Monthly Archives: August 2008

Wednesday Writing Tip: Write to a Schedule

Posted on August 27, 2008 | Leave a comment

Habits die hard. Once you set up a consistent writing habit, it will be hard to break it, and you’ll see your productivity increase. A writing schedule will make you prolific.

It’s been said that all you need is a good bottle of bum glue to become a writer. Yes, bum glue. In other words, glue your bum to the chair to write every day.

Just as you have a habit of brushing your teeth and taking a shower each day, once you develop a habit of sitting down and writing at the same time each day, you’ll find that you write more and more. It won’t be a burden; it will simply be something you do.

Once you develop a daily writing habit, it will also make you want to write more. If you miss your writing time, you’ll feel as if something is awry, and you’ll want to make up for it. You’ll be jonesing for your writing fix.

The best time for me to write is early in the morning when everyone else is asleep. It took quite a long time to develop the habit of rising earlier than my family, but now I know that’s my time, and I look forward to it. There are no distractions, no phone calls, no one needing a ride somewhere or a problem solved. All I hear are light snores. Even the dog sleeps through my writing time.

Since I started writing early in the morning, I’ve gotten more writing done than ever before. My writing has improved as a result. When is your writing time?

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Posted in Staying organized, Writing, Writing Tips

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Tuesday Teaching Tip: Make Them Geniuses

Posted on August 26, 2008 | Leave a comment

I have a small note posted on a yellow index card that I keep on my computer monitor. Each day, when I log into the attendance program, I read the note. It says these things:

  • Do your best. You expect the best from them, they deserve your best.
  • Make them geniuses. Structure your lessons so they feel smart.
  • Praise them.

These three things I keep in mind as I plan, and as I teach.

I take the time to plan cohesive, interesting lessons that engage the students. I do my best to teach them well.

You may have read about the educational research experiment where teachers were told that the students they were teaching were all above average. The teachers taught with that assumption, and the students all performed above average on their assessment tests. This is because the teacher expectation was that they would perform well, and the expectation translated into higher success for the students.

Assume that expectation in your classroom. Expect the best from your students, praise their work, and they will give you their best. Teach them in a way that makes them feel smart, and they will act smart.

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Student Writing Contests

Posted on August 25, 2008 | Leave a comment

 

Florida Collegiate Honors Council Writing Contest

Entry Fee: FREE

Deadline: November 7, 2008

Guidelines: http://www.floridacollegiatehonorscouncil.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=18&Itemid=33

This contest is limited to students enrolled in honors programs in Florida colleges and universities. It’s an excellent way to gain scholarship funds. Writing in four different categories, students may submit up to three papers. In addition to cash prizes, winners receive free conference registration to present their papers at the FCHC conference in 2009. These are academic papers, and the writing should be in MLA or APA style.

CREEC Imagine This! Story Writing Contest

Entry Fee: FREE

Deadline: November 1, 2008

Guidelines: http://www.cfaitc.org/Imaginethis/Imaginethis.php

Teachers in California may recognize CREEC as the California Regional Environmental Education Community. This contest is aimed at students in grades 3-8. The students should write a fiction or nonfiction story about a positive aspect of California agriculture. This is a great way to combine science and writing in your curriculum. Student winners receive a $100 savings bond, the teachers receive $100 in school supplies, and the student, teacher, and parents will be guests at the Awards Ceremony during Agriculture Week. State winners will have their stories published in a book that will be distributed to schools and libraries across California.

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Thought for the Weekend

Posted on August 22, 2008 | Leave a comment

“Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.” ~~Benjamin Franklin

 

What are you doing this weekend?

 

Enjoy.

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Posted in reading, Writing

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Wednesday Writing Tip: Write for 15 Minutes

Posted on August 20, 2008 | 5 Comments

It started out as a game. Writing for 15 minutes, then comparing our word counts with other writers in the group. Then it became a tool. Using 15 minute blocks of time, I can carve out a huge project, piece by piece.

I learned this trick during NanoWrimo a couple of years ago. When the clock is ticking, it makes a person focus more, knowing that there is only a small amount of time to get as much done as possible. Writing in 15 minute increments helps to boost productivity.

In an interview with Marla Cilley, the writer and owner of FlyLady.net, she mentioned that she wrote two books in 15 minute increments. Her motto is, “You can do anything for 15 minutes.”

 

Try this:

  • Clear your desk of everything but the writing task at hand.
  • Choose one small part to work on, or set a word goal.
  • Set a timer for 15 minutes.
  • Begin writing.
  • When the timer goes off, stop and see how much you’ve accomplished.

 

After using this technique a few times, you may find it helps to give you the boost you need when the writing slows down.

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Tuesday Teaching Tip: Keep Your Lectures Short

Posted on August 19, 2008 | Leave a comment

Many years ago, a person I greatly respect told me the attention span of young students for sitting through a lecture is their age plus one minute. This means in a class of 9 year-olds, the lecture part of the lesson should be no longer than 10 minutes.

It sounds challenging, but it reality, it’s not. Students do get fidgety after about 10 minutes. Even adults may find their minds wandering after 10 or 15 minutes of a lecture.

Knowing this fact helps a teacher plan interactivity into lessons. Instead of me talking all the time, I have the students interact with me using whiteboards, answer cards, partner sharing, doing total physical response activities, and anything that will keep them moving and doing.

  • Whiteboards: I have the students work problems, then hide their answers until I call for them to show their boards. We call this “Write It, Hide It, Show It.” This method works in all curricular areas.

 

  • Answer Cards: The students have index cards with the letters A, B, C, D, and E written in marker on both sides. They hold up the cards, indicating their answer by placing their fingers next to the answers they choose. This works well on reviewing tests and quizzes.

 

  • Partner Sharing: Have the students share pair with their shoulder partners, or group share at their table groups. Then call on students randomly and have them tell what their partner said. This teaches content as well as active listening.

 

  • Total Physical Response: This means getting the students moving in an activity. For example, when we review geometric shapes, we play Teacher Says. I call out a shape, such as a right angle, and the students must show me a right angle using their arms. We also do points, rays, acute and obtuse angles, parallel lines, intersecting lines, and circles, all with our arms. This is great for a five-minute break. Many different TPR activities can be used in varying ways across the curriculum.

 

  • True or False: When we review true or false questions, I have the students stand up and move to one side of the room if they thing the answer is false, the other side of the room if they think the answer is true.

These are just a few of the ideas that will help you get your students involved in their learning. Break up your lectures into ten minute chunks, include some interactivity, and your students will stay engaged and motivated.

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Tuesday Teaching Tip: Student Numbers

Posted on August 12, 2008 | 2 Comments

Students numbers are one of the fastest ways to organize a class all year long. They can be used in a myriad of ways, and in any grade level, from primary to high school.

I give all my students numbers before school begins. As soon as I have my class list, I number the list from 1 to 32. At the beginning of the year, your list will match alphabetic order.

Some of the benefits of using numbers include:

  •  Faster gradebook entry. Have a student put the papers in number order before you grade them.
  • Lining up. I have students line up in number order for fire drills and other emergency drills. I walk down the line, counting each student, and I immediately know who is missing if someone isn’t there.
  • Creating groups or teams. You can group by even numbers, odd numbers, prime and non-prime, multiples of a number, high and low numbers, or any other way you can think of to cut a number.
  • Reward tokens. I use a token reward system, and the students have their own number on their tokens. I never need to make new tokens each year. I also use numbers on the bathroom tokens.
  • Number student books and supplies. I know who is assigned which book because I number the books to match the student numbers. This way you don’t need an extra list to keep track of supplies.
  • This year I have a combination class. The 4th graders have numbers 1-20, and the 5th graders have numbers 21-32. I keep separate gradebook pages for each grade level.

If you have a class of 31 or less, you can use the numbers to determine the person of the day. My person of the day gets to be the line leader and to lead the class in the pledge. When I have more than 31 students, I let the students with numbers 32 and higher be the student of the day when someone is absent on their day.

If a student moves, I retire the number. For instance, if student number 15 moves, I don’t use that number again. When a new student arrives, he or she gets the next highest available number. Right now I have 32 students. If I get a new student, he or she will be number 33, even if another student has moved away. I do this to maintain individual grade records of each student for the entire school year.

I give my students folders for math, writing, science, spelling and homework. At the beginning of the year, I make folder labels for my students with their numbers on them. I make four extra sets of labeled folders, and put them in a basket in my supply cabinet. When a new student arrives, I simply pull out the next available set of folders, pull out the next set of books, and the student desk is ready to go. It saves an incredible amount of prep time when I get a new student.

After years of using a student number system, I haven’t found a better way to organize my class. If you have other ways to organize with student numbers, please comment and share your ideas.

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Posted in Staying organized, Teaching, Teaching Tips

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Tuesday Teaching Tip: Handle Bathroom Breaks With Tokens

Posted on August 12, 2008 | 2 Comments

Ah, yes, bathroom breaks. Everyone has a different method to handle them. Some teachers use bathroom sign out sheets, some have bathroom passes, some use penalties if a student must go during class.

In my first year of teaching, every day, as soon as we started math, scores of students suddenly had to use the bathroom. Even with a system in place, I constantly had someone out of the room. I knew they really just wanted to take a break from class, but what if I was wrong? Did I want it on my conscience if someone had an accident? Did I want to be known as the teacher who made Jimmy or Marlee pee their pants?

No.

So I let them go, while I tried to find a way to handle this particular area of classroom management. I made up my own system, and it’s been very successful. Now it’s a rare occasion when a student leaves my class to use the restroom.

Bathroom Tokens

I bought a package of poker chips and put each student’s number on one. This is the bathroom token. Monday morning, the students each get their one bathroom token.

The bathroom token may be turned in to me, no questions asked, when they need to use the restroom during class. It’s good for one trip each week. If they still have their token at the end of the week, they get a prize.

  • Rule #1 Students must go to the bathroom with a partner. This is a safety rule.
  • Rule #2 A student only needs to turn in one token for himself and a partner.
  • Rule #3 Friday afternoon, students turn their token in to me and receive a token prize.

Students quickly develop a system among themselves whereby if one person gives up a token and takes another person along, then the tag along person must pay for the other person to go to the bathroom on the next trip. So technically, they can get two trips a week for one token.

At times, I’ll have a savvy student ask me early in the week what the prize will be. When I answer, I can see them calculating the worth of the token prize against the cost of a break. That’s entirely up to them. In a sense, they’re learning a basic principle of finance. Is it worth it to spend it for immediate gratification, or save it and wait for a reward?

Some weeks the token prize may be as simple as a fancy pencil. Other weeks it might be as cool as a snack or a toy. It doesn’t seem to matter what I offer, once they learn the system, it’s all about prestige. They love to be in the crowd that gets a token prize on Friday afternoon.

Of course, if someone needs to go, and they don’t have a token or a person willing to go with them, I let them go for free. I’m not about to stand in the way when nature is calling. That could get messy.

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Writing Contest: Woodstock Revisited

Posted on August 8, 2008 | Leave a comment

You may feel young, but if you attended Woodstock, time’s a-wastin’ for you to write down your memories and enter it in a writing contest ending on September 7, 2008. Literary Cottage is producing an anthology of 50 true stories from people who attended Woodstock. Remember 1969? Your story should be 850-1100 words and should make everyone who wasn’t lucky enough to be there, feel like they were there with you. Good luck! Read the guidelines carefully at the Literary Cottage website.

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Writing Contest: Grand Magazine

Posted on August 7, 2008 | Leave a comment

Write your favorite memory of the 1970′s in 500 words or less, and you may win $250 and a free membership in the NABBW. Grand Magazine, the magazine for baby boomer grandparents, is sponsoring an essay writing contest with the National Association of Baby Boomer Women. Tell all the juicy details, make them feel like they are right there with you. Then submit the story to contest@nabbw.com  by October 31, 2008. The entry fee is FREE.

You can stop by Grand Magazine on August 1, 2008 to read the winning entries from the last writing contest to get a feel for their style.

This magazine is dedicated to helping boomers enjoy and share in grandparenting, and in empowering this generation.

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