The Best Test Preparation is Excellent Teaching... So what if you are a new teacher??

In Writing Essentials, Routman states that "The Best Test Preparation is Excellent Teaching" but that many education folks do not believe that. In the article Ranking, Evaluating and Liking: Sorting Out Three Forms of Judgment, Peter Elbow states that as little ranking and grading as possible should be done; and that assessent should be replaced with a more careful process; evaluation. He also states that there should be projects and places where no evaluation or grading is done at all.

In my main placement the students; fifth graders, do extensive and wide-ranging writing throughout their school day. We do aim for fluency; whether that be in the science lab that they are writing or the creative assignment "just for their journals" which would never be scrutinized for a grade. Routman would agree, in my opinion, that this will build muscle and fluency without taxing their ability to like writing. It changes, and with it so does the audience. In poetry they were given and SHOWN models of 8 different types; then asked to choose their favorite four and write them; each for a different person or audience.

Just as in Hooray for Diffendoofer Day (please please please tell me that you know this Dr. Seuss/Jack Prelutsky & Lane Smith book) The teachers taught writing, and critical thinking, and not how to take a test per se. They taught audience,and gave feedback (thoughtful feedback given in a timely manner)and the kids did fantastic on the test becuase... well, they were taught to think.

In my middle school placement I see projects and papers and quizes languish for weeks; and I cringe, quietly. Social Studies is information intensive; and my MT cares about their reading skills, and geography and thinking through WHY some states had slaves and others did not. Were some states just evil? Did it perchance have something to do with the land? It takes time and thought and she gives out a TON of homework but has no time to grade and pass back. Routman reminded me of that with the discussion of the standardized tests: without being able to examine their strengths and weaknesses on papers passed back they can't really improve their writing. At this stage of my learning I think there is too much homework, and it is too distanced from the student to do what it is designed to do. We'll see how that changes!

Conjunction Junction, What's your function?

We had our second week with our second graders; and I don't feel that I know much more about him that in the first week. He is eager to please, has a great vocabulary and a slight stutter; and he REALLY likes the book Catalina Magdalena Hoopensteiner Wallendiner Hogan Bogan Logan is her name.

"My" student only wanted to read one book; the same book two weeks in a row. He knows it, he loves it, he knows he is GOOD at it. So I told him that it would really help me with my schoolwork for him to read me something else and he chose a book about Fire and Tornados; non-fiction. I was nervous, but he did great. He read particular instead of peculiar and did not know the word furnace; when we talked about what that was he said his family called it a heater. So does mine.

He had no problems with anything that I could hook with a phonics lesson and my erstwhile instructor suggested that we work on his oral reading, and his comprehension through that.

Hey, lighten up Francis

Anne Lamott, on page 18 of Bird by Bird, says "So after I've completely exhausted myself thinking about the people I most resent in the world, and my more arresting financial problems,and, of course, the orthodontia, I remember to pick up the one-inch picture frame and to figure out a one-inch piece of my story to tell, one small scene, one memory, one exchange."

Ms. Lamott, of course, is speaking of me. Homework, writing, reports for work, honestly even Christmas thank-you's; they all paralyze me to differing extents. For example I have been worrying this ELP assignment for two weeks now; tried to start it early and spend three hours on a shallow description of the little girl. At this moment the only thing moving my blog forward is the painful knowledge that when it is done I must turn back to the giant assignment from hell.

Thinking of all the people I most resent; well there's an hour. Considering tracking down flu shots (both swine and regular, thank-you) worrying about those orthodontic bills and the noise in the 17 year old Jeep... These are all the things that keep me from spreading out my papers and getting to work.

So bird by bird. Bite by bite, one-inch picture frame at a time. The thing is that I have tried that before and it has had mild success. But it's not the last minute up all night freaking out me that I have come to know and trust. She makes me crazy, but inevitably she gets it done in the nick of time.

How to Teach Reading in 8th Grade

Today I taught three classes of Middle School (you have to capitalize; it's just that important) Social Studies. And let's be clear here; this is not 6th grade social studies but 8th grade social studies. The French and Indian War was the topic du jour; I think I have learned about it three times now and promptly forgotten everything as soon as the test was finished.

But besides the fact that George Washington fought with the British against the French; that the Native Americans fought on both sides but were lumped with the French in the title of this 7 year skirmish; AND that Spain actually ended up with additional land.... this was a lesson about reading.

My MT gave me a Bellevue School District lesson plan, and a curriculum coach's set of instructions for a reciprocal reading activity and told me to "make it my own." She really wasn't able to sit back for long; but it turned out to be a beautiful meld of reading and pre-revolution and I'm proud of both of us for bringing it together.

The kids were split into groups of four and had five pages of their textbook to cover. A map and a political cartoon were in there too; it wasn't terribly dense. I had made up color coded cards for each group; 1)Predicting; The next thing to happen is...because.... 2)Clarifying; What does ___ word mean? What did this paragraph try to tell us? 3)Summarizing; The main events in this section of the text are... 2)Questioning; What would a teacher ask on a quiz in order to know that I read this paragraph?

There was a bit more to the cards but the idea was that they would take turns reading the paragraphs (take two if they are small!) then someone would take a card and address the content using that strategy, and another person would respond to them. Three people out of four would be speaking in regards to each paragraph.

The lesson plan was hard; it was full of "The student will be able to identify the events leading up to the French and Indian War....." and on and on. But really I wanted to say "The student will be able to practice the skill of careful, content specific reading."

The kids did great. Even 7th period; the ones I have termed the To Sir With Love period. They didn't want to move their chairs, this was the class that NEARLY did not stand up when I needed that too. But they did; so achingly slow that I thought I would leap over the desk and just help them out, but they did. And they worked in groups and made thoughtful responses to their classmates questions, summaries, requests for clarifications and predictions. Now granted there were a few that continually predicted that George Washington would die; that may not have been the most level headed thought considering that we were going into the Revolutionary War next; but they tried. This group work lasted for over 25 minutes and the vast majority of it was not desk wiggling (one desk squeaks like a stuck pig) or chair tipping or girlfriend lusting (would those two just break up already?)or continually yelling my name; minus the Ms. part. (Becker-Brown! Hey, Becker-Brown! What... I said Mzzzz, you just didn't hear me.) They sound awful but they are the most exciting to be trapped in a classroom with of all the 8th grade classes.




So we tried to work on reading skills; in 8th grade Social Studies. I thought you should know it went really really great.

Test Blog for video

embed the HTML code within the HTML edit. Slow.


This is the first ten minutes of the Harvard commencement address given by JK Rowling. She speaks of the importance of failure and imagination. And makes a very funny joke about them not running off to become gay wizards.

Week Four:

"All students, especially those who begin school with limited literacy skills, need to think of themselves as readers and writers, see the processes as meaningful, and have posititive attitudes about literacy before they can successfully engage in literacy practices." This quote is from page 34 of Writing Essentials.

I have noticed that in science; workbooks, worksheets and teachers especially have begun using the term scientists instead of person or student. "Today all the scientists in room 104 will be working on an experiment that involves water and lifeboats." For example; "List the names of the four scientists who worked on this experiment." At first it sounded clunky, and a little wierd, but I really like it now; it sets the tone for a transition and change; from student to scientist. For their part the kids seem to take it at face value; no one questions the terminology and kindergarteners see themselves as scientists with their bean plants just as well as High School students with their bunsen burners.

Thinking of themselves as readers and writers, and their work (or process) as meaningful will help to support positive attitudes about literacy, shoring up those with poor literacy skills to a higher elevation in reading. I am a reader. I am a writer. It's an important first step.

In middle school Social Studies they learn and practice pre-reading skills with a KWL chart, and by segmenting pre-reading textbook skills and learning them in small groups then bringing them together. I have not heard the terms reader, or writer; but I have heard (and have said) "yes, in 8th grade you need to be using complete sentences." A better way to say that would be "yes, complete sentences are required for this exercise and for all the work you will be doing in this class."

At our house we have a reader party for your first book you are able to read alone; and it was a really big deal for the third child because the older two made it seem like this would be an attainment, a definition for life, you would become A READER. Not all bad, but a little pressure there! We make a cake, the child reads their book to everyone and shows the pictures like a teacher or librarian, then we sing "for he's a jolly good reader" and they blow out the candles. Corny, I know, but in some ways there needs to be more celebrations and less drudgery. We have had the kids' friends come over to tell me that they can read their first book and have thrown together a cake for them too. Betty Crocker, she should jump on this one!

Becoming a reader doesn't mean that the hurdles are over; but the glow they felt reading that book out loud; and then calling Grandparents to tell them that they are a reader now; that was a glow of success and pride. They should be proud.

Week three ... on Fox

Based on my experience, and on Fox chapter Three; my feelings about invented spelling are mixed at best. It's almost a nature vs. nurture arguement.



My fourteen year old can't spell her way out of a paper bag. It mostly does not hinder her, she is creative and funny, has found her voice and writes circles around her parents. All spelled peculiarly until spell check has done it's magic. She learned all the words for the tests; then promptly released them back into the universe. She loves to read.



My ten year old is ready for the nation championship spelling bee.... almost. He gets spelling, it is easy for him. He learns the two words that he didn't already innately know each week and then makes them part of his written knowledge. His stories are not as long, as creative or as detailed as others; he writes to fulfill the assignment, for the most part. He also loves to read.



My youngest.... we will see. At first grade they are just starting spelling tests; and use primarily invented spelling. But at home he wants it spelled right; he asks for the right letters and is impatient with the "just sound out how you think it would work and move on" philosophy. Plus there are a bunch of us now with the knowledge of how to spell it, and he figures that if we are not willing to help him out we are just mean mean mean.



In Fox, chapter three, it states that children move through unconventional spelling as they learn to put beginning, middle and ending sounds together; and that their unconventional spelling gives the teacher necessary clues as to how far along this student is towards becoming a good reader. I had initially thought that my eldest was allowed to use invented spelling for too long; and that was why she couldnt spell. Through time, and some intense literacy homework, i see that the same practices were used for both children and one flourished and the other did not. She doesn't see spelling; she sees a picture of what the word means, and can't wait to attach more words to it; like so many baby elephants linking trunks and tails.

Is it just different skill sets? Genes? They actually had the SAME teachers. Nature vs Nurture, I think that has some sway, and thank-goodness for spell check.