Students' Priorities for Learning

     I have not posted in what feels like forever. Heaven knows it is not for lack of things to share, but lack of time. I know you know where I am coming from! We had Spring Break (aka: Heaven) week before last, and I had cheerleading tryouts this past week (aka: NOT Heaven). This will still be a short post - I have to get to the grocery store. The site I am sharing with you is worth a look though, definitely.
     I received three emails from teachers who said I am neglecting my EBD teacher friends by only posting about Reading. I am flattered that anyone even cares what is going on in my classroom!! So, this week I am posting a discussion lesson I did with my Affective Skills classes. Oh - and one Word Work story from Reading. It is partially inappropriate but will definitely make you smile. Welcome to high school....
    I came across a post on Pinterest (of course) that gave a link to a New York Times site that offers discussion prompts for teenagers. They are awesome and I have used many of them. The students enjoy the debate and we have had some amazing talks. I have used them in a debate format, a written response/opinion format, and an open floor-have at it format. The site is 200 Prompts for Argumentative Writing. The one I am sharing is entitled "What Are You Actually Learning in School?".

    (I should have written "not academically" in the parenthesis because it looks like I am saying they aren't learning academics, but hindsight and all that....) I always print the article and read excerpts aloud but also have the whole thing available so they can read it independently if they wish. Some actually prefer that. This is what they gave me during the discussion:

     The first three are things we do specifically in Affective Skills, so I asked them to branch out. When I asked them what they thought they should be learning, all of their answers made perfect sense and were very relative to their lives. Nicely done. Under the "should not learn" category, you can see where they went. And guess which one garnered the most lively debate? The dissecting of animals. That also made sense because honestly, we talk about relationships a lot in my room. There are literally 200 prompts/articles on that sight. I wish I had taken more pictures of examples. Check it out! Very thought provoking.

     Now for a little Word Work. I use the book Systematic Sequential Phonics They Use, which is an elementary resource. But I have found that my Reading class needs this type of support desperately. And honestly, once I started it I truly saw the need and the benefit. Most of them cannot spell using blends, digraphs, and inflectional endings. It works by giving them 5 to 7 letters. You then call out a word (let's say bat) and they write it. You continue calling out words and saying things like: Now, add a letter and make bait. Now drop a letter and add two letters that make one sound to create batch. And so on. They love the added challenge at the end of making one word that used all the letters. I turned that into a friendly competition. To do this, I have them write on their desks with a dry erase marker.

     It only takes a few minutes, they love it, it is valuable for them to see the spelling patterns, and I can knock out two a day. I don't do them every day, but usually we get to them three days a week.
     Now for the not so appropriate part. I apologize if this offends anyone, but if you know me - I am real. You do not teach EBD for this many years without learning how to laugh. This made me laugh! So.... when I introduced them to drawing these word study lessons on their desks, they were like elementary school kids. I was trying to get their attention and they were all drawing on their desks. (That made me laugh, too.) So, I went all early childhood on them and said, "I will set the timer for 5 minutes. You may draw anything you want for that five minutes. Then I get all of your attention." Ya'll! They were silent! They drew the whole time. Too. Funny. Remember: Same kids, bigger bodies.
     Okay - well, one of my students is adamant that he wants to be a stripper when he grows up. He does not in any way mean this disrespectfully, inappropriately, or trying to get a reaction from adults. For him it is a fact. He wants to be a mechanic during the day and a stripper at night. He has it all planned out and has since last year.  I know this about him, but we don't talk about it in class or anything. As I am walking around looking at drawings, this is his:

     I asked him to go run an errand for me so I could take this picture. I hope that made you at least smile. Remember, laugh or cry! I choose to laugh. (NOTE: I am voting for him to go the mechanic route, just so we are clear.) Again.... welcome to high school.
 
     Happy Easter, Friends! I have so much to share next time about identifying plot and also characterizations. I need more time!
     Mrs. Beck