Another Web Resource

If you like to peruse education websites, I found an interesting one today--Star Wars famous, George Lucas, appears to have a passion for education. I only read one article but found that it rang true: What's the Secret to Effective Classroom Management?
By Maurice Elias.

Basically, trust between student and teacher is what creates the most effectively managed classroom.

Where I am From poetry activity

One of my student teachers, Kristen, did a fabulous job using this poem by George Ella Lyon as an introduction to House on Mango Street.

Yet Another Discovery

I previously wrote about poetry or essay cafe because I was pleasantly surprised at how much harder students worked on their writing pieces when they knew they would be reading to the class. This past Friday, I discovered another reason to have essay read-alouds. It is an amazing tool for teaching editing.

I had several students that stumbled over sentences, words or phrases or even did a stand-up-editing-comedy-routine.
I usually edit their work and students must return their polished copy for a final grade. This time, I gave papers back with instructions to edit their own work--they already knew where changes had to be made from reading out loud.

The Library of Imagination

I wanted to pass on one of my favorite journal prompts.

http://www.walkerdigital.com/video/ The musical accompaniment is splendid.

Questions I ask for the prompt:
How much do you love to learn? Value learning? How important was creativity in the creation of this library and the success that provided the means to build this library? What original manuscripts would you want in your library? What artifacts?

Jay Walker can also be found at ted.com with a personal explanation of his Library of Imagination.
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/jay_walker_s_library_of_human_imagination.html

Teaching Literature and Reading Wiki

If any of you are interested in materials on literature circles and reading topics covered in Eng 378, feel free to join the wiki for access to materials after you finish at BYU. :) I am adding a lot of fabulous teacher handouts to the site. Also, I am working on getting Novelinks onto a wiki or blog that is accessible off campus as well.

Technology is more than Wordle

A really thoughtful site to follow!

Best Thing I've Ever Done

Just a quick note on teacher blogs: best thing I've ever done. I have two. The first blog communicates assignments due, afterthoughts, a re-cap of the day etc. If a student is absent and asked what he/she missed, I can say, "Check the class blog." This blog also serves as my journal and helps me to self-reflect and see what is needed.
It isn't all business either; students see that I write and reflect too-I do what I ask them to do.
The second blog is for posting student writing. Each student is required to make 5 comments on other writers' work. When I visit the writing blog and see the comments that students are making about each others' writing, I see that something positive is happening. Students have an audience.

Evaluating Blogs?

My colleague, Gideon, talks about how blogs should be evaluated. How does your blog measure up? :)

The Digital Writer: Criteria for Evaluating Research Blogs

thedigitalwriter.blogspot.com

Looking for a wonderful poetry explication group activity?

I found this on English Companion Ning and plan to use it. Let me know if anyone else tries it out.

Are You Done?

For about five years now, I have had to wear reading glasses. It's gotten progressively worse and during my last eye appt., I decided to try contact lenses. Last night was horrendous trying to get the invisible, clear disk out of my eye and I finally had to have my daughter operate. I resolved to never wear contacts again, but this morning with my memory of clear-up-close vision, not having to pull out my glasses to read everything, that simple pleasure will drive me to try contacts again.

Here is the most amusing part and the place where I will try to drive the topic of this post: When I went to school yesterday, (the first time in my up-close contacts) I noticed that my adorable, little ninth graders had acne and facial hair.

I'm glad I spent the year seeing them through my softened lenses. Acne and pubescent hair begging for a razor is not.....................that pleasant.

So the point is, we must look at our students through clear eyes-- we must see their potential, their weaknesses, their need for discipline, love, and appropriate challenges, but is it such a bad thing to see them a little better, sweeter, cuter, than they really are? Isn't that how we want to be seen?

I hope you had a great year and I hope you will post your reflective experiences, both good and bad on this blog so we can all learn from each others' triumphs and mistakes. Please?