Category Archives: Teaching Tips

Sep 14 2011

Tips for Writers – Finding Your Personal Writing Style

Moleskin and pen on desk for writing.

Image by Katcha on Flickr.

How do you write? There are as many styles for getting the words on paper as there are writers. Do you write quickly, mashing out several thousand words in a day? Or do you write more slowly, doing a little at a time and letting the words simmer? Are you a plotter, needing to have everything lined up, laid out, and every detail noted before you begin? Or are you more of a pantster, sitting down to write and letting the story come tumbling out willy-nilly?

How do you find out what kind of a writer you are?

This is the dilemma facing many new writers, and many seasoned writers as well. Hearing and reading about all the different ways to write can make it hard to decide what works for you.

The best way to find out what works is to try them all out. When I was a newer writer, I tried NaNoWriMo and wrote my first middle grade historical novel. I had a general idea of the story line when I began. I even found an agent for it. But the novel had serious flaws, and it never sold.

The next story I wrote, a middle grade adventure, I used a plotting style. I actually think of it as my plodding style. I wrote every day, each chapter as it was plotted. Before I moved on to the next chapter, I did a first draft edit on the chapter. By the time I made it to the end, the story didn’t need any major editing, as my first novel had, but it was certainly a long process.

Next up, I tried more of a pantster approach on an adult story. I ended up with a novel called Blooming with Hope, which is anything but. It’s a mess. I didn’t stay true to my voice, the characters are cardboard, and I don’t know if I’ll ever go back and fix all the plot holes in that one. It’s blatantly apparent from this disaster that I’m not a pantster.

A woman in my writing group tried a method of writing in which you and a support buddy write twenty pages a day for two weeks straight. At the end of two weeks, you have a novel. In her words, “I’ve finally found my writing method.” This fast draft method of novel writing worked for her, and now she’s spending the next few months doing major edits and revisions.

If that sounds too intense, you might want to try Karen Wiesner’s method of writing a novel in thirty days.  Hers is more of a pre-plotted and pre-planned approach, leaving you to focus on the writing during the thirty day phase.

Personally, you just have to try as many writing styles or methods as you need to until you find the one that works for you. For me, the thought of editing 280,000 words written in fast draft mode is too daunting. My own style is the plodding fashion, with surface edits as the novel moves along. After the midway point, the story starts to pour out faster, and I drop some of the editing. When I get to the end, and go back to edit, the process is much less painful for me.

How about you? Do you have your own unique writing style you’d like to share with readers here?

In the end, whichever writing style you choose, there are just three things to consider. Are you putting a satisfying amount of words on paper? Is the story flowing? Are you enjoying the process? If you can answer yes to these questions, then you’ve found your own personal writing style.

Happy writing!

Feb 9 2011

Tips for Writers, Be in the Moment, Even When You’re Not Writing

Yes, I know, “be in the moment” sounds very zen-ish. It’s also some of the best advice I’ve received about writing and about life. Don’t hurry to move on. Be in the moment. Savor the moment. Practice mindfulness.

Today I was testing students in reading fluency. I stepped over to talk to one of my young charges, and these are the things I noticed about him as we walked back to the table to read.

  1. He never looks directly at a person, but instead peeks at them through the corners of his eyes.
  2. His light, fluffy hair floats about his head like a freshly shampooed halo. Gravity has given up trying to hold it down.
  3. His recently washed clothes carry the perfume of laundry soap.
  4. He brags about being able to stand outside in the cold air with no jacket, his voice lilting up at the end of his sentence.
  5. He puffs out his chest with a young boy’s bravado and dares me to touch his arm to see how warm he is. His skin feels icy cold, but no goosebumps mar its smooth surface.
  6. His nose tip is red from the wind, mirroring his lips and cheeks.
  7. He walks with a bounce in his step, toes on the ground, heels a fraction of an inch above it, never quite settling onto the tile floor.
  8. Everything about him is radiant, as if he could float away on a cloud of happiness.

These are the types of details that can bring a character to life, the quirks that might endear a character to readers. Savor these things and then write them down.

Picture of ducks with halo of light in garden.

Image by Slurpiesandstraws on Flickr.com

The importance of writing things down was told to me in my first year of teaching. A veteran teacher kept a little notebook on her desk and wrote down things her students said and did. She didn’t want to forget any of the precious and funny things kids do. Later, another mentor advised me to be meditative about my teaching practice and keep records of the happenings of the day. These habits transcended my teaching and moved into my writing. They’ve helped me learn to be fully present in each moment.

Stopping to experience things and to allow the feelings and thoughts to sink in is one way for a  writer to develop acute observation skills. Noticing things and savoring them fills a deep reservoir of sensations to draw upon while writing. Don’t try to observe everything, just focus on one or two things, and remember them well.

I try to bring this principle into my heart and craft by taking time each day to stop and appreciate something happening right that instant. I notice the things my senses tell me; the temperature, the scents, the sounds, flavors, and how I’m feeling. I try to crystallize the moment in my mind so I can write it down later.

If you have the time, write down the sensations immediately. Create the best description you can of the moment. Of course, I realize most people don’t have jobs that will allow them to stop what they’re doing and write about it, (teaching certainly doesn’t allow any downtime,) but reviewing the day’s events and jotting down one or two special things at the end of each day can help build awareness that translates directly into more realistic writing.

If you carry a writer’s notebook, it will be quick to do. You can also write these notes on your phone text program and email them to yourself. I have an app on my phone called My Writing Spot that’s perfect for quick descriptions. Have fun with this writing, don’t let it become a chore.

Every few days you might want to choose one of your descriptions and expand on it. These can be used to develop realistic settings, build believable characters, and even to create plot twists. I find that writing a little bit about things I notice around me helps me learn to include all my senses and write better descriptions for my stories.

How about you? Do you have any special tricks for creating your best descriptions?

Aug 19 2010

Sync Your Files Across Multiple Computers with Dropbox

How do you back up your teaching and writing files? See if one of these describes you.

  1. You save your files to a thumb drive and carry it around with you.
  2. You email files to yourself for safekeeping.
  3. You subscribe to an online backup service.
  4. You backup your own files with an external hard drive.
  5. You’re going crazy trying to remember which computer, hard drive, thumb drive, etc. on which you saved a particular file.
  6. Some other method.

I did all of those except for #3. (Notice the use of past tense.) I use three different computers, my laptop, a desktop, and my work computer at school. I hate it when I’m at school, but the file I need is on a thumb drive at home. Last year, I washed and dried my thumb drive in the pocket of my pants. Gradebook, letters, lesson plans, everything for school was gone in the time it took to wash and dry. A friend of mine lost her thumb drive. It was like losing a diamond engagement ring. All the teachers at our school were hunting for it. It was never found.

Then I’ve had nightmares that I forget to take the thumb drive out of my computer and my house burns down, taking the novels I’ve worked so hard o into the ashes. Yep, that’s a nightmare.

That’s why, when I found out about Dropbox, it was as if the heavens opened up and the sun shone down. I actually heard the Hallelujah chorus. Well, maybe just in my head.

Dropbox is simple to use and takes about 1 minute to set up. You download the app from Dropbox, then move the files you want to save into a Dropbox on your computer. Then you download the app to all the computers you use. Now, whenever you use any of those computers, all of those files will be available to you. No more worries about thumb drives. No more worries about the house burning down and taking my computers with it, because you can also access your Dropbox online.

This has to be the best app for organizing a teacherwriter’s files since the thumb drive came along. Check it out. I think you’ll like it. Dropbox.

Aug 7 2010

My Ten Most Popular Articles on Classroom Management Techniques

Red and green cards for classroom management.

Red Light, Green Light. It's more than just a game. It's a teaching strategy.

As the school year begins again, it’s time to review classroom management strategies and rev up for the incoming classes. To help you with that, I’m posting links to my most popular classroom management articles. If you’re a new teacher, they’re packed with ideas that really work. If you’ve been in the trenches for a few years or more, it’s good to see what other teachers are doing.

What’s the worst discipline problem you ever had and how did you solve it? I could tell you nightmares from my first year teaching. I wasn’t prepared for the vast and imaginative ways kids can disrupt a classroom. My second year, I was prepared with a plan, procedures, and routines in place. Since then, management has been a breeze.

How to Set up a Class

This article gives a plan of attack for getting the classroom ready for school in the least amount of time. Because who wants to spend two weeks setting up? You can do it in three days or less. Follow up with Three Things to Do to Set up a Classroom and How to Plan a Classroom Seating Arrangement.

Where to Get Cheap Student Whiteboards

Don’t buy whiteboards from a school supply that costs well over $100. You can get them at the hardware store for around $15 if you know what to do.

Classroom Ideas for Quiet Signs that Work

The name says it all. None of them involve shouting, thank goodness.

Five Strategies for Effective Classroom Management

Follow these five strategies and you’ll never have to worry about an out-of-control classroom.

Positive Classroom Discipline

This goes along with the previous article.

Curriculum Planning with Backward Design

When your building your curriculum map and lesson plans, think backward to see the greatest results.

First Day of School Icebreaker Activities

Have fun getting to know your students.

Back to School Activity Idea

Me bags are one of my favorite ways of finding out about my students.

There you have it. The ten most read articles about getting ready for the new school year. Have a great time getting ready for the new school year!

Apr 17 2010

The Mozart Effect and Learning in a Fifth Grade Classroom

Statue of Mozart with staff note flower bed.

Photo/Wikimedia Commons

Does Mozart make you smart? My class of fifth graders decided to do an experiment to find out.

The Mozart Effect has been recognized since 1991, when Alfred A. Tomatis first gave a name to the phenomenon. Since then it’s been researched, study results have been published in medical journals, books have been written about it, and CDs have been sold under the name, The Mozart Effect.

My class is currently reading The 39 Clues, Book 2, The False Note, by Gordon Korman, in which Amy and Dan head to Vienna, Austria, home of Mozart, in search of more clues to find Grace Cahill’s fortune. That’s how the interest in the Mozart Effect began.

We randomly divided the class into two groups. I have the students’ names on cards, and I split the deck into two piles without looking, naming one group the music group and the other group the control group. I became nervous as I read the names of the students in the control group, for it was full of my top performing students, including all of my GATE students. I could have kicked myself, but it was too late. We had to go on with the experiment, although I thought the results might be skewed.

The control group was sent outside to relax in the grass and read a book for ten minutes. The music group stayed inside and listened to Serenade in G, K.525 “Eine kleine Nachtmusik” – Orchestral version, by Mozart for ten minutes with their eyes closed. Whereas normally the students groan when I put on classical music, on this day they enjoyed it.

After the music and reading, I gave the students a short puzzle about Benjamin Franklin. They had to fill in missing letters to reveal a fact about Ben. Every person in the group had to have the puzzle completed correctly in order to announce the group was finished. They were allowed to work together and share clues.

Results of the Mozart Effect, Experiment 1

Music group: Finished the puzzle in 7 minutes, 37 seconds.
Control group: Unable to finish.

I stopped the experiment after 20 minutes. The control group, (the one with the GATE students), complained that the other group had all the smart students in it. Interesting perception.

I told them we would do the same experiment with the same music, but a different puzzle the next morning with the groups switched. This time we did a puzzle about Mozart in which the students had to use a number letter code given to them to solve for a fact about the composer. The puzzle difficulty level was the same as the Benjamin Franklin puzzle.

Results of the Mozart Effect, Experiment 1

Music group (the control group of the previous day): Finished the puzzle in 5 minutes 35 seconds.
Control group (the music group of the previous day): Finished the puzzle in 8 minutes 15 seconds, with a great deal of whining, groaning, and moaning about how difficult it was.
The students are convinced. The music relaxed them and allowed them to think more creatively to problem solve. Even though it was entirely unscientific, it was very interesting. I’ll certainly be playing more classical music in the classroom in the future.

Next up: the students want to find out if the effect carries through with other types of music. I’ll have more on those results later.

Dec 22 2009

Tips For Creating A Powerful PowerPoint

Let’s face it. Most teachers are not as adept at PowerPoint presentations as they could be. How many of us have suffered through a presentation that was full of annoying sound effects, words zipping across the screen, and a confusing layout?

When using PowerPoint to give a lesson, you want your audience to learn something, not just remember bright lights and cute sounds. This article by Ryan Round has some pointers for teachers wanting to use PowerPoint more effectively. There are plenty of advantages to using it in the classroom. Once a lesson is created, it can be used again and again or shared with other teachers, the lessons are simple to update, and most importantly, students tune in to on screen presentations.

Here are more tips on Using Audio-Visual Aids in a Presentation.

Dorit Sasson has some Lesson Plans Using PowerPoint.

Tips for Creating a Powerful PowerPoint
By Ryan Round

Tips For Creating A Powerful PowerPoint

In the hands of a skillful communicator, PowerPoint can be a great tool. Unfortunately, there are many who use PowerPoint poorly. A report in the online Wall Street Journal claimed that millions of dollars are being wasted each day due to bad presentations. Whether this is a realistic figure or not, most people have had to suffer through poor presentations at some stage.

The most common mistake in PowerPoint is using too many words. Research suggests that having lots of words on the screen to match a spoken presentation increases the cognitive load on the brain. The end result is that the message actually becomes less clear. Using lots of words can also tempt the presenter into using the slides as a teleprompter. If this is the case, it would be better to write the points on cards and not show them to the audience.

A related problem is using too many bullet points. Again, your key messages can become lost if you have a vast variety of bullet points. Some commentators suggest that you should have no more than six bullet points and the number of words per point should be restricted to a maximum of six. A good guide is to write your points as &quotheadlines&quot.

There are others who suggest that a presentation can be better with no bullet points at all. Because PowerPoint is essentially a visual medium, many advocate using one key message per slide mixed with the use of interesting and relevant images. In fact, slides which contain only an image or a collection of images with no text at all can often make a powerful statement. The beauty of PowerPoint slides is that they don’t cost anything, so you can use as many as you want.

A poor choice of background is another source of aggravation for audiences. If you are going to use text, it needs to be seen. A busy background or one that doesn’t provide enough contrast between it and the words can lead to text that is unreadable. Distracting backgrounds can be used if the text is placed inside a text box with a plainer background that allows it to be read. Another cause of unreadable text is using a font size that is too small.

Some people seem to be natural presenters. However, the good news is that the skills to construct a good presentation can be learnt. Even a mediocre presenter can shine if they put the effort into designing a winning presentation.

About the author

In addition to an interest in Powerpoint, Ryan also runs a site for internet marketers providing new private label rights products, master resell rights products, articles, training and much more. from http://www.FreeArticlesAndContent.com

Dec 8 2009

Acquiring Reading Fluency: The Elementary Years

By Ann Bowers

Not long ago, the National Assessment of Educational Progress conducted a study of elementary-school reading skills. The study showed that 44% of fourth graders in the United States have low reading scores. In 2000, a report by The National Reading Panel stated that oral reading fluency is a critical part of effective reading instruction. Parents and teachers can help improve reading scores by building reading fluency skills in their children.

What is Fluency?

Fluency is the ability to accurately and quickly read text. People who read with fluency immediately understand words they read and comprehend sentence structures. If a person has not developed reading fluency, words are difficult to understand and pronounce. They read at a slow pace, and have to sound out many words. To develop fluency, a reader must practice reading and receive instruction. Gradually, reading fluency develops as the reader is exposed to varied text and word familiarity is developed.

Assessing Fluency in Reading

Fluency should be assessed to ensure that students are progressing. At home, parents can test fluency by asking the child to read aloud from an age appropriate book for one minute. The child’s school reader will work fine. As he/she reads, make a checkmark on a piece of paper for each missed word, substitution, reversal, omission, or words on which the child needed help. Count the number of words read correctly in one minute (WPM = words per minute). Do not count words the child did not have time to read. The WPM should go up as the child progresses. Listen to see if the child reads smoothly, with pauses and inflections, emotion, and expression. Does he or she react appropriately to punctuation cues? Or, does the child spend extra time trying to &quotsound out” words?

Fluency Instruction

There are numerous approaches to reading fluency instruction. One of the most effective is Repeated Reading, during which the student reads text aloud several times while being monitored by a parent, teacher, or tutor. After reading, the student is given feedback and guidance. Other approaches include: silent, independent reading, reading in phrases, listening to fluent reading models, and performance feedback.

Repeated Reading

Oral repeated reading consists of the student being monitored while he reads, then rereads, text. Practitioners of Repeated Reading have found that students who read a passage four times, and are given assistance with decoding words, word meanings, etc., will increase their fluency significantly. At home, the student should read orally, with help from a parent or tutor, for one-half to one hour per day.

Silent, Independent Reading

Teachers who maximize the time spent on reading skills instruction in the classroom will see the most rapid comprehension and fluency growth in students. While solitary reading can be productive for students, it should be kept to a minimum to free class time for skills instruction. Students should be encouraged to read more at home to replace independent reading in school. For parents, this means that you should have your child read independently for another one-half to one hour.

Reading in Phrases

When students read, they are exposed to phrases in sentences. Reading fluency improves when the reader reads the text in phrases. When teaching reading in phrases, the adult acts as a role model and reads a selection of text to the child, which has been divided into phrases by slash marks. Then the student is asked to read the same text aloud, three to four times.

Listening to Fluent Reading Models

Role modeling fluency in reading should be performed on a daily basis at school and at home. The student should read one-on-one with an adult who provides a model of fluent reading. The adult should point to the words being read. Then, the student reads the same text several times with assistance. When students hear exemplary role models of reading fluency, they observe and imitate correct pronunciation, emotion, enunciation, pauses, and reactions to punctuation.

In choral reading, students read as a group with an adult. They follow along while the adult reads from a big book, or read from their own copy of the book. Then the students reread the book in unison several times.

In tape-assisted reading, students read along and point to each word as they hear a fluent reader read a book on audiotape. The students read aloud along with the tape until they are able to read the book independently.

In partner reading, more fluent readers are paired with less fluent readers. The more fluent reader provides a model of fluent reading. Then, the less fluent reader reads the book aloud several times. The more fluent student helps with word recognition, showing emotion, and reacting to punctuation.

Performance Feedback

Research indicates that performance feedback, with incentives, improves reading fluency. Students who are told, specifically, how they have done on tests of fluency, improve more than students who are not informed of their progress. Incentives, such as certificates of improvement motivate students to improve reading fluency.

Conclusion

Using proven skills-building techniques, parents and tutors can help children improve reading fluency. If parents have concerns about their child’s progress, they should speak with the child’s teacher and then assist the child at home.

About the author

Ann Bowers is a former teacher and a writer for TeamUP! Tutors, an in-home tutoring company. www.TeamUpTutors.com

Looking for a private tutor in San Francisco or near San Diego, Los Angeles, San Jose, Oakland, or Seattle? Find out how TeamUP! Tutors can help. Call toll-free 888.383.2687.

More articles are available on our web site for you to help your child succeed in school. from http://www.FreeArticlesAndContent.com

Sep 29 2009

Writing Lessons That Work

If you must teach writing, you know how nebulous and difficult it can be to define exactly what good writing entails. As a writer myself, I love to teach writing. I find that giving specific goals and focusing on one small aspect in each lesson has been highly successful. Not only do my students turn out excellent written work, they love to write and actually ask for more writing assignments. It doesn’t get much better than that!

 

Try these lessons in your class and see what happens.

 

Writing Lesson: Teach With Baby Steps

 

Five Day Descriptive Writing Lesson This is my most popular writing article.

 

You won’t miss any TeacherWriter posts if you subscribe to the RSS feed or follow me on Twitter.

Sep 22 2009

Emphasize Mastery Over Grades

Every teacher wants to help students master the material, not just pass the test, then forget it. Here is how to focus your teaching on mastery. When you teach to mastery, you’ll find your students are more relaxed about their learning, as well as more focused.

 

Here’s the article: Emphasize Mastery Over Grades

 

Don’t miss a single TeacherWriter post! Subscribe by RSS feed or follow me on Twitter.

Sep 15 2009

How to Deal With Pushy Parents

Every teacher, at some point in his or her career will have to deal with parents that are over-enthusiastic about their children’s educations. These are the parents that will interrupt class, because what they have to say is more important than what you have to teach your class. They will tell you how to teach, because they know the best way to do it. They will demand you make exceptions for their children.

 

Here are some ways to Deal With Pushy Parents.

Follow me on Twitter or subscribe to the TeacherWriter RSS feed so you never miss a teaching tip.