rah rah.
I don’t believe for a minute that all this emphasis on testing is a reliable indicator of what children have actually learned or are capable of. Yes, testing provides a measure of accountability, which is necessary, but really! Even my principal, at a recent staff meeting, worried out loud that all this emphasis on test results could lead to “unethical behavior,” or as one teacher shouted out, “You mean, teachers might cheat!”
The temptation to cheat is a legitimate concern. Especially with talk about putting students’ test scores in a teacher’s record (as in, “This will go down on your permanent record.”) Then there’s that talk about financially rewarding teachers based on their students’ test scores. If that were the case, who’d want to teach my class? (Many students who are chronically playing “catch up” because they’re learning English.)
My students have come so far since September, but like a proud mother, I might be a tad biased. Our school librarian still laughs every time she remembers how my new boy from Korea turned to me when checking out a book and asked, “What’s my last name?” Should I be worried? Hell, yes! It might say “Miracle Worker” on my coffee cup, but it’s my students who move in mysterious ways (which might explain why they so frequently fall out of their chairs).
A week of testing awaits in May, and once the “offices” (manilla folders stapled together to discourage wandering eyes) go up, I can only cross my fingers, and look to the heavens. I’m still hoping that April showers WILL bring May flowers.
Friday Club March 25, 2009
Posted by alwaysjan in Teaching.Tags: Class Management, Class Rewards, Education, Friday Club, Homework, Humor, Student Incentives, Teaching, Third Grade
3 comments
The first year I taught I realized I needed to find a way to reward students who work hard and complete their homework each week. ”Friday Club” was born. Unlike Fight Club, (“the first rule of Fight Club is – Do not to talk about Fight Club“), EVERYBODY talks about Friday Club. It’s the place to be a quarter ’til three on a Friday afternoon. Are you in?
I lay out the membership qualifications for Friday Club in a letter home to parents on Week 1. A student cannot participate in Friday Club if 1) I’ve had to call home because of their behavior; 2) another teacher or staff member talked to me about the student’s behavior; 3) A student has incomplete homework that was not completed on the bench, or 4) a student has unfinished classwork.
I let all students participate the first week (even those with less than stellar behavior), as I want them so all see how much fun it is. But after that first fight (er, Friday), the gloves are off. I write “Friday Club” on the board with the universal NO symbol over it, and if you mess up during the week that’s where your name goes.
So what do kids DO during Friday Club? In years past, I’ve had two computers with two versions of “I Spy” on them. I set the timer for 10 minutes so two kids can play at a time and then rotate. For my English Language Learners, just trying to locate the “tong-goo” is a challenge. When they invariably ask me what it is, I ask them to stick out their tongues. When they do, I say, “That’s your “ton-goo.” They never make THAT mistake again.
Students can draw on the whiteboard, but if it gets out of hand, I set a limit. They love to take turns playing “teacher” and mimic everything I do. If you want to see what your teaching looks like, just sit back and watch your students do the most amazing impression of you. (And you thought they weren’t paying attention!)
I’ve got a bin of board games. The two mancala boards are the hands-down favorites. Students are also allowed to bring board games or puzzles to share.
This year I’ve got a group of boys who love to play with the math pattern blocks. I’d like to think they’re solving complex mathematical problems, but I know they’re really building forts and dungeons. There’s usually a couple of chess masters who sit locked in a mental battle while all this activity swirls round them.
And there are always those artsy craftsy girls who are happy to just glue beads and bend pipe cleaners to make butterflies. If I’m lucky, I’ve got one student who can do origami and teach it to the rest. I’ve cut squares of newsprint so they can practice. I’ve got lots of “How to…” books that kids love to go through – How to make hand shadows, puppets, draw monsters…
Last year I had two boys who designed elaborate marble chutes using paper towel tubes. I took to dragging in boxes for them which they fashioned into half-pipes and jumps. I liked to think they were destined to be engineers or architects, but then I’m prone to optimism.
I’ve always let one child walk around and pass out ONE red licorice whip. This is the first year my students have been so sweet, I haven’t bothered to break the seal on the licorice. (But, I’ve seen the students coming up from the second grade, so I’m already stockpiling licorice.)
Some days, with all the direct instruction, I feel like I’m teaching junior college. What I love about Friday Club is my kids get to act like kids. And that 30-minutes gives me time to clean up and prepare for Monday, or just go around and talk to kids one-on-one – something that’s often hard to do during the regular school day.
I used to have the kids who weren’t in Friday Club sit at their desk and write standards, e.g.,” I will do my personal best.” (No one is allowed to “distract” them). Sometimes I had them write the standards in cursive as that seemed less draconian. (And yes, some kids can write standards until the cows come home and they’ll still misbehave and be writing the same old standards the following week.)
This year I’ve had a terrific class, so when a kid sits Friday Club out, I have them write me a letter about what’s going on in their life or they can tell me their plan for improving their behavior. (I’m big on telling kids you’ve got to have a plan, or you plan to fail.)
I have a student who missed Friday Club a while back. He hadn’t been returning his homework and when he did, it was sloppily done. I told him to write me a letter. He wrote he was upset since his dad left. (I found out his father had been deported). Knowing this, I was able to sit and talk to him. I’ve found that the kids who aren’t eligible for Friday Club are often the very ones who need someone to talk to.
During Friday Club, some of my former students invariably stop by. They’re supposed to be en route to the bathroom, but I know they’re taking a trip down Memory Lane. “Ah, Friday Club,” they say wistfully. There’s always a collective groan when I tell students it’s time to start cleaning up. When I ding the bell, the kids have to clean up EVERYTHING. (One of my students loves to tell visitors, “Ms. M is a horrible maid – Just ask her husband!”)
But I’ve got to get my students out the door cause I’ve got my own Friday Club to go to. It’s called Happy Hour.
Art Smarts #1 March 19, 2009
Posted by alwaysjan in Art Education.Tags: Art Education, Art Lessons, Art Projects, Arts in Education, Education, Lesson about Lines, Lesson about Shapes, Lesson Plans, Second Grade, Third Grade
3 comments
Close-up of art by 8-year-old artist
Black construction paper. White glue. Chalk. It’s that easy. (Okay, I used pastels instead of chalk, which aren’t that cheap, but you can get a lot of mileage out of a couple of boxes). I’d seen the fantastic artwork done by second graders displayed in the hall using this process. That art was simpler – a straight line, a curvy line, and a zigzag line, with the shapes colored in between. Wonderfully abstract images. Some of my third graders had already “been there, done that,” so I upped the ante. Since we’ve studying fractions, I had them fold their paper into fourths. (I’m big on killing one bird with two stones -better yet, pummel that bird with as many standards (er, I mean stones) as you can lay your hands on.
The directions were to draw a geometric shape (a triangle) in 1/4, an organic design in 1/4, and a spiral in 1/4. The last quarter was free choice (that always elicits a cheer). No drawing in pencil first either. I drew a couple of examples on the board then turned my students loose.
Glue on paper before it's dried
The biggest problem was even though I’d checked the Elmer’s glue bottles, half of them were clogged. I spent a fair amount of time bending paperclips to try and get the glue flowing. Note to self. Next time, have a student test all of the bottles ahead of time! A few students were a little heavy-handed when it came to squeezing the glue, but overall it went quite smoothly.
I showed students how to carry their papers over to the floor like a tray of cookies, or else the glue would start running. I hoped that if we laid the papers in front of my big fan, the glue might dry while we were at lunch. Wishful thinking. This is a 2-day project.
I cordoned off the “drying” area with rope. One student remarked it was like having an art gallery in our classroom. The children proceeded to crowd the rope to get a better view of their art. Yes, it did look like a gallery – on the floor and laid out over several chairs. When one boy decided he was going to be the museum “guard,” I sent them all back to their seats.
By the next day, the white glue had dried so that it was clear. I gave a quick lesson in how to use the pastels. Don’t use them like crayons; use the sides. Each table got a paper plate of various colors and I suggested they complete 1/4 then walk around to see what other students were doing. There’s always a couple of “Class Artists” who are only to happy to share their expertise.
Trouble Shooting: 1) There’s always those kids who just use the same old colors on the school rug-red, blue, yellow, and green. I suggested they experiment with blending colors or working with only cool colors and then using one warm color.
2) A couple of kids paid no attention to the raised glue lines. They just wanted to color in big areas and viewed the lines as “speed bumps.” I had to get them to slow down and work within the lines.
Considering it was the first time I taught the lesson, I thought the results were stunning. When the pastel goes over the glue, it takes on almost a metallic or jewel-tone look. Ooooh! Ahhhhh!
Cursing Cursive March 16, 2009
Posted by alwaysjan in Teaching.Tags: Computer Keyboarding, Cursive, Education, Handwriting, Humor, Teaching, Teaching Cursive, Third Grade
3 comments
“Millennial Generation Seen As Increasingly Cursive Illiterate” was the headline story in the NEA’s The Opening Bell on Jan 5th. One teacher lamented that cursive is “almost being forced out” of the elementary curriculum due to “the priorities of No Child Left Behind.” My reaction? Boo hoo.
I teach third grade – Ground Zero for teaching cursive. The first week of school, I have my students complete a variety of assignments that go into a Time Capsule (okay, it’s just a decorated paper towel roll with tissue paper glued on the ends). About Me. My Favorite Things. My Best Friend. You get the picture. Then I have them write, “In third grade we learn how to write in cursive.” There’s always that one kid who already knows cursive, but the rest, after some moaning and groaning, just make something up. It usually looks like they wrote with their foot.
In May, I have my students write the same sentence again. At Open House they get to open their Time Capsule and see how much smarter they’ve become (this has only backfired twice). Students laugh hysterically when they put the two samples of their cursive side by side.
Recently I ran across my own report card from 6th grade and was surprised to see that I’d received a grade in Penmanship, with subcategories for Letter size and formation, Slant, Spacing, and Neatness! I had a check on Slant, but received an “I” for “Improved” two quarters later. Whew! But that was BC - Before Computers. Almost everything I write now (aside from the grocery list) is on the computer. I’m honest with my students. I only use cursive to sign my name, and then I challenge them to try and read my signature.
I’ve got two students this year that are still printing letters using “The Claw” technique. They literally grip that stub of a pencil in their crab claw. Now this was something that was supposed to have been addressed in first grade, so I have to set them straight. No matter how brilliant they are, if they apply for a job and fill out the application using “The Claw,” they’re going to be shown the door. So I’ve got some kids still learning how to hold a pencil.
Not that teaching cursive isn’t a teacher’s dream. Put on some classical music and watch the kids zone out as they write an entire row of double “l’s.” In a soothing voice, I coo, “take that letter all the way up to the belt line” or “remember, it’s like each letter is a breaking wave” (adding whooshing and swooshing sounds is optional). For that smarty pants who already knows cursive, I have a satchel filled with calligraphy markers and a How to Write Calligraphy book. (I’d like to think I’m giving them a head start on the art of forging historical documents.)
I’d much rather have my students perfecting their keyboarding skills in computer lab. My students take Accelerated Reader tests on-line and some can take 15 minutes just to type in the title of the book. Most of the research for their projects is now done on-line. If they’re going to have to learn cursive, they should at least be able to fashion their own quill pen.
My friend Kristina said her third grade teacher had her class write the same sentence over and over. “The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy sleeping bear.” This single sentence has ALL the letters in the alphabet in it. Yep, I checked. It’s a big improvement over the last sentence I had my students write, “Writing in cursive is obsolete!”
Another teacher (who writes in cursive and prides herself on not having a computer) took issue. ”I’ll have you know that I’m taking a night class in French and my teacher writes everything in cursive.” Leave it to the French. I rest my case.
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Butt, Naked? March 8, 2009
Posted by alwaysjan in Health, Teaching.Tags: Body Image, Body Issues, Childhood Obesity, Children and Nudity, Education, Health, Humor, Swimming, Teaching, Third Grade
8 comments
Nothing prepared my third grade girls, or me for that matter, for a walk through the Women’s locker room at a nearby local aquatic center. No, there wasn’t anything titillating. Tits, yes, but nothing titillating. It was strictly R-rated – “R” as in Real. Real people. Real bodies. Real scary – as in adult naked women, who bore no resemblance to Hannah Montana toweling off. The horror.
First, some back story. Our entire third grade was given the opportunity to participate in the center’s “Olympic Challenge.” Four weeks of swimming lessons, four days a week, at the most gorgeous aquatic center imaginable. Swimming doesn’t get any better than this.
But to get to that gorgeous pool, you have to go through the locker room. Now, I never liked locker rooms when I was a kid. In middle school, I was so skinny that I could hide INSIDE my locker to avoid the dreaded gang shower. Luckily, the swim lessons were provided by young hard-bodied instructors. Us teachers got to sit pool side warming a bench – fully clothed, ostensibly “grading papers.”
No sooner had we marked our territory with the our grade books, than a wide-eyed boy emerged from the Men’s locker room. ”There’s a naked man in there!” he announced, as though he’d just seen an alien. Yeah, the boys have their own issues.
The teacher I partnered with has spent a lot of time in Europe and is married to a European. She gave me the impression they actually have a hard time keeping clothes on, those fun-loving Europeans. But reading The Emperor Who Had No Clothes two weeks earlier was the closest my class had come to discussing nudity. We’d decided that the Emperor was wearing his “birthday suit,” though some kids later wrote that he was “butt naked.” (I don’t have a problem with the word “butt,” unless it’s preceded by the word “big.”)
I told my students to hurry up and change. They had no reason to linger in the locker room. “It’s not like you’re at Starbucks,” I told them. The first week was the worst. My Korean girls opened all the lockers and then draped towels between them so as to make small private dressing rooms. At least, that’s what I was told. I only set foot in the locker room once and the collective scream that went up sent me scurrying outside.
The first day, kids had to try on a swim suit (which they got to keep). Several of my bigger girls had to try on more than one to get just the right fit. One girl, who can look me eye to eye, sat pool-side the first week because she was “coming down with a cold.” After a few days, the swim instructor told me she needed try on a suit so she’d be ready to swim. The instructor then handed me three suits.
The girl hunkered down in a bathroom stall and I had to talk her through trying on each suit. Lots of grunting and groaning followed by, “Oops! I think I have it on backwards.” I offered to take a look, but she was horrified at the prospect. I finally convinced her this was okay, but first I had put on my dark glasses and keep my eyes shut, as I’d promised. I groped around and fiddled with the straps. Then I was granted a quick look. ”Hmmm. I think the straps cut into your back,” I said, reaching for the next size up.
I groused, as I heard the girl’s elbows knock against the sides of the stall, “You could have at least chosen a handicapped stall!” At last, we found a suit that covered the subject. I was exhausted. I had no idea that being a “highly, qualified teacher” involved THIS. The icing on the cake was when the girl’s family went out of town the next week – for the duration of swimming. Hmmm… But then what do I know?
When it was first announced that students would be swimming, my Muslim girl’s mother took me aside. She was concerned that her daughter be dressed “modestly.” I assured her I’d figure something out. That night I found myself googling “Muslim swim wear.” Oh dear. Snappy music came up with a woman riding a jet ski wearing what appeared to be a beekeeper’s suit. So not! Later, I found myself at Target checking out board shorts for girls. In the end, my student wore board shorts and a matching top, and yes, the other students knew why. It was no big deal. My student had never been in a pool before, so when she jumped off the diving board on the last day, I was ecstatic.
It was easier for the boys, but then the bigger boys (those who wear “Husky-sized” pants), were plagued by an even more embarrassing issue – Man boobs. Most of these boys were used to swimming in a t-shirt, so having it all out there for the world to see was humiliating. They walked around with their arms folded over their chests, which made them look like they were chronically cold.
Each day, we took the swimsuits back to school and hung them up to dry. When I noticed that one of my boys was always the first ready to swim, I realized he was taking his suit home and wearing it under his pants to school each day. Yeah, that would have been me, so I said nothing.
The first day, one of the instructors said the last boy out of the locker room would have to do the “chicken dance” in front of the girls, and vice-versa. This got the kids moving at warp speed. It is possible the “chicken dance” is just an urban legend, because I never actually saw it performed.
I never got around to grading any of those papers, what with taking photos of my students and passing out towels and all. But I had plenty of time to check out the other people at the pool. Not a lot of hotties swim during school hours. Like I said – “R” rated. We were sitting there one day when a guy walked by, his trunks clinging for dear life to his back side. The other teacher turned to me and said just what I was thinking – “Crack kills.” We burst out laughing.
Remember, last one out has to do the “chicken dance!”
Photo Credit: Chicken Dance by babka_babka on Flickr.
Messy Desks = Messy Minds February 9, 2009
Posted by alwaysjan in Teaching.Tags: Class Organization, Classroom Management, Disorganized Students, Education, Helping Students Get Organized, Humor, Messy Desks, Teaching, Third Grade
5 comments
A messy student desk is a manifestation of a messy mind. If that sounds a little Mao-esque, I wasn’t always such a hard liner. At one point I thought of a student’s desk as a manifestation of their individuality – even if that individuality screamed “hoarder.”
Everything changed six years ago. I took over a third grade classroom mid-year when the teacher left to fill an administrative job. It quickly became apparent that 30 minutes of each day was wasted waiting for students to find their book/paper/lunch ticket – in their own bloody desk! ”It’s here somewhere,” they’d mumble while rooting through enough papers to encircle the planet.
One day, at wit’s end, I announced it was time to get organized. I had everyone clean everything out of their desks. OMG. Yes, the sweet little girl in the photo above, who was an exceptional student, was the premier pack rat. Her desk was a virtual garbage stuck sans flies. But she had lots of competition. It was then and there that I decided to teach my students how to get organized. While some people are naturally organized (moi), the majority of us aren’t. The good news is that it’s a valuable life skill you can teach your students that will serve them later in life way more than cursed cursive ever will.
It’s taken five years to perfect this system (The Five Year Plan), but my students have embraced it and most importantly, it works. Here’s how I do it. When my third graders receive their books, they put them in their desk one-at-a-time according to a diagram that I post up on the board. It has a line down the middle and the sides are labeled LEFT and RIGHT as some third graders are still directionally challenged.
Language Arts goes on the left, everything else on the right, but not so fast, sassafras – One at a time. I hold up the anthology. ”Anthology!” I call out and they hold up theirs. When all copies are held aloft, I say, “Put it on the bottom left”. When they’ve done so, my students say, “Check!” We do the left side first and then the right. The chart even shows where things are to be put on the top of their desk, e.g., “Black Unfinished Work Folder on the left. (Often a black hole of disorganization itself). On top of that is the book they are reading. Then their journal, and finally their bin of school supplies. There’s a drawing for “visual” learners and my ELLS (English Language Learners).
I know some teachers who have their students organize their Homework Folders. Papers on the Left are to be “Left at home” and papers on the Right are “bring right back.” I haven’t had to go that far, but I do print out my the weekly reading log, which includes a letter home to parents, on puke-lime-green paper so students are less likely to lose it. My students will tell you that’s why I chose that color too.
After the first month of school, I can just put up the diagram on Friday when we clean up before Friday Club (that’s another post). I let my students take a 5-minute bathroom break at 2 p.m. and they return with wet paper towels to scrub down their desk. (It’s all about procedure – I had to even teach them just how wet the towel should be) All of my students now know what “elbow grease” is as in “you’ve got to use some elbow grease.”
One more cool thing. My students have three workbooks that are identical, so at the beginning of the year I use a paper punch to punch two holes on the lower right hand corner of one, and punch the shape of a star on another. The third book is plain. My students find this is all rather odd. Then I show them why I’m do this. I ask them to take out their “star” book without looking inside their desk. There they sit, eyes fixated on me, feeling the corners of their workbooks. When they all miraculously take out the right book, the look on their faces is priceless. You’d have thought I’d just made an elephant disappear. This is a great trick to have your students show a substitute.
I was heartened recently when I read an article in The New York Times called “Giving Disorganized Boys the Tools for Success.” Many teenagers, particularly boys, struggle with school due to a lack of organizational skills. My students are only 8 and 9, but I love to tell them that good habits are as hard to break as bad ones. Yes, someone else said that, but it bears repeating again, and again, and again. And I’ve personally found that girls can be just as disorganized as boys. So there!
Last week one of the boys was busy swabbing his desk when I heard him tell another boy, “I’m using lots of elbow grease.” He then sighed, “It feels good to get organized.” The other boy nodded. Can you say Nirvana?
Fortune Has Arrived January 26, 2009
Posted by alwaysjan in Holidays, Personal, Politics.Tags: Barack Obama, Breast Cancer, Chinese New Year, Fortune Arrives, Hard Times, Hope, Mastectomy, Positive Thinking, Teaching, Third Grade, Year of the Ox
3 comments
The mother of one of my students, who’s Chinese, came in Friday to talk to students about Chinese New Year. I love the color red so I was already sold on the holiday. Several years ago I didn’t have time to send out Christmas cards, but saved face by sending Chinese New Year’s cards instead. She read stories and brought beautiful Chinese dolls, and a gorgeous woman warrior puppet wielding a sword, ”A woman can be a warrior,” I informed the skeptical boys (brandishing my own verbal sword).
She explained how it was important to clean everything to prepare for the luck and good fortune that a new year brings. (It’s the Year of the Ox, in case you didn’t know.) All of my “Dragons” cleaned the entire classroom along with two students who were born in the Year of the Rabbit. Because they were born at the end of the year, we learned they are officially “Rabbit Tails.”
I was also given the character fu above which means good fortune in a general sense – wealthy, happiness, success (a green card?). The character is to be hung upside down. (Like I would know the difference!) When turned upside down, the character creates an auspicious phrase (Chinese for pun) Fu dao le that rhymes with the character for “arrives” or “comes.” So you’re expressing your wish that fortune be directed to wherever the upside down character is found. That’s why you’ll find the upside down character throughout the year and why not? Everyone needs good fortune heading their way. When good fortune comes, you turn the character right side up to signal its arrival.
I love symbols or maybe it’s the ritual, as so much of modern life has been stripped of ritual (other than the ritualistic stop at Starbucks). It seems to me that just about everyone I know could use some good fortune, including our new president, Barack Obama. Boy, does he have a big mess to clean up, and I think he’s going to need some help from the likes of you and me. Just to be on the safe side, Obama needs to hang up a really big upside down fu above the steps to our nation’s Capitol.
There are lots of people I know and love who could use some good luck. They cling to Hope while they await its arrival. I’m thinking tonight of my sister-in-law Jane (“Janer”). At 47, she’s already survived two marriages, one to a narcissist. She has nine children (eight still at home) and learned just last month that she has breast cancer. Tomorrow she’s having a double mastectomy. I know she’s scared, but chooses to focus on the positive (“I’m getting a tummy tuck and they’re going to use all that extra skin for reconstructive surgery.”) Know this. A woman can be a warrior.
Yes We Did – Watch the Inauguration January 21, 2009
Posted by alwaysjan in Politics, Teaching.Tags: Education, Humor, Inauguration, Politics, Students watching the inauguration, Teaching, Third Grade
3 comments
I woke up at 5 a.m. worried about one of my students, who’s often tardy. I shouldn’t have bothered. When I arrived at school, he was already in line and eager to let me know he was the first one at school. I breathed a sign of relief. So far, so good.
I’d left a note on the classroom door. Any student who arrived late had to be personally escorted to the restaurant where we were going to watch the inauguration or go to another teacher’s classroom. The plan was to leave directly from the playground where we line up so as not to miss Obama’s swearing in. The Start bell rang. We had exactly 14 minutes to walk to the restaurant if we wanted to see Obama take the presidential oath.
We speed-walked in a single file line. Several of my students, giddy with excitement, said they felt like they were in “Make Way for Ducklings” (one of the stories we’ve read) and that I was Mrs. Mallard leading the parade. We arrived just in time to see Joe Biden sworn in as Vice-President. They piled their backpacks in a corner and found seats. We had the front room at the restaurant, and my students quickly settled in to watch Barack Obama sworn in and listen to his speech, while they were served orange juice and muffins.
Then out came the real food. Hot trays with three kinds of eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, and pancakes. There were beans and meatballs and even baklava. One of my students who’s African American brought her mother and her grandmother (who was still younger than me!). They brought me the bracelet in the photo above. I have a wonderful photo of them - three generations – watching the inauguration. In one photo, my student’s grandmother is wiping away tears. It’s a beautiful image.
As I looked out over my students, I saw the faces of the future. My students are Asian (Korean, Chinese, and Vietnamese), Latino (Mexico and El Salvador), African American, Armenian, Bosnian, Pakistani, and my token white student (I have one every year), who’s excited that he’s learning some phrases in Bosnian. In short, they are the faces of American – and our country’s future. If my class is any indicator, our country is in good hands.
Yes We Can – Watch the Inauguration January 17, 2009
Posted by alwaysjan in Politics, Teaching.Tags: Barack Obama, Education, Room Parents, Students watching the inauguration, Teaching, Technology, The Inauguration, the state of technology in public schools, Third Grade
5 comments
My third grade students almost missed watching the inauguration of Barack Obama. Last Tuesday it hit me. Although I have a TV in my classroom (won in a raffle), I’ve only used it to show videos and DVDs. Because of the mountains in Southern California, you can’t get decent TV reception unless you have cable or a satellite dish. So how were my students going to watch Barack Obama take the presidential oath? No matter your political bent, this is History with a capital H!
I talked to my husband aka “Tech Support” about our options. On any given day the internet is down in my classroom. (To be fair, when we got a new school superintendent, he was appalled at the sad state of technology in our district, but that’s Another story). I know teachers who are taking Tuesday off because they don’t want to miss this historic event. How sad is that? .
I emailed my room parent to ask if she had any ideas. (And no, I don’t name names, but I am arranging to have her face carved on Mt. Rushmore.) I was willing to invite my students to watch the inauguration at my house (and yes, I would have obsessively cleaned for third graders), but parents aren’t allowed to drive students on field trips. Dedicated teacher that I am, I wasn’t willing to put my job security on the line and commandeer a bus (not in this economy).
My room parent is one of those “can do” people, who can move mountains. (I just point to where I want it moved.) When my sons were in school in New York City, I was always a room parent, and I’d like to think that my sons’ teachers thought of me in the same way. But then I was never “put to the test.” I excelled at collecting money from parents and making sure there were enough cupcakes for class parties.
Within 20 minutes of my email, my room parent had come up with a plan. I had to (take a deep breath) call my principal at home to get the okay. My principal thought it sounded “fabulous!” The very next day, each student received a personal invitation to the presidential inauguration.
So I don’t know how you’re spending Inauguration Day, but this is what my “future leaders of tomorrow” will be doing. As soon as the Start bell rings. we’re going on a “Walking Field Trip” to a restaurant three blocks from the school. My room parent knows the owner. Although the restaurant doesn’t open until lunch, they’re letting my class watch the inauguration in the back room on the big screen TV AND serving them breakfast. (My room parent said she’d take care of that.)
One of my students is bringing her mother and her grandmother, so you’re welcome to join us. All of the permission slips have been returned, and the students are psyched. Because they’re third graders, now they want to know about the really important stuff – like what’s to eat?
Why is this so important to me? This year I have a cluster of English Language Learners (ELLs) and most of their parents are here on student visas or aren’t citizens, so they didn’t even vote. And unlike in years past, I only have three African-American students this year. But I understand the significance of the election of the first African-American president for ALL Americans. My students (who are 8 and 9) might not fully appreciate this now, but years from now I want to them to remember how they spent this day, and that they shared it with me – their teacher.
On Friday, as they got ready to leave, I asked my students, “Are you going to come to school on Monday?” I got a resounding NO. They all know it’s Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday. (Third graders are SO smart.)
“Are you going to come to school on Tuesday?” I asked. ”Yes!” they said in unison, barely able to contain their excitement. ”Don’t be late, ” I reminded them. ”We have a date with history!”
Note to Teachers: So many teachers have read this post after plugging in the search term “inauguration lesson plans for third grade.” My amazing room parent also bought me a subscription to edHelper.com. so I was able to put together a four-page Inauguration packet filled with puzzles and activities.
Multiplication Rocks October 12, 2008
Posted by alwaysjan in Teaching.Tags: Class Management, Drill and Kill, Education, English Language Learners, Humor, Lesson Plans, Math, Multiplication, Teaching, Third Grade
3 comments
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say the dreaded words. Drill and kill. Yes, you heard me right. Drill and kill. Unlike a certain vice-presidential candidate, I’m not talking about the solution to end our dependence on foreign oil, or my weekend plans to pick off wildlife with a high-powered rifle from low-flying aircraft. No, what I have in the cross hairs of my scope is a more elusive target – multiplication.
Third grade is the beachhead for mastering multiplication. Students who are promoted to fourth grade and haven’t memorized their times tables should prepare to hunker down in the trenches of “And would you like fries with that?” Study after study has shown that the majority of students who struggle with math in middle and high school never learned their multiplication facts.
I attended a week-long math training last summer and the trainer taught all sorts of alternatives to the dreaded drill and kill technique. She demonstrated ways to calculate facts by contorting your hands and fingers so that you ultimately came up with the answer, while also getting a vigorous physical workout. These alternatives fell somewhere between throwing up gang signs and cheerleading. Hello? 3×7 is 21! I knew that, and I didn’t even have to slap my thighs and yodel the answer!
By the end of third grade, students should be able to complete 100 multiplication facts in five minutes. One fact I know is that they haven’t really memorized the facts unless they can do them in three minutes. That’s why I have “The 3-Minute Club.” Last year, 18 out of my 20 students were proud members. The remaining two could do their facts in five minutes, but I saw some secretive finger counting under the table. (I’ve been known to make them sit on one hand when they do fact practice, math meanie that I am!)
Some people call it drill and kill, but my students call it FUN! They literally salivate at the chance to practice math facts. It wasn’t always like that. Five years ago I attended a New Management Seminar given by Rick Morris, who has lots of creative ideas on classroom management. That’s where I learned about the TeachTimer, which can be used on any standard overhead projector. It functions as a clock and a timer, and can count up or down. It costs around $40 (divide by $3.75 to calculate the number of lattes this equals). I’ve only had to replace the battery once, which makes it one of the best investments I’ve made.
Here’s how I do it. My friend Jen gave me sheets of 100 math facts – various levels of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. My students drill daily and by introducing the timer on Day 1, they get over their fear of being timed.
The rules are simple. No one gets to shout, “Yes!” or dramatically flip their paper over to let the entire class know they’ve already finished. The great thing about the TeachTimer is I can set it to count down, so those students who finish early can write the time remaining. Once they’ve written 2:00, they know they’re “in the club.”
I give students the same facts every day for a week. On Monday they write M-5, as they have five minutes. Tuesday is also T-5. But then we speed things up, so Wednesday is W-4, and Thursday is R-3 (yes, I have to explain why I use R instead of Th, but they quickly catch on). On Friday, they once again take the same test in five minutes (F-5). That’s the one I grade. When the timer beeps, I say, “Pencils down, correcting crayons out.”
And here’s the best part. The students correct it them themselves! Those who’ve finished the row raise their hands and I call on one. ”Einstein, Row A,” and Einstein ticks off the answers. Row B! Row C! Most of my students are ELLs (English Language Learners), so this also gives them the opportunity to speak. Most ELLs are more comfortable with math and saying numbers aloud.
At the beginning of the year, I have students practice reading the answers at just the right pace, and how to project their voice. If someone gives a wrong answer there’s an incredulous chorus of “Huhs?” and the mistake is rectified. Students put a tick mark next to each correct answer (no stars!) as they correct. If they get an answer wrong, they just circle it, as there’s no time to write the correct answer. After practicing last year, we timed ourselves. It took SEVEN MINUTES to do a five-minute drill AND correct it!
Last Friday I put one of my students in charge of correcting. He called on students and they rattled off the answers. This gave me TWO WHOLE MINUTES to do something productive like figure out where I’d put my brain. Do you know how many teachers would kill for just two extra minutes? It was bliss, and the kids were totally running the show.
The drawing above was done by one of my students who was a crackerjack reader, but was flirting with early arthritis from chronic finger counting. He drew the picture at the end of the year after his confidence had soared 100 times (and yes, he could calculate x100 using that neato zero trick). Drill and kill? Just ask my students. They’ll tell you multiplication rocks!
For free math fact practice sheets, you can go to mathfactcafe.com
Let the “Screwball Games” Begin! June 13, 2008
Posted by alwaysjan in Teaching.Tags: End of the year activities, Humor, Last Day of School, Last day of school activities, Lesson Plans, Second Grade, Teaching, Third Grade
2 comments
The entire school year I’ve tested my students ad nauseam, so what do we do on that last day of school? We test! But this test, aka “The Screwball Games,” gives kids the opportunity to show off those all important skills and talents that standardized testing overlooks. Skills such as the vastly under rated ability to cross your eyes, which sadly I am unable to do. So each June I’m humbled by these children who only come up to my armpits, yet can cross their eyes, do the splits AND wiggle their ears.
Students work in small groups and are so eager to participate in this freak show, they actually work cooperatively! But as the teacher, you must set clear standards for each skill so it can be accurately assessed. For example, staring intently at your nose is NOT crossing your eyes.
The “Screwball Games” also provide the opportunity for students to demonstrate overlooked talents, so truly NO child is left behind. One year four boys came to the front of the class and belched an entire song. That’s got to meet some Listening and Speaking Standard! Because it’s the last day of school, don’t waste your time on such mundane skills as cartwheels, armpit farts, or being able to do the crab walk. Encourage kids to go for the gold! You’d be amazed how many kids can flip their eyelids inside out, or pop entire portions of their bodies out of joint. Talk about multiple intelligences!
Want to play? Here’s how it works. Students receive the following form:
The Screwball* Games
*screwball- Definition: odd and eccentric
Group Members:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Who can:
Wiggle their ears?
Do the splits? (in ANY direction)
Sit on the floor with the bottoms of their feet touching while their knees are on the floor? (you can’t use your hands to push your knees to the floor)
Raise one eyebrow?
Cross their eyes?
Roll their tongue? aka “Taco Tongue”
Snap their fingers?
Whistle?
Put one foot behind their head? Two feet?
Separate their fingers two by two? (Also referred to as the Vulcan greeting!)
Stand on one foot for one minute
Please list any other overlooked talents:
Give students about 20 minutes to meet with their groups so they can each demonstrate their special abilities to the other group members. Have one person write down the names of those who can. Then have students return to their seats and name a category. All of the ones who can do it come up front and demonstrate at the same time. The effect is fantastic! When all of the them are hopping on one leg while you man the timer, it’s like watching a deranged performance of “River Dance.” One year I had three students who managed to get their foot behind their head, but failed miserably at getting it out from behind their it. This required a calm demeanor to extricate them from this rather embarrassing predicament. Note: Tell the girls ahead of time to wear pants.
The “Screwball Games’ provides a good hour’s worth of hilarity, and more importantly, the chance for you to sit back and be entertained. So let the games begin!
How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Days… June 7, 2008
Posted by alwaysjan in Teaching.Tags: End of the School Year, Final days of school, Humor, Last Day of School, Teaching, Third Grade
1 comment so far
I’m really going to miss this year’s class of students, but I can’t miss them until they’re gone. The calendar screams June and even my students know that the little number at the top of the whiteboard is the number of school days remaining. Yet there’s still a barrage of tests to administer, report cards to write, not to mention adding those comments to the cums i.e. “This will go down on your permenant record!” How on earth will I get all this done? The same way I get into my size 8 jeans. I’ll just have to squeeze it all in.
The end of the school year is also riddled with assemblies, events, and even more importantly, non-events. With all this work to do, teachers are looking for time fillers aka time killers.
Someone wants to demo a sample lesson from the new music curriculum in my class? Come on down! I know those books are behind my desk somewhere. I was just too busy ferrying my students to chorus and practicing the recorder to crack them open. Besides, I’m still suffering from flashbacks involving music lessons from my own childhood. They include a teacher with tightly curled hair, who played a mean pitch pipe.
There’s a scientist who wants to make a presentation to students about sea otters? Wait a minute, aren’t they those cute furry little guys who float on their backs and crack open mussels on their bellies? They’re adorable AND they’re endangered? Hey, endangered begins with an “e” and so does “educational.” Pencil me in.
The key to surviving the final weeks of school is to keep students believing, until the last possible minute, that everything they do counts. If they’re watching a video, you’ve got them convinced you’re grading them on their listening skills. You can even up the ante, and fill/kill more time, by having them write a summary of the video. But call it a critique because it sounds more important. Better yet, have students storyboard the entire video and learn animation, which will especially be valuable if they ever move to Asia. A really good teacher can shoot students a look that says, “Pay no attention to that man standing behind the curtain!” while standing atop a student desk and prying staples out of the wall with ruler.
At our school, teachers are told everything must be taken off the walls or covered, so the custodians can “wash” the walls. I’m sorry, but I haven’t washed the walls in my own house since the last century. Besides, our classroom ceilings are 12 feet high and the periodic leaks in the plumbing wash away any pesky cobwebs. The other thing I’m loath to hear is that my classroom will be used for summer school. Everything must then be covered to minimize dust (as in dusting for fingerprints, because some of your stuff will mysteriously dissapear.)
Packing up the class for summer is akin to striking a movie set without the crew. Some teachers pop in a video/DVD, dim the lights, and don’t look back unless they hear screams or gunfire. Then there are those teachers who, usually out of sheer desperation, enlist the help of their students. WARNING! – This is a double-edged sword and someone WILL fall on it.
Years back I volunteered to help out in a friend’s classroom. It was the last day of school and the kids kept asking if they could help. Finally, she acquiesced and what followed is still vividly etched on my mental hard drive. No sooner had she said yes then children swarmed like a plague of locusts and began ripping the butcher paper off the walls. They made soccer hooligans look like a bunch of rank amateurs. Thank god there was no car in the classroom, or it would have been overturned and set ablaze. At one point, I looked over and saw the the American flag falling. I remember thinking that quite possibly, I was witnessing the fall of Western civilization. When all of the paper had been ripped from the walls, the children collapsed on the floor and rolled around in the scraps of paper like pigs in mud.
There is also the, “Should we have an end-of-the-year party?” dilemma. My solution is to have a party on the second to last day of school. I don’t want to be scraping turquoise cupcake frosting out of the carpet on that memorable last day. By the end of the year, the cupboard is bare, so if students want a party, they better bring the food. If they come bearing shrimp chips and Gummi worms, that’s what’s on the menu. No plates or paper napkins? Have a student bring back paper towels from the bathroom then show them how to fold and cut them into heart shapes. It’s never too late to squeeze in a lesson on symmetry and for students to hone their cutting skills with dull, rusty scissors.
Finally, there are always those kids who ask if you’re going to give them a present. I blame this on those over-achieving kindergarten and first grade teachers, who are permanently stuck in precious mode. You can count on them to send the kids off with some insufferably cute keepsake. This ensures that later in life, their students will use the name of their first-grade teacher as the hint to recall a forgotten computer password.
By the end of the year, if your students are still asking what you’re going to give them, you’ve failed at instilling the most important lesson of all. That you’ve already given them the most valuable gift you have to give – your time.
This said, I do stockpile blank journals from the 99 Cent Store and give them to students the last day of school. I write my address on the inside cover and tell them if they write me a letter over the summer, I promise to write back. And I do. Now some teachers think this is sheer lunacy. ”What about those disgruntled parents? They’ll know where you live!” I choose to be an optimist. I’m sure those shots fired on my street several years back were not intended for me. A case of mistaken identity, no doubt. Or teachers envision an even worse scenario. ”You don’t want to have to write letters to your students when you’re on vacation!” I just smile.
The first year I gave out my address, I even enclosed a stamp in the journal, then waited for the letters to come streaming in. I waited. And waited. The most letters I’ve ever received is three. The first year I took it personally. How could my students have forgotten me so quickly? But now, I realize it’s nothing personal. My students are just as eager to have a break from school as I am. Knowing this, I remind myself to treasure my last eight days with them before I send them out the door that final time.
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