Connection Circles and Evidence Supported Inferring

     One would think that having had four days off for ice and snow last week, I would have gotten this post done earlier than tonight. But alas, I enjoyed the days off with Mr. Wonderful, cooked a lot of good food, read a few wonderful books, took a lot of great naps, and basically enjoyed the down time. Now it is Sunday night, and I am once again joining the real world.
     In my last post, I paid homage to Tanny McGregor and must do so once again. This post is based on lessons taken directly from her book Comprehension Connections: Bridges to Strategic Reading. As I have said, go buy this book! The book is geared mostly towards instruction with younger students, but I have both adapted parts and kept parts for the high school level seamlessly. As I mentioned before in my blog post on January 16, 2014, these are teenagers reading on 1st to 3rd grade levels. (PS: That is my favorite post ever. I think it captured the challenges of teaching this class while also conveying the challenges the students themselves face. Admittedly, much greater a challenge to be in their shoes than to be in mine. I learn from them everyday, and they aren't even trying to teach me!)
     After introducing metacognition and the concept of having them think about their thinking as they read, I did a lesson on Connections. I had taught Connections in it's most basic form already, but I wanted to dig a little deeper and define the different types. Enter Ms. McGregor's Concentric Circles of Connections. I made one on the computer that looked like the one below. The next picture is what it looked like added to their journal.

     After explaining the types of connections, we went back through the ones we had posted previously on the class CROP-QV for Wonder by R.J. Palacio (our current class read aloud) and sorted them by type: T-S, T-T, and T-W. I then gave them all sticky notes and did our read aloud for the day. I asked them to jot down their connections, but to also code them as to what type they thought they were. After reading, we shared the connections and posted them by code (type) on the board. We had slightly more T-S, but they were pretty even. The next day, I gave them a sheet and asked them to make one connection of each type from their independent reading. I also asked them to choose a fourth connection and tell me what type it was. Additionally, they were to not only share the connection but what the text said that caused the connection. (I took pictures of these, but the camera got stuck at school over the snow day. I'll share them later...) My reasoning behind this was to see of they actually understood the different types and could apply them appropriately as they read. Typically, I would not make them use a certain strategy. I tell them all the time, strategies for comprehension are specific to each person and some work better than others for each individual reader. I personally rely strongly on Visualization and Questions as I read. Some students don't get any mental image at all, but rely on Predictions or Connections to help support their comprehension. Each reader is unique. I am simply trying to find the options that will work best for them. I do like to get an idea, however, if they are with me. It was clear based on the evidence of the practice sheets I gave them, that they were. Just one more strategy in their comprehension arsenal. 

     I had taught schema (basically - background knowledge, unique to each individual) about two weeks ago. I revisited it, and Questioning as well, with a short mini-lesson from the book. I compared McDonald's, a place all of the students are familiar with, to a restaurant in Florida that my husband and I visit called Ponce Inlet. I knew none of them had ever been there. I began by asking them to call out everything they knew about McDonald's in 30 seconds and I recorded it on the left side of an anchor chart. Then on the right side, I gave them 30 seconds to call out all they knew about Ponce Inlet. 

     

     We reflected on the fact that their knowledge based on schema was plentiful, and they could have called out things much longer than 30 seconds. We also discussed how they relied on Questions to try and build some knowledge of the unknown topic. I also discussed with them that even before the 30 seconds was up, and the calling out had gotten quiet, I heard two of them start talking about a girl that they thought was cute who had just walked by the door. Aha! So... see how easy it is to get off topic when it is unfamiliar and uninteresting to you!?! (PS: Thank you to the reading gods who allowed this perfect example to happen.... I love when that happens!!) They all laughed when I pointed out the off topic conversation, but one of the boys who had done it said, "That really happened. How did you know?" (Again... thank you reading gods...)

     I made this anchor chart (thanks, Ms. McGregor!!) and posted it in class. 

     They added it to their journals, we discussed each element of the equation, and we were all set to start making evidence based inferences. I started by defining what exactly it is to infer and how inferences can support comprehension. Before they arrived, I got a clean trash bag and collected a few items from the class trash can as well as printed some staged ones offline. I used some ideas from the book and threw in some of my own to make it relevant. As I took out the items, they were to tell me what they were and then explain what that item told about the person to whom the trash belonged. Here is the chart we made. 

     These were the items and the grey wording is what they said the items meant. (PS: I think Cosco may be spelled Costco... I should look that up...) They had a great discussion about these things and some really good ideas. For the next lesson, I displayed the anchor chart again and discussed how we could use their ideas as solid evidence to support their inferences. We made a new chart. We put our evidence based on schema in pink. 

     I then sent them on their merry way with a supply of sticky notes (larger ones, folded down the middle, hot-dog style) and asked them to practice making an inference on the left and offer support for that inference on the right. We displayed these on the board and discussed each. They really did a fabulous job!! 

     I have been so focused on Reading on the blog, that I have neglected my EBD friends. I thought I would share the lesson we did on anger last week. I found a wonderful article on anger and how it can mask other emotions. (The article is at school, but I promise to give credit to the author in the next post.) I drew this graphic on the board:

     We read the article and discussed examples of times when anger may have masked these emotions in them. I didn't take a picture of the examples we wrote under each emotion because they were personal to the students. I am nothing if not respectful of each of them and their confidentiality. Suffice to say, the examples were numerous. We added it all to their journals. 

     I just have to say, I am enjoying teaching so incredibly much this year. It was a scary - no terrifying - move to come to high school, but I am so excited that I took the plunge. I LOVE it!! I had been hoping to do it for a few years, but the need for change wasn't crystal clear until last year. Coming to a Title I high school of 3600 students has been 100% different than anything I have ever imagined. But different in an amazing, inspiring, challenging, and wonderful way. I thank these kids every day for the lessons they teach me and the time they allow me to spend with them. Treasures. Each and every single one of them. 

    I leave you with a picture of my board from last week. If you have read my earlier posts from this year, you know that I actually teach in a closet. (That may or may not be a slight exaggeration, but slight if at all...) And I hate (with a red hot passion) clutter. I hate it. It makes me hyperventilate. Well, take a look at this....

     As I walked in the other day and looked at this board, I sighed and wondered how I was going to use the 5 square feet of wall space I have left to display my most important things. I mean, I don't leave at the end of the day until everything is put away and my desk is 100% clear. It helps me start the next day fresh, people! But then, one of my kids came in behind me and said, "Look at all that stuff!" And I, thinking she was disturbed by the level of clutter, sticky notes, and anchor charts said, "I know! I have got to get this under control!" And do you know what she said to me? She said, "No, Mrs. Beck. That just shows how much we learn in this class. That's why we all come here every day and no one ever skips your class. This stuff really helps us. You really help us. Thanks, Mrs. Beck." And she left. I closed the door, sat at my desk, actually shed a happy tear, and silently thanked the reading gods once again. That really happened. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE THIS JOB!!!!! PS: I left the board. Just like that. 

    Have a great week friends. I hope to get the next post out in a few days on Questioning. Stephanie Harvey is going to be so proud. 

Mrs. Beck

Metacognition: Thinking About Thinking

     First of all, I need to do a major disclaimer here. I have relied on (and by relied I mean totally used, stolen, adapted, stolen, and used again.....) Tanny McGregor and her book Comprehension Connections: Bridges to Strategic Reading for my instruction over this last week and a half. Some of the pictures from my classroom are going to look very familiar, and in some cases exactly like, the anchor charts she has in this book. I feel guilty only long enough to realize that 1) That is why she sold the book, 2) That is why I bought the book, 3) Teachers are idea thieves - accept it, 4) Sometimes my brain is mush and I am doing good to match my shoes much less design an anchor chart that is already fabulously designed and in the book that she sold me and I bought. Okay. Enough justification..... (But you really should go buy the book!)

     I love the idea of teaching students metacognition (thinking about their thinking) mostly because I want to make them aware of when it is that their thinking breaks down. They have to understand that when you look up at the end of a text and realize you read the whole thing but have no idea what you read... you needed to fix that before you got to the end. This sets me up to teach strategies on how to fix the thinking later. In the book, she starts with an activity in which you have sets of cards marked "Text" and "Thinking" and a basket or box labeled "Real Reading Salad". I adapted this for high school and it looked similar, but like this: 

     I read When the Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant, and modeled thinking as I read. Some thoughts were directly from the text (Text card) and some were me thinking based on my schema and other connections I had (Thinking card). I had the students determine which card went into the basket. Low and behold, we had many more thinking cards at the end than we did text cards. We discussed the reasons for that determined it was that we think while we read and we don't even know it. Wa-La... Metacognition! (Is that even how you spell "Wa-la"? I have never written it. In my whole life. Hmmm. If not, feel free to correct it as you read.) I then gave them the Venn type diagram that is used in the book and had them fill it in for their journals. 

     

     The graphic shows how thinking and explicit reading overlap. I love it. I have it hanging in my room as well. I then gave them each a card marked "Text" and "Thinking" and we practiced this whole group. I would model thinking as I read from an article I had on our basketball team, and they would hold up the card  that they thought showed how I was thinking. We would briefly discuss if they were right and why, then I would continue reading.  They wanted to keep the cards so I let them add them to their journals as a visual reminder of the lesson. 

     The next thing I shared with them was thinking stems for metacognition. This anchor chart is 100% copied from the book. (But I had on matching shoes that day, so I was already spent...Judge Free Zone, remember.)

     I discussed the thinking stems and modeled how to use the them based on the reading from the day before. We recorded these on the board. Then I put them into groups and gave them each a Shel Silverstein book of poems. I had them use the thinking stems to record their thinking and then we added them to the chart and shared our thinking. 

     Our next metacognition topic was to tackle depth of thinking. I used paint cards from Lowe's to model this, just as the book suggests.(I asked them if I could have them first even though they are free because I felt bad just taking them. I mean, we remodeled an entire home in Florida and used Lowes for it all so it isn't like they couldn't spare a few paint cards... but I HATE to be in trouble. And what if that sweet old lady at the door called me out for stealing free paint cards!? No way was I risking that. So, I asked. But it's up to you.) I made an anchor chart and then they added their cards to their journals. 

   

     I modeled how to use the colors to understand my thinking as I read excerpts from the book I am currently reading, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou.  I then had them practice using these cards to show how they were thinking as they read using their independent texts from their book boxes. The recorded this thinking in their journals as well. 

     Obviously, Ms. McGregor's book will give you much more insight into these processes, and I wish I had time to share it all. The students really did a great job of grasping the concept of metacognition and have applied it well so far in isolation. The goal, however, is to have them use it without even having to exert that much effort, seamlessly as they read. Work in progress, friends!

     Oh - I also started reading Wonder by R.J. Palacio out loud to the students. I only read a little bit each day, and I think it has such a valuable lesson for them all to hear. I told them I wanted to model fluency and thinking out loud for them and hoped they didn't mind. They were all on board (with the exception of one, but I am working on him...), which is good because I was going to do it anyway. We have an ongoing class CROP-QV that they each add to after I have read and we discuss what they are thinking. My hope is that it will help solidify some of these basic strategies.

     The next post will be on schema and making connections. The lessons went really well and I cannot wait to share! I leave you with one of my favorite pics of the week of one of my favorite kids in the world. He is funny, smart, and going to do something amazing one day. I can't wait to see it!!

Have a wonderful week, friends!!

Mrs. Beck

Just Right Books and the CROP-QV

     One of my biggest challenges when I dove into this Reading class was trying to match my high school readers with appropriate text for independent practice. Not one of my nine students are instructional above a third grade level, but I am not about to hand them 1st to 3rd grade texts and expect them not to run from the room in disgust. Fair enough! In my last post I mentioned scouring the public library for over two hours that first night, after they had shared their interests with me, to find a book that would fit each of them. I can honestly say that out of my 9, I was only truly successful in that pairing with four of them. The problem was not in the fact that I had chosen books they hated, it was the fact that they hated reading. Period. I understand the reasons why, but that wasn't helping me choose good books for them to practice with. I also spent countless amounts of time scouring the Internet for non-fiction sites that I could get topics that were age appropriate, engaging, and at an appropriate level. I went in that first day with an article that debated having seat belts on school buses in an effort to introduce Connections. It was awful. The article was awful. The kids hated it. I hated it. The whole period was a hot, struggling failure. I drove home that afternoon in a state of mild depression, but determined to make it better. I realized that I was trying too hard to make my instruction convenient, non-offensive to their age, perfect, and enjoyable for them. I was WAY over-thinking this! Rather than do what I know works, I forgot that they are the same struggling readers I taught in elementary school - just in bigger bodies. These kids are teenagers who hate reading because they can't do it. How in the world did I ever think I was going to teach them to love it with a debate on seat belts?  I came home and headed to the basement to rummage through the 8 large boxes (don't judge me...) of books that I purchased for explicit reading instruction in elementary school. I armed myself with 10 beautifully written texts that I had used to introduce the CROP-QV to my younger students.
     When the students came in, they saw the "picture books" on my desk. I held my breath. And then, the same readers who had just told me on that first day that they had no memory of books as children, remembered. They remembered Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge, and some even remembered When the Relatives Came. I was encouraged, but the real test would come when I attempted to read them aloud to teenagers. Long story short - they hung on every word. Seriously. Teenagers sitting stone still listening to every word as I modeled thinking and reading. It was amazing. I had two of them miss the class for Speech, and when they returned they were insistent that I read the book aloud to them that they had missed. Here were two 17 year old boys begging me to read Ten Good Things About Barney!! And I did. Lesson: Just read them good books and they will come. :)

     I decided to use the trusty CROP-QV to introduce some basic strategies to the students so they could have some immediate options to use for support in their reading. Obviously they are all in high school, so it isn't like all of their other classes are waiting patiently for them to become more proficient readers. For those not familiar with the CROP-QV, you can Google it and read more about it than I probably even know. Basically, it teaches six strategies to support comprehension. Connections, Reactions, Opinions, Predictions, Questions, and Visualization. I introduced each one on a different day, modeled the thinking, and then had them practice it on their own with their independent text. I have them record the thinking on a Post It note and we share them at the end. I model deeper thinking and guide them to offer support for their thinking as well. For example, not just "I'm a girl and so is the character", but "I can completely understand why she felt bad when no one asked her to Prom. No one asked me last year and I was a wreck." Here is what it looked like after I had introduced them all:

     This is how I posted their examples on the wall along with definitions of the strategies. I had them add the definitions to their journals. 

     On the left is a picture of one of our first anchor charts. I always take pictures of the charts, print them out, and have them add them to their journals. That way, they don't waste time copying them down but can still have them for support.
     Here are some close ups of the CROP-QV definitions.

     I also did a mini-lesson to show my thinking out loud and how I used each strategy to support my comprehension of the story. This is the one for Connections. (PS: Grandfather is spelled wrong, I know. Ugh... I fixed it after I took the picture.)

     After I had introduced them all, I gave them a CROP-QV to complete. I explained that I understand that they won't use every strategy every time they read, and some strategies won't even appeal or be useful to some of them. I just wanted them to show me that they understood the basic concept of each and how to apply the strategies. Some did a great job and others still had some thin thinking without support. No worries! It is all a work in progress. I assigned a grade to show them how they fared, but I didn't record it. I also put tons of comments. Here are two examples. One isn't bad for a first attempt, but the other is weak. We discussed the results, and they came to the conclusion that it was because one student was engaged in her reading of Stone Fox while the other student was only mildly interested. That's progress!!

     We also discussed that The Hunger Games is well above his independent reading level so it was harder to follow and comprehend. He was relying on having seen the movie. I made a deal with them on that, though. I am not the Book Police. One of my students was told last semester that he couldn't read this series because it was too hard for him. Well, of course it is - but, he heard "You're too stupid to read the book everyone else you know is reading." I know that is what he heard because he told me that. So I told them they could keep one book they chose no matter what the level and one book that I chose or helped them choose. They had to use mine for their independent practice of the mini-lessons, but they could read theirs the last ten minutes of every class. It is nice to watch them read the books I have chosen and leave the harder ones alone in their Book Box, but who's noticing.... :) 

     I leave you with pictures of three of my students engaged in Reading. Arguably my favorite pictures of all. 

     Notice the pencil pouch on her desk in that last picture? I made them each a pouch of supplies with everything they will need in class. It stays in their Book Boxes with their books and journal. It saves a ton of time and didn't cost much. Hello Dollar Store! Their Book Boxes are set up like this: 

     My next post will be on Metacognition. That has been a huge hit. Who knew you had to think and read at the same time... Who. Knew. (PS: Cris Tovani..... seriously, a Reading Goddess.)

     Happy Snow Day #2 to all my Georgia Friends! Hope everyone stays safe and warm. 

Mrs. Beck

What do you get when you cross an EBD class and a Reading class..?

     What do you get? Well, if you are me - you get sheer bliss, joy, and happiness! I find myself to be one of those fortunate people who love their job. I mean love it. I swear if I won the lottery, I would finish the year and then still wonder if it was really the best time to leave the kiddos to someone else's care for the next year...and the year after that...  I adore the students. I do! My husband lives in fear that one night at the dinner table he will look across and see the 16 year old face of a student whom I have brought home. To keep. Okay, not really, but I would consider it. I love to teach the ones who aren't always making the best choices. I love behavior management. I love the ups, find the downs challenging in a good way, and truly never have a dull moment. Never. All that said, I also love, love, LOVE to teach Reading. Two passions in one career? I told you! One lucky girl here.
     I had resolved myself to pursuing one love, EBD/Behavior Management, in my current position. I moved to high school for a change and have truly loved it. Part of me did miss Reading instruction, though. I began to notice that there was a need for more engagement in our lowest readers. Many of them have been doing the same program for years and really had made little to no progress. So, in true "let me give it a shot - I'll try anything" fashion, I asked if I could teach Reading for a period this semester. And my department chair said: YES!  She is a passionate "change is good" person who truly wants the best for these kids. If you don't have a principal/AP/Department Chair/Grade Level Chair person like that: GO FIND ONE! Remember...life is too short to be around people who suck the life out of you. I digress....
     For this post, I wanted to share how I started the Reading class. Remember, I am diving in head first into cold water so I relied on what I knew from working with low readers in the past. They weren't high school students, but I have read enough Cris Tovani (read her, she is amazing!!!) to know that they are just the same poor readers in bigger bodies. The first day, they all came in and I was beyond excited. I had all my little sticky notes on the desks (1 each) and a half sheet of folded paper for an engaging, amazing, Teacher of the Year activity! And the students came in angry. "Hey Miss! Why did they switch my lunch?" "I got first lunch now, too!" "Nobody has first lunch! It sux!" "I want my old schedule back..." Yeah, you get the picture. I sat in my director's chair, listened to their complaints, and changed my Day 1 plan completely. I acknowledged that they were in the worst lunch in the history of lunches, the new schedules must be a nightmare, and boy did I wish I could help them get it all changed back. (Okay all white lies, don't judge. This was survival mode people.) Then I asked them what they needed from a reading class. They all wrote vigorously on their half sheet. We talked about what they liked about their old reading class and what they thought helped them as readers. It took some guiding questions, but they were eventually honest. Brutally honest. I talked to them about books they remember as children and they came up with (again, after some guidance) The Cat in the Hat. I guided some more and eventually they remembered the bears who lived in that big tree (Berenstain Bears), that big dog (Clifford), and Goosebumps books from middle school. I asked them what kind of readers they thought they were and it was then that my heart broke in two. These kids are older. They know. They know that they are all between 15 and 18 years old and cannot read. They told me all about fake reading, how to get away with faking book reports (PS: I hate book reports), how to fool teachers into not having them read out loud, an how to get through a text book reading assignment without reading one single word. Try passing that test, huh? I had them write on the sheet what they do when they get to a tricky part in a book. Then I had them tell me what interests they had. And then the bell rang. Basically both the fastest and saddest 50  minutes of my life.

This is the anchor chart I made for the next day so we could discuss what they wrote. 

     I have 9 students in the class. To choose who we put in there, I gave them DRA assessments and a Spelling Inventory. Let me be clear... Not one of the nine were instructional at a 3rd grade level. Two of them were actually instructional well below that, but I only had assessments as low as third grade. And I don't mean comprehension alone. I mean readers at 17 years old who read below 70 words per minute at 3rd grade level. When I gave them the Spelling Inventory to get a look at how they used patterns, I had to use the elementary version. They were all either in the Digraphs and Blends stage or the Short/Long Vowel stage. And the worst part: They have no idea how to make it better, but really do want to make it better. Well then suit up, Friends! We've got work to do. (See: Diving head first into the icy cold water...)

     I decided to start with the basic CROP-QV strategies to give them something to hold on to and maybe even start using right away. I went that first night to the public library and took all those papers telling me their interests. I looked at books for over two hours. Trying to balance their reading level without being insulting with the content or style of book is challenging to say the least. I checked out 23 books and headed back for Day 2. 

     Day 2, I was ready. They were excited about their book choices and actually thanked me for getting them. I had them all choose a book (after I shared my recommendations for each of them) and then asked them to just read for about 10 minutes. I wanted to observe reading behaviors. I jotted them down and at the end of the time, I told them what I noticed. We talked about Real Readers and Fake Readers. They laughed about being trained professional Fake Readers, and smiled when I called out their Fake Reading habits. I made this anchor chart for the next day.

     The Fake Reading examples are all things that they did that day. I added the things at the bottom as a preview for what was to come. Day 3, we dove right in to the CROP-QV. 

     I will save the CROP-QV post for next week after I have introduced all of the six strategies. This post is already L-O-N-G! In the mean time, one of the things they said they were really struggling with was the Driver's License Manual. (I had asked for examples of when they needed to read in life.) They brought me the manual and let me tell you... it is horrible! Full of advertising, poorly laid out, and in tiny print. It was confusing to me and I'm a reader!! So....I committed to them that I would retype it in a reader friendly Cliff Notes version, larger print, and no distracting ads. Welcome to my weekend..... :) 

     I am so excited for this adventure and truly hope to give these kiddos some tools to use that will help them feel ownership of their reading and the power to change the hand they have been dealt. I will leave you with a picture of our first lesson, Connections. I am using picture books to introduce the strategies. I told them they were easier for me to use as introductions because I didn't want them to be insulted. Guess what. They love them. They listen to every word I read. Check out the fist book we read. Now go read it for yourself. Mr. George Baker by Amy Hest   Inspired yet?  

See you soon, friends. Happy Martin Luther King Day!!
Mrs. Beck

Rules of Engagement

     I am always amazed at how quick my students are to resort to solving a conflict by physical means. I have seen them in fights that were videotaped on phones, broken up more than my share of them at school, watched them on Facebook, and even seen Instagram stills of them in action. Oh - the joys(?) of Social Media... And I am not talking about "bullying". I truly feel that the term bullying has been watered down to the point where it is almost meaningless. (Yes - there is true bullying, but not like it is portrayed in the Media.) But that is a whole different post... I digress. I am referring to fighting. Straight up throwing punches, pulling hair, kicking, slapping: fighting.
     We have spoken in the classroom at great length about the reasons, the downsides, the upsides, EVERY side of why they think this is their best option, but I wanted to know more. I also wanted them to see it from a different perspective. I mean, are there actual rules for what they do? This came up because I saw a video of one of my students fighting (in their neighborhood) with a deaf student. (*Disclaimer: I am not here to say who started it, the reason, or the outcome. I am trying to objectively look at physical altercations and how to decrease the occurrence.) Some students were appalled that he had fought with a student who was deaf. Others said the deaf student called for the fight, so all bets were off. It made me wonder what their definitions are for Rules of Engagement in their fighting arena. So, I posed the following questions:

• When is it okay to hit another person?
• What do you think of someone who walks away from a fight?
• What are the unspoken "Rules of Engagement" (street fight)?
• What are 3 reasons that would definitely cause you to fight?

     I had them write their answers on sticky notes (without names) and our discussion began. This is what it looked like.

   
     One of the things I am most proud of is how honest my kids are in my little world of behavior intervention. I have learned more about their lives, their culture, their perspective, and the reasons (real or imagined) behind their behaviors in more ways than I can count. Here are the results, and I promise - this is what they said. (Their words, not mine.)

• When is it okay to hit another person? disrespect
• What do you think of someone who walks away from a fight? they are a real man/woman, smart, making a better choice
• What are the unspoken "Rules of Engagement" (street fight)? never fight someone who is crazy/handicapped/has glasses (if they have them on), never in front of someone's mom (that's disrespectful)
• What are 3 reasons that would definitely cause you to fight? disrespect, they hit you first, spit on you

     In the discussions, I focused on defining disrespect. For them, this is paramount. One of my first posts ever was on Mutual Respect. I stand by the fact that I have such solid relationships with my students because I respect them and they know it. Do I tolerate foolishness? Oh no. I do not. But - foolishness happens. Lt's deal with it and move on. Every day is a new day. I would say 95% of the altercations my kids have with teachers in school (outside of my room) is due to disrespect. And friends, I mean to say that the adults are the ones being disrespectful in many cases. Does it excuse the behavior of the student? Absolutely not. But - when adults treat students in a way that they themselves would never tolerate being treated, the outcome is never good. Never. It takes two to argue... Just a thought. Moving on....
     We also talked a lot about the irony of the answers to the second question. I mean, they know it isn't the best choice but they still do it. It's a work in progress, friends. WORK IN PROGRESS!!!
     I thought they answered the third question in a typical manner. And truly, we have a lot of special needs students on our hall with severe mental and physical disabilities. My kids are insanely respectful and even protective of them. I do believe they mean what they said. I was surprised that they said that about not fighting in front of someone's mom. I mean, some of their mom's would even jump in (and have). Still - to the kids that even seems wrong. Thank. Goodness.
     So... did we solve the problems and I have had no fights since? No. Broke up one last week in the room and saw two more on video. But refer back to "work in progress". It still gave us all something to think about and hopefully in that split second before they start "laying hands" on each other, they might think to walk away. I'll let you know how that goes. Work. In. Progress.
     I have so much more to post, I just have to make the time. The journals in class are amazing, and I am so proud of them. I think that will be my next one. Hopefully I will get to it over the break.
     I leave you with my sweet little classroom Christmas tree.

     Merry Christmas to everyone, and if you celebrate this time of year in another way - I hope it is amazing as well.

Mrs. Beck

Using Precepts in the Classroom

     Wow! These last few weeks have been a whirlwind. I have gotten 5 new students, and with each one the dynamic changes in the room and we basically have to start all over. I feel like I have just had the first week of school stuck on a 5 time loop. My friends tend to come in hot, test the waters, establish the hierarchy, test the waters, test the waters, test the waters, and then realize that I'm not so bad, the class is not so bad, and everything is going to be great. And then test the waters a few more times just to make sure....  If that process could only take as long as it did to type it... but alas, not. so. much........  :)
     One of my favorite things that I do in the classroom involves precepts. I have mentioned it before and anyone who ever comes into my room asks about them. I got the idea from the book Wonder by RJ Palacio. (PS: Read the book if you haven't. Maybe even after you finish this post....) In the book, a teacher gives the students a quote that they are to interpret. He eventually defines it for them, relates it to them in some way, and has them do a written response to it. If they bring him one he uses, he gives them some kind of extra credit. I am addicted to quotes and words of wisdom that I mostly stumble across on Pinterest, and I use them with the students a lot. I have a whole "Words of Wisdom" board. (I did a post on that back in 3/10/13 which has lots of pictures showing how I used them in the elementary classroom. If you have some time, check it out! It's one of my favorites.) I needed to change it up in the high school classroom and when I read the system the teacher used in Wonder, I decided to tweak it a little and give it a try.
    Now you know I went straight to IKEA and bought me some black frames. They are cheap, cheap, CHEAP! I then bought some scrapbook paper from Hobby Lobby for the backing. I actually removed all of the glass and just wrapped the paper around the cardboard backing of the frame. I mean, I don't feel as if I need the glass in my tiny classroom full of water being tested. Just a thought.... Anyhoo - I decided to do the precepts monthly, so I printed the dates, cut them out, had them laminated, and stuck them to the tops of the frames. It looks like this:

     When I first started this, the students were very literal. The August precept was: What you do speaks so loud, that I cannot hear what you say. Well, my students almost all reflected on how the guy must be deaf and couldn't hear who was talking to him. This prompted a whole lesson on literal/figurative language and explicit/implicit meaning. They do understand it now and tend to be pretty good at it. After they make a prediction and then we define it, we refer back to it often. On introduction day, they just add the precept to their journal and make a prediction about the meaning. We then define and discuss it. Here are two Journal entries from introduction day.

     I try to relate them to either current classroom happenings or topics we are going to cover. In August we talked a lot about body language so that one was perfect. The one for October is something one of my students says his grandmother told him often. I used it and because it basically relates to them all and consequences of actions is an ongoing theme. Here are the three we have done so far.

   

     I also have the definition of precept mounted next to the frames. We discussed this at the very beginning of the year. 

     To hang all of these on the wall, I used those 3M velcro things (sorry to be so technical....) that you can remove easily from the cinder block. The ones I used have the two sides you velcro together once you stick a piece to the wall and then the frame. They won't remove the paint when I take them off, and the frames have not moved at all.

I do push on them every once in a while just to make sure they aren't going to fall off. So far, so good though. 

     This is the final product as it is on the wall. At the end of each month, I have the students do a journal response about the precept. They are required to give me at least three examples of how this precept either has applied or could apply to them personally. They may also give examples of a time when it may have applied to someone else. These are by far the most reflective and well written responses they do for me. I had a class just last week ask when November would get here so we could have another precept. What? Success. 

     That's all for now. Thanks all of the encouraging emails about the blog! I wish I had more time to devote to posting. It isn't like there is a shortage of material. Busy, busy, BUSY as you ALL know and appreciate. And...our new principal was announced yesterday. I have high, high hopes for him and our school.
     Now I get to write an eligibility, a re-eval, and plan for the week. Happy weekend, friends!

Mrs. Beck