Online Discussions with Blogging

Last week, I talked about some of the ways that I use blogging in my classroom.  I thought I would follow that up with some actual examples from my class blog.  Each week, I create an online discussion of the book for small groups of students.  This excerpt is from the Red Group.  I did not edit, or change any of their ideas or wording. Their spelling, grammar, and ideas are their own!  First the prompt:

Edwin tells Cole, "Garvey and I believe in your potential, but you haven't earned our trust."

What does he mean by this?
What is the difference between the two?

In what ways is this journey to the island different from the first?  As a group, find as many differences as you can.

Consider the following:
How has Cole made it different?
How has Garvey made it different?
How has Edwin made it different?

Comments

Nicole KIm

02/03/2014 5:44pm

Hi red team! I thought...
When Edwin says that they believe in his potential but he had to earn his trust. I thought this meant that he and Garvey believe that if he tries then he could do it, but Cole has to walk his talk to earn trust. Cole can say that he will try and not escape the island but he has to show that he won't. Cole has to show that he can be trusted.
I thought that potential is the mind that says he ca do it, but trust is the worthiness of being trusted. I think trust is the belief and the actual heart to do it and it shows in his actions so he can be believed and trusted in.

In what ways is this journey to the island different fom the first?

1. Cole makes it different beacuse he has the mind of trying to heal instead of trying to escape.
2. Cole shows more respect from the first visit to Garvey.
3. Cole doesn't scowl at anyone.
4. Cole doesn't have to take his shirt off for the first week to show shame.
5. Cole actually wants to be at the island.
6. Cole looks for the Spirit Bear.
7. Cole builds the shelter.
8. Garvey and Edwin gives him lessons on life ,and Cole listens and doesn't disagree.
9. Cole feels sorry for Peter and hopes he okay.
10. Edwin gives Cole a lesson on life while saying one thing from his past in the island. When he goes to the stream top take out anger.

Reply

Emily

02/05/2014 8:27pm

Hi Nicole!😋
I agree when you say you have to have actual heart to do it. You have to feel that you can truly change. If you just think you can, maybe you can, but you have to be mentally prepared and have the feeling to.

Reply

McKennalink

02/04/2014 2:36pm

Hey Nicole!
I absolutely agree with you when you said that Cole wants to be on the island. If he wants to change, he must keep an open mind. When Cole went to the island the first time, he admitted that he did it just to get out of serving a jail sentence. He also said that he wanted to go back to the island in the Circle Justice meeting after the mauling.

Number nine is totally true as well, Nicole. On page 141 of chapter seventeen, Cole was trying to fall asleep and he said to himself that he really hoped Peter would be okay.

Reply

Amy

02/04/2014 2:42pm

Hi Red Group!
When Edwin says that he and Garvey believe in Cole's potential, but not they still don't trust him, he means that they believe Cole can change but they don't trust him to stay alone and possibly do something bad again. Believing in someone's potential is different from trusting because trusting is to know that that won't be doing what you don't want them to be doing. Knowing they have potential is knowing they can do what you want them to do. You can do what they want you to do but also do bad things too.

Differences from the first visit:
11. Cole has a positive attitude and doesn't be all grumpy
12. Cole follows Garvey and Edwin's orders
13. Cole brings food with him(he doesn't have to find food himself)
14.Edwin brings Cole to the pond in the early morning
15. Edwin and Garvey stay on the island with Cole

I asked the groups to list as many ways that Cole, Edwin and Garvey made this trip to the island different from the first one.  That is why Amy starts at #11.  

You can see, that the students are getting a lot out of this experience - and I just have to go online myself to check their work and give them credit.  So easy!!!

Reply

Valentines and Core Curriculum

As a fifth/sixth grade teacher, I want my students to have the fun and innocence of Valentine's Day in the classroom.  But, with so much to teach, I don't want to let go of academics at any time.  Every classroom moment counts!  So, how to do both?

Since it was mid trimester for us, I took the opportunity to show the students their updated grades - then we talked about the areas each student needed to focus on.  Next, I offered the students an extra credit opportunity.  Every student in my class, was to make a valentine's box at home to bring in on the day of our Valentine's party.  They could decorate their box with hearts, flowers, and Cupid - or - they could look at this year's curriculum and create their box to teach or reteach the class about something they are to learn this year.  I don't particularly care if the students go ahead in their books, or they reteach something that we already covered.  Students could choose any subject to focus on, but they must focus on the grade level standards.

For example:

• The solar system is covered in third grade and fifth grade - they must share information from the fifth grade standards, not just discuss things that they learned in third grade.
• If a student wants extra credit in Reading, they must focus on the elements of literature of a book.  They cannot simply summarize a book that they read for us.
• If a student wants extra credit in Math or Writing - their box must focus on some of new standards that they learned this year - not simply a review of previous years' learning.

Students were required to make their box into something that fit their topic, they had to write a paragraph explaining their topic, and they had to present their findings to the class orally.  This was a great time filler on the day of the party as well!

I couldn't have been more pleased with their efforts.  Let me share a few of the highlights with you:

This student has always been a reluctant learner - he would rarely complete assignments and turn in his work.  And extra credit????  Not a chance!  Yet, here he is with his Revolutionary War Valentine box! He not only wrote one paragraph - he wrote three!  And you should have heard his presentation!  He recreated a scene of the Battle at Bunker Hill, and talked about it with intelligence and passion.  He knew his facts, and easily answered questions for the other students.  I couldn't have been more proud!

I must give sixth grade Social Studies fair time here!  This student recreated the first Olympics in Ancient Greece and told us all about it.  She talked about the fact that only men were allowed to participate at first, and told us when women were permitted to join in!  This was clearly a topic of interest for her.  The sides folded up - and she had pictures of Ancient Greek architecture.  Then she told us about how our White House was modeled in the design of Ancient Greek architecture.

Other subjects, oh yeah!  I must say, however, that most of the students did topics in either Science or Social Studies.  These subjects are the easiest to use for an assignment such as this.  But, here is an example of extra credit in Reading.  I have been reading the book Touching Spirit Bear with my class, and this is a spirit bear.  Not only did she create a great looking box, but her analysis of the elements of literature was spot on!  She discussed the theme of the book, the mood, the character development, and examples of figurative language.  Probably more than I would have asked for in a book report!!!!  

And one of my favorites was the Fractionator BoomBox!  This student created an adorable Valentine's box with examples of how to work with fractions.  He included things like, LCD, finding a common denominator, simplest form, adding, subtracting, multiplying fractions.  Really nice work!  But it was his paragraph that I really loved.  He talked about how music and math are linked, and how important fractions are to reading music.  He talked about multiplying a note by 1/2 if there is a flag added to it, and by 1/4 if there are two flags added.  He talked about adding notes together to create a full beat.  

These are just a few examples.  They all did an amazing job - even the students that only decorated for Valentine's Day.  They were so proud of their masterpieces, and anxious to get up in front of the class to share their work!

What a fun and educational day we had!  What could be better than that?

Blogging in the Classroom

I love technology, I hate technology!!!!  Such a dichotomy!  There is so much technology out there, and our students can't imagine a world without it.  We can lament over the days of imagination, or we can embrace technology, and use it to our benefit.

But, that's the trick, isn't it.  How to use technology in the classroom so that it enhances our curriculum, rather than just using technology for the sake of being techy.

One of my favorite educational technology mediums is blogging.  It is so versatile, easy to monitor, and an effective educational tool. There is nothing to collect, I simply check my students' work online!  That's one of my favorite parts!!!  I give my students a due date, then generally check their work the following day.

I have used so many of the blog websites, Blogger, Edublog, WordPress, but my current favorite is Weebly.  This is a free website that is extremely user friendly and allows you to do so much!  You can easily set up your own free blog at weebly.com.  Weebly allows me to do so many things - I haven't even tried them all yet!  I can add images and text, I can create slideshows and photo galleries, I can embed video or YouTube links, those are all pretty standard, right?  I can also put an assignment form on the site for my students to complete. I can create a survey or an RSVP form.  But my favorite part is that I can create a variety of blogs or forums for my students to participate in.

At the present time, I am reading a novel with my class.  My students are divided into groups of 6, and each group has their own blog on my website.  Each week I post a discussion question and a research topic.  The students must respond to the discussion question fully, but then they must read the responses of their five peers and respond to at least two of them.  This becomes an online discussion, and the students really get into it!  They respectfully agree and disagree with each other, they add items to consider and ask questions of each other.  The students also must research the topic of the week and post one new fact for the group with their source.  Sometimes the students will put links for videos to share with the group.  My students LOVE this!  They love the online discussions, and rarely do they only post comments for two of their peers.  They don't even think of this as school work, that's how much they enjoy it!

What a joy to have students working, thinking, and discussing a good book for the fun and interest of it!!!  Does teaching get any better than this?

Teaching Revision with our North Pole Designs

Day 3:

Last Friday, I introduced the North Pole Project to my class with the press release about the major earthquake at the North Pole, and a letter enlisting the students help in designing and rebuilding to insure Christmas Eve deliveries will take place as scheduled.  This anticipatory set had the students buzzing about the assignment and eager to get started on Monday morning.  Here's a link if you would like to read more about this:  http://beyondthegardengateclass.blogspot.com/2013/12/its-perfect-time-to-capture-our.html

Associated Press Newsflash: 

Major  earthquake has struck the North Pole!  All inhabitants have been relocated to Red Cross Emergency Centers, and will not be able to return for any reason, until the entire area has been rebuilt! 

For those who believe in Santa Clause this may have a slight impact on Christmas deliveries.

We will keep you updated on any news developments.

On Monday, the students were given the elves' requirements for the North Pole design.  They began the process of laying out the location of the various requirements, trying to honor the requests of the elves.  The focus here was creativity.  This seemed quite easy, and the students were happy with their designs.  You can read more about this at:  http://beyondthegardengateclass.blogspot.com/2013/12/designing-north-pole-let-creativity-soar.html

Yesterday, we added the reindeer' requirements to the mix.  This is when the students began to realize that they were going to have to categorize items, and move things around a bit.  Some problem solving was required, but they worked through it and were pleased with their results.  You can read more about this at:  http://beyondthegardengateclass.blogspot.com/2013/12/problem-solving-design-of-north-pole.html

So what did I have up my sleeve today?  Well revision of course!  Revision is not just for writing, and I find that it is easier to get my students to truly revise their writing when I have them practice the skill in other areas as well.  

The students were given the requirements of Santa & Mrs. Clause.  This was a much larger list, with quite a bit more specifics.  Unfortunately, there is no way to meet all of these requirements without doing some substantial revision.  Things must be moved to meet these new specifications. I wonder how that happened? 

Often in writing, students are quite attached to the words on their page, and they just can't seem to bring themselves to change them.  But with this project, the new requirements are fun and such an integral part of the North Pole community.  The students just dig in without a single complaint! 

The students will need to get their designs approved and then they will be able to begin building tomorrow.  I'll let you know how their designs look tomorrow - I'm anxious to see them myself! 

Creativity, Problem Solving, Revision, and fun!  

What could be better?

Keeping Everyone Happy - Problem Solving to Make a Design of the North Pole

Day 2:

So, yesterday my class started to design their layouts for the North Pole using the requirements of the elves.  The students were having a great time, and everything seemed quite straight forward and easy. But wait - nothing easy lasts forever in this classroom!!!!

So, today we added the requirements of the reindeer.  Many of the student partner groups simply got a new piece of paper and started a whole new design.  Really?  You think it's just that easy?

Oh no, no!!!  There is one North Pole community and all elements must be incorporated into one design.  The elves and the reindeer coexist together, and there are many things they enjoy doing together, but they also need their own unique spaces.  Everyone needs to be able to get around easily, but all requirements need to be incorporated into the design.  Ahhh...you are going to have to think a little harder and do some problem solving!  Darn it anyway!

I just love when those puzzled looks suddenly disappear - and the light bulb goes on!  What a fun day of problem solving and discovery!

• Hey, we can group things into categories! 
• Some things should not be in the town square, but should be on the outskirts of town!
• The reindeer are much larger than the elves, we need to incorporate that into our design!

It is so much fun watching the students discover their "Ah Ha's!"  And just wait until tomorrow when Santa & Mrs. Clause add a whole huge list of requirements of their own!  This is revision on an entirely new level!  

How to keep everyone happy?  This is problem solving at its finest!

Designing the North Pole - Let the Creativity Soar!

This week's blog entries will all cover my class' journey of creativity and design of the North Pole.  If you didn't read my last entry, I described the project that we are doing.  If you like what you see, your class can join us - this project is available at my TPT store.

Okay, today my students got into the project by analyzing the elves' requirements, and beginning a starting layout for the North Pole.  They are really loving this project, and it is so much fun listening to them as they discuss where the reindeer back riding trails should be, or the locations for the elves's housing.

I always feel I can tell how engaged my students are with a project by the length and depth of their discussions.  Today, they weren't only discussing their designs as they left for lunch, but they were still talking about it when they came back in after lunch!  I'd say they are in it this time!

Tomorrow, they will take a look at the reindeer' requirements, and start incorporating them together.  Too bad the elves and the reindeer don't always agree!  Oh well, I guess they'll work it out somehow!

Stay tuned in tomorrow, and I'll let you know some of the strategies they use!

Let the creativity soar!

It's the Perfect Time to Capture Our Student's Imaginations & Creativity!

Imagine It...                                   

   Design It...

       Create It...                            

I just love this time of year in the classroom!  I know...the student's minds are already half way out the door for the Winter Break...which could be so frustrating if we don't change up our teaching style.  

So...let's change it up!  I don't mean spend an entire two weeks on fluff with no educational value.  No, not at all.  This is the time of year that I like to capture the imaginations of my students.  

On Friday, I gave my students a press release about a major earthquake at the North Pole.  Everyone has been evacuated to Red Cross Shelters - which may affect Santa's deliveries, since no work can take place at the North Pole.  Gasp!  Moan!

Next, I gave them a letter sent to them from Santa, the elves and the reindeer, enlisting their help in designing and rebuilding the North Pole quickly so they can get back to work and make sure children everywhere will get their Christmas morning deliveries!  

So far, I have only let them choose a partner to work with.

Tomorrow, I will give the students the Elves' requirements so  they can begin to lay out a design for the North Pole.  Sounds easy enough, right?  But there is a catch...on Tuesday they will receive the reindeer's requirements, which may conflict slightly with the Elves! And on Wednesday they will need to figure in the requirements of Santa & Mrs. Clause.  Keeping everyone happy is going to be a bit of a challenge!  But, that's life, right?

Students will not begin to build their North Pole models until they get their designs approved by me, and that can't happen until all the requirements are met.  Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, Common Core all incorporated in one fun, fun project!!!

My students are so excited, and can't wait to get started.  But there is a little problem for me, as well! I have two students that do not celebrate Christmas.  I don't want them to feel funny or left out, so I have created an entire alternate project for the South Pole.  Instead of Santa & Mrs. Clause there are the DoGoods - who kinda resemble old hippies!  The DoGoods perform good deeds for people all year long.  Of course they don't have a sleigh with flying reindeer - that's just ridiculous!  No, they have penguins that transport them around the world in the magical underwater DoGood Mobile!  And since there is no Santa's Workshop, they don't need elves!  But they do have gnomes that work in their "Making Dreams Come True" Workshop.  All of the fun, critical thinking, problem solving, and Common Core is still in place for these students as well.

Do you want to give it a try?  Go to my Teachers Pay Teachers Store - I've put it all together so you can use this project with your class as well!  

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Beyond-The-Garden-Gate-Shari-Bithell