Possible questions to consider: How might you modify the lessons presented to incorporate other things you've learned in this class? How might you modify given your grade level, your students, their interests, etc.? What would you need to know in order to actually teach that lesson? What are the strengths of that lesson? How could you create another unit that has similar strengths but around a different topic? What questions do you have about this chapter?
Come back on Monday and comment on 3 other posts. Come back on Friday or Saturday and add 3 more comments. Get conversations going. Come back more often if you like.
The most important part of this section of the book to me is having students sitting in a circle and read-arounds. I think it essential to have students sitting in a circle and I plan to utilize this in my classroom as much as possible. I remember doing this in my IB English class in high school. We would do this every time we would discuss our reading and I think it was the best part of the class. We would get into great debates and everyone would have something to contribute. I think one element about what my teacher did in high school which I'm unsure about is requiring each student to make two comments during the discussion. It worked then because we had block scheduling. But how do we make this possible in only 50 minutes? Perhaps you can use this in conjunction with the 2 cents Action Strategy. However, I really think to have a good discussion you have to make sure everyone reads. To do this, I would have some sort of writing assignment due that same day. Either something that they had done previously in class, like a journal response to the text, or a response journal they did on their own. Either way it needs to be something that structures the discussion. The reason I like circling up like this is because it forces the students to listen to each other and they hold each other accountable. To me discussion needs to be the basis of learning literature and that is much more possible and the discussions can be much more meaningful when the students can face each other.
ReplyDeleteI also want to place my students in a circle. I first participated in this type of setting in a writing class. For the first couple of weeks we passed our writing to our neighbor. After making notes for the writer, the editor would read aloud the parts that stood out. In the beginning, it was not easy for everyone to share their writing. However, it only took a couple of these exercises for everyone to relax. I actually looked forward to the process. I have been a part of circle class full of strangers and circle classes full of people that I was very familiar with. Having everyone face each other gave a much more intimate and supportive atmosphere.
DeleteThe first activity got me interested. Just the other day I had students passing out papers and one came to me to ask who a person was. We have been in class together for 7 months and he didn't know a student. That to me was sad. How can they have such tunnel vision that they do not even know the people next to them? I agree that names are important. I am going to have them write about the importance of their names in the first week.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with the author on getting the student to understand empathy. I have heard the comments about why do they have to read this "stuff." They think it has no relevance to their lives but it does. I got them to understand a little better during the Romeo and Juliet unit. I had them all tell me what they would have done in the same situation. Granted times are different but they were able to put themselves in the characters shoes and see how they felt.
The problem of students not knowing each other is something that amazes me. Students spend four years with roughly the same group of people, yet they only know the names of those that are in their closest circles. Having students work with each other's names and dealing with question of who holds the power when it comes to naming is one that I think is very important for students to discuss.
DeleteHow crazy! I think that is a great idea! I also like how Dr. Alby has students video saying their names on her iPad so she can put their faces with their names. But also having them do this allows students to see and hear the names of the students around them. I am also a big fan of name tents on the front of students' desks so you can see their names and students can learn each others names during that first week.
DeleteI think the majority of the first chapter is essential for students in the ELA classroom; however, there is one section that stands out to me and it is one I hope to incorporate in my own future classrooms. The “Where I’m From” poems are beautiful and are completely appropriate for students and teachers. Not only would these poems be a wonderful introduction to the poetry unit (hopefully at the beginning of your semester / year) but they would help students and teachers get to know each other and their funds of knowledge and cultural capital. When we invite students to write bout their lives and the worlds from which they come, we are sharing our knowledge, learning, and building community. I love what Christensen says: “[The] poem allows me to teach about the use of specifics in poetry, and writing in general. But the lesson also brought the class together through the sharing of details from our lives and lots of laughter and talk about the ‘old ones’ whose languages and traditions continue to permeate the ways we do things today.” Lyon’s poem is a perfect example for students to see. The teacher can go through the poem line by line to close read and discuss. Then, students can have their chance to write their own.
ReplyDeleteI did this assignment in ninth grade and I absolutely loved it. I still have my poem and until now I have not reread what I wrote. If I were to write it today it would not be so beautiful and naive. Just three short years after I wrote this my family fell apart, but it is nice to have this so I realize that I did, at one point, have such a happy childhood. I think it would be so powerful for students to write this and keep it on a flash drive so that years later they, like me, can relieve some of the memories.
Here is mine (Written in 2007):
I am from an intact family, an exception to the norm these days
A mother and a father who live together
One sister, whom I shared everything with although she is now grown and gone
Weekends where my mother works and missed many developmental milestones
It was just my dad, sister, and me
I am from never having babysitters, or going to daycare
Fridays- hanging out with my mom, Disney movies, shopping expeditions, hugs and kisses
Saturdays- morning cartoons, staying in our pajamas, eating pancakes by the TV
Sundays- mass at Saint John Neumann with my dad and sister so she could receive communion
Screaming, hitting, scratching, tickle fights with my sister, but the love was always there
I am from Scattergories, The Game of Life, Clue, Monopoly, Trivial Pursuit
Made up games, Ghost in the Graveyard, Detective, Man Hunt
Nancy Drew, Rosie’s Ballet Slippers, Wayside School Stories, then Gone With the Wind, Rebecca, Little Women
Beauty and the Beast, Peter Pan, Little Mermaid, Fox and the Hound
Coloring books, crayons, magic markers, watercolors- entertainment
I am from big family get togethers
Birthdays, Thanksgivings, Christmases, Easters at grandmas
Aunts, uncles, cousins, mom, dads, siblings- family
On my day, no birthday cakes, only pumpkin pie
Turkeys, hams, casseroles, cook outs, uncontrolled chaos- bliss
I am from a family who adores me
A happy home
Relatives, friends, teachers, mentors
Mom, Dad, Holley, and me
Love, comfort, security- Life
My host had our students write a "Where I am From" poem for the Young Georgia Authors contest. The students had not talked about nor read any poetry. This was assigned to them only in the context of writing for the contest. As I read Christensen's teaching strategy for this type of writing I couldn't help but think of the great teaching opportunity my host missed. I was not in the classroom on the day the students wrote their poems but as far as I know, they did not share them and did not discuss them. I look forward to having my students write and share "Where I am From" poems.
DeleteThank you so much for sharing your "Where I'm From" poem! I think if we are going to have our students do something like this, we need to create one ourselves to share with them and use as a model. And it is a wonderful thing to hang on to; you never know when life is going to change.
DeleteLinda Christensen's fourth block class sounds like my fourth period class. The students already struggle academically, and by the time they get to my classroom they are drained. I thought about this class more than any others when I read what Christensen said on page VI of the introduction; "People who lack reading and writing skills have difficulty expressing who they are. Their words are strangled and they learn to be silent." I want my students to understand the importance of ELA and critical thinking, not dread it.
ReplyDeleteAll of Christensen's community building lessons sound great. I like the fact that she uses writing from previous students to provide examples. To these lessons I might ask students to bring photographs or maybe a special trinket to share with their class. This would open the door to sharing more personal parts of their lives. Students might even write a short narrative about the item/photo they brought to help them speak in front of their classmates. Also, I think having the students make a list of writing territories, as suggested by Nancie Atwell, would help their writing flow. Also, some of Atwell's mini-lessons in procedures for writing workshop or what readers need from writers, might help students.
Teresa, we share a common goal. We both want our students to enter our rooms with expectation and leave with regret! The only way, I have come to terms with, is making their learning about something they are interested in. Christensen gives a wonderful quote on page 5, "if what I am teaching in the class holds no interest for the students, I'm just holding them hostage until the bell rings". I believe that what she says is true. If we want to change the atmosphere in our classrooms than we have to find a way to engage our students' interests.
DeleteI definitely agree! However, I have a lot of students in my first period class who are incredible writers, but hate to put forth any effort. This past week I did an experiment and put a picture on the board of a woman next to a car in the 1920s and told them they had to write a journal entry as if they were in that time period. I had amazing results! For the first time, I wasn't "holding them hostage". Many of the students asked if they could take their journals home to work on them instead of turning them in at the end of class. They only had to be 6-8 sentences and I ended up getting two pages from several students.
DeleteIn my current placement, we have actually completed the "Where I'm From" poems! The results were downright astounding. So many students opened up about what the were going through and who they feel that they are. One of my students revealed that he had just been adopted after years in the foster care system, for example.
ReplyDeleteInterestingly, many of the students that opened up the most are not normally enthusiastic writers! I think that they were so eager to complete this assignment because it was relevant to their lives and experiences, an idea for teaching that Atwell seems to be stressing. As a result, I would like to do more lessons like this during class time. I also want to give students more opportunities to share their work. After all, the students in Atwell's classes seemed to benefit from sharing.
Lindsey, you touch on two points that I think are really important; tying lessons to students' lives and allowing students to share their work. There is definitely a difference in the quality of work that they product and their attitude toward doing it.
DeleteThe poems are great! It is not only a great way for students to practice writing and creativity skills, but it also provides us with insight into the lives of our students!
DeleteLindsey I completely agree. If the content is relevant to the students' lives they are much more likely to work harder. I've noticed that when we give personal narratives the students are much more eager to write and write well. I think we have to make a distinction there. There is a definite difference between writing and writing well. Allowing students to develop their creativity or share who they are makes them more likely to write well.
DeleteCat, I love the idea of using the "Where I'm From" poem. One of Christensen's big ideas from chapter one is finding connections between students' personal lives and the curriculum. How can students fully understand the lesson if they can find no personal connection? She also says that she gives her own personal stories to help the students identify with her. I think this is a great way to open up discussion and show students your personal side. Reading your own "Where I'm From" poem can be a great way to model that activity, and also a great way to help your students open up to learning more about each other.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Several courses I have taken have been wonderful for making me taker the time to do these activities myself. I can now use them as my own examples to help the students get started on their own. Often I find it hard to find the time to sit down quietly and reflect enough to write something personal. Great examples.
DeleteI have found that when I share stories about my own life with my students, they are so much more open to whatever we are doing that day. They also usually follow up my story with one of their own. It really makes me realize that these kids want to feel connected; they want to share their lives with people who care about them and will share their lives in return.
DeleteLadies, I agree that sharing personal stories creates a bond between teacher and students, but these lessons teach students to create relationships among themselves that they might not otherwise consider. The personal connection is great, but the value these lessons place on the students' families is phenomenal.
DeleteI really love the applications that I have been able to take away from this book. I feel that as a first year teacher it will be to my advantage to know how to build community out of chaos. One of the best things I love so far about this text is how honesty Linda Christensen is. One quote she gives on page 2 about community is wonderful; she says, “real community is forged out of struggle”. A class that overcomes adversity together survives together. The fact of the matter is that most students haven’t been taught how to talk with each other about painful matters, and most teachers don’t want to take the time to teach them. In order to discuss painful matters with each other students must first build connections that they trust with each other. For this to happen, students must learn to live in someone else’s skin. A great way to do this with a class that is not cohesive is to find something that they all have in common. Christensen says that there is a difference between bringing student issues into the room and giving up teaching the core skills of your class. Bringing emotion into the room means, “using the energy of their connections to drive the content”. Setting a goal or project for the class to reach unifies them and allows them to express the content in a tangible and meaningful way.
ReplyDeleteThe activities presented in this book are ones that I am already making a list of. The entire chapter about “naming” has to be one of my favorites! It accomplishes so many different goals that I have in my classroom; writing, verbal, emotional, community building, and self-efficacy. Also the read-around can be used with almost any type of writing. It is a great way to benefit both the strong and the struggling students. The ‘Where I’m From’ poems are something I have already decided to use in my classroom before reading this. I am stealing some of the examples she shared because I will not have a model from previous years of teaching to use.
The end of this chapter was encouraging for me. As teachers it is our job to persevere! We have to hold strong to what we know is true even when students push our boundaries.
"The fact of the matter is that most students haven’t been taught how to talk with each other about painful matters, and most teachers don’t want to take the time to teach them." I completely agree with this statement! I try to address crucial issues, but have not had a model or guide to do so effectively. These lessons, "names" and "I am from.." are great ways to explicitly teach students how to discuss and respond to differences in an empathetic way. I love these lessons, and as a 3rd year teacher, I can tell you that the ways she accomplishes a community classroom while still teaching the standards is amazing! I can't wait to begin my classes with these lessons next year!
DeleteBooks like this one really fire me up and help remind me why I'm doing all of this. It is not enough to merely teach students to read and write, they must do these things for a purpose. My current students tend to moan and groan when I tell them they are going to be writing. One day I finally asked them why they reacted in that way. I was told that they didn't really see a point in writing besides to get a good grade in the class. I'm so glad I asked that question because that lead to us having a conversation about all the different reasons we write. At first students struggled to come up reasons but after I made a few suggestions (to keep in touch with friends, to entertain, etc), they really started coming up with great reasons. One of those was to express ourselves and our feelings. I found the quote by Christensen appropriate, "we need to move beyond sharing and describing our pain to examining why we're in pay and figuring out how to stop it".
ReplyDeleteI also love the idea of the read-arounds. I feel like these are much more effective when the students have already established some community between themselves. I know some of my students don't share their writing because they are afraid their peers will laugh or make fun of them. That is why I plan on doing activities like the "Where I'm From" poems starting day one. I love the quote from ch 1 that says "building community begins when students get inside the lives of others in history, literature, or down the hallway, but students also learn by exploring their own lives and coming to terms with the people that are 'doing time' with in the classroom." While all the students in my classes know each other, I wonder just how much they actually know about one another's lives.
I also love the section on "sweet learning". We are doing a narrative unit soon and I would love to try this idea. My students do enjoy narrative writing the most, especially when they get to write about themselves. I'm hoping this will open them up to all types of writing.
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DeleteAnna, you aren't alone in witnessing the negative responses to writing. This has always been foreign to me, because I love to write. I would much rather do a written response than any other form of assessment. But our students, don't tend to share that same sentiment. It seems that with each generation of students, we have to justify why we conduct class in the manner that we do. I don't mind this... at least the students are thinking critically. But we need to foster this critical thinking and move it beyond generalized apathy. I loved that you captured that learning moment and helped them think about writing beyond purely academic, to them irrelevant, purposes. A video I like to show to help engage in writing as a creative and expressive process is "Make Good Art" by Zen Pencils. It is an excerpt from Neil Gaiman's commencement speech at an art school set to some awesome comic artwork.
DeleteI was really excited to start this book because the strategies and methods she uses and describes are rarely seen in classrooms! During student teaching, I felt like I was losing my fire and passion to teach. So much of what the students were doing was meaningless to them, and it felt like I was pulling teeth for them to put effort into their work some days. What I really appreciate about this first chapter in Rising Up is how Linda C. is determined to give assignments that mean something to her students. For example, I loved the name assignments where students had to write about their name origin. I think this is a great way to be culturally responsive and allow the class to get to know each other. Another strategy I want to use in my own classroom is the Read-Around. It's so important that we make sharing a major part of our English classrooms! Students do so many creative pieces, but oftentimes, the students don't know how to be encouraging in their feedback, or the teacher hasn't really created that environment where they feel safe enough to share. I like the idea of having the students write their positive comments down along with that student's name.
ReplyDeleteI just recently did a unit on narrative writing, and I wanted the students to do personal narratives, but I ended up having to mimic the GA Milestones narrative rubric in creating my unit. However, I think the students would have been way more engaged if they were able to write personal narratives like Linda C. has her students do. I plan on borrowing her criteria sheet because I think that it is a great from of peer review!
I totally agree with your assessment that students are completing meaningless work on a daily basis. No matter how I try to create engaging lessons, they often fall short of the impact I attempt to have with my students. The personal nature of these lessons creates an interest and an engagement among the students that builds their confidence in themselves while explicitly teaching them to value the differences in others. I am definitely going to start my year with these lessons!
DeleteI had to do something similar Monique. I had to avoid personal narratives entirely at my last placement because they had already done something similar during their memoirs unit. Instead, I had to frame my entire unit around the new GA Milestones narrative response to text format. I was fine with this... but I had to do everything within my power to tweak the work to include prompts that would actually engage my students. Before we got to the "to text" portion of the "narrative response to text" format, we practiced some narrative writing skills with prompts based on popular novels and movies that interested them, like Harry Potter or the Walking Dead. It worked wonders.
DeleteI was blown away by the simplicity of these introductions lessons. After reading Christensen's ideas and her reasons behind the lessons, it seemed like a no-brainer, yet I am not sure I could have come up with such powerful lessons without reading this text. The idea of using names to introduce students to each other while creating a poetry lesson is just ingenious! I love the personal nature of the lesson that allows students to learn about their classmates while giving value to their different backgrounds and cultures. The "Name" poem is a great way to build a community classroom and to teach students how to empathize with others in a non-threatening, non-lecturing way. The "I Am From" writing also gives value to their families and ancestors in a way that could not be achieve so effectively in traditional instruction. I fully intend to begin my classes with these activities next year!
ReplyDelete"Before I could nurture students empathy, I had to find a way to connect with them" (3). Simple, sweet, and perfect. Teaching, good and effective teaching anyway, is not something that can be done at a distance or even at an arms length. We really have to connect with the kids and understand who they are on an individual level before we can ever hope to teach them anything worthwhile.
ReplyDeleteThe story that Christensen shares in chapter one is one that I can definitely relate to, though maybe not on such an extreme scale. I had one class in particular that is very much like her described fourth period. Strategies of breaking the ice that had worked beautifully in other classes I had taught did not seem to work at all. It seemed that everything out of my mouth was stupid to them. I would try asking their opinions and get discussions going but more times than not I would receive blank or hateful stares. I do not believe I have ever felt so much hate, bitterness, and apathy from a collected group before in my life. Unfortunately, I can only say that I made minimal headway with this class in the ten short weeks I was given to spend with them. However, I can say that I learned a lot.
My biggest mistake was trying to be an authority figure and get tough. This is simply not me. It's my host teacher. I viewed her as having control, so I tried to mimic her, big mistake. By the end of the ten weeks, I learned that letting go of the reigns was not scary, but helpful. When I began implementing more of my style where I give out numerous compliments and allow for more creative outlets in learning, students respect for me began to grow. I still had a few who constantly reminded me of how much they hated me, but I'd rather have one or two than a whole class.
On another note, I cannot wait to use 'Thousand Pieces of Gold' in my future classroom! This is a book I had never heard of previously and it sounds like quite the attention grabber for a classroom full of teenagers!
You have to be you. Mimicry, no matter the intentions, will fall short or be leave you feeling empty. I did the same thing in my last placement. My host teacher conducted the majority of class through discussion, and she was extremely effective at it. Feeding into a self-imposed fear that I was stealing the kids away from such a great educator, I attempted to mimic her style of discussion based learning. I failed. The anxiety of trying to maintain pace in class, check for learning, and always trying to consider follow up questions left me exhausted and mental half the time. Discussion is an awesome and effective learning strategy, but I need more practice and confidence in it in a more controlled environment before I am comfortable with using it so regularly. However, this entire mindset could be me failing to give up control of the classroom. It is likely both.
DeleteI was extremely excited to read this text. I actually borrowed Dr. Borrelli's copy with intentions to read it over the summer or fall semester... However, I never got around to it and felt I had to return it to avoid being impolite. So I was thrilled to see it on our reading list. If I have learned anything from my experience in the MAT program, teaching is an entirely political act and we must bust willing to teach dangerously if we hope to reach our students.
ReplyDeleteReading and writing has always been in my life. In fact, my brother and I was required to read an hour every day over summer break growing up. I often read two hours, to account for the hour my brother inevitably neglected. I could not imagine not having books to read or not being able to read or write at all. I once visited a former girlfriend's hometown in rural North Georgia and I was astounded by multiple community buildings advertising adult literacy programs. How privileged and sheltered was I to be so shocked by adult literacy still being an issue in 2012? I am still somewhat disappointed in myself for being so blind. When reading Christensen's introduction, the part discussing reading and writing as a form of liberation particularly spoke to me. I can only imagine how infuriating it is to be unable to communicate effectively, if at all. It must be so isolating. It is no wonder that so many of our imprisoned citizens are illiterate or under performing in reading and writing. I would feel trapped or want to lash out in frustration too. That being said, we need to consider how we teach reading and writing. We have heard it a number of times... K through 4th grade, we learn to read and write. From 4th grade on, we read and write to learn. If a student does not have a strong foundation in either by fourth grade, how can we expect them to continue on effectively. It is not a matter of who's fault or responsibility it is. The child is in our class now... we must do our part to continue their learning and bring their reading and writing performance up to grade level.
In "Building Community out of Chaos," I recognized a shortcoming in my teaching this previous placement. I did not necessarily appeal to my student's interests. In my anxiety to perform, I resorted to something I was comfortable with... the content. But, was this at all engaging to the kids? Did I even think to ask? I may not have had the opportunity to poll the class on their interests midway through the school year, but I could have done better to casually inquire into their interests and adapt my lessons to meet those interests. On two occasions I can say I truly captured their interests. Both times involved controversial and violent court cases, the Travis Alexander and Trayvon Martin killings. Some teachers might want to skirt such heated cases. However, our students can relate to elements of violence, racism, and relationships in their daily lives. These things affect our students. They can see the connection and importance in discussing these cases much quicker than say "12 Angry Men." However, you could use this interests to create that connection to an otherwise "irrelevant" work. We must foster interest and engage our students at any cost.
We must be willing to teach dangerously... Especially if it means taking on uncomfortable or controversial topics.There is learning in discourse, even heated discourse.
"Politeness is often a veneer mistaken for understanding."