Out of Her Mind -- Musings on Education and Life

  When students are able to clearly articulate what they are learning and what they are expected to do, they will be more successful.  I have been teaching for 22 years, and I have found that it is helpful to begin each new unit of learning by emphasizing a focus standard.  We know that the ELA standards are artfully intertwined, but picking a standard or two to really emphasize helps me to be intentional about instruction and for students to know the purpose of their learning. I am currently teaching English II in North Carolina, and I am helping students prepare for the North Carolina Final Exam.  I have been developing slideshows, guided notes, and graphic organizers to help students understand the academic vocabulary of the tested standards as well as to help them analyze informational and literary texts in the 9-10 grade band. These resources are available individually or bundled on Teachers Pay Teachers .   Add a free copy of   RL.9.10.1 Lit...

we heart found poetry (word cloud made using wordart ). At the end of a unit in my high school English class, I have students create and present thematic found poetry.  I am sure you can vary this activity in numerous ways; I look forward to you sharing your implementation/ideas with me and other readers.  Recently, I have been using found poems in the following ways: 1.  Near the first day of class, I introduce the concept of found or cut up poetry by using a sample text we have read together in class (can be a shortish excerpt or excerpt(s) chosen for this purpose).  Students are told to write down interesting words and phrases that they hear/see (depending on the modality in which you present the information) with the understanding that these words will later be used to write a thematic poem on the work that was read.  They are to record a minimum of 25 words and phrases, and I am sure to encourage them to write down at least 10 phrases.  Then,...

Preparing to land The first time I jumped this canopy, I was distracted by the sheer beauty of the sun streaming through the brightly colored cells. It used to be that as soon as my parachute opened, my brain would freeze in terror as I hung helplessly  four or five thousand feet above the earth, looking down at where I needed to land, praying to somehow magically end up where I needed to be at the right altitudes. These days, I squeal in delight when the slider comes down and my fall rate slows from 120 mph to a gentle glide as free fall transitions to canopy time.  I collapse my slider, do canopy control checks, clear my airspace (not necessarily in that order), and then fly my baby, my trusty, reliable parachute, pushing its limits, learning the controls, finding the sweet spot, playing in the wind.... And now, I am gaining the ability to take in more of the beauty and solitude of these eagle-eye views, truly being present in those adrenaline soaked, spectacular ...

Instructional Rounds: Observing Master Teachers Instructional rounds are akin to the rounds medical students make to learn more as they improve their practice.   Rounds are a way to learn from focused observations of new and veteran teachers in your content area and in other content areas.   To learn more about Instructional Rounds, read a brief introduction at http://hepg.org/document/98/ . All teachers can benefit greatly from observing other teachers and by reflecting on that observation with peers, mentors, and administrators.  Below is a format I created for observing other teachers in my role as mentor, tailored especially for the beginning teacher (BT),  but easily customizable for veteran teachers. The best teachers are lifelong learners who learn from one another in the real-world laboratory known as the classroom. 1.        Before you observe, please identify a specific area that you would like to focus on in y...