Trefz's English Classroom Reflections

PDS Spirit 2011

2011-03-24T12:38:00.000-07:00

Thinking Routines & Inquiry

2011-02-03T11:04:00.000-08:00

I have been implementing many thinking routines throughout the year where the boys are routinely asked to think a specific way for certain results. I have intentionally chosen thinking routines that would help to develop or enhance inquiry as well as lend itself to an English classroom. The following are thinking routines, their explanations of how they have been implemented, and how they expand and deepen students' thinking:

Ladder of Feedback:
The students worked on varied sentence structure, word choice, specificity, and reflexive pronouns to answer a writing prompt. They read these aloud and then received feedback from their partner by clarifying with a question (what they didn't understand), valuing the work (what they found impressive, innovative, and strong), sharing concerns (problems/challenges), and suggestions on how they can handle the concerns.

This thinking routine allowed the students to practice asking questions when they needed clarification. The following are some examples that I heard:

KWL:

What I know, what I want to know, and what I have learned
The boys used this before research of a topic to distinguish between what they already know and what they don't. This helps to use questioning to get a clearer understanding as they sort through what they know to guide their research for what they don't know.

Question Starts:

The kind of thinking that this routine encourages is developing good questions that lead to inquiry of a topic. As stated on the website Visible Thinking at Harvard Project Zero, "The purpose of asking deep and interesting questions is to get at the complexity and depth of a topic. " The site further states how Question Starts deepens the thinking of students and has them more curious and questioning about the what they are learning. It is ideal to use them to introduce new material but can also be used in the middle of a study of a topic to 'enliven students' curiosity. Using the thinking routine at the end of a study of a topic is a way to revise questions using the knowledge gained to ask even more interesting questions. The following Question Starts are being used in my English classroom to have the boys to look at parts of speech in a different way and to gain a deeper understanding.

Before even asking the questions from the thinking routine Question Starts, my 5A boys were doing it on their own!!! I was so excited to see how inquisitive they were about reflexive, demonstrative, and interrogative pronouns. One boy asked if there was a pattern to distinguish between demonstrative pronouns (dp) and demonstrative adjectives (da) and they immediately noticed that dp's always come before linking verbs and da's always come before nouns. When we were discussing the demonstrative pronouns this, that, these and those, a boy commented on a sample sentence of "That tastes good." He replied, "We are expected to write with more specific information." I then clarified that it is usually a sentence that is in addition to other sentences written together to convey a certain message. Another student then recalled the study of clauses and asked, "Suppose we add that sentence beginning with a demonstrative pronoun and have it to interrupt another one like, "The candy that tastes good is on the table." Does that change the function of the word that. Before I could answer, another student replied that it sounded like a dependent clause and would the word that be a subordinating conjunction. I couldn't believe the connections they were making to previous learning, especially since we weren't covering relative pronouns during this unit.

Another boy asked about his own sentence, "Is this piece of bread over-cooked?" and wondered if this was a pronoun or adjective. His question was answered by another student who indicated that "piece" was a noun and therefore the pronoun this was functioning as an adjective. Then I had a student to add, "What if the sentence said, 'This is over-cooked bread'?" Some students chimed in and said that it would change the function of the word this from an adjective to a pronoun because demonstrative pronouns stand alone.

5D decided to use What if questions when discussing indefinite pronouns. They really started to inquire in ways that I had never experienced before. We were looking at all singular and plural indefinite pronouns and one student asked, "What if we put an indefinite pronoun in front of a noun? Would it be like the demonstrative pronoun that would then function as an adjective?" It was then asked, "What if we put an indefinite pronoun in front of another indefinite pronoun like several others?" I answered his question with a question, "Would they both function as a pronoun?" He then said, "One will remain a pronoun and one will function as an adjective."

Inquiry in the Classroom

2011-01-26T10:45:00.000-08:00

So far, I have tried many different strategies for creating a higher level of inquiry among my students. Project based learning provided multiple opportunities for the students to routinely be engaged in the inquiry process. I ran across some valuable information from Kathy G. Short from University of Arizona where she shares several years worth of research regarding "Inquiry as a stance on curriculum." She states, "Inquiry is not a particular teaching method, a refinement of project approaches or theme units but a stance that underlies our approach to living as learners, both within and outside of school." Inquiry occurs when the students can make connections to what they are learning and relate it to their own personal lives and experiences where they combine "uncertainty and invitation." It was stated with uncertainty comes questions to explore and with invitation comes the courage to seek answers. It is the "why" and "what if" and can be a stance of being "off balance." Short explains, "A life of balance involves staying perfectly still in the same place- in that comfortable rut, and reaching out for answers occurs because there is a driving force that compels learners to move forward to pursue new insights and unities." Project-based learning creates an opportunity for all students to take a guiding question that is written in such a way that gives them the "need-to-know" that they can explore and investigate as they construct their own understanding.

It made so much sense when Kathy Short shared how a teacher's approach is to create instruction based on how people should learn with the question of "How do I teach Inquiry?" In the beginning, this is the exact approach that I took when looking for ways to strengthen and develop inquiring minds. During research I learned that I should take a different approach with the question, "How do I and others inquire?" Inquiry is a natural process, and once it is explored as to how this occurs then we can approach the ways in which to involve the students in such a learning environment that foster this: planning lessons in which contain a conceptual framework (for relevance and to engage), questions are asked that lead to divergent thinking, you serve as a guide through the learning process, ask the "why" and "What is your evidence" questions, and formative assessment is ongoing.

Inquiry begins with the learners' own experiences and understandings and without any connection to what is being learned, the information is forgotten. When I chose the topic of civil rights for project based learning, I knew that it needed to be part of the 5th grade curriculum that involved humanity. This was a topic that they could all relate to and bring in some experience and prior knowledge. But before beginning the project, we began with a discussion about fairness and what it meant to them. In their own words, they wrote their ideas in their reflection journals and made an immediate connection to what it meant to be fair and how they had demonstrated this in their lives. They also shared examples of times when they experienced situations that were unfair. Kathy Short supported this approach by saying that sometimes we have to move beyond the topic for significant connections to be made by the learner. She gave examples that involved students exploring experiences of moving place to place instead of jumping right in and covering immigration patterns around the world. She further states how units of inquiry need to begin with a conceptual frame, not the topic, for the students to make a connection to their own lives. Civil Rights would be the topic and the concept would involve freedom from unfair treatment. The students' connection would involve their own personal freedoms and their own experience with fairness. After exploring the topic of fairness, I introduced the following guiding question:

Guiding question: What can I learn about past civil rights struggles to help solve the issues that still exist?

This actually began the inquiry process and had the students wondering about a current, relevant issue that they needed to explore for problem solving and could relate to from the stand point of fairness. Because of my focus to incorporate the skills to improve the students' written and oral communication, it didn't affect the conceptual frame of inquiry regarding civil rights. There was no focus of building knowledge (information in isolation) separate from the conceptual frame. This can easily happen with the teacher's need to cover instructional objectives and "get lost in information" within a project. The focus always needs to remain on the "why" of the unit. After much research and personal reflection, this is something that I definitely want to be more intentional about in the classroom.

Using primary sources (authentic documents, images, videos, etc.) allowed the students to analyze and provide their own interpretations for understanding different aspects of the civil rights movements as they formulated their own questions for further research. These were recorded in their reflection journals where they learned about revising for specificity, clarity, and being open-ended for further research. The following are some of the original documents that the students analyzed:

original letters to President Truman to stop segregation of armed forces

original warrant for Rosa Park's arrest

Bus rules before/during the civil rights movement

Pictures of sit-ins, child labor, women marching for voting rights,

maps

newspaper articles about children striking

original document for child labor laws

Videos (click here) Primary Sources (click here)

After the students explored the civil rights involving child labor, disability, gender, and race, they decided on the specific area in which they wanted to focus their research. The students had to explore the past to problem solve for the future, but some went as far back to the beginning searching for the answer of WHY. For example, one collaborative group wanted to explore WHY there were slaves in the U.S. and began researching the history of slavery in America even though the videos presented to them were only from the civil rights movement.

KWL This is an important part of inquiry in project/problem based learning that I previously reflected on. I am creating a link here for reference.

Investigation began when exploring different sources as they looked to answer their questions about their chosen topic. They had to evaluate url's for reliability and websites for validity. This involved being current and having an author with credentials. Then they had to draw conclusions from the information that would answer their questions, and from their discoveries, they had to come up with a problem to solve that mattered to them, something worth investigating. In Kathy Short's research, she stated, "One of the most common understandings of inquiry is problem-solving with the vision of the students engaged in research on particular topics of interest related to the class focus." She further stated that teachers often plan projects around a focus deciding what the students will research, but these particular experiences of guided inquiry don't teach them how to find a problem to investigate. When teachers pose problems for the students to solve, the students aren't asking questions about issues significant in their lives and as a result never fully experience inquiry.

Collaboration As stated in the research presented by Kathy Short, inquiry can come in different forms: personal inquiry (the student poses the problem), guided inquiry (the teacher poses the problem that the student solves), and collaborative inquiry (the student negotiates problem posing and solving within a group). Collaborative inquiry involves "reaching beyond ourselves and our current understandings where we think together." Within a collaborative group, inquiry takes place in participation regardless of the level of proficiency that each member can contribute.

Exploration of unknown words in context was required during the research process. As the students encountered unfamiliar terms during research, they recorded them and included the definition. They were supposed to do this each time they researched a new website to instill the habit of inquiry as they approached unknown words in context.

Forming a hypothesis about a possible solution to the problem was the next step which lead to further investigation to test the hypothesis or find answers and solutions to the question and/or problem. The investigation lead to the construction of new knowledge based on investigation findings. Reflections were made and more questions were formulated for further investigation.

Reflections are written and expressed throughout project-based learning but is especially important at the end of an inquiry project. The students in my class wrote a reflection essay after gathering, analyzing, interpreting, and organizing their research. As stated from an article "Supporting Inquiry with Primary Sources" from the Library of Congress, "expression is essential for inquiry learning because when they demonstrate new understanding and share, they solidify their own learning." The following are some samples of 5th grade reflection essays on the research they did on solving the problem of civil rights issues that still exist:

After researching and problem solving their chosen topic, the students organized their information as they used a technology presentation to share their findings. During my observation, the students in the role as the audience were very active in questioning when the presenter's thoughts weren't fully developed or were missing important information in the presentation. One group was questioned about the pros and cons not being the benefits and drawbacks, but instead were presented just as ideas of what they were going to do to achieve as an outcome. Other questions were just asked out of curiosity where the students in the audience were seeking more information. The students seemed so genuinely involved as they asked specific questions about the presentations. I actually had to limit the questions to make time for other presentations that followed. The following are some samples of the technology presentations on civil rights:

Glogster
Slideshares

Changing Directions: How Can I Create A Higher Level of Inquiry Among My Students?

2011-01-26T07:52:00.000-08:00

After doing a considerable amount of research on inquiry-based learning, I have decided that I need to revise my question about how to create a disposition of inquiry among my students to something that is more measurable. Using thinking routines, project-based learning, and various other strategies has impacted my students, but I struggled with coming up with evidence other than the questions that the students formulated during their projects and the written reflections that the students recorded in their journals. The work itself is evidence of inquiry, but can a disposition among 68 of my students actually be measured?

After brainstorming, I decided to turn the focus on the ways in which I can create a higher level of inquiry in my classroom. Whether or not my efforts are successful in developing a certain disposition, I know that with continuous routine, habits of the mind will develop and I will be able to measure the quality of students' questions, the extent of inquiry regarding the material that is covered, and reflections of thinking routines that stimulates curiosity.

Exploring Civil Rights Using Primary Sources

2011-01-19T11:34:00.000-08:00

After researching The Library of Congress, I discovered an article/tutorial, "Supporting Inquiry with Primary Sources." It discussed how primary sources such as authentic images, documents, and diaries allow the learner to connect to the real world as opposed to using textbooks where interpretations of world issues are already given. The article further stated, "Using primary sources empowers students to construct their own understanding, draw conclusions, create new knowledge, and share the knowledge with others." I began to think about how project-based learning lends itself to the students having access to primary sources on the Internet. Even though the students are responsible for finding an answer to a guiding question through research, they are also exposed to teacher-selected videos and documents that are relevant to furthering their inquiry and research. The students were asked to formulate questions based on what they were left wondering after analyzing documents, photos and videos of children, people of ethnicity, women, and the disabled being discriminated against, all of which involves a civil rights movement.

Inquiring Minds: KWL

2010-12-14T06:54:00.000-08:00

During the beginning stages of Project Based Learning (PBL), I had my students to brainstorm ideas of what it meant to have civil rights. It was interesting that they could only reference the Bill of Rights knowing that they had the right to bear arms and had the right of freedom of speech. After having the students to view Voices and Choices that defined and explained what civil rights were and how they could be infringed, I introduced the guiding question, “What can I learn about the past Civil Rights struggles to help resolve current issues that still exist today?” This question would drive the project, giving it purpose; it is what begins the inquiry process.

I then chose videos from the past civil rights movements on United Streaming and YouTube that involved women fighting for the right to vote, children being forced to work, racial segregation, and the disabled being denied equal access to public places.

Students formed questions that they were left with after viewing the videos, and they were instructed to record them in their reflection journals so that I could get an idea of how developed their questions were. At first, a lot of the questions were written in such a way that would only provide a "yes" or "no" answer or would not lead to further inquiry through research. I wondered what would happen if I showed examples of good open-ended questions that would be excellent for research and would lead to further questions? After giving feedback by sharing good examples of open-ended questions, the students learned how to revise their own questions. Daniel Callison, the Associate Professor and Director of School Library Media Education at Indiana University in Bloomington, stated, "Renovated and revised questions will give one important indication of the student's progress through the information selection, analysis, and synthesis process." It is further stated about the importance of "Looking for evidence that the questions evolve in detail and complexity that show they are driving their thoughts." This article in School Library Media Activities Monthly shed light on the importance of recording information to show evidence of the progress of one's thinking and questioning.

After learning how to analyze questions for detail and revise them accordingly, the students decided what aspect of civil rights that they wanted explore based on interest. After making a decision, they completed a KWL: What did they know about the topic, what did they want to learn about the topic, and what research would lead to information that would help answer their guiding question? The students divided their ideas according to what they knew and what they wanted to learn. Again, they focused their efforts on writing strong, detailed, and open-ended questions that would guide them in research and further their inquiry. Improvements were made and they spent two days exploring their new topic of interest, moving from the past to the present-day civil rights issues that they wanted to solve.

Before discussing what a good, open-ended question entailed, Some of the 5th grade questions were as follows:

Did men fight for their wives' right to vote?

When did children go to school when they were working such long hours?

How old were kids when they started working?

After the Civil War when slavery was abolished, why would African Americans not have equal rights?

How many special schools were available for the disabled?

Are there any cures for the disabled?

Are all races guilty of discrimination?

Some of the above questions are not open-ended and would not lead to further inquiry. After discussing how to formulate a good question using specificity, I had the students to go back and revise their original questions. The students asked deeper, more thought-provoking questions that in some way involved overcoming the civil rights struggles. The following are some samples:

How do you amend or pass a law?

How can a house be made disability friendly?

In what ways could we use existing laws to fight sweatshops?

Why are women paid less than men when they are equally qualified? Why is this a global issue?

Why is child labor more of a problem in certain parts of the country than others?

How do we begin a non-profit organization to stop child labor?

Why are child labor laws not enforced when it concerns agriculture?

Why is racial profiling a concern among law enforcements?

Why is segregation a bigger issue than it was during the civil rights movement?

The students also deepened their thoughts and asked more critical thinking questions that couldn't necessarily be researched, but had them looking at the world through a different lens.

If Rosa Parks hadn't refused to give up her seat, how would that have affected the outcome of the Civil Rights Movement?

What would the world look like today if the African Americans had given up fighting for freedom?

How would disabled people live their lives if George H.W. Bush didn't approve the ADA?

Why are small children of the early 1900's doing work that grown men struggle with?

If women still couldn't vote today, what would our country look like today?

Step One of Action Research

2010-11-09T10:57:00.000-08:00

I had the privilege of attending Project Zero at Harvard this summer and the question was posed about understanding: What is understanding and how does it develop? The answer came in many forms such as having the students to engage, embrace problems, and persevere at challenging tasks. In addition to this, they question and explain what they learn and embrace the opportunity to learn from mistakes. This all involves being curious and questioning for deep thinking that leads to complex knowledge. That is when I decided that I needed to further explore how to develop a disposition of inquiry among my students so that they can deepen their level of critical thinking.

I have always wondered why a lot of my 5th grade students aren't curious and questioning about the content they are learning in my English classroom. Most just take information at face value or as the truth without ever wanting to know the "how" and the "why." After all, grammar and writing is usually not the favored subject when it is taught in a traditional way. When questions are asked, they are usually not detailed or do not range below surface-level questions that are more in-depth.

Research question: How can I create a disposition of inquiry among my students?

I tried project-based learning,(PBL), in my classroom for the first time last year, and through my research I learned about inquiry-based learning. I am left wondering if PBL enhances inquiry verses using the traditional style of teaching. What would happen if I showed examples of good open-ended questions that would be excellent for exploring the answer through research and would lead to further questions? How can I ask the right questions and to lead my students to revise their questions that are not open-ended? What are the ways to teach the inquiry process and make it routine in my classroom? I want to be intentional about answering students' questions with a question that will make them think, problem-solve, be decision-makers, or find a way to answer their own questions.

I have begun a new project this year that will be a combination of project-based, problem-based, and inquiry-based learning, where I can apply my research to find ways of showing evidence of developing inquiring minds among my students.

Problem Finding & Formulating Questions for Research for Problem Solving

2010-11-09T10:51:00.000-08:00

Finding Problems:

Problem Finding to Problem Solve from kim trefz on Vimeo.

Inquiry to Guide Research:

Inquiry for Guiding Research from kim trefz on Vimeo.

Voices and Choices for Civil Rights

2010-11-09T09:52:00.000-08:00

Voices and Choices for Civil Rights!!!

We are currently underway to answer our PBL guiding question: What can I learn from the past civil rights struggles to help resolve current issues that still exist today? This is a great site that defines civil rights, helps one to understand injustice, and provides information on how to learn methods of actions to overcome the struggles: start a movement, begin a campaign, start a petition, amend a bill, pass a law, advertise, capture photos, etc.

What can you do to make a difference today?

PBL: The Fairness Project

2010-11-09T07:14:00.000-08:00

We have begun a new journey with project based learning using the social studies curriculum on civil rights. Before beginning, I realized that I would develop one guiding question that the students would all be responsible for answering regarding the topic of their choice: What can I learn from the past civil rights struggles to help resolve current issues that still exist today?

I had the students to first explore the areas of the civil rights movements that involved gender, age, race, and disability by viewing videos on YouTube and United Streaming from the past and present to gain enough knowledge to make a decision about what their interests would be. They were required to focus on inquiry, formulating questions to help them discover where their real interests lay, as well as give them a sense of ownership by allowing them to make a decision based on this.

Project-Based Learning Presentation

2010-08-21T15:14:00.000-07:00

Project Based Learning on Prezi

Playing the Whole Game

2010-05-21T09:03:00.000-07:00

During the reading of David Perkin’s book Making Learning Whole, I was able to make connections to the way that I manage my classroom and I discovered so many other ways that I can teach for understanding. Practicing skills on a regular basis without the real world application of how it works doesn’t allow students to make the connection and see the importance of what they are learning. Perkins used the analogy of baseball practice: the practice of pitching, catching, hitting, and throwing. He discussed how working on the small parts prepares one for the big game. It’s not until you put it all together to play the whole game of baseball that you see the importance of practicing the small parts.

When setting my goals for the year, I knew that I wanted to try “playing the whole game” in the classroom. I knew it would be a challenge and somewhat of a risk, but I wanted to further investigate project-based learning and give it a try. The students would be given the chance to develop autonomy, decision-making and problem solving skills, and apply the English content in the process. Learning grammar in isolation does not give the students the opportunity to see how it is supposed to work through real world situations. Throughout the project, the students were provided formative assessments that gave them the feedback that they needed to help them grow as writers. They were able to work on the hard parts and improve according to individual needs.

The best part about project-based learning is that the students were able to “play out of town.” They were able to take the grammar and writing, the higher-level reading skills, and the science and math that they were learning and apply them to the project as they made generalizations about their guiding questions of their space topic. They found a problem that they needed to solve and they come up with a hypothesis about a possible outcome. They used a KWL thinking routine to help them with inquiry that would guide their research. After investigating and exploring their chosen topic, they ultimately came up with a solution where they had to weigh their options and decide if their solution was worth the risk.

Through the process of PBL, the “hidden game” revealed itself. Reciprocal teaching occurred where the students were guided but were allowed the role of the teacher. They self-managed by using a rubric of expectations, a time-line, and a problem-solving guide that allowed them to organize their thoughts, record their findings, and reflect on what they discovered along the way. This opportunity allowed the students the freedom to be inquisitive and explore their curiosity through research. They definitely benefited from “learning from the team” as they collaboratively worked together on a daily basis to problem-solve. The end product involved a reflection paper, a model representation of their project, and the use of technology (prezi, iMovie, powerpoints, and glogster) to present their discoveries to class.

There are many things that I would do differently the next go-round of PBL, but that is part of playing the whole game. Now I will work on the hard parts as I will expect my students to do, and through my continued reflections, I hope to fine-tune the experience for my next year’s students.

PBL Final Product Presentations

2010-03-25T08:53:00.000-07:00

5B PBL Final Product from Dawn Trefz on Vimeo.

How can NASA fortify current rockets to extend space travel? on Prezi

5A PBL Final Product: Da Pod Presentation from kim trefz on Vimeo.

Space Research Presentation

View more presentations from ktrefz.

PBL Final Product from Dawn Trefz on Vimeo.

PBL: Designing and Creating a Model

2010-03-24T12:52:00.000-07:00

PBL: Designing and Creating a Model from kim trefz on Vimeo.

Just a Guide on the Side for PBL

2010-02-25T10:12:00.000-08:00

After grouping the students together according to interests, they used their guiding questions for the focus of their research. This was the first thing they wrote down on the guide that would be used to organize all of their information for PBL. Before they began, they listed all that they knew about their topic and what they wanted to learn. From this, they began step 1 of the guide where they sought out a problem that needed to be solved. Step 2 involved forming a hypothesis about what they thought the solution or outcome would be as they thought about possibilities. During step 3, they continued with the guiding question in mind as they recorded more direct questions about their problem to help direct them in their research process. After recording several specific questions, they refined their problem statement in step 4, and they began step 5 of their research by using Diigo to bookmark, highlight, and organize all of the information pertaining to their project.

I have recorded one PBL group per class that provides an example of what their thoughts were at step 6 of the research process where they already had a possible solution to their problem. I asked them to provide insight about what they had discovered throughout the project.

Researching to Solve a Problem from kim trefz on Vimeo.

Researching to Problem Solve from kim trefz on Vimeo.

Researching to Problem Solve from Dawn Trefz on Vimeo.

Researching with Diigo

2010-02-18T11:38:00.000-08:00

Using Diigo for Research from kim trefz on Vimeo.

The students are learning to use Diigo which is a social networking website in which they are using for organizing their online research. They have the ability to save articles from reliable websites that support their topics, and they have the option to highlight and make notes as they share their discoveries with others in their group.

The students are now ready to begin their research with the goal of solving a problem regarding their space mission/aviation topic of choice. They will use their guiding questions and the more direct questions pertaining to their topic as they look for possible solutions throughout valid websites. They are learning to narrow their search through Googling specific topics, analyzing sites for validity, bookmarking the sites that are valuable for solving their problem, and Using a collaborative group created on Diigo that will allow them to share and store their information that they have gathered.

Isn't It Possible to Combine Project/Problem/Inquiry-Based Learning into One?

2010-01-30T00:17:00.000-08:00

I have continued my research to try and gain a better understanding of project-based Learning and I came upon this Voicethread that separately defined project-based, problem-based, and inquiry-based research. After carefully reading the definitions, I started to wonder if it was possible to be able to conduct research that was a combination of all three.

I feel that the students are definitely involved with project-based learning since they are covering a real world topic of space missions and aviation. They have been completely responsible for their own learning and decision-making as they have written and chosen their guiding question for research. They are currently in the process of researching and will ultimately come up with an end product that they will present to their classmates as well as another school who we are collaborating with.

Throughout this project, the boys have been made aware of the necessity to independently find a problem regarding their topic that they are to ultitimately resolve. This would fall under the category of Problem-based Learning, for they are following steps to problem solve by writing a hypothesis, formulating more direct questions to guide their research, and looking for ways to solve their problem as they are fully aware of many possible solutions. In the end, they will present their findings to their peers as they demonstrate an understanding of the whole problem-solving process.

Inquiry-Based Learning involves the boys formulating their own questions, thinking critically, and problem-solving. They have been guided throughout this process, but have been given the opportunity to make their own choices. They are seeing the relevance of the application of grammar as they take notice of how it affects the way messages are conveyed as they reflect on their learning through many written responses. The boys are also making global connections as they solve real-world problems that are taking place outside of the classroom.

After researching, I found a rubric that covered some of the criteria that I have mentioned, and I was able to tweek it to fully meet the entire expectations of what the boys are to learn throughout this project. I thought that it was important to incorporate technology not only in their research but also in the presentation of the end product. I have never seen the boys so motivated and eager to partake in an assignment as they have been throughout this whole proecss.

Here's another great Voicethread that is worth checking out!
Check out this blog for getting started with PBL.
Here's another great blog!

PBL: What I Know About Space and What I Want to Learn

2010-01-27T10:17:00.000-08:00

Today we went over the project-based learning rubric that will be used as a summative assessment of the students' project. After the criteria was discussed and questions answered, the boys began using their problem-solving guide to record their guiding question. As they began reflecting on what they already know about their topic and what they want to learn, I recorded their conversations. It was pretty amazing to see them so motivated and enthusiastic about this project!

Untitled from kim trefz on Vimeo.

Student Reflection: Problem Finding

2010-01-26T05:46:00.000-08:00

Untitled from kim trefz on Vimeo.

As we are still brainstorming for our project and refining our guiding questions, the boys have been writing reflections in response to videos and articles they have read. I want them to get in the habit of thinking about finding problems that they would like to further investigate before they problem solve. Because this is student-directed, I want the boys to search for what interests them so they will be highly motivated and more willing to push through the difficult challenges they will face through this entire process.

Guiding Question for PBL

2010-01-25T19:31:00.000-08:00

I have done extensive research on PBL and have found a fabulous site that offers many resources such as videos, articles, helpful downloads, etc. from Buck Institute for Education: Project Based Learning for the 21st Century. I have had my boys to brainstorm possible questions that could serve as a guiding or driving question for further investigation of this space mission/aviation project. The decision to use a broader question vs. a narrow one would allow the boys to not be limited in their research but could go in an unexpected direction according to the questions formulated. I am not exactly sure if I am making the right decision for 5th graders, but I did find an excellent web site that clearly defines what a driving/guiding question should look like.

Effective Driving Questions:

Driving questions are also called essential questions, project questions, and umbrella questions. Effective driving questions include the following features:

1. Are open-ended. Driving questions lead to debate and discussion, and therefore, are motivating to students.

2. Are objective. Driving questions do not imply whether something is good or bad, better or worse.

3. Focus and drive the project. Students use the question as a springboard to formulate their own questions. All learning and research in the project are geared toward answering the driving question.

4. Focus on key understandings. Generally each project will have about five overarching ideas; the driving question subsumes all of them.

5. Are answerable. With diligence and dedication, students are able to answer the driving question. While it should not be an easy process, it should be manageable.

6. Require research, investigation, and reflection. Driving questions may have yes-or-no answers; however, your students need to support their answers with the research and knowledge they have acquired throughout the project.

7. Call on a student's previous knowledge and help students apply their learning to new situations.

8. Link basic skills and concepts to students' lives and the real world. Students are more motivated and involved when the topic they are studying is relevant to their lives and to the real world.

9. Integrate standards from a variety of disciplines. Interdisciplinary lesson plans promote teamwork among colleagues and encourage students to make connections between disciplines.

10. Encourage multiple approaches to problem solving. Driving questions allow for more than one way to solve a problem and express the solution.

Day 1 of PBL: On a Mission

2010-01-21T16:17:00.000-08:00

Today was the beginning of our project/problem-based learning where I began by sharing with my students about entering a realm of the unknown to let them know that I am a risk-taker as well as a learner. It is so important to create an atmosphere of having a growth mindset and modeling for the students that I am not afraid of failing. Does that lessen the uncomfortable and uncertain feeling that I have about what lies ahead? Absolutely not! However, I will proceed with only a positive frame of mind as we all embark on a new adventure!

At the beginning of each class, I briefly defined project-based learning as a project that is student-directed. This is an opportunity where they will discover answers to questions through real world investigations. I asked them to brainstorm what they imagined their roles to be during this process, and they shared the following responses:

leaders
researchers
team players
collaborative workers
providers of feedback
technology users
recorders of information
risk takers
problem solvers
decision makers

I then asked them to activate prior knowledge by sharing the top ten reasons for going to space as well as the drawbacks from it. As they shared their answers, I typed them on our Wiki to gather all of their brainstorming ideas. They ended class by writing a reflection that had them thinking about deciding when risks were worth taking and when they weren't.

Throughout this project, I will be integrating the required grammar and writing skills for 5th grade English and I am using the science curriculum as the topic for the project. The students will apply pronouns: personal, indefinite, interrogative, demonstrative, reflexive, as well as pronoun/antecedent agreement. The writing skills that they will be strengthening will involve adding strong supports to the claims they make. All of this will done in the context of their writing as they work toward the completion of their project.

The next step will include the viewing of various videos and the reading of articles regarding space flight and space missions. They will record questions that they would like to further investigate, and after compiling the results, a final list of guiding questions will be posted from which students will choose. They will be grouped according to interests and they will find a problem to solve.

2010-01-18T12:54:00.001-08:00

Project Based Learning

View more presentations from Robert Parkes.

On a Mission with Project-Based Learning

2010-01-18T09:24:00.000-08:00

My fifth grade students are beginning a project on space missions and aviation. I have been reading a book called Making Learning Whole written by David Perkins. He uses the metaphor of playing the game of baseball as he relates it to effectively teaching for understanding. He makes a valid point when he talks about baseball players going beyond practice of pitching or batting but being part of a team, running bases, and applying what they have practiced. Players don't just stop there; they play the whole game. What seems to be occurring in many classrooms is the students aren't being led beyond practice to understand how the whole game is played. They practice the skills in isolation but never really see the relevance of how it is important in their lives. Project-based learning allows the students to discover answers to their questions through real world investigation. It is so important for our students to be problem solvers and decision makers. Incorporating skills along the way allows them to see the purpose and function of how they apply in their lives.

I decided to begin with the science curriculum and integrate the grammar and writing skills that need to be covered. I have posted the project on our class wiki where a lot of the work will be a collaborative effort. Independent reflections and essay writing will be expected as well.

The project will be guided by the questions that the students ask about space missions and aviation. There will be several authentic activities along the way to promote critical and creative thinking. I am just excited by the possibilities of the project since there are so many directions it can take, but the goal is for the students to play the whole game for learning.

2009-2010 Reflection Journal Entries

2009-11-02T07:34:00.000-08:00

It is very important to step back and reflect on what is going on around you. Taking notice of your habits of the mind is the first step to becoming a better problem solver, critical thinker, and communicator. The following are the journal entries that have been assigned in class so far. We will continue to add to the list of entries as we address essential questions pertaining to the grammar and writing skills we are developing in class.

1. 8/20 What kind of communicator are you?

2. 8/25 Compare and Contrast an electronic dictionary vs. a book dictionary. Which one do you prefer?

3. 9/8 Using Lesson 3 of Vocabulary For Achievement, use 3 words in context as you creatively write about an imaginary character.

4, 9/15 After analyzing your writing, share what you have noticed to be your writing habits. Include strengths and weaknesses.

5. 9/16 Check out our class blog and share your thoughts about one particular blog post that you find interesting. Explain why you chose the one that you did.

6. 9/25 Provide an in-depth explanation of how to find a subject in an inverted sentence. What else do you know about simple/complete subjects and verbs?

20th vs. 21st Century Classroom

2009-10-28T06:25:00.000-07:00

Our world has drastically changed in the last few decades, and education reform has taken off! There was once a disconnect in what was being learned in the classroom vs. what was occurring in the outside world. Desks were arranged in rows where very little opportunity for collaboration took place. Skills were taught in isolation and the relevance of what was being learned was often lost.

Now, The 21st century classroom is designed to encourage active learning and interaction as critical thinking, problem solving, and computer literacy skills are being taught. If the curriculum is not relevant, the students will become disengaged and unmotivated.

Imagine this: the students are opening their wireless laptops to their wikis so that they can continue their collaboration on their writing; they are creating glogs which are digital posters to display their creative ideas that can link to websites to support what they have learned on any given skill; they are reading and commenting on blog posts and sharing their ideas about various topics; they are logging on to digital quizzes that they can submit upon completion for instant feedback; they are skyping with other classrooms around the world and gaining new perspectives; and they are gaining knowledge of how we live in an interconnected society where technology is essential.

This is a snapshot of what it looks like in a PDS classroom on a day-to-day basis. The boys are engaged in a curriculum that is connected to their interests and that will benefit them in the world that they are facing.

Staying One Step Ahead...

2009-07-19T16:18:00.000-07:00

I am really looking forward to the start of this year feeling a little more prepared since I am no longer new to the 5th grade English curriculum. I am also a lot more experienced with implementing technology as I use a classroom blog and wiki as tools for teaching grammar and writing skills. I now have a better sense of direction and plan to take different approaches for helping the year go much smoother. After reading up on blogs, Kelly Hines had a great idea of planning ahead even though there are still a few weeks left before it's time to start back to school. I think it is a great idea to stay a step ahead to avoid beginning the year feeling stressed. The following are just a few ways that I plan to accomplish this:

Make Learning Visible: Not only will I leave space to showcase student work, but I will also use the walls to display information to promote a thinking classroom: hanging banners for thinking strategies, showing ways for developing a growth mindset, displaying a chart for habits of the mind, creating a bulletin board for the language of thinking, and hanging posters/banners that contain relevant information for enhancing writing skills.

Establish Ongoing Communication: I plan to use Glogster, a technology tool, as a way to communicate classroom expectations to the students as well as the parents. This will include the following:

*student responsibility in the classroom as well as homework expectations
*weekly tests and quizzes which will include Quia, an on-line test generator
*uses of technology in the classroom and the agreement they are held to
*procedures for making up work when absent
*List of the main websites used for assessment: quia, wpponline, AR, and ARmath
*Easy access to the interactive classroom blog and wiki that will be used as a tool
for learning and collaborating with other schools around the world.
*Classroom news and upcoming field trips, school events, etc.

Create a Classroom Theme: I plan to create an environment that will allow the students to make connections to what they are learning in the classroom. I am using a common theme that involves "building" complex sentences, paragraphs, essays, vocabulary, character, a language of thinking, etc. This seems fitting for an English classroom where the focus is to enhance verbal and written communication. For the "building" theme, I have used bricks for the borders and background of banners that I have created, and I thought that it was a perfect theme for an all-boys' classroom.

Clean up and archive: Being new to using a class wiki, I am now faced with the question of what to do with my prior students' work. I have decided that I will create a new home page and store all of last year's assignments in a folder. This will be perfect for referencing great examples of others' work for students to model after.

After finishing my professional development reading and doing my own research, there are many things that I would like to try this upcoming school year:

*Expand collaboration with more schools/countries (so far there are 4 on the list)
*Use Moodle with the students
*Continue my efforts of going paperless
*Implement more problem solving activities for developing critical thinkers
*Use more authentic lesson plans
*Have students to podcast

The technology that I continue to use on a regular basis includes the following:

Wpponline-This is a website where the students submit their writing and get immediate feedback as their writing strengths and weaknesses are described in detail. Tutorials are even recommended based on the needs of each individual student. I love the way that each student has a online writing portfolio that contains a graph that records their progress made over the course of the year. A new feature even allows the student to send a message to the teacher in regards to something specific about the writing piece, a response can be returned, and dialogue can continue as needed.

Quia- this is a wonderful test generator that offers many test-taking format options. Each student has his/her own username and password. Once the test is taken and submitted, the scores are available which mean instant feedback.

Class Blog and wiki- I have always wanted to have a classroom blog but wasn't sure how to even begin. Being that my students were extremely technologically advanced, I felt that I needed to engage them in ways that they would learn best. I completely jumped in and immersed myself in all the latest technology tools that could be used to teach grammar. We even began a class wiki and this opened the door to collaborating with other schools across the country. I found my students even working in their free time on the weekends. The students' growth was undeniably impressive, for they had a more meaningful purpose for improving their written communication skills.

"Playing for Change: Peace Through Music"

2009-05-26T17:30:00.000-07:00

Click here to watch the video
I am following blogs of some very talented educators, and I saw this video posted on a colleague's website. As I was viewing it, it really touched me to see musicians from all over the world come together as one in their efforts to bring "change through music." I shared conversation with the person who posted this inspirational video, and I thought that it would be perfect to begin the year teaching my 5th graders about our class theme, perspectives: one's attitude toward something or in regards to something; a point of view. We will cover this throughout the year as we address how one's perspective might change through experiences.

I will have them view the video, listen to the lyrics of the song "Stand by Me," and reflect on the apparent diversity of the musicians, but also look deeper to gain insight on the importance of global unification: even though we are different in many ways, there are many commonalities that bring us together। I love how this video uses the common language of music to promote change in the stereotypes, prejudices, and oppression that not only plague the people of our very own city of Memphis, but also the people of the world.

These are the questions that I will my 5th graders to respond to:

What would the world be like if there wasn't diversity?

Why is it important to demonstrate the need to be accepting of others' differences?

How can you make a difference? In what ways can you positively influence others at school or in your community?

Make a connection to the video and relate it to something that you have experienced in your life.

Professional Development Goal

2009-05-10T17:39:00.000-07:00

Critical and Creative Thinking: If the Walls Could Talk

Blooms Taxonomy and Linking Verbs

Inaugural Speech-Claim Support

Collaborative Wiki: Perspectives

Using Critical and Creative Thinking with Vocabulary for Achievement

Reflection of article on Blooms Taxonomy (digital blooms)

Teaching Transfer: How is the Sentence Like a House

The Thinking Classroom: The Language of Thinking

Thinking Dispositions: What's Your Mindset

Critical and Creative Thinking: I Have a Dream Too Original speech about boys' dreams for the future.

Decision Making Strategy: New Year Goals

Critical and Creative Thinking: Interpreting Art Through VoiceThread

Student Reflection Journals

Critical and Creative Thinking: Student Newsletters/journalism/photography

My Personal Learning Network: Twitter

Habits of the Mind

21st Century Learning

2009-04-13T07:20:00.000-07:00

Vocabulary for Achievement

2009-04-08T09:18:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

The boys got to use their creative side to illustrate their vocabulary. They were instructed to take a VA word and use its letters to demonstrate the meaning of it. They were also to find a synonym and antonym of the word in addition to the derivatives. Each derivative had to include the part of speech since that changes when suffixes are added to the ending of the word.

Twitter Mosaic

2009-04-03T11:23:00.000-07:00

I just accidentally ran across the new Twitter Mosaic as I was catching up on reading some blogs that I follow. @Crista has a great blog called Reflections on Practice, and I happened to see where I was tagged for "passing the torch" so others can see the latest way for easy access to all of your Twitter friends. I am a member of several social networks, and in my opinion, Twitter is at the top of the list! I just feel a greater connection where I can log on to Twitter.com and have quick access to a wealth of information.
Twitter is an important part of my newly established PLN where I can read the latest findings for research, best practices, cool classroom technology tools, and all other interesting (or even bizarre) discoveries that compel readers to click the attached link for more information. Even though I began using Twitter for educational purposes, I have gained so much more from recommended books to read and recipes to try, to political views and thoughts on the economy. The best part is that I can count on a quick response to an unanswered question that I toss out there in an update of 140 characters or less. I have found that there are so many gifted and talented educators all over the world who are willing to spend any amount of time sharing their experiences so that it might benefit someone else. It just gives me the feeling of being connected and being on the forefront of the latest uses of technology in the classroom.

Just three months ago before I knew of Twitter, I was implementing limited technology. I continued to just "think" about blogging, I had never heard of wikis, and I never knew what technology tools could do for strengthening my students' grammar and writing skills. Now I am using an interactive blog with my students, a classroom wiki, and we have partnered with another school across the country collaborating on our writing and sharing about cultural likenesses and differences. Not only am I gaining from social networking, but my students are greatly benefiting as well.

I decided to track the mosaic back from the person who tagged me, who tagged her, etc. I found some new fabulous educators to follow and it was neat to see some familiar faces among the different Twitter Mosaics.

I will now tag some "Tweeples" who I have gained so much knowledge from and who have been such an inspiration. The first one is @msmithpds my tech support who introduced me to the land of Twitter. The second person is @cthumphreys who I give credit to for my blogging efforts. @grammasheri is a brilliant, dedicated, and creative teacher who has taught me so much in the short 3 months that I have known her. @AngelaMaiers is doing remarkable work as she is always posting the latest educational research on her blog as well as making her tweets so informative and thoughtful. @Kellyhines has an awesome blog where she discusses the latest educational topics and uses of technology in the classroom, and she is dedicated to helping others on Twitter. As others have said before me, don't feel obligated to continue tagging. I wanted to highlight some pretty fabulous people who have made a difference in the transformation that I have made in the past few months, and this was just a way to say THANKS!!!

(I had to remove my Twitter Mosaic because it tremendously slowed the loading of my blog site)

Here are the rules:
1. Go to http://sxoop.com/twitter/ to create your mosaic (you can choose friends or followers).
2. Copy the code and paste it into a blog entry.
3. Reflect and comment on your mosaic.
4. Tag some “tweeples.”
5. Link back to this post or the post where you were first tagged.

Habits of the Mind

2009-04-01T12:09:00.000-07:00

The Benefits of Classroom Technology

2009-04-01T09:01:00.001-07:00

This is a Text-To-Movie about the benefits of using technology in the classroom. The things that are mentioned include using technology for making global connections, having a larger and more diverse audience, relevance of real-world and current events, and giving meaningful purpose for learning the curriculum.

Nespelem Shares Culture With PDS

2009-03-07T17:30:00.000-08:00

We have had the privilege to work with a Native American school on an Indian Reservation in Coulee Dam, WA for the past several weeks where we have collaborated on our writing, shared about the community in which we live, and have learned about perspectives as we have become more familiar with a culture that was once thought to be very different from our own. There was a connectedness that PDS boys from Memphis, TN realized existed between two different cultures: the same interests in sports, technology, the love of outdoors, and music.

During our recent skype with Nespelem School, PDS got to experience traditional dances that are a big part of the Native American culture. The PDS students saw many styles of Native American dance as well as stunning regalia that were handmade and in some cases passed down to a new generation of Native American dancers. The PDS boys were able to watch intricate dance moves and listen to a culture of spiritual music in which the sound of drums lulled them into a trance. It didn't last when the drums picked up the rhythm and found its way through the spirit of the boys who found themselves forming a circle trying to mimic the moves of the dances they just saw. They soon realized that the dances that seemed so effortless actually required a lot of practice and skill. It was such an awe inspiring moment where two different cultures were coming together as one.

We are so grateful for our new friends at Nespelem School who have enriched our lives with a beautiful culture, allowed us to make global connections, and changed our perspectives about life of Native Americans.

Check out the photos taken by Nespelem School and posted to whatelse wiki.

Also, read a fabulous blog post that discusses Nespelem School's experiences collaborating with the 5th grade PDS boys!

Here is a link to Edtechtalk where they interview Sheri Edward with Nespelem School about the amazing work that she is doing.

What's Your Mindset

2009-03-07T17:17:00.000-08:00

We have been discussing mindset in the classroom throughout the year, and I found a great critical thinking activity to put the students' mindset to the test.

Questionaut

This problem solving game had no directions, and the students had to use cause and effect to get through each world and move on to the next. I wanted to share the comments and I am going to categorize them according to mindsets, fixed and growth:

Fixed Mindset Comments:
What's the point?
I don't get this.
This is too hard
It's impossible
Oh my gosh! What do you do?
This doesn't make sense
I could beat this if I wanted to
Fixed Mindset Actions:
A boy threw his hands up.
There was huffing and puffing.
Pouting took place.
Deep sighs were heard.
Heavy typing was heard as if a forceful stroke on the keyboard would solve the problem.
Hitting the desk out of frustration was seen.

Growth Mindset Comments:
Yes! I did it!
You just gotta think and you can do it.
It makes me feel good when I finally do something.
yea! I accomplished it, I so accomplished it.
That level 3 was really hard but I got through it.
This takes a lot of patience.
Sweet!
This is awesome!

These comments reflected the features of the boys' thinking which are not giving up, asking a lot questions, generating multiple ideas and explanations, being a critical thinker, and not stopping or giving up too soon. In the book The Thinking Classroom it states, "Good thinking is a mind-set, a collection of attitudes and inclinations with which one approaches thinking." It goes on to point out that "students have misconceptions about good thinkers, often equating good thinking with 'being smart.'" They need to realize that in order to be a good thinker, they have to learn that it is a matter of a disposition and not intellect alone.

How is the Structure of a Sentence Like a House?

2009-03-06T17:50:00.000-08:00

When learning about sentence structure and the importance of always writing complete thoughts, the students were asked to apply their knowledge of how a sentence functions to that of a house. The students were given the freedom to discuss capitalization, subject/verb, phrases, punctuation, etc.

The students were each given a sticky note where they wrote their thoughts as they made their comparisons of how the structure of a sentence is like a house. Then, they placed their notes on the house that was created out of poster board and displayed on the wall.

The following are the responses that were shared:

*A chimney casting out smoke is like a pronoun casting out an overused noun in a sentence.
*The structure of a good sentence is like the base of a house: it's strong, firm, and well constructed.
*The walls separate rooms as punctuation separates sentences.
*The front door of a house prevents intruders like end punctuation of a sentence prevents a new idea from intruding.
*Prepositional phrases of sentences are like the colorful painting on the walls because without them, the house is dull.
*Fixing a fragments is like fixing a hole in a house: once repaired, they both are complete.
*A run-on is like too much furniture of the house that soon creates overcrowding.
*A house is like a complete thought because they both need structure to support them.
*The structure of a sentence and a house must be strong or they will fall apart.
*You have to have a plan to build a house as you have to have a plan to build a sentence.
*A variety of decorations adds details to a house like a prepositional phrase adds details to a sentence.
*A subject and verb is the frame of the sentence as the two by fours create a frame for a house.
*Words stack up to build a sentence as bricks stack up to build a house.
*The paint, shutters, and gardens are like adjectives in a sentence.
*Prepositional phrases are like the decor of the house, they both add detail.

Showcasing Tech Tools With Prezi

2009-03-01T15:01:00.000-08:00

Where to Begin with Blooms Taxonomy

2009-03-01T09:11:00.000-08:00

Click on the Wordles for a link to our class wiki page on Blooms Taxonomy.

It was once thought that students needed to have a strong foundation in Bloom's lower levels of thinking before they could analyze, synthesize, and evaluate the information at the higher levels.

I recently read an article "Measuring Skills for the 21st Century" from www.educationsector.org that explained how complex thinking and analytical skills are a part of learning at every stage of development. Where we once thought that learning had to be a linear process from lower to higher levels has now been proven otherwise. The idea from Bloom's Taxonmy, "You can't apply until you comprehend, or you must understand before you analyze" has been revised by a group who has studied these ideas and discovered that these processes can be learned simultaneously or in a different order. In order to create a solid foundation in each subject area, knowledge and thinking must be interwoven. For a student to be able to think analytically would make it easier to obtain even the most basic skills.

The article mentions a nonprofit group Core Knowledge Foundation and how their ideas, "support the point that learning factual knowledge and the ability to apply, analyze, and solve problems go hand-in-hand।" The question is...how important is it to spend valuable class time memorizing information that is readily available on the Internet? The message that is being conveyed is that we should be spending our time wisely and teaching the students to be thinkers, researchers, decision-makers, etc. and they will have the "know how" to be problem-solvers with any level of information that is given.

This is a site that I ran across that ties in technology with Bloom's Taxonomy. It is pretty interesting so check it out. Digital Bloom's Taxonomy

Teaching Transfer in the English Classroom

2009-02-28T16:33:00.000-08:00

I have discovered the importance of using strategies for helping the students think through each word of a sentence, how each word functions, and how applying what has already been learned can lead to new discoveries. Creating new habits of the mind can help in developing a greater understanding of the English language.

It is so important to encourage students to think strategically and demonstrate their understanding of the steps to take when analyzing a sentence for parts of speech, phrases, and clauses. This way of thinking can be applied to solving any real world problems or problem solving in the classroom as cross curricular connections are made.

Traditional teaching of grammar often involves textbooks or worksheets where basic identification of parts of speech is applied. This doesn't allow the authentic learning where the students create sentences as they apply grammar skills in the context of writing. This style of teaching doesn't promote strategic thinking where the students have to build sentences, placing words in order for correct sentence structure.

We have been discussing English tricks in the classroom as the students would discuss tricks to solve problems in math. Thinking is a process, and when approaching a sentence, the students have learned ways to find nouns that they usually overlook, distinguishing between action and linking verbs that has always been a challenge, and knowing what questions to ask when they want to find direct objects or objects of prepositions. This creates a better understanding of how to discover patterns within the sentences of our language that is known for being so complex.

With grammar in mind, here are some questions to ask that would reinforce or develop mathematical thinking:

* How many ways can you find ...?

* What happens when we ...?

* What kind of sentence can be made from ...?

* How many different ... can be found?

* What does this remind you of...?

* What are some examples of ...?

* What kind of pattern do you see ...?

* How can this pattern help you find....?

* What are the steps for distinguishing between......?

* How many different ways can you write this sentence?

Making Connections with MapSkip

2009-02-23T19:49:00.000-08:00

Our latest writing assignment was to write a five paragraph essay about helping our friends from Nespelem School learn a little bit about our life in Memphis, TN. We wanted to show them around town by identifying and writing about the city's hot spots.

The writing process was used to help turn a few ideas into a well developed ESSAY. Some of the great attention getters that were used to hook the reader are as follows:

What city has the best barbecue, is home to the king of rock-and-roll, and is always hopping?
The sweet sound of Memphis blues fills the streets of Memphis.
"Yes!" I exclaim, with a rib in my hand, while the Memphis Tigers' point guard, Tyreke Evans, makes a three pointer against Tennessee. Oh, how I adore the Memphis Tigers and ribs.
This city is like a playground for hyper children, but even more entergetic. This awing urban area is known as the soul of the Mid-south.
Exhilarated, enthusiastic, and fully prepared, the sightseers are eager to arrive.
"Walkin' in Memphis" is a song of the great City of Blues.
Get ready to “put on your blue suede shoes” and head to the “land of the Delta Blues!"
Dismissing the powder-like snow from my mind I thought about Bar-B-Q, basketball, and blues. As I took off on a plane from Denver I wondered what it would be like to show an out of town person the sights of my hometown, Memphis.
The birth place of the blues, the new city sensation, and the loving generations make up the great city of Memphis!
Sights, sounds, and great food are all a part of one of the greatest cities in the United States.
Rendezvous, Graceland, and Beale Street are Memphis at its finest, but the Tigers, Grizzlies, and all the Rock n' Roll are, too.
Flashy lights and beautiful music bring the town of Memphis to life everyday. When Memphis comes to life you have no chance of stopping it.
The sky revealed its blanket of blue over Memphis, the city of history. Over time, many things have changed in our aged city, but some have not moved on.

After putting the finishing touches to the essays, it was time to take our visitors to these locations on the map. Each student located a favorite Memphis site and added a descriptive paragraph of support from the essay. Before long, stories were present all over the city and pictures were uploaded to provide a great visual.

To complete our unfinished project, we will be adding our voices which is another great feature of MapSkip. We hope our friends from Nespelem School will enjoy learning about Memphis history and its many wonderful sites. Before long, they will have the option of listening to them as well. Click on the picture for a short cut to MapSkip.

Click here to listen to the voice recordings of the students' paragraphs.

Using Prezi in the Classroom

2009-02-15T14:40:00.000-08:00

Prezi.com is a nonlinear presentation that allows so many options that a PowerPoint can't. It is a great way to display information, and at the same time, provide visual representations by uploading pictures or videos, drawing arrows or lines, highlighting, etc. It is a great way for a visual learner to analyze a sentence for parts of speech. The frames on Prezi can help to organize and keep ideas separate, and a path can be created for the order in which the information can be presented.

I have created a Prezi presentation for teaching the function of linking verbs, a skill that 5th grade students have trouble grasping. Check out my first attempt here.

Other examples of great Prezi presentations that I found:
*Myst Writing
*Learn Prezi

I am excited about how it can be used for so many purposes!

Classroom Wiki

2009-02-13T17:54:00.000-08:00

A wiki is a website that can be created for posting or uploading content which can be added to, edited, or removed by anyone who is given permission to access it. Here is a link to a great breakdown of the many ways it can function: What is a wiki?

I have chosen pbwiki.com to use for classroom use.
After researching, I have discovered so many fascinating purposes that it can serve in the English classroom.

creating individual student pages to simulate an actual blog
uploading relevant pictures to support writing
peer editing on any type of writing
making global connections with other students around the world
collaborating on a group project
posting reflections to various writing assignments
embedding technology tools that support learning about current skills
posting assignment descriptions
commenting on published work by posting thoughtful feedback
creating folders to store rubrics, best practices, resources
creating links to relevant curriculum sites

I have begun implementing ideas that can be viewed at http://pdsenglish5.pbwiki.com/

Technology Tools for Classroom Use

2009-02-04T07:36:00.000-08:00

I will list the technology tools that I have used and provide a brief description of how they have been applied so far.

animoto.com
This is a great site where pictures can be uploaded and a song can be selected for a 30 second video. All you have to do is click "submit" for a video to be created for showcasing events, projects, etc. It will leave you with a code to embed where you can copy and paste it to your blog. I have used Animoto to display pictures from our class party as well as a newsletter project that my students published.

mind42.com
I love this site because it involves mind mapping. My students are studying linking verbs and I thought that a visual representation of how verbs link adjectives or nouns back to the subject would benefit those visual and tactile learners. You can zoom in and out to determine the size of the map, and you can also collapse or expand the nodes that show the parts of speech of the words that are being linked. I am still learning how to use it, but pictures can be added to represent words and there are so many other possibilities for its use. You can even store your maps and search for public maps that have already been created and available for others to use. Here's my mindmap to show how it can be used in the English classroom: Mindmap

wordle.com
This a great way to use words creatively. I have used them to display a list of vivid verbs that could be used in a paragraph or essay. The vivid verbs I used in my wordle all related to the to the action that would take place during a New Year's Eve celebration. The more a word is entered, the larger it appears on the wordle, and in order to connect compound words, a tilde (~) can be typed between them. You can then play around the font style and color as well as choose a horizontal and/or vertical view. I have also used Wordle to display the 6 levels of Blooms Taxonomy to get the students familiar with the level of thinking they are using when completing various activities. You can check this out on my class blog and wiki site.
Verb Wordle & Blooms Taxonomy Wordle

Tweeting on Twitter

2009-02-03T19:10:00.000-08:00

Twitter.com It is great to feel connected to the rest of the world! I feel excited to know that I am a part of a network where the latest technology is being shared and a wealth of educational information is posted, and it all happens in a 140 character tweet!

I began taking time to read Twitter bio's in order to find other educators who I could learn from, but I soon realized that there are people who are educators who don't have teaching degrees. I follow people who travel the world and tweet about their experiences, as links to authentic photos are shared. From a writing teachers perspective, writing prompts are born and pictures can tell a story all on their own. What a great idea to use as a critical and creative thinking/writing activity. The students could analyze the image captured and headlines or captions could support their interpretations.

I also follow someone who posts daily quotes. These quotes could be used as a reference when needing to grab a reader's attention in an essay! Better yet, they can be analyzed for meaning and students can determine how it applies to their own life.

Not only do I get writing ideas, but I also learn about the latest news. Someone sent out a tweet that was about the HMS Victory wreck being found and with it came a direct link to the site. The Los Angeles Times quoted, "American salvagers say they have discovered the long-sought wreck of HMS Victory, the mightiest and most technologically advanced warship of its time, which sank during a violent storm in the English Channel in 1744." This is historical news at our fingertips and a great way to bring current events into the classroom for discussion about what was happening during the time of the Colonial Wars.

Through Twitter, I have learned about the latest technology tools that I can take and creatively gear toward an English or writing skill. The tech tools can serve so many purposes and can be applied to almost any skill that is being taught. It can be a bit overwhelming because of all that is available, so I need to remind myself that I should really learn the use of one tool before moving on to another.

One thing that I don't want to forget to mention is the importance of giving back. I always make sure that I am doing my share of research outside of twitter and contributing just as much, if not more, than what I am taking.

Hello World!

2009-02-03T17:09:00.000-08:00

A little push from my tech coach and seeing an awesome blog that a colleague created and I am totally transforming the way that I teach. I have always wanted to start a blog, but I never thought that I would have the "know how" to do it, so I started small. Six weeks later, I am a self-taught blogger and wiki user. If I can do it, anyone can. It really only takes time. Time to research and time to apply what is discovered. And now it is time to take on a new approach and leave the old traditional style of teaching behind.

Blogger.com

That is the first step. I then began joining social networks and looking at other blogs to see how they were being used. I knew that I wanted to start an interactive blog that I could use as a learning tool in the classroom and have the boys apply what they learned along the way. In my research, I discovered a whole new world that I didn't realize existed. I found myself not being able to get enough of it all! Blogging became an electronic classroom where everything could be found in one central location.

Gadgets are awesome! On the layout of a blog, you have the option to add gadgets to your side bar. When choosing this option, it will take you to a list of choices from news, tools, communication, fun & games, technology, etc. Since I began an English blog, I went for all of the gadgets that could be used for the English classroom: Daily Spelling Tips, On-line English Grammar Links, Puzzles and Riddles, & You Tube. I also added educational links that would provide extra practice or reinforcement. Of course I have my blog roll, another great gadget that gives direct links to some blogs that I follow. The most exciting gadget is ClustrMap and Feedjit which the boys are always checking out. They learn so much about world geography as they see where our blog visitors from other countries are located on the map. Through my research, I found a gadget called Site Meter that can be hidden within a blog. It is a visitor tracker that gives all kinds of information about who is visiting your site, how they found you, where they came from, what interests them and all of the demographics on their country.

It is so exciting to see that within a month's time, our blog has had over 5,600 page reviews! Twenty-two different countries and 554 cities within the U.S have stopped by. It is a great to feel connected to the world!

Our class blog will serve many purposes and will be used (but not limited to) in the following ways:

*Using the latest technology tools for applying grammar and writing skills
*responding critically and creatively to specific on-line activities
*posting links to sites for reinforcement or practice of grammar/writing skills
*making global connections
*showcasing the great work of the students
*writing with a real purpose as the world is our audience

The Beginning of a New Journey

2009-02-01T11:41:00.000-08:00

I was speaking to my technology support who happens to be a good friend of mine and she suggested that I begin reflecting on what I have learned through my research for implementing technology in the classroom. It has been such an awesome adventure to collaborate with educators from all over the world, to discover the latest technology tools that are being used in the classroom, and to be innovative in applying it toward teaching grammar through writing. I have been going at this for about six weeks now and it has really transformed the way that I approach teaching boys.

I have begun my own interactive classroom blog where I have the students to respond to a blog post that involves applying a specific grammar or writing skill. I have made sure that critical and creative thinking skills are part of the learning and I will address these as I post more information about all that has been applied so far.

In addition to the blog, I have also started our own class wiki. The boys have their own blog within the wiki where they have been given freedom to be creative as long as it remains educational. I will later discuss how the wiki has been used as a way to collaborate with one another on their writing.

I must say that I have seen a huge difference in the way the boys respond to learning, and the blog and wiki have given writing a real purpose. The boys know that the world is watching and they want to impress those who might be stopping by to read what they are doing, how they are thinking, and what they have to say.