Get Them Reading: Weekend Challenge

Last Friday when 13 of my 22 students in third-period Eng 9 signed on for my Weekend Reading Challenge, I tweeted my delight:

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I have been asked to explain what my Weekend Challenge is, and I'm happy to oblige. Independent reading is not graded in my classroom, but I honor 10 inviolable minutes of SILENT reading at the beginning of every class. We set the timer, sink into our books, and read. It is by reading daily that kids keep their momentum, keep their plots moving, and--often--keep their interest high enough to motivate reading outside of class as well. (But I'll save all that for another blog--)

The Weekend Challenge started spontaneously when I noticed kids with 30 or 40  pages left in their books and asked them if they thought they could finish over the weekend. That's it. Kids love a personal challenge, and I've only rarely had a student reject my challenge. My prizes for finishing the book vary, usually pushing the limits of the Healthy Kids Act. 

But last week when I began asking kids if they could finish over the weekend, hands kept popping up. Before I knew it I had ten volunteers, some with hundreds of pages to read! I told them I'd never had that many before, and announced that if ALL TEN met their challenge, we'd have breakfast pizza. At that point three more kids jumped up to join the team. (Funny that by joining they actually lowered the chances that all would finish...but the idea of being part of a group earning the class a treat outweighed their mathematical reasoning.)

We then set up a group text and email contacts to use for reminders and motivation. I also emailed the parents and told them that their children had accepted a weekend reading challenge and would need a reminder and a quiet place to read.

All 13 (plus I) finished books by Sunday night. I'm always looking for ways to high-five my kids for reading. I'd love to hear ideas from the rest of you!

Favorite Classroom Management Strategies

On the first day of school, I like to rattle off the various jobs I've held over the years: pizza maker, ice-cream truck driver, factory worker, grocery clerk, security guard, writer, janitor...

I then invite kids to guess which of the jobs I listed is NOT TRUE. The answer? Security guard. 

This little game gives me the chance to share some of my history and leads into an important feature of my classroom: I am not a security guard. I am not a police officer. I am not the gendarme, nor the constabulary. And do I want to be. In truth, I would be a terrible police officer. I am not good at making and enforcing rules. Rather, I am a teacher. My energy goes to finding ways to help kids learn. With this understanding established, I explain my methods for keeping order in our room:

I will plan highly engaging lessons that they'll want to take part in. Each day will include opportunities for movement and discussion. (These are marked with a * on the whilteboard, as reminders to all of us that activity is planned.) 

That is my discipline strategy: keep them engaged, thinking, wanting to be a part of the learning. On days when my kids are off task, I can invariably trace their derailment to my own failure in planning. That isn't to say I blame myself for kids' misbehavior. But if I have an off day of teaching, my #1 method of getting back on top of my game is to plan the heck out of the next day's lesson. And because I live by this, I have very few discipline issues. Still, I have a few. Here is how I address them:

1) The sleepy kid - Offer her a lemon drop. 

2) The kid who is only pretending to read his book - Give him a choice: "Would you like to change books, or power through the next 10 pages?" I also ask the kid to rate the book on a scale of 1-5. If he doesn't give it a 4 or 5, I suggest a new book. There are too many great books out there to waste your time on a 3.

3) The kid who is distracting others from learning - "Would you like a drink of water?" This question, whispered softly to a student is my code for "Please get up, go out in the hall, get a drink, and get a grip." I explain on the first day that it is never my intent to embarrass them, but there might be times when I need them to step out of the classroom, get their act together, and re-think why I might have asked them to leave for a minute. I explain that "get a drink of water" does not mean wander the halls. It means go get a drink, then either come back in with their behavior/attitude under control, or--if they prefer--wait outside the door and I'll come out and talk to them soon.

I am not Pollyanna. My classroom is not perfect and my students at times need reminders to shape up. I know my style would not work for everyone--but the fear-of-god method doesn't work for me. A well-planned lesson, a well-stocked lemon-drop jar, and a nearby drinking fountain are my tools of the trade.

  

Fill 'er Up - Favorite Filler Activities - #ReflectiveTeacher Challenge

Week 1, #ReflectiveTeacher Challenge Your favorite filler activity

While some teachers say "Class dismissed," I shriek "Oh no!" The hour races by too quickly for me. But on the rare occasion I have tied up loose ends before the bell, I have a few quick tricks up my sleeve.

1) Line them up at the door. I do this by grabbing my old deck of "Blurt" cards and reading a definition to two students. The one who shouts out the word defined first, wins and gets to line up. I then move on to two more. The definitions are simple: appliance used for baking = oven; water from the eye = tears. Fun + wordy + easy = win.

2) Recite a poem! I know dozens of various lengths. Breaking into poetry is a way to remind students that poetry is a gift.

3) Play "Would you rather?" Would you rather read a story by Edgar Allan Poe or a poem by Emily Dickinson? Would you rather learn the meanings or the spellings of ten words? Would you rather find an allusion or onomatopoeia in a poem? Would you rather use pathos or logos to prove your point? This game can be used to reinforce learning.

Allison's Top 10 Books of 2014

#1) Lying by Sam Harris was published in November of 2013, and since then I've purchased four copies to share. It's actually not very well written, but it earns top billing on my list because the concept of living without any form of lying was key to my 2014 year. I could not stop talking about this slim, life-changing book. Read it. Then start watching how often you might be lying without consciously thinking about it. Living lie-free is challenging--and gloriously freeing.

#2) The Enchanted by Rene Denfeld was stunning. The story of death row is told through multiple characters: inmates, the fallen priest who serves in the prison, and the social worker whose investigations offer inmates their last chances to escape the death sentence. Denfeld accomplishes what I want in literature: she turns the pain of human experience into something beautiful. She is able to show the death-row inmates in their raw evil, yet still show us their humanity. Heart-rending and up-lifting: the ultimate combination.

#3) American Pastoral by Philip Roth - This wasn't a 2014 book, but it was one of the most engaging books I read all year. My neighbors growing up were the Evans family, parents of Linda Evans, Weatherman fugitive. I didn't understand what this meant as I delivered the Des Moines Register to their Ft. Dodge doorstop in the mornings. Philip Roth showed me.

#4) Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast. Oh my. If you are my age (54), you might be facing the aging-parents phase of your life. Chast is brilliant. Please share this with people with aging parents. Brutally honest and brutally funny.

#5) Love Affairs of Nathaniel P.: A Novel by Adelle Waldman - Books that made my list are ones that I found myself recommending or buying for other people. The 20-somethings in my life verified my sense that this hilarious and biting book is a dead-on reality dose.

#6) A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers - Written in 2001, the book finally made it to the top of my to-read pile. I understand some people have loved this book while others found it too crazy. Put me in the former category. I was enthralled with the way the stories spun out in roiling, manic voice.

#7) Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan - I chomp through a lot of YA books, but this one has lingered with me since I read it last spring. Just a dear book. I haven't felt compelled to foist it on a lot of my high-school readers (its protagonist is in junior high), but I've recommended it to my adult friends.

#8) Anatomy of a Misfit by Andrea Portes - Now this is a YA book that I've shared with several of my students--and with good results. I had some issues with the ending (one of the pleasures of being a reader is that you get to pass judgement on endings!), but overall I found it highly readable, honest, and funny.

#9) Big Little Lies  by Liane Moriarty - Oh this was fun! A mix of dead-on hilarious parenting commentary plus a murder (?) mystery and an examination of domestic abuse in wealthy households. One of those books I couldn't put down.

#10) All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy - Dipping back to 1993 for this one. I was on a kick this year to read some of the Pulitzers I'd missed and this was one I loved. It reminded me of Annie Proulx's "Brokeback Mountain" with is heartrending portrayal of doomed love. My Pulitzer chase also led me to The Goldfinch and Olive Kitteridge, both of which I found disappointing on several levels: the writing, the characterization, the predictability. I don't mean to end on that sour note; rather, I want to contrast those more recent Pulitzers to McCarthy's beautiful classic--a velvet look at human anguish.

What made YOUR top 10 list this year? I'd love to hear! Please share!

Ask this question on every test:

What do you know/understand about __________ now that you didn't know/understand before our unit of study? 

Last week I asked a variation of this question at the end of an assessment on my students' learning from our Journalism First-Amendment study. In a paragraph, explain how you understand an aspect of the first amendment better now than you did a week ago. Provide an example that shows your understanding. 

Here are first three responses, which were fairly representative: 

     A week ago, I'm going to be honest, I didn't know anything about the First Amendment. I have learned so much, and I just answered every single question correctly on this quiz. 
For one, I did not know that it was legal to burn a flag when in disagreeance with the government. I did not know that that was acceptable, but I do now.
     A week ago, I also didn't know that a principal of a school can't say that something can't be published, like for eye of the needle because it's protected by this Bill of Rights.
     I didn't know that teachers can actually teach about religions, they just can't lead a prayer in class. I did know this to some extent, but I didn't know all the rules that came along with Relgion in the First Amendment.
     I also didn't know that so many things were actually protected by the First Amendment, I knew that most things were, but not as many as I do now. I didn't know you could say so many hurtful things and still count that as sticking within the First Amendment. However, even though you can mean things or bad things, this doesn't meant that consequences won't follow.

I learned more about the idea of religion in a school. When I was in Washington as a little kid, we said the Pledge of Allegiance every day, so I thought it was just a part of our daily lives. Then we stopped saying it, and I never knew why. Eventually I thought that religion was banned in schools, but now I know that it isn't banned, but it just cannot be promoted by school officials. Students can still follow their beliefs, but school officials and staff cannot promote it.

I didn't know or realize why we couldn't as a class do the things we can't do. Like praying, Pledge of Allegiance, or how the teachers can'r wear clothes supporting their religion or hang it up in their classroom. I don't feel that that is promoting the religion. I feel it's showing everyone you're proud of your religion. I understand why we can't force students to say the Pledge of Allegiance. People in our school district are different religions. I just found out today of a sophomore girl who is a religion who doesn't celebrate things. That reminded me of journalism due to not being able to do say the Pledge of Allegiance. My question is though, what if all of the students wish to say a gorup prayer? Don't sports teams before games send a prayer together to pray for a win and for everyone to be safe?

I loved how the third student revealed some misunderstanding that I needed to address and also boldly asked questions about subtleties in separation of church and state. I learned more about my students' understanding--and processing of their learning--from this one question that I did from the 19 other questions on the assessment. 

The lesson? Don't forget to ask the students what they've learned. 

If not kind, at least helpful

Nov 30 Practice an act of kindness this week and blog about your experience

Was I kind this week? I think I was--or at least I was helpful, a kissin' cousin to kindness. 

I hosted Thanksgiving. 

I dreamed up party games. 

I mediated my children's arguments. 

I cleaned a pheasant. 

I offered revision suggestions on drafts of papers about water scarcity in the Southwest and the United Nations R2P. 

I helped my daughter finish her teaching portfolio. 

I bought a Christmas tree. 

I watched the movie my kids wanted to watch. 

I learned to play a rudimentary "Thunderstruck" on the accordion at a colleague's request. 

I helped my husband bandage his broken thumb and I buttoned his shirts. 

I (helpfully) finished off the Key lime pie.

The November Attitude of Gratitude blogging challenge has come to an end. I'm glad I did it, but I'm THANKFUL it's over. 

Tune in tomorrow for my December project to organize my life. Each day I will choose one spot in my life that needs attention (car, house, classroom), set my timer for 15 minutes, then post the before and after pictures. I'm hoping the act of posting the pics will help me follow through with my good intentions! I'd welcome some company if any of you would like to join me!

 

Would you rather be smart or nice?

Nov 29 We all know someone who inspires us to be better. Share that person.

Years ago during a "Would you rather..." activity, I was asked if I'd rather be known as nice or smart. 

Hands down, my answer was smart. In fact I remember thinking it was a lame question. Why would anyone choose "nice" over "smart"? 

But my partner in the activity said NICE. I was stunned. I remember the moment distinctly--the room I was in, my position at the table--because it challenged my world view. Maybe "smart" wasn't the end-all-be-all I'd been raised to think it was. Just maybe being right was not the (only) gold ring. 

This memory came back to me as I read tonight's prompt. The people I am most inspired by these days are those who are nice. I think of Bev, a co-worker who retired last year. Bev was consistently kind in her comments about students and faculty. We taught at opposite ends of the building in vastly different content areas, yet she inspired me to be a better person, to rein in my cynicism, keep my snark in check.  

My daughter has a bumper sticker on her car proclaiming that well-behaved women rarely make history. I appreciate the message. I don't like to see women trapped by niceness, afraid to speak their minds or formulate opinions. But when I stack up my own regrettable moments, a theme emerges: Why did I choose to be unkind? For a moment of proving myself right? For winning a laugh? For a flash of superiority? Sheesh. Grow up already. 

Wait. That paragraph makes it sound like I'm a mean person. I don't think I'm mean. I'm just not as consistently kind as I want to be. I'd like for people to think of me as nice. (And smart.)