Pin it to Teach it

I am a master's student preparing to enter the teaching world! The purpose of this blog is to incorporate and understand new and digital literacy application in the classroom, specifically my future science classroom. I use Pinterest for everything! I've decided to share my ideas with the world as I finish my journey as a student and begin my career as a middle school teacher. I am open to all questions, comments, and concerns so let me know what you think!

[pinittoteachit]

Goodbye for Now Until We Meet Again... (Blog 13: Wednesday April 16 at 5:45pm)

          With only a week and a half left in the semester all of the projects and assignments are coming to a close.  Even though this class may end I do hope to continue blogging about what I use and experience in my student teaching next year.  I won't make any promises, but I hope to let you know how my incorporating of content literacy in my lessons goes.

          Am I scared?  Not really, just nervous about the obstacles I know I will face.  But I'm excited and still motivated to do the best I can.  I know I won't be an expert my first year and that it will be very exhausting, but with the skills I have learned I'm hoping that even when I'm tired I've still reached my students through processes that work.  I still don't know how I am going to decide what is most important to teach and what is the least so that at the end when we run out of time the not so important stuff is what was left out.  I feel like through my student teaching next year I will be able to figure out the teacher's process and either do it the way they did or base my reasoning off of it somehow.

          I can't wait to build my classroom and lessons through Pinterest. You don't understand how much it has grown since this course has begun.  I have boards for every subject, my classroom, and teacher ideas.  I will use what I can next year without taking over my student teaching classroom too much, but I will also figure out what I can use on my own once I'm out in the world on my own.  I really hope that I have inspired you to collect ideas on your own in whatever way works best for you.  Pinterest may not be appealing for you, but using this tool has opened up my eyes to so many different ideas that I really recommend that every teacher have some type of collection device.  

          I just hope that through the content literacy skills I have learned that I can incorporate them into my class and really teach my students to read, write, discuss, and listen to the best of their ability.  I want to teach them skills they will use for a lifetime that really help them and not just for a couple days in my class.  I really feel like my reading comprehension and discussion skills have improved during this class so I really trust them.  I plan on keeping my Tovani book and going back to it when I need ideas or guidance.  She struggled, but look at what she could do with those students!  It's incredible!

          "Content literacy" meant nothing to me over 3 months ago and now I think it is one of the most important concepts in teaching no matter what subject you teach.  I was skeptical, but I really learned a lot about myself during this course.  Reading, writing, talking, and listening skills are so important and I can't wait to see how this next generation of teachers decides to focus on these skills with our students at stake!

          I really enjoyed these past 13 weeks of blogging and I hope you have enjoyed reading my thoughts and ideas.  Now I'm off and hope to see you soon in the teaching world!

Sincerely,

Pin It To Teach It

[pinittoteachit]

Talks & Tests (Blog 12: Wednesday, April 09 at 3pm)

Not all assignments need to be individual.  We’ve learned how much students gain from class discussions and in chapter 7 of Tovani we read about the importance of small group discussions.  But I think that small group discussions can be even better!  The only downside to these is that you have to monitor the discussions so that they don’t get off topic and waste time.  I feel like if a small assignment or task is assigned to the group then they have a real goal to reach by working together on the topic.  Examples that I can think of are like the ones in this chapter such as the questions sheet and quote explanation sheet.  By allowing my students to work in small groups where I can’t be in charge or lead them it is showing them that they have the power to lead their own discussions.  This can build so many skills without them even knowing.  I would start off all of their discussions with a question or statement and then they can go off on their own in any direction they please.  Then the worksheet or assignment they have to complete would have the same number of parts are the people in the group so that a rule can be that each person has to start off one part of the assignment so that they can also begin discussions and not just comment when all of the opinions are actually said.

I plan to build the groups myself so that I can move the kids around.  This will make sure that they don’t get in a normal routine and they will learn the different skills that others use without even knowing.  They will grow as individuals by expressing their own opinions and taking in others’ without judgment while also learning the information.  I want to be able to walk around and have them feel comfortable with be just jumping in.  I hope that through the feedback that I provide them that they can develop their strategies through each discussion we have.  I hope to have one per week on the topics we are learning about. 

On the following website there are tips for teaching students how to participate in group discussions:

http://www.weareteachers.com/hot-topics/special-reports/great-books-great-discussions

Then as move on to chapter 8 (lots to cover this week) we learn about how to assess our students.  I personally am not a good test taker.  I had to try really hard in school to do well.  High school was not a breeze for me like it was for so many people I am now in college with.  I really loved when teachers would assess our learning in different ways.  I want to build on assessments and really utilize the different ways that I can check to see what my students have learned.  I even feel like giving options is a good thing.  Like if they want to take a test they can or they can give a class presentation.  I can’t decide if I want to assess unit by unit or build upon their knowledge each time.  I know a lot of kids get frustrated when teachers build instead of move on, but I really feel like you learn the information better that way.  Plus if you’re really learning it then it shouldn’t be a problem. 

Final Project Preview:

I am in a group of 4 for the project,  Two of us are doing one subject and the other two will do another.  With my partner we are doing social studies.  We plan to make a booklet or pamphlet with a variety of reading strategies that we would use as social studies teachers. The strategies will defined and we will label what type of learners will best benefit from each of the strategies.  We want to reach all of the learning types if possible.

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Reviewing My Peers' Views on Content Literacy (Blog 11: Wednesday, April 2, 2014 at 3:30 pm)

This week we got the chance to read our classmates' blogs and pick out the quotes that caught our eye!  I love doing this and finding my favorite things!  So to get started I have attached a quote from 5 blogs and the link to each so that if anything catches your eye you can go explore!

"One of my philosophies as a future educator is to foster up independent learners. I want my students to be able to leave my classroom with the necessary support to think, inquire, and investigate for themselves."

http://teachingtoinfinityandbeyond.wordpress.com/

I love this!  I don't just want to teach my students random information and then pass them onto the next grade.  No!  I want them to be engaged in my classroom and really enjoy the process of learning!  I think teaching is all about the skills you give to your students!  Through my education, student teaching, and years to come I hope to develop different strategies and skills (that work) to teach my students that will really help them with their reading and writing!

"I don’t know if my definition of 'content literacy' has changed however my view of the importance of it has most definitely changed. A little over three weeks ago I did not even know why I was in this class and now I am finding myself transforming into a strong advocate for reading, writing, speaking and listening in every classroom."

http://teachingoncanvas.tumblr.com/

When I was told I had to take this class I was so confused of why because I am a science and social studies education major.  I was like I'm not language arts for a reason!  But a few weeks into the class I really began to understand the importance of teaching content literacy in every classroom.  I see how important reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills are in every day life even as a junior in college.  These are the skills our students need help on.  Yes the content we teach is important, but being able to contribute or even lead a group discussion is so much more important for them to know than the parts of a flower.  BUT the great thing is you can teach these skills and the information together!  Hitting two birds with one stone is the way to go!

"As long as the reading pertains to the class, and as long as the students are making connections, they can choose the reading at their reading level or one that challenges them the perfect amount."

http://theteachfairy.blogspot.com/

As I have preached about it is so pointless to give a student a piece of difficult text when they can't comprehend it!  I want my students to be able to come to me (or vice versa) and be able to ask for help when they don't understand a text!  I want to build their reading levels.  We're not super heroes, we can't fly to the top of the mountain, we have to climb up step by step to get there!  I'm so excited to be able to help my struggling and advanced readers grow!

"Teachers should be providing countless number of assisted texts, giving assignments that will further their thinking on the material, and allowing time for students to ask questions and make sense of the text with the teachers’ assistance. Students do not become independent readers independently, they need the help of the teacher and other sources to achieve this goal."

http://edunite.tumblr.com/

I support this entire quote, but my favorite part was about the fact that students don't become independent readers independently!  I want my students to take homes their texts, read them, and break them down with the skills that help them the most.  Then I want them to come back to class and discuss with me.  This will both gain and affirm their understanding!  This will be positive for both them and I!  I cannot wait to help break down the text with them as they learn to lead discussions.  I hope by winter break of every school year I am able to come back and not be the one leading the text discussions.  That will let me know if I have done my job.

"Curiosity is a sign of engagement. If a student is curious about your content, then they must be thinking about your content and are exploring the areas that interest them because they want to, not because you are asking them to."

http://teachingtochange.tumblr.com/

I hope that each student that passes through my class is curious in my room at multiple times during the year!  I don't expect them to want to know about everything I have to teach.  But they will learn so much about themselves when they find information or material that really touches them!  I love learning about people and relationships.  Now as an adult those are things that are important to me.  By learning about the relationships and different people in history I grew as a person myself.  I want them to grow as people who want to find what they love about the world!

  I hope you have gotten as much out of this as I have!  Let me know if you have anything to add!  I would love to hear your thoughts too!

[pinittoteachit]

Give Time for Thinking (Blog 10: Wednesday March 26 at 5:45pm)

This week I read chapter 6 in "Do I Really Have to Teach Reading?" by Cris Tovani.  The chapter was titled "Holding Thinking to Remember and Reuse".  I think kids really struggle with reading something and then having to remember what it was about, especially when you make them read out loud.  I really liked the strategies that Tovani used to help the kids remember what they thought as they read.

Tovani suggested assigning the kids a reading and having them make a certain number of thoughts in the margins (or with sticky notes).  This got the kids to put their ideas down and be able to remember them.  She taught them this strategy using a picture that they were able to tell us their thoughts on and then she gave them a small piece of writing.  They were told to put their thoughts, questions, or the main ideas.  Whatever they chose was important.  By doing this the students can better comprehend the material because they are having to pick out from a paragraph their favorite or most important idea which gives them the power.

The chapter also introduced multiple graphic organizers one can use to remember what they think.  In the first organizer the students are told to record the title, new vocabulary words, bold print, and graphics.  Then they can make a graphic showing how these features in the text connect to each other.  The second was a three column organizer that had the three titles: "question I asked that I can answer after reading the article", "Question my teacher could answer if I asked", and "Question I can answer myself by inferring".  Then below each was the question and answer.  The final graphic organizer of ideas is one we know very well the double entry diary.  This is once again where in the left column they write the "quote and page number" and in the second column they can either make a "connection (this reminds me of...)", ask a "question (I wonder...)", or show "confusion (I don't understand...)". 

All of these organizers are so helpful to all readers, both developing and experts.  By teaching these skills and using them repeatedly in the classroom the students can learn which ones they like and which ones work best for them!  This is just another way to help them remember and comprehend what they are reading!

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Other Thoughts on Education (Blog 9 part 2: March 18, 2014 at 11pm)

I also have four other points to make that I learned about from Dr.Love, but they don't exactly relate to the major point I talked about below in Blog 9.

First, she showed us STEM which is science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.  But then the word STEAM appeared on the board.  She added the A which stands for Art!  Of course this got me excited because I think that is sooooo important.  Expressing creativity and learning about different avenues of learning besides reading and writing is important! 

Second, she talked about the first time that African American students see themselves in social studies.  She said that the first people they learn about that look like them are slaves and that really brings kids down.  If that's the FIRST thing they see of course they aren't going to be interested!  That is so sad and not motivating at all!  You have to tell them about the leaders in slavery and the positive aspects that came from it!  School is all about learning about yourself and when it is presented in a negative form you don't want to learn that!!!

Next, Dr.Love mentioned co-teaching with the students.  She said that by having your students individually teach the class after you have then they can relate to it more.  The kids have connections to one another that you as a teacher just don't have with them.  The students can show each other how to understand it from their point of view which will help them, but also help you to understand how to better your teaching skills to their needs!  This also builds on their learning because teaching someone something is the best way to show that you know it and it builds their public speaking skills!

Finally,  relationships was the final point she had for us.  Students are more engaged and care more when they can see that you care about them!  You can't fake them.  She told us that students can tell when you don't really care.  I hated when teachers were just there for the job.  I want to individually know each of my students!  I felt like I knew them really well and it made me realize that I will be able to do that in the future too!

Education is changing and I'm learning what is most important and it's not just the standards!  I am so excited to be a teacher!!!

[pinittoteachit]

Diversity in Content Literacy (Blog 9: March 18, 2014 at 10pm)

I am in an education society at my university for early childhood and middle grades majors.  Tonight we had a speaker come to talk about diversity.  I wasn't excited at first because that word has been drilled into my mind so much over the past two years that I feel like there is almost nothing left that I haven't already heard.  Well tonight was different.  Dr.Love was amazing and she is even doing a Ted Talk tomorrow which engaged me immediately when she said that (I love Ted Talks). 

Dr.Love began by telling us that she teaches about Hip Hop.  She doesn't teach her students how to sing or rap or dance.  She teaches the importance of it in engaging African American students with their education.  She gave us this example:

"When you are in a class of third graders and you ask one student how their day has been what happens?  The one student answers, but if you look almost all of the other students' hands are up because they want to tell you about their day.  They aren't listening to the first student because they are only thinking about themselves.  In Hip Hop when in a rap circle (correct me if that's wrong)  they don't raise their hands when it is their turn.  They listen to one another and feel it when it is their turn to add their thoughts to the circle.  If we could get our third graders and all students in general to listen to one another and add onto each thought instead of just disregarding what is being said they would gain so much knowledge and skill over time!"

I was blown away!  It's so true!  This made me think about content literacy.  If the students would think about what they hear and read they can build off of that and really comprehend what they learn!  The discussions and papers they write would be so much more in depth rather than each person just saying their opinions and not building off of them.  Individual opinions are so important, but I feel like in my own classes the best discussions I have gained information from were the ones built off of what each student in the class was saying.  One giant built upon idea will stick way better in a student's head over twenty individual ideas! 

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Choosing the right book for you is so important when you are wanting to improve your reading level!  This chart visually shows how to know whether your choice of literature is too hard, too easy, or just right!

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Building Content Literacy

When you build anything you start at the bottom and go up from there.  You can't start at the top because there is nothing to support it.  It will just crash!  All of the energy you spent building it would have been a total waste.

That is how I feel about children who are not on the level they should be on.  Teachers don't always see it that way.  You see I believe in helping children grow, I don't want them to fail.  By giving them an assignment or reading especially that is too difficult for them they will not be able to figure it out, will become discouraged, and have wasted their time. 

We should test each student when they come into our class for content literacy knowledge through reading and writing.  Based off of this we will know how to individually help them.  Yes I know this sounds like a lot of work and you wonder how I will have time for it, but sometimes you have to make time for what is most important. 

It doesn't matter if they read Huckleberry Finn for Mark Twain's famous writing style and because it is a classic American novel.  It matters that our children's reading comprehension is being strengthened and that they understand the different aspects of literature/language arts.  If they can learn those same aspects through a book like Finn that can build on their reading levels then THAT is what is important!

Now moving on to what I found on Pinterest this week! 

I want my students to realize that as they read they should be thinking and not just skimming the words.  They should be using the text as evidence to understand the text!  I found this chart about the different ways they can be thinking as they read and I would love to have them write in their reading response journals once a week using this.  Summarize, question, connect, infer, visualize, and predict are all important strategies that are helpful to good readers!

  I also want them to write.  Write, write, and write.  Like there's no tomorrow.  I want them to be so fantastic at writing when they leave my class that they will be so prepared for the next year!  I plan to give writing topics or a list of topics and allow them to choose which of the above they want to write.  I think if I had them all keep a checklist of which ones they have done, then they get to be in charge of what they write and all of them will be eventually completed.  I think this is a great way to give them freedom by also teaching them important content literacy skills.

My final note for today is something I don't always touch on.  Speaking and listening are so important and are always in need of practice especially at that age.  Through the above beach ball activity they can practice knowing how they want to answer questions about different texts while also listening to the answers other students give about texts.  This will build onto their understanding greatly.  Discussion is great for younger students to learn early because participating in discussions later on should be easy and comfortable and not hard or scary to do.

I'm shocked that I'm saying this, but I can totally see and support the teaching of content literacy in every content area!  I cannot wait to plan my lessons around this and to help my students become better readers, writers, speakers, and listeners.

[pinittoteachit]

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My Text Set on Food Webs

This is the first text set I have ever created and I really enjoyed putting together the sources I wanted to use!  I chose a question about food webs.  Which organism in the food web receives the least amount of energy from the producers?  I found two videos, an article, a powerpoint, a book of poems, and a document full of worksheets to complete my text set for my students!

"The Magic School Bus: Gets Eaten"  Video 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFz9Mw6TGxQ

The video provides valuable information on the connections between animals and how energy is transferred.  This is a great video to engage and explain the different levels in a food web and food chain.  I would probably do this about halfway through when they start to loose focus of the topic.  

"Food Web Concept and Applications" Article

http://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/food-web-concept-and-applications-84077181

This is a longer article that I would have my student break down and take notes from.  I think it will challenge their reading skills while also help them to learn more in depth information about food webs and the relationships organisms have with one another when it comes to energy transfer.

"Food Chains and Webs" Document/Notes/Worksheets

http://www.biologyjunction.com/food%20chains%20and%20webs.doc

These are great notes on food webs and other vocabulary related to this unit.  It comes with great notes, worksheets, and questions to continue the understanding of the topic.  I would definitely use these for my class, but I would break them down into power point form for the students to take better notes with so that it is not too overwhelming.

"What's for Dinner?" Book of poems

http://www.the-best-childrens-books.org/food-chains-for-kids.html

I would use this book twice a day in my class to both start and end the lesson.  Each page of the book contains a poem and a graphic of 'who eats what'.  I would have them explain to me what each living thing is in relation to one another in the food chain so that they could practice and understand.

"Food Chains, Food Webs, Energy Pyramid in Ecosystems" Video

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SWvtRf4TAO4&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DSWvtRf4TAO4

This video is mainly informative and less entertaining, but it gives a lot more facts and information that can be taken down as their notes on food webs.  It explains the different levels of living things which includes producer, consumers, scavengers, herbivores, decomposer and ends with a predator.  

"Food Chains/Webs" Powerpoint

http://www.mlms.loganschools.org/~mlowe/LoweHome/Power%20Pionts/PDF/Food%20Chains~11.pdf

This is a great powerpoint of notes for my students to go over together.  This would be better for older grades such as seventh or eighth, especially because of the amount and difficulty of the reading material.  I would have them take notes and discuss from each slide.

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This is the question that I based my text set off of!  This is a sample test question I found for my middle school biology class. It includes knowledge, comprehension, and application. I also love that it includes a diagram for them to visualize. If this is at the end of the semester on a final exam this would maybe help to trigger their memory. It will also help them to solve the problem.

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"Just Right" Texts

This week we read chapter 4 from Tovani this week.  It was about the transition of textbooks to different types of text that are more appropriate for those struggling readers that are not at grade level.

The materials are usually above their grade level, concepts are introduced too quickly, too many vocab words that they won't get a chance to use, and not much background knowledge on the topic.  I want them to be engaged in the text and make sure they have the actual potential to understand.  I love the word perseverance (weird I know), but I want to encourage them to persevere!

I want them to actually understand the concepts many events share.  I want to give them accessible texts of many different reading levels.  The texts will be based on their interests and what they already know.  They need to practice with texts there are at a good difficulty level for them!  Or they will get nothing out of it!

I also believe in alternative assignments.  It really bothered me in the book when the teacher didn't want to give the student an alternate assignment.  I love that they are called companion pieces.  The plot points and themes are similar, but the texts are easier to understand which is so important for struggling readers!  

I can't wait to have text sets for each unit of study in my classroom!  They will gain a broad perspective and an in depth sense of subject matter.  The texts will be different genres, lengths, and formats.  Connecting each of the readings together whether they are poems or letters or articles will be a skill that they will use forever!

As a struggling reader even today I know how much I would have appreciated having accessible texts that could have helped me to practice my reading comprehension skills so I definitely support this teaching practice in schools today. 

[pinittoteachit]

When I Grow Up...

I've always wanted to be a teacher.  There was a random time in high when I thought I wanted to do law or medicine, but we all go through the phase at one point or another.  Kids are so happy and fun.  They deserve someone who will help make school fun, enjoyable, and meaningful and I really think I can be the person to do that.  I've always loved babysitting and shadowing the different teachers I have been with so I know that I enjoy the environment and work.  

Some of my favorite people in the world have been my teachers.  My ninth grade English teacher taught me what sarcasm was.  I literally loved the way she talked.  Through her personality I fell in love with the class and worked so hard to impress her and to get the most out of the class that I could.  I really hope to be able to do that one day for someone.

You know what I hate?  When I doubt my love for teaching and question if I could have done something better.  When I tell myself that I'm not smart enough because I'm not a science or business major.  Well you know what not everyone can be a doctor.  There have to be educators and I know they don't make the most or get a lot of credit, but I realized I don't need or want that.  I want to spend my days with kids who I can inspire and impact.

I have loved the two teachers I have shadowed for.  They changed my life.  I hope they know that they made me want to be a teacher.  I can't wait to send them a picture of my adorable classroom one day and say thank you.

On that note...the classroom...I will have the cutest room EVER.  I literally cannot wait to decorate and organize.  I have pinned SO many ideas of lesson planning and organizing!  

Plus each day is something different.  Isn't that so amazing?  I mean they are never going to act the same or say the same things every day.  They'll grow and change and I will get to be a part of that.  I could cry! 

I am so excited to be a part of the public education in this country and I cannot wait to have my first set of kids!  I could talk about why I want to teach, how I feel about the curriculum, and all of those things, but I really want to just focus on what I am excited about because thinking about the things I have no control over can really get to a person.  

When I grow up I want to be the best teacher!

[pinittoteachit]

Irritating Teachers Create Unproductive Students

http://scienceteachingideas.blogspot.com/search/label/Procedures

So I never thought I would find an idea of a teacher that I absolutely hated, but I did and I want to share it with the world.

This science teacher believes in "Not answering students' questions". 

I am in a science teaching methods class right now based around physcial science.  I want to be the best science teacher I can be, but I can't do that unless I understand the ideas and topics.  Every time we ask questions we don't get real answers and it is so frustrating because it just turns into a giant 20 minute discussion where I am even more confused than I was before AND there is still no known answer.  When students have questions I understand wanting them to think on their own and building critical thinking skills, but they can't do that if they don't know what is going on.  I believe in probing them with a question and helping them based on the answer they give you.  If they seem even more confused then help them out, but if they caught on from your clue then you know asking a question was okay.  But if we irritate and frustrate our students they will not enjoy coming into our classrooms and learning.  I try to go into my physical science class open minded each time, but until they help us to understand the topics through answers and not questions I will be unmotivated and frustrated to learn the topic.

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http://elainthemiddle.wordpress.com/category/anchor-charts/page/3/

ELA in the Middle is a great blog of pictures showing the literacy ideas she uses in the classroom!  I love her posters and boards she makes!

I really love this one about connecting the text to self, text, world, and media!  This is a great way to engage the students in the reading which is what I think is most important!  Once they feel connected to the text then they are more likely to understand it and remember it!  Plus this is a great skill that can be used in every content area and through many years of schooling!