WHO I AM MAKES A DIFFERENCE
Several years ago a dear friend who is also a teacher not only shared a classroom project with me, but included me in her activity.
I received a letter from her that had a handmade button with a ribbon inside.
The letter said:
Hi Linda!
Enclosed is a “WHO I AM MAKES A DIFFERENCE” pin and was made by one of my students. I am giving it to you because you have made a difference in my life by always encouraging me and telling me what good traits I had as a teacher. You definitely made a difference in my life.
This started as a guidance project in my class. Students made 3 pins in Art not really knowing why they were making them. Last week I called each student up in front of my class and told them how they had made a difference not only in my life, but also to the whole class. Then I pinned one of their 3 pins on them and told them to give the other two to someone who had really made a difference in their lives. One of my students walked right up to me and said that I was “the best teacher she could ever hope to have, and would I please pass the third pin on to someone who had made a difference in my life.” So Linda, I am passing her third pin on to you.
Needless to say I was very touched to have a pin from both my friend and her student. None of us survive or thrive alone. We need support and encouragement, and we need to share that principle with our students.
This makes a perfect end of the year activity to share with each student the positive impact they have had on our lives as teachers. They have all taught us something or challenged us to learn something for ourselves.
I also suggest you take the opportunity to tell family, friends, or colleagues if they have made a difference in your life. This year will see principals and teachers who have been my mentors and unwavering supporters retire from the classroom, school, and university. These people have made a difference in my life and so have made a difference in the lives of all my students.
Thank you!
Below is my template for the “Difference” button.
Summer Learning
There is so much to do as we near the end of the school year: grades, field trips, cleaning, etc. One huge concern for teachers and parents is how to avoid “the summer slide.” What can we do to not only sustain learning, but expand learning and growth over the summer months?
Consider giving your students summer homework, not pages or workbooks of math problems, but hands-on, exploratory, and fun activities that will enhance thinking, problem-solving skills, and collaboration within families. Simple techniques that will remind students (and parents) about summer learning are summer reading lists and resources for fun summer learning activities. Create summer folders or packets that you give to students during the last week of school. One idea listed below is to make a Summer Fun Shine Can ( from Dr. Jean) filled with engaging learning pursuits. Some teachers include a self-addressed and stamped postcard, which students use to report their progress on summer learning. It gives teachers and students a chance to stay connected and to WRITE over the summer. Consider giving postcards to current students or if you have your class list for next year, it would be a good way to start building those new relationships.
Enjoy the remaining days and make each one positive.
Linda
Resources
- Launching Summer Reading by The Book Whisperer
- 2012 NCTE/CLA Notable Children’s Books in the English Language Arts, The Book Whisperer
- Preparing Students for Summer Reading, Choice Literacy
- Get Ready for Summer! Ideas for Teachers to Share with Families, Reading Rockets
- Summer Reading, Scholastic
- Have an A+ Summer, Scholastic (Not just reading)
- Celebrate the First Day of Summer with Summer Reading, ReadWriteThink.org
- Summer Fun Activities, Thinkfinity
- Eight Summer Math Ideas, The New York Times (Great ideas, including the Olympics)
- Fun Shine Can, Dr. Jean (Summer activities for your students.)
Related articles
- 3 Tips for Parents to Engage Teens in Summer Learning (usnews.com)
- ESL Lessons: Summer Activities for Teens (brighthub.com)
Doodle4Google Winners Announced
Second grader Dylan Hoffman of Caledonia, WI is this year’s U.S. Doodle 4 Google National Winner. His doodle “Pirate Times” will be featured on the U.S. Google homepage tomorrow, May 18.
Hoffman, who attends the Prairie School in Racine, Wisc., responded to this year’s theme “If I could travel in time I’d visit…” with a colorful depiction of his dream visit to an era filled with swashbucklers. There, he’d “sail a pirate ship looking for treasure, have a colorful pet parrot and enjoy beautiful sunsets from deserted islands.” With his win, Dylan has come into some treasure of his own: a $30,000 college scholarship, a Chromebook computer and a $50,000 technology grant for his school. As an added bonus, Dylan’s doodle will grace the front of a special edition of the Crayola 64-crayon box, available this fall. See Dylan’s doodle.
Congratulations Dylan!
Click to Read an interview with Dylan.
Video on Today Show
We know many of you are interested in Teaching with The Hunger Games, so we have added some new links.
The latest is ‘Hunger Games’ Science: Investigating Genetically Engineered Organisms New York Times Learning Network.
Teaching with The Avengers
Another block buster movie debuted last weekend. I will admit I have not seen it (nor am I an Avenger expert), but a lot of people including your students have. The Avengers provides another way to connect to your students’ interests using popular culture. I know that comic books and their characters appeal to many of our learners. Take advantage of this timely opportunity to make learning fun. Below are some lesson ideas and resources for creating your own learning activities. Notice the new Mad Money Skills activities for teaching economic literacy.
And there came a day unlike any other, when earth’s mightiest heroes were united against a common threat! On that day the Avengers were born! — To fight the foes no single hero could withstand!
If you have ideas please share.
Resources
- The History of The Avengers
- The Avengers and Character Ed Newspaper Activities (Newspapers in Education Lesson Plans)
- What The Avengers can teach you about writing (article)
- Avengers Comic Teaches Mad Money Skills
- Join Spider-Man and the Avengers in this exciting educational comic about saving money and saving the day. The heroes team up to defeat the villain Mole Man and his evil army, all the while learning important financial skills. The action-packed comic features a budgeting worksheet, finance terms and more.
- Marvel, Visa join forces to teach kids about money
- Discussion of Superheroes’ Roles in our Culture (Lesson Plan Gr. 9-12)
- Picasso Superheros Art
- Creating Picasso-Inspired Cubist Superheroes
- Fantastic Characters: Analyzing and Creating Superheroes and Villains (Lesson Plan Gr. 6-8)
- The Comic Book Show and Tell (Lesson Plan Gr. 9-12)
- Comic Creator (Interactive)
- Is Superman Really All That Super? Critically Exploring Superheroes (Lesson Plan Gr. 3-5)
- Comic Book Characters
- Superhero EFL/ESL Lesson plan
- Superhero Lesson Plans
- The Avengers Bookmarks (craft idea)
Like this:
Now that spring has arrived in most areas of the continental United States, students and teachers alike are noticing the signs that the end of the school year is coming. From conversations with other teachers, I know that many of you have just completed some type of standardized testing. Some teachers and students may be fatigued, but it is important to make the most of all the time we have left.
What do you do now to engage student interest and ensure that high level learning continues right through the end of school? Master teachers teach to the end, just like athletes go all out all the way through the finish line.
“The race isn’t over until you cross the finish line. You’ll be surprised at how much can change in the last twenty strides.” —Jackie Dugall
Getting Ready for the Last Weeks of School
- If you haven’t already, take time to look at what you are going to teach for the remaining time.
- Be realistic. What can you teach WELL in the time left? (This may mean you leave something out.)
- Plan instructional strategies and activities that will connect with your students’ interests. (Put on your thinking cap. Mix it up and make it fun for your students and yourself.)
- Try something different. Take a chance.
- Differentiate.
- Review classroom routines, procedures, and behavior expectations in order to create a safe climate for learning in your classroom.
One activity that I used in my classroom was to have students write a letter of welcome to the new students who would take their place in the coming school year. It was a good way to teach letter writing and to use technology.
As a pre-writing activity we REFLECTED on the year. How did I feel on my first day here? What should new students know about my teacher? What is the most important thing I learned this year? What skills have I gained this year? One thing you need to know to be successful in this classroom? (This information gave me useful feedback on my practice!)
We completed our rough drafts and then went to the computer lab to word process and add graphics, borders, etc. (My artistic students chose to add their own drawings by hand.) The final letter was printed in color and kept to be placed on the desks of my new students in the next year. (My Sample.)
If you have time, you might also have students write a letter of introduction to their teacher for next year. You could keep these and pass them on when students are placed in classes for the coming year.
Remember the best way to have a productive and enjoyable end of the year is to stay organized.
“If you want to make good use of your time, you’ve got to know what’s most important and then give it all you’ve got.” – Lee Iacocca
- Make general plans through the end of the year.
- Make specific plans for each week and have copies and materials ready on Monday morning or better yet Friday afternoon.
- Keep your calendar current and parents informed. We know there are field trips, assemblies, concerts, and a myriad of end of the year events.
- Make a list of due dates for yourself and your students.
- Find time for a walk or a run. Use exercise to manage stress and good nutrition to stay well and healthy.
- Plan time for reflection for your students and yourself.
Don’t forget to not only make the most of your time left, but to enjoy it. Smile. Positivity is infectious. 
If you have an idea for the End of the Year, please share.
Below are some good ideas for your classroom.
Enjoy.
Linda C.
Resources
Wrap Up the School year with a Strong Finish – Scholastic
Wrapping Up the School Year – Scholastic
End the School Year on a High Note – International Reading Association
Bring the School Year to a Strong Close – The Responsive Classroom
Get Outside: School Gardens – Edutopia
Virtual Field Trips – Edutopia
More Links for Hunger Games
Our post on The Hunger Games has been very popular. We hope you have found the resources helpful. If you have tried any of these lessons or have new ideas, we would love to hear how you have used The Hunger Games in your classroom.
I have added a few new links to the list.
Kind people have a way of working their way inside me and rooting there.
― Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games Quotes by Suzanne Collins- Goodreads
Pinterest – A Tool for Educators!
During the last year, I have invested time and energy to fully embrace social media as a tool for teachers and learners. A few months ago I signed up for a Pinterest account, but hadn’t really worked on it too much. Earlier this week, I decided to clean out emails I had been saving. Most were awesome teacher tips, resources and a variety of strategies that I wanted to try and also share with my students. I decided to archive them on my Pinterest Boards, so that my colleagues and students could use them as well.
I am still a novice, but I am having a great time learning about ways I can use this resource. If you would like to check out my resources my link is below.
If you are already an expert at Pinterest, I would love to know about your ideas and the ways you are using it.
Resources and Information for using Pinterest……
- Four Ways to Use Pinterest in Education
- Pinterest and Education – Stephen’s Lighthouse
- The Best Guides to Figuring Out Pinterest – Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day
- Pinterest for Educators? – Edutopia
- Education World - Share Ideas, Paper-Free: Pinterest for Educators
Related articles
- 37 Ways Teachers Should Use Pinterest (sociableblog.com)
Like this:
A Love of Reading
How do you create a love for reading?
One book at a time.
I have shared before that I literally cannot remember when I could not read. I hope many of you have delightful memories of early reading. As educators how do we help our students develop and nurture a love for reading? The obvious answer is to provide many opportunities to read for pleasure. That may mean simply providing access to books.
Monday night was World Book Night. (World Book Night: Facebook)
World Book Night is an annual celebration designed to spread a love of reading and books. To be held in the U.S. as well as the U.K. and Ireland on April 23, 2012. It will see tens of thousands of people go out into their communities to spread the joy and love of reading by giving out free World Book Night paperbacks. Additionally, April 23 is UNESCO’s World Book Day, chosen due to the anniversary of Cervantes’ death, as well as Shakespeare’s birth and death.
So….back in January, my colleague and co-author, Dr. Linda Neiman, and I applied to World Book Night for the free books as a way to share our love of reading with others. Arrangements were made with one of our former students who is now a teacher at Veritas High School, an urban high school in Milwaukee, to visit his school on April 23 with free books for his students. We were not selected. There were 500,000 books to give away, but we were not chosen. Alas, you cannot stop us when we have made a commitment. We decided to donate the books ourselves and move forward with our plans.
It is truly better to give than receive, and we received so much! The joy was truly ours! We arrived near the end of the day and were invited to sit in on the last 15 minutes of an eleventh grade English class. Mr. Paltzer was beginning a study of Death of a Salesman by connecting to the students’ personal lives and background knowledge. We were able to contain ourselves and not raise our hands to join the discussion, but we were impressed with the positive interactions and the feeling of community that we experienced in this classroom. Yes, we were very proud.
After school, students were invited to drop in and choose a book of their choice from a variety of genre. These high school students were well-mannered, well-behaved, very friendly, eager to engage in impromptu book talks, and ask questions about books that were new to them. The principal, Ms. Sherry Lehman-Tolkan, joined the discussions as well, encouraging her students to try new books. We only asked that students pay it forward by passing the books on to another reader when they finish.
We would like to say, “Thank you!” to the students of Veritas High, Mr. Paltzer, and Ms. Lehman-Tolkan for letting us share our love of reading.
What can you do to encourage the love of reading in your classroom? If you have any books you don’t need anymore, pass them on.
Tony Hawk encourages students to Read Every Day (Scholastic)
Below are some ideas and resources to help you encourage reading.
- Top Five Reasons to Let Kids Choose Their Own Books – Nerdy Book Club Blog
- Helping Students Develop a Lifelong Love of Reading (Scholastic)
- Reading Bill of Rights: A Child’s Right to Read
- Reading Rockets – Classroom Strategies for Teaching Reading
- Reading Rockets – Motivation
- The Book Whisperer – 2012 NCTE/CLA Notable Children’s Books in the English Language Arts
- Paying Forward the Love of Reading - Nerdy Book Club Blog
- ReadWriteThink: Modeling Good Reading Habits with Teens
- Edutopia – Comics Make for Colorful Learning
- School Library Journal: What Are They Reading for Fun? Manga and More.
Like this:
Teacher Blogs: All for One and One for All
Since joining the blogosphere, one of the benefits of social media for me has been discovering all of the great resources outstanding educators are willing to share on the web. I am able to use these ideas, resources, and bits of wisdom as well as pass them on to my current and former students. Master teachers know the value and benefits of collaboration. We are not in this alone.
While I have known a few teachers who guarded their lesson plans and resources, never offering to share, most of my colleagues are more than happy to share plans, activities, resources, and ideas. To me it is the utmost compliment when someone asks for a copy of my lesson or teaching resource.
As part of my blog planning and preparation I have viewed several educators’ blogs, and now that I am receiving feedback and comments from other bloggers, I am “following” several outstanding teachers. I sign up for email, Twitter, or Facebook notifications.
This week I thought I would share a few of my favorite blogs and posts. I hope you find them useful.
Linda
Featured Blogs
(Please share your favorite teacher blogs in the comment section.)
- An Education in Books Blog
- Weekly book recommendations and resources for using in your classroom.
- I have added Mama Mita to my reading list.
- I recently read The Cruisers by Walter Dean Myers.
- The Differentiation Daily
- This blog shares, “A new website each day to help teachers reach & teach all learners in K-12 classrooms.”
- Last week’s Sing a Song about Subtraction was very creative
- Paula Kluth Blog
- History Tech
- History, technology, and probably some other stuff
- Check this post: Titanic iPad apps, 3D movie resources, and some sweet teaching materials
- KidLit Celebrates Women’s History Month
- Excellent resources for women’s history.
- I liked The Value of Picture Book Biographies
- Blogging Through the Fourth Dimension
- A teacher’s perspective
- I enjoyed the Put Your Name on the Board: A Tale of Why I Gave up Classroom Discipline Systems post.
