as.she.grows

Our New Name!

2011-11-06T21:10:00.001-05:00

When I started this blog back in 2009, it was for me. Documenting what I was learning as a relatively new teacher. But then I started sharing it throughout our district, inviting others to celebrate with me the good things that were happening in our little EL room. It even made it to a college course or two. Then I had The Cuteness and chose to stay home with him, and the blog sat dormant. But a few months ago, I got lassoed back into the teaching world, working with other teachers. And so it with revitalized spirits (and typing fingers) that I continue to share with our town, our state, and {dare I say} our world our take on Teaching ELs in the USA. This fresh start needs a fresh name: enter TeachingELs.com.

Would you join me over there? (You won't find anything else here!) My fabulous hubby has been working hard to make it look pretty and work effortlessly. Let's go!

The Many Words of Vocab

2011-11-05T21:06:00.000-04:00

I'm so mad. I'm furious. I'm upset. I'm hot.
Hot?
Yes, hot can relate to that angry feeling you get when the pop machine doesn't give you the can you requested...NOR your change back.
Grr...

I digress.

Just like the many synonyms social English can carry, even academic English has synonyms.
Yes, even math has synonyms.

That's why it can be so difficult for ELs to discern what function a particular question is asking them to perform. And that is why Lena works through this vocab sheet with her students regularly. Especially with high-stakes tests using multiple words to refer to the same function.

Visual Learners

2011-11-05T20:48:00.000-04:00

Long division is hard...for anyone. But combine new language + new content and it can become downright frustrating. That's why Lena has created this chart just of symbols to help her ELs remember the steps to long division.

Well, that and she uses Math Karate. Hey, whatever works!

"Scholars"

2011-11-04T20:20:00.000-04:00

Johanna is helping with her building's morning school program, Spartan Scholars. She addresses her students as "scholars."

"It sounds like you just answered my question with a single word," she'll say to a student. "Scholars speak in complete sentences...and you are a scholar!"

ELs don't need to be reminded that they are behind; they need to be pushed to get ahead! And Johanna uses oral language practice as a perfect tool for pushing.

Parent Contact

2011-11-02T21:15:00.000-04:00

"A school system without parents is just like a bucket with a hole in it." -Jesse Jackson

Nicole has taken parent contact extremely seriously. Her goal? To make personal contact with 100% of her parents...in both of her buildings.

Now, Nicole is not one to shoot for 99.9%. In fact, if 110% was possible, she'd do it.

EL parents are accustomed to hearing one of two things: "Your child is behind" or Nothing. As terrible as this is to admit, it is sometimes easier to ignore a difficult situation than face it head on.

Parents in Nicole's buildings are hearing neither of the above things. Instead they are being assured that their children are, in fact, progressing (even if it's at a slower pace than their teachers prefer), that they are being well cared for by their EL and classroom teachers, and that their insight into their child is invaluable to help said teachers teach their children in the most effective way possible.

Now that's motivating. That's what results in high parent involvement. Here's a reminder of why parental involvement is so important from FamilyFacts.org.

Frustration

2011-11-01T21:15:00.002-04:00

"Go ahead and start on your math sheet," EL teacher Amber directed. "I'll be with you in a moment." She scooted over to the other table with the other students' needs.

Multiple students, multiple levels, multiple needs. Such is the life of a teacher.

Pound, pound, pound. Amber was interrupted by the harsh sound of pencil meeting textbook. Little eyes glanced back and forth between distressed student and concerned teacher.

Teaching reaches far beyond pure academics.

Eduardo had zoned from the classroom. "Eduardo," Amber began. No response. "Eduardo!" Still the pound, pound, pound of hopelessness. "Students, you may go back to class," Amber directed, sending the three scurrying from the room. She crouched down on all fours next to his spot on the carpet. "Eduardo!" she called. Fingers snapped, zone broken.

"I just don't understand, Mrs. Cotherman." And difficult it was. Multiple step problems with a new skill set.

New language, new content. Big words, big risk of failure.

"Don't worry, Eduardo, we can do it together."
"But it's due today!"

Amber was able to pour confidence into the frustrated sixth grader by reminding him of what he did know, what he was capable of. And by reading the questions to him, helping him dissect the many words that he did know but that had jumbled themselves all together, and looking for those key words (in this case, "percentage" and "total"), he was able to complete his assignment. Even on time.

There are lots of modifications for ELs in mainstream classrooms. One of them is extra time (time-and-a-half). Another is being read the material. But it is never dumbing down the content. Make content accessible. Amber did.

Bringing It to Now

2011-10-27T10:01:00.001-04:00

"What do you do?" people ask.
"Teaching elementary English language learners" was always the first thing I said. But not anymore.
"I am Mom to a beautiful redhead," I reply.

"I also work part-time for the local school district," I continue. "Five or so hours a week. Perfect to keep me connected but still allow me to stay at home."

And stay at home I have. We've been having a blast here, learning about each other, dusting off old hobbies, meeting other moms and kids. I've also been quite invigorated by the time spent away from The Cuteness. Those hours I put in for the district are hours I get to spend with elementary EL teachers, advocating for them, for their students, and for their low-income families.

I've taken a long hiatus from this blog. Ever since I stopped teaching (a year ago!), I've had every intention of closing up shop, shuttin' 'er down, saying goodbye. But I couldn't. ESL (turned ELL turned EL) has been such a strong part of me for so many years. How do you quit? So I've postponed my goodbye.

Sometimes I hop on the blog just to read where we've been, remember the journey, dream for the future. Please don't read this as discontentment with my current calling. I love being a mom. And a wife. A caregiver. A cook. A seamstress. A reader. But boy, did I love teaching those precious EL students!

So. What am I saying? As I'm still connected to the EL community, I thought it only appropriate to continue sharing what I'm learning, even if it is only in five hours a week.

I plan to highlight EL teachers and their building teachers who are doing great things for EL students.
I plan to showcase this ever-changing world and how teachers are adapting and succeeding in it.
I plan to demonstrate to the nay-sayers out there that teachers teach for reasons far beyond themselves--reasons with names and faces and souls.
I plan to document for my own intellectual well-being, to keep my mind sharp for this field that has grown me in radical ways.

It'll be a great ride!

Sarah

A Letter from an Author

2011-04-25T16:09:00.000-04:00

Remember all the Jorge activities we've done this year? Well, I wrote to Jane Medina (the author and creator of Jorge) to let her know how much we've grown because of him. And guess what? She wrote us back! (Okay, she wrote us back a while ago, but...I'm still on my maternity leave, so I'm just now posting it.)

Isn't that amazing?? She wrote it FROM JORGE!

And check this out. She wrote it in Spanish, too!

Jane Medina, you rock! :)

An Unwarranted Thank-you

2010-12-10T08:58:00.000-05:00

Not sure what I did to deserve this thanks, but then again, what kind of "thanks" asks you to pay money to receive your thank-you? Not sure if I should feel honored or offended?!

A New Job

2010-12-01T10:59:00.000-05:00

We had our baby! Thanksgiving Day 2010 Corban James Steele graced the world with his presence. 6 lbs. 11 oz., 20 inches, and gorgeous red hair. He absolutely is our pride and joy and a "gift devoted to God" (Mark 7:11). I'm starting to feel the pangs of postponing the work I love and watching my students grow to be with my son and growing him in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. We love you, Corban!

Misunderstanding Skits 5th

2010-11-24T06:11:00.000-05:00

Sooo Coooool!

2010-11-24T06:01:00.000-05:00

Remember Levi, "my new favorite zero"? Well, we finished a project we'd been working on to give his parents. I had him create a book from the sentence stem, "This is my family member." We had read a book together about family and drew a picture of our families (although his family looked an awful lot like mine, which worried Mom when he showed it to her at home...she's not pregnant nor trying!). So in order to help differentiate between my family and his and to become familiar with a useful phrase ("This is..."), we created said book with computer paper for the inside and construction paper for the cover. We finally finished yesterday (I wanted to make sure he was able to take it home before Thanksgiving Break), so I laminated, punched, and spiral bound it and pulled him out of his classroom to give it to him.

His reaction? Biiiig eyes. "Oh. My. Gosh!" His tiny fingers caressed the shiny pages. "Wow! Soooo cool!" I handed it to him.
"This is for you, Levi," I said. "Read it to your Mom and Dad, okay?"
"No, now," he replied. So we stood right there in the hallway and read My Family by Levi.
"Again," he whispered. So we read it again.

As I took him back to class, he did nothing but look at his precious creation, and as soon as we arrived in his classroom, he marched right up to his teacher and handed it to her. And the coolest thing that she did? "Will you read it to me?" So he did. And then he proceeded to read it to the rest of the class. They oohed and aahed over the beautiful book, and several students were heard remarking about how very much they would like to make a book about their families. Levi went from being the new curiosity to the coolest kid in school that day.

And I just know his mom loved it.

The Brick Wall of ESL

2010-11-24T05:46:00.000-05:00

At a recent ESL training led by Katie Brooks & Susan Adams from Butler University, we practiced an activity called Barriers or Bridges. We tweaked it a little for use in our classroom. I wanted to take some time one of these odd three days before Thanksgiving Break to remind students of the purpose of ESL, no matter what teacher is guiding them. We wrote down any and everything that came to mind of things that we've done in the ESL room that have helped us connect to our mainstream classrooms. We put the completed wall in the hallway outside our room. Check it out!

We have some 5th graders coming in today to draw three things--on one side of the wall, we'll have some pics/graphics that represent ESL; going across the top of the wall will be footprints; and on the other side, we'll have some pics/graphics that represent our regular classrooms. Genius, eh? But really, I hope even moreso that they'll remember that ESL is not just a bunch of fun random activities where we read cool articles and meet new people, but that what we do in that classroom is actually beneficial in making them successful students...no matter the environment. (*sigh* It's hard to talk about this like it's over, but for me, it almost is. :( )

That's What I Said!

2010-11-16T17:28:00.005-05:00

A student came rushing into my room during homework time today.

"Mrs. Steele, I need help with disability!"

Normally, she and I work on math concepts--multiplication, division, fractions, factoring, etc. Disability was a new one for me. She wrote the word on a whiteboard. "D-i-s-a-b-i-l-i-t-y." I realize I've been out of 6th grade math for a while, but I wasn't sure I'd even heard of this new concept!

"Could you start it for me? What does it look like to do 'disability'?"

She wrote the following: "15: 3, 5. 20: 2, 5, 10."

"Ohhhh!" I exclaimed. "Divisibility!"

"Yeah, that's what I said, 'disability.'"

'Member when I wrote about misunderstandings in one of my recent posts? I think we found a real-life example! :)

Mis-forgery

2010-11-15T19:51:00.001-05:00

One of my students forged his mom's signature today.

He spelled her name wrong.

Misunderstandings in 3rd Grade

2010-11-10T17:04:00.004-05:00

In 3rd grade, we've been studying the idea of misunderstanding things and what you should do when you think that's happened to you. We culminated this mini-unit by creating our own skits to show what kinds of misunderstandings could happen...to anyone!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hZqYvk2keA

Content-Area Word Walls

2010-11-05T15:50:00.003-04:00

Found these gems in some 5th grade classrooms. Look what these teachers are giving ALL students!

Writing teacher, Linda Moore, includes verbal (provided by her) and pictorial
(provided by the students) descriptions of each of the five steps in the writing process.

Math teacher, Sarah Ashton, displays examples of essential math components.

EL Statewide Conference

2010-11-05T15:45:00.002-04:00

I had the honor of a lifetime when Susan Adams asked if I would present with her at Wednesday's EL Statewide Conference in Indianapolis. Wow. We even had mini bios printed about us! (Not a big deal for you big-timers, perhaps, but huge to me!) :)

We had a great presentation about writing in the ESL classroom and outstanding feedback from our participants. Susan and I made a great secondary-elementary team. I only hope this won't be the last time that we present together!

Teacher Spotlight

2010-10-28T13:17:00.009-04:00

We've shared with our teachers the importance of allowing students the opportunity to use their native language to better understand new concepts. Here are some quotes we shared with them:

Why Native Language Support Works

“Learning most effectively occurs in the language that the learner knows best. The skills and understanding acquired in the first language are accessible to a learner in the second language.”
When Should They Use Each Language?

“If your focus is higher order thinking skills or prior knowledge connections, EL students should probably work together in their native languages. If you want EL students to practice using some of their new English language structures and vocabulary, you should pair them with native English speakers.”
TAKEN FROM:

Brooks, Kathryn, & Karathanos, Katya. (2009). Building on the cultural and linguistic capital of English learner (EL) students. Multicultural Education, 46-50.

One 3rd grade teacher (Sara Hawblitzel) really took it to heart.

Her students were learning about classifying creatures according to whatever different features they could come up with. Then they would be learning about specific classifications within the animal kingdom. Here's the list that some of our shared students came up with:

Needless to say, I was so proud, as were the students to be allowed to use their strength (Spanish) to understand something new! Thanks, Mrs. Hawblitzel!

Always Good for a Laugh

2010-10-28T07:47:00.003-04:00

MELISSA: My mom just started laughing last night on the way home.
ME: *strange conversation starter* Why's that?
MELISSA: She said she just kept thinking about how big your belly is!
ME: HAHAHAHAHA!!

Glad somebody somewhere's getting joy from this... :-P

Translating Blooper

2010-10-22T08:00:00.001-04:00

TEACHER: Have you seen this paper before?
ME: ¿Ha visto este papel?
PARENT: No, nunca.
ME: No.
TEACHER: He should bring it home every day in his backpack.
ME: Lo debe traer cada dia en su cuchillo.
PARENT: incredulous look ¿Que?
ME: ¡O! ¡En su mochila!

un cuchillo

una mochila

Quote of the Day

2010-10-14T15:49:00.004-04:00

Student reading from textbook: "Protein builds muscle, skin, and international organs."

Only in the ESL room do students have "international organs!"

L4

2010-10-14T06:32:00.002-04:00

In the world of ESL, we talk about L1 and L2, first language and second language, but for our newest Husky, we're using the term L4. (Preface: His dad is a consultant for the orthopedic industry; very smart guy!) Born in India, he learned to speak Hindi, but because he left during first grade, he can't read much in that language. Next came Switzerland, where (if I'm understanding correctly) he learned to speak/read German in school and Swiss-German on the streets. Now he's here as a third grader in the USA catching up on his English (although he's studied it in every country he's lived in). L4, my friends, will soon become L5 for him as their next planned move is this summer for Brazil.

My New Favorite Zero

2010-10-08T19:43:00.001-04:00

Top left: He drew (and yes, I do mean drew--beautifully!) his Chinese name. Note to self: Asking if that spells "Levi" in Chinese is a dumb question; the name "Levi" doesn't exist in Chinese! I practiced saying his former name, but...don't ask me to say it now w/o his help!

Middle: We practiced saying and writing his letters.

Top right: His face after he heard himself saying "My name is Levi" on the digital audio recorder. It wasn't perfect like he heard me saying it. I crossed off that face and drew the silly big smiley face.

Bottom left: He felt better by the end and drew his own face. I pointed to his face, said "This is Levi," and pushed his little lips into a smile. Then I pointed to my face, said "This is Mrs. Steele," and gave myself a big grin. He then decided to add the nose and proudly declared "nose!"

Can't wait to work with this motivated little kindergartner again! :)

Quote of the Day

2010-10-08T06:20:00.000-04:00

Miss Keers was discussing the Holocaust with her 5th graders. Apparently, the whole "blond hair, blue eyes" thing really hit home with some of the ELLs, who do NOT have such physical features. A nervous Brayan asked, "Miss Keers, am I a Jew?"

Oh dear. How to explain that one to Mom and Dad!

ESL Family Literacy Nights: Round 1

2010-10-07T07:54:00.027-04:00

While I was at Butler University for a class on writing this summer, I decided to drop in on a graduate student's presentation on Family Literacy Nights. She totally sold me on the idea, and last night, several months (and tears) later, we held our very first one! Three Wednesdays this month, we will be hosting these classes for parents AND kids to come together, learn a new technique, and take home some tools AND books! We have classroom teachers leading the first two lessons to help make that connection between ESL and the mainstream classroom. Below is the outline for the month.

Oct 6: Making Connections (Aynsley Small: 1st grade teacher)
    - send home magnets with the 3 types of connections and illustrations of them all
    - one culturally-relevant bilingual book per child
Oct 13: Asking Questions (Sarah Ashton: 5th grade teacher)
    - send home bookmarks with brief notes on when/how to ask questions
    - one bilingual English classic per child
Oct 27: Reading in a Foreign Language (Sarah Steele: ESL teacher)
    - send home something with elements of a story on it
    - one English-only book per child
   - give each family photo of them happily reading together

Here's what each night looks like within itself:

Explain focus literacy skill and procedures.
Have parents observe a teacher modeling that skill to their children.
Split into family groups and practice the skill.
Regroup to review the process and discuss any remaining questions.
Pass out tool.
Give one book per child to practice this skill at home (each of the 3 nights!).
(The following week, we would start with a recap of the previous skill and what parents noticed as they practiced that skill with their children.)

Now that I've bored you to tears with all the gory details, how about some photos (almost 50 ppl last night!)?

One of our middle schoolers joined her family for this night!

Somehow, I think one of these kids is not an actual member of this family!

Aynsley Small and Imelda Salyer made a dynamic presentation team!
(P.S. Can you see the screen? Hurray for doc cams!)

Modeling

Practicing making connections

Choosing free books--provided by
the Warsaw Education Foundation!

The magnets they got to take home

A Formal Debate

2010-09-30T15:52:00.002-04:00

This week's topic was Child Interpreters. Of course, we read from Jorge about his experience being a child interpreter. Then we split into two groups and played "Fact & Opinion." Both groups read an article about the topic--one stating why it's so important and the other discussing a law about barring children from interpreting for their parents (specifically in medical situations). Then we had a word war. (Boy, were the kids excited about war!) Each student read one fact from their article and then stated their opinion about that fact. It was quite the heated debate!

My Name is Jorge

2010-09-17T06:06:00.020-04:00

Jane Medina is an author--one of my favorite bilingual authors! One of her books is written from the perspective of an elementary Mexican newcomer named Jorge. Of all the characters in all the books in all the world, Jorge is my all-time favorite.

We begin each week with some Jorge Time. I always start with "My Name is Jorge," as names are a great place to get to know kids. During that same week, Imelda and I read "T-Shirt" (they both deal with mispronouncing names). We do lots of different things involving these poems, but this year, we also decided to have kids do some recording. Here is "T-Shirt" in English and Spanish.

JorgeName_English.wav
JorgeName_Spanish.wav

(Try hitting "play" first before downloading. If that doesn't work, you can download them for free; you just have to sign up. I've previously used a website that had the player right in my blog post, but I can't seem to find it right now. Any help would be greatly appreciated!)

"But, Mrs. Steele, it's not on ISTEP!"

2010-09-11T17:49:00.004-04:00

Melissa was particularly concerned that we were spending our time "drawing pictures" instead of doing "real work." She complained to me, "Mrs. Steele, why are we doing this? We have to pass ISTEP. They won't make us draw tattoos on ISTEP!" Little did she know that what we were doing was so much more than just "drawing pictures."

1. We had to listen intensely to understand the most important things another person values.

2. We had to think critically about how to represent those ideas with pictures (and no, a boy playing baseball does not represent a boy playing baseball--it is a boy playing baseball; we had to go deeper!).

3. We had to write a paragraph justifying why we put each individual item in the tattoo, colors and all.

4. We had to present the tattoo and our justification in front of an entire class of our peers!

No, Melissa, neither ISTEP nor LAS Links will ask you to design a tattoo. But they will ask you to listen to directions and/or oral stories, think critically about a problem, and write intelligently on a topic. Tattoos were just a tool to practice.

Board Meeting

2010-09-11T17:43:00.003-04:00

To culminate our work on our tattoos, we held a Board Meeting, complete with clip-on ties and all! :) Only this Board Meeting, you're only allowed to talk through writing on a big piece of paper taped to the board. It always starts with an essential question.

Students then answered the question, asked more questions,
and responded to each others' new questions.

The 5th graders didn't feel like their conversation was finished by the time
class was over, so...they came back during their lunch break, put the ties back
on, and spent the next 20 minutes in absolute silence finishing their conversations!

The pictures below range from 3rd to 5th grade, as I'm sure you'll note the difference in maturity.

"Nothing." "Do you think listening is important?" "It's hard."
"Why is it hard?" "I am stuck because I don't listen."

One student noted his difficulty in auditory processing. I'm so glad to know this about
him and am looking forward to finding ways to help him listen better and easier.

"I do not listen to dreckshon" "Why not?"
"Because it takes too long."

Hey, at least he's honest!

"And when you take the Istep you won't know what to do if you don't listen."
Wow. An Istep reference?? By a 4th grader??

"if you listen well you could earn yourself a scholarship"

This student only knew the word "beca" but really wanted to
use its English counterpart to answer this question.

Loved this one; you go, girl!

JUST FOR FUN

Of course, silly bands came up as a point of
distraction from listening. Those darn bands!

Ha ha ha! So this was one student's use of an idiom--"clean up your ears"
but another student's total misunderstanding of it. Buddy, we don't literally mean
that your ears are dirty when we say, "Ya need to clean your ears out??" ;)

Hank's Tattoos

2010-09-11T16:39:00.002-04:00

Welcome to Hank's Tattoo Shop!

I'm Miss Star, one of the artists here.

And this is Senorita Estrella, our other artist.

Here's our design process:

Step 1: Take notes on another person's values.

Step 2: Design a tattoo uniquely for that person.

Step 3: Write a paragraph describing how this tattoo "represents" (key word!)
your partner and present it to them in front of the class.

"We're Famous!"

2010-09-11T15:28:00.004-04:00

My current 6th graders were highlighted in the WCS "Chalk Talk" magazine for their work on that "Playground Plea" video from last spring. Here's a copy of the article.

As I shared the article with them, I gave them all a copy, had them read it to themselves, and then I read it to them. While we were reading, I asked them to stop me when we came to their favorite line of the article. I read the majority of the article without interruption. Curious, I paused and asked the students if I had already read their favorite line. "No, no, Mrs. Steele, not yet." I kept reading. "'We're gonna be famous!' said Alejandro," I read. "That's it!" they all shouted. I found it ever so interesting that out of the entire article of carefully selected words and creatively crafted phrases, the students most valued their own voice. I'm so glad that it was heard.

Special notes from summer school

2010-08-16T19:23:00.002-04:00

I realize summer school has long past (and in fact, the regular school year is about to begin!), but I was just getting rid of the last of my goodbye letters and had to keep some very special quotes. I think they'll help me start out my year remembering from the get-go that I'm not just here to impact minds, but I'm also here to impact hearts. Enjoy!

"The teachers in this school are cool except for you, you are Awesome." -Ismael

"You help me with reading and writing. And especilly not being shy in front of the classroom. I improved in summer school because I can do stuff by myself. I though that I can do anything When I got here in your classroom." -Wendy

"People in the school is really nice. mostly Mrs. Steele. You helped me improve my reading levil...I started to a K and ended with O :). For myself I improved talking a little more." -Jemina

"The teacher I like is Mrs. Steele she is funny cool and alsome I so like her. We Like to write to echother and We do reading, and word work in the libray I like her she is nice." -Madisyn

"I think Daniel was funny when he was the alien in the readers theater play called The Alien, cause it sound funny and it gave me a cool picture in my head." -Jewel

Pretty much the best surprise EVER!

2010-08-09T21:07:00.002-04:00

I received an email last night. From YouTube. Saying that there was a comment "pending approval" on the "Playground Plea" video my students created at the end of last year (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48MblmUkPvA). This is how it started: "Wow! I was *delighted* to see this amazing video you have made about my poem..." Wait. Stop. WHAT?! "MY poem"???

Yes, folks, the actual author of the poem we interpreted through video commented on said video...and loved it! I can't wait to tell my students; they're going to FREAK!

I was sharing my joy with Katie Brooks, and she took it to a whole new level for me--why not set up a video chat with Ms. Huggins-Cooper so that my students can interview her live? Well, why not?! I've sent the message, so...we'll see if she has time for us. Sooooo exciting!

Practice in Creativity

2010-06-30T15:26:00.000-04:00

I wanted to do something crafty for my summer school students. A friend (thanks, Jess Manduka!) gave me a repurposing book, and I found my project--bookmarks made from place mats, napkins, and other fabrics.

cutting the place mats

and napkins

James' photographic perspective ;)

after the kids designed them (drew on their pieces with pencil),

I began the embroidery process.

it took...

...a while

sewed 'em up. did it with an unfinished edge instead of

placing them inside out--thinner that way

applying fray guard

THE FINISHED PRODUCTS

(notice the difference between the boys' and girls' ones!)

So much fun! Couldn't do this for ALL my ELLs (160+ kids!), but summer school numbers are much more doable. Great creative outlet, and the kids were shocked at how cool a bookmark (something to do with reading??) could be! :)

"Oh, I know. Dumb."

2010-06-13T15:01:00.004-04:00

WORKSHEET: "The opposite of foolish is _ _ _ _." (Hint: Change one letter from the word: wide.)

Well, this group of four boys didn't know what foolish itself meant. So I was trying to give them lots of examples...to no avail. Their classroom teacher (we split the whole group of 50 kids into 3 classes but come together occasionally) came up and said, "Oh, this group of boys should really know what foolish means." *red flag in my head* He continued, "'Joe is foolish.' So what does 'foolish' mean?" Joe looked down, utterly dejected. "Oh, I know. Dumb."

I attempted to repair the damage.

Then I cried.

Letters in Summer School

2010-06-11T16:28:00.002-04:00

The kids and I have been writing to each other this summer school (highly recommended, by the way). I've been reading them one poem a day (from My Name is Jorge by Jane Medina) and having them quick-write a response. Then we have a written conversation about what they wrote. The responses below are from the poem "Invisible," which talks about how Jorge likes to be unseen by those around him because at least then he doesn't get things wrong, etc. These. Are. Incredible.

Goodbye, Reading Buddies!

2010-05-27T16:00:00.003-04:00

What a great relationship we had between Lakeview's 8th grade Reading Buddies this year and our 4th grade ELLs! Here are two final letters from our 8th graders to our 4th graders.

A little gem I found while digging...

2010-05-25T15:03:00.001-04:00

We received a crisis e-mail last year about a potential mega drop in funding for ESL programs across the state of Indiana. Our ESL director, Wendy Long, invited us to write letters to the senator, telling him why this was a terrible idea. Well, senators tend to ignore teachers. But...who can resist kids?! We all wrote letters to Senator Kenley (below is one gem of an example), and he actually did not sign that awful bill. We still have ESL; it worked! (At least, we'd like to think that we're that influential.) Side note: He responded to all our letters, and we all wrote him thank you notes!

Birthday Card

2010-05-18T16:40:00.003-04:00

So...last Thursday was my birthday--the big 2-5. I was out all day in a meeting at the CIMC, but when I arrived the next morning, I had a whole stack of birthday cards from my kiddos. While they were all absolutely delightful and self-esteem-boosting, this one tickled my fancy in a particular way.

#1: I love that she thinks I'm 20; I was in college at 20!

#2: I love that I "look young" to a 5th grader!! No wonder my colleagues can't take me seriously; I'm just a baby to them!

#3: I love that she needed to clarify that looking young is a "compliment," since some women would be "insulted" if they were told they looked younger than they actually were??

#4: I love that she thinks I may not know her (hence "Melissa's friend") but that she's writing me a birthday card, nonetheless.

Overall, I have NO complaints about this card. It made my day! :)

How life will change...

2010-05-17T07:06:00.001-04:00

James and I found out some life-altering news just a couple months ago. And Friday, we got to see this news for the very first time.

Isn't that just the cutest blob you've ever seen?! Well, we certainly think so. ;)

The reason I've posted this picture to my teaching blog is that it will change a whole semester of teaching for me. We're due just two weeks before Christmas Break, and we're currently planning for me to take the whole Spring Semester off to be with Baby Steele. I'll probably post a picture of the baby before I take off in December, but it could be a while after that that I would post after that! Man...our lives are about to change (we don't even fully realize just how true that statement is!). But it's a change that we're looking forward to. :)

"Playground Plea"

2010-05-04T21:51:00.003-04:00

Thank You to High Schoolers

2010-04-30T14:02:00.004-04:00

Some students from Warsaw High School came to Club 456 for our last session and inspired us to dream big. Here is what the students thought of them: Click here for the YouTube video.

Using Data to Inform Instruction

2010-04-30T13:40:00.001-04:00

Blah, blah, blah. Boring title. I'm sorry. Except that. I'm not. Not at all! Because we actually are in the process of using data to really, truly help a student. I can't wait to share how:

We have a 3rd grade boy going through the RtI process right now. (The photo is of all our 3rd grade ELLs.) As a non-reader moving into 4th grade, naturally, we're very concerned! We adminstered the Woodcock-Munoz test (Spanish AND English) to determine if a disability was present in both languages or just English. If it was both, we could say an official "yes" and start getting him the help he needs. If it was just English, we would know that that was due simply to the second language acquisition process.

The Woodcock-Munoz showed us that in reading and writing, his CALP level is a 1 in both languages but that his oral expression and oral comprehension are both 3.5 (again, both languages!). That's a huge contrast. I decided to ask Millie to go through a long test he had recently taken, noting the number correct from the ones I had read to him and the number correct from the ones he had read to himself. You'll never believe this:

Ones I read # correct: 10/13
Ones he read # correct: 4/32

Wow! Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow! We're going to administer one more set of tests for reading comprehension with us reading it and not. We're also going to give him a writing prompt where we scribe for him and not. (That's a theory that the SpEd teacher has.) I'm so excited that we may actually be able to help this poor kid in a way that he can receive the help! Will keep you posted on how those tests go...

P.S. If this is truly a visual disability (as opposed to an auditory one), he's at a real advantage. Most activities in classrooms are auditory, so at least he's able to pick up on what's been talked about!

4th Grade Bilingual Book

2010-03-10T13:53:00.006-05:00

My Super funny best vacation ever!

"Oowww! My face! Why does this happen to me?"

Teacher's Note: Ismael's teacher, Susy Ramsey, read this book (Niagra Falls or Does It?) to her class. Imelda "dug" a little in his memory to think of things he's done (such as go to New York). He combined his personal experience with his inspiration from this book!

I dedicat this to Henrey Winkler,
the person who inspierd me to write this book.

Niagra Falls or does it? By: Henry Winkler

My dad, his friend, and I went to New York City to see Niagra Falls.

Somebody slipped and fell off the boat.

"I don't feel good." "Aaaaah!" "I'm scared!"
Lifeguard. "Man over board!"

We went to the Statue of Liberty.

"I'm afraid!" "Come back here!" Me.

Somebody got scared and fell off!

"Save me!" Map.

I had to sleep at a house but a cat was on top

of the house, a man went up to rescue it.

He missed and he fell off the house.

We called the ambulance and they came. "Sorrrrrrry!"

I had the best vacation ever!

"Oowww!" A guy I saw all the time.

About the Author

Ismael Garcia was born in Chicago, Illinos
and likes to play video games.

3rd Grade Bilingual Book

2010-03-10T13:26:00.004-05:00

My Baby Sister By: Diana Limon

Sweetly dedicated to our former student teacher, Miss Rudolph!

Dedicated to Miss Rudpho. We miss you. With Love Diana Limon.

Love you for ever! I will aways remeber you. :(

It was a Tuesday morning. My dad went to wake us up he said,

"Girls wake up your mom is haveing her baby." So we woke up and saed "What?"

So we got up and dress up and then we went to my mom's room.

we were happy and very excited!

Then we said "But we have to go to school!"

He said "you guys are not going to school." We said "OK."

Then my mom and dad left we staed all by ourselvs.

We were soso happy I couldn't wait until she came back.

Then it was 3:00. My Grandma came. We told her my mom was going
to have her baby. Then her phone ring. My dad told her. She was Glad.

Then the next day they came back. I was the frist one to carry her!

We gave her a present. We were so HAPPY! The End.

This Diana Laura Limon This is my moms day she gave to brith!

Some ESL quotes to live by...

2010-02-27T20:24:00.003-05:00

Student: (writing couplet of family member) My dad is hiding every day so that he doesn't have to pay.
Me: Cool! What's he hiding from? (Note to self: Stupid question.)
Student: I can't tell you; it's private.

Me: Man, I have not been feeling well lately.
1st grader: I just went to the doctor. Sleep lots, and don't eat Chinese food.

1st grader 1: Landon's dad is Officer Light.
1st grader 2: Oh yeah? I've met a policeman before!
1st grader 3: Me too! My dad was arrested!
Awkward silence.

Roberto could not wrap his mind around mini-marshmallows. He knew about big marshmallows over campfires but had never heard of the minis in hot cocoa. As I was drawing a picture to show him how similar they are, he shook his head and said, "I just don't go out that much, Mrs. Steele."

Janely: When will we find out who won the poetry contest?
Me: I don't know. Soon...
Janely: What's the prize? I really hope it's money. *pause* My parents are having a hard time paying the bills. I want to give it to them when I win.

Cindy: Wanna know what I did for my mom for Mother's Day?
Me: Sure!
Cindy: I made her breakfast.
Me: Ohh...that's so sweet! What'd you make her?
Cindy: Well, I cook with my mom a lot, but I couldn 't remember how to make pancakes. I could only make spaghetti.

Student writing: I liked going to the Indiana polic zoo.
My thoughts: There's no such thing as a police zoo! *enlightenment* Oh! The Indianapolis Zoo!

Shri answered a question exceptionally well during our reading group. "You're on the ball, Shri!" I exlaimed, excited. Startled, she looked around, then under her. "No, I'm not!" she remarked. "I don't even see a ball!"

We played the Picnic Name Game one day. "My name is Mrs. Steele, and I'm bringing spaghetti." So it was Diana's turn: "My name is Diana, and I bring donuts." The next day...she brought donuts to class!

Ricardo: I just met another cousin that I didn't know was my cousin!
Me: Sometimes I think everyone here is cousins.
Jackie: Yeah, that's just 'cuz the world's so short.

Kindergartener: My birthday is March. April.
Me: Oh, your birthday is March April?
Kindergartener: Yes. My birthday is March April. Twenty-five. August.

Mrs. Winn: Mercedes, how old are you?
Mercedes: Good.
Mrs. Winn: No, Mercedes, how...oooold...aaaare...yooooou?
Mercedes: Good.
Mrs. Winn: Are you 4 or 5 or 6?
Mercedes: Yes.

Student writing: "I'm not embarrassed to say this. I know I'm a poor kid, but when we went to the World Cup to see Chivas versus Mexico, it was the best day of my life...I want to be famous so I can pay my mom and dad for all I owe them."

Boys near the girls restroom: They even wash their hands! (shock)

Kindergartener: (retelling a story for a placement test) They start to walk. They start to rain. They start to rainbow. They start to play!

5th grader asking a question: Ma'am, I have a doubt!

4th grader: Veruca is a spoiled rat.

4th grader: I like poemtry.

Me: What are some ways we greet people?
Danny: Handing shakes!

Me: What do you know about farming?
4th grade boy: This is gonna be gross, but I'm gonna say it anyway. The farmer semens the cow so it has a baby.

Me: What did you learn about farming today?
4th grade written response: They grow weed.
(Here's hoping they're growing wheat!)

We were reading this book about the first years of black people not being slaves. 6th grader: "Wait. I thoguht it was John McCain who freed the slaves!"

Our 4th grade vocab word one morning was "blurted." The following is how one student showed me he understood.
Juan: MRS. STEELE!
Me: Yes, Juan?
Juan: I just blurted. *grin*

Catherine: (in reference to a grape I was handing her) Oooh! Is that a jelly bean?!

Anthony: (before getting up in front of class) "Wait! I gotta look faaancy!" He then proceeded to put on his glasses. Fancified...check.

Me: Ohh...it smells like Bolivia in here!
Karyn: (in jest) Is it you, Jasmine?
Jasmine: Yeah, I put too much on this morning.

We were talking with 1st grader about how things grow. Words about our butterflies included "cocoon," "butterfly," and "caterpillar." We moved on to frogs next. "And a baby frog is called a tad..." I started. "Taderpillar!" exclaimed Carlos!

Question: What's one suggestion you could give the author?
Written response: he need bester spelling.
Wait. Who needs "bester" spelling?? ;)

Oh, Happiness.

2010-02-20T10:07:00.002-05:00

Imelda Salyer, Sarah Steele, Paige Rudolph, Karyn Brumbaugh

A Dynamic Team

Word Walls Update

2010-02-19T22:59:00.006-05:00

3rd-6th graders have added to these walls,

through our whole group lessons and our guided reading lessons.

Social Studies Word Wall

from a variety of social studies...studies :)

Writing Word Wall

parts of speech and writing techniques

Writing Word Wall

punctuation and mechanics

Reading Word Wall

different types of connections

Reading Word Wall

book parts & reading strategies

Math Word Wall

shapes

Math Word Wall

computation

Caught'ya Vocab Wall

3rd grade

Caught'ya Vocab Wall

4th grade

Caught'ya Vocab Wall

6th grade

"We found it in the text!"

2010-02-19T22:41:00.001-05:00

Sometimes inspiration comes from the strangest places--like reading comprehension texts, for example.

As we're preparing for ISTEP (yes, we're doing ISTEP prep :-/), one of our main foci is reading comprehension--understanding what you've read and what they're asking. This particular article was on Sammy Sosa's life in the Dominican Republic (before he signed his contract) and in the States (after he signed his contract). The prompt was to compare and contrast his life before and after. Here's what I got the first time around:

"He was poor. He was unlucky. He wasn't famous.

He was rich. He was lucky. He was famous."

Okay, all right, um...not good enough. In fact, downright BORING!

We went through the article again, this time equipped with a highlighter (the ISTEP-approved kind, of course). I asked them to read it to themselves and highlight any words or phrases that described Sammy's life before, and then after. What a different response I got! We ended up just listing them at first because there were so many!

"Hungry. Poor. One-bedroom apartment. Dirt floor. Sold oranges. Rocks=baseballs; sticks=bats; milk carton=glove......Lots of money. Generous (gave $ to mom). New bicycle. New house. Famous. Hero." Etc.

Every time they came up with a new one, I would ask them: "Did you just make that up??" And I forced them into this response: "No, Mrs. Steele. I found it in the text!" Then I let them autograph my Sammy Sosa paper. Everyone was able to find at least one thing. I took it home that night and framed it. It was too good to just throw away. It's on proud display in my classroom right now. And every time a child asks what it's about, one of my boys proudly explains their first step to comprehension fame. :)

Pick me! Pick me!!

2010-02-19T22:22:00.001-05:00

One thing we try to notice with our ELLs is their level of participation in their classrooms. We try to stay rather connected to the mainstream classroom to make our time as meaningful to them as possible. For instance, one time, we pre-taught the concept of similies during ESL. The very next day, one of our teachers (Imelda) was helping in their classroom, where they just happened to be learning about similies. Sweet! Imelda was so excited to see which kid would pick it up first that they already knew the concept. Guess how many did. None. That's right. None. Zero. Not a one. Zippo. (You get the picture.) You can imagine the talking to we had with our students the next day. It went something like this:

Me: So I hear you talked about something in writing yesterday.
Kids: We did?
Me: Yeah, something that you already knew about. Something that starts with an "s."
Kids: blank stares
Me: Similies!
Kids: incredulously We did?!

You see, within the stream of consciousness that comes out of our (teachers') mouths, ELLs have a difficult time picking the most important words to catch along the way.

Back to the main point. Our kids are extremely quiet in their classrooms. It's as though they wish to remain invisible. After all, it's easier that way; you can't be wrong.

But this mind set is not one that we tolerate in our classroom. And because of this and because of giving students comprehensible input, this is what we get:

I promise these photos were not staged (Karyn and Imelda can vouch for me!). This is how they are every day! They want to answer, because they know the answer, because we give them input they can understand.

*Sigh* My heart gets so overwhelmed with happiness that I absolutely must capture these moments on camera. I love them!

Hey, we know that!

2010-01-27T11:08:00.004-05:00

We have Guided Reading groups with 4th, 5th, and 6th grades, and we love them! With my 5th graders, we are reading a young adult version of Benjamin Franklin's biography. Our vocab word yesterday was apprentice.

I'm also in their social studies class. Their textbook vocab word today? Apprentice! On the same page as the word was a mini bio on Ben Franklin, and on the next page was a photo of candle-making, which Ben helped his dad with as a child!

I look around the classroom during social studies to see if any of my students make the connection. They do! Diego makes a signal to Alejandro, who then turns around and points to me. I look at Hector who is smiling at the other two boys. They were so excited to already know what the class was just discussing! How cool!

Spanglish

2010-01-21T16:15:00.011-05:00

We're writing bilingual books with our 3rd and 4th graders. We've talked about several different ways to write bilingually and even gave a couple examples of mixed language books, where some sentences contain Spanish and English--Spanglish!

One 3rd grader loved the idea so much that he wrote this poem on his own in our afterschool club (our topic is Culture and Cooking, so his poem is about food, namely, chocolate). It's attached. I asked him to read it out loud for me. Just so you know, he says chocolate the Spanish way for this poem, not the English way. Enjoy! :)

The Friendly Letter Song

2009-12-08T20:50:00.006-05:00

And we have video!

Two little letters can make all the difference! :)

2009-12-08T13:45:00.002-05:00

The Friendly Letter Song

2009-12-05T12:26:00.003-05:00

Karyn Brumbaugh rewrote the Miley Cyrus song: "Party in the USA." (Click the link for the karaoke version of the song; that's what we sang to!) We actually made a music video to it, as a culminating event for writing friendly letters. I'm still working on getting permission to put the video up, so here's the audio version. Enjoy!

"The Friendly Letter Song"

I thought to myself just yesterday
I really miss my best pal
See, she lives far away in another town
And her name is Sal
I wanna do something totally awesome
Too bad I just can't mail an opossum
I know that sounds crazy
I'm not trying to be lazy
All of a sudden I get a great idea
And I remember Miss Rudolph
Teaching all of us in the ESL
A letter writing song
A letter writing song
A letter writing song

So we throw our heading up
And write their name
Juan, Lili, or Jose
And then we put our intro in
And that's where we say hey
Then we have the body
Where we write questions
And hope answers come our way
Then closing, like saying bye
And then we sign our names
Yeah, and then we sign our names!

Poem for Two Voices

2009-11-15T16:33:00.007-05:00

Went to the Intesol Conference in Indy this weekend. Was phenomenal! Best one I've been to yet! One great activity that we did was in Katie Brooks and Maggie Robillard's presentation--we wrote a poem for two voices. While I'm an avid poem writer, I've not yet tried this type. I worked with two inspirational writers/teachers; here's what we came up with:

Social Studies Class

by Denise Anderson, Ana Arroyo (both IPS School 15), and Sarah Steele

I sit every day I stand every day

listening talking

About American ideals

About America's ideas

The Founding Fathers

They found padres?

I'm lost My students are lost

Here we go again Let's try again

I have a question Shh!

We have to get through this lesson

But, but who are the padres? THE F OU N D ING FAA THERS

But You're interrupting

Stop! Stop!

3rd Grade Has a Love of Reading!

2009-11-12T14:02:00.001-05:00

Our 3rd graders have been practicing their fluency, expression, and voice with one book-of-choice this whole week. Today was the culminating event. They read their book to a captive audience (one to two partners). We had laughter, magnificent reading, and beautiful smiles all around!

6th Grade Gives an Award!

2009-11-12T13:59:00.001-05:00

The 6th graders recently finished reading Mary McLeod Bethune, a book about a first-generation free black woman and her mark on how the United States of America treats other black people. Very inspiritational! So much so, in fact, that we decided to each honor one teacher with the Mary McLeod Bethune Award. Mrs. Ingold (now Sasso), Mrs. Nash, and Mrs. Wade were among the honored recipients!

I honored my 6th grade math teacher from Otsego Baptist Academy.

4th Grade Play!

2009-11-11T16:58:00.002-05:00

Our 4th graders put on a play called Clever Ana and the Giant. It's about a giant who demands certain parts of the crops and how Ana tricks him every time. Pretty soon, he gives up and goes away! Here are some pictures of the event.

REHEARSING WITH THEIR GROUPS

"Hee hee!"

PERFORMING THE PLAY

listening

THE BEAUTIFUL TEACHERS :)

Hope you enjoyed the pics! I know we enjoyed the play!

2nd Grade Poetry Slam!

2009-11-11T16:38:00.000-05:00

Our 2nd graders wrote poems using the -ing form about things they know that are particularly busy, such as schools, families, houses, parks, etc! Here are some pictures of the event.

We all had such a great time, reading our poems, listening to others, and sharing kind comments!

Blurting!

2009-11-06T15:49:00.002-05:00

Our 4th grade vocab word this morning was blurted. The following is how one student showed me he understood.

Juan: MRS. STEELE!
Me: Yes, Juan?
Juan: I just blurted. *grin*

Yup. He got it. :)

My Students are Fighting to Read

2009-10-29T19:08:00.000-04:00

At an ESL Workshop this summer, Susan Adams mentioned how she was reading while the students were reading and somebody asked her about her book. Susan's response was something to the effect of "You wouldn't want to read this book," or "It's just a regular book," or something. And it made the students crazy about that book!

As I hear this I'm thinking, "That'll never happen to me. I don't know how to lure kids like that." And I really don't think I do it well. I think I make it too obvious that I'm trying to entice them.

So. My students are reading about Mary McLeod Bethune, 1st generation free black woman. Our book referenced Uncle Tom's Cabin, so I borrowed the book from the library so they could see that, in fact, it is a real book. They then asked if I'd read it to which I responded, "No." Long story shorter, I'm reading it now, persuaded by my students. As I read it while they're reading, I gasp every now and then. Or tear up. Or laugh. It's a deeply enthralling and moving and enraging book.

Well, that has them entirely curious. I keep telling them (in all honesty and sincerity) that they should not read this book until they're at least in high school. Which only makes them more curious! I had a sub the other day. I came back the next day and all the students are giggling. "We got the sub to read us a page and a half!!" (I won't read it to them. 1-It's crazy hard to understand. 2-It's got really mature content!) I've found my book missing, my notes/quotes that I'm writing down in someone else's book, students actually reading my book. I finally asked them, "Why do you want to read this so badly??" "Mrs. Steele," they cried, "you just make it sound so good. So mysterious. I mean, you cry sometimes! It's just GOT TO be a good book!"

WOW and LOL!! Anyways, what I thought would never happen to me did! I didn't even try to trick them into it. I was just being honest, and it caught them. I. Love. Teaching. Students.

Cognates Cupboard

2009-10-12T09:11:00.002-04:00

Cognates rock! The kids are allowed to think of any words that look the same in both Spanish and English. We wish to value their language and help them see that because they know Spanish, they already know some English! Super fun!

Practicing Similes

2009-10-04T15:17:00.003-04:00

So...we went on a walk in search of nouns and verbs. One of the favorite nouns we found outside was pumpkins. I wanted the students to write a poem using similes, so first we needed to practice writing some similes. This is one that we got:

BAHAHAHAHA!!!

While we are slightly embarrassed for Mom (although we can't say we didn't laugh hysterically!), hey, at least they understand the simile! :-P

Cultural Lenses

2009-09-26T11:13:00.001-04:00

We made our own Cultural Lenses to start off the school year. On the left lense, you write general things about yourself--things that could describe a great many people. On the right lense, you get very specific--what makes you you. There were some really good ones, and we learned things about others that we never knew before! Things that made us the same as them and things that set us apart...

Here's mine.

It's things like this that keep us going...

2009-09-24T09:05:00.001-04:00

Objectives

2009-09-22T21:43:00.002-04:00

I wanted to document on this blog some of the things we're learning that makes us better teachers for our students. The thing I'd like to spotlight today is objectives.

All teachers have at least one (if not more!) objective that correlates to the lesson they're teaching; otherwise...they wouldn't be justified in teaching it! We were encouraged to take that good practice one step further. Since our ELLs are dealing with new content and new language, why not take some time to think intentionally about the language within your lesson? There are actually ELP standards, created by the Indiana DOE (our very own Wendy Long was part of that committee!) to help guide the language portion of your lesson.

Here's an example of how we used this in our classroom:

Up close:

It's so helpful to keep in mind the language of the lesson. And using ELP standards helps you do just that!

Cool side-note feature: we post our objectives for students to see. Totally gives them a context in which to place their learning. And. Totally stole that idea from a teacher at Leesburg. "Teacher" is really code for "thief!" :)

So there have been a lot of changes...

2009-09-15T16:51:00.003-04:00

2009-2010 CHANGES

by Sarah S. Steele

It’s finally the day before the big day of the year

The kids are almost back now, and I think that I can hear

The quiet sounds of pencils writing, brains in thinking mode

And that’s when I remember all the changes that are coming

That make me want to start running

That will make my head explode!

Our class numbers are growing, although not our teachers’ aides

Our Sitton isn’t spelling “wonderful” like we had prayed

We want to learn to use our white boards with our Mimios

But the remotes for our projectors cannot reach outside our doorposts

Down the ever-winding hallways

To the place where they are stowed!

The math, of course, is different—grouping students into clusters

The 80% mastery has teachers in a fluster

The lunch prep has been shortened to tutor kids one-on-one

But with our time to prepare lessons given now to more assessing

Feeling more the pressure pressing

We are just about undone!

I feel called to mention Reader’s Workshop (not to start a riot)

The setup, training, all that testing—it’s harder than a diet

The students take their AR tests but don’t forget the other—

The F ‘n P and oh my, me! He’s not achieving Level G

It’s time, I think we all agree,

He’s failing; call his mother!

We have less time and money for our academic clubs

But we are pulled out so often that that money’s spent on subs

It’s all because we have no half-days for our teacher progress

Instead our days are loaded with data to be un-coded

People saying we’re outmoded

*Ahem* I believe I do digress.

Oh, the luxuries of yesteryear, doing what we want and when

But with the state dictating plans, we can’t even use red pens

And don’t even get me started on what I will do for grades

For those ELLs who leave my room and don’t come back ‘til half past noon

From yesterday ‘til we leave in June

And they just say, “Use S or U”

I could cry for goodness sake!

But my most consuming issue doesn’t deal with grades or rules

No, not even with the policies they hand us for our school

The problem is much deeper than the trouble in my classroom

The thing I’m needing most of all is in that place right down the hall

A place where I need not recall

These problems that do not enthrall

But make me want to hide or crawl

Or crouch down and feel very small

Or stand up straight and start a brawl

Because of the things I appall

But none of this matters at all

Because

*pause*

I need to use the bathroom!

I love Wayside School!

2009-09-14T18:10:00.001-04:00

How many of you have read the Wayside School stories? I was first introduced to them just two years ago (a shame that I lived without them for so long!) when I did my student-teaching assignment in 4th grade with Cindy Nash. I love Louis Sachar's zany humor in them!

Anyways, so James and I were driving in Fort Wayne this past weekend and drove right by this sign. I got so excited that I made him turn right back around so we could take this photo!

So it's true! There really is such a place as Wayside School. I wonder if Louis the Janitor (that's his name, right?) has a brother named Mort that helps him sometimes... :)

"Chalk Talk"

2009-09-10T21:44:00.002-04:00

So...I went to an ESL Workshop this summer. Learned a cool technique called "Chalk Talk" (although the term is a bit outdated; I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions??). The basic premise is that students answer a question written on the board, in our case, or a biiiig piece of paper, which we'll use for future "talking." Students answer the question, respond to each other, ask each other questions, and...bang! You have a very interactive and engaged group of students! They're not allowed to talk, only write. They can't be interrupted, because...well, they're writing. They aren't put on the spot, because they have time to think about what they want to write/how they want to write it.

Here are some pics from our 5th grade trial run. (We used an easy question for this first one to get used to the format. We'll use this many more times this year...)

The starting question.

Students writing, reading, responding, questioning, thinking...

The end result!

The girls started this discussion--shopping!

Of course, we had a conversation about soccer!

We even talked about sleep! Really?? :)

Hope you enjoyed the "Chalk Talk" as much as we did! And if you have any new name suggestions, let me know!

Data, Data, Data

2009-09-09T17:14:00.002-04:00

Everything we do in our ESL program, we do because of data. ISTEP data, MAPS data, LAS Links data, STAR data, and on and on and on I could go! Here's one where we have two years of LAS Levels, their current LAS Reading levels, and two years of each ISTEP test. (Of course, I've deleted the students' names and ID #s.) In this particular spreadsheet (Imelda's making me an Excel freak!), students highlighted in blue are doing above average work; green-average; yellow-a tad below (keep an eye on them); and red-in trouble!

It's such a process, but it's so very interesting to watch students as they progress in one area and how that affects every other area. Actually, the organizing/analyzing part of my brain enjoys this facet of my job very highly!

I've said it before and I'll never take it back: being a teacher is about so much more than just teaching!

A Glyph to Remember

2009-09-07T20:08:00.000-04:00

We're experimenting with this type of project called a glyph. In the example I'm showing here, students put blue petals on their flowers for the number of brothers in their family, green petals for the number of sisters, gray if they're returning to Harrison, red if they're new, etc. After they get everything glued on appropriately, they get to make a mini speech in front of the whole class, describing what their glyph signifies. We've done this as young as 1st grade, and I know a teacher who's done it with kindergarteners!

Anyways, back to the story. One little guy got confused during his speech. He was telling us what his orange petal meant: "This one means I'm orange-and-a-half. *pause* Ha ha ha! I mean seven-and-a-half. Ha ha ha. Orange-and-a-half...!" And the whole class laughed right along with him. Too funny!

A bracelet for me

2009-09-01T20:23:00.001-04:00

One of my 5th graders made this bracelet for me out of her birthday beads. Aww... :)

Our ESL Classroom

2009-08-30T12:31:00.002-04:00

Click here for a video tour of this year's classroom setup.

A Fresh Start

2009-08-29T11:17:00.006-04:00

So...I've noticed my tendency to post school-related issues on our family blog. Rather, James has noticed it! I've decided to direct my educational postings to this separate blog and keep the personal one for, well, personal topics.

I chose the name "as.she.grows" for various reasons. One, if I leave spaces and somehow the words get smushed together, it creates a new word, one I'd rather not have on my blog. :) Two, I feel like I've learned so much even just in the two years that I've taught. I'm a very different teacher than when I started, and I would like to document this process.

So here's to growing and learning and overall pushing ourselves to become better professionals, better leaders, better people.