Literacy Project Literally Worked!

As I've stated in previous blogs, I used a classroom blog for my literacy project. In January the administration staff at my school asked me if I would take some of the lowest performing, behavior prone students into a group to work on their reading comprehension skills before CMTs. They basically gave me free rein of what I was to do, so I decided to switch things up and create a novel group where the majority of the discussion was online. Students would respond to comprehension questions online and also get a chance to view others' responses, which I found to be very rewarding for the students. I have to admit, this group was EXTREMELY successful! Especially for the student population involved. They gave their best effort daily, and even had some students released from discipline in the office in order to participate in the group! Honestly couldn't have been more happy with the results of this group! :)

Project Progress

Luckily, my Literacy Project has been occurring since January 31st through the form of a classroom blog. A small group of reading intervention students have been reading Diary of a Witness with me three times a week for forty-five minutes. We read a chapter a day and reflect on our reading through responding to blog posts. With the CMTs, the science fair, and spring break complete, I can now resume our group. We are approximately 3/4 of the way through the book, so I am excited to announce that I BELIEVE that the students' final project associated with the book will be complete before our class is complete! If you'd like to check out our blog so far, click here!

My Reading Wiz's

I could not be more proud of my Read180 students for helping me create an introductory piece for learning the reading strategies. Each student focused on a different aspect of this video. From recording to editing, from writing the script to acting, my students helped me make this vision reality. I cannot wait to show them the final product after our spring break. They're going to be thrilled! But enough about what I think of it, check it out for yourself!




Soo... what'd you think?

Overall, I had a blast creating this digital story. At first I thought it would be a little much for my students (and also take a lot of time away from direct instruction). However, we quickly developed a system and only used 10 minutes a day on it! Although my students and staff have not seen the final product yet, they were already proud, stunned, and inspired just by viewing the rough draft. As stated above I CANNOT wait to show them the final product. If I could do anything differently, I would definitely have more than one student be filmed for each speaking segment. I found that some students were difficult to be heard due to their tone of voice. It seemed like I could either have them scream or not be heard at all. Non-speaking roles might be better for these students. Other than that, I feel as though this piece will definitely be used in classes to come!

Remarkable Readers

My class has agreed to help me teach others the strategies we use everyday in our reading room. Although this is a rough, rough draft, I feel as though these guys are really getting their point across already! :) Please let me know what I can do to make this more effective for my future classes and school!

...after reviewing this on Blogger, I realized that half of the digital story is missing! That will be the first thing I fix.

Simply Making a Difference

As my South American Adventure gets closer and closer, I am so lucky to have the love and support from not only my family and friends, but also my colleagues. Fellow teachers have supplied me with a plethora of resources, strategies, and tips. One teacher has shared with me what her daughter is currently changing in Costa Rica. Her daughter's school is part of the World Leadership Schools. This week, she is taking a group of students to Costa Rica to help change lives! How inspiring. I am definitely going to enroll my future school in this program when I return home. What is better than traveling with kids ;)! Here is her daughter's blog, if you'd like to check it out for yourself!

Living a Life I Love

This weekend I attended the Landmark Forum. Due to the fact that my school (Breakthrough Magnet School) was created through this course, my principal offers this course to all new teachers. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. When I found out that it was from 9am-10pm Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, I realized I really really had no idea what I was getting myself into. Little did I know, this long, long course ended up changing my life. According to Wikipedia, the Landmark Forum offers educational programs in personal development. Talk about not giving credit where credit is due. The Landmark Forum coaches you through concurring your past, understanding your present, and creating "problems" that you actually want. The Landmark Forum creates an entire new way of seeing and living life. For anyone who is "stuck" where they are right now, I HIGHLY recommend you check out Landmark.And for those who aren't? I PROMISE you, you'll become a better person in 3 short days. :)