An archived stack of papers: 'Writing'
Facebook Questions
In a stack of papers called Connections.
- Jul
- 24
- 2010
Facebook is getting a Questions app together. What interests me here is the focus on eloquent writing and reference to other sources. It’s nice to have a company like Facebook on record as valuing those elements of writing.
I like that Facebook is asking for someone to be able... read more
Routines
In a stack of papers called Instruction.
- Jul
- 21
- 2010
What happened? Why is summer almost over already? How come I haven’t started thinking about what new things to put in place?
Maybe you have some ideas to share with me about what you do with reading and writing in the class everyday. What do you do to create reading routines in class? What about setting up writing routines? How do you put things in place that make strong reading and writing... read more
Running Out Of Time
In a stack of papers called Unorganized.
- Apr
- 22
- 2010
We were supposed to:
review root blocks 25 & 26 finish chapter 6 and begin chapter 7 of Lord of the Flies begin chapter notes for LOTF read in their SSR book for about twenty minutes start their Reading Response in class discuss symbols in LOTF
We only:
reviewed root blocks 25 &... read more
Three Flavors
In a stack of papers called Instruction.
- Aug
- 07
- 2009
A small thing I did last year that I think could have had a big impact if I’d played my cards right:
Do Firsts came in three flavors: Quotation, Question, Writing Challenge; Enrichment Reading blogs also came in three flavors: Quotation, Question, Writing Challenge.
This may seem a small thing, but it reflects a fair amount of thought on my part for how I can... read more
Writing: Freedom Vs. Definition
In a stack of papers called Writing.
- Feb
- 24
- 2009
We’ve steadily worked our way through the majority of One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. We have about one-hundred pages left. One practice, group paragraph and one big-point, solo paragraph later, we’re about ready to dive into the conclusion. I’ll hit them with a writing assignment Thursday and move on to a ... read more
The Conversation
In a stack of papers called Grading.
- Nov
- 11
- 2008
The Conversations started two weeks ago. Not a single student grabbed hold of my offer; no one has met me during break, lunch, or after school to discuss the trouble. A lot of head shaking and shrugs of shoulders, but no plans of action have been drawn up. I can’t have The Conversation during class. But I simply must have The Conversation with just about every student.
“How can I... read more
Preparation
In a stack of papers called Instruction.
- Oct
- 08
- 2008
We just finished our zombie writing in English 3, so this is the start of another unit. For this one, we’re writing about writing, reading, and thinking. It’s pretty tough for teenagers to spell metacognition, let alone actually perform it. Starting with a discussion of these ideas is smart, but it can’t be a class discussion because there are two sides to teenage opinion on books and... read more
Give A Little Bit
In a stack of papers called Writing.
- Sep
- 26
- 2008
I walk around the room and give one of two lines to struggling writers. We have five minutes to write each day (actually, ten minutes today) and some want to stall the whole time. Staring at the blank page that is even more intimidating than the actual assignment, “I’m thinking” being the excuse du jour for not writing, The Shrug meeting my questioning glance, these are the students... read more
From Rubric To Percentage
In a stack of papers called Grading.
- Sep
- 21
- 2008
How can I take the scores from my assessment on a six-point rubric and turn them into a percentage? 3, 3, 4, 4: that doesn’t convert very well to a score out of one hundred. I have this problem every year, with varying and inconsistent solutions. This time, I’ve set Excel in place to keep my evaluations constant.
... read more
Moving Through Some Changes
In a stack of papers called Reform.
- Sep
- 12
- 2008
I hate doing the same thing every year. It’s boring and implies, “Yup, that was perfect; no need to change that one!” I’m still looking for those lesson plans. There are a few I have that are pretty close to “good,” but “perfect” is a long way off.
Some of these are small but... read more