Signing Off...

And that just about wraps it up for another school year. It's funny, but I thought I'd have a whole boatload of profound thoughts and musings on this particular topic, but at the moment, I got nuthin'.

From now until September, this blog's postings aren't going to be on as regular a schedule as they were before, but fret not, loyal viewers (both of you), I'll be back on a weekly basis at the start of the new school year.

If I come across any interesting summer musings or educational articles, I'll be sure to pass them along. Have a great summer, everybody!

Better Late Than Never? Not Always...

So, it's the final week of the semester, and I'm meeting all sorts of new people! Except they're not technically, “new”; they're the people I should've met about four months ago – diligent students concerned about their academic future. All them them asking that ever important question: “Am I passing this class?”

First of all, I'm of the opinion that a student who doesn't even know the answer to that question probably has good reason to worry – so that's one strike against them. I've never had a straight-A student ask me that particular question. The might be worried about honor rolls of their valedictorian status; will that last test bring them down to a dreaded A minus or even (*gasp!*) a B+, but the issue of whether or not they are passing is never really in doubt.

That being said, I've heard this question three times in the last week – let's take a look at our Rogues' Gallery:

Student #1 is the Great Communicator – with everyone but me. I don't think I've ever seen her walk into class not deep in conversation – either on the cell phone which I am constantly reminding her she shouldn't have, or with a friend who should, in all likelihood, be somewhere else, as he/she (always someone different!) is not even in my class. Funny how she never seems to mind making them late to catch up on the latest gossip. In class, I am constantly reminding her to stay on task; when she's at her computer (we do a lot of computer-based work), I continually find her updating her Facebook and/or Twitter account (how she bypasses the school filters is a mystery to me) or, failing that, she's texting. In spite of my constant reminders, she's handed in precious little actual work. And now she wants to know if she's passing.

Students 2 and 3 are the Siamese Twins – always together; always at play. All attempts to separate them are in vain. On the rare occasions when one of them is absent, the other manages to be productive and resourceful – but together, they have no interest except joking with each other. The tragedy of it is that one of them is passing (due mostly to the other's spotty attendance), and it's the other one who has, only now, expressed concern over his grades.

Student #4 is the Phantom. I literally only saw him about 4 times in the entire semester. His name is on my roster only because I assume that he never formally withdrew from the class. Lo and behold, today he comes – on the wrong day, since his class doesn't meet until Thursday (a fact I assume he's long since forgotten), and, after reminding me of who he is, doesn't just ask if he's passing, he wants me to promise him that he is.

Lord, grant me strength – the strength not to laugh.

We need to instill in our students the value of diligence and hard work as early as possible – I'm no fan of grades; I'd rather see a student learn and enjoy learning than acquire arbitrary letters and numbers on papers and quizzes, but if a student is going to ask “Am I passing?” They should be doing it throughout the school year. Now is not the time to suddenly realize that “Well, you know, maybe all that slacking off I was doing is going to adversely affect me.” Ears that were deaf to their teachers' advice and admonishments will perk up quickly when they realize their names are not called at graduation.

It's tragic, but such students are the architects of their own failure. Teachers can point the way and encourage, but we cannot learn for them. Students who will not help themselves cannot be helped – certainly not in the last week of school.

Almost Summer

Not much of a post this week; things are winding down, most grades are in, just a few formalities to go in the next week or two.

Taking a week off, then. Final thoughts on the school year to come next week.

I could be myth-taken.

I recently came across this old mythology thematic unit I did way back when. I've used bits and pieces of it in the past, but never went through the entire unit. Perhaps next year...

The overall concept of this thematic unit combines Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies as the students explore the role mythology plays in answering questions about the natural world and shaping a culture. Students will be able to describe and discuss the cause-and-effect relationship between natural phenomena and a culture's beliefs, as well as the relationship between the actual event and the resulting myth. Students will be able to use language to describe specific literary terms as they relate to mythology, research and summarize the causes of natural phenomena such as earthquakes, hurricanes, etc., and compare and contrast the ways different cultures celebrate myths via holidays.

The overarching objective of the lesson is that students will learn about the origin of myths, the impact they have on the people who believe them, and the actual facts behind them. Each lesson contains its own assessment, which, when combined and averaged, will serve as an assessment for the entire thematic unit.

Lesson 1: What is a Myth?

Students will learn about how myths form by creating their own. They will then learn how myths shape a culture by inventing a holiday based on their myth.

CORE STANDARDS: Grades 9-10, W 2 a-f.

VOCABULARY: Myth, metaphor.

MECHANICS: SWBAT describe a process/event in chronological order

ASSESSMENT: Mythology Rubric, Holiday Rubric.

DAY 1: The lesson begins with a journal writing session in which students are asked to brainstorm (individually or in pairs) what comes to mind when they hear the word “myth.” After 5-10 minutes of discussion/writing, students then share their ideas with the class, with common ideas/themes put on the board.

After a discussion, students are given the definition of myth for the purposes of the thematic unit: A story, passed down over generations, that metaphorically explains something unknown. The concepts of metaphor and figurative language are discussed, in which students understand that a myth is not necessarily “wrong” if it's not literally true, because myths are not meant to be taken literally.

Students are told that the oldest type of myths are those which describe natural phenomena, such as the weather, the changing seasons, or natural disasters. These myths are called “divine myths,” because many times, a culture will credit natural phenomena to the work of a god or gods.

Students will be given an example: What causes the changing seasons? After a discussion on the reasons (tilt of the Earth, amount of sunlight received), Students are introduced to the myth of Hades and Persephone, and told that this is how the ancient Greeks believed the seasons changed:

According to an ancient Greek myth, Persephone was the daughter of Demeter, the goddess of the harvest. Hades, the god of the underworld, fell in love with Persephone and carried her off to his kingdom to be his wife. Demeter searched everywhere for her daughter. Finally, Zeus, the king of the gods, told Demeter where Persephone was. It was decided that Persephone would live with Hades for half the year and with her mother for the other half. During the time that Persephone lived in the underworld, Demeter was so unhappy that all the plants withered and died. But when Persephone returned each year, Demeter rejoiced and plants could grow again. According to the myth, this is the reason for summer, fall, winter, and spring. (http://www.eduplace.com/activity/changing_seasons.html)

The class ends with the students instructed to think about how to explain natural phenomena for next class.

DAY 2: After reviewing what a divine myth is, students are instructed that they will be creating their own divine myths in class. The class is divided up into groups, approximately 3-4 students per group, and told that each group represents an ancient civilization. Each group's first task as a “civilization” will be to give themselves a name. Then each group is told that their particular village/tribe/nation is plague by a specific natural phenomenon – for example, one group is plagued by earthquakes; another lives by a river which is prone to flooding. Since these ancient “civilizations” have no scientific knowledge, it is up to them to devise a story explaining who or what was responsible for the phenomenon, as well as how and why they cause it. Groups will share their myths at the end of the class.

Written assignment: Descriptive Essay.

DAY 3: After sharing their myths as a group, students are told that they will be working individually on a writing assignment. Students are asked for an example of a holiday, and how they celebrate it. Students are then told that the way people celebrate holidays, for example, Halloween, Easter, or New Year's Eve, are traditionally based on myths and beliefs, and that the traditions continue even after the original myth is long forgotten. Students are then told that they will invent a holiday based on the myth their group created. The holiday must involve some kind of traditional activity which must remind people of the myth, and give them a chance to (at least symbolically) participate in the myth. For example, if earthquakes are caused by an underground monster whose stomach rumbles when its hungry, once a year, families go out into the fields and bury a plate of food, thus “feeding” the monster, and hopefully preventing more earthquakes.

Students will be given time to brainstorm, freewrite, and/or diagram ideas for activities which could be symbolic of the original myth. Students will describe how the holiday is celebrated by describing the events in chronological order, explaining how each event is related to the original myth. To assist them in the writing process, students will make a two-column list, with events on the left side, and explanations on the right.

Activities	Reasons:
The holiday is celebrated on the first day of Spring Food is brought to a open field and buried Nobody speaks while the food is being buried.	In this region, earthquakes happen more often during the spring months; that's when the monster is hungriest. Feed the monster so its stomach won't rumble It's rude to disturb someone while they're eating.

DAY 4: Students will work on their essays in the Writing Lab, sharing rough drafts with one another for peer review. Students are reminded to check for grammar, spelling, and to make sure that the events are in the right order – one following the next.

Final drafts submitted to the teacher. If necessary, a second day in the computer lab can be used.

Group Myth Rubric

	Poor 1	Fair 2	Good 3	Excellent 4	Score
Group Name	No group name given			Group name given
Level of detail in group myth	Little to no detail given in the myth	Few details given, no names or histories.	Details such as names used to fill out the storyline of the myth,	Myth is well detailed, with names and actions used to create a well-formed story.
Group Performance	Little to no enthusiasm in performance, only one group member speaks.	Some effort made; more than one member in a speaking or performing role.	All members participate, some planning and enthusiasm shown.	All members engage in an active and enthusiastic performance.
Creativity and originality	Myth is almost an exact duplicate of an existing story.	Myth is very similar to another well-known story.	Myth is similar to story, but changes made.	Completely new and original myth.

Holiday Rubric

CATEGORY

4

3

2

1

Creativity

The story contains many creative details and/or descriptions that contribute to the reader's enjoyment. The author has really used his imagination.

The story contains a few creative details and/or descriptions that contribute to the reader's enjoyment. The author has used his imagination.

The story contains a few creative details and/or descriptions, but they distract from the story. The author has tried to use his imagination.

There is little evidence of creativity in the story. The author does not seem to have used much imagination.

Relation to the myth

Nearly every detail in the description of the holiday is related to the original myth

Many details in the holiday are related to the original myth

Only a few details in the holiday celebration are related to the original myth.

There is little to no connection between the holiday and the original myth.

Organization

The story is very well organized. One idea or scene follows another in a logical sequence with clear transitions.

The story is pretty well organized. One idea or scene may seem out of place. Clear transitions are used.

The story is a little hard to follow. The transitions are sometimes not clear.

Ideas and scenes seem to be randomly arranged.

Spelling and Punctuation

There are no spelling or punctuation errors in the final draft. Character and place names that the author invented are spelled consistently throughout.

There is one spelling or punctuation error in the final draft.

There are a number of spelling and punctuation errors in the final draft.

The final draft shows little evidence of proofreading; spelling and punctuation errors exist throughout.

Requirements

All of the written requirements (# of pages, # of graphics, type of graphics, etc.) were met.

Almost all (about 90%) the written requirements were met.

Most (about 75%) of the written requirements were met, but several were not.

Many requirements were not met.

Lesson 2: How do we Celebrate?

Students draw upon their earlier discussion of their own holidays in order to write a compare-and-contrast essay on holidays and celebrations across different cultures.

CORE STANDARDS: Grades 9-10, RH 3, RH 9, WHST 8

VOCABULARY: Subject by subject comparison, point by point comparison, various transitional words indicating comparison and contrast.

MECHANICS: SWBAT use the Internet as a resource to explore traditions in other cultures, use transitional words and phrases to compare and contrast similar events from different cultures.

ASSESSMENT: Comparison and Contrast Rubric.

DAY 1: The earlier discussion of holiday traditions should have prepared students to discuss celebrations in different cultures. Students are given (or may choose; some students may even choose their own culture) a foreign culture and research either unique holiday or a unique form of celebrating a common holiday. A guided research session, preferably in a computer workshop, if applicable, can help students research their assigned culture. Each student is to look at how a particular culture celebrates a specific holiday, and compare and contrast it with America, or to choose a particular holiday, and compare and contrast different cultures' ways of celebrating. For example, how are birthdays celebrated in South America as opposed to North America? Compared to the Middle East? Africa? Asia? What about New Year's Eve? As with their own holidays, students will research what is done and why. Students will compare and contrast celebrations in t-chart form to later convert into a compare-and-contrast essay.

DAY 2: Students will share their charts with the class, discussing similarities and differences across cultures. Charts will be then be used as guides for compare-and contrast essays. The teacher will explain and model the differences between a point by point comparison and a subject by subject comparison, and advise the students that either one is useful, as long as the essay is organized and easy to follow. Students will be given class time for prewriting and drafting.

DAY 3-4: Students will be in the writing lab converting their t-charts into essay form, sharing drafts with their classmates for peer review before handing in a finished final draft.

Comparison and Contrast Rubric

CATEGORY	4	3	2	1
Purpose & Supporting Details	The paper compares and contrasts items clearly. The paper points to specific examples to illustrate the comparison. The paper includes only the information relevant to the comparison.	The paper compares and contrasts items clearly, but the supporting information is general. The paper includes only the information relevant to the comparison.	The paper compares and contrasts items clearly, but the supporting information is incomplete. The paper may include information that is not relevant to the comparison.	The paper compares or contrasts, but does not include both. There is no supporting information or support is incomplete.
Organization & Structure	The paper breaks the information into whole-to-whole, similarities -to-differences, or point-by-point structure. It follows a consistent order when discussing the comparison.	The paper breaks the information into whole-to-whole, similarities -to-differences, or point-by-point structure but does not follow a consistent order when discussing the comparison.	The paper breaks the information into whole-to-whole, similarities -to-differences, or point-by-point structure, but some information is in the wrong section. Some details are not in a logical or expected order, and this distracts the reader.	Many details are not in a logical or expected order. There is little sense that the writing is organized.
Transitions	The paper moves smoothly from one idea to the next. The paper uses comparison and contrast transition words to show relationships between ideas. The paper uses a variety of sentence structures and transitions.	The paper moves from one idea to the next, but there is little variety. The paper uses comparison and contrast transition words to show relationships between ideas.	Some transitions work well; but connections between other ideas are fuzzy.	The transitions between ideas are unclear or nonexistent.
Grammar & Spelling (Conventions)	Writer makes no errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content.	Writer makes 1-2 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content.	Writer makes 3-4 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content.	Writer makes more than 4 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content.

Lesson 3: What's the Real Cause?

Student groups switch natural phenomena with one another and embark on a research project to discover and describe the real cause of the event in question. Students must then prepare a persuasive speech, imagining themselves to be speaking to a group of believers in the original myth, explaining to them the real cause of the phenomenon is, and why they shouldn't believe in the myth anymore.

CORE STANDARDS: Grades 9-10, RST 2, WHST 1.

VOCABULARY: Argument, debate, rebuttal.

MECHANICS: SWBAT summarize a scientific explanation and deliver it in a persuasive form.

ASSESSMENT: Persuasion Rubric.

DAYS 1-2: Research. Students take their group's natural phenomenon (or switch with another group), and, using library or online resources, research the real cause. Field trip to library or computer lab for first day; in-class journaling for second day to compile and summarize notes. Students should be able to simplify and summarize the cause. Each student will be given 2-3 vocabulary terms specific to their event which they will have to be able to define as part of their research: for example, a student looking up volcanoes will have to learn the difference between magma and lava.

Students will write a brief (1-2 paragraphs max.) summary in their journals describing the cause of the event.

DAY 3: Discussion of persuasive writing. Journal question: How do you get somebody to agree with you? 5-10 minutes of writing; share and discuss answers.

Give out persuasion map handouts to help students plan persuasive argument. Alternatively, students can use interactive persuasion map online at http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/persuasion_map

Students will use persuasion maps to explain why their explanation is better than the myth. They must provide three positive reasons (using the vocabulary terms they learned on day 1) or two reasons and a rebuttal of the mythological explanation.

DAY 4: Students in the writing lab working on essays. Essays will be graded according to persuasion rubric. Visual aid (illustration, chart, diagram, etc.) is optional but not required.

Persuasion Rubric

CATEGORY

4 - Above Standards

3 - Meets Standards

2 - Approaching Standards

1 - Below Standards

Score

Focus or Thesis Statement

The thesis statement names the topic of the essay and outlines the main points to be discussed.

The thesis statement names the topic of the essay.

The thesis statement outlines some or all of the main points to be discussed but does not name the topic.

The thesis statement does not name the topic AND does not preview what will be discussed.

Evidence and Examples

All of the evidence and examples are specific, relevant and explanations are given that show how each piece of evidence supports the author's position.

Most of the evidence and examples are specific, relevant and explanations are given that show how each piece of evidence supports the author\'s position.

At least one of the pieces of evidence and examples is relevant and has an explanation that shows how that piece of evidence supports the author's position.

Evidence and examples are NOT relevant AND/OR are not explained.

Accuracy

All supportive facts and statistics are reported accurately.

Almost all supportive facts and statistics are reported accurately.

Most supportive facts and statistics are reported accurately.

Most supportive facts and statistics were inaccurately reported.

Audience

Demonstrates a clear understanding of the potential reader and uses appropriate vocabulary and arguments. Anticipates reader\'s questions and provides thorough answers appropriate for that audience.

Demonstrates a general understanding of the potential reader and uses vocabulary and arguments appropriate for that audience.

Demonstrates some understanding of the potential reader and uses arguments appropriate for that audience.

It is not clear who the author is writing for.

Closing paragraph

The conclusion is strong and leaves the reader solidly understanding the writer\'s position. Effective restatement of the position statement begins the closing paragraph.

The conclusion is recognizable. The author\'s position is restated within the first two sentences of the closing paragraph.

The author\'s position is restated within the closing paragraph, but not near the beginning.

There is no conclusion - the paper just ends.

Exams

Kind of a hectic week, here, so I'm taking off this time around. Fret not, I've make it up to you next time; promise!

Friend me! Friend me!

A few years back, I found an interesting article which I have since worked into my classroom:

Teachers face dilemma with Facebook

Educators find benefits, pitfalls when adding students as friends on the social networking Web site ERICKA MELLON, Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle

Published 06:30 a.m., Sunday, December 21, 2008

What seems like an easy question — Will you be my friend? — is not necessarily so for teachers who have joined the Facebook phenomenon.

The social-networking Web site, whose popularity has grown from the college crowd down to teens and up to boomers, poses a prickly question for teachers who want to connect with their tech-savvy students yet maintain professional boundaries.
Should teachers become virtual "friends" with their students?
Opinions are mixed. Opponents fear innocent educators will be branded sexual predators for chatting with students online, while proponents caution against overreacting to a powerful communication tool.
The issue made headlines this month after police accused a 42-year-old former Magnolia High School aide of having sexual exchanges with a 16-year-old former student he contacted via Facebook.
Such rare stories can alarm a community, said Melissa Pierson, who teaches instructional technology at the University of Houston, but educators shouldn't be afraid to use social-networking sites.
"Outside the classroom, in terms of connecting with students, there are some exciting possibilities," said Pierson, who also directs UH's teacher education program. "It's just, teachers need to keep their educator hats on."
Most school districts, however, have yet to define the rules of virtual engagement. In the Houston area, many districts block access to social-networking sites on campus computers, but they don't have policies addressing after-hours use between educators and students.
Houston high school teacher Lesley Guilmart said she finally caved last year and, at the urging of former students, created a profile on Facebook.
"It's kind of addictive," she admits. "I'm interested in my students, and I like to hear from them. I have a couple of kids in college now who have sent messages thanking me for helping prepare them. I had a kid send me a message asking advice about picking a major."
So far, Guilmart has become virtual friends with several former students and even linked up with an old teacher from North Carolina. She said she wouldn't mind connecting with her current students at Houston ISD's Reagan High School — if they asked.
Aware of privacy concerns, Guilmart, 27, said she doesn't go searching for her students online.
"If they want to 'friend' me, they can," she said. "My Facebook is entirely PG. There's no cursing. There are no photos of me having a good time on the weekend — nothing like that."
Pierson, the UH associate professor, cautions teachers against becoming "one of the gang" with their students on Facebook, but said such sites can help humanize teachers, facilitate online learning and provide access to potential guest speakers.
Facebook launched in 2004 as a Web site exclusively for Harvard University students — a sophomore there created it — but now anyone claiming to be at least 13 can join. The site boasts more than 140 million users and has surpassed its predecessor MySpace in popularity. The fastest-growing demographic is people 25 and older.
For Facebook novices, here's how it works: Users can create their own Web pages, or profiles, post photos, share articles, and — the main draw — connect with others by soliciting or accepting "friend requests." Generally, only "friends" can see and comment on each other's pages.

Limited activity

Mike Feinberg, co-founder of the KIPP charter schools, where teachers are encouraged to give students their cell phone numbers, said he limits his Facebook contacts to alumni. "My personal threshold," he said, "is not to accept friends on Facebook from KIPP-sters until they are in college."
But one of his colleagues, Joseph Miller, has found Facebook a great way to keep in touch with current and former students. Miller runs the KIPP to College program, so he's responsible for keeping students on track once they've graduated eighth grade, even if they don't stay in a KIPP high school.
Miller said he begrudgingly joined Facebook but now jokes he's a "junkie,"with about 540 friends, including middle and high school students, alumni and co-workers. No parents have befriended him yet.
"We always look for avenues to get out and connect with the kids," said Miller, who has a daughter in elementary school. "It's a good way to just send a quick note. The kids are there, so why not be where the kids are to get and send information?"
Miller said he always sends friends a virtual message on their birthdays — Facebook provides a daily reminder — and he warns students not to post inappropriate information online because college admissions officers could find it.
In some school districts, students and teachers have been disciplined for questionable content on their personal Facebook or MySpace pages.
Gayle Fallon, president of the Houston Federation of Teachers, said she would advise members to avoid connecting with students on social-networking sites, though the Houston Independent School District doesn't have a specific policy about it.
"Ninety percent of the time it would be OK," Fallon said. "But what do you do with that one whose parent goes nuts: 'What do you mean you're my kid's friend?'"
Some school administrators expressed similar concerns and said they offer teachers other programs to create Web pages for class use.
"I consider Facebook to be like a giant family reunion or class reunion," said Alvin ISD Superintendent Robby McGowen. "Would you invite your students to your family reunion or class reunion? I would expect not."
Elsewhere, in southern Mississippi, the Lamar County school district made headlines this summer when it decided to prohibit teachers from communicating with students via text messaging or public social-networking sites. A state senator in Missouri is pushing a similar bill.
Even on Facebook itself, a group named "Teachers Need to Get the Hell Off Facebook" has formed for students peeved about schools patrolling for cyber-bullying.
Teachers have created their own groups, too. A recent search turned up "Houston Earth Science Teachers," "I'm a teacher and yes I do deserve my holidays" and "Primary Teachers — Resources, ideas, stress relief!"

Good way to communicate

David Johnston, the college access coordinator at Houston ISD's Lee High School, said he understands the need for setting boundaries online but sees Facebook as a fast, effective way to communicate with students and alumni.
"I would never ever interact with a student about a personal issue on a social network," said Johnston, 44. "But I can use Facebook to tell a kid, 'I haven't seen you in a few days and you have an important deadline coming up.'"
Johnston said he is working with a recent Lee graduate to build a Facebook page that will encourage Lee students now in college to network with each other and with those aspiring to attend.
"I think it's really helpful," Johnston said, "because when you are the first in your family to go off to college you can feel isolated."
Alberto Ramirez, a first-generation college student at the University of Texas in Austin, is a good example. The 2007 Lee graduate said he logs on to Facebook daily to keep in touch with his former classmates at Lee. They easily coordinated a road trip through the site, and when Lee Principal Steve Amstutz was coming to Austin for a conference, he reached out to former students via Facebook.
"The phone, you get a call, and you're like, 'Should I answer or should I not?'" said Ramirez, 19. "But Facebook is a place you can just relax. You can communicate when it's not something very, very serious."

I've found in the past that this article can prompt some interesting class discussions as well as essay topics from a variety of subjects ranging from privacy to the role of technology in the classroom. I offer it now as a potential resource.

Coma Toast Students Mall the Language

Not sure if I posted this before, but even if I did, it's funny enough to repost.


Coma Toast Students Mall the Language
by Julie A. Davey

 I was grading papers this weekend when I realized that, in addition to Ebonics and Hebronics, there is another non-standard English in which teachers need to be trained.

Stubonics.

This is a written and spoken language used by students that crosses ethnic, racial and gender boundaries. Example" One of my evening students wrote, in an article on travel, " When you go to Hawaii, you need to take along a lots of incest repellent be but mate." I thought it might have been a typo, when I called it to his attention, he stared blankly at me. And only a few in the class chuckled.

Grading another paper recently, I read the words "curb few" in an essay. After questioning the student who wrote the paper, she said, matter-of-factly, "You know, the law that says you can't stand around on the sidewalk after certain hours -- a curb few." She said that she thought it was some sort of gang-prevention law. Many nodded their heads in agreement.

A new term this year was discovered when a foreign student turned in a paper that used the words, "I mall." I asked her to use it another sentence for me. hoping I'd understand. She wrote, "I mall, like scared. ya know?" Then I got it right away. How silly of me not to recognize it as "I'm all like scared." I'd heard that a thousand times, but not as often as when I taught in the San Fernando Valley.

Teachers also need to know that, "He goes and then I go," stands for "He said, and then I said." Nobody is actually going anywhere.

Well-grounded is another term of which teachers need to be aware. "Students should take courses in art, music and dance so they can become well-grounded," one student wrote.

And just recently, I've learned that "thank you" now means that "I agree completely." The teacher says in a lecture on the media, "Watching too much television is thought to cause violent behavior." The student echoes, "Thank you," as if he were in church saying, "Amen."

Last semester I had a hard time keeping a straight face after I asked a journalism student to explain what it meant to libel or slander someone. She thought for a moment, and then blurted out, "I know, I know. Defecation of character." I had to agree with her, at least on a literal level.

Another legal term teachers may hear is "bail lift," as in: "The bail lift is the guy you pay money to when you want to get out of jail." And when referring to court terminology, "A rain mat is the time in court when you tell the judge your sob story."

Today, though, as I graded papers, I learned a new descriptive term I'd like to share with my colleagues in education.

A student athlete had written a commentary article for the college newspaper explaining how hard it is to arise each morning at 4:30 to make it to swim-team practice. "At that hour of the day, I'm in a coma toast state."

Aren't we all.

Thank you. 

 Source: Coma toast students mall the language. By: Davey, Jukie A., Black Issues in Higher Education, 07420277, 04/03/97, Vol. 14, Issue 3

And Now a Word From Our Sponsors...

I'm starting a new thematic unit with my students this week, combining elements of persuasive writing and critical thinking skills – the goal is to get students to not only get comfortable with using persuasive techniques, but to recognize when various persuasive techniques are being used on them.

Where better to look than the world of advertising?

It's been estimated that U.S. Corporations spend approximately $450 billion a year on ads. And that's not just billboards and TV spots, that's market research, focus groups, psychologists, sociologists, and a horde of other assorted ologists. All of this, I explained to my students, was to design ads that make us want to buy, but not necessarily want to think. Today, I told them, they would be thinking instead.

I chose four advertisements – cigarette ads, because I figured that since people already knew that smoking was dangerous, so advertisers would have to go the extra mile to make it glamorous. I wasn't disappointed, but I've noticed something interesting – most cigarette ads show people outdoors, socializing, having fun, generally doing all sorts of things... except actually smoking. I plan to bring that up for an upcoming lesson on subtext – getting a message across without being explicit.

I had the students choose an advertisement and answer five simple questions: First, describe the ad – what do you see; what's going on? How does the ad get your attention? Who is the target audience – the people the ad was designed for? What ideas or values are being presented in the ad? Finally, how is the ad trying to get you to buy the product?

The next step was a short essay about an unintentional message from advertising. A year ago, Dove released a body wash ad which stirred up some controversy. I presented a copy of the ad to the students and asked them to prepare a short essay giving their opinion.

Here's a copy of the ad: http://www.teachablemoment.org/images/dovead.pdf the issue was a subtle message of racism based on the positions of the women – from “before” to “after.” Much ado about nothing, or did Dove drop the ball?

It's a good lesson, one which emphasizes the more hidden messages about advertising – including unintentional ones. My next step is going to be getting my students to design their own ads – I only need to decide what the product is going to be.

Politics, Politics, Politics...

I make it a professional rule that while I want my class discussions and student assignments to be topical, I don't necessarily want them to be too politically charged. I've had plenty of professors who've made no secret of their political leanings, and have been more than happy to share their views, sometimes to the point of preaching, other times far beyond – I had a history professor once who was such a stanch Republican that he joked that he was impotent during the entire Carter administration.

In keeping with my “keep my personal life out of the classroom” policy, I've avoided inserting my own political views in class discussions and assignments, and in the interest of keeping order, I've tried not to touch on too many politically charged topics. Current events are all well and good, but I don't want to cause any arguments, nor do want to even appear to influence my own students with my own views – there are too many who hold on to the lingering belief that it's wrong to disagree with their professor.

But current events in an election year are inevitably political, and while I've avoided topics on the election directly, it's impossible to avoid the big issues for long – especially when the theme for the assignments happens to be argumentation and debate.

This week, I had discovered three interesting articles which were prime examples of persuasive writing, and clearly demonstrated several of the key elements I had wanted to illustrate – claims, inductive and deductive reasoning, rebuttals, the whole works. The problem? Not only were all the articles on the same topic (capital punishment), they all espoused the same view (they were against it).

Incidentally, I'm not against capital punishment – I support it, albeit only in the most extreme of crimes. The point is that I made sure to explain to my students that these articles were being offered only as examples of argumentation, and the fact that they were all on the same topic was unintentional.

The ensuing discussions were lively, but controlled – students were able to analyze what was said and how it was said without any heated debates going on as to capital punishment. Some of them chose to write about the topic in an in-class essay – some agreed, some rebutted (not very well, in either case, but they're trying), and others were content to analyze the message of one or more articles, comparing and contrasting the various authors' approaches, choosing the best. All told, I was pleased with their results.

As teachers, it is our responsibility to teach our students how to think without telling them what to think. The potential to abuse our authority (even unwittingly) over our students is great, but it is not something that should scare us away from keeping our lessons on-topic and interesting.

Happy Easter!

No post this week; just getting ready to enjoy my Easter break, and I hope you do too!

Rumors.

In what's turned out to be an inadvertent follow-up to last week's topic, I had an interesting encounter with one of my administrators in the hallway after a class shortly after posting my last entry. As I've said, I make it an issue not to give away too much personal information about myself to my students, preferring not to share the details of my personal life with them. Of course, the rumor mill hardly needs fuel to run it.

In any event, I'd like to relate this conversation between myself an my administrator, which went something like this:

I met up with her in the hallway outside my classroom, which right away raised a flag in my mind – while the admins do regularly patrol the building to make sure everything is in order, they usually stay close to the common areas: offices, cafeteria, etc. My classroom is far enough out in the wings of the building that I wouldn't see an admin without a reason.

“Excuse me, can I talk to you about something? Something personal?”

Confusion. I've only been working part time at this particular place, and not long enough to make too many friends. So, I'm curious.

“Something's come up – and let me first say that this is perfectly all right, but...”

Confusion being replaced with concern. I've disregarded the second part of what she's said and focused only on the “something's come up” part – nothing about this is boding well.

“It involves something one of the students said you told them...”

At this point, my brain instantly goes into full-blown red alert. My immediate concern is that something I've said has been misconstrued by a student, and while I keep a cool demeanor, I'm already, in the middle of her talking, frantically searching my memory to try to figure out what it could've possibly have been.

“...that you used to have a learning disablity?”

There is no time for relief – I'm instantly back to confusion. I cannot, for the life of me, figure out what I could've said to anyone that could've been interpreted like that. Knowing full well that she cannot and will not reveal any specifics of her conversation, I let her continue.

“Because this student also has been diagnosed, and he was telling me what an inspiration it is to see a teacher who's been in the same situation.”

At this point, let me say, for the record, that I have never had any kind of learning disability. While I'm at it, let me also say that I've never been a priest, never been an alcoholic, never been gay, never been affiliated with any sort of gang, never carried on any sort of torrid love affairs with any of my fellow teachers, and have never been a hitman for the Mafia. I have, however, been the subject of these rumors and more, and have learned to laugh them off and quietly dispel them as they come along – although I will admit, I do have a soft spot for the hitman one.

Having a learning disability is a new one, and While I'll never know what I could've possibly said that gave someone that impression, I responded simply enough: “Well, I actually don't, but if it's inspiring a student, I see no reason to dispel it.” I then asked her which disability I should have, and she (half-jokingly) suggested ADD. I'm not sure if that was some sort of hint, but if it was, it was completely lost on me – in an era of the internet, technology, and instant gratification, it's getting harder and harder to find a student who's not beginning to show symptoms of Attention Deficit Disorder.

So apparently I have ADD now. As rumors go, I'm actually not too bothered by this one (as long as my administrators know the truth), and it's doing a world of good for at least one of my students. Is it true? Of course not. Does it matter? It reminds me of the ending of The Dark Knight: “sometimes... the truth isn't good enough. Sometimes people deserve more. Sometimes people deserve to have their faith rewarded.”

Our students have faith in us. They have faith in our ability to educate them, to show them how much more they can be. That's what matters.

Let's Not Get Personal Here...

One of my favorite “Calvin and Hobbs” comics featured a conversation between Calvin and his mother. She told him that she saw his teacher, Mrs. Wormwood, shopping at the supermarket, much to Calvin's surprise, who remarks, “I thought teachers slept in coffins all summer.” While a long nap (minus the coffin) at the end of a school year is mighty tempting, it was the notion of the students' perception of me as a teacher which got my attention.

I've always found it a delicate balance between closeness and aloofness when dealing with students – too close, and students see me more as a friend than as a figure of respect; too aloof, and I turn into an 80s high school movie cliché. It's a tightrope act, one which every teacher must walk in accordance with their own teaching style and personality.

For myself, I find myself leaning towards the students, trying to maintain a “friendly, but not a friend,” attitude. In spite of this, I always find myself concerned when I hear my students refer to me as a “cool” teacher – part of me things I'm letting them get away with too much. As professionally as I maintain myself, I've still had my share of interesting encounters.

I've had students offer virtual friendships on various social networking sites. I've received invitations to various social events and gatherings. I've had students try to set me up on dates with their family members – cousins, sisters, even parents. I've even had students offer to sell me drugs. For the record, I've declined all such offers. But it has made me very mindful about how much of my personal life teachers should share with their students – especially older (secondary and post-secondary) students such as the ones I teach.

Should we be encouraged or concerned when our students want to know more about us as people? Is the fact that they're thinking about us as not just teachers cause for encouragement or concern?

A Happy Accident

It's been a wild few weeks for me as I've settled into a new school, and have been eager to earn the respect of my coworkers and students. I was getting prepped for one of my classes the other day, all set to complete a lesson on figurative language. The day before, they had begun some worksheets on personification and hyperbole. Challenging, but not too much; pretty standard fare, but (at least in my opinion) interesting enough to get them engaged. This was to be the last day of this particular lesson, when potential calamity struck.

Turns out I left the entire stack of their worksheets at home – I had nothing on hand to do with them for the period, and precious few materials available except a worksheet they had done previously and a pad of looseleaf paper. Rather than panic, I jumped a few days ahead in my mind and told the class that today, rather than do the worksheets, they would be putting what they had learned to work by composing an original piece of poetry this period. I didn't mention the reason for it, and simply told them that because of it, we'd be doing something different today.

The rules were simple enough – there was no length requirement for the work, and no restrictions as to the subject matter (my only request was to keep the language clean). The poem, however, had to include a sample of each of the figurative terms we had previously discussed – a simile or metaphor, a hyperbole, and an example of personification. I explained the rules and let them go to work.

The work may not have been particularly inspired (I got a lot of ditties of the “Roses are red...” variety), and many of them missed some of the figurative elements, but the important thing is that they all, including students who had been reluctant to participate, were engaged in a creative activity. Even though I didn't require it, many of them attempted to make their work rhyme, and were constantly asking me and each other for rhymes for various words. All told, I got more out of this emergency exercise than the one I had originally planned.

Mark Twain once quipped, "It takes me about three weeks to write an impromptu speech." But it takes more than careful planning to be spontaneous, it takes a desire to do so. Part of me knew the worksheet was really grabbing the kids' attention, but I was too focused on staying organized and committed to my lesson plan to drop it and move on. It took a mishap to get things back on track.

I shall have to arrange for more such mishaps in the future.

Figurative language... represent!

While the odds of me ever becoming or even being mistaken for a Hip-Hop mogul are slim to none, I have recently come across an interesting resource for teaching poetry and figurative language --

deyonjohnson.pbworks.com/f/Figurative+Language+Packet.doc

-- Which usues rap lyrics alongside of more classical poetry to introduce concepts such as simile, metaphor, hyperbole, etc. I've found it useful (with a few modifications) for my own lessons because it reinforces one of my core beliefs of literature and creativity -- nothing is new. The same tools used by the likes of Byron and Shakespeare are still being used by 50 Cent and Jay-Z.

My most profound thanks to Ms. Deyon Johnson of Washington D.C. for posting this and other wonderful resources, and I hope to find others which bring contemporary culture into the classroom.

Down time.

Feeling a bit under the weather this week, friends -- not enough to keep me out of class (I suspect it would take the plague to do that -- I've always prided myself on my attendance record), but enough to keep me from researching or writing for this week. So I'm taking a week off for this leap day, but I'll be back next Wednesday with something interesting.

Beauty is...

We just read “My First Conk,” from The Autobiography of Malcolm X, and got involved in a discussion of what beauty is, and what a person will go through to be “beautiful.” In the passage, Malcolm X expresses his own disgust at the length that black men (including himself) went through to fit a standard of beauty which equated “beautiful” with “looking white”:

http://teacherweb.com/NJ/JohnFKennedyMemorialHighSchool/Cice/First_Conk001.pdf

“This was my first really big step toward self-degradation: when I endured all of that pain, literally burning my flesh to have it look like a white man’s hair. I had joined that multitude of Negro men and women in America who are brainwashed into believing that the black people are “inferior”—and white people “superior”— that they will even violate and mutilate their God-created bodies to try to look “pretty” by white standards.”

What followed was a great class discussion about what beauty is, who sets the standard of “beautiful,” and the lengths a person was willing to go through to find it. There's no shortage of resources on this particular topic – during my years teaching at a girls' high school, I became aware, through numerous research papers, of the various facts and figures regarding eating disorders and the obsession with fitness, so I, in the interest of novelty, decided to go a different path.

I remembered an episode of the National Geographic show Taboo entitled “Body Perfect,” which charted three vastly different cultures and explored the lengths people there went through to become “beautiful” by their standards – an Indonesian woman agreed to have her teeth filed to sharp points in order to appease her village spirits, a Beverly Hills man underwent surgery for (of all things) butt implants, and a Chinese man had his legs surgically broken and reset in order to become taller.

The episode is available on most streaming video services, including Netflix, and a preview of the episode itself can be found on National Geographic's educational video website:

http://www.natgeoeducationvideo.com/film/763/taboo-2-body-perfect

The video is not too graphic (there are some surgery scenes, but nothing explicit), and I found it an interesting tool for getting students thinking about other cultures – I especially appreciate how, like many of the show's episodes, in included a distinctly American custom (in this case, Beverly Hills plastic surgery) as a means of comparison. All told, it's an interesting resource, althoguh best suited for older, more mature classrooms.

Some of my students used the video as a springboard to discuss their own and their culture's notion of beauty – as well as their commonalities. One student remarked that the Chinese fixation on height from the third segment, for example, was more or less universal – height is often associated with power and status. It opened their eyes to different cultures and ideas, while still giving them a reference point for their own.

All told, I would suggest this episode for any kind of discussion on health or beauty in which the educator wants to put a multicultural spin. The series in general is very good, although some topics are less appropriate than others.

Also, it's just plain interesting, even outside of class!

Another book review

Goodman, B. (2004). English, Yes! Learning English Through Literature. Level 7: Transitional New York: Glencoe. 184 pp., 9 units. Last book of a series.

This book is used on a secondary/adult education level, best suited for students at WIDA levels 4-5, Expanding and Bridging. It is a stand-alone book with no supplemental material or online component.

The topics are age-appropriate, using adaptations of classical and contemporary literature, with each unit focusing on a different short story. Language instruction is covered though vocabulary and grammar exercises at the end of each story/unit, which always relate the questions back to the story itself. Comprehension exercises are scattered along with the vocabulary and grammar exercises, integrating content and language instruction. The exercises themselves, however, don't contain any sort of answer key, and are for the most part, open ended questions (short answers, essay prompts, etc.,) which don't allow for much assessment or evaluation without the teacher's presence.

 As the theme of the book is learning language through literature, reading and writing skills are stressed, at the expense of others. Some of the more advanced language functions include using language to persuade (in an essay format) others to a certain opinion or action, comparing and contrasting characters within a story, and summarizing and describing events. There are almost no grammar exercises at all, although vocabulary is stressed through definition, synonym and antonym drills – mostly in a multiple choice format.

Exercises are grouped in a predictable pattern at the end of each story/unit, although there is some variety in the exact format of each exercise. For example, while the vocabulary exercise for one unit may be fill-in-the-blanks, the next unit's vocabulary drill will be multiple choice. The variety, however, is still somewhat limited, which is not helpful for different learning styles. There are no group activities or oral communication exercises of any kind, so there are no opportunities for students to use their newfound knowledge in a hands-on scenario. The book is the last of a series, presumably the last step before mainstreaming, so there is no noticeable differentiation of instruction.

The book has very few hand-drawn illustrations, usually only two or three per story. As the stories themselves come from a variety of cultures, from China to Latin America, so do the illustrations. Many of the stories are not contemporary, so the illustrations are not either, although they are historically and literally accurate to promote understanding of the text. Not nearly enough illustration or realia is included to help English Learners, but as this book is the last of a series, this may be intentional in order to focus the reader on the literature unassisted.

This book is the last step in a series before mainstreaming, and I wish I could've seen some of the earlier books to get a look at how the series handles developing readers. I was very disappointed in the complete lack of oral or group exercises, something which is now standard even in mainstream Literature texts. The book seems to assume a high level of proficiency because that is what it is designed for, nevertheless, some differentiation of instruction and appeal to multiple intelligences would have still been a wise move to help those students who may not yet be up to the expected level.