Awards Assembly with a Twist

I have sat through a number of great and some mind numbing assemblies at the end of the year.  (You know the ones-where everyone gets a certificate and the few that don’t, don’t care?)  Don’t get me wrong, I think that students should be recognized for their successes. (Students loved being honored on my “wall of fame” bulletin board in my class…but I digress).   I recently attended an awards assembly with a twist at the the Black River Middle School in Chester, NJ. 

The Hall of Fame

This assembly had both staff and students proud and excited.  It was a “Hall of Fame Induction” honoring outstanding alumni of their middle school.   (Alas, I graduated from this same school system, but since there is no one alive that can attest to that, and there was no BRMS at the time, I am not eligibleJ).  What a great way to have students learn about their own potential, through the eyes of someone who had sat in their very same chairs not so long ago. 

Sharing Memories and Inspiration

The inductees represented a wide range of areas of success from politics, law and community volunteerism to business and athletics. Each honored guest gave a short speech with some anecdotes about their time at the school (some pointing out their teachers) and then pointing out that any one of the 7^th graders in that audience could achieve their dreams if they just put their minds to it.  Joseph S. Pizzo, language arts teacher, created the Hall with his students “to honor exemplary former students and community members who provide real-life success stories for our students.”  That’s the key, not just real life, but connecting to their lives!

Project Based Learning

I cannot help but think of all of the potential learning opportunities that can come just from having students participate in all phases of the planning process- from collecting nominees, research, etc. to planning the actual event (writing, reading introductions, writing press releases, letters of invitation, etc).  The selection process itself, from setting criteria, weighing candidates and making the selection is a great lesson in decision analysis.  Sounds like a problem based learning activity waiting to happen- complete with critical thinking processes and multiple writing opportunities.

I want to thank Joe Pizzo for inviting me in and invite the rest of you to share any twists that you might add to your end of the year assemblies.

Get Kids Thinking: Security vs Privacy-Do we have to choose?

Middle school and high school students love both their cell phones and their privacy.  The recent news that the National Security Agency is tracking cell phone data is a great topic to get kids thinking critically.  This relevant lesson gives our students some understanding of perspectives, media literacy and the Fourth Amendment.  You can use this scenario with links and resources and the SCAN© critical thinking strategy to help students understand these complex issues:

Privacy or Security – Do we have to choose?

In a democracy, it is the job of each citizen to be educated and involved in the government so that abuses do not occur.

Recently, it has come to light that the National Security Agency has been keeping track of everyone’s cell phone data- not just the suspected terrorists, but everyone’s.  They are not listening in on conversations, but they are keeping track of who is talking to whom and how long.  This surveillance is said to be similar to the information on the outside of an envelope- you can see who the message is going to and coming from and when it was sent.  You cannot see the contents.  Some people feel very strongly that the agency is acting against the Constitution by collecting information from innocent people without cause.  Others think that anything that can help prevent or catch terrorists is worth the sacrifice.  At what point would you say it has gone too far?

Resources:

Take part in the discussion of concerns and issues caused by the Patriot Act and decide what should be done.

Read this news story “What You Need to Know about the NSA Phone Tapping Program” or watch this video: Breaking News to get started.

US News & World Report has a section called The Debate club which provides different expert opinions on hot topics.  In this case the question is “Should Americans be worried about the National Security Agency’s Data Collection?  You can have your students go right to the site to see the four perspectives they provide.  They can even vote for the one they agree with most.

Perspectives:

Here are the links to the separate perspectives.  Assign students different perspectives to represent and let the discussion begin!

Alberto Gonzales:   Former Attorney General

Gonzales believes that since our enemies use every available tool to hurt us, we should use all of our available tools and technology to keep us safe.  He believes that as long as there are rules to govern how the information is used, and we are keeping an eye on these activities, they are worth the loss of privacy.  He states that we have no expectation of privacy for records that are held by a third party – in this case the phone company.  

Read more:  The Government must use all available technology to protect Americans. 

Shayana Kadidal:  Senior Managing Attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights

Kadidal is against the search of all American citizens’ phone records.  He believes that even though they are only collecting “metadata” – the connecting numbers and locations, you can figure out things about the content.  For example, if you have called a lawyer, people may think that you are guilty of something.  Who you call on your phone should be private.  He is afraid that the rules that allow collecting information from Verizon could easily be applied to peoples’ other records, such as bank statements, credit card information and internet search information.  These can provide detailed pictures of our private lives.  

Read more:  Obama Administration Continues Bush Unconstitutional Policies.  

Jonathan Turley:  Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University

Turley is alarmed that the National Security Agency has begun collecting information on millions of average citizens.  He feels that although our leaders at the moment may have our best interests in mind, future leaders may begin using the data for their own purposes of power and greed.  He quoted Benjamin Franklin’s warning that “those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”  He is afraid that this breach of privacy is just the beginning of living in a society where we are constantly under surveillance.

Read More:  The Founding Fathers Rejected a System of Authoritarian Power

Jon Yoo:  Former Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Office of the Legal Counsel of the U.S. Department of Justice

Mr. Yoo believes that the collecting of cell phone metadata, phone numbers and locations, does not represent a threat to our rights.  Our Constitution protects the contents of all of our communications and this policy is within those rules.   Analyzing the data of all Americans and focusing on those that communicate with known terrorists can help us find terrorist cells and stop future attacks in the U.S.  This activity has been approved by Congress and is covered in the Patriot Act which was enacted after 9-11 to protect us from further attacks.

Read more:  Government Data Collection Doesn't Violate the Constitution

Some simple video perspectives:

It’s legal!  http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/politics/2013/06/06/bts-feinstein-chambliss-verizon.cnn.html

It is worth it:  http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/us/2013/06/06/pmt-intv-gingrich-nsa-collecting-phone-records.cnn.html 

Ron Paul speaks against the practice:  http://video.msnbc.msn.com/the-daily-rundown/52166877

This lesson is available as a free scenario this month on the online SCAN discussion tool.  This engaging platform guides students through the SCAN steps in an engaging, interactive format. 

Ask the right questions and get your students thinking and writing.  How would you use this lesson?

Engaging Activities for the Home Stretch

For many, Memorial Day weekend signifies the home stretch.  Testing is over.  Field trips, concerts, art shows, field days, book inventories, etc.  all signal the gradual shut down of the schools and with it the minds of our students.  Add to that the heat that can come in June (along with schools that are not air conditioned) and you can run up against some cantankerous kids. 

Back in the day, we collected their books and kids did puzzles on paper.  They thought that was a treat, until they got their 7^th one of the day.   When the VCR made it into the schools, we might even had showed a movie!  But alas, our students are more sophisticated than that now (and they have seen all the movies!).

How do you keep them going?

Thanks to my twitter PLN, I have come across a few great resources to help you get to the end of the year with your sanity intact:

1.   8 Digital Ways to Wrap up your School Year – includes some simple tools that can help you digitize your end of the year activities.

As the end of the year gets closer, sometimes technology becomes less available either because of high demand or disrepair, bringing low tech resources and activities to the forefront.

2.  “How to Rejuvenate Yourself and Your Students after Testiing” by Elena Aguilar has some great ideas on incorporating creativity with engaging activities.  I have to tell you that I personally am a big fan of crayons, markers and scissors.  I think you will find your students are too!

Kids bouncing off the walls?  Why not use some of that physical energy by incorporating movement into your lessons

3.   “Just Drop It,” has students examining the correlation between the height a ball is dropped from and the height that it bounces back to, the link gives you the complete procedure and all the science information you will need to make a great learning activity. 

Do you have your box ‘o fun from this blog “10 Simple Activities for Hands and Minds”? 

4.  Have students build a Rube Goldberg contraption.  Watch this video by Honda (it’s real, no trick photography) to give you a little inspiration! Start by telling your students to build a three step contraption that will get a marble in a cup.

Came across these great activities for ELL kids, but why should they have all the fun?  Check out some of these activities for building vocabulary.

5.  Wacky Story- a great game to help students reinforce the vocabulary that they have learned throughout the year.

6.  Word Links- Assign your students each a word and have them find a partner whose word is related).  They can search for opposites; one does something to the other, etc. Have them report out what their words are and how they are related.

There are lots of other great blogs and sites that have even more ideas.  Whenever you are looking for resources in education you can always turn to Cybraryman.   Check out Jerry Blumengarten’s (Cybraryman) resource page for more links.  Or you could even check out this previously posted  “Keep on Teaching:  Great End of the Year Activities.”

Experienced and connected teachers have all sorts of resources and activities up their sleeves for just these times.  Why not share yours?

Can Cursive Writing Make you a Better Thinker?

The Great Handwriting Debate popped up again recently in the paper and I wondered what kids thought about it.  Then, I thought, what a great way to get kids thinking and writing.  Let them develop their own arguments for or against cursive writing.   How do they feel about writing?  Would they rather hold a pencil or tap a keyboard.  Do they need to learn cursive?  Do they use it? While the physical act of writing may or may not make you a better thinker, debating about it can.

A small survey sample

I had the opportunity to discuss this with a couple of students and found their perspectives to be very interesting and age dependent.  The two 7^th graders that I talked to said that they NEVER (and yes they were shouting) use cursive.  In the beginning of their writing careers they were asked to hand in final copies in cursive, but now it is done on the computer.  Since they never use cursive, they never practice it and they don’t like their own handwriting.  On the other hand, I talked with a precocious 2^nd grader who is right now being taught to write a different letter in cursive every day…..she was thrilled and uses cursive for everything!  I guess once you make it through the “write of passage” of learning script if no one values it, it becomes a useless skill.  (I so wanted my son to have better handwriting, after all it was bringing down his 2^nd grade GPA, but alas, I am glad he did not waste his time! J)  Actually, I can remember when I started my handwriting was not great, but my friend Cynthia developed beautiful words with circles over her I’s and it was so cool I practiced so I could do the same.  Sure enough, I developed  nice handwriting…but fast forward to old age….I still have good handwriting…but I don’t have the stamina to write a full page and don’t often use it!  But I digress.

The writing is on the wall

So, do we need to take the time to teach kids how to write in cursive or could that time be better spent on other things?  Now that the common core does not address it…do we need to?  Will students be able to complete high stakes tests without cursive?   Is reading and writing in cursive an important skill that develops better literacy in students?  Do we need cursive to be able to read historical documents to understand our past?  Do second graders need the visible milestone?

Why not ask the kids? (to answer in writing)

Once again, Room for Debate, a NYT’s editorial page has asked four experts whether they think schools should require children to learn cursive.  Have your students visit the site for some interesting perspectives.

Hanover Research has also published a report “ The Importance of Teaching Handwriting in the 21^st Century”  which give some research based facts.  (Note:  Published by Zane-Bloser – a company that publishes handwriting materials-do your students think that could influence the research?  Could this be a lesson in media literacy?)

 You can have your student’s read these resources to:

1. Determine what is opinion and what is fact

2.  Examine and appreciate the issues that are nvolved from different perspectives

3. Research and develop their own arguments for or against being taught cursive writing

      

Integrate some technology

Want them to develop their arguments in an online discussion that has them write arguments for one of four perspectives?  Check out the SCAN lesson “Should students still be taught cursive?”

Current and timely topic, relevant, and great exercise for critical thinking!  

Teaching: A Different Kind of Rich

Well, Teacher Appreciation Day has rolled around again.  I feel like sometimes it can be a bit of a disappointment…sort of like the hype for New Year’s Eve.   But we understand that teaching often feels like a thankless job.  I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to do it. Loving your job is a great perk. 

I am not Pollyanna though; there have been many times when I have felt used and abused.  It is very frustrating to put so much into your work and have people make you feel that it isn't enough.

Parents want more.  “Why didn't you tell me he failed a quiz?/was rude to others?/missed a homework assignment?”  Sometimes you have to first develop a relationship with the child.  I can remember being the president of the PTA in my child’s school; the other members were extremely disappointed that the teachers were not more active.  Why couldn't they give more…more time, more donations, just more?  I had to remind them that many of us did not work in the districts that we lived in and we did give more time, more donations and just more to the PTA…sometimes we just have to be the P.

Kids want more.  Can we have more action, more entertainment, more free time?  Lesson planning takes a lot of work.  Not every lesson is going to hit it out of the park for every child…but we keep trying, striving to orchestrate- to wave our baton and let the magic happen.  It is not every day that we hear “can we do that again?” but we know that kids look forward to learning and enjoy school…they just don’t always admit it!

Admins want more.  They need more of our time, higher scores, less ripples.  Without tooting your own horn, many teachers don’t get more than an “effective” checked in a box for feedback.   Administrators often have the as many staff members as we have students to care for, too often the squeaky wheel gets most of the oil.

We don't do this to get rich

Although true, it just feels so corny to write "we don’t do this to get rich."  We do it for the riches.  There is no job that requires more people skills than teaching.  You literally come in contact, more than contact, with hundreds of people a day.  And you know their names!  And it is your JOB to talk to them, make them comfortable, teach them something, support them, etc.  That is what makes your life rich- being a rock star to a kid in the dairy aisle of Shop Rite, the opportunity to know so many diverse human beings, to share your enthusiasm for learning with kids and colleagues.

A different kind of rich

Perhaps the most rewarding thing about teaching is being part of a community of people who by nature, care for each other.  A community that you can see and hear and feel in the flesh!  Life doesn't get any better (or richer) than that ….no need to thank me, for that I am thankful.

Technology Possibilities in the Outdoor Classroom

Once upon a time, in a galaxy far away, I was assigned to teach environmental education.  This was before “www” or ianything.    We forged an environmental trail outside, where students identified trees and other biological phenomena (wasps nests, fox holes, ground cover, lichens, bracket fungi, woodpecker damage, etc) .  We numbered these areas with wooden signs and created a booklet so that children from the younger grades could take a hike and learn all about the world outside their door.  We used wood burning tools, paint, hammers, nails, saws, guidebooks and a local forester.  We created a booklet and ran it off on the ditto machine (mmmm that smell) to share with students in our district.

Fast forward today.  Some people say that technology keeps our children inside.  That students are not looking at the real thing anymore, that they live in a virtual world.   My mind, however, boggles at the possibilities that technology has put in the hands of our students.   

Take that same environmental trail and imagine this:

Students leading other students from faraway lands (like TX or CA or even off country) right through our woods giving them a tour via skype!

Or

The guidebook is now an ibook with pictures (from different seasons!) and links for more information that hikers can take on the trail with them.

Or

Students can create podcasts for each one of the numbered stations in the woods.

Or

Students can track growth and change (seasonal and otherwise) of one particular spot, in detail.

Or

Well, I am sure that you get the idea and I hope that you have ideas to add.

We will be discussing using the outdoors this Tuesday night, 8:30 in the #NJED twitter chat…please join us or stay tuned and I will add ideas that were shared right here!   (and Happy Earth Day!)

Gun Control: Issues and Perspectives Lesson

If there is one issue that stirs passion in these days, it is gun control.  It seems like a simple problem to solve, but looking at different perspectives reveals that it is a complex issue full of emotion and passion.  Looking critically at the many perspectives, facts and cultural differences in gun control issues is a great way to get our students to look at the issues and determine what the best course of action is as history unfolds.  Opinions differ widely.  Some legislators are pushing for stricter gun control laws and bans on the sales of certain types of firearms and ammunition.  Others are pushing to loosen gun laws to that American citizens can step in and help deter crime themselves.  What do your students think should be done?

Just the Facts

I found a great site which gives statistics and facts, Gun Control- Just Facts regarding gun control with an unbiased point of view.   Students can use this site and the scenario below to develop their own opinions.  This is the newest free SCAN lesson from TregoED that guides students through the SCAN process:   See the issues, Clarify (and support) the issues, Ask what’s important, Now, what should be done?   You can register and log in to have your students discuss this lesson online using the SCAN tool at TregoEd and see the different points of view provided.  You can also use the scenario below as an argumentative writing prompt, lesson on statistics, civics discussion topic or current event.

Gun Control Scenario

Since the Newtown Connecticut school shootings of 20 kindergartners and 6 teachers, the call for stricter gun control laws has increased.  This is a very complicated and emotional issue with very strong opinions on both sides of the argument.  Many Americans who have been affected by violent crimes have taken up the fight for a ban on assault weapons and high capacity ammunition magazines.  They would like to see stricter background checks on all sales of guns.  Law enforcement officers agree and would like to see guns taken off the street to help decrease crime and make their jobs less dangerous.  The National Rifle Association (NRA) is a long standing and powerful organization that supports American’s rights to own guns for both sport and protection.   Many people think that criminals will get their hands on guns no matter what and stricter laws will only inconvenience law abiding citizens who want to protect themselves and their families.   You have been asked to join in the debate.  Choose and read your point of view (or that assigned by your teacher) and enter the issues that concern you.  You can use http://www.justfacts.com/guncontrol.asp to find statistics and data to support your point of view.

Try it out and Share your Feedback

The lesson in the SCAN tool provides information on four different perspectives so students can discuss this from different points of view.  I would love any feedback that you or your students have on the issues or the activity.