A Writing Prompt to Really Get To Know Your Students

"Three Things I Want You To Know About Me."
 
I came up with this prompt while teaching high school, but it works with younger kids, too. It gives the students a choice of what to comment on, and allows them to use their own voice to tell it like it feels. You may learn a lot about music, sports, and their dog; but sometimes you will also learn about very serious topics like family crisis or illness. And at times the school can help the families. But you will know the students better, especially if you actually read the essays and comment on them. The kids feel very validated, and more willing to write the remainder of the year no matter what the topic.

Jim Abbott of the Yankees, pitching a no-hitter.

I especially enjoyed when the students shared their dreams for their future. You would be amazed how many major league baseball players (of the future) were in my seventh grade classes. Far be it from me to say otherwise. Who knows, anyway? If Jim Abbott, who had only one hand due to a birth defect, became a major league pitcher, shouldn't I be like his grown-ups and be filled with encouragement for kids' dreams?

Educational Links 10/19/2020

 How Fan Fiction Inspires Kids to Read and Write and Write and Write

https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/56580/how-fan-fiction-inspires-kids-to-read-and-write-and-write-and-write

Readers Respond: Should Politics Be Kept Out of the Classroom?

https://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/classroom_qa_with_larry_ferlazzo/2020/10/readers_respond_should_politics_be_kept_out_of_the_classroom.html

Respectful Redirection: An Evidence-Based Behavior Strategy

https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/for-educators/teaching-strategies/behavior-strategy-respectful-redirection?_ul=1*1r76bu5*domain_userid*YW1wLXg1OXRZZFBFeURzOVNtd05BXzZoNmc.

Yes, Teachers Are Still Being Evaluated. Many Say It's Unfair

https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2020/10/15/yes-teachers-are-still-being-evaluated-many.html

The Most Useful ADHD Accommodations and Modifications for Distance Learning

https://www.additudemag.com/distance-learning-accommodations/?utm_source=eletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=parent_october_2020&utm_content=101720&goal=0_d9446392d6-8f74167d94-292910369&fbclid=IwAR1F7K3MJk6jwAtlDGnc5DJEE3qjeyPd7n_ZVmNRMvl1hT8DabWvsEVQpcg

With cameras running, an Orange County high school reopens; principals answer the call

https://edsource.org/podcast/with-cameras-running-an-orange-county-high-school-reopens-principals-answer-the-call?fbclid=IwAR0K9tisA9UDbsctumLJya8quqKamk4M5-g86b3eELNeqo8LNzcKXrA_nUE

Ed leaders say finances, politics remain hurdles in COVID-19 response

https://www.educationdive.com/news/covid-19-survey-districts-have-basics-but-finances-and-politics-remain-hu/586620/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter%20Weekly%20Roundup:%20Education%20Dive:%20K-12%20Daily%2010-17-2020&utm_term=Education%20Dive:%20K12%20Weekender

An Ed Dive: K-12 survey finds administrators nationwide meeting essential needs, but fatigued by limited resources and inconsistent messaging.

Home Learning: ELA: Writing (Severely Handicapped)

Home Learning: ELA Resources: Writing 
Lessons for Printing the Alphabet
Materials: sharpened pencils, eraser, whiteboard,, whiteboard pen

• Student sets up work place with a clear desk-type surface. Places sharpened pencils and eraser in convenient spot.
• Teacher demonstrates formation of the letters on the whiteboard, student copies on the whiteboard.

• Student writes letter or words on page.Teacher checks. If correct, student continues to next line.
• Teacher demonstrates as needed.
• Student completes page, teacher checks. Student puts page away in ELA folder.

Choose at least of one page each day of Tracing Letters.

Choose one page a week of Printing Letter Worksheets.

Choose one page a week of Uppercase and Lowercase Letters.

Choose one page a week of Alphabetical Order Worksheets.

Choose one page a week of Shapes Worksheets.

I use K-5 Learning https://www.k5learning.com/ as a resource. Parents or Teacher Surrogates can peruse the choices and add on pages as you see your student is interested. The first link is for all the letters of the alphabet-students can choose ones we haven't already done in class.

1. Tracing Letters https://www.k5learning.com/free-preschool-kindergarten-worksheets/letters-alphabet/tracing-letters
2. Printing Letters Worksheets https://www.k5learning.com/free-preschool-kindergarten-worksheets/letters-alphabet/printing-letters
3. Uppercase and Lowercase Letters https://www.k5learning.com/free-preschool-kindergarten-worksheets/letters-alphabet/upper-lower-case
4. Alphabetical Order Worksheet https://www.k5learning.com/free-preschool-kindergarten-worksheets/letters-alphabet/alphabetical-order
5. Shapes Worksheets https://www.k5learning.com/free-preschool-kindergarten-worksheets/shapes

Remember, teacher, one step at a time. Keeping a reasonable schedule-for example, having ELA at the same time each day (we had it at 8:00 am and sometimes at 11:00am)- will build security and interest in your homeschooling. When your student is clearly finished with the task, end the lesson on a positive note.

MzTeachuh Today 2/16/2020

MzTeachuh
http://melanielinktaylor.mzteachuh.org/

Melanie Link Taylor
in her natural habitat.

MzTeachuh is a daily blog providing educational links for professional development, timely articles for special needs, ed tech and STEM, as well as interesting and amusing posts in the Fine Arts and the Humanities.

Finishing Up NaNoWriMo

Thank you, Chromebooks, for the experience.

Today we complete the month of November--all my English Classes from Grades 7 through 11--have been writing a novel.

It is amazing. They have been fully engaged.

Why? I ask myself.

I have tried to take away the common roadblocks to writing, being a writer myself I know them well. 

No laziness. 

No hesitancy to get started. 

No procrastination. 

It's a classroom--I get to boss them into getting going!

The kids look forward to writing. Why?

Strong reading background.

Movies, media, television-lots of stories.

Video games--what? Yes, I think participating in video games is an ongoing story that involves some writing essentials and engagement. The intense focus of extended involvement may have conditioned the kids to writing fiction.

I worked to encouraged the students to imagine and write quickly, less worried about editing.

Liberty to try without the shackles of ELA.

For now. We'll edit later--using ELA to make sure the meaning of the story is clear. Authors use punctuation and usage for their own purpose to move the story along.

Using what we already know, I kept referring to a plot diagram.

 Write like a real author-everyone has a story.

I am grateful for the tech to do this--we have Chromebooks in the class.  This is great. This makes me happy.

Writing Strategies: Macbeth Prompts

Ms. Taylor’s English Class, VVCS 2018-2019

Macbeth Writing Prompts-Choose one to write a five-paragraph essay.

Discuss the transformation of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth from Act 1 to the end of the play.

Is Lady Macbeth more responsible than Macbeth for the murder of King Duncan? Is Lady Macbeth’s character more evil than her husband and, if so, why?

Examine Macbeth's mental deterioration throughout the play. 

The three witches told Macbeth his fate. Did the events in Macbeth’s life occur because of the witches’ prophesy or because of the choices he made?

What caused Macbeth to fall: Fate or Free Will? Explain the role of free will in the play.  

If Macbeth were put on trial today, would he be innocent of murder by reason of insanity? How about Lady Macbeth?

A tragic hero is a protagonist, usually of noble birth or high-standing, who brings about his own downfall by a choice brought on by a character flaw. Tragic heroes have several other common features: they undergo meaningful suffering, learn from their mistake somehow, and arouse pity or fear in the audience through their demise. Is Macbeth a tragic hero? Explain why or why not.

Punctuation Review for Novel Writing-Especially that Pesky Dialogue Writing

 

8 Essential Rules for Punctuating Dialogue

https://www.authorlearningcenter.com/writing/fiction/w/character-development/6491/8-essential-rules-for-punctuating-dialogue---article 

 

Journaling 10/11/18

Educational Links 10/9/18

How Social-Emotional Learning Really Affects Students: 
A 360-Degree Perspective for School Leaders

https://events.edsurge.com/webinars/how-social-emotional--learning-really-affects-students?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ad

Two Detailed Presentations About Copyright for Educators

https://www.freetech4teachers.com/

What Is ADHD? (and What Is It Not?)

https://www.additudemag.com/adhd-2-0/

EXPAND YOUR MEDIA LITERACY SKILLS TODAY WITH KQED TEACH

https://teach.kqed.org/

The Unexpected Connection Between Handwriting and Learning to Read

https://www.understood.org/en/community-events/blogs/expert-corner/2018/09/24/the-unexpected-connection-between-handwriting-and-learning-to-read

Secondary Traumatic Stress for Educators: Understanding and Mitigating the Effects

https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/52281/secondary-traumatic-stress-for-educators-understanding-and-mitigating-the-effects?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+kqed%2FnHAK+%28MindShift%29

Three Things Teachers Need to Spot—and Stop—Plagiarism

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2018-10-08-three-things-teachers-need-to-spot-and-stop-plagiarism

Ask any educator who teaches five classes of 30 students each per day; there’s a lot of homework to assess. And if that homework involves writing assignments, the hours add up fast. Checking student work for possible plagiarism, specifically, has become a time consuming burden for many educators.

Journaling 10/2/18

This Week in MzT's Classroom 10/1/18-10/5/18

This week classes are finishing presentations of alternative reading reports. How fun this is!

Our study of poetry will continue--Grades 12 and 11 will develop a Literary Analysis Essay. The students may choose between  "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost, and "The Rainy Day," by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Grades 8, 9, and 10 will write Compare/Contrast essays on those two poems. Quite a good challenge! Grade 7 will develop a graphic organizer comparing the two poems.

Monday 
Grades 10 and 11
               Metaphors
               
The art of the metaphor - Jane Hirshfield

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0edKgL9EgM

HW Summarize notes from the Elements of Poetry.

Grades 12, 9, 8, 7
Finish Alternative Reading Projects.

HW Summarize notes from the Elements of Poetry.

Tuesday
Grades 10 and 11
Alternative Book Reports

HW Develop Outline for Essay

Grade 12, 9, 8, 7
Review elements of poetry. Discuss metaphor
The art of the metaphor - Jane Hirshfield

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0edKgL9EgM

Develop graphic organization for Compare and Contrast Essay of Frost and Longfellow.

HW fill in graphic organizer.

Wednesday
Grades 11 and 10
Alternative Book Reports
Discussion of Metaphor

Grade 12, 9, 8, 7
Discussion of Metaphor
Development of a Graphic Organizer

Thursday
Grades 12, 11,
Collaborative Teams discuss Rough Drafts for Literary Analysis Essay on choice between  Frost and Longfellow.

Grades 10, 9, 8,and 7.

Collaborative Teams discuss Rough Drafts for Compare/Contrast Essay of  Frost and Longfellow.

HW Grades 10, 9, and 8 Write Rough Draft for Compare/Contrast Essay of Frost and Longfellow.
HW Grade 7 has a choice to fill in a Graphic Organizer or a Rough Draft for an Essay.

Friday
Grades 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7
Grades 12 and 11 will write a Literary Analysis Essay on their choice between the poems of Frost and Longfellow.
Grades 10, 9, 8 will write a Compare/Contrast Essay on the two poems.
Grade 7 will have a choice of filling a Graphic organizer or writing a Compare/Contrast Essay.

Help for Writing Essays for College Applications

Popular College Application Essay Topics (and How to Answer Them)

https://www.princetonreview.com/college-advice/application-essay-topics

How to Write the Common Application Essays 2018-2019 (With Examples)

https://blog.collegevine.com/how-to-write-the-common-application-essays-2018-2019/

Crafting an Unforgettable College Essay

https://www.princetonreview.com/college-advice/college-essay

2018-2019 Common Application Essay Prompts

https://www.commonapp.org/whats-appening/application-updates/2018-2019-common-application-essay-prompts

Your Guide to the Common Application

https://www.princetonreview.com/college-advice/are-you-ready-for-the-common-app

How to Get Great College Letters of Recommendation

https://www.princetonreview.com/college-advice/letter-of-recommendation

How to Write a High School Resume for College Applications

https://www.princetonreview.com/college-advice/high-school-resume

Autopsy on Our Short Stories (Getting Ready for Our Essays)

1. Setting: Where and when is the story set? Setting represents both the physical location but also the time (i.e. past, present, future) and the social and cultural conditions in which the characters exist.
   –
2. Character: A person or animal or really anything personified. There can be one main character or many, and often there are secondary characters, but not always.
   –
3. Plot: The events that happen in a story are called the plot. In a plot you typically find an introduction, rising action, a climax, the falling action, and a resolution. Plot is often represented as an arc.
   –
4. Conflict: Every story must have a conflict, i.e. a challenge or problem around which the story is based. Without conflict, the story will have no purpose or trajectory.
   –
5. Theme: Idea, belief, moral, lesson or insight. It’s the central argument that the author is trying to make the reader understand. The theme is the “why” of the story.

Compare and Contrast Literature Essay--hey, let's do this!

The purpose of a compare and contrast essay is to analyze the differences and/or the similarities of two distinct subjects. A good compare/contrast essay doesn't only point out how the subjects are similar or different (or even both!). It uses those points to make a meaningful argument about the subjects.

How to Write a Compare and Contrast Essay

https://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Compare-and-Contrast-Essay

Grades 11 and 12 are doing so well--we are jumping right into Compare and Contrast essays!

This Week in MzT's Classroom 8/27--8/31 2018

This week includes the High School and Middle School Retreats on Thursday and Friday.

So, oh happy day, no assessment on Friday!

Monday 8/27/18 

Grades 7, 8, and 9

Takes notes from teacher's lecture on genres of literature.

Literary Genres

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5A1aM-zzJls

Reading Team Day

The Myth of Icarus and Daedalus

https://westenglish7.weebly.com/uploads/2/8/8/3/28833613/icarus___daedalus_phaethon.pdf

First read through with partner on Chromebook, take notes on plot diagram with partners CW

List vocabulary words from story in HW section.

Book Chat about Outside Reading

HW Using notes from your INB, write a paragraph summary of the story.

The Story of Icarus 

https://westenglish7.weebly.com/uploads/2/8/8/3/28833613/icarus___daedalus_phaethon.pdf

Study vocabulary.

Grades 10, 11, 12

Reading Team Day

The Myth of Icarus and Daedalus And Phaeton

https://westenglish7.weebly.com/uploads/2/8/8/3/28833613/icarus___daedalus_phaethon.pdf

First read through both stories with partner on Chromebook, take notes on plot diagram with partners CW

List vocabulary words from both stories in HW section.

Book Chat about Outside Reading

HW Using notes from your INB, write a paragraph summary of the story.

The Story of Icarus  and the Story of Phaeton

https://westenglish7.weebly.com/uploads/2/8/8/3/28833613/icarus___daedalus_phaethon.pdf

Study vocabulary.

Tuesday 8/28/18

Grades 7, 8, 9

Elements of Plot

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WH5jlkK4aUI

Reading aloud as a class The Myth of Icarus and Daedalus

Answer questions together in writing  from story.

Writer's Workshop

Writing summaries about stories using a plot diagram.

HW Study notes on genres of literature.

Study notes on the elements of plots.

Study vocabulary from the Icarus story.

Grades 10, 11, 12

Elements of Plot

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WH5jlkK4aUI

Reading aloud as a class The Myth of Icarus and Daedalus

Answer questions together in writing  from story link;

Discuss with teams the story of Phaeton; answer questions together.

Writer's Workshop

Writing summaries about stories using a plot diagram.

HW Study notes on genres of literature.

Study notes on the elements of plots.

Study vocabulary from the Icarus story.

Wednesday 8/29/18 

Grades 7, 8, 9.

Teacher review of story vocabulary.

Class discussion of extra questions on story.

Ed Tech Cafe

Digital Citizenship topics

What You Students Really Need to Know About Digitial Citizenship

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/digital-citizenship-need-to-know-vicki-davis

HW No new homework on Wednesdays.

Grades 10, 11, 12

Teacher review of both stories' vocabulary.

Class discussion of extra questions on stories.

Ed Tech Cafe

Digital Citizenship topics

What Your Students Really Need to Know About Digitial Citizenship

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/digital-citizenship-need-to-know-vicki-davis

HW  No new homework on Wednesday.

Thursday and Friday 8/30/18 and 8/31/18

High School and Middle School Retreat

Psalm 9:1-2 The Message (MSG)

A David Psalm

9 

1-2 I’m thanking you, God, from a full heart,

    I’m writing the book on your wonders.

I’m whistling, laughing, and jumping for joy;

    I’m singing your song, High God.